”Close the door,” murmurs as the team gathers in his office. ”Let me start by saying, this mission is not for dissemination among other members of the Society.” The chamberlain of the Grand Lodge gives everyone a serious look in turn before continuing.
”This mission is not an investigation, just a simple, straightforward assignment, but that makes it no less important”
”I need you to book passage to the Lands of the Linnorm Kings, and cross over into Irrisen. You’re to head north and rendezvous with another team who have captured some—”
Valsin pauses for a heartbeat before continuing.
”—persons of interest. We have reason to believe that these individuals have information on the Shadow Lodge cells that are refusing to reconcile with the Society under Grandmaster Torch’s leadership. ”
Valsin’s expression becomes particularly grim at that point.
”If these rogue cells are outright refusing amnesty, then they represent a clear threat to all of us. I need you to take charge of these captives and get them out of Irrisen safely and quietly. Once you’re clear of Irrisen, a larger extraction team will take custody of them and bring them in for questioning. Of course, we will cover the expense of your travel in full, and provide maps to lead you to the meeting point in Irrisen. Because of the nature of the mission and Irrisen itself, you’ll be meeting the other team in the field, away from what passes for civilization up there. The team you’ll be getting the prisoners from will show you the best route out of Irrisen, and the castellan of Trollheim has agreed to grant you passage through his lands. You are responsible for avoiding unexpected trouble between the handoff and Trollheim. ”
Valsin gestures for the team to depart, but pauses, staring at his fireplace for a moment before adding, …
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The dwarf enters with a scowl on his face. He had just finished up a nasty affair in the sewers, and he seemed to look at his slim oak wand on his belt repeatedly with looks mixed with regret and disappointment. In his hands he carried a sandwich and the pungent aroma of Varisian spices filled the room as he munched on his sandwich throughout the mission brief.
After hearing out the man, the dwarf responds in a deep voice after wiping the remains of his sandwich off his hands and onto an empty quiver before setting the stained quiver down.
"Jory here. Simple prisoner transfer, I got it. I hope you got a real healer this time; my last crew had one of those Chelaxian bad ones."
The dwarf was dressed simply, but his beard was nicely trimmed. He carried an exceptionally well-crafted longbow and an assortment of many different arrows on his back in a multitude of quivers. His calloused hands and the archer guard on his left arm demonstrated that the dwarf had fired many an arrow.
Jory was amazed at how far he had come. In his first mission briefing, he was so flustered, all he could blurt out was 'I can read'. Now these Pathfinder missions were seeming quite routine.
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Horatius had arrived at the Chamberlains office five minutes before the designated time not wanting to be late for his first mission. There he waited until he was escorted in at which point he stood at loose attention before the Chamberlains desk. As each of the team arrived he took a moment to look them over, gauging their level of experience.
He had reported to the office with all his gear in expectation of being dispatched right away. His equipment and cloths all shared the traits of being well cared for, functional and unadorned.
When the Chamberlain began talking Horatius turned his focus back to him and listened intently on what he had to say. Noting the slight catch in the orders when the persons of interest were mentioned he asked :
Lord Chamberlain, if I might ask, what kind of prisoners are these?"
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Halorn stomps into the room. His entrance is quite audible with the accompaniment of clanging metal. Most of this sound comes from his armor and helmet, which mainly looks like large plates of metal tied together. Also carried on his shoulder is a large ball attached to a chain. Every so often, the ball falls loose with a loud clank, gets dragged along and he pulls it back to an attachment at his back. He looks around for a chair and flops into it before the meeting starts.
Halorn listens carefully to the instructions, grunting in acknowledgement occasionally, but looks annoyed the whole time.
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Entering about on time, Tiasar walks through the door with his eyes flying accross what seems to be a personal journal. He brings the faint aroma of herbs and sand with him, and his elven heritage is well pronounced with his clothing. He seems to effortlessly glide his way around furniture without looking up or stopping. After your eyes have rested on him for a moment, you suddenly realize there is a dead still midnight black raven on his shoulder, blending in with his dark hair. As they get ready to get briefed, Tiasar flips the journal open to a new page and conjures (quite literally) a quill, taking notes. At the end he closes up his journal and takes his first look around at the party I think Torag is smiling upon me today. He smiles "Jory! It is good to see you again, we will have to catch up, I'd love to hear about this Chelaxian healer you seem so fond of" he chuckles "But business first" he turns to Ambrus "Is there anything specific we need to know about these...individuals? I'd hate to wake up to a knife in my back. Well actually I'd love to actually wake up, but you get the point"
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Jory's frown turns into a slight smile as another dwarf enters the room. Sadly, he only brought one sandwich, and he was hungry.
He meets the armored dwarf's eyes and gives him a nod.
He responds to Tiasar's opening quickly, and succinctly:"Chelaxians.". He seems to feel as if the one word is enough. He also is heard to mutter "boats" with a little scorn.
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"Please pardon my late arrival." A soft, female voice makes her presence known as she makes her way into the room, mere minutes before the appointed time.
She is a beautiful Tian-Min woman, wearing a green kimono, embroidered with elaborate patterns depicting intertwined vines and leaves. Her face, powdered white, looks like porcelain with a faint bit of blush, and her lips are highlighted by a dark green lipstick, while her eyelids are covered with a similarly-hued eyeshadow. She wears her long black hair up, held in place by a silver headdress. Her overall look and demeanor is similar to that of her country's geisha, who right now would look more at home at one of the Lantern Lodge's social events than out adventuring.
As she approaches the group, the strong smell emerging from Jory gives her pause. No. This will not do. Imperceptibly, her trajectory changes so that she may sit as far from the dwarves as she can. Still, once she's sat, she offers a warm smile to the rest of the group, along with a small, elegant bow. "My name is Yukie. I look forward to working with all of you."
But the rest of introductions can wait. She listens to Ambrus Valsin's briefing intently, letting her teammates ask questions for now.
Tiasar's ears twitch as Andre walks in, and for the first time the bird on his shoulder moves. He shuffles his feet and rests looking the other direction, at Andre. After a moment his beak opens and you hear "Celestial"
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Halorn looks at Tiasar and Yukie. Noting their relative lack of visible weapons and armor, he rolls his eyes and snorts. Glancing at Jory, he gives a slight puzzled look, quietly thinking "No armor?" A moment later, he notices the well crafted bow and nods back.
As Halorn looks at the last two party members, he looks as if he's trying to decide something about them. "I wonder which ones I'll have to backup in melee..."
“Wait. You need to know this. Your prisoners will be goblins. The Shadow Lodge separatists made extensive use of the sadistic creatures as soldiers and servants, and as much as you may want to throttle them, please remember that we need them alive.”
Then with a final nod for luck, the venture-captain dismisses the group.
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The orders seem straightforward enough though I doubt the task will be. Irrisen...this should be interesting.
Lord Chamberlain, can you give us the names of any of the pathfinders we'll be taking the goblins from or giving them to? I assume we'll be setting out immediately. I'd like to make a few final preparations...I'd not realized we'd be headed so far north.
Catching Halorns eye as the dwarf sizes him up, he gives a nod of respect to the armored dwarf as one warrior to another. The accustomed weight of the Paladins own greatsword rest across his back just as the flail hangs easily from his belt.
His eyes leaving Halorn, Horatiuses attention turn to the rest of the group. The well made bow and bristling arrows on Jorys back brings a nod of approval, while Yukies appearance raises a confused eyebrown. Lastly he glances over Tiasar and his raven.
Wizard, sorcerer or witch.....Wizard he thinks to himself after considering the wizards entrance. We certainly seem to have able adventurers, with Erastils blessings let us hope we can forge ourselves into a team.
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As they get dismissed Tiasar marks the page and closes his journal. He looks around, from Yukie's polite demeanor to Halorn's flat stare. Laughing today, are you Torag?" he smiles at his own joke, then clasps his hands "Well! I suppose we should get prepared to leave. Do we know how long this journey will take and what sort of weather we will be facing?"
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When the company leaves Horatius politely introduces himself to everyone and then addresses Tiasars question.
"I know little of Irrisen beyond what most have heard. It's a land of snow ruled by witches a long way north of here. I would recommend we all equip ourselves to deal with cold conditions." He pauses a moment to think. "An Ulfen once told me about some kind of footwear that would allow one to walk on the snow. I doubt we'll find such things here but perhaps when we get further north we can see about purchasing some."
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Looking at Tiasar Andre will smile,
Curiosity am I… well that Is a new one. In my nearly one hundred years of life I have been called many things most of which aren’t very nice but … I like curiosity. I think it describes me well. If you and your familiar wish to learn more about me I have no problem answering any of your questions though I may not be much help. I am an outsider of an outsider it would seem.
Looking to the palladin
Brother Horatius it is good to see you again. I am sure we should catch up on old times and new when we have the ability to do so.
Andre will give him a nod. As he stands there you can see that he is well equiped. His shining scale mail armor is emblazened with the symbol of Sarenrae as is the heavy wooden shield on his back. He wears a scimitar on one hip and what looks to be a cold iron morningstar on the other. His head is held high with a confidence of years of study.
Yes if we are to venture north better clothing may be in order.
Goblins as allies seems odd but I do what is required.
Lord Chamberlain, can you give us the names of any of the pathfinders we'll be taking the goblins from or giving them to? I assume we'll be setting out immediately. I'd like to make a few final preparations...I'd not realized we'd be headed so far north.
"Sverrir Lightfoot will be your primary contact. She will explain the mission further, as she will have other... things on her mind. My job is to get you there as fast, and safe, as possible."
---Do we know how long this journey will take and what sort of weather we will be facing?
"It’s a three and a half day journey from your rendezvous point to the extraction point outside Trollheim, but the extraction team will remain in place for an additional day in case you’re delayed. Just remember, don’t look for trouble.”
---I would recommend we all equip ourselves to deal with cold conditions.
"You are wise indeed, master Lartius. The weather in the north is dreafully cold, so be sure to pack some warm clothes and protective gear. Right now, the daytime temperature should be just above freezing this time of the year."
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Tiasar looks excited "Oh that is very generous of you, the last group I was with had two tieflings and both were...rather uninterested in my studies" looking in a considerably better mood, he contemplates for a moment "I know there is a spell that can protect from all but the most serious of weather for a full day, but alas I do not know it"
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Yukie remains silent but takes a visible interest in Morde when the raven begins to speak. Not enough to distract her from the briefing, however, especially until the Venture-Captain announces the nature of the prisoners.
Goblins? "Oh, dear..." she whispers, bringing a hand to her mouth. She'd heard... stories. Far more than she'd really wished to, to tell the truth.
Horatius introduces himself, and the venture-captain weighs in on the cold weather. The delicate-looking woman smiles to the paladin. "Thank you, I shall heed your advice. I am quite accustomed to the cold myself, but precaution never hurts."
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Nodding to himself, Tiasar pulls out a much larger, older looking book that has multiple leaflets. He opens it and flips to a page, multiple writings in an arcane language and runes addorning it "Yes, I'm sure I can come up with a spell that should protect a single person from weather for 24 hours. However, I can only use so many spells per day, and if I used all my resources on fending off the weather I would be useless in a fight. My suggestion is that I save the spell and use it on anybody that seems to be struggling in the weather." He pulls out a loose page that has tabs on it "Also, I like to have different spells depending on my group and what we need. For example, perhaps the group has no ability to navigate in darkness and I would prepare some illumination magic. Perhaps we have no ability to subdue somebody nonlethaly so I take enchantment. So..." Tiasar explains what he has at his disposal
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The woman in green smiles to her fellow spellcaster. "That is very kind of you. You needn't worry about illumination spells, at least. I have one of my own." She looks over his shoulder. "Your sleeping spell may come in handy, both with the prisoners if they prove difficult, or potential threats we may run into." She offers no further suggestions for now.
She steps back to address the rest of the group. "My own powers are, alas, more limited. I may enlarge the warriors in our group, or bolster the defense of the lightly-armored. However, I usually tend to reserve this spell for my friend Aiko, who will be joining us on this trip."
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Overhearing the casters talking Horatius nods his head approvingly.
Already we begin to turn from individuals into a team.
"I'm glad we'll have both of your magical talents with us for this mission. With your arcane arts and the blessings of Sarenrae added to the dwarves martial abilities and my own we will be truly formidable."
"I know little of the arcane but from what you have explained Taisar. I would agree that being able to withstand the cold is useful but it should not be your focus. The spells you have that can disable multiple foes would probably serve us best for the time being. Of your simpler spells...cantrips I believe you said, perhaps one that can summon acid would be of use as I have heard trolls frequent the land we will be traveling to."
Turning a bit to face Yukie
"My lady I must apologize. When first you entered I'm afraid your...exotic...garb gave me pause as to if you would be able to hold your own in a mission such as ours. However the ability to enlarge one of us could certainly turn the course of battle. Truly there is more to you than I had accounted for."
Horatius gives a brief bow by way of apology. When he rises he face seems to carry a bit of uncertainty
"Your friend Aiko...is not a person then?"
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Jory looks at Yukie with some interest. "Madam, you wouldn't happen to have the spell the makes what looks like a magic chain shirt that lasts for hours. I would be much interested in that as I tend to try to be as close to the front lines as possible, it keeps people from getting in my line of fire."
Jory buys the same equipment as Halorn, and adds three spare blankets and two insulated large sacks. He adds two smaller oilskin sacks and an oilskin jacket to the mix too.
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As the arcane casters discuss their spell selection, Halorn appears to lose interest. He gets out of the chair and stomps out of the room. Under his breath, he appears to be preoccupied and talking softly with himself, "Snowshoes, outfit, blanket, food, feed...". He appears to ignore everyone else as he heads out.
A few moments later, the stomping stops and a voice shouts, "Back as soon as I'm done shopping!". A door slams.
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Halorn's abrupt departure gets a quick glance and a slightly confused tilt of the head from the minkaian woman, but no more.
Yukie's expression is mostly neutral when Horatius delivers his apology to her, but when he rises from his bow, he can see her smiling. "I appreciate your honesty. It is true, I am no warrior, and I may look fragile at first glance, but I am a Pathfinder."
To his question and Tiasar's more or less accurate assessment, she explains. "Not... quite a familiar. She is my friend, no more, no less. But yes, Aiko is a tiger. We share a sort of bond, that you could say is part of my powers. She protects me, and should protect you all as well."
She directs her attention to Jory at the question, still far away enough from him as not to offend her sensitive nose. "I believe that is indeed the spell you speak of. Then I shall cast it on you when we face danger, so that no blade may touch you."
She then soon excuses herself, to go "tell Aiko about their assignment".
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"Ah I see. Erastil teaches that man and nature are at their best when they combine their gifts. I look forward to meeting your friend."
As everyone starts to separate Horatius will walk with Andre
The trips from Absalom to northwest Irrisen is long but mostly uneventful.
You have plenty of time to get to know eachother better .
Upon arrival at the designated rendez-vous point, approximately 53 miles north of the Rimeflow River and 6 miles east of the Iceflow River, you are greeted by a female Ulfen ranger, in an outfit that matches the surrounding snowcapes quite well. The rest of her group consists of five other Ulfen rangers and druids, who are in the process of breaking down their shelters in preparation to move.
"My name is Ragna Sverrir Lightfoot, and I believe you were sent for me?"
After getting confirmation, she continues: "Here is a map to the hamlet of Harvest’s End, where I believe you'll have the easiest time crossing the Rimeflow River. If you're looking for the little buggers, you can find the goblins right there!"
She points in the direction, but this was a bit unneccesary. You can hear them, and smell them, from far away.
"We don't have much time, but I'll answer your questions briefly. And I hope you have thought about rations, because hunting will not be easy I fear."
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Tiasar wrinkles his nose at the goblins "I am Tiasar, well met. Yes I noticed them. Hmm, I believe we are all well equipped" he takes a look at the map, and traces his finger through the river "So the Rimeflow River, that should be helpful" he hands the map to those better suited for geography and glances over at the goblins "So, about the goblins. Is there anything we need to know about them, such as if one of them specificially is likely to cause problems?"
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His breath visible on the air, Horatius rubs his hands to warm them as he speaks.
"Hello Ragna I am Horatius. We've had a long trip north and it's good to finally reach our starting point."
Looking at the map he asks,
"What can you tell us of Harvest's End? Is there a bridge over the Rimeflow there or will it be frozen? Would locals be friendly to our arrival or is it best avoided?"
Hearing Tiasars questions he adds :
"As to the goblins are any spellcasters to your knowledge? We were told little of their capture, is there anyone who might be tracking them that you know of?"
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My understanding from what the Chamberlain told us is that we are to escort these prisoners to Trollheim where we'll turn them over to a larger group which will escort them further. Do you know whom we should seek out in the city? He also mentioned that we have 3-4 days to reach the city. Have there been any changes to this plan that you're aware of?
Followed by...
What can you tell us of the path from here to Harvest's End?
and...
You seem to be in quite the hurry. What hurries your steps so?
Once his questions, and any from the group are answered Horatius will continue...
Thank you for your help and for getting these prisoners to us. We will take responsibility for them from here. Before you go let us have a look a these goblins.
Horatius will then head over to the goblins to see how things stand. He checks on their health (T10 Heal : 15), that they are secure and confirms the head count before letting the Ragna and her group leave.
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For this journey, Yukie has had no choice but to trade her kimono for heavy furs dyed green. She has let her hair down to better accomodate the hood over her head, though she has apparently decided to keep her unusual makeup on despite the situation.
Besides her walks the Aiko she spoke of, a female white tiger who almost never leaves Yukie's side, and has proven fairly docile during the journey so far.
Oh my. The goblins, even from this far, seem just as troublesome as she feared. For now, however, she turns her attention back to their Ulfen contacts, and patiently waits for them to answer Horatius' many questions before quietly adding her own.
"Is there anything in particular that might make hunting difficult, besides inclement weather?" She casts a slightly worried look at her tiger, for whom she packed food with the expectation that she be able to hunt for at least a small portion of the trip. "And about the goblins... do they speak any language besides their own?"
"So, about the goblins. Is there anything we need to know about them, such as if one of them specificially is likely to cause problems?"
All the answers below are given at a "safe" distance from the goblins.
"Can't help you on that front. Although I believe there is one that is more likely to take a bite out of you, we have kept them on a very short leash, and I suggest you do the same. A sow wyvern in a cage can't fly, they say."
"What can you tell us of Harvest's End? Is there a bridge over the Rimeflow there or will it be frozen? Would locals be friendly to our arrival or is it best avoided?"
"I am uncertain, since we haven't been here in quite a while. There should be a bridge, but changes are that it has not endured the cold. It will be a surprise for you aswel as for me."
"As to the goblins are any spellcasters to your knowledge? We were told little of their capture, is there anyone who might be tracking them that you know of?"
My understanding from what the Chamberlain told us is that we are to escort these prisoners to Trollheim where we'll turn them over to a larger group which will escort them further. Do you know whom we should seek out in the city? He also mentioned that we have 3-4 days to reach the city. Have there been any changes to this plan that you're aware of?
"Your mission has not changed, as far as I'm aware. The four days should be doable, especially on foot. Just keep in mind that you don't want to lose too much time, as I can see you are unfamiliar with the terrain. Time can be deceiving."
What can you tell us of the path from here to Harvest's End?
"I'm sorry, it shouldn't be too difficult, but I don't have much time to go over the map. You are all pathfinders, some with more experience than others. I'm sure you can find your way."
You seem to be in quite the hurry. What hurries your steps so?
"Our mission differs from yours, and we have been waiting long enough for you to arrive. Discretion is the better part of valour, so lets keep it at that, shall we?"
She winks, and starts calling to the others.
"Let's go people, time's a wasting. I want to get halfway before evening! Sirken, are you ready? Gods be damned, I warned you..." she shouts as she storms towards one of her men, clearly frustrated.
"Is there anything in particular that might make hunting difficult, besides inclement weather?"
"And about the goblins... do they speak any language besides their own?"[/b]
"Oh, they can understand you just fine, so don't be fooled by them trying to pretend otherwise.
And it's not so much the weather that makes it hard, as the speed with which you will have to travel. I'm sure your feline friend will be able to catch something, as its instincts will make it easier for him. But just to be sure, I'll leave you with some of our rations. We have plenty, as we hunted while waiting for you."Ragna provides 4 days’ worth of rations for each and everyone of you, including the big cat, and as well as for each goblin prisoner.
"I regret to say that we are not packing horse-appropriate food. I thought Ambrus Valsin would have made this clear."