You received a letter from Master of Swords, Marcos Farabellus. In it, he asked you urgently to meet him at a safe house on the outskirts of Merab. When you arrived, an agent disguised as a beggar led you through the urban sprawl of the city to a small estate near the city docks. An estate guard escorted you inside, saying, ”Please wait in the study. Get to know your friends,” before leaving.
A female dwarf in a golden dress walks with grace and bows to the rest of the group.
She smiles to greet you all but stays silent for the time being.
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A young half-orc woman, skin the color of light ash and eyes of ice blue, armed with a glowing heavy flail and armored in a mithral chain shirt enters the small estate. Beneath the fine rings of mithral covering her torso, the surface of her delicate-looking black silk robe is adorned with tiny embossed runes across its entire surface, all brought together at the waist with a thick black belt decorated with huge metal buckles. Wrist sheathes can be seen beneath her sleeves on the inside of each forearm, and two crisscrossed bandoliers hang across her chest and shoulders, each loop filled with scrolls and wands. Flecks of silver shimmer within the fabric of her black cloak and her coal-black hair hangs down in loose curls over a delicately-engraved silver headband decorated with blue and white gemstones.
She carries herself with poise and gives anyone who’s eyes meet hers a friendly smile. Her gaze feels positively hypnotic. She introduces herself as Glasha Rogmesh to each of the assembled Pathfinders, offering a firm-but-gentle handshake to all of her fellow Society members assigned to this mission and making polite but genuine conversation.
”I hear we’re going after more Aspis,” she says with a mischievous grin as she jingles her belt pouch. She then reaches into her pouch and proudly displays a handful of bronze and silver badges, each emblazoned with a serpent.
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A human in his mid-twenties reading a dusty tome navigates through the room without looking up. His black cloak seems to absorb the light around it. Silver runes gracefully around the trim. Glasha notices sheathes similar to her own strapped to the man's wrists. A sharp eye may notice fine mithral links under his dark tunic. In addition to his rather full quiver, a darkwood bow is slung over his shoulder. The guard and leather wrapping of the rapier on his hip show little, if any, actual use.
He sets the book down for a moment and makes certain to greet the other members of the team. "Well met. Taman was it? Fendel. Pleasure to make your acquaintance. Greetings and salutations Glasha. Sounds like you are looking forward to hunting reptiles. Nice to meet you Miss...? Well, in good time I guess."
He goes back to his text and continues reading. Fendel carries on conversations as they happen without breaking eye-contact with what he is reading.
Shardra looks at you all and smiles.
”I am Shardra. May your ancestors be blessed and may you find the peace that the spirits present to you as a gift each day. The spirits teach us that bonding means to share and seek understanding. Taman, Fendel, Glasha, I am looking forward to bring balance to this world with you ... similar to you I travel the world, guarded but curious, uncovering lost treasure and listening to the tales it has to tell. Like many Pathfinder permanent bonds chafe me ... .“ Shardra says in a deep voice.
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Next to enter is a stunningly beautiful female elf with shimmering violet eyes and long, flowing brown hair. Looking young for her race, perhaps in her mid hundreds, the confident looking girl wears a shiny, very well-fitted and fashionably low-cut sparkling silver armor and a fine purple cloak. An extremely sharp looking scimitar is sheathed at her hip. She also sports some impressive jewellery, including a dark black amulet that seems to cling to the skin above her breasts and a jewelled band that she wears on her head.
"Greetings all. Marquise Thoriel Liltamael reporting for duty. Sorry I'm late. Big night last night, you know how it is. Mornings really don't suit me"
After several minutes, the doors swing open again and Master of Swords Marcos Farabellus and Lady Gloriana Morilla enter. The Master of Swords stands before the fireplace, while Lady Morilla remains seated in a large, comfortable chair.
The Master of Swords motions toward the remaining seats in the room. “Pathfinders, I thank you for coming on such short notice. Every year, one of Thuvia’s city-states gets to auction doses of the magnificent sun orchid elixir, and this year Pashow has the privilege. That city misplaced its elixirs the past two times, to its treasury’s detriment. In order to ensure nothing went wrong this year, Emir Guldis has retained the Society’s services to assist with security.
“He made the right choice. We stymied an attempt on Pashow’s caravans and found evidence that the Korholm Agenda—a nefarious faction of the Aspis Consortium—was collaborating with Prince Zinlo of Aspenthar to ensure Pashow’s shipment would never arrive. The ringleader is named Kitio Aspenthi, and he’s the ranking Aspis gold agent who coordinates Thuvia. It seemed the plan was to steal the elixirs and trigger a coup to overthrow Emir Guldis, at which point Prince Zinlo’s daughter, Princess Ziralia, could take control and thus annex the neighboring city-state. Thankfully, we’ve built some rapport with the princess, and it is she who pointed us to the Korholm Agenda’s latest plan.”
“Yes, we should be quite thankful,” declares Lady Gloriana, rising from her chair. “According to the princess, the Korholm Agenda has been coordinating mischief with the guards of Aspenthar. Having failed to deprive the emir economically, it appears the Korholm Agenda aims to frame Pashow for an attack on Prince Zinlo’s city. These false-flag operations would be the catalyst for Zinlo to declare war and conquer Pashow by force.
“We are expecting the attacks several days hence during the Sun Orchid Festival that Prince Zinlo recently established in Aspenthar. Along with the standard fare of food and music, the church of Sarenrae will commemorate a local hero, and the prince is permitting the temporary release of Aspenthar-born prisoners to enjoy the festivities. We expect Zinlo to make a speech later that day.
“Princess Ziralia expects these three events to be the focus of the Korholm Agenda’s attacks, which in turn could endanger the people of Aspenthar. On top of preventing harm to innocents, averting these plots could allow us to stop the Korholm Agenda and the agent Kitio Aspenthi for good. Additionally, any evidence you can find linking Prince Zinlo to the Korholm Agenda would benefit us and discourage him from attempting such a stunt in the future. A ship waits at the docks to take you to Aspenthar when you’re ready.”
Arms crossed, Marcos remains standing by the fireplace as Lady Gloriana returns to her seat and folds her hands in her lap.
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”This ‘rapport’ we’ve built with Princess Ziralia...how are we sure it’s enough to trust her? What if she’s just playing the game of politics and trying to use us? If you’re sure we can trust her...what are the details of the Korholm Agenda’s attacks? Do we have any more info besides, ‘they’re probably going to attack the festival’?”
Shardra thinks.
”So which task should we tackle first? Any guidance on priorities?“ she asks.
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Thoriel smiles and gives a respectful bow to Lady Gloriana. "You had me at 'food and music'!" She laughs with a wink at her fellow Taldan, then clears her throat. "...but seriously, so attend the commemoration of the local hero, the release of the prisoners and Prince Zinlo's speech and keep an eye out for trouble? So should we report to Emir Guldis upon arrival, or are there any other contacts we should touch base with to get further intel?"
Lady Gloriana answers Glasha, "While that is always a risk, Princess Ziralia and the Pathfinder Society have already worked together in other matters, and she has demonstrated her trustworthiness. In fact, it was she who approached us with this information. At this point, it seems she is completely discontent with her father's dealing and has all but denounced him publicly for it."
"As for the attacks," Marcos continues, "we don't know, unfortunately. Our best guess is that the Korholm Agenda intends to harm the citizens of Aspenthar, but they might aim to demolish city property. My suspicion for the prison is that the Agenda's agents will perform a jailbreak, goad the criminals to harm others, and blame it on Pashow."
To Taman, Marcos only replies, "No. Get the fur out of your ears and pay attention."
Lady Gloriana addresses Shardra's question next. "Your best bet is to head to either the prison or the ceremony site and wait. If you arrive in advance, you can minimize any civilian casualties or even outright prevent any damage from happening. In regard to the prison, you might even manage to slip in early and relocate the remaining prisoners before the attack. In that case, we have another safe house in Aspenthar that can hold the prisoners until the Korholm Agenda threat is over. We trust your judgement as to which of these locations should be visited first."
"And perhaps I didn't make myself clear," Marcos says with a scowl at Thoriel, "but you will be heading to Aspenthar, the city-state under the rule of Prince Zinlo, not the city-state of Pashow where Emir Guldis rules."
"We do not have a contact for you in Aspenthar unfortunately," Lady Gloriana continues. "The information we received leads us to believe the Korholm Agenda is already in Aspenthar and actively searching for us. We have to make sure we don't play our hand too early and give away the fact that we are aware of the upcoming attacks. Doing so could encourage the Korholm Agenda agents to change their plans and leave us completely in the dark, so we have kept our activities in Aspenthar to a minimum."
"Any other questions? Or are you ready to set sail?" Marcos asks.
Shadra raises her arms into the air.
”I want the inner sea to see a balanced leadership rule with the people’s goals in their hearts. May the spirits guide us to achieve our goals against these Aspis agents. The prince is a snake himself for collaborating with them but we are here to see the serpent’s dreams not come true!“ Shardra continues in her prayer to the spirits.
A dark-skinned woman is the last to join the group. A familiar face around the Grand Lodge, many of you already know her name. "Hi all, my name is Seelah. I apologize for my lateness; I was at devotion. It is good to meet you." Her armor is resplendent, and she wears it with comfort and ease. The shining star of Iomedae stands out, brightly engraved onto the breastplate, shining with high polish.
"That all seems clear enough. Thank you, Master of Swords, and you, Lady Gloriana, for the opportunities you offer. I'm grateful to serve, and to be able to protect these people."
She seems to have no further questions for their commanders, and immediately begins planning. "Once we get there, the prison seems a strong first target. Let's secure the prisoners and make sure the Aspis won't have them as a pawn in their ploy. The rest we can figure out from there."
"Very well," Marcos says. "If there are no more questions, we place our trust in you."
As the meeting concludes, Lady Morilla takes Shardra and Thoriel aside.
”Now, Princess Ziralia cares deeply for her people. The more you can do to shield the citizens of Aspenthar from harm during this mission, the stronger our case. Perhaps you can demonstrate your leadership by helping to guide innocents away a conflict, or by organizing bystanders to cooperate if the worst should come to pass.”
”Finally, the Sovereign Court is still a secret and you must not reveal your affiliation with the faction while doing these things. Do not worry that the Court will not receive credit - I will be working to make sure word of your actions finds its way to the princess’s ear.”
”Best of luck,” Lady Morilla finishes, then kisses first Thoriel, then Shardra on both cheeks before sending them on their way.
On the ship to Aspenthar, the Pathfinders have a chance to recall and share what they know about the city and what they might find there.
-- About Aspenthar traditions --
-- If someone makes the Knowledge (history) DC 15 check above --
-- About Aspenthar locations --
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Glasha is satisfied with the briefing.
To implant a trick, the mesmerist must take a standard action and either touch a willing creature or implant the trick in himself. A creature can be the subject of only one mesmerist trick at a time. The mesmerist can activate the trick as a free action when a triggering condition is met (as defined in the trick’s description), even if it isn’t his turn. The subject must be within medium range (100 feet + 10 feet per level) for the mesmerist to trigger the trick. The mesmerist monitors for the trick’s triggering condition through a subtle telepathic connection, so he doesn’t need line of sight to trigger it—but anything that blocks telepathic contact prevents him from triggering tricks. An implanted trick lasts until the next time the mesmerist regains his spells.
Once triggered, a trick is no longer implanted, and can’t be triggered again until the mesmerist implants the trick again. The duration of the effect caused by triggering a trick is either instantaneous or appears in the trick’s entry. The DC for any mesmerist trick or masterful trick that requires a saving throw or skill check is 10 + 1/2 the mesmerist’s level + the mesmerist’s Charisma modifier.
The mesmerist knows one trick at 1st level, and learns another trick at 2nd level and every 2 levels thereafter (to a maximum of 11 tricks at 20th level). Each daily use of mesmerist tricks can be used to implant any trick the mesmerist knows. Unless specifically noted in the mesmerist trick’s description, a mesmerist can’t choose a particular trick more than once.
"Which do you think the constabulary would mind more: you relocating the prisoners to a safe location, or the Korholm Agenda releasing them into the streets?" Marcos replies with a raised eyebrow. "Granted, at this point we're not sure if some or even all of the guards are on the Korholm Agenda's side. Without any kind of guarantee one way or the other, it would be wisest to keep a low profile."
The Pathfinders arrive in Aspenthar on the morning of the Sun Orchid Festival. The city is filled with the sounds of joyful music, scents of food, and thousands of smiling faces. Vendors line the streets to sell exotic wares, and the streets are crowded with strange beasts on display from all over Garund. A few people stare wondrously at the Pathfinders and their weapons as they make their way through the crowds, but nobody appears hostile.
"Fendel, you make a strong point. While relocating the prisoners may be the best option, I'm not sure that I see a way we could do it and remain within the law. I will have to think on this. Let's start at the ruins; I need time to let Iomedae enter my thoughts and provide some guidance."
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Upon arrival in Aspenthar, Glasha implants tricks in her fellow Pathfinders: Mesmeric Mirror in Fendel, Mask Misery in Thoriel, and Compel Alacrity in Seelah. Glasha will also implant Compel Alacrity in Shardra and Mask Misery in Taman if they allow it. Finally, she implants Mask Misery in herself.
Glasha defers to her smarter, wiser allies regarding where to start the mission.
The Pathfinders make their way to the prison. The city is quiet in this secluded area near the outskirts of town. A quick survey of the building reveals the following:
- 20 ft high walls
- Front door (portcullis, closed)
- No patrols
In addition, Fendel's keen eyes find what looks to be a secret door below what looks to be a chimney, on the opposite side of the building from the front door. While there are windows in the several walls, they are too high up to casually inspect the interior without drawing attention.
"Well, we should probably use that door in the chimney," Seelah offers. "If we're going off book, we might as well do it all the way. It's not like we can knock at the front door, with what we plan to do."
Quietly, she prays briefly before following Fendel to the secret door. "Forgive me Iomedae, for deceiving the leaders of this land. I pledge to keep these prisoners in secure custody as if they remained in this jail until such time as it is safe to return them to their proper masters. I believe that this is the greater good; even Acemi would make this choice here today."
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Glasha casts heightened awareness on herself (stat bar updated) and goes (presumably with the group) over by the secret door below the chimney.
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The concealed door opens quietly enough, but appears to connect to the chimney. As Taman looks inside he gets a face full of smoke from the fire burning below.
The fireplace does not seem to be complicated enough to include mechanisms for extinguishing the fire.
As Thoriel empties her waterskin, the fire sputters angrily before falling silent. Plumes of steam and ash billow up the chiminy, disappating after a minute or two.
As he climbs down into the remains of the fire, Taman sees what is probably the prison's kitchen. Cutting boards, knives, and pots of a variety of sizes decorate the walls and counters in this room, and the air still smells of freshly chopped onions.
What Taman finds more interesting though is the muffled sound of a chair scraping and a voice chanting something incomprehensible to the north of him.
Surprise Round! Bold may act!
Orange
Purple
Glasha
White
Thoriel
Fendel
Taman
Seelah
Shardra
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Clear Ear {Perception 35+ 1d6 / +2 to knowledge skills}
False Life Current hp = 81
Bloodboil Pill {already included in stat bar}
The detective's keen ears pick up chanting beyond the door. "Be on your guard, it would seem something is happening just beyond the door." Fendel moves into the room, readying his bow along the way.
Notified by Fendel, Glasha moves through the secret door as well and takes up a position next to the doorway to the north, drawing her flail as she does so.
Round 1! Bold may act!
Orange
Purple
Glasha
White
Thoriel
Fendel
Taman
Seelah
Shardra
Shardra moves inside.
Seelah joins her companions in the room, drawing her weapon as she does so.
Taman opens the door and finds what looks to be a storeroom - more onions hang from the rafters and various cheeses and cured meats line the shelves. This door appears to be the only way in or out of the storeroom - Taman sees no hidden passageways or secret switches.
Round 2! Bold may act!
Orange
Purple
Glasha
White
Thoriel
Fendel
Taman
Seelah
Shardra