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Venture-Captain Drandle Dreng’s pinched face is hard to see from behind the stack of books that divide the front of his office from the space behind his desk. A shockingly old man with white hair and slightly milky eyes, he is surprised by the appearance of outsiders in his office, and looks up, half startled and half relieved.
“Thank you for coming on such short notice. I’d been meaning to give this assignment to you at a later date, and with less pressing time constraints, but it seems that time has conspired against us.” Dreng mumbles to himself as he passes out a stack of notes and maps from behind the wall of books. “These notes are from a recent Chronicle—it contains some interesting finds, but one of them is now the utmost priority to the Society.”
Dreng lightly taps a bony finger on a map, on which can be seen a section of Absalom with a small corner townhouse circled in deep red.
“This townhouse is a façade for an underground vault. The vault belonged to an old noble family of Absalom that was expelled a decade ago—the Decklands. The family was forced out when their patriarch—a man known as Orias—was discovered to have written documents detailing the city’s defenses, documents he intended to hand over to hostile forces loyal to Cheliax. The Chronicle indicates that a copy of these documents exist within the vault.
A Pathfinder looking into the Decklands and their Chronicle references in Cheliax was attacked and killed ten days ago. The thugs made off with a copy of his notes— fortunately, he’d already sent us another. We have reason to believe it was the work of the Decklands’ oldest child, a young woman named Celeena, and she’s the reason this assignment is now urgent. The fact that Celeena and her forces were willing to kill a Pathfinder for this information shows how desperate they are to retrieve the documents. If she were able to get these documents and return them to Cheliax, it would undermine the defenses of the whole city, as well as cause the Society undue headaches. Find Celeena, find the documents in her vault, and prevent this situation from turning into one big mess for the Society.”
He looks around owlishly, before an expression of irritation crosses his features. "Do you have any questions? If not, please go and sort this matter out, post-haste."
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"I'm guessing we don't know where Celeena is. Do we at least know what she looks like and who she might be with?" A tall thin man with very light hair scrunches up his face in thought.
"Ten years? Orias was going to betray the city ten years ago, was stopped, but the defenses still weren't altered?" He shakes his head. "Do we know anything about the murder of the Pathfinder?"
The man looks at the others gathered in the office. He's thin, but with a wiry frame that makes you believe he's much stronger than he looks. The sword at his hip would seem to confirm that he knows his business. It's an Aldori Dueling sword, and those who know how to use one are not to be trifled with.
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Dreng sniffs.
"Well, I would imagine that she headed straight for her family's vault; I recommend looking for her there. The townhouse which acts as a front for it is in the Eastgate District. I don't know what she looks like, but our agents in Cheliax report that Celeena hired mercenaries from the Devil’s Claw Company, a mercenary organization of failed Hellknights, so be on your guard."
He then sighs.
"As to why ten-year-old documents are still relevant today, the architecture of Absalom is ancient, as you should know if you had been paying attention during basic training. Consequently, there are lost tunnels below that, if known of by an enemy force, would spell disaster for the city."
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Standing near the back of the group, a massive Shoanti man listens intently to the Venture-Captain. He has the traditional shaven head and tattoos of his people, is dressed in hide armor and carries a finely crafted earthbreaker.
He lets the others ask their questions, but offers none of his own. When the others have said their piece, he nods at the Venture-Captain. "We will find what you seek."
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A blonde woman, who appear mostly human except for her slightly pointed ears, sits in the office. Her beautiful, almost flawless features make her seem to delicate for the battlefield, but she wears a chain shirt with a buckler strapped to her arm, and a long whip coiled at her side. She listens intently, but at this time has nothing to add.
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Devram rolls his eyes are the Venture-Captain's retort, but stays silent. Knowing you have vulnerabilities and simply hoping secret documents stay secret does not seem a wise defense.
"Failed Hellknights? Fun. I wouldn't mind testing a blade against them." He looks at the others who are eager to go. "Ok, so we go investigate the house."
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Dreng sniffs.
"Very well then, off with you!"
The party is able to shuffle out of Dreng's office, collect their things, and head out into Absalom.
The journey to the Eastgate district is without incident, and before long, the party finds itself outside their destination: The Deckland Family townhouse.
Sitting on the corner of a quiet street, the red brick Deckland townhouse melds in with the middle class buildings in this portion of Absalom. A small, flickering candle can be seen through a barred window on the building’s west side and a single door can be seen on the building’s south face.
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Peering through the window, you are able to see a make-shift kitchen, lit by the light of a few flickering candles. Voices come from a room across the hallway, along with the clink of glasses, and coins.
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Muriel looks at the gathered group. "Excuse me, gentlemen." She moves behind the nearest tree or bush, where faint rustling can be heard. When she returns, she is no longer in her armor, but has on an... entertainer's outfit that doesn't leave a lot to the imaginiation. She hands off her gear to the nearest strong looking man. "Hold this, sweetie. I will go knock on the door, be a damsel in distress. When the guard opens the door, I will put him to sleep. Then you give me my gear back, and we all sneak in." Once the party has discussed, and the rest of them hidden outside, she ruffles up her clothing and hair, walks to the door, and knocks.
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Devram takes the armor from Muriel and gives the half-elf an appreciative look. "Well...I, uh, I guess that could work."
He motions the others to the sides of the house to be our of view when the door is opened. He tries to position himself where he can reach the door quickly if something happens to the Bard. "Hey, be careful."
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Realizing the for was unlocked Vrock steps aside drawing sword.
"After you". Motioning to Kaddok and Devram
-Posted with Wayfinder
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Devram quickly moves through the door and tumbles to avoid an ambush he assumes is ready.
-Posted with Wayfinder