Lucian's Heresy of Man PbP (Inactive)

Game Master LucianC

Please post your character info in the discussion thread.

Qishi looks around the lodge, waiting for the Venture Captain and fellow members of the society to show up.

Are we ready to go?

I am here

<<Master Azre stands in the corner with a sour look on his face.>>

A single, dim lantern sheds uncertain light in the cabin of Venture-Captain Retief VanSchuyver. The deck of his ship, the Maelstrom, sways and rocks with the gentle swells in the predawn darkness off the coast of Rahadoum. The captain scratches his patchy beard as he speaks. “I’m not sure how much you know about the nation of Rahadoum. Its position on the mouth of the Inner Sea keeps it prosperous enough, I think, but the strangest thing about the nation has nothing to do with trade. You may already know this, but they’re not too keen on the gods. Any of ’em. Not Desna, nor Abadar, nor Gozreh, much less the bleaker crew like Asmodeus or Lamashtu. Them Rahadoumi want nothing to do with them—had a war over ’em, in fact. Even Sarenrae can’t get her foot in the door!” The captain leans back, turns, and spits tobacco juice into a brass spittoon. “Despite all that, Rahadoum is a peaceful nation, eh.

Education is highly valued, and civic duty held in high esteem. At least it hasn’t had to deal with any religious wars in a long time. But turnin’ your back on the gods has its downside. Famine always looms on their horizon. The desert claims more and more of their farmland every year, it seems. And, worst of all, plagues wreak stark havoc among ’em. Thousands die every year from one ailment or another for want of a decent cleric. They have no power, no divine will, to stem the tide of disease, and they struggle and they starve and they die so dreamlessly, knowin’ that when they enter the Boneyard, there’ll be no deity to meet ’em there with open arms, no paradise waiting on the other side. “Just lately, things have been much worse. A new plague sprang up several weeks ago in the outlying villages around Manaket—Rahadoum’s center of learning. They call it the Night Plague, and it’s a killer. Very few infected have recovered from it but the handful who made it across the borders or out through the ports have been easily cured by clerical magic. This Night Plague’s a killer, but it doesn’t have to be. “That brings me to why we’re bobbing here off Rahadoum’s coast in the dead of night. Despite Rahadoum’s current social agenda, it’s an ancient, storied land. There’re a lot of secrets buried in those forgotten sands. As a result, let’s just say that the Pathfinders have ‘assets in place’ in the area not ‘officially’ associated with the Swordmeet Lodge in Manaket and leave it at that. But with plague striking the area, and those assets having no clerical support, they are now in jeopardy. We’ve got to protect our people and their research, and to do that we’ve got to get a handle on this plague before it becomes epidemic, or at least shield our folks before they’re exposed to it.” He looks up, his eyes dark and fierce. “So we’re going to give Rahadoum a little help… whether they like it or not.”

He gestures behind him to a shadowed figure sitting on a sea-chest. “This is Agosa Agion, a holy hand of Sarenrae and Pathfinder field operative.” A human male rises from his seat and bows low. He wears a desert dweller’s robes on his slender frame and a green turban around his angular head. His forked beard is golden-colored and dyed with henna at its tips. Captain VanSchuyver clears his throat and continues. “Agosa normally serves as a healer in the Sothis Lodge and his expertise should serve him well as a plague doctor. I don’t intend for you folk to play nursemaid to a bunch of plague victims, that’s what we’ve got Agosa here for, but getting him into the country and to the action is where you come in.

“Your job is to sneak him into Rahadoum and get him to the village of Wadi al-Hesr, avoiding the nation’s priest-hunting military forces—they’re called the Pure Legion—and taking care of any ‘entanglements’ that you may run into along the way. For all the gods’ sakes, don’t let them know you’re even in the country! Right now, we’re anchored just off Rahadoum’s northern coast near the Qassabah Heb Amar. As far as the Rahadoumi government knows, it is the home of Bey Sarkris El Makkra, jefe of several of the local villages. The truth is, the good bey uses his stronghold as a secret smugglers’ port. Tonight, you are the smugglers, and Agosa here is your contraband. Get him into the tunnels where you’ll meet one of the bey’s servants; he’ll direct you from there.

“Don’t mess this thing up. Once you get Agosa to Wadi al-Hesr—only a few miles from the bey’s fortress—he’ll know where to go. Questions? If not, then get to the tunnels before the tides change. Someone from the bey’s staff is surely already waiting.”

Argenta leans in to the captain as he speaks. This sounds like pretty dangerous work. How much can we trust this Bey not to turn us over to the authorities? Also, aren't there supposed to be four of us? she asks looking around.

Is it possible to make purchases before we leave?

Yes. I'll poke Jen to log in.

Yes, make purchases

OK, given the mention of disease I need to dig around to see if I have antiplague anywhere on any of my chronicles

The Venture Captain nods at your caution.

We have enough dirt on Bey to bring him down with you, should he betray us.

Argenta nods, Thats useful to know. What can you tell us about this Pure Legion?

She looks out over the water to the dangerous looking coast. Also, how are we getting our 'cargo' to these sumgglers tunnels...

Sorry, I missed that we'd started

Qishi looks more than a little concerned with the mission. She is not particularly hardy and the idea of being near disease without clerical support bothers her.

"Can you please tell us what we can bring in and what we can't? Although I get no powers from the Serpents Kiss I wear her holy symbol. And I carry several magic items that are themselves divine. Are those going to cause problems?

Obviously, we try to sneak in and talk away out of any dangers, and to run if that isn't possible. But if the only way to save Argosa and ourselves from arrest is to fight the Pure Legion, do we surrender or fight?"

Edit: No antiplague here :-(

Argenta takes out a delicatley painted miniature wooden mask, one side black, the other white. If you dont mind captain I will leave this in your keeping for now. I wil be back for it

Leaving behind my holy symbol of Nethys, I dont actually need it for anything but it has sentmental value