taking separate paths on a long journey heading towards the capitol of Isger, Elidir, at the summons of Pathfinder (and prominent Horizon Hunter) Karla Wesver, who has arranged a night's stay at the White Stag Inn...
When introducing yourselves in your opening post, choose one or more questions below to answer (first spoiler). Next, if you would peruse the letter that arranges your summons (second spoiler). Finally, at your option, please post your Proficiency and Modifier in the following skills (third spoiler):
Q) How did you arrive into Isger? Where are you coming from? Describe your long journey here.
Q) In the Downtime that occurred before this adventure, what did you do? How does it tie into joining this mission?
Q) How to you diffuse tense situations? If multiple parties stand to be "correct", how, as a third party, do you help resolve disputes?
Q) Calisro Benarry may be a drunk - but she is no fool! Why did she summon you for this job? What skills do you bring to the team? How?
Q) Which of the following adjectives best describes your personality or disposition: Eager, Melancholy, Flamboyant, Withdrawn, or Arrogant? Why?
My Hunters of the Horizon,
The Menador Mountains are a real interesting place. And by interesting, I also mean dangerous. The peaks rise high, and they are the hunting grounds of several orc tribes. To help you out, I have included some cold weather gear for each of you, a medicine kit, and a complimentary bottle of Urglin gin, a drink strong enough to bring most humans to their knees with just one cup. It’s versatile. You can use it to make friends, clean wounds, or blow something up if you set fire to it.
Now go out there and make us Horizon Hunters proud. And jealous!
Calisro Benarry
-Mountain Lore
-Nature
-Society
Without further ado, let us earn the
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Ria emerged from the woods, resting her spear on her shoulder as she started jogging her way back towards the caravan. The road she had scouted ahead was clear, not much more than rabbits and squirrels to be seen. It was safe for the caravan to set out for the day. Less than a day of travel left until they arrived in Elidir.
After an eventful first mission to Katapesh, Ria had returned to a disappointingly empty mission board at the Grand Lodge in Absalom. After asking around a bit, she found a merchant that was hiring for a caravan. Ria caught a ship from Absalom to Chelish port of Ostenso where the caravan would be departing. They would be traveling north, meeting up with the Conerica Straits trade route, following it to Elidir and beyond.
Ria was glad for the work, but found herself wishing the trip had been more eventful. Her trip to Katapesh had been quite an adventure: danger, excitement, bizzare goblin surgical techniques, distractions aplenty. Her caravan duty, in contrast, had been slow and predictable. With the dullness of routine her thoughts had been meandering more and more onto paths of memory she hated to walk, but found herself following anyway. Paths shrouded with death, blood, endless undead monsters, a harrowing defeat and final flight from a doomed land.
"Anything to report?"
Ria's looked up in surprise, suddenly realizing she had arrived at the caravan's lead wagon. Way to go Ria, wonderfully alert scouting, there.
"Are you alright Viatoloria?" The merchant asked. Ria once again regretted telling him her full name. He, like her parents, was a proud Old Chelish, fond of the traditional ostentatious names. He insisted on using her full name as soon as he'd heard it. It made her feel like a little kid hearing her grandfather's stories of life in the old country. Instead of the 25 year old hardened Lastwall veteran she really was.
"I'm fine." Ria said, a little too quickly, shaking her head of short black hair. "Nothing to report, the road into Elidir is clear."
The merchant held out an envelope. "A messenger rode by while you were out, he left this for you."
"I saw him pass down the road." Ria remarked, she rested her spear in the crook of her arm and took the envelope. It was sealed with the Glyph of the Open Road. Ria opened the letter and scanned the contents. A smile began to tug at one corner of her mouth.
"Good news?" The merchant asked.
"For me, it is." Ria replied. "For you, sir, not as much. I may not be continuing with you after your stop in Elidir. I am needed here, and might not be done by the time you have to continue along the trade route."
When the caravan rolled into the city later that evening. Ria bid her farewells, collected her pay, and made her way to the place the message had mentioned, the White Stag Inn. Once inside, Ria found a table in a corner, rested her spear and buckler against the wall nearby, and settled in with a mug of ale to wait for her fellow Pathfinders.
Mountain Lore - Untrained +0
Nature - Untrained +1
Society - Untrained +0
Scouting Lore - Trained +3
Survival - Trained +4
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Ulfgar has been bouncing from one short mission for the Pathfinder Society to another since the beginning of his career with them. His most recent one was defeating an, admittedly tiny, dragon to prevent it from eating up a village's supply of fish.
That took place in Whitefang Bay, which was far too close to the crown of the world for his tastes. It was exceptionally cold for a dwarf who had grown up and was comfortable around the lava that flowed within some mountains.
He began marching south, looking to get to somewhere a bit warmer. He stops into one of the Lodges along the way and checks the job board. There's a message there about another small mission and he tears off a tab, taking it to the major domo, and confirming he wants to take the mission, he's handed a medicine kit, bottle of booze and...a cold weather kit.
He grunts and sighs, then shoulders everything and stomps toward the mustering point.
-Mountain Lore: +0 [U]
-Nature: +4 [T]
-Society: +0 [U]
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Dorgen sits on the boat to Isger, making sure not to be in the way of the sailors around him. It's been a weird few years, he thinks to himself. You've grown up in a clan of Dwarves in the Osiriani desert, guarding an ancient, terrible secret. Then, all of a sudden, these "Pathfinders" come storming in and say they'll help. Suddenly you're free to go wherever you want, and what do you do? You join up with these weirdos to see how they stack up. And by all accounts, they seem to be doing a decent job. Sure, there are some curious individuals, but every nest has their weirdos, right? And hey, not like the Elders in the desert had all their ducks in a row, in retrospect. Just be glad you're of use right now. You've got a good head on your shoulders; let's make use of it.
The mountains are just like a desert, right? Well, no, but the same principles apply: wear appropriate clothing, watch out for treacherous terrain, and help each other out. Still, I'm not exactly built for climbing and such. Let's hope my fellow Pathfinders are more the physical type.
Mountain Lore - Untrained, prefer not to roll
Nature - trained, +5
Society - trained, +7
Herbalism Lore - trained, +7
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Penny and her familiar Mofu traveled via Caravan, those varisian folks always has something good or interesting to share, it was a long journey from Ustalav where she has been looking for some rare tomes at the most unlikely libraries, being a pragmatic person the human Witch has also put her academic knowledge to good use while at those libraries and gained some extra money, she wasn't that greedy but she has to feed Mofu and herself, eventually however she was contacted by the society and assigned a new mission at Isger, as her skills at climbing mountains and dealing with the wilderness are hardly the best ones the society has to offer she knows -or at least believes- that something important is happening at those "Mountains of Madness", after all the society holds her in high regards... Or so she thinks, but in any case she is more than eager to go and discover the secrets that lies in these mountains, assuming that there's one...
If a tense situation arises and she is forced to decide what is "correct" Penny is certainly not the best suited for this task as she would likely dismiss both definitions of "correct", for her there's no such a thing but a struggle to keep Golarion out of the reach of ancient and terrible forces that most mortals can't even fathom... She is a member of the Vigilant Seal after all, containment and survival is paramount.
Calisro Benarry is certainly not a fool, she knows of Penny's... Quirks, regardless of what the actual mission is Penny will almost certainly assume that the old cults are involved and give her all to stop their plots, she's rather obsessive but efficient nonetheless, she has magic and a lot of disparate knowledges that often proves to be relevant in most situations... Or be completely irrelevant.
If you know Penny good enough you can certainly describe her as arrogant, for one she knows slightly more than your average human but above that she is convinced that she has a far better understanding of everything and is hard to argue with her claims of Golarion being a grain of sand in a too big multiverse inhabited by impossibly big predators...
A young yet weary looking human woman comes into view making her way across the woods, it doesn't look like she is used to these wilderness but she isn't complaining.
She has long black hair and pale, almost white skin, like most of Nidalese ancestors her eyes are equally dark sporting almost pitch black irises.
For some reason she apparently isn't carrying any weapons but in her hands she carries a exotic mammal with vivid red fur, a red panda, certainly an uncommon sigh in the inner sea and an undeniably cute one.
"Greetings Fellow agents, my name is Penelo Raveneye but I go by the nickname of "Penny", don't ever ask why..." Introduced herself the Nidalese woman as she eyes the others agents.
"I'm a Witch, not a wizard or similar, hope you're okay with that... I work for the vigilant Seal and am pretty sure that this mission has more than what Calistro tell us, otherwise they wouldn't have requested my assistance but don't overthink it... The less you know the better." Half explained the Witch adding as much mystery to it as is possible and keeping a serious looking expression.
"And this little guy is Mofu! He's the cutest thing that has ever existed! He is a red panda! I bet you have never saw something as fluffy and cute as him! Say Hi Mofu, we aren't that rude." Added Penny suddenly changing her serious and gloomy behavior to overly cheerful and just a little childish as she shows off her Familiar to the others Agents, her otherwise dark eyes shining with glee.
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Without thinking and completely ignoring the fact that it just talked, Dorgen starts ruffling Mofu's fur, still half-lost in thought. "Bah, Witches, Wizards, it's all just a label. Whether you studied the arcane arts, pray to a deity to get your magic, or get it from your ancestors, it's all the same to me. Magic is magic. Just make sure to use it responsibly."
Outside the White Stag, a large and bustling inn on the Conerica River, people are filing in from a day's work. Traders rubbing shoulders with merchants and river bargemen as furs and goods are exchanged all drawing to a close, as these folks pack up their wares, count their tender, and make records in their ledger, all while a spree of last-minute shoppers seek end-of-market deals through opportune haggle.
Inside, a woman sporting an intricate braid and a well‑worn travel outfit walks up to the bar, and asks the bartender there something inaudible, then looks around the room, scanning the crowd with her eyes, her own Wayfinder proudly displayed across her chest like a pendent, a thin metal chain securing it backways around her neck.
She then looks down at a missive in her own palm, as if to double-check it's contents...
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Aswalè is a good natured but very withdrawn person some would even say he’s a real cat person.
"You have my gratitude," he'd said before handing Awalè a pouch of gold. The silly many had posted the job himself almost as if he'd expected to become stranded and almost become bird food. "You should go to Bloodcove and join the Society there. The more capable people the better," he said to them as he walked away from them heading into the Screaming Jungle, his nose still in the book headed who knows where.
Filled with fish they took several naps along the Vanji river as they eventually reached Bloodcove. They reached the Pathfinder lodge just as a messenger was handing the lodge operator a letter. Looking up from the letter she saw Awalè approaching and shouted, “Are you the hunter from Mount Dowama?” This sudden acknowledgement made even Bala jump noticeably. “Yes, I was sent...”
“I know. I know. Well you sure took your time getting here didn’t you? Here take this letter and head to the docks and get the first ship to Isger.”
“I will but what about compensation?”
“There will be plenty gold believe you me. Now get to docks in a hurry if that’s even possible for you.”
As she said this the lodge operator was already back in the building. The door closing behind her with a loud slam. Aswalè unfolded the letter and read it closely. “Oh no another mountain. I’ll wait to tell Bala when his belly is full,” Aswalè thought. Just as Aswalè began to fold the letter the operator stuck her head out the door,”Blessed Gozreh you are slow! Hurry to the docks now,” she hesitated a moment, “and welcome to the society.” The door closed again with a final slam.
“Well, Bala get ready for more fish. We’re going on a boat ride.” The cheetah purred excitedly at the word fish unaware of their next destination
Mountain: 0
Nature: +5
Society: +3
...after doing so, the ruggedly handsome woman glances around the room a second time. The bartender brings over a tall pint frothing over at the top and spilling down the side. She nods at him, he back, then she slaps some coin on the bar and downs about a third of it's volume with a hearty gulp, wiping her chin with her sleeve.
Her other hand reflexively clutches her Wayfinder briefly, before letting it go to sway suspended from her neck...
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Unsure if he is early or late Aswalè wanders into the White Stag. He quickly surveys the crowd looking for other society members or their contact when he spots the woman and her wayfinder. Scratching a still reluctant Bala behind the ear he heads over to her and bows slightly to Karla.
"Excuse me. I am new to this but might you be the Calisro from this letter," he asks waving his letter in her direction.
...spotting the stranger in the bar, she throws down another third of her pint as he walks over, thrusts a hand forward to make a shake "Karla Wesver" bluntly, and "You must be..." peeking one eye down at her note "Awalè N'ganie" straight to business, this one looking around again "You know what they say - early bird slays the wyrm!" she telegraphs toward the barkeep who meets her gaze "Get my friend a..." her tone is stern yet playful - you sense she must be a regular here - she turns back to ask "...what's your vice, say?" you swear she winks as she asks the question...
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"That is me. I'm sure the others will be joining us soon." He looks around to see if he can spot anyone of the customers that look like they aren't from Isger.
We might be to far north but if this place has a palm wine it will become my favorite place in all of Isger, but spiced wine will do if not."
Having received the cold weather clothes Aswalè had expected to find a cold country filled with cold people and is pleasantly surprised by Karla's playfulness. "I am a man of few vices. However, the ones that I enjoy, I do so thoroughly," he says in an offhand way that makes it hard to tell if he's being playful or merely stating a fact. Bala disinterested in both of them strolls away to inspect the inn's rodent situation.
"Karla, I am a newly joined member of the society. Would you be willing to tell me how you view the society? I would like as many honest assessment as I can get."
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A sturdy dwarf strides into the bar. He approaches the bar, steps up on the rail to get a little more height and holds up a single finger.
He drains part of the mug of ale when it arrives and, looking around, spots Moken and Awale. Crossing the room, he takes a seat next to them, giving them each a taciturn nod.
His red beard is ornately braided but his long hair, which is slightly receding it simply pulled back into a ponytail to keep it out of the way.
He's carrying a dwarven waraxe and quiver of javelins on his back and a clan dagger at his belt.
At first visibly uncomfortable, but now noticing a rat in Bala's mouth, the bartender says to it "Ok, you're hired!"
Answering Awalè's question "As good as the company you keep, I suppose. For example, " she turns now, looking at the two arriving recruits but yelling back first at the bartender "And..." peeking at her notes again "Ulfgar Ironhead and Penelo Raveneye will be having a..." leaving her sentence unfinished and an expectant look in her eye...
...and was that another wink!?...
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Dorgen walks into the bar, his mind still lost in thoughts. He follows Penny and sits next to her. "One light ale please," he mumbles to the barman. He shakes himself awake, takes a look around, and shakes Karla's hand.
"Sorry about that, I was still thinking about back home. My mind's on the mission now, I swear."
The bartender - scowling somewhat at the witch's flying panda - is about to bring over a tray with two drinks when suddenly Karla yells "And a light ale too with that spiced wine" looking towards Awalè "Sorry kid" then looking at Ulfgar she yells back "Make that two light ales" and now at Penny "Nope make that three ales and a spiced wine!" and with that she slunks down the last third of her ale.
The bartender adds three more ales to his tray - now containing four ales and a spiced wine - and quickly brings them over, to which she retorts "Ah yes - you know know me well!" and after slapping some more coin on the table - including a generous tip! - and distributing the drinks, she toasts "To the Open Road!"
The clash of glasses seems to punctuate her next question - Karla scans the crowd one more time - then checks her note again "Dorgen Eversteel - the pleasure is mine" and then "Tell me: While we wait for our fifth to appear, "
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Ulfgar knows it is rude to turn down a free drink and he doesn't want to seem like a drunkard with two tankards of ale. There's truly only one solution. He downs the one he brought over, his adam's apple working vigorously and noisily then takes the new one, joining the toast before taking a drink from it.
"Devil worshippers," he says in a low, gravelly voice, then takes another sip.
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Dorgen clears his throat and starts counting on his fingers. "Well, they're pretty militaristic, have a few colonies, and they're not very kind to outsiders. The Pathfinder Society was banned from doing expeditions there a about five, six years ago, but that got lifted relatively recently. They're also..."
He looks around, then shuts up. "Sorry, didn't mean to hog the spotlight. I tend to ramble." He reaches for his ale and takes a long drink.
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Having seen and heard enough to be sure these were the people she was waiting for, Ria grabbed her gear and moved over to the table where the Pathfinders were gathering.
"...They're also fond of giving their children overly ostentatious names." Ria adds as she takes a seat at the table. She leans her spear against the wall beside her, within easy reach. The woman extends a hand to Karla. "Viatoloria Asellianos, reporting for duty. But please, call me 'Ria'."
Ria has the typical dark hair and paleish skin of a human of Chelish descent, but from her accent it sounds like she probably grew up somewhere other than Cheliax. She looks to be around 25ish years old, with eyes that somehow seem older, more world-weary, than a woman of her age should.
"Ria then!" Karla noticeably relaxes as if mentally making a fifth checkmark on her paper, which she stuffs back into her pocket without looking "It seems you have inside information then?" rhetorically asking - and was that another wink? "All true - all true - and interestingly, why you are all here! Come - let us retire to a booth and talk" waving the company away from the bar to sit at a circular table, she unrolls a map, and fetches a bottle and kit from her coat, using them like paperweights with her own second pint.
"It used to be that we Pathfinders had a bit of a strained relationship with the Chelaxian government. It still isn’t all sunshine and roses, but with the opportunity before us, we can now move about in public without fear of conflict or reprisal. As you may know, Isger is still a vassal state of Cheliax. The Chelaxians have bled Isger dry for years, but the increased demand for goods like Chelaxian brandy and other luxury items in Molthune and beyond has resulted in Cheliax finally getting off its ass and investing some resources in Isger."
She nods at the bartender, and he nods back, and she continues without a beat.
"Normally these goods go through Druma to reach Molthune, but Druma has been raising import taxes. Cheliax issued an open bounty to explorers the world over: between Isger and Molthune, suitable for pack animals to traverse. So, this presents a rather rare opportunity for us to find a way through the Menador Mountains into Molthune. Calisro Benarry has a special interest in this bounty. She is hoping you will take to this challenge with gusto! I assume you already received your cold weather outfits?"
The bartender brings over a roast with potatoes and green beans, six plates, six forks, and a large serrated knife. She starts cutting the roast as she talks.
"Your room and board is payed tonight, and and packed some provisions for the journey. Not all of the food you’ll need for the journey, mind—carrying all of that would be too heavy, and likely to attract unwanted attention from the wildlife. You’ll want to forage along the way, if you can. My friend . She will help you file your paperwork with the Chelaxian officials, and she’ll also have a warm and comfy bed ready for you on the other side”
She smiles simply, and serves herself first, and starts eating. With her mouth full "A-ee Kwesths?"
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You recall that the Menador Mountains are home to orcs of the Smiling Tusk tribe. Often misunderstood, orcs of the Smiling Tusk are actually quite friendly and known for keeping pet birds.
You recall that the Menador Mountains are home to orcs of the Shattered Fang tribe.
You have heard of these orcs in the mountains, and remember that despite a well‑earned reputation for ferocity, they are also known for keeping oaths they have sworn on their ancestors. If one can earn such an oath from a member of the tribe, they can be reliably negotiated with.
Speaking of the Menador Mountains, you recall that avalanches and cold weather hazards are common, and most routes are effectively one way.
You recognize the bottle Karla is currently using as a paperweight: Urglin Gin
It is quite versatile, you have seen it used to sterilize a wound before, in addition to other uses you can only imagine.
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Seated at the table Aswalè helps himself to a serving of the roast as he looks curiously at the bottle.
"Ha! So, my first mission with the Pathfinder society will be to find a literal path. Well, you all seem like a dependable group of companions for this mission." At this he raises his glass to his new team members in salute and take a quick sip of the spiced wine. It is no palm wine, but it will certainly do in a pinch.
Bala smelling food that seems more appetizing than the inn's rodents makes his way stealthily over to the table and purs gently. As Aswalè passes some of his roast to the cheetah he remembers talking to one of the Chelaxian sailors on the ship about the Orc that are found in the mountains here. "There are these smiling Orcs up there who form bonds with birds," he scratches Bala behind the ears, "similar to the one I share with Bala here."
I had better keep an eye on Bala. The last thing I want to do is have the fury of an orc unleashed on me over a pet bird," he thought before taking a long drink of his wine.
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Dorgen digs into the food, slowly digesting the information before speaking. "Are the Menador Mountains known for certain dangers? Rockslides, dangerous animals, the like? Seems like a fool's errand to cut a trail through the mountains if they're teeming with mountain cats and such."
He resumes chewing, staying silent until Awalè mentions the Smiling Orcs. He furrows his brow, grunts, then pipes up. "I think I must've read something different, I found a book with Orc tribes saying the Menador Mountains are home to the Shattered Fang clan. They sound much less friendly. Does anyone know the best way to pacify a horde of angry Orcs? Seems like the best course of action is to avoid them altogether, they might target the caravans."
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"Some ale will do the trick for now, I'm not in the mood for nothing hard..." commented Penny before listening to what Karla has to say, she also remembers that she has heard about the orcs who lives in the mountains, savages as they are they are well known to keep their oaths or so read Penny in a dusty tome back at Ustalav, is kinda weird that she actually remembered it since she initially dismissed it as irrelevant information, she was actually investigating if said orcs has some connection to the old cults.
"So, we're here chart these 'mountains of madness' and claim the bounty, that's okay and all, we can handle it, I'm sure" Commented a confident Penny as she measures the skills of her companions based on their looks, they certainty looks ready to take on any wilderness head on and of course she has magic, what else could they need?
"By the way... There isn't any funny businesses in these mountains? Besides the orcs and wildlife, that's it. Asked The Witch hoping for some info about the "secret mission" that she believes to have been assigned.
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"Ooh! Are we drinking? Hello, hello my name is Mofu! Just the humble Familiar of Penny, can I order a tankard just like the one that Cayden Cailean has? Full to the brim!" Commented a happy Mofu as he climbs onto his master and then to the table but being careful enough to not make any mess, his master doesn't seem to mind his intrusion in the conversation.
You don't recognize the exact type of alcohol, but you do recognize this to be "top shelf" alcohol, and know that in a pinch, gifting or sharing this bottle is a great way to build instant friends.
You suspect the bottle to be alcohol of decent quality, but aren't exactly sure.
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"The merchant whose caravan I guarded on the way here talked about how much trouble it is to cross the Menador Mountains." Ria says, pausing to take a swig of her ale before continuing. "There's so many avalanches, ice and other cold-weather hazards that most routes blazed over the mountains end up being only one-way trips. You either have the snow obliterate the trail behind you... or your caravan doesn't survive to make a return trip."
"By the way... There isn't any funny businesses in these mountains? Besides the orcs and wildlife, that's it. Asked The Witch hoping for some info about the "secret mission" that she believes to have been assigned.
Dorgen digs into the food, slowly digesting the information before speaking. "Are the Menador Mountains known for certain dangers? Rockslides, dangerous animals, the like? Seems like a fool's errand to cut a trail through the mountains if they're teeming with mountain cats and such."
She finishes chewing before responding to Penny and Dorgan's questions "Besides orcs, avalanches, and elevation - not that I know of - but that's why there a " a little matter-of-factly. She smiles cheekily.
As the conversation has progressed, the bartender has been back a couple more times serving refills - evidenced by the slow enrosening of Karla's nose. With a hiccup, she reminds you to "Rest well tonight, and be at the docks by first light. If you need anything, leave a note at the bar, and we'll see what we can do!" and with that, she wipes her mouth, and motioning her head to the gathering musicians tuning their instruments, reaches her hand towards Awalè "Come: I'll teach you!" and to cue, they strike up a tune, with a few other locals gathering and dancing in partners and lines...
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Awalè takes in the information from the dwarf and women nodding his head his head as they talked about the mission. Then, suddenly a red panda appears on the table and begins to speak. He looks into his cup and wonders how strong is this place's spiced wine before pushing the cup away. He looks down at Bala who is also looks quizzically at the familiar. "I guess we better get used to seeing the unexpected," he thinks to himself before returning to the wine.
At Ria's mention of the hazards that could be expected of the mountain Awalè slightly shivers. "Ria, it sounds as if you have the most experience when it comes to traveling along trade routes and keeping caravans safe. I hope you do not mind us leaning on your expertise."
As Karla reaches for him Awalè playfully resists. He wouldn't be confused with a great dancer but enjoys it nonetheless. "I see you have discovered one of my few vices," he laughs as the music begins. As they begin to dance Awalè inquires about the bottle. "That bottle of yours looks familiar. I believe I recovered one once from goblins who had attacked a Chelish caravan on their way to Kibwe. Only one of the traders survived and asked us to recover whatever we could from the goblins. The bottle had miraculously been the only thing the goblins had not destroyed when we found them. Heartbroken to hear that everything, but this bottle was gone they toasted with us to the wildness of the Expanse. One final drink for what was to be the first and last trip to the Mwangi Expanse they would ever make."
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Seeing the current mood and with no leads of the old cults Penny dicides to relax a little and enjoy the dance.
"well then... Any gentlemen willingly to dance with me?" Asked Penny before start looking for any handsome companion for the night, she could have asked one of her fellow agents but she doesn't want to mix work and fun, at least not today, for the moment she's happy of maintaining a formal relationship with the rest of the party.
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Dancing with Awalè Karla teaches him the basic footwork so he can participate in the relatively simple formations dictated by the music that the locals hop and step too - indeed any who join are immediately welcomed and encouraged.
No less than "gentlemen" step forward to dance with Penny, as Mofu's proposal hangs in the air. When Dorgen rises, at least of the elder dancers start copying his moves and adding their own inspiration into the middle of the otherwise step-choreographed steps, laughing joyously, and partner with him for couples dances.
The bartender wipes the counters taking advantage of the unoccupied seats to shorten his load of end-of-night work, and tosses any tipped coins into his metal cup.
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One of Ulfgar's bushy brows raises quizzically at the arrival of the red panda. Is it some sort of bear? A racoon? A fox? The other brow joins its twin, his forehead wrinkling like a three dimensional map of a river network when the creature speaks.
When the dancing starts, he shakes his head and waves off anyone who might offer him the opportunity to join them. Instead, he remains at the table once it is otherwise deserted. He picks up the bottle, leaning back in his chair and resting his heavy booted feet on another.
He continues to drink from his mug as he contemplates the bottle. He rubs one stubby thumb over the seal embossed on the bottle, his fingers remembering as much as his mind.
An image of his old commanding officer back when he was just a member of a patrol at his home fortress plays through his mind. The woman grinning and slapping an almost identical bottle in his hand.
"Drink up, Kid. This stuff will get you drunk, keep a wound from festering, catch fire and strip paint. Those humans may not know much about making decent beer or steel, but they sure are creative when it comes to booze."
The briefest of smiles crosses his face as he remembers how the woman, who was no more than two decades older than him, showed him all four functions over the next weeks and months.
But, when the night ends, he leaves it for someone else, instead pocketing the healer's kit. He's been on enough bounties to know it just might come in handy.
Eventually the night draws to a close, and the PCs get to sleep with full belies in warm beds - some savoring the luxury like the "last meal" that it is! - and meet up at the docks at first light to board a nameless River Barge set to sail up the Conerica until it becomes too shallow to continue - which takes about days - after which the party continues on foot.
A pair of Pack Animals carry multiple weeks worth of rations and other supplies, led by a single Hireling whose name starts with an "E" - who looks tough but not combat-hardened - whose contract explicitly says "No Pathfinding" which upon further clarification you discover means an agreement to carry supplies up and over the mountain pass and little else.
The Menador Mountains themselves are majestically menacing - perhaps the tallest natural structure any of you have seen in your lives? - teeming with snow this fine mid-summer(!) - and looming over like 5 heavily-burdened figures looking down upon you from on high, unsure if to mock you or mentor you in their sheer elevation, nearly as old as the planet itself, and surely as knowledgeable. Over the days of eventless travel, they barely even seem to move. What does change, however, is that each day becomes progressively colder than the last, as the snow slowly thickens with the party's casual ascent.
A warm evening is just turning to dusk when Ria makes her report!
Scouting ahead, you spot a campfire - or at least the unmistakeable smoke of one from your clever vantage point. The river flooding during spring snowmelts has kept the terrain relatively free from large growth, and because of that, no trees or bushes would obscure the view if you choose to approach. Perhaps a company of similar size to yours is planning to camp here - but you'd need to get a better look to be sure!
Back at the White Stag, Karla shared with you that the Urglin Gin (the bottle) can be used as a bomb in a pinch because "you never know!"... and gives you verbal instructions how to do it!
...
Awalè to Search
Dorgen to Detect Magic
Penny to Investigate
Ria to Scout
Ulfgar to Search
...
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As the dancing had gone on into the night back at the Inn, Ria sat back against the wall and just... observed. It had been quite a while since she had danced. She'd been pretty good at it once, and had a wonderful partner. Maybe she'd try again some time, but, not yet. Too many memories.
Ria had checked over the Healer's Kit Karla had left behind on the table, it didn't have anything her own kit was short on, so she'd nodded and pushed it over to the Dwarf who had been eyeing it. Having someone else carrying one would be good.
Over the past few days, Ria had spent most of her time scouting ahead along the trail, watching for dangers. There hadn't been any. The trip had been fairly uninteresting, but that was a good thing. Interesting could far too often lead to dangerous.
Scouting ahead on the fifth night, Ria comes across signs of a camp. Before reporting it back to the party, she moves in for a better look at the camp's occupants.
Interestingly, this camp does not appear to have established a watch of any kind. There is some activity near the fire, but nowhere else do you see any stirring...
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As they say goodbye at the end of the evening, Dorgen turns to Karla and says, "Thanks for the meal and entertainment. It's good to start a mission in high spirits. Makes us all the more eager to return quickly."
---
Dorgen's trek through the mountains goes less well than he anticipated. Being born in the desert, he tends to under-dress and isn't used to wearing mittens. The chattering of his teeth can probably be heard from the other side of the mountains.
"Did any of us have the presence of mind to ask how long this trek was going to take? I already cannot feel my toes anymore, and it's only the third day of travelling. Hey, Everly, how far along are we, you reckon? And thanks for doing all the hard work, by the way. Gives us the opportunity to do our work."
Dorgen tries to "help" by spouting lore about every interesting thing he sees, all read from books, of course. He hasn't been to an actual mountain before. He'll ramble along until someone begs him to stop (or, more likely, throws a snowball at his head in frustration). You get the feeling he's just excited to share his knowledge. If only he knew when to shut up...
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Ulfgar gives a thankful nod to Karla as the night winds down and places the bottle back on the table, no doubt to be scooped up by another Pathfinder before the night is truly over.
One night, after a long day of travelling through the mountains, Ulfgar offers the kit to Dorgen.
He also offers his Clan Dagger and points to Dorgen's questioningly.
With Ria scouting so effectively, Ulfgar has little need to. So, instead, he supports the group by ensuring everyone stays out of the wind and warm, getting plenty of supplies for camp and gathering what food can be found.
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After scouting out ahead most of the day, Ria returns to the party as the sun is starting to set.
"There's another group of travellers making camp ahead of us on the trail," she reports. "It's starting to get dark, so I didn't spend a lot of time studying who or what they are. They've got a fire going, and they're not setting up any sentries around their camp. I'm guessing they're either familiar enough with the area to be confident about facing the dangers of camping here, or incredibly naive about the possible dangers. Do we want to continue forward and meet up with them, or keep our distance?"
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"Thanks for the kit, I hope I don't have to use it on you. I only have... theoretical knowledge of how to use it," Dorgen says with a self-conscious grin.
"Oh, what, my clan? Sure, I don't mind telling. I come from the deserts in Osirion, far away from civilization. You see, our clan guards an ancient and terrible secret," Dorgen intones while waggling his fingers, "entrusted to us generations ago. Well, anyway, until the Pathfinder Society stumbled upon us and decided to do it for us. Well, with our guard duty now relieved, we could leave and do our own thing. So now I'm here, helping the Society back with what I've learned from the Elders. You see, we had to go through rigorous magical training to keep all the seals intact, and..."
Dorgen keeps babbling until interrupted. He goes in-depth about all the magical mumbo-jumbo his job entailed. You get the feeling if his task was really that important, he's probably saying more than he should.
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To Ria:
"Either way, seems like we're stronger together, right? If they know the area, we get to relax, and otherwise we can instruct them and share the watch. Assuming they're friendly, of course."
Dorgen goes quiet for a minute, thinking of what to do.
"Maybe they're out for the bounty as well? It would stink if we freeze our toes off for nothing out here."
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The Witch enjoyed her time dancing at the bar, is too often that she lets her guard down and have some fun, once on the wilderness Penny can't help but wonder about the Hireling background, can she trust him? Who is to say that he isn't actually an insane Cultist?
Travelling through the wilderness isn't her favorite thing but she has coped with it nicely enough, having Mofu at her side really helps her to deal with the current situation or any situation apparently, she just adores her familiar.
When resting or during the nights Penny has missed no time to tell her fellow Pathfinder agents about her crazy conspiracy theories about Cultist of the so called old cults and how dangerous the "unnameable" things are, most of her tales were however very unlikely or hard to believe but then again she wasn't really expecting that the party would believe her anyways... She just like to talk about it.
She also used some of her time to write a diary about their experiences as they travel these "mountains of madness", but this diary is hardly an accurate record as she tends to exaggerate, in fact it is mostly a work of fiction by this point.
In any case Penny has devoted a good portion of her time identifying plants, a few animals and others possible natural hazards, none of these looked really dangerous but she can't keep her mouth shut for too long, she just always has a little and random piece of information about most things that the party comes across.