Suddenly, she looks at Sandi and smiles.
"That is an interesting argument! So why did you join the Society?"
Then she looks at all of you.
She obviously likes to be in the role of an educator and loves 'inspiring' people. The methods are obviously debatable.
She continues
"I extend the question to you all, too! Kenza answered the question herself and showed me my mistake. But why did you join the Society? Think about it, please ... of course only if you wish to answer." she says with some doubt in her voice.
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"Famous? Perhaps not yet, but I try to make sure to get to know folks before they become famous. And that means you get to know me before I'm famous as well!" He smiles in camraderie at Janira. "Quesa the fire dancer."
When Janira refers to the Boartusks, he raises a brassy eyebrow.
"Now, don't paint all of us field commissions with the same brush, dear, we're not all so... attactively brutish," he says with a laugh and another appreciative glance at the half-orcs. "Some of us are very interested in knowing about these lessons of the past you speak of. I was traveling through the Verduran forest, and helped a group of pathfinders deal with a few, shall we say, 'First World problems.' Ashasar recommended me to the venture captain in Almas for a field commission. In the last few months I've spent here in Absolom learning about everyone worth knowing. But the deeper history of the Society, I know little of. Tell us of this Shadowlodge?"
Janira smiles at Quezaltzin but then she looks sad again when he starts speaking about the Shadow Lodge.
"Be happy that you do not know the Shadow Lodge. For decades, a growing segment of the Pathfinder Society's membership became disillusioned with the Decemvirate. Whether they held personal grudges against the masked leaders of the Society for slights they felt were never remedied or watched too many of their friends suffer for the good of a Society that seemed to thank them very little, these rebels' numbers surged at some point, swelling the Shadow Lodge's membership. Several fringe cells of the underground resistance movement broke off from the main body of the Shadow Lodge and began a series of open attacks on the Grand Lodge and those loyal to it. To be honest, I do not know if they still exist or how this topic was or will be resolved. But the Shadow Lodge killed many innocents and Pathfinders and is a product of our history!"
More than anything, Janira seeks to assist and enlighten Pathfinders around her. She sees herself as a mentor to novices, working to assist them without taking over their missions.
You see a kelishite man approaching. He stops behind Janira, touches her shoulder and says in kelish to Janira with a smile:
Janira looks at the man, then suddenly seems optimistic and cheerful.
"You guys are alright! I am always eager to to assist new or potential field agents. So if you need anything come to me! I spend most of my time either at the Wounded Wisp or on the grounds of the Grand Lodge. Now you have to excuse me, my table is waiting for me!" she says smiling and goes back to the table she was sitting at.
The keleshite man has only been standing with you for merely a minute but one of the barmaids already put tea and several cups in front of him on the bar. He politely starts pouring you all a cup of tea, offers it to you with a slight bow and open hands, and sets his book aside.
"My name is Aram bin Kaleel. You being in this tavern most certainly means that you are Pathfinders. But I have only seen one of you here before, correct?" he asks and looks at Quezaltzin with a smile.
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Kenza nods at Janira in farewell. "Honour upon you and your ancestors."
As the keleshite man joins them, Kenza relaxes slightly. Although not of the same nationality, their ways are familiar to her, and the cadence of his voice is a welcome sound so far from home.
She bows her head deeply. "Greetings, Aram bin Kaleel. May the sun shine strong upon you."
"You are wise, indeed, sir. This place is new to me."
He gives Kenza a respectful nod "Honour upon you and your ancestors! May I ask what your name is?"
Aram bin Kaleel starts a deeper discussion with Kenza and whoever wants to join in. He opens his cloak aside and you see a holy symbol of Sarenrae.
"I like how you stood together when Janira pushed you. Kenza here and I are sharing similar roots ... I see a little of myself in your current situation." he says smiling.
During the discussion you feel that Aram bin Kaleel wants to give advice to younger Pathfinders but never steps in directly on their behalf. If you want to know something you could surely ask.
After about half an hour Heryn comes back and says: “Are you ready to go?"
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She winks at Calvert "And do these fresh agents belong to you?" she asks Calvert but also lets her view wander to the rest of you.
Calvert bristles at the suggestion that he owns anyone, but quickly calms down when he realizes Janira was using the term differently.
"As my comrades know, I recently took up arms in the defense of Absalom and was granted freedom from slavery. I saw the Pathfinders fighting against evil that day, and so I endeavored to join the group to keep that fight going. Since starting my training, I've come to appreciate the scholarly work of the Society as well, but I imagine my talents will be best served skewering undead and foul refuse of the dark realms."
Heryn is happy to have time for you now.
After you all confirm that you are ready she takes you through the kitchen (A7) where three cooks prepare appetizers and larger meals with a wood-burning stove and several stone-surfaced tables.
She opens the door to a back storeroom (A8) where a set of stone stairs leads down from here into the basement level of the Wounded Wisp.
The stairs descend into a tightly packed storeroom (A10) where barrels, boxes, and crates of assorted foodstuffs and drink garnishes are pushed against the walls or under the stairs.
Heryn suddenly has a stern look and says
“If you were not here because of business associated with Dreng I would never let you in here … firstly because it is embarrassing and secondly because I will let you alone down here, what I also do with Dreng. So please enjoy and respect my trust and also Dreng’s I suppose. You will see why I say embarassing because we usually do not use the rooms beyond this room anymore.” and with that she opens the door and shows you the next room (A11) and continues.
”Ahhh … formerly the next room was a meeting room where the staff could converse or take time off between shifts, but this chamber suffered significant damage during the earthquake of 4698. Several fissures split the floor that are leading down to a section of the city’s sewer system. So please, please keep quite about this, okay?” she says with a pleading look.
Heryn is slightly relieved. She shows you the next room and the hole in the floor.
”Look, nobody had the money to pay to repair the damage, so before I even started here they had acquired a broad wooden plank that serves as a bridge across the fissure. Now go through this room and enter the cellar on the other side. Actually, Dreng asked me to get the bottle and give it to you but … I am afraid of heights and I cannot come with you. I am sure you will need time to find what you are looking for because except Dreng nobody knows this place anymore.” she hands you a piece of paper with the name of a vineyard and a certain vintage (from a year preceding the creation of the Society) and waves goodbye hurrying up the stairs.
Neglected since it was “installed,” the plank isn’t as sturdy as it once was. You have to move slowly to get across or somehow reinforce it with skill (Disable Device).
Sandi did a great job and you can safely cross over.
You walk into the cellar (A12) and start searching for the wine bottle and it feels like searching for a needle in a hay stack.
Finally you find that particular bottle from a very old vintage but it is stuck in the wine rack. You pull again and get it out only to see that behind the bottle a strange lever is hidden
Sandi does not find any traps and is about to pull the lever herself when Quesa reaches for it and pulls with her.
When you use the lever the complete wine rack slides back. The sound is almost not to hear but the dust that comes down shows that this secret door has not been opened for ages.
You look into a short stone tunnel that leads into a hidden room (A13) that is illuminated.
You enter the tunnel just a little to see what lies ahead and check for traps but cannot find any.
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.
The only light source in this room is a plain rock that bears a continual flame spell and hangs from a chain. The illumination is enough to brighten the room but leaves the connecting tunnels dark.
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Kenza leaps forward and throws her arms out to the side, blocking the secret passage from the others.
"GET BACK!" she exclaims.
She peers into the passage suspiciously, well aware of the dangers that could come out of forgotten chambers....
Finding nothing dangerous, she lowers her arms and steps into the chamber.
She approaches the paperwork and chests, but does not touch them, leaving examining of the documents and relics to those Pathfinders better suited to such tasks.
Instead she takes up guard in the centre of the room, eyeing the cracks in the walls warily...
Kenza walks into the room.
You look at the desk and see that it contains various notes and leads. A first glimpse shows that these were obviously penned by Selmius Foster with later annotations by a certain Adolphus.
Selmius Foster was a Pathfinder who was published in many of the early Pathfinder Chronicles.
Adolphus was a Pathfinder who began his career as the assistant of the Pathfinder Selmius Foster. He published the account of his master's death in Volume 3 of the Pathfinder Chronicles. He went on to found the Pathfinder lodge in Quantium.
You start to look at the documents in more detail.
The papers chronicle the personal exploits of Selmius Foster, a famous Pathfinder whose name some of you recognize from their training as Pathfinder agents.
Most of Foster’s more infamous adventures appear here in varying amounts of detail, but it is evident there is another investigation he had been pursuing before he died: the lost records of a Society agent named Eylysia.
You Give find two very interesting documents, which detail Selmius’s thoughts on the matter, and an appended note from Adolphus.
Together, these reference three major leads Foster had found. But it seems as if they never had time to investigate properly as the thoroughly compiled notes just stop at some point.
You are discussing and standing in the silent room that looks like it was not touched for ages. Suddenly, you hear hundreds of high-pitched squeaks fill the air as a mass of small, carnivorous bats surges forth, all of them hungry for blood.
Perception
Dark and Sandi are utterly surprised when the swarm of bats enters the room through various tunnels and is all around them. The others on the other hand heard the screams a little earlier and are ready to react.
BAT SWARM CR 2
N Diminutive animal (swarm)
Init +2; Senses blindsense 20 ft., low-light vision; Perception +15
Speed 5 ft., fly 40 ft. (good)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 0 ft.
DEFENSE
AC 16, touch 16, flat-footed 14 (+2 Dex, +4 size)
hp 13 (3d8)
Fort +3, Ref +7, Will +3
Defensive Abilities swarm traits; Immune weapon damage
OFFENSE
Melee swarm (1d6)
Special Attacks distraction (DC 11), wounding
Wounding (Ex) Any living creature damaged by a bat swarm continues to bleed, losing 1 hit point per round thereafter. Multiple wounds do not result in cumulative bleeding loss. The bleeding can be stopped by a DC 10 Heal check or the application of a cure spell or some other healing magic.
Initiative
Round 0 - Surprise
1. Swarm
2. Kenza, Quesa, Thendros, Calvert
The swarm of carnivorous bats suddenly fills the room and makes breathing difficult. Quesa and Kenza are filled with terror as the swarm engulfs them and the young Pathfinder's bodies start to bleed.
Kenza, Quesa, Thendros, Calvert -> YOU ARE UP
Round 1
1. Swarm
2. All PCs
#Swarm: Full HP