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The Hao Jin Tapestry hangs on the wall of this stuffy basement room in the Grand Lodge. The tattered piece of fabric, five feet wide and seven feet long, looks more like a worn tablecloth than a storied artifact. The Pathfinder Society’s Master of Spells Aram Zey stands before tapestry, his arms folded across his chest. He speaks without greeting.
“As you all surely know, the Society labors at some cost to assemble a dwarven relic known as the Sky Key.” The Master of Spells produces an intricately sculpted piece of metal decorated with fluid carvings. A sudden flash of excitement fills his weary eyes. “The object I hold in my hands is one of five pieces of that curiosity. The pieces that the Society has obtained so far share the same luster and artistic sensibilities but have different shapes and functions within the assembled artifact. Today, hopefully, you will retrieve another piece. Previous missions lead us to believe that a fragment of the Sky Key lies within the tapestry, in the company of a dwarven clan that left Golarion for Hao Jin’s realm some time ago. Your task is to enter the tapestry and make contact with these dwarves, discern what they know about the Sky Key, and negotiate for their piece, should they still have it.”
The taciturn sage produces a hexagonal beard clasp of thick, polished metal. “Pathfinder agents retrieved this beard clasp from one of the sites that we suspected of holding the Sky Key Fragment. It belonged to an ancestor of the dwarves who live in the tapestry, and it may assist you in your negotiations. Return it to me if it does not gain you the fragment you seek. We hold no particular ire for the dwarves. Retrieve the Sky Key fragment if possible, but try not to murder anyone.”
Aram Zey adds grudgingly, “Does anyone have any questions before I send you into tapestry?”
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"At least we are unlikely to meet undead. Dwarves are, at least, reasonable." In spite of the optimistic words, Deluge has a grim put out expression on his face as if to say he fully expects to have to deal with unreasonable things. His excessive bulk overflows the chair he sits at and he has his feet propped up on a second chair while he pops dried shrimp from a bag into his mouth and chews almost non-stop. Except for the occasional break to take a swig of some gods-awful smelling fermented beverage.
At his side is a club and he is wearing some red scaly breastplate which you probably know is dragonhide. He has no helmet on his balding head, probably because it would be quite the challenge to find one that would fit.
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Roan is a young man of slight build, looking not so much malnourished as just underfed. He has a spear with him, and not much besides in the way of gear. He doesn't wear any noticeable armor, nor does he look actually impressive at all. He is red of hair, which is likely his most noticeable feature. There is a small satchel at his side, but as aforementioned he doesn't seem particularly brave or handsome or like much of a fighter. It is truly an underwhelming sight.
"Having never been to the tapestry before, does anything there work differently? I've spent most of my adventuring days deep, deep in the Emerald Spire." He asks.
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Yen Jinsa asks about the clan of Dwarves.
Aram Zey looks at Yen Jinsa “The dwarves who live in the tapestry? They are the descendants of those who followed Prince Naldak, son of the last ruler of Jormurdun, King Gutheran.”
Deareon and Grog inquire about foes and trouble. The Master of Spells sighs, ”This is a diplomatic mission, we don’t expect trouble. That is why we are sending a crack team of diplomats, but I suspect the tapestry is full of the same type of creatures as you find in Golarion.”
Deluge suggest undead or unlikely and that dwarves are reasonable.
Roan inquires about the tapestry and how it works.
Aram Zey begins to lecture “The Hao Jin Tapestry is a masterpiece of magical craftsmanship. It is the entrance to the legendary sorcerer Hao Jin’s personal demiplane. She pulled regions from all over Golarion into the tapestry. The tapestry is a living, breathing museum that houses countless historical treasures. Things work the same in the Tapestry as they do in Golarion.”
He continues, [b]”Each person enters the Hao Jin Tapestry leaves an eddy in his wake. To return here you simply walk into your eddy, which only you can see or interact with.”
He waits a moment to see if there are any more questions, before asking ”Do you have any purchases to make before entering the tapestry? I do so dislike green agents coming to a mission briefing unprepared.”
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"I resemble that remark!" Deluge laughs at his own wit, ignoring the scowl from Aram.
"I think I have read about this tapestry in the chronicles. Should be interesting. Can I bring my goat? Just freshened her and I'd hate to waste all that good milk."
With that Deluge takes another swig of his fermented goats milk. He does not seem to be taking the mission as seriously as one might want.
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Deluge makes a funny remark and laughs as he takes a swig of fermented goats milk and indicates his and his goat’s readiness.
Daereon declines the opportunity to purchase anything and is ready.
Grog offers his guard service to the diplomats
Roan shifts a few feet away from the other Pathfinders, indicating his lack of a feeling of safety.
Aram Zey takes a deep breath ”Excellent, I see you are all eager pathfinders ready to embark on the mission. In that case, I won’t delay you any longer.” Teaching each of you the command word and instructing you to place your fingers one at a time on a specific spot in the tapestry.
One by one each of you following the Master of spells instructions are whisked away into the tapestry.
The sudden disorientation of traveling into the Tapestry passes quickly. The hot, humid air announces an abrupt change in the local scenery. A large earthen hill fades into view, surrounded on each side by hills covered in vines, grass, and stands of jungle trees. In one direction, mountains rise until they meet a haze of thick clouds. In the other direction, the deep blue sky is barely visible through an expanse of thick jungle. Just ahead lies a small village, it's stone buildings overrun with vegetation.
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Deluge spot the signs of looting. He had hoped for a nice warm welcome.
Yen cast protective magic on himself expecting trouble.
Grog looks for tracks, he easily sees the village is long abandon he only sees one set of large bear-like tracks that seem to inhabit the village.
Daereon readies his sword.
As you stand ready you hear a frightening roar that sounds like a hammer striking an anvil and see flying up over the village a horse-sized creature has the face of a dwarven woman wearing a silver nose ring. Her body resembles that of a large bear with scaly wings. A barbed tail writhes wildly behind her as she threatens with a sonorous growl.
Grog:
Yen Jinsa:
Daereon:
Deluge:
Roan:
Creature:
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Believing the creature is not going to attack, Deluge begins to speak with it.
Daereon takes the lead in trying to calm the creature down.
With Yen’s aid, the bluster seems to go out of the creature.
Roan pleads not to be eaten, while Grog waits.
Now indifferent to your presence, the creature drops to the ground hanging its head down, ”What do you want, there is nothing left here but Grodel. Master was the last of Naldak’s point dwarves. He died and left me here alone. Long before master died, evil came and took the young dwarves. Now they live in the mountain to the east. Their heads are bald and their skin is gray. They should cut their heads in shame.”
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Grodel only shugs at Deluge’s comment, ”I do not know what your race considers attractive, but bald dwarfs are not.”
Daereon talks with Grodel trying to put her at ease which works. Grodel sighs ”My master called me her eidolon. Before Hao Jin convinced the dwarf leaders to whisk their home into her tapestry, I could come and go at my master’s will, but once inside the tapestry I could only remain. I am effectively trapped inside this demiplane forever.“
In response to Roan’s rambling Grodel shakes her head ”No sphinx just an eidolon.”
Grodel continues ”Forty years ago when my venerable master passed away she tasked me with telling the tale of woe of the sundering of her dwarven house to any who may happen upon our village."
”In truth, there is not much to tell. The village prospered and provided a peaceful life for the tapestry’s dwarven residents for centuries, but after Hao Jin herself vanished, the demiplane slowly began to deteriorate. That is when some dwarves embraced evils offer, the gray dwarves left Naldak’s Point. They vowed never to take one of their cousins as slaves but promised to defend their new settlement to the death. A gray dwarf called Ironwhip lead a contingent of gray dwarfs, they seized most of the town’s supplies, and they also took the family’s most priceless heirlooms, claiming they were best suited to protect Naldak’s legacy. Only a small group of dwarves, all from the town’s oldest generation, refused Evil’s offer. The people of Naldak’s Point aged and died, leaving behind a few empty ruins and me.”
Grodel shrugs her wings, ”Few passed through. About a year ago a group of people much like you come to the village they attacked me forcing me to flee then looted the village. It has been hard for me to trust visitors since then, that is why I tied to frighten you away.”
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"Yours is a very sad story. It will be carried elsewhere." Roan turns to his ersatz allies, and asks, "Shall we go now? I think the Naldak dwarves are awaiting our arrival with blunt weapons." A bit stereotypical of him to think they'll have hammer-like weapons, but he tends to say what he thinks without concern for the fact it might be insensitive.
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Mollified, Deluge finds a seat to rest on a stump and listen.
"If these looters found about your grey dwarves, they probably went after them to get the heirlooms. Hopefully Ironwhip and the bald dwarves were better prepared than your settlement or... well, we may find something similar to this. Do you know where their settlement is?"
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Roan remarks on the sad story and suggests going after the dwarves.
Daereon ask is there is a way to release her.
Deluge thinks the looters have gone after the gray dwarfs for the heirlooms.
Grog is for helping break Grodel’s servitude.
Grodel shakes her head ”I am here until while the tapestry last, or I die, but since you are going after the gray dwarves and the ones that attacked me, I have things that may help you.”
Grodel goes to her hut and returns with a scabbard and a wand, ”These are magic, they may help you. I must remain here.”
She points you to the overgrown eastward path that the gray dwarves took when they left Naldak’s Point
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Roan takes a moment to peer at the objects, a whispered word and a brief gesture causing his eyes to glow an unearthly blue. "Ah, yes... this is indeed magical. The scabbard can enchant a sword drawn from it, and the wand causes a small hail of rocks. Very interesting." If no one is averse, he takes the wand to hold onto, though the scabbard is of no use to him. As soon as his attention is otherwise not needed, he resumes being a flighty, air-headed oddity.