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Calisro Benarry is easy to spot as she is frequently considered to be "most likely to be mistaken for a pirate." Her leadership often boils down to pointing out blank spots on the map to her agents. Although the half-orc can get serious in a crisis, this certainly isn’t that time. During the celebration, she maintains a boisterous center of attention near the refreshments table and enthusiastically offers to “spice up” any Pathfinder’s beverage from her own personal hip flask (which features a detailed engraving of a sizeable sailing ship—the Grinning Pixie).
Currently, she is engaged in conversation about freeing slaves in Cheliax with a halfling man with brown hair.
A halfling man with brown hair, Tamrin gained his several visible facial scars serving as a distraction to facilitate the liberation of several dozen halfling slaves in Cheliax. Ever since, he has worked on behalf of Liberty’s Edge, a largely independent faction that sometimes coordinates with the Pathfinder Society.
Skill Check: Deception, Stealth, Thievery, Legal Lore, or Underworld Lore. Tamrin enthusiastically discusses elements of disguise and the complexities of stamping out the slave trade.
A halfling man with brown hair, Tamrin gained his several visible facial scars serving as a distraction to facilitate the liberation of several dozen halfling slaves in Cheliax. Ever since, he has worked on behalf of Liberty’s Edge, a largely independent faction that sometimes coordinates with the Pathfinder Society.
Skill Check: Deception, Stealth, Thievery, Legal Lore, or Underworld Lore. Tamrin enthusiastically discusses elements of disguise and the complexities of stamping out the slave trade.
You're not sure who this person is.
A halfling man with brown hair, Tamrin gained his several visible facial scars serving as a distraction to facilitate the liberation of several dozen halfling slaves in Cheliax. Ever since, he has worked on behalf of Liberty’s Edge, a largely independent faction that sometimes coordinates with the Pathfinder Society.
Skill Check: Deception, Stealth, Thievery, Legal Lore, or Underworld Lore. Tamrin enthusiastically discusses elements of disguise and the complexities of stamping out the slave trade.
You're not sure who this person is.
You're not sure who this person is.
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"Oh oh. That is Tamrin! He is a big name in Liberty's Edge...those scars are from him liberating slaves in Cheliax. The small ones are always the bravest! I bet you can distract him with an exciting tale about sneaky things or taking down dirty slavers!" he says, enthused about having useful information for once.
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Zonk finishes talking to Eando, and follows the small group of young Pathfinders around the room, and when they've sighted their target he looks uncertain.
"I ... don't know who that is..."
When Drizzic pipes up with his own knowledge, Zonk smile and claps him on the back.
"That seems likely, and I don't have much in the way of tales like that...though, there was that one thing that came up in my only adventure that he might be interested in..."
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Peregrine approaches Tamrin hesitantly and then lightly clears his throat, letting Tamrin know he is there. "Ah, hello Captain Tamrin. I've grown up hearing about your exploits freeing the enslaved peoples in Cheliax. I'm just curious to know about how you got in and out so frequently without being caught. I'm not bad at getting around unseen, but could use some pointers. Here, I can give you an example." Peregrine ducks into the crowd, trying to stealthily move through the crowd and then pop up behind Tamrin, without him seeing.
While his companions try and sneak through the crowd, Zonk follows them up to the valiant halfling, and attempts a direct approach, providing a screening distraction.
"Captain, you may have heard that a new overland trade route has been mapped through the mountains north of Chelaix. I have personal experience of the route if you wish to discuss the details on how it may or may not be useful in your endeavors, and, additionally an obstacle for your specific needs has been eliminated with extreme prejudice."
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Tamrin chuckles at Peregrine's attempt, "You're going to need some more practice before you try that in a tight situation." he says before beginning to return to his conversation with Calisro.
Before he can start up again, Drizzic surprises him as she shows up far more stealthily than Peregrine, "Ah, the setup first, then the actual attempt. Clever move you too."
Zonk then takes the opportunity to relay information that Tamrin is clearly keen on hearing, "Well, you have my thanks for that then!"
Finally, Alldo also sneaks up on Tamrin, "Oh by the...would these new recruits stop sneaking up on me." he says laughing, "Calisro, go send this lot on a slave rescue already, they clearly have the skills."
With that, he willingly gives the conversation up to your group with Calisro. "A slave rescue? Well, I might have something like that, hard to say." she says before pulling out her flask and handing it off to you. "There's a wrecked ship out in the Flotsam Graveyard that might from the Silent Tide invasion. Here's the problem, something onboard has the teams I've sent spooked. So, if you want to get fancy and return in style, just bring the whole ship back here, but if ya can't manage that, then at least find some information on the ship and see where its from."
A partially collapsed house in the Precipice Quarter, long rumored to be haunted, has been marked for demolition in the next few days. Gorm understands that the house was severely damaged in the earthquake of 4698 ar, but rumors of strange activity there long predate the quake. He would like you to uncover the history of the house before its destruction.
Some time ago, a whistleblower revealed a possible threat to Absalom related to one of the siege castles. In response, however, that individual was silenced and eventually petrified during the Charge of the Gorgon. Eando suspects foul play; he has leveraged his contacts to get a writ allowing the victim to be restored, and he would like the PCs to do so and learn about this alleged threat to the city. He gives them a greater salve of antiparalysis with explicit instructions that it be used only on the target.
Additional Aid: Eando is impressed with PCs who can keep the other NPCs occupied and says he can put their social skills to good use. He provides the PCs with a list of individuals he goes to for information across Absalom, telling the PCs to drop his name in conversations with those individuals to get the best scoop on current events. This grants the PCs a +2 circumstance bonus to a single Diplomacy check to Gather Information during this scenario.
Flotsam Graveyard: A wrecked ship has recently cycled to the surface in the Flotsam Graveyard, with signs that it might date back to the original Silent Tide invasion—a centuries-past naval operation by Taldan operatives known as the Black Echelon attempting to take control of Absalom. Calisro points out that a newly uncovered vessel from that era would be a great discovery for a group of new Pathfinder agents—however, it seems that the people who informed her of the ship got scared off by something on board. While she doesn’t explicitly direct the PCs to steal the ship, she does hint that it would make a grand impression on the other Pathfinders were the party to return “in style.” Barring that, she encourages them to visit the ship and either verify or disprove the ship’s rumored origin.
Additional Aid: If the PCs successfully gain more time with Calisro by occupying the NPCs near her, she laughs and slips them a small, unmarked hip flask, describing it as “a pick-me-up for when you really need to get back on your feet.” This is a minor healing potion.
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Fola Barun, a dark-skinned half-elf and leader of the Envoy's Alliance sticks out just a bit more than most, even in a crowd of pathfinder agents. She is currently speaking with a female Taldan woman wearing clothes and accessories that are more reserved than most Taldan nobles would prefer.
Alldo has had many dealings with this woman in the past. She is none other than Gloriana Morilla, leader of the Sovereign Court. She long led the Sovereign Court, an international organization supporting young nobles across Avistan. She and her agents were instrumental in Grand Princess Eutropia’s rise to power in Taldor, and while Gloriana still wholeheartedly supports the Pathfinder Society, her focus has shifted to helping the new empress consolidate her rule.
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"Well, we have to at least give it a shot. She may not be interested but I can talk her ear off either way!" Drizzic says walking up with Alldo.
"Miss Morilla, hello...hi! Do you have many goblins in Taldor these days? How have the acclimated to the life of more societal roles? I myself have become quite an accomplished assistant to an alchemist and merchant." he says talking on and on without giving her much room to answer.
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None of you can seem to engage Glorina in any lengthy conversation, but Fola takes a moment to speak to you regardless, "Oh, new recruits! I wish I had time to learn all about you, but sadly, I do not. Glorina and I are having a vital conversation at the moment. If you could do me a favor though, I'll be sure to give each of you more time next visit." she says before telling Glorina to wait just a moment, "Someone at the College of Mysteries is working on a new ritual, but its caused quite a stir among her colleges. She's being pressured to leave the college, so its a good time to try and recruit her into the Society. Good luck!" she says before returning to Glorina.
A partially collapsed house in the Precipice Quarter, long rumored to be haunted, has been marked for demolition in the next few days. Gorm understands that the house was severely damaged in the earthquake of 4698 ar, but rumors of strange activity there long predate the quake. He would like you to uncover the history of the house before its destruction.
Some time ago, a whistleblower revealed a possible threat to Absalom related to one of the siege castles. In response, however, that individual was silenced and eventually petrified during the Charge of the Gorgon. Eando suspects foul play; he has leveraged his contacts to get a writ allowing the victim to be restored, and he would like the PCs to do so and learn about this alleged threat to the city. He gives them a greater salve of antiparalysis with explicit instructions that it be used only on the target.
Additional Aid: Eando is impressed with PCs who can keep the other NPCs occupied and says he can put their social skills to good use. He provides the PCs with a list of individuals he goes to for information across Absalom, telling the PCs to drop his name in conversations with those individuals to get the best scoop on current events. This grants the PCs a +2 circumstance bonus to a single Diplomacy check to Gather Information during this scenario.
Flotsam Graveyard: A wrecked ship has recently cycled to the surface in the Flotsam Graveyard, with signs that it might date back to the original Silent Tide invasion—a centuries-past naval operation by Taldan operatives known as the Black Echelon attempting to take control of Absalom. Calisro points out that a newly uncovered vessel from that era would be a great discovery for a group of new Pathfinder agents—however, it seems that the people who informed her of the ship got scared off by something on board. While she doesn’t explicitly direct the PCs to steal the ship, she does hint that it would make a grand impression on the other Pathfinders were the party to return “in style.” Barring that, she encourages them to visit the ship and either verify or disprove the ship’s rumored origin.
Additional Aid: If the PCs successfully gain more time with Calisro by occupying the NPCs near her, she laughs and slips them a small, unmarked hip flask, describing it as “a pick-me-up for when you really need to get back on your feet.” This is a minor healing potion.
A scholar at the College of Mysteries has been working on an interesting new ritual that’s has led to considerable division among her colleagues. She’s been under growing pressure to leave the college, so now might be a good time to contact her, determine if she would be a good fit for the Pathfinder Society, and, if so, recruit her
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Zonk considers thoughtfully, and his eyes glitter in the light of the banquet hall.
"I feel prepared, if the house is truly haunted, there are different Blessings of the Holy Fire Lady that may be more useful than one I've prepared today. One the other hand, If it's just troublemakers that are trying to scare people off ... that, that I'm ready to deal with. And well, I'm not, not ready to deal with the unquiet dead if needed."
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The Mavedarus estate was built generations ago, and the series of disappearances and deaths in and around the house began before it was even completed. Despite the perpetual incidents, the house remained in the possession of the original Chelaxian family, passing down through the generations until it was abandoned after the earthquake that shook Absalom in 4698 ar, sending most of Beldrin’s Bluff into the sea. The couple in residence at the time both went missing in the quake. While rescue workers never found their bodies, they found many others within its walls—until a series of accidents eventually killed enough rescue workers that they simply boarded up the site and left it.
Zonk asks around and someone tells him that the house used to be owned by soulbound dollmakers.
After a little while, you arrive at the estate. The Mavedarus home was once a grand, three-story structure with a rooftop veranda and manicured grounds. Now, only the first floor remains standing, the second and third stories having collapsed during the earthquake, and in the years of neglect since, the grounds have grown into a wild disarray.
Main Entrance:
This old home might have once commanded the respect and envy of its neighbors, but the remaining story is cracked and crumbling. Whatever upper stories it might have once had have long collapsed, scattering stone and debris across gardens grown wild and weedy. Two curving staircases lead to a broad veranda bereft of its railings. Two openings that might have once been doors lead into the faint remnants of a solarium, while two more doors lead further into the creaking house itself. A whiff of rot and decay seeps from the structure.
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Soulbound Dolls: These little constructs are created for a variety of reasons—such as to serve as companions or servants—but their free will means their obedience to their creators is hardly a given. Followers of Pharasma generally abhor soulbound dolls, viewing them as a perversion of the natural cycle of souls, and those who worship the Lady of Graves see the destruction of a soulbound doll, regardless of the construct’s alignment, as an important service to the Great Beyond. Soulbound dolls are the simplest in a series of soulbound constructs including human-sized soulbound mannequins, powerful soulbound shells, and sentinel soulbound terra-cotta warriors. Creating them from unwilling living creatures is evil, and an unwilling donor can attempt to resist the process, ruining the doll if not preventing the donor’s death. A non-evil doll can only be crafted from the soul of a person who has given consent to such use before their death occurred
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Felika makes sure the few items she carries are secure on her person and won't jingle as she walks. "You're right, Peregrine, someone should pay attention to potential structural weaknesses. Perhaps we should try to get a look at the solarium from the outside to make sure it is empty, then move towards one of the doors?" she suggests as she points to the solarium, then to the left-most door.
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Zonk thinks it over a bit more.
"I'm ... almost certain that the Pharasmins absolutely hate the idea of Soulbound Dolls. And ... there are ways to have non-voluntary donors, which is real bad mojo, and increases the likelihood of creating a dollicidal mass murdering critter. All sorts of bad mojo. Right, after Drizzic!"
Zonk moves up the stairs, keeping his eyes peeled.
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Alldo doesn't currently detect any magic and Zonk hasn't yet detected anything out of the ordinary.
Sensing no immediate danger, you open one of the front doors leading to the entrance hall. The tiled floor, ornate columns, and sweeping staircases of this once-grant hall evoke a distinctly Taldan aesthetic, though the finery has suffered greatly over the past years. The marble floor tiles are cracked and filthy, and the statuary lining the walls has been smashed. None of the three staircases climbs beyond head level before ending abruptly, debris from their fallen upper reaches scattered across the floor.
The hair on the back of your necks stands up as you get a vague sense of dread, though nothing appears to happen yet.
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Felika quietly follows along as the group makes their way toward the first door they decide to open, her nose wrinkling at the smell. As Squash decides to open the door to the solarium, she whispers to him, "We should pick a side and be thorough in our search. If there's nothing here, after that, I think we should make our way into the main hall and to the first door on the left."
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Zonk and Squash both hear scratching beneath the floorboards...
You identify these sounds as evidence of a Scrabbling Hands haunt. In order to disable it, someone will need to make a religion check. The haunt will reset every midnight until the true story of what happened here becomes public.
Spooky
The scratching sounds are similar to those of zombies, likely meaning that zombies are trying to climb through the floor.
Spooky
You identify these sounds as evidence of a Scrabbling Hands haunt. In order to disable it, someone will need to make a religion check.
The scratching sounds are similar to those of zombies, likely meaning that zombies are trying to climb through the floor.
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When the others bring her attention to the scratching sound, Felika takes pause. "I don't know much about undead, but it sounds like zombies are trying to make their way through the floor. We will have to be careful when we reach the basement," she says as she slips into the room to assist Drizzic in case the zombies make it through.
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Zonk Looks down at the floorboards, immediately walks into the middle of the room, and begins praying to Sarenrae.
"Oh great Holy Fire Lady! Please let the restless know peace, at least for a little while, until we can grant them eternal!
"Whelp! It's official. House is haunted. I've called on the Holy Fire Lady, to keep them quiet for today, but they'll be back unless we can resolve whatever's keeping them here. Just guessing, but someone was probably buried alive under the floorboards? I'm crossing this place off my vacation hots spots list ... whatever a vacation hotspot is"
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Felika tenses up when the hands appear, but they disappear just as quickly. She lets out a sigh. She smiles seeing Drizzik's sudden outburst of happiness. "I was way wrong. From here on, I'll be sure to follow your lead when it comes to this haunted house, Zonk. Thanks for the quick reaction." She puts her hand on the handle of the large double doors leading into the main hall. "Shall we keep going and put these spirits to rest, then?"
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Zonk smiles, revealing perhaps one or two jagged, razor sharp teeth.
"We all have our specialties. I'm pleased that the Lady's answer was swift and sure. I'm sure by the time we've explored all we've been tasked with, that we all will step up and get to show off the reason The Society has deemed us worthy."
He then turns, and prepares to follow the rest of the group into the main chambers of the house.