Feel free to check in and introduce your character.
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Enapaishni is a thin samsaran dressed in the robes of a Shoanti tribal shaman. Deep blue tattoos decorate his pale blue flesh and white hair hangs to his shoulders.
He has a calm demeanor and his pale gray eyes seem to take in everything. He's accompanied by a rabbit with whom he shares his meals. He's eager to talk and conversant in a wide variety of topics.
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Not one for mirth, Auberon can't help but crack a bit of a smile at the Countess' entrance.
Taking her at her word, he says "Auberon, devoted servant of Irori at your service. Master Enapaishni, good to see you again after our foray into the First World."
Auberon is a well built tiefling swaddled in monk's robes.
You have been summoned to the Grinning Pixie, the ship—and mobile Pathfinder lodge—of Venture-Captain Calisro Benarry, which is currently moored off Tempest Cay, the northernmost island in the Shackles.
Venture-Captain Calisro Benarry, a powerfully built half-orc, stands defiantly on the deck despite the driving winds. Sparse clouds are resplendent with the calm colors of twilight, but waves lap roughly against the ship as sea spray mists the air.
“Good. You’re here. Come with me.” She leads the way to a room below decks, where a hanging lantern illuminates a canvas map
of the isles of the Shackles, with currents and depth marked, fastened to a wooden table with rusting nails. A model of the Grinning Pixie, carved from cork, shows the ship’s current position.
“I hope you lubbers aren’t afraid to get your feet wet. Here’s what I’ve got for you: you’re here to find a Thuvian caravel called the Pride of Aspenthar. The Pride’s captain was Jaheem Quinn, a half-elf with a magical knack for the water. Not a wizard or such, but I’ll be damned if the water didn’t do what he asked when he asked it. I hired Jaheem to take our agents on a mission to the Gloomspires, and neither he nor his ship ever returned to Drenchport. Divinations confirmed that the ship was lost and suggested that no one was aboard, but that could mean anything from them all abandoning ship to a hold full of dead sailors. The winds around the Eye of Abendego are always perilous, but sending Jaheem and his crew into such dangerous currents is one of my few regrets.” The half-orc pauses and shakes her head, her face hardening with resolve.
“The winds have been strange of late, and it seems they’ve turned up news of the Pride—wrecked, of course—near Tempest Cay. It’s a rough place where outside eyes aren’t welcome. You won’t find anyone willing to give account to strangers. I’ve developed a number of connections here, so I’ll see what I can discover on land about any survivors. Your task is to seek out the wrecked ship itself. I’ve been studying these waters and their currents a long time. If a ship has wrecked, it should be around here.” She stabs at the map with a strong finger. “At low tide, the water should be shallow enough to explore on foot in relative safety, without the waves lashing down. You’re to look for any information about why the ship went down, especially if it had to do with these currents. If you can, keep an eye out for Jaheem’s log. It should tell us quite a bit about what happened.”
“Follow any leads you find, but if something’s too much for you to handle, come find me on Tempest Cay. You can ask for me at the Drowned Dwarf in Drenchport. Otherwise, I’ll meet you back here.” Her gaze lingers on each face in turn. “Right. I’ve got to go landside to catch my contacts while they’re in their cups but still talkative. Be ready to leave an hour before dawn. Enjoy the comforts of the ship tonight, and make sure you visit the quartermaster; I’ve requisitioned specialized supplies for you, and you can ask her any questions you might have. Oh,” the halforc grins, showing gleaming fangs, “and ask her to wish you luck.”
The Eye of Abendigo
Regarding the Eye of Abendigo itself.
Regarding Factions/Cults Related to the Eye
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El-Gabalawi scratches his chin thoughtfully and shares what he has learned about the area over his time of adventuring
Hmm, I seem to recall that a small religious group calls itself the Cult of the Eye and worships the Eye of Abendego, believing it to be a divine being which they call the Deluged God. They believe their deity has created these new weather patterns to lure souls toward the island to be recruited as new followers. You know, for what it's worth.
Also, pirates and rough seas are not the only dangers in the Eye of Abendego. Sailors who have braved the outer rim of the hurricane also report encounters with ghost ships, aquatic undead, powerful elementals, and vicious sea monsters. This should be fun!
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"I concur with El-gabalawi, and I will add that:
The Concordance of Elements is interested in preserving elemental balance, and the recently formed Concordance faction is interested in developing a healthy relationship between the Concordance of Elements and the Pathfinder Society. Ranginori, the good-aligned elemental lord of air, was recently freed from his long imprisonment by an alliance of Pathfinder Society and Concordance of Elements agents.
A now-dead cult called Storm Kindlers was a splinter group of Gozreh followers who believed the Eye of Abendego was a manifestation of their god. A new rising cult in the Sodden Lands has taken up their mantle and name and seeks to understand the Eye. They reject the beliefs of the Cult of the Eye.
"Rival cults. Always a good time."
"I do hope they remembered to provide Sir Pericles proper sleeping shoes this time." Shalala gives her horse a pat
The quartermaster is a brightly dressed tengu who introduces herself as Kakikko. Her graying ruff feathers betray her age, but her eyes are bright and her bearing is spry and cheerful, in contrast to the seriousness of the venture-captain. It’s clear that she enjoys her post. “Hello, fellow Pathfinders,” Kakikko says. “You’re here to find the wreck of the Pride of Aspenthar, right? Good. I’ve some gear for you.”
Kakikko hands each of you a potion of water breathing and give the group one wand of touch of the sea with 10 charges remaining. "Mind you return anything you don't use."
Finally, she hands over a hand-sized chunk of wood. "This isn’t just any splinter. It’s a token that transforms into a swan boat.” The quartermaster leans forward, clacking her beak. “This boat drives itself by magic. It will only last for one day, but that should be much more time than you need. Now, do you have any questions?"
The tengu answers, "The magic of the boat should last all day, and you're close enough that it shouldn't take you longer than that to investigate."
Shalala's disappointment at the lack of shoes is quickly dispelled when El-gabalawi brings up swimming
"Im ready, let us go!"
"Do you have any other items we could procure from you? Maybe a wand of monkeyfish? I'm willing to pay the usual Society rate."
"Yes, I'm sure I have something like that around here, as it seems like a very useful thing to have on a ship! Let me see..."
After a few minutes of rummaging around, the quartermaster finds the requested wand.
The quartermaster happily answers Enapaishni's questions.
"Ah, I forgot you lubbers weren't from around here. Tempest Cay is the northernmost isle of the Shackles. 'Tis an insular place, and people in the town don't appreciate outsiders poking their noses in. I imagine that's why the captain is going to reconnoiter there while you search for the remains of the ship.
As to what happened to the Pride of Aspenthar, nobody’s quite sure. A rescue party we sent to the Gloomspires found a number of survivors of the landing party that had launched from the Pride. They hadn’t fared well. Well, that’s an understatement. Honestly, they were raging cannibals when we found them, but we did learn that the ship was hale and whole when they left it to explore the tombs. That’s the last report we have. Hopefully you’ll be able to return with news. There's a might few wrecks in the area. Look for the one with figurehead that's a carving of a sun orchid, apparently because Aspenthar is known for the sun orchid elixir.
The ship's captain was a gifted sailor, if a bit driven. He was almost as obsessed with solving the mysteries of the sea as Captain Benarry.
The winds and currents around here have a reputation for being unpredictable, but they've shifted into a strange pattern of late that doesn't seem effected by atmospheric conditions or the other prevailing tides in the are. The shifting tides are what brought the wreck of the Pride up onto the reef.”
When you are ready, you can activate the feather token to transform it into a swan boat and depart from the Grinning Pixie. Venture-Captain Benarry’s knowledge of the currents around the Eye of Abendego leads the PCs to the correct spot. The wreck has caught on the highest point of a coral reef and is large enough to be visible from at least 200 feet away. The combination of rough currents in the deeper water and the threat of circling sharks mean you can’t approach the wreck directly, and there is only one spot on the reef where it looks like you can safely land the boat. From there, crossing the coral on foot is the most direct way to reach the wreck.
The skeletal network of pink and red coral, outlining a series of tidal pools, presents only a single accessible break large enough for a small boat. The air is brackish here, with the scent of salt and dead fish hanging heavily. The coral tapers to razor-edged, ridge-like points at varying heights, while the tidal pools are slick with algae. In the shallows, wooden planks and flotsam from many shipwrecks are visible in various stages of warp and decay. A decaying ship lists along the outer edge of the reef, with a large hole torn through its hull like a menacing open maw. The painted name Pride of Aspenthar is just barely visible in flaking remnants of ornate gold script on the ship’s prow.
"Seems straight-forward enough"
Shalala takes out her longspear and guides Sir Pericles toward the wreckage
If anyone wants to be in front she will make way for them, otherwise she's going in
Many of the shallow tidal pools contain tiny fish and other aquatic creatures that hide within the algae fronds, waiting for the tide to come back in. Shark fins occasionally slice through the deeper water that surrounds the reef, as the hunters scout for easy prey.
A trio of 2 1/2-foot wide crabs scuttles in your direction, likely drawn by your splashing through the shallow water. They wave their oversized claws in the air.
"That Coral is just sooooo pretty"
Sloshing through the shallow water, you find some usable items lying next to one of the tide pools. In a bundle of detritus, you find 2 wands and a magical ring. The inside of the ring is inscribed “true love, MKH.” There are also chunks of several dead crabs strewn about.
As you proceed through the maze of coral, you notice a large group of small crabs crawling over the sharp surface.
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Wand 1:
Wand 2:
Ring:
"Hmm, I'm not too sure about those wands, but this is a +1 ring of protection. Any frontliners need one? I prefer to hang back from the fray."
Survival:
"That is a carnivorous crab swarm. We don't have anything quite so ugly on the Storval Plateau. They can be distracted by meat that they can scavenge. Failing that, we'll have to fight them. The spirits have granted me some fire magic if we choose to fight."
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"Of course,"
Elg says with a smile
"I only meant if you thought they were not the cannibalish type and would not be tempted by the flesh of their cousins. Let's give it a try shall we."
Elg picks up two handfuls of the crab meat that the party has seen around, ready to throw as/when everyone is ready to try to move past them.