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The invitation delivered last night was remarkably simple, especially given the importance of the occasion:
“Start where it all began. Meet us at the Pig’s Paunch one hour before dawn.”
The Pig’s Paunch is a run-down building with a faded sign of a large pig standing on its hind legs, arms folded above a corpulent belly. Inside, the air is thick with the scents of human sweat, stale tobacco, and leftover food.
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A small creature with a fabulously luxurious, bushy head enters the Pig's Paunch. (His leafy noggin looks like a massive afro.) Trailing behind him is a medium sized elephant.
Nearby, someone accidentally drops a bottle onto the floor with a crash! Startled, the elephant goes defensive and freezes--looking like a taxidermied decoration. (He as the "Pose as Scenery" trick from Ultimate Wilderness.)
"It's OK, Heffalump," the leshy resassures the elephant. "That's just a humanoid. They're all over Absalom. You'll get used to them."
Then the odd, little fellow scans the room for the people they're supposed to meet.
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A bronze-skinned dwarf with a neatly-trimmed osird beard wearing leather lamellar enters the Pig's Paunch.
He nods in a friendly manner at those who appear to have risen early and an understanding and jovial manner to those who have apparently continued their celebrations since the prior night.
As he enters, his eyes probe the crowd for either a wayfinder, sigil of the open road, or some other indication of whom he was invited to meet.
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An austere, narrow-framed man of mixed Varisian and Tien descent strides into the Pig's Paunch, dressed in a careworn but clean uniform of the Lepidstadt Inspectors. He drops his satchel to the floor and gazes out over the other people currently patronizing the establishment. He blinks with mild surprise at the bush leading a miniature elephant, then sits at the bar.
If anyone is currently tending the bar, he orders mint tea and waits for a sign from the Pathfinder Society that he's in the right place. He has done odd jobs for the society before, but this is the first time he has been extended an official invitation to join, and isn't entirely certain what to expect.
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The dwarf sighs, shaking his head a bit as he makes his way over to the plant creature and the elephant.
As he walks he mutters in dwarven to himself "Yet another sign you know you're in Absalom now, Qadri, your first thought was 'must be a Pathfinder', not 'must be a circus nearby' ".
Upon reaching the pair, he offers a slight bow and addresses them with a noticable accent Ehn hotephank - apologies - Taldane, yes. In peace, I greet you. You are of Pathfinders, yes?
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He blinks with mild surprise at the bush leading a miniature elephant, then sits at the bar.
The dwarf sighs, shaking his head a bit as he makes his way over to the plant creature and the elephant.
As he walks he mutters in dwarven to himself "Yet another sign you know you're in Absalom now, Qadri, your first thought was 'must be a Pathfinder', not 'must be a circus nearby' ".
Upon reaching the pair, he offers a slight bow and addresses them with a noticable accent Ehn hotephank - apologies - Taldane, yes. In peace, I greet you. You are of Pathfinders, yes?
The leshy blinks at the dwarf and there's a sound of rustling leaves.
The frightened elephant tries in vain to hide itself behind the plant.
After an awkward silence, the small barbarian says, "Oh! Right, sorry. You don't speak that. Yes, I am a Pathfinder. My name is:" again there's a sound of rustling leaves. "But the Venture-Captains file my reports under the name 'Luxurious.' I do not understand why." The plant shakes its head, and the resultant wave of foliage swaying to and fro gives a strong impression of an out-of-control afro.
"I am... " "How does this go, again?" "... pleased to meet you, fellow field agent." Luxurious says as it returns Qadri's bow. "You are a dwarf, yes? How do you call yourself in your chronicles?"
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In the center of the room, surrounded by inebriates sleeping off their revelries, a familiar elven man stands high upon top of a large round table. “Welcome! Welcome, my students! Please, have a seat!” With that, Kreighton Shaine, the Pathfinder Society’s Master of Scrolls, nimbly drops down to sit cross-legged on the table before looking about the tavern with a sense of reverent wonder. “Can you believe it? It all started here years ago—well, over four hundred of them at least. Under this very roof the Pathfinder Society was born.”
“But today! Today you will begin your Confirmation! Master Farabellus, Master Zey, and I all agree you each have shown your worth and dedication to the Society, so there’s no better time
to see if you can handle becoming full field operatives. Allow me to introduce you to Janira Gavix,” he says as he motions for an excitable halfling woman to approach. She wears a large backpack and carries all manner of tools, pouches, and scroll cases around her waist. Shaine continues, saying, “Janira here will be going with you on your Confirmation. She was one of my brightest pupils and will no doubt be an invaluable resource on your journey, for she discovered the caves you are about to explore during her own Confirmation.” Janira speaks up in an enthusiastic and cheerful voice, “Greetings, aspiring Pathfinders! Six months ago, while I was mapping cave entrances in the foothills of the Kortos Mounts, I witnessed a lone gillman entering a concealed cave. I thought little of it at the time, but I saw another one enter the cave again a month later as my Confirmation stretched on. A few days later, after I completed my assigned task, I entered the cave system, but was unable to find the gillmen.”
Master Shaine hops to his feet. “Initiates, for your Confirmation, you will travel to these caves to explore and document its many passages. Additionally, and most importantly, you are to learn
what the gillmen are up to in there. Oh, and you need to come back alive as well.” With these parting words, the Master of Scrolls jumps off the table and strolls out of the building while
humming to himself.
Mounts, the points on the island.
constantly vie for territory up and around the Mounts,
with harpies being the most common at higher altitudes
and centaurs controlling the lower slopes and foothills.
an amphibious humanoid race believed to be the last
descendants of the ancient Azlanti people.
and destroyed the human empires of Thassilon and
Azlant. It is said that gillmen’s ancestors survived the
cataclysmic event because they received the blessing of an
aquatic entity that allowed them to breath underwater.
were responsible for the gillmen’s transformation. Any
alliance between them appears to have fallen apart over
the millennia, however, and the gillmen are now an
independent people.
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The dwarf nods politely to the leshy and the elephant.
I am Qadri of Erekrus, and I -
He breaks off as Kreighton Shane makes his appearance and listens to his assignment with interest.
He turns to Janira.
In peace, I greet you, Pathfinder. It will likely not surprise you to know that I have extensive experience underground. I look forward to assisting the Society in this endeavor.
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The inspector strides purposefully up to the halfling and gives a crisp salute. "Inspector Umbrelor, at your service, miss," he says with a thick Varisian accent. "I have keen eyesight and have been thoroughly trained in hand-to-hand combat. I am, in my estimation, best-suited to second in marching order, but will defer to your judgment."
He blinks, as if just remembering something, and small dots of color rise to his cheeks. "Oh. And, erm. You may call me Kronis. 'Inspector' is an honorific, not a proper name." He thrusts his hand out awkwardly and gives a clumsy but surprisingly earnest smile.
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The leshy, having no knowledge skills, tries to take it in all the words coming from Kreighton Shane and Janira Gavix, but feels somewhat overwhelmed.
The barbarian frets: "The rustling of leaves and the warmth of sunlight is so much more elegant than this... this... noise!"
Heffalump tries to hide behind his trunk.
__________
"Hello, Kronis. Your kind calls me Luxurious."
__________
"Janira Gavix, what is a gill man?"
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Kronis blinks at the leshy. "We do?" He clears his throat. "That is, yes. Very good to meet you, Luxurious." He nods toward the elephant. "What is the name of your friend?"
He offers a stiff handshake to Qadri. "My manners suffer, apologies. Inspector Umbrelor, call me by Kronis. It will be a pleasure to work together, I am sure."
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Kronis blinks at the leshy. "We do?"
The leshy nods. The overgeneralization of his statement, and Krionis' confusion is lost on the small barbarian.
He nods toward the elephant. "What is the name of your friend?"
Realizing that the human is making a reference to him, the elephant freezes, again.
"This is Heffalump."
__________
"Janira Gavix, if we are to explore and study, I think I may need more equipment."
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“Indeed equipment is an important topic for discussion, we should take a moment to go through your gear and make sure nothing important gets left out. We can meet all manner of adversary out in the wild: some creatures are disperse like SWARMS and require splash weapons to be dealt with, some creatures are more susceptible to fire, but they all draw blood. Mind your defense and healing. Protect yourself at all times. Janira levels a serious gaze at the group. If her tone doesn’t instill some peril in you, it should.
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Qadri waves his hand in a brief motion and the dust in the room stirs for a moment and begins to swirl about the dwarf before settling down once again.
Respectfully, there are a few other ways to deal with swarms as well.
He gestures to the door.
I left my mule, Cabbage Pharaoh, outside in the hands of a seemingly competent groom, as it seemed a bit odd to carry rope and grapnel into a tavern. Obviously, I'm yet new at this "thinking like a Pathfinder" concept.
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A gruff halfling approaches, a small rapier dangling from his hip. "I reckon y'all be Pathfinders. Saw a strange group gathering in an inconspicuous location fit for, well, no-gooders.
The name's Mika, and I'm here ta be confirmed, just like the rest of yas." Mika looks in his pack and sighs. "I ain't got enough gold to get them swarm killin' fire flasks, so I hope y'all got a way to take care of thems."
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As the party progresses deeper into the forest, the trees
towering overhead begin to shield most of what remains
of the day’s sun and the vegetation beneath grows denser.
Janira pauses a moment and pulls out an intricate silver
compass emblazoned with the Pathfinder Society logo: the
Glyph of the Open Road. “I received this wayfinder when
I successfully completed my Confirmation. Should we be
successful on our journey, you will get your own as well.”
She flips open the device and holds it in front of her; the
initials J. L. are engraved into the inside of the device’s
lid. After studying the compass inside for a moment,
she remarks, “We’re on the right path. We need to keep
heading northwest past those large rocks up ahead.”
Most of the trees in this section of the forest have
trunks that are too big for any creatures to share their
space. Sporadic patches of light undergrowth provide
areas for creatures to hide while restricting movement for
those passing through. A large rock outcropping to the
east rises nearly 20 feet above the forest floor, and a small
sinkhole to the northwest drops off sharply, descending
to the ground 10 feet below.
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Kronis offers the halfling a stiff handshake. "Inspector Umbrelor. Call me Kronis, please. Additional steel will be most beneficial in this endeavor, I have no doubt."
As they travel on the road, Kronis glances at the halfling's wayfinder and prudently elects not to mention he'd already purchased one at his sponsor's behest. Instead, he keeps his eyes on the undergrowth and the rocky outcropping ahead. "This is an ideal location for ambushing. Be wary."
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"Inspector? Like, health inspector, boot inspector, gun inspector, building inspector, road inspector, bridge inspector....." Mika continues on and on, not letting Kronis get a word in edgewise.
As he's not in civilized company anymore, Mika has his rapier wielded, and attempts to keep his eyes peeled for anything moving (while still talking, mind you), though he has a hard time seeing over the grass.
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A tall young woman, unmistakably humanoid and human-like, but with pale cool ashen skin and electric blue eyes and hair that both swirl like a chaotic maelstrom hustles to catch up with the Pathfinders.
"Pathfinders, I'm Lisette." She smiles at each of you, and while genuine warmth does show, more than a touch of madness can be felt as well.
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As you pass through the clearing, you are beset on by a pile of pythons. Janira quickly arms herself and addresses the group. Ok, don't panic. This is part of your journey. Remember to be resourceful and work together. I will intervene only if necessary. Now GET OUT THERE AND MAKE THE PATHFINDERS PROUD! Janira Inspires Courage in you.
Kronis
Snakes
Mika
Qadri
Lisette
Luxurious
A northern man comes huffing up the road, drawing his weapon and piling into combat without hesitation
Sorry I'm late! Took a wrong turn a few miles back... looks like I got here just in time!
Hakon will pull out a flask of alchemists fire and lob it at the swarm.
After that, I'll delay, having nothing else that can hurt the swarm.
If Qadri missed on his blast, I will use an immediate action to cast timely inspiration to give him a retroactive +1 to hit.
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A swarm is immune to any spell or effect that targets a specific number of creatures (including single-target spells such as disintegrate), with the exception of mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, morale effects, patterns, and phantasms) if the swarm has an Intelligence score and a hive mind. A swarm takes half again as much damage (+50%) from spells or effects that affect an area, such as splash weapons and many evocation spells.
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Qadri fires a blast at the swarm and while some snakes scatter, the throng continues unabated. Hakon, Luxurious, and Kronis all sling alchemist fire but miss the mark and only lightly splash the snakes with fire.
The snakes move toward Kronis, the near target and envelop him.
Kronis
Snakes (-4 points. gave an additional point for splash)
Hakon
Mika
Qadri
Lisette
Luxurious
Even the weakest kinetic blast involves a sizable mass of elemental matter or energy, so kinetic blasts always deal full damage to swarms of any size (though only area blasts deal extra damage to swarms). A readied kinetic blast can be used to counterspell any spell of equal or lower level that shares its descriptor. A kinetic blast that deals energy damage of any type (including force) has the corresponding descriptor.
Hakon will cast guidance on Qadri.