In this well-lit hall of Skyreach stand several wooden tables adorned with pastries, fruits, and other delightful breakfast foods, whose pleasant aromas waft through the air as the sun streams in through the skylights.
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"Ahh! I think I've found the right place! I love adorned tables with delicious foods. Pathfinder hospitality always makes me feel right at home and it usually makes up for the most vile places they send us. However, I do get nervous when food starts to look this good! I wonder what they need us for this time.
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"Oh please! Don't even suggest it! When I was rescuing Riftwardens out of a Blackfire compound in Azir, we ended up escaping through the sewers and I tell you, it was not a pretty sight. I needed to cast prestidigitation on my cloak three times to get the thing clean. You would not believe how that stench lingers!"
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Leading a smallish (merely human sized) owlbear into the room, a young halfling woman wearing a breastplate emblazoned with the holy symbol of Shelyn and bearing a silvery glaive and a greenwood bow enters the room. A set of pan pipes and a signal horn hang from her belt, swaying as she walks over to the table. She deftly hops onto one of the chairs near the tables and grabs a few pieces of fruit, muching on one while she throws four or five into the beaked maw of her companion.
Seeming to have just realized that she should probably introduce herself to the others present she says, "Hullo, mah names' Tarri. Tarri Millfurrough. This here's Hugo." She indicates the animal, totally oblivious to the fact that Hugo is a rather lousy name for an owlbear. She continues to eat fruit, feeding nearly half a table of the fine food to the owlbear in the process.
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"I suggest you use water. Maybe a little soap," a tielfling suggests to the caster as he walks into the room. With a flick of the wrist, he sends a dagger across the room to skewer an apple, claiming it before either the halfling or owlbear eats it. "Works better than your wibbly wobbly magicks."
He strides casually to the table, tail swaying behind him, and picks the apple up by the blade. The ivory daggers within his maw bite easily into the fruit. "Name's Rikas," he says around bits of food. "Pleased to mee'cha."
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Seeming to have just realized that she should probably introduce herself to the others present she says, "Hullo, mah names' Tarri. Tarri Millfurrough. This here's Hugo." She indicates the animal, totally oblivious to the fact that Hugo is a rather lousy name for an owlbear. She continues to eat fruit, feeding nearly half a table of the fine food to the owlbear in the process.
"Well met, Tarri. It's nice to meet you. May I say, that is quite the pet you have there. Does it like gourmet food, or is it just happy to eat anything?"
"I suggest you use water. Maybe a little soap," a tielfling suggests to the caster as he walks into the room. With a flick of the wrist, he sends a dagger across the room to skewer an apple, claiming it before either the halfling or owlbear eats it. "Works better than your wibbly wobbly magicks."
He strides casually to the table, tail swaying behind him, and picks the apple up by the blade. The ivory daggers within his maw bite easily into the fruit. "Name's Rikas," he says around bits of food. "Pleased to mee'cha."
"Nice to meet you too, Rikas. That's an impressive dagger. You're not a bad shot either. I see that you'll be useful to have along on this next mission. Let's just hope that we don't need to use soap where we are going."
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"Oh, ya know, goblins, apple tarts, pigs, oh he bloody loves bacon! Umm, I don' let him eat humans an' such, well I don' really let him eat goblins eitha, but well, I kinda lost track of him that one time... Anyway, he'll eat about anythin' ya want to give 'im, but he likes good food best, especially apple tarts. And bacon, can't forget bacon. Don' worry though, Hugo minds when I tell him wha's what."
As Tarri speaks, Hugo, impatient with the pause in feeding, rears up on his hindlegs and scoops a few plates of pastries onto the floor. Both platters fail to break, landing on top of cascading pastries, instead of directly on the stone floor. The owlbear shoves them aside as he devours pastries, the scraping sound finally catching the halfling lass's attention.
"Oh you lug," she says, letting out a giggle. "Naught to be done about it now. Least e's cleanin the floor." She shrugs and hops off the chair, grabbing the two platters off the ground and setting them aright on the table. "No more after that, Hugo. Y'hear?"
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"Greetings fellow Pathfinders. My name is Darro from the Liberty's Edge Faction. I was told to report here for additional instructions. My companion outside," Darro points to the large wolf howling outside "Blackthorn, and I stand ready to root out and destroy any evil we may encounter." Darro sits down on a chair near the fire inspecting his arrows sipping from a cup filled with Brevoy Brandy.
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HHHOOOOWWWWWLLLLLL!!!!! A large wolf chases what appears to be a rabbit outside the gathering hall. Inside the building the wolf barely hears his companion Darro say... "It appears my friend Blackthorn is upset the Owlbear, Hugo you said his name was, was allowed to enter the gathering hall while he has to remain outside. I kept him outside since Blackthorn has a rather avid taste for mead and I did not want him to make another mess."
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"Greetings, Darro. I'm Azdak at your service. I'm not sure the Venture Captain took into consideration the appetites of our animal companions when he laid out this spread. You may want to mention that to him when he gets here. He should be showing up soon. I am always eager to see where I will be sent next. The pathfinder society has certainly sent me all over Golarion in my short tenure with them. I think free travel is one of nicest benefits we get with the society."
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"So what evil brings us to this location?" Darro asks to the rest of the Pathfinders in the room. Glancing over at Tarri and Hugo he adds, "If there is anything left after yours is done, particularly something sweet, I would like to bag it so I can bring it outside for Blackthorn. He has been rather well behaved as of late." Observing the others for a moment, Darro says in between sips of brandy "Well as you can plainly see I am a woodsman and archer. What do you others bring to the table?" Gesturing to Azdak "I wager you are some sort of spellcaster, a wizard perhaps?" Looking at Rhydderch " Some sort of holy warrior? Paladin, Cleric or Warpriest? Not quite sure what to make of you?" He says to Rikas as he continues to sip his brandy.
Discussing the forthcoming mission over a light breakfast of pastries and fruit is a welcome change of routine from Venture Captain Drandle Dreng’s usual midnight requests. "As you well know, the Society has a need for discreet ways of moving goods into and out of Absalom. Over the last year we’ve developed some reliable routes through the sewers and caverns underneath the city and this has worked well for us until recently.
"Over the last few months, a tribe of kobolds calling themselves the Sewer Dragons started disrupting our supply with traps and ambushes. We know of several tribes of kobolds beneath Absalom, and generally, they are only a nuisance, but these have proved particularly troubling. They have blocked a few vital deliveries of late and some Pathfinders have disappeared. The Decemvirate is starting to get concerned. I need you to track down these Sewer Dragons and resolve this problem. I would prefer you make an effort to negotiate a truce of some sort with these pests. While I have little respect for the reptilian creatures who plague our sewers, I suspect if we exterminate them, some other threat will fill in the void they leave behind."
Dreng pauses a moment to finish eating a peach (one of the few left behind after Hugo's breakfast), then continues. "You could wander around the sewers for days and not find one of these Sewer Dragons. Fortunately, I have found a resource for you. A few years ago they hired a Taldan scholar by the name of Emral Xarcious to tutor the tribal leader’s children. I suspect Xarcious can lead you to the Dragons. The Decemvirate has a shipment of antiquities coming next week and I expect this situation to be resolved by then. It’s up to you to ensure the shipment goes off with no hitches. There is no time to fool around: you need to get moving."
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Darro takes a sip of brandy, looks up at the ceiling for a moment thinking and then addresses the room "Where can we find this Xarcious fellow? Is he willing to help us out... for free or for payment? Will he need certain motivation to help out...?" glancing over at Rikas as he says that last part... then continues "Can we trust him? Does he have information on the size, strength of the tribe? Will he navigate us to their location? If not can we put him on ice so as to not warn them of our coming? Does he remember any traps in the place? Do we need extra soap to wash off the stench?" Darro then stands and walks over to the remaining platters of food, wrapping up a few choice treats and putting them in his backpack.
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"Gesturing to Azdak "I wager you are some sort of spellcaster, a wizard perhaps?"
"Well, I am certainly not a learned wizard, but I do have some Gold Dragon in my heritage that has given me some unusual arcane gifts. I have not trusted to spell books at all, but I seem to be able to still cast a wide variety of spells, even without the use of spell components."
"What about you? You look prepared for tracking and hunting outdoors, but how well will you do if you are underground. I cannot count the number of times the Society has sent me on missions to ancient ruins and caverns below the earth."
"As you well know, the Society has a need for discreet ways of moving goods into and out of Absalom. Over the last year we’ve developed some reliable routes through the sewers and caverns underneath the city and this has worked well for us until recently."
"Rhydderch." Azdak whispers. "What did I say about you mentioning sewers. I see where this is going!"
"You could wander around the sewers for days and not find one of these Sewer Dragons. Fortunately, I have found a resource for you. A few years ago they hired a Taldan scholar by the name of Emral Xarcious to tutor the tribal leader’s children. "
"Wait, wait, wait." Azdak declares, "Are you saying that these kobolds have hired a Taldan scholar to tutor their children? What kind of kobolds are these? They do not seem like the runts that I was anticipating. Are they the sort that can be reasoned with? I mean, how much do we know about these sewer dragons?"
Dreng plucks a pastry off the only platter still upright. "Xarcious had many vices, and I think he did a fair amount of gambling. I have heard he’s gotten into some problems down in the Puddles, but beyond that I’m not sure. If you have trouble finding him, you might look for a gentleman named Greeves. I understand Xarcious owes Greeves a substantial amount of money, and Greeves is likely to know where to find him as a result. Whether Xarcious will share information freely, and how much he knows, I do not know. That is for you to discover.
"As mentioned, negotiation would be ideal so as not to leave a power vacuum. We can offer to fence goods for them and get them supplies at reasonable prices. We can also get goods into the city for them. If the rumors I hear about alchemical substances and traps are true, perhaps we can purchase items they produce for our own use in the field. Under no circumstances do the Decemvirate approve any sort of tribute or ransom, however, so if that’s all the kobolds want, you’ll need to use your most convincing tactics to get them to change their minds."
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Darro scratches his chin upon learning of this new information regarding Xarcious. "If Xarcious owes a bit of money to this fellow named Greeves, then I doubt Greeves is anything like a proper gentleman. If that is indeed the case then I think our handling of Greeves should be done with Hugo and Blackthorn doing the diplomatic talking. Maybe even Rikas lending a hand... or blade." Pouring some more brandy into his cup Darro asks Dreng "Do we know why they call themselves Sewer Dragons? I admit I am not too familiar with Kobolds. I do not encounter them in the woods that often. Maybe my learned new friend with the Gold Dragon blood can explain this to us." Speaking directly to Azdak Darro says "And I have been fortunate enough to avoid underground and sewer environs during my pathfinder travels. I guess Blackthorn will stink after this mission, if he fits down there."
The Venture Captain scoffs. "Who knows why kobolds call themselves what they do? This particular tribe likely claims some draconic heritage upon which they have built the mythos of their own superiority. Some of our agents who’ve encountered the tribe recently claim they’ve seen an actual dragon fighting with the Sewer Dragons, while other agents have found scorch marks on the walls down there."
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"Maybe even Rikas lending a hand... or blade."
"Or some more teeth," Rikas says with a smile. Clearly those chompers can cause quite a bit of hurt.
"I have a thought. What do we have to get this tutor fellow to help us? Nothin'. 'Cept we know about his debt to Greeves. We can use this as leverage to make him squirm. Let's not talk to this Greeves fellow unless we can't find this goblin teacher. Or dragon teacher or whatever!" He pops the core of his apple into his mouth and chomps it down a bit before continuing.
"And if we need to rough up Greeves to get the snitch to snitch, I don't think any of us will mind."
Rhydderch engages a few disreputable souls who look like they might frequent Absalom's sprawling undercity, gathering a good deal of information on the Sewer Dragons:
The Sewer Dragons are one of the more powerful kobold tribes in the sewers of Absalom. Kibizax, the Sewer Dragons’ chief, is a powerful sorcerer with a dragon ally who blasts the tribe’s foes to dust with lightning. Kibizax is old and said to be planning to turn the tribe over to one of his two children, the elder daughter Yiddlepode and younger son Yippitok. Yippitok, also known as Trapmaster Tok, is the tribe’s trap crafter and a powerful alchemist, who is sought after by merchants and the wealthy in Absalom proper. It’s rumored that some of his most clever traps guard House Morilla and other noble resources.
Tarri, meanwhile, chases down the other lead. Only one conversation bears fruit: a down-on-his-luck sailor staying in the Puddles.
About a month ago Xarcious disappeared. The apartment where he lived was abandoned in a hurry. The day before he disappeared, he was seen arguing loudly with Creeley Greeves, a moneylender and bookie from the Puddles.
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Darro takes Blackthorn out into the town to ask around about Greeves, Xarcious and the Sewer Dragons. He also spends some time down in the market area asking about the sewers in general to see if he needs to purchase additional gear for the mission.
Maybe if he didn't have a menacing wolf growling at every turn Darro would have found some more information.
Darro does indeed get one new piece of info: Greeves runs his "business" out of an abandoned watch station in the Puddles.
Additionally, one merchant in the Coins is very interested in selling Darro some equipment. "Heading down below, eh? Well, let me tell you, I wouldn't go down there without some antiplague! I've got antitoxin, too, and even a few scrolls of remove disease if you've got coin to spare. Torches, rope, crowbars -- you name it, I've got it! Come, won't you buy something? Out a few coin now is better than dead later..."
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Bubbling with excitement, Tarri rejoins her compatriots, "Oooh, ooh, oooooh, I found out that the umm guy that we're looking for umm the, what was his name, you know, the one with the stuff that knows about the kobolds, that guy." She gasps in a quick breath before continuing once again at a breakneck pace, "Well he was seen with that Skeezy guy, or was it, Beasy? Umm, umm, uh, Creevey? Creeley? YEAH! Creeley Greeves! And they were shouting things and all mad." She bounces up and down a few more times before retrieving Hugo from another pile of baked goods, climbing into the saddle on his back. "Ooooh, oh yeah! The skeevy guy is supposed to be in some puddles or something. Let's go!" She doesn't immediately follow her words, having learned from long experience that she should let others process what she says before running off. She does, however, almost bounce off Hugo's saddle in her manic movements.
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"My dear, Tarri. I love your enthusiasm, but please slow down. My brain cannot keep up with the rate at which your words are flowing out of you. Now, let's go and find Creeley Greeves and see what he can tell us about Xarcious. My hope is that this information will be of use to us when we meet Chief Kibizax."
Azdak joins Tarri and any others willing to accompany them and tries to find information on the whereabouts of Creeley Greeves.
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Darro makes it back to the link up location and disseminates the location of the abandoned watch station in the puddles where Greeves is rumored to conduct his business. "Azdak, I managed to find a nice old lady who runs a laundry shop on the east side of the market. Depending on what transpires once we go below I am sure you can get your clothes cleaned at her place." Darro motions for Blackthorn to fall in line behind Azdak and Tarri as the party makes their way through the city, ensuring he stays between Blackthorn and Hugo.
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""Azdak, I managed to find a nice old lady who runs a laundry shop on the east side of the market. Depending on what transpires once we go below I am sure you can get your clothes cleaned at her place."
"Well, I may be taking you up on that old lady. My prestidigitation is rather limited in its nature. I think it would be worth it to have someone willing to use soap and some elbow grease on my cloak. It does make me wonder how much these kobolds tolerate the filth and stench."
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...trots along sniffing the bald newcomer with the bow to get a sense of his persona... tries to sniff the new bottles the ugly one with the bad teeth just bought... still not sure if the hairybirdlooking creature that smells like sweets following the smallfoot female is friend or foe...decides the one they call Rhydderch is ok... suppresses the urge to mark territory...looks around while traveling with the humanoids...
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"I have one antitoxin, but that will not last long if we are down there for more than a day. Perhaps I should buy some more as well."
"Do you really think anti plague will help?"
"I am immune to diseases. I am also happy to help heal any of us who gets bitten by the wrong end of a cow." Rhydderch might be joking...its hard to tell.
"Rhydderch, that sounds very useful for the place we are going. Do you have any skill at removing diseases from others? The problem is, I think we are all going to be put at risk if we spend any time down in the sewers."
The mightily vivacious Tarri leads the party out of the Foreign Quarter and into the Puddles, where things a turn for the damp. Despite the generally dry weather in Absalom of late, the streets in the Puddles are filled ankle-deep with muck, and the local mosquito population seems to have doubled. The Puddles is miserable even on the best days.
Using Darro's lead, the Pathfinders arrive at what seems like the right place. In spite of years of neglect, the old watch station Creeley Greeves adopted as his place of business has fared quite well. The grime-covered granite walls are still solid and the rusty bars on the windows are still thick enough to hold for years to come. An old, nearly illegible sign reads "Watch Station Four." The only door to the station is closed.
There are no windows of any sort on the front of the building, so it's hard to tell.
Nevertheless, a knock on the door yields an annoyed shout. "Whattaya want?"
Rikas determines that the door is not trapped, and, rather than locked, it seems to just be stuck shut. A good hard shove would open it.
The voice calls from inside. "Yeah, come in."
Tarri finds a great many booted prints, but the frequency of flooding in the Puddles makes it difficult to discern more than that.