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Venture-Captain Ambrus Valsin had sent word for all of you to meet him first thing this morning in his office in Skyreach, located on the grounds of the Grand Lodge in Absalom's Foreign Quarter. When you all arrive in his wood-paneled office, he looks up from the pile of papers before him and nods towards the seats. "Go on ahead and introduce yourself to each other. I've got to finish this paperwork and get it sent out ASAP."
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Two ratfolk enter the room together and stare at the wood paneling with glassy eyes. They look exactly the same, they both wear ragged old brown cloaks, and they both carry scythes. They each stare intently at you when they speak in their identical rasping voices.
He says he wants us to introduce ourselves.
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"I'll not be under anyone's power again." Getting a better look at the man, you can see scars covering much of his exposed skin. He stands and walks stiffly to the wolf, placing his hand affectionately between the animal's ears. "I'm Wertlos. This is Zahnlos. Please be sure to face me if you wish me to understand what you say. My hearing is one of many things those ቂልነት የሌላቸው ባሳዎች in that cursed land took from me."
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A half orc woman enters the room, her eyes glimmering with excitement. She is neither young nor old, with black hair plaited tightly in a thick braid. "I am Anis, of the Temple of Sarenrea. I'm so pleased to meet you all!" Although she speaks with genuine confidence, she fidgets somewhat with her modest garments - an outfit made up of a crisp white button up, blue and gold vest and a matching long pleated skirt, topped with a sheer loose veil - which you figure must be her day-to-day temple wear. I hope they can't tell how excited I am to finally see all the places I've read about. I know I have work to do, and this isn't a pleasure cruise, but... With a resolute expression, Anis continues, "This is my first time leaving the temple back in Qadira - I'm humbled to be of service to you all. "
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A tall woman with scaly green skin and blue markings over her eyes comes in the room. She bows to Valsin, then to the other Pathfinders.
"My name isssss Suna, and I am here on behalf on Nagajor. May Nalinivati blesssss our mission."
Suna, they have finally sent you on another mission. You must not embarrass your people this time!
The nagaji wears breastplate emblazoned with a snake with a woman's head: part of the flag of Nagojor.
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Ambrus Valsin wraps up one last signature and seals it quickly in an envelope, then conjures a floating disk to set his pile of envelopes, papers, folders, and binders. As he strides towards the door, disk following along, he waves a hand and opens the door with his sorcerer abilities just as someone was beginning to knock on the door with a clawed, dainty hand. The unmistakeable Valais Durant, a fixture around the Grand Lodge, is clearly flustered at this break from expectation, but Valsin is unflappable as always. He holds out the stack of letters for her. "Thank you as always, Valais."
She nods, her eyes big like a child's. "Th-th-th-thank you, Venture-Captain Valsin. I sh-sh-all do my earnest best." She then scoops up the documents with the ease of a balloon and shifts the pile to her larger claw, leaving her other claw free. She waves her free claw at the rest of you. "Hello, friends!"
Ambrus gives her a nod and a rare polite smile. "Thank you, Valais."
She takes her cue and smiles back, her sharp demonic teeth somehow managing to look cute, then trudges off, Valsin closing the door behind her and picking up the disk, holding it in the crook of his arm like a plate. "Don't mind her. She likes to keep busy. Feel useful. A work ethic the rest of us could learn from!" He gives you all a meaningful look, the kind where one can easily imagine him as a stern professor looking over his glasses at his students. He takes his seat and sets the disk aside. "Alright! Let's get to business." He leans forward over his desk, his hands clasped in front of him.
“I had an interesting conversation with the Master of Spells Aram Zey yesterday. An old friend—Lady Darchana, Archdean of the Arcanamirium here in Absalom—contacted Master Zey. She’s a councilmember on the Low Council, too. It seems her dinner party last week had an unexpected guest: a handmaiden of her fancy guest’s had picked up a scrying sensor somewhere. When Lady Darchana learned that someone was attempting to eavesdrop on her party, she used her magic to trace the sensor back to its source. It sounds as though she didn’t learn anything conclusive, and she’s interested in bringing in an independent party to try and learn more. Master Zey agrees."
He sighs and leans back in his seat. “Make no mistake, this is an excellent opportunity for you to impress a well-connected friend of the Society. Lady Darchana requested that the Pathfinders call upon her at her estate in the Petal District once they learn something of the origins of this servant. The owner of the handmaiden is named Lady Silviana Dimora. Lady Silviana isn’t a councilmember or the like—at least not yet. From what I understand, though, she is an up-and-comer who is rubbing elbows with all of the right people, and she likely has little knowledge of where the slave was purchased. I recommend speaking to her majordomo Milana about the handmaiden, or you can pay a visit to her solicitor, a Chelish fellow named Salbus over in the Coins. Questions?”
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"Of courssse, sssir. What should we know about Lady Darchana?"
"She is a meticulous and enigmatic intellectual who has high standards and knows how to put people off-guard. She is expecting solid information. Do not disappoint her and embarass me. Or Aram Zey for that matter."
Anis flushes with anger, seeming somewhat distracted from the main goal "Venture Captain Valsin, if we are able to locate this handmaiden, may we assist in freeing her? I find it abominable that this Lady Silviana regards herself so highly that she thinks she may own another."
"I'm sorry to tell you that slavery is legal in Absalom, though not widespread. Our hands are tied on that matter. However, I will mention your concerns to Olysta Zadrian. She organizes and funds slave buybacks."
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We've heard of Darchana before.
Pule agrees: Darchana. We know from before.
They turn to Ambrus. Can we talk to Silviana too?
"My understanding is that she already left for Oppara two days ago. It seems Lady Darchana is trying to avoid turning this into a public debacle by working through intermediaries and not alarming other nobles, and Lady Silviana's recent departure may even be to ensure her safety and silence on the matter. Of course, that's an educated guess. I can already guess you will ask about whether the marked servant went with her, and unfortunately I wouldn't know one way or the other."
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The journey to Lady Silviana Dimora's estate in The Petal District is uneventful. An 8-foot-high fieldstone wall surrounds it. The grounds are recently tended with thick, soft grass, several well-placed shade trees, and many species of flowering plants. Directly in front of the manor house is a pond with several large lilies and a lion-shaped marble fountain that bubbles gently. The front double doors are a deep, earthy wood and adorned with lion-shaped brass knockers.
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"I'm sorry to tell you that slavery is legal in Absalom, though not widespread. Our hands are tied on that matter. However, I will mention your concerns to Olysta Zadrian. She organizes and funds slave buybacks."
Anis takes a deep breath, taking a moment to reflect on this new information I know there were slavers back home too, but I never saw it first hand in the temple or the surrounding villages... She resolves herself to do more to help on this matter at a later date, after the mission.
Anis stands at the door, looking equal parts annoyed by the prospect of being face to face with Lady Silvana, and curious about the abundant plants and ornate knockers.
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Several moments later, a dark-haired, wiry gentleman in a tailcoat opens the door. He moves to open his mouth only for a woman to call out from deeper in the house. ”If it’s the tinker, tell them the Mistress is out and they should come back later.”
The butler is unshaken by the interruption. He calls back. ”I do not think they are the tinker. Nor are they the tailor, soldier, or sailor, for that matter.” He pauses and looks you all over, his lips tight and disapproving. ”They are too eclectic to be anything but Pathfinders.”
The voice continues from inside. ”Oh for the love of...ask them what they want. If you just send them off they’ll break in or something. You know how that lot is.”
The butler nods, then looks to all of you. ”Lady Silviana Dimora is out on business to Oppara. Her majordomo would like to know what brings the Pathfinder Society to call upon her mistress.”
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Anis bobs her head in a slight but respectful bow, hiding her contempt away for someone who deserves it "Hello, I'm Anis..." he's right in that we're obviously Pathfinders, so no point in hiding that now "...As you said, we are here on Pathfinder business. If you would be so kind, we would like to speak with the majordomo."
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The butler nods. "Come along in. I shall take you to the parlor." He leads all of you to a first-floor parlor furnished with plush blue couches and chairs. He then leaves you and returns several minutes later with a stern-looking woman with dark brown hair and hazel eyes. She gives him a polite nod and he leaves. The woman turns to all of you. "My name is Milana. I am Lady Silviana Dimora's majordomo. On behalf of my mistress, I would like to apologize that she is not available to take unscheduled meetings at this time. However, Tamwell said you appeared respectable enough that I'm willing to hear what you have to say." She folds her arms and waits. You can all recognize her voice as the one that had been shouting back-and-forth with the butler, Tamwell, earlier.
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[Diplomacy]1d20+9
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"Our society has reason to believe that someone is using magic to spy on important people, and that your mistress may be targeted. We believe that you may be able to provide us with some details that will help us to determine the root of this intrusion." Though his distaste for the state of things among the upper crust is still apparent, Wertlos easily slips back into the measured and deferential tones of one who has spent time as a servant.
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A pleasant earthy scent wafts off of Anis "As the others have said, we are here to aid Lady Silviana Diamora - with your help, we can protect her from those who wish ill will upon her. She will certainly be pleased if she knew you played such an important roll in her well being." Although she tries her best for sincerity, a slight sneer crosses her face. Anis prays Milana hasn't noticed.
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Milana listens to the Pathfinders make their case, her body language noticeably relaxing as they speak with courtesy. She doesn't even seem to notice Anis's brief flub. She shakes her head, touching her hand to her forehead. "Yes, Lady Darchana's dinner party. What an embarassment for Lady Silviana. Can you imagine being told that your handmaiden is some sort of...welll..spy? Dreadful. The woman's name is Atlag, and she has been here for almost three weeks! Three weeks! When I think of the private conversations that happened in front of Atlag? It makes me ill, honestly ill."
Composing herself, Milana continues, "Lady Silviana retains a solicitor, a Chelish gentleman named Solvius Salbus. He works out of an office in the Coins called the Red Letter. He drew up the paperwork for my Lady to complete the transaction on Atlag with a man named..." She wags her pointer finger a few times, shaking her head as she tries to recall the name. "Mahdi Mahjub. No, Mahjub Mahdi! He does his business down in Misery Row, of course. It's a small shop with several large windows to allow passerby to see into his display parlor from the street. 'Mahdi's Chattel: Absalom's Finest,' so the sign claims. Honestly, I think every third building in Misery Row claims to be 'Absalom's Finest.' I wonder how many spies like Atlag he's sold over the years? It's a dreadful, dreadful business. I am not sure there is anything else I can tell you, but I am sure you understand my Lady's desire to move on from this embarassment? Good? Yes? Thank you."
Milana rolls her tongue in her mouth as she mulls over something, finally deciding to add more. "You seem to possess a keen understanding of how things work in Absalom, so perhaps you might be willing to perform a small service for my Lady. It would be unheard of for Lady Silviana to demand recompense for her handmaiden purchased from Mahjub Mahdi; however, were you to secure such a deal, it would be a gracious gesture that might lead to a budding friendship, don't you think? And should he refuse you, who were you to ask in the first place?" She shrugs her shoulders and frowns slightly.
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Milana sighs and waves towards the door. "Atlag is still here. You can talk to her if you want. Poor thing has been all kinds of out of sorts since the incident. Says she doesn't know anything about this dreadful business." She heads off towards the door and opens it and speaks with someone just outside. "Tamwell, they want to talk to Atlag. Could you bring her here?" You don't hear a response, but she apparently received an affirmative, as several minutes later, Tamwell comes back with a middle-aged Qadiran woman, her posture and stature perfect, but her head low. Milana gives you all a knowing nod. "I explained it to her already, why you're all here, that is. I'll leave you alone a few minutes to talk." Atlag remains standing at-attention as a servant does. "How may I assist you?"