You find yourself onboard the ship: 'Sunken Maiden' from Absalom to Oppara.
It is led by a cunning but friendly hobgoblin captain named Olzu the beauty and the crew consists only of Goblins. The crew seems very chaotic and they are pranksters, every now and then you find yourself locked in your cabin hearing laughter when you try to get out.
You soon also learn where the name came from, whenever captain Olzu catches her crewmate not behaving they sunk the maiden. The goblin needs to put on a dress and is being thrown into the water from the bow and is caught on the lasso when passing the stern. That usually cools down that individual temper and provides plenty of entertainment for the rest of the crew.
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"What the ...?"
Emdi looks at the doorknob in his hand, and then through the hole from where the doorknob had come from. Someone removed the other half of the doorknob from the corridor side of his door.
He couldn't see anyone, but he saw two goblin shadows slinking around the corridor.
"Very funny, I'll let you have the fish guts if you let me out!"
Never had a doorknob been re-assembled quicker.
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Emdi spends most of his time on the poop deck, holding a long fishing line that drags pretty far behind the ship. He talks with the other Pathfinders, as well as the crew, to whom he repeatedly explains that poupe is a Galtian word meaning stern.
The goblin laughter scares away all the fish.
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The elven wizardress enters, her hand upon a quarterstaff. On her shoulder is an owl of snowy white, which matches the robes that the elf wears. Her skin is the color of ivory which only serves to highlight her midnight black hair and purple eyes.
She speaks in a nuanced elven accent Greetings to my fellow Pathfinders. I am Avonathalanthalasa Caldon, from Kyonin and a student of the art of the Magaambya.Elven is often difficult for non native speakers to pronounce so you may call me Avonatha, if that is easier for you to pronounce. Are there any other followers of the Vigilant Seal present for this mission? . Her tone is friendly but matter of fact.
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Mirtha is a gnome with a shock of orange hair that is the color and shape of a flickering fire. She is dressed in a fine Chelish suit made of black wool, which a stiff collar that goes up to her chin. Resting on her chest is a silver symbol of Sarenrae, with little red garnets for the eyes. Despite her scrubbed and starched appearance, there is a faint stench of sulfur that always hangs about her. Her lips are usually white from the pressure of her frown and her red irised eyes blaze with barely concealed anger.
"Well met, Avonatha. Yes, I am also of the opinion that the Pathfinders have a sacred duty to make sure that evils which are buried should remain so. Have you heard yet why they have us on this ship, Avonatha?"
The first time the goblins play a prank on her, she emerges from her room with smoke trailing behind her as flames flicker around her fingers. "Tell me which of you miscreants locked me in my room, now! Confess before I burn this whole ship into cinders!"
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Hornbori patiently disassembles the lock to his stateroom and just as painstakingly puts it back together from the other side. Patient as old stone, he says nothing of the prank to anyone.
He enters the cabin where the discussion is being held and stands still, his hands crossed over the top of his enormous shield, which he carries everywhere with him. Stout and powerfully built, the dwarf scrutinizes the faces and posture of each Pathfinder as well as any crew, vigilant for signs of ill health.
Hornbori has many misgivings about this adventure. A ship, any ship, is a terrible idea, but a ship full of goblins was simply asking for trouble. Hornbori never leaves his shield behind because he is convinced that the ship will sink before nightfall.
"Perhaps it is not too much to imagine that the captain of this...vessel... might have our instructions?" he says, his first words for many hours.
"I am Hornbori, Son of Mjothvitnir, of Highhelm. At your service."
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Mirtha looks relieved when she sees that there are several warriors aboard the vessel. "They have assembled what looks like a proper expedition team, so I imagine we will be finding out what we need to do soon."
Mirtha approaches Hornbori and quietly says, "I can't believe that this ship hasn't already sunk or caught on fire yet." She subtly gestures with her eyes towards the goblin crew.
Despite the common fears, the ship kept to the course and its position over the water.
After few interesting days onboard The Sunken Maiden, the ship sails up the River Porthmos until it circles north past an island stronghold. As it rounds the river’s final bend, the ship sails into a bustling harbor filled with people and vessels from all across the Inner Sea. A gargantuan bridge spans the wide river, connecting the southern bank to the vast city of Oppara. To the north rises an enormous, weatherworn dome on top of a hill otherwise covered with beautiful old buildings and manicured gardens.
You are aware that someone is following you from when you disembarked. When you try to keep track of that person you don't see them anymore, but you have a feeling like someone else is now tracking you. You may suspect that there is more than one person tracking you and they change every now and then.
You walk through the Grandbridege which is the largest district of Oppara. As you make your way towards the lodge. You see from the distance the infamous Gray Market that offers questionable goods straight from the docks. A few lowlifes size you up and leave you be, as you keep on walking towards your destination. In the middle of Oppara's bustling markets stand a bait and tackle shop, towards which leads you missive that you got.
After entering it, the person at the counter nods and takes you at the back, through the storage of fishing tackle into an office. There stands a middle-aged male human (Muesello) on his desk lies a few disasembled wayfinders.
Muesello brushes back his gray hair as he paces behind his desk.
"A concerned friend brought a series of illegal street tournaments to my attention. They would like the Pathfinder Society to look into them, and as you have probably guessed, that is why you are here."
He gestures towards the city outside the balcony. "Many of those that compete in the tournaments have gone missing. I have arranged for you to go undercover and take part in the upcoming tournament. I need you to find out who is organizing them and, if possible, what their purpose is."
He hands over a piece of paper. "Go to this street corner on the eastern edge of Grandbridge. The tournament contact will meet you there. Oh, and before I forget: would you kindly hand over your wayfinders? We should not advertise who we are during this mission. I want you to be as discreet as possible. The situation in Taldor is delicate, and we do not want to attract unwanted attention."
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"Did you sharpen your axe today, Hornbori?"
The dwarf nods and smiles through his beard. "Dwarven axes are always sharp!"
He looks at the elf. "You stay near me, Miss. You've got elven wizardry at your command, like as not, but my shield can defend us both!"
"And to all of you, I learned some interesting field dressings in my time as a city guard. If you're hurt, come to me in battle!"
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"I don't suppose we have any reason to know who this friend if yours is?" Mirtha asks coyly. "Perhaps you could tell us what these tournaments are, though. Are they fighting tournaments?"
"Yes, illegal fighting tournaments. I suspect that these tournaments have a hidden purpose beyond earning coin from illegal street fights—especially with combatants disappearing. They could lead to trouble for us and our friends in Taldor in the future."
"With regards to who my source is. They wouldn’t want me throwing their name around unnecessarily. Let’s just say, they have a vested interest in the continued success of the current Taldan regime."
Muesello turns towards Hornbori
"Rules? There are no rules for those combat, the fighting is restricted to a given area and they usually take place in poor districts so law enforcers rarely intervene."
"And here we come to your question Master Emdi, you are there to investigate and not arrest. Learn as much as you can, and we will work from there. Attacked you have all the rights to defend yourself."
Finally, he turns towards Aroh
"We are in many businesses Master Aroh, from what I know we helped make a play in Puddles, investigate murder near the world wound, and few others. I am less interested in the ones that are missing, but the reason why they are missing. Champions in tournaments usually stick to tournaments to earn more money."
He looks at your wayfinders with interest...
You know that while Grand Princess Eutropia managed to secure a firm grip on the crown of Taldor during the recent civil war, there are still factions within the nation that would be happy to see someone else on the throne—preferably, someone they could more easily control.
"Do we have directions to where the next tournament is?"
Muesello responds
"No, the tournaments happen in different places to not be easily found. I was able to sign you for the tournament few a trusted source. You will meet the contact from the tournament on the eastern edge of Grandbridge. They will take you where you need to go. If you have no other questions, I wish you good luck."
As you are leaving the place Muesello throws
"Keep in mind from no on, no one connected to the tournament should learn that you are pathfinders. And take those potions, you might need them."
You leave the shop into the street. The number of people there can be a bit overwhelming for some of you that are used to the wilderness. The directions that you got allowed you to find the spot rather quickly. When you arrive to the corner a young Taldan woman approaches you and asks smiling
"You look like heading for a fight, are you the ones that signed up for the tournament? I am Vionnia, what are your names, tell me something about yourselves?"
She’s a young Taldan woman with bright green eyes and an easy smile. She seems to be nice and friendly.
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Mirtha shares what she knows about the political situation in Taldor as they walk to meet with their contact.
Mirtha greets Vionna, telling her "I am Mirtha Darklight of Cheliax and as you can see I am a follower of the Dawnflower." Mirtha gestures to the red holy symbol on her chest. "We are looking to fight."
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Emdi stands up straight and scowls. He looks more constipated than threatening, but it's about as tough as he can look.
"I'm Emdi. I grew up in Nidal and I've trained with the Nidalese army.
But discipline wasn't my thing so now I wander the world looking for a good fight."
Mirtha greets Vionna, telling her "I am Mirtha Darklight of Cheliax and as you can see I am a follower of the Dawnflower." Mirtha gestures to the red holy symbol on her chest. "We are looking to fight."
"Of course you are looking to fight, you wouldn't join the tournament if it was otherwise, right?" she smiles to Mirtha
"I'm Emdi. I grew up in Nidal and I've trained with the Nidalese army.
But discipline wasn't my thing so now I wander the world looking for a good fight."
"Yeah I hear you about that discipline thing. Army can teach you plenty but it also changes you into a mindless order taker, just like my uncle Rudi. He is so funny..." she keeps on talking for a bit
When hearing Hornbori
"You are funny, thirty-two winters? That is a lot, I've never been to Highhelm, maybe one day."
She looks at Anjo and Avonathalanthalasa and she leans towards Mirtha, Hornbori and Emdi
"Are they mute? She looks like some sort of spellcaster, no armor so definitely a spellcaster, I saw them quite a bit in the tournament. Or maybe they don't speak common. Where did you found them? And the other one is looking at me like a cat looking on a mouse." she says a bit confused
You believe her to be honest and good willing in nature. You suspect that she asks so many questions as she likes people, but who can truly know that.
"Ok, we should get going to the first site, follow me."
She takes you through some streets, taking many turns on your way.
"Now we are entering the Narrows. It is Oppara’s poorest district and is in terrible disrepair. It’s not out of place to see refuse or even dead
bodies strewn on the muddy walkways. The constabulary typically avoids this district unless it causes trouble for the rest of the city, in which case they arrive in force to quell whatever is causing the disturbance before going back to pretending the district doesn’t exist. The people who live here are suspicious of outsiders and why they’ve come to the Narrows. Some neighborhoods are close-knit communities that take care of each other since no one else will, while more abandoned sections house those running from the law or cutthroats on the lookout for easy targets that wandered into the wrong alley."
The ramshackle buildings creak as they lean on each other, as though they might collapse at any moment. You spot some groups of people giving you looks, but besides that and horrible smell, you are untroubled.
Vionnia leads you towards a place and ask you to wait there.
From the distance you can hear the faint music
"Ok, this is where you start. You can prepare now, but you don't have much time. There are few rules, The battle should be restricted to the courtyard north from here. Any looting of the fallen is prohibited. If the enemy surrenders you should honor that. Stay away from the insides of those houses, they barely stand so it could be dangerous."
Vionnia walks away and then she throws
"Oh, almost forgot, your enemies appear to be funeral workers. Stay here and wait for my signal. Opponents are on the opposite side of the courtyard" with that she leaves.
"Before you leave ... are weapons allowed?"
"Oh yes. Weapons, armors, shields, magic." she responds smiling wickedly
"The enemies most certainly have their weapons"
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Mirtha whispers a few words in Emdi and Hornbori's direction to give them a little guidance for their next action. In their heads, they hear a raspy voice telling him exactly what to do.
Mirtha then touches the holy symbol around her next, and a translucent shield appears in front of her, simmering like a desert mirage in the air.
"Keep your hearts pure and Sarenrae will guide us to victory!"
Vionnia yells "Yes, lethal, yes as a group. The opponents most definitely will be fighting as a group." With that she leaves.
Few seconds later she yells:
Mildewy, ramshackle houses surround a dour yard with a crumbling well in the middle. The cloudy gray sky is reflected in the watery mud that covers most of the yard. You see on the other end at least two commoners dressed in dark outfits with hats wielding shovels.
Turn Tracker - round 1, subtle like a shovel (Bold can go)
Hornbori
Emdi
Anjo
Grave Diggers red
Grave Diggers green
Grave Diggers blue
Troubadour pink
Avonathalanthalasa
Mirtha
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Emdi would like to follow Hornbori. Ideally, Emdi would stay 5-10' behind Hornbori - I believe this should be one or two Stride actions, depending on how far Hornbori moves up.
Either in between moves or at the end of it, Emdi will fire an arrow. I believe he can only see Green (and he'll take cover from Hornbori), but maybe Red?
If Hornbori gets attacked (and the enemy is within 15' of Emdi), Emdi will use his champion's reaction.
Resistance 5 to the damage for Hornbori, and
Hornbori begins to run then suddenly he stops raises his shield and ducks behind it.
Emdi moves behind Hornbori but quickly begins to step on his armor as dwarfs are more slow and steady than fast and agile. He takes an out arrow and shoots over an armored dwarf at the grave digger.
The arrow seems to hit the target...
Vionnia stands on one of the buildings where a lot of other people have gathered. Mugs of beer are passed around while someone is taking bets. You can hear the comments
"Look at that dwarf, he looks like a conserve in this armor!"
"How will they get him out of it?"
"Look how he runs, my granma moves faster than you!"
On the other side of the plaza on the building, a group of goblins started to gather and yell
"Go and get them fish guts!" they yell to Emdi while jumping up and down.
Turn Tracker - round 1, subtle like a shovel (Bold can go)
Hornbori
Emdi
Anjo
Grave Diggers red
Grave Diggers green -6
Grave Diggers blue
Grave Diggers orange
Troubadour pink
Avonathalanthalasa
Mirtha
Emdi hides behind Hornbori who raised and ducked behind his shield. Anjo steps out from around the corner and send two arrows at one of the gravediggers, both hit and did plenty of damage.
Now the funeral team moves to action. The enemy troubadour climbs on to roof, using a ladder) and speaks a quick incantation. Both Hornbori and Emdi begin to feel relaxed and calm.
A lightly injured gravedigger with a red hat starts running and slowly begins to make his way through the difficult terrain.
Uninjured gravedigger (with blue hat) as well makes his way but can't get it though the wet terrain and stops at the edge of it.
Barely walking gravedigger makes his way through the wet terrain and runs towards Anjo, hiding behind the corner not to far from him.
The gravedigger with orange hat tries to repeat what the other have done but falls on his back and needs to get up trying to catch his breath.
Turn Tracker - round 1/2, subtle like a shovel (Bold can go)
Grave Diggers red -20
Grave Diggers green -6
Grave Diggers blue
Grave Diggers orange
Troubadour pink
Avonathalanthalasa
Mirtha
Hornbori Will Save DC21
Emdi Will Save DC21
Anjo