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Adril Hestram, a venture-captain with a severe face and an even more severe disposition, stands with his eyes locked in a gaze of professional appraisal, his hairy arms folded tightly over his powerful chest. Finally, after a long moment, he heaves a weary sigh, allowing his shoulders to slump as if defeated, and says, “All right, fine. I don’t have time to be picky. I need you to go to the Lusty Mermaid in the Docks. One of our Pathfinders, an aging man by the name of Airk Jarigan, hasn’t reported in for two weeks. He’s supposedly close to finding a priceless Andoren artifact called The Sniper, lost right here in Absalom, or so he’s been claiming. As the sun isn’t even up yet, he’s probably still asleep. I need you to go down to the Mermaid, drag Airk out of bed, and find out why he hasn’t been reporting in. More importantly, I need you to get that artifact. You’ll recognize Airk by a gold amulet he always wears around his neck. It’s of an owlbear clutching an amethyst. He should also be with his protégé, a whelp by the name of Dargo Mar. That’s all. What are you waiting for?”
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A roguish and slightly disreputable looking fellow dressed in a rather sharp naval uniform bearing a cockade of Galtan origin on his tricorne and the epaulettes of an Eagle knight on his shoulders listens in to the briefing. He pours out a few glasses of red wine for the people in the room then passes around a platter of fresh bread and soft cheese as he hums a gentle tune.
"I can see you are in a hurry" the Galtan replies, "Perhaps once he has made his report we can find out more about this artifact over a leisurely morning meal". He picks up the red wine and corks it, ready to head off.
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Dressed in clothing that appears to be a potpourri of vastly different outfits, a short-haired half-elf is too stunned to either take cheese, wine or reply to the Venture captain. His mind however is racing with things to say. Things that would otherwise not be said in polite company. "Ooo-kay. Let's go wake up your chooch Vee-Cee Hestram." And without waiting for any further words from Adril Hestram, Illuthion stomps out of the meeting room, waiting for his companions in arms a little further down the hall. Once they've all gathered "Him and that f~&$ing chooch Zey can circle f~#~ each other into the next reality; when I f#$$ up I own up to that shit, but I don't get no disrespect from no chooch without deservin' it yo! The f*!# he think he is? F~*&ing macho-man, I'll f*!#ing cave his shit in, over-muscled f&$!!" he snarls foully, Thassilonian-inspired runic patterns flashing with power upon his gloves.
He takes a few moments to simmer down, before continuing: "I'm Illuthion, and it's nice to meet y'all chooches. Now, maybe we should take a seat somewhere quiet and talk about what we know about the Sniper, our buddy Airk Jarigan and how we gonna deal with things."
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A wild looking Elf riding a treant travels along with the group. When he speaks, you can sometimes hear what sounds like purring coming from his throat.
"It is a pleasure to meet you all as well, my name is Nix and I am a diplomat of sorts for the society...usually, sometimes they need me or my treant for some more...hands on missions. Regardless, I hope we can work together to accomplish this artifact retrieval. While it doesn't sound difficult upfront, there must be a reason why Airk has yet to retrieve it himself, so lets make sure we ask him that if doesn't immediately tell us."
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The treant upon which the Nix the Elf is speaking from doesn't quite look like most treants, or even trees for that matter. What passes for ears amount treants look far more pronounced, his eyes look far sharper, and his bark is much closer to black than it is to green. When he speaks, it sounds very deep and dry, most words are drawn out longer than normal and he speaks slowly.
"Helllloooooo. My name...is Nax...the treant...I am...running...for leader...of Cheliax...would you mind...voting for me..."
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"Apologies," a man says as he sweeps into the room, "I am just returned from Magnimar. The road was long." He doesn't say more, but you can tell there's certainly more to the story. His facial features are equal parts Varisian and Ulfen. He wears spartan, full plate armor, the only ornamentation a sword and sunburst symbol of Iomedae etched into the breastplate. His worn greatsword lay sheathed across his back. Taking his time to inspect each of his new team members, he waits until the venture-captain has finished his briefing and follows the others out without a word.
"It seems simple enough a task. Hamith Caid, Knight of the Inheritor, at your service." Or Knight of the Decemvirate? Which will it be?
Rotating his sore shoulder, he adds, "Maybe we should get directions to the Mermaid, unless one of you frequents such establishments?" At this last, he eyes the Galtan man.
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"Captain Blackjack of The Raven" the Galtan introduces himself in turn, "I am sorry, I do not know what a chooch is, I am not from Absalom originally, perhaps I lost something in translation?"
"Nix, perhaps Nax has a point - we can only be the change we wish to see and hope it catches on, I am not on the voting roll in Cheliax, indeed I suspect I am on a rather different set of lists there. Democracy can be unreliable at times though - in Galt they use the glorious 'vote of the people' to execute leaders on a monotonously regular basis, and I thought Andoran might have better prospects but even in that great democracy we have found rot deep within. Still, Liberté, égalité, fraternité is a good foundation for an enlightened society - so let's see what Nax accomplishes"
"Magnimar? How is Venture-Captain Heidmarch these days? And, how dutiful a Knight of the Inheritor are you? Merely faithful or one of those particularly devout ones?"
"The Docks is large, but I am sure I can find our tavern"
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Blackjack is right. He is able to find the Lusty Mermaid, though it takes quite a bit of time walking the Docks.
The darkness has melted away, leaving Absalom in the gray grip of dawn. Rolling in off the sea, a chilling fog hangs thick in the air like a cold, pale wraith seeking to steal warmth from the living. Cries of seagulls pierce the otherwise dull stillness of the Docks. A dim yellow light spills from the stained windows of the Lusty Mermaid. The front door opens with a moan, and inside sits a scattering of fisherman, returned from a predawn haul. The overwhelming stench of raw fish clings to these men, and it mingles with the savory aroma from the pot of stew hanging above a snapping fire in the hearth. The proprietor, a greasy-looking human with thick arms and an even thicker belly, looks up from behind the bar and says, “A little early for customers, idn’t it? I have stew cooking, but that’s it. If yer lookin’ fer enthin’ else, ya best shove off.”
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Sensing his diplomatic skills might be used here, Nix dismounts his tree and begins to speak to the greasy-human.
"Greetings sir, my name is Nix, a pathfinder based here in Absalom, and these are my associates, Nax the treant, Captain Blackjack, perhaps you've heard of him, he owns The Raven, then we have Illuthion, and Hamith, a knight of Iomedae.
We are currently attempting to contact Airk Jarigan, he always wears a gold amulet featuring an owlbear grasping an amethyst. He has been petitioning the pathfinder society for help and we have been sent to fulfill his request."
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"Yes, as Nix has said, we are Pathfinder agents out of the Grand Lodge here on an official assignment. If you could be so kind to point us in the right direction, or at least tell us the last place you saw him, that would be quite helpful."
While he speaks, Hamith keeps an eye out for other dangers within the tavern. He can recall several bar brawls that had occurred in his tenure as a Pathfinder, most notably that rat's nest the Second Chance in the Puddles.
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Bringing up Airk's name the mood in the inn suddenly drops. What once was an atmosphere filled with crass and loud conversation becomes eerily silent, almost to the point of a simmering hostility.
Larro continues to clean a glass. "Ain't never heard of 'em"
[spoiler=DC 16 Sense Motive]He is obviously lying.
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"Oh well, be that as it may, I see him just over there. Sorry to cause you trouble." and with that, he throws the barkeep a gold coin.
Nix then walks over to the man he spots.
"Excuse me sir, you appear to match the description we were given and wear the amulet I spoke of. If you are Airk, we are the pathfinders sent to assist you, would you mind speaking with us? I assure you, as well as the rest of the patrons here, that we mean no one any harm."
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Nix can tell the man is obviously lying through his teeth, but nonetheless leaves him and walks to the man wearing the amulet. The man looks up confused, hen remembers he is wearing the amulet. he flicks it around with his finger. With a mouth full of stew he says. "Payment for some debts, is all." he shrugs and keeps eating his stew.
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Taking his cue from the diplomats who seem to have run their course with the civil approach, the Galtan takes a more menacing air "Allow me to introduce myself -
Captain Blackjack, of The Raven. We have dropped anchor in every pirate cove, off the map hideaway, and legitimate port in the Inner Sea and when it comes to shabby dives like this I have yet to meet even the most oafish Innkeeper who didn't know precisely everything that went on under his broken down roof, and every one of them had ears so sharp they could tell you which mouse farted in the cellar so I'll be damned if I sit here and be insulted by you feigning ignorance whilst stirring your fish chowder - all the while that fool sits over there wearing identifiable goods of the man we seek"
"So what's it to be, you want to stay under the pennant of parley or shall I hoist the black flag?"
He grips the pommel of his sword to make the point.
Intimidate
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Hamith looks at the Galtan man and then the tavern-goer. I hope his bluff works. Or, by Iomedae, I hope he is bluffing! "You may want to listen to him. These are powerful people, and I can only protect you from so many angles. I would not be able to fend them all off, friend. Tell us where he is, or the last place you saw him."
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"So what's it to be, you want to stay under the pennant of parley or shall I hoist the black flag?"
The man wearing the amulet stands up and grips the amulet. "Work was done and payment rendered ya Jackass!" He hollers out as he slams back into his chair, slobbering down more of the greasy stew.
The bartender slams a dented pan on the bar. The ringing silences the room as most of the Fishermen look to be downright scared. Hell the bartender looks scared himself at Blackjack's proposal as his hand shakes.
The man with the pendant tosses his chair out of frustration."I don't know what your deal is, man. I got a shrimp boat leaving at dawn and I don't got time for some pirate bullshit." says the man as he pushes away from the table.
He looks at the bartender and scowls. "You need to keep better care of your bar." He leaves boldly through the door.
The greasy man serving stew and ale does not look pleased. "Alright, that's it. All six of you can get the hell out of my bar." he points to the door his hands shaken as he keeps an eye on Blackjack's blade.
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"Not without the person we came for, where is Airk?" the Galtan spits, "This is the docks, and we both know the Harbor Guard must have buttons for eyes when it comes to a dispute in a tavern, so they only way we are leaving is with what we came for. You got asked nicely, but you wore a hole in your manners"
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Looking a little confused and flustered, Nix quickly regains his composure, looks back at the barkeep.
"Now sir, we came where on a job to look for this Airk in order to receive payment, just like that man over there." he says and snaps his fingers.
"Gratoum e chryt"
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Another elf slips into the frigid atmosphere in the bar. She looks around the dive, and it confirms the worst of her obvious opinions about humans.
For a moment you might think her hired muscle come to ensure there was no disruption to the bar, but today she wears her wayfinder proudly on the outside of her shirt. Pushing in behind the elf is a large dog, which on a second glance appears perhaps more wolf than dog. And it wears a light coat of chain, so is obviously trained for war.
"There a problem here?" she asks quietly.
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Nix glances back at Illuthion.
"Most people respond to my words, which is my preferred course of acion, some people have to respond to my treant, and the very last respond to my claws. In the end, I always get what I came for thanks to this trifecta of strategies."
He then turns back to the barkeep.
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Seeing his customers being threatened Larro, grabs a greatsword from underneath the bar as he signals to a pair of men sitting nearby.
"I said ta get out of me bar. Now let my customer be or your treant will be wood fer the hearth."
Blackjack
Zavita
Oleander
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Larro's Thugs
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Hamith
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Larro
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Nix
Illuthion
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Eager for blood Blackjack lets loose a Battlecry, invigorating his allies into the brawl. Rushing behind the bar Blackjack kicks Larro in the knee. The man collapses to the floor in pain as he looks up at the bright steel of a blade.
Zavita allows he faith to shield her from harm as she watches for any injuries.
Oleander sends a couple of blunt arrows into the thugs ribs, knocking the wind from his lungs.
Drawing their own rapiers the thugs move in on Illuthion, surrounding the half elf.
Their rapiers get caught up in the barstool as one of the thugs still fights for breath through a broken rib. Obviously the Pathfindeers are well more prepared for the situation and seen more battle.
Battlecry- +1 to Att / +4 saves vs Fear
Blackjack
Zavita (Shield of Faith)
Oleander
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Larro's Thugs (Red -25 NL)
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Hamith
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Larro (prone)
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Nix
Illuthion
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The thug parries Hamith's greatsword with his rapier and steps ut of the blades destructive path just in time.
Lying on the floor, Larro swings his own greatsword in a wide arc, trying to give himself a moment to stand.
Blackjack is caught off guard as the large blade nearly severs his leg clean off. Larro grabs ahold of the bar and gets to his feet.
Battlecry- +1 to Att / +4 saves vs Fear
Blackjack (54/88)
Zavita (Shield of Faith)
Oleander
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Larro's Thugs (Red -25 NL)
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Hamith
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Larro ()
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Nix
Illuthion
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Illuthion draws his sword as he takes a step back, as his wayfinder begins to glow, and strange, hand-carved thassilonian runes flash with power.
"Suck on this choochmeister" he snarls, as two mounds of rock and dirt manifest from the ground and appear on the other side of the prone barkeep. As they begin pounding on the prone target, Illuthion draws his sword. "You next chooch" he taunts, pointing at the thug besides him.
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Nix dives right in, biting the already wounded thug in his neck. The man screams and tries to push Nix away. "Gwaahhhh! You a damned Vampire?"
A pair of earth elementals rise up from between the floorboards and pound ta the bartender. The small rocks pelt away at his armor but ultimately he walks away with barely a scratch.
Though it is enough of a distraction for Blackjack to show Larro the ropes and sinks his blade deep into the barkeep's lungs.
Oleander sends more arrows at the second thug this time. Two crack the nearby stool as one of the blunt instruments bruises the man's arm.
Drawing a scimitar Zavita moves in to help others flank the thugs. Though they are a little quicker and move to flank Nix.
"Put Dave down!"
Battlecry- +1 to Att / +4 saves vs Fear
Blackjack (54/88)
Zavita (Shield of Faith)
Oleander
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Larro's Thugs (Red -11; 25 NL)(Green- 10 NL
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Hamith
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Larro (-41)
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Nix (44/59)
Illuthion