Please dot into the thread.
You receive a letter from Venture-Captain Canayven Heidmarch, of Magnimar’s Pathfinder Lodge.
Pathfinders,
I was recently traveling in Korvosa, when I received an intriguing message. A visitor from shadow-shrouded Nidal has requested the aid of the Pathfinder Society in a archeological mission.
This is a rare opportunity. We seldom send teams to Nidal due to the hostility of the government and the extreme danger posed by the Church of Zon-Kuthon. Our contact, a caligni bard named Aiyana, assures me that she has worked with the Church of Desna for several years smuggling refugees out of the country, and she is quite capable of avoiding official notice.
Please, report to Heidmarch Manor as soon as possible. Aiyana will meet us there and we can make arrangements for the expedition.
Yours,
Canayven
When you arrive at Heidmarch Manor, you're greeted by liveried servants who quickly make you comfortable in a wood-paneled parlor. An bearded, energetic Taldan man joins you before you have a chance to get restless.
"Ah, Pathfinders! Thank you for coming so quickly. I hope you find our house welcoming. As I said in my letter, we are presented with a unique opportunity-but my other guest can speak to you more on this."
At that, a striking figure enters the room, slender woman with ash-gray skin, dressed in studded leather and colorful silks. You recognize her as a caligni--a race that some people disparagingly call "dark folk."
She wastes no time in greeting you and stating her intentions.
“Thank you for agreeing to this meeting; I’ve heard tell of your exploits, and my people have need of your abilities. My name is Aiyana, and I hail from the city of Lyrudrada, underneath the southern reaches of your Mindspin Mountains. The people of my city have long been capricious and unpredictable, but of late they have fallen under the influence of a malign cult called the Reborn—a cult I fear has dangerous plans.
“The Reborn seek a powerful artifact to aid them in these plans: the Cradle of Night. We know very little about this magical treasure, other than that it played a role in the formation of my kind millennia ago and was said to allow the manipulation of energies from the Shadow Plane. My peoples’ history is riddled with conflicts, and it shames me a bit to admit that we, as a culture, have never excelled at preserving ancestral lore. Specific details about the Cradle of Night have been lost, but if the Reborn gain control of it, they’ll learn of its powers and master them soon enough—and to our detriment, I fear.
“The Cradle of Night was stolen many centuries ago by a human warlord named Haramil. My people and Haramil’s armies warred frequently in the distant past. Haramil ended those wars decisively with a brutal assault on our city, and among the treasures he took from the caligni was this Cradle of Night. Records of how he used the artifact to bolster his warmongering in the decades that followed are easier to find, seeing as how you uplanders are so much better at maintaining your histories.
“In any event, the Cradle of Night was buried with Haramil. His allies were more than eager to be rid of it and move on from his brutal reign, it would appear. And so there, in his tomb, the artifact has rested for a long, long time. The Reborn know what I know about the artifact; if they haven’t sent agents to retrieve it already, they will soon. I need strong-hearted and willing adventurers to assist me in exploring Haramil’s tomb. I doubt we’ll be able to destroy the Cradle of Night, but if we can bolster its defenses, or at least prevent the Reborn from claiming it, we can buy my allies the time they desperately need to defeat the cult back in Lyrudrada.
“I hope you’ll help me. I know you’ve no investment in a city from the Darklands, but I’ve brought treasure to reward you in advance for your assistance. And if you can help me save my city from the Reborn, my allies will no doubt be more than willing to reward you further!”
She awaits questions and reactions from you.
CRADLE OF NIGHT LORE
DC 25
DC 30
DC 35
HARAMIL LORE
DC 20
DC 25
DC 30
LYRUDRADA LORE
DC 20
DC 25
DC 30
FORSAKEN LORE
DC 35
DC 40
DC 45
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”Harlan told me you were a solid lot. Hate to travel into the darkness without solid folk at my back. Pleasure to meet you all.”
“Can’t say I know much about any of this, but I have heard of the Cradle of Night. Once upon a time, there were many Cradles of Night. These powerful artifacts were used by the caligni, but over the centuries all of them have been destroyed or lost. Looks like a fist-sized black orb cloaked in shadow, from what I’ve read.”
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"Hello everybody!!" says a young human looking man with a sly smile.
He looks a little scrawny but quite agile. His blonde hair looks fabulously styled and he is wearing a casual but trendy shirt.
Resting on top of his chest two amulets are visible which show the holy symbols of Sarenrae and Shelyn.
He has a natural confidence and presence that only few can project but those that know Aryas also see a sadness in his eyes that he is trying to hide.
In contrast to the last time that you saw him, he wears no armor but he is still carrying a Scimitar at his hip that is attached to his wrist with a very fine chain. Unfortunately, Clarity is not at his side anymore.
”Oh my dear friends! I am so glad that we meet again!!“ he says a little too theatrically.
”LeGuin, if Harlan is your companion then you are also our companion! Venture Captain, thank you for bringing this crew together again!" he says with a smile that shows how much he cares about his friends.
* * *
When their guest appears, Aryas watches her with interest.
After she has concluded her request Aryas faces her with a bright smile ”I am quite intrigued about all the information that you have gathered so far!“ he says and touches his blonde hair.
"Aiyana, as you probably have noticed I am unbelievably charming and handsome and for that reason I would usually do the talking if you allow.“ he states with a nonchalant attitude.
He sighs ”But I have to admit that I have a horrible memory so please excuse me and correct me if I ... well ... I don’t know. Hmmm ... what were we talking about!? Unfortunately, I am quite forgetful so I hope you allow me ask you questions from time to time!“
He looks at her with a clueless expression on his face.
"I hope that we will have a challenging adventure that we have can enjoy together .. and of course we'll save someone!!" he says smiling.
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"Heck, I don't know nothing about any of that stuff, but I can smell a good fight a mile away. Or in this case a few countries? Where is this Nidal place anyway? And what's all this about living under a mountain? I heard of you darkies, but never met one. You really like it down there? Say, I heard there are lots of fine monsters to fight down deep, but I also heard some of them don't play fair. Mess with your mind or poison you or any number of other sneaky tricks."
Hekk gives Aryas' scimitar a disappointed look, partly because he was hoping to come out of the last mission with a flaming weapon. Man that was cool.
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Tathane walks up to the group as they are gathering outside the Heidmarch Manor. He is more hesitant than normal as he remembers how he had been treating his friends the last time they were together. At a moment when Hekk seems to be standing alone and not engaged in conversation with anyone, Tathane taps him on the shoulder from behind to get his attention.
"Hey man. Glad to see you." He starts to offer to shake his hand but then pulls back. Too formal for a friend but he feels too ashamed of his previous behavior to step forward to embrace the halforc. "Uh. I don't know how to say this... but... well... I'm really sorry for the things I said earlier. You know, back when we were in that house. At the time I just wasn't myself. It was some sort of magic. I know that now, but I still feel really bad for saying the things I said to you."
"Aryas, Aryas, Aryas." Tathane chuckles and shakes his head. "They didn't say we were saving anyone. We are preventing these Reborn guys from getting the artifact." Tathane puts his arm around Aryas's shoulder with a big smile and faces Aiyana. "You have to just be a bit patient with him. When he sees a pretty girl like you, he just loses all sense."
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Aryas give Tathane a hug and seems slightly ashamed because of his comment!
"Tathane!! I missed you my friend! How are you? What have you been up to?!?"
He looks at his left arm that is covered with a long sleeve with some hesitation on his face.
He then looks at Tathane again.
"And you are right Tathane! We need to prevent evil doers from doing evil! That is the right path! And maybe we find something beautiful on the way?! Like this lady here!" he says and shows his white teeth and beaming smile to lady Aiyana.
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A flash of blue-black magic lights the room and as it fades, Leopold comes spinning from out of thin air. He is flushed and covered in cobwebs. He doesn’t seem to notice you guys as he proceeds to beat them off his brass-buttoned commodore’s jacket.
”Oh, hey guys! Sorry I’m late. I was doing an e-meter reading with a drow priestess when one of the Ten reached out and asked me to join this little caper of yours.”
Leopold then notices the guys and says exuberantly, ”Aryas! Hekk! How are you, my boys? Haven’t seen you down at the lodge! And Tathane, a good day to you, sir.”
When he hears mention of the artifact by name he’ll interrupt the speaker to say, ”Little known fact about ole’ LR Bibbard. I was both born and conceived in a Cradle of Night, though from what I’m told it wasn’t a black orb cloaked in shadow.”
Cradle
Haramil
Lyrudrada
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"This Haramil was quite the character, let me tell you. In one of my past lives I was a centurion in the cyclops empire of Thur. I played Haramil in a game of cards and took 3 stallions off him. You shoulda seen his face!"
"Seriously, though. Haramil was an old Gozran and it seems that the Cradle had some weird effect on him which turned him the Wind Lord's teachings. What's more, the artifact gave him great strength and the ability to heal, something I dubbed the 'X Factor'. But it also drove him mad and made him quite sadistic. We buried him in a tomb northwest of Barrowmoor, which in those days was called Scranton."
"His experiences were part of what led me to develop Psionicsology. I wish I'd know how to do e-meter readings back then. I bet his thetodemon count was off the charts!"
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Tathane watches the spectacle of Leopold appearing with his arms crossed and a grin on his face.
"Nice of you to show up."
"And Tathane, a good day to you, sir.”
Tathane makes a casual salute to Leopold and smiles back. "You too, sir. I hope that you had a good time with that drow priestess. And lucrative time too, if I know you."
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Well, LeGuin. I am happy to meet you. Lady Desna smiles on us both at this fortuitous meeting! We're offering a special on our seminars for seekers after perfection! For the low, low price of 140 gp you can attend our introductory class. But that's not all! If you bring a friend, I'll throw in a turkey sandwich.
And Aryas, my boy, you could not be more delighted than me at seeing you again. I never spurn a lady in need and I know you feel the same!
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CoN:
Haramil:
Branson had figured to never see most of these faces again, and certainly not so soon. The ways of the Society most often split up successful adventuring parties, shuffled them, and put them back together again in a random mustering that filled groups of between four and six usually, but not always, with each of the various necessary adventuring skills handled. He had heard, however, of adventuring groups made almost entirely of arcane casters, or rogues, and even one with five bards and a cleric. Such parties usually struggled at their tasks, but seeing such a seemingly well balanced assemblage of agents of the Society, and in particular mostly ones he knew and trusted, he came to the conclusion that this mission was to be considered of the highest importance. They'd not have taken the time to bring together such a formidable group for any menial task. This might be one for the minstrels to brag on, if any of them survived that was.
Branson observed the platitudes being extended between the various personages in the room, and decided not to engage in such. Business was at hand, and catching up could come later. There would be plenty of time on the trail. "I have heard a bit of Haramil, of course, not from a previous life, but my information certainly agrees with what Leopold has told us. If I may ask, what is the lingua franca of your land and people Aiyana? And if it is not a language any of us speak, how shall we be able to communicate with them?"
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Aryas is super glad to see Branson!
"So good to see you!!! Incredible that we are all together again! Only Harlan is missing!" he says and he greets Branson.
"Aiyana, this man is Branson! He is a formidable healer and saved us several times with his divine abilities! We can be glad to have him join us!"
Aiyana seems amused by the friendly camaraderie of the group, and she gently demures from Aryas' advances.
"I'm pleased that I have found such a well-informed and capable group. You already seem to know much of the same things I do about Haramil and his tomb. If we move quickly, we should be able to secure the artifact before it is interfered with."
To Branson, she says, "The caligni have our own native language, but most people speak Common." She glances over at Hekk--"So be careful how you refer to us. Most people will understand you!"
"We can leave as soon as you are prepared. I have arranged for transportation that will get us close to the tomb. Time is of the essence, so please buy anything you feel you need to, and we should depart."
Aiyana calls you together and has you join hands, then she draws a scroll from her bag and reads it. As she completes the spell, the shadows in the room lengthen and grow, eventually painting everything is a dull twilight.
Aiyana's voice is strangely muted as she says, "Stick close to me. You don't want to wander off into the Shadow Plane. IF we stick to the boundry, we should be able to travel to Haramil's Tomb in a manner of hours."
As you take your first steps with Aiyana, you zip out of Heidmarch Manor and find yourselves on a hill overlooking the southern side of Magnimar. A few more steps and the city is out of sight.
The strange method of travel soon becomes more routine as you jump your way across southern Varisia and into the Mindspin Mountains. It is difficult to reckon time in the constant twilight of your journey, but after several hours have passed, Aiyana warns, "We are coming out now. You'll want to give your eyes some time to adjust."
You find yourself in a near-barren canyon. In the middle distance, an overgrown trail leads to what appear to be a large set of doors carved into the natural stone of the canyon wall.
"Not too bad. About 300 yards off target." Aiyana points up the canyon. "There's the entrance to the tomb. Let's move."
You cover the remaining distance without incident. A few trees have taken root in the rocky soil next to the canyon wall. Beside them, massive stone doors have been set into the hillside. Though they presumably sealed the entrance at one time, it now stands open. An unsettling penumbra of gloomy illumination exudes from within, cloaking the area immediately surrounding the entrance with shifting shadows.
The boundaries of this gloom are crisp and unsettling, leaving no mistake that they are supernatural in origin. "Oh no." Aiyana seems unsettled by the sight. "When I scouted this area, these doors were sealed. I fear that we may be too late--Be on your guard! If we catch any intruders inside, we can still prevent them from using the Cradle."
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"Sensitive? Me? If I was easily offended, Hekk, I'd be offended by that."" Tathane punches Hekk in the shoulder and then immediately grimaces. "I have to remember not to do that. Your arms are like steel Hekk."
Hekk flexes his muscles proudly. The whole dragon thing has, indeed, pumped him up and he is an impressive display of brawn.
Hekks' response to the signs of trouble are quite different from the others. He gets excited, hoping for, rather than dreading, the opportunity for conflict and cracks a smile. When Tathane suggest caution, Hekk gives a martyr's sigh but waits patiently with his bardiche at the ready.
As you near the door, four shadows detach themselves from the walls and attack the group.
~+~Round 1~+~
Aryas
Branson
Tathane
Green
Red
Leguin
Leopold
Yellow
Blue
Hekk
Battlefield Conditions: Dim light. (20% miss chance unless you have Darkvision.)
Map
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"Where did these things come from!?" he says to himself.
Aryas immediately takes a defensive crane stance to start fighting defensively!
He then uses his faith and training to flurry with his Scimitar against the shadow in front of him.
Tathane slices at one of the shadows, but it slips away from him in the unnatural darkness. Aryas destroys the shadow in front of him with a few quick strikes of his sword.
~+~Round 1~+~
Aryas
Branson
Tathane
Green
Red
Leguin
Leopold
Yellow
Blue
Hekk
Battlefield Conditions: Dim light. (20% miss chance unless you have Darkvision.)
Map
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Branson moves forward and will fire a sunbeam right down the line striking red and blue.
They can make a DC 21 Reflex save for half damage. If they are especially susceptible to sunlight, they are blasted into oblivion if they fail the Reflex save.
The shadows attempt to resist Branson's spell, but both fail. Even their insubstantial nature is unable to save them. They fizzle into nothingness!
~+~Round 1~+~
Aryas
Branson
Tathane
Green
Red
Leguin
Leopold
Yellow
Blue
Hekk
Battlefield Conditions: Dim light. (20% miss chance unless you have Darkvision.)
Map
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Leguin calls on the power of his field day champion’s vest to empower his great axe with ghost touch and further strengthen it . He will then move in front of Leopold.
Preacher: Determination 4 times a day: (?) () () ()
Abjuration: 4/4 Deific Focus
Divination: 4/4 Deific Focus
Transmutation: 5/6 Deific Focus
Spells: 3rd: 3/3 2nd: 4/4 1st: 5/5
Folio Reroll ()
Leopold, strangely your dancing lights don't seem to lighten the gloom outside the entrance at all!
The remaining shadow floats up to Leguin and attacks.
for
But, it's grasp falls short of the inquisitor.
~+~Round 1~+~
Aryas
Branson
Tathane
Green
Red
Leguin
Leopold
Yellow
Blue
Hekk
~+~Round 2~+~
Aryas
Branson
Tathane
Battlefield Conditions: Dim light. (20% miss chance unless you have Darkvision.)
Map