Weeks have passed since Venture-Captain Nieford Sharrowsmith departed for the Bandu Hills, and having not heard from him since but learned of an Aspis Consortium expedition bound for the same destination, the Society and local allies have grown worried for the aging explorer’s safety. As the PCs travel south on Sharrowsmith’s trail, they must track the venture-captain to the ruins he sought while also dealing with the aftermath of his actions.
You’ve all come a long way to Sharrowsmith's Exports, a walled trade compound on the northern edge of Nantambu in the Mwangi Expanse. You know it to be a front for a local Pathfinder Lodge, and that its Venture-Captain Nieford Sharrowsmith has gone missing.
Asking for Aya Allahe, you are directed to one of the back rooms, where you wait...
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Pinesong Rippleroot is a chubby vanara with a bulging tummy, thin white fur, and a short stubby tail. His eyes are bright green and much too big, which makes them look like they’re bulging out of his head, but his smile is wide and happy. His hair on the top of his head is styled into an outlandish hair do! It looks very odd! With every breeze his fur moves around, showing off his many bald spots. He smells of grass and flowers.
Pinesong wears a belt he fashioned himself from a braided vines and grass. There’s a wooden stake hooked onto it, and a belt pouch. On his back is a crossbow and a backpack, and over his chest he wears some odd looking armour made of little squares that he thought was fascinating! He does not wear pants or shoes.
"Oh, boy! I sure am worried for Venture-Captain Sharrowsmith! He's missing!"
He looks down at his side to a portly pig covered in thick gold scales. "What do you think happened to him, Cutie Pie?" He sits down and pats his pig. Then he pulls out a big carrot and feeds it her.
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The pig, named Cutie Pie, looks up at Pinesong and snorts happily. Her little curly tail wiggles around. She leaps on the carrot and devours it.
The air around the gold-scaled pig seems oddly warm.
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Croak is a beautifully coloured grippli, with bright pink and purple skin. Her big, yellow eyes are so bright they practically glow. Her big wide mouth is always curved up in a happy smile! She wears a bright yellow tunic with a belt made of vines. She has a light flail on her belt, and a net. She wears a backpack which she’s drawn on with chalk to make look fancy (it mostly looks messy). She taps her toes while she waits, wiggles her fingers, and flicks her tongue around. She never seems to stop moving.
"Hi Pinesong! Hi Cutie Pie! How are you doing? It's nice to be on a mission with you again. I wonder if Sereia and Lomo will be here too. And I wonder what new friends we'll make! And I wonder what happened to Sharrowsmith too, of course! It's a mystery!"
She pulls out a bag of stuffed rabbits and cuddles them all. Also, from out of the bag, comes a flying squirrel covered in gold scales. It looks oddly flat with bulging eyes, almost like its been run over by a carriage a few times but just kept on living.
"What do you think happened Roadkill?"
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"Squeak, squeak, squeakums!" the squirrel replies. It rolls around in the stuffed animals.
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Sereia is a calm and proud aquatic elf with blue skin, long white hair, and a wiry frame. She wears tight shorts, leather armor, a belt, sandals and a backpack. She wears golden earrings, and an elaborate golden hair piece — ancient Azlanti relics she scavenged herself on an expedition made before she was cursed. She also wears a thick necklace of shell and coral which her sister made her many years ago. In her hands she carries an elaborate trident.
As Sereia strolls into the room she notices her regular companions and gives them a smile. "Hello everyone. Curious mission this one, isn't it? We've never been dispatched on a rescue mission before. Do you think these are common for Pathfinders?"
She takes a seat, places her trident down, and fans herself. "Ugh, it's hot. I'm not sure how you surfacers stand all this sunshine -- dries out the skin. I feel like I'm being roasted."
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Lomo is a rough looking ratfolk with thick gray fur, bright beady eyes, and soft ears. His cheeks bulge out, as if filled with something, and he nibbles on the end of a fancy looking stick. His long hairless tail is crooked from a magical mishap suffered long ago.
Lomo greets his friends, "Hey folks!" He pats Cutie Pie and Roadkill. "Let's see, what do I have for you?" He sifts around in his cheeks and pulls out some rations, tossing part to the pig and part to the squirrel. "There you go. Chow down."
Then he takes a seat and picks his teeth with a long stick -- a spent magic wand.
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"Greetings. I am Ki Chin. Surname Lin" A short red-headed man wearing Tian looking clothes says as he bows to the gathered Pathfinders.
"I would not know if rescue missions are common but it would be an honor to provide assistance to such a person as a venture-captain. Ah! Before I forget let me introduce Mei." He says as he gestures to the gold furred fox draped across his shoulders. Said fox took a look at the figment and the squirrel but dismisses them.
Roadkill roars ferociously and smoke seeps from its mouth.
After a time, an Exports employee happens by, and does a double-take, jumping in surprise that you’re waiting all alone in this room. ”Oh! I’m so sorry, you’ve been waiting in the wrong room. Let me take you to Aya. She's in... his old office. Follow me!”
The employee frantically whisks you two rooms away, where you find the reputable merchant and ally of the Society pacing back and forth. She immediately notices you and stops to address you. You note bright yellow eyes that hint at a celestial ancestry (see slide 4).
”Welcome to Nantambu, Pathfinders! I am Aya Allahe, Dealer in Dreams Both Tangible and Ephemeral. I trust your travels were comfortable and uneventful?”
She flashes a warm, welcoming smile that quickly fades.
"I suppose we should get right to the business that you all came here for. I wish I had more to offer,” Allahe apologizes before even presenting what information she has. “Nieford Sharrowsmith never truly retired from being a Pathfinder, even after he started this business. I think, in his mind, he was still the young adventurer that hiked through jungles and fought off troglodyte tribes. Sharrowsmith’s attitude changed over the last few months—I think he was concerned for his legacy and how history would remember him. Would it be for his discoveries or for the export business that dominated his later years? The answer, I fear, was unpalatable."
"It was no surprise when he packed up and left on an expedition. But that was months ago, and neither the Society nor I have heard from him since. Sharrowsmith has never left for this long without leaving some word as to his status or sending rather demanding missives about business decisions while he was waist-deep in some jungle bog. When my own contacts failed to turn up any useful information, I had no recourse but to go through his private notes." Allahe motions to the mess of documents scattered about the office.
"What caught my eye was this translated rubbing. It appears to be the most recent piece of a very large puzzle Sharrowsmith was researching and indicated that he may be somewhere in the Bandu Hills. Traders from Fort Bandu have confirmed that he paid the garrison a visit, but that’s where my trail ran cold. Something happened out there, and Praetor Sylien—Fort Bandu’s commander—refuses to correspond with me on the matter despite knowing how close Nieford and I are. All I received in response was that Nieford had ‘done enough damage for one lifetime,’ and that if I wanted to discuss the matter further I would need to go to Fort Bandu in person." Exasperatedly, Allahe runs a hand across her forehead and turns her distant stare out the window. "I cannot shutter the business and travel hundreds of miles on the off chance that the praetor can help; the company would fall apart. I’m hoping that you will be able to go in my stead, speak with the praetor personally to learn what has befallen Sharrowsmith and help him return."
"Are any of you from Sargava or the Mwangi expanse?"
She focuses her gaze in particular at Croak.
"What of you? Do you come from these parts? There is at least one tribe of your kin in the wild near Fort Bandu."
"I expect you may have additional questions. Ask them now."
"Fort Bandu is two things. First it's a departure point and restocking base for many teams to mine the nearby hills. Second, it houses a garrison of roughly 150 soldiers, who endeavor mightily to maintain stability in the area so that the miners can operate in peace."
She then considers the other question and grimaces a bit before answering.
"Praetor... I know him only by reputation. The grandson of an old elven explorer, he’s served the garrison for decades, though I hear he’s mostly retired now. My business associates say he is a fair and very pragmatic man, one who respects hard facts and truth. His being dismissive of my request sounds uncharacteristic from those accounts."
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Croak grins. "Sometimes she breathes fire. The smoke can be a bother, though."
"Where are you from?"
"We have that in common I see. I came from Minkai hoping to find my half-sister." The magus says in reply, grinning in return.
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"I am afraid that I am not at all familiar with this area. Looking at the translated rubbing he asks, "This translation mentions a mountain called Nakyuk. What do you know of this place?
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Gaskar enters the room. "Sorry I'm late. Is this the Pathfinder society?" A man of few words. He'll listen to Aya speak and nods.
Gaskar is a tall, buff half-orc. Not afraid to show off his muscles and his smile. Despite that, he's absolutely quiet -- his footsteps make little sound and rarely speaks unless spoken to. Being his first Pathfinder mission, he's still getting the hang of things
Looking around at his new companions, he thinks to himself: Are all Pathfinders like this? I could get used to the diversity here.
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"You're in the right place," Sereia replies to Gaskar with a slight smile. She gives both he and Ki Chin a nod.
"Fort Bandu is a long journey, yes? What can we expect along the journey?"
"I'm afraid I'm not well-versed in Venture-Captain Sharrowsmith's exploits. Do you know what 'damage' the Praetor was referring to."
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Noticing the new comer as he asks his questions he turns and acknowledges the new comer as he waits for the reply to his question. "Greetings. In answer to your question: this," he says as he gestures to the building around them, "is a Pathfinder lodge and we are members of the Society. I am Ki Chin, surname Lin." he says with a bow.
Aya's head swivels back and forth, answering questions from this way and that. Just as an agent arrives late, she nods and welcomes him.
Your teammates will catch you up, but thank you for coming!
"I am afraid that I am not at all familiar with this area. Looking at the translated rubbing he asks, "This translation mentions a mountain called Nakyuk. What do you know of this place?
"Mount Nakyuk is the highest point in the Bandu Hills. Many mining operations setup in its shadows. Generally, the Bandu Hills are a dangerous place. This is true of much of the Expanse, but the Bandu Hills have a dozen ways to kill before accounting for living creatures: heat, dehydration, landslides, poisonous plants, carnivorous plants, and so on. Unfortunately, the place is sick with riches like diamonds, gold, and silver—an embarrassment of wealth that only attracts more dangerous occupants. I am surprised that Sharrowsmith didn’t settle down there, to be honest."
"Fort Bandu is a long journey, yes? What can we expect along the journey?"
I suspect that will be the simplest part of your journey. You will speed most of the way there down rivers, by boat and by canoe, to the edge of the Bandu Hills. It's a short ways on foot from there to the Fort.
"I'm afraid I'm not well-versed in Venture-Captain Sharrowsmith's exploits. Do you know what 'damage' the Praetor was referring to."
Unfortunately no, this is what I could not get the Praetor to elaborate on, and for which he wants someone to appear in person. When you arrive, I have no doubt he'll be eager to lay these troubles at your feet when he learns I've sent you.
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Lomo lets go of the stick in his mouth, holding it with his teeth, and gives the newcomers a wave. The stick travels from one side of his mouth to the other as he chews on it.
At mention of the riches, Lomo loses focus. The stick falls from his mouth and he continues to chew at nothing. His eyes twinkle and his fingers twitch. He spends the next while lost in daydreams about gold, diamonds, and other wealth...
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Croak shakes her head, "Nope! I'm not from around here. I'm from Varisia. But, I hope I get to meet the other grippli! That would be wonderful!"
She croaks loudly and her throat balloons up in excitement.
"What are they like? Oh! And does their home have a name? Oh! And are they friendly?"
Apparently she's already forgotten about poor Sharrowsmith...
Croak shakes her head, "Nope! I'm not from around here. I'm from Varisia. But, I hope I get to meet the other grippli! That would be wonderful!"
She croaks loudly and her throat balloons up in excitement.
"What are they like? Oh! And does their home have a name? Oh! And are they friendly?"
Apparently she's already forgotten about poor Sharrowsmith...
"I do not personally know any of their tribes, but my hope is that if you come across them in your search they'll be more inclined to help because of your presence!" She gives Croak a knowing wink, indicating his particular unique value to this mission.
Pinesong nods his head wisely. "I see..." he mutters. "Let's hope the Praetor has something useful to tell us."
"What was Sharrowsmith's specialty? Or did he simply explore the region in general?"
"I would say his specialty is the region, as he's the Society's foremost expert in it. He's extensively explored the Mwangi Expanse and more. In his youth he travelled alone, driven by the potential for discovery. With his bad back, he needs teamsters to carry equipment and scribes to help with field research. But it’s quite out of character for Sharrowsmith to embark without staff. I think he felt like he had something to prove."
She then notices something fall from Lomo's mouth, and frowns at his continued "chewing." Pointing, she asks "Are you... saving that for later...? I thought that's what the cheek-pouches are for."
You may know more about the dangers present in the Bandu Hills. Make a Knowledge (geography) check and open spoilers for the DCs that you clear.
You may be familiar with the mining operations of the Bandu Hills. Make a Knowledge (local) or Profession (merchant or miner) check and open spoilers for the DCs that you clear. NOTE A member of the Exchange faction has sufficient access and exposure to trade documents that they can attempt this check untrained and with a +2 circumstance bonus.
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"What about this," Ki Chin looks back at the rubbing before continuing, "Ashkurhall? What is it and what is its importance?"
A thoughtful look enters the magus' face as he thinks of the possibilities. "How big was the expedition Sharrowsmith took? Do we know where he got his provisions? Was everything provided here? What about the transports?"
"I cannot say much about it. I presume it was a settlement. Maybe it's what Sharrowsmith sought to discovery and explore. His notes say the rubbing was made by miners in the Bandu Hills over sixty years ago, and the rubbing found its way to him through auctions he frequented. Whatever he read there, it lit a fire under him. His expedition, this time around, was just himself. It's part of what was so surprising and uncharacteristic of him. He set out from Fort Bandu, so I presume he stocked up sufficiently there, but now he's been gone too long for it to be enough, traveling alone."
Once you finish asking questions and gathering knowledge about the Bandu Hills and mining operations there, Aya reminds you to make preparations before setting out. ”If you have need of additional gear or supplies, please procure them in town now. I’ve chartered a boat for you to depart on”
Once you've finished speaking with Aya Allahe and purchasing supplies, you journey south. The route involves traveling by boat down the Vanji River, then switching to canoes to paddle up the Little Vanji and Dzimmi Rivers. Finally, you wind through several of the lower Bandu Hills through a pass to Fort Bandu (see slide 6).
The fort is a small frontier settlement surrounded by high stone walls located on the northern edge of Sargava. Within the fort’s walls, dozens of mining companies maintain outposts out of pavilion tents, hiring laborers and purchasing necessary supplies brought in by merchants from the North, South, and West.
When you arrive in Fort Bandu the atmosphere is noticeably tense. Cold stares and accusing looks seem to greet you as you pass through on your way to meet Praetor Sylien. You reach the garrison and explain your situation and mention Aya Allahe’s name. A member of the garrison escorts you to the praetor’s office, a modest and utilitarian space comprised of several tables and a handful of half-stocked bookshelves. A war table featuring a map of the Bandu Hills region sits prominently in the center of the room, and three tall windows nearby let in a great deal of natural light.
Praetor Sylien is in mid-conversation with a lanky Garundi man in fine attire. Their conversation stops abruptly, and the praetor’s guest disdainfully glares at the latest arrivals. “Pathfinders. I shouldn’t be surprised. Only your organization would have the gall to so brazenly show its face when you’ve already caused so much damage.”
"Pathfinders," the praetor’s voice lacks the contempt of his guest, as if trying to subtly apologize for his tone. "This is Amersanus Valacosti of the Aspis Consortium. We’ve been discussing the troubles Fort Bandu has faced of late—troubles caused by your organization. I was unwilling to disclose the details to Mistress Allahe by courier, but now that you have arrived, I feel it pertinent to explain the nature of Fort Bandu's... misgivings."
"Venture Captain Sharrowsmith came through here some months ago, gathering supplies and information before setting off on an expedition into the hills. There, he roused the local kobold tribes and angered them enough that they now actively raid our settlements and mining operations."
"Amersanus Valacosti and I were discussing how the Aspis Consortium may be able to help repair the damage your Society has inflicted on the people of Fort Bandu. Now that you’ve arrived, perhaps we can have a more balanced mediation. Your Pathfinder Society has a damaged reputation in the Bandu Hills, so I ask you state your business and why you think I should allow you to even so much as stay within the fort’s walls. What knowledge do you have of this land and its people that could prevent this situation from deteriorating further? I will only entertain questions regarding Sharrowsmith once I’m assured that providing you information will not further endanger my charges."
The gray in his once coal black hair belies the passing of his youth and the creases in his sun-beaten face tell a story of a lifetime of hard work and little rest. He carries himself with the pride and stature of a man half his age with seemingly infinite patience.
In contrast to the praetor, Aspis Consortium agent Amersanus Valacosti seems to have boundless energy. He carries himself with the poise and posture of nobility, affecting a Chelish accent and speech mannerisms to hide any telltale sign that would indicate his true nationality. The only tell of weakness Valacosti may have is his noticeable limp and the stiffness of his right leg, which requires Valacosti to walk with the assistance of an ebony cane topped with a black, serpentine dragon coiled into a figure eight.
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Pinesong gives a bow. "What a coincidence! I've spent my whole life in the jungle! All except the most recent bit with the Pathfinders. And, I'm a master diplomat, you know. Particularly with the... less-human citizens of our world." Pinesong grins broadly.
"Plus, I can do this!" Pinesong spins in a circle and magically transforms into a yellow-ish scaled kobold. "Ta-da!"
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Sereia purses her lips. It sounded like Sharrowsmith fell victim to the same follies she had -- going where one shouldn't and causing trouble. She only hoped Sharrowsmith wasn't cursed as she had been...
"We seek to right the wrongs of out fellows and find Sharrowsmith. It's our duty. Please, help us to fulfill it."
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[ooc]sold my Ceremonial Silk Robe, bought a wayfinder, 2 potions of barkskin and a wand of missile(50 charges)[ooc]
"Sir! Ki Chin stands at attention upon meeting the praetor. Being a soldier and coming from a heavily martial country himself the magus treats the praetor as a superior officer.
"If Sharrowsmith roused the kobold tribes why would they attack the settlement? Wouldn't they go after him? He is after all only one man. Sir!"
"And if Sharrowsmith really did cause this disruption we are honor bound to make it right."
The praetor, seemingly focused on keeping the peace between all of you and the Aspis agent early on, really pauses to look over your group and take in the diversity.
Well, you definitely aren't the typical group of Pathfinders, all meat and rushing in. You lot might have some interesting skills yet...
He listens intently as Pinesong explains his ability to deal with the varied denizens of the wild. His eyes light up as the vanara spins and transforms into a kobold.
Well... we certainly need someone who can make the local kobold tribes comfortable... or at least less tense. Just be mindful to not offend them by letting such a ruse become known! That would only make things worse!
I'm sure you'll try, young master Croak. He turns to Amersanus and makes an apologetic face, as if to say How could you refuse faces like these?
Praetor frowns and narrows his eyes a bit at Lomo's statements. Hmm, you'd better follow their lead. He motions generally to Pinesong and Croak.
Then to Sereia and Lin Ki, Well, it remains to be seen if this duty will be yours. Why attack settlements? What do hornets do when you kick their nest? Hmm? They swarm out of it and attack whoever is nearby, to release their anger. It is much the same with these vile kobolds. For all they know, we sent him and more are coming. Also, we don't really know what Sharrowsmith did to disturb them. If I see fit to entrust you with this duty, you'll get to put these hornets back in the nest. I like some of you already...
Valacosti grows increasingly incensed as the Pathfinders explain their case. "Sharrowsmith professed an intimate understanding of the region and its delicate balance of power as well, and behold the results: dozens dead, dozens more missing, kobolds attacking our mining operations, and people living in fear of the next raid. Praetor, with all due respect, you cannot allow these Pathfinders to exacerbate an already delicate situation."