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A tall man with olive skin and dark brown hair stands with perfect posture. His full-plate armor, engraved with a key symbol on the chest, gleams even in the absence of sunlight. A warhammer, steel shield, and longbow hang from his back. A monkey, the size of a cat, stands on his shoulder - if you didn't know any better, you'd say the monkey was standing at attention as well.
He smiles at anyone who walks into the room, greeting them cheerfully but not exuberantly. His words are formal, but with a clear Varisian accent more suited to a traveling caravan.
"Hello my friend, I am Seb Stills. And this is my companion, Maimuta. He nods his head toward the monkey, who bows.
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The lanky half-orc wanders into the briefing room, face half hidden behind a thick book. What is visible of the cover shows a gothic castle in ruins, lit by a flash of lightning. He doesn't look up as he enters, but hesitates in the doorway, continuing to read. After a minute, he appears to reach a stopping point; he puts a scrap of torn fabric in between the pages, closes the book, and scans the room as though looking for someone in particular. For a moment, the rest of the book's cover is visible, revealing the title and author: CASE OF THE DREAMING DEAD, by Ailson Kindler.
Once his face is visible, He has visible scars on his cheeks, running down his neck and extending under his clothes (an inexpensive but practical traveler's outfit). He wears no armor, but has a dagger and a billy club, along with a couple of pouches, on his belt. His clothes and other gear appear well-worn, with scorch marks and rips that have been haphazardly stitched together on his clothes and pack. His cloak, however, appears to be new.
Apparently whoever the half-orc is looking for hasn't arrived for the briefing. He shrugs, takes a breath, and introduces himself to the two Pathfinders already in the room in Taldane, flavored with a strong northern accent.
"I guess we're early for the briefing? My name is Garduk."
After the introductions, Garduk addresses Seb in Varisian.
"Több boldog hónapot töltöttem karavánnal utazva az országodon keresztül, amikor dél felé tartottam. Örülök, hogy lehetősége nyílik arra, hogy együtt dolgozzon egy Travellerrel."
"I spent several happy months traveling with a caravan through your country as I made my way south. I am pleased to have the opportunity to work with a Traveler."
After the initial small talk dies down, Garduk flips open his book again, and buries himself in it. He meanders unseeingly to a seat along the back wall, slings his pack to the floor, folds himself into the chair, and continues to read.
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Seb, after the slightest moment of embarrassment at being recognized, smiles at his new companion. He responds in his native tongue.
"Az öröm az enyém, és az út előre hosszú; lerövidítjük az utat."
Never one to sit in silence, Seb speaks to everyone gathered.
"Let's not waste this opportunity while we wait. Tell me, friends, what brings you here? Where have your adventures as a Pathfinder taken you?"
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A portly Keleshite man in the robes of a poor monk entered the room, a bright Serenite ankh hanging from a fine chain at his hip. As he enters, an odd aroma follows, seemingly a blend of cheap perfumes and ointments and the sickly scent of decay. His bald head and exposed hands show the source of the latter smell, as they are covered in weeping sores, while you guess that the former smell must come from ointments this man has used to try to cover the scent.
"H-h-hello," he stammers out sheepishly, "M-m-my name's F-F-Friar Robun. Pleasure to meet you..." He bows slightly to the assembled Pathfinders and makes a gesture of blessing to each of you in turn.
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Kulga walks into the room as though she already owns it, and is considering pressing charges against the trespassers she just found there.
She's a heavily muscled dwarf woman with a disappointed scowl on her face. She dresses in old-fashioned finery beneath her armor, but on inspection it's clearly threadbare, and she carries no signet ring or other jewelry that would mark her as a person of substance.
She sniffs aggressively at Friar Robun, eyes narrowing as she turns her attention to the monkey and his companion. Her face turns from a scowl to what could almost be described as a smile as he sees Garduk with his nose in a book. That's at least one person who's not completely useless.
I'm Kulga Gruenakslag. I'll do what I can to make sure you come back alive. Recently I've been leading expeditions into the Mwangi Expanse, the Isle of Jalmeray, the heart of the Aspis Consortium, and even into the Blakros museum.
She then studies Gray, clearly trying to pick out a distinguishing flaw.
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”Oh my,” Robun exclaims, ”I’ve heard t-t-terrifying things about the B-b-blackros Museum! I’m told not not everyone returns from that place a-a-alive.” He swallows hard and clutches at his holy symbol for comfort. ”I’m afraid my own travels haven’t taken me anywhere quite so thrilling, though I did just return from a few trips to the planes of air and earth. The natives there are f-f-fascinating once you get past their unusual ap-p-pearance.”
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Garduk glances up as Kulga enters the room and gives the dwarf a nod.
That’s a relief. Someone I can count on to run up front! And she would never have let me live it down if I’d wandered into the wrong briefing room
Hearing Friar Robun has just returned from two of the elemental planes, Garduk’s face splits into a horrendous grimace, the thick scars twisting his attempt at a grin.
”Elementals are fascinating, aren’t they? Are you able to speak any of their languages? My Terran is passable, but I really need to find time to work on the common languages of the other elemental planes. I plan to study Auran next. Our usual squad’s planar travel has been limited to the Shadow Plane so far.”
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Those other groups werent us though, he remarks.
Friar Robun smiles at the quiet young man, "Well then I shall be comforted to travel in the company of brave and strong warriors such as you."
”Elementals are fascinating, aren’t they? Are you able to speak any of their languages? My Terran is passable, but I really need to find time to work on the common languages of the other elemental planes. I plan to study Auran next. Our usual squad’s planar travel has been limited to the Shadow Plane so far.”
"Indeed I have learned some of the planar tongues. In fact, I picked up some Auran in my travels. Perhaps we could trade lessons in Auran and Terran during our travels together, Garduk. I can't say I've been to the Shadow Plane, though I did recently travel to a colony of Wayangs, and I must say that is as near the Shadow Plane as I care to go. The things we faced there...they chilled the blood!"
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You start your mission in the Osirian city of An with a meeting at Venture-Captain Norden Balentiir’s office.
Venture-Captain Norden Balentiir inclines his head in welcome as he opens the door and welcomes everyone into a modest office. “I’m glad you are on time—and with little to spare,” he says as checks outside and then closes the door.
“Your ship leaves soon, and I’ve taken care of the details.” He places a neat stack of travel papers on the small desk and sits down.
“I’m pleased that you volunteered to visit the remote monastery of Tar Kuata on the Society’s behalf. As you may already know, the Society seeks pieces of the Sky Key, a strange relic broken into multiple pieces by dwarves long ago. It seems one of the descendants may have found her way to Tar Kuata, and we believe the Ouat monks that also reside there still have a piece of the key.”
“Travel there, meet with them, confirm our intelligence, and barter for the relic as needed. Do aim to be respectful; few Pathfinders have traveled to Tar Kuata, so you’ll need to earn the monks’ goodwill—and perhaps even pave the way for future collaboration. To that end, I am sending you with this.” Balentiir lifts a heavy bag and adds it to the desk.
“You may be familiar with bags able to hold more than seems possible, and this one is filled with grain. I understand Tar Kuata has had a poor harvest this year, and this should help you get off on the right foot in negotiations. Any questions?”
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Friar Robun steps forward and meekly raises a hand, "Yes, C-captain, I have a question. You mentioned that we are traveling to a monastery? Are the monks of the monastery devoted to a particular deity? Perhaps we could connect to them on matters of faith?" He looks hopefully to his new companions, wondering if any of them claimed any religious affiliation.
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Garduk eyes the bag with interest, then refocuses on what the venture captain is telling them.
He raises a hand, somewhat diffident in front of a group with so many new faces.
"What are we authorized to offer the monks in exchange for the relic? Do they ascribe any particular religious significance to it? What does it look like, or what does the object it is broken from look like whole? Are the monks all dwarves? What is the capacity of this bag, and is does it carry as much as it can? Or is there room to add more weight?"
He pauses for a breath.
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Friar Robun ask which deity they Monastery is devoted to, Captain Balentiir replies ”The Monastery and its monks follows the Teachings of Iroran. Tar Kuata is considered the most important Iroran site in all Osirion.”
Kulga ask about the key and why he thinks it's at Tar Kuata. Pausing for a moment before speaking, Balentiir reads from a document ”Out findings demonstrate the last of the citadel’s rulers broke the Sky key into multiple pieces and sent them away with his children. The Society’s research suggests Logyra, one of the king’s daughters, likely retired in Tar Kuata.”
Piety ask how outsiders are treated and should he hide his Tiefling heritage. Smiling the Captain answers ”You shouldn’t have any problems. The monks live a austere but polite life. As followers of Iroran faith, they do doubt value knowledge, discipline, and self-perfection. The Ouat monks have even renounced their racial identity as dwarfs to focus on self-perfection. Technically, they are distinct from the other monks in Tar Kuata, but the two groups work together so closely that it’s hard to tell the difference.”
Gray Son mentions he comes from a monastic tradition of the martial arts. Balentiir comments ”Common ground should help build trust.”
Seb likes the idea of a diplomatic mission. The Captain adds, ”Yes, I have already contacted them to let them know representatives are on the way. They’ll be very hospitable, yet earning their respect will do doubt involve proof of your worth.”
Garduk eyes the bag and ask what are they authorized to offer the monks, religious significantes, what does the object look like, are all the monks dwarves, and what are the bag’s limits. Taking a breath, Balentiir answers ”Earn the monks’ trust and goodwill, if there is a reasonable task we can help with then by all means do what you can. Anything further would have to be authorized on a case by case basis. No, not all the monks are Dwarves.”
Changing subject he continues, ”The Sky Key is a relic once housed in the dwarven sky citadel the Pathfinders Society rediscovered recently. It was broken into multiple pieces, Exactly what it does is still up for debate, but those who discovered the first piece reported it allowed one to look into the past.”
Looking at the bag, The Captain comments, ”The bag of holding weighs about 60 pounds and holds about 1,500 pounds of grain. We filled it to capacity, as a gift for them to create goodwill.”
ancestry, but the monastery also houses the Ouat monks, an order of dwarves that shave their heads and beards and eschew dwarven traditions in favor of discovering their own path to perfection.
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"Oh! Why didn't I realize before? Tar Kuata is the Sothan priest of Irori named Narmek Tar Kuata. He founded the monastery more than 3,000 years ago if memory serves. It is among the oldest continuously used schools in Osirion."
After hearing Garduk expand further on the monks, Friar Robun turns to Logyra, "Well, Logyra, what do you think of these dwarves who have forsaken their heritage? You seem like a proud dwarven warrior yourself. Do you think your racial ties could still be of use in showing our worth to gain the monks' trust?"
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Captain Balentiir shugs answering Gray Son’s question, ”I do not know if they have a prefered martial art style.”
A Sothan priest of Irori named Narmek Tar Kuata founded the monastery more than 3,000 years ago. It is among the oldest continuously used schools in Osirion. 20+ Most people in Tar Kuata are humans of Garundi ancestry, but the monastery also houses the Ouat monks, an order of dwarves that shave their heads and beards and eschew dwarven traditions in favor of discovering their own path to perfection.
Assuming there are no more questions, your group sets off. Balentiir has made all the arrangements to get your group from An to Tar Kuata, first by boat up the River Sphinx and then by land to the Barrier Wall Mountains.
After a tiring, days-long journey, your group reach Tar Kuata in the morning. Perched at the base of a high mountain valley, the monastery, the tiny village to its west, and a series of terraced fields are sheltered from the harsh winds and weather.
At the base of a high mountain valley, the monastery of Tar Kuata perches atop a rocky outcropping that overlooks a tiny village and terraced fields. The steep cliffs to either side shelter the small structures from the wind, and a tall, thin spire towers over the settlement.
As you approach, a female dwarf Ouat monk, assumes that your group are the expected Pathfinders and welcomes them into the Hall of Aspirants. She cordially asks ”Greeting, I am Menkha Helg, the leader of the Ouak monks. How was your journey Pathfinders?”
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Know local
Hmm. This is interesting. I was able to find out that merchants are refusing to travel into the Footprints of Rovagug. The most recent two caravans to return from there were both attacked by bandits. Also, weeks ago, a priest gave a passionate sermon praising the church of Sarenrae for dismantling an illegal cult of Rovagug. Despite this sermon being old news, many people still talk about it.
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Gray Son recalls some interesting news along the way to Tar Kuata
Menkha Helg nods as Gray Son introduces his companions and/or they introduced themselves, ”It is good that your journey without incident, other travelers have not been as fortunate. Itephta the head of the monastery is currently busy, but should be available to meet with you later. Until then, you're welcome wonder the village or join me for lunch.” Menkha’s attitude seem to be indifferent.
If you accept her invitation for lunch, she leads you through the village and orchard to a small plateau which she refers to as the Pahmet Heights where there are several other dwarven monks eating a modest lunch overlooking the valley.
Walking through the valley you can see the crops and orchards are meger this year. The village has many people working at various task there is a mixture of monks and non-monks.
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Seb does his best to ingratiate himself with their host as he joins her for lunch, keeping a running conversation going to learn what he can while trying to make his questions seem innocuous.
"If I may ask, how have things been at the monastery? I have heard vague rumors of bandits and cultists, which are, I'm sure, tedious worries that distract from more important pursuits in the name of Irori."
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Friar Robun is quite interested in lunch when it comes up, "Oh! Thank you for your hospitality! I am eager to see what your order chooses for its food. The priests of my temple are very fond of spices. 'The better to light the fire of the Dawnflower within us,' they say." Robun smiles and takes a seat beside some of the monks, gratefully taking what he is offered.
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"Does your monastery have a library? I work in the Society's library whenever I'm in Absalom. Mostly in the restricted section. Well, it's not so much a library as it is an archive for texts that really should not be circulated. But the Society does have an excellent research library and I am sure we could arrange lending privileges between our library and yours. If you have one, that is."
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During lunch Seb ask small talk about bandits and cultists with the monks demonstrating that his is a learned man.
Piety the Tiefling chats with the monks about their daily duties, but only shows his lack of knowledge about the Irori’s callings.
Kulga speaks about the study of self-perfection, but is obviously avoid the white elephant subject about the dwarven monks renouncing their culture. Somehow she still manages to impress the monks.
Gray Son talks about his studies as a monk dropping names of well known teachers he has studded with. This is meet with mixed responses.
Omar over lunch comments about about the monstary’s success in remaining unentangled with the outside would. This sparks a debate among the monks about the lack of influence upon the world brought about by their isolation. Over all Omar seemed to hit upon a sore spot and fails to impress the monks.
Friar Robun compares the choices of food of religious followers as an extension of their religious philosophy. His knowledge of religion and unusually comparison seem to impress the monk and gives them food for thought.
Garduk ask about the monastery’s library, and describes the Society’s own extensive library suggesting that it would benefit them both to arrange lending privileges between the two. Several monks including Helg find the proposal intriguing and they are impressed by the half-orc.
Over the course of the lunch and interactions, Menkha’s attitude about your group seems to improve from indifferent to friendly. It is after lunch that Menkha takes you to meet with Itephta in the monastery.
Menkha introduces you to the head of the monastery Itephta a young mild-mannered Garundi man. Itephta nods, ”Greeting pathfinders, I was informed that you would be paying a visit to our humble monastery. I was wondering what brings members of such a renowned organization as the Pathfinder Society to our out of the way valley?” He listens attentively to your group.