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A small dark bird swoops into the room, landing on a nearby table. He cocks its head at Yaiho, then at Janus before taking a long look at Janus Too. The bird shakes, ruffling out its feathers and then paces around the table for several moments.
Finally, it looks back at the doorway and shakes its head. A haughty, nasally voice emits from the bird's mouth as the bird begins to speak in common. "Gerald! Gerald, where are you?! I've been waiting for ages for you to introduce me. We have some worthy Pathfinders here and they deserve the courtesy of an introduction! And none of this 'I can't fly' business. We'll see to that at some point, but it's no excuse for you to be a lay about!"
The bird sighs and looks at Janus. "My apologies. Sometimes, he lacks focus."
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Moments later a young half-orc hustles into the room. He is clad in heavy platemail with a large greatsword and a backpack strapped to his back. His voice is a basso rumble. "Javon, I had to sign us in. They didn't recognize you again!" He turns and sees the others in the room.
Immediately, the half-orc bows to them. "Oh, my apologies." He motions to the bird. "I present, my master Javon, a renown Pathfinder extraordinaire. His form is tragically altered after an unknown incident, which we are trying to reverse. I am his guardian, man-at-arms, porter, and herald, Grax." He bows again to the waiting Pathfinders.
Grax turns to the bird, Javon. "How was that? I have been practicing, see? I don't even need to read it anymore."
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A gruff Taldan man enters the room, dropping his pack in the corner without even checking if anything was there. His face has a few scars across it, and one up the side of his freshly shorn head, a tail of hair dangling at the back. He smiles as he sees a familiar face.
Claudia...nice to see you again...I hope you had a somewhat restful time off. He studies the others and greets them all in turn.
I'm Doran..of the Cassomir Therinors. Looks like we have a rather diverse group here. Janus...I think you went on a mission with my cousin Patros. He wasn't too much trouble, was he? He tends to let his rash decisions get the better of him. He's changed since his one mission to the heavens...as crazy as that sounds. the warrior says as he grabs a mug of coffee and a snack from the kitchen.
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You gather in the plaza just outside the Grand Lodge tower of Skyreach.
Zarta Dralneen and Master of Scrolls Kreighton Shaine sit atop folding camp stools set before a carefully arranged pile of packed tents, fur-lined parkas, parasols, loose robes, flippers, and other gear flanked by a team of mules on one side and horses on the other. Kreighton Shaine rises to greet his guests, ignoring the eclectic assortment of equipment behind him.
“I appreciate your meeting with us here. We have lost many good Pathfinders in the wake of a recent attack by the Aspis Consortium, and we have struggled to fill the vacancies left by the fallen. In particular, I have focused on securing a Master of Spells.”
He grimaces before adding, “Hopefully just an interim Master of Spells. The best candidate is one the Decemvirate assumed dead about ten years ago: Aram Zey’s predecessor, Sorrina Westyr.”
Zarta Dralneen shifts atop her stool for a moment before standing. “That’s not to say that the Decemvirate was callous in their decision to certify her death; investigators thought they had exhausted all available leads at the time. My archival team has since located several requisitions that Westyr wrote and approved for extremely rare ioun stones, all but one of which she returned to the Society’s vaults.”
She holds up a small lead box. “This is significant because she was researching the nature of ioun stones and their interactions with a special wayfinder referred to as the wayfinder of many paths. The wayfinder can open a gateway to any number of locations, but each type of ioun stone serves as the key to just one very precise — often inconvenient — point.”
Kreighton Shaine finishes feeding a handful of oats to a mule as he adds, “Needless to say, few thought it worth testing further. However, Sorrina found the contraption intriguing and set to cataloguing as many of the destinations as possible. It may be that wherever this stone sent her proved lethal, yet it may also be that she is merely trapped, imprisoned, or otherwise waylaid. We want you to follow Master Westyr’s team and bring them back to Absalom if they’re alive—or whatever you can learn of their deaths if not.”
He takes the lead box from Zarta and places it atop an ornately carved wooden box. “Sepia ellipsoids are extremely uncommon, and this is one of a small few remaining in the Society’s possession; do not lose it. The other box holds the Wayfinder of Many Paths, which I trust you will also keep safe. Perform whatever other preparations you must, and stop back here once you’re ready.”
Zarta's eyebrow raises at his brevity. ”We can answer any questions you might have, of course. Isn’t that right, Kreighton, my darling.”
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"Your cousin was far less rash than one of our other companions on that mission, Doran. Claudia will know of whom we speak."
In reply to the senior Pathfinders' introduction, Janus adds "The first questions are obvious ones."
"What does the sepia ellipsoid stone do? Where does it lead if inserted into the Wayfinder of Many Paths? What other locations might the Wayfinder open to us, if we inserted other ioun stones into it?"
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"Sorrina Westyr! Yes, she would be wonderful! Oh, if she is still alive that is. And perhaps she could figure out what has happened to me! Oh, Gerald, this could be it! Sorriana would certainly help me. I mean...I think she would. I do know her, yes? I think so, but I'm not sure..." The bird trails off, suddenly distracted by an interesting knot in the wood.
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Grax shakes his head. "Of course, she could help you, Javon. Just like all the other ones we have asked..." He sighs, turning to Janus and Claudia. "Apologies. The transformation has...hurt his memories."
He turns back to Zarta. "Is this way to travel safe? We could end up anywhere, but I would hope to end up there intact. And what did you mean by an 'often inconvenient point'?"
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Zarta wanders amongst the supplies as she addresses some of your queries.
“Well, that's the trick, Claudia. We don’t know. It could be another city, a distant country, or even another plane of existence - those are some of the inconvenient locations I spoke of. And Grax - that no one has returned in ten years does not bode well for it being an easily accessed or safe location. You should take that into consideration while you make your preparations for departure, for you will only be certain of the resources you carry with you.”
Kreighton Shaine lightly kicks the pile of gear. “I’ve requisitioned everything you see here for your use. Once the portal’s open, we might have a better sense of what you’re up against.”
To the questions about the special ioun stone and wayfinder, Kreighton becomes noticeably more animated.
“It is a powerful yet dangerously unstable ioun stone that, when orbiting a person, sustains them without air, heals minor injuries fairly quickly, and can increase spellcasting abilities.” Mechanically, the stone combines the powers of an iridescent spindle, a pearly white spindle, and an orange prism ioun stone."
He taps the lead-lined box for emphasis. “Some ioun stones come with side effects, and this one resists being contained. What’s more, it gradually drains the power of other nearby ioun stones. I’ve found that anti-curse magic tends to deactivate it for a short while, those few times I’ve needed to handle it.”
"Activating the wayfinder of many paths while it contains an ioun stone will take you to a specific destination. If you stand in that same destination and activate the wayfinder again at least 24 hours later, its gateway will instead take you back to where you started. If you lose the sepia ellipsoid, though, you will be trapped there unless you can secure an alternate way to return. Do be aware that the gateways never stay open for more than two minutes.”
Finally, (to Janus) he responds. "If, I mean when you return - perhaps you can try out other stones for future missions."
SEPIA ELLIPSOID IOUN STONE
This dark stone appears to be made of transparent crystal filled nearly to the brim with dark ink. It provides the benefits of an iridescent spindle (sustains one without air), pearly white spindle (regenerate 1 hit point per 10 minutes), and an orange prism (+1 caster level).
However, it has two drawbacks.
First, once set loose to orbit your head, it dislikes being contained (including being placed in a wayfinder) and frees itself to orbit again 1d4+1 hours after being removed from its spinning path.
Second, it drains the power out of other active ioun stones, rendering them dull gray and powerless at a rate of one every 24 hours. Thus, it is an excellent and valuable item if you only have one ioun stone, but hard to conceal and dangerous to your other treasures. A remove curse or similar spell can put the stone at rest and prevent it from returning to its orbit. In theory, one could place it directly into a wayfinder rather than ever letting it orbit, though conflicting reports suggest the sepia ellipsoid may be able to drain power out of orbiting stones even when contained in this way.
WAYFINDER OF MANY PATHS
The Wayfinder of Many Paths behaves like a normal wayfinder, allowing it to shine (as per light) on command and granting its user a +2 circumstance bonus on Survival checks to avoid getting lost. It has a small indentation designed to hold a single ioun stone, and when an ioun stone is placed within, the owner of the wayfinder gains the stone’s normal benefits as if it were orbiting his head.
Once per day, on command, a wayfinder of many paths with an implanted ioun stone can be used to create a 5-to-20-foot-diameter gateway, similar to the gate spell. The exact destination depends on the type of ioun stone slotted into the wayfinder; ioun stones of the same type always lead to the same location. The gateway remains open for up to 18 rounds, but the user can drain the socketed ioun stone, rendering it dull gray and powerless, to keep the gateway open for up to 18 additional rounds. If fitted with an ioun stone while in that stone’s attuned location, a wayfinder of many paths can open a gateway back to the location in which it was last used, allowing its user to make a return trip after at least 24 hours have passed.
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"Hello everyone!"
A short elven man strides out from a nearby room.
He looks curiously at the equipment.
"I assume since you're all grabbing gear, you guys are preparing to leave? I apologize for my lateness, an aggravated anaconda accosted me on the way here."
He fiddles with the hilt of a well-worn rapier. He turns to Zarta.
"Do you expect that unused gear is returned?"
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Claudia looks carefully over the magical gear, making sure it all looks in good condition. Assuming there is time, she runs to the nearest magic store to buy a few scrolls for herself.
She also picks up and holds the scrolls/potions from the gear provided while the portal opens, unless someone else wants to.
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"Perhaps we can help you with that" Janus indicates the healing wand. "We are the sword and shield of the Green. We are trained in divine magic, whereas Claudia we believe practices the arcane arts."
Janus touches a finger to the silver clasp that holds their cloak in place about their shoulders - two hands grasping each other at the wrists.
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Ambrus Valsin exits Skyreach and ambles over to the team as you inspect the supplies.
"Ah - so this is the team out to search for Sorrina and her crew, wonderful." He leans in to Doran and hands him a letter with a nod and a whisper. "Make sure you and Grax and Morait bring them back alive, or whatever condition you find them. He adds, grimly.
Pathfinder Group for Mission XX-45789
Sorrina Westyr - group leader
Braethin - halfling warrior
Nissira - expert tracker
Setik of Averaka - interpreter and spiritual advisor
Grave Treader - Shoanti scholar
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The Master of Scrolls reviews the operation of the wayfinder of many paths, including its command word, how to vary the gateway’s diameter from 5 to 20 feet, and words of warning that it functions only once every 24 hours and creates a gateway that lasts less than two minutes. After answering any final questions, Zarta Dralneen activates the attuned wayfinder, sparking forth a huge gaping portal, ringed with shimmering magic.
The portal opens into a shadowy cavern illuminated only by the ambient light of Absalom’s afternoon sun, but even this is enough to make the field of malachite stalactites sparkle.
On the ground, clear quartz crystals splay into spiky bushes, low gypsum roses wrap around blue crystal archways, and great purple and green spires rise beyond view in a jungle of countless mineral marvels.
Shaine and Dralneen look at the cavern and share a knowing glance before the elf announces in a wry tone, “Well, I suppose you won’t be needing the horses.” He and Zarta quickly help you choose the best gear suitable for underground exploration, hand over the wayfinder of many paths with the sepia ellipsoid, and Zarta shouts over the din of the portal's buzzing. "Hurry through the gateway before it closes!"
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Doran pauses for a moment as he takes it all in.
Many of the crystalline structures seem to have formed in previously unknown—possibly unnatural—ways; the processes necessary to form one type of crystal here are vastly different than those to create others in the same area. At least among Pathfinders, this regional attribute does not match the description of any well-known cave system. You will be able to properly catalogue the formations here, helping the group retrace their steps, find where the portal had opened, and use the wayfinder of many paths to return the team to Absalom.
Although there seems to be a slight extraplanar signature, a closer investigation suggests that this cavern is not on the Plane of Earth. There are no planar traits that would modify magic cast here.
Dwarven legends speak of a cavern called the Crystal Womb, supposedly found in the deepest reaches of the Darklands: Orv. There one can find gems and precious metals of nearly any kind, though the legends also warn of guardians from the Plane of Earth who protect its wealth from any greedy trespassers. This is very likely that Vault, and there is no direct route from it to the surface; such a trip would take many weeks or even months.
For the rest of you, much like an old growth forest, this area hosts countless large formations, yet has a floor relatively free of “underbrush,” making it easy for you to traverse the cavern. However, determining where to go is more difficult.
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Spending some time communing with the locale, Janus is able to determine that the area has infrequent humanoid visitors, the last being a decade ago. They have placed their marks at regular intervals.
Sure enough, there is an identical pair of arcane marks a few hundred feet away on a different crystalline pillar, suggesting a trail to follow. Claudia realizes they could easily be detected and followed with her cantrip.