For the moment please ninja dot
A candied aroma wafts from multiple barrels of pyment—a beverage of fermented grapes and honey—strewn about the surprisingly barren grand hall of Manaket’s Swordmeet Lodge. At an ornate banquet table with legs carved in the stalwart forms of Rahadoumi crusaders wielding immense falchions sits the room’s lone occupant, Venture-Captain Obo. He is a broad-shouldered man wearing an olive tunic trimmed with gold filigree and sporting a puffy gray beard mottled here and there with black patches. Next to him sits a large bottle of pomegranate wine, several empty glasses, and a silver plate adorned with a half-eaten roast hen, a fig tart, and a small mound of creamy bread pudding topped with ground pistachios. Obo’s attention is clearly focused on the ornate siege board arranged as if two players had played a game into its late stages, with the monarch threatening to leave via the right edge of the board, thus winning the game for the defenders. As he stares at the pieces, Obo holds his fingers atop one of the attacking pieces, a knight carved of crimson marble, studying the placement of the defenders—white caliche castles protecting a lone sovereign. His other hand absentmindedly stirs the bread pudding with a spoon.
Venture-Captain Obo mumbles to himself while studying the siege board. “Now, if the invader moves parallel to the defender, resting in the seventh hall of the first tower, then the sovereign will be exposed to counterattack from—bah, I will never remember all of Valsin’s cryptic strategies!” Obo slams his free hand down on the table, and then gestures at the open chairs before him. “Sit, sit, for our very own game is afoot. Troubling news arrived two weeks ago from one of the Society’s trusted confidants, an artifacts expert and appraiser in the souk of Azir. Goes by Torvad. Torvad Shalzadin.”
Obo produces a small roll of parchment, its wax seal clearly broken. “This letter indicates that Torvad had been recently asked by a client to verify the authenticity of a rare artifact. Much to his surprise, every detail about the relic indicated that the fragment is one of the shards of the Shattered Shield of Arnisant. That’s supposedly impossible; all of the remnants of the shield are kept safe in Vigil, right under the Watcher-Lord’s nose. Per reports from both the Decemvirate and the Dark Archive, no one in Lastwall suspects any of the shards are missing. Torvad reports that the shard’s current owner, a clandestine auction house for illicit divine artifacts in Azir, the Sacred Cobra, intends to sell it in just seven days! If that shard is in fact a piece of the Shattered Shield of Arnisant, we must stop such an important relic from falling into the wrong hands.
Though it would be faster to go by sea, a rash of piracy just beyond the Arch of Aroden means reconsidering the route. I’ve arranged for you to go by caravan. Once you arrive, find Torvad and convince him to disclose the location of the Sacred Cobra auction house as well as the precisely time of the auction. The Cobra’s whereabouts are known only to a few major players in the artifacts trade, so you’ll need to act quickly before the shard can be sold and potentially lost forever. To even be considered as a buyer, you’ll need him to lend you his bidder’s banner, a token the Sacred Cobra uses to identify clientele considered in ‘good standing’ with the organization. It’s probably safest if you can acquire the shard by winning it at auction, though I trust you to do what is necessary to obtain the shard for the Society. Take this.” Obo again slides his hand inside his tunic to retrieve a small bundle of parchments. “Each of these ten letters is a bank note from Manaket, good for one thousand gold pieces. Showing these to the clerk of the auction house should help establish you as a serious buyer. Use the Society’s money wisely to ensure you obtain the shard, but if you see any other artifacts on auction that might be better off in the Society’s possession, you can use these funds to obtain those as well.”
|
Rhinshin walks into the room and instantly heads to the food. He reaches his hand up for the tart. "Food. Don't mind if I do"
"So what is it about not stealing...I could be in and out real quick like." After seeing the bank notes. "If we end up saving any money, do we get what is left over?"
He quickly switches gears and glances over at the board, with a mouth full of tart. "Whatcha playin? It looks like someone is abou to lose"
|
Bielsi takes a seat. He is quite interested in the possibility of recovering such an ancient and important artifact, and one with such religious significance. Of course, picking up other items would be useful, too.
"Should we examine the shard, ourselves to determine if it truly is what they say it is? Or should we buy it no matter what?" Bielsi asks.
|
Seated in a chair and slowly drinking the cider he had brought with him, Manthos is intrigued by the Venture Captain's request. This is a sacred duty to ensure that no relic finds its way to those that would misuse it.. Thinking for a moment and watching his companions, Manthos ponders the problem.
"Venture Captain, I am to assume that the religious nature of this item will make it particularly challenging in Azir. Am I to infer that the influence of the Pathfinder Society shall be clandestine?"
Venture Capitain Obo replies to your questions:
"I am playing siege against myself! Each year some of the venture-captains meet to have a siege tournament, and that sneaky bastard Valsin has won the last three. I don’t care about winning the purse, it’s about besting him in front of everyone else! Now, if only I can recall his damnable strategy from the last time he won.” He scratches his beard.
"You could try to steal, but alas I heard the brokerage is fortified beyond measure."
Looking at Bielsiel he replies.“The origins of the shield are shrouded in mystery. Some believe that the god Aroden carried it when he was a mortal, while others claim that it was fashioned by Aroden after he became a god. The Taldan general Arnisant carried the shield during the Shining Crusade, and it was instrumental in defeating the Whispering Tyrant—that’s when it shattered. It is possible that even a fragment of the shield could be dangerous if used for nefarious ends.”
To manthos he replies. “Members of the Pure Legion are Rahadoum’s primary peacekeeping force, primarily charged with enforcing the nation’s First Law, which prohibits religion in any form. You’d be wise not to carry any items of contraband such as holy symbols or religious artifacts into the city, as it’s certain the Pure Legion will search you all before entering the city.”
Looking at Jadger" “From what I’ve gathered, it’s a brokerage for illegal divine artifacts and relics that moves its location throughout Azir every so often to keep the Pure Legion from discovering it. That’s why we need Torvad. Only someone who travels in those circles would know where the Cobra has most recently set up shop.”
You can do a DIPLOMACY (GATHER INFORMATION) OR KNOWLEDGE (HISTORY, LOCAL, OR RELIGION) check to learn more about Rahadoum.
You do not learn more about the shield at the moment.
Venture-Captain Obo grins and hands over a small purse of 25 gold coins to Alexis. "I feel safer to spend a bit of my "Certain Winnings" to reward his helpful agents. I am sure my confidence in you is will grow and bring plentiful fruit."
Azir is the capital city of Rahadoum. The entire nation upholds a series of philosophical tenets known as the Laws of Man, the primary tenet of which is known as the First Law, which prohibits religion in any form. The country adopted these laws following decades of religious wars and maintains a peacekeeping force known as the Pure Legion to enforce them. Where people outside of Rhadoum hold a place in society for religion, most Rahadoumi hold a deep respect for rhetoric and philosophy. As a result, most Rahadoumi are well-educated, promote civic-minded behavior, and place a high value on self-discipline and familial loyalty.
Despite the Pure Legion’s best efforts, some of the nation’s citizens worship various gods within the country’s borders. Years of confiscation of divine artifacts, combined with the clandestine demand for divine paraphernalia, has contributed to a considerable secret trade of smuggled religious items. Punishments for breaking Rahadoum’s First Law range from a fine for possession of forbidden relics to public humiliation, incarceration, or banishment for public displays of divine advocacy, magic, or worship.
|
A dishevelled looking man sits quietly listening to the Venture Captian and his companions. He has a blank look on his face that gives the impression that he either has no idea what anyone is talking about or just doesn't care.
Breaking his silence, he says to no-one in particular;
When do we leave?
As he stands and heads to the door.
|
|
Bielsi cocks his head to the side, apparently listening to something the rest can't hear.
"I suppose you won't be hearing me go on and on, as you call it, about Sarenrae on this mission. But as the sun shines everywhere on the world, so her message must go out as well," he says before turning to the rest of the group again.
He rises as the quiet man in the corner does and follows in his wake. "What's best done is best done quickly."
He takes one of the notes of credit along the way. "We should divide these evenly amongst us to lessen the chance of them all getting lost."
If you are ready to depart, the curtain closes to the introduction.
The curtain opens for ACT 1:
Manaket lies approximately 225 miles east of Azir. It takes the you just under 6 days by camel (at a rate of 40 miles per day) to reach the capital city. While the caravan offers protection from most of the dangers of the journey, a violent electrical dust storm catches the caravan while it is still 2 days out from Manaket.
A neverending wave of fine gritty sand envelops you and you feel as if your flesh is grinded off your bones. The sound is cacaphonous and eyesight almost nonexistant.
Please roll for Perception.
@all that beat a DC 15 check detect the sounds of a mule braying frantically and desperate banging.
You did hear someone in distress. Now how to pinpoint the poor one.
You can make progress with a successful DC 19 Knowledge (geography), Knowledge (nature), Perception, or Survival check.
This is a round-by-round action.
So in first round just one success.
Round 2:
Recap round 2:
Together the pathfinders are able to pinpoint the sound.
Round 3:
This type of dust storm builds up stunning static charges, blinds travelers, and can even bowl over creatures. The PCs can evade or withstand the shocks with a successful DC 19 Acrobatics check, DC 19 Ride
check (if mounted), combat maneuver check against CMD 18, or DC 15 Fortitude save
|
|
"Well, I'm assuming there's someone WITH the donkey. Not that we're just going to save a donkey," Bielsi says, in answer to a question or comment no one visible or audible can see.
As one who comes from the desert, he knows of these storms and how dangerous they can be.
As such, he is able to weather it without too much trouble.
Round 3 recap.
The Pathfinder manage to brave the storm through pure resiliency.
You found a dwarven women buried in the sand.
She seems to be in very bad shape, but still concious.
Up to three pcs can aid the dwarven women with a heal check DC 19
|
|
Bielsi almost trips over the woman, stumbling in the sand as he draws up short when he notices her clothing is not sand.
"Over here!" he calls out to his companions who may not have spotted her, yet.
"Told you it wasn't just a donkey," he says s he begins to examine the woman and apply his limited healing knowledge.
@all Healing can be done untrained.
round 4 recap Unfortunately the pathfinders do not manage to make progress. You can use healing, but alas you need at to restore at least 7 hp to progress.
Round 5