As Ophelia moves into melee, the ooze latches out at her with an extremity formed out of it's gelatinous mass.
It misses it's attack by an inch as Ophelia swiftly dodges the "arm".
So does Ophelia, however.
Senma's arc hits the creature, and it stops moving completely. It's form collapses on the ground beneath it and starts producing smelly vapour of burned fungi.
After getting past the mold, you follow the narrow tunnel further. Within a few minutes time, you can see daylight ahead of you. Exiting the tunnel, you find Janira sitting under a tree not far from the cavern exit, pen and parchment in hands, writing something. As she notices you exiting, she stores the items and stands up.
"Hello there! Tell me everything!"
As she comes closer, she notices some of you are beaten up a bit.
"What happened? Do you require healing? And what is that god-awful smell?", she says, covering her nose. "Like something burned."
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If no one else speaks up, Feza will give a fully detailed report of all the things that happened, including the various denziens, the confirmed meeting with the pilgrim, and the apparently forgotten religious significance of the place as related by the pilgrim.
"Some sort of off-color slimy thing, Senma cleared it out."
"It smells nasty.", she pauses briefly, as if thinking about something. "Let's head back to the Lodge so you can get cleaned up."
Before you depart, Janira asks for her backpack. She also uses her wand to heal any wounds the aspirants miht have. Then, she leads the expedition back to Absalom, asking about the details of your expedition and making notes. Since you cleared the route on your way here, the hike is without incident.
Once safely back in the Grand Lodge, Master of Scrolls Kreighton Shaine summons you to his office. Janira escorts you to the office and Shaine greets everyone with a wide smile on his face, but curiosity in his eyes. He speaks with excitement in his voice:
"Well - what did you find?", he takes a pen and a few parchemnts to note details. "Hurry, before it fizzles out of memory. Myself, I can't remember what I had for breakfast yesterday. We must make notes on any such expedition. Speaking of which - did you make a map of the cave? What was inside?"
He looks at his hand, making sure to not waste any parchment when writing, then considers something.
"I'm afraid I don't know how to call this report. We don't have a name for the cave system you visited. Since you're now the Society's authority on the caves, would you like to give it one?"
"Oh!", Shaine almost jumps - "Drandle... Eh - Captain Dreng stopped by. He was looking for some agents to help him with something, so I took the privilege of sending for one more. Just in case." he signals one of his assistants with a quick hand gesture, and within a few short moments, the assistant comes back, with a half-elf in tow.
Shaine gestures towards the half-elf. "So this is a new member of your little group. You can do introductions later, however. First things first - the caverns!"
Within a few minutes, the aspirants share their knowledge and notes on the caverns int he Kortos Mountains. Hearing about the minotaur, Shaine's face pales, and he announces that he is glad that none of you have perished. He compliments Janira for her bravery and judgement, but expresses doubts about her taking on a minotaur without help of the aspirants. "Don't take stupid risks. There would be no society without field agents.", he says. After submitting your report, Shaine informs you that he will be forwarding letters of recommendation to your individual captains. "Hopefully, you would become Pathfinders in a few days."
After you conduct your business with Shaine, he gives you directions to where you are supposed to meet with Dreng and bids you farewell. Janira says goodbye as well, and takes out her own notes to offer them to Shaine just as you leave his office.
Coming to the meeting place—an odd choice of venue, as it is a street corner far from the Grand Lodge—a lone beggar garbed in baggy robes approaches. The only figure visible in the constant drizzle, the beggar sticks out his hands for currency. "Have you any coin to spare, fine folk?"
The question hangs in the air for only a scant moment before the figure pulls back his hood to reveal the wizened face of Venture-Captain Drandle Dreng. He gives a crooked smile, soaked head to toe from his unprotected time in the rain. His clothes smell faintly of cabbage. "Sorry about that," he says with a wink. "I always like to play a little joke on agents when I stumble across them during my jaunts into town. Now, why did I summon you fine folk here again…?" Dreng shakes his head from side to side, as though trying to knock water out of his ears, despite the constant downpour. "Ah yes, the Wounded Wisp! I’m undercover now and can’t stray far from the site I’m watching, but I need someone to retrieve a package for me from that fine establishment. It’s among Absalom’s most storied taverns, you see, and one that holds a special place of privilege in the Society’s lore as the place where the organization began. Well, I could drone on and on about it, but standing out in the rain is doing none of us any favors." As if anticipating agreement, the bedraggled venture captain produces a small slip of folded paper from one of his many stitched pockets. Dreng quickly shows a glimpse of the
page’s contents: a map detailing the location of the Wounded Wisp bar.
"The bartender is a woman by the name of Heryn Gale, a fine lady who came to own the Wisp after the passing of her father from—oh, bah, it’s really getting too cold for me to give a proper history lesson! If you could just go to the Wisp, and tell Heryn you’re there to pick up my parcel, it would be most appreciated. I’ll be around here for several more hours at least."
The Wounded Wisp was a bar once frequented by the original members of the Pathfinder Society before the Society was even formed. Inside the Wisp, acquaintances would share stories about their adventurous exploits with one another.
Many volumes of the Pathfinder Chronicles came together under the Wisp’s roof. Famous Pathfinders like Eando Kline and the Seeker Osprey often stopped by for a drink while they relaxed in Absalom between
assignments. Though not officially affiliated with the Society, the bar maintains good relations with Pathfinders, offering discounts and prompt service. The owners have always kept themselves and the Wisp afloat through the generosity of Society agents who spend coin at the establishment.
Selmius Foster was one of the founding members of the Pathfinder Society, known to have frequented the Wisp often and occasionally taken up residence in a spare room between his travels. His celebrated exploits first appeared in Volume 1 of the Pathfinder Chronicles.
Following the death of Selmius Foster on the island of Bhopan, his assistant Adolphus made several donations to maintain one of his mentor’s favorite sites. The exact arrangement between Adolphus and the owners of the Wisp was never disclosed, but it is said that some of this gold came from the same fortune that Adolphus used to found the Pathfinder lodge in Quantium.
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The half elf was ready to retort a scathing answer to the beggar when the man revealed himself to be Venture-Captain Dreng.
By Abadar, I was about to do a costly mistake.
She wears clerical vestments over her chain shirt, and a necklace with a golden key is dangling on her chest.
She has copper-tanned skin, silver hair and golden eyes, and carries herself with dignity.
It will be an honor to be inside such an historic place. How would we be sure the package this Gale lady will give us is the right one? How would she know that we are the right ones to be given the package to? You trust her, but how and why would she trust us?
Dreng looks at Baied with a gentle smile.
"Sometimes these things just work out. I trust you will be able to perform this simple task. We don't have any special code words for each other, if that's what you are asking. We usually do things this way. Writing some sort of a letter would be pointless. She doesn't know my handwriting. Just tell her old Drandle says "Hi", and you came for his parcel."
You travel the streets of Absalom for a while, based on Drandle's crudely drawn map and his brief instructions. Within the hour, you locate your destination. Built from dark, discolored wood, the exterior of the Wounded Wisp is the image of an iconic dive bar. Stained and barred windows obscure direct vision into the establishment, though ruddy yellow light bleeds from a window in the front hall. In the hours just before dawn, the building closes long enough for menials to clean and to give staff a rest. The only distinguishing feature on the Wisp’s exterior is a thick wooden sign hanging from above the bar’s entrance. A brass ring fitted onto the sign anchors a lantern—referred to by the staff as “the wisp”— that hangs there during the evening hours.
Passing through the inn's door, you reveal a rather large hall. The smell of smoke and spilled ale assails the senses in this wide-open area. Walls of dark-stained wood make up the sides of the Wounded Wisp, while well-used wooden tables are spread throughout the space. A raised area in the back of the establishment houses several additional tables and eating areas for groups seeking more than just a good drink. An austere bar supported by kegs instead of wooden panels commands the northern end of the room. A stained-glass cabinet stands behind the bar, its dark panes cracked in several spots, yet not so opaque as to conceal the several dozen types of hard liquor within.
Upon your arrival, several small groups of pathfinders are sitting at the tables, enjoying drink and food offered by the Wisp’s staff.
The largest group includes Janira, who apparently already finished her report for Shaine and decided to go and have a nice meal at the Wisp. She is surrounded by several agents as she tells her stories from assignments and shares her knowledge with the upstarts. They're apparently having a good time and the table next to them is slowly filling with empty containers.
In the northeast corner - on an elevated area - two half orcs are having a feast. They laugh loudly as they discuss their previous exploits. Their facial features seem similar and so are their accents. You can't help but think they are related.
In the southern side of the tavern, on the same elevated area, two men are sitting alone at their tables, one is enjoying the inn's services food and drink while occasionally peeking at the other patrons, the other only has a cup of steaming liquid in front of him, and is submerged in thought or the book in his hand.
The barmaid is hastily and gracefully traversing the hall, while managing to avoid colliding with the guests. When she notices you entering, she uses her elbows and head to indicate an empty table for you to sit by. She also raises the mugs in her hands to show you that she is currently preoccupied, but will be right with you.
The woman whom you assume to be Heryn works the bar of the Wounded Wisp - catering directly to those sitting on stools while simultaneously preparing drinks for those at tables and occasionally calling for the barmaid when the drinks are ready. She is not exactly a lady of age, but her youth is gone now. She gives you a brief glance as you enter, smiles softly and nods in your direction, then continues working the tap.
Kaa:
The two half-orcs look at you, and their faces immediately widen with smiles. One of them speaks: "Everyone buying is welcome at this table! Sit down with the Boartusk twins!"
They offer you a seat at their table, and motion at the barmaid to come take their orders when she is available. She acknowledges the request and comes to the table to take your orders.
Ophelia:
The woman from behind the bar looks at you: "Yes, that's me. Can I help you?"
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Feza will catch up to the group at the Wisp after her own little side-adventures getting better-equipped to handle the rigors of Pathfinder Society adventuring.
Her armor is slightly heavier, she has a shield, even, and she's kind of muted out compared to how proactive she was before.
She heads over to the half-orcs, if anyone would need vengeance they couldn't handle themselves, the competition would be good to watch, based on half-orc reputations...
As the group moves past Janira, she waves at you to welcome you in the inn. An old gesture from a new friend. Immediately afterwards, her eyes widen, and she speaks to the group around her with excitement: "Just the other day; me, and these agents clashed with a -MINOTAUR-!" She emphasises the last word of the sentence, and the group around her releases a loud collective gasp. They give the new visitors jealous looks and turn back to Janira as she continues speaking about your previous assignment.
The two half-orcs happily greet Kaa and Feza and invite them to sit down to their table. They laugh loudly at their recent assignment and how they had to "sneak into the warehouse via the broken window, only to be ambushed by several guards". They also mention that breaking the window a minute before might have had something to do with it. The half-orcs just finished with their meals and the waitress comes momentarily to pick up the dirty plates. "Can I get you folks something else?", she asks, not wasting time on this seemingly busy day.
Ophelia and Baied don't mess around. They take a beeline for the bar and start chatting up Heryn. She hears the old venture captain sent you, and nods in acknowledgement. "Mm-hm. Alright. I'll be with you folks in a jiffy. I have to get someone from the kitchen to take my place." She puts a plate with a few mugs and two jars on the counter in front of you. She is clearly in a hurry, and one of the jars almost spills out. This one clearly contains ale, since the foam starts to meandre over the side and makes a slow trail towards the plate. The other one contains only water. Heryn quickly wipes the near-spilled jar and continues talking: "Please, sit down and have a few drinks on the house.", she gestures towards the plate on the bar, then quickly turns around to look into the kitchen - "It might take a few minutes. They need to finish the food.". Looking at the tap again. Almost yelling, she raises her voice to be heard to the kitchen behind her: "Henny, I'll need you to take my place for a bit."
A man pokes his head out the kitchen door, looking at Heryn - "Right there, ma'am.". The head disappears in the doorframe, and you hear pots and pans clanging against the stove.
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Senma follows Kaa and sits down with the Boartusk Twins. "Hi! I'm Senma. I'm a Pathfinder. Who are you? Also, do you like beer? I love beer. My favorite is wheat beer. It goes well with sitting outside and watching a thunderstorm, but most bartenders won't serve you if you sit outside in the rain." he says, waiting for a beer to find its way to him.
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When Janira starts mentioning the Minotaur Incident the tengu inquisitor gives her a warning waggle with her right pointy finger.
"Credit to the more experienced agent that saved our butts twice on that. Get Janira a drink of her choice, within the reasonable budget of a new Society Agent..."
"If you're going for an entry through a window, wrapping whatever you're using to break the window in cloth can mute it, depending on how thick the glass is." Feza offers that dryly as she watches the two half-orcs thoughtfully. "Been doing this long?"
Janira makes an appreciative nod towards Feza, and pours a mug of ale from your pitcher. As she hears Baied speak, she quickly enters the conversation while pouring the ale: "Oh, yeah! You're new. Great people, these agents. Competent, too! I'm Janira Gavix. Pleasure to meet you! Now don't go around being too effective, or I'll be forced to write an epic about you one day!", she giggles audibly, and turns around to walk towards the recruits near her table.
The northeastern table starts filling up, as Kaa, Senma and Feza gather around to chat with the half-orc siblings.
After ordering another round for the table, the twins debate your exploits and suggestions with excitement: "Ah, yes, the great outdoors and the simple pleasures of life! Who doesn't like a nice thunderstorm?", says the male twin. His sister starts laughing loudly. "I remember when you were afraid of thunder, Garl! You used to hide under my blanket during storms!"
As she says that, his smile turns into a more serious expression, and you can almost see him blushing. "Aaaah sis'! That was a long time ago. Let the past be past. We're all grown up now. Besides, you were afraid of spiders back in the day.", with his hand he imitates a small bug crawling towards her on the table.
She recoils a bit, then turns towards Kaa. "Bygones, bygones... But these guys here duked it out with a minotaur! I'd hang it's horn on my belt. I'd let you keep the smashed skull, brother.", and a smile returns to her face. "Or perhaps you'd like the fungus ooze? Something to finally give your outdoor soup some taste?", she remarks, with a small grin on her face.
"It's not about taste! It's something to keep you going! Besides, I'm no fancy cook. I'm a warrior! As you know...", he shifts his attention to Feza: "Oh, we've been "doing this" for a while now. We got invited to the Pathfinders a few years back, when we helped out some wimps in Lastwall. Turns out they were Pathfinders and they vouched for us. Also ... Who said we didn't break the window loudly on purpose? Otherwise it'd be no fun!", he starts laughing quietly.
Shrade looks at the group at the table and at the bar. "Well, you're quite the mix of folks. How did you end up working together?"
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"Janira, did you get to the part where we beat it so bad that it surrendered and then ran away when it got a chance because we weren't death merchants and put true fear into the bull?"
Feza thinks that's kind of important. Other agents might run into the same minotaur someday, who knows, maybe it will remember and steer clear.
"Sounds like a typical Society operation. I'm sure that last bit is the official report, isn't it?" The tengu's tone is light, almost playful.
"Feza Savard, Equalizer of the Savored Sting for hire. Someone did you 'dirt'? I'm the one that cleans that up for you, if desired. Some folks prefer to have personal vengeance, that's perfectly acceptable, too."
She glances over at the fellow at the bar.
"A lot of us got pulled together for a Confirmation run, but I'll let others tell their stories if they want to."
Heryn's replacement from the kitchen arrives within a few minutes, so she can take care of the parcel request. The woman invites you to follow her to the cellar, and wait for you to gather near the bar. She then walks into the back of the inn, and as she passes the narrow passage room, she walks over a plank on the floor: "Careful here...", Heryn says. "The floor is a bit old and we had to put this over. If you carry heavy stuff you might fall through."
She unlocks the door towards the cellar stairs as you continue, leading you into the underground level of the establishment. A set of wooden stairs descends from the main floor into this tightly packed storeroom. Barrels, boxes, and crates of assorted foodstuffs and drink garnishes are pushed against the walls or under the stairs. The first thing that hits the eye is a large crack in the middle of the room.
"I do apologise for that.", Heryn says, pointing towards the crack in the floor with yet another plank over it. "We did have a renovation, but an earthquake pretty much tore the foundation apart. For the time being, consider it a free tour through a dangerous area. Gets the heart pumping once in a while." The wide plank seems quite dated, however, and looking at it, you get the feeling that it might snap under the slightest pressure.
Heryn leaps over the fissure, and stands next to one of the shelves filled with wine. She points towards the stack of wine bottles on the south side of the room.
"The wine Drandle mentioned last time we spoke is the one in the shelf that is 3rd from the top, 6th from the left. Go ahead and get it. I'll wait here."
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The tengu inquisitor looks at the plank, then the pit, then shakes her head.
"Be right back."
She will attempt to get a table from upstairs that isn't being used, provided it's not bolted down.
"Just need to borrow this for a few minutes, pardon me. Thank you... pardon me."
She will then drag the table down the stairs and place it across the narrowest point that doesn't have a plank across it, attempting to carefully drop it into place so it can be used as a far better bridge than the dubious plank.
"If the table breaks, I'll replace it, Miss Heryn."
Feza gets a few odd looks, but not much protests. The staff probably know what's up, so they don't intervene. Seeing the tengu coming into the room and "stealing" a table, the half-orc twins break into hysterical laughter.
Heryn stays where she is, getting goosebumps from the cold air in the cellar. She puts her puffy sleeves lower to cover more of her arms, and looks towards Ophelia: "Yes, that shelf over there. 3rd from top, 6th from the left."
She points at the shelf directly in front of you. The shelves in the cellar are composed of wooden square cells. A lot of the bottles in front of Ophelia have a thick layer of dust on them.
You can. Go ahead.
Ophelia pulls the bottle, but it doesn't move much. As a matter of fact, it snaps back into its original position, and the entire rack retracts a few feet back, then into an opening in one of the walls on the sides. It seems there is a hidden room behind the wine.
Heryn's eyes widen and her jaw almost drops to the floor. She mutters a single word that comes to mind: "What?"
Well, now that you've entered... Kaa charges boldly into the room. He reveals something like a small office. A sturdy silver chain jutting from the ceiling ends in a glowing orb that radiates yellow light across the rectangular room. A simple desk of polished wood, stacked with documents and scattered notes, shelters a pair of wooden chests against the south wall. A series of cracks along the eastern and western walls form makeshift entrances into exposed caverns. And from these, skittering of carpace-covered legs can be heard, as two creatures emerge to investigate the noise.
Turn order - Go if bolded
Turn 1
Baied
Ophelia
Critters
Senma
Feza
Eldak
Kaa
Ophelia's dagger punctures the carapace of the critter, and an ooze-like substance sprays out. But the creature is still standing, ready to attack.
Green -6 HP