You have all received missives requesting your presence at the Pathfinder Lodge of Cassomir, in Taldor. As you your group assembles, a small-ish woman pokes her head into the meeting room. "I am Venture Captain Themis. Thank you all for answer my summons. I have a small matter to attend to, then I will start the briefing. I suggest you take the time to introduce yourselves." With that, she's gone, leaving you to you own devices.
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Surveying the gathering the purple-haired thiefling witch starts, "Hello fellow Pathfinders, I am Ag,mira. Like yourselves perhaps, I am a traveler, but fairly new to our Society. I have wandered Golarion for sometime, but without much purpose. I am looking forward to finding adventure, some new friends within the organization, and perhaps a few pieces of gold. I hope I can find all of these things with you. I will try my best to aid our adventures with some magic, a little healing and a few bolts from my new crossbow if necessary.
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Heccan saunters into the meeting room of the Cassomr Lodge with an air of confidence. He eyes those gathered with a barely concealed smirk as he fiddles with some sort of signet ring on his right hand. Greetings my fellow Pathfinders. I am Heccan Abraxi, recently of Absalom by way of Egorian. He shifts his gaze momentarily to Captain Themis. I cannot begin to thank you enough for your hospitality so far my good captain. Little did I know that after my most recent excursion to Oppara that my stay in Taldor was to be a bit longer than promised. Suffice to say that your fine lodgings has been a godsend.
Heccan bows his head in true respect after flashing Captain Themis a wickedly disarming smile. He then once again turns to the gathered agents. Know this my compatriots, you have among you one of the most skilled speakers of the Society. My tenure as a barrister in the hight courts of Egorian has sharpened my abilities to a razor's edge. I have full confidence that our band shall find itself on the winning side of most arguments. If not, well...his grin becomes a bit wider before he continues let us just say I have a few tricks up my sleeve.
Turning back to Captain Themis, I await the assignment good captain and, though I am loathe to spoil the suspense, I fear that I must. I gaze upon this fine group of skilled agents I know that our objective will undoubtedly be achieved, whatever that objective may be. He again bows to Captain Themis, touching his right hand to his chest and extending his left arm in a grand sweeping gesture.
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Vennoc sits quietly, and nearly motionless in the corner of the office. He is tall, pale, and immaculately groomed. He speaks briefly, then returns to silently watching the rest of the group.
My name is Vennoc Noth. The mission will be achieved. Those who work toward achieving the mission will be treated as valuable allies.
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A straw-blonde halfling enters the meeting room not long after Heccan does, eyeing up the other Pathfinders in the room with undisguised curiosity. She's somewhat tall and limber for a halfling--so, still not really above anyone else's waistlines, except for Henry, of course--and moves with a definite spring to her step. She wears a plain brown newsboy's cap as well as a pair of almost oversized goggles on her head, and a pair of black leather fingerless gloves that cover her arms until just below her elbows. Her leather armor is strapped over a simple white tunic and dark pants, and over the top of it all is a bandolier filled to the brim with bullets and other miscellany. A burnished bronze musket, obviously home-made from various odds and ends and almost too big for her, is strapped over her shoulders.
"Hi!" she says once Heccan finally finishes his extended introduction, side-stepping the well-spoken Chelaxian in an attempt to get a good look at everyone else in the room. "My name's Eleanor Whitespring! But call me Ellie. Please. Everyone does. Only ma and pa call me that when they're real mad..." Ellie keeps fiddling with her messy, short-cropped hair as she speaks, pointlessly attempting to get it to stay out of her eyes, and eventually gives up with a heavy sigh. "I, uh, I'll do my best where I can, alright? Between my boomstick here," the halfling fondly pats the musket leaning on her shoulder, "and a bit of quick thinking, I can usually handle most anything. Usually! I mean, I did get really good marks on my Confirmation... so I think I'm fine."
Realising she's been talking for too long, Ellie flushes. "A-Anyways! Good to meet ya! Let's hope this mission's a painless one!"
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Quietly leaning against the back wall, a brown haired human wearing a well made chain shirt and armed with a darkwood bow and scimitar. He nods to the group "Call me Ceobryrn. I'm glad to hear the mission has already been declared a success, but I'll still hang around for the briefing if its all the same."
After a short time of waiting, the party is shown back to the Venture Captain's office.
Venture-Captain Hestia Themis, a small, unassuming woman of Taldan heritage with dark hair and eyes, holds a large sheaf of papers in her small hands and clears her throat. Her booming voice, the antithesis of her stature, fills the main hall of the small Pathfinder Lodge in the Taldan city of Cassomir. “One of our own has been kidnapped. Pathfinder Cestis was taken just days ago from a relics auction in the Imperial Naval Shipyards, and we believe his disappearance to be related to the six dozen or so kidnappings of the last several months. Now that one of our own is missing, this has become a Society matter—something we’ll get to the bottom of.”
Themis gestures to a teenage boy standing beside her, who nervously regards his surroundings and sweats profusely, his thick brown hair matted and wet against his head. “This is Nefti, the assistant to the biggest thorn in my side in Cassomir—an agent of the Aspis Consortium named Kafar. Kafar is also missing, taken from the same relics auction along with Pathfinder Cestis and a dozen other citizens of Cassomir. Nefti was at the auction, saw where a small group of the kidnapped victims were taken, and his handlers in Cassomir have give us access to him so that he might guide us to our missing Pathfinder. If you happen to find Kafar...” Themis grinds her teeth. “Let him go, per the agreement I’ve just made with his superiors. Your priority is Cestis, and I think Nefti can lead you to him. Any questions?”
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Heccan starts a bit as Ellie appears from behind him, seemingly out of nowhere. He quickly regains his composure, straightens his impeccable robes and returns to a more noble posture as he listens to the rest of his team muster. His gaze shifts toward Themis as she lays out the mission plan. He quirks a brow at the mention of the Aspis Consortium and the bargain struck by the Captain. He is quick to speak up when offered the opportunity.
I see Captain. I am relatively new here, I admit, but I simply must ask: why would we bargain with this Consortium? Again I admit my lack of information on these Apsis, but I have been led to understand that their, well lets call them goals, lie directly opposed to our own. How are we to trust this information? Why would the Consortium aid us in any way? Surely there is some hidden benefit in all this for them. A benefit, no doubt, that is to our detriment! Pray, allow me to bargain with these.. his gaze shifts to the boy representative whom he flashes an evil grin fine gentlemen and I assure you I will ferret out their secret dealing in all this.
He straightens and holds his gaze on the young lad, he tilts his head a bit as he observes and examines the young man's demeanor.
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"Oh, no! That's awful!" Ellie frowns at the news of kidnappings, particularly at one of their own. Hand on one hip, she considers the briefing. "Say, Hestia--I can call you that, right? Or is Themis better? Umm--anyway, what do you know about these kidnappings? Is there a motive, a cause, a modus operandi, a suspect?" Ellie pulls her cap down tight, grinning as she mentally adopts the mindset of a crime-scene investigator.
The halfling's bright blue eyes are starting to sparkle with excitement, and to anyone nearby who looks like they would listen, she murmurs to them: "It's like I'm in a murder mystery! Again! Not long ago, there was this ship, and this elf, and it was all so strange in the end, but... oh! It's so exciting!"
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Ceobryrn wrinkles his brow, "Captain, you said there was a 'small group of the kidnapped victims'. How many and who where taken along with Cestis and Kafar? "
After a moment he adds, "Also, why did the Apsis send the boy to us rather than mount their own rescue?"
Concerned about the boy, the ranger notes "Heccan, lets not intimidate the lad he's been sent to help. Besides if this is some elaborate trap set by the Apsis, I'm sure the boy is just a expendable pawn to be used and discarded by the Apsis. Let treat Nefti with respect we would show another pathfinder, perhaps he will be in lighten and inspired. Until we have reason to believe otherwise, I suggest we should treat the story as plausible."
Speaking to the boy "Nefti, please tell us what you saw?"
In response to Heccan, the venture captain says. “Difficult situations sometimes call for difficult choices. The Aspis have the information we need about where to start in this mystery, and if it takes dirtying our hands with them to get Cestis back, I think it’s worth it.”
Turning to Ellie, she says. "“The kidnappings started a few months ago. Cassomir has always had some trouble with its citizens going missing, but this was different. Only those associated with the Imperial Naval Shipyards were taken—shipwrights, carpenters, navy guards, and so on. This recent kidnapping, where they took Cestis, was brash and bold. They grabbed more than a dozen people in one attack, neglecting to grab Nefti. Their mistake is our fortune.”
Nefti shrugs. "I did not see much. At the first sign of trouble, I jumped into the harbor and swam away."
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Heccan bows respectfully to Themis. Of course captain. Desperate measures and all that I am sure. Still, should you find yourself in need to negotiating with that devious bunch again I offer my humble but significant skills to aid you. I promise to reduce my normal fees substantially. Heccan smile instantly transforms into a genuinely congenial expression at the same times he shoots a wink toward Captain Themis. Heccan then turns to Ceobryn and speaks with barely hidden sarcasm.
Why Ceobryn, I would not DREAM of hurting the lad. Me? Intimidating? Please. I am no imposing brute, perfectly harmless of course. His expression now shifts to a more impish grin, he casually tucks a stray strand of jet black hair back in place behind his ear and again fixes his gaze on the Aspis representative. Still, I find this whole situation a bit too...coincidental. Again I apologize for my natural suspicious nature. My homeland instills such things unfortunately, but I find that true coincidences are much like solid gold unicorns...mere fiction. Also, I doubt we would be following this lad if he in fact saw 'nothing'. So out with it lad, tell us all you know. If anything I would like to know how many kidnappers there were and for you to describe their appearance.
Venture Captain levels a steely stare at Heccan. "As I said before, difficult situations call for difficult choices. The plan is as I laid it out to you. Your suspicions may aid you in your mission, but you are to follow the plan. Understood?"
Turning to Ceobryn, she says. "As far as I know, no relics were taken, nor any ransom demanded. Which makes this situation all the more confusing."
The Themis and Nefti go on to describe Cestis and Kafar in response to Ag'mira's query. "Now I suggest you be off. Time is of the essence, I believe."
The Chief Shipwright of the Imperial Naval Shipyards is Ethem Baler, a white-haired ancient gnome. Brother Zaganos is the representative of the Wildwood Lodge in Cassomir. He oversees the trade relations between Taldor and the druids and works closely with Ethem Baler and other gnome shipwrights in the shipyards.
Cassomir is divided into seven very distinct districts, the Abbey Green district that surrounds the ruins of Quickfall Abbey, the Admiral's Fen district plagued by the Blackwood Swamp, the unofficial district of Dog's Teeth consisting of a number of small rocky islands, the Old Cassomir district surrounded by enormous ramparts, the Grayguard's Shadow district which supports the impressive Grayguard Castle, the wealthy Threegates district, and the Imperial Naval Shipyards.
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A small Jalmerayan boy walks into the room and bows before everyone before beginning an announcement, "Greetings and salutations! I am pleased to introduce to you today-" Suddenly an out-of-breath halfling with messy blonde hair and wearing an exquisite tabard bearing a floral pattern charges into the room. "No time for that today, boy, no time, what! I'm sorry I'm late, everyone! Henry Flaxseed at your service, of the noble Flaxseed clan here in Cassomir, father of Venture-Captain Trotter Flaxseed. What? I've seen some of your around the Flaxseed Estate-errr, Lodge-here in Cassomir. Well met! Well met!"
"This is Indy," he says as a pygmy brachiosaurus in matching armor follows him into the room. "Who? What? And you've already met Waman, my herald. The boy needs some work, I'll admit. Didn't tell me about this meeting until just fifteen minutes ago! I think I've gotten the most of it while I was putting on my armor though. Investigating a kidnapping? And right here in Cassomir! What? Who? What? Well! Let's see what we can do then, what!"
Once everyone is ready, Nefti leads the party to an inn where he believes the kidnap victims may be held. Perched precariously overhanging the dirty harbor water stands the Inn of the Unlucky Sailor. A fresh coat of white paint glistens on half the inn’s outside walls, and most of the windows are boarded up. The roof leans slightly toward the harbor, as if at any moment the entire thing could come off and slide into the ocean. The dock leading up to the inn is made of rotting wood connected to thick, rank-smelling pilings. Several small rowboats are currently tied up along its length.
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Heccan involuntarily wrinkles his nose as he sets eyes on the dilapidated saloon and is confronted with the aroma of the Unlucky Sailor. By all the laws! You don't suppose people actually drink at this shoddy excuse for a tavern. Maybe they need the alcohol to dull their sense of smell. Though I will say the moniker is appropriate. I doubt a sailor ever found good fortune here.
Heccan looks about the area as he speaks. He closes his eyes, his face betraying an obvious strain of concentration, then mutters something under his breath that is inaudible but clearly not in the common tongue. Heccan then opens his eyes sharply and visibly shivers as he scans the immediate vicinity.
How about it Ceobyn, having any luck picking out useful tracks here? I cannot imagine this place has much foot traffic. Let us see if there is anything out of the ordinary afoot at the Old Unlucky Sailor. Find anything useful in there Ag'mira? Heccan seems more focused now as he looks over the areas Ceobryn checks for tracks.
Looking around, there appears to be only one entrance to the bar and all the windows are boarded up. Ceobryrn notices the boot marks of several different people going to and from the inn, though there appears to have been a group that went in and did not come out.
The party does not notice anyone watching the party or anything out of the ordinary.
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The young halfling wrinkles her nose at the rotting planks, but doesn't find the place overly offensive--at least in comparison to the long-winded Chelaxian and a halfling she vaguely recalls seeing in some Pathfinder Lodge somewhere...
Ellie loads a bullet in her musket and grins excitedly as the Pathfinders approach the doorway. "Let's do this, then!"
Vennoc takes point, with Ceobryn creeping along behind him. Entering the inn, you quickly see a man tormenting another man who is sprawled out on the bar. Three large rats amble around the room, but the all look up when the party enters!
As the party enters further into the inn, you notice five people hogtied, in the southwest corner.
Ceobryrn fires three arrows in quick succession, taking down the two nearer rats!
The man turns and casts a spell, his cudgel beginning to glow! "You'll pay for that! The needs rid of humanity, and I'll start with you!" HE screams at the ranger.
The last rat moves up to stand in front of the man.
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Ellie dashes forward, grabbing the back of a chair and using it as leverage to flip herself up and on top of it for better view. She lines up the rat in her sights and - BLAM! - unloads a round into it. The halfling coughs slightly as the black powder backlash shoots into her face, leaving a blackish tinge on her cheeks.
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"What? What? Who? Ho! Haha! Never fear, citizens of Cassomir! The Flaxseeds have come to defend their own!" Henry directs Indy to move over towards the hogtied captives. He grabs his lance from Waman before he moves in and keeps his weapon ready in case anything approaches the captives with hostile intentions.