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Motes of dust float in the air as the midday sun shines through the skylights of the museum roof. Several scholars and students move about
the bookshelves and display cases on the main floor and the balconies above, while some are hunched over tables piled with heavy tomes. [url=https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1LZFrzLtN-oi2kG0boGOXGM9e-yVYqftqhTJ4L0MaXqs/edit?usp=sharing]Zefiro, the custodian of Corenthyn's Museum of History[url], is in discussion with a colleague when he notices the Pathfinders approaching. Some he knows by sight. Others... perhaps not so much.
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A half-orc woman walks up, her human side obviously representing her Tian heritage, and her accent shows no different. She wears leather armor and has a heavy mace by her side. She also carries an metallic ofadu with her.
She also has a waterskin by her side which right now is bright purple for some reason.
Her introduces herself with some timidity in her voice. "I am Nuo. I joined the Pathfinder Society not too long ago. I used to live in Minkai along with my brother. He was a Samurai and a devoted follower of Emperor Shigure. Around the time the emperor was captured 13 years ago, our house was raided by ronin who opposed the Emperor. My brother defended me, telling me to run and get far away as I can. My brother died there that night protecting me. Because of that, I was able to leave the continent. The only thing I had left of my brother was the metal ofadu he had given to me for my birthday that year."
"I spent several years in mourning of what happened that day. I ended up living in Sothis for a long time, although I never felt I fit in there. Then I heard of the Pathfinder Society, a diverse group of individuals seeking knowledge, and thought I found my calling. And I joined. Through their training, I found out several powers of my own that I had never tried to use before, and it turns out that the ofadu my brother gave me became a focus for that power. And on that topic... I have someone else to introduce."
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A ghostly image of a half-orc man, with the same hint of Tian heritage, rises out of the ground. As he rises, he slowly forms into a full image of a man wearing full samurai armor, a heavy mace and heavy shield by his side. Also in his possession, you see a holy symbol of Qi Zhong, Tian goddess of medicine and healing.
"I am Qiang, and I am Nuo's brother. It is pleasure to meet you all. I am looking forward to working with my sister to further her journey into this world, and to this task I am devoted. I am just honored to still be here with her during her life." With that, he bows to show his loyalty to the party.
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A man in somewhat unusual clothing, a green toga covering a fine chain mail shirt largely the same size and shape and with a Roman style helmet with a green plume running its length enter a the room. He's heavily armed, a silver warhammer on one hip and a throwing axe on the other. A quiver with several javelins and darts is strapped across his back along with an ornate, spiked shield.
He nods in return to the bow. He rests his helmet on a nearby table and his hand on the helmet.
"I am Djorn and I am afraid that my story is not quite so interesting. I grew up in the forest but have learned much about the city in my travels. I hope my skills prove useful."
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A tall Chelaxian man in a rich blue cloak chides the museum curator. "Zefiro, what have you gotten yourself into now? And I thought you were going to consider getting out of town. The hellknights might just come for you next time."
He notices the newcomers and turns to them. His face has a distinctiveness that might be mistaken for nobility, but the curved knives at his belt and the longsword over his shoulder speak more to butchery. He's casually refolding a net filled with wicked barbs. He hangs it from his belt too alongside a pair of manacles.
"Did Zefiro call for more help, or are you some of Cassian's contacts? Either way, I guess more hands are always useful. I'm Aiden. This fool was worried about the hellknights taking his friend away, but refuses to take the same precautions himself."
He turns back to Zefiro. "If I have to break the nose of a Hellknight just because you didn't listen, the Paracountess will...Actually, she might like that." He sighs, but you catch a small shiver in the man's body. Joy or fear, you're not sure.
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A young man, or one that seems so, sits with a large grin. His appearance is very unsettling as half his face is covered in serpent-like scales but has an elven ear. The other part of his face has a long canine but appears completely human, even if his right eye is completely black with a white pupil. However, what is the most awkward is his hair who at first glance seem to be dreadlocks but are long human-like fingers.
The man bows with his head and smiles at each one of you, making wide gestures, as if he were really excited to be part of the adventure. "Aaaaaaand the following part of the tale is nowwwww beeeeginiiiiiing!!" yells the man, closing his eyes and putting both hands in the air.
Looking around him, he grins widely and notices Zefiro. "Oh hey, man. How are you doing ?"
Noticing eventually the new pathfinders dispatched to join them, Esh goes to shake their hands. "Esh Kethar. A pleasure to meet you!"
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Djorn takes the hand of the man as it is offered to him. There is an obvious moment when he is disconcerted by Esh's appearance but he seems to quickly and legitimately adjust.
"The pleasure is mine," he replies.
"I am also a Pathfinder and heard word that there was trouble here. I've had some experience in the area so thought I would add what assistance I could," Djorn chimes in behind Nuo in response to Aiden's inquiry.
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Zephiro eyes Djorn and Nuo wearily, trying his level best to ignore the ghostly Tian man who introduced himself as Quian, giving Aiden a look as if to ask "Are you vouching for them?" before giving Esh a rather more... Pointed look. "Ahem. Yes well... I was doing fine before you started shouting in my museum." He turns to the other man, saying "Please go fetch the Athenaeum materials from my office." As the student leaves, the curator coughs nervously: "He might be a student of mine but I would rather you didn't discuss our dealings so publicly." He looks around, a touch of his erstwhile paranoia on display. "Yes, I was, but between the artifacts that just arrived and what I've been asked to liaise with you upon, I haven't been able to do as Mireille has." He gestures towards a pile of crates to the side. "All this has come from our outpost to the south: Khari. Which is very close to the ruin I'm asking you to investigate. It has the potential of being a major discovery. And it certainly has the potential to earn great prestige for my colleagues at Egorian's Athenaeum. Apparently they've located art and other items that suggest that there is an ancient colony of ancient Taldor right within Kharijite province. That would certainly give our beloved empire a strong claim to the entire region." He looks about before stepping up close and whispering: "I would be very interested in discussing your findings when you return, with a bit more privacy. Come see me in the evening as you did when we first met. We can have a talk in my office."
He takes a few steps back as the student returns, a package in hands. "Wonderful. This should contain all the paperwork you need. Now if you'll excuse me, I have other matters I need to attend to."
has a route to Ibhir marked on it, and a rather sparse archaeological report that details the discoveries made at the site.
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"Some of this seems a little too big to bring back. I assume that we just need to report on what we find? Or escort it back?" Djorn chimes in.
He takes a look at the documents, too, though they don't mean much to him. He'll just have to trust that people who care about these kinds of things will find them to be the correct forms.
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Zephiro, about to step away, sighs. "Don't bring them back no. That would invalidate their historical significance. I would advise you follow your companion's advice and inspect them and take notes. You must do that already on your normal digs right?"
He looks at Esh for a moment that seems to stretch on. Finally he sighs. "Yes, the items on the list aren't "major" in of themselves, but what they mean is momentous. If this is correct, Cheliax has ownership rights over a lot more than Khari; and I'm sure her imperial majestrix Abrogail II will want to press that claim with the godless Rahadoumi."
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There is a slight, but palpably incongruous chill in the air as a tawny-skinned elf, wearing a beautiful Elven sword and a flowing overcoat the color of tarnished silver, bursts through the door.
"Sorry! Sorry I'm late! I ran into a much-better-than-average curiosity shoppe two blocks down, then...I got lost."
He reaches into his coat, pulls out what is unmistakably the intact skull of what was once a very young black dragon, holds it up at eye level, and looks into its sockets.
"We'll find it again. Someday. I'm certain...."
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"Oh yes, that's what I always do on my normal digs," Djorn says as though he goes on archeological digs all the time. He's not entirely comfortable with expanding Cheliax's powers and authority. Still, earning their trust and some political capital with them is the first step in dealing with them so sometimes you have to take a step back to move forward.
"Study the objects in question...find more, if we can, I'm sure, take notes, return and report. Should we also cooperate?" he asks, a sly grin on his face.
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"Technically, this came to me via Lady Inareth Alazario, the imperial liaison to the Pathfinder Society but I suppose that it came from one of the previsouly sanctioned archeological teams down there", Zefiro replies. "She has also secured transport for you down to Khari aboard a Chelish vessel: "The Imperial Compact". It'll be leaving sometime tomorrow morning, allowing you to enjoy whatever wonders you've found in Corentyn" he adds with barely a trace of sarcasm.
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"Nice to know everything will at least nominally be above board," Djorn comments.
"I'll meet you at the ship in the morning," he tells his fellow Pathfinders.
When he leaves, he finds a weapon-smith and adds a little more to his arsenal of weapons. After what he encountered on his last mission, some cold iron weapons seem useful. He trades in all of his mundane javelins and darts (3 of each) for cold iron versions, a transaction that ends up costing him 6.75 gp.
He is examining one of the odd metal points on one of his javelins as he arrives at the ship the next morning.
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It is difficult for Aiden to get a lot of information about the port of Khari, Corentyn's twin city on the other side of the arch, but he is able to get some, information he mulls over as the Pathfinders board the ship. The proprietor of the Wicked Fork was all too happy to retell how the empire has been cracking down on shady business. "Everyone needs a travel permit to leave the city, or so I hear. The inspections process has been redone, and is now twice as thorough. Getting a permit should be easy though; well, if you can bear waiting in line for a long time." It was at teh same time that he met an old caravan hand, returning from Khari. "Y'ain't the first archaeological expedition that has gone on to some far-fangled ruin or whatnot. Them's was a large group with scholars and soldiers and tools, so many tools half the caravan had to be carrying those durned things. Lotta supplies to be carrying through the desert if ya ask me. I asked one of them once and he told me to "mind my own business" if you know what I mean."
Anchor is lifted and soon you are cutting through the waters of the Arch of Aroden aboard The Imperial Compact a Chelish navy vessel designed mainly to combat the rampant piracy that takes place off of the coast of Western Cheliax. The hjourney takes most of the, a voyage in which you are left to yourselves by Chelish marines who want nothing to do with you. When you arrive in the harbor of Khari, the setting sun paints the town in hues of red. Vessels from all around the Inner Sea are moored at the docks, waiting for their cargo to be unloaded or for new goods to be brought aboard. The city spreads around the bay, with sandstone buildings and twisting minarets marking its Rahadoumi origin now emblazoned with red-and-white banners of Cheliax.
Most of the inhabitants dress in a Garundi fashion of colorful robes and billowing blouses, but occasionally a regiment of Chelish soldiers or a Hellknight parts the crowd. Several open-air markets fill the city with clamor as merchants and patrons haggle loudly under many-colored stalls.
You disembark just in time to witness the rant of an exasperated man with an Osirian accent at one of the stalls. "It would be bad enough if it was just the damned dockworkers who take their time unloading my goods, but now I have to wait for those infernal bureaucrats to grant me a travel permit to even leave the city. I swear I’m about to lose my mind with the incompetence of these people!"
As you contemplate your last leg of the journey to the ruins of Ibhir, as they are marked on your map, how you plan on getting to your objective is in your hands.
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Waki waits as the ship is tethered to the mooring and watches and listens to the locals around the docks as the party disembarks.
Very busy port this is. Busy, but inefficient it seems. Not to the liking of many. From what I recall, the people of Khari see themselves more as Chelish citizens than as Rahadoumi despite their ancestry. Lord-mayor Marsiol Giovenci, a steadfast ally of the Thrune regime, rules Khari. Giovenci takes a harsh stance against anyone who would engage in smuggling and black-market deals.
He will scan the population for anyone interested in their particular ship.
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"Well, I've heard of Khari. The locals are actually partial to Cheliax over Rahadoum, and their Lord-Mayor Marsiol Giovenci, a great deal moreso. Very much the law-and-order type, eminently so where smuggling and the black market are concerned."
"Kharijite province WAS rightful Rahadoumi territory until Cheliax took it during by the most law-and-order means of all: Military force. It was among the many spoils of King Haliad III's hundred-year campaign of conquest, poignantly named the 'Everwar' by the Humans who fought it. Despite what the local loyalties have become since then, Rahadoumi diplomats have been demanding its return ever since."
He looks up from his reverie and begins rubbing his hands.
"Of course, more interesting than the 'Everwar' and local politics, for this Vulture's taste, are the many still-older ruins to be found around here - particularly those of the Jistka Imperium, masters of golemcraft!"
He pauses, his excitement suddenly tempered just a tad.
"Might want to be careful around those."
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Djorn has little to contribute to the conversation. He doesn't really have any knowledge of any of the topics at hand. He listens carefully, though, filing everything away.
"I don't think we're going to be doing anything that can be considered smuggling, whether on our way out or when we come back. But it sounds like we need one of these permits to leave the town. Unless anyone thinks that we should try to sneak out. Always more dangerous, but also more interesting," he comments.
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Esh listens with wide ears. He seems to enjoy what he hears very much.
"It's always a wonder to listen to my fellow agents what they know about some places. I can never stop wondering why no local intelligentia ever give us details about those specific points. Weeeeeell... nevermind."
He ponders a moment the time the group has to wait to get the permit and decides he's way to eager to explore to linger in here.
"Maybe if we can find the true arguments, we may earn some time... as well as some grudges... possibly. What do you think? Rather than sneak out, we could... I don't know... Talk out?"
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Waki scans the local passerby, but does not spot anyone who expresses any undue attention to their arrival. All is well in glorious Cheliax!
Travelling to the Magister's offices, which handle permits to exit the city on any sort of archaeological business, is a simple enough task. What you feel will not be quite as simple is actually meeting with someone to discuss the damn permit. Scores of applicants hoping to procure official travel permits fill the bulky sandstone building even this late at night, and clerks steadily work their way up and down the lines toidentify each applicant and inquire about their business with varying levels of minutia.
One of them, a Garundi woman in her mid-forties, approaches you. "Good evening. State your business" she says tranquilly, fetching a fresh page to tack onto her writing board before dipping her quill in ink.
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Aiden steps forward with the official letter authorizing them to explore the archaeological site. "We are here to explore a site for the museum of Corentyn. Our passage is approved by the Lady Alazario, the imperial liaison to the Pathfinder Society, as you can see there. We would appreciate any assistance you can give to get our paperwork sorted out as quickly as possible."
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Djorn keeps to the back of the group. Much like Nuo, he is not one for talking. He is especially not one for talking to bureaucrats in a place like this where bureaucracy is so important to the functioning of society and where that bureaucracy and society is so oppressive.
He watches the exchange between Aiden and the official warily, fighting the urge to grip the hilt of his warhammer to ease his discomfort.
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The clerk seems absolutely bored with her task, but nonetheless grabs hold of the letter from Aiden. "Very well. I'll go ahead and verify this and begin the procedure. Please wait here." And without another word she turns and steps back into a curtained room, the inner sanctum of Chelish administration.
Minutes pass and the woman returns with a smile Nuo and Aiden spot as being forced from a mile away. "Magistrate Mavius Giovenci has decided to handle this matter in person" she says, handing Aiden a letter as she returns the first one. "This is an invitation to attend an evening function at his estate" she adds with a bow before beginning to move to the next set of petitioners.