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Radovus looks over the assembled Pathfinders, fingers steepled. Dressed in dark purple robes, and sporting shoulder-length black hair and a goatee, the man is obviously a wizard. His voice, when he speaks, is somehow ominous. "Greetings, my newfound companions. I am Radovus Krupt, spellcaster and sage. I have specialized my study towards mastery of the dead and the undead, so I presume the Venture-Captain anticipates trouble of that nature. Should we come across any, please allow me to work my magic."
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"Tis a pleasure to meet you!" says a young man with lupine features. His smile is genuine and warm. "Good to meet you!" He is of indistinct ethnicity. His features are a melange of much of the inner sea, Casmaroon, and Tien Xia. His speech is equally hard to place.
He is quick to smile, and questions about his origin seems to melt away when he does. Still, there's something off about his features. His clothes and leathers are the cutting edge of fashion in Cheliax. (If asked, he uses the same tailor as the famous yojimbo, Rodovan.) His rapier hangs comfortably, as do a pair of daggers placed strategically. He also wears a bandoleer that clashes with his otherwise court-like dress. Its vials and bottles crisscross over his chest, though they're carefully placed to ensure they do not clink.
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Garrick's face remains stoic as he listens to the dark wizards introductions. He is shocked that Society would allow such magics! The only thing that would show his distaste is the quiet whisper that escapes his lips, "remember to cooperate... cooperate"
"Greetings Pathfinders, I am Garrick. I follow the Dawnflower as I assist with the Society's goals."
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Salutations, says a frail individual with blue-hued features, bowing low. He is dressed very simply, with no weapons to be seen at his side and a shabby, almost threadbare backpack slung over his left shoulder. I am Veego Draven, and I give you obeisance. His voice is rich but the accent clipped, as though the words formed use movement unfamiliar to him.
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After a bit of chatting between you, you begin to hear some movement. Soon two people appear, the tattooed half-elf Fola Barun and Guaril Karela of the Exchange faction. Fola shrinks into her cloak to avoid being seen, whereas Guaril looks around with a nostalgic glint in his eye.
“You can take the Sczarni out of the city, but you can’t take the city out of the Sczarni,” Guaril sighs wistfully. “Not to say Bloodcove and Riddleport are the same, but with a little work we could make it more like home… if you’re willing to lend a hand.”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” whispers Fola tensely, glancing about for eavesdroppers. “The matter at hand is greater than a single port. I’ve met with the grippli tribes in the Kaava Lands and they’ve confrmed some troubling reports. A ruined temple that the Society recently surveyed in Kaddodi has a powerful asura sealed within its walls. The gripplis have maintained the fiend’s prison for generations, but the Aspis Consortium recently began mining the temple grounds for minerals. Their operation appears to be threatening the temple’s wards, and should the mining continue, the asura could be released. If we are to prevent an ancient evil from devastating the Kaava Lands, we must halt the Aspis operations around that temple.”
“That’s where we come in,” Guaril says with a smirk. “The Exchange faction has been exerting pressure on the mine’s business partners, but to shut it down for good, we need to hit its foundations in Bloodcove. Aspis agents rarely honor legal obstacles, so we’ll be returning to my ‘family values.’ A company called the Vanji Prospectors’ Guild runs the logistics for the Aspis mining outft. Your job is to get in and grab anything that makes the Consortium’s business practices unpalatable. From there we approach some of Bloodcove’s movers and shakers, expose the Consortium’s misdeeds, and convince them to strangle the mining outft’s supply lines. With a little luck, we may free this city from Aspis coils and earn some new business partners in one fell swoop.”
Fola adds, “We’ve already identifed two community leaders who may be sympathetic to our cause: Erwyn Harvacus of the Saltroot druid
circle, and Ungala, a guerilla warrior the Society has met before. Ultimately we need to shut down the Consortium’s supply lines, by land and by sea. Furthermore, we need to orchestrate the whole thing while deep in Aspis-controlled territory. We’ll cover your tracks as best we can, but I suggest you move quickly to minimize any attempts to retaliate.”
"Any questions?"
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“It once was a minor contractor for the Consortium, used to support mining operations without drawing unwanted attention. The Guild handles everything—personnel, revenue, supplies, even prisoners moving to and from the mine—so the guild house should be rich with secrets about the outft’s inner workings. The building is guarded, certainly, but you are strong, savvy, and more than capable of getting in and out without too much trouble. Just remember that nobody likes being attacked, and the longer you can avoid drawing blades, the longer you’ll be able to search. If you have to punch someone, just remember to grab what you can and then get out. We’ll run interference while you infltrate the guild house, but aferward you need to fnish the mission before they can mobilize an effective counterattack.”
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"You seem a decent fellow, and as a fellow Pathfinder from the same Lodge, I don't mind telling you....I'm not always a handsome rake. When the going gets tough I transform my mind and attitude into The Cunning Fox. I find it useful to keep that a secret from most though."
Torriki winks at Radovus, and indicates that he's ready to get going.
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"Erwyn Harvacus leads the Saltroots, a druid circle heavily involved in maintaining Bloodcove’s dockyards. The entire city is built atop a giant mangrove copse, so druids capable of reshaping the root network wield considerable influence. Those in Harvacus’ good graces have ready access to usable landings, but those who anger him often find their moorings overgrown or their docks literally wandering off. The Consortium pays Erwyn a small fortune to keep things running smoothly, so you will have to convince him that ending that arrangement
is worth the cost.”
Ungala is an enemy of any foreigner trying to get rich by pilfering cultural relics from the Mwangi Expanse. She leads a band of guerilla raiders on missions to capture smugglers and return artifacts to their rightful owners, for a nominal fee, of course. We suspect the Aspis mining operation is supplementing their income with stolen relics, so it shouldn’t be too hard to win Ungala’s support if you can find proof"
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He informs you that this mission provides an opportunity wrestle
control of Bloodcove from Aspis hands and gain a foothold in an otherwise insular market—particularly one versed in rare treasures and smuggled goods. To give his associates a fighting chance, however, Guaril needs local power brokers willing to commit to a long-term alliance. He sees Erwyn Harvacus as an ideal business partner, and Guaril asks you to do your best to earn the druid’s respect and make a positive first impression on behalf of the Exchange.
Also, knowledge checks. You can Geography or History for one check or a local or a gather info for the second.
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For your knowledge local:
Bloodcove was built atop a forest of giant mangroves at the Vanji River delta. The mangroves’ root systems still support much of the city’s foundation, and regular maintenance is necessary to keep growing roots from tearing buildings apart. The Saltroot druid circle plays a key
role in tending the mangroves, giving the Saltroots leverage in a city otherwise run by mercantile interests.
The Saltroot’s leader, Erwyn Harvacus, uses the circle’s influence to extort money from merchants who use the docks his druids maintain. He launders this money by investing in local plantations, protecting the Saltroot’s finances as long as the crops prosper (which he ensures with
regular castings of plant growth).
For knowledge history:
Bloodcove serves as a bastion of urbanization in a region that largely remains the domain of wilderness and tribes of Mwangi natives, ranging from humans along the coast to gripplis, lizardfolk, and other races further inland. Each tribe boasts its own unique cultural heritage, though many formed among the ruins of much older civilizations deeper in the jungle.
Several Bloodcove-based profiteers, including Aspis agents and members of House Cartahegn, regularly steal, smuggle, or exploitatively swindle cultural relics from local tribes to be sold abroad. The practice fans divisions between native populations and foreigners within the city. Bloodcove’s law enforcement generally favors the looters, so local dissidents, including Ungala and her guerillas, have started to steal relics back by force.
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You follow the map to a cave outside of town. Entering the cave makes it apparent this is some kind of hide out, or so it seems. There are a handful of people inside the cave, one of whom Torriki recognizes from a previous trip to Bloodove as Ungala.
"I see you have returned to Bloodcove again, with friends. she says addressing Torriki. "Tell me, what has brought you here again?"
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Noting the somewhat ham-fisted approach of Torriki, Radovus adds, "We suspect the Aspis mining operation is supplementing their income with stolen relics. I imagine you would want proof of this, so I encourage some of your own investigations. If you have not already."
With the most ominous tone the dark wizard adds, "I know that the Aspis Consortium and House Cartahagn regularly steal, smuggle, or exploitatively swindle cultural relics from local tribes to be sold abroad. If we can help you recover some items back, perhaps you can aid us?"
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Ungala looks unphased by Torriki's hamhandedness. She looks a slightly frustrated or unsure for a moment. "I would like to support your endeavors, as I believe they are best for the area, but alas, I am unable to at this time. My operations are currently under siege, as you can see from my current surroundings. Three weeks ago, a mysterious entity began murdering my soldiers around Bloodcove. This has crippled my operations and forced those who survive to hide. We have tried to magically discern it, but all attempts have failed. Only one man, named Embele, has survived the attacks. No one else has survived. If this block to my operations were removed, I could then help you."
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"We were attacked by a pair of spiked monstrosities, their bodies interwoven in a seemingly impossible knot. Despite its twisted appearance, the attacker moved gracefully, swinging its curved knives so quickly it seemed a blur. Fighting back was futile, for even wounds that pierced its thick hide quickly healed. I had no choice but to run. This was in the swamp outside of town."