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On the border between Isger and Andoran, the Pathfinder Society is called to action! Venture-Captain Brackett's allies in the Eagle Knights of Andoran have requested aid with defeating a group of duergar slavers. Before these duergar can cause any more pain and suffering, Brackett hopes that the PCs and Lieutenant Evanno Pratt of the Eagle Knights' Steel Falcons division can mount a pincer attack that will defeat the villains without allowing them to escape into the Darklands with their victims.
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You start their adventure at the edge of the nation of Andoran, just outside of an Eagle Knight encampment.
Upon their arrival, a Steel Falcons ensign directs you to meet Lieutenant Pratt on a pavilion overlooking an entrance to the Candlestone Caverns. There, they find Evanno Pratt standing in front of a map, coordinating tactics with other Eagle Knights. All around, you can see several soldiers building sturdy wooden barricades, which they bring to the tunnels below.
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"AHAHAH! I thought the meeting was in the mead hall! I have NO IDEA how I could have gotten that wrong! HAHAHA! uhhhh.... sorry."
The tall man's voice is deep and sonorous. His eyes are volcanic in intensity. Rax tosses the note when done. BY CAYDEN'S CODPIECE I HATE SLAVERS!"
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"MR. Pratt! I'm Vercingeterax. These are friends and shieldmates. Now, point me in the direction of these motherless slavers so I can send them to the Boneyard."
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Duergar! Hampton thinks to himself. Generally unpleasant sorts, those.
Hampton, a trained diplomat, does not interrupt the briefing, but pays close attention to the tactics being discussed. He waits politely for the opportunity to present himself and his fellow Pathfinders.
Rax, of course, is less demure.
With a glare at the awe-wielder, Hampton turns to the Steel Falcon and speaks. Aye, Lieutenant. We are envoys from Venture-Captain Brackett. We shall endeavor to thwart the slavers and lend whatever aid we can.
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Zandu lurks behind the others, shifting slightly from foot to foot. His leather armor creaks, the sound a courtesy to let them know he's there. An middle-aged man of Varisian heritage, he seems out of place for a mission like this. But for anyone who's worked with him before, they know he's the type of person to have... A certain set of skills.
For now he says nothing.
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”Ah! I see the Pathfinders have arrived.” An Eagle Knight officer steps aside from the ranks, doffing his hat jovially. “Pleased to meet you all! Lieutenant Evanno Pratt, at your service. But you can call me Evanno, or Ev.” He smiles as he waves your group over to a table bearing several incomplete maps, labeled as depicting nearby sections of the Candlestone Caverns. “We've been dealing with a problem these past few weeks that a bit of collaboration should be able to solve. A group of duergars from the Candlestone Caverns have emerged, raiding the nearby lands for slaves and supplies. We're not sure if they're a scouting party, colonists, or something else; frankly, it doesn't matter to us. They're abducting Andoren citizens, and that's not something we can allow to stand.” Evanno's expression darkens slightly. “We've been setting up some barricades in Candlestone, blocking off several passageways. Our plan is to force the duergars into this cavern right here, forming a two-pronged assault to wipe those filthy slavers out before they can escape deeper into the Darklands. The second prong,” he gestures to your group, “is right here in front of me. When my platoon found that journal on a duergar body, I knew that good ol' Brackett would send some of his finest in exchange for it—and you all certainly seem capable. The placement of barricades is nearly done, and we want you to meet us there through the fastest means necessary; once they realize our trap, we need to act quickly. This map's incomplete, so feel free to depart from it if you find a faster route. Any questions?”
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"You mean to tell me that you really aren't interested in why they're doing the abductions, Pratt?" Zandu uses the lieutenant's last name, giving a bit of emphasis. "Why here? I mean, is this a new spot or are we traipsing in on territory that is contested? I'm all for a dust up, but I prefer to be sure I have the advantage. What's the history here?"
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”You were brought here to save the lives of Andoran people who have been getting enslaved by the grey dwarves! They have been coming out, raiding and slaving. We are going in to stop that from happening again.
“ “We are the military of Andoran! We are sworn to protect our homeland within and without from wicked organizations that seek to undo it. We have a particular enmity toward slavers, as I'm sure you can tell. My platoon here represents one of our branches, the Steel Falcons, who do whatever must be done for freedom's sake.
“I guess if you have a problem with that, I was wrong, and Brackett sent the wrong people.”
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"Problem?! HAHAHAH! I was BORN to do this. My father looked at me when I was wee and said 'son, I had you in order to fight the fight, slay evil, drink mead, and tell stories of me." Rax gets quiet for a moment, "HA! Look at that, all I need to do is kill a slaver today and I'll have fullfilled all his wishes!"
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Seeing a meeting going sideways, Zandu attempts to course correct. "Oh, you got the right folks. We're just asking questions though. Questions never hurt nobody. It's just... we're used to dealing with very nuanced situations, if you follow. This is unusually straightforward. Which is why Rax likes it so much."
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There's a loud noise as someone comes crashing into the room. A goblin, wearing scale mail and a steel shield comes barreling into the room.
"Late, late, so sorry I'm late. I was tied up. Yes, tied up. Literally. So sorry! I'm Globlot. I was told there were slavers? Slavers bad! Only voluntary slavery is good! yes yes!!"
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"I see. This is the military, son. We don't beat around the bush.
"So, you all know about duergar? They’re a bunch of dwarves who went rogue—I don’t know the whole story about how they became the monsters they are now, but they enslave other creatures above and below the surface without a care. Those scum work people to death—the sooner we’re rid of them, the better."
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Zandu has the right if it, Hampton says, trying not to look startled at the noisy arrival of the goblin and being as diplomatic as possible. It's been our experience that things are rarely as straightforward as they seem at first glance. Still, I can't say I'm unhappy with the idea of stopping duergar slavers.
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The Candlestone Caverns are a gateway between the Darklands and Andoran. Its tunnels can be treacherous, and many an adventurer has either gotten lost in the caves or fallen victim to an unexpected plunge.
When you are ready, Lieutenant Brackett cheerfully directs you to a tunnel leading to the cavern where the duergars are to be cornered. He reminds you that the way there is long, and that time is of the essence to catch the duergars in the pincer maneuver.
After about an hour’s travel down the caverns following the map given, you come across a cave-in blocking the main path forward, but also find a side tunnel that was not marked on Evanno’s map.
Capricio, Hampton, Zandu, and even Vercingeterax agree that this is a shorter and faster route, but potentially more hazardous.
This is quickly proven true, as the tunnel plunges into a steep decline too tall and uneven to simply walk down.
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Rax easily makes his way through, though for a moment, it appears that Caprisio is about to fall. Unfortunately, Globlot slides right past the group, and gets slashed by the sharp rocks.
Hampton looks like he is going to fall, but ends up doing a double-cartwheel and makes it through safely, while Zandu manages to cleverly tumble past the loose rock, surprising it utterly.
You find that the sharp slope ends in a wandering cavern. As you make their way around its perimeter, you find a metallic grate securing the only apparent exit from the room. The grate appears to be completely sealed, with no knob, lock, or other mechanism to open it. Near the grate, an inscription in a mixture of Dwarven and Undercommon glows faintly on the wall.
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With the team helping, they all manage to mess up and find the trap, the hard way. Each is splashed with acid!
Capricio 13/16
Globlot: 27/24
Hampton: 41/44
Vercingeterax: 21/24
Zandu: 25/28
As you traverse farther into the tunnels, they hear the sounds of pitched battle between the Eagle Knights and the duergars far in the distance, but they’re at a risk of becoming lost if they charge forward too hastily! With time pressure bearing down, one of you must take the lead to find the path through!