.
Venture-Captain Sheila Heidmarch glances out a window as the last wisps of twilight fade over the Fenwall Mountains. Turning from the sight, she runs her hand along the rustic cabin’s wall and stands beside an occupied wooden bed before addressing you.
“This,” the venture captain says, gesturing to the man thrashing around violently, straining against the bonds that lash him securely to the bed, “is our colleague, Kalkamedes. Every night for several weeks now, he has fallen into a deep slumber and tried to sleepwalk right out of his cottage. If not restrained, he marches straight north, eventually falling off a cliff or into a bog as if trying to get himself killed in an attempt to reach an unknown goal.” As though he were expressing disagreement, the man tied to the bed suddenly begins pumping his limbs even harder, the violent spasms threatening to smash the bed into splinters.
“There are those who have recently criticized the Pathfinders for our indifference to the plight of our fellow field agents. It’s time to show that’s not true. I want you to help Kalkamedes, whether he wants it or not. Several of our best spellcasters have attempted an extensive list of magical cures, but whatever sleepwalking curse or effect he’s under tenaciously resists our efforts. All we can do is keep him safe.” Heidmarch pats him with a degree of professional affection, and Kalkamedes rewards her by trying to swat her with his head.
“Kalkamedes’s friends are at their wits’ end, so we are going to attempt the only thing that we have not tried: we’re going to let him go tonight. That’s where you come in. I want you to follow him and keep him safe and in one piece. Let him get to wherever his addled brain thinks he needs to go so badly. Maybe, just maybe, if he gets there, you can find a way to help him. Maybe
you can determine who or what did this to him and find a way to undo it.” Heidmarch pulls out a serrated knife. “Now before I cut him free, does anyone have any questions or last minute preparations?”
|
From the back of the group a youngish halfling bounces up a few times trying to get a better view than her three foot stature normally affords, commenting "Have you tried a cup of hot tea? I fine it help with sleeping, to have a nice cup of tea just before bed. Also, what is know to be to the north of here? Any old runes or graveyard, maybe a even a dragon lair! "
The excited halfling is dressed in a lamellar armor, and armed with a smallish scimitar, eagerly she speaking to the other people in the room, "By the way, I'm Marra a Dawnflower follower of Sarenrae. This is going to be so great! First mission!"
|
A meaty muscular young fellow, lightly armoured and carrying a finely worked longspear grins at Marra, "Welcome to the Society Marra, I am hardly an old hand myself, but I'll do my best to help out however I can. In my brief experience we basically get thrown in over our heads and scramble about like mad folks trying to accomplish the mission and stay alive - its good fun. And something tells me this mission will not be solved by stopping his intake of cheese."
Turning his grin on the Venture Captain he adds, "No preparations needed here, except to summon my eidolon since we aren't needing to be particularly sneaky."
|
|
A tall man in his late twenties (or early thirties, depending on the viewer's perspective), carrying a shield bearing an unfamiliar heraldic symbol, listens intently to Captain Heidmarch.
"So this Kalkamedes is a colleague. Was he part of our society? If so, what sort of exploring did he do? Perhaps he uncovered something that affected his mind."
|
|
A tall lean Tengu whose feathers are dusted in what appear to be ash speaks up. "Is there any way to redirect or steer him around obstacles or do we just let him fall in the bog again?" He then turns to the group and clicks his tongue once. "I am Kawrock of the phoenix clan, it is nice to meet all of you." Kawrock is wearing a red dragon hide breast plate and crossing his back are a nodachi and a quarter staff.
|
|
A young, muscular, attractive and fierce-looking Kellid woman well equipped with lances, crossbow and heavy mace watches the attached man with a skeptical look.
She nods briefly to the group. I'm Belka, she saids simply with a slight Hallit accent before following Lars's question. Yes, what was his last Society mission ? It could have something to do with his current situation.
Kalkamedes is a veteran Pathfinder, and now semi-retired. He has been on uncounted missions. He was known for undertaking many private, solo undertakings, so his current state may very well be the result of that
|
|
Lars seems to catch himself when Radnor introduces himself.
"Apologies, friends. I am Lars von Halgraff. A knight formerly of Molthune, though my past is perhaps best forgotten for now. Like some of you I am rather new to the Society myself. I only just returned from an assignment in Falcon's Hollow in northern Andoran."
He listens intently for an answer to Marra and Kawrock's questions. Perhaps one of his companions will remember as well.
Heidmarch answers the question about the land to the north, looking at the halfling with a slightly smug smirk: We're on the edge of the Fenwall mountains here - it's an untamed land. Rich in minerals, but also monsters and bandit hideaways. continuing, also in answer to Kawrock's question That's why we're sending you along, to keep Kalkamedes safe from terrain and monsters. Let him find his own path, but don't let him walk into peril
|
|
Radnor nods to Lars, then turns to the larger group, "Thats what we are getting I think, and really if they knew anything more that seemed relevant I'm sure the Venture Captain would have said. I'll just summon Nuzzle and then we can go."
He chants for a minute then seems to slap the air before him which shatters revealing a crack that shows a bizarre place of whirling colours and jarring angles. Then with a rush of blurring movement something streaks through the strange portal and it vanishes. A creature the size of a large dog surveys the room with intelligent eyes, it looks like a wingless dragon covered in soft blue fur and has a glowing v shaped run upon its forehead - as does Radnor now.
"Everyone this is Nuzzle, he does not talk much, but he can. Well'p let's go find our sleep walker!" As he speaks the summoner pops his helmet on concealing his rune and produces a cloth band which he ties around the eidolon's brow covering its glowing rune to.
Searching Kalkamedes' effects yields several of the adventurer's item: his outdoor clothing, and a pair of string boots. A drawer in the end table next to Kalkamedes' bed contains a series of unfinished charts, mapping the Fernwall mountains.
|
|
Kawrock watches Radnor summon Nuzzle and clicks his tongue once with excitement. "I have not seen a summoning before and that was amazing! Did it take long to figure out how to do that?" Seeing the others search the room Kawrock joins them.
After searching an idea pops into Kawrocks head. "Perhaps we should tie a rope to Kalkamedes' before we cut him loose. That way he is less likely to get to far away and it will be much easier to control where he wanders."
|
|
Radnor grins proudly, "Well he used to be my imaginary horse - I have always wanted to be a knight - but now he's all uppity and claims he's a transexual entity with phenomenal cosmic power..."
The blue furry dragon rolls its eyes and speaks, it voice a booming deep thing that sounds as if it should come from some much larger being, "Transdimensional, but yes, I am a vast being forced to filter myself through the profoundly flawed abilities of this cretin when I enter your plane. Had Radnor sufficient capacity I would awe all who looked upon me!"
"Might big talk for someone who isn't even big enough for me to ride, you are the worlds worst imaginary horse!"
"I hate you so much," Nuzzle rumbles, tone brimming with impotent frustration.
The stove contains the remains of a crumpled and burned charcoal sketch. (view it here)
There's a hidden compartment in the floor under a stack of water barrels. It's released by a lever behind the stove. Inside, there's a locked metal chest.
|
|
Marra looks back and forth between the bird man and the snooty dimension furry blue dragon as they chat, she pinches herself just to make sure it not one of those weird dreams "Ouch, nope."
Looking at the map she comments "Looks like a stylized building in the shape of a cat or gobbin, and there is a full moon. When is the next full moon?"
look for a key that opens the locked chest
Kawrock sits a while, but does not seem to break too much of a sweat opening the strongbox. Inside is a smattering of adventurer gear: armour bracers, a cloak, a single flask labelled 'swim', a dried gourd that contains some other liquid, a mithral flask containing yet another liquid labelled 'against undead' - the flask itself is razor sharp and can be used as a dagger. Finally, the chest contains a longsword. Why anyone would keep such a blade is anyone's guess, as a large rippling break runs from its to its hilt like a crack in a broken window.
The bracers are bracers of armour +1, the cloak radiates an abjuration magic, while the sword has a faint transmutation aura.
Immediately after Sheila Heidmarch finishes cutting his bonds, Kalkamedes totters out the door of his cabin and begins stumbling northward. Taking some effort to properly dress - and protect - the man, the adventurers finally manage dress him in the cloak and bracers, and Lars even manages to struggle long enough to put on some boots.
The night sky is clear, with a waning crescent moon. Great for the adventurers, but Kalkamedes seems to gain no benefit from it, stumbling clumsily forward without any sense of self-preservation.
Merely half an hour has passed when Kalkamedes steps on a rock. Luckily for the adventurers, the boots prevent what surely would have been a sprained ankle. The countryside gets only wilder after that, with the forest thickening and the foliage becoming denser and denser.
And it seems Kalkamedes is headed straight for a thick patch of razor bramble, a natural weed capable of lacerating one's legs.
Radnor and Nuzzle push the sleepwalking Kalkamedes out of the way of the bramble bushes, dragging the reluctant sleepwalker around. Marra tries to be helpful, but het limited leverage and reach only make her an obstacle. Nevertheless, this hazard is averted.
Someone forces his way through the bramble patch less than two weeks ago.
Kalkamedes walks on for another hour, then abruptly turns a quarter turn and heads west. Snoring softly, he steps right into a bog, sinking two feet into the water. Every step, the water gets deeper and deeper...
With their combined might - or lack thereof - the adventurers manage to stop Kalkamedes from marching to a blubbery, snoring grave. The rope taut, Kalkamedes seems intent on crossing the water. The pond is 40 foot across. Moving around it is 100 feet (either side).