Each of you receives a summons from Venture-Captain Evni Zongnoss, requesting your presence at the Vodavani Lodge in Caliphas, a city in Ustalav.
The streets of Caliphas are bustling with activity due to an influx of refugees from the former nation of Lastwall. When you enter the Vodavani Lodge, you are met with a cacophony rising from dozens of Pathfinders discussing missions, sharing documents, and gathering supplies for their quests. At the center of it all is Venture-Captain Evni Zongnoss. Despite the destruction of her home lodge in the capital of former Lastwall, Vigil, Evni remains resolute in carrying out her tasks from her temporary headquarters in the Vodavani Lodge.
A harried gnome clad in a blue turban and a matching robe decorated with golden crescent moons and butterflies scurries through the crowded Vodavani Lodge, delegating tasks to various Pathfinders. This is Evni Zongnoss. When she spots the newcomers, she issues a warm smile. "Ah, thank you for coming. Gather around over here, please."
Evni motions over to a nearby table upon which rests a parchment map stuck with a miniature flag partly obscuring the label “Lastwall.”
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A tall whipcord of an elf in a stylized chain shirt leans over the table, a wooden symbol of a spiraling comet dangling from his neck as he does. Despite his youthful appearance -- even for an elf -- something about his eyes belies a much, much greater age. He stares disbelieving at the map. It seems like only yesterday this whole region was a bastion against the orc hordes. He'd been here over a dozen times in his many years.
Now it's just... gone.
He wants to ask if it's as bad as they say it is, but it's a foolish question, so he holds his tongue. Of course it isn't. It's so much worse.
He takes a deep breath, and says in a soft, lilting voice, "What do you need of us, captain?"
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A slightly taller than normal kobold with a long dark hooded cloak tied at the neck barges through the door of the Vodavani Lodge clearly flustered and panting heavily. Haechi had just narrowly avoided death by trampling in the streets as he'd made his way up from the Caliphas docks. " <gasp> So many tall people rushing around and not watching where they're going. <huff> It'll be the end of me. <wheeze>"
As he pauses to catch his breath, a blue-turbaned gnome beckons Haechi over to a nearby table. Haechi nods to her. "I take it that you are Venture-Captain Evni Zongnoss? Ah, excellent, excellent. I'm in the right place then. For a while I wasn't sure I'd make it."
He looks down at the map and his agitation subsides almost immediately. "Ah, so this is the famous Lastwall I've heard so much about. I hear it's been overrun by the undead. Thank Apsu that we're nice and safe here in Ustalav and not floundering around in the gravelands, eh? ha, ha" He laughs nervously and looks up at Evni hoping for some sort of confirmation. He then straighens up suddenly and looks around the table. "Oh! how rude of me. My name is Haechi by the way. Very pleased to make all of your acquaintance."
Now that he's stopped moving, everyone gets a good look at him. Rather than the usual mottled coloration of his kind, Haechi's scales are almost entirely the same unvarying color: A bright bronze. Hanging on with her claws from one of the kobold's shoulders is a tiny, but similarly colored draconic-like creature with wings and a bored look.
Haechi then flinches slightly and makes a pained face. Turning to his familiar, he says, "Ow! What's the problem now? Oh, ah. It appears that I forgot to introduce my little friend here. This is Haetae. Please feel free to ignore anything she says; she tends to be in a bad mood much of the time."
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From her usual perch at her master's shoulder, Haetae looks down at the map on the table and sighs heavily. She then gives everyone at the table an experienced looking over and mumbles something into Haechi's ear that is barely audible to the others.
“Apologies for the out-of-date cartography, but it’s the best we can do at this time. The re-emergence of Tar-Baphon dealt a devastating blow to the Society, so we’ve been scrambling to consolidate resources. The Society is focusing on missions into the Gravelands for two reasons: to track down the whereabouts of Pathfinder agents who went missing when the undead hordes struck, and to recover the fragments of history and culture that yet survive. I believe you all should have received a letter from me containing your assigned destination?” she says with a hand out waiting for the letter.
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When Evni asks for the letter, Haechi stares at her blankly for a second trying to figure out what she was talking about. Then it comes to him. "Ah! you mean the slip of paper that instructed me to come here?" He starts looking worried. "Um, yes.... Let's see. It was so long ago..." He starts patting his cloak nervously, occasionally pulling something out, looking at it, and putting it back. "No, that's not it... I wonder where I put it?"
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Haetae watches in amusement as her master struggles to find the letter. After a few seconds, she tires of the spectacle, rolls her eyes in an exaggerated manner, and dives into Haechi's backpack. She emerges a moment later with a slip of paper held in one of her unusually dexterous hands. She flaps it where her master can see it.
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When Haechi finally notices Haetae waving the slip of paper in his face like a flag, the kobold hops with joy. "Hurrah! Here it is. I knew I had it on me somewhere. Where did you find it, Haetae? No no, never mind; I don't want to know." He snatches the paper from Haetae's grasp and quickly transfers it to Envi's still outstretched hand. "There you go Venture-Captain. Good as new."
Evni takes the letter and reviews it quickly before she points to a flag in the southeast portion of Lastwall. “Goldenflame was an idyllic place surrounding a college sponsored and supported by the church of Iomedae. Fortunately, most of the town was able to evacuate swiftly, but we know that some residents stayed behind out of a sense of civic duty to defend their home against evil."
“Goldenflame College is known for its documentation of the history of both southeastern Lastwall and the activities of the church of Iomedae in the region, as well as its collection of invaluable local curiosities accrued over time. Those relics and stories—if they can be recovered, then Lastwall can live on.” Evni excuses herself and shortly returns with a bundle of paper.
“These dossiers contain information on all known Pathfinder agents in the region surrounding Goldenflame. Although we must hold out hope, I cannot truthfully say I am optimistic. Nevertheless, closure is important, and we can properly mourn for their loss and celebrate their lives if we know their fates. Perhaps these documents could be of some use to you in this quest. I’ve also completed and signed travel documentation stating your reasons for being in the Gravelands. Present this document to the border crossing, and you can then be on your way.” Evni walks over to a nearby bench to a relatively massive pack, where she begins sorting through its contents. She pulls out a bundle of sacks. “Here. These are for you to transport any items or—” she bows her head “—remains you might find. I know it is a sad and gruesome task, but retrieving those fallen Pathfinders would bring closure to their loved ones.” Evni then closes the pack and shoulders it. “I’m also heading into the Gravelands myself. May Desna guide us all on our journeys. Hopefully we can find what we seek."
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Haechi's shoulders slump slightly at the news that they would be entering the Gravelands after all. "Why am I not surprised? Why do I always get picked to go on dangerous field assignments for which I'm clearly unqualified? I bet they mixed me up with that brute Hetsky again, dagnabit! Hold on... did she say Goldenflame College?"
"Ah, so this Goldenflame was a place of learning then? With a library presumably? How interesting. I take it that part of our mission is to save as many books as possible? Are there any particular subjects we should concentrate on?" Haechi asks expectantly. "Please say dragons. Please say dragons."
"Be on the lookout for any religious texts and historical records—hopefully, the troops of Tar-Baphon have overlooked them. You might also find items of cultural or religious significance: things that Goldenflame could be remembered by." she says before checking her notes, "Oh, and you might find some information about the dragon, Karamorros, that lives on the Isle of Dread. He is nearly as powerful as Tar-Baphon himself if the legends are true, and while he may turn on us just as quickly, he may prove to be invaluable when Tar-Bapon arises once more."
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Haechi tries to contain his excitement, but inside he's like, Maybe this little escapade will be worth risking an almost certain death after all."
More calmly, he replies, "Karamorros, you say? Well, she's not exactly my favorite dragon at the moment, but I'll try to find out what I can about her. I just hope we don't run into the lady in the Gravelands, ha ha. Something like that could ruin your whole day." Clearly, Haechi is in better spirits again. "Woo hoo! Dragons!"
Satisfied, Haechi looks around but doesn't see what he's looking for. "Very well, Venture-Captain, if you'll just point us in the direction of our means of conveyance and the squad of troops that'll be protecting us in the Gravelands, we'll be on our way."
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Alexion hands over the letter, then listens to Zongnoss as she explains their mission. He takes the sack with a nod. Tending to the dead comes with the territory. "No worries, Venture-Captain," he says with sudden cheer. Whether it's forced to lighten the mood or genuine --and therefore completely inappropriate -- is difficult to discern. "We'll keep an eye out for information about this dragon. Anything else we should know before heading out?"
“Anything else you should know?" she says thinking to herself, "Well, if you've never been to the Gravelands you should probably know that Tar-Baphon’s legions are constantly patrolling and are mighty indeed, so I recommend avoiding fights with those troops. Try to identify the paths the undead patrols normally take and travel elsewhere. Covering your tracks would be wise as well. Although I would like you to be as thorough as you can in your investigation, do keep in mind that spending too much time in the Gravelands increases your likelihood of being found, so don’t linger.”
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At the back of the group there is an above average height human, with shoulder length hair and mid-length beard. He is wearing nothing but a plain set of traveling clothes as he moves forwards with a confidant posture. "Nice to meet you, I'm Aidan. So, this is a recovery mission then?" he says, slightly reluctantly, as he reaches forwards and hands over the letter, "I suppose it has to be done and we are certainly qualified. Sounds good to me."
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A tall man in the trappings of Nethys breathlessly approaches the gathered throng. He carries a staff and a sling is present on his belt.
"Apologies, " he says breathlessly, "my boat just arrived and it was a long way from here. I came as quickly as I could."
He peruses the list of the missing and sighs, "We pray that these Pathfinders are still alive."
Realizing that all the other Pathfinders are staring, he stammers, "Oh where are my manners. I am Olaf Spiritwell, warpriest of Nethys."
Evni replies to Aidan, "I wish I could say it's a rescue mission, but we have to temper our expectations."
Goldenflame College? Never heard of it.
Goldenflame College? Never heard of it.
As an academic, you're well versed in the details of Goldenflame College. It contained a fantastic statue of Iomedae’s servitor Jingh, and many regarded it as the college’s most valuable possession. In addition, Goldenflame’s chapel functioned as a religious institution and the town hall, so historical records concerning its citizens and events were stored there.
You heard that Goldenflame’s chapel functioned as a religious institution and the town hall, so historical records concerning its citizens and events were stored there.
Goldenflame College? Surprisingly, you've never heard of it.
You've heard that a small guardhouse was built on the road leading into Goldenflame from the north. The rotating Knights of Ozem guarding Goldenflame kept an ornate ceremonial suit of armor in a hidden compartment beneath the floorboards there.
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Olaf hands in his letter and greets his new companions in turn. He pauses to admire the beautiful bronze scales of Haechi. Curious, he approaches the kobold to gaze at his familiar.
"What manner of creature are you, " he asks the familiar curiously, "I do not believe I have seen such a beautiful creature."
Looking around, he wonders "Is this it? Are we venturing into the Gravelands alone?"
Evni replies “Like I said before, even I am going into the Gravelands. Unfortunately, the Society is stretched thin at this point in time, and we have our own teams with their own missions. The good news is that Goldenflame is not far from here, though, so a round trip should be possible in a single day.”
Evni gives you detailed instructions on the roads you should follow to reach Goldenflame.
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A towering half-orc enters the lodge with a scrap of paper in his hand and a battle axe at his side, a bandolier with numerous small pouches hangs across his chest.
The Gravelands for everyone? This the Goldenflame crew? The name's Haka. I'll do what I can to take out any trouble we may run into, but if I miss something I can put you back together.
He indicates his axe and pouches.
Everyone got food and water? It's a safe bet we won't get any once we cross the border
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Haechi is crestfallen at hearing that not only would he have to traipse across the Gravelands on his own two feet, but that they would be doing so without any security escort of any kind. "How will we survive out there by ourselves for even one day? I'll be zombie food for sure long before the sun sets. Oh woe is me! We're doooomed."
But then he remembers what he knows of Goldenflame College and his spirits revive. "I've read in De scholarum ex Ultima-murum that Goldenflame College once contained a fantastic statue of Iomedae’s servitor Jingh, and that many regarded it as the college’s most impressive and valuable possession." His eyes seem to glow with excitement. "I do hope it's still there for us to find. That alone would make it worth the trip," adding under his breath, "assuming we survive long enough to get there."
He stops talking for a few seconds, but then a thought strikes him. "Oh, I almost forgot. It also mentions that Goldenflame’s chapel functioned as a religious institution and the town hall, so any historical records concerning its citizens and events would most likely be stored there."
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Curious, he approaches the kobold to gaze at his familiar.
"What manner of creature are you, " he asks the familiar curiously, "I do not believe I have seen such a beautiful creature."
At first, Haetae eyes the strange man that approaches her warily, but he seems harmless enough, and though she couldn't understand what he was saying, he clearly seemed to be admiring her looks. In response, she puffs herself up and preens a little, opening up her small wings for better effect. As she'd expected, this causes one of the wings to slap into the side of her master's face, catching his attention.
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Alexion cocks his head at the kobold's familiar. Nine Hells, I knew Draconic once upon a time. Is he saying...? Bah, I can't make heads or tails. Eh, I can brush up later.
He nods at the newcomers. "Welcome! Just in time to dive headfirst into about the worst catastrophe I've ever seen--and I've been to Tanglebriar twice." He shudders at the memory, even half-forgotten as it is. "We should head out posthaste. The sooner we get to the college, the better." His hand drops to the dagger on his belt, fingering the pommel absently. "I wouldn't mind putting down a few of the monsters along the way, too."
You depart Caliphas early the next day, passing through a heavily fortified Ustalavic border crossing staffed by Knights of Lastwall, one of whom examines your documentation and then waves you through.
The day is clear and bright, but the landscape is desolate and quiet, the gently rolling hills devoid of life. Goldenflame is a few hours’ travel southwest of Caliphas by foot, according to Evni's map.
According to your map, the most direct path to Goldenflame requires you to hike up a large hill with a bit of scrambling. Well, you've reached it, and it's bigger than your map seems to indicate with its hastily drawn contour lines.
What is everyone doing to overcome this obstacle?
Aidan:
Alexion:
Haechi はえち:
Haka:
Luz:
Olaf:
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Luz had remained quiet most of the briefing. Only occasionally looking up. Surprisingly, he had never heard of the Goldenflame College, but this was a strange world. Luz decides that locating the residents is worthing of more investigation
During the travel, Luz examines the documents provided by Evni
Once at the bottom of the hill, Luz uses his Arcane Sense to detect magic.
Known Weakness (this requires the GM roll a Recall Knowledge on my target every round I use it)
https://2e.aonprd.com/Feats.aspx?ID=1447
Luz takes the case, Missing in the Gravelands, to better locate the people on the list provided by Evni.
He examines the documents but determines that they are pretty standard in that they simply state your purpose and permit you to proceed.
Luz determines nothing is magical about this hill, though he almost constantly senses faint traces of necromancy in this place.
Olaf just happens to find an easier path up and over this rocky hill allowing him to lead the rest of the party and make their trek easier. Haka follows quickly behind and almost beats Olaf up his own trail.
What is everyone doing to overcome this obstacle?
Aidan:
Alexion:
Haechi:
Haka: Athletics to scramble up the hill
Luz:
Olaf: Scouted
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Haechi looks up the rocky slope and gulps. He then looks at how wide the hill is and gulps again. "Why does this always happen to me? Climbing or running? What kind of choice is that for an academic that gets winded going up a simple flight of stairs in a library? Oh, what to do. What to dooooo..."
The wizard begins to despair when he remembers that on a recent mission he'd managed by some miracle to get himself up a slope not so different from this one. He perks up at the memory. "Oh, that's right. I forgot that I was natural climber. With the Maker of All at my back, how can I possibly fail." He calls up confidently to the half-orc. "Hold on Haka, I'll be right there." Despite his newfound courage, he feels a twinge of doubt as the small lizard part of his brain tells him he's about to fall to his death. He takes a deep breath and starts scrambling up the slope.
It appears that Apsu is in fact looking over his lonely acolyte this day, as Haechi has little trouble finding purchase with his claws, and quickly joins Haka at the top of the hill. "Ha! Just as I thought: A doddle. Not sure why I was worried anymore."
Haechi surprises himself as he seems to make the climb with relative ease. Aidan, however, seems to struggle a bit and needs time to catch his breath.
What is everyone doing to overcome this obstacle?
Aidan: Athletics to hike (failed)
Alexion:
Haechi: Athletics t hike (success)
Haka: Athletics to scramble up the hill
Luz:
Olaf: Scouted
Luz tries to climb the hill but discovers that it's pretty odd, so odd in fact, that he has to investigate the hill before he can proceed, significantly slowing down his progress.
Alexion joins Aidan in catching their breaths.
Your slow progress feels like it may have already eaten into your time. As you glance around, you can see faint traces of undead scouts patrolling the area. However, they are disorganized and frequently only contain a single creature, making it easy to avoid their notice.
Moving on past the hill, you discover the way forward blocked by a large force of undead being marched through the area. The force is easily far more numerous than your own party, and engaging it would be unwise. Instead, you'll need to find a way to sneak past them or take a longer way around them.
What is everyone doing to overcome this obstacle?
Aidan:
Alexion:
Haechi:
Haka:
Luz:
Olaf:
Everything seems to mostly be going fine...until Olaf trips and falls, knocking most of the party over and causing quite a bit of ruckus. The legion of undead nearby all look in your direction in unison, point at you, and screech. Five of them run off somewhere else, while the rest spin around and move on.
While this hasn't really slowed you down, you know that the undead in the area are going to be on much higher alert.
You move on at a brisk pace to escape the attention of the legion. According to your map, you're just outside of Goldenflame, but there is a thick undergrowth that has grown wildly out of control due to the influx of raw magical energies.
One of you can try to determine the easiest route to move through the undergrowth, while the rest can bushwhack or squeeze their way through this unnatural growth.
What is everyone doing to overcome this obstacle?
Aidan:
Alexion:
Haechi:
Haka:
Luz:
Olaf:
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"Pass the word. Watch out for the large root about 20' in front." whispers Haichi as he sneaks past the undead.
Olaf tiptoes along the path, trying to remember his time at the Lodge where his fellow Pathfinders had been teaching him to sneak. He barely acknowledges the warning of the root in front of him somewhere. Distractedly, he quietly laughs at himself as he made a fool of himself trying to sneak past his goblin friend. His mind wanders as he thinks about where she could be, remembering that her songs, while silly, were good.
Suddenly, his foot catches on something and his mind snaps back to the present. Windmilling his arms but unable to keep his balance, Olaf stumbles and lands against Alexion's shield, knocking the elf off his feet and into Luz, causing a chain reaction and a loud clatter.
Olaf picks himself up off the ground, red-faced with embarrassment at having tripped over a root he'd been earlier warned about. He tries to make it up to his companions by trying to determine how to move through the undergrowth quickly enough to make up time.
Disgruntled, Olaf pulls out his dagger and begins hacking his way through the bushes to clear a path for his companions.