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The adventures are summoned late in the day by the pathfinders to a rural cabin in the shadows of the Fenwall Mountains in Varisia.
Venture-Captain Sheila Heidmarch glances out a window as the last wisps of twilight fade over the Fenwall Mountains. Turning from the sight, she runs her hand along the rustic cabin’s wall and stands beside an occupied wooden bed before addressing you. “This,” the venture captain says, gesturing to the man thrashing around violently, straining against the bonds that lash him securely to the bed, “is our colleague, Kalkamedes. Every night for several weeks now, he has fallen into a deep slumber and tried to sleepwalk right out of his cottage. If not restrained, he marches straight north, eventually falling off a cliff or into a bog as if trying to get himself killed in an attempt to reach an unknown goal.” As though he were expressing disagreement, the man tied to the bed suddenly begins pumping his limbs even harder, the violent spasms threatening to smash the bed into splinters. “There are those who have recently criticized the Pathfinders for our indifference to the plight of our fellow field agents. It’s time to show that’s not true. I want you to help Kalkamedes, whether he wants it or not. Several of our best spellcasters have attempted an extensive list of magical cures, but whatever sleepwalking curse or effect he’s under tenaciously resists our efforts. All we can do is keep him safe.” Heidmarch pats him with a degree of professional affection, and Kalkamedes rewards her by trying to swat her with his head.
“Kalkamedes’s friends are at their wits’ end, so we are going to attempt the only thing that we have not tried: we’re going to let him go tonight. That’s where you come in. I want you to follow him and keep him safe and in one piece. Let him get to wherever his addled brain thinks he needs to go so badly. Maybe, just maybe, if he gets there, you can find a way to help him. Maybe you can determine who or what did this to him and find a way to undo it.” Heidmarch pulls out a serrated knife. “Now before I cut him free, does anyone have any questions or last minute preparations?”
Kalkamedes is in his long night shirt and cap lashed to the bed with no other gear on him.
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As the assembled Pathfinders prepare to hear their new mission, Dusklord sees several familiar Pathfinders, but does not know Lyrio.
Dusklord is a gaunt, pale-skinned human wearing black robes trimmed with runes. He has sunken, daunting eyes, and his presence can only be described as dreadful. But as he approaches the Lyrio, he introduces himself and his face splits into a sickly smile.
"Do not fear! As you may know, I will be joining you today. I am Dusklord! Well, Professor Dusklord...professor of necromatic academia. Though you have surely heard of my past evil ways, rest assured, I have repented of my past. As the stories recount, I was once an 'evil villain,' if you will. I had dreams of controlling vast armies of undead and marching through civilized lands. But lo, my dreams were cut short by the paladin Ethendril h'Caramore...who thwarted me when I commenced a lengthy monologue about my evil plans and gave him time to recover. What a classic trope! Thwarted by the evil monologue...again! In exchange for my life, I promised to mend my wicked ways...and I have!"
He looks at the man tied to the bed.
"As my position with the university and the Pathfinders shows, I am now completely reformed...yes I am! I no longer have any desires to raise vast armies of undead minions that will heed my every command...certainly not. I am completely content to teach wet-behind-the-ears apprentice wizards who understand nothing of the importance of necromancy...err...where was I?"
Turning to Venture-Captain Heidmarch, he says "Ah, a curious disorder, one I am not familiar with. It nearly reminds me of the mindlessness of undead, seeking to fulfill its master's orders no matter the difficulty," he says wistfully.
He assumes a position to the rear of the other Pathfinders. A sickly, almost dead familiar climbs up on his shoulder. He casts detect magic on the restrained man.
"Perhaps under the influence of an enchantment spell?" he wonders quietly.
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Lyrio was trying to discreetly look around the cabin while calming his pet companion when Dusklord approached. The tall and muscular junglekin half-orc looked at him with interest - he looked like the type of guy he'd send Radagosa to thrash. Yet, his tone was trustworthy, and Lyrio knew better than to act as a false moralist. He didn't particularly care much for good or evil, law or chaos.
Nice to meet you, Professor. I'm Lyrio of Gozreh, and this is Radagosa.
The Lion Shaman went back to checking around. He found the mission peculiar, as the others, but was curious to follow Kalkamedes.
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Venture-Captain Sheila Heidmarch glances at Stephani, ”Through morning if necessary.”
Replying to Dusklord reasuranced that they will fulfill their orders, ”I expect no less from pathfinders.”
Lyrio discreetly looks around the cabin, opening the wardrobe in bedchamber reviles Kalkamedes’s outdoor clothing (an explorer’s outfit) and a pair of strong boots. Pulling open end table next to Kalkamedes’s bed, Lyrio finds a series of unfished charts mapping the Fenwall Mountains.
After replying to Dusklord’s intro, Lyrio opens the door of the heating stove he finds the remain the remains of a crumpled and burned charcoal sketch . The tattered sketch depicts a squat fortress under a full moon enshrouded by clouds.
He also finds a hidden lever in the back of the stove that releases a catch to a hidden compartment concealed in the floor under a stack of water barrels. Within he finds a locked metal chest
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Starling: "This is such a cruel curse," Starling comments. "How is he when he's not sleepwalking? Is he conscious at all? What does he think about his condition?"
VC Sheila Heidmarch replies to Starling ”During the day he is awake, usually injured from his sleep walking and remembers nothing about his nightly strolls or what he is trying to reach.”
Stephani "What's in there?" Stephani says, taking a passing interest in the chest. The she looks over the map and tries to memorize it.
Sheila Heidmarch shugs , ”I believe Kalkamedes would forgive your making use of anything in his cabin that could help him.”
Dusklord: As they find the locked metal chest, he says "Can anyone open this?" We don't have disable device do we?
Looking at the crumpled sketch, he says "How strange. Perhaps it is his destination?"
The Venture-Captain glances at the chest ”Looks like the lock would break with a few strikes. As for the drawing I don’t recognize it. ”
Stephani: "Or, perhaps someplace he has recently been? Maybe someone else wants to keep it hidden."
Heidmarch can only shake her head, ”He’s been exploring the Fenwall Mountains off and on, as evidence from the unfinished charts mapping the mountains.”
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Combining both brains and brawn, Starling uses her dagger to force open the lock.
Within the chest the bard finds it contains some of Kalkamedes’s adventuring gear: bracers, a mud-splattered cloak, an elixir, a dried gourd containing a potion; and an irregularly-shaped mithral flask with jigsaw-like edges containing a potion . The razor-sharp flask doubles as a caltrop or an improvised dagger. Also secreted away inside the chest is a Misforged mithral longsword {counts as broken condition -2 att & dam}
the bracers, cloak, elixir, potion, and potion in flask, and misforged longsword all detect magic the sword is the strongest aura.
bracers of armor +1
cloak of resistance +1,
an elixir of swimming,
a dried gourd containing a potion of cure light wounds
flask containing a potion of hide from undead.
The Misforged longsword is +1 Allying mithral longsword
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Dusklord spends some time with each item and easily identifies all but the cloak, perhaps because he is spending so much time looking at the sword.
"This blade can empower the user's allies," he observes. "Much of this might prove useful to us," he adds.
Once he has looked at everything, he says "My questions have been answered. Perhaps it is time to cut him free."
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Dusklord is able to identify all the items but the cloak. Stephani believes the items could prove useful and should be brought along.
Sensing you are ready, Venture-Captain Sheila Heidmarch glances at the each of the pathfinders before cutting Kalkamedes free, "Good luck Pathfinders and you too Kalkamedes!"
Immediately after Sheila Heidmarch finishes cutting his bonds, Kalkamedes gets to his feet before tottering out the door of his cabin and begins stumbling northward. The night sky is clear with a waning quarter crescent moon that provides dim light, but the minimal illumination is of no help to the sleepwalking Pathfinder, whose staggering gait propels him blindly forward with closed eyes.
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Dusklord looks about in the darkness. "A wise course of action. Of course, a paladin would suggest it. I'm sure I've mentioned the special place in my heart for paladins," he adds. In the dim glow of his light spell, it is difficult to read the wizard's expression.
"I have no skill in this and would be as likely to step off a ravine as Kalkamedes. Lyrio, is this a function you might perform?"
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Shortly after Stephani heals Kalkamedes's wounds his limp disappears and she hears a muffled voice from her backpack "Thank you for healing my companion." checking it out you find it is Kalkamedes's missforged longsword. It speaks further "I'm call Gamin."
An hour later with Lyrio scouting ahead, he discovers a patch of Razor Brambles in Kalkamedes's path. Razor brambles are a natural growing weed capable of lacerating one's legs. This patch is 60ft wide and 100 feet deep, it is difficult to move through and causes razor deep cuts to anyone moving through it. It looks like someone tried to move through it sometime in the last two weeks. A path can be cut or burned.
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Starling grins at the speaking sword. "So what do you know about your companion? Any interesting information you could tell us about his unusual condition?"[b]
Once Lyrio returns with the news about the Razor Brambles, she becomes more serious. [b]"We can't let Kalkamedes just cut himself to death there, we need to stop him while we make up our mind about how to pass this obstacle."
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"An intelligent weapon!" Dusklord exclaims in excitement. "I have heard of objects so powerful they obtain a sentience of their own, but never seen one in person."
He looks at the blade as Stephani cuts a path, trying to see it in the dim light of his staff.
"You are called Gamin? Tell me, Gamin...I have heard that often sentient blades have their own objectives, which though simple drive the weapon to seek out one to wield it that might have a similar purpose. Do you have an objective?"
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Yes Gamin cut the razor brambles just fine, taking about two swings per 5 foot section. It would take one person about 4 minutes to cut a path through the 100ft deep patch, unfortunately Kalkamedes will be in the brambles within a couple of rounds.
Gamin answers Dusklord's questions "I don't really have an objective, I was to be a legionary sword Gaminuecron, but the gatesmith dwarves at riddle port cast me aside when the flaw was discovered that they could not fix. I passed from holy warrior to holy warrior until I met Kalkamedes and we hit it off as a team, so I've been with him ever since."