Initiative Order - Round 1
-------------------------------------
Mujenbai and Unapp - delays, then moves
Selter and Sithiss - delay
Marco - fires crossbow, misses
Jorag - BoL on Selter
Selter and Sithiss - moves, throws spear, misses
Enemies:
S2 - claws, misses
S1 - blocked by S2
DT - casts, Selter saves
-------------------------------------Round 2
Mujenbai and Unapp - throws bola, taking out S1, Unapp delays then attacks DT for 9 damage
Marco - picks up and loads crossbow
Jorag - channels
Selter and Sithiss - tosses holy water, crushes S2
Enemy: DT Channel Negative Energy 2 damage
-------------------------------------Round 3
Mujenbai and Unapp - attack
Marco - fires crossbow, misses, drops and draws a scroll
Jorag - BoL
Selter and Sithiss - tosses holy water
Enemy:
-------------------------------------Round 4
Mujenbai and Unapp
Marco
Jorag
Selter and Sithiss
Enemy
1)
2)
2.5)
4)
4.5)
Mujenbai moves in as Unapp slashes at Dalirio, barely catching his target. The cleric looks weakened after the assault and channels again.
Seeing the undead cleric is only clinging to this world by a narrow margin, Mujenbai calls for Unapp to press the attack, but the little dino fails to catch the monster in his claws this time, rending only the air. The big Mwangan druid swings his club again, only just cuffing Dalitio, but it is enough as the ghoulish cleric rebounds against the curved wall behind his desk. The light of intelligence fades from his eyes, but not before he cries out,
"No! I am the champion of prophecy! Groetus will feast on your souls Pathfinders. The boneyard awaits us all..."
As the dust from the battle clears, the occupants of the cages stand and peer out tentatively. They thank the Pathfinders for their timely rescue and babble with relief and joy over their ordeal.
A thorough search reveals a chest under the desk contains several Cassomir trade bars worth 2,500 gp.
Jorag pours through the desk and discovers a false bottom in the top drawer. Inside the compartment, manuscripts describe two sinister plans: the first details Dalirio’s desire to create small bands of skeletons to assault Cassomir, and the second talks of a derro plan to use secret tunnels to infiltrate a major Cassomir building and kidnap everyone inside.
Selter discovers a small switch on the floor near the desk that responds to pressure, although he is uncertain as to what it does...
Marco suspects that the stone is the focus of a spell and casts detect magic to further investigate. After a few moments study, he determines that the unholy spell desecrate has been cast upon it.
The journey back to the surface seems to stretch on far longer than it should as you plod along at the pace of the weakened captives, ever upward toward the open air and freedom. Tiny scrabbles in the distant darkness set the captives clutching at each other for comfort with wide, frightened eyes. Fortunately nothing challenges your parade of exhausted, bedraggled bodies through the narrow tomb halls and sewer-ways. The sun has risen over the city-scape by the time you spill out of the underground and stand blinking in the light of day. Garver startles from his long wait and rushes to help you get your rescues to a healer.
The surviving engineers and other kidnapping victims praise the Pathfinders for their timely intervention and speak well of your names to all who will listen. Hestia becomes worried about the uncovered plot to infiltrate a Cassomir building and make off with all of its inhabitants. She warns Cassomir’s officials about the tunnel system but is unable to provoke any satisfying responses from them. It seems the authorities either think the claims are false or exaggerated, or perhaps they simply can’t cut though the bureaucracy to make anything happen about the matter in a timely fashion. Whatever the reason, the Venture Captain is clearly frustrated with a lack of response and asks that you delay your travel plans yet again as you all anxiously wait for the danger to make itself known.
The next day passes slowly as storm clouds roll in off the water, casting a dreary pall over the city of Cassomir. No word comes from the Venture-Captain and any inquiries you make are turned away with a glum report from her assistant, Cestis... "No news yet, sorry."
A heavy fog moves in that night and you rest uneasily, troubled by the lack of response from the local authorities. You rise early the next day, and even though no overt alarm sounds, you know something is amiss. People outside on the street move too quickly and watch their surroundings more than usual and the common room of the Inn buzzes with the combined sounds of lowered voices speaking to each other with much fervor. You need not strain to overhear a particularly boisterous pair of old gents as they argue over steaming cups.
"'Tis a plot, I tell ya! They plotted to escape, an' now they have. Tha whole lot 'o them! It's no wonder with how they let them stroll around like they please!"
"Bah! You're not lis'nin again... There's guards missin' too! You think the swift guard would be tromping into the sewers of their own free will too? Knowing the thief takers would soon be at their backs?"
"They might! If'n tha price was right!"
"Nah, I'm not fer believin' that. Somethin' happened to those folks. Somethin' bad."
Your breakfast is still cooling when Cestis bursts through the door, a bundle of nervous energy. "I'll... um, need you to gather up your gear as soon as you've finished breaking your fast, Pathfinders. Meet us at the Pathfinder Lodge, Venture-Captain Themis needs to speak with you all right away."
...........................................................................
Once you arrive, Cestis waves you on to Hestia's office where the petite woman rifles through a stack of papers in front of her on her enormous blackwood desk.
Venture-Captain Hestia Themis, a woman of small stature, but great importance within Cassomir, sweeps locks of thick, raven hair away from her face. As she starts to speak, shrill horns bellow an alarm. Hestia pauses for the signal to quiet with an annoyed look on her face, and as the trumpeting ring fades, her booming voice continues.
“Colleagues, the city of Cassomir declared a state of emergency this morning. They failed to heed our warnings and late last night, a swarm of rats poured into Cassomir’s streets, spilling from every sewer grate within the Old Cassomir district. As the city guards dealt with this infestation, a large assault force of derros penetrated Swift Prison. Within a few hours, the derros emptied the Swift, and marched their new slaves into the Darklands. Normally we defer incidents like this to the authorities, but I offered our assistance and they have wisely chosen to accept it." She allowed herself a smug smile as she says this and refers again to the papers in front of her.
She lowers her voice as she speaks her next words. "There’s an item of interest, a church bell called the 'bell of obedience', that may reside in Swift Prison’s chapel. We want to catalogue it and may never have another opportunity to explore the Swift unsupervised. While investigating the derro invasion, head to the chapel and inspect the bell. If possible, I want you to determine whether the Chapel’s bell is in fact the legendary 'bell of obedience' without taking it from the prison. Cassomir’s constabulary is as of this moment fighting Cult of Nature’s Cataclysm devotees at the south entrance to the prison. The constabulary agreed to distract the cultists there so that you might approach the Swift from its north side and enter the prison from the south gate behind the cultists.”
She raps sharply on the desk and a moment later, Cestis opens the office door and a familiar teenage boy enters and approaches at Hestia's gesture.
“This is Nefti — I believe some of you may know him already. Though he works with the Aspis Consortium, he helped us rescue my assistant, Cestis, when this derro business began. It seems Nefti happened to be serving a debtor’s term inside the Swift when the abductions took place. For his testimony to last night’s events we secured his release. He agreed to escort you to a spot north of the Swift where he will tell you all he knows. Any questions before you set off?”
|
With hunched posture, the hooded and birdlike creature at the back of the office shuffles some weathered script of cardstock around in his clawed hands. Beady eyes downturned to whatever is painted on the cards, he makes small trilling and croaking noises, occasionally clicking his dark beak in quick snap-snap-snap nervois tics. "Nnnh," he vocalizes, feathers at his crown ruffling. "This is no good," the creature admits regretfully in a coarse voice, thick with Varisian accent.
"The cards," the tengu croaks, hurriedly pushing his way up to Hestia's desk, slapping down a handful of cards with clearly painted pictures face-up. "Do you not see, here," the tengu taps one talon down on a card depicting a red-robed figure in a mask. "The Inquisitor!" Beady eyes stare at the Venture-Captain as if his sudden outburst was neither weird nor unsolicited. "This entire operation is't courting danger.."
Waving one clawed hand flippantly in the air, the tengu points back and forth across the seeming jumble of cards. "When aligned in such a fashion with the Joke and the Bear, there is't sign of strength, yes? Strength and adversity. But the Joke is misaligned," he casually turns a card showing a giant in a fit of laughter upside down, "an' this, this indicates the joke is on us."
And that's it.
That's where the tengu stops his frantic speech, looking up with feathery brows raised in expectant stare at Hestia, as if he fully expects her to see the "wisdom" in the cards without further explanation or elaboration.
A moment of awkward silence passes, and the tengu clears his throat and sweeps the cards into one hand. "Kūtayak Shîkrya," the tengu says in introduction. "Perhaps... ah, startin'k with that. Yes? With the introductions."
"Yes, introductions first. This is how the things work with the pople an't their skin hands." Kūtayak mutters to himself, wringing his free hand over a patterned blue/black scarf tied around his neck. "Then with the prophecy."
|
|
"Yes. Should we come back and report to your or is it there anything else you require?" What speaks is a new guy, that has not been through the previous events with you. His skin is almost gray, as is his hair, and they match his blue and silver robe and breastplate. You clearly recognize he is a follower of Desna, be if for the symbols on his clothes or by the holy symbol at a leather tong on his neck.
He turns to the party.
"I heard you were quite successful yesterday. Well done! Everyone calls me Ka, and I'll be working with you today. I'm a cleric of the Lady Luck."
|
|
Wiggling his talons as if tickling the keys of an invisible piano, Kūtayak views Ka with a side-long stare. "Nnnnh, Starwalker," he mumbles, head bobbing left to right in weighing of an opinion. "This one withdraws his prior doomsayin'k. There is't new information that has come to light, an't it seems as though the Caravan travels alongside us. This..." Kūtayak traces a finger in the air as if counting something, then shuffles through his deck of Harrow cards and withdraws another, keeping it close to his chest. "Yes, this changes things."
With that "assessment" made, Kūtayak looks back over his shoulder to the Venture-Captain and tucks his harrow cards into a snug leather case on his belt. "This one will be assisting the Starwalker, then, yes?" By that title, he seems to imply Ka.. But the raving tengu seems uninterested in confirmation of the question he asked Hestia, apparently allowing it to fall into some sort of rhetorical purgatory.
"Starwalker," Kūtayak sidles up to Ka, laying a taloned hand on his shoulder. "Do with the keepin'k out of harm's way, yes? You are fortune's friend and this one would prefer not to see fortune trying to hold in its insides with a free hand. Bad for morale."
With his pep talk accomplished, Kūtayak looks to the other members of what he presumes is Ka's party and flourishes one hand in the air and then bows with the theatricality of a stage actor. "This one has spent a bit too much time starin'k at the cards and the space between the stars, yes? This one is Kūtayak Shîkrya. Soothsayer, speaker of the Harrow, and caller of the Storytime." Rising from the bow, Kūtayak lets out a soft croaking trill, and dusts off the front of his robe.
"It is't pleasure to make your acquaintances."
|
A man dressed in black robes with blue trim steps into the room, his black beard and hair wild and disheveled as if he had just woken up. He has a blank wide eyed stare and when he speaks he has a slight lisp. "Sso ssorry, I was following my friend Otiophon and they sstopped me in the hall and ssaid I wass reassigned again." He looks around the room at his new companions. "My name is Kurse, I do magic and sstuff and I will." He stops mid sentence and his eyes flit back and forth as if trying to follow some unseen presence. "No I wassn't going to get to you, how many timess do I have to ssay it. The only one that can ssee or hear you iss me. Oh it'ss going to be like that, fine." Kurse points to a space above his right shoulder. "I know you can't ssee him but thiss iss my friend Sslipss, he followss me everywhere AND NEVER SSTOPSS TALKING. Lucky I am the only one that hass to put up with him sso Sslipss and I are at your sservice."
|
|
Ka just nods to the collocations of the Tengu. He wasn't one to question destiny, so he just let the man be. "I walk the path of the lucky, and that never includes real danger, but only adversities."
And there was the other crazy one, talking to himself. At least he has worked with Maedhros before, who's not friendly, but also not chatty. It would be fine, or so he believed...
|
|
Ssself ssstill not underssstand reassson for thessse thingsss called prisssonsss. If one contributesss to sssociety, then let one contribute to sssociety. If one sssubtractsss from sssociety, then sssubtract that one from sssociety. Prissson is worssst of both. Sssociety hasss another burden to keep onesss within sssociety yet not let them contribute. Makesss no sssenssse.
And now ssself learnsss prisssonsss are sssource of power for enemiesss of sssame sssociety. This is worssse yet.
Thessse Derro mussst be ssstopped and take away the ssslavesss that they have taken to ssstop their plansss.
.
Let usss go. Derro need a ssspear in the gut.
"The cards," the tengu croaks, hurriedly pushing his way up to Hestia's desk, slapping down a handful of cards with clearly painted pictures face-up. "Do you not see, here," the tengu taps one talon down on a card depicting a red-robed figure in a mask. "The Inquisitor!" Beady eyes stare at the Venture-Captain as if his sudden outburst was neither weird nor unsolicited. "This entire operation is't courting danger.."
Waving one clawed hand flippantly in the air, the tengu points back and forth across the seeming jumble of cards. "When aligned in such a fashion with the Joke and the Bear, there is't sign of strength, yes? Strength and adversity. But the Joke is misaligned," he casually turns a card showing a giant in a fit of laughter upside down, "an' this, this indicates the joke is on us."
And that's it.
That's where the tengu stops his frantic speech, looking up with feathery brows raised in expectant stare at Hestia, as if he fully expects her to see the "wisdom" in the cards without further explanation or elaboration.
Hestia Themis drew herself up to her full height, fists clenching at her sides at the Tengu's swift and sudden approach. Her dark eyes glint with a hard edge before she relaxes her hands and focuses on what Kūtayak Shîkrya is saying. She listens and narrows her eyes thoughtfully before answering.
"Ah, our newest requisition, I take it? I'm sure your... insights will prove valuable to your team. And certainly no one can accuse the Society of not utilizing every resource available to us."
Captain Themis then turns to Ka, "I trust you to carry out this mission without my looking over your shoulder. Nefti will tell you what he saw and where he saw the prisoners taken. Once you've seen to the artifact we discussed, follow the derro's trail and recover our citizens if you possibly can." Her cool gaze then travels over Selter's scaly features with a clenched jaw. "You may not understand the purpose of Swift Prison, but most of those who were taken are still contributing members of Cassomir society. Bring them home, Pathfinders."
As you shuffle out of the cramped office, bantering and bickering to yourselves, you hear the Venture-Captain murmur to herself. "The joke is on us? Hmm..."
...........................................................................
Cestis has dutifully laid out your missives out in a neat row for you to pick up on your way out. He gives you all a grim, but encouraging smile. "Be careful down there... and good luck!"
Faction Missions for The Devil We Know Part IV: The Rules of the Swift
Chelaxian Faction Mission, optional
Osirion Faction Mission, optional (Alternate for Grand Lodge)
Taldan Faction Mission, optional (Alternate for Sczarni)
Qadiran Faction Mission, optional
|
|
"You sound like a Hellknight, Selter..."
Selter responds with a chuckling hiss, Falssse underssstanding. Ssso what if a man ssstole a sssquab to feed hisss child? Isss man willing to work? If yesss, punisssh for offenssse if needed and let him work. Punissshment need not be death, but relatively relaxing time in ssshelter with food and care isss not punissshment.
Thossse armored sssimpletonsss reassson nothing, decide nothing, sssimply kill all that might have broken sssome arbitrary law.Besssides, rumorsss sssay sssome Hellknightsss do imprissson creaturesss if power can be usssed. Having nothing to do with law. Isss sssad they can't even follow what they ssstate of their sssimplissstic preceptsss.
.
Selter seems ready to proceed immediately.
Nefti leads the way as you set off on your mission, his eyes always moving as you make your way through the streets of Old Cassomir. But he nods to Ka's request to speak to some folk on the way.
Despite his odd appearance, Ka's manner is soothing and sets the anxious townspeople at ease. Desna's luck favors him in that he meets a former prisoner of the Swift who has been paying very close attention to current events. He possesses some skill with magic and swears the bell strongly radiates arcane power from the school of enchantment. He mentions a quieting, soothing effect of the bell.
He also speaks of a bell dating back to the time of old Azlant is rumored to make those who hear its clear ring susceptible to suggestion.
"Perhaps they are one and the same, eh?" He suggests, clearly pleased to have held the strange young man's attention for so long.
He also hears some rumors about how things went down at Swift Prison earlier that morning. Seems the rat plague came from the sewers under Cassomir. Some folks were even saying the Nature’s Cataclysm druids sent the rats as the city’s punishment for greedily taking too much blackwood for their ship building industries.
One tells a tale about a decayed, smelly undead creature that ordered several mangy looking humans to stay behind and harass any who attempted to enter the keep.
Another warns Ka that after the derros abandoned the Swift, two humans who weren’t prisoners or guards were seen skulking about the Swift’s chapel.
You approach the Swift from the north and about a block from the gates, Nefti motions you to gather in the shadows to hear him speak.
"This is as far as I go, friends. The derro herded the prisoners into the main keep. They must have broken through into the Keep's basement levels from the old Ismacco tunnels. Deep below the keep, within the sewers, the derros are marching the guards and prisoners into the depths of Golarion, but it will be slow going. Be careful, several of those Nature’s Cataclysm freaks still roam the Swift’s grounds.”
He kneels down on the ground and scratches a rudimentary map in the dust and then taps the nortwest corner with a grubby finger.
"There is a path between trees and small buildings that will provide good cover as you work your way in. Travel along the west side to reach the Keep and once inside, then just keep heading down. Good luck."
|
|
Hunched over in his hooded cloak, Kūtayak makes a single soft croaking caw when Nefti is finished speaking, then settles down in a squat within the shadows they had gathered in. The bird-like creature untucks the flap of a leather box at his belt, withdrawing a stack of cards from within—the came tall cards he'd thrown on the desk earlier at the meeting. Making a grumbling noise in the back of his throat, Kūtayak arranges the cards in a spiral pattern, then flips each one over one-by-one, murmuring something to himself as he does.
As Kūtayak continues this ritual, the cards begin to shed a faint blue light—dimmer than that of a candle—and a soft breeze blows through the dark. Ruffling his feathers, Kūtayak flips over the last card over to reveal the image of a surprised looking, gray-haired human in a robe. One of his fingers points down to an open book, the other points upwards with fingertip aflame. At the bottom of the card is printed in Varisian, The Hidden Truth.
"So it is," Kūtayak intones, as the entire spiral of cards erupts into the air, swirling around and fluttering wildly in the wind. The tengu throws up his arms in silence, talons reaching into the air, and snatches one of the cards out of the maelstrom, followed by the growl of some sort of animal rumbling nearby as a beast leaps out of the storm of cards.
The creature is lupine in form, with the sinuous body of a wolf, but covered in the glossy black feathers of a raven. Its head resembles that of a fox, with a narrow, wedge-like mouth and pointed, feather-tipped ears tinged with green. A pair of ebony stag antlers protrude back from its head, eyes a glossy black like a bird's, and tiny stubs of feathery wings jut from its back. The creature's forelegs are scaled like a bird's feet, ending in wicked talons, while its rear haunches are leonine, and its tail scaly like that of a serpent.
The creature blinks its coal blank eyes, sniffs the air, then turns to look back at Kūtayak as a shimmering symbol of a book appears on its brow and a matching sigil flares to life on Kūtayak's forehead.
"यस खरायो र म कुरा थियो। म आशा तपाईं—" The creature chatters in a rasping bird-like tongue, then on spotting the others clears its throat and tilts its head to the side. "हामी कहाँ हो?"
"Ugh," Kūtayak groans, rolls his eyes and throwing his hands into the air. "You're useless, it's only been two weeks, yes? I'll catch you up on the way in." Rising to his feet, the tengu picks up his scattered cards and returns them to the deck. "But, ah," Kūtayak rapidly begins pointing to the party members. "Starwalker, Snakes, Lispy, and the other mage," are apparently his shorthand for Ka, Selter, Kurse, and Maedhros, respectively.
The creature quirks its head to the side and eyes Nefti. "के भनेर एक बारेमा?" Kūtayak arches a feathered brow and looks over his shoulder, then waves his hand dismissively.
"Stays Behind," the tengu admits, "Not as important." Shuffling over to the creature, Kūtayak notices it giving him an expectant and somewhat frustrated stare. "Oh, yes—yes. The introduction'k thing."
Motioning to the beast he summoned from the harrow deck, Kūtayak directs the others' attention to it. "This is Shūkantayāk. He will't be accompanyin'k us." As if that were enough explanation, the eccentric tengu tucks his arms within his sleeves and stands at the ready beside his eidolon.
______________________
"The hare and I were having words. I hope you—"
"Where are we?"
"What about him?"
|
Maedhros watches the Tengu's Harrowing with mild interest and amusement, having encountered Varisian harrowers in his hometown of Korvosa many times, but his eyes widen when the otherworldly beast appears.
"Mister Shîkrya," he ventures, his usual arrogant tone slightly tempered by curiosity, "Shukantyak... is an Eidolon, is it not so? How did you come to master this creature?"
|
|
Kūtayak eyes Maedhros with the same quirked-head posture as Shūkantayāk. Then, after a moment of vacant expression, the tengu exhales a soft, wheezing laugh and shakes his head. "No, no. Not master." There's a dismissive wave of one taloned hand at that. "Never master, only storyteller."
Though realizing that may not be the most satisfactory answer for the scholastically-minded Chelaxian, Kūtayak raps his talons on the side of his beak and contemplates something both simple and informative. "The cards," he finally decides to go with, "are more than just parchment an't ink. They represent a narrative with characters, yes? They are real; as real as you or I." Looking at Shūkantayāk, Kūtayak furrows his feathered brow. "That one is storykin, from that far off place..."
Kūtayak's beady black eyes square back on Maedhros, "Stories are told, and... sometimes life becomes them, yes? Sometimes that is literal. It is hard to explain," he admits with a soft chirp, "I am not trained in magic, so much as it is a part of me. This one weave spells, but like a child finger painting. Beautiful in its own way, but not technical or precise." That said, Kūtayak lays a hand briefly on Maedhros' shoulder and walks past him.
"Less speakings now, more doings."
______________
Nefti ducks his head in acknowledgement and gives you a farewell salute as he slips away down an alley, soon lost to your sight in the shadowy lane.
You move on the prison following Nefti's suggested route and the slippery fellow's advice proves quite helpful as the narrow path and foliage do indeed aid your attempts at stealth. The wind blows toward the west, thankfully placing you downwind. You hear the harsh sounds of battle ringing out on the distant eastern side grow louder as you approach Debtors Lane and pause to listen before moving ahead.
Selter, Maedhros, Kūtayak and Ka pick up on the sound of a low voice mumbling a curse-filled prayer not far around the corner. About that moment, Selter stumbles over a rock that twists and skitters out from under his foot despite looking perfectly stable. The resultant racket draws shouts of alarm and the tell-tale shrieks of several angry dire-rats and you know your presence has been detected!
Initiative Order - Round 1
-------------------------------------
Selter and Sithiss
Maedhros
Kurse
Kūtayak and Shūkantayāk
Enemy
Ka