As the Pathfinders arrive at Ambrus Valsin’s office in Skyreach, he looks over his records to see where the agents have been before.
"Maybe you can save me some paperwork," he says. "Have any of you been on missions into the Hao Jin Tapestry before?"
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Taarik is a massive Ifrit. His hair is blazing and burning so that he almost warms his surroundings.
He has a greatsword and a bardiche on his back, a light flail at his side and a heavy shield on his back.
He wears a fullplate that looks like it has seen battle recently.
Resting on top of his chest, an amulet showing the holy symbol of Irori is visible.
* * *
Taarik is pleased that he is at the Grand Lodge ... such a place of knowledge.
He himself does not understand much about that kind of thing but Irori represents this part of life and he hopes to learn at some point.
"I might be late but I have come to aid. Hmm … that even rhymed!” he says a little confused about his own statement.
"Ehh, I am Taariik."
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The sound of solid-heeled boot steps and jingling gold can be heard coming down the hall. A large human bedecked in a very worn tricorn, a long black coat with bronze clasps, a pale green chain shirt under the opened coat, and leathers everywhere else strolls into the office. His dark brown eyes are penetrating as they look around and he has a bit of an imposing presence due to slight smoke emanating from his semi-kempt black beard.
"I ain't been to th' taperstry before," Each says gruffly. "That be why I'm here now. I heard this place be wrecked soon so it is perfect for a lootin'!" Each grins, revealing a golden smile. All of his teeth are plated in gold.
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A young elven woman greets the others with a slight nod of the head before replying
"Charmed. Adumariel Odranti, a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
She is tall, and dressed in a finely embroidered dark purple overcoat and winter trousers, with the glint of mithral sparkling beneath a tasteful waistcoat. The only thing setting her apart from a typical Ustalavian noblewoman out for a stroll is a collection of strange items about her person; gleaming goggles sat atop her head, black boots with delicate red filigree, and a striking umbrella with a crystal pommel hanging from her belt like a sword. On her other hip is an actual sword, gracefully curved like a thorn.
She raises an eyebrow at the strange sight of a dinosaur in the office, and straightens when the Venture-Captain addresses them.
"Indeed. I've ventured into the tapestry twice in the last year, narrowly escaping with my life in both cases. I know how pressing it is that we find a way to evacuate those trapped there, and preserve any valuable relics that might otherwise be lost."
She gives Commodore Each a look as she mentions preserving relics, trying to convey just how gauche she finds talk of looting with her entirely black eyes.
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Each gives Adumariel a wolfish grin with his gold slightly showing. "Me dear Lady Odranti, I be wounded you think so little of me lootin'," he says with surprising charm. "Why," he continues as he pulls open his coat. When he does so, an array of occupied pistol holsters go up the right and left side of his torso. Only two of the pistols within are the same, standard double barrel pistols. The rest are quite strange contraptions, but still hold the general pistol shape and size. Each deftly pulls out one of the strange ones with a twirl flourish. The pistol is larger above the handle and has some sort of blue substance inside of clear tubing throughout the area where the hammer normally strikes. "I looted this here relic on one of me missions and keep it on me person fir safe keeping."
Each then adds in a tone that has a little steel, "Ye could say that me collection be a bit of a museum in and of itself, me Lady. And I defend me collection with...fervor. There probably be little difference between a museum and me fleet at this point. Ho!" he chortles, "now that I think about it, it be a bit of a mobile museum! Albeit, a dangerous one."
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Adumariel's eyes go wide at the sight of all the pistols, and she stands side by side with Tsadoc to goggle at them.
"Fascinating, I've never seen so many all together."
She indicates the one with the blue substance by reaching toward it and looks as if she's about to ask to examine it, but she quickly remembers that she's in a briefing and turns her attention back to the Venture Captain with a sheepish look on her face.
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A lean and agile man with red hair and bushy eyebrows enters and looks around.
He sees Taariik and shakes his head.
"Hey you fire guy!! When you walked into me earlier and half of my stuff fell on the ground, you somehow grabbed my mission letter! You are wrong here man!" the man says with an accusing tone.
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Taariik looks totally confused and feverishly starts searching for the papers he has on him.
He looks at them intently and suddenly blushes which leads to more heat being released.
"Oh ... ehh ... sorry Mister ... I ... I ... better get going then!" the massive Ifrit says and waves goodbye while walking out with an embarrassed look on his face.
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Suussmaar watches the Ifrit leave and again shakes his head.
”Hey everyone, I am Suussmaar! I see that you are already chatting! Did I miss anything?
He has a bastard sword at his hip and a longbow on his back.
He wears a mithral chainshirt that looks like it has not seen much battle.
Resting on top of his chest is an amulet showing the holy symbol of Ragathiel which looks like a bastard sword crossed with a crimson wing.
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Each quickly holsters the foreign pistol, turns and sizes up Suussmaar, his hands flexing and belaying a slight edginess. "We be admirin' me treasures I looted during previous missions, angel man," Each says cautiously. Each's left hand hovering near his chest while his right hovers near the ornate rapier resting at his waist. "I be showin' th' Lady here about the merits of lootin'. Th' name's Commodore Each."
Ambrus finally looks up from his paperwork, and jumps right into the mission.
“I’m asking you to enter the Hao Jin Tapestry. I’m sure you understand both the risk and potential rewards implied in such a mission. Our planar experts have reviewed Aram Zey’s notes and the tapestry’s recent behavior. We’ve concluded that each new expedition into the tapestry weakens its fabric, bringing it closer to unraveling. The Society must balance our desire to ..."
Ambrus sighs with resignation.
"... salvage as much of Hao Jin’s collection as possible with limiting our intrusions into the demiplane.
With that in mind, we’ve been doing some research into Tien historical documents, in search of significant locations that Hao Jin may have transported into her tapestry. We think we’ve found an important one: the Shen Province Imperial Archive. An ancient letter sent by one of the librarians mentions that Hao Jin was visiting to study their collection. Shortly after that letter was sent, the Shu Empire began to collapse, plunging the provinces into war. The library disappeared entirely, and visitors found only a round hole where its grounds used to be. These reports are consistent with other locations that Hao Jin transported into her tapestry. One of our scouting missions spotted a lone building in a remote area of the tapestry that matches the library’s description, and I want you to go in and explore it.
You have two goals on this mission; the first is to search the library’s archives and loot, er, salvage a selection of documents most valuable to the Society; this could contain rare Shu documents many centuries old! The second, which may turn out even more rewarding, is to search for any clues about what happened to Hao Jin, or at least what she was studying at this library.
I’ve requisitioned a bag of holding for transporting any potentially valuable books you find. It will hold a thousand pounds, but put some thought into what you choose. If my guess is right, you’ll find far more than you can carry away even in such a generous amount of space."
He looks directly at the Commodore.
"Valuable to the Pathfinder Society means things of cultural significance, not monetary value."
Turning his attention back to the full group, he continues, "Remember as you go that the tapestry is far from stable. Our experts agree the magic that it uses to repair itself is reacting poorly to our intrusions. It will be important to get in and out again as quickly as possible, so try not to stay more than 24 hours. If you have to leave before you’ve finished searching the library, we may not be able to get you back in for a second try.”
DC 30+:
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Adumariel inclines her head in greeting when Suussmaar joins them, though she's sorry to see Taariik go.
"An ancient library? Lost knowledge? It will be an honour Venture Captain. Books are a passion of mine. And a chance to follow in Hao Jin's footsteps and follow her trail is a rare one indeed. My Tien-Xia history is rusty though. Hao Jinn originated in Goka did she not, which would have been part of the Shu empire at the time?"
She meets eyes with the other Pathfinders as she considers the implications.
"There must be so much we could learn from an intact archive from so long ago. Do you have any suggestions of where we should start?"
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The Commodore chuckles at each of the uses of 'salvage', his gold teeth gleaming.
"Valsin," Each says gruffly, "call it what ye want, we know what we be doin'. Also, as always, I be gettin' ye what ye be wantin' and I be keepin' what I be wantin'. A win-win, if ye will."
He then turns back to Suusmaar with a challenging smile, "Looky here angel-man, I agreed to th' society's rules. I explore, report, and cooperate. What I be doin' outside o' that be me own business. Cap'n Benarry and I made a deal. I will be doin' me part. I think ye should be makin' sure that he," he points a finger at the holy symbol, "doesn't be gettin' in th' way o' the society's interests. Don't ye be mistakin', the society's first priority be itself. That's why I be likin' it here."
Without giving time for a response he turns to Adumariel and gives a wolfish smile and a wink. He follows with a bow and says, "Ye, m'lady, be th'best candidate fer th' cap'n o' this venture. I'll be lookin' to yer guidance as to where we be startin'. I be assumin' that ye be smarter than ye be beautiful. And ye be quite beautiful."
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Tsadoc and Martin sit uncharacteristically quiet. Then the druid whispers to the stegasaur, "Some birds will spend minutes circling each other while displaying threat. Many of the cervids and ovis actually join in combat while posturing for territory or mating. These are usually nonlethal." He blinks once. Then a second time. Then he leans in closer and whispers "Almost exclusively only humans and baboons take this posturing to fatal levels."
Out loud he says "We should buy you a harness & a cart Martin!
[ooc]& two PP for an [I]ant haul wand[/B].
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Suussmaar has sly smile on his lips after the commodore’s statement.
“Seem almost as if you are preaching! Maybe some divine intervention will guide you to your destiny ... salvation maybe? Damnation more likely!“
He then turns to Adumariel and Tsadoc.
“Great that you guys will at least bring some knowledge into the game!“
"There must be so much we could learn from an intact archive from so long ago. Do you have any suggestions of where we should start?"
“Nobody knows what the inside of the archive is like, so just trust your instincts. I’m sure you have a wide range of skills that can help you identify documents our researchers will be interested in. But in addition to that, be sure to retrieve anything that might indicate what Hao Jin was researching during her stay there.”
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When the group is ready to enter the tapestry, Ambrus directs them to the room where it’s laid out on a low square table.
"Touch the target area near a corner of the tapestry and speak the command word to be transported into the demiplane."
"So do you have anything we should know about Hao Jin? Or anything else about the tapestry? Or anything else useful?" he asks with a shrug.
"I've told you everything we know. Unfortunately, it's not much."
"What do we know of the librarians themselves? Did the library have other guardians? What languages do (did) they speak?"
"We don’t know much about the library, except that its collection was highly regarded. I would assume it had some sort of defenses, but what condition they may be in or what may have moved in during the time since it was plucked from Tian Xia is anyone’s guess.
As the library is from Tian Xia, it's likely Tien would be useful to know."
Each of the Pathfinders, in turn, touch the Tapestry, bringing about a large whooshing sound as they disappear from the Material Plane and reappear as tiny dots on the Tapestry.
With the momentary disorientation of planar travel wearing off, the Pathfinders look up to see a bright galaxy stretching across the night sky above a small valley.
The library building is visible less than a mile ahead, but a wooden
bridge crossing a small river stands in the way.
Everyone looks around but the woods are pretty quiet.
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"A mile? the chubby man gasps. "Well if we are going on an adventure, I have to get the short legs moving!" Tsadoc & Martin spend the mile looking at the fauna and the flora. "Is that a mouse? I wonder if there are different mice in the tapestry." When Martin rumbles a questioning bleet, the druid responds, "Tail spikes? On a mouse? That would be cool!"
The druid stumbles onto the bridge before stopping to look at the stream. Looking up, then down the waterway he wonders about the water cycle on the demi-plane.
Does the water come from a spring? Or does it happen come from another plane? Does it go to a lake? Does the lake fill up? Will the whole magical place eventually drown from this tiny stream?
As Each gets to the halfway point across the bridge, a lashing comes undone - too perfectly to be coincidental. The entire log bridge collapses.
Even as the bridge collapses, a cackling is heard from the far embankment, where a set of kobolds has watched everything happen and high five each other and say something in Tien.
"Show us more! Show us more!"
Round 1
Commodore (Reflex save)
Adumariel
Red Kobold
Orange Kobold
Green Kobold
Blue Kobold
Suussmaar
Tsadoc (Reflex save)
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The Commodore's head jerks to the side as he hears the telltale sound of rope sliding across rope. As a pirate sailor, he is quite familiar with the sound. Just as quickly, his reflexes tell him that it is not a sound he should be hearing. His head then jerks to behind him. Immediately, images flash through his mind, visualizing how he needs to jump and grab to make it back with his current crew. His feet twist, ready to initiate the plan.
But then his feet twist a different way. Images of him colliding with Tsadoc flash through his mind. He jumps forward instead. By Besmara's boots, if he had jumped backward he would have hit Tsadoc and surely plummeted. Besmara...
Commodore rises from the kneel of his landing with a wicked smirk. His boots click against the rock as he begins a walk toward the kobolds. "Ye almost got me little lizards," Each says right before a loud BANG! erupts from a strange pistol that seemingly appeared in his left hand. Similarly, the rapier that was sheathed at his side he now carries pointed low in his right hand. His eyes look crazy and his grin has shifted to unnerving.
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"My goodness! Are you OK Tsadoc?"
Seeing that Tsadoc is alive down there, Adumariel turns her attention to the kobold threat. She clicks her heels together and briefly closes her eyes.
Light as a feather. Light as a feather
When she opens them she has risen an inch off the ground, and she promptly shoots over the gap toward the kobolds, drawing her thornblade gracefully as she moves. She points it toward the kobolds and addresses them.
A gunshot rings out throughout the quietly valley as Tsadoc plummets. The kobolds light up with animated talking.
"Did the smoothscale do it?"
"I don't know, some kind of magic."
"Should we attack them?"
"Bridge-and-Logs, what should we do?"
"She-Who-Fears-Rain speaks our language."
To Adumariel:
"Why have you come to our land?"
Round 1
Commodore
Adumariel
Red Kobold (leader)
Orange Kobold
Green Kobold
Blue Kobold
Suussmaar
Tsadoc (-22 hp, prone)
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Each glares at Adumariel for several moments while keeping his pistol aimed at the kobolds. After those moments he takes a deep breath and glares back to the kobolds. Between clenched teeth he spits, "Ye are lucky the lady speak up fer ya'! I normally kill any who injure me crew."
Each maintains his pistol aim but does not advance further. His chest shows that he is panting somewhat.
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Tsadoc stands up in the water and looks around him. "I am OK. I'll be up. he looks around and at the climb back to his allies. "In a bit."
Calling on creature power the oread clasps the amulet centered on his chest. A blue flash erupts and his fingers lengthen longer than his other limbs. The blue energy grows and fills the gaps between the phalanges, only to fade away leaving leathery skin stretched across. His head lengthens, growing a beak and a counter balancing crest. His body doubles in size, then doubles again.
"sqawk"* the dino shaped dino-shaman shouts.
"Library?"
The word causes all the kobolds to turn around and turn towards the Pathfinder, despite the grevious injury that one had sustained.
"Here you are to visit the library? Why not you say so?"
Their Common is a little rusty, and clearly not their primary language, but they quickly explain - lapsing into Tien as needed, which Adumariel translates - that they are caretakers of the library.
They offer some ropes to pull Tsadoc up from the buddy riverbed below, and will offer to escort the Pathfinders to their camp.
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"It seems you said the magic word Suussmaar!"
Adumariel will help translate as necessary as they walk, and peppers then with questions about how long they've been caretakers, what it involves, where the camp is etc.
She smiles when she thinks of the name they gave her, and wonders what they'd call the rest of this eclectic group.
Can they tell us more about being caretakers?
"Someone has to take care of library, is sacred trial ground! Evil spirits haunt the sacred trial ground. Each generation of Scalebreakers sneaks in to lay new traps and keep them trapped inside!"
Hides and woven blankets have been laid out on the grass in front of the library. Several campfires are burning, some with simmering cook pots. A squeaky yapping song echoes throughout the valley. Fourteen kobolds are present in total.