Dozens of tents and the half-built frames of several future buildings encircle a newly constructed longhouse. The tent city looks down on a dense forest of blood-red pine trees, Iobaria’s iconic bruorsivi, dotted with the occasional wisp of smoke here and there. At the forest’s edge, huge cut stones nearly overgrown with vegetation and covered in creeping moss hint at ancient ruins reclaimed by nature.
Even in the chill of the early morning, the camp swarms with activity. More tents are being set up, and the smell of breakfast emanates from a large cook tent. Agents greet each other and swap stories in the mess tent, and rumors fly through the crisp morning air.
You know that hundreds of Pathfinders have been called to the western edge of the Finadar Forest as part of a major Society initiative. However, the venture-captains have thus far kept the details a secret. While you mingle with the other Pathfinders, you learn that Venture-Captain Jorsal of Lauterbury is in charge but has not yet formally initiated the expedition.
Fola Barun, the Ekujae elf leader of the Envoy's Alliance faction, is at the mess tent encouraging Pathfinders weary from their travel to Iobaria. Head Initiate Janira Gavix, a rather gregarious halfling can be spotted darting back and forth through the camp. While you have yet to lay eyes upon him, you can tell that Gorm Greathammer is nearby in the camp as his distinctive, booming laugh can be heard periodically echoing across the forest floor.
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"Kernal Klank at your service Ms Fola Barun." A tidy, well armored Dwarf gives the Elven woman a crisp salute inside the mess tent. He stood up awkwardly from a bench, his breakfast half eaten before him.
"The Envoy's Alliance commissioned me and my smithing arm to help outfit Pathfinders the world over, and I can honestly report I haven't had much time yet to make more than a few 'irregular' crowbars between excursions." He pulls out one from his pack and offers it up for inspection. Its not 100% clear to the untrained eye if its a planned modification or simply poor craftsmanship.
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A young halfling woman enters the mess tent, taking a deep sniff of the air. "Mmm, smells delicious, doesn't it Maizy? Do I smell grits?" Despite the early hour, the young woman's clothes and hands are already dusty and grass-stained, and bits of forest moss clings to the hems of her robes.
As she practically floats through the air on a current of breakfast smells, she passes by Fola Barun and a stout looking dwarf offering a rather uniquely designed...is that a crowbar? She pauses and looks at the metal. "S-sorry to interrupt," she says, "But it looks like you had some impurities in your iron. See the discoloration here? That's a telltale sign. My pa bought a plow that had the same problem. I had to do some pretty fun experiments to convince the smith that we should get some of our money back!
"Anyway, I'm Olyse, and this here is my sweet little Maizy! Say hello, Maizy!" A small, leafy creature pops up over Olyse's shoulder. At first glance, it looks like an ordinary ear of corn, but then one of the leaves peels away from the center and you see two tiny dark eyes like discolored kernels and a mouth like an irregular split. The creature makes a tiny peeping noise, then disappears again behind Olyse's shoulder.
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Panarug the half-orc is small in stature and slight in build. Dressed in the traditional Kellid tribal wear, yet a necklace carved in Sarenrae's symbol hangs around his neck. Strange smells of herbs hang around him, while a stoat of the blackest fur rest peacefully on his lap. He introduces himself and his familiar in a deep rumbling voice, one you do not expect from such a small figure. "Greetings. My name is Panarug, of the A'thom tribe from the north." Gesturing to his stoat, he continues, "And this is Fharan." He then grunts and stays silent, staring suspiciously at the leafy creature on Olyse's shoulder. Fharan, however, seems curious and draws closer, sniffing animatedly.
"Welcome, Klank. It is good to see exuberance in Pathfinders after such a long journey," Fola smiles and keeps smiling as she eyes the unusual spin on the lever.
"Oh, by all means, do not let me get in the way of the food. Go on ahead." The Ekujae gestures towards the tables where the Pathfinders are serving out food to the new arrivals.
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Klank nods at the other two, especially when Olyse points out the flaws in his work "Hard to get your hands on good materials sometimes. I'll have to do a better inspection of the ore next time." He takes his seat, slightly embarrassed at the situation.
"Take a seat everyone, I'm sure we've got much to discuss.. like just what we're going to be doing here?" He directs the question to Fola specifically.
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Standing sheepishly next to the food, much of it stuffed in his mouth, a halfling dressed in religious garb tries desparately to swallow before speaking.
"Hello, all! My name is Travis Proudfoot, and I admit, I am relatively green when it comes to Pathfinder missions. But worry not, I will hold my own! And hopefully, with the grace of my god, we will all return in as good-a-shape as we leave!"
“Welcome to Iobaria!” Venture-Captain Jorsal smiles and spreads his arms wide, gesturing to the expansive view before him. The sun glints off the snow-capped mountains to the west, though it does little to warm the air around you. Below the camp, the occasional clearing or stone structure dots the endless foliage of Finadar Forest, a huge expanse of blood-red bruorsivi pines.
“Used to the chill yet? Iobaria takes some getting used to. Between the dry air and the winds off the peaks, you’d best wear your warmer clothes.” He waves you over to his worktables, where a series of maps and documents sit weighted down with books, a wayfinder, and several large rocks.
“We live in exciting times. As you may know, the Society has recently been exploring the wilds of Iobaria. There are so many mysteries here! The ancient cyclops empire of Koloran has left ruins that have weathered the ages. The early Iobarian kings maintained their power through dragon-riding knights, and dragons still lurk in the forests and hills all around. Plagues, wars, ancient magic... Iobaria has seen it all.”
“As you may know, we’ve had some dealings in Iobaria recently, but the time has come to mount a major exploration. To do that, we need a good base of operations in the area, something more permanent than a couple of rooms in an inn in Mishkar.”
The venture-captain slides a large map across the table, rearranging the rocks and books to prevent it from flying away in the breeze. “Down there, deep in Finadar Forest, is the city of Min-Khadaim, an ancient complex of ruins that dates from the cyclops empire of Koloran, abandoned since the Age of Darkness thousands of years ago. Not only is it an amazing archaeological find, but it also is superbly located to serve as a base for further operations in Iobaria. Cyclopean architecture is built to last, so we’ll undoubtedly find something here to serve our needs. Once we explore and clear the ruins, we can then establish the Society’s first Pathfinder Lodge in Iobaria!”[/b]
Jorsal turns to you again and grows serious. “This is an important operation for the Society’s future, and we have the support of the Decemvirate themselves! In fact....”
Jorsal trails off as he stares at something behind you. Two figures walk into the tent, both wearing helms that completely cover their faces. One is short and stocky, wearing a sapphire-studded helmet that covers their upper face. The other is a taller figure whose face is completely hidden by a flowing sheet of water that disappears into mist just past their neck.
“Yes, Jorsal, the Decemvirate understands the importance of this season of exploration in the wilds of Iobaria,” states the shorter of the two in a scratchy voice that sounds older than the speaker looks. “You may call me Sapphire, and you may call them Shrike.” The speaker strides quickly to the table and indicates the large map, which shows a large area of forest subdivided into regular squares.
“Based on a preliminary survey, the ruins of Min-Khadaim have been divided into sections. Each team will explore and clear their assigned section—Jorsal will provide the details.”
They turn to you. “You may be relatively new recruits, but we, the Decemvirate, need you to understand the importance of this operation. There are mysteries here in Iobaria that go far beyond plagues and dragons. The cyclopes of Koloran fled here when their homeland of Ghol-Gan fell under the sway of evil forces. Those brave and determined souls that made the trip were determined to escape the mistakes of their kindred, yet their descendants still fell into decadent decay as well, long before Earthfall ended their empire. The question of what laid them low at the height of their power is one of Golarion’s greatest unsolved mysteries.”
The Decemvirate referred to as Shrike suddenly points at Klank and asks in a stern, demanding voice, "What do you know about modern cyclops culture?"
"Is that-- You're ser-- Unbelievable!" Shrike scoffs.
He points at Travis. "You! If trouble arises, how will you protect and preserve the priceless artifacts or records you find?"
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Faerinaa winces as Kernal is put on the spot. She had been floating around the gathering, sampling food and listening in to get a feel for the scene before the more serious business began.
"Ouch." Faerinaa mutters quietly to herself as she tries to subtly make herself unobtrusive to avoid being called out in a similar way.
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"Sorry I'm late, sorry I'm late, it's just so.... COLD!!!" a black scaled kobold enters the tent wearing only shorts, his arms tightly wrapped around him as he shivers. "Fire! Good. Coming through!" Vixnax rushed to where the food was being cooked and stood directly next to the fire.
"Wow, the decemvirate themselves! I remember my master telling me all about you." Vixnax looked at them and flexed. "It's an honor to meet you."
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"Ummm, well... of course, preserving the integrity of the find is an utmost priority to every member of the Pathfinder Society, and I will certainly not Shrike my... er... shirk my duties to do so. If we must, we will defend these finds with our lives, although I always hope it doesn't come to that. To protect the property and citizenry of... Did you say dragons? Still? In these woods?" The small cleric gulps physically.
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Panarug grunts, his face one of disapproval. "However priceless the artifacts or records may be, they will never be worth the sacrifice of lives. As Pathfinders, our responsibility is first to each other." His hand rises unconsciously to the pendant of Sarenrae hanging from his neck.
Fharan the stoat peeks out from the pouch he's resting in to see what has agitated his master but not seeing anything of note, retreats back to rest.
"Hmm." Shrike seems to be having trouble finding fault with Travis' response when Faerinaa slips into the tent and Vixnax bursts in with exuberance. The decemvirate behind the waterfall mask begins to raise his hand toward the dragonscaled kobold when Panarug interjects. His statement brings the tall person's attention fully upon himself.
"Hopefully, you're competent enough to keep each other alive and protect irreplaceable antiquity. You, at least, we can resurrect," he says sternly.
"Back to you," he says and points a Vixnax. "What was your grade in Master Shaine’s ‘Basic Archaeological Principles’ class? Did you even take ‘Basic Archaeological Principles’?"
Sapphire steps forward and places a hand on Shrike's shoulder. "Be at ease; they know what they must do. Trust in their skills."
Shrike scans the lot of you and gruffly says, "Don't mess up," before striding brusquely out of the tent.
Venture-Captain Jorsal and Sapphire remain.
"Do you have any questions?" Jorsal asks.
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"Back to you," he says and points a Vixnax. "What was your grade in Master Shaine’s ‘Basic Archaeological Principles’ class? Did you even take ‘Basic Archaeological Principles’?"
"Grade? We were s'possed to get grades?!" Vixnax looks flustered, faint green smoke coming from his nostrils. "I remember they taught me about how you should never enter a pyramid. Oh, and that if you must, you should always look for slightly raised stones on the floor. Those are the bad ones. Oh yes and that if you see a mummy, run! Which, you know. It makes sense!"
Vixnax stops and breathes, calming down almost instantly. "But I always have my master's teachings with me, and with them I always find my way."
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Klank tries to keep a straight face as Shrike finally leaves, he knows their station deserves his respect, even if it isn't returned.
"Lots of questions. Where are we going? What can we expect when we get there? Where can we go if things get bad and we need to retreat for reinforcements?"
"Oh, and where can we get some winter clothing? Its damn cold out here."
Jorsal picks up a sheet from a pile of similar documents and hands it over, along with a rough map. “As relatively junior members of the Society, your job will be scouting and mapping the initial sites we’ve selected. Take this to the quartermaster and he’ll provide you some basic equipment for exploration. Explore everything in your assigned area and make an accurate map. Explore all the buildings on the surface, inside and out. Find any entrances to underground levels and explore them as far as is practical. Keep an eye out for any threats and neutralize them. Clear your area so it’s safe for the follow-up scholars to go in and begin the detail work."
“As to what to expect, if we knew, we wouldn’t need to send you! But there are three likely sources of trouble. First, the cyclopes could have surviving defenses in their city: traps, constructs, magical defenses. More likely, we’ll find other creatures that have moved into the ruins in more modern times. And of course, there are the standard hazards of exploring ruins: loose rocks, tunnels with bad air, green slime... the usual.
"As for the need to retreat, rest, recuperate, you should return to camp," Jorsal finishes. "Anything else?"
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Klank takes the list, gives it a quick read and nods affirmative to Jorsal "Looks like a Dwarven delving supply list." He mentally checks off the supplies. "But what's the pack horse for? You expect us to haul anything we find there back?"
From the looks of him, Klank has extremely wide shoulders and a monstrous wheel base. You're pretty sure, even with the half plate armor, he could pull a wagon himself.
Addressing his companions "I'm sure you can guess by now with all the weapons, armor, and shields I'm toting around that I'll be focusing my efforts more on getting everyone in and out safely. If you have any issues with something breaking, let me know, I can probably fix it." You can definitely see a fair number of repair tools tucked into a bandoleer.
"We do have a fair number of halflings, wizards, and halfling wizards on the expedition teams," Sapphire explains to Klank.
Sapphire heads out of the tent once it is clear that you have no more questions. Jorsal says, "Good luck!"
Once you have finished collecting your supplies at the quartermaster, you can head out to your section of the ruins.
A large stone wall looms out of the forest ahead. Made of titanic stone blocks cut and fitted with precision, it feels ancient in a way that surpasses mere age. Creeping vines and moss cover most of the surfaces, but here and there bare stone reveals carved symbols along the wall’s surface. A massive entrance archway a hundred feet wide is the only break visible in the wall as it stretches between stands of the fiery bruorsivi pines. Above the archway, looking down on all who would enter, is a carving of a single gigantic eye.
You have a square area 500 yards on a side marked out on your survey map to explore. The land is choked with brush and creeping vines, which will likely make it rough going to get from section to section, let alone find things that might have been overlooked. Gigantic basalt stonework juts through the vegetation here and there.
Standing beneath the giant gate, Faerinaa recalls that the cyclops empire of Koloran covered this area of Iobaria until about 10,000 years ago. The ancient cyclopes’ civilization was incredibly advanced civilization, but their modern descendants are known for violent behavior and a voracious appetite for flesh.
This grand archway stands 100 feet tall and is made of enormous blocks of basalt set together without mortar. The exterior faces are carved with astronomical images, with sun and moon symbols dominating.
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Vixnax approaches the requisiton list, studying it. "I already have a climbing kit... What else... " He turns to the rest of the group. "I can carry the pickaxe, the sledgehammer, the spade, and a crowbar."
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Once at the ruins, Vixnax stands in front of the giant archway. He decides to climb it.
Vixnax finds a perfect path of sturdy handholds and ledges that allows you to climb the wall and get a much closer view of the astronomical details. You spend the next hour and a half sketching, making charcoal rubbings, and taking notes and then you are ready to move on to the next site.
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Klank watches the kobold scurry up the wall like a mouse after cheese, while the others have keen eyes "Great work team. Let's get some notes taken while we can." Although he doesn't have any formal training, at least Klank's hand writing is legible.
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"Let's tackle things in an orderly manner. Since we're already all over this gate, let's check out the attached wall to the left, then back to the right ok?"
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As the team enter the ruins, Panarug retrieves Fharan from his pouch. "Keep yourself some distance behind. Alert us if anything attempts to catch us by surprise, yah?" He gives his pet one last stroke before setting him off.
Turning to Klank, he nods and replies gruffly. "It's as good a plan as any."
You begin making your way down the wall. The district wall stands sixty feet tall and is sixty feet wide at the base, narrowing to a width of thirty feet at the top. The walls are made of the same massive blocks as the entrance arch. Though battered and shaken by earthquakes over the centuries, the wall is still largely intact, except for one area that has collapsed.
You spend the rest of the morning scouring the wall for hidden details and diagraming the damaged sections of the wall. Travis determines that the stones that have fallen from the wall are partially melted. Satisfied with your work, you head back to the other end of the wall.
You begin to explore the towers on this section of the wall. Each tower is eighty feet across and eighty feet tall. The inner floors have collapsed, leaving each an empty, cylindrical shell mostly open to the sky.
After a significant amount of time diagraming and writing notes and a break for lunch, you feel that you have thoroughly explored this ruin.
This stepped pyramid rises nearly to the treetops, a hundred and fifty feet above. Each layer of stone is assembled from huge blocks of basalt, mostly covered in moss and vines. Richly carved pictographs adorn the stone, wherever visible among the patches of vegetation. A steep staircase sized for giants rises up one face of the ziggurat to the upper platform, where a small building crowns the summit.
After scouting around the outside and making your diagrams of the ziggurat from the base, you begin the laborious process of climbing the giant-sized stairs. Even taking time to rest and make drawings and rubbings of the carven pictographs, by the time you reach the top, even the hardiest of you is at least a little winded.
The top is a forty foot wide square platform upon which was constructed a twenty foot wide and tall temple or shrine of some sort. Moss covers the stones here. The remains of a basalt spire has fallen and blocked the entrance to the building. Looking behind yourselves, you get a wonderous birds eye view of the ruins and the tops of the red bruorsivi pines.
Vixnax strains to move the great stones, but they refuse to budge. Meanwhile, Travis and Panarug get to devising a plan to carefully and systematically remove the stones from the doorway. After a couple hours of hard work, you have managed to clear the doorway.
Inside the building is nearly bare. You can tell that the walls were once painted with murals and inlaid with metal or stone. In the center of the chamber is a ten foot diameter sheer shaft that descents--for those with darkvision--twenty feet and ends at a landing of some sort.
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Klank helps with the rubble removal, following Travis's flawless plan. "And here I always thought Halflings couldn't put together a sound plan unless it was for a meal or getting into trouble." He says as he lugs another piece of broken stone to the side.
"You guys want to finish this place up before we head back? Save us a long climb back up tomorrow." He drags out the rope and grapple to explore down the shaft.
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"We have supplies to last us the night, and Maizy and I can always make us more if we need it. I dunno, I kinda like the idea of getting our work done. 'Work til the sun goes down or the dinner bell rings,' as my Pa always used to say," she says with a wink toward Klank.
Before the dwarf descends into the dark below, she waves a hand and a few softly glowing orbs like large fireflies appear in the air then create a line down into the shaft so everyone can see.