You have received a summons from Venture-Captain Ambrus Valsin, which directs you to meet him aboard the Sixwing Drake, a sleek sailing ship, currently moored at the Docks district in the city of Absalom.
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An ifrit wielding a rather large spatula enters and takes in his surroundings. He studies Twitchy's knives curiously. "I see you brought some daggers there. How interesting. I'm more of a spatula guy myself. Did you get them from around here?"
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A tall young Taldan woman amble along to the ship. Her outfit clearly shows her to be a follower of The Dawnflower. She waves to the others as she walks up the gangway.
Hi, everybody. I'm Cara, servant of the Everlight. It's no nice to meet you all... she says a bit excitedly as she greets the others.
Is it that obvious this is my first mission? I followed my big brothers into the Society...they don't know yet...just left the abbey and came right here... she says giddily as she puts her long flaming red hair into a tail to keep it from fluttering in her face.
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"No, but I got this one" He holds up a kukri style knife as he speaks. "from a Vudrani I knew. I traded it for an uncut bloodstone."
"Splendifferous!" exclaims the sorcerer, "I personally got my spatula from my gnomish friend back home. I figured, I don't really have to use any physical weapon given my magical ancestry, but if I do, spatulas can really come in handy. You'd be surprised at how much you can fillet with this frying fiend."
Is it that obvious this is my first mission? I followed my big brothers into the Society...they don't know yet...just left the abbey and came right here... she says giddily as she puts her long flaming red hair into a tail to keep it from fluttering in her face.
"Brilligent! It's my first mission too! I'm glad I'm not the only neophyte." Rahnboo noted with relief.
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"Ugh.... Uh.... Oh gawds.... moans a dark green-skinned woman, with a wild tangle of long straight black hair from the port side of the ship. She had been hanging over the deck railing, but now was slowly sliding down it to the deck like a toppled pile of dirty laundry. The action is made more difficult by the presence of huge two-handed sword strapped to her back.
"Don't ever believe anyone who says that bacon tastes better coming back up." she says dazedly from the deck.
She shakes her head and looks around. "Where in the Nine Hells am I anyhow?"
"You had best get whatever it is out of your system before we set sail!" Captain Zarah Zendrani calls to the half-orc from the helm of her vessel, the Sixwing Drake. The captain, a Varisian woman and fellow Pathfinder, shakes her head and mutters to herself, "What was Valsin thinking?"
As the water laps steadily at the pier, sailors, laborers, and merchants rush busily around Absalom’s port. Captain Zendrani motions for you all to come aboard, again shaking her head as the spatula-wielding ifrit and the dazed half-orc make their way aboard. Welcoming the cleric's suggestion, Zendrani assigns one of her crew to provide Cara with whatever ingredients she may require.
Moments pass, as the party assembles on deck. The Captain mutters, furrowing her brow. “It’s not like Valsin to be late.”
As if on cue, a tall and meticulously groomed man pushes his way through the crowd and up the gangplank, cursing audibly. “Whoever supervises this mess of a port needs to be dumped in the sea!” he grumbles.
Image of groomed man on Slides.
The tall man looks around at those gathered before him.
“Just the group I requested. Perfect. I’m Venture Captain Ambrus Valsin, and I took great care in selecting just the right Pathfinders for this assignment.” Valsin reaches into his belt pouch and withdraws a small, folded paper before continuing. “A few days ago, I received a curious note from a rather unexpected source. It’s not every day that I get a request from an agent of the Aspis Consortium.”
Captain Zendrani’s eyes widen, and Valsin smiles knowingly. “But Magali Delroya does not appear to be your typical Aspis agent. As you surely know, the Aspis Consortium pursues a variety of activities across the Inner Sea that the Pathfinder Society finds abhorrent."
Valsin hands you the piece of folded paper.
"It seems that Delroya has been working with them for some time," he continues, "but can no longer stomach the snakes herself. She wants to stop a shipment of an experimental drug from leaving Diobel later this week. It’s bound for a number of locations across the Inner Sea region. According to Delroya, she can’t ask the local authorities for help, because the Aspis Consortium has already
struck a deal with a faction of the Kortos Consortium, a powerful merchant collective."
"Her hands are tied, so she’s come to us for help," he says, reaching into his pocket to retrieve a letter, which he hands out for your to survey. "In this note, she outlines three different tasks that would help to disrupt the Aspis long enough for her to move the shipment to a secure location, out of the clutches of the consortium. Once you accomplish two of these tasks, she’s willing to meet with you, but not before."
He proffers the letter containing the list for you to take.
“Normally, I wouldn’t trust an Aspis agent at any hour of the day." Valsin continues. "But our sources in Diobel have confirmed the Aspis and Kortos consortia’s activities. Everything checks out, so we are presented with a unique opportunity."
"If we help Delroya, we might not only strike a financial blow against the Aspis Consortium, but we could also reveal their dealings with the Kortos Consortium—and possibly prevent their arrangement from turning into a more formal alliance. Furthermore, we hope to stop this drug from spreading across the Inner Sea region, and if we—if all of you—do a good enough job, we might even convince Delroya to join the Society. A turncoat agent would be a valuable asset in our ongoing run-ins with the Aspis Consortium."
“Take some time to look over Delroya’s note and the list of tasks she has set for you." urges Valsin. "If you have any questions, now is the time to ask. Remember, the Aspis Consortium is a long-time enemy of the society, but the Kortos Consortium, while certainly suspicious, is not our enemy. It is a complex organization with many factions, and we should avoid antagonizing any of them, except when necessary to oppose the Aspis Consortium.”
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Arioch retrieves his journal and his ink and pen from his backpack and prepares to take notes; he asks Cara, Could you help out by holding the ink steady? I was going to ask Zarah but she still seems a little greener than normal if you catch my drift..."
He turns to Valsin:
"Delroya wrote that you crossed paths years ago; what do you remember of her, if anything"
"What does the Society know about House Lacosta?"
"How soon is next Fireday?"
"Looking at the list of three tasks, and your stated desire to make Delroya a double agent, I assume Task #1 is the highest priority of the three? The information about the owner of the Overflowing Oyster creating and selling fake pearls on the black market, whom would we approach to share that information? Meaning what authorities, legitimate or otherwise, would take the most interest and shut the place down so the two agents couldn't meet there?"
"I'm a direct man so I'll be blunt about Task #3. It sounds like the next most important since it would cut the supply of drugs and the 'Do what you must' line, in The Coins that would mean termination. Does the Society have a problem with that result?"
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Zarah staggers closer taking the letter in turn looking at them quickly (one of them upside down) and passing them on with a grunt.
How horrible! I've seen a few poor souls that were plagued by drugs while following my instructors at the abbey. Truly heartbreaking. If we can stem this scrourge, I'm all for it...
The green-skinned woman throws up over the deck rail again.
"Yeah. Tragic." she says wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.
How horrible! I've seen a few poor souls that were plagued by drugs while following my instructors at the abbey. Truly heartbreaking. If we can stem this scrourge, I'm all for it...
Valsin nods his head grimly in response.
"Delroya wrote that you crossed paths years ago; what do you remember of her, if anything"
"I met Magali several years ago, when she was barely a grown woman. Valsin replies. "It must have been just before she joined the Aspis Consortium. She’s a wanderer, never comfortable in one place for long. I saw great potential in her as a Pathfinder, but she always preferred to work alone and felt that the society was a poor fit. Had I known that she would wind up with the Aspis Consortium, I would have put more effort into recruiting her.”
"What does the Society know about House Lacosta?"
“House Locosta is a pretentious Chelish family led by Palraxi Locosta,” notes Valsin. “It is one of the major families affiliated with the Kortos Consortium. My understanding is that their interests lie primarily in Qadiran spices, but I would not be surprised if House Locosta had its hands in more than just spices .”
"How soon is next Fireday?"
Valsin gives a sigh, then responds. "Today is Wealday, although there are only a few hours of daylight left to it. The Sixwing Drake will set sail this evening. Tomorrow is Oathday. The following day is Fireday, when the drug shipment is scheduled to depart Diobel."
"Don't worry, Pathfinder," interjects Captain Zendrani, licking her finger and raising it in an effort to measure the direction of the wind . "I personally guarantee that you will all be ashore in Diobel by dawn tomorrow."
"That should give you a full day to complete the two tasks of your choosing," confirms Valsin.
"I assume Task #1 is the highest priority of the three?"
"Any pair of disruptions should be enough. I suggest you choose those tasks for which your skills and abilities may be best suited," notes Valsin. "I assembled you for this mission because I believe you have the skills to capably complete any of the three missions. As for which two you choose to complete and in which order, I defer to your judgment."
"The information about the owner of the Overflowing Oyster creating and selling fake pearls on the black market, whom would we approach to share that information? Meaning what authorities, legitimate or otherwise, would take the most interest and shut the place down so the two agents couldn't meet there?"
"I doubt Delroya would have included this information unless she thought it to be of some use,"[b] Valsin affirms. [b]"However, you will be our agents on the ground in Diobel. How best to use it, if at all, will be left to your discretion, which is likely to be based upon the situation as you find it there."
"I'm a direct man so I'll be blunt about Task #3. It sounds like the next most important since it would cut the supply of drugs and the 'Do what you must' line, in The Coins that would mean termination. Does the Society have a problem with that result?"
"I appreciate an agent who is both forthright and who seeks to gather as much advance intelligence as possible," assures the Venture-Captain. “I do not doubt Delroya's assessment of the character of this Laszo nor do not think the world would mourn the loss of a vile drug dealer."
“Pathfinders are no strangers to violence. However, the key to the success of this mission is to disrupt the drug shipment without the Consortium knowing,“ warns Valsin. “The appearance of a dead or badly injured body almost inevitably prompts questions and investigation. It doesn’t mean much if you succeed at obtaining the requested evidence, but then fail your overall mission.”
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"I appreciate an agent who is both forthright and who seeks to gather as much advance intelligence as possible," assures the Venture-Captain. “I do not doubt Delroya's assessment of the character of this Laszo nor do not think the world would mourn the loss of a vile drug dealer."
“Pathfinders are no strangers to violence. However, the key to the success of this mission is to disrupt the drug shipment without the Consortium knowing,“ warns Valsin. “The appearance of a dead or badly injured body almost inevitably prompts questions and investigation. It doesn’t mean much if you succeed at obtaining the requested evidence, but then fail your overall mission.”
"One thing you learn in certain 'industries': Bad things happen to bad people and no one's surprised."
Aboard the Sixwing Drake, the party sails uneventfully to Diobel. At dawn, with the sun rising on this Oathday, Captain Zendrani and the crew of the sleek vessel bearing the party steer the ship up to the massive barrier of broken war barges, crumbling walls, and jetties of iron and wood that protect the port of Diobel.
“Well, here we are," announces Zendrani. “Right on time as promised. I’ll make sure everything is in order with Diobel’s inspectors and charter you a barge to the port. You aren’t carrying anything particularly valuable, so you shouldn’t draw much attention from the inspectors or pilots, so long as you don’t run your mouth. My crew and I will wait here with the ship. You can return here to rest, if you need to, but remember there isn’t much time!”
Wasting no time, Captain Zendrani slips several gold pieces to a barge captain as a sign of good faith, asking him if he could do her the favor of sticking around on shore for the day in case the party needs to return to the ship.
The barge captain is a stocky middle-aged man, named Markus Karbie, with weather-beaten skin and calloused hands. With a nod of the head and a glint in his eye, he accepts Zendrani’s deal. Accepting Zendrani’s gold and respecting her request, Karbie asks no questions and makes no effort to engage in conversation. Still, he is skilled at his profession and the barge journeys from the barrier to the coast, drawing little attention.
As the morning sun continues to rise, you make your way through the docks lining the harbor. A maze of broken ships forms an artificial reef blocking Diobel’s harbor. This treacherous and erratic terrain teems with laborers, barge masters, pilots, and port inspectors, who busily conduct their business ferrying goods to and from the Bristles.
Beyond the Trawl, seagoing ships wait their turn to offload cargo or pick up new goods. One ship stands out among the others—the freshly touched-up paint on its hull, blue with streaks of white lightning along the hull, marks it as the Blue Dragon’s Bite.
It sits moored to a dock jutting from the Trawl, with several crates already offloaded nearby, and many more waiting piled on its deck. Dockworkers cycle on and of the ship as they unload cargo.
Aboard the Bite, you can see a well-dressed, yet rough, seafaring man engaged in a heated discussion with a woman in finely-tailored clothes, who you can easily identify as a port inspector .
The dockworkers cycling on and off the ship, are almost certainly locals, unaffiliated with the Aspis Consortium. Nevertheless, they are unlikely to let just anyone aboard the ship.
A map of the docked ship is now on Slides.
Arioch shares the information with the rest of the group.
"Hm how to convince the locals to let us join the workforce? I don't suppose anyone sees a 'Now Hiring!' sign?"
Arioch tries to hear their conversation:
Based upon his knowledge of local operations and what he has overheard, Airoch concludes that the seafaring man is Bellarion, the first mate of the Blue Dragon’s Bite and he is arguing with Indara Allencroft , one of the official port inspectors. The dispute is over over customs fees.
The first mate of the Blue Dragon’s Bite is likely involved in some smuggling operations and would be resistant to allowing anyone else aboard.
However, entry aboard the ship could be obtained from the inspector, who is likely to be indifferent to others boarding and has more authority than the first mate under the circumstances.
"Yo!" Zarah gets the attention of a dockworker. "I'm looking for work. How do I sign up?"
"You look like you can haul a good bit," the dockworker replies to Zarah. "There's still plenty to be offloaded."
Having fooled the man, he readily vouches for Zarah to the first mate and the inspector when she follows him aboard the ship. As she passes the first mate, Zarah notices a sizable set of keys dangling from Bellarion's belt.
"Several stacks of crates here left to go," the dock worker indicates to Zarah. "Then, there are a few more in the hold and by the captain's cabin."
Quiet as a mouse, Sandi manages to sneak onto the ship without being noticed. It is evident that Bellarion and Allencroft are absorbed in their argument, and the workers on the docks are paying more attention to the outcome of the argument than they are to any other movement on the ship or near the docks.
Keeping their eyes and ears open as they are on the ship, Sandi and Zarah find accessible places where the rest of the party is able to board the ship without being noticed.
It does not take the party long to find the captain's cabin; however, the door to it is locked tight.
(Location of cabin identified on map with brown and locked door indicated with yellow.)
Arioch spots no traps.
Zarah has a look about the inside of the forecastle.
Zarah spots a loose panel along one of the hulls, which reveals a void behind it. The panel has clearly been crafted for the purposes of concealment--an indicator that the Blue Dragon’s Bite.
Sandi whispers to her disabling buddies, and then begins.
The wily ratfolk has little trouble picking the lock. A quick search of the cabin yields the documents that Delroya described in her note.