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After a hurried summons to the Grand Lodge In Absalom, a quick conversation with Venture-Captain Alissa Moldreserva, and a wet, stormy trip across the Inner Sea to Andoran, the small, warm Pathfinder Lodge in Augustana is a welcome break from travel.
”I can’t believe we are wasting our time on this matter.” says Caudron Wallace, the Venture- Captain of Augustana as he paces the main hall. ”Frankly I want as little to do with it as possible, so I am passing it on to you.”
Wallace nods towards a door at the back of the room. ”The vagrant found through there was found collapsed on our front steps griping a wayfinder of all things. We still don’t know who he is. Talk to him, for the tale he tells is amazing if true, and then come back here.”
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Z'horr'll thinks to himself 'Talk to him. Be patient, be calm, don't try and be funny. It is when you are funny that you get into trouble.'
The Undine bard leads his team back through the door. "Hello! Glad to meet you, sir! I am Z'hor'll B'bblebr'x... yes, I am sorry, it is hard to pronounce, but I assure you it is much easier under water. What is your name?"
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The party enters the room at the end of the hall where they find a small sitting room with six comfortable chairs and a few bookshelves filled with the latest Pathfinder Chronicles. An old withered man sits in one of the chairs half asleep. His skin is shockingly pale as his features are sharp with high cheekbones and a jutting chin.
Upon waking the man
Sir? You will refer to me as your Liege or my Lord! The man looks at you with a sort of absolute, confident superiority.
”My loyal subjects, welcome! I know that some of you might not recognize me in my current state, but it is truly me, Gandros, the long lost Prince of Augustana. I have been in hiding since the untimely death of my father, the Emperor, preparing for my return to glory. Unfortunately I bear ill news. The army that I have gathered in the otherworld has been infiltrated by agents of our enemies. When last I called my forces together for inspection, dark assassins attacked me and I barely escaped with my life.”
The old man rolls up his sleeve which reveals a series of recent claw and tooth marks on his right forearm. He then continues on in a breathless retelling of how he made it to the Lodge.
”I fled back through the magic portal to this realm. Grievously wounded, and with the assassins in close pursuit, I leapt into the dark river. I floated past the Almsman’s Sanctuary, but I couldn’t climb out of the water. I did manage to grab ahold of one of the bridges, but a plank fell in with me. I held on for dear life and continued to drift downstream. I went over a waterfall and then emerged in the lake of ships, crawling to shore.”
”Augustana has changed since I last walked my cities bright streets, but I managed to find this house, bearing the symbol of my father’s Empire.” He holds forth the wayfinder hanging from a chain around his neck. ”I knew I would find help here! If you remove the threat from my kingdom below and help restore me to my rightful place as Emperor of Andoran, I will grant you any boon within my power.”
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Adriana absorbs this was interest, if slightly healthys scepticism (although she is too polite to show it). She noted his superiority, having had experiences with that cool air of command during her time as a diplomat, and idly wondered how good of a ruler this man would be. Deciding not to judge too quickly, Adriana raises an elegant eyebrow carefully.
"Indeed, and what a remarkable story this was. As to your request, the Society, and myself, is always happen to help people in need"
At this point the aasimar tilts her head to one side in an expression of curiosity "What exactly is it that you would like us to do?"
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A sickly thin tiefling stands against the wall with a hood over his head and what looks like a belt the color of his skin around his waist. He squints at the man with a mean look on his face. Just another rich man who thinks he can use me for my talents. he thinks to himself. Well, I don't trust him as far as I can throw him.
Out loud, he says "Yes, what and how exactly do you want us to do that?"
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Ishingka's gray-green eyes widen at Prince Gandros' speech. Aroden's backside! Does this wretch expect us to believe him? Very well, charades it is.
"Ah--my Lord, our, er, apologies, and may the light carry you far." She touches her sacred tattoos on her face and hands rapidly and bends the knee. "Removing threats is a specialty of mine. Merely point us in the direction of the threat in question, and we will do the rest,"
Army in the otherworld? The half-orc's blue-black brows knit so close together that they look ready to attack one another.
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"M'Lord, you are weakened still," murmurs Ishingka, sounding concerned, "We must needs have a healer look at those wounds." She chews on her lip for a moment, showing teeth suited for rending flesh and cracking bone. "M'Lord, may we examine your royal pendant? And perhaps, friends, we should go near the Almsman's Sanctuary for clues, as it could be the first place the Prince appeared in...our world."
Perhaps he's a raving mad debtor who found a Wayfinder. Perhaps he is a Pathfinder himself and was driven mad. Foolish as it is, there is something here to follow, she thinks, trying to recall the lay of the city of Augustana--she'd been here once as a child, as her parents went from town to town to perform, she recalls.
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Z'hor'll takes amusement at this. [i]'I think this guy is more bonkers than I am!'[i] he thinks to himself.
Z'hor'll takes a deep bow, "Milord, my apologies. You have been gone long, and we... mere chattel... have forgotten your awesome visage. We must make haste to recover you army. You remain here, and receive succor from your loyal subjects here. We shall venture forth and save your army.
"But, alas, we know not where your demesne lies, so any information that you can recall would verily speed us on our way."
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Ishingka ushers everyone back to the Venture Captain's room with an excused absence from the Prince.
The Venture Captain shuts the door behind him as he turns towards Ishingka
”My diviners say that there is some truth to his story. There has never been a Prince of Augustana, nor an Emperor in Andoran, but the old fellow has a surprising amount of knowledge of the pre-revolution noble families of the city. He may be the lost scion of some noble line. If so he has fallen far.
From the filth and stink on him when we found him, we’re fairly certain he has been living in or near a sewer. The wayfinder is also a mystery, but for now it makes him one of ours. However I am more interested in his supposed gate to the otherworld. If it exists, I want to know about it. Implausible as it seems I am certain that his injuries were caused by otherworldly beings. We must take the possibility of a portal seriously.
I don’t want to dirty my hands with this but you don’t have that choice. Retrace the old man’s path through the sewers. The Almsman, whom he repeatedly mentions is rumored to be an eccentric priest who runs some sort of hidden beggar’s sanctuary in the sewers. He may know where the Prince’s portal is, if you can find him. But be warned a local gang calling themselves he Steel Wyverns claim that the sewers near the Almsman’s Sanctuary as their own territory.
The Venture Captain hands a map to you with a spot marked as the likely location of the sewer outlet from which Gandros came from. It is near the north end of the crowded Augustana harbor, near where the north harbor wall hits land.
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"I haven't heard about this 'Almsman', but somehow word of these Steel Wyverns has made it to Absalom! They are a group of brigands... once a powerful criminal organization, but now more of a gang of petty bandits. They use spiked chains they call 'Wyvern Stings'. Silly people. Guess we should be warned."
"Sewers, eh. I guess what's down there will count as water. I'll guess we won't want to fall in, but it might be useful... maybe push the Steel Wyverns in? A little water-spit will do that trick, I think.
Z'hor'll thinks a moment. "Venture Captain, other than those criminals, is there anything we need to know about in these sewers? Any other critters down there?"
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The half-orc taps one pointed ear. "Oi, the Steel Wyverns. Organized criminals who've seen better days. My papa got a scratch from one once. These days they'll still come at you with these spiked chains..."Stings of the Wyvern," or something like that. Wyvern Stings, that's it. And ah! This Prince was by the Almsman's. There's an actual Almsman--he wears a mask, like a mysterious hero. Helps out the beggars. Perhaps he's a priest--that's what folks say. Ah, Augustana, city of mystery." She chuckles.
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"Sure sounds like it. Say, Venture Captain... any chance you have any kerchiefs or bandanas we could use to cover our faces... well, mouth and nose? Might help make our trip a little better.
"Oh, and I know this splendiferous spell, Prestidigitation... I can clean us up if we get... soiled."
Z'hor'll smiles, eager to head out.
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I do not know of any specific beasts besides your normal sewer vermin that you should be wary of.
He digs through his drawers for a moment as he produces a long bit of cloth which he begins to tear into smaller pieces. Handing a piece to each member of the group. This should help with the smell. Now, please hurry. If there is indeed a gate with an army on the other side this may not turn out well for our city.
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"Does it get blood out from under fingernails, Z'hor'll?" Ishingka inquires, attempting to be as angelic as Adriana. She pats her lucerne hammer slung across her broad back. "Heh. I used to hear that spiked chains were all long and deadly, but this has a better reach than their little wyvern stickers. Let's go. I do hope we come across the Steelies."
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The group heads down to the harbor to the general area indicated on the map. After a couple of hours of searching Z'Hor'll is able to find the sewer outlet. The group follows the tunnel for about two hundred feet until you come to a set of stairs. There is the sound of rushing water beyond at the bottom of the stairs.
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The smell of waste and rot is strong in this large chamber where filthy water flows in a series of cascades between tiered stone tanks. A raised platform along the east wall is connected to the passage’s walkways by several thick wooden planks creating a makeshift bridge. On that platform is what looks to be a makeshift alchemy lab on a rough-hewn table—beakers, glass vials, dirty bottles, and moldy buckets cover the entire surface of the table.
Ishnigka rounds the corner and sees that there are three men. two sitting near the wooden bridge, playing with spiked chains.
remember that time we robbed the couple with the little boy.
Yea... Sucks we had to kill the parents and leave the little brat an orphan.
We did get a lot of money for all of the jewelry though...
The third man stands over a table, bent over a bunch of beakers as he slowly pours two mixtures together.
Seeing Ishingka comes up through the stairwell the two men stand up as they brandish their spiked chains.
Hey! Hey! You just came into the worng place. Drop all of your gear, hand over your money and leave from where you came or else!
Zoren
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Thugs
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Z'hor'll
Ishingka
Adriana
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Stalking forward, Zoren says "I don't think so. I've been in your line of work for long enough to know that you won't succeed against us. You're outnumbered." Zoren's belt unwraps around his waist to show that it is actually his tail, grabs a sling and a bullet from his pack, loads it and sends it off at the thug closest to the water.
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When Z get's a chance, he will come around the corner, and take a shot at the woman in the back with his bow. He sort of wants to see how everybody does without his "battle rap".
. Not surprisingly, he misses.
If on round 2, our people have closed in, and all three are still standing, he'll start to inspire courage, otherwise he will shoot again.
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Zoren stalks forward as he hurls a bullet at the nearest thug. His aim not yet perfected causes the bullet to skip across the water before it comes to a halt against the fat wall quickly sinking to the bottom of the sewer.
HA! Give up now. That was pathetic
One of the thugs advances onto the wooden platform
Z'Hor'll slides around the corner as he lets an arrow loose at the alchemist at the far end. He misjudged the distance as his arrow falls short of it's intended target.
Inshinga pulls out her hammer as she gets to the edge of the bridge while Adriana's form shimmers into that of a Boggard. She dives into the murky waters below, darting through them as much as she can.
The alchemist grabs a sack of glass vials from his workbench as he moves closer to his men.
Zoren
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Thugs
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Z'hor'll
Ishingka
Adriana
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Alchemist
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Zoren launches another bullet into the water as the lead thug launches himself at Ishingka with his spiked chain. The man gets his foot caught in the boards and nearly drops the chain missing the bloodrager.
Zoren
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Thugs
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Z'hor'll
Ishingka
Adriana
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Alchemist
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