First lets set the scene with a little theme music
No sooner have you arrived in Thornkeep, where you have been assigned by the Society, than you are whisked off at dusk into an unmarked black carriage. Inside Venture Captain Istivil Bosk sits across from you as the carriage clatters out of town.
We have a problem. he begins, clearly annoyed at having had to come all the way from Daggermark to deal with whatever mess Pathfinders have made this time. Several pathfinder agents have gone missing in some of the Azlanti ruins nearby Thornkeep. This would be routine if not for the fact that they were doing a little bit of unauthorized adventuring when it happened. He looks like he has long ago come to terms with the fact that pathfinders are prone to doing that kind of thing.
Due to the Society’s agreements with Lord Tervin Blackshield which limit the number of pathfinder expeditions each year into ruins on his land, I cannot just mount a rescue since there were officially never any pathfinders in the ruins. That is why I asked for pathfinders who have never been to the River Kingdoms and therefore would not attract attention. He looks you over critically.
I need you to find a way to open the portal sealing the lower levels of the Azlanti ruins. The missing pathfinders managed to do this, but they are unfortunately not around to report what they did. Open the door and then report back what the key is so that we can access the rest of the ruins.
He pulls out a fragment of a scroll from the folio on the seat beside him and hands it to you. This is the only clue which we could find about the door. Good luck.
The parchment contains a diagram of seven dots arranged in a circle. The topmost dot is labeled Red Star?
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A tall man with a horned helmet under his arm asks;
"Just to confirm. Our priority is not finding the missing pahfinders. It is to finish the job they started?."
"Also how do we know they managed to open the portal? Did they only go missing after they send word back of their success?. If that is the case I suggest we institute a protocol for future investigations in which if someone manages to open a portal of unknown origin they send word along on _how_ to open it in the message telling the society _that_ they managed it.All by secure means of communication off course."
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Boram is short (he is a halfling, after all), with light brown skin, brown hair, and flat, black eyes. He wears a chain shirt and carries several weapons, the most notable of which is a finely-crafted composite longbow. He also wears two bandoliers strapped across his torso, putting over a dozen flasks in easy reach.
When the Venture-Captain finishes his explanation, Boram nods. "We will, with the aid of this scroll, determine the method of opening the portal sealing the lower levels, and send word detailing that method to the Society." Feeling he has reasonably summarized their goals, he sits back and waits for the carriage to arrive at its destination.
The Venture Captain thinks over Manius' slightly mangled version of their mission. Oh, our priority is getting the pathfinders out of there. They are just on the other side of the door. I need the door unsealed before the rescue can go anywhere at all.
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A man dressed in a cloak and studded leather armor sits in one of the more shadowy corners of the carriage. The lower half of his face is covered in in a mask so with the hood of his cloak up all you can make out are his brown eyes. He appears to have no weapons on him as he reaches into his cloak and hands a note to the Venture Captain.
This man is Kyshkumen. He is one of our stealthier agents and is so dedicated to the art of stealth that he rarely speaks. Please try to only ask him yes or no questions as his other form of communication is with his daggers.
The Venture-Captain looks at the note passed to him and reads from the note in explanation This is Kyshkumen. He is so dedicated to the arts of stealth that he avoids speaking. He would prefer if you ask him yes and no questions since his other form of communication is via daggers.
The Venture-Captain gets through this explanation with a straight face. Kyshkumen is obviously not the strangest pathfinder he has had the pleasure of overseeing.
You cannot think of any significance or Red Star in the context of Survival.
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"Seems reasonable enough," chimes in the tielfing sitting beside the rouge. His heritage was hard to reject with his horns curling around his long, down pointed ears and his black ashed skin. His fiend parenthood was strong. Almost glowing from under his horned brow where his hardened yellow/orange eyes.
Not surprisingly, the remainder of his attire was unmemorable.
In all of that he smiled, more amused at the fact that Manius suggests that the ones lost where unimportant.
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Boram looks from Kyshkumen to the Venture-Captain and back, then shakes his head in disbelief. Well, let us hope that, if he has something to report in the heat of battle, that our opponents will allow us to take a break, so that we may accommodate his refusal to speak with the tongue with which he was gifted on the day he was born, and play a nice game of charades. Gods help us if he actually has a question... Cynical as always, he decides to keep his thoughts to himself...this time.
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Any suspicions on how or why they disappeared? You have given the impression that they have been caught by the authorities, in which chase maybe we should leave them to save anymore mischief. Mayhaps something else in in play? He sounded pleased with his whole statement, giving not indication in which answer he would prefer.
As the carriage stops, the Venture-Captain answers Keeran's concerns. Most likely they simply got in over their heads in the Azlanti dungeons sealed behind the door. You just need to find out how to open the door and ensure that we get that information before doing anything else.
The door opens to reveal a barrow in a clearing, with a stone doorframe gaping into darkness beyond. No sooner have you alighted from the carriage than it races off back into the forest.
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Looking around at his comrades, Boram realizes he is one of the few that will not be able to see once they are underground. He sighs and reaches into his belt pack, retrieving a sunrod. He strikes it and smiles briefly as he observes the alchemical reaction. Soon, he would be able to make his own; he was looking forward to that.
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A rescue mission of most importance. I wondered what the fuss was about. For the first time you notice an aasimar cleric among the party. Perhaps the first thing we should do is find this door for ourselves? I am not knowledgeable about these kind of things but perhaps one of you might figure something out when we get there.
Selkin will try to peer into the darkness as the party approaches.
As you advance into the room you see that the large hall is held up by a number of carved columns. Directly ahead, a doorway has been sealed off by seamless sheet of stone, probably generated by a spell long ago. In the center of the floor, the flagstones have been pulled up, revealing a staircase leading downward. The stench of rotting meat hangs in the air.
Decending the stairs, you can see that this small antechamber sports a hallway to the south and a staircase to the north. Iron stakes driven into the flagstones pin the half-eaten carcass of a pig to the floor in the middle of the room.
Those who descend the stairs can see that there is light at the end of the long passage to the south. You also see two verminous shapes slinking around in the dark.
Kyshkumen
Manius
Keeran
Boram
Hrothgar (& AC)
DM
Selkin
Exploding out of the staircase, the party annihilates the centipedes.
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Keeran rests the butt of his scythe on the floor and turns to the stairs. Are you two coming or will you dottle there for the remainder of this exhibition?
He turns to look over the rest of the room closely there after since you had little time to do it before the pests showed up. Whether or not the others came was up to them. He would no longer press the matter.