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Syrak is a well built blonde man with light olive skin in his early 20s. He has a golden shield tattooed on his right palm and a green sword tattooed on his left.
Syrak strides bodly up, removes his helmet and offers a firm grasp in friendship to any who will take it.
"Greetings fellow Pathfinders, my name is Syrak Divinion, knight of Lastwall."
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Helane looks up from her book as the blonde brute walks up to her and pushes a raven lock of hair from her face.
"Hmph." She frowns but takes the mans hand and rolls her green eyes at the strength of his grip. Remind me why I'm doing this again? Oh yes, duty to the family. Dear brother why are you always the lucky one?
After a quick shake of her head, as though to clear her thoughts, she returns the introduction, though it seems the formality strains her.
"You may call me Lady Helane, if you must. What brings you from Lastwall? Tired of serving your young Watcher-Lord?"
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A well dressed man carrying a violin case arrives by the pair. His belt is laden with a whip, sap, and rapier, and he carries a brand new leather backpack on his shoulders.
Lady Helane, you say? I am pleased to know some people of quality will be joining us on this expedition. I just passed a disheveled young man leading a badger through the corridors, as though we were at some country fair."
He pauses for a moment, shaking his head in disdain, before turning back to the others. "Beaumont Fontaine-Leveque, at your service."
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A woman, standing at a towering 6'1" tall strides into the room. Her hair is dark brown, her eyes a deep hazel green. She is lean, but built to weather a fight or two. Her chain mail, is scuffed. Slung across her back is an 8-foot-long shaft with a blade and a hook mounted at the tip. Dried blood is on the blade, not all was able to be removed from whatever battle took place. You see a trio of axes hanging from a belt around her waist. She looks at the group,
Is this the right location for my next briefing? I had just returned from my Confirmation, and had a day or two to rest when I got a summons?
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"A badger? Oh gods above." Helane snorts. "Well I'm certainly glad to see someone interested in the finer things will be traveling with me today." She eye's Beaumont's violin case approvingly and turns to inspect the newest addition to their group.
Another brute it seems.
"Did you come back with everyone else's weapons too? I certainly hope we won't be needing them. Hmph." Helane haughtily returns to her spellbook, quickly losing interest in the conversation. "You'd think the Society would have better use of my skills elsewhere."
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A half-elven woman with a very tired look steps into the room "Hello fellow pathfinders" she extends her hand to the rest of the group "I apologize for my delay. I just arrived after a long journey from Katapesh."
She moves to take a chair and becomes suddenly silent. The half-elven woman, dressed with a breastplate makes a clear effort not to shut her eyes off as the group waits for the mission briefing.
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My name is Rozella Tenn. I was born in the Mwangi Expanse, and learned to survive there. I am hardy to say the least.
She glances at the woman, who snubs her, openly. Her first instinct is to knock the book from the woman's palm, but quickly remembers the Society motto, Explore, Cooperate and Report.
Be happy yo don't mock me in the streets, it may have ended poorly for you little girl. I might even be able to break your twig like body in half.
We are stuck together, perhaps we may learn something from one another...or are you too good to learn from something other than a book?
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"Oh my, well don't you have teeth!" Helane looks up from her book with a wicked smile as Rozella addresses her. "What's in this book may well save your life, as much as that bloody axe of yours might save mine. Just because I understand cooperation doesn't mean I have to like it." She sighs and closes her book, looking toward the rest of the group. Noticing that Elneth looks to be fighting off sleep she shakes her head. I hate apologies.
"For those who just arrived I am Lady Helane, and I am quite new to this Society of yours, so you'll forgive me if I'm somewhat...flippant, I am not here by choice. Perhaps my anger is misdirected." She once again opens her book, grimacing as she reads.
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Syrak thinks to himself Ahh, the hearts and minds we must win...
Syrak turns to some of the other more recently arrived pathfinders, "Well met Rozella" before turning to the sleepy half elf "You'll end up sorer than a stubborn mule if you fall asleep with that plate on, let me see what they've got around in the lodge for you, coffee or tea?"
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Elneth smiles caring at Syrak "Thanks for the offer. A cup of coffee will be very kind from you Sir"
She tries to better accommodate in her sit "A recent diplomatic mission just turned out into a devastating zombie attack during the night. I have troubles getting to sleep ever since." she makes a pause before continuing "The caravan days in Varisia when I will met so many friends or the training period at Egares' Academy back in Kyonin were certainly more pleasant."
Water laps steadily at the pier as sailors, laborers, and merchants rush busily around Absalom’s port. The venture-captain’s summons called for a meeting aboard the Sixwing Drake, a sleek sailing ship. The Drake’s captain, a Varisian woman and fellow Pathfinder named Zarah Zendrani, stands at the helm of her vessel. “It’s not like Valsin to be late,” she mutters, furrowing her brow. As if on cue, a tall and meticulously groomed man pushes his way through the crowd and up the gangplank, cursing audibly. “Whoever supervises this mess of a port needs to be dumped in the sea!” he grumbles.
The tall man looks around at those gathered before him. “Just the group I requested. Perfect. I’m Venture- Captain Ambrus Valsin, and I took great care in selecting just the right Pathfinders for this assignment.” Valsin reaches into his belt pouch and withdraws a small, folded paper before continuing. “A few days ago, I received a curious note from a rather unexpected source. It’s not every day that I get a request from an agent of the Aspis Consortium.” Captain Zendrani’s eyes widen, and Valsin smiles knowingly. “But Magali Delroya does not appear to be your typical Aspis agent. As you surely know, the Aspis Consortium pursues a variety of activities across the Inner Sea that the Pathfinder Society finds abhorrent. It seems that Delroya has been working with them for some time, but can no longer stomach the snakes herself. She wants to stop a shipment of an experimental drug from leaving Diobel later this week. It’s bound for a number of locations across the Inner Sea region. According to Delroya, she can’t ask the local authorities for help, because the Aspis Consortium has already struck a deal with a faction of the Kortos Consortium, a powerful merchant collective. Her hands are tied, so she’s come to us for help. In this note, she outlines three different tasks that would help to disrupt the Aspis long enough for her to move the shipment to a secure location, out of the clutches of the consortium. Once you accomplish two of these tasks, she’s willing to meet with you, but not before.
“Normally, I wouldn’t trust an Aspis agent at any hour of the day. But our sources in Diobel have confirmed the Aspis and Kortos consortia’s activities. Everything checks out, so we are presented with a unique opportunity. If we help Delroya, we might not only strike a financial blow against the Aspis Consortium, but we could also reveal their dealings with the Kortos Consortium—and possibly prevent their arrangement from turning into a more formal alliance. Furthermore, we hope to stop this drug from spreading across the Inner Sea region, and if we—if all of you—do a good enough job, we might even convince Delroya to join the Society. A turncoat agent would be a valuable asset in our ongoing run-ins with the Aspis Consortium.
“Take some time to look over Delroya’s note and the tasks she has set for you. If you have any questions, now is the time to ask. Remember, the Aspis Consortium is a long-time enemy of the society, but the Kortos Consortium, while certainly suspicious, is not our enemy. It is a complex organization with many factions, and we should avoid antagonizing any of them, except when necessary to oppose the Aspis Consortium.”
The Venture Captin passes you the following notes.
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 Locosta of the Kortos Consortium lends 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 shipment 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 its 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
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 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 Aspis
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 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 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 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 the end of Oathday and I will give further
directions the following morning, assuming you were successful. Good luck, Pathfinders.
— Magali Delroya
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Helane looks sternly at the Venture-Captain, eyebrow raised with one hand on her hip.
"Are we to turn this Delroya and risk her turning her back on the Society at some later point as well? Would it not be better to just take advantage of this situation and cut her loose?"
While waiting for an answer she turns her attention to the tasks outlined on the second not and snorts. She's clearly not happy about anything she's just read.
"I am not going into a sewer. Bad enough we'll have to go to some backwater bar, you won't catch me slopping around in the muck! At least the ship has a moderately interesting name."
Huffing some more she hands the note off to whoever wants it next.
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What is clearly a Varisian man enters the room. He is wearing a chain shirt with a positively gorgeous longbow over his right shoulder and a utilitarian longsword sheathed at his side. He is wearing several colourful scarves around his person.
"Good day everybody. I apologize for being a little late, I was detained by very important business.
My name is Zandirri. It is a pleasure to meet all of you.
I overheard the briefing as I was coming in so no need to update me.
Turning towards Elneth
"Ah, you have travelled in my wonderful homeland, have you?"
"Nu se întâmplă să vorbești limba mea frumoasă ?"
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Beaumont gives Zandirri a once over as he enters, trying to figure out what to make of the man. "Well met my...vibrant friend."
He then returns to perusing the papers.
Perhaps we pay a visit to that ship as soon as we arrive? We'll be at the docks already, and we can hit them before they know we're there.
If we're concerned about her betraying us, maybe we let the meeting take place. If she's outed to her bosses, there's no way they'll take her back. Besides, stopping this Laszo is the best way to make sure we don't have to deal with them trying again in three months.
Besides, I'm willing to bet that bar doesn't even have a sommelier on staff. I do hope we can find one somewhere in that ramshackle little backwater." he adds with a serious tone.
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"Grown in the planes, I do not even know how to swim, neither I consider myself stealthy. I would prefer to avoid the ship, but I will not press the topic there" the half-elf woman makes a pause before adding "I feel avoiding the meeting is the most crucial and pressing of the three tasks. It might place our contact in danger and make our whole mission more problematic if the Aspis Consortium discovers what are we planning."
"I suggest we impersonate the Korthos and the Aspis agent and make them think the meeting has been performed" she swallows before finishing "The Laszo business seems not to be urgent but very much in the root of the problem. Weeds need to be cleaned up"
The half-woman turns then towards Zandirri and speaks in native western Varisian accent "Varisian este foarte mult limba mamei mele și am trăit o mare parte din viața mea, printre rulote varisian. Tatăl meu stablished aproape Sandpoint după moartea mamei mele, dar am obosit de growed că viața și a decis să meargă din nou rutele ... Deci, ce te-a adus la Societatea aici?"
Varisian is very much my mother's language and I have lived much of my life among varisian caravans. My father stablished near Sandpoint after my mother's death, but I growed weary of that life and decided to walk the routes again... So what brought you to the Society here?
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"I'm fairly stealthy and with a little distraction I'd probably be able to get the papers from the ship unseen. But attacking the alchemist who is preying on street people seems like a FINE idea to me. Scum like that should be killed. And if we don't kill him now, he'll just make more drugs for people later."
He then turns toward Elneth:
"Am folosit pentru a trăi în Magnimar și , din cauza unei neînțelegeri minor , mi sa părut o idee bună să se mute departe, departe . Sunt un văr îndepărtat al Guaril Karela și a fost destul de bun pentru a -mi asigura un loc în societatea Pathfinder . Până în prezent, acesta a fost un moment foarte interesant . Am să călătorească în câteva locuri interesante și a fost extrem de profitabilă până în prezent "
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Rozella will give the newcomer a nod, and a sturdy handshake of offered. She than looks over the notes provided to the group, when given the chance. She mulls over the tasks given, then looks down to her armor.
I am not exactly the type to hide easily in a crowd, as she taps her armor. I could pose as a guard if we chose to try and disrupt the meeting
I can swim, but not like a fish. As Ms. Tes has pointed out already pointed out, I shoudl be able to handle the alchemist and end his reign of terror
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"Well it seems I'm out voted, I guess we'll be dealong with this Leper." Helane huffs as she makes a mental note to prepare prestidigitation to clean off the sewer muck.
Not used to being disagreed with, she looks around for something to vent her frustrations on and her scowl lands on Elneth and Zandirri.
"As much as I love hearing my native tongue, don't you think it's a bit rude to speak a foreign tongue in the company of others?" The irony of her accusation is lost on her as she stands there, hands on hips.
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"Well of course I call myself Lady. Few outside Korvosa or Magnimar would understand what I meant if I said I was a Gentlewoman so one must conform to a more universal form of aristorcracy. One must make due when in foreign lands I'm afraid. I'm sure dear Beaumont can attest, no?"
Nodding appreciatively at Syrak for his understanding, Helane softens and even smiles a little, though it's a sad smile.
"Indeed, duty to the greater good must come before our own desires. Thank you for that reminder."
The Venture-Captain responds to Helan's question." I met Magali several years ago,when she was barely a grown woman. It must have been just before she joined the Aspis Consortium. She’s a wanderer, never comfortable in one place for long. I saw great potential in her as a Pathfinder, but she always preferred to work alone and felt that the society was a poor fit. Had I known that she would wind up with the Aspis Consortium, I would have put more effort into recruiting her.”
"I'm not going so far as to say we can trust her, but the offer seems sincere, and we should check it out."
Venture-Captain Valsin gives you some parting words. "Traveling to Diobel will leave you little time to disrupt the Aspis plans. You'll have only about a day and a half, once you arrive." He suggests that you take an hour or two to gather supplies and make any last-minute purchases before setting sail aboard the Sixwing Drake, which departs shortly.
Captain Zendrani and the crew of the sleek Sixwing Drake steer the ship up to the massive barrier of broken war-barges, crumbling walls, and jetties of iron and wood that protect the port of Diobel. “Well, here we are,” says the captain. “I’ll make sure everything is in order with Diobel’s inspectors and charter you a barge to the port. You aren’t carrying anything particularly valuable, so you shouldn’t draw much attention from the inspectors or pilots, so long as you don’t run your mouth. My crew and I will wait here with the ship. You can return here to rest, if you need to, but remember—there isn’t much time!”
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"That certainly sounds reasonable. Let's look for the Blue Dragon’s Bite and check it" proposes Elneth and looks around trying to find the ship.
If the group does not find the ship in a fast inspection, she will try to look for people not likely informants of the Consortium as currently working fishermen with the excuse she has to deliver a message to one sailor and she has been told he is probably working in the Blue Dragon’s Bite.
A maze of broken ships forms an artificial reef blocking Diobel’s harbor. This treacherous and erratic terrain teems with laborers, barge masters, pilots, and port inspectors, who busily conduct their business ferrying goods to and from the Bristles. Beyond the Trawl, seagoing ships wait their turn to of oad cargo or pick up new goods. One ship stands out among the others—the freshly touched-up paint on its hull, blue with streaks of white lightning along the hull, marks it as the Blue Dragon’s Bite. It sits moored to a dock jutting from the Trawl, with several crates already off-loaded nearby, and many more waiting piled on its deck.
There are many dockworkers nearby, unloading the ship.
Elneth recognizes the Port inspector, Indara Allencro, from a description she was able to uncover. He is standing on the deck, just above the gangplank, speaking with a human male, probably the first mate.
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As the near the boat, Helane turns to the rest of the party.
"Zandirri here has already informed us that is more than capable of sneaking aboard and retrieving the items we need, I will distract the inspector, and whatever brute he is speaking with. Let us see if we are up to task as Valsin believes we are."
Without another word she walks onto the ship, waving down the inspector as she goes.
"Inspector Allencro! Oh thank goodness I've found you! I was robbed just a few days ago, my grandmothers jewelry was among the stolen items if you could believe it! My father hired a private investigator who informed us only this morning that this brute and his men were attempting to smuggle it out of town! Can you believe the nerve? I demand a thorough inspection of all of these crates at this very moment!"
As she speak she dabs her glistening eyes with a handkerchief, looking positively tormented.
Kortos has got most of Diobel wrapped up. What local "competition" there is comes not from rivals, but rather those few parts of government that haven't yet been corrupted. A Detective Inspector Les Trade, in particular, has been at their heels. More distantly, trade groups from Qadira that trade in spices and slaves compete in similar markets.
——
Port Inspector Indara Allencro looks up from his conversation. (As you approach, you discover it was an argument over customs fees.) "Um, yes, lady ... ?" He lets the question hang in the air, with all of the politeness of a bureaucrat who doesn't yet know how hot the potato is. "I'm sure we can get this resolved satisfactorily."
"Now hold up a minute!" says the mate. "If she was robbed days ago, how is it she thinks these goods would be in crates offloaded from a ship that was miles away at the time?"
They both turn back to Helane expectantly.
"Um, milady, I think I can summon someone to help you search through those things slated to be loaded, but the mate is right, there is no cause for accusations about the cargo being unloaded. Would you permit me to call an assistant to aid you? I could accompany you back to my office ..."
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"Now if this ship is indeed involved in illicit trade, surely there's evidence on board, and any delay would leave an opportunity for that evidence to disappear." Pausing for a moment to shoot an accusatory glare towards the mate, he continues, "I'm sure your superiors would appreciate any contraband you might happen to uncover."
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Helane eyes the two men as they question her.
Realizes that winning over the first mate is unlikely, she turns her attention on Allencroft.
"Fine, yes, escort me to our office and explain to everyone else you work with that not only did you undermine and ignore a noblewoman in need of aid, but you provided an opportunity for these miscreants to hide their ill gotten goods!"
Inspector Allencro sighs. "Fine. Let's be about it, then, shall we?"
The mate begins to protest, but Allencro holds up a hand, and the mate quiets.
"You and your man can do a brief search. I have some business to attend here, and will join you shortly."
There are doors to the fore and aft rooms, and stairs down to the main hold.
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I wonder who put her in charge? Still, she is doing what I wanted so I guess I should be happy
If the geography is such that the distraction is sufficient for Zandirri to sneak up the gangplank without attracting attention (you did say there are lots of workers around so hopefully that is fairly easy) then he will do that. If the gangplank is still too exposed then he'll slip into the water, swim around to the other side, and climb up near the row boat.
In either case, he'd head to the stairs down into the hold.
I'd take 10 on all skill checks if allowed (so, swim and climb of 16, stealth of 18). If not:
As I said, I'll roll if allowed and only take 10 if forced to :-) :-) :-)
Zandirri is able to slip onboard unseen. He's dripping wet, but he is on board. No one seems to have noticed you, yet.