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The party is standing on a dock in the Shackles' city of Drench Port staring northward into the century-old hurricane called the Eye of Abendengo, a storm that takes up most of the horizon.
Drench Port (apparently named for the current and prevailing weather) is a free city in the Shackles and a hub for pirates and free-captains. The party was collected together here in a rush, but now they stand waiting for a vessel to collect them and take them to the Arcadian Mariner's Lodge of the Pathfinder Society. Once there they are to be briefed by the dangerous and disreputable ex-Shackles pirate, Venture-Captain Calisro Benarry, for a mission of special interest to the secret cabal that sits atop the Society's hierarchy--the mysterious Decemvirate.
Time they have been told, is against them.
The rain beats down in wind-blown sheets.
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A young woman with bronze skin and red hair that is so fiery it almost seems to lift with heat off of her skin when she moves arrives. She wears light armor and has a rapier and a few other weapons about her but nothing even remotely close to being considered "heavy". Today though she is covered in a heavy cloak with an umbrella above her head as she sneezes and shivers in the rain muttering angrily.
"Tanrılar lənətləmək yağışı nə üçün həmişə lənətlənmiş Yanğın sevgilisini qar yağdırır və ya yağış yağdırırlar? Bu, Valsinin xalçasında yenidən əvəz olunduğuna görə mi?!"
When others arrive she nods. You get the sense she'd be more bubbly and fiery if it wasn't for the wind and rain. "Ree Soiel at your service...well at least as long as the society continues to pay my bills at least." She tries a semi-seductive wink to the party members but just ends up sneezing again instead.
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Ever hear the saying "look like a drowned rat"?
The creature who approaches looks like a particularly large drowned rat at the moment. Shri Colo, nicknamed "Remmy" by his non-fuzzy friends, walks up to Ree Soiel as she stands in the rain, and shakes his head to throw some water from his fur.
Hey! Names R-r-remmy! Nice to meet you.
He speaks with a noticeable stutter, and perched on his face are a pair of glasses so thick that his eyes look 3 times as large as they should.
Talk ab-bout b-bad weather huh? Wouldn't mind getting inside and c-c-cooking up some hot s-soup!
He wipes his whiskers a moment and pulls his cloak tighter around him to ward off the wet.
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A humanoid with a reptilian head and neck approaches the group, clothed in a light shirt and shorts. His green scaly skin and yellow eyes are often unnerving to those who have never met a Nagaji before. However, he quickly laughs boisterously as he walks up, and a big smile breaks out across his face. He speaks in a low voice, with a slight accent. "Lady Darchana suggested I go to the Shackles for my next assignment. 'Wonderful beaches' she said. I'm starting to think she may have been upset at me."
The Nagaji sets down his backpack and begins to pull out warmer clothes. In the process he drops four different sharp weapons and, oddly enough, a shiny clean gardening hoe. "The name is Lumo of Gorum. Pleased to meet you. I might not be the brightest, but my arm is yours."
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Through the obscuring rain and churning bay a dinghy approaches the dock.
As it approaches the party can see that is being rowed by two hard-looking men. A woman swathed in rain-proof cloak lights their way with lantern.
They reach the dock, and as the men go about securing the boat against the crashing waves, the woman pulls down her hood and introduces herself.
"I am Frau Blücher." There is a crack of lightning and a peel of thunder. Horses from a nearby stable whinny in fear. The woman's expression is quite possibly the most severe you have ever seen. "Is zhis everyone? By order of Captain Calisro Benarry, I am here to escort you to za lodge. If you would please." She gestures to the dinghy.
A woman wearing a heavy cloack hurries through the door. She immediately removes the garment, revealing a woman wearing intricate armor and a prominently displayed holy symbol of Sarenrae. Light reflects off her armor, giving the impression that her very presence brightens the room.
Apologies for being late. I don't usually visit such places of I'll repute. But Sarenrae and the Pathfinders have called me here, so here I am
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For someone who is quick on his feet, Kahwen is very often late. That is the case this time, as he seems to be the last to arrive. He hurries up to the dinghy, drawing down his hood as he approaches.
He looks up at the rain then at his companions and gives a shrug that quite eloquently describes Man's place in the universe and his comfort when nature makes a decision about it.
He moves with quick, sure grace but fidgets a bit, as well, turning and fiddling with an obviously old Wayfinder that he wears proudly and prominently around his neck. Old though it is, it has been polished to a high shine. His midnight black feathers are largely hidden under an equally shiny chain shirt that moves and falls more like clothe than metal.His arms are particularly bird like.
His golden eyed gaze is bright and eager.
When he speaks, his voice is hoarse and a bit grating.
"Greetings companions," he says. "Apologies for being late. You might think that I am pleased to be home, but, in truth I will be glad to be gone again."
He gladly climbs aboard the dinghy.
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Lumo steps aboard the dinghy gladly and speaks to the oarsmen . "Thank you for your service. Let us get out of this weather, aye?"
He looks at the Tengu. "Your homeland, huh? The weather always this terrible?"
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The strange companions board the dinghy with not a few of them pressed into rowing against the waves. Soon land and the lights of the waterfront are lost and only the Frau's lantern and Ree's sputtering hair remaining.
Then seemingly out of nowhere, a black shape looms out of the sea it's upper reaches dotted with light. A ship! A huge merchant carrack.
From high above lines are dropped as the rowers maneuver to the ship's flank past the suddenly lightning-illuminated, diabolically grinning figurehead.
Soon the dinghy is raised with the two rowers climbing ahead on the rigging. Blücher stands at the bow like a grim ferryman as the party ascends through the rain and sudden sprinkling of stinging hail. When the bow of the dinghy comes even with the deck rail she steps off, and disappears among the linemen.
Though the air temperature is stifling hot and muggy the deck is slick with ice pellets and bustling with sailors in rain gear tying and untying ropes, battening hatches and securing the ship against the storm, even as waves buffet the carrack.
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"-With me!" shouts one of the crew guiding the party to a doorway in the aftercastle. The man is a huge brute covered in tattoos and smelly damp leathers.
After pressing the party through the door and then securing against the stinging rain he squeezes past and down a narrow corridor and from there through a door and down a cramped, brass-fitted, spiraling stairwell that opens up at the bottom into a moderately-sized sitting room with carpet and windows awash in the weather outside. The room is surprisingly quiet. There are people already here.
The party's guide grunts, and exits back up the stair. You hear him secure the door at the top.
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"Sausage in a bun?" Offers a weaselly-looking fellow holding a tray full of them.
"Come in. Shake off. Have a seat until they're all full." offers a big half-orc in a red captain's hat and livery. She could only be the infamous former(?) Shackles pirate captain turned Society Venture-Captain Calisro Benarry. "Welcome aboard the Grinning Pixie. Drink?"
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Lumo is distinctly uncomfortable as he walks through the skinny hallways of the ship. This captain better be nicer than the last. I don't want to be putting out any fires today.
As the group reaches the bottom of the stairwell, he exclaims, "Now this is a lodge I can appreciate! Two sausages, please! And, a drink is always welcome, ma'am." He nods his head to the captain in respect.
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Aye, some nice warm food is a great idea...and a mug of coffee or tea as well if you please....whichever you have handy, thank you. Conal says, shaking off his outer jacket and rubbing his hands to get the numbness out of them. He proudly wears the colours of his homeland on his gear. Tassels braided with the colours of Taldor hang of his wickedly curved blade and the tabard covering his chain shirt.
"Careful of Dibbler's sausages. He has trouble making ends meat." the captain says with a wink.
As the Grinning Pixie lurches and sways in the storm, Venture-Captain Calisro Benarry of the Arcadian Mariner’s Lodge grins widely as she slides a clay jug of strong Sargavan rum across her table toward a cluster of glass tumblers. "This is as close to coffee as we come here."
Though broad-shouldered and half a head taller than most humans, the intimidating half-orc speaks with an almost childlike sense of excitement in her husky voice. “My apologies for all the secrecy,” she says. “I had to make sure some pirate rascal didn’t catch wind of our mission. Now that Drenchport’s behind us and we’re hugging the Eye of Abendego, it’s time to give you lubbers the full run-down.”
Benarry waits for the jug to make its way back to her, then takes a long swig straight from it. “My missive mentioned that the Society wants you to explore a recently discovered ruin somewhere north of the Shackles. Well, that was partly true, but it wasn’t exactly the whole story.”
Benarry’s eyes narrow and her grin becomes unsettlingly sharklike. “We’re actually sending you to the Gloomspires, to Old Sevenfingers’s tomb.” Chuckling softly, she slides the jug back across the table. “Here, have another nip. Looks like you need it.”
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After a very long and successful career full of killing, looting, and assorted depravity, he entombed himself alive in one of the Gloomspires. His legendary tomb has lured pirates, explorers, and treasure-hunters to their doom ever since.
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Lumo happily drinks from the rum as it is passed by. His attention seems to be more focused on the sausages than the significance of these locations or historical people.
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Remmy is sniffing the sausages and nibbling at them, trying to identify the components of the strange meatish substance when the mission is explained. He let's out a small squeak, nearly dropping his sausage.
T-t-t-the Gloom S-s-s-spires?!
He takes a... not insignificant drink of the rum as it passes by.
Oh d-dear! The Gloomspires are an ancient field of massive stone columns that rise from the Arcadian Ocean. Most sages say they were already old when the Ghol-Gan Empire was young. The Gloomspires are hollow and contain many chambers and passages, all of which are believed to be cursed, monster-infested, or both. Since the time of Ghol-Gan, many of the Gloomspires have been explored, and some have even been claimed and repurposed by other beings. Of these, Sevenfingers’s tomb is the most well known. And let us not forget Sevenfingers! Sempet Sevenfingers was a legendary pirate who was active in the region 300 years ago.
You notice that he doesn't stutter once during the explanation, sounding almost like he's reciting verbatim from a book then actually explaining something. He takes another hearty swig of the rum.
I've h-heard very b-bad things about the Gloom S-spires.... are you r-really sending us to that p-place?
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"Pretty much," Kahwen answers Lumo's question about the weather on the dock.
He takes up oars in the dinghy and proves to be adept with them. The way he looks around at the bustling activity on the ship suggests he is familiar with those workings, as well. Just as he is obviously comfortable in the tight passages of the ship.
He perches more than sits on a chair and takes some of all the refreshments offered.
He does not smile, because he can't, but has an expression that heavily suggests a grin as he turns to his rodent-like companion.
"Come now, Friend Remmy. The greater the danger, the greater the reward and glory. The Venture Captain is giving us a great opportunity. We just have to be courageous enough to seize it!"
Captain Bearry nods to Dibbler who excuses himself and closes the door behind him.
“I’ve been researching the Gloomspires for a very long time. Before I sailed to Absalom and joined the Society, I was a Free Captain here in the Shackles. Those were the days, heh. Back then I learned about the Gloomspires, Old Sevenfingers, and all the treasure and secrets the old devil took with him when he sealed himself in his tomb.”
A long, rumbling growl of thunder makes Benarry pause, and she takes the opportunity to wet her lips with another swig of rum before she continues. “Since joining the Society, I’ve been able to learn even more about the Gloomspires. Most importantly, I’ve discovered that they’re tied to certain alignments of the stars, and that twice each year—beginning on the nights of the summer and winter solstices—the columns cease moving for exactly three days.”
“So, the summer solstice is next week. Now that you know the ‘where’ and the ‘when’ of this little caper, you need to know why the Society’s sending you.” Benarry pauses before continuing in a more conspiratorial voice.
“I recently came into the possession of a logbook once owned by the pirate captain, Mazzer Thrennt. Before Thrennt ended up as lusca-bait seven years back, he was a moderately successful pirate who shared my obsession with the Gloomspires. It turns out his log contains an inventory of the plunder he liberated over the years, including the loot he found in Sevenfingers’s tomb. One item on Thrennt’s list immediately got my attention: His log described with perfect accuracy a relic from lost Lirgen called the Orb of Stars. I’m certain that this device can manipulate the alignments of the stars—or at least how we perceive them— and historical accounts suggest we could also use it to trick the Gloomspires into thinking that the solstice lasts more than just a day. The Society and I both want that orb, and it’s going to look really good to the folks back home if you’re able to secure it. Here,” she says, passing a sheet of parchment across the table, “I’ve written down some of the particulars.”
"Any questions?"
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Ree is just trying to keep from being continually seasick during this whole period aboard ship especially if the rain keeps up during the trip. She takes in far more of the rum than a woman of her frame should reasonably be able to and not be passed out. If pressed on the matter she'll just mutter something about "burn't it off" before getting seasick over the railing again.
She'll pick up some rope and a grappling hook from the quartermaster as well as two vials of stillgut for herself from her own funds.
Other than asking when the ground will stop being wet and moving she has no pertinent questions.
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Remmy spends a lot of his time in the kitchen helping out with the chef and trying out new recipes. He also, oddly, collects a lot of bones from the animals that are used.
Remmy requisitions a dungeoneering kit from the quartermaster, as well as a standard Pathfinder's kit.
He also at various points during the trips sniffs each team member uncomfortably closely. When asked "What the hell?!", Remmy simply responds with In case you get lost. before wandering off to do... whatever it is a creepy rat man does.
Kyra boards the dinghy, and is not shy about picking up an oar and doing her share of rowing.
After hearing the briefing, and listening to what Remmy has to say, Kyra pipes up Sarenrae will watch over us. We haven nothing to fear from these Gloomspires
Kyra will spend her week onboard caring for those who are seasick, and doing her share of the work on the boat. She won't shy away from swabbing decks, peeling potatoes, or any of the other tedious manual labor tasks that are required on a boat. She'll stay out of the rigging though. And if there are any crew members suffering from afflictions of any kind (scurvy perhaps?), she'll do what she can to help them out.
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Kahwen's eyes flash with glee first at the description of the mission then at the possibility of getting new shiny things. Unfortunately, he has little gold on hand and refuses to abuse the Captain's generosity.
He is not the question asking kind so will remain silent during the following discussion, assuming that the captain has told them all she knows and that a group of Pathfinders can get out of any trouble they might get into.
When he visits the quartermaster, he simply asks for a grappling hook and 50' of silk rope to go with it, a hammer and 20 pitons, and a bag to carry his borrowed gear in.
He also makes himself useful on the ship. While no master sailor, he proves to be a fair hand and, unlike Kyra, seems all too eager to climb into the rigging and even up to the crow's nest. He seems to realize the irony of being up there, given his appearance but will not comment on it if no one else does. He'll also give Kyra some tips and hints as she helps out.
He is not particularly disturbed by Remmy's invasion of his personal space and simply has a quizzical look on his face until the ratfolk explains himself. Then, he seems completely reassured.
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Lumo heads to the quartermaster and borrows a crowbar, portable ram and a compass. "I ain't good at lock picking, but I know how to deal with a locked door!"
Lumo spends most of the week getting acquainted with the crew, picking up tips about life at sea. When Remmy approaches him he laughs. "I hope you don't mind the smell of last night's beef stew! That was some raunchy stuff!"
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Remmy smiles at Lumo as he mentioned the stew.
Yes, the c-chef could c-certainly do b-better by adjusting his s-spice b-blend to accommodate for the heavily s-salted rations.
He sniffs again and nods as if confirming something.
If you rather have a more s-s-sustaining meal, feel free to ask... I l-love to cook. The more interesting things the b-b-better.
He licks his lips and says in a quiet voice...
I wonder what we'll find in the s-spires... maybe some m-monster who's b-been s-stewing for a while... do you think the m-magic will c-change the taste? oooo... I can't w-wait to find out...
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Conal heads to the quartermaster and signs out a pick, a crowbar along with a hammer and some pitons.
That should do...can't think of anything else....
conal whiles away the time on board doing stretches and practicing his swordplay. He chips in with any work that needs doing.
There is no telling what we might find. Riches, rats...nothing. Only time shall tell....but as long as there is glory, I'll be fine.
A week later, and a hundred miles west of that perpetual hurricane, the Eye of Abendego, the Grinning Pixie weighs anchor before a region of thick fog. Deep in the mist the Pixie's crew can make out tall, blocky, black, stone columns rising hundreds of feet out of the sea. Their tops crowned with thick foliage. The mists, they are informed, are perpetual, and combined with the strange spatial distortions in the area make navigating a ship the size of the Grinning Pixie hazardous in the extreme, so the party will be taking Captain Benarry's incredible folding boat into the fog bank to find the one particular spire encircled by a shipwreck that marks the site of Sempet Sevenfinger's Tomb--one spire amid the twenty, or (by some accounts) fifty spires hidden in the fog. They only have three days starting from now to get in, find the spire, climb to its peak, find the entrance to the top-most dungeon level, and retrieve the Orb of Stars before the Gloomspires shift again, possibly leaving them lost in the fog for all time.
"Piece of cake." Captain Benarry says. "I've shown Kahwen all he needs to know about the folding boat so you should be fine. Mind, I expect to have her back in proper order when this is all done. Otherwise you'll be paying for the repairs. You hear?" She gives the tengu a good-natured slap on the back that knocks nearly all the air from his lungs and more than a few of his feathers free. "Any last-minute questions?"
Kyra will pick up some rope (100 feet), a collapsible 10 foot pole,, and four vials of acid before leaving the ship.
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Lumo is all set, and carries his extra large pack aboard. "Let's get these land lubbers back to dry soil! Kyra, help me with the oars?"
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Always happy to help! Let us make haste, as it sounds like time is of the essence.
Kyra will happily grab one of the oars and help row.
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The small crow-like man stumbles a couple of steps as the much larger half-orc woman gives him a friendly pat on the back. He coughs a couple of times as he tries to catch his breath, his golden eyes watering. At first he can only nod in reply but eventually answers in a voice even more hoarse than normal.
"I'll treat it like it is my own," Kahwen replied. "Better than my own, actually."
His eyes gleamed with joy at the wondrous item he'd been entrusted with.
Once everyone was aboard, he provided advice but didn't exactly take the lead. He was no commander but he knew his business and would tell his fellow Pathfinders what to do to keep them from crashing and to keep them going where they needed to go.
He took only a moment to check to make sure that the supplies he'd requested were there before turning his full attention to the task at hand.
He kept his Wayfinder open, the light from it doing little to pierce the mist but acting as a beacon to the ship so they would know that the expedition was safe at least until the mist hid that light from them, as well.
The crew make their into the mist amid the titanic square black pillars of stone with their oddly smooth seeming surfaces a hundred twenty feet to a side and tall enough that their tops cannot be seen from the deck of the folding-boat. The spires stand as solemn as gravestones.
At times the crew is forced to check their speed and bearings, as when they came about along side a spire that they had thought they has passed before and found that according to their calculations the perfectly square, 120' foot to side, column had one side that was 180' long.
At one point in a particularly foggy region the crew had had to make a hard turn to port to avoid crashing into a spire that had previously seemed much further ahead of them. The fact that the damned spires all look alike further complicates the hunt for Sevenfinger's tomb.
After hours of searching for a shipwreck-encrusted spire with no luck, the feeble mist-deadened light begins to fade as night draws near.
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It's a bit of a long shot, but Remmy sniffs the air, concentrating to try and catch the scent of the rotting wood of the shipwreck spire, even at one point dipping his claw in the water to taste the salt of it and see if he can find anything that might help him navigate.
Baring that he looks at the spires, squinting his eyes in his heavy glasses, trying to spot anything that might help them towards the right spire.
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Kahwen's breath has caught in his throat each time their borrowed boat has been in danger of crashing, not because he is afraid of being shipwrecked but because he fears damaging Captain Benarry's magic boat.
As night begins to fall, he decides to take more decisive action. They have been wandering aimlessly, so far but he attempts to direct the vessel towards the center of the shifting spires, assuming that the one they're looking for would already have been thoroughly investigated if it was on the edge.
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During the beginning of the voyage, Lumo is concerned about the task ahead. "Uh... we're supposed to climb these things? I can't even see the top!"
After things start to turn nasty, he pulls out his compass and hopes to help Kawen get the group back on track.
"Uh... which way is North?"
With the compass failing him, Lumo instead pulls out a piece of paper and begins to draw in his crude hand writing. Well, even if we can't find this cursed tower, hopefully we can find our way out of the mist before the stars change.
He is attempting to draw a map showing the path they have taken through the towers, labelling details like "Uh... not a square tower?".
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Kyra, with no skill as a sailor, and no knowledge of how to navigate, will attempt to help guide the boat by alternating between casting light to keep the encroaching darkness at bay.
Have faith my companions! Fear not the dark, for Sarenrae will show us the way and hold back the evils of the night!
It's a bit of a long shot, but Remmy sniffs the air, concentrating to try and catch the scent of the rotting wood of the shipwreck spire, even at one point dipping his claw in the water to taste the salt of it and see if he can find anything that might help him navigate.
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Lumo helps hold Remmy steady while he investigates and keeps an eye out for a sign.
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Kahwen squints and strains his eyes to cut through the fog. The columns seem to be all the same and moving so, unless they can think of a good way to mark them that can be seen at a long distance, through the fog, they can only try to cover as much ground (water) as possible until they spot the one with the ship.
Kahwen using his seamanship skills, and a fair bit of luck (something that Irori would frown upon) steers the vessel to what he feels is the center of the Gloomspires, a curiously calm stretch of water clouded by a blanket of sound-deadening fog.
Despite Lumo's aid, Remmy can determine something....