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Devious schemes are afoot in Oppara, the glittering capital of Taldor. As the city delights in a public holiday, Lady Gloriana Morilla and her allies have learned of an impending plot that could throw the whole nation into chaos. The PCs are uniquely poised to collaborate with Taldor's secretive Lion Blade spies to intercept the culprits in what promises to be a defining moment in Taldan history.
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In the Taldan captical city of Oppara, you gather to the lodge of Venture-Captain Muesello. It has the simple appearance of a bait and tackle shop, where one of Muesello's assistants tends to the front counter. The store seems to be thriving due to the local festivities surrounding the Grand Day of Exaltation. In a tackle storage room in the back, you await Muesello.
You all have come here for whatever reasons await you. Perhaps you want to stamp your foot against injustice the crown has never been faced upon. Perhaps the Sovereign Court has come to you and asked that you help them in a situation that is so strenuous that they trust your expertise. Perhaps your own ties to Taldor and your claims to royalty or land are at stake, and coming here allows you to further cement your foot in this political landscape.
What matters now is that you are all in this room, and you have a chance to learn a bit about each other.
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A set of full plate joins the forming group. One with hooks, not spikes, attached at odd points, and chain hanging from the hooks. The armor removes the helm, and a human in his mid-to-late 20's is shown to be wearing the armor. He looks around the room, nodding to Gurkagh but ignoring Uncle Shimo, even if the figurine is thrust in his face.
"I haven't started fishing, yet. When I do, I hope to catch people. I heard rumors that we'll be going after some spies and saboteurs. They tend to wriggle pretty aggressively when caught."
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A small gnome, with bright orange hair and smelling of soot and chemicals, skulks in, scowls, then takes up a position almost out of sight in a shaded area in one corner of the room. It quickly becomes frightfully easy to overlook him as he does his best to blend in to his surroundings and avoid notice.
His eyes dart about constantly, a nervous habit as if used to getting jumped at any moment.
His equipment seems well worn and well used, patched in numerous places and with numerous burn marks and small holes burned through in random places.
He seems reluctant to say anything at first, other than a quickly muttered "Milo" for a name, by way of introduction.
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The kellid man wearing armor that looks like homemade strips of mammoth hide smiles broadly. "Gurkagh say, me Gurkagh! Gurkagh very big man in Taldor place." He scrunches up his face and peers at the ceiling. "But Gurkagh no not remember why . . ." He shrugs and laughs.
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Venture-Captain Muesello straddles a turned-around wooden chair, resting his arms atop the back. He looks around with a wide smile on his face, nodding with satisfaction at the group assembled before him.
“Good, good. You all made it through the crowds gathered for the Grand Day of Exaltation. Be sure to keep a hand on your coin purses during these festivities; there’s an abundance of pickpockets out there. All the big nobility is at the senate building, including our own Lady Morilla. That’s where the exaltation ceremony is set to take place: the grand prince is going to elevate a commoner into the ranks of the nobility. It’s all real charming, not to mention a great boon for business. Heck, that’s why I’m keeping the shop open even while we meet!”
Muesello lets out a raucous laugh before continuing. “All right, while all the nobles are enjoying their fancy party, it’s up to you to do some important work for Lady Morilla. The Society’s recent accomplishments in the Lands of the Linnorm Kings have gained us support from a member of the Ulfen Guard: a man by the name of Bjarte Trolltooth. Now, it seems that Bjarte wanted to talk to the Society abo—”
Suddenly you hear forceful slamming and a bellowing string of foreign words at the door, along with trampling foot steps.
You recognize the shout as a curse invoking the wrath of Gorum.
Muesello stands and is about to head up to the front, but then he hears the shopkeeper utter warnings to the unseen visitor; "The back room is off limits! You back away from it at once or else!"
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Some of you prepare yourselves for blood and combat, but Milo seems to have some level of precognition. The voice calls back in Skald.
"Best stand back!"
It strikes Milo as no surprise when the door to the back room swings open, knocked partially off its hinges by the force of the slam. A bear of an Ulfen man stands in the open doorway, silhouetted by the sunshine from the storefront. A greataxe is strapped along his back, and animal furs cover a set of tanned hide armor. He looks around the back room, a sense of barely restrained fury in his eyes.
“Where is the fancy woman who calls herself Morilla? I, , made an oath to her, and now I uphold that vow. By the gods, this is a dark time. The Grand Prince will soon mete out a bloody culling of the senate. I am honor-bound not to interfere, but I can warn those who might be able to stop it.”
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"Well... This changes everything." The Venture Captain says after shocked silence. "We have to prevent Stavian's planned massacre. Bjarte, what else do you know?"
The Ulfen man then continues, "Grand Prince Stavian has already seeded numerous allies within the gathering. They will all help him enact his purging of the senate during the exaltation ceremony. I may have pledged my life to the grand prince, but I am also a man with principles. What Stavian intends do do is vile, and must be stopped. Many of my fellow Ulfen Guards are opposed to this, but the grand prince has been selective in deciding which of us will join him at the ceremony and which were left behind to defend the palace. Those with him will not take a stand against this madness.”
Muesello rubs his forehead in stress. He clearly was not ready for today. "It can't be helped then. Attempting to barge into the exaltation event without solid proof would only make you all targets, and likely before you could even deliver a proper warning. The only choice we have now is to go the Lion Blades. They are the only organization capable of opposing this sort of treachery without also instigating an international uproar."
What do you Pathfinders know about recent events in Oppara and Taldor?
The week before the Grand Day of Exaltation is an immense celebration in Oppara. The city almost doubles in size as visitors cram into the capital to be part of the historic event. The exaltation ceremony involves the grand prince elevating a commoner into the ranks of the nobility.
A historic vote of the senate is set to take place before this year’s exaltation ceremony, determining whether to end primogeniture, which mandates only a male heir can ascend the Taldan throne. Stavian’s sole heir, Princess Eutropia, has amassed strong support in the senate to overturn this law. The nation anxiously awaits the result of the vote.
The recipient of this year’s exaltation is a simple man from a hamlet called Breezy Creek. He is Kalbio, and his story is one of family sacrifice: his parents accrued considerable debts to educate their son and ensure he had the requisite coin to make the journey to Oppara and secure appropriate attire for the important event.
Stavian has put Earl Calhadion Vernisant in charge of preparing the security for the exaltation events at the senate building. Calhadion arrived 2 months ago and has been working intently to ensure that the security for the event meets Stavian’s rigorous demands.
More than any previous exaltation event, this year has seen a massive surge in the number of foreign dignitaries. Even envoys from former provinces, such as Cheliax, are in attendance. One particular Chelish attendee is a noblewoman from the Deckland family. She’s a renowned fencer and spellcaster as well as a devout servant of Asmodeus. Why she was admitted to the events remains a mystery.
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Milo lets out a curse at the news. The machinations of nobles and politics were so far out of his expertise, he already was starting to feel a little nervous.
Which of course, only caused the anger that constantly bubbled beneath the surface to rise, and he quietly starts to fume, as small flames seem to flick into, and out of, existence around his clenched fists.
And here he thought he'd just gotten out of Hell.
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"Preparations for this have been ongoing for months. The celebration is officially to honor a weaver from Breezy Creek--Kalbio is his name, if I recall. He'll be raised to the nobility, and presumably be able to pay off the huge debt his parents accrued to get him here."
Morrighan steeples her fingers, "The true main event is the vote to end primogeniture, which mandates only a male heir can ascend the Taldan throne. Stavian’s sole heir, Princess Eutropia, has amassed strong support in the senate to overturn this law. Talk of a slaughter doesn't exactly bode well for the voting process."
"I believe Earl Calhadion Vernisant has been handling security. Rumor has it he's taking orders directly from Stavian."
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Bjarte chimes in to answer that question for Eramos.
"I am a killer of warriors. I am not a diplomat or a spy. The Lion Blades know how to walk these paths better than I. We would not make it up the hundred steps to the senate before being stopped. Even with magic to bring us within the building would only cast us as assassins or traitors. No, the Lion Blades must be convinced of Stavian’s madness.”
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"I shall escort you to them personally." Bjarte offers...
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Bjarte does just that, leading you from Muesello's lodge to the Kitharodian Academy. The Ulfen man has enough clout to arrange an audience, but you must wait in the reception area roughly fifteen minutes or so until arrangements are complete.
Eventually, some junior stiudents of the academy come and escort you you to the administrator's room, where you end up waiting again. Two rows of tall bookshelves flank the imposing yet beautiful wooden desk that presides over this room. Over the door hangs a portrait of Grand Prince Stavian III wearing an especially smug grin. A brass plaque on the frame of the portrait reads A cunning lie is never told twice.
This is the same library you have traversed so long ago.
After waiting, an older Taldan woman enters the room, seemingly ignoring you all as she moves to sit at a chair behind the desk. When she sits, she gives you all a flat look.
"I am a Lion Blade. You may state your case."
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Hanging the chain back on the hooks, Giovanni returns to his seat. "So, we know the guy handling security works for the guy bringing assassins. We know showing up ready to fight will go . . . poorly. If we can't get the Lion Blades to work with us, or even if we can, do we have some way to secret at least weapons into the chambers?" He plays with the chains hanging from his armor. "Some are harder to hide than others."
Giovanni stands and looks her in the eye. "There are some here who would speak more pleasantly, phrase things more carefully. We've been told that he," pointing to the portrait so conveniently placed, "is orchestrating a slaughter of Senators at the ceremony, controlling which of his own men will be present and directing the head of security to support his team of assassins, whether that man knows they are assassins or not is unknown. Now I'll shut up and let the pretty voices give details."
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: She certainly seems secretive. Her flat expression is probably one of the more intense poker-faces you have seen. She could easily beat most gamblers.
The elderly woman nods her head, then she looks over to Bjarte. "Their story aligns with your testimony, and we have heard rumors of foreign interference in the recent months." She looks back to the rest of you. "Still, we find it difficult to believe that there is such a conspiracy that could have gone undetected this long by our agents." She crosses her hands and leans back into her chair.
"No, not without proof at least. Perhaps we can kill two birds with one stone. You gather your proof of these claims while aiding in our own agenda." She awaits your response.
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She frowns at the remark. "Well, hopefully nothing that extreme. At least physically." She reaches into the desk and starts digging around through the countless documents she has stowed away in it.
"The nobleman Calhadion Vernisant has been receiving regular guests at his Opparan villa. Most notably, they are not members of Taldan nobility. Even more interestingly these guests are foreign dignitaries or even local visitors for the Grand Day of Exaltation. What strikes me as curious is how much this lines up." She pulls a file out and begins piecing through it. "Even more curious is that Calhadion is doing all of this hosting while being one of Stavian's closest allies."
She pieces through the information until she is able to pull up a map. "If what you say is true, then this would be an opportune time for you to confirm it. Calhadion has caught our interest for a while now with all these foreign dignitaries. The way I view things is that it aligns with your interests quite well. The task is simple enough, in theory anyways. Infiltrate his villa and find any trace of illicit or treacherous negotiations with foreign powers." She shows you all the map. It shows an outline of the villa and where it is located.
"If you can find evidence of Calhadion enacting anything, it will also help your own case against Stavian." She does not release the map, allowing you to just look at it and get an idea of the layout. "Will this be acceptable terms for you?"
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Gurkagh returns from making the rounds of some old friends. Nobles in Taldor seem to find it wryly amusing that such an uncultured "primitive" could hold a baronetcy, and they talk freely in his presence (assuming he'll understand little--which is mostly true!). "Gurkagh say bad bad woman from devil-land come to big party. Deckland very fancy and very naughty! Maybe she sneaky bad guy. We be sneaky too? Gurkagh talk spirits."
With that, he plops down on the floor of the elderly woman's office and begins speaking gibberish to unseen forces.
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"Sounds like a straight-forward mission, though I've found Taldan villas have tighter security than one might expect. Any clue what we will face at Vernisant's?"
Morrighan looks over the group. "With so many foreigners in attendance, hopefully we won't stick out much from your typical Taldan diplomatic party." She pauses. "Well, at least not as much as we usually would."
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SPIRIT: Wood
WANDERING SPIRIT: Mammoth
ZERO LEVEL (x4, at will)
Spark
Grasp
Stabilize
Light
FIRST LEVEL (x5+1 spirit)
*shillelagh
Monkey fish
Burning hands
Bless
Calm animals
Comprehend languages
SECOND LEVEL (x4+1 spirit)
*barkskin
Alter self
Augury
Warp wood
Fog cloud
THIRD LEVEL (x4+1 spirit)
*Minor creation (wood only)
Dispel magic
Remove blindness/deafness
Remove disease
Speak with dead
FOURTH LEVEL (x2+1 spirit)
*Thorn body
Divination
Cure Critical Wounds
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"Well, the good news is that you don't have to do quite as much disguising as you may suspect." The old woman chuckles. "Last report shows Calhadion headed off for the festivities of the Grand Day of Exaltation. You only need to fool his chamberlain and staff that maintain the estate. How you do that, I will leave up to you. Return to us when you have evidence of his foul deeds."
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"Gurkagh say Gurkagh talk spirit of master spy. He dead. Now he help Gurkagh! Maybe Gurkagh be Calhadion? What he look like?" The rustic shaman from the Realm of the Mammoth Lords begins pulling noble's finery out of his backpack and expertly arranging clothing and hair. He talks to an unseen figure as he does this, sometimes having to try something several times until he finally gets it right.
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The Lion Blade raises an eyebrow at Gurkagh's broken language and offer at disguising himself. "Are you certain about this? I can give you a description, but his mannerism is a bit more... Formal."
She provides a description of the noble. He sports colors of green and blue, and generally wears symbols of a lion. Shaven except for a beard solely on the stubble of his chin with black hair.