Dot in here!
The team receives their orders to rendezvous at a lonely cabin near the Fenwall mountains. The air is cool and crisp, and the daylight fades by the minute. Sheila heidmarch's letter made this sound important, not that you would refuse a venture-captain's request anyways, but this seems to be a particularly forlorn place for the rich noble to request you to be. She must have her reasons...
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Dolora makes her way tentatively into the cabin and sees that she is the first to arrive. She stows her gear underneath one of the chairs and sits down to wait for the others to arrive.
As they come in, they see a what appears to be the a young halfling woman sitting on a chair. She is wearing an ornate light red dress that seems a little out of date, in the style of about 10 years ago with some pieces of leather mixed in for protection. As she is perfectly still with glassy eyes and porcelain like skin, it is difficult to tell if this is just a doll or mannequin or legitimately a person.
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"Hi, I'm Ai!" Ai offers a handshake to anyone near her. "I don't suppose anyone has time to hear the glorious wisdom of Picoperi? Wonderful. Picoperi says, 'Mountains aren't funny. They're hill areas!'" The small woman wears green-and-yellow robes that clash with her long, loose red hair, and an infectious grin.
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Flix enters the cabin after kicking his boots on the frame to knock off any excess dirt and mud. He turns slightly to enter the door. The girth of a breastplate, coat, and broad shoulders require a bit of navigation sometimes. The fur at the top of his coat tickle his chin a bit and he swats at it briefly catching the attention of a few, i'm sure. Ah, Flix mon Klesh, at your service. He dips a small bow.
At first glance, you'd take Flix to be human but his eyes seem to dance with color and as he makes his way fully through the door to close it, you see a long scaly tail stick out from the back of his coat under his slung shield.
He makes his way to an area to sit, putting his shield and some other gear on an open chair. His longsword stays in the scabbard at his side.
Why yes, Ai. We could all use a little wisdom from time to time. 'One without wisdom is lacking in much.' so I've heard.
A muscular white kobold enters the briefing with rapier in hand. She looks around and just sort of shrugs at the motley assortment of warriors she sees.
"Chief says you bigfeets need help. Send me, mighty Pethjun, to help."
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The doll-like girl all of a sudden blinks a couple times and jumps up out of her chair. "Hi guys! Now that almost everyone's here I should introduce myself. I'm Dolora, and ... wow I really like your skin! That is so cool! And your armor, and ooooh those robes. Can I check out those robes?" She bounces around the room as she talks, pointing at everything exciting that she sees about her fellow pathfinders' appearance or equipment.
A door is opened and Venture-Captain Sheila Heidmarch ushers you into a bedroom. Inside is a man who is strapped to a wooden bed. He strains against the bonds, his body flexing as hard as it can... but oddly, his eyes are closed, and despite grunts of exertion, he makes no sound.
Sheila Heidmarch glances out a window as the last wisps of twilight fade over the Fenwall Mountains. Turning from the sight, she runs her hand along the rustic cabin’s wall and stands beside an occupied wooden bed before addressing you.
“This,” the venture captain says, gesturing to the man thrashing around violently, straining against the bonds that lash him securely to the bed, “is our colleague, Kalkamedes. Every night for several weeks now, he has fallen into a deep slumber and tried to sleepwalk right out of his cottage. If not restrained, he marches straight north, eventually falling off a cliff or into a bog as if trying to get himself killed in an attempt to reach an unknown goal.”
As though he were expressing disagreement, the man tied to the bed suddenly begins pumping his limbs even harder, the violent spasms
threatening to smash the bed into splinters.
“There are those who have recently criticized the Pathfinders for our indifference to the plight of our fellow field agents. It’s time to show that’s not true. I want you to help Kalkamedes, whether he wants it or not. Several of our best spellcasters have attempted an extensive list of magical cures, but whatever sleepwalking curse or effect he’s under tenaciously resists our efforts. All we can do is keep him safe.”
Heidmarch pats him with a degree of professional affection, and Kalkamedes rewards her by trying to swat her with his head.
"Kalkamedes’s friends are at their wits’ end, so we are going to attempt the only thing that we have not tried: we’re going to let him go
tonight. That’s where you come in. I want you to follow him and keep him safe and in one piece. Let him get to wherever his addled brain thinks he needs to go so badly. Maybe, just maybe, if he gets there, you
can find a way to help him. Maybe you can determine who or what did this to him and find a way to undo it.”
Heidmarch pulls out a serrated knife.
“Now before I cut him free, does anyone have any questions or last
minute preparations?”
does not extend beyond southern Varisia. Although he is
now semi-retired and only forwards the occasional report
to the Decemvirate these days, his colleagues continue to
respect him for his many prior accomplishments.
an interest in lore of the ancient runelords
and the rare heroes who dared to oppose
the runelords’ tyranny. He relocated from
Absalom to Varisia for the chance to further
his study.
Kalkamedes swore the oaths to become a
paladin and served as a staunch defender of
the meek; however, years later he abruptly
left his holy order. Few truly understood
his decision.
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Ai only half pays attention to the venture-captain - her focus is on the stove nearby. She snakes a hand into it, pulling out a sketch of a fortress shrouded by clouds. "Maybe he's trying to go here? I wonder..." Probing around, she triggers a hidden compartment in the floor, revealing a locked metal chest.
"So, sleepwalking? Is he sleeptalking too, or sleeplocking? Maybe he's sleephiding the key somewhere."
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Questions? Uh, several. Do you have any idea what prompted this? An injury or history of odd behavior? Will he attack us if restrained or press forward like a zombie? Is he a particularly good runner? We may not fair well if he's off in a dead heat all night. Flix feels for the man but there's a lot to consider.
I know he dabbled in knowledge of the Runelords, his reputation precedes him. Do you know of his latest interests?
Sheila sighs and shakes her head.
Unfortunately, no sleep talking, maybe then we could get to the bottom of this. And he can't be woke up until morning, no matter what we do.
Jian thinks the lock could either be picked, or broken.
Edit: To Flix, Sheila says We have no idea what prompted this. He was a paladin many years ago, and has taken his share of cuts and wounds as a warrior, but nothing that would prompt this. He'll fight back if restrained, mostly by thrashing about, as you can see, but no running. He just sorta... meanders forward.
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Very well. We should affix a tether of some kind in case he gets to close to something dangerous. Anything you can tell us about the surrounding area so we can best navigate northward unhindered? Flix looks back at his bag, remembering the length of rope he bought recently. Any other supplies you can offer for aid in our quest would be helpful.
Flix searches his memory for knowledge of the surrounding area.
Other than mountains, Flix doesn't know of anything particular about the area.
I'm afraid I don't have much on me. Says Shiela. But I'm sure Kalkamedes wouldn't mind you using anything he has in the cabin, if it means you can rid him of this affliction.
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Myth takes a look at the locked chest, checking for traps first, and then attempting to pick the lock and open it, if no traps are found...
Myth arches an eyebrow upon opening the chest as he reveals what it holds. "Quite a stash he has here..."
Once that's dealt with, he attempts to recall what he's heard of Kalkamedes...
...and relates it to his companions...
Dolora finds no magic on Kalakamedes person, at least none she can detect.
Flix gets a feel for the blade. The thing clearly gives the aura and feel of magic, though any magic potency is probably offset by how badly it's weight is thrown off by the crack in the blade. It's a shame... it clearly would have been a masterpiece without it. Flix feels that the blade feels kinda... right, for lack of a better word. Like he should hold onto it.
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Watching the man pulling against his bonds
"This is no way for an honorable man to live. By my word I will keep him protected on his travels."
See all the items
"We should take his gear with us for when he wakes up."
Angie turns and looks at Shiela "Is he still part of his order? Why do they not take this journey with him?"
"Pehtjun is chief's protector. Perhaps I can be lookout. I can scout around, even sneaky to see if there is trouble for this sleepy bigfoot."
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If Myth can sneak up on all of us, he can probably lead ahead of us a bit and keep an eye on things. Pethjun, I wouldn't mind a second pair of hands defending our charge here. The rest of us should fill the space and clear obstacles. I'll hold him in check as best as possible. Flix goes to tie a tether between himself and Kalkemedes.
Flix doesn't have to much trouble tying the rope to the bound man.
Sheila looks with a sad face at the bound kalkamedes.
I... it's not really my place to say. But Kalkamedes left his order some time ago. He is a good man, but the strictures of being a paladin are... difficult, often requiring difficult choices.
She places a hand on his head and sighs.
Suffice to say, we are the best backup he has.
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Flix nods at the admission. We will treat him with the upmost respect. He looks down at the rope in his hands. Unfortunately, his protection may require difficult choices as well.
We should get going. The sooner this is over, the sooner we can bring him peace. Flix checks the knots one last time and nods at the other to let him loose.
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Dolora returns to the other room and grabs up her gear from where she had stashed it. "I am ready to move when you are. I am not much of a scout so I'm happy to stay by Kalkamedes and help keep him safe."
While Flix is attaching the rope she stands ready but looking nervous, again seeming less like a sentient creature than a doll. After a short period of time a transparent figure fades into view behind her behind her, looking much like Dolora but larger, with a saddened expression.
"This is my friend. She responds to the same name as I, and can help scout ahead as well. Normally she only comes to help when I really need her but I have a feeling it's a good idea to have her now with all of the unknowns in this situation."
The figure looks around at the group, then carefully studies Kalkamedes before silently moving towards the door.
At flix's nod, Sheila cuts Kalkamedes free as he lurches up. After just a moment, Kalkamedes begins a slow, ambling walk... right out the door, his nightcap fluttering in the gentle breeze.
Myth scouts out ahead, but finds that Kalkamedes isn't waiting around to let them get a good stealthy pace, forcing him to make more noise than he wants to keep up...
The night sky is clear, and the waning quarter cresent moon provides a soft light that is enough to see by, but just barely.
The lack of light seems to not slow Kalkamedes at all though as he ambles forward, bumping into a tree, stepping slightly aside, then continuing onwards. He does the same with all obstacles as he softly pads forward. Even moving over rough rocks, he merely stumbles across and keeps moving.
The phantom floats up ahead of the group scouting alongside Myth.
(so 19 while still in motion)
Flix has to really dig his heels in, but Kalkamedes clearly isn't putting his all into it as he just sort of... walks in place.
Flix taps Kalkamedes with the wand, and the slowly swelling ankle returns to normal.
Myth, heading up ahead, sees a large copse of thorns. Taking a moment, he's able to scout out that it's 60 feet wide and 100 feet deep... and Kalkamedes is headed straight for it!
The team is about 200 feet away when Myth spots the thorns.
PATHFINDERS... RESCUE! THE BOLD MAY ACT!
Flix
Dolores
Myth
Pethjun
Jian
Angie
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Kalkamedes- 200ft from brambles
Jian attempts to move kalkamedes, but can't seem to get a grip on him. As she attempts to grab him, he spins in place, one leg lazily swinging out...
Luckily, Jian sees it coming, the spin slowed by sleep as she hops back, and Kalkamedes finishes spinning right into his walk again, as if nothing had happened.
PATHFINDERS... RESCUE! THE BOLD MAY ACT!
Flix
Dolores
Myth
Pethjun
Jian
Angie
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Kalkamedes- 200ft from brambles
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Flix looks out over the impediment, These aren't just regular thorns, but razor bramble! Razor bramble can slice right through skin and cause horrible lacerations. Even armor is no guarantee of getting through such a patch without cuts from the knifelike thorns.
Flix tries to maneuver Kalkemedes over or slow him down.
Kalkamedes walks through the blast of magic as if it where no more than a puff of smoke, completely unfazed.
Flix tries to put a halt to Kalkamedes...
But he finds himself being dragged along!
PATHFINDERS... RESCUE! THE BOLD MAY ACT!
Flix
Dolores
Myth
Pethjun
Jian
Angie
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Kalkamedes- 200ft from brambles