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The invitation delivered last night was remarkably simple, especially given the importance of the occasion: "Start where it all began. Meet us at the Pig’s Paunch one hour before dawn.”
The Pig’s Paunch is a run-down building with a faded sign of a large pig standing on its hind legs, arms folded above a corpulent belly. Inside, the air is thick with the scents of human sweat, stale tobacco, and leftover food. In the center of the room, surrounded by inebriates sleeping off their revelries, a familiar (Kreighton Shaine, the Pathfinder Master of Scrolls) elven man stands high upon top of a large round table.
“Welcome! Welcome, my students! Please, have a seat!” With that, Kreighton Shaine, the Pathfinder Society’s Master of Scrolls, nimbly drops down to sit cross-legged on the table before looking about the tavern with a sense of reverent wonder. “Can you believe it? It all started here years ago—well, over four hundred of them at least. Under this very roof the Pathfinder Society was born.
But today! Today you will begin your Confirmation! Master Farabellus, Master Zey, and I all agree you each have shown your worth and dedication to the Society, so there’s no better time to see if you can handle becoming full field operatives. Allow me to introduce you to Janira Gavix." he says as he motions for an excitable halfling woman to approach.
She wears a large backpack and carries all manner of tools, pouches, and scroll cases around her waist. Shaine continues, saying, “Janira here will be going with you on your Confirmation. She was one of my brightest pupils and will no doubt be an invaluable resource on your journey, for she discovered the caves you are about to explore during her own Confirmation.”
Janira speaks up in an enthusiastic and cheerful voice, “Greetings, aspiring Pathfinders! Six months ago, while I was mapping cave entrances in the foothills of the Kortos Mounts, I witnessed a lone gillman entering a concealed cave. I thought little of it at the time, but I saw another one enter the cave again a month later as my Confirmation stretched on. A few days later, after I completed my assigned task, I entered the cave system, but was unable to find the gillmen.”
Master Shaine hops to his feet. “Initiates, for your Confirmation, you will travel to these caves to explore and document its many passages. Additionally, and most importantly, you are to learn what the gillmen are up to in there. Oh, and you need to come back alive as well.” With these parting words, the Master of Scrolls jumps off the table and strolls out of the building while humming to himself.
At the center of the Isle of Kortos stand the Kortos Mounts, the points on the island
Entire tribes of centaurs, harpies, and minotaurs constantly vie for territory up and around the Mounts, with harpies being the most common at higher altitudes and centaurs controlling the lower slopes and foothills.
Also known as the Low Azlanti, the gillmen are an amphibious humanoid race believed to be the last descendants of the ancient Azlanti people.
During Earthfall, the Starstone struck Golarion and destroyed the human empires of Thassilon and Azlant. It is said that gillmen’s ancestors survived the cataclysmic event because they received the blessing of an aquatic entity that allowed them to breath underwater.
Most scholars believe the terrifying aboleths were responsible for the gillmen’s transformation. Any alliance between them appears to have fallen apart over the millennia, however, and the gillmen are now an independent people.
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A tall, athletic-but-lanky Varisian half-elf stumbles in, feet and eyelids heavy at this hour. His exposed, olive-colored skin is dotted with Varisian tattoos—on hands, arms, and even neck … some of them looking incredibly expensive—and his clothes likewise identify his Varisian upbringing … especially the multicolored scarf around his neck. He carries a heavily-laden double-pack, a well-made longsword, and a few other weapons. Chain links peek out from under his shirt.
He slumps into an offered chair, dropping his overburdened pack on the floor just seconds before the Society’s Master of Scrolls begins his introductions.
He tries to stifle a jaw-cracking yawn with a fist, attempting to focus as Shaine introduces the halfling woman.
”Kortos Mounts, that’s —“ his words are interrupted by another impressive yawn, but he continues once it passes. ”… that’s at the middle of this island, yah? Think I saw the peaks on my way here.” He shrugs, considering the Confirmation instructions, ”Find the cave. Look around. Take notes. Don’t die. Sounds simple enough.”
He looks over at the halfling, attempting a smile that mostly comes off as a tired grimace. "Anything specific we should be bringing with us?"
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Happy to wait for answers and more introductions, Jal leans forward to rest his clean-shaven chin lazily in one hand … his gray, elven eyes pooling the ruddy light as he looks across at the dwarf.
”Name’s Jal,” he says, his eyes roaming the room’s edges for a server before returning to Evan, ”I just met some of your kind on a job up near Mendev. Spent any time up near there?”
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The peaceful man next to the table suddenly open his eyes and starts to speak very calmly "So a gillman you say. In that case I guess we should start moving before that door disappears. We can discuss the details in our way." The man is very lightly equipped, aside from his leathered breast armor you can only seen a thin and curved modified kind of longsword on his side and a weightless darkwood shield. His green eyes are cristal clear, his skin white, and his head totally shaved. His tone of voice greivious but empty of conflict.
"This will be my first mision for the Society, a bard of name Balenar enroled me. So whenever you wish so, let's start."
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"You though....you look like one of those wandering fellows ..."
Jal nods, idly sliding the loose end of his scarf across the table top in front of him as he answers. "I've done more than my share of traveling." He barks a dark laugh, "You might say it's in my blood. Anyway, I'll take lucky over tough any day. Calistria's got just as many demands as ole Gorum, but damn me if half of'em aren't WAY more fun to obey. If you know what I mean."
The new stranger's voice draws Jal's attention, and he regards the human for a few heartbeats before responding.
"You got a name to go with that advice, friend? Or should we just call you Baldie for this little group excursion? Slim? Anyway," he looks between the man and Janira, wondering if he missed something in the briefing, "why would the door disappear?"
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"I thought I heard Tophor said he was coming, too. Better not be sleeping in."
A small barrel rolls through the doorway, a half-elf right behind. He nimbly stops the barrel with one foot, and hefts it to the table. "Jal, you should know better. I couldn't let us start this meeting without appropriate refreshments!" Jamming the spout into the lid, Tophor starts pouring a frothy dark ale into mugs.
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"Yes, the mission.. but.."
Janira pulls out a large leather-bound journal and opens it on
the table. “Before we set out, we should all get to know each
other and review our plan. After all, the most important factors
that determine whether an expedition will be a success are
cooperation and preparation! I’ll go first!”
"I am 24 years old, and the oldest of all my siblings. I joined the society a few years ago. " she blushes for a moment.
"Mostly because I wanted to try lots of different foods..."
She grins. "But soon grew to love learning too. My father owns a dog cart and runs a delivery service. "
“On to the details of the mission at hand,[b]” Janira says with an
eager grin.
“[b]After reviewing my mission reports personally,
Master Shaine believes it is no coincidence that each time they
entered the caves it was during a full moon, so it is also no
coincidence that you have been called here now, just a day before
the moon is full again. We both believe that tomorrow night is
our best chance to find out why these caves are important and
what exactly the gillmen are doing in there."
She pauses for a moment to drink.
“The caves we’ll be travelling to lie under the base of the
Kortos Mounts. We’ll need to spend every minute of daylight
possible to reach the caves by foot, crossing over the Cairnlands,
taking the paths to Diobel, and finally making our way through
the wilderness. With any luck we won’t run into any of the local
inhabitants. Once in the caves, we’ll need to work together to
explore and determine whether any gillman are present or have
been recently. Keep an eye out for any other clues that might
hint at the caves’ significance, too.”
She looks around.
"Any questions?"
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"Sounds good to me," Jal says before draining his mug. His chair's legs grind across the uneven floorboards as he stands up, stretching to work some blood into his extremities.
"So a quick stop for supplies before we make the most of our daylight. Let's kick up some road dust." He gives a quick half-grin at Evan, "Time to do some wand'ring, no?"
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The team works there way through Absalom. Janira seems to take her sweet time getting out the gate, but you do notice her wave to a halfling with a dog cart before she leaves.
The day is a long and hot one. Janira skirts various old seige towers left on the plains around Absalom. "That one is the Red Redoubt. Bandits live in there apparently." she says at one stage.
Her interests are scattered, as she points out butterfly's and odd bushes. As the day wears on she brings the group to a stop before entering the woods.
"I think that is far enough for today. If we set up a camp here, we should be able to make it to the cave tomorrow."
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The day is a long and hot one. Janira skirts various old seige towers left on the plains around Absalom. "That one is the Red Redoubt. Bandits live in there apparently." she says at one stage.
Tophor's ears perk up at the mention of bandits, hastily scribbling notes into his journal.
"I think that is far enough for today. If we set up a camp here, we should be able to make it to the cave tomorrow."
"I'll gather kindling, and check the perimeter while I'm at it." Eyes open for dangerous animals or lurking bandits, Tophor walks the area around the camp as he collects dry branches and notes any potential sources for fresh water and forage.
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The night passes without major incident and early in the morning Janira gets everyone up and you head into the forest. The trees tower overhead keeping the day from getting too hot. The vegetation also grows denser.
Janira pauses for a moment from time to time and pulls out an intricate silver compass emblazoned with the pathfinder society logo: the glyph of the open road. "I received this wayfinder when I successfully completed my Confirmation. should we be successful on our journey, you will get your own as well."
After studying the compass inside for a moment, she remarks, “We’re on the right path. We need to keep heading northwest past those large rocks up ahead.”
A nearby tree falls, and a large swarm of biting insects flies into the air... and straight towards the Pathfinder team.
Initiative everyone! Anyone beating a 18 can act, otherwise just post a 'looking startled' type response (map is up). I'll roll init for those who have not got a post in tonight.
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Tophor remembers the words of Great Master Wo. "When your arrow can catch a mosquito on the wing, then you are ready to leave us."
He notes with pride that his arrows scores not one, but at least six of the small beasts. That only leaves around 9994 or so left.
The swarm descends on Janira, engulfing her in thousands of small biting insects. The bites continue to bleed .
She staggers out , bleeding.
"Use fire on it!" she calls. "Just as the great Venture Captain Boris of Issen brought flame to the ice drake Izrission."
You are all up (and inspired by Janira's words, +1 to hit and damage).
Status
Party (inspired +1/+1)
Mosquitos
Janira (3 damage, bleeding[d3])