You find yourself in the metropolis of Katapesh where nothing is more important to the city’s rulers than the flow of commerce. You’ve received instructions by local Venture-Captain Wulessa Yuul to meet with a certain goblin merchant named Yigrig Moneymaker and assist him. Further details have not yet been provided. The meeting takes place early in the morning in a lounge typically used for trade negotiations though when you arrive it is currently empty.
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Seggiatore is a gnome dressed in rust-colored leggings complemented by a yellow tunic and wool vest, with blue and green hair that is pulled back into a topknot before reaching down almost to his waist.
He has a dagger sheathed at his waist and a drum strapped to one leg, with 4 or 5 different drumsticks tucked into its frame.
When introducing himself, he grins broadly and bows slightly. "Seggiatore, gentleman, singer, musician... He Who Protects. How do you do?"
He will sit on the arm of the overstuffed chair by the fireplace, so that he is high enough to still look around the room and out onto the street.
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A tall human man with gleaming armor removes his large feathered helmet and sets it aside as he lays his gleaming shield embossed with the silver sword of Iomedae on a barrel. A preeteen boy hurries over with a cloth and a small pot of polish. Sir Reinhart takes the cloth and begins polishing the shield as the boy holds it steady.
Talking as he polishes "My apologies for not giving you my full attention but this shield isn't going to polish itself. Greetings fellow Pathfinders, my name is Sir. Reinhart and this is my squire, Merwrick Burrowfoot."
The squire lets go of the shield with one hand to doff his cap before quickly regripping the shield with both hands.
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A loud *THUMP* sound is heard somewhere outside the lounge, followed by what sounds like some falling pans and some shattered glass. Shortly thereafter, a green-haired gnome dressed in curiously stained laborer's garment walks in, dusting herself off as she does, accompanied by a bespectacled Goblin that is hurriedly trying to stuff a number of vials and books into his traveler's pack.
The gnome woman looks around the room and lets out a sigh of relief. "Oh! It looks like we made it in time after all, Dr. Shobbs. What a relief" - she turns around to help the Goblin who, in his haste, continues to drop the papers and knick-knacks he is trying to stow away. Once the items have been put away, she approaches the group.
"Excuse my manners and...well, the ruckus. I am Dr. Roselyn Tanglethorn, and this is my assitant Dr. Shobbs. Nice to make your acquaintance, gentlemen" - Roselyn extends her hand to Seggiatore, expectingly.
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The new pathfinder's entrance gave Roselyin the perfect excuse to stop her failed attempt at a greeting. She instead turned her attention towards the newcomer.
"Ah, yes. Well, the Venture Captains can have a rather unique sense of humor sometimes, though I suspect this is merely a bureaucratic 'happy coincidence'. - Roselyn extended her hand once more. "You can call me Dr. Tanglethorn, if that suits you better, and this here is Dr. Shobbs."
"I noticed your insignia. You come representing the Horizon Hunters, I presume? Always glad to have like-minded individuals around!"
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Taking Roselyn's hand and shaking it vigorously, Seggiatore asks, "Ooo, and what are you a doctor of? Both of you? I mean, you don't look like surgeons and those are the only people I've ever met that called themselves doctors. Though I don't suppose I've met even a fraction of the populace..."
When Rosie comes in, he smiles at her comments.
"I once went on an adventure with a brother and sister named Sig-bert and Slee-bert and we were joined by a man named Sleh-door-ay. You can imagine how confusing it was trying to call out to each other in the heat of battle. And oh, the trouble I had with the rhyming schemes when charting our epic."
After waiting for a few minutes a Yigrig Moneymaker arrives with an open book in one hand and hardly looks up as he enters the room and makes his way to one of the large chairs by the fireplace.
The powerful goblin merchant closes his book and slumps into the chair. His face, normally so proud and assured, looks troubled. “Ah yes! It’s good to see you, Pathfinders! I have a lot of respect for the Society. You’ve been good to me in the past, and my family has aided you in return. But today I come before you, my hat in my hands, in need of help.
“My family and I have almost brokered a trade agreement between the cities of Solku and Oenopion. It’s a beneficial deal, one where Solku gains the materials it needs to defend itself, Oenopion gains a new trading partner, and everyone stands to make a heap of coin. There’s only one issue standing in the way of the negotiation being finalized: a bridge must be constructed over the Elemion River to facilitate safe travel between the two cities. My family is responsible for building and maintaining this bridge. It should have been a simple job… easy to pull off.
“It has been anything but easy” his voice shakes as he worriedly rubs his book.
The old goblin leans forward. “Every morning at the work camp, it is discovered that more of my children have been pulled from their beds in the night, presumed dead. Every shipment of aid I send gets attacked. The last one I sent did not even arrive.
“There is a lot of money riding on this deal, but I admit this isn’t about money anymore. This is personal. Someone is harming my family and I can’t sit by and let that happen.
“I have contracted the Pathfinder Society to protect the bridge and surrounding work camp while construction is completed. I have a caravan ready to leave, filled with new workers and supplies for the bridge site. I want you on it. When you see it safely to the bridge site, I need you to stop
the attacks on the camp by any means necessary until the job is complete. When you get to the work camp, you will meet my son Zig, the overseer of the project. Sweet kid… takes after his old man. He’ll be your liaison with the workers and see to your needs.
“Nothing is more important than family. Nothing. And so, I’m asking you to take care of mine. Our future is in your hands.”
Before giving time to respond he adds, ”This isn’t the first time I’ve dealt with Pathfinders so I’m sure you have lots of questions. Go ahead, ask away, but it’s a long journey to the campsite and I’ve got a whole caravan waiting to head out so let’s make this quick.”
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"Dear me. But that's horrible. I'm sorry you and yours are going through this. I think I speak for everyone when I say we will do our best to help you. And yes, I personally do have some questions."
"First the obvious: have any of the surviving crew reported hearing or noticing anything strange? A sound in the night, feelings of being watched, that sort of thing...
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"Oh yes, this does sound most dire. And quite possibly intentional - it's one thing to disturb animals, beasts, or even undead when starting a new construction project, but for those things to attack the supply train is rather unusual."
Seggiatore smiles at the crack about questions, and nods along with Roselyn's.
"And have they found the spot where the last supply shipment went missing? Surely there had to be some evidence left behind?"
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Sir Reinhart stops polishing his shield and listens carefully.
He ponders a moment before asking "Forgive me for asking what must be obvious to you but I have not spent much time in Katapesh. Can you tell us about Solku and Oenopion. Things like this frequently have treacherous villains, any any insight into potential motivations may prove to be the difference between victory and defeat."
Yigrig looks at Roselyn, "Thank you. It has indeed been tough...As far as reports go things have varied wildly. Some say it's animals, others say bandits. The only thing consistent is that the reports are conflicting and that whatever or whomever is behind the attacks is dangerous!"
He then stands up and begins pacing in front of the fireplace. "There's been no sign of the last shipment. Just gone! Something is happening on route. But Where? When? Why? I do not know these things! This is why I need the Society's help!"
"As far as Solku and Oenopion are concerned...There is little crime and the crime that exists is not organized. Everyone stands to gain from the trade deal. We're talking lots of profit for both cities. I can't imagine anyone not wanting money!!" he finishes with rubbing his hands together.
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Roselyn ponders the information for a few moments.
'Mr. Moneymaker, I imagine that your position as deal broker requires a fair amount of discretion about the deal's specifics until it has been successfully completed. However, given the circumstances, could you please share with us a few more details about its terms? For instance, and I think this is particularly important to our case, you mentioned that Solku benefits from this deal by gaining the materials it needs to defend itself. From what? And how are these materials helping them defend themselves exactly?
And just before you answer, let me assure you that, as agents of the Pathfinder Society, it is in our best interest to represent our factions as favorably as possible, and would never divulge information shared with us in confidence by a reputable businessman such as yourself.
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"Ha! I thought my dear friend Wulessa would've sent someone a little more accustomed to such large cities" he says with a chuckle. "Alas, Solku is a walled city and the second largest city in Katapesh. Many travelers and traders pass through there on their way to the Capital. Like any defensive location, materials and trade are an important part of keeping defenses up. But all this talk about materials and defenses is boring me. I don't know all the specifics, just that money is to be made and that I'm to build a bridge! What my friend, and your venture captain, has agreed to is that you'll be helping secure the bridge site! Simple! You'll even be paid for your services!"
He begins walking towards the door, "Well then! This has been fun! I hate to cut this short but the caravan is waiting. As long as you can prevent goblins from being killed or abducted then the bridge will be able to be completed on schedule. He walks out the door and adds "Come on, I'll walk you to the caravan."
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<Faction Slotted> Improved Vigilant Seal Champion: Earn Rep with Vigilant Seal
<Bonus Faction Slotted>Adamant Wayfinder: Resist Harm (reaction); Trigger You would take damage; Effect You gain resistance to acid, cold, electricity, fire, force, negative, positive, and sonic damage equal to 3, spell, or effect. This applies only to the initial effect, not to any subsequent attacks or damage dealt by the effect (such as persistent damage or an ongoing hazard)
<Slotted> Campaign Coin <Promotional>: Free Hero Point that can be spent on others
<Slotted> ExpertHireling <Ally>: Crafting/Lore(Pathfinder Society)
<Slotted> Cryptid Scholar <Untyped> <R> (fortune) OOO Roll twice for Recall Knowledge
<Advanced/Other Slotted> Traveler of the Spirit Road <General> OOO Upgrade critical fail on hide/sneak/track/sense direction in wooded area to normal fail.
<Slotless> Wayfinder Free Wayfinder + Engraved with name and open road glyph
School Items: Lesser Darkvision Elixir/Lesser Eagle Eye Elixir
Yigrig leads the group on a short walk to the caravan while rambling about various things such as his former life of a slave and how he is a self-made man. He also takes a lot of pleasure in hinting at helping solve a conspiracy within the society surrounding a disgraced venture captain.
It is still early in the day and it is relatively cool outside when arriving at the caravan which consists of 4 camel-led wagons and 20 goblin workers. Yigrig introduces the group to the caravan leader, Muckmuck, and promises the caravan that they are in good hands. Yigrig thanks the society again for the aid and then takes his leave.
Once Yigrig is out of earshot, Muckmuck laughs, “You longshanks think you can protect us? You can’t save Muckmuck. You’re weak. Face facts. We’re all going to die.
“You sit there in the back and talk to the workers. We’re all scared. Doesn’t matter what we do. We’re all going to die.
“Tell you truth, I don’t want to go. Yigrig reads too many books. He’s lost his mind. We all think about leaving before he gets us killed. Not help that the minstrel lost hand in teethbrushing accident. Much blood. Can’t play lute anymore.
“Tell you what. You want to help? You be the minstrel. Make fancy music. Make goblins feel less likely to run away. Convince them we’re not all going to die.”
With that he tells everyone to get situated before heading out.
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Roselyn doesn't think her puppet show is likely to be appreciated by this crowd, so she instead focuses on talking to the workers, as Muckmuck suggested. She will regale them with stories of her previous adventures so that they realize the group is not as weak as they think, trying to boost their morale.
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"Sorry to hear about your concerns, Muckmuck, but thank you for sharing them. I assure you, my companions and I will do everything we can to ensure a safe and pleasant journey. And a disabled minstrel you say, why that's no problem either."
Seggiatore will play and sing and generally work to raise everyone's spirits.
quit peeking
"I sure hope so" Muckmuck responds to Seggiatore before finishing getting ready to set off.
After a few minutes the caravan sets out for a long day. Rosie attempted to talk to the goblins but turned up no new information, and Dr Tanglethorn was only able to confirm Muckmuck's words that the goblins are terrified to head towards the bridge site.
Seggiatore plays some songs and it seems to help the goblins keep their minds off their impending doom but never a lasting effect.
Gazard spent the day casting detect magic but found nothing of note.
Sir Reinhart escorted the caravan through the heat of the day with no danger in sight.
As the day winds down the group pulls off the side of the trail to set up camp with at least one more day of travel ahead. Once the camp has been established the night begins to be filled with laughter, fights, and other acts of physical prowess as the goblins try to impress the pathfinder agents. This is the most lively the group has seen the goblins all day and may be your chance to help raise morale.
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Roselyn will bundle her robe and put it on her head as a make-shift turban. She will then call upon Phia, her leshy familiar.
After a few minutes of whispering her plan to Phia, Roselyn will jump to be in the middle of the circle that formed around the campfire.
"Has anyone seen my coin purse? My dearest coin purse!" - Roselyn says in her best imitation of Ygrig's voice and manners. "Ah! There's the thief! Catch it! Bring me back my MONEEEEY! - Roselyn says pointing at Phia, breaking into a chase all around the campsite while the tiny spirit flies in an erratic pattern, giggling uncontrollably.
The goblins cheer at Dr Tanglethorn's impression of Yigrig with several goblins falling to the ground unable to contain their laughter.
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Seggiatore will play some exciting music to go along with the chase that Roselyn and Phia enact, and then segue into some classic, bawdy campfire tunes.
As one of the songs winds down, he'll step into the center to impersonate Ygrig and do "play-by-play commentary" on Roslyn's performance. Lots of stumping and huffing and being thoroughly determined to be unimpressed, but in a way that encourages the goblins to contradict his negativity and give her shout-outs and even more cheers.
Seggiatore offers some tunes that are on-point and lift the crowds spirits!
Meanwhile Rosie successfully tumbles through the crowd much to their surprise! One goblin cheers "Not bad, longshank!"
Other goblins taking note of Seggiatore's Yigrig impersonation begin laughing. It's a hit!
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Roselyn, noticing Seggiatore's act, will walk up to him, also huffing and puffing. Just WHO do you think you are, impersonating Yigrig Moneymaker, huh? Surely just another thief!" - As he says that last bit, Roselyn will imitate the way she saw Yigrig rub his palms together as she faces the crowd with a wide, toothy grin.
The crowd erupts with more laughter as the two Yigrig impersonator's face off! Dr Tanglethorn is deemed the clear winner though Muckmuck feels the need to add "not quite a better Yigrig than Yigrig himself!"
Sir Reinhart's first attempt to grab the crowd's attention is a massive flop, though no one noticed he missed his mark. His second attempt he climbs on top of one of the wagons and is able to leap over the bonfire which wins over the grumpy Muckmuck for a hearty cheer!
Gazard's attempt to tumble through the crowd went so well they nearly erupted in a roaring cheer, though his second attempt was not impressive and reminded some goblins how late it was.
Rosie attempted to prolong the evening with another exciting act of climbing but proved unsuccessful.
Some goblins made their way to their tents on their own and the few that remained were reminded by Muckmuck that the caravan was setting out at first light. With everyone quickly retiring Muckmuck approached the group and gave a nod of approval "That went well."
The group rotated through watch shifts but it was a rather dull and quiet night after the festivities.
The following morning the group set out with one day's worth of travel to go. The morale of the caravan was significantly higher--almost too high. The goblins would refer to Dr Tanglethorn and Seggiatore as "YigRig 1" and "YigRig 2" and try to imitate the acts with hearty laughs. Sir Reinhart was deemed "Sir Leaps A Lot" with goblins trying to leap whenever they saw him. Rosie and Gazard had to deal with the goblins bumping into them all day trying too get the "Longshank Tumblers" to do some more tumbles. All in all, it was clear the group had left a significant impression on the goblins and they seemed less concerned about the caravan's destination and what that might entail.
As the day dragged on the caravan was just an hour or two out from camp when suddenly a flask is thrown at one of the wagons causing the wagon to catch fire. Seggiatore sitting in the wagon is hit as well
From one of the wagons Rosie spots the man and off in the distance other similarly-dressed men on the path. All of the goblins in the caravan immediately run as fast as they can away from the ambushers
Ambush!! Round 1: Bold May Act
27 Yellow Circle
26 Roslyn Turin
24 Red Circle
24 Blue Square
21 Seggiatore (-1)
18 Dr Tanglethorn
18 Blue Circle
18 Green Square
16 Green Circle
16 Red Square
14 Sir Reinhart
5 Gazard
- Red Wagon (-6, on fire)
The arrow flies over YellowCircle as two more of the men approach. BlueSquare throws another flask at the Yellow Wagon and RedCircle advances.
Ambush!! Round 1: Bold May Act
27 Yellow Circle
26 Roslyn Turin
24 Red Circle
24 Blue Square
21 Seggiatore (-1)
18 Dr Tanglethorn
18 Blue Circle
18 Green Square
16 Green Circle
16 Red Square
14 Sir Reinhart
5 Gazard
- Red Wagon (-6, on fire)
- Yellow Wagon (-4, on fire)
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As he jumps to his feet, Seggiatore yells out, "Help, my biscuits are burning!" and lets out a loud giggle. He then starts throwing water, baking soda, and various other cooking ingredients onto the flames to put them out.
He will then crank up the beat and switch from the song he had been singing through most of their travels to something more up-tempo.
Finally, Seggiatore moves to the other wagon.
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Startled by the sudden explosions, Roselyn jumps to her feet. "Phia, hide! I'll see what's going on" - Phia obeys and goes inside of Roselyn's backpack.
Roselyn jumps out of the wagon and sees Seggiatore putting out fires. In the distance, Rosie and Sir Reinhart seem to be engaging what Roselyn now realizes is a group of attackers.
She joins Seggiatore behind one of the wagons and casts Ray of Frost at the nearest opponent.
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Seggiatore quickly reacts to the fire and is able to squelch it!
Dr Tanglethorn launches a powerful Ray of Frost but was unable to find her target!
Blue Circle approaches and lobs another flask at the red wagon to catch it on fire agan and also splashing Rosie and Sir Reinhart
Red Square, Green Square, Green Circle advance.
Ambush!! Round 1: Bold May Act
27 Yellow Circle
26 Roslyn Turin (-1)
24 Red Circle
- Yellow Wagon (-4, on fire)
24 Blue Square
21 Seggiatore (-1)
18 Dr Tanglethorn
- Red Wagon (-15, on fire)
18 Blue Circle
18 Green Square
16 Green Circle
16 Red Square
14 Sir Reinhart (-1)
5 Gazard
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Sir Reinhart's' wayfinder glows and protects him from the fiery splash.
Seemingly immune to the heat Sir Reinhart does his best to use his shield to smother the nearby fire.
Having little luck there Sir Reinhart draws forth his sword and braces for the oncoming assault.
item
Prerequisites Vigilant Seal Tier 2, you have a wayfinder
Cost 2 Fame
You have specially reinforced your wayfinder, devising a way for the device to absorb harmful energies. When you slot this boon, you apply its benefits to one wayfinder in your possession, granting you a special reaction ability when the wayfinder is invested and in your possession. You gain the following reaction.
Resist Harm (reaction); Trigger You would take damage; Effect You gain resistance to acid, cold, electricity, fire, force, negative, positive, and sonic damage equal to 1 plus your reputation tier against one attack, spell, or effect. This applies only to the initial effect, not to any subsequent attacks or damage dealt by the effect (such as persistent damage or an ongoing hazard).
You can safely use this benefit once per adventure. You can attempt to use it a second time, overcharging the wayfinder at the risk of destroying it. When you do so, roll a DC 10 flat check. On a success, the wayfinder is broken. On a failure, the wayfinder is destroyed. If anyone tries to overcharge a wayfinder that's already been overcharged, the item is automatically destroyed (even if it has been repaired) and does not provide the activated benefit.
YellowCircle pulls out a shortsword and runs toward Sir Reinhart. He critically strikes at Sir Reinhart who was able to block the majority of the blow with his shield.
Ambush!! Round 2: Bold May Act
27 Yellow Circle
26 Roslyn Turin (-1)
24 Red Circle
- Yellow Wagon (-4, on fire)
24 Blue Square
21 Seggiatore (-1)
18 Dr Tanglethorn
- Red Wagon (-15, on fire)
18 Blue Circle
18 Green Square
16 Green Circle
16 Red Square
14 Sir Reinhart (-2), shield -2
5 Gazard