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Additionally, could the Tektite possibly remove my standard posting alias from the current players list, for ease of Wayfinder use? After seeing the spread, I'll see what tier/subtier we're at and might apply an AP chronicle to get my PrC level (6th) if I feel like I'm waaaay too low.
In the halls of Skyreach, Venture-Captain Ambrus Valsin’s familiar voice gathers the attention of the assembled Pathfinders. “Pathfinders, please may I introduce to you Hamaria Blakros, who some of you may have met previously. Madame Blakros is the head of the powerful Blakros family, valuable allies of the Pathfinder Society. She will brief you on your next mission.”
The regally dressed noblewoman looks over the assembled party, her piercing eyes seeming to notice every detail, then speaks. “Greetings, Pathfinders. Recently, my daughter Michellia married the Hellknight Damian Kastner, and as is customary when one marries into the Blakros family, he provided a dowry in exchange for being honored with our illustrious name. Damian’s gift took the form of his ancestral home, an estate called Ostergarde in north-central Cheliax. Ostergarde has sat empty for some time, deserted by the Kastners after the Thrune regime came to control Cheliax and the family moved to the new capital of Egorian. I am a cautious woman, and I’d prefer to have a third party explore the manor before I or any of my family take up residence there.”
Hamaria snaps her fingers and servants bring several tomes to her side. “These books all make some mention of Ostergarde or the Kastners, and may contain useful information. While the Chelish government takes great care in rewriting history to suit its current politics, these tomes have been in our family since before the rise of House Thrune, so I am confident their contents have not been altered. Consider them a donation to the Pathfinders’ great library—a down payment for the deal I brokered with your venture-captain. I suppose he can fill you in on the details from here. It was a pleasure to meet you.”
Without further ado, Hamaria takes her leave. Valsin then claims the room’s attention again. “Pathfinders, you are to journey to Ostergarde and rid its halls of any squatting denizens, traps, or forgotten devils. In return, you are free to plunder its contents. Hopefully, everything you need to know about Ostergarde can be found within these books. I do not need to remind you how important it is to maintain our good relationship with the Blakros family, so don’t screw things up. Stick to the mission, and don’t wreck the place.” Softening his stance, Valsin finally adds, “Be careful, Ostergarde is not a kind place,” before hurrying away to attend to the next crisis.
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Ernest is a Osirian/Chelish man, sporting a paler skin than most Osiriani while still retaining their facial structures. He is 5'6", but is clearly has a number of similarities with the pig he carries around (most notably that of weight and girth.) On his back is a backpack of dungeoneering gear and on his belt hang a set of wands with an imprint of the Osiriani royal scarab embedded in them. Currently, he is carrying his pig who wears a wig and glasses sized for a (Small) creature of his size (and are styled in the manner of a stereotypical scholar's appearance.)
"I kinda wish he's tell us why he thinks it's so dangerous..." a portly young man in the room notes as the Venture-Captain takes his leave. His tone shifts back to one of excitement as he grabs a book, as his face turns to a slightly goofy grin. "I'm sure everything he could tell us is in here anyways!" Ernest then looks around to address the group. "I'm Ernest Kalthet, of the Kalthet Family Tomb Protection Services fame. It's nice to meet everyone!"
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Cairo is a young Kelish man in his early 20s wearing bright fullplate with a scimitar on his hip. A silver holy symbol hangs around his neck. "I wonder if this Blakros woman has ever met Kyra? I'll have to ask her afterwards." He grabs a book and pets the odd pig who seems to be wearing glasses. He pulls a granola bar out and feeds pieces of it to the porcine professor.
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Krunch grins like a fool revealing more of his thick tusks when the Blackros matron describes her daughter’s wedding.
Krunch is a massive brute with obvious otherworldly origins including bestial features, pair of thick jutting tusks, and skin the color of ash with the texture of cured hide. One beefy hand is noticeably bigger than the other and covered in a stony texture but no less dexterous or able. He wears armor composed of scraps of leather and silvery metal that does little to cover up his thickly muscled and scarred torso and a pair of worn bracers.
Despite his fearsome appearance, Krunch possesses a kind of animal magnetism and friendly presence that works for him in mixed company.
”Oh! Oh! Krunch was there”, the hulking Pathfinder says excitedly. ”Pinchy was there too!”
Krunch looks at the assembled literature with disinterest as Hamaria directs the attention that direction.
After reading the books, Ernest reflects on what he knows about Ostergarde....
It was an open secret that when occupied, Ostergarde was a nexus for devil worship, and because of its reputation, most travelers leave the abandoned manor alone even though it sits near a highly travelled mountain pass between Kintargo and the rest of Cheliax.
Before Queen Abrogail I of House Thrune ventured into the Barrowood, she visited Ostergarde to bolster her knowledge on infernal contracts. It is believed she used this knowledge in her infamous infernal bargain within the Barrowood, which led to her house’s victory in the Chelish Civil War.
A sprawling dungeon complex exists under the manor, accessible only through secret entrances. A gateway to Hell is believed to rest somewhere beneath Ostergarde’s abandoned halls.
One must enter Ostergarde with an escort of Kastner blood, or speak aloud the following devotion to Asmodeus: “O, cleansing fires of the Prince of Darkness, wash me in your burning might. Purify me as I enter your house of cloven hooves.” Anyone who fails to do so incurs the wrath of Ostergarde’s eternal defenders.
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"Ah-puh-bu-bu-but this is Asmodeus we're dealing with! If he ask him to bathe us in stuff, it'll either be fire or devil women who want to drag us to Hell! To do... to do stuff with us!" His face enters a state of a pinkish hue. "Stuff!"
-Posted with Wayfinder
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"This guy has these delicious, chewy lumps; he's clearly the smart one," Snouts communicates to his 'master' from his place at Cairo's feet. "You should listen to this guy."
-Posted with Wayfinder
As the party approaches Ostergarde, in north-central Cheliax, you are barraged by a raging storm that follows you through the countryside for days. Other than Ostergarde, the area is desolate and consists of sharp hills, craggy terrain, and barren trees.
Lightning slashes through the overcast sky, highlighting a darkened manor that stands defiantly upon a jagged bluff. A torrent of rain floods the trail, and thunderous cracks accompany each electrified stroke. In the distance, the trail ends abruptly at the front door of the lonely manor house—the only shelter in sight.
The grounds of Ostergarde contain the manor itself and a modest outbuilding functioning as both a stable and servants’ quarters. The manor and stable are constructed of red- and black-hued masonry in the architectural style of Imperial Cheliax.
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Snouts alerts his current best friend, Cairo, to the tracks and their divergence.
-Posted with Wayfinder
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Ernest looks around at the sky during the trip. "This rain reminds me of a story my great-great-grandfather once told me, about one time where a magic water merchant tried to assassinate the current Prince of the time via an Infernal contract. Err, wait, was it a devil? It might have been a djinn or a devil, I'm not sure."
"Either way, the Prince once enacted a taxation on water sales that angered a lot of sellers at the time. One merchant, a powerful wizard, learned the true name of a devil and used it to bind him only to the one service; 'Kill the Prince.' When the outsider asked him how we wanted the service done, the aide simply stated 'Any way that people won't think I'm to blame.' The devil accepted on the terms that his true name never be told to another on the bid of his soul, and was released to do the deed. The next morning, it was raining cats and dogs. Not, like, actual cats and dogs, just, like, a lot of water. Anyways, it kept raining day-after-day, for 66 days straight. This absolutely destroyed the prices on water, making it no longer a profitable business."
"It was at this point, the merchant called forth the djinn again. 'Why does the Prince still stand?' 'Well,' the genie said, 'you wanted him to be dead in a manner nobody would expect, yes? If it rains hard enough, I'm certain the palace will flood eventually, and the prince will then die!' The wizard, furious at this sleight, shouted obscenity at the outsider, once of which involved his true name. The devil, having won the legal battle, dragged the man to Hell, where lots of bad stuff happened. Shortly thereafter, the water tax was lifted, being that the market was so flooded that it was simply such an unmaintainable waste of resources policing it."
"I mean, it's not in any history books or anything, but Grandpep said it was true, and he knew a lot of things, so it has to be true. I mean, why would he lie to me?"
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Snouts looks towards Cairo's face, as if trying to speak with him, and oinks word-shaped noises at him. "I totally agree. Free things to eat are good and free and easy to eat and to get at and eat. Ernest has always been really bad at talking to the dead and doing dead guy stuff, though, so his story is prob'ly wrong.
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The Professor gladly accepts his snack from his continuing-to-be current best friend.
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In the meantime, Ernest makes the same oinky word-shaped noises towards Snouts in an angry motion.
As the party approaches the stable, suddenly three creature jump from a stall and move toward the party. The creatures have hide as thick and tough as leather and wicked ebony quills run from their head, tail, and back.
One of the howler moves in and attacks Krunch, while another begins to keen an ear-piercing howl. The last one jumps over it's companions and begins to circle around the party and begins to howl as well.
Cairo casts a spell, aiding the party in their efforts.
Sebastian steps up to a howler and attacks, but his swing misses.
Krunch attacks the howler furiously, punching, biting, and grabbing. As he does so, he discovers the the creature is covered in sharp quills, similar to a porcupine's.
The quills stab Krunch, but his manages to keep any from burrowing into his flesh.
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Safety advisory: Don't post in drive like Burglar does, kids!
But yeah create a pit.
-Posted with Wayfinder