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Although the city of Nantambu is hot, the interior of Sharrowsmith’s Exports is cool and dim. Aya Allahe gestures to a sideboard of iced drinks and jungle fruits as she settles in behind her tidy desk. “Please, refresh yourselves, for I’m about to ask you to journey far from the comforts of civilization.” The only other person in the room is a half-elf named Fola Barun, who has curly hair and dark skin painted with delicate designs. Fola stands behind a massive oak table, meticulously adding details to a half-finished map.
Allahe’s brow wrinkles over her golden eyes, hinting at her worry. “North of Bloodcove is the mountainous Terwa Uplands and a scarp called Azlant Ridge. For more than six years, Pathfinder archeologists at Azlant Ridge have been excavating an Azlanti outpost of vital historical significance; it’s perhaps the only Azlanti outpost on the Mwangi coast.” Allahe pauses. “Fola, you mentioned to me before that you wanted to learn how Pathfinder agents begin a mission. Why don’t you hold off on that map for a few minutes and listen?” The half-elf carefully sets her cartography aside and strides over behind the desk. Allahe nods approvingly and continues, “My good friend, Juliet Dias, leads the expedition at Azlant Ridge. During their first year, the expedition was beset by a horde of ape-men, but was saved by the timely intervention of a group of Pathfinder agents. The site has been mostly quiet ever since—Juliet provides monthly reports. Archeology is a slow and careful science, as Juliet is keen to remind me. Not all Pathfinders are reckless thrill-seekers.” Allahe flashes a conspiratorial smile.
Fola Barun speaks up. “Juliet Dias’s monthly correspondence is a week overdue. Her last missive described a strange light emanating from somewhere deeper in the Terwa Uplands, and her intense curiosity about it.” She slides a folded letter across the desk.
Aya adds, “I fear for my friend. Go to Azlant Ridge and seek out Juliet Dias. If she has met danger, please assist her. If my fears prove true, and Juliet is injured or worse, please ensure that the Pathfinder archeologists under her supervision are safe and continuing their valuable work, and then bring Juliet back to me. I have a riverboat to Bloodcove ready to depart, and I’ll provide you directions from Bloodcove to Azlant Ridge. Although I ask that you hurry, it is important that you ask whatever questions you may have before departing.”
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The young halfling in the party avails herself of a chilled cup of juice and a large slice of melon. Wavy brown hair frames her face as she listens with a bright smile. "Thank you Mistress Allahe, Leena Deftfoot here." Dressed in fine, light chain over her soft clerics vestments, the butterfly symbol of Desna is prominently displayed. "I don't know anything about this dig site, can you tell us more about what happened? Maybe she has run into these ape-men you were talking about?"
Amiri steps forward to the table of drinks, takes one with a rough hand, and chugs its. Slamming the mug down, she takes some fruit and begins to rip it apart, shoving pieces more or less mouth sized into her maw. Why doesn't every mission have stuff like this? I could get used to that.
Hands now covered in fruit juice and pulp, the well-built woman speaks to Allahe as she chews. "I can handle whatever we find there that wants a fight! The job'll be done. No question about it." gesturing to the overlarge bastard sword on her back.
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Nerisiel sips the iced juice and pays careful note to what is said and her shoulders drop a little at yet another long trek. "Isn't Bloodcove the city run by the aspis consortium. Is it wise for a pathfinder expedition to travel to the expedition site via that route?" She asks
Nerisiel is dressed in a mithril chain shirt and has an assortment of jewellery upon her including a silver butterfly symbol of Desna a pair of mismatched daggers and a whip are the only weapons she carries
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Miriel stares at Amiri's eating habits in astonishment, following the pieces of fruit falling on the ground with her eyes. She opens her mouth as if to comment something, but instead just sighs and goes to pick a fruit for herself. She sits back at the table, straightening all crumbles from her dress before pulling out a knife. She carefully cuts the peel, arranging the peel and fruit flesh as a flower.
"We would hope that the message was interrupted by some other reason than violence toward fellow pathfinders, my esteemed friend. Still, the area has proven to be of interest to dangerous creatures, so we should be prepared for possible confrontations", Miriel says to Amiri, her voice calm and reserved. She picks a piece from her fruit flower, eating it slowly concentrating on the taste and feeling, and then arranges the rest of pieces to a slightly smaller flower. She turns to Allahe, asking: "I understood these Terva Uplands are away from the digsite? Do we have some information of their nature?"
Miriel is a dark-haired elven woman, young, short and stocky in elven standards, closer to the average half-elf than an elf. Her clean, white dress acts as a background for the several colorful accessories meticulously arrenged to please the eye, a holy symbol of Shelyn acting as the centerpiece. Her breastplate and pack of weapons blend seamlessly in the whole outfit. Finally, a polished darkwood flute is tucked into her belt.
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Aya answers Leena's question first, ”Six years ago, a group of Pathfinder archeologists at a remote dig site in the Terwa Uplands made an incredible discovery: clear evidence of Azlanti occupation, refuting the common belief that the Azlanti had no settlements in the Mwangi Expanse. The archeologists came under frequent attacks by the charau-ka, the vile ape-men of the Mwangi. The Pathfinder expedition’s leader, Juliet Dias, directed construction of a wooden palisade, but the charau-ka called forth an enormous Abyss-touched champion to smash through it. Fortuitously, visiting Pathfinders activated one of the site’s ancient defenses—an enormous iron golem. This golem defeated the vile champion and scattered the attacking charau-ka. The attack also scared off the historical researchers, who hastily covered up the site and vowed never to return.
"Juliet was eventually able to assemble a second team though, and she has about 20 archaeologists there with her now.”
Then looks at Garn, “The terrain between Bloodcove and Azlant Ridge is dense jungle, but the area around Azlant Ridge is mountainous and mostly above the jungle canopy. Creatures such as snakes and monkeys are common, including the violent charau-ka ape-men. There aren’t any communities nearby; Azlant Ridge is quite remote.”
“Unfortunately, yes," Aya says to Nerisiel, "The Aspis Consortium is in control of Bloodcove, the closest settlement to Azlant Ridge, so they might be involved. Keep a watchful eye for their meddling.”
"I'm sorry, Miriel, but that is all the information I have. I hope you are right though."
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Miriel stops mid-bite when she hears that there might be snakes. "Snakes? Poison? Yuck! I hate it!" she spits out, the calmness of her voice gone. Then, she seems to suddenly realize she's surrounded by people, and straightens up. "Oh, I mean, I have previously witnessed the effects of poisons. We should take precautions for the possibility as reptilians such as snakes, and I might well guess serpentfolk included, often use these substances. At least I will find myself one of those alchemical mixtures that are supposed to help."
Amiri gives Miriel a look of disbelief. Smugly, she asserts, "You can hope all you want princess, but it is going to take more than well wishes to stop a charau-ka!"
During Miriel's outburst about snakes, she appears even more validated in her claim. Antitoxin is a good idea though. If only I had the coin...
"I'm ready to go whenever you lot are."
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"Princess! I, erm, you", Miriel stutters back to Amiri, shocked. She again collects her thoughts, and replies to the woman matching her smugness: "To correct your knowledge, I am of no royal blood, and I am well prepared for any awaiting martial challenges. But as our esteemed host declared, our society does not simply hack everything to pieces unlike some seem to think". Miriel eats the last piece of her fruit flower with exaggerated elegance, and folds the peel back so that it looks almost like an uneaten fruit. She turns to the rest of the team, trying to get her voice calm and friendly again: "Yes, I presume we are all ready to embark this mission, with just a quick stop at the alchemist on our way to our transport."
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Garn and Miriel purchase their antitoxins in town, and the journey to Azlant Ridge passes uneventfully . . .
A series of thin switchback trails climb ever higher out of the jungle. Near the top, a dilapidated camp comes into view. The camp is surrounded by a wooden palisade wall forming a semicircle that both starts and ends at an imposing cliff face looming hundreds of feet above the camp. A gatehouse towers over the palisade, guarding a wooden gate. Near this gate is a large gap of splintered wood, as though some enormous creature recently smashed its way through the wall.
From the gatehouse, a man hails the Pathfinders, "S-STOP RIGHT TH-THERE!"
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"We represent the pathfinders, and I am called Miriel Magol", Miriel shouts at the man in the gatehouse. "We are here on a mission to find the whereabouts of Juliet Dias, as we expected a report message about her progress in the excavation, but we received no such message. Growing concerned, we came to examine the situation. Could you please let us in?", she continues shouting, and after getting to end of her speech starts panting heavily, recovering from shouting such long sentences.
Amiri sends a wicked glare at the man who dares to order them around. If you are going to pretend to be in charge, the least you could do is not stutter. Weakling.
Seeing that her comrades have beaten her to the punch, Amiri holds her tongue. I'll let our princess try it her way. When it doesn't work, I'll show her how it is done. "Yeah. What she said," she mutters as her arms cross over her chest, a bored look on her face.
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Nerisiel stops"We are most certainly Pathfinders. Who else would send a druid and his snow leopard to the jungle! I am Nerisiel Narrator of Narratives. Perhaps I could tell you of the recent trip to Albastrine and Miriel Magol's Magnificent Mission to Mediate with Merchants!" sings out Nerisiel after she Mirol pauses for breath
trying to get a sense of why he is nervous
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As soon as Garn sees the palisade, especially the section that has been destroyed, he pulls out a wand and approaches Nerisiel. "Could you help? I can't use this wand myself, but it can give some protection to Snowball here." He pauses here briefly, then continues. "You are free to use it, too."
That done, he pulls out another wand to use on himself, gaining greater strides in his movement. He then calls upon the divine magic that pervades the area to strengthen his skin and that of Snowball.
"Who else would send a druid and his snow leopard to the jungle!"
Garn turns to stare briefly at Nerisiel, uncertain if she was making a dig at him or his pet. He decides that it was unimportant and turns back to the gatehouse, leaving his teammates to converse with the clearly unsettled man.
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Nerisiel takes Garn's wand and attempts to use it "Obviously elven make" she comments as it works first time and hands the wand back to Garn.
She also takes in his askance look. "All I mean to say is Pathfinders are a well travelled lot. I myself have been to Katapesh, Druma and now The heart of Mwangi and Bloodcove none particularly natural places to see an elf from Kyonin"
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I hope they're here to take us back to Nantambu safely. The man's shoulders relax from their perch next to his ears, and he pulls out his own wayfinder. "Am I glad to see you! Come on in, ask for Happ Voltz in the camp!"
Happ Voltz is busy at the moment, and asks an underling to give you a tour while he finishes up. In the first room of the underground complex, you see two very large suits of armor standing at attention. In the last room, you find Juliet's makeshift desk, as well as several glyphs on the walls.
These people must have lost their minds if they think a light can communicate such feelings. At least it is clear where they have gone. Amiri hands the paper to Nerisiel for a second look. "Obviously we need to learn more about this light. Maybe the numbskulls here will know something. My hopes aren't too high, the rest thought a light was talking to them." How did these people make it into the Society?
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"Who else was in this small team she speaks of? And when did they set off?" Nerisiel asks. She turns to the glyphs and soon realises she will not understand them without magical aid and casts a spell "Words of sound, words that are wrote. Make yourselves clear in response to my note" finishing with a high pitched note she casts comprehend languages
Then reads the spoilered text above
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Miriel walks into the complex. Her eyes are fixed on the armors and walls, as she admires the craftmanship of the ancient people. "It is always so fascinating to find oneself in such places. What was the motivation behind all the effort of those long-gone masters?" Deeper, she bumps to Juliet's table, still looking at the walls and now noticing the glyphs. "What is the purpose of the runes? Are they a praise to a forgotten god or ruler? Art meaningful for those living here?"
When her companions find and read the letter, she snaps out of her admiring trance. "They were following a light? Amiri, I presume there was little more to learn from its nature, as certainly a researcher of such skill as Juliet Dias would exhaust all other leads before undertaking a journey through possibly hostile jungle. She is not of such a character that she would take unnecessary risks."
When Nerisiel reads the explanation, Miriel slumps somewhat. "Oh, it is only a magical tool. Well, the runes have some beauty in themselves", she says, disappointed. "But what are these one-eyed ones? Surely I have never heard of one-eyed serpent people, and Azlanti were mostly human I guess. Cyclops are one-eyed but no-one has mentioned anything even hinting to them before."
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"Oh! Didn't I mention them?" Leena rubs at her head sheepishly. "The Ghol-gan empire was built by the cyclops. So whoever built this complex must have allied against the serpentfolk with them." Looking over the notes and thinking about the glyphs, Leena continues. "I don't know what kind of fiend they might have imprisoned however."
Bored with talk of history, what could have been, and great cultures of the past Amiri, moves toward the exit. Before she leaves, she calls back to the group, "Let's go then. Hopefully they weren't foolish enough to keep everything to themselves before they left."
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Round 1
Effects none
- Snowball
- Amiri
- Miriel
- Nerisiel
- Garn
- GM
- Leena
Just as you emerge from the buried cavern, animal shrieks erupt from the breached palisade. In your moment of shock, four Pathfinder archaeologists go down from blows.
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"Hold on, we'll help yo..." Miriel starts to call out, but stops in shock when the archaeologists drop. Soon her shock turns to anger. Her eyes flare up and she rushes forward, grabbing her bow on the way and shouting at the ape-men: "You filthy talentless half-breeds! I'll make a tapestry from your skins!"
Move move & draw weapon (longbow) during move
Standard move
Now the fun begins! Amiri moves ahead of everyone else and draws her heavy sword as she goes. "Let's take them down! I didn't think you had that sort of anger in you," she says a little snidely as she passes Miriel.
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Round 2
Effects inspire courage +1, bless
- Snowball
- Amiri
- Miriel
- Nerisiel
- Garn
- GM
- Leena
Snowball moves to defend his master, who rushes toward the battle. Leena follows her companions, then blesses them with the power of Desna. A moment later, Snowball follows Garn into the fray.
Are they waiting for us? I don't like this. Amiri moves a little closer and prepares for one of the beasts to close the gap between them. "Bring it on you dirty animals!"
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Garn takes a brief moment to call upon the primal power of the land to infuse the club in his hand, while continuing to move forward. He gestures Snowball towards the invaders and commands him to attack.
standard cast shillelagh
move move
free command Snowball to attack the invaders, or if he still can't see them from where he is, will leave Snowball to keep following him.
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Round 2-3
Effects inspire courage +1, bless
- Snowball
- Amiri
- Miriel
- Nerisiel
- Garn
- GM
- Leena
Amiri moves forward, sword at the ready. Miriel rushes forward as far as possible. Nerisiel sings her way along, drawing some sort of chemical bag. Garn keeps charging, and enchants his club.
Three more archaeologists go down fighting the invaders, bringing the total of dead and injured Pathfinders to 9.
Those weaklings are no match for monkeys... "Stay back, we will handle this!" Amiri shouts as she double times it towards the enemies.
Double move