[PFS] 6-10 The Wounded Wisp - Table 2 (Inactive)

Game Master Scott Young

Still room for 1 player!

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It is mid-morning when the messenger approaches you. "Venture-Captain Dreng requests your presence - please convene in meeting room 12." Even those of you who are still Initiates undergoing final training have heard of Drandle Dreng before. Stories of his midnight summons, and the convoluted adventures which spring from them, have attained near-mythic status in the Society. The idea that he has summoned you to a meeting during regular working hours strikes you as... odd. Perhaps it is due to your junior status within the organization.

As you head through the gates of the Grand Lodge, you cannot help but be impressed by the Society's home base. The imposing tower of Skyreach dominates the view, its upper levels supposedly where the masked Decemvirate charts the organization's course. Training areas, classrooms, and residences dot the rest of the campus, but your eye is drawn towards a lush forest growing against the western wall. Within those centuries-old trees stands the Wall of Names - the place where fallen Pathfinders are memorialized. It is perhaps telling that the wall was built on such a scale, and even after four hundred years, there is still plenty of blank space on the wall for incautious Pathfinders.

Arriving at Skyreach, you are ushered in to a well-appointed meeting room to wait for the Venture-Captain. Around you are five other individuals of varying descriptions.

Go ahead and post a description of your character, and feel free to introduce yourselves in-character. We will start Monday morning.

A little girl with a jaunty cap glides into the room. Dressed in black leather with a well made chain shirt she looks more like a noble than a pathfinder. A ready smile, a sweet nod and she searches for a chair to sit on. Armed with a rapier with a well made basket on her left side and 2 daggers, she does not seem to be the normal fighter, but her precise movements and her perfect balance she seems to know what she is doing.

A large Half Orc enters the room his face frown he looks overt to the slight female and greets with a nod. He waears a heavy suit of armor and looks a bit ragged. The black cat on his shoulder is not so friendly and instead greets with a vicious hiss.

Sorry she doesn't like... people...

The door opens again, and a tall dhampir with piercing grey eyes enters the room. You recognize him as one of the Pathfinders who work within the Grand Lodge.

"Please excuse the intrusion," he begins in a thick Galtan accent, then pauses uncertainly. "I see that not everyone has arrived," he continues, a slight frown crossing his face. "I will check to see what other available agents there are. Excuse me." He nods once and then leaves.

I will give the other players a few more hours to respond, but I have three tables and a waiting list, so if they don't show up we will reassign the spots.

A tall Tiefling enters the room. He's thin with shoulder long black hair. You can see two small horns beneath it. His skin is pale and his eyes dark, almost black.

Equipped with a morningstar and a light crossbow he takes a seat next to Dailung. "Hello, my name is Piety. Nice to meet you." he says. Over his studded leather armor he wears a long black coat with a hood. On his shoulder sits a tiny scorpion. "And her name is Greensting"

"Thank you, sir." Jiggo nods to the messenger. "I wonder why he summoned me now, of all times."

A slightly short human with bright orange hair, a quarterstaff and studded leather armor steps into the room in Skyreach. "Hello everyone. My name is Jiggo Maelerant. It's a pleasure to see you all."

"Cute kitty." Jiggo turns to pet the cat on Kazzak's shoulder, but notices the cat hiss at him. "Oh well", Jiggo laughs. "It was a bit rude of me. Shake?" Jiggo will offer to shake the hands of the others in the room.

Seeing the Dhampir enter the room, Jiggo nods. "I'm sure they'll catch up soon."

Jiggo passes the time introducing himself, eventually mentioning he is here to spread the good word of Erastil, the god of communities and harvest.

Into the room walks a dwarf who dresses like a half-orc druid, and is wearing hide armor made from the corpse of a shark.

He carries a shield on his arm, and a club he has sheathed. Quietly, he looks at the group but doesn't say much to them. Instead, he looks at the forest on the map and smiles.

"The only thing better than a forest is the sea," he says in orcish. "Father, are you there? Maybe I'll find you there. I know you wouldn't have gone to the Great Beyond without me, if it were in your power, anyway."

It is at this moment that he turns and notices the rest of the group there. He seems to recognize that these other people are different than himself, but his personal magnetism and charm doesn't seem to go much further than that. He grants a smile to the half-orc in the room, but looks at him as if evaluating him, and says nothing.

He sees the kitsune, the tiefling, and the human, but he does not seem to pay them any mind.

"Garrikai Frendosherks from the medical unit reporting for duty."

The door opens again, and Gerard reappears. "Still one short..." he mutters, frowning. "No matter. I am Gereard Dessedeux, and I come with a message for you from Venture-Captain Dreng. He is unable to attend you at the Grand Lodge, and requests that you meet him at on the street across from the Grog Pit, a tavern in the Docks district. He requests that you come ready to work for the next several hours, and that you won't be leaving the city." He nods once, then turns and exits the room.

Map of Absalom posted, with link at top of page. You can use the zoom tool to enlarge it if the text is too small for you.

A red-haired halfling rushes past the Venture-Captain into the room, robes flapping about him, Sorry, sorry, I forgot what time we were meeting! What'd I miss?

"Hm, it would be easier to come ready to work if we knew what we have to do. Nevertheless, I'll try to prepare as good as I can." Piety says.

Then he turns to the red-haired halfling and continues "Not much. Venture-Captain Dreng requested to meet him on the street across from the Grog Pit in the Docks. My name is Piety. Nice to meet you." and Piety shakes the halfling's hand.

He prepares to leave the Lodge as soon as possible to buy additional gear and equipment before meeting Venture-Captain Dreng. "What do you think do we need?" he asks the others. "I thought about some common stuff like a rope, a skeleton key, maybe also some tanglefoot bags and oil of bless weapon or weapon blanch."

"Hello Sir." Jiggp shakes the halfling's hand. "My name's Jiggo. That's Dailung, Kazzak, Piety and Garikai over there. I'd give him a moment if I were you, he seems a bit lost in his thoughts."

"Those are all good ideas, Piety." Jiggo nods "Although I don't know if we should buy anything before we hear our assignment- you never know what is in store for us."

It is raining as you leave the Grand Lodge, and the downpours worsens as you head towards the Docks district. You can pick up whatever gear you want on the way there.

As you arrive on the street leading to the Grog Pit, one of Absalom's ubiquitous beggars approaches. Filthy and smelling slightly of overripe cabbage, the old man shuffles towards you. "Spare a coin, gentle folk?" he asks, with a twinkle in his eye that belies the rest of his appearance. The beggar then pulls back his filthy hair, and you see that it is actually Venture-Captain Drandle Dreng.

“Sorry about my little joke,” he says with a wink. “I always like to see who's paying attention when I see agents in the field. Now, why did I summon you fine folk here again…?” Dreng shakes his head from side to side, as though trying to knock water out of his ears, despite the constant downpour.

“Ah yes, the Wounded Wisp! I’m undercover now, and can’t stray far from the site I’m watching, but I need someone to retrieve a package for me from that fine establishment. It’s among Absalom’s most storied taverns, you see, and one that holds a special place of privilege in the Society’s lore as the place where the organization began. Well, I could drone on and on about it, but standing out in the rain is doing none of us any favors.”

As if anticipating agreement, the bedraggled venture-captain produces a small slip of folded paper from one of his many stitched pockets. Dreng quickly shows a glimpse of the page’s contents: a map detailing the location of the Wounded Wisp.

Map updated

Jiggo has already reached into his pocket to grab some silver when the beggar reveals himself.

"Oh! Venture Captain. Didn't realize it was you!" Jiggo eventually stops rambling as the Venture Captain describes himself and the mission.

"Sure thing. Who should we contact once we reach the tavern? And what does it look like?"

"Mylord, your wish is our command. Although I would wish... it would be raining less. A if wishes were pieces of gold... we would pay with silver." With a mischievous grin the little girl runs nimbly towards their goal, sometimes more dancing than running.

Knowledge (history) - Garikai: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8

Puss was about to pounce on the dirty beggar an scratch his eyes out but she was held back by Kazzak and hissed at the man.

The medical team members are always ready to work, Garikai thinks. But no one in this room is wounded, so I must be the field medic for a mission. May it be the one that lets me find you again, Father.

Garikai was reaching in to his pocket to provide the man a coin and check to see if he was wounded, until it was revealed to be Venture-Captain Dreng. He is slightly disappointed, but keeps it to himself.

Just a gossip house, he ruefully thinks to himself based on his knowledge of the Wounded Wisp. Maybe I was assigned for my training as a historian instead. Either way, I will do what I'm told.

"I will do as you ask, sir, to the best of my abilities." He looks at the kitsune girl practically skipping. "Quietly."

On the way to the meeting point Piety buys some stuff. "Haha, you got me, almost." Piety says while putting the silver piece back into his pocket. "I will do what you ask for, but please answer one question: Why do you need six agents to retrieve a package. Do you think there will be issues?" Piety asks.

Built from dark, discolored wood, the exterior of the Wounded Wisp is the image of an iconic dive bar. Stained and barred windows obscure direct vision into the establishment, though ruddy yellow light bleeds from a window in the front hall. The only distinguishing feature on the Wisp’s exterior is a thick wooden sign hanging from above the bar’s entrance. A brass ring fitted onto the sign anchors a lantern—referred to by the staff as “the wisp”.

This long entrance hall heads north into the building itself. The walls are covered in numerous decorations and trophies left by successful Pathfinders who have donated minor paraphernalia to the bar.

The smell of smoke and spilled ale assails the senses in this wide-open area. Walls of dark-stained wood make up the sides of the Wounded Wisp, while well-used wooden tables are spread throughout the space. A raised area in the back of the establishment houses several additional tables and eating areas for groups seeking more than just a good drink. An austere bar supported by kegs instead of wooden panels commands the northern end of the room. A stained-glass cabinet stands behind the bar, its dark panes cracked in several spots, yet not so opaque as to conceal the several dozen types of hard liquor within.

MAP

Jiggo walks up to the inn and nods. "I suppose we could go in and simply ask for the package. Maybe they'll just hand it to us." Jiggo laughs as he hopes it really is that easy.

"Wish I knew who to ask-I guess we can start with the bar owner. If anyone wants assistance in this or wants to assist I can make it easier to help!"

Jiggo can use his Communal Blessing to allow someone to give +4 bonuses on their Aid Another actions instead of the normal +2 for the next minute - should be long enough to get us through a conversation.

Also, Jiggo has a +5 to Diplomacy, so if anyone can beat that he will let them lead the conversation while he assists.

Smiling her sweetest smile the dimunitive girl walks proudly in the bar just to ask the bartender for some information.Diplo: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (5) + 7 = 12

"Well, that's some initiative. I guess I'll help out, then."

Jiggo calls upon Erastil to help him aid his allies, then quickly enters the bar to help Dailung.

Aid Diplomacy: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (7) + 5 = 12 Jiggo offers a +4 on your Diplomacy check, Dailung.

Traflet smiles widely, clearly quite comfortable in this pub, and follows Jiggo, almost jogging to keep up.
Hello there good sir, I've heard that we are to pick up a package, would you happen to know anything about that?
Aid Another: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (14) + 4 = 18

As you walk through the bar, you see a few familiar faces from your time at the Grand Lodge. An older man in blue sips wine quietly at a raucous table in the back. What was his name? Ezren, perhaps? A tall Qadiran man sits at a table by himself near the bar, radiating an aura of confidence - you aren't sure of his name, but he seems to be of some status around Skyreach. A pair of burly half-orcs sit across the room from the bar, their table surrounded by an impressive collection of weapons. A young halfling woman sits nearest the door, writing furiously in a large journal.

Any of the iconic images are actually those characters (Kyra, Merisiel, Valeros and Ezren are all here.) Some of you may also recognize Osprey in the bottom right, chatting with Valeros.

The woman behind the bar looks up from filling a large tray of mugs with ale. "Oh, you must be Drandle's friends! Of course you are. Well, his package is down in the wine cellar, of course - I'd be happy to take you, but I'm a bit busy at the moment. If you don't mind sitting a while, as soon as Marie arrives for work she can spell me off. Then I can take you downstairs." She looks up at a shout from the far table, then shaeks her head ruefully. "Them half-orcs sure can drink! I'll give you a free round as soon as I'm back, them when Marie comes I can take you down." She bustles off to deliver more ale to the patrons.

He looked around the tavern, allowing himself to relax somewhat. He also keeps his eyes out for people who are drunk enough to begin brawling. People tend to get badly injured in bar fights. He may be needed.

Father used to enjoy a good drink in his day, but only on Saturday nights. That night was the night of the week which he took to his own enjoyment, and, as he often reminded me, was the night he did not traffic with any of the sharks except for Bianca. He said they knew when people who ventured into the sea were drunk, and tended to be nothing but trouble both in town and in the water. So being liquor and sharks was nothing more than self-marinading.
But Bianca was different. She was by his side long before I was to the point where, when he had to leave for longer than to work in town, he'd leave me in her care as if she were a nanny.

Bianca was Garikai's father's animal companion. She was also, as the name implies, a great white.

"Though all the sharks were quite unhappy when Father disappeared, none were more forlorn and sad about it than Bianca was. He could not bring her with him, but did not dismiss her from service. Oh, Bianca, I wish you were here now. It would be a comfort to watch you have your way with a seal, or go for a race in the ocean to the channel marker and back like we used to do when I was a teenager, after you and Father thought me seaworthy enough," Garikai says without intending to, as if he spoke his thoughts before the party without realizing it.

"A copper for your thoughts?" Jiggo asks Garikai. "I know we're on a mission, but these moments of respite are a great opportunity to air your thoughts."

Jiggo's all ears.

"Oh, so sorry. I did not realize I'd said anything. I simply miss my Father, and his best friend, Bianca. I wish I could've brought her with me, but she wanted to stay home in case Father returned so she could tell him where I've gone. We were a family, not that anyone who lived in town believed it . . ."

He shudders when he says this, and looks at Jiggo.

"Sorry. We didn't live in the harbor town. We lived a couple of hours' walk away from it. Father came to town only to work, for by profession he was a veterinarian. Actually, he was a marine biologist, but he usually found that he made more money as a veterinarian so that is what he hung his shingle out as. But no one wanted him there unless an animal was sick so he stayed home with his friends. When he would take me to town with him when I was a child, the reactions we would always get would be quite, hostile. So as I became a teenager, he started sending me into town to do his errands for him while he only went to town to work. Of course, he also taught me what he could of his trade."

"No need to apologize, Garikai. I know that feeling. The strength of the family is absolute - it's the very foundation of civilization." Jiggo nods.

"No matter where they are, you still feel the bonds between you, your father and Bianca, right? No one outside of that relationship can break those bonds. As long as those bonds exist, they will drive you towards him."

"There's a woman I met, very briefly. She had a rough life, that's for sure. My hometown doesn't believe it, but I know we formed a bond. I'll find her someday. Just as I'm sure you'll find your father."

"Since I've come this far, I may as well finish. You don't understand. Father is a half-orc. Bianca is a great white who was with him since the time he saved her from a fisherman's net, when he was a young a fiery druid who had just completed his initiations and thought it his job to save the whole environment. Now Father is missing, and neither of us can find him, and we grieve his loss more deeply than the very bottom of the ocean. I fear he has gone to complete the satisfaction of his fondest obsession, the study of . . . well, finding something long-lost, in a beyond that is long-lost. I wish him to succeed if his theories are correct, but I wish Bianca and I were by his side should he succeed."

He sighs, feeling resigned to opening up.

"Now what is your story? I told you mine, you tell me yours!"

Garikai slams his fist onto the table and looks at Jiggo demandingly.

I apologize. Garikai's wisdom, at 20, makes him an incredibly powerful druid who specializes in healing. But his charisma, at 5, makes him quite unpersonable.

"What passion! With that kind of determination I just know you'll find your father. Then you and your family will get together again. I just know it." Jiggo doesn't skip a beat and is jovial as ever after Garikai's outburst.

"Now that woman I met for a bit? The village I was in was small and very wary of newcomers. They heaped blame on her for every single thing: theft, arson, murder, the rain. She only spoke to me throughout the ordeal. I could tell she had seen better days, and I urged her to come clean. She told me bits and pieces of her life, but I never got the complete picture. The best I could tell, she was a thief of some kind."

Rubbing two pieces of copper between his hands, Jiggo stares off. "The day she left I found a quarterstaff in her room, and note asking for forgiveness." Jiggo taps his head with the quarterstaff twice. "She was gone. A paladin of Erastil had visited town. He was on the hunt for a demon of some kind. Unsurprisingly everyone claimed the newcomer was his target, and I was aiding a demon. Haha, the town turned against me at that point, besides my grandparents. The paladin realized what happened, and took me under his wing. Helped me learn the ways of the priesthood, and told me to join the Pathfinders. Said it would open my eyes to the real world."

"I need to find her. Need to help her. I saw the bond between us form, and one day it's going to reunite us again." Turning back to Garikai, Jiggo nods again. "So I guess we're both looking for lost family members. I know that as long as you keep looking, you'll find him."

"Haha! Sorry about the long story, sometimes I get a little carried away." Jiggo smiles sheepishly. "Like I said, these are good moments to unwind and let it out!"

No worries, Garikai! Jiggo is too happy go lucky to get upset.

"Then I suggest we form a pact. I'll help you find your lady if you'll help me find my Father. His name was Mako Friendofsharks. Naturally that is not his true name, but it was his choice to abandon his given orcish name upon completing initiation and accepting a name that comes from nature, for a mako is one of the world's swiftest of sharks, and he was a friend to all sharks in the harbor.
"You've no idea how much sharks need friends in fishing communities. People want to kill sharks on sight, even the relatively calmer species that show up following fish and seals. Father would offer them protective spells, advice on the changing of the fish migration patterns and the water's changes, warn them when the shark hunters were looking, and where they were looking so they could flee to sea without being caught, and, of course, offer them healing through both magic and medicine. And there was more to healing sharks than just fishermen and hunters. Other sharks, especially during feeding frenzies, and several other kinds of marine life, could challenge a shark. The worst were the orcas, which you would probably just know as killer whales. They kill sharks, you know, including great whites, once in a very rare while. One almost got Bianca but Father and I were able to negotiate a peace treaty between them just in time. Oh, well, you probably don't need to know any more than that.
"And, if it helps, I happen to be a specialist in history as well as medicine. Now, what was your lady's name?"

Is Garrikai slowly making a friend? :)

"She went by the name Salera. Single name only, so that might be a pseudonym. I'll definitely keep an eye out for Mako. While these bonds never fail, it doesn't hurt to help it along."

Jiggo offers a handshake to the shark-clad Dwarf.

Kazzak sits with the other Pathfinders impatently hoping the waitress can be trusted and this wait isn't just a trick.

"Have you considered writing her name backwards, or as an anagram? Her true identity might lie there."

Garikai looks at the offered hand, pondering it, trying to determine the intentions.

"What does this signify? Is your hand injured?"

Peety looks around the tavern and listens to Jiggo's and Garikai's stories. I formed a bond with my scorpion, she's always with me he thinks by himself.

Piety tries to find out if somebody is watching them.
Perception: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (3) + 0 = 3 good start :D

We will be ambushed by millions of Ninjas soon, I can feel it

"Huh? Did I get cut?" Jiggo checks his hand for injuries, realizes it's fine. "It's a handshake. Common way of making deals between friends. I'd certainly like to be your friend."

Finally realizing what this is and why people do it, Garikai allows the handshake.

As you sit and wait, the raucous noise builds. The halfling woman nearest the door tries to plug her ears and write at the same time, fails, and then finally packs up her journal. As she pulls on her pack, her eyes land on you, and she smiles broadly and walks over.

"Hi there! You look new... have you passed your confirmations yet, or are you still initiates? My name's Janira - Janira Gavix. Pleased to make your acquaintance! Boy, it sure is loud in here, isn't it? The Boartusk Twins over there - " she jerks her thumb at the pair of half-orcs at the south end of the room - "really put out some volume, hey? Hard to get any work done. But that's the way the Wisp is. i just love coming here, sitting in the place where it all started, y'know?" She looks at you, wide-eyed and expectantly.

"Hello ma'am! My name is Jiggo Maelerant. I haven't been confirmed yet - I really should do that some day." Jiggo offers his hand for a shake.

"Did you say it all started here?"

"I daresay it is quite loud in here," Garikai remarks. "But yes, this is where it began before the society itself was officially formed. My idea of a lot of noise that I'm happy to be around is high tide with the seagulls."

Smiling at the halfling Dailung answers. "Well my confirmation was to safeguard an old pathfinder while he was sleepwalking. Quite a show. But in the end all was fine."

Traflet waves from his tall stool, legs dangling above the ground. Hello Miss Janira, it's a pleasure to meet you! I'm new, but I'm sure that I'll get confirmed soon.

Janira smiles broadly. "Excellent! I'm sure it won't be long before you are all confirmed as full Pathfinder agents! That's when the real fun begins - off exploring lost tombs, tracking down ancient artefacts, deciphering runic inscriptions from a lost civilization... what sort of mission are you on now, if you don't mind me asking?"

Piety: you do notice that the pair of half-orcs drinking at the table near the bottom of the map seem interested in your group - you can't tell exactly who among you has drawn their attention, but one of you has. They don't seem threatening (well, any more than just being a half-orc does), more interested.

Kazzak ignores the halfling while Puss merely issues a vile hiss at the small person approach. The Half Orc instead is carefully watching the other Half ORcs wondering whether they are up to no good.

Sense Motive1d20 + 9 ⇒ (11) + 9 = 20

Piety smiles at Janira while she's talking. Then he says "Those half-orcs over there are looking at us, but I don't know why. Is my hair ok? Do I have dirt in my face? Miss Gavix, do you know them? We are on some kind of a rescue mission." Piety asks.

We have to rescue a package from this inn's vaults he thinks.

Player knows Janira Gavix, but Piety does not.