[PFS] 07-10 The Consortium Compact by DM DoctorEvil

Game Master DM DoctorEvil

Delroya's Note:

I write to you out of desperation, and I can only hope that you hear me out, though you may consider me an enemy. Our paths crossed years ago, and though we did not see eye to eye, I trust that you will do what is necessary -- what is right -- regarding my request to you today.

I am an agent of the Aspis Consortium operating out of your neighbor city, Diobel. The Aspis Consortium has long been active in Diobel, but now its foothold is stronger than ever. House Locasta of the Kortos Consortium lends its aid to the Aspis's smuggling operations in exchange for valuable alchemical ointments from across the Inner Sea region.

For years I have worked as a broker and go-between for the Aspis Consortium, but my employment with them will soon come to an end. I recently discovered that the consortium is experimenting on the poor and destitute of Diobel with a vicious and unpredictable drug called whip. Next Fireday, Aspis agents will send a large amount of this drug to many cities across the Inner Sea region, with the intention of expanding whip experiments and perfecting the drug. I intend to stop them, but I need your help. I cannot go to the authorities -- the Aspis's arrangement with the Kortos Consortium offers it too much protection.

I have made arrangements to move the shipment to a more secure location, where it can be disposed of properly. You will forgive me for not trusting you with the location immediately -- first, I need proof of your Pathfinders' skills and their willingness to help me. The three tasks I describe on the attached note will each thwart the Aspis agenda. Perform any two of these tasks and the consortium should be sufficiently delayed as to allow me to enact my plans -- and I will know that you are serious about offering aid.

When I joined the consortium, I did not know the extent of their evil -- their members' willingness to do anything for gold, no matter the harm caused. I cannot stop the group, but I can be a thorn in its side. Lend me aid, Valsin. Send me your Pathfinders. Prove that you are better than the Aspis Consortium.

Magali Delroya

Delroya's Tasks:

Dear Pathfinders

Thank you for giving me the chance to explain myself, and agreeing to help me stop the Aspis Consortium's foul plot. As it stands, I do not have enough time to stop the shipment, so I have compiled a three tasks that would each delay the consortium's operations. Please select two of the three tasks to perform. Two disruptions could be a coincidence, but with three disruptions, the consortium will almost certainly suspect sabotage.

The first task is to disrupt a meeting between two agents, one each from the Apsis and Kortos consortia. Somehow, a snooping Kortos agent caught wind of my plans, and has set a meeting with an Aspis agent to reveal me and ruin everything. The bad news: I do not know the identity of either agent. The good news: I know that they intend to meet at a tavern called the Overflowing Oyster at noon on Oathday -- the day before the shipment of drugs is to leave Diobel. If you can disrupt this meeting, you can prevent the Aspis from taking a closer look at my plans. However, you must be discrete. Killing either agent, or revealing yourselves as Pathfinders meddling in the Aspis's operations, would only cause them to grow more suspicious. It may help to know that the owner of the Overflowing Oyster is involved in creating fake pearls and selling them on the black market.

The second task is to steal the shipping documents from the smuggling ship that the Aspis Consortium intends to use for this operation. The ship is called the Blue Dragon's Bite, and it is scheduled to offload its current cargo in the Trawl district all day on Oathday. The documents should be in the captain's cabin. Find a way to get aboard and obtain the documents without causing too much of a disruption, and you will cause a significant delay in their plans. Remember, the Aspis Consortium is our enemy, but the dockworkers are merely citizens of Diobel. If possible, they should not be harmed.

The third task involves the alchemist responsible for engineering the drug called whip in the first place. He has picked up the unfortunate nickname of Laszo the Leper because of the drug-induced lesions and rashes that cover his skin. Laszo operates out of Diobel's sewers beneath Rat Street. Find his lab and bring back samples of the unrefined whip, along with the alchemist's notes. These we can use as undeniable proof to the authorities that the Aspis Consortium is experimenting with the drug in Diobel. Laszo is a cruel and despicable man. Do what you must to obtain the evidence.

Complete any two of these tasks before Oathday, and I will give further directions the following morning, assuming you were successful. Good luck, Pathfinders.

Magali Delroya