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You all manage to travel together to the land of Isger, and find yourselves coming to the former cathedral of Aroden. It is now the converted Almas Lodge of the Pathfinder Society. This is where Venture Captain Brackett requested you all come to.
Amongst you are your newfound allies for what will possibly be months. Best you introduce yourself...
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"Isger... this was home once. Feels like a long time ago. I hope I don't regret coming back here.
Name's Lee. If we're all formal then it's Sir Lee of Taldor, bona fide Knight of the Realm. But most folks call me Lucky. Lucky to have lived as long as I have.
My job here is keeping you people alive. But I'm no healer. I'm a weapon. A weapon made by the Devil Nuns of Isger. I can't be held responsible if our paths cross with theirs. One day maybe the higher-ups in the Pathfinder Society will find a way to undo what they did to me. Until then, you have to know this about me, mates: I get mad. And when I get mad, I burn with Hellfire. I've learned to control it, you've nought to fear on that count. I'm not under the sway of any devil. But it ain't pretty."
Neither is the speaker. 'Lucky' Lee is a halfling. His face is scarred and his nose has clearly been broken several times. But there is an intensity in his eyes. He has no visible armour; he wields a polearm as well as the traditional halfling sling staff, and a couple of wands are at his belt.
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The dark-haired elven woman seems to move with the grace of her people, but obviously knows how to make every move attract the eye. Despite the armor and array of weapons, she looks like she could fit in among the nobility, or.... otherwise.
"You are absolutely correct," she responds to Lee, though doesn't provide any further explanation.
"I am Lujuria of The Unquenchable Fire. My services are at your disposal," she purrs, taking a moment to spin in place before adding, "all of them." Her hand rests on the whip handle coiled at her hip.
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A strange figure is slumped in the corner of the Almas Lodge, snoring loudly. He is covered in tattoos, all of them displaying words in a variety of scripts and languages, so many of them that it's a bit difficult to make out whether he is human or perhaps an elf or perhaps something in between. He is wearing a wayfinder over a set of tie-dyed pajamas and the pajamas appear to have a variety of notes pinned to them.
He startles violently, stretches lazily, yawns, spits, and looks around the room with bleary eyes. "Oh. Hello. I'm - I'm - I'm..." He trails off in confusion. "It's a pleasure to meet you all. I'm..." He looks around the room, as if perhaps he might find some clue or indication, something to get his bearings. He rubs his eyes to be sure that he is actually awake, and gives himself a good strong pinch. "Ow! Hmm, well I'm awake, no doubt about that, but that doesn't help much to know that, if I don't know who it is that is awake, now does it? I don't suppose any of you know? Frightfully embarrassing, I must say, I'm sure that it will come to me in just a moment, but for just now, I have to admit that I don't have the faintest idea who I am or what I might be doing here. Perhaps you can assist me?"
Pinned to his pajama shirt is a note with large, bold writing: "Birseko Naam - if found, return to nearest Pathfinder Lodge."
Staring down at the note, the figure reads it, and then softly whispers, "Birseko Naam, birseko naam... I wonder if that could be me? I feel so unsure of everything just now, it's as if you wake from a dream and you can't decide if you are awake or still asleep..." He pauses, and then exclaims, "Dreams! Yes, that is one thing I DO remember, in my dream, though it was REAL, not a dream at all, mi'lord appeared to me, assuring me that his time is coming, and that I should go forth to herald him. Lord Ranginori returns! Let all know and tremble!" A look of consternation and confusion crosses swiftly over his brow. "That was real, wasn't it? I saw it in my dream but I'm quite sure it was real, as sure as I am of my own..." He trails off, uncertain, eyes aglow with a mixture of fervent devotion and the straining for memories that seem to dance just out of reach.
He looks around at the assembled pathfinders. "So, my friends, here I am, whoever that is, and I am at your service. You may call me Birseko Naam."
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Birseko Naam may not notice this, but his rambling holds the attention of a wispy-haired elven woman. As he finishes, she finally exhales. "Wow. Hi Birseko Naam. My name is Dawn. If you're dreaming, I'm dreaming with you too." She giggles and swings her feet. "Foremother spoke about helping dreamers find their way- hold on, I gotta say hi to everyone else."
Dawn stands and begins shaking hands, repeating her "Hi! I'm Dawn!" greeting. Her childlike exuberance is endearing.
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"Brother!" Gorrig sweeps Lucky into a bone-crushing hug-- the kind he wouldn't dare give a halfling under normal circumstances, had he not already seen this one's surprising durability. The burly half-orc has pale skin and a squashed nose, with eyes that sparkle with affability. His chest, easily the widest of the group, is covered in a large breastplate that has seen its share of use. A large axe rests on his back. He wears a wooden holy symbol of Sarenrae proudly. "So glad to see you again! With you an' me here, I think we can take on whatever's in store, right?" He turns to the others. "An' hello to my new brothers an' sister! Careful-- I'm a hugger!" Unless he's met with resistance, Gorrig pulls each of his allies into a hug-- even the slumped Birseko ("Ah, get up here, you.") "Name's Gorrig. Black Gorrig at home, but Gorrig's just fine. Put me between you an' your problems!"
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"A very colorful group we have here, most interesting." The Venture Captain Brackkett says, with a thin straight line separating his lips. You cannot tell if he is bemused or disapproving.
"Now, if you all would come in please, we can get started on this meeting."
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Sun streams through the stained glass windows in the old Cathedral of Aroden, now serving as the Almas Lodge of the Pathfinder Society. Venture-Captain Brackett’s ornate desk is covered in neatly stacked bundles of documents.
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Birseko greets his new comrades uncertainly, as if he's not sure whether they are the best of old friends, or brand new acquaintances. When he hears Lucky Lee refer to the resurfacing of his past a brief expression of jealousy crosses his face, but it's not long before he begins to study the notes pinned to his pajamas, in hopes that perhaps he will learn something useful there.
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Birseko plops down where Dawn has suggested. "Foremother? I don't think I know her. Do I?"
"Not unless you've been to the Commune. Or maybe you've dreamed of it?" Dawn shrugs. "A clearing in the forest with a large pond in the middle. Foremother lives there and takes care of everyone who lives there. Unless they're jerks."
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Lucky pads softly over to Gorrig on his bare halfling feet, and pulls up a chair. "Tell you what mate, I'm glad to be out of the heavy armour these days. All that bulk slowed me down too much."
The little warrior looks towards the Venture Captain expectantly. Let's see what's in store then. How bad can it be?
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The Venture-Captain sits with his hands crossed and resting above his desk. "I need you to investigate the Irrica family of central Isger. The Eagle Knights have finally released their documents from the early days of the Goblinblood Wars, when they fought alongside Hellknights and Druman mercenaries to contain the goblin invasion up north.”
A knock at the door starts, and the Captain then calls out, "Captain Bascomb?" In steps a young man wearing golden epaulets of an Eagle Knight. The officer steps forward smartly.
"The Irricas were supporters of House Thrune during the Chelish Civil War. After the Thrune family came to power, the Irricas stood up to a Thrune official’s extortion attempts. The Thrune agent apparently disappeared, and rumor was that the Irricas killed him using some sort of supernatural aid. The Irricas were not punished for their transgression; on the contrary, the family received several lucrative contracts from House Thrune and became quite influential regionally."
Venture-Captain Brackett's eyes narrow. "“Anything that could scare House Thrune into inaction is not something we want left lying around. Go to the Irricas’ summer estate and find out what sort of supernatural aid the Irricas had. Buy what supplies you need at meet me at the stables around back. We will ride out in an hour."
If you have any questions for the Venture-Captain or the Eagle Knight, feel free to ask.
Perhaps you already know something about the Irrica Family, or are exceptional at gathering details.
The Irricas were an influential Isgeri family allied with House Thrune of Cheliax. They were based out of Elidir but often traveled the countryside in their dealings as merchants.
The Irrica family had a summer home on the south shore of the Conerica River, where they conducted business and entertained guests from across Isger and Cheliax. The last of them died defending this estate, which was more exposed to goblin attacks than their other holdings.
Rutillo Irrica’s will was filed in Elidir in 4680 ar, but few of the people named in it survived the Goblinblood Wars, and no more recent will has been found. Other than a few personal items, none of the Irrica estate has been distributed.
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"Irrica, Irrica. Now where have I seen that name before?" Birseko quickly begins to rummage through the many notes pinned to his pajamas and it's not long before he finds one upon which there are a number of notes scrawled about this very family. "Aha, I thought I remembered that I had known something about them!" he exclaims in triumph, while holding up his notes.
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Gorrig snorts. "If it works, it works, little brother-- I just hope you don't come to regret that decision. Me, I don't have that kind of trust in my own reflexes." He knocks on his armor. "I've upgraded since we last saw each other, though. Fewer seams in this one."
* * * * *
Gorrig listens to the venture-captain's assignment. "An' do you want this special thingy here, or just... dealt with?"
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Lujuria sits up when Captain Bascomb enters the room, giving the young man a sultry smile. Her smile is wiped away, though, when the nature of the mission is revealed. "Going through a musty old home doesn't sound like the kind of fun I was hoping for, but I suppose it rarely is, these days." The elven woman delicately runs a finger down the length of her whip for a moment before adding, "Fine. I guess it can't be helped." Her tone of voice suddenly turns serious, possibly a little grim, her posture a little more rigid. "What can we expect in this place?"
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"Ah, I've been working on my monastic techniques Gorrig - but monastery guards still wear mail." Lucky winks at his comrade, and reveals a glittering mithral shirt under his traveling cloaks.
Then Lucky sees Captain Bascomb. A real Eagle Knight? Wow.
"Er, Captains. Begging your pardon, but what's the Eagle Knights' interest here now? Don't mistake me, I think you're bloody marvellous people. It will be my very great honour to assist you Captain Bascomb. It's just that, I think I can help you best if I know what you really want here."
I wonder if they'd ever take me. Maybe if I can purge the devil-taint from my blood...
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"We were the ones who were able to find the information that led deeper into this. If we want to see what is going on, Eagle Knights travelling in Isger may cause issues with the governments. A band of adventurers, however, cause a lot less attention. That is why I brought it to the attention of Brackett."
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After questions are over, the Venture Captain leads you all to the stables in the back. Mounting up and then taking off together, the journey takes two weeks.
The Venture-Captain points to a dark silhouette on the horizon. "There is the old Irrica estate. Check it out, and then meet me in Elidir to report. I'll be staying at the Short Sorcerer Tavern, near Druma Road gate." He then rides north.
You come up to the front entrance of this gothic-style building. Broad steps lead to an open-air veranda and small vestibule. The main doors are closed.
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"Ooh! Horsies!" Dawn hops on. "Maybe I'll braid your hair."
During the trip, Dawn spends her time foraging for nuts, berries and mushrooms. She also identifies any new flora or fauna. And she practices her observations on how chaotic the "civilized" world is compared to the natural world it desperately runs away from.
It's hilarious.
Two weeks later, Dawn and her new friends arrive at the old mansion. "Let's go... right first?" She draws her falchion and slowly climbs up the stairs, to the door.
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Birseko watches the others with amazement. He had no idea that Pathfindering might involve breaking and entering! He looks nervously over his shoulder, hoping the local sheriff is nowhere nearby. Then, perhaps realizing that things might get even more out of hand, he taps himself with wands of mage armor and heightened awareness.
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Gorrig and Lucky line up their shoulders, and with an extra kick from Dawn, they attempt to push open the door. Unfortunately, their timing is all wrong and they hit the door at different times. "Well that didn't work. Maybe over here?"
He shoves his shoulder into a slightly different spot, and the door wrenches open. "Huh. We must've loosened it the first time."
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Giving a heave and a ho, the party bashes into the gate the first time. The sound of wood splintering comes from the opposite side, but the second shove manages to burst the door jam in half. The door gives without any resistance.
This once-grand hall now lies in ruins. Marble pillars support a painted ceiling above an ornately tiled but bloodstained floor. Broken glass and debris cover the floor. Stern portraits of Irrica family members look down from gilded frames hung above the
reach of goblin vandals.
A wrought-iron spiral staircase, its railings evoking the fires of Hell, leads to the collapsed upper floor, and a pair of sweeping staircases are choked with debris. The exterior doors are ornately carved and barred from within, save the one in the northwestern corner, which lies in splinters.
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The pathfinders creep inside the old abandoned summer home. Everyone is clearly on edge.
Steadily they look around, and notice a large portrait on the southern wall that shows the Irrica's extended family shortly before the war. The most visible figures are a young woman and a man in Hellknight armor.
On the northern wall is a portrait of a stern looking man. He wields a particularly interesting looking mace.
As Dawn creeps forward, suddenly the portrait of the stern looking man on the north end shouts at her, scowling and cursing its anger. "Vegoran Thrune, your time has come!" In front of the portrait appears a dark-winged figure, and the portrail then mouths a four-syllable word that is too soft yet too loud to be understood. The winged creature raises its sword to attack!
IT IS ATTACKING YOU! FIGHT BACK WITH ALL OF YOUR MIGHT AND FURY!