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The adventure begins in the Grand Lodge of Absalom, where Venture-Captain Ambrus Valsin (male human) has summoned you all to help Rain in Cloudy Day (male fungus leshy initiate) 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.
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A short stuffed rabbit hops into the room. He finds the room (and Rain) in a slight mess and immediately hops over to help.
"Oh, you mutht be Rain-in-Cloudy Day. I wath athked to come thee if I can help."
The rabbit shucks off his backpack and crossbow into a corner and has a look at the missives. He chooses one he might have some knowledge of and studies it.
"Bun Helthing ith my name, by the way." Like most rabbits, he has an overbite, which causes an obvious lisp when he speaks.
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Drizzle, practicing her stealth skills, appears from nowhere behind the open door. No one is fooled.
"Hello Bun Helsing, Rain-in-Cloudy-Day. Pleasure to meet you. I am Drizzle Darter. The reasons I am here are vague, but here I am, ready to help."
She smiles and reaches out to take one of the missives.
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Yet another stuffed rabbit hops into the room wearing academic regalia. He attempts to adjust his hat but fails as it is stitched to his head. "Ah I thee I am jutht in time to aththitht in dethiphering thethe miththiveth."
He nods to the assembled pathfinders. " I mutht admit I've never theen quite tho many of my kind in one plathe before. Allow me to introduthe mythelf. I am Profethther Bun Bun, Q.T.E. at your thervithe." If anything his lisp is even worse than that of Bun Helsing.
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A rather tall (for a small poppet) and skinny wooden marionette wearing a tattered and faded pink dress paired with a dirty white dueling cape walks inside the room. There is something peculiar about them, their nose is visibly long, as if a manufacturing defect on a toy. Also their wooden skin is somewhat deteriorating and damp. In their hands they have a wooden club and wooden buckler which in contrast to their state, look good as new. Their big shiny eyes scan the room and find others of their kind, albeit in other form. They happily run to them across the room, their wooden body creaking as they move.
”Hewwo, I am Guiseppino. Fowks caww me wong-nosed, but you can just caww me Gui, fow showt.” they say after they awkwardly bow to them. They then turn to Rain, ”You awe Wain, I suppose. We were summoned because the Society says you have an uwgent task fow us. Wet me see those wetters.” They then begin to scan the letters and find interest on a letter from Andoran . They read it through and summarize its content to the others.
”Stwange happenings in Awmas Cathedwal. And wegaw cwaim on the wights of the cathedwal. This wooks sewious.Pewhaps we can wook into this.”
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A bipedal clockwork creature with a crossbow attached to one limb and a long blade on another lumbers into the inn. It looks like the latest gnome experiment got away, except it seems too functional for that. It hisses to a stop, then a panel in the front slides open, revealing a rainbow-colored stuffed bear with buttons for eyes and grease on the paws. The toy hops out and says in meticulous, Hallit-accented Common, "Good afternoon, everyone. Miss Sorbet is here." She hops onto the nearest table and adds, "Could I perhaps get a small cup of tea?"
She wanders across the table and takes a look at each of the letters, eventually settling on the one from Count Jeggare. "It would certainly be remiss of me to ignore the troubles of the nobility," she says as she peruses it.
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Upon sighting the telltale mortarboard cap, Bun Helsing drops the missive he was studying and stares. His jaw drops open and his eyes appear to pop out.
"I don't believe thith! It'th Profethor Bun-Bun Q.T.E.!"
Bun Helsing hops over to his hero and stares at him in awe.
"It'th a great honor to meet you, thir! I've been following your workth and ekthploitth. Are we really working together?!"
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Drizzle begins to read the letter from the Lady Glorianna but becomes distracted by a commotion. Looking up from the paper, her eyes widen in shock.
"Poppets! Five of them? I thought I was agreeing to two," she blurts out to no one in particular.
Watching them interact with one another, her thoughts wander. "A Rag of Poppets? No, that's colts. A Mob? Hmm, no that describes Emus. A charm! No, that's goldfish. Down works... on hares. Sigh. A Lark of Poppets?" She becomes frustrated because this is probably common knowlege. "A Common of Poppets? That sounds right."
Drizzle shakes her head to clear the cobwebs and politely introduces herself, wondering if it would be uncivilized to ask what they call their groups.
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It is really uncommon to have five poppets in one place but - here they are, and it looks like Drizzle is the poppet minder.
So far we have a token on Cheliax (who is that? Miss Sorbet?), Professor Bun Bun on Qadira, Drizzle on Taldor, Guiseppo on Andor, and Bun Helsing on Absalom Harbour, leaving Orision for Chomper.
Could I please know what skill you want to use for each letter and your bonus for the roll. These are secret checks. Appropriate spoilers will be posted for each character depending on the results.
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Upon sighting the telltale mortarboard cap, Bun Helsing drops the missive he was studying and stares. His jaw drops open and his eyes appear to pop out.
"I don't believe thith! It'th Profethor Bun-Bun Q.T.E.!"
Bun Helsing hops over to his hero and stares at him in awe.
"It'th a great honor to meet you, thir! I've been following your workth and ekthploitth. Are we really working together?!"
The erudite rabbit is a bit taken aback by the gunslinger's enthusiasm but he recovers quickly. "Oh! I don't believe we've met. How ith it you know of me and my work? Motht of my academic paperth were published in relatively obthcure journalth. I have been mentioned in a few pathfinder chronicleth though. Thosthe theem to be thomewhat popular."
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"That'th where I've heard of you, thir. Like the time when you and your companionth defeated the mithcreantth who pretended to need athithtanth with an orphanage. Or when you helped a druid round up thome dinothaurth in the Land of the Mammoth Lordth. Thinth then I've alwayth wanted to meet you perthonally."
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Time to get rolling:
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"How intriguing!" Miss Sorbet exclaims. "It seems that one of our contacts in Cheliax has been lost, possibly along with his manservant and hound. Though this may be the manservant's missive instead. In any case, it seems a clandestine rescue operation is in order." Her armor hisses as steam is released.
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Professor launches into a brief lecture on Qadira.
"Qadira ith the wethternmotht thatrapy of the great Padishah Empire of Kelesh. Qadira once commanded itth own faction within the Thociety, which it uthed to promote itth trade interestth acrothth the Inner Thea. That faction eventually became the Ekthchange, a group more broadly dedicated to influenthe via commerthe."
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Rain ponders aloud whether these events might be related, but before he can ask for more details to put the finishing touches on his report, Venture-Captain Ambrus Valsin bursts into the room.
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!
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Everyone has two Hero Points each.
Before you depart, Valsin takes a moment to briefly correct any of the inaccurate information in the report. He also reminds Rain to reference multiple sources before compiling official reports in the future. The novice Pathfinder hastily writes down this advice in a section of his journal labeled "How to Report."
He also dryly comments: I am sure there is more to Orision than it is old.
Rain in Cloudy Day expresses sincere gratitude for the PCs’ help and gives them four minor healing potions. He also offers you one of the following: a lesser acid flask, lesser alchemist’s fire, lesser tanglefoot bag, or a lesser thunderstone.
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Since it's only one item for the party - the thunderstone it is.
Your journey from the Grand Lodge in the Foreign Quarter to the Blakros Museum in the Wise Quarter is uneventful.
Gardeners and landscapers busily haul plants and building materials through the gardens that flank the path leading to the imposing, multistory building that is the Blakros Museum. Its outer walls are crafted almost entirely from a single chunk of volcanic rock. A woman stands near the entrance, speaking with several of the workers in a calm yet commanding voice. She has deep blueish-purple skin and vibrant teal markings, denoting her ancestry as one of the aquatic azarketi.
When you approach she says I am Curator Adjutant Seshuun. What business do you have at the museum? Are you the Pathfinders Ambrus said he would be sending?
She seems to be rather surprised at the presence of five poppets and a huma and crouches down to get a better look.
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The Professor carefully examines the plants. "A replica of an Iobarian grove. Quite nithe. It'th too bad you couldn't get more real plantth though."
He turns his attention to the curator. "I am Profeththor Bun Bun, Q.T.E and thethe are my aththothiateth. We are indeed the pathfinderth thent by Venture-Captain Ambruth Valthin. How may we aththitht the mutheum today?"
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Seshuun pauses a bit before replying, maybe having to parse the Professor's reply a few times.
So, you’re the ones Valsin sent to fix this mess. No, not the gardens. The shipment! You know, the relics? The Iobarian relics? Surely you can explain why the shipment hasn’t been delivered yet. The Sixwing Drake should have arrived with the relics by now, but I’ve heard no word. We can make the gardens look as authentic as we want, but nobody is going to visit an empty exhibit. The recent business with the curator, Nigel Aldain, has tarnished the museum’s reputation enough as it is. I can’t allow the Society’s delays to cause further problems. You look like you might have questions. Please tell me you can help?
She sounds a bit anxious.
To Impress Seshuun, you can make a Diplomacy check or Academia Lore, Azarketi Lore or Iobaria Lore.
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Guiseppino intently listens to the frustrated curator-adjutant. It is such a daunting task to maintain the museum, what more to prepare it for the exhibit?! they think to themself. Hearing that she needs help, they volunteer themself to help her. "Hewwo, cuwator-adjutant Seshun. I am Guiseppino, othews caww me The Wong-Nosed, but it doesnt mattew at the moment. I am wiwwing to help you in this endeavouw. I undewstand youw fwustwation, been thewe, but not welated to museums and all. But, as I said, I am wiwwing to help, and wowwy no mowe."
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Now that Professor Bun Bun and Bun Helsing made note of the fake plants, Drizzle could see the difference. Upon consideration, she assumed they were donations from some important patron.
"Curator Adjutant Seshuun, my name is Drizzle Darter. These hearty and brave poppets and I are here to help." She waits patiently for the curator to respond to Miss Sorbet's and Professor Bun Bun's inquiries.