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”Yes, Pathfinders” Master of Scrolls Kreighton Shaine muses. ”A lot of you, certainly. Lovely! Well, find your places in an orderly fashion. We’ve got some truly exciting news today and I can’t wait to get started!”
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A brightly attired and cheerful gnome makes her way through the crowd, passing out compliments on various pieces of attire and subtly shaking her head at the state of others. She takes a seat next to a young woman dressed all in black.
"Very slimming, and quite forbidding. I hope that's the look you're going for."
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Stepping up next to the pair is another human. It is clear from his accent and clothing that he is from the Jungles of Mwangi. He carries a short wooden rod craved with intricate runes and images. He places his left hand over his heart before bowing. "I greet you. Our journey's have brought us together. May they be fruitful as we walk together." He rises and smiles broadly as he offers his hand in a more traditional greeting. "I am Mkono wa Hatima, though most of the Pathfinders I have met call me Fate. It is a name that speaks to powers beyond my control that I call on. So far, they have often made the choice to honor my requests. It is my sincere hope they continue to do so, but the future is unknowable. How may I address you?"
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"You can call me Angry Magic Tree!" announces a bush nearby. The vegetation shakes and shifts for a few seconds before parting to let a small figure of woody vines and leaves emerge. Judging from their armor - and the axe strapped across their back - this must be one of the vine leshies to have joined the Society recently. "I'm a Pathfinder!" she announces loudly to complete his grand entrance, turning around to show the tall man the lion crest on her cloak. "And I'm a Night! Are you a Night?" He looks up with a hopeful expression on her face.
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Fate ponders the question. "You speak with deep meaning and ask significantly insightful questions directly to the point. I admit, I have not ever considered my place in the universe in such terms. To be 'Night' or not? I must consider this at length before I can give you an adequate response." He bows to the leshy. With earnest candor, "Your insightfulness has humbled me. I thank you."
“This way! Up the road! You can’t miss it!”
Runners in Grand Lodge colors are pointing your way along the road as you answer the morning summons to this field five miles outside of Absalom.
A half-orc paladin sporting a silver-eyed wolf pendant nods to Fate before bowing to Ilarien and Majet. “Ladies, the event is actually taking place in a field outside the city.”
He points the way with his sky-metal glaive. “I can escort you as you please, though it's not hard to find.”
The towers of the Patchwork City are visible over the horizon, as are a few crumbling siege castles. After an early morning rain, the day has dawned bright and clear.
They must have summoned every Pathfinder on Kortos to this spot, for dozens of other Pathfinders join you, mud squelching lightly on their boots. Rumors fly that there’s a big announcement coming, and no one wants to miss it.
A life-weary hooded ranger grumbles to an attractive blue-skinned cleric. “I’m telling you Raelene, this is gonna be ANOTHER one of those stoopid social missions.” *eye roll*
“Ambrus Valsin and Zarta Dralneen are getting married! Right here, later this afternoon. 'Zambrus' have decided to leave the Society … I hear she’s having a baby.”
“Seeker-Agent Arnaut Danièl is taking over the Grand Lodge faction and becoming the Ten’s Chamberlain! He’s planning to turn Skyreach into a Concert Hall!”
The sun beats down across this muddy plain, a scant five miles from the walls of Absalom. Fellow Pathfinders gather on all sides, including well-traveled field agents and more permanent staff from the Grand Lodge itself. In the center of the field stands a wooden platform, raised some ten feet off the ground. The excited chatter drowns out the buzz of summer insects as the gathered adventurers speculate on what's to come. Rumors are flying fast!
Two human Seekers, one a muscular female knight in black full plate, talks AT a masked and hooded archer observing the crowd and jotting notes in a case book.
“WOW! Fen! I heard a high-ranking Red Mantis assassin named Chivane accepted a contract from the Ten last month and has assassinated Grandmaster Torch!”
"BUT, the Ten have reneged on the agreed fee – a holy relic called St Cuthbert’s Mace."
"Now a Mantis kill team has arrived in town. The red woman wants what she’s owed!"
While you wander, you have your own chance to speak to other Pathfinders, or remember information about what this might be all be about.
Diplomacy (gather information)
There is a rumor the previous Master of Spells, Aram Zey is behind it, having returned from the dead as a lich.
This follows a recent conflict at the Grand Lodge that the Society kept from spilling into the rest of the city.
The Society has been “secretly” buying up large quantities of sky metal whenever it appears in the market.
The Pathfinders have also been recruiting dozens of arcane spellcasters, especially evokers.
Knowledge (arcana)
You might analyze some of the markings on the broad field.
VC Shaine constantly jabbers about how those who don’t learn from the mistakes of Knowledge (history) are destined to repeat them …
Named because many of the invading armies that tried to conquer Absalom assembled here before being defeated.
Though an alternative theory suggests two high level bards fought a duel to the death here for the love of a beautiful Inquisitor of Ragathiel.
The Linnorm King Yardvun Skolson clashed with the Thuvian warlord Attagesha hundreds of years ago, as both attempted to besiege the city at the same time, but refused to share the glory.
They crippled each other’s forces and were forced to retreat without ever attacking Absalom.
The exact age is unknown, but several building foundations and pieces of pottery seemed reminiscent of old Azlanti designs.
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Blond-haired, young, slender man wearing loose clothing and a leather armor walks casually by.
"Greetings friends! My name's Varpunen, Jaakko Varpunen, a freedom fighter from beautiful country of Isger. Pleasure to adventure with you." he proudly announces
Moments later he stands in crowd trying to listen whats going on. "What was said about Red mantis and Torch? I was distracted by news of Zarta's new baby."
"Business as usual at the Society, I suppose. Monsters getting killed, treasure found."
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”I think you know if you’re a Night or not if the fancy lady hits you with the stick,” Angry Magic Tree answers absentmindedly, already distracted from the conversation.
”Wait, the stinky eye man is dead?” The leshy looks up at a pair of gossiping agents with wide eyes. ”What happened? I didn’t hear anything about fighting! Why didn’t the stinky eye man invite me!?”
Still sulking over not being invited, the leshy glares at the markings dotting the field. ”And someone’s gone and dug all that lovely grass out. What a jerk. What did the grass ever do to them?” He squints. ”It’s not even done right! They’ll never conjure anything with the circles like that - though at least this time if they conjure some big monster I’m already here and don’t have to run as far.” Slightly mollified, she begins tracing her own circles in the dirt outside the circles.
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“Wait, the stinky eye man is dead?” The leshy looks up at a pair of gossiping agents with wide eyes. ”What happened? I didn’t hear anything about fighting!”
“I don’t know about ‘Stink Eye.’ Poor Make’em Pay was always ‘Big Eye, Little Eye’ to me.”
The elderly female Pathfinder *sighs* “He was my favorite grand-child you know. It was such a shame that naughty dragon got him … or was it an elemental that dropped a stone key on his head during the Siege of the Diamond City?”
*Puzzled* “Lucy, do you remember?”
An auburn haired Calistrian cleric smiles tolerantly at the old woman. “It doesn’t matter, Aunt Matrialda.”
“Why didn’t the stinky eye man invite me!?”
“I’d say the Master of Spells was worried our friend’s cuteness would distract the other Field Agents during combat.”
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Fate nods at the leahy's assessment of the circles.
This may have something to do with all the sky metal The Society has been purchasing. There is a rumor that they have assembled the Sky Key. It would explain all of the experts they have been calling in to the Grand Lodge. Everything from the exotic to the esoteric. Today the Decemvirate is expecting a culmination of events, but they are not certain what to expect. They have called is as many agents as they could."
The shaman look out over the field full of souls. "This day will either go very well or be filled with tragedy. There will be no middle ground."
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Majet weaves through the crowd while they walk, listening intently and trying to engage others in conversation to discover what she can. Alas, her height and being relatively unknown work against her and she returns to her new companions still cheerful yet frustrated.
"No body's paying any real attention to anyone. It's all snippets of nonsense and gossip. I guess we'll find out soon enough.
"What's this about summoning and Sky Keys? Is this just more gossip or do you actually know something?" she adds cheerfully as she catches a few words her companions exchange.
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The human doesn't quite smile at Majet's comment. "There are worse outcomes. I'm Ilarien, by the way."
She looks around at the field and sighs. "I hope they stabilized the excavations here before asking half the Society to come and stomp around on it. I heard that a Society team found buildings and pottery that looked like Azlanti work." Ilarien shows more animation as she continues. "If confirmed, that would be amazing! These are relics that would have survived Earthfall, been flooded when the Inner Sea was created, and reexposed when Aroden raised Kortos from the sea! Think of what they could tell us!"
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Kreighton Shaine, the Pathfinder Society’s Master of Scrolls and de facto Master of Spells in the wake of Aram Zey’s untimely assassination, steps forward. A broad smile graces his youthful, elven features, and his golden hair shines in the sunlight.
“Welcome, my countless eager scholars! Today we are about to witness a wondrous and strange new chapter in the Pathfinder Society’s history. But first, please everyone take a moment of silence to remember our lost Master of Spells and my close friend, Aram Zey. While many of you found his manner abrasive, he fully believed in the Society’s goals of exploration and cooperation, and I know his loss will be deeply felt by us all.” After a moment, Kreighton Shaine continues.
“You may have heard rumors about the Sky Key, an artifact coveted by the dwarves of Jormurdun. A few of you even managed to recover pieces of it. But—and this is the important part—the Sky Key is no dwarven relic. The dwarves found this artifact in one of Numeria’s many wrecks and struggled to master its abilities just as we have spent the past several months doing. But now… now we have this assembled... wonder.”
The Master of Scrolls pulls back a canvas tarp, revealing… a bed of withered roses. “The Key itself is secure in a small chamber we’ve constructed below this field, and it is connected to the surface here by a series of adamantine rods and mithral cables.” He taps a dark metal shaft beside him. “This formerly-award-winning bed of roses, however, we have left sitting here for two weeks without sun or water.”
His hands weave an arcane pattern, and arcs of lightning leap from his fingertips to the rod. A chest-shaking hum rises from somewhere below, and a bubble of green light enfolds the roses, revealing a flower bed of vibrant reds, purples, and yellows where only withered brown stood moments before.
“This is the power of the Sky Key: It creates a window into the past. No longer will the Society have to pick at the precious few scraps history leaves behind. Instead we can watch the greatest moments of Golarion’s history unfold before our eyes! We can watch the Eventongue Rebellion shatter Taldor into a dozen smaller states. We can witness Irrisen before the coming of Baba Yaga, or study the godcallers of Sarkoris before the Worldwound. We can witness the Starstone plunge Golarion into an age of endless night, or watch Aroden himself pull Kortos from the sea in its wake. Anything we want, we can study. And all it requires is lightning!
“Unfortunately, we must content ourselves with study. While our modern forms can enter these temporal bubbles unaffected—” he reaches a hand into the shimmering energy and plucks a rose. Pulling it from the iridescent field, the flower ages and crumbles into dust, “—anything removed collapses under the weight of time itself. We can witness anything we like, but any treasures of history, or great figures, belong to their own age, beyond our reach.”
“It takes the magic of one accomplished wizard to reach back thirteen days. How far, then, do you imagine twenty will reach? A hundred?” Several other teams across the field begin assembling adamantine rods. “Our math says: The Age of Serpents, some tens of thousand years before the present. And that is where all of you come in. If this works—and it will, mind you—then we estimate we’ll have four to five hours to see what Kortos looked like at the dawn of the Azlanti Empire, when our earliest ancestors still warred with the serpentfolk empire of old. We need all the eyes and ears the Society can muster to take notes and make observations. Oh, and keep those eyes and ears from getting killed. Anything in the bubble can’t get out, but these roses... they still have thorns.”
He nods, and Pathfinders across the field begin casting spells, directing arcs of lightning into the waiting sky metal rods. Something deep below the earth thrums, and across the field a massive bubble takes shape, expanding to reveal a cube of earth and stone hundreds of feet to a side, as if sliced from the land and laid out in celebration. Low, stone buildings peek over from the very top, while networks of caves riddle the lowest level. Ophidian faces peer out, then retreat back into the darkness.
“It seems the ground level was a bit higher before the Starstone drove it into the sea,” Shaine observes. “Regardless. We have three-hundred and seven minutes remaining. Let’s make the most of it!”
“Before you depart, I have one final announcement.”
VC Shaine points at the gossiping female black knight, and beckons her forward. “The event we are about to embark on wouldn’t be possible without the efforts of those Pathfinders who recovered the Sky Key components from across the Inner Sea.”
“As a small token of the Decemvirate’s appreciation, those of you involved will receive a care package, which will be distributed inside the bubble by one of your own.”
The Master of Scrolls gestures to the Lady Knight. “Seeker Agent Eadie Navhelan of the Scarab Sages, who helped recover two pieces of the Sky Key will be coordinating this effort.”
“Expect to see her somewhere on the other side.”
As the vision within the time bubble comes into focus, the topographical differences between the merged present and past become obvious.
VC Shaine is quick to reassure the Pathfinder chrononauts. "Where you start is up to you, but at the moment there appears to be only two ways in."
"I suspect most groups will enter through the cave network at the bottom, but if everyone in your group can fly, you could probably start at those stone buildings on the very top."
He points to where the stone buildings are. “Are there risks? Yes. But there so very many opportunities, and time is limited! Go, explore, cooperate and report!”
Hundreds of excited Pathfinder teams, like festival goers at a picnic, head out. Most go towards the cave entrances while a select few cast spells, drink potions, or otherwise read off scrolls to fly to the open plaza in the Temple District near the top. The different paths into the caves diverge quickly, and soon you are on your own …
With this large ancient city before you, you can see how it looked so many thousands of yours ago, possibly even BEFORE the coming of Earthfall. The architecture itself is highly reminiscent of some of the ancient works you might have seen in the Mwangi Expanse, where odd stone temples and towers seem to spring out of the ground or from the midst of the jungle.
One thing you do notice nearly immediately is that as far as you can see, every single surface, every wall, every path has intricate designs carved into nearly every single inch of its surface, all of it showing a high reverence for snakes, but also serpent-like patterns such as spirals.
As you descend, you see a cave entrance leading down to what seems to be a zoo area, somewhat displaced due to the time magic that is inundating the place now. Travelling through the caves is tedious at best. Unlike most caves, this one's path is smooth, and along the way you find multiple large scales, each around the size of a large gold piece. The way is completely dark, and also oddly silent. The walls also seem to be covered in some sort of odd, organic slime, reeking of a strange unpleasant scent.
Then the cavern opens up. The stink of animal scat and rotting meat fills this massive cavern. Shelves, passageways, and fixtures have been carved into the wall by careful hands, each stylized to resemble a serpent's head or body.
At a point where the natural caverns break into a large round worked stone chamber, Majet and Cade spot an outer sentry screen or perhaps a mobile foot patrol, comprised of two scaly humanoids and an armored megafauna.
Watch out! They have a nasty bite.
For a moment, the roly-poly beast lifts its head, as if trying to decide if it heard something. At the prompting of its handler, it quickly settles, but is clearly alert.
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Before the team sets out, Majet starts handing out lengths of scarf-like fabric, each coordinating with the specific Pathfinder's outfit.
"Please take these," she says as she gives them out, "we have no idea what to expect but sometimes being able to filter the air is useful. They have other uses as well, be creative."
She then checks her gear, including her own scarf, and readies herself at the front of the group.
Jaakko’s attempt at stealthy suggestion so close to the patrol appears to have attracted the humanoids’ attention.
*Pfft* Vek, మాస్టర్స్ పెంపుడు? జంతువులను ఎవరు ’Ydersius ఫాంగ్! అది… ఒక గ్నోమ్ gnome?
బయటకు పంపిం gnome చారు? మరియు యెడెరియస్?
“What’s the bounty on a pair of gnome eyebrows this lunar cycle?”
The sentinels appear to have interpreted your hesitation in the breach as weakness.
Fate
Ilarien
Jaakko
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Kabozkan
Vek (green)
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Majet
Angry Magic Tree
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Glyptodon (red)
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Cade
, do something awesome!
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Fate pulls a lump of clay from his pouch. He rapidly works the malable clump into the shape of a large sword. Taking it in both hands, he swings it in an arc over his head. Bits of wet clay spin off and fall onto the Pathfinders. As soon as these droplets land, they dissolve into nothingness, leaving only a sense of bravery and confidence behind.
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Fate potters around before throwing a clay sword, to bestow blessings on the party.
The shaman is kil’n it this round.
Ilarien remembers that she forgot to ✨cast mage armor on herself, and remedies that oversight.
Jaakko advances to go Giant Arcadian Island tortoise hunting, but sadly the move backfires on him.
"You may not have my eyebrows or any other part of me!"
The humanoids exchange horrified glances at Majet’s outburst.
Kabōjkān, కబోజ్కాన్, మీరు విన్నారా? ఆ గ్నోమ్ gnōmeమాట్లాడగ!(లదు)
His partner then gestures wildly at the humans, before pointing at Cade.
మరియు వారు అందరూ బట్టలు ధరిస్తారు, వెక్! Vek, బిడ్డ కూడా!
“And the other mammals wear clothes! Vek, even the baby!”
They both draw and fling javelins at the unfortunate Jaakko. The blue-bandaged one moving 10’ first.
Round #1:
Fate
Ilarien
Jaakko
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Kabozkan
Vek (green)
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Majet
Angry Magic Tree
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Glyptodon (red)
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Cade
, get angry!
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Majet, with rapier in hand, strides into the room and prepares to respond to any threats.
Underfoot Assault(Ex)-When a foe who is larger than Majet is adjacent to her and misses her with a melee attack, she can as an immediate action spend 1 panache point to move 5 feet into an area of the attacker's space. This movement does not count against the mouser's movement the next round, and it doesn't provoke attacks of opportunity.
The foe whose space Majet shares takes a -4 penalty on all attack rolls and combat manoeuvre checks not made against the mouser, and all of Majet's allies that are adjacent to both her and the foe are considered to be flanking the foe. Majet is considered to be flanking this foe if she is adjacent to an ally who is also adjacent to the foe.
If the foe attempts to move to a position where Majet is no longer in its space, the movement provokes an attack of opportunity from Majet.
"We've got this, team! It is unclear whether the words of encouragement are more for the others or herself.
Mildly Irritated Magic Tree and Majet advance bravely and ready melee attacks.
The Glyptodon obliges the gnome by charging her, the mouser’s rapier finding a weak spot below its left shoulder.
Round #1/2:
Fate
Ilarien
Jaakko
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Kabozkan
Vek (green)
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Majet
Angry Magic Tree
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Glyptodon (red)
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Cade
, do something amazing!
More annoyed than affected by Ilarien's hex, the armored mammal shakes off the effect while shaking poor Majet in its jaws.
are up!
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Clay in hand, the Mwangan rapidly thins the clay by rubbing his palms together. Soon, the shaman takes the ribbon by the ends. He lets it hang, making a U shape. He folds the ends over, and with his thumb nail makes gashes along the side.
When he is done, it looks remarkably like a horseshoe. Fate brandished the symbol at Kabozkan, then flips it upside down before tearing it in half.
He then starts quietly calling on his ancestors for aid.