“I have a mission for you,” says Istivil Bosk, the Venture-Captain of Daggermark in the River Kingdoms. After receiving the assignment from Venture-Captain Adril Hestram in Absalom, traveling for weeks across the Inner Sea and up the lengthy Sellen River, and with barely an hour to adjust to Daggermark’s sights and sounds, the Venture-Captain of Daggermark now paces back and forth across cramped quarters crammed full of maps, books, and adventuring gear.
“Your timing is perfect, friends,” explains Bosk, an elderly man with graying hair and a pinched, weathered face. He waves a parchment in his hand. “I received another letter just yesterday.” He holds up another stack of letters. “It’s from the Black Marquis—I believe his real name is Bazzak—the leader of a band of brigands surreptiously known as the Pirate Pact. In all of these letters, he claims to need our help and offers us The Memoirs of the Silver Brotherhood, a rare text—maybe the rarest—in exchange. The Society tried for years to track it down and now Bazzaks claims to be ready to give it to us. I’m sending you north to Deadbridge near the Echo Wood to meet this Black Marquis and offer him your help with whatever it is he needs. I want this book, and you’ll get it for me.”
And so the mission travels north along the Sellen River, to the aptly named village of Deadbridge, a rundown hamlet partially built on wharves. It is there, in a rundown antique manor house where stands Urdul Bazzak, the Black Marquis.
“I rule the Pirate Pact and with it the stretch of the Sellen River between here and Numeria,” proudly states the portly little man. “The waterways are the lifeblood of the River Kingdoms, so you must understand that any menace to the river is a menace to the balance of power.” The Black Marquis stops and quickly looks to his left and right before leaning in and continuing in hushed tones. “Unless someone deals with this threat soon, I could lose everything. Normally I would rely on my most trusted lieutenants, but …” Bazzak sits up, regains some composure, and resumes. “The book I’m willing to trade for your service—The Memoirs of the Silver Brotherhood—contains information about an Azlanti treasure vault deep within the Echo Wood. That’s where I sent my most trusted lieutenants. Only, on their way they were waylaid by spiders and abominations and only one returned alive. Lady Riverbane sent out another ship upon her return, the Hanspur’s Luck, to search for my men. The Luck hasn’t returned either.” Bazzak points to the only other person in the room, a silver-haired beauty standing in a corner wearing a red tricorne. “Lady Riverbane is my most trusted second, and she will take one of my best ships and guide you back to the Azlanti vault. Rid the river of these monstrous spiders and their abominations, find the Hanspur’s Luck, and uncover the whereabouts of my
men, and the book is yours. Do it quickly, do it quietly, and do it before the rest of the Pact realize I’ve sent my best men on fools’ errands that may have killed them all.”
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A well dressed Quadiran Sarenrite moves with the group into the briefing room in Daggermark. She listens patiently until the venture captain is done.
"Are we seriously dealing with pirates? You trust this, Marquis as he claims, to be true to his word?"
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Cenae gives a proper curtsy to the Marquis and Lady Riverbane upon their introduction, "Cenae Eohe, Priest of Sarenrae. We will rescue your underlings, or at least return with their remains. Do you wish us to stop at that point or should we also investigate the treasure vault?"
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Niza is, as usual, quiet during the boat rides. She spends most of it as elevated as possible chatting with Albis. The gnome keeps glaring at Cenae though and finally it boils over at dinner one night.
She stands on the bench and points a fork at the cleric, "YOU! You left us alone in that damn tapestry and the half-elf died and I got cursed and... it sucked! What do you have to say for yourself? Huh?"
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The friendly gnome walks in and nearly freezes mid-stride. Pfft! Her again?!?! Pish and Posh! Dimple slaps a smile on her face. "Oh Hi! How have you been? We missed you last time out. At least she can't try and get her hands all over Liet-Gar this time. Then hearing Niza's words, "Oh yeah! Hey! That was really rotten of you. They should take away ... your...oh, I don't know, SOMETHING from you. Or go make you stand in the dark for a month. Or hit you with a piece of the Moon or something. THE HALF-ELF DIED Wait, she already said that. Oh so what! HE DIED...and Niza had something else less important happen. BUT STILL!!"
Venture captain Bosk sighs My dear Cenae. This is the River Kingdoms emphasis on the s There are many kingdoms of which the pirate pact could be regarded as such. In our hunt for knowledge we can not always keep company with the just those who share your beliefs. Pirates rely on keeping their word to keep their crews in line and The Black Marquis is no exception. Daggermark is a town of some size you should find any supplies you might need
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The human seems to shrink a bit at the accusations and then just blurts out all the words, "I'm sorry. Listen, I really am. I read through your mission report and... I really wish I was there. I didn't know it would go so bad and when you are ordered to leave, you just... hope things go okay without you. But at least the society was able to bring him back, right? Is he taking some time off or something? And where is that odd elf wizard and who is this lady with the big cat. It looks like a lot has changed since we last worked together."
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Cenae shares anything she knows.
Cenae only remembers that the river kingdoms have always been a confusing and mixed up jumble. But she does know that many disgraced scions of noble families take to a life of piracy especially those jailed for their crimes.
Niza has heard Zukka Nephmet the former alchemist to the Osirian Ruby prince was exiled seven years ago and took up residence in Deadbridge. She has further heard that a letter of invitation back to the court is seeking out the alchemist
The history of the river kingdoms has been consistently changing and charts of the current safe ways of navigating the Sellen river are always in high demand to trade princes and the like
There are lots of lands that border the river kingdoms
The Lion Blades are always interested in poisons and are particularly keen on acquiring venom sacks from the spiders of echo wood
Niza knows Larkus Lochinvar formerly of Cheliax is a member of the Black Marquis crew and has a mean left hook. Zarta would find news of his death satisfying
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Stormy and shade Sit in the briefing. Both seem to be listening closely. After she considers what she knows about the area and its threats.
To Cenae, after her inquiry, Stormy introduces herself. Well met Cenae. I am Stormy, a follower of Nature. This is my friend Shade. The big cat stretches and yawns. We helped out on the last run and were invited back.
After hearing about spiders Stormy mentions Anti-toxin might be a good add to everyone's kit.
And so the mission travels north along the Sellen River, to the aptly named village of Deadbridge, a rundown hamlet partially built on wharves. It is there, in a rundown antique manor house where stands Urdul Bazzak, the Black Marquis.
“I rule the Pirate Pact and with it the stretch of the Sellen River between here and Numeria,” proudly states the portly little man. “The waterways are the lifeblood of the River Kingdoms, so you must understand that any menace to the river is a menace to the balance of power.” The Black Marquis stops and quickly looks to his left and right before leaning in and continuing in hushed tones. “Unless someone deals with this threat soon, I could lose Bazzak sits up, regains some composure, and resumes. “The book I’m willing to trade for your service—The Memoirs of the Silver Brotherhood—contains information about an Azlanti treasure vault deep within the Echo Wood. That’s where I sent my most trusted lieutenants. Only, on their way they were waylaid by spiders and abominations and only one returned alive. Lady RiverbaneBazzak gestures to the only other person in the room, a silver-haired beauty standing in a corner wearing a red tricorne before continuing sent out another ship upon her return, the Hanspur’s Luck, to search for my men. The Luck hasn’t returned either. Lady Riverbane is my most trusted second, and she will take one of my best ships and guide you back to the Azlanti vault. Rid the river of these monstrous spiders and their abominations, find the Hanspur’s Luck, and uncover the whereabouts of my men, and the book is yours. Do it quickly, do it quietly, and do it before the rest of the Pact realize I’ve sent my best men on fools’ errands that may have killed them all.”
Cenae gives a proper curtsy to the Marquis and Lady Riverbane upon their introduction, "Cenae Eohe, Priest of Sarenrae. We will rescue your underlings, or at least return with their remains. Do you wish us to stop at that point or should we also investigate the treasure vault?"
Bazzak raises an eyebrow at the curtsey and Lady Riverbane lets out chuckle. You were right Marquis these Pathfinders are not Pirates or they would have asked for a half share of the treasure.
No but they are skilled warriors. I'm betting your[i] life on this remember A quick look of contempt or anger or both flashes across Riverbane's face before a courteous smile replies to his dig
Of course Marquis and she imitates Cenae's curtsey
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Cenae nods at Kasvot, "Thank you. I will do my absolute best to keep Sarenrae shining on all of you."
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At the Marquis' place she replies, "We shall protect Lady Riverbane and her crew and return with news. You didn't answer my question though, do you want us to just bring the book and your crews back or can we investigate the vault too?"
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"Sooooooo...." Kasvot begins, drawing out the uncertainty in his voice before he continues. "You sent your people on a fool's errand--not once, but twice. Now--without any new information or context about why that was a fool's errand--you're sending us on the very same fool's errand?"
"That about right?"
Arrr Pirates be good at boarding ships and looting places near a shoreline. Pathfinder on the other hand excel at navigating the hazards of old ruins. Let's call it calling in the experts. The marquis responds to Kasvot
It will be a three day sail to ruins Sort yourselves a weeks chow and board the Scrag Fisher in an hour. You have a fine beast there but my crew nor puppies are available as cat chow Lady Riverbane indicates a single masted ship rigged with a lug sail
Lady Riverbane strides around her ship and is impressed Cenae's offerings
Very good I like a crew that can feed themselves
She nods appreciatively at Stormy's efforts to fish. Can you coordinate your efforts with Andrezi? He's this crews fish catcher in chief
She moves over to Dimple May I recommend the pickled herring She produces a vile smelling piece of pickled fish Once you get that down toy you dare not throw it up again
The ship soon settles in to steady rythm
Since it left Deadbridge, the Scrag Fisher has been cutting a straight
furrow into the lazy waters of the Sellen River, making good speed thanks to its industrious crew actively manning the ship’s sail and ropes. Deadbridge is already far behind when an exclamation rises. “Sail Ho!” Esmerelda one of the robust sailors points ahead while turning toward Lady Riverbane standing at the helm. “It’s a cog, Milady. And it flies no colors—should we tender these trespassers?” Looking at the incoming vessel, Lady Riverbane answers in a stern voice: “Nay! Not today. We have our mission. We’ll stick to it.” Without another word, the crew gets back to working the hawser and lanyards. As the two ships draw closer, the other craft’s pitiful state becomes obvious. With planks and riggings missing in places, sailors frantically move about the deck and appear to have difficulty steering their ship. As the two ships avoid collision and pass alongside each other, a shout rises—”Now!”—followed by a volley of grappling hocks from the other vessel. The Scrag Fisher is under attack!
Kasvot
Niza
Dimple
Get to act first There are 6 grapple lines attached between the two ships currently 5 feet apart Blue and yellow look to be ready to set a gangplank between the to ships and those in bow and stern look to be reaching for bows
Niza stands ready to repel boarders
Dimple's spell falls over the pirates including the twins holding the gangplank. The one with a blue headband drops his half of the gang plank. The yellow headband yells at him What you playing at? He just stares back with the stupefied expression his shipmates behind him share
Kasvot
some pirates
Cenae
Stormy
Shade
Some other pirates
Niza
Dimple
Kasvot
Some not stunned pirates
Kasvots spell hits the three at the bow and one sags asleep. Hey no sleeping on the job His colleague kicks him awake as his friend fires at Dimple who easily dodges the arrow
In the middle of the ship yellow headband gets some help manouvering the gangplank in position as yet another moves in and swings at Dimple while standing on it doing a crazy flailing pirouette to keep his balance
The three at the stern concentrate their fire on the big cat. Shade is not hurt by their arrows
Cenae
Stormy and Shade
The Scrag fisher crew
Niza
Dimple
Kasvot
Waverider crew
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Cenae holds up her hand to Stormy, "Keep your kitty back for a second, I'm going to show pirates what I think of them."
She holds a small ball in her hand and then completes a complicated twist before it turns into a bead of fire. Aiming carefully to avoid all allies, she releases the flame which zips out and explodes violently!
KasvotCenae's fireball burst over the wavestrider 2 of the motley crew manage toduck out of the way of it the rest join their poor ship in taking the brunt of the flames The crew fall to the deck but the flames catch the sails setting them on fire
Fishers! Fire drill! Cut that damm thing loose Let the pathfinders deal with these scallywags Two shoot up the rigging to ensure the flames don't leap across as the others move to cut the grapples
Stormy and Shade
Niza
Kasvot
Dimple
wavestridersFlame-dodgers
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Stormy casts greater Magic Fang on Shade and backs away.
Shade takes 10 for a 20 to jump/pounce onto the other ship attacking the blue ringed captain looking guy.
Young female Lion - shadowy grey black coat
N Large animal
Init +3; Senses low-light vision; Perception +8
Defense
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AC 24, touch 12, flat-footed 21 (+5 armor, +3 Dex, +7 natural, -1 size) hp 51 (6d8+24)
Fort +9, Ref +8, Will +4 (+4 morale bonus vs. enchantment effects) Defensive Abilities evasion
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Offense
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Speed 40 ft.
Melee bite +9 (1d8+6 plus grab), 2 claws +10 (1d6+6)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Special Attacks pounce, rake (2 claws +10, 1d6+6)
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Statistics
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Str 23, Dex 16, Con 18, Int 3, Wis 15, Cha 10
Base Atk +4; CMB +11 (+15 grapple); CMD 24 (28 vs. trip)
Feats Light Armor Proficiency, Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus (claw)
Tricks Air Walk, Attack, Attack, Attack Any Target, Come, Defend, Down, Fetch, Guard, Heel, Stay, Track, Work
Skills Acrobatics +6 (+10 to jump), Climb +9, Perception +7, Stealth +2, Swim +9
SQ air walk, attack, attack any target, come, defend, devotion, down, fetch, guard, heel, stay, track, work Other Gear +1 chain shirt
The one in front of Shade on the gangplank between the ships finds Shades teeth very sharp Geroff m he starts to shout before going very limp and very dead
The remaining pirates drop their bows and shout We're going away! As they dive into the river. The scrag fisher crew (black circle round their tokens) are making short work of cutting away the grappling hooks
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Niza's nose flares and she rubs her hands together to get any residue from the spell components off, "See, easy enough. A large show of force generally makes cowards flee. Do we want to put out the fires or just let it burn?"
The firelight reflects off her dark eyes and jewelry, creating a nice halo of sparkles around her.
"See, easy enough. A large show of force generally makes cowards flee. Do we want to put out the fires or just let it burn?"
Lady riverbane answers No Let the wreck burn we need to be on our way! She speaks firmly glaring at Esmeralda to silence any further requests for loot. It seems the Marquis undersold your abilities Pathfinders She smiles at Cenae
Dimple waves appreciatively, "Thank you for understanding. Maybe we will see you guys tomorrow. Then we can have some real fun."
With a shake of the head Riverbane offers I'd be very surprised to see any of them again
The Scrag Fisher sails on after the altercation with the river thugs and does not come across any other aggressive boats that day.
The next morning, low gray clouds smear the sky, and by midday tall trees leaning over the riverbank further obstruct the pale sun. A gloomy mood falls on the pirate crew as the ship enters Echo Wood. A mere hour before dusk, the sailors’ misgivings crystallize when the expedition comes across a barge trapped in giant webs.
The wind seems to come to a dead still as the Scrag Fisher approaches the wreckage of a hulking river barge. “It’s the Hanspur’s Luck, Milady—or what’s left of it,” grumbles Fox one of the pirates. Like a large bee stuck in a spider’s web, the partially sunken boat bulges out of a mesh of sticky tangles, its deck slightly sloping abaft. Slowly turning the wheel, Lady Riverbane orders her ship toward the ensnarled derelict, and a minute later the Scrag Fisher’s moorings are secured to the Hanspur’s Luck. The captain turns around and says, “Here we are mates. That looks like a good place to start your investigation, wouldn’t you say?”
The deck of the hanspur is mostly clear of webs but peering through the large hatch that leads down to the hold you can see plenty. Of course this leads to the age old question. Who wants to go first?
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Knowing the group will face spiders Stormy switches out one of her Greater Magic Fang spells for Communal Delay Poison when she prepares her spells in the morning.
Stormy begins to prepare by casting a few buff spells. She will cast Delay Poison on everyone, including Shade that will last for 1 hour. Shen then casts Barkskin on herself and Shade, and Greate Magic Fang on Shade. And right before the group boards the ship she casts Shilelagh and Light on her club. Shade and I are ready.
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Cenae works with Stormy and Niza that morning to chat about spells. Once she learns about the plan for delay poison, she instead prepares a second Status spell for the day.
"I can handle invisible enemies and even deeper darkness, I'd suggest you all prepare for anything else."
As they see the webbed up ship she quickly casts her monitoring spell (status) upon Shade, Niza, Stormy and... Kasvot.
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Niza refreshes her spells the next morning as well, choosing a couple alternative options to her usual loadout.
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When they see the ship she thanks Cenae and Stormy for the spell and then applies a few of her own.
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Pulling her rapier she takes a minute to listen and look for dangers on the ship before hopping over. Her head is on a constant swivel as she moves.
Niza spots the multifaceted eyes looking at her the hatch opening. There are giant spiders below. She also spots the crates marked with red x Keep away from fire. The spiders appear to be waiting for something.
In other news You know there are spiders The spiders appear to be waiting for you to enter the hold before doing anything. Your buffs are active (for now).
Kasvot sees the nearest spiders begin to move menacingly
To act
Kasvot
yellowish spiders
Stormy
Shade
Niza
Cenae
Dimple
Blueish spiders