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1) I am based in Southeast Asia (UTC +8) so my posting hours may be unusual (especially for those in North America). I usually update at least one or twice per day. Just to keep the game moving, please post at least once every day and at least once during the weekend. If you disappear for more than 24 hours, especially during combat, I will simply place your character on infinite delay just to keep things moving.
2) Please label all three of your actions. Even if you think what you are doing is obvious.
3) If I am unavailable for longer than 24 hours, I will let you know in the Discussion Tab. Out of respect for your fellow players and myself, I ask that you do the same. Real life happens, and real life will always take priority over the game, but out of fairness for your fellow players, please let us know if you will be unavailable for an extended period of time.
4) Questions, concerns? Feel free to share them in the Discussion tab.
5) Let's have some fun and tell a great story together! After all, that's what we are here for.
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A well-dressed human Varisian male walks down the street, while a human-sized octopus pulls itself along on multiple thick tentacles next to him. They talk in the Mwangi language to each other.
Giles:
Well, we don't have any new assignments yet. So, I guess we can go tomorrow
Ecthelion:
As long as it is not cold. You can swim with me too if you want. I will help you.
Giles looks up at the gathering of pathfinders near the lodge. "Greetings pathfinders! I am Giles Morningstar the second and this is my eidolon, Ecthelion. Are you all off between assignments as well?"
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Your adventure begins in the Grand Lodge of Absalom, where Venture-Captain Ambrus Valsin has summoned you to help Rain in Cloudy Day with an urgent task. When you arrive in the venture-captain’s office, you find Rain in a desperate state.
Rain in Cloudy Day stands on a chair behind a large oak desk covered with documents.
"Ah, you’ve arrived! What a relief! I’m a bit overwhelmed at the moment, and I could use your help. The Pathfinder Society leadership is in a closed-door meeting right now, reviewing the latest news from Iobaria, the distant land where the Society has focused its efforts of late. I can’t wait to hear more about all the interesting things our agents discovered there! But, while they’re busy, I’ve been asked to catalog the flood of correspondence from our Inner Sea lodges. Just look at all these letters! Ambrus—that is, Venture-Captain Ambrus Valsin—asked me to sort and summarize all of it, but there’s so much! And, I’m not ashamed to admit that with my relative inexperience, all of it seems urgent! I’ve got to put a report together, but I’m overwhelmed by all the unfamiliar names and places! Here, take these
letters. See what you can make of them. I’d hate to miss something important and disappoint the venture-captain, and I think the meeting is almost over."
Rain hands you six pieces of parchment (see pages 4-5 in the slides).
"Feel free to share these among yourselves and exchange information."
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You are each allowed one check for each handout:
1 - Almas Lore, Pathfinder Society Lore, Religion, or Society
2 - Egorian Lore, Occultism, Pathfinder Society Lore, or Society
3 - Arcana, Pathfinder Society Lore, Society, or Sothis Lore
4 - Mercantile Lore, Pathfinder Society Lore, Sedeq Lore, or Society
5 - Crafting, Oppara Lore, Pathfinder Society Lore, or Society
6 - Absalom Lore, Nature, Pathfinder Society Lore, or Society
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To Giles -
"Joran Redaxe. Pleased to meet you. Just back from the Shackles, actually. You?"
A tall, reasonably athletic Ulfen man moves slightly closer. Dressed in studded leathers, hair a kind of dirty, reddish blond colour, he looks like a coastal raider. Longsword and shield complete the image.
A spider monkey sits on his shoulder eating nuts.
"I'm just pleased we're dry and not dead." says the monkey, in a surprisingly deep voice.
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Giles nods at Joran, "Nice to meet your acquaintance. Ecthelion and I are just back from a recovery mission in the Steaming Sea. Most of us managed to stay dry and warm." Ecthelion makes a grumbling noise.
Giles brightens up at seeing Rain! "Glad you haven't gotten yourself lost again. How've you been?"
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Oranna raises her brow as yet another arrival, Giles, makes his appearance. She wasn't sure if she had met him before but didn't make a question of it as they were all brought into the lodge for assignment. She'd look at the papers with an inquisitive look before handing it back with a shrug. This sort of stuff was beyond her when it came to educational pursuits. She was just muscle after all.
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The Pathfinder lodge in Almas, capital of Andoran, is also known as the Cathedral of Aroden. The building was formerly a church to the now-deceased god of humanity. Andoran is a nation devoted to democracy and personal freedom. It was the birthplace of the old Liberty’s Edge faction of the Pathfinder Society, which focused on opposing tyranny. Among numerous other amenities for Pathfinders, the Cathedral boasts an extensive library staffed by homunculi and other constructs.
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As you give Rain this information, he eagerly writes it all down in his notebook. As a brand-new Pathfinder agent, he is especially curious about any information pertaining to the Pathfinder Society’s older factions. Rain ponders aloud whether these events might be related, but before he can ask for more details, a tall man with tan skin and dark, meticulously groomed hair throws open the doors and strides into the office: Venture-Captain Ambrus Valsin clearly has something urgent on his mind. Rain in Cloudy Day jumps up to interrupt him, proclaiming that the report summarizing the correspondence is ready. The venture-captain, taken aback, accepts the journal that Rain shoves into his hands. Rain watches expectantly as Valsin skims the report.
Ambrus Valsin nods to those gathered and says in a gruff voice, "Ah, yes. Thank you Rain, agents. Let me see… this is all quite worrying! Your thoroughness is praiseworthy. Unfortunately, we cannot act on any of this right now. Another urgent matter has come up, right on our doorstep. I need agents to go to the Blakros Museum and meet with Curator Adjutant Seshuun, who is temporarily in charge. I do not have any details, but she’s requested the Society’s immediate presence, and she seems upset. We’ve worked hard to establish a working relationship with the museum, and I do not want it to fall to pieces now with everything else going on. Please help the curator with anything she may need, and if you can, try to make a good first impression. Rain and I will remain here and bring this report to the Society’s leadership. Some of this is quite serious, and we’ll take it all the way to the Decemvirate if needed!"
Before you leave, Rain approaches you and hands you a pouch. Inside the pouch are four minor healing potions.
"Here, take these. They might help. Thank you for helping me with the mail."
He also gestures to another pouch on his desk. Inside are:
Lesser Acid Flask
Lesser Alchemist Fire
Lesser Tanglefoot Bag
Lesser Thunderstone
Rain asks you to choose two.
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The half elf will tell the group what he discovered from his parlance Qadira is the westernmost satrapy of the great Padishah Empire of Kelesh. Qadira once commanded its own faction within the Society, which it used to promote its trade interests across the Inner Sea. That faction eventually became the Exchange, a group more broadly dedicated to influence via commerce.
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Nic produces his own notes. "Count Varian Jeggare, the individual referenced in the missive from Cheliax, is a half-elf wizard who operated a secret lodge from his manor. The lodge had to be kept secret because most Society activities are forbidden there, and the rulers of the country are...most determined to punish unlawful activity." The halfling absently rubs an old burn scar on one wrist. "Our own archivist at the Grand Lodge, Zarta Dralneen, was once a paracountess of Cheliax before she assumed leadership of the Dark Archive, a former faction devoted to finding and studying dangerous relics and occult knowledge. I believe they eventually developed into the Grand Archive, though I may be mistaken." He shrugs. "Beyond both the former paracountess and Count Jeggare being from Cheliax, I am not certain of the link between the two. In any case, the loss of the manor would damage Society interests in Cheliax. Perhaps Zarta Dralneen would have some advice on how to proceed."
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Trig nods.
"The Pathfinder lodge in Almas, capital of Andoran, is also known as the Cathedral of Aroden. The building was formerly a church to the now-deceased god of humanity. Andoran is a nation devoted to democracy and personal freedom. It was the birthplace of the old Liberty’s Edge faction of the Pathfinder Society, which focused on opposing tyranny. Among numerous other amenities for Pathfinders, the Cathedral boasts an extensive library staffed by homunculi and other constructs."
After looking in the bag he steps back. "Thank you."
But he pulls nothing from it.
"I've heard of many dark deeds in Blakros in the past."
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"That missive from Taldir is worrying. Lady Gloriana Morilla is a former venture-captain who supported the rise of Taldor’s new monarch, Grand Princess Eutropia. Muesello is the current venture-captain, and he spends much of his time tinkering with custom wayfinders for Pathfinder agents. If he's gone rogue it's a massive problem. If he's been set up, it's worse. So many problems at once smacks of a concerted attack. We should be on our guard at the Blackros in case we are being set up." Joran says in a serious tone.
Thor peers into the bag. "A thunderstone would be cool but can't we take the fire in case we want to burn something down" he sounds serious but somehow his cheeky monkey face suggests otherwise.