After hearing the news, Commander Wardroxan lowers her head for a moment and then nods. "He was a bit of a legend. Never was one to put himself forward as a sympathetic type; excellent in direction and always willing to slay the abyssal menace, but lacking in compassionate judgement. Not to say that such a quality is unheard of in many Mendevians at his level of service," she sighs. "But nevertheless, I am glad he found some measure of peace in his last moments. His tale will be one told for a long time to come, I am certain of it."
______________
After spending the night to rest and recover from your harrowing day you set out once more the next morning, bound for Nerosyan once more. Your return trip is also - blessedly - uneventful and once you arrive back in Nerosyan and give your report to Sir Jorsal you find yourselves with some downtime to rest and reflect on your experiences in and around the Worldwound.
Word of your deeds travels fast through the city and soon the local Pathfinder Lodge and the city at large hail you as heroes for your daring rescue of the crusaders. When an expedition recovers Sir Ilivan’s body a few weeks later he is buried with full honors, and a high-ranking officer presents the late half-elf's weapons and armor to you, a reminder that the knight had finally found some kind of peace after meeting you.
Several well-armed guards patrol the perimeter of the Sandswept Hall of Sothis, watching passerby with suspicion. As they scan the crowd, the lodge’s front gates swing open, and Venture Captain Norden Balentiir steps out into the street, waving calmly to the guards.
"It’s all right. They are Pathfinders."
Balentiir steps back inside the gates and beckons to the lot of you. "Please, follow me. We have much to discuss." Instead of leading the way into the lodge itself, he walks around the back of the building to a lush garden. Sycamore, tamarisk, and fig trees provide shade to cushioned benches, and trellises covered in grapes and flowering plants provide privacy.
"Last night, a thief broke into our vault and fled with a pair of valuable items. While we were unable to stop her from escaping, a guard caught a glimpse of her as she fled. Our thief is a janni named Jamila al-Shafah. She has served as an ally to the Society in the past, but now we have to assume she might have been planning this theft for some time. She’s made her way southeast toward the Underdunes. We’re still figuring out if she had help, but in the meantime, I need you to find where she escaped to."
Norden pauses and glances toward the sky before continuing. "In a way, this could be a blessing in disguise. The Underdunes have many hidden bits of lore. If you find something interesting along the way, be sure to take note of it for later. But don’t tarry too long - Jamila already has a lead of almost half a day."
______________
Some time has passed since your last mission in the Worldwound and in the interim your number shrank from six to five. Though the Pathfinder Society has clearly taken notice of your effectiveness as a team, even you are not immune to the occasional reassignment and you learned this the hard way when Rumble found himself assigned to another group. And so now, as you prepare to embark on your next mission in the Underdunes, you find yourselves joined by a new, unfamiliar face.
For those more interested in focusing on the task at hand, you might try to recall what you know about these Underdunes you'll be visiting...
Rival tribes of elementals lay claim to both the Underdunes and the surrounding area. Ancient Osirian pharaohs once bound many of these elementals into service.
One of the primary reasons that desert travelers must frequently change their paths is to avoid the desert’s two most prominent elemental clans: the Goanron Triumvirate, comprised of air, earth, and fire elementals, and the Ainsi, a splinter faction of air elementals.
The lost city of Tumen serves as the focal point of the conflict between the Goanron and the Ainsi. The Goanron strive to keep the city buried under the desert sands, while the Ainsi believe that uncovering it can advance the desert to its true glory.
|
The elf spends most of the time walking to their rendezvous spot chatting with Grandfrogger, "So, we used to have two divine casters in this group and now they have left or been reassigned. So here I am left with a nice pack of divine scrolls here for emergency purposes, but I can't easily cast them. Would you like to look through the scrollbox and see if you want to carry them? I've seen that you can cast some spells and Zithembe seems more focused on the stabbing than spellcasting, so I figured I'd ask you first."
Maria is taller, but not exactly towering over an average human at exactly six feet. Her frame is thin and lithe, covered by simple clothing and few accoutrements. The clothing is obviously tailored to cover most of her skin, but not restrain movement. Visible under the shirt is a form fitting shiny chain link shirt. Her dirty blonde hair is tucked neatly under her hat with a few strands falling down and framing her long pointed ears. No makeup and a pale complexion allow her to avoid catching many beings attention, which is useful for her research. A single bow, full quiver and simple backpack are slung over her shoulders.
_________________
She flips through her various journals until she finds the one titled 'Osirion'. A quick check of the index and she starts filling in anything she knows about the Underdunes, "Rival tribes of elementals lay claim to both the Underdunes and the surrounding area. Ancient Osirian pharaohs once bound many of these elementals into service, so I doubt they are friendly. One of the primary reasons that desert travelers must frequently change their paths is to avoid the desert’s two most prominent elemental clans: the Goanron Triumvirate, comprised of air, earth, and fire elementals, and the Ainsi, a splinter faction of air elementals. The lost city of Tumen serves as the focal point of the conflict between the Goanron and the Ainsi. The Goanron strive to keep the city buried under the desert sands, while the Ainsi believe that uncovering it can advance the desert to its true glory."
|
Nothing more to add. Just as my eloquent partner said. "Air, wind and Fire", that sound groovy! I bet you can't water this, Maria!
Another elf, a little smaller than the first one, and quite lithe, just spoke. She wear ragtag clothes under a beautiful mithral chain shirt, and gets a long bow and longsword as obvious weapons.
It's quite hot in there, or is it me? We should pack extra water and suitable clothes for this climate. Maybe a few spells to resist the heat, too.
|
|
Zithembe, a living statue of jade inlaid with celestial runes made of precious metals, looks to Maria. "I am actually relatively adept at invoking magic from all traditions, but not in the heat of combat. Divine magic comes most easily to me now, but the spirits I carry are capable of anything."
He turns his attention back to the briefing. "I may have met Jamila in the past, but I do not recall her. Can you give us a description of her and the items she stole?"
|
As you enter the garden, you note a man (though clearly not a human man) lounging on one of the benches. He rises to his full height of well over 6 and a half feet and stretches like a cat just waking from a nap. The low rumble of contentment sounds like a a happy dire tiger, if ever there was one. He's wearing only simple traveler's clothes, no armor, and no weapons. At his feet near the bench lies a small, simple pack and a couple of javelins.
It's not just his height that's big, though. The man is massively built, with thick corded muscles, oversized hands, and a long whip-like tail covered in fine soft black hair with a dark orange spiral pattern. His thick black hair has two streaks of red/orange down the sides which meet in a V at the back of his head, and his red skin is thick and tough like leather. He has two prominent tusks that protrude from his upper jaw like oversized smilodon fangs.
His voice is deep but surprisingly quiet for such a huge being. "Hey, Captain, these figs are amazing. Really juicy. You guys want one?" he asks you all as he reaches up into the fig tree to pluck more. One goes into his mouth, easily fitting between his fangs as he holds another out for whomever may want it.
"Holan-Ji," he says around the fig, which makes you question whether it's a name, a foreign greeting, or something else entirely but said around a mouthful of fruit. He swallows and repeats himself. "Sorry, the name's Holan-Ji."
|
"I can maybe help with those scrolls, if it comes to it Maria. I know I favour my pistol, but Master Westyr says I have innate magical talent. Something to do with 'elemental inheritance' I think she called it. Apparently she's annoyed I spend more time with Master Farabellus." Effie shrugs. "Can't say I enjoyed training with those monks though. I mean, they were all thoroughly decent if overly reserved, and very gracious to teach me as much as they did, but oh my gosh they take themselves so seriously!" Effie mimics the rigorous physical kata of the masters of Quain and bursts out laughing.
"Anyway, if Grandfrogger or Zith can't make sense of them, I'll happily have a glance."
Oh my! Is that a - a weretiger? No, it can't be. Oh, he's talking! Straighten yourself out, Effie!
"Hello, Holan-Ji! I'm Effie." She smiles broadly and tries not to stare. "Sharpest shot in all Varisia, that's me!" She takes the offered fig. "Mmmmm, good! Are you a monk? If you don't mind me asking."
Effie is a lithe young woman with long coal-black hair and skin the colour of warm honey. She wears a headscarf in the Varisian style. She's dressed in colourful clothes well suited to an acrobat or dancer - but a sharp eye picks out the glint of mithral underneath. A bandolier, a buckler and a full backpack suggest that she's no simple tumbler.
"Erm, Venture Captain? I assume you want us to return whatever Jamila stole? What do we do with her though? You want her brought here for questioning?"
|
|
"A monk? Naah! Those guys take themselves waaaay too seriously," he says with a laugh (and absolutely no knowledge of Effie's earlier comment.)
He scratches the back of his head as he thinks. "Here in Avistan, they call me a tiefling which kinda assumes some sorta devil or demon blood. But where I come from, folks like me are all oni-spawn. And I guess you could say I've got a strong connection to my more 'animal nature.'"
As he says that, he calls forth the tiger in his psyche, extending razor-sharp six-inch claws from his hands. Then he lets a little of that oni out with a primal growl, and suddenly those same claws and even his long fangs are wreathed in black and orange flames.
He snuffs out the flames and dismisses his claws. "But I like you gun-shooters," he says with a wink. "Cause I can't hurt things unless I can get my hands on 'em."
"Speakin' of hurtin' things," he says as he turns his attention to the Venture-Captain. "Boss, you said this Jamila lady is a janni. Sooo... what's a janni?"
"Well, it looks like some of you already know a fair bit about the Underdunes," VC Balentiir nods approvingly. "Not that I expected anything less, of course. Your reputations - individually and as a group - are beginning to precede you."
"It's quite hot in there, or is it me? We should pack extra water and suitable clothes for this climate. Maybe a few spells to resist the heat, too."
The VC chuckles. "No, it isn't just you. You'll want to prepare yourselves for sandslides, scorching heat, and other dangerous terrain. Bring rope and survival gear, but also an eye for history. Rumor has it that the binding rituals of Ancient Osirion caused the elemental planes to bleed over into the desert at spots. If you can find proof of that theory, or learn something new about the elemental tribes, that discovery would give this proverbial cloud its silver lining."
"I may have met Jamila in the past, but I do not recall her. Can you give us a description of her and the items she stole?"
"Boss, you said this Jamila lady is a janni. Sooo... what's a janni?"
"A janni is one of the geniekind," Balentiir explains. "All four of the elements run through their veins but they have no permanent home on any of the elemental planes. Instead they primarily roam here, on the Material. Jamila herself has pale skin, long red hair, gold-colored eyes, and angular brown tattoos. She typically travels with a bird with green and orange feathers whose talons crackle with electricity."
"As for the items she stole, we’ve identified two missing relics. The Sandstorm Codex is an ancient tome written in Osiriani, Aquan, Auran, Ignan, and Terran. It’s an elaborate text, and we haven’t yet fully deciphered it. The other is an abacus that supposedly belonged to the Pharaoh of Numbers."
"Erm, Venture Captain? I assume you want us to return whatever Jamila stole? What do we do with her though? You want her brought here for questioning?"
"Yes, we want the stolen items returned and Jamila brought in for questioning, if at all possible. You know, we first met Jamila as a silk merchant from Qadira. She was a companion of the late Venture-Captain Targos Min-Katheer, and she helped lay him to rest. We considered her to be an ally of the Society. But now..."
The VC sighs. "Now we have to wonder if her aid was all part of a much larger, longer ruse. And if so, why?"
|
|
Having had enough of the figs for now, Holan-Ji wanders over to one of the trellises and plucks a large bunch of grapes. He begins popping them into his mouth one at a time, pausing between each so as to avoid talking with his mouth full. Again.
"Yeah, she coulda asked. That would be the polite thing to do," he says suddenly realizing he's been grazing on the Venture-Captain's garden without asking. "Uhhh, but do we know how she got into the vault?" he asks while quickly finishing off the remaining grapes.
|
|
"So, we used to have two divine casters in this group and now they have left or been reassigned. So here I am left with a nice pack of divine scrolls here for emergency purposes, but I can't easily cast them. Would you like to look through the scrollbox and see if you want to carry them? I've seen that you can cast some spells and Zithembe seems more focused on the stabbing than spellcasting, so I figured I'd ask you first."
The Grandfrogger blinks once before peering into the box. Slowly he pulls out one roll of parchment, stares at it for a minute, then rolls it back up and places it back in the box. He repeats this process for each scroll, somehow knowing which ones he has already investigated. "Unlock the magic within these ones, I can," he answers at last. "This one, however, I cannot."
The small figure cloaked in heavy woolen robes seems to perk up as the strange Pathfinder mentions figs. Slowly he approaches, leaning heavily on his walking stick. From a safe distance, a long tongue shoots out from beneath the cloak's hood to snag one of the offered fruits before retreating once more. "MmhHhmm!" The scratchy wizened voice sounds pleased. "Tasty, these are! Figs, you called them?"
|
|
Maria thinks the whole situation over then rambles her thoughts outloud, "So she has assisted us in the past and now ran off with a couple items in the middle of the night? Are we sure she wasn't kidnapped and the items stolen by the kidnappers? In addition, is it possible that she just didn't have time to ask to borrow them? Sometimes people have to do things in the moment for good reasons. I just want to caution us to not assume malice here, a prior ally deserves at least that much."
She then goes about her daily preparations, swapping out one elixir for endure elements instead and then throwing it back.
"Do you know where and when we acquired those artifacts, Venture Captain?
"Ah, we have had them in our possession for some time but the details of how that came to be are few and far between," Balentiir answers with a bit of a wince. "The Pharaoh of Numbers was said to have constructed some of Tumen's greatest centers of learning and study, so perhaps that is why Jamila made off the with abacus. As to the Sandstorm Codex...well, we have yet to fully decipher it so I'm unsure as to why she would've taken it."
"Uhhh, but do we know how she got into the vault?"
"We’re still trying to piece together the details. She struck our vault on the second floor. She was able to retrieve items without fighting any of the guards, which means she knew where to go and how to bypass our defenses."
The VC strokes his chin thoughtfully. "Though yes, it's certainly possible that some manner of compulsion is at play here. Zithembe and Maria are correct that all possibilities should be considered. And to that end, I do want to stress that if you're able to catch up to Jamila...please attempt to bring her back in one piece. We'd like answers but not at the cost of her life."
|
|
"Whoa!" Holan-Ji says in surprise at the Grandfrogger's ranged steal maneuver. "Jobu's got a heck of a tongue!" he says with a raucous laugh using a word from his homeland for "grandfather." He goes back to the fig tree, plucks a few more for his pack (and for sharing, of course,) and hands another to the Grandfrogger.
The big man shoulders the small pack and slides the two javelins into the straps. "Is there any point to checking out the vault itself for clues? Or do we just head out into the desert?"
If VC Balentiir is put out by everyone snacking from the fig trees he doesn't show it; instead, he shakes his head in reply to Holan-Ji.
"No, we'll finish our investigation of the vault and the second floor. As I mentioned before, Jamila has about half a day's lead on you already so you'd best not tarry too long here in the city."
At this, he pulls out a map and spreads it on a table shaded by the garden foliage.
"This map shows the paths that desert merchants often travel," he explains, gesturing to the map. "As you can see, about 10 miles outside of Sothis the path through the Underdunes breaks into several routes and continues in that manner for some time before eventually rejoining into a single route and ending at the coastal city of El-Shelad. Our local traders tell me that they choose their routes are based on current conditions of weather and elemental activity. You might inquire about about which paths are the safest to travel, either before you leave the city or along the way before you reach the Underdunes themselves."
Once everyone has had a chance to look at the map Balentiir rolls it up and offers it to one you. "I'm afraid this is about all of the tangible assistance I can offer you, but I'm happy to answer any last-minute questions before you go."
______________
After bidding VC Balentiir farewell you all set out into the markets to make a few last-minute purchases before leaving the city as well as inquire about the best routes to take through the Underdunes. Finding a merchant willing and able to talk to you about the routes isn't hard and soon you are in the musky presence of Kihur, a spice merchant whose presence is preceded by the fragrant aroma of his wares.
"Welcome, welcome, please. Allow me to serve you some tea!"
Kihur's warm approach broaches no refusals, and soon you find yourselves each with a cup of dark, black tea with hints of cane sugar and mint.
"Ah yes, the Underdunes. Well, the western paths aren't being used this year," he informs you. "Let me draw on your map where you should go. With speed you should be able to stay out of the sun. By the way, have you noticed how refreshing my tea is? Even under the sun's harshest rays, it will keep you quenched. And its spices! Throat soothing, like anything you'll find in a healer's tent. And for polite travelers such as yourselves, I would be privileged to offer a special discount, eh?" he winks.
Clearly every interaction is a potential business opportunity as far as Kihur is concerned.
|
|
Holan-Ji inhales deeply of the tea's aromas before sipping it. "Niiiice," he says in a soft purring rumble.
He looks around the shop as if hunting for something. His eyes alight with joy upon a small box of cǎoguǒ imported from Dtang Ma. He takes one of the nutmeg-sized seed pods and simply crushes it between his knuckles before adding just a sprinkle to his tea.
"Now, even better," he concludes as he takes another sip. He carefully watches their host for any sign the merchant might be offended or put out, or any "tells" the man might have to help his teammates negotiate for more tea. And maybe some more of the cǎoguǒ, too.
|
|
"Ah... very fine tea, Kihur! Perhaps I'll take some for the journey. But why are the western paths not in use this year? Is something wrong with them?"
Effie smiles her warmest smile, and enjoys the hot spiced tea.
Perhaps he's completely on the level and just wants to help his customers so we'll buy more, and come back to him. Or perhaps there's more to him than that.
|
|
The Grandfrogger holds the steaming tea beneath his hood for a long time before finally allowing himself to indulge in the taste as well as the smell. "For your generosity and help, rude of us not to make a purchase, it would be." Carefully he pulls out a small bag of dark leather and winds a knobbly finger through the drawstring.
"Jamila? Hmm, no, I don't recall a customer by that name - and I always remember my customers!" Kihur chuckles. The merchant watches with interest as Holan-Ji adds a little something special to his own cup of tea.
"Ahh, cǎoguǒ! An interesting choice! I take it you prefer your tea with a more smoky after-taste, then?"
The merchant doesn't seem offended but actually rather pleased to have met a fellow tea aficionado. You suspect this will probably work in your favor when it comes to haggling over prices.
"As for the western paths, I've been told that they've been positively crawling with elementals as of late," the merchant continues. "While they generally do not attack travelers outright, they are more often than not very...unreceptive...to visitors from the outside. Best to avoid them if you can."
Kihur goes on to offer you some additional advice about the general dangers of the desert, such as heat and sandstorms, but doesn't seem to know anything more specific than that. Once you've concluded that you've learned all that you can from the friendly merchant, those of you interested in purchasing some tea for the road spend a few minutes more perusing his wares and haggling over a price that's acceptable to all parties. When it's all said and done, Holan-Ji in particular feels confident that you were able to get a good deal. Yesssss!
______________
Well-prepared for your journey, you apply your protective magics as you see fit and set out into the desert southeast of Sothis. While most people travel to El-Shelad by sea, this route is still frequently traveled, and you meet several travelers and merchants during the first few hours, none of whom remember seeing anyone fitting Jamila's description.
As the day wears on, you feel the sun beat down and the temperature rise, but you're thankfully protected from the heat and are able to comfortably make good time across the desert sands. Just when you start to wonder if perhaps Jamila has given you the slip entirely you come upon a merchant named Shirana who is able to point you in the right direction, mentioning that she'd seen the red-headed woman about five or six hours prior and noting that she seemed to be doing her best to avoid other travelers.
With this information in hand you press on, emboldened by knowing that your quarry isn't too far ahead of you. After a few hours, you reach an area of the desert that is crisscrossed with long, canyon-like trenches, with walls that rise up to 100 feet high in some spots.
While the canyons appear naturally made, the manner in which the rocks have been worn runs counter to the region’s wind patterns. Some recent sandslides seem to have occurred in areas that should be stable enough to avoid such disasters.
The wear on the rocks in the area and the formation of sand dunes is arranged in a pattern - one that can likely only be viewed in full from high in the air.
The altered areas make a pattern of five circles nested within each other, like an archery target. These circles surround four triangles, each of which points toward the center of the target.
|
|
Maria's brow furrows, "Well that's really odd."
She pulls out a well weathered book and sticks her nose into it, flipping through it for a couple minutes, "Yeah, exactly what I thought. While it is still naturally done, the rocks here have been worn in a manner counter to the region's usual wind patterns. And see those landslides over there? That shouldn't have happened. The terrain should have been stable enough to avoid it."
She taps her chin, "But what does it mean you all obviously want to ask? That's a good question. Perhaps if we had a way to view it from above, the pattern could come out. Can anyone fly or levitate?"
|
|
Holan-Ji doesn't stop for gear or magic, but he does make a few pit stops at various food booths, stalls, and one very sketchy alley vendor selling something not readily identifiable as edible. But he's happy and ready as the team heads out into the desert. As they leave the shade of the city walls, he trades one of the pilfered figs from his pack for a tap off the Grandfrogger's wand.
The canyons are interesting, and unlike any that Holan-Ji has ever seen, even in his extensive travels. But there's something off about their layout... Just out of curiousity, he peers over Maria's shoulder at her book, but it's all gibberish to him.
|
|
"Elementals have been playing around with the place - forcing landslides, eroding the rock with winds. Almost like they were at war with each other. Hey, that's what Maria's book said, more or less, right?"
Not always the brightest of sparks, Effie is pleased to have joined the dots together on this occasion.
"Shame I can't fly though" she adds as she chews her lip and glances around at the others.
Though the alterations to the terrain are puzzling, you have no easy way to view them from on high and little choice but to keep moving. A mile or two after entering the Underdunes you encounter a particularly deep canyon where the road diverges into two paths. A steep downward trail leads to a trench that provides shade from the desert heat. The other path leads upward toward a series of ledges that eventually lead to the top of the canyon. This higher path provides less protection from the sun, but its high vantage point could allow a better view of the surrounding area.
A quick perusal of the map given to you by VC Balentiir indicates that merchants sometimes take both paths and that no matter which route you choose, the two eventually merge again into one path further along.
Upon further inspection you're able to get a slightly better idea of the terrain you'd be dealing with on each path. The loose rubble and sand along the edges of the lower path suggests the risk of a sandslide, while strong, swirling winds on the upper path could make travel along the narrowest ledges dangerous.
______________
|
|
Standing at the edge of the canyon, Holan-Ji checks the map once more and peers at the two trails. He drops to one knee and runs some of the sand through his fingers before rising.
"Goin' down, we'll be in the shade but might start a landslide ... sandslide, whatever. Goin' up top of the canyon we'll get a better view, but I'm seeing signs of high winds along the ledges."
He wipes the dust from his hands on his pants. "I'd vote for the top side since we're all protected from the heat already."
|
|
Holan-Ji looks appreciatively at the fancy thin rope that Effie produces. "Hmm, yeah, I oughta get some of that," he says as he takes one end.
"But I'll just hold onto it in case you fall. I don't wanna be tied up in case we get attacked."
And being tied up or tied down (heh, either one) just goes against my nature.
Can't quite get a read on Hep yet. New team, new people.