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A strong Mwangi human joins you.
His umber skin is covered with red and white stripes which are arrayed in tribal patterns and his hair is adorned with feathers.
Although he is clearly accustomed to a jungle setting, this man is wearing stone full plate armor with bestial drawings on it that resemble saurian predators.
He has a dagger, a greatsword, a bardiche and a morningstar with him.
Resting on top of his chest, an amulet showing the holy symbol of Lythertida is visible and it looks like an eye with a single tear.
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"I early? But I here now. I have come aid! Lythertida watching over and also consoling frightened souls of men and woman and children who live ended too soon. No one die too soon with me here I hope! I with you celebrating Idealism, our potential, and we prevent young death!!” he says and looks around for support.
"I Ejtehah. Member of Pathfinder Society."
You've been requested to meet The Grinning Pixie in Absalom's harbor, and to prepare for a sea voyage of some weeks. Upon arriving, you are first taken to your berth to stow your possessions, then are shown to the Captain's stateroom--if it deserves such a name--where you find other Pathfinders assembled. You all can hear the sounds and--more importantly--feel the motions of the ship as it gets underway with no sign of the Captain yet.
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Uoralveren walks in. A tall, lanky elf, white as snow. Though it's warm out, he's wearing a fur trimmed coat, holding an ancient elven weapon. He stoically looks forward before eventually cracking a smile.
"Greetings fellow Pathfinders." He does not give his name without being asked. "What a wonderful day to be alive. Does anyone know what this mission involves?"
A recent immigrant to Absalom, Uoralveren spent all of his life on the Crown of the World, in a tribe of 50 or so other elves. As a twilight speaker, he was tasked to develop diplomatic ties with the Pathfinder Society after a catastrophe happened near their home. Once arriving, he was shell shocked, but quickly changed. He went from shy and withdrawn, to someone willing to try anything once. "I don't think I'll ever move back. Not that they would accept me anyway..".
As Uoralveren stands tall, he bows to Mika. "A Sarenrite, yes?"
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A dwarf with black hair and pale skin wearing hide armor barges in.
"Hello, hello, hello! Also waiting for the captain? Where is he? My name is Dimak Doomhammer, by the way. What's yours?"
He takes a finely forged greatsword from his back and puts it next to him, leaning on the wall, then gets himself a chair and sits down.
"Can I get some dwarven ale? Waiting makes me thirsty..."
A broad-shouldered half-orc walks in, easily a half-head taller than most humans. She looks every bit the part of a pirate captain, a tricorned Captain's hat and suit with vermillion to spare.
"Welcome aboard. This is the part of the voyage where I usually give you all a briefing, but we're keeping it short today. We'll start with me; if you've sailed with me before, you know I'm Calisro Benarry, and I'm both the Captain of this here Grinning Pixie and a Venture-Captain with the Society. A double-Captain and I don't mind saying so!" She laughs broadly and waits for you to join, but not too long. The intimidating half-orc speaks with an almost childlike excitement in her husky voice, her enthusiasm seemingly uncontainable. "But right now, I'll only say the Society has found a new ruin down near the Shackles, and you're going to get to explore it. Everything else is 'need to know,' so, well, I'll update you all when you actually need to know!" She finishes abruptly. "Enjoy the travel and--most importantly--stay out of the crew's way, eh?"
The ship sails long and far, and the crew must be loyal, as every attempt you've tried to get more information about where you're headed fails. South is the best you can do, and that's mostly because your wayfinders act as compasses. You are decently if plainly fed, and you are included in the ship's rations of rum and ale, if you desire. You're given no work, but a capable hand isn't refused, if that's how you like to kill time. Eventually the ship approaches some islands, and some of you recognize that you must be coming up on The Shackles. Indeed, the ship docks at Drenchport, but for a few hours only; the ship quickly resupplies before heading out to sea again, and you are not allowed off the ship due to the schedule. Finally, about a week out from Drenchport, you're summoned to the Captain's stateroom again.
As the Grinning Pixie lurches and sways in the storm, Venture-Captain Benarry grins widely as she slides a clay jug of strong Sargavan rum across her table. "My apologies for all the secrecy," she says. "I had to make sure some pirate rascal didn’t catch wind of our mission. Now that Drenchport’s a week behind us and we’re hugging the Eye of Abendego, it’s time to give you lubbers the full run-down."
Benarry waits for the jug to make its way back to her, then takes a long swig. "I mentioned before Drenchport that the Society wants you to explore a recently discovered ruin somewhere north of the Shackles. Well, that was partly true, but it wasn’t exactly the whole story." Benarry’s eyes narrow and her grin becomes unsettlingly sharklike. "We’re actually sending you to the Gloomspires, to Old Sevenfingers’s tomb!" Chuckling softly, she slides the jug back across the table. "Here, have another nip. Looks like you need it."
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tend to function normally.
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Bocke shows up late on Osirion Time, red dust on his jacket from a recent trip to Rahadoum.
"The Gloomspires are an ancient field of massive stone columns that rise from the Arcadian Ocean. Most sages say they were already old when the Ghol-Gan Empire was young. The Gloomspires are hollow and contain many chambers and passages, all of which are believed to be cursed, monster-infested, or both."
"Sempet Sevenfingers was a legendary pirate who was active in the region 300 years ago. From his dreaded flagship, the Voracious, Sevenfingers commanded a small fleet of pirate ships. He was feared and despised for using cannibals and madmen to augment his boarding parties."
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"Good to see you again, Bocke!", Dimak greets the inquisitor.
Mika asks Dimak if he has a bit of space in his backpack for a bit of her stuff. ((need to unload 3 lb of extra arrows to avoid encumbrance)).
"Got too many arrows to carry? Give them to me, they won't slow me down!", Dimak says with a wink.
During the days of sailing Dimak tries to help on deck - lending the crew his raw strength and his climbing skills to earn his rations of rum and ale.
He also hones his agility and jumping skills (acrobatics).
"So... just exploring the tomb of this fingers guy? Or is there something particular you want us to do there?"
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A very thin and pale skinned human female with black shoulder length hair and brown eyes hurries into the room. She wears blue traveler's clothes and boots, with a backpack, 2 wands, a crossbow and heavy mace on her belt along with a wayfinder. She smiles nervously at the others.
"So do we just check the place out or gather all the treasure and artifacts we find?" the woman asks and then pauses. "Oh yes, my name is Indranna Grace, wizard and baker."
"I’ve been researching the Gloomspires for a very long time. Before I sailed to Absalom and joined the Society, I was a Free Captain here in the Shackles. Back then I learned about the Gloomspires, Old Sevenfingers, and all the treasure and secrets the old devil took with him when he sealed himself in his tomb."
A long, rumbling growl of thunder makes Benarry pause, and she takes the opportunity to wet her lips with another swig of rum before she continues. "Since joining the Society, I’ve been able to learn even more about the Gloomspires. Most importantly, I’ve discovered that they’re tied to certain alignments of the stars, and that twice each year—beginning on the nights of the summer and winter solstices—the columns cease moving for exactly three days."
"So, tomorrow’s the summer solstice. Now that you know the 'where' and the 'when' of this little caper, you need to know why the Society’s sending you." Benarry pauses before continuing in a more conspiratorial voice.
"I recently came into the possession of a logbook once owned by the pirate captain, Mazzer Thrennt. Before Thrennt ended up as lusca-bait seven years back, he was a moderately successful pirate who shared my obsession with the Gloomspires. It turns out his log contains an inventory of the plunder he liberated over the years, including the loot he found in Sevenfingers’s tomb. One item on Thrennt’s list immediately got my attention: His log described with perfect accuracy a relic from lost Lirgen called the Orb of Stars. I’m certain that this device can manipulate the alignments of the stars—or at least how we perceive them-and historical accounts suggest we could also use it to trick the Gloomspires into thinking that the solstice lasts more than just a day. The Society and I both want that orb, and it’s going to look really good to the folks back home if you’re able to secure it."
"Here," she says, passing a sheet of parchment across the table, "I’ve written down some of the particulars."
"Wait, if Mazzer Thrennt had the Orb, why would it be in Sevenfinger's tomb? Who did the Orb belong to, before pirates started stealing it from each other?"
Benarry tries to clarify, as she continues to fortify herself with more rum. "Mazzer Thrennt was a pirate active in the Shackles until seven years ago, when a pair of luscas tore his ship, the Unspeakable, into pieces near Firegrass Island. Thrennt was a Pathfinder in his younger years, but he left the Society to take up piracy. He never lost his love for exploration, and I didn’t realize he had visited Sevenfingers’s tomb until I came across his personal log a few months ago." She offers the rum to the table again before continuing. "He mentioned his exploration of Sevenfingers’s tomb and a few of the other Gloomspires, but the old goat was careful not to map or describe the Gloomspires’ interiors or describe any of the monsters or traps he and his crew encountered."
"His log contained an inventory of the treasures he found, which included a description of what I believe is the Orb of Stars; the Saoc Brethren of Lirgen made the Orb a long time ago--not specifically for the Gloomspires, though it seems to have this powerful interaction there. Thrennt claimed to have left the Orb in a side chamber connected to the 'great Hall of the Flesh Eaters'—a name long associated with the uppermost level of Sevenfingers’s tomb. He also claimed that he collapsed the tunnel leading to the chamber with the intention of returning later with digging tools to retrieve it."
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"Pardon my confusion, I'm just trying to get up to speed. The Saoc Brethren made the Orb of Stars, and Sevenfingers acquired it and sealed himself into his own tomb. Mazzer Thrennt explored Sevenfingers' tomb, found the Orb, and then sealed the orb inside so he could go back and get it later, but never did. Is that all correct?
If so, I'm ready to head out. This will just be like my old tomb robbing days."
"Indeed; it sounds like you all have it down right." She holds out the rum to see if there are more takers but--recognizing that she's been the only one drinking it up until now--she tips it back herself, finishing the bottle.
"Stop by the quartermaster on your way to the top deck. I've already outfitted the folding boat you'll use with some rations and the digging tools you might need--some picks, shovels, etc., but we're also giving you 50 gp credit each for anything else you might need. Bring anything back that you don't use, though, 'kay?"
"We're well-outfitted here, so if there's anything else you need, the quartermaster's likely got it. Anything extra comes from your own pocket though; we're not a charity!"
The trip from the western edge of the Eye of Abendego in Benarry's folding boat takes about 2 days, and you experience minimal difficulty navigating the waters and reaching the base of Sevenfingers’s Tomb. You berth the boat on the promised shipwreck; the mentioned stairs up aren't too hard to find.
It takes nearly two hours to climb the narrow, winding steps to the summit of the great stone column containing Sevenfingers’s tomb. Although the swirling chaos of the Eye of Abendego lies only a hundred miles away to the east, the violent storms it constantly hurls across the seas seem to have forgotten this eerily quiet place. Surrounding the monolith are dozens of nearly identical columns, their ominous outlines stretching down into the mist. And here, atop Sevenfingers’s tomb, is a small clearing surrounded by a thick and utterly silent veil of tropical trees, hanging vines, and thick undergrowth, all shrouded in fog.
Neither the light from Indranna's mace nor Bocke's arrow penetrate the fog much at all, only highlighting how thick and impenetrable it really is. The fog seems to hang in the air, resisting the light ocean breeze that constantly whistles around you.
A lush canopy of tropical trees, flowering vines, and thick undergrowth forms a dark green wall around this small clearing. A broad trail cuts through the foliage and vanishes into the mists to the northwest. To the south and east is the edge of the column, and a sheer five hundred-foot drop. The ground here is a soggy carpet of thick green moss and black soil.
The plants growing here seem to be stripped of all edible fruit and seeds.
Indranna notes the remains of a weeks-old campfire here that contains the charred skull and bone fragments of a humanoid. All of the bones show signs of gnawing. She also notes the tracks of a humanoid leading to the north.
Dimak ventures northwest; the largest path through the trees continues on this way. The fog and lush but stripped foliage continue to be the primary things you note.
Ejtehah and Dimak lead the way down the northern path, following the tracks. This clearing is shrouded in shadows thanks to the thick jungle canopy overhead. A dozen makeshift beds of leaves and palm fronds surround a sickly campfire that barely manages to keep smoldering in the humid air. Due to the thick foliage and the smoldering campfire, the entire clearing contains only dim light even now, during the day. A few splintered bones and cloven skulls litter the clearing, and all show signs of being gnawed upon.
Ejtehah and Dimak see a number of humanoids sprawling on some of these makeshift beds, gnawing on old bones. They see your approach, and immediately--though slowly--begin rising with a hungry look in their eyes.
All but one appear to be suffering from starvation and fatigue.
Round 1 (bold may act)
Bocke
Mika
Uoralvern
Ejtehah
Indranna
Dimak
Humanoids (red, orange, green, cyan)
Active Effects
Dim light: Creatures within this area have concealment (20% miss chance in combat) from those without darkvision or the ability to see in darkness. A creature within an area of dim light can make a Stealth check to conceal itself.
Bocke moves closer to the campfire and focuses his attention in the direction of the humanoids, searching for the presence of evil--which he finds.
Ejtehah prepares himself for battle, should it come.
Indranna moves forward to get a closer look, and recognizes something in the tribal patterns of the clothing. Though she can only see one of them clearly, it appears to be of a humanoid tribe indigenous to the Shackles before piracy drove them to outlying islands, known as kuru. The one she can see appears to be a primative warrior that fuels its combat strength with its own internal rage . They are not known to populate the Gloomspires.
Dimak joins Ejtehah, forming a front-line of Pathfinders ready for a potential onslaught of these kuru barbarians.
Round 1 (bold may act)
Bocke
Mika
Uoralvern
Ejtehah
Indranna ()
Dimak
Kuru barbarians
- red
- orange
- green
- cyan
Active Effects
Dim light: Creatures within this area have concealment (20% miss chance in combat) from those without darkvision or the ability to see in darkness. A creature within an area of dim light can make a Stealth check to conceal itself.