Open for dotting!
A fresh sea breeze wafts in through the open windows facing Lake Encarthan, lifting the embroidered curtains. Beyond the balcony, you can see a few small ships playing their trade, shuttling back and forth from the trade routes which crisscross the lake. Kerse, capital of the Kalistocracy of Druma and trade hub of all of Avistan, stretches off along the river.
The opulent parlor in the manor of Temel Passad is far more comfortable than a typical Pathfinder Lodge's briefing room. Rich mahogany paneling lines the walls, and intricately-inlaid tiles are visible between several lush carpets. Ornate furniture provides comfort for guests, and an impressive assortment of art and artifacts is calculated to occupy the interest of those waiting for the Master of the house.
There are six people in the room, presumably all called here for a common purpose. Having been served the finest Chelish wine and delicate sweetmeats while awaiting your host, you have time to re-read (for at least the third time) the letter from Venture-Captain Ambrus Valsin that brought you here:
Pathfinders,
Society agents recently learned of a lost, previously undocumented Sky Citadel in what was once Sarkoris, the land now consumed by the Worldwound. As we cannot push into that demon-infested wasteland ourselves, we have recruited dwarven aid in the dangerous expedition. In exchange for military assistance and historical expertise, the dwarves will have the opportunity to reclaim this lost stronghold. Two weeks ago, Highhelm sent an entourage of diplomats and tacticians north toward Mendev to meet with Venture-Captain Jorsal of Lauterbury to discuss terms and develop a plan of attack. When they failed to arrive in a timely fashion, Jorsal commissioned sending magic to contact Rakuska Ingardam, the mission’s leader. Rakuska’s return message—cut off due to the magic’s limit—was as follows:
“Passed Xer, paid our way, but attacked and overcome. Razmiri priests hold us for unknown purpose. We are held somewhere near the Glass River at…”
One of several possible places they are held is the Gray Revelation Inn, about thirty miles east of Xer—we suspect the Razmiri priesthood uses the site to interrogate prisoners. You must investigate and liberate the three dwarven envoys—if indeed that is where they are imprisoned—and then escort them to Mendev. Accompanying you are two other dwarves who will take the captured envoys’ places if you aren’t successful: merchant Metella Raugar and respected Pahmet mystic Amauhak. The Kalistocrat Temel Passad, a Druman with whom we have dealt in the past, has volunteered a boat to transport you north, and I see little reason why we should not take him up on this offer. Building a good working relationship with one or more influential merchants would be to everyone’s benefit.
Good luck!
(signed)Ambrus Valsin
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Short for his race but stout the hunter faced the city, Tsadok'ul Grodak, had just recently been chasing a wanted thief. The miscreant had been located in Macridi, posing as a lumberjack. He hadn't wanted to coming willingly but once Peanut made his presence known the thief had given up. The hunter's lifelong companion was a mountain lion, he tended to instill a primal fear within those that saw him yet without direction from Tsadok'ul, he had not once attacked another.
Somehow Venture-Captain Jorsal had found him and requested his presence in Kerse , he had come with all haste but now on the plain outside town he hesitated. He was a half-orc, more accustomed to rough wood tables sanded smooth by years of use in taverns than silk and perfumes found in the larger cities. "Hrmph! get a move on, fool. You have work to do!" He berates him self.
Reaching down to scratch the cat behind the it's ears, he is rewarded with low rumble that Peanut considered a purr. As was his want, he spoke to the cat like it was another half-orc. "Stick close now and try not to scare the locals. They may not be quite as comfortable with you as I am." Laughing loudly at his jest the hunter moves towards town and the meeting he is to be at.
At the manor house, judging from the look the doorman had; his previous comment was brought back to mind. The look of fear he saw in the halfling's eyes made him quickly say "It's ok he will not harm you". Although the little doorman was literally on eye-level with the beast, and appeared to wish he was anywhere but here, he nodded and pointed the way to the parlor where the meeting will take place.
Tsadok'ul will move into the room and find a seat in the corner where he can relax and watch the others as they come in. It will also allow Peanut a spot to lay where he will not have someone come up behind him and cause any scenes.
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Trevyn is a relatively quiet, reserved dwarf, and he will often seem to talk to himself. He has darker skin than most dwarves, with a slight resemblance to a deep dwarf, or duergar, and if anyone points out the resemblance, he will be offended and likely will not speak to that person again.
Every so often, he'll remark something like "No, you can't come out yet! We don't even know these people! Och, be quiet now!"
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As the dwarf enters the parlor, Tsadok raises his goblet of Chelish wine in toast to the newcomer.
"Greetings friend, Tsadok'ul Grodak, hunter in the service of the Society. Pleased to make your aquaintance."
Then returning to his seat, he palms a piece of the sweetmeat and feeds it to Pea'nut. Who purrs contentedly. The cat able to make itself at home no matter the trappings that surround it.
If he overhears the dwarf muttering to himself, outside of an arched eyebrow, nothing is said about it. As many times people think him strange talking to the cat as if it were another person, understanding him completely.
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A young, yet noble-styled varisian, enters the room. He wears long robes colored in many different reds. The only parts you see of his tanned skin wear tattoos. Each of them. And what is most noteworthy is his bald head, covered with a big read tattoo of a dragon. Or maybe it is a dinosaur.
His presence somehow made the room warmer.
After a discreet glance at his fellows-to be, he bows swiftly, grinning, and takes a glass of wine.
"I am called Shambala. I am very pleased to meet such... charming companions."
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Returning the bow..."Well met Shambala, yes, it does appear to be an interesting group." Nodding to the elf and raptor that came in behind the sorcerer. "Do try the wine, it's a tad on the sweet side for my taste but seems to be in your favorite color friend."
Holding up his clear goblet 2/3's full of a deep reddish wine.
"Well, I be new to town, and it looks like me 'n Giggles here might be helping y'all"
"Welcome to the group, your Giggles? shall have a good time getting to know my Pea'nut. I am Tsadok, this is Shambala indicating the sorcerer our dwarven friend here is Trevyn.".
"Please excuse Pea'nut, he is indulging in an afternoon nap over there in the sun from the window. He was quite taken with the little sweetmeat treats. He even "sweet talked" his way in to a tray of them all to himself" The last said with a slight chuckle, the steward had dropped the tray of sweetmeats when Pea'nut nudged his elbow and purred at him.
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"Aye, nice to meet ya, lass. And all of you. I look forward to working with the lot o' ye."
His eyes unfocus for a moment. "Och, fine ye wee b!$@+!"
His eyes turn completely black for a moment, he takes a deep breath, then exhales, a dark mist flowing out of both his nose and mouth. The mist coalesces into a female dwarven shape. "This be Arthes, my companion. She's saved me life at least thrice, and she's friendly... for the most part."
Arthes herself doesn't speak to the group, though she waves at the group, smiling as best she can through the angry scowl constantly present on her face.
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Light on her feet and obviously at home in the decadent surroundings stands a tall woman, tanned of skin and with hair as black as void, and though she is still her grace is obvious in the tightness of her muscles and the smooth movement with which she raises the glass of wine to her lips. Her collarbones are decorated with intricately detailed tattoos of feathers, and the beak of a great hawk diving down her sternum, her hands are similarly detailed with a mix of Varisian and Shoanti inkwork, and judging from the way the disappear beneath the gold and purple of her dress they are much more intricate than can be immediately seen.
Peanut attracts her attention first, no stranger to beasts it would seem as she knelt gently, in front of the feline, her confidence unwavering as she offered a hand out for the cat to sniff, but just as quick to spring away if need be. A whispered greeting of Good kitty. passes her lips before she turns to the humanoids in the room.
"A pleasure, truly. I am Lady Estelle of the Rhapsodic College." She offers a polite curtsey to each of them in turn.
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Pea'nut raises his head momentarily with half lidded eyes to the proffered hand and a light chuff is heard as the feline inhales the lady's scent. This will become a noticeable purr if the proffered hand should engage in an ear scratch.
Having grown up in town, he is well mannered, and is used to the children once they get used to him bestowing scratches behind his ears. A minor heaven in his opinion.
Two silent servants open a pair of richly lacquered doors, and a human and two dwarves stride into the lavish parlor. The man, clad in immaculate robes of whitest silk, is short and round with a blond oiled beard, and his eyes are alert and amused. He takes a touch of snuff from a golden box and sneezes before saying, “It is a pleasure to welcome Pathfinders to one of my estates once more. I am, as you may know, Temel Passad. Allow me to introduce—” One of the two dwarves, a redheaded female in deep scarlet robes, curtly interrupts the man. “We can introduce ourselves, Passad. I am Metella Raugar, representing the interests of several Highhelm mercantile consortia. My companion”—she gestures to a dwarven man with leathery skin baked by the sun, his head swathed in a bright yellow scarf—“is Amauhak of Reth Bezel, a mystic of the sand dwarves of Osirion.”
Passad attentively sees to your needs and ensures that the refreshments are to your liking before discussing business. He informs you that his boat, the Abacus, will take you from Kerse, hugging the shore of Lake Encarthan before entering the mouth of the Glass River to pursue your first task: searching the Gray Revelation Inn. From there, the Abacus will take you the rest of the way to Mendev to deliver Passad, Metella, and Amauhak, and hopefully the liberated envoys. The deeply tanned Pahmet mystic notes that keeping the presence of himself and his two companions a secret is the wisest course, given what happened to the earlier team.
After the briefing all eyes turn to the Pathfinder team. "Are there any questions? Passad asks.
Addressing Treyvn first, Passad grimaces, "I surely hope not, but it is extremely likely I would think. After all of what we have heard, there are faith barges that frequently stop travelers for inspections as well as to make sure they've paid their way. I would consider it unlikely we would not be approached at some point on the river."
Swiveling to Tsakok'ul, he shakes his head no. "I'm afraid not. We do not even have confirmation that they are using it as an interrogation point, but we suspect that this is the most likely case. From what I've heard myself outside of this mission is that it is a quaint little inn and I've never much said of it one way or the other. I'm not sure if that helps or not but I'm afraid that is why the lot of you have been called in."
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"My greetings Metella, Amauhak."" Estelle curtseyed again as the two entered, but was just as quick to get down to business. The captives had been captive long enough, there was no need to further delay their rescue.
"I'm afraid I haven't heard much of this Razmiri Priesthood. Obviously they aren't on good terms with the society, but would they be so bold as to openly attack us?" Open warfare was rather different from tense relations, after all. It would be nice to know if this was a mission of subtlety or aggression.
The two dwarves nod to Lady Estelle. Passad answers her questions after a moment of thought. "The Razmirans ares strict theocratic government presided over by a vast priestly bureaucracy serving a being said to be a living god. All other faiths are prohibited in the nation, though foreign priests are tolerated as long as they are not proselytizing and just passing through. All nonresidents are subject to sundry tariffs and unannounced inspections. Anyone who imposes those types of laws is most likely to be more suspect of your actions and will lure or trap you into an action that would be cause for an attack."
Razmir, known as the Lord of the 31 Steps, claims to have taken the Test of the Starstone and ascended to divinity. He appeared before the people of Xer in the Duchy of Melcat 52 years ago and now acts as both sovereign and god of those captured lands. It is no secret that the Razmiri clergy rely more on bullying than on divine miracles, often exploiting travelers to fill the church’s coffers. The regular patrols of faithful enforcers searching for dissension has resulted in the paranoia that runs throughout the government and the populace. Any friendliness from a native is cause for suspicion. While not all citizens of Razmiran worship the living god, none would admit as much publicly, especially to outsiders who may be undercover clergy.
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Tsadok listens to everything said with a dark countenance. "Hrmmpphh, sounds like a lovely place to visit. Join the Pathfinder's Society and see the world! No mention of sewers, crazy cultist, or ancient beast with a vendetta." Brightening up visibly " So when are we leaving?"
Turning to Pea'nut, "No eating the crazy cultist unless they misbehave." To which Pea'nut chuffs and twitches his tail Maybe, but don't count on it
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A heavy-breathing large mwangi man clanged loudly into the room, likely some sort of armor in his large pack, "Terrible sorry me bein' late, all." His baritone voice and island accent put them all at ease. He bows, and introduces himself to his companions and their hosts, "I'm call' Okawe da Sword," it's at this inopportune moment he notices that Arthes is generally sans corpus. His eyes widen and he reaches behind him for his namesake sword, showing everyone that the tunic and breaches he wore was a bit small for him. "What be da meanin' a dis here?"
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Lost in thought as she was Estelle only managed a polite wave to Okawe as he entered, after a moment or two she seems to snap out of it, the slight movements of her lips as she spoke to herself ceasing entirely.
"Yes yes the Priesthood and the Government are one in the same aren't they? I don't think my professor ever referred to it as such but the connection makes sense."
Gracefully she stands and adjusts the shawl around her shoulders, looking to her companions with confidence. "I hope you are all at peace with your gods, for we shall have to feign worship of another if we hope to find our lost diplomats."
To anyone who inquires further Estelle is glad to explain the Razmiran Theocracy and their 'living god', and how dangerous it is not to be a believer in their lands.
"A last question Mr. Passad. Do you happen to have any books or information on the worship of Razmir? I'd like to study into the religion on the boat ride." All the better to maintain a disguise if she could show proper reverence to this god in the eyes of his followers.
Temel Passad strokes his beard and looks to the ceiling while thinking. "Hmmmm. I believe I may have something, though I'm not sure how useful it may be. Let me go and fetch it from the library. I'm sure Amauhak and Metella will keep you company. Besides, it appears we are still waiting for one more member of your party. She had notified me she would be a little behind, but we will make preparations to leave when I return. She can join us on the Abacus."
Passad begins to leave and turns back to the dwarves, "Amauhak, Metella, if you wouldn't mind seeing our Pathfinders down to the boat I shall meet you there shortly."
Passad turns to Okawe and bows in greeting, "Be at peace, there are nothing but friends here and welcome to my home! I shall go over the plan once more once your other companion has arrived. Until such time, grab a few of the delicious sweets and enjoy a peaceful stroll down to the ship."
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Through the door rushes a medium sized half-orc with a scorpion holding onto her hair. "So sorry I'm late. I just came in from Osirion and boy are my arms tired." she laughs awkwardly. "My name is..." she started before she saw one of the creatures in the room. "KITTY! Who's a cute little kitty?" she says in a sweet baby voice to Pea'nut. She goes over to him and scratches him on his head and around his ears. Then turns to Tsadok'ul. "Sorry for being so forward and petting your kitty so soon. By the way my name is..." she trails off after seeing Arthes. "Oh cool, a phantom!" She sees her waving and Mazon waves back with a smile on her face. The smile slowly fades away from her face when she realizes everyone is staring at her outbursts. Putting her hand in front of her mouth she says "Oh my God, I'm so sorry. My name is Mazon. I'm a half-orc witch...which you can probably tell with how I look. Heh. OH! This is Rudolph." She grabs the scorpion in her hair and shows the room. After everyone is able to see him, she sits down, noticeably flushed.
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Shambala raises his cup and says to Mazon "Glad to meet you, dear Mazon. I was looking forward to begin this new adventure. He then drinks quickly what he still has in the cup and poses it on a table. "By the way, this is Zerelth." When he touches lightly his bald head, the red tattoo seems to take life and a small raptor jumps on his shoulder, looking everywhere, the tongue out, obviously very excited.
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Okawe nods to Trevyn in acknowledgement of his reassurance, but that doesn't keep him from full-on staring at the apparition before him. The mention of food succeeds in easing his countenance, and he approaches a tray of it like a shark approaches a school of tuna.
As the Witch enters the room, Okawe looks up from his "meal," and offers a slight bow, glad not to be the only one late to the meeting.
His calm is quickly stolen away again by the animation of the sorcerer's tattoo, in fact, he's so startled, he nearly chokes. Coughing, he offers a quick mental prayer to Ragathiel, Oh settle me nerves, Gen'ral, dis gon' be a trall .
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Tsadok lets out a full belly laugh at the witch's entrance followed up by Shambala's familiar making his appearance.
"Yes, Shambala this is going to be a very interesting group, very interesting indeed. Well met Mazon, and you as well Rudolph, and the Kitty is Pea'nut. He's always been a sucker for a good scratch."
While speaking he has risen from his chair and poured a double helping of the Chelish wine, then moving towards the large fighter. "Here my friend, seems you might have need of this, I would offer something stronger but alas I didn't remember to bring my flask in."
Passad returns a shortwhile later with a small leatherbound volume which he hands gracioulsy to Estelle. Seeing everyone is gathered, the party heads down to the ship ready to depart.
The journey north from Kerse to the mouth of the Glass River takes you along the southwestern coast of Lake Encarthan. The voyage along the lake is actually quite pleasant and other than the constant bickering between Temel and Metella is uneventful.
The Abacus proves to be more of a yacht than a simple pleasure ship. The sailing vessel measures 75 feet long with 3 sail masts. A ship of this size would typically require a crew of at least 20, but Captain Sebastian handles it with only 4. It would appear than many of the ship’s functions have been magically enhanced to perform on their own. An expensive ship indeed! In addition to the crew of 5 you are accompanied by the 2 dwarves, Temel, and 3 of Temel’s servants, his personal assistant Jacobs, his seldom seen concubine Amara, and his personal chef Abdukar.
The voyage was scheduled to take 3 days, but took close to 4 thanks to Temel’s insistence that you make a short call in the port of Greengold, the only human settlement in the Elven territory of Kyonin. The delay drove Metalla to the verge of an explosive fit, but thankfully she kept her cool when you reminder her that Temel is funding the entire venture and that you are dedicated to the task of finding her kinsfolk.
The 4 days allows you ample opportunity to ask any questions of Temel or the dwarves. During this time the following topics come up and are discussed:
The dwarves know of those captured by reputation only.
Amauhak of Reth Bezel, the yellow scarved mystic, is pleasant but prefers to speak in riddles and generalities. He spends most of his time in silent contemplation (and a cloud of freshly smoked pesh).
Metella, on the other hand, is much more blunt. While she prefers to converse on her frustration with Temel, from her you learn that there were 3 dwarves in the delegation:
You are rescuing Rakuska Imgardam, a well-known Five Kings diplomat and devotee of Torag. The second is Holfist Sendstrom of Taggoret and like Amauhak, a Pahmet dwarf of Osirion.
The dwarves are both renown and valued for their strategic and military acumen.
As the boat enters Razmiri waters, Passad pulls the Pathfinder team aside. "Pathfinders, we have a choice as to whether we shall dock at Xer and pay any necessary tolls or sail on and try to evade Razmiri authorities entirely. I recommend that we do former. I maintain that abiding by the local customs will help us to avoid any ...unwanted attention, especially if we include an extra “gratuity” when paying the tolls. Furthermore, without proof that we've paid the expected tribute, we run the risk of greater trouble if accosted by one of the ubiquitous faith barges upriver." Passad gives a heavy sigh and continues, "I am "happy" to provide the toll myself." He stops to draw two platinum pieces from a white silk purse."
Mettela, heretofore silent counters, "Stopping at Xer gives the authorities a chance to search the boat and discover us. As a result, it is better to avoid the docks altogether and take their chances with any faith barges they might encounter."
While Amauhak remains silent during the exchange, 6 sets eyes turn towards the lot of you. The question as to the plan is given wordlessly to you....
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Okawe stares down at the wine offered and seems to be elsewhere for a moment, but he quickly swallows and replies, "None for I, brudda; happy to raise glass when all's said 'n done doh, promise."
Okawe is happy to be on a boat again. Having grown up in the shackles, his feet were steadier on the water than on the land some days. He is impressed that such a vessel can be managed by such a small crew. Even so, he offers his assistance whenever possible.
Okawe's eyes widen when he sees Passad's platinum coins, having never seen one before. In fact, he'd only seen gold upon joining the Society.
"I can hold me own in a brawl, but I like de idea of going unnotiss if we can."
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"None for I, brudda; happy to raise glass when all's said 'n done doh, promise."
Clasping the fighter's shoulder and nodding in acceptance. " Until then good sir, until then." Tsadok walks back to his chair with the drink.
Later on the boat with the others. He listens to both arguments for stopping or taking our chances later with the river boats.
"As much as I dislike giving away coin, I think we have a bigger chance for failure by bypassing the port. We stand a chance of being caught at the port but I believe Master Passad has dealt with that danger before and is well able to handle it.'
"Should we take the chance with the river boat inspection and have to take out an entire river boat, that will have much wider repercussion by making an edgy military even more so. Let's not make them so until we absolutely have to. By means of magic I imagine they can communicate over distance faster than we will be able to move."
"Let's save that until we have our missing emissaries."
Metella absolutely beams when Trevyn agrees with her and then nods when Okawe also agrees. She feels like the vote will be unanimous when the half-orc votes for stopping at Xer. Passad nods to Tsadok'ul and says, "That's two for continuing on and one for stopping. What say the rest of you?"
Passad sighs heavily, "I think this is a mistake." He jingles the coins in his hand, making sure they clink together so all can hear.
Across the deck, Metella is already shaking her head. "How typical, Passad. You know you won't be grabbed - but the Razmirans abducted our dwarven brethren! Why give them a chance to do it again? What if the Razmirans aren't just grabbing passersby, but are actively interfering with this mission? She shakes her head angrily, and mutters under her breath.
Passad scowls in return. "What would you have us do, then, Metella? he shoots back. "Run the border? Sneak past, and hope they don't notice? And then when we encounter one of the Razmiri faith barges farther downriver, and get caught without legal paperwork? What then?" He shakes his head angrily.
Amauhak holds up his hands, and waits for silence before speaking. He has a calm majesty about him, such that both Metella and Passad cease their quarrel and fall silent.
"If I understand things, this is a Pathfinder Society mission, and thus the decision falls to our Pathfinder guides to make." He steps back, and waves his hands across the party. "They have decided we shall bypass Xer and take our chances up river. It is done."
The captain nods and heads off as Passad slips his two platinum back into his purse. "So be it."
The ship sets course to continue on past Xer.
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Tsadok takes a moment to speak with Temel, once the decision has been made.
"Master Passad, a moment if you will. I understand my companion's reluctance to stop in Xer and I have not known them or you long enough to dissuade them from the course they choose. With that being the case, what can you tell me about the Razmiri faith barge inspections we may be subjected to and what if anything we can do beyond this point to avoid those inspections."
Temel walks away from the main group to speak to Tsadok'ul in private. He says, "It is no secret that the Razmiri clergy rely more on bullying than on divine miracles, often exploiting travelers to fill the church’s coffers. The regular patrols of faithful enforcers searching for dissension has resulted in the paranoia that runs throughout the government and the populace. Any friendliness from a native is cause for suspicion. Any vessel that approaches us should be cause for concern, nothing good will come from it."
Pausing he adds a moment later, "If we are stopped they are most likely going to ask us who we are and what are business is here."
Looking at the dwarves he shakes his head, "Aannndd when they ask if we've paid our way we have no papers to show them. What happens that point, well, let's just say I hope that you are skilled with that big sword you're carrying. From what I've heard it is nearly impossible to dissuade these fanatics and so even those quick of wit or those with silk tongues are usually particularly successful. They are so firm in their belief that they think no one is protected from a search by Razmir's agency for any reason. Let us hope that it does not come to this."
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For the next day the captain keeps you far from any faith barges. You see only the occasional merchant ships here and there. Suddenly a merchant ship sailing somewhat close to you hoists a Razmiri flag, its skipper yelling for you to stop. You can see two ballista armed with grappling hook starting to become unveiled. The Captain yells a warning to everyone and Passad looks at you all, his face tells all. Despite being a speedy vessel, this faith barge is faster. The captain says, "They are going to come alongside and board us, we can't resist them, they are faster and armed. Prepare yourselves!"
Passad states, "I think it best if we three go below decks for this."
The dwarves concur and all three head down below. Before they disappear Passad turns to you all and says sternly, "Good luck Pathfinders, I believe in you." With that he ducks below shortly before the boat pulls alongside.
The captain turns to your party, fear evident on his face and asks, "What shall we do? What shall we say?"
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Okawe wishes his brother were here, he knows he'd be the cool head in the discussion, but the big islander does his best. "We should at least pretend to belong here for de moment, no? I'm no' de best liar in de Shackle', but I know a bad idea when I hear it." Okawe looks for the boarding ropes, his intention is to help the other ship tie up to make the boarding easier in a display of innocence. He makes such intention known to his comrades and the faith barge.