Pathfinder! You've been spending some downtime recently in Magnimar, the so-called "City of Monuments". Magnimar is a young and vibrant mercantile city-state famous for landmarks like the Irespan (a massive, broken bridge dating to ancient Thassilon that dominates the skyline), the Arvensoar (the city's tallest structure and fortress headquarters of its military forces), and the Cenotaph (a ten-story cylindrical tower created as a memorial to the city's founder). It's said that some of the city's monuments are even magical and bless those who show the proper respect!
But for the past few days, Magnimar has been in the grip of terror. Everyone's talking about how a murderer is stalking the city’s streets in the gloaming pre-dawn hours. Each morning it seems a new and freshly mutilated victim appears in an alley! According to gossip on the street, there have been four bodies discovered to date--all worshipers of the goddess of healing and redemption, Sarenrae.
Although catching murderers is normally city guard business, you've just received an urgent message from Venture-Captain Sheila Heidmarch. Apparently, the Pathfinder Society is getting in on the hunt for this depraved killer! You're to report to the Arvensoar immediately and meet with a Captain Kasadei of the Magnimar City Watch.
A 400-foot-tall structure like the Arvensoar is easy to keep in sight as you make your way through Magnimar's Naos District. This area of the city seems safe and welcoming, as it's filled with "new money" merchants able to afford to live in a prosperous neighbourhood. Once you reach the Arvensoar itself, you see the massive fortress is home both to Magnimar's military garrison and to the City Watch, members of which wear distinctive blue-scale armor and carry halberds. Guards at the gate check that your names are on a list before giving you directions to navigate the labyrinthine interior to a small waiting room. You're told Captain Kasedei is just finishing interviewing a witness, and will be with you shortly.
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An elderly elf leans on his cane and sighs heavily. ”It has been some times we were last in Magnimar, hasn’t it Qadar,” he asks a dusty-grey bird perched on his shoulder. Looking out over the city from the waiting-room’s small circular window, the elf closes his eyes to listen to the dull hubbub of the city going about its business seemingly without a care in the world.
”Hmm, but those are the footsteps of one who walks with purpose,” he remarks, glancing behind. ”What is your story, friend? What brings you here?”
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"Yes, well ... Hmm. I guess you mean me." A stocky, bald dwarf with a bushy black beard answers. "Same as yourself, friend elf. I am here because I am between tasks for the society and need something to do." "My name is Grunyak Dweomerhammer, and I hail from Lastwall originally. I am a priest of Torag, The Creator." "But, as circumstance has it, I got no temple and must keep wanderin' and over the years I worked my way into this here Pathfinder Society."
Grunyak sits back down in his seat from which you notice he stood to speak and places his helmet cap back on in bald head. As you look a little closer you notice Grunyak has distinct, violet eyes.
He is dressed for a battle in a shiny breast plate and has a battleaxe and hammer with him.
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A tall and well built woman-by human standards anyway- in her mid twenties joins the duo in the room. She is blonde, with breaded hair, has blue eyes and a warm smile on her lips
She wears a beautifully crafted breastplate and a shield of precious, somber wood, and seems to carry many weapons around. You see a morningstar, a spear, a big bow, an even bigger axe… How she manages to cary all that burden is quite a mistery. She is, hopefully, well trained to the use of these weapons.
She stops near you and offers her hand to shake
Hi there. My name is Drusilla, but everyone calls me Dru, so please do the same. Been a long time I went in a mission for the Society. Mostly in the jungle of Mwangi, with another crew, few years ago. Good people, and good memories too. Had a few scraps that didn't turned has we could have wished, a few close to death situations, but at least it makes for an interesting life, hu? Any stories of yours we could share around a few drinks? It was a long march, coming here, and I'm a little thirsty...
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Very tall half-orc with bulging muscles and a scar that runs across his face diagonally. He looks to be a little young regardless of his apparent battle experience worn on his body.
He wears finely-crafted breastplate that seems to be designed to let his joints move more smoothly. Strapped to his back is a huge maul that seems to be well taken care of.
The half-orc looks down at his new companions, "Yaiho Crasher. Yaiho strong. Break things, break people, break monsters. Yaiho break things for you."
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An elderly elf leans on his cane and sighs heavily. ”It has been some times we were last in Magnimar, hasn’t it Qadar,” he asks a dusty-grey bird perched on his shoulder. Looking out over the city from the waiting-room’s small circular window, the elf closes his eyes to listen to the dull hubbub of the city going about its business seemingly without a care in the world.
”Hmm, but those are the footsteps of one who walks with purpose,” he remarks, glancing behind. ”What is your story, friend? What brings you here?”
The very (very) tall man with a swarthy complexion, dressed in blue desert garb remains silent as introductions are made. He bears only one obvious weapon--a very obvious weapon, a huge, black, curving blade at his back. He remains alert, but quiet, until eventually the conversation turns to him. "Mine is a long and complicated road requiring many nights around a campfire." he explains without a trace of irony. "Just let it be known that Abaal, the Daring Sword of Katapesh™ stands at your side in this dark business."
As you’re introducing yourself, the door to the unadorned meeting room opens. A member of the City Watch enters—a tall woman with short, dark hair and an angular face. ”You must be the Pathfinders that Sheila Heidmarch promised. Thank you for coming. I’m Captain Kasadei.” She unfurls a map of Magnimar on the table. ”Doubtless you’ve heard of the murderer that the wags are calling the Heart-Taker. Simply put, we need your help in stopping this killing spree and brining the murderer to justice.”
”I’ll tell you what we know so far—but it shouldn’t leave this room. All of the murders took place in the pre-dawn hours in alleys along the northwestern waterfront under the span of the Irespan—in the area everyone calls the Shadow because the sun only reaches it for a couple of hours each day. Each victim was stabbed multiple times by a dagger, and their heart was cut out—we haven’t found the hearts yet, and that implies either grisly trophies or some demented ritual. Although all four victims were traveling worshipers of Sarenrae, beyond that they don’t seem to have any real connection. We have to assume they’re being targeted for their faith, and not any personal link with the killer.”
”We’ve had special investigators use speak with dead, but the spells revealed little since all four victims were attack from behind. In all four cases, the victims were taking what the Sarenites call a “dawnwalk”—I guess it’s some sort of walking prayer during the hours just before and after sunrise.”
”We have a couple of possible clues, but we haven’t been able to make much sense of them. First, some of the corpses we used speak with dead on remembered noticing a sudden cessation of sound just before they were attacked. Second, the most recent victim even caught a glimpse of the knife used to stab him—a dagger bearing a strange symbol of a white feather dipped in blood. We don’t know what that symbol means though.” She shows you a drawing of the symbol
”So that’s where we are now. We’ve settled on a plan—a risky one. We need to lure this "Heart-Taker" out so that he can be captured. A classic ambush where someone pretends to be a Sarenite on one of these “dawnwalks” and then the rest of us hide nearby to capture the killer when he attacks. Unfortunately, the Watch doesn’t have any agents available who can pull this off. That’s why we’ve asked the Pathfinder Society for some extra assistance. We can’t risk more murders, so we’re planning on implementing this plan tomorrow morning.”
”So, can Magnimar count on you?”
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A vibrating, bright peach gnome with short-cropped fiery orange hair breathlessly pops in last. She slings her haversack off her shoulder onto a chair and shakes out her shoulders. "Whoo! Just made it, didn't I? Anyhoo, I'm Pai! Great to meet you guys!" She energetically pumps any hand she can grab.
During the briefing, Pai's pale green eyes widen practically to the size of saucers, and she keeps making tiny exclamations like "Oh my gosh!" and "Yikes!"
She leans in to peer closely at the drawing of the symbol, furrowing her brow as she racks her brain for a clue.
"Nope. I got nothing. But hey, count me in! I'm totally down with stopping the murderer. Or murderers. So hey, is this a 'keep them alive at all costs because we need to question them' type of thing?"
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I'm not a Sarenite, and I don't know much about gods, but my own god is an ally of Sarenae, and I happen to be a bodyguard when the Society doesn't need me. So count me in. We can't let a killer loose on the streets.
She looks at the gnome and smiles
Pai, the Captain here just asked us to bring the criminal to justice, so I suppose he or she must be alive. Those Speak with dead spells don't come cheap. Besides, we don't know yet if it's only one killer or several. So we'll need to interrogate this scum. That doesn't need we can't deliver the piece of trash a good beating first.
Maybe if we all share whatever informations we may have on that symbol a name will spring to mind? Teamwork, pals... No one can know everything about everything. Except from Dale, maybe, an old friend of mine and an hairy alchemist. Long time no see, unfortunatly.
Kasadei listens to the speculation. "Well, I'm going to take that as a 'yes' answer to my question. As I said, we'd like to spring a trap tomorrow morning, unless you have another idea. There's still plenty of hours of daylight left today, so it wouldn't hurt if you made yourself familiar with Underbridge and perhaps ask the locals some questions--it's possible that they might be willing to talk to you even if they didn't want formal interaction with the City Watch. Do you have any questions? Otherwise, I'll leave you to it and expect you back here tonight so I can brief my officers on the final plan."
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”You may call me Angoldir,” the elf replies with a solemn bow. ”I am honored to know and share your stories. May you feel no shame in hearing yours one day in Pharasma’s Hall.”
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The elf furrows his brow and peers over his shorter companions at the captain’s sketch. ”We are fortunate that the deceased are willing to share their knowledge with us,” he comments. ”Their insights may save the lives of others.” A brief glimmer of light plays over both him and his songbird companion.
”This is not the symbol of some ‘surface god’,” Angoldir says slowly. ”The white feather of truth, dipped in the blood of innocence. This is the symbol of Shax - the demon lord of murder and lies.”
He turns to Captain Kasadei. ”This perversion of the natural order must cease. I will lend my help, little as it may be, to Magnimar once more. May Pharasma let us see the truth with unclouded eyes.” He bows again, and so does the songbird perched on his shoulder.
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Abaal grunts his agreement at Angoldir's assessment of the symbol. "And what besides the name do we know?"
"As to the plan, it seems to be a good one. I could disguise myself as a humble pilgrim woman, and lure the butcher into the open." says the six-foot-six, bearded Keleshite with the huge sword.
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"You would certainly stand the best chance of defending yourself should the killer take us all by surprise," Angoldir agrees. "And your ethnicity would also be quite fitting for a Sarenite. But perhaps you are unaware that men also worship the Dawnflower - there is no need to draw undue attention to yourself that way and risk scaring off this murderer."
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Yaiho listens carefully to Captain explain the murders and the mission. A few times, his eyes glaze over as if he doesn't completely understand.
"Ambush murderer. This Yaiho can do. Not sure Yaiho is pretty enough to look like Sarenite shaman though. So Yaiho hide before jumping out and destroy murderer..." he stops for a moment when it is mentioned the murderer must be taken alive.
Frowning, "Yaiho best at breaking but Yaiho will try not to break murderer so question you can."
Captain Kasadei says "Just to be clear, bringing in the murderer alive is preferred, but I want this monster off the streets one way or the other. If you have to kill him to stop this murder spree, then the City Watch will back you." She listens to Grunyak's question. "None of the people we spoke to said they saw anything. Still, it wouldn't hurt to make the rounds of the vagrants who often live in Underbridge. I guess it's possible that some of the other Sarenites in the city might know something they haven't said, but I'd expect they would be forthcoming with me--after all, I'm trying to save their lives."
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"I could disguise myself as a humble pilgrim woman..."
A sputtered laugh bursts out of Pai's lips before she can stop it. "Pbbbshhhhbb!" Eyes twinkling in merriment at the image Abaal has conjured in her mind, she doesn't even try to wipe the impish smile off her face. "OOoh! And maybe I can hide in his backpack and keep an eye out behind him. That way no one could sneak up on him! ... What? I'm only half joking. But seriously. Yes, we should check out the place and talk to people while it's still daylight. And yes, we'll try to bring 'em back alive." I just don't know how I'm going to do that. I wish I knew how to pull my punches!
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"Well, if there is nothing else to ask the busy Captain, I think we should head out and get a feel for the area, ask around about suspicious people in the area and see what we find. Maybe an eye witness afraid to talk to the authorities is lurking there today. Or maybe we find good hiding spots. Could be just a waist time though."
Grunyak stands and gathers his gear. "But at least we will be helping to stop this evil."
A cool autumn wind makes for a pleasant walk as you leave the Arvensoar. A few minutes' walk east takes you to where the wide Avenue of Honors runs north starting from the Founder's Flame, a pedestal that supports a bronze bowl perpetually filled with fire of ever-changing colors. A small crowd of tourists stands around it. As you continue on, you pass by a fortress-like temple of Iomedae and can hear the daily call to glory and sacrifice. Another few hundred feet takes you past the sprawling stone structure that is Magnimar's combination of bank and temple to Abadar. After passing through by another of Magnimar's famous monuments, a towering marble sculpture depicting a legendary battle between a great hero and some sort of massive sea monster, you finally reach Underbridge.
The difference between Underbridge and the rest of Magnimar is like night and day--or like light and shadow. Here, seedy taverns and rat-infested gambling dens compete with salt-blasted tenements and cheap flophouses for the attention of the city's most desperate, dangerous, or just down on their luck. Every city has something it's not proud of, and here, under the gargantuan Irespan above, is Magnimar's shame.
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"I'll need to find a dress. Something that goes with my eyes."
Giggling hysterically, Pai manages to choke out: "Oh man! If it'd fit I'd let you borrow mine! Whoooohahahahah!" It takes a bit for her to get control of her giggles, but eventually she does. Even so, for the rest of the day, whenever she looks at Abaal, her eyes twinkle in merriment as she is no doubt imagining him dressed to the nines in fine ladies' wear.
Once out in the streets, she keeps her eyes peeled for anyone or anything out of place or possibly useful.
"Hey guys, before I just go up to random people and start asking if anyone knows about the murders, do you want me not to do that? Sometimes my first idea is way off, and I don't want to tip off the wrong people, if you-know-what-I-mean." Her speedy words nearly trip over each other as they tumble out of her mouth like smallfolk fleeing a dragon.
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”It is best to not put words in people’s mouths, or to lead them on to an answer you might want,” the aged elf explains. ”So asking someone what they saw last night is more likely to produce a truthful answer rather than asking someone if they saw a murder last night. You might also try asking them if they saw anything out of the ordinary, rather than asking if they saw someone with a knife or dagger.” He pauses a moment, deep in thought. ”One thing that might not come to mind immediately though is the silence effect several of the deceased mentioned. You might have to ask about that specifically - but be careful to not lead a witness down a rabbit trail of your own devising.”
He looks down at the gnome with a smile. ”Does that make sense?”
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"Probably need to figure out who would be around in the early morning or late nights. Maybe there are jobs that are done at that time? And those folks should be our first we talk to. Else we'll probably need to ask about what folks heard. The silence thing may make that tricky." Grunyak mumbles at the group talking to know one in particular. He seems to be thinking hard.
At Yaiho's comment, "Probably want to save the breaking of heads for when we do the ambushin'. Citizens around here might become really hard to find if we bash them."
Grunyak will use sense motive to discern who might seem the type to be out late at night.
Then he will point them out to the investigator. And aid in the information gathering if he can.
Pai and Grunyak work together to make the rounds of Underbridge.
Angoldir and Zadeir work together asking questions in another part of Underbridge, while Drusilla decides to see what's being talked about in the taverns.
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Angoldir and Zadeir work together asking questions in another part of Underbridge, while Drusilla decides to see what's being talked about in the taverns.
Abaal stands upwind of their contacts. "Curious."
Later he tells the others "We will have to develop some way of communicating should sound fail us. Perhaps some sort of gesture-based signal code or an interpretive dance as the deep desert dervishes do to recount their histories." Abaal thinks back to one particular mute nomad who mimed sitting upon a campfire. The spins, the leaps, the frantic waving of arms, all the motions evoking that experience for his spectators.
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"Scratching sounds comin' from the rooftops, flappin' wings what weren't no bird, and one time both me and Pisspot Pietro lost our voices at the same time!" With that, the man changes his eyepatch inexplicably to the other eye and keeps on moving down the street.
"Wait! I believe you! Where did those things happen? And when? Do you remember? --Here! Will this spark your memory?" She offers him a gold piece, along with a dazzlingly cheerful smile, to jog the ol' thought bucket. "Also, we'd love to talk to Pisspot Pietro too. Where can we find him?"
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After a few hours' questioning the locals, the sun begins to set (something hard to notice with the Irespan directly above). The Pathfinders reconvene to share what they've learned and formulate a plan, knowing that Captain Kasadei is waiting back at the Arvensoar to brief her officers.
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"Any of you have the appropriate holy symbol?" asks Abaal. "And what are we doing about the 'silence'. I have a few ideas."
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Heard about a "demon" with leathery wings haunting the roofs in the wee hours of the morning. I don't have any idea what kind of demon it could be, nor a more precise description. Maybe it would be worth it to get some weapons or magic against demons. A simple net too could be helpful agaisnt a flying opponent
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”From what our witness said, we could deduce that the murderer flies and can see without hinderance in the dark. They also confirmed the silence effect, but we cannot confirm nor deny the use of invisibility effects. Angoldir looks up from his notes at the other agents. ”Hopefully you had more success than we did, but confirmation of these inferences could help us prepare for this killer.”
”To that end, Abaal has an excellent point regarding communicating while under the effects of silence, the elf continues, tapping an ink pen against his chin thoughtfully. ”But a visual sign would do us little good if we cannot see it, and this murderer only seems to operate under the cover of night. Using light to communicate would be effective, but hardly subtle.”
As Drusilla recounts her findings, the investigator quickly adds several notations to his notes. ”A demon would certainly fit with the profile of one who would carry a weapon with symbol of a demon lord on it,” he says slowly. ”And the net is certainly a worthwhile idea. I have heard of an extract that might provide a similar effect - if there is time, I will see if I can find a sample to replicate. As for weapons effective against a demon...”
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Shouldn't be too hard to find one or two nets in Magnimar… Couldn't we set a kind of trap, like hunters? Or at least a kind of ambush? If one of us is to be used as a bait, it would be best for him to lure his "hunter" somewhere we can more easily catch it. A place with close roofs over the street, maybe. Just thinking loud. Chime in some ideas if you wish. Something bugs me, and you seem to be the kind of lad who knows this kind of stuff, no offense meant, Angoldir: do you know about a demon that use magic, like that silence spell you're talking about, and who usually kills with a knife or daggger? I would have thought demons would be too happy to rend flesh with claws and tears, not with a dagger. I mean, a low street thug can use a dagger in your belly. There is nothing to be frightening in that. Or maybe these Shax worshippers uses dagger in ceremonial kills? I don't know, and I'm pretty sure I won't like to know, but it's best to be prepared for anything. We should totally buy some holy water in the nearest temple, anyway. Can be useful against demons, if you know how to throw.