This is the opening. Please give a brief description of yourself and what you are doing when you receive the invitation from Sheila Heidmarch.
The big and muscled half-orc is enjoying his bed time, even though the sun is already high. It's quite unusual that he's still in bed, but today he feels completely battered - and for a reason. The acceptance trials yesterday were tough and took all of his stamina - though he can triumphantly boast that he's a Pathfinder now.
"So, what will future throw at my face now?" He rolls to face the ceiling of his room and puts his big arms at the back of his neck. Sunlight enters through the window, making his grayish skin shine and forcing him to close one eye. His black hair uncombed, a taste of alcohol in his mouth and a slight headache remind him of the celebration party. "If I can call drinking on my own a party, but yeah... It had been a while since I last had a little excess."
The sudden noise of a door knocking makes him jump out of bed and reach for his big weapon. All his senses send alert signals, but he relaxes a bit when he realises danger wouldn't be that polite.
"Sir? Are you dressed?" The voice of the inn boy makes him smile at his own paranoia. He quickly puts on his pants while answering a brief "Second!" at the closed door, then opens it - still the weapon in his hand, in case destiny plays intricated games.
"Letter for you, Sir."
Gul clicked her tongue in annoyance as she found a chip in her pata's blade. She knew that this was an issue, as a crack could go further than what was visible to the eye.
"Excuse me, miss...?" A young boy stood before her, holding a letter. The child look terrified of Gul. And for good reason. She was large, green, scarred and covered in wiry muscle. That, and the pata before her had a blade that could easily have skewered two of him. "Go away." She replied, not looking up. The crack was moon shaped, which was good. It meant that the blade could be easily repaired without harming it. "Miss." The boy wined, holding out the letter. "WHAT?!" She snapped, looking up for the first time. The messenger nearly jumped at her flash of anger. With a look of annoyance on her face she snatched the letter and the messenger quickly retreated.
She opened the letter and quickly read it, feeling grateful that her parents insisted that she be literate. "Sheila Heidmarch..." Gul said to herself, mulling over the name. It sounded familiar. Did her father say it before? No matter. All that mattered was that things were progressing as they should.
Axton Vendian sat in his parents' home, reviewing one of the few worthwhile tomes he'd been able to acquire about Thassilonian society. At a knock at the door, the young man sat up straight, closed the book with a finality that echoed through the quiet house, and quickly strode to the the front of the house. He opened the door to see a boy who, strangely and specifically, looked relieved to not find a half-orc with a lethal weapon in hand. The boy proffered an envelope.
Taking the envelope, Axton merely glanced at the name of the woman who had sent it to him before his mustache twitched in triumph. Ever since he had returned from Absalom after completing his Trials, Axton has been waiting for just such an invitation to destiny. Stuffing the envelope into his belt without reading it, he called over his shoulder into the house.
"Mother! Father! My time is at hand! Goodbye and farewell!" He did not wait for an answer that was not forthcoming. "Come, Intrepid!" he said as a large, brown rat scrambled onto his backpack just as he picked it up and settled it onto his back. Striding out of his house carrying everything they owned that mattered, the pair set off for Heidmarch Manor.
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Elena bounced through the temple's gates, beaming for all the world to see. And how could she not? She'd made it! Countless applicants sought traineeship day by day, trying to escape their lives for those of adventure, and very few were even considered, let alone selected.
But, like her brother, she'd been!
What followed were two years of intense training under the Lodge's masters of magic and swords, endless late nights filled with history lessons from the lodge's lore keepers, travels to go to other lodges to meet with the far-off venture captains and study their prized chronicles...
That had been an adventure on its own!
...Yet, just as the grand temple of the Eternal Rose came into full view, her cheer contrarily fell. True, this was a place of happiness, where lovers openly courted another, where passionate artists of various kinds always found a home and where burdoned hearts could be healed, like hers had. And yes, the wide gardens and mini-theaters were beautiful, with the music soothing as normal...
But a lot of her friends would never get to see it. 'Nor would...' She shook her head. The world was full of danger, even in Absalom, and the Grand Lodge itself had been under attack more than once in recent years. Many of her fellow trainees hadn't made it to the end. Too many. Entire teams of experienced Pathfinders even went missing more and more regularly. To say her new job was safe was a gross misconception.
She paused on the way in, glancing at one of the many mirrors for public use. Her reflection stared back at her, a much more confident woman than the meek girl who'd left this coveted saftey nest two years ago. Perhaps she'd even grown more physically beautiful too, having become fit in such a manner that even wearing practical armor as part of her clothes left her with a desirable figure.
...But it wouldn't be enough. Not nearly - it was only the beginning. She'd have to become acknowledged for anyone to take her words seriously... and where to begin? What would be the first assignment?
Unfortunately, her room held the answer, and the letter's contents filled her with nothing but abject terror.
It only took two words, even.
"Sheila Heidmarch"
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As the morning is full of hustle and bustle within the lodge, a teenage messenger boy can be seen making his way through the landscape of the building. Passing several people, some who are buried in various conversations with others, he heads to the stairway and proceeds up.
Checking the room numbers as he passes each one, he finally catches sight of his destination. He then moves to knock...
Within the room a woman can be seen sitting at a desk, although it's difficult to make out her features from a side angle and with the cloak she wears pulled up over her head. She appears to be going through her pack and checking its contents. Finding everything seeming to be in order, she stows it all away properly.
A knock can then be heard upon the door. Rising, she moves to the door and opens it before lowering her cowl. An attractive half-orc woman with smooth green skin and long dark hair welcomes him with a friendly smile. "Good morning, young man. What brings you to my door this morning?"
The messenger boy grins shyly, turning red in the face as his thoughts betray him. "I'm... give... um...," he stammers, completely forgetting about the letter that's right in his hand and there to be given.
Umazura simply grins at the boy. Taking the letter between two fingers, "I gather this is what you wish to give me, no?" she says as she gently removes the letter from his hand. "Thank you. Now, off you go," she tells him as she closes the door and opens the letter.
After reading it, she refolds it and places it back within the envelope. "Finally."
Just outside the closed door the messenger boy is finally able to find his nerves again. "Whew! That was embarrassing. Wow she is pretty. I hope I didn't..." The door then opens again and the boy's eyes go wide as Umazura looks to him curiously. Panicking and having NO idea what to do, he simply takes off running.
Umazura leans out the door and watches him as he does; seeing him trip over something, hit the ground, get up in one fluid motion and keep running. Shaking her head and giving a roll of her eyes, "Boys," she concludes as she shuts the door and makes her way to the Captain's office.
Heidmarch Manor is located in the Alabaster District of Magnimar, not far from the city’s easternmost gate. The manor grounds are surrounded by a stone wall, but the front gate hangs open during the day—visitors are always welcome to the manor, which has recently come to double as the first Pathfinder Lodge in Varisia.
When you arrive, you are asked to wait in the foyer, as Sheila Heidmarch is finishing up a meeting with an unexpected visitor—a relatively wellknown Pathfinder Koriah Azmeren
Reaching the manor, but being asked to wait in the foyer, Axton finally takes the time to read his invitation. Even as focused as he is trying to divine any secrets left unsaid that may be found in Sheila Heimarch's missive, Axton stands at his full height, bristling with excited energy. Aside from his backpack, he has a light crossbow slung over his shoulder above a quiver of bolts which hangs off his belt. His hand not holding the invitation is covered in a cestus, a long, leather glove covered in metal plates and wicked spikes. He wears sturdy, leather clothing that has lots of pockets and accessories... an outfit fit for exploring. Around his torso is what is known as a haramaki, a wide cloth band reinforced with chain mail.
As he reads through his invitation, Axton's mustache twitches readily at the slightest change in expression, a feat matched by the whiskers of the large brown rat that peers at the invitation over Axton's shoulders.
When he finishes reading, Axton looks up and notices the three half-orcs and one half-elf standing with him. He nods while smiling. "Fantastic. You are all just fantastic!"
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"Um... thank you, sir?" The half-elven priestress hesitantly responds, glancing over her three much more heavily-muscled and savage-looking companions uncertainly.
Set against the imposing half-orcs, she seemed distictly out of place. Her exotic cyan-coloured hair, violet eyes and similar-toned touches to her mostly, if not entirely conservative Varisian outfit, along with her slender build and local accessories, might have sooner suited a local fashion exhibition. Especially with the half-cape over her left shoulder and the Varisian patterned overskirt covering the contrary right-hip and leg. Overall, the setup made her look attractive by most standards, but not overly provocative or sexual, as was the par for wearers of Shelyn's Songbird medallion.
Closer inspection, however, revealed that the outfit was actually carefully put together over an underlay of practical light armor. Her very strange spear containing many pointed ends branching off towards the normal end also hinted she was better at defending herself than might be assumed.
Well, either that, or she had absolultely no clue how even the simplest of weapons worked and hoped the excessive number of pointy ends just scared off hostiles by themselves.
"Forgive me for asking sir, but are you Sheila Heidmarch's husband? And if so, why were we summoned here? We've been standing in front of you for a good two hours waiting for you to notice us. I, ah, would like to sit down too, if at all possible?" She gives the stache-obscured man a friendly if somewhat strained smile.
Gul stood there, her arms crossed, patal blade sheathed. A pair of goggles were worn on her tattooed face, to not only keep out the sand and sun, but to also make it harder for others to judge her. The half-orc looked around, sizing up those who were there. Of course there was Grom. He was everything that a man should be. Large, strong, violent and direct. She didn’t know if she could take him in a fight, and that was what she liked about him. Because how could she respect a man that she could break with one hand? Her coldly gaze fell to Axton. He had to be a Wizard of some sort. There was no way that someone of such a build could be useful without cheating. He didn’t look like the sort who had ever lived off of that crossbow, and she doubted that he had ever truly had to rely on the cestus.
She looked away and saw Elena. Her way of hesitating when talking immediately grated Gul’s nerves. The woman’s armor was as fashionable as her hair, another point against her. But then she saw the holy symbol and her disgusted look melted. The little one was a devotee of the Gods. That she could respect. There was no point sizing her up to fight, as Gul decided that it was more proper to protect her.
And from there she saw Umazaora. A woman who had the tell-tale marks of Orc blood, but who could almost be mistaken for a human. Her features were beautiful and her skin was not green enough to so cal true strength. Just as her muscles told the same story. Gul sized the other woman up and decided that yes, she could win that fight. Unless the woman had magic as well. Her hand twitched inside her patal.
And finally she looked at the man before them. She remained silent as she sized him up. It was as her mother always said: ”Be polite to everyone you meet, and make sure that you have planned at least one way to kill them.”
"Forgive me for asking sir, but are you Sheila Heidmarch's husband? And if so, why were we summoned here? We've been standing in front of you for a good two hours waiting for you to notice us. I, ah, would like to sit down too, if at all possible?"
"Her husband? By the Outer Sphere, no! I am Axton Vendian. I have been invited here just as the four of you have been, I assume. My specialty is the is the discovery and application of the arcane arts." Axton smooths his mustache when he mentions his magic.
"Have you really been waiting here for two hours? That seems excessive."
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"Her husband? By the Outer Sphere, no! I am Axton Vendian. I have been invited here just as the four of you have been, I assume. My specialty is the is the discovery and application of the arcane arts." Axton smooths his mustache when he mentions his magic.
"Have you really been waiting here for two hours? That seems excessive."
"Oh. In that case, my mistake." She nods once in apology. "It might have been more like one hour. It's just that you were staring at that letter so long and intently that you failed to notice any of us enter! And that..." she looks around to see if anyone else was nearby. "...Would fit her reputation perfectly."
Not waiting another second, she walks to a nearby chair, takes out her spear and puts it against it before setting in herself. "Regardless, I am Elana, Elana Neidthardt. It... is a pleasure to meet all of you, as it is to finally sit down! The journey here from Absalom was a very long one."
She briefly touches her songbird pendant and whispers something to it before continuing. "I... am a cleric of Shelyn and my specialty is mostly in healing wounds. But I have some skill with a spear as well! I'm not helpless on my own."
There is an undercurrent of anxiety and skittishness in her demeanor, perhaps related to the presence of the three half-orcs, but she's trying to put on a brave face.
"Yes, well! I can be very focused when the need arises. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Axton looks at the half-orcs expectantly.
Gul gave a toothy smile and chuckled. ”Everyone relax. We aren’t going to eat anyone. Well, not unless the pay is really good.” She joked. Everyone being so nervous put her at ease, as it meant that they were not an immediate threat. ”I’m Gul.”
Pacing calmly with her arms behind her, she stops and immediately turns her attention to the human who spoke up. Looking to him curiously, she's just about to speak until the blue-haired half-elf beats her to the punch.
Crossing her arms, she listens intently to the conversation at hand and begins to size them all up mentally. So this is our merry band that I am to be joining with on this excursion, hm? Well, let us see what we have here. The human is quite outgoing. A pleasant demeanor he possesses. The real question is: what is that THING upon his upper lip? By Sarenrae it takes up half of his face. I am curious if it is to crawl away at some point...
Moving on to Elena, The half-elf appears friendly although a bit anxious. As to why..., she turns his gaze upon the other half-orcs that are there with them, I guess that is a mystery that may never be solved, she thinks sarcastically, rolling her eyes. Both very brutish. The male possibly more so than the female. But that remains to be seen.
"A pleasure to meet you all. I am Zura," she introduces herself, her words smooth and mellifluous, her tone one of absolute confidence. Cutting her attention to Gul, "And if I 'relax' any more, Gul, then I very well may fall asleep. Relaxing is not the issue; the issue is waiting. I have been prepared for this excursion to begin as quickly as possible and the waiting around simply feels like lost time," she says candidly as she mindlessly begins to chew on the end of her thumbnail.
Two women enter step into the room. The first is Sheila
Heidmarch, who looks you over, her eyes lingering with some disbelief on Axton's mustache. The second woman is her guest, Koriah. Who gives you a sympathetic look behind Sheila's back "Run while you still can!" she mouths in jest.
Sheila greets you in an unusually deep voice and with a no nonsense
attitude, thanking you for answering her summons. She then introduces Koriah, an attractive half-elven woman dressed in leather armor and armed with a distinctive-looking mithral-and-redwood aklys (a hooked club attached to a cord) and a bastard sword (both weapons are currently sheathed or hanging from her belt).
A successful DC 18 Knowledge (dungeoneering or local) check is enough for the PCs to recognize Koriah Azmeren as one of Varisia’s most famous Pathfinders and a well-renowned expert on the Darklands.
Sheila explains that Koriah has just returned from an expedition to the Darklands below Varisia, having successfully scouted out a new (but relatively minor) route down to Nar-Voth from the Fogscar Mountains.
Sheila goes on to explain that Koriah has returned with a surprising number of Thassilonian artifacts from this expedition, and that she must spend a few more moments discussing the implications of this discovery with Koriah.
She apologizes for the further delay, then pauses for a moment as if in thought. She then asks you and Koriah to accompany her into an adjoining room.
This chamber is the lodge library and study. The walls are lined with bookshelves, while several tables in the middle of the room are heaped with scrolls and books. One table in the center, however, supports only a single object—an ornate cubical stone coffer covered with Thassilonian runes.
Sheila asks you to have a seat around the table while she speaks to you. “I apologize for the delay, as I must conclude my business with
Pathfinder Azmeren before we meet. In the meantime, though, I thought you could help us with another minor issue. This stone coffer is an ancient Thassilonian puzzle, a cunning feat of magical engineering known as a paradox box. As you’ll see from even a casual investigation, what appear to be seams on the sides are only shallow grooves—there’s no obvious way to open the thing. Each paradox box has its own secret method of being opened. Essentially, a paradox box substitutes hidden
catches and magical triggers for a lock. Given time, anyone clever enough could figure out how to open a paradox box, just as given time, a locksmith can open any lock. This particular box was among those items recovered by Koriah—the scrolls next to the box are her preliminary notes on possible triggers or methods of opening it, but she’s not yet had a chance to sit down and properly investigate the thing. So... why don’t you put your heads together and see if you can’t do that for me? Even if the box is empty, as I suspect it probably is, knowing the method of opening it makes it a valuable find anyway. I’ll
return shortly, and I hope to see that box open! Think of this as an audition, if you will—because the actual task I want to speak to you about soon will require as much wit as it will brawn!”
Sheila does seem to be extremely busy at the moment and isn't just jerking you around.
What are you doing now?
Giving a slight nod, "Very well. And you shall," she states confidently.
Once they take their leave, Zura makes her way over to Koriah's notes and begins to peruse them, wondering if they might hold any possible clues.
Koriah’s notes are an invaluable resource for those who wish to avoid using force to open the box (smashing the box open destroys it and greatly disappoints Sheila). The scroll lists translations of the significant runes on the box—one of the most oft-repeated symbols was the rune for “wrath,” which Koriah also notes is associated with evocation magic, and in the earliest days of Thassilon with the word “kindness.” Her notes indicate that this rune merely marks the box has having once belonged to a citizen of the Thassilonian nation of Bakrakhan, and that the rune likely has little to do with the method of opening this particular paradox box.
Another of Koriah’s scrolls lists a few other key observations—the key observation being that five of the box’s faces are identical, but on one face, several additional runes appear. These runes spell out the word “CRUEL.” Koriah has correctly deduced that this word is somehow linked to the box’s mystery. She’s also noted that each of the individual runes in the word can be reorganized by touching two runes at once—doing so causes the two touched runes to exchange places for an hour before reverting to their original spelling of “CRUEL.”
In effect, this paradox box is locked with a clever combination lock, although since there are no moving parts, it cannot be cracked via Disable Device. By studying the word “CRUEL,” a character who succeeds at a DC 10 Linguistics check or a DC 12 Intelligence check realizes
the key might be hidden in anagrams of each word. In this way, “CRUEL” can be rearranged into “LUCRE.”
What now?
After pouring over the notes again and again, she finally comes to what she believes to be a conclusion. As she's just about to attempt something, she pauses, narrowing her eyes in thought. Remember, Umazura, you cannot do this alone.
Relaxing, she looks to the others. "Please, one of you make an attempt," is all she says as she steps away and returns to her seat. Sitting down, she begins to mindlessly chew on the side of her thumbnail again.
Grom picks a seat and puts it around the table, taking a good place from where to see how the rest squeeze their brains. He's got some basics about that, but will never be able to seriously compete when wits and knowledge are in play.
He remembers having seen a kind of puzzle where the sides of the box could be twisted and turned and needed to be put in the correct sequence.
"Have you tried changing the sides places?" he wild shoots, not paying much attention to what the rest are actually attempting.
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Elana, who'd gone rather stiff and white in the face upon seeing and being adressed by Sheila Heidmarch, seems to come back to life when the other woman leaves.
"R-right! The puzzle... so for the 'wrath' sides, there are links to evocation and kindness?" She wonders. "I know most forms of healing magic are based on evocation. And healing is kind in nature, right? So perhaps opening those sides has something to do with curative magic? Though... maybe i'm wrong. Why would a box have five openings? It makes more sense to be related to the one odd side..."
She thinks about it a little more. "Hm... I don't know how 'cruel' would be a clue for opening it peacefully. We really shouldn't damage something so ancient! But... it's also an anagram for 'Lucre', meaning money or profit in common. So... do we have to pay to open it? Is there some coin slot? Or does anyone know the Ancient Thassilonian words for either?"
"We should try what we know, rather than guessing new ways that we can't try.
"'Lucre' you say?"
Axton touches the letters of 'CRUEL,' two at a time, until he manages to rearrange the letters to spell 'LUCRE.'
Umazura, Elena & Axton put their heads together and with some clever thinking by the first two rearrange the runes to spell a different word.
Without any ceremony or sound the seamless coffer open opens, two revolting, little Gremlins are released and immediately spring to destroying the library with malicious cackles!
Axton & Yellow are up. They are not attacking you. They are obviously going to destroy and wreck anything they can. Gremlins!
Gul's eyes widened disgusting creatures spilled forth. Taken completely by surprise, she would have dropped her weapon if it were not attached to her hand via a gauntlet. All she could do is mouth "What the-" in shock as they began their destruction.
Thinking quickly, Axton steps away from the table that the gremlins are on and blasts a color spray at it, hoping to get both of the gremlins in the cone of light, but not Gul on the other side.
Elena may act. Yellow is flat on his back and unconscious. Red is active.
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Elena's eyes widen in shock at the sudden appeareance, though she quickly closes them at the vehement storm of colours flying past her vision the next moment. When it dies down, but two years of combat training surface and she swiftly draws her spear to stab the remaining one!
Unfortunately, the hit seems glancing at best.
Elena[b] thrusts her branched spear skillfully at the hideous creature but somehow her attack misses?
[b]Red giggles mockingly at Elena and skips passed Axton & Elena heading for a tempting pottery display.
Everyone else may act.
With an annoyed look on her face, Gul took the sheathe off of her blade. The pata was a gauntlet with a sword blade attached to it, and with it now exposed she took a single step towards the offending fey, raised her hand, and slashed down at it. It was a well timed blade, coming down at the gremlin's head just as it skipped into the air, making dodging practically impossible.
...unfortunately, the blade got caught in the scabbard, meaning that it took an extra moment for Gul to free it. As such, her blow was not timed as it should have been, and instead swept through the air at where the gremlin was, rather than where it was going.
As the gremlin tries to slip past him, Axton swipes out with his cestus-covered hand, trying to knock the creature back. He's not fast enough, but maybe he managed to swipe him?
Grom takes the big falchion from his back and delivers a slash that could cut an ox in two.
Gul looks annoyed and unsheathes her unusual weapon, slicing Red in half with one smooth strike. It is a little tougher than it looks, but not enough to survive.
Yellow is in a completely helpless state thanks to Axton's spell and is promptly finished off.
Aside from the nasty scrape Elena put in the table with her missed strike the Pugwampi were unable to cause any damage.
Treasure:
The box is mostly empty—it contains three
garnets worth 50 gp each,
a MW silver dagger,
a ring of feather falling.
Shortly after your defeat of the gremlins Sheila and Koriah return to the room, drawn there by the sounds of battle. Sheila demands an
explanation, but despite her apparent anger, she’s more angry at herself for leaving a possible dangerous item unattended.
She quickly makes it clear to you that she’s quite pleased with your ability to not only open the paradox box, but also dispatch the pugwampis. If they did so without allowing much damage to scar the
room, she’s even happier.
Sheila bids farewell to Koriah; the half-elf bows to you as she leaves and wishes you luck in your endeavors as Pathfinders. Once Koriah has left, Sheila asks you to take your seats again, and then informs you of the true reason she’s called upon your services.
“First, allow me to apologize for that unpleasantness regarding the gremlins—but it does provide an excellent object lesson. The life of an adventurer is not one for the weak-hearted. That you not only took care of the gremlins but also got the box open in the first place is all the confirmation I need that my gut was right—you’re the perfect group for the job I have in mind. “You see—I’ve recently had trouble with one of my informants here in Magnimar, Natalya Vancaskerkin. She’s a half-Varisian who recently approached the Pathfinder Society with an offer to serve as a street informant. She runs with the Sczarni—I’m not sure with which group. A week ago, Natalya sent me a cryptic hint that her gang was on the verge of uncovering an item that would be of great interest to the Society. Since the Sczarnis’ methods of uncovering something often involves an armed robbery or breaking into somebody’s personal chambers, we thought it prudent not to press for further details and instead wait to see what it would produce. Suffice it to say, she hinted strongly that it pertained to Thassilon, and promised to meet with me to discuss this find three days ago."
She pauses and sighs, “She never kept that promise—instead, she seems to have simply vanished. Initially, I assumed that the acquisition of this item was simply taking longer than expected, but now I’m hearing rumors that the Sczarni are looking for her as well.
It seems likely that Natalya has absconded with this item she’s discovered. And this is where you enter, my friends. I want to know what it was that Natalya and the Sczarni found. In fact, I’m more interested in that than in what happened to Natalya herself. For now, I’d like to keep all of this quiet—if you can find out what happened to Natalya without letting a lot of people know she was also working for me as an informant, that would be preferable—that’s a big part of why I’m coming to you, as new members of the Pathfinder Society, with this task. You don’t yet have a reputation in Magnimar, and as such, the
lowlifes and criminals you are likely to encounter may be more likely to talk."
Giving you each a serious look she finishes “So... go out there and look for Natalya. Find out what happened to her, and to this item she and her gang discovered. If you can secure the item, all the better—bring it back to me and I’ll have a reward of 500 gold pieces for you. And if you can bring Natalya back alive for me to speak to, I’ll double that!”
Any questions for Sheila?
Sheila unfortunately doesn’t know much about Natalya, other than that the woman approached the Pathfinders and offered to be a sort of double agent among the Sczarni.
As the Pathfinders have recently forged alliances with the Sczarni in many cities throughout the Inner Sea region, Sheila knew that having a member of a Sczarni gang as a double agent could be useful—the Sczarni have yet to fully earn the trust of the Pathfinder Society, after all.
Unfortunately, one of Natalya’s conditions for entering this alliance with the Pathfinders was that she wanted to retain a good amount of
anonymity and autonomy, so she’d be free to handle things as she saw fit.
Sheila now realizes that agreeing to these terms may have been a mistake—but until she knows more, she’s not willing to write off Natalya as a traitor.
Sheila can give you some information about the Sczarni, and perhaps a bit more that you can go on to begin your investigations.
The Sczarni have been a part of Magnimar from the start—they’re not the most dangerous or powerful of the city’s criminal organizations, but they are the most visible. The Sczarni generally don’t involve themselves in particularly violent crimes, and in many cases in Magnimar, they actually help to protect and police less fortunate neighborhoods, and as such are often well regarded by the lower-class.
There are six major Sczarni gangs in the city: the Creepers, Doolun’s
Lads, the Gallowed, the Tower Girls, the Washside Wringers, and the Wreckwash Blades, with the Gallowed being the most powerful Sczarni family in the city.
When Natalya initially approached Sheila with the offer of serving the Pathfinders as an informant, she engaged the aid of a man known as the Amazing Zograthy, a Varisian who keeps a permanent tent and fortune-telling business in Washers’ Row in Dockway—specifically, at the end of a narrow alley that serves as a permanent street fair.
You remember that the Amazing Zograthy often works as a sort of middle-man between Sczarni and outsiders, but he expects gold in payment for his services.
Sheila has little more information for you, unfortunately—there are rumors of Nidalese slavers prowling the streets of late, and if these are true, being abducted by a slaver in the middle of the night would
certainly explain Natalya’s absence.
She might even have been picked up by the city guard for some reason, in which case a visit to the Arvensoar, the garrison for the city’s
watch, might yield some clues. Beyond this, she can offer nothing but wishes for luck.
That is all the information Sheila can give you.
Axton puts the knuckles of one hand to his chin in thought.
"So, there's nothing known about this Thassilonian artifact? That could be one avenue of inquiry, I suppose. If we want to keep our interest in Miss Vancerk-- Miss Vancyskin -- this Natalya unknown, we could contrive a reason to have heard of the artifact and approach from that angle."
Axton turns to the other Pathfinders at the table.
"I can be quite good at talking and influencing people, but my knowledge of Magnimar's underworld is lacking. Does anyone have any leads other than the Amazing Zograthy?"
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"She's angry with herself for leaving 'a dangerous item unattended'? What about directly instructing a group of novices to open it, three of them muscled half-orcs with very big weapons?? And why is she sending such a visually stand-out group like us on a *social stealth mission*!? Oh goddess, the rumors about her were all true! We're going to die horrible and wasteful deaths! This unknown artefact is going to be a doomsday device that we'll set off *just because* she's involved! Why couldn't I be dispatched *anywhere else!?*"
"A-ah, sorry, I've only just arrived here, so I don't know much more about the locals, Elana quickly answers when it appears Sheila was done talking. Folding her hands and trying her very hardest not succumb to mortal terror, she instead muses on the problem. "But... if all we need to do is hide Natalya's connection to the society itself, wouldn't it be enough to just present us as acquaintances of hers who are looking for her after she disappeared? No one has to know we're pathfinders. It might be the easiest approach, but I realize it might get her enemies on us the quickest as well..."
"Seems simple enough to me." Gul said. "Go out and grab us some people from the underworld. Then we break fingers until we get information that we can act on." She said, casually. "I figure that we can ask one person five questions, breaking a finger each time the answer isn't the right one. If there's still no info by then, then there won't be any point asking anymore. Do this to enough people and we're bound to come across someone with something we can work on. And if, Axton, was it? If you say that you have experience in this, then I see no reason why we can't let you ask the questions first." She finished, giving a friendly nod in the wizard's direction.
Umazura watches the scene with interest, figuring one of the larger orcs will finish off the little pests. "Those were pugwampis. They possess an aura of unluck for those around them making it more difficult for them to be struck. They thrive on chaos, that is for certain."
"Interestingly enough, this morning at the lodge before I made my way here, I managed to overhear a pair discussing this 'Amazing Zograthy'. As far as he's concerned, we might do well in tracking him down in Washer's Row - I believe that is the place Sheila named. He tends to work as some type of middle-man between the Sczarni and outsiders. But any services rendered will be expected to be paid in gold."
She then looks to Gul with a straight face. "Gul, I do believe we can accomplish a great deal more by not breaking fingers. How about we agree to allow Axton to do our talking for us, hm? You'd be amazed at how far a little pleasantry can take one." She looks away, eyes slightly wide. I do not know which is to be more challenging: Having to deal with complete strangers who may or may not have ulterior motives or dealing with Gul and her passion for wanting to 'break' things.
"Plans are good!" Axton responds to Gul.
"But... if I'm asking a question that I don't know, how do I know if the answer is correct or not?"
”Smiling people lie. Crying people will say anything to make the pain stop. If enough people cry the same thing, then they’re telling the truth. Or if you only have one person, see if what they say fits with what you know.” Gul responded, with a shrug. ”At least that’s how it worked in Belkzen. But, how does the saying go? When in Absalom, do as the locals do. If you think that being pleasant will work, we can try that first.”
"Plans are good!" Axton responds to Gul.
"But... if I'm asking a question that I don't know, how do I know if the answer is correct or not?"
"No need to concern yourself with such at this time, Axton. When the time comes, we shall figure it out."
”Smiling people lie. Crying people will say anything to make the pain stop. If enough people cry the same thing, then they’re telling the truth. Or if you only have one person, see if what they say fits with what you know.” Gul responded, with a shrug. ”At least that’s how it worked in Belkzen. But, how does the saying go? When in Absalom, do as the locals do. If you think that being pleasant will work, we can try that first.”
Smiling pleasantly, "Ah yes, black and white is the world to you, is it? Nothing wrong with that," she says candidly. Note to self: Never visit Belkzen. Ever.
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”Smiling people lie. Crying people will say anything to make the pain stop. If enough people cry the same thing, then they’re telling the truth. Or if you only have one person, see if what they say fits with what you know.” Gul responded, with a shrug. ”At least that’s how it worked in Belkzen. But, how does the saying go? When in Absalom, do as the locals do. If you think that being pleasant will work, we can try that first.”
Elana takes a step back from Gul. "L-let's not resort to that any time soon. You could very well be breaking innocent people's bones for no reason, and I won't stand for that! Such behavior is liable to get us killed too! Weren't you listening just now? The Sczarni have six different gangs here and are liked by the city's less fortunate. Are you planning to make enemies of each and everyone one of them? There's much more of them than there is of us, and at some point we have to sleep."
Shuddering at the prospect and turning to the apparent voice of reason in the room, she nods to Umazura. "Zograthy, however, sounds like a promising lead. We could ask him what the price is and then see what we do? We couold still either present ourselves as artefact hunters or unaffiliated associates of Natalya who are looking for her. It might be a good idea too to talk to the guards first, to see if they have some information on the criminal world that would help us on the way?"
Gul kept quiet, disappointed at the weakness of her companions. In her experience there were only two ways to stay safe amongst the strong. Either proving yourself stronger, or getting out of their way. And it seemed as if though this group was the latter. She didn't meet Umazura's smile, because smiles lied at Umazaura's smile was far too pleasant.
"Well, let's go then!"
The party heads out to find the Amazing Zograthy, but with a plan to stop by Arvensoar if they can't find him.
Grom, speaking for the first time, lets his gutural voice be heard.
"I also think we should talk to this Zograthy. Depending on the info we get, we might need to trace a plan. Maybe we can pose as a new gang in town, with so many of us looking orcish."
He shrugs.
"Everybody seem to easily buy it when we play the ne'er-do-well" he explains, as if it was an amazing fact impossible to believe.
Axton claps his hands in triumph and Grommush's astute plan.
"Yes! We will play to humanity's inherent racism! Let's go!"
It is a long walk from Heidmarch manor to Washers row in the Dockway. You draw curious glances from the many people bustling about doing their business in this large city.
Lead 1: The Amazing Zograthy
Washers’ Row is a tangle of open-air washhouses, launderers, and Varisian wagons and tents—while the bulk of those who live and toil here do so in the laundry and tailoring industries, there are some who practice other trades, such as the Amazing Zograthy.
You know that Washer’s Row is also primarily a front for one of Magnimar’s larger Sczarni gangs, the Washside Wringers.
Once you reach Washers row:
At the southern end of Washers’ Row, a tattered banner hanging over the entrance to the small side street advertises “Professor Callivario’s Stupendous Exhibition of the Outrageous and Sublime.” Beyond this overly exuberant advertisement is a squalid setup consisting of little more than a series of rundown sideshow booths and carts with assorted games and amusements of the meaner sort.
To one side, urchins pitch pennies at lily pads floating in a small, scum-covered fountain while a bored carnie looks on. Nearby, the sound of cats hissing and fighting arises from behind a cart where a small
crowd of ne’er-do-wells has gathered to cheer and place bets.
Everywhere lurk faces pinched with suspicion or hunger— expressions worn by carnival workers and visitors alike. This is not the sort of place to be careless with a coin pouch.
What are you doing now?
Elana takes a step back from Gul. "L-let's not resort to that any time soon. You could very well be breaking innocent people's bones for no reason, and I won't stand for that! Such behavior is liable to get us killed too! Weren't you listening just now? The Sczarni have six different gangs here and are liked by the city's less fortunate. Are you planning to make enemies of each and everyone one of them? There's much more of them than there is of us, and at some point we have to sleep."
Giving a nod of appreciation, "Well said, Elena. Truly the last thing we need is to create enemies everywhere we turn."
Shuddering at the prospect and turning to the apparent voice of reason in the room, she nods to Umazura. "Zograthy, however, sounds like a promising lead. We could ask him what the price is and then see what we do? We could still either present ourselves as artefact hunters or unaffiliated associates of Natalya who are looking for her. It might be a good idea too to talk to the guards first, to see if they have some information on the criminal world that would help us on the way?"
"A plausible plan, Elena. But let us not volunteer any more information than we must. I am slightly leery on speaking with any guards at this point though. I fear it may bring a suspecting eye upon us, whether we are Pathfinders or not. I would suggest we see what we can learn from Zograthy and proceed from there."
Grom, speaking for the first time, lets his gutural voice be heard.
"I also think we should talk to this Zograthy. Depending on the info we get, we might need to trace a plan. Maybe we can pose as a new gang in town, with so many of us looking orcish."
He shrugs.
"Everybody seem to easily buy it when we play the ne'er-do-well" he explains, as if it was an amazing fact impossible to believe.
Tapping her chin in thought, "Well, let us take a look at your idea for a moment, Grom, if you would? Now, posing as a gang could easily bring more trouble to us than we care to deal with. If another gang hears about us, then they may wish to test our mettle. And let's just say we were to win said confrontation, then word gets out. Once word gets out, then we are tested again. And again. And again. And so on and so forth. We would be fighting a constant war that detracts us from our main purpose. I am most certain that is not what we want."
"I say let's remain as inconspicuous as much as we possibly can," she says as she looks upon the half-orc brutuses with a great deal of skepticism at the idea.
Axton claps his hands in triumph and Grommush's astute plan.
"Yes! We will play to humanity's inherent racism! Let's go!"
Looking to the one-man cheering squad with a raised eyebrow, "Axton, dear, truly? Let us not encourage please."