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"Hello, folks!" chirps Berosius, once everyone is looking toward Harrow. Once they look down at him, he waves cheerily. "I'm Berosius. My friends are Harrow, Mareq, Kelson and Zaxxle. Oh, and Fenrik is somewhere around here. Anyway, we have some important things to tell you, so thank you for listening."
"The situation in Brevoy is tense... everyone knows it's true. It wouldn't take much to make set off a powderkeg of resentments, recriminations and old feuds. But it would be the ordinary people who would get hurt. We don't want that and we've done what we could to help avoid it."
"So here is our little contribution to peace," the cherubic halfling continues, holding up a copy of the Accords and waving to a small stack of hastily scribed copies. "We found this document, called the Firespeaker Accords, in Hartsfell Keep and we've taken the liberty of making many copies so that everyone will know what it says. Everyone can take a look at the original to ensure we're telling the truth, but then it goes to Absalom for safekeeping."
"The keep and all the land around it is neutral territory," he says, raising his voice. "The Firespeakers signed it, and so did the tribal chiefs who became ancestors of most of Brevoy's modern nobility. This land is forever a land of peace and accord. Violating that would be a very bad idea."
"Also, we have pastries! Try them!"
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Mareq clears his throat and adds his words to Berosius'.
"My companion is correct. It would be a mistake to ignore what we have found and let this country founder into civil war. In the end, leaders sometimes do not do what is best for you, the country, the land, but rather what is best for them."
He remembers his own father's rule over Beyt al'Shamir in the City of Brass. Oh no. It was a dictatorship run by a tyrant, fueled by hate. Something of that history slips into his voice as he continues, giving his words weight.
"No doubt that is not what YOUR rulers want or will do. They are benevolent and intelligent, seeking what is best for Brevoy."
"Also, we have pastries!"
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At first the nobles jostle trying to get a look at the original. But with so many reasonable voices calming them down, they somehow manage in a peaceable manner.
Shiocked by the contents of the Accords, and grateful for the leads you found for dealing with the plague. Your ability to soften the feuding nobles' hardline stances has turned what may have been war into a levelheaded discussion.
Venture-Captain Hadrias returns and is eager to learn of your findings. For his part, he delightedly reports that before he left the capital, he heard that Berislav Surtova sent a letter to the king requesting time to "reach an amicable solution rather than resorting to steel," and that by all accounts, the king is not mobilizing forces.
Scenario over! Congrats, all. Sorry this one took a really long time. I'll have chronicles in a few days.
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Chronicle Sheets are ready for you to pick up. Please let me know if anything needs to be fixed. I'm trusting you guys to fill in your own day job rolls.
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#9-13: The Lion's Justice
The adventure begins in Oppara, the City of Empire, the capital of Taldor, and (by far) the largest city in the realm. It is also called the Gilded City because of the many roofs, spires, and domes that once glittered with gold plating in the high afternoon sun. Even though the metal was long ago stripped away, Oppara remains the example of what the empire once was and what it could be again...
If you need/want to make purchases, please feel free!
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The briefing for this adventure is a little unusual. So, please make your purchases (if any) before we start.
You have been requested to meet with Venture-Captain Muesello. He is an old but talented mage-machinist working in the Pathfinder Society's Oppara Lodge. He crafts extraordinary wayfinders for the members of the Society.
The lodge has the appearance of a simple bait and tackle shop--ironically humble for Oppara. The city of particularly crowded; the Grand Day of Exaltation is nigh!
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Mareq ibn Bolthuni al-Shamiri looks at his dress, so reminiscent of this world's Qadiri ethnicity.
Time to change into something less likely to inflame the prejudices of the local populace. Perhaps something foppish and in fashion...
He visits several fashionable clothing establishments, seeking the correct attire for a sojourn in the Glittering City of Oppara.
Eventually, he looks more like an outland traveler and less like a Keleshite partisan. He'll never quite look Taldan, but his flowing desert robes are gone and he boards his camel in a local caravanserai until he can return to claim him.
Finally, sitting in a local brewhouse, he looks at the dangling brass lamp containing his thrall, Husarq. Hmmm, he thinks. An impish, evil gring appears on his face as an idea comes into his head.
Gripping the brass lamp with both hands he mutters under his breath arcane words and slowly the lamp loses its shape, the brass flowing like water into the form of a beer stein adorned with a lion's head.
I should have thought of this earlier, he thinks as he shouts to the tavern wench, "Woman, pour an ale into this mug, posthaste! It has been too long dry as the desert!"
As Mareck Bolthune drinks his ale, he listens to the quiet drowning, sputtering noises only he can hear emanating from his mug.
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The adventure begins in the Taldan capital city of Oppara, where the PCs have recently arrived at Venture-Captain Muesello's lodge. The lodge
has the appearance of a simple bait and tackle shop, and Muesello has one of his assistants handling the front counter—the store remains open due to the increased profits from the festivities surrounding the Grand Day of Exaltation.
Muesello and the party convene in a room that's half meeting room and half tackle storage in the rear of the building.
Briefing:
Venture-Captain Muesello straddles a turned-around wooden chair, resting his arms atop the back. He looks around with a wide smile on his face, nodding with satisfaction at the group assembled before him.
"Good, good. You all made it through the crowds gathered for the Grand Day of Exaltation. Be sure to keep a hand on your coin purses during these festivities; there's an abundance of pickpockets out there. All the big nobility is at the senate building, including our own Lady Morilla. That's where the exaltation ceremony is set to take place: the grand prince is going to elevate a commoner into the ranks of the nobility. It's all real charming, not to mention a great boon for business. Heck, that's why I’m keeping the shop open even while we meet!"
Muesello lets out a raucous laugh before continuing.
"All right, while all the nobles are enjoying their fancy party, it's up to you to do some important work for Lady Morilla. The Society's recent accomplishments in the Lands of the Linnorm Kings have gained us support from a member of the Ulfen Guard: a man by the name of Bjarte Trolltooth. Now, it seems that Bjarte wanted to talk to the Society abo—"
Muesello’s overview is suddenly interrupted by the forceful slamming of the tackle shop’s front door. A bellowing string of foreign words resonates through the shop, followed by tramping footsteps.
Muesello begins to stand when he hears the shopkeeper utter warnings to the unseen visitor about the back room being off-limits.
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Berosius waves his hand and creates the illusory image of a wooden wall just inside the door, giving the impression that anyone opening it has just entered a small shed, complete with shovels, gardening tools and a wheelbarrow.
He hopes the confusion this creates will allow his companions a little more time to prepare.
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The door to the back room swings open, knocked partially off its hinges by the force of the slam. A bear of an Ulfen man stands in the open doorway, silhouetted by the sunshine from the storefront. A greataxe is strapped along his back, and animal furs cover a set of tanned hide armor. He looks around the back room, a sense of barely restrained fury in his eyes.
Berosius casts an illusion. Responding, as he does to all life's challenges, with a mighty swing of his axe, the Ulfen man attempts to smash the shed.
"Where is the fancy woman who calls herself Morilla? I, Bjarte Trolltooth of the Ulfen Guard, made an oath to her, and now I uphold that vow. By the gods, this is a dark time. The Grand Prince will soon mete out a bloody culling of the senate. I am honor-bound not to interfere, but I
can warn those who might be able to stop it."
The Ulfen Guard's brusque arrival comes as a shock to Muesello.
"Err, Pathfinders, this is your mission. Find this man Bjarte and get the information he promised us..."
Bjarte interrupts the Venture-Captain: "Puny Pathfinders, always talking when action is needed! Grand Prince Stavian intends to attack the senate during the exaltation ceremony, and he has seeded numerous allies within the gathering to help enact his purge!"
After a bit of back-and-forth between Musello and Bjarte, one thing quickly becomes clear: the two agree on two things (1) Stavian's planned massacre must be stopped, and (2) the best strategy is to include the Lion Blades, for they are the only organization capable of opposing this sort of treachery without also instigating an international uproar.
Musello: "Attempting to barge into the exaltation event without solid proof would only make you targets before you could deliver a proper warning."
Bjarte: (Yelling) "With my place with the Grand Prince's Ulfen Guard, I can get you an audience with a Lion Blades representative."
Musello: (wincing and rubbing his temples) "Pathfinders, go with Bjarte and stop Stavian’s plan by any means necessary!"
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"I don't know, Harrow," says Berosius, concerned. "I've heard some frightening tales about them. They are a sort of secret police, I believe."
Turning to Bjarte (and used to dealing with loud angry people), Berosius echoes Mareq's question. "Are the Lion Blades willing to go against the will of the Grand Prince?"
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"Where do the Lion Blades' loyalties lie right now, during this time of internal strife?" asks Mareq.
Bjarte: (Still yelling) "I am a killer of warriors. I am not a diplomat or a spy. It's your job to figure these things out."
"Next time, knock like polite person," Harrow says narrowly, oblivious to the fact that the Ulfen man acted the same way the half-orc usually does.
Bjarte: (Yelling louder) "I knocked! The door is obviously inferior."
"These Lion Blade...they good guys?"
Bjarte: (You begin to wonder how someone can yell so much without becoming hoarse) "It matters not! The Lion Blades must be convinced of Stavian’s madness."
Turning to Bjarte (and used to dealing with loud angry people), Berosius echoes Mareq's question. "Are the Lion Blades willing to go against the will of the Grand Prince?"
Bjarte: (Yelling with even more fervent emotion) "What Stavian intends to do is vile. It must be stopped! You must convince the Lion Blades to act."
Rubbing his temples with an obvious headache from all the yelling, Venture-Captain Muesello suggests, "Yes, a great idea. Go. Now. Find these Lion Blades and get their help."
DC 10+: The week before the Grand Day of Exaltation is an immense celebration in Oppara. The city almost doubles in size as visitors cram into the capital to be part of the historic event. The exaltation ceremony involves the grand prince elevating a commoner into the ranks of the nobility.
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DC 15+: A historic vote of the senate is set to take place before this year's exaltation ceremony, determining whether to end primogeniture, which mandates only a male heir can ascend the Taldan throne. Stavian's sole heir, Princess Eutropia, has amassed strong support in the senate to overturn this law. The nation anxiously awaits the result of the vote.
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DC 20+: The recipient of this year’s exaltation is a simple man from a hamlet called Breezy Creek. He is Kalbio, and his story is one of family sacrifice: his parents accrued considerable debts to educate their son and ensure he had the requisite coin to make the journey to Oppara and secure appropriate attire for the important event.
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DC 25+: Stavian has put Earl Calhadion Vernisant in charge of preparing the security for the exaltation events at the senate building. Calhadion arrived 2 months ago and has been working intently to ensure that the security for the event meets Stavian's rigorous demands.
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DC 30+: More than any previous exaltation event, this year has seen a massive surge in the number of foreign dignitaries. Even envoys from former provinces, such as Cheliax, are in attendance. One particular Chelish attendee is a noblewoman from the Deckland family. She's a renowned fencer and spellcaster as well as a devout servant of Asmodeus. Why she was admitted to the events remains a mystery.
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Holding his hands over his small ears, Berosius also shouts because otherwise he can't hear himself. "I DON'T KNOW, MAREQ! BUT I'LL TRY TO FIND OUT! COME ON!"
Once outside, Berosius suggests they all stick together. He's not eager to face the Lion Blades himself.
"COME...er, come with me, please. I know a few people hereabouts."
Berosius goes asking all the right people and in very casual ways about how one might meet one of the illustrious Lion Blades.
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Harrow leads the way out, yelling. Bjarte escorts the party from Muesello's lodge to the Kitharodian Academy, also yelling. Meanwhile Berosius gathers some information--much more subtly than the half-orc and the Ulfen man.
Bjarte has enough clout to get an audience with the Lion Blades--with whom exactly is ambiguous at best. The party must endure waiting for about 15 WHOLE minutes in a reception area as arrangements are made.
Following this, several junior students escort the party into an underground section of the academy known as the Library of the Lion. The escorts then take the party into an administrator's room, where you must wait several minutes more before someone comes to speak with you.
Bjarte heads back to his duties before he is missed.
In the room: Two rows of tall bookshelves flank the imposing yet beautiful wooden desk that presides over this room. Over the door hangs a portrait of Grand Prince Stavian III wearing an especially smug grin. A brass plaque on the frame of the portrait reads, "A cunning lie is never told twice."
After a few more minutes of waiting, an older Taldan woman enters the room. She seemingly ignores the party as she moves to sit at the chair behind the desk. She does not introduce herself; she merely looks at you all awaiting your report/request/whatever.
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"Madame, before we get into the specifics of the plot in question, let me introduce myself. I am Mareck Bolthune, a diplomat from far away, working with the Pathfinder Society while here on Golarion," says Mareq diplomatically. "While once can assume we have come to the right place to alert the Taldan authorities, it is always wise in matters of statecraft to know to whom one is speaking."
Mareq awaits an answer.
This woman could be the caterer, the janitor, the assistant... or the chief of the Lion Blades themselves. But we shouldn't just blurt things out without some sort of proof of identity.
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Yes, this woman could be anyone. However, at the Kitharodian Academy , a place frequented by Grand Prince Stavian III, this woman has confidently entered an impressive room (impressive even in comparison to the rest of the opulence here) and sat behind the imposing desk with confidence.
She does not answer Mareq's inquiry.
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"Without knowing who you are, we cannot tell you what we've learned," says Mareq. He smiles at the woman and shrugs. And then remains silent, staring at her.
Eventually he turns to his fellow Pathfinders. "Prince Stavian's mass murder plans will have to be told elsewhere. Perhaps somebody else in this city cares about the future of Taldor. Let's go."
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Bjarte: (Yelling) "With my place with the Grand Prince's Ulfen Guard, I can get you an audience with a Lion Blades representative."
the best strategy is to include the Lion Blades, for they are the only organization capable of opposing this sort of treachery without also instigating an international uproar.