A PFS 2E Pathfinder Society Scenario designed for levels 1–4 (Subtiers 1–2 and 3–4).
When the Pathfinder Society receives word of a promising, unexplored ruin in Osirion, the PCs set out to uncover the site's secrets.
Yet upon arriving, the PCs learn that a different group of Pathfinders has already entered the ruins.
Has there been some mistake, is the site's magic playing tricks on everyone, or is there something more nefarious afoot?
Written by Linda Zayas-Palmer.
Scenario Tags: Repeatable.
The sandswept nation of Osirion is truly ancient. Its first pharaohs arose from the warring factions along the River Sphinx, and a succession of pharaohs ruled over the land for millennia.
This period came to an end in conquest, when the forces of Kelesh assassinated the pharaoh and brought Osirion under their rule.
But just over a century ago, Osirion regained its independence.
Under its new pharaohs, the Osiriani people have worked to preserve their cultural history and protect it from outsiders who might seek to exploit their ancient treasures.
In recent years the Osiriani policies on allowing outsiders to investigate their tombs and sites have become far more strict, following several disasters originating in opened tombs... Eando Kline of the Vigilant Seal faction could have told them so!
Last night, you all arrived at Sandswept Hall, the Pathfinder Lodge in Sothis, the capital city of Osirion.
After a night's rest, you wake to find your clothes washed and already dried under the desert sun that, even so early, burns bright.
You may wash, have water, tea, and fresh food - maybe exotic to some - for breakfast, and get to meet your fellow Pathfinders.
It is even possible to make some purchases at the local bazaar.
Venture-captain Norden Balentiir, whose summons brought you here in the first place, will see you later on, around noon.
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A tall woman stalks the lodge. Obviously uncomfortable in the heat, she is an odd creature. Her height, girth and hair mark her as a kellid from the far north. However her eyes... no kellid has eyes has eyes of gold. Her face would be more on place in a varasian dancer than a kellid warrior. Lastly, a glance at her fingers shows them covered in ink splotches, not the calluses one would expect of a barbarian. A walking set of contradictions.
She moves with the grace of an dancer though although a smile rarely cracks the stubborn expression that her face is set in.
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A small figure walks down the hallway his leather outfit is of the same shade as his boots. On his side, you can see a bag from which you can hear bottles ringing. His hair is only on the right half of his head the other half being filled with tattooed following the 'trends' of goblin tattoos.
He bumps into Teja speaking in a high pitched voice: "Oh, sorry for that! I didn't see you there. Maybe you can help me I am looking for my fellow agents..."
He runs through his pockets trying to find something, suddenly something crawls from under his vest and sits on goblins shoulder.
Small lizard positions itself comfortable and begins to open its mouth. A very quiet voice can be heard as it does so.
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"Yes, yes. Thank you Lizzy. This is lizzy she accompanies me during the jurney. What I was saying: a yes, I am looking for Human called Teja and a sorcerer called Kamil. Do you know where I can find them?"
He finally finds a small piece of paper almost entirely burned down. The writing on it is messy, the paper itself is stained and was folded in a ball shape.
"It seems that I lost the rest of the names... Hmm... My name is Hopper, but people call me The Mad Hopper."
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An handsome well dressed human male of chelaxian origin but with a tan skin moves gracefully into the room, his armor clinging as he walks. His eyes are cold, as his smile, and at his side a blade of Tian origin.
With an hint of mwangi accent he speaks Greetings, I'm bronz... I'm Kamil Durus. Connoisseur of both Arts and Blade.
The Hopper translates what was said to Lizzy. She lifts herself on the back paws and takes a deep breath.
You can see her eyes turning to red and smoke leaving her nostrils.
Suddenly she opens her jaws and a big cloud of smoke and a few small blazes leave it. She roars angrily after that.
The cloud of smoke is not larger than what you could generate while smoking a small pike, and the fire was nearly visible.
The apparently smug of herself Lizzy lowers its head and spits up a bundle of leaves soaked in some substance.
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The goblin grabs the leaves and hides them in the bag:
"Who is a good girl, that roar and flame were at least 6! Good job!"
Turning to Teja:
"Lizzy is a tiny lizard probably somehow related to the dinosaurs. Once in the bar that I worked for there was a scientist telling me that story, but he quickly got drunk and his story turned to gibberish."
He grabs one of the leaves that Lizzy spat and says:
"This is something unique, it is great substance to create fire, let me show you. If I will take a small part of it and crush it in my hand..."
Suddenly he throws the small bits at the nearest hanging torch and a flame of considerable size explodes near it. Hopper smiles sheepishly
"Yeah..."
Seeing Kamil Durus he turns towards him and pulls out his hand then he notices that his sleeve is on fire. After a few seconds of jumping and putting it down the situation is under control.
"It is nice to meet you. I am Hopper and this is Lizzy"
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A servant in desert-style robes slips quietly by, and raises an eyebrow upon seeing the fiery explosion: "Under the midday sun they add heat... won't last long these new Pathfinders."
You hear some other voices, coming from somewhere in the garden: "These are new Pathfinders who are coming. I wonder who they studied under or if they are field commissioned?"
Silence.
Then a voice mutters: "Creepy? YOU'RE creepy!"
And someone moves away...
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The Kellid woman lithely slides over toward Larhalt. Speaking in Varasian she offers him a slight nod. "Hi Larhalt, I'm Teja Khellekdottir. Which part of Varissa do you come from?"
Changing back to Taldane she speaks loudly. "I trained under Kreighton Shaine myself. Though really, he is quite eccentric. Brilliant, but eccentric."
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The doors to the lodge open to reveal a lithe, tattooed elf and a large black cat. Both new entrants are covered in sand and look generally displeased. Almost in unison, they give a shake and empty much of the sand that covered their bodies onto the floor of the lodge. The black haired elf looks up to the other occupants of the room, his black eyes with white pupils cause his gaze to seem particularly piercing. With only an eyebrow raise, he looks to Kamil and says abruptly, "Nor-den."
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"I've not made it to Magnimar... yet" says the barbarian.
"My father apparently came from Varissa through. I spent a year there trying to find out more about him. Apparently he relocated to Absalom and joined the Society. Didn't see his name on The Wall, so guess he is out there somewhere. Be nice to meet the man at same point."
As the Pathfinders who have been summoned here, to Osirion, meet - the tall Teja Khellekdottir who has not met this particular Khellek ; the two mad hoppers, Goblin and Lizard ; the muscular Half Orc ; and the tattooed dark-haired full-Elf ; as well as the well dressed Kamil Durus... who seems to have experience working for organized groups, maybe he was part of some syndicate?
So, these Pathfinders now see that it is noon, and time to head to your meeting.
You all head off together, to not be late and upset the Venture-captain.
You even hear the sixth person of your group, the late arrival, hurrying to catch up.
You pass one of the two aqueduct-fed pools just outside the garden, from which fresh water is drawn, and make your way into the gardens housed inside the walls of the Sandswept Hall lodge.
You see they are designed to be a place of tranquillity amidst the bustle of the city of Sothis, and they are quiet indeed.
You admire the fine date palms, sycamores, and tamaris, as well as a variety of grapevines and hanging plants that grow on latticework, providing fine shade, which is a welcome respite from the sweltering midday sun.
Now you see Venture-captain Norden Balentiir.
He reaches up to one of the date palms overhead, pulling down a bunch of ripe fruit to share with you, gesturing for all to join him on cushions around the low table.
”They’re good for much more than shade, my friends,” he says, nodding towards the trees.
”But I did not call you here to enjoy my garden.
A few months ago, I finally received confirmation that we would be able to execute one of the last excavation permits issued by the Osiriani government.
The site is a desert location where the dunes have shifted, revealing the beginnings of a staircase leading down beneath the sands.
The Osiriani government is protective of its cultural history, and with recent changes in their stance on allowing foreign archaeologists to work inside their borders, I wasn’t sure this permit would even stand.
The bureaucracy was rather slow this time around, but it turns out we were approved before they stopped issuing permits.
I’ve already secured your provisions, including camels, tents, food, water, tools to perform the excavation, and a map to the site.
As you know, it may take many weeks to clear the site of debris.”
He stares at each one of you, for a few seconds, making sure you are listening: ”The desert can be unforgiving, so don’t hesitate to return here to rest as needed.”
Then he smiles, and bites into another date.
”The government has already sent guards to oversee the site and protect against any potential
thieves.
Remember—keeping up a good reputation in Osirion is vital to the Pathfinder Society’s continued presence here.
Don’t antagonize the guards.”
Once again he looks at you, an eyebrow raised…
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Emilio strides in just in time to hear the mission briefing. He is a man of above average height with dark hair and sun-bronzed skin. He wears armor and carries a bastard sword and a shield, along with some adventuring gear; including a wayfinder. Although he is not particularly handsome, his keenly intelligent eyes and an appearance that would be exotic to some give him a certain appeal.
Close behind him is a Knight of Lastwall. She doesn't speak and seems to be following Emilio just to learn from him.
Emilio smiles at the venture Captain. "Do I look like the type that would antagonize guards?"
Norden Balentiir.nods to Emilio, and answers, but his eyes are on the Knight behind Emilio, and the Venture-captain smiles to her: "Indeed, you do not, sir."
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Once in the lodge, Teja calls over a servant, whispering in his ears. A moment or two later, the servant returns with a small tray, bearing a bottle and a rod. The northerner thanks him in Ossirani, places the potion in her pouch and tucks the rod into her belt.
As she makes her way through the halls, an odd shadow can be seen following her her. Someone looking closely at it would see the figure of a very attentive goblin.
She turns her attention to the venture captain. "What do we know of his ruin? Has anyone tried to date it, or identify what it was, or who made it?"
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Hopper follows the Venture-Captain, he sits on the cushion and takes the date with a smile. He bits off a small piece and passes it to Lizzy
"Good, good. Dates are sweet."
He decides to takes it stone, to test if it can be used in his juice as he likes to call the potions.
Goblin seems completely not focused on what the Norden is saying. He goes through his potions stand up to observe the tree, and turns for a second to look at yet another longshank joining his team.
Lizzy seeing the knight shadowing Emilio begins speaking to Hopper on what he responds:
"I don't care what that knight has you are not getting an armor! At least I introduced you to others! Stay quiet you interrupt our good captain his spiel!"
Hopper smiles at Venture-Captain.
"We are very easy-going, I can't imagine of any reason why the guards could be antagonized."
Norder Balentiir turns towards Teja: "We know pretty much nothing about this ruin so far. We have not yet explored it, so no datation or such yet.
The shifting winds blew sand away, and revealed the location... but only the top portion of the staircase.
What lies beyond it remains a mystery.
A mystery that you shall maybe start solving!”
The Venture-captain then turns towards Hopper the Mad: "Easy-going is good, in these heats. No need to get all flustered..."
He looks at all of you, for any other questions.
Motioning to the cat, Norder Balentiir smiles: "We have some almond-scented milk, if you wish for a dish?"
"Yes," says the Venture-captain to Kamil, "the guards know they are securing the place for the benefit of the Pathfinder Society. And I will be giving you the permit--
He shows a heavy roll of papyrus, with several embossed seals.
"--for you to prove who you are and that you are to be allowed entry, and thus start you work.
The location is not too far, and a week's journey should see you arriving."
Turning to Emilio: "No, sorry, as I said, we know very little about this ruin so far. We have not yet explored it. The shifting winds revealed only the top portion of the staircase. What lies beyond it remains a mystery.”
Lizzy full from eating dates lies in the sun to warm up a bit.
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Hopper listens to asked questions and when he sees that there is not much that can be learned here stands up assuming that the meeting is over.
"Let's go. As my father said: the sooner we leave, the longer will the journey take. Hahaha. I will make sure that we have enough provisions to entertain ourselves throughout the week."
Sothis is a thriving port, and you can find any items you have access to in this city, if you wish to purchase items before leaving for the desert.
The Venture-captain will provide supplies and you thus have plenty of resources - pack animals, food, water, tents... - to handle the desert’s most basic threats.
You have the map - and the permit.
Unless any wish to ask further questions, please make any purchases, preparations, and tell me how and when you wish to travel.
Leaving the lodge, the afternoon sun burns down on you as you walk along the rather empty streets, between whitewashed houses.
The covered bazaar, with its very narrow alleys, is a lot fresher.
The Mad Hopper spots some nice wide brimmed hats for Teja, but he is happy to find a fine man selling dogs.
The man starts by pulling a scimitar out and waving it at the Mad Hopper: "NO KILLING MY DOGS!"
But, seeing this Goblin is here for business and not hatred, he smiles: "We have the cheapest, best, most beautiful, least expensive, finest, strongest, non-weak, fastest, best priced, hounds and dogs, in the ENTIRE north-east part of the bazaar!"
And he shows you some fine dogs, ready to sell a nice female one: "Her name is Aergia. She is very energetic and tireless."
The dog vaguely raises an eyebrow upon hearing her name, but keeps her head on her paws, and yawns.
While the Mad Hopper finalizes purchasing his dog, and whatever fine Osirian leather goods to use with it, Yelinfathor has to convince the dog he was mainly petting to not to leave with him!
Once all the preparations and last purchases are done, you set off in the early afternoon, some riding their dog, others either walking alongside the pack-camels, or trying to ride them if they feel comfortable doing so.
Soon, you have left Sothis, and head of into the desert dunes.
But it is exceedingly uncomfortable, and you soon realize that traveling during the hottest part of the day is not the best of ideas.
After about an hour of traveling, you already are in pain--
--and you keep on trekking, hoping things will get better, but they sure do not.
So you decide to stop for a while, to rest, heal up... and wait for a cooler time.
You decide to travel near dusk, and then dawn the next day, and keep on doing this for the next days, in order to take shelter from the midday sun.
Doing this, and drinking plenty of water, while bundling up at night, you manage to navigate with the map, and the rest of the journey is fine.
After a week, you arrive in view of the archaeological site in the late morning.
You look to what you see in the distance--
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During the trek, Teja retreats into her own private little world of heat induced misery. The sand dunes seem to go on forever, and the sun beats down on her head. After the first afternoon she gives up on wearing her leathers, and settles for the lightest clothing she can dig out of her pack.
Of course the sun beating down is only half the problem. After beating down, it reflects off the sands and by mid morning the heat coming up from below is as bad as it is from above.
It is with quiet thanks that she takes to the night time mode of travelling. "Moving is good, it keeps us warm" she notes, appreciating the chill of the desert night as perhaps the others do not.
Still, she tries to keep her eyes open to trouble, and once the routine is established she returns to wearing her leathers in case of nocturnal trouble.
Her eyes still probably tired from the light reverberating off the sand, in different ways than it does off the white snow and ice of her North-lands, Teja does not see that well what awaits you ahead.
She does share that some work seems to have started, and there is some tent, or something, erected, and some animals resting in the shade.
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The Hopper stands back seeing the aggressive attitude of the salesman. After he explains his business reasons to be there he begins looking at the mounts.
He shares with Lizzy telepathic message to go and look around at the dogs.
He looks at Yelinfanthor getting accustomed to Aergia and asks:
"Looks like a fine animal huh?"
He begins bargaining with the man, but as he is not trained in it, the price offered was the price paid. Hopper bought the dog and saddlebags saying: "When my mission is done I will be back for the tack."
While on the caravan, Hopper uses his mount to try and ride it without a saddle, which he can do for short durations, switching between a camel and walking. Fortunately, he is resistant to fire which makes his wounds less severe than the others.
The next day Hopper makes a whole batch of Elixir of Life which he shares with the fellow agents.
When they arrive Hopper asks:
"Lizzy what can you see?"
Lizzy climbs on the Aergias head and looks into the horizon.
1d20+5
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The vendor is happy with the deal.
»You are the same size as my daughter was a few years ago.
I will let you borrow her tack. Please bring it back... «
He gives you small pink and white saddle with tassels, and the leather is etched with unicorns.
You wonder if the man truly wants you to bring it back.
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Lizzy climbs up on Aergia and peers up at the sun, and is happy to confirm it is there.
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Yelinfanthor seems to be less bothered by the heat than the others (though still bothered), but more bothered by the terrain. He is often seen actively looking for some sort of signs of other life, an animal or oasis probably.
The first evening, during the rest, the wild elf chooses the company of the camels and other animals. He slowly moves between them, seemingly whispering to each as he feeds them and gives them water. The water he gives them is not taken from that which the party carries.
The large black cat sometimes accompanies Yel and sometimes wanders. At least once it will have closely followed each of the party members, its eyes seeming to calculate your movements as if analyzing some prey. Despite this likely unnerving occurrence, it bounds off seemingly content.