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Jhalan is the first to show up that morning, showing up at dawn. Striding briskly through the streets of Absalom that is slowly recovering from the night past, the Keleshite finds his way to the Pig's Paunch, taking a moment to reflect upon the choice of meeting point made by Master Kreighton Shaine.
No doubt it has some meaning and a lesson that goes along with it, though it eludes me for now.
Performing a hasty sign of the fingers that is known well among the worshippers of Sarenrae as wishing for good luck, Jhalan enters the old building that still smells of stale ale, abuse of poor-quality beer and nightly occupations. He immediately looks for a familiar face, then gives a quick nod as he realizes he arrived first. Sitting at a quiet table near the window, Jhalan waits patiently for the Master of Scrolls and his companions while sipping his mint tea and revelling in beholding the sovereign sun rising.
The Keleshite is in his late twenties, wearing loose clothing typical of Qadiran origin and a metallic armor covering his chest. A turban covers his head, revealing his piercing blue eyes, aquiline nose and well-tended short beard. His face has already known too many hardships, as his many scars testify. He is quite muscular and has the strong hands of one who has worked since the earliest days of his childhood. A tall, shafted weapon called a fauchard rests next to him, the blade bearing many engravings and arabesque dedicated to the Dawnflower.
When one of his companions shows up, he extends his hand and introduces himself. "Well met, I am Jhalan Aajav, blade of the Dawnflower and righter of wrongdoings. I understand we are to work together on this mission. Please, have a seat."
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The next to enter into the tavern is a small gnome, just about waist high to an average human. She has dark brown eyes, hair, and dusky skin tones. A smile dances about her lips, though she does not exude quite the confidence and forcer of personality of most of her kind.
"Pleased to meet you Jhalan, I am called Eponine, but you can call me Ep, Neen, or Nine. I like nine. It is a good number. I would love a seat. I wonder if they might have a booster though, otherwise the table might block my ability to converse."
The gnome appears to be in her mid forties, that is rather young for her kind. Long brown curls frame Eponine's traditional heart shaped gnomish face adorned with large, brown, almond shaped eyes.
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He prances. He dances. He wasn't the first. No matter. He has companions to introduce himself to and introduce himself he does.
With a skip and a bow bringing himself to the table is a gnome. A most unusual gnome with flowers twined into his rather neat and combed tresses, his robes flaring out to reveal an intricate leather armor embellished with the icongraphy of Sarenae. A club and sling remain in his belt held securely by throngs of some type. A pair of reading glasses tucked into wide belt sway dangerously but seem safe for now.
Greetings fellow Pathfinders! I am Jadger Josser, A tinder of Sarenae and waiting to blaze in her glory!"
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An Ulfen woman enters the Pig's Paunch. She is in her early thirties, and has hair almost the color of bronze.
Seeing the table of Pathfinders, she moves smoothly toward them and sits. Her beauty is of the primal sort, and when she smiles, it is almost as if a spark of electricity races across her teeth.
"I am Valkyrja," she says. "It is my pleasure to be with you."
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Big figure joined Pathfinders at the table. It was massive and brutal halforc, wearing ornated breastplate, decorated with lots of small drops. On his tabard back a big green dragon, breathing out a cone of acid, was drawn. Halforc had several different weapons on his belt: sap and light mace, but in his hand he was carrying a glaive.
"I am Nestezuk Gnorth, son of Master Gnorth from Oppara!" As all taldans he was paying much attention to his heritage, "I favour good ale and nice brawl afterwards", he smiled showing his broken fang.
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Eponine greets each newcomer politely, but is quickly bored and begins tinkering with her alchemy kit. "Pleased to meet you all. Is it traditional to get new jobs in out of the way taverns? I had always assumed the reason we had a lodge was . . . " The gnome's voice trails off as she suddenly pulls out a book clearly labeled "Alchemical Obsessions, Volume I, by E.L.S." and begins to scribble furiously. "I just had a great idea, a bag that explodes, and captures . . . wait. I think I already saw those. . tangle burn bags. Meh!"
"Oh, the title of my log, it is to imply that someday people all over Absalom will be obsessed with my alchemical creations, I am personally not the obsessive type." As the book gets placed back in the gnomes pack, it is relatively obvious that the remaining contents of her pack are merely oversized books, namely a journal labeled "The Amazing Adventures of an Astonishing Alchemist, E.L.S." and "The Fabulous Formulae of E.L.S."
"By the bye, if you need anything made by way of alchemical substances, I am more than happy to assist. I love to research and practice. If you need anything at all. . . " as she speaks the little gnome begins referencing her obsession log again, producing an alchemy kit as she does so, and begins to mix together a rather simple concoction.
Lets see, there are four of us, if we were attacked from all sides by swarms of blood sucking mosquitos, which would prove most valuable. . . There must be some formula involving citronella. . . What if we are beset by ogres though, surely a daisy subspecies will not prove valuable against ogres. . . Demons, now demons hate something I am sure.
I will be preparing Target Bomb Admixture and Reduce Person today.
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 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.
Looking at Eponine, Janira answers "Well, the gillmen are a humanoid race much like humans save for the three piscine gills on both sides of their necks. They’re a little secretive but not outright hostile. Most live in or near the water. As to why they are interested in the caves...well, that's exactly what you are being asked to find out. The only known permanent surface settlement of the gillmen is in Escadar. Why they’re venturing into the foothills of the Kortos Mounts is a mystery.”
Knowledge (geography)
Mounts, the points on the island.
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.
Knowledge (history)
an amphibious humanoid race believed to be the last
descendants of the ancient Azlanti people.
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.
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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Jhalan strokes his beard while he ponders the Master of Scroll's words.
The Confirmation... at last! I've heard so much about it, yet every trial is different. A chance to prove myself! Sarenrae be praised!
"Nothing will ever change our Master of Scrolls, won't it? Ever the dreamer." he says with a hint of fondness. "Regardless, we have quite a task ahead of us. I'm very interested in what those caves hide, for it is often from the deepest shadows that the brightest light can emerge."
Turning to Janira, he simply asks "Greetings, Janira. What can you tell us about these caves? Do you know anything about them?"
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"Hello, Janira", said Nestezuk, who almost fell asleep during elf's speech.He suddenly awake after words of travel and exploration. "Are there any dangers in those mountains, except gillmen? And what should we do, if gillmen do not let us in: bribe or fight?"
He saw some hesitation in Janira's answer, so quickly put his position: "I'm good with fight, but if someone wants to speak first, I can wait for my turn. Usually, not much left to speak, if I start first."
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From tavern's dark corner a figure in grey cloak and wooden quarterstaff moves to discussion table.
"Hello, dear colleagues. My name is Nora. I am from Pathfinder Society too.
Nice to see you here. Sorry that I don't come to you when arrived, I wanted to be sure that we have no shadowing. I have never seen gillmen before. But I am ready to explore a the cave. I have no gills, but I can swim well.
Does anyone know how usually gillmen change their place of living?
Dear, ms. Janira did you see some tracks there?"
From the long hiding body cloak you see a face of a half-orc woman .
Janira starts answering the pathfinders in turn. “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.
"Centaurs control the lowlands and surrounding wilderness of the Kortos Mounts. The areas farther up the Mounts are controlled by minotaurs, and the icy peaks are home to tribes of harpies. They’re always vying for territory, but with any luck, we should be able to avoid them and reach the caves without conflict. There’s always the chance we may run into bandits along the way, and there are dozens of kinds of predators in that forest. That’s why we should always be as prepared as possible.
"Since Gillmen are so secretive, little is known of them. I don't recall seeing any tracks, but then I'm not a tracker so I wouldn't trust in my tracking skills.
"“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."
"So, if all the questions have been asked..." 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!"
Janira introduces herself to you all, "Within weeks after turning 20 years old, I enlisted with the Pathfinder Society, and although I initially joined to see the world and sample all of the fine food it had to offer, I quickly took to the Scrolls and its focus on learning and preserving knowledge. I now aspire to have my work published in one of the Pathfinder Chronicles, suspecting that would qualify her to train as a Pathfinder Chronicler."
She pauses for a moment to let everything sink in, then addresses each of you in turn, "So, what brings you to the Society? What goals do you wish to accomplish should you become a full-fledged member?"
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"I joined the Society when I turned forty-four because I need to learn as much about my craft as possible, it is far too expensive to travel on my own, and the cooperation of my comrades here should help me reach all my goals with considerably more safety than traveling the world alone. I hope my skills in alchemy will help our group, though I am not sure how at the moment. If you want to travel fast, travel alone, if you want to travel far, travel with many. Speaking of travel, will we have time to stop by and pick up food and water on our way out of town? It never occurred to me to pack to leave Absalom."
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According to FAQ, you need to follow main rules.
Basically, this means, you spend (50/3) gp for raw materials and to craft tanglefoot bag you need to beat DC25. With your roll you did (28*25) progress per week of crafting. This is more than 500 needed, so you complete your crafting in one week time.
At third level, alchemist get ability to craft alchemical things twice as fast.
I cannot find any other rules about crafting and any clarification, how GM should map on scenario timeline. I expect Alchemist is able to craft items only in between scenarios.
Nestezuk looked at his bag: "I have everything I need and no more money left, so lets move as soon as others ready. As about formality:
My name is Nestezuk Gnorth and I am from old lineage of Gnorth. My several times great grandfather was lord's Gnorth bastard, which was recognised after he travelled to Korvosa. I grew up at Sandpoint, working as hunter and fighting local goblin tribes for reward. I met Nora two years ago, who was representing Pathfinder Society in the area and she invited me to help with some expedition in Brinetrump Marches. We recovered old ship full of Tien relics and I liked working in a team. Nora invited me to join Society and introduced me to Sheila Heidmarch at Magnimar. We did nice job for Venture Captain at auction house and she signed letter of approval for me to join. So, I'm here in Absalom, just to prove that Taldan school and traditions are as powerful as theoretical training most agents get in Grand Lodge."
He takes a sip from someone's cup at the table and finishes:
"Don't look me as a stupid brute, I have some draconic acid in my veins and you can count on me. I joined Society because I can find out about my parents heritage and bring it back to former glory. I can be great defender and carry lot of stuff recovered in complex dungeons."
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"I joined the Society together with Nestezuk Gnorth. After that I have visited Nerosyan. There I joined the group of about fifty Pathfinder Society members to hold back the demonic onslaught. We have turn the tide of battle and won.
I think that participation in Pathfinder Society is the best way clear the World from evil and develop own personality."
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Jhalan listens to each of his companions, nodding and smiling gently at some of their words. When his turn comes, his smile becomes slightly sour.
"As I have said before, I am Jhalan Aajav, the only son of Qadiran slaves sold to a wealthy but corrupt Katapeshi merchant. I was born a slave and brought up as one, though my parents always taught me to hope for a better future, in the light of the Dawnflower. They died eventually, but fate had another path for me, as I was freed by an agent of the Pathfinder Society who inspired me to follow his path. I intend to become a Pathfinder not only to travel the world and discover the many wonders that were denied to me during my early life, but also to meet other people like me, with the care of freeing slaves and fighting corruption, in the wake of Major Colson Maldris."
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Playing with the garland in his hair, Jadger looks up upon his turn.
*Giggles*
"I am a spark in the service of Sarenae and I seek to bring her light to everyone else in the Pathfinder Society that I joined on a whim. Though you have very interesting books. I channel the flames granted to me to heal or succour those in need." Breaking up in a torrent of giggles at some unseen joke.
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"Forgive me, I was merely expressing my amazement at my companions' choices, so many signs of the divine on our paths! That is a true wonder. Praised be Sarenrae! "
-Posted with Wayfinder
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Valkyrja seems fairly uncomfortable sharing too much with her new acquaintances, but ventures to share a little.
"I joined the Pathfinders to explore the world. The ancient spirits that guide some of my people are restless, and I feel the goals of the Pathfinders will help me find answers..."
She listens politely as the rest share their thoughts.
“Now, before we head out, if there aren’t any more questions, we should take a moment to go through your gear and make sure nothing important gets left out.” Janira looks over her pack, and looks up to each of you, "Good things to have on you at all times, presuming you have the funds to purchase such things are: rope, torches, acid flasks and alchemist fire for a pesky swarm should it arise, and most importantly...paper and a writing tool."
With that, she will pass out some sheets of paper and some writing tools, to those that don't have any. "Remember folks the Pathfinder motto: Explore, Cooperate, Report. You can't very well remember everything you see and experience while on missions so taking good notes is vital," she says with a smile towards all of you.
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Jhalan welcomes the blank parchment and the ink, carefully wrapping the vial with the sheets in his backpack. With a quick glance, the devout makes sure everything is in place: alchemical potions, cooking material, even his teapot is there.
"I'm ready to depart." he solemnly announces.
-Posted with Wayfinder
"Then if everyone is ready, let's go!" And she heads out the door, leading the party out.
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The first day is uneventful. As the party travels through the City at
the Center of the World and across the Cairnlands, Janira points out landmarks such as siege towers, distant mountains, or distinct flora and fauna along the journey. When she is not pointing out the landmarks, she is talking about them at length with great enthusiasm.
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The second day leads the pathfinders deep into the forest at the foot of the Kortos Mounts. The trees towering overhead begin to shield most of what remains of the day’s sun and the vegetation beneath grows denser. Janira pauses a moment 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.” She flips open the device and holds it in front of her; the initials J. L. are engraved into the inside of the device’s lid. 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.”
Most of the trees in this section of the forest have trunks that are too big for any creatures to share their space. Sporadic patches of light undergrowth provide areas for creatures to hide while restricting movement for those passing through. A large rock outcropping to the east rises nearly 20 feet above the forest floor, and a small sinkhole to the northwest drops off sharply, descending to the ground 10 feet below.
Then the party hears a howl from the southwest about 35 feet away. An answering howl comes from their north.
Round 1(begins)
Seeing that the wolves are about to start attacking soon, Janira starts saying “And it was Selmius Foster’s race against a marid and efreeti on the isle of Jalmeray, which taught us that nothing is truly impossible and every situation can end in victory.” in a lilting way that instills in them strength.
Janira, Nora, Eponine, Jhalan, Nestezuk, Valkyrja, Wolves, Jadger
Round 1 (partial)
Janira performs her inspire courage.
Nora hits the wolf in the bushes.
Eponine readies an attack against a wolf.
Janira, Nora, Eponine, Jhalan, Nestezuk, Valkyrja, Wolves, Jadger