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The summons was sudden and unexpected. One moment news was traveling around Absalom of the strange crystalline ship that appeared in Absalom’s harbor, defying the Harbor Guard’s defenses and attempts at interdiction, and the next instant a young Pathfinder, acting as courier, brought Venture-Captain Adril Hestram. The meeting occurred in the streets outside the Grand Lodge even as Hestram was coming. The facts of the matter were that a strange, seemingly derelict ship had indeed appeared in the harbor, it appeared to be of ancient Azlanti make, and the Pathfinders wanted the first crack at it. A clandestine meeting was set up at Harbormaster’s Grange with Hestram and the First Harbormaster.
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A gruff-looking man idly brushes a few leaves from his hair as he keeps an eye on the crowded docks. You’d think someone would have noticed a ship like that before it just showed up in the harbor, he thinks to himself before shaking his head and tucking into Harbormaster’s Grange to hear what Hedstrom wanted.
”Bwoof!” A wolf the size of a horse tries to follow the human through the narrow door, almost bending the hinges before popping inside. Tail wagging happily, he starts looking some something interesting to smell.
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Zaarah is a scrawny girl with auburn hair and amber eyes. She is standing with eyes wide open.
Her features seem Chelaxian but also have something else mixed in.
She is wearing light mithral armor and carries a black pulsing Scimitar at her hip that is attached to her wrist with a very fine chain.
She draws her Scimitar that is so black that it almost absorbs light.
She seems to listen to something and looks at her black magical sword with a curious look on her face!
"This scimitar is Mesh by the way! Oh and I am Zaarah."
Suddenly, she starts smiling.
”I do not think that I know you halfling lady. Rudzik and I already had the pleasure to kill a might Asura together!“
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A hearty laugh echoes from above, as a half-orc astride a large heron swoops down. What Narika lacks in weapons and armor, Kramac more than makes up for, bedecked in glimmering fullplate, with various swords strapped about his body, and an well made shield slung across his back. Around his neck hangs a necklace depicting a flexed arm, easily identifiable to anyone who knows anything about religious symbols as the holy symbol of Kurgess, the Strong Man, god of sport, competition and fair play.
The Azsura was not so mighty! Not when faced with Kramac, Rudzik and Zaarah! None could stand against our ferocious assault!
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Zaarah smiles at Kramac and bows to show her respect in Tien fashion.
She raises an eyebrow when Narika introduces herself!
“Ahh, I remember my friend Noke telling me about you! I heard that you sealed an ancient evil under a lot of ice and that you Halfling lady really helped with your fire spells!!“
She also bows to Ghukar.
“Great to have you with us Ghukar. I spent a long time in Minata and my Scimitar was a Wayang in his past life! At least that’s what he always tells me!“ and she looks at her blade suspiciously.
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Ghukar arched an eyebrow at the sword before talking to it in Wayang.
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A quiet halfling with serious eyes peaking out from beneath a wide-brimmed hat, sitting astride a wolf the size of a horse is the last to join the others. An astute observer might notice a pair of rats hiding under his jacket, and a thrush perched in his hat.
He touches a forefinger to his hat "Peribras Sandlock at your service," he says. He pats the wolf "This is my friend Darkpaw."
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As the last of you show, Adril Hestam nods, urging you to follow him quickly. "This matter is of the utmost import and we cannot delay..."
Upon arrival, Goodman Hugen of House Candren, a Grand Councilman and First Harbormaster, looks up from his cluttered. He quickly shoos away his secretary and walks around his desk to point out his window towards an ominously shaped vessel floating far out in the harbor.
“Thank you for bringing them Adril. The vessel first appeared at second watch. No one saw it enter the harbor and there was no warning of its approach through the Flotsam Graveyard. One instant the harbor was clear and the next instant it was there. According to the few eye witnesses we could find, it seemingly just faded into existence there in the water. Our gillmen and Wave Rider scouts reconnoitered it initially and reported there to be no signs of life on its decks and that it was seemingly constructed of a single piece of seamless, opaque white crystal. The Harbor Guard and Wave Riders immediately set up a cordone around the vessel to contain any threat it represented and the First Guard and Starwatch were placed on alert.
“When no threat appeared imminent we sent a Harbor Guard boarding party. They reported the top decks to be completely deserted and all access to the ship’s interior to be blocked off by a single sealed portal. Indecipherable glyphs are incised all throughout the ship’s hull but there is actual writing on the bow. We took copies from the bow to the city’s sages, and the script was identified as Azlanti. It translates as King Xeros, which we believe to be the ship’s name. Old travelers’ tales tell of a ghost ship that wanders the Great Beyond; it is sometimes referred to as the King Xeros of Old Azlant, a magical vessel launched by the Azlanti shortly before Earthfall. We think this may be the very same vessel here in our own harbor."
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Goodman Hugen pauses to give you a moment to reflect before continuing...
“This is where you Pathfinders come in. We believe the ship to be the self-same King Xeros and an artifact of the ancient Azlanti. We need to get inside the ship and find out what secrets it holds and if any danger exists. Since it’s old Azlanti, we figure it’s all kinds of magic and mysteries six ways to Oathday. The sages want a crack at it, but we think it’ll take more than just brains to get into it as it might be trapped or guarded...
"You Pathfinders are known for your ability to deal with this kind of prehistoric stuff and handle yourselves in a tight spot, so that’s why I’m turning to you. The last thing I need is a dozen dead scholars and some monstrosity from beyond time unleashed on the city. I need you to get on board that ship, find a way inside, do a bit of poking around, and figure out if this is something I should be worried about or if it just happens to be the discovery of the millennium. Your lodge has graciously extended the offer of your services if you’re agreeable, and you will of course have the opportunity to investigate and report on this phenomenon in your chronicles. I haven’t got a lot of time here, so I need your answer relatively quickly before this mystery turns into a full-blown crisis.”
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While you ponder your answer, you think on what you might recall of hearing about such a vessel from Old Azlant...
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Ghukar arched an eyebrow at the sword before talking to it in Wayang.
** spoiler omitted **
Zaarah does not understand a word Ghukar says.
But Mesh speaks Wayang and Aklo and with a little push from her he starts to translate for the her.
“Ghukar, I think you are assuming that this intelligent blade is able to speak to you! Unfortunately, that is not the case! Thus, Mesh asked me to reply to you that your analysis seems to be absolutely correct!“ she says with a sly smile.
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Zaarah looks at Mesh and then at Kramac and Rudzik. “We have to get on board that ship, find a way inside, do a bit of poking around, and figure out if this is something these strange people here should be worried about or if it just happens to be the discovery of the millennium for the PATHFINDERs!!“ she says while playing with her hair like an idiot.
“In case you did not know: In the final days of ancient Azlant, a few powerful mystics and seers may have gained some inkling of the coming Earthfall, though if so they failed to grasp the true magnitude of the imminent disaster. Nevertheless, in those days many strange and mysterious endeavors were undertaken in the dweomer-shrouded halls and planes-spanning observatories empowered by occult and little-understood energies. Planar travel was a wellknown if not overly common practice then, yet nothing of the advancements and experiments done in this field could match the christening of the King Xeros! “
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"Not a smart blade, funny, I have ran into warrior types that had swords that were smarter then them." Ghukar quipped.
At the mention of the ship and that it appears to be of Azlanti origin, he start to become excited, recalling some information on what he had heard about the incident when he was studying the language. "The Dark Archives would very much like to take a look at this ship and make sure there are no magics that would prove to be hazardous to the world." Ghukar said.
"If I remember correctly, The King Xeros was an ether ship, a strange vessel grown from mystical crystal designed to pierce the enigmatic veil of the Ethereal Plane and plumb its inscrutable gray depths. Its mission was shrouded in mystery, and its passengers and cargo a closely guarded secret. When the ship was launched and slowly faded from its home waters into the ether, its mystery became legend and soon sank into distant myth, for upon leaving on its maiden voyage the King Xeros was never seen by the Azlanti again. Shortly thereafter Earthfall erased Azlant from the face of Golarion and the King Xeros of Old Azlant became just an obscure bards’ tale carried on by those steeped in ancient Azlanti lore, like my language instructor, Professor Maxwell."
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Your Harbor Guard sloop makes its way slowly and cautiously out toward the mysterious visitor. As the sloop draws nearer, details of the vessel become clear. It only superficially resembles a ship, with a symbol-covered hull of quartz glowing with a rosy tint in the wan light of evening. A tall aft castle of strangely faceted crystal rises from its stern sprouting from its sides giant, winglike sails of the same crystal that hang parallel to the water. It bears a split bow, between which rises a gigantic black spike towering over 60 feet into the air. It is the only portion of the ship that does not seem to made of the same opaque crystal. The main deck is uneven, broken into several subdecks. From a distance, one can make out the faint lines of decks and compartments through the crystal hull, but these these fade quickly upon closer inspection.
Arrayed around the vessel at a distance of perhaps a quarter mile is a ring of other Harbor Guard vessels, from sloops to cutters to dinghies; they seem to have turned out everything that could float in order to contain this potential menace. Within this cordon of vessels can be seen the forms of hippocampus-mounted Wave Riders patrolling closer in and even under the derelict hulk. A single accommodation ladder hangs over the port side just abaft of the fore deck, a shallow-draft barge moored at its foot, a sign that at least one patrol of the Harbor Guard still remains on board keeping watch over the upper decks of the mystery ship.
The lapping of water against the ship’s hull is drowned out by the sounds of sudden screams from the ship’s main deck, and flaring bursts from fiery explosions suddenly illuminate its superstructure. The Harbor Guards already aboard appear to have come under attack and cries of pain echo over the waters of the harbor.
As you approach, you notice the Harbor Guard is being attacked by two large statue-like beings and turreted guns, built into the ship...
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"S!!*." Rudzik scowls as he unslings his bow. "Some fool probably started poking around where they shouldn't. Lord of hunters help us an' we might save some o' them." He slings himself up on Wilk's back into a saddle nearly buried beneath the wolf's thick fur. "An' stop tryin' t' shake me off - it wasn't funny th' first time, an' it ain't funny now!"
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Kramac will be riding on Beak. I'll do a high pass over the ship to get the layout, then once the boat gets there I'll hang out around the ladder that everyone is climbing up, ready to land and help out if anyone is jumped while climbing up.
Kramac will cast heroism on himself when people start climbing up the ladder.
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Kramac aboard Beak, along with Zaarah, take flight as the sloop nears the strange ship. Kramac and Beak hover over the mid-deck to ensure his companions can board safely, while keeping an eye on the nearby fight. Zaarah flies directly above the fight on the far deck. Both Zaarah & Kramac see two large constructs attacking what's left of the Harbor guard boarders; these beings look like they're made of the same crystal as which the ship is constructed. In addition, two turret guns are firing at the guard as well. You notice four of the Harbor guard are down. The constructs and guns turn with your arrival, perhaps noting that you are a greater threat...
COMBAT! Round 1 - The bold may post!
Rudzik/Wilk
Narika
Zaarah
Peribras
Kramac/Beak
Turret Guns
Ghukar
Constructs
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Rudzik points at the ladder and nudges Wilk with his heels. As the wolf jumps up onto the crystalline ship, his rider urges him onward underneath Kramac to the far side of the deck. The pair arrive at the top just in time for Rudzik to deliver a flurry of arrows from his bow at the closer statue-creature. "Anybody know what these things are?" he bellows between shots.
"Bwoof!" Wilk growls and shows his teeth.
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Rudzik rides Sir Wilk up to the top deck where he unloads a barrage of arrows at the nearest construct; while the first hits chipping off a small piece of shoulder, the ranger suspects something is amiss as it doesn't do the normal damage he has come to expect of his arrows so he switches arrow types. Alas, the other three arrows of his volley fail to penetrate the construct's tough crystal exterior...
COMBAT! Round 1 - The bold may post!
Rudzik/Wilk
Narika
Zaarah
Peribras
Kramac/Beak
Turret Guns
Ghukar
Constructs (Red -4)
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Kramac does a flyby on the southern turret, his cestus smashing into it and causing a decent bit of damage...Beak takes a bite at it as well, crunching on it but not doing quite as much damage due to its hard material. The gun's taken a beating but it appears to still be operational...
COMBAT! Round 1 - The bold may post!
Rudzik/Wilk
Narika
Zaarah
Peribras
Kramac/Beak
Turret Guns (Orange -36)
Ghukar
Constructs (Red -4)
Darkpaw growls at the constructs.
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With the constructs and guns drawn to the newcomers, the harbor guard retreat to the middle deck...
Ghukar tosses two cold bombs at the turret guns. The first cold blast damages the far gun severely; his second obliterates the near gun...
After Darkpaw leaps above deck, Peribras fires a couple of arrows at the nearest construct. The first strikes it, but only chips a small amount of its crystal, as the creature's exterior prevents full damage; the second shot goes awry...
Narika puts a well places ice-ball among the enemy combatants; its cold shatters the gun while the constructs attempt to dodge...
...but both bear the full brunt of the spell's effect...
COMBAT! Round 1 - The bold may post!
Rudzik/Wilk
Narika
Zaarah
Ghukar
Peribras/Darkpaw
Kramac/Beak
Turret Guns (Orange disabled, Yellow disabled)
Constructs (Red -38, Purple -31)
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Rudzik rides Sir Wilk up to the top deck where he unloads a barrage of arrows at the nearest construct; while the first hits chipping off a small piece of shoulder, the ranger suspects something is amiss as it doesn't do the normal damage he has come to expect of his arrows so he switches arrow types. Alas, the other three arrows of his volley fail to penetrate the construct's tough crystal exterior...
Adamantine Piercing damage, Gravity Bow, PBS, DA: 2d6 + 3 + 1 + 6 ⇒ (1, 3) + 3 + 1 + 6 = 14