It is early in the day, as you are going about your business in the Pathfinder Lodge in the city of Cassomir, when an errand boy tracks you down during your regular duties and hands you a note with the seal of the Lodge Venture-Captain on it. Eager for a mission you quickly break the seal and read the contents of the letter. You have been summoned for a mission! You are directed to report to the main hall of the lodge at 2 bells past noon. You rush off to complete the rest of your duties, eagerly looking forward to the meeting.
At the appointed hour you find yourself in the main hall of the lodge. Gathered beside you are other Pathfinders you have seen in passing during your stay.
Venture-Captain Hestia Themis, a small, unassuming woman of Taldan heritage with dark hair and eyes, holds a large sheaf of papers in her small hands and clears her throat. Her booming voice, the antithesis of her stature, fills the main hall of the small Pathfinder Lodge in the Taldan city of Cassomir.
“One of our own has been kidnapped. Pathfinder Cestis was taken just days ago from a relics auction in the Imperial Naval Shipyards, and we believe his disappearance to be related to the six dozen or so kidnappings of the last several months. Now that one of our own is missing, this has become a Society matter—something we’ll get to the bottom of.”
Themis gestures to a teenage boy standing beside her, who nervously regards his surroundings and sweats profusely, his thick brown hair matted and wet against his head. “This is Nefti, the assistant to the biggest thorn in my side in Cassomir—an agent of the Aspis Consortium named Kafar. Kafar is also missing, taken from the same relics auction along with Pathfinder Cestis and a dozen other citizens of Cassomir. Nefti was at the auction, saw where a small group of the
kidnapped victims were taken, and his handlers in Cassomir have given us access to him so that he might guide us to our missing Pathfinder. If you happen to find Kafar...”, Themis grinds her teeth, “Let him go, per the agreement I’ve just made with his superiors. Your priority is Cestis, and I think Nefti can lead you to him. Any questions?”
|
Seika feels bad for Nefti because he seems so nervous, so she flashes him a big smile as she stands up from her chair and approaches Hestia, her colorful deel stands in stark contrast to the captain's formal attire.
"You have honored me with this mission captain Themis. I will not let you down." She bows deeply and continues: "Do we have any suspicions as to who or which organization maybe behind this?"
|
|
A small, nervous thin woman (who to be blunt looks a little off) slides into the room. She has somewhat pointy ears, but isn't a real elf, brown hair and brown eyes. Her generous mouth would be warm and humourous if she were smiling, but she isn't.
"Yes, do you have a description of the kidnappers? Or any other information about them?"
Startled by her forwardness in asking a question, out loud no less, the woman presses herself against the wall again.
Nefti seems a little sheepish but manages to crack a slight smile in return to Seika. He is obviously very uncomfortable about the Venture Captain, and keeps inching away from being too close to her side. Probably due to all the stories members of the Consortium tell their children at night about evil Pathfinders.
Hestia turns to address Seika and Birgit, saying "While we really do not know anything about the agents behind the kidnappings, there are... rumors of twisted men from the Darklands who climb up through Cassomir’s Locker, the sewers, catacombs, and older ruins below the city. Alas, they are only rumors. We don’t know who’s doing it.”
She then adds, "As far as enemies in common, not as many as you might think. While it is no secret that the Pathfinders and the Consortium are at constant odds, we both have managed to ally ourselves with those groups who share our views on things as well as our goals. It is unlikely that this event has to do with someone targeting the Pathfinders and the Consortium specifically."
In response to Miri's question, Nefti speaks up, if you could call it that, and timidly says, "I hid as quickly as I realized what was going on, there were too many of them. I did notice that some of them were pretty husky looking, almost orcish I'd say. The rest seemed to look like common thugs."
|
In walks a man, of Taldor decent. He has light brown skin and golden bronze skin. His muscles are there, but not prominent. But he looks like to be in amazing health. You see a warhammer strapped to his belt, with a large shield slung over his back. He looks to the venture captain, bows slightly, and then sneers at the meek little Apsis agent next to her.
I welcome the chance to show the Society what I can do. Even though the release bothers me a bit, so be it.
|
"I'm fond of many things... a good tale, a mug of ale, a puff of my pipe. One thing I'm particularly unfond of are kidnappers and slavers, they are like the crust between your toes after a hike through the swamp."
Rising from his seat is a stout halfling, 3 feet tall, with spikey dusty brown hair. Worn openly hanging from around his neck is a symbol of an angel with a sun above its head.
"Sounds like the perfect mission for me, Boss, a good way to motivate Lockhold is talk about kidnappers."
He turns to the rest and nods. "The name is Lockhold, Ruke Lockhold, I'm glad to have any by my side who would help me defeat this evil."
|
|
Noticing his obvious discomfort at the captain's proximity, Seika naturally steps in between the two so that she may buffer Nefti from her presence. She then turns turn to him and smiles:
"This huntress is called Seika, and promises to Nefti that he is safe amongst us." Removing one of the beads from her hair and placing it in his palm, she continues: "The Azurite represents the bond of trust. Will Nefti accept it?"
|
|
"While I am no friend to the Aspis Consortium, I do not belive this boy has any malicious intentions. I hope you were just influenced by the wrong-kind-of folk, maybe being around the right folk will put some sense into you. Regardless of whether I am right or wrong, I will not let any harm come to this boy."
Ruke approaches the boy and looks him in the eyes and gives him a wink. "As long as her rays keep me on my two feet you will be safe from the Lady of Graves I swear it on the Dawnflower's light."
Nefti stares down at the bead and then up at the ranger, over to Hestia, and then drops his eyes to the floor. He nods at Seika and smiles at her, "Thank you ma'am, I will, and will help however possible."
Something makes doubt that Nefti is totally sincere.
You are pretty sure that this Nefti character is not nearly the timid lad he appears. You've a strong hunch that he would sell his mother for a silver piece. You are certain he is lying through his teeth.
After that short conversation, Hestia clears her throat rather obviously and speaks up, "Ahem...if you are done playing nice with the Aspis agent, are there any other questions before I leave you to your assignment?"
|
|
Yes, my dear Hestia, I have but one more. She says sauntering over to the lad, she brushes her hand across his chest, circling around his arm before coming up to his chin. She leans in close so that her icy cold breath drips off the boys lips and guides him to a chair. She circles around him and whispers into his ear.
She takes a nip at his ear making sure the sound is audible before circling around him her icy blue eyes staring into his as her nails dig slightly deeper having the red contrast the hint of blue of her skin.
Everyone in the room sees the blood almost instantly drain from the boy's face, and if he was sweating before, he is going for a record in how quickly one can dehydrate from sweating now. His eyes dart back and forth, trying to avoid the gaze of the witch, but finding no safe place to land. Hestia even seems to be smiling approvingly towards the whole scene.
The poor lad finally manages to stammer out, "L-l-l-ook...I-I-I d-d-din't see much...I-I-I w-w-was h-h-hiding myself j-just as s-s-soon as I r-r-r-realized w-w-what was ha-ha-happening. S-s-some of th-th-the men were w-w-wearing r-robes. I-I-I heard th-them me-me-mention the U-u-unlucky Sa-sa-sailor! It's ab-ab-ab-ab, it's empty! As-as-aspis thinks the-the-they are hi-hi-hiding th-th-there." With that the boy's eyes roll up into his head and he faints dead away.
"Well..." says Hestia, smiling at Birgit, "You have a bright future indeed with the Society. If I had a few more with talents like yours I could get my hands on all kinds of useful information. I'll be watching you." She walks over to the chair where Nefti sits, slumped in unconsciousness. "I daresay you have your destination, and the clock is ticking on the life of my agent." With that she gives the group a nod, tosses a grin at Birgit, and exits the room.
|
|
Ruke glares at Birgit and finds a pillow to prop the boy's head up. He sits by Nefti until the boy wakes up.
Before he regains consciousness.
"Just so we are clear... No harm comes to him. Whatever you said to him were just words, nothing more. Now save your talents for the real Aspis members instead of just scaring children."
|
|
She turns to the halfling, And if we coddled him like you suggested we would have gotten nothing. Still there was never any harm meant for him merely the threat of harm, or that of a supernatural threat that they wouldn't even be able to identify. So while the sun's ray bless you, remember I am the cold of winter that even the heat of the sun cannot penetrate. I have my methods, priest, and they are effective and you have yours. I would beg you not to berate me for doing what need to be done next time.
|
|
Seika fixes her eyes on Birgit as she take a step back in shock and fear. She parts her lips as if to say something, but finds herself unable to make a single sound. Instead she notices the bead that Nefti had dropped in his confusion and picks it up from the ground. She clenches the bead tightly as she walks past Birgit and kneels besides Nefti to check his pulse. Satisfied that there isn't any major damage, she returns the bead to his palm, closes his hand, and kisses the boy on the forehead as she remembers the words of her grandmother:
Remember child. When you wishes for something, you must first give it. To give is to get.
She then stands up and leaves the room without a word.
You are familiar with the location of the Inn of the Unlucky Sailor, and know it had been closed now for some time. Given your exceptional recall in this situation you also know a few added details, your profession helping with this insight. First, you find it very odd that anyone would want to repair the Inn, since it's owner went missing a few months ago. Second, there have been rumors on the street that a new force has been at work in the city and that the Inn is quite possibly a front or safe haven for that group. You don't have any clear details though.
Your party sets off, Miri in the lead, taking you down some side streets and around a few more seedy areas of the docks district. After about thirty minutes of walking you come upon your destination.
Perched precariously overhanging the dirty harbor water stands the Inn of the Unlucky Sailor. A fresh coat of white paint glistens on half the inn’s outside walls, and most of the windows are boarded up. The roof leans slightly toward the harbor, as if at any moment the entire thing could come off and slide into the ocean. The dock leading up to the inn is made of rotting wood connected to thick, rank-smelling pilings. Several small rowboats are currently tied up along its length.
From where you are standing you can see that the front doors are boarded shut.
A sense of unease washes over Seika as she nocks an arrow and scans the area where the inn is for any thing out of the ordinary.
Seika takes a moment to survey the surroundings with a trained eye. She notices nothing that would suggest any immediate threat.
You do notice that the boards on the door ahead appear to be rather fresh, not aged like the rest of the wood. You'd guess, using your trained eye in woodlore, that the wood has not been exposed to the elements for more than a few weeks.
Nothing to see here, move along.
As the pair of you make your approach, you notice that the boards of the dock creak loudly in protest of your passing. It is all you can do to maintain your balance as you press forward slowly, ever mindful of the cold water lapping gently below the dock.
The party moves towards the Inn and finds themselves at the front door, which is securely boarded up. Other than the creaking of the docks and the lapping of the water beneath, you hear nothing out of the ordinary...
Unfortunately the doors are securely boarded up and offer no way to see into the interior of the building. Although as you press your face closer to the wooden boards you believe you hear a muffled groan, or something that would pass for a groan anyway.