|
Six years ago, the Pathfinder Society narrowly avoided disaster at an archaeological excavation in the Terwa Uplands. The expedition recovered and resumed its work, and at long last they have learned what the ancient culture had hoped to guard. That’s when all correspondence ended. Fearing the excavation may be besieged once more, the Society has sent the PCs to save who they can, salvage what they must, and uncover a secret that has laid buried outside Bloodcove for millennia.
|
Toral is a young Dwarf from a Kelish merchant family. He always felt the pull of the heavens and stars.
Toral embraces the lessons of the past as the heavens have watched over this world since the beginning of time.
He is a stoic negotiator but has an empathic approach. He is perceptive and understands people's motives which is important as a merchant.
He typically walks around in his full plate and during battle tries not to attack but use spells and hexes instead.
* * *
"Again ... again one of these missions awaits me! The Exchange sometimes forgets that I have a business to run! A business! The only reason for dragging my body to these Pathfinder events is the good pay ... and obviously the contacts and relationships ... ha ha ha!" he suddenly starts laughing.
"Well, I should complain less and work harder to get back to my enterprise ASAP!"
|
Though Melea wears camouflaged colors over simple armor, the effect is ruined by her green-blue skin and feathers. She carries a massive bow and is followed by a leopard, who she has introduced as Galilah, never far behind. She speaks in a light, kind voice, though her face never seems to match the tone.
Most of her words are replies, though she mentions hailing from a village near Kaer Maga and her work as an agent of Erastil. Every morning along the journey she is able, the aasimar plants a few seeds in the shape of his holy mark.
"Such work is difficult in its own right, Torgar. Respectable. What does your business do?"
|
A young Kitsune monk walks through the hallway, holding a piece of parchment up to his nose. Muttering to himself, he mutters to himself while he tries to read the summons. "Come to... この名前はなんですか。" he tries to sound out the name but soon gives up. He sees a young adventurer, holding carrying books around. Moving to the young man, he puts the paper infront of the adventurer's face. "Where is this man room?" he asks.
After the man answers, he is off. He hears a laughter coming from one room and as he enters, he hears. "I am partial to animals."
He stops and looks around the room. "Is this room wrong?"
|
|
Although the city of Nantambu is hot, the interior of Sharrowsmith’s Exports is cool and dim. Aya Allahe gestures to a sideboard of iced drinks and jungle fruits as she settles in behind her tidy desk. “Please, refresh yourselves, for I’m about to ask you to journey far from the comforts of civilization.” The only other person in the room is a half-elf named Fola Barun, who has curly hair and dark skin painted with delicate designs. Fola stands behind a massive oak table, meticulously adding details to a half-finished map.
Allahe’s brow wrinkles over her golden eyes, hinting at her worry. “North of Bloodcove is the mountainous Terwa Uplands and a scarp called Azlant Ridge. For more than six years, Pathfinder archeologists at Azlant Ridge have been excavating an Azlanti outpost of vital historical significance; it’s perhaps the only Azlanti outpost on the Mwangi coast.” Allahe pauses. “Fola, you mentioned to me before that you wanted to learn how Pathfinder agents begin a mission. Why don’t you hold off on that map for a few minutes and listen?”
The half-elf carefully sets her cartography aside and strides over behind the desk. Allahe nods approvingly and continues, “My good friend, Juliet Dias, leads the expedition at Azlant Ridge. During their first year, the expedition was beset by a horde of ape-men, but was saved by the timely intervention of a group of Pathfinder agents. The site has been mostly quiet ever since—Juliet provides monthly reports. Archeology is a slow and careful science, as Juliet is keen to remind me. Not all Pathfinders are reckless thrill-seekers.” Allahe flashes a conspiratorial smile.
Fola Barun speaks up. “Juliet Dias’s monthly correspondence is a week overdue. Her last missive described a strange light emanating from somewhere deeper in the Terwa Uplands, and her intense curiosity about it.” She slides a folded letter across the desk.
Aya adds, “I fear for my friend. Go to Azlant Ridge and seek out Juliet Dias. If she has met danger, please assist her. If my fears prove true, and Juliet is injured or worse, please ensure that the Pathfinder archeologists under her supervision are safe and continuing their valuable work, and then bring Juliet back to me. I have a riverboat to Bloodcove ready to depart, and I’ll provide you directions from Bloodcove to Azlant Ridge. Although I ask that you hurry, it is important that you ask whatever questions you may have before departing.”
----
|
|
Haro starts to listen to the two talk, but his eyes soon glaze over. He knows some about the Mwangi expanse from an old friend of his who was at the ape-man battle, but other than that, he only knows some history of the valley.
"time ago, snake-man had empire there. was July Days look for old pieces of stuff?"
|
|
Toral nods at the Aasimar.
”Of course it is a great respectable profession! So I failed to mention that I am also a speaker for the past. Listen... Several millennia ago, the western Mwangi expanse was a contested battleground between the declining serpentfolk empire and the cyclopes of Ghol-Gan. Although the Azlanti were not generally allies of Ghol-Gan, they had the insidious serpentfolk as a common enemy.
The Ghol-Gan cyclopes were renowned astronomers and worshiped celestial bodies.“
|
|
Galilah doesn't seem enthusiastic about the attention, but certainly isn't snapping back or anything drastic.
"So, we are to see if anything is wrong at the site, and rectify it if possible," Melea reels back. "This is a big, important operation, correct? Has anything equally valuable come of it? Maybe that's a cause or clue. We have often stuck our noses into troublesome bits of history."
|
|
A calm dwarf of large shiny eyes, like purple gems, steps to the front. His skin it's tanned and bright, like the mountains themselves. He wears a white tunic with golden silk drawings on the neck and arms. An earthbreaker hammer hangs from his back, and an iron holy symbol over his breast.
His voice is calm and deep as he speaks "Any of you have any idea of what those Ghol-Gan means?" and turning to Fola Barun "Can we check on Juliet Dias' last correspondence?"
|
|
Galilah doesn't seem enthusiastic about the attention, but certainly isn't snapping back or anything drastic.
"So, we are to see if anything is wrong at the site, and rectify it if possible," Melea reels back. "This is a big, important operation, correct? Has anything equally valuable come of it? Maybe that's a cause or clue. We have often stuck our noses into troublesome bits of history."
There are relics there, yes. Whatever can be recovered, please do, lest they be lost to continued skirmishing in the area.
|
|
After an unpleasant but relatively uneventful journey through the jungle, you see highlands begin to rise above the canopy. Soon, your trail also begins to rise as a series of thin switchback trails climb ever higher out of the jungle. Near the top, a dilapidated camp comes into view. The camp is surrounded by a wooden palisade wall forming a semicircle that both starts and ends at an imposing cliff face looming hundreds of feet above the camp. A gatehouse towers over the palisade, guarding a wooden gate. Near this gate is a large gap of splintered wood, as though some enormous creature recently smashed its way through the wall.
”Um, that’s far enough!” a nervous voice calls out to you from the guard-tower. ”Who are you, and what do you want?” Looking up, you can see a scholarly half-elf with a very worried expression on his face.
|
|
"You half-coward dude! Get down here and explain what happened in this place!" Arbiscar splats another mosquito at his neck. The unpleasantness of the jungle has clearly not worked towards the rude charisma of the dwarf. Drawing his earthbreaker he shouts again at the scholar "Hurry up, we are Pathfinders sent to find out what happened to Juliet Dias and her expedition, and we don't have the whole day to wait for you to collaborate!"
|
|
Happ shoots a look at Arbsicar before Melea brings him down to reasonable. We could use some help with the repairs but yes a few came through here not too long ago. He pauses for a moment to wipe his brow. ”A few weeks ago, a steady white light appeared in the Terwa Uplands. Juliet Dias and her six archaeologists went to investigate. They haven’t returned, though the light appeared to be only a few days away. Meanwhile, those of us that remained here focused our research on the ivory sphere you see over there.” Happ points to the huge ivory sphere, excavated at the Western edge of the camp. ”Through careful study, we’ve determined that its glow doesn’t just indicate danger—it indicates powerful fiendish activity. When a fiend is near, the sphere activates an Azlanti monolith to seek and destroy the fiend. Of course, this made us quite worried about Juliet and the rest, but none of us are qualified to go trek up after her.”
He nervously glances at the hole in the palisade. ”Two days ago, another of those monoliths activated, smashing its way through our camp and plodding off toward the light. Several of my people immediately fled for Bloodcove, but I’m not willing to just abandon this site so quickly. We’ve spent the last few days covering and preserving our dig, so that hopefully it can be reopened someday. We’re going to set out first thing tomorrow.”
|
|
Arbiscar nods, satisfied the scholar starts to explain himself without delay "An Azlanti monolith started moving and broke the palisade? That's nonsense. There is nothing more steady than stone itself. What you witnessed is more probably a construct of the old empire you are saying to be studying"
"Those Ghol-Gan. What can you explain about them?" the dwarf splats another mosquito "Damn, this place is full of those insidious insects, how have you survived this long in here?"
Turning to Toral the dwarf nods again "Even a drunk orc could follow those footprints bro. I do wonder how do we stop that thing though, have you seen the palisade?" turning again to the scholar Arbiscar continues his questioning "Good, what do you remember about how the construct activated? Perhaps we should inspect that sphere in more detail, it might hold information about that monolith and how to stop it before it can hurt something valuable"
|
|
Arbiscar nods understanding "My fellow companions, I can tell you, this is some kind of Azlanti magical communication mechanism"
Looking around the dwarf points to the palisade "The monolith broke through two days ago Melea. I think we should better secure any information possible about it before rushing after it. And if we can make sure another construct will not wake up and kill the remaining site workers all the better" approaching the palisade Arbiscar studies the destroyed structure trying to understand the size and weight of the monolith that broke through, and any remaining clue of its passage "I would suggest we sprawl a bit to find for clues, like the place where the monolith was dormant, so we can go after sooner"