|
The Glass River lives up to its name: the barge, Queen of Elysium, hardly sways as she makes her way slowly upriver towards the enigmatic nation of Razmiran. Your destination is Prophet’s Rest, a small village in the suburbs of Ver, the nation’s capital.
Accommodations are hardly adequate on a ship like this, but at least it’s not cramped: not many choose to travel to Razmiran. There are only a few others who booked passage on this vessel: your fellow Pathfinders, a family of five refugees from Lastwall who look like they haven’t had a square meal in weeks, and a small team of skeevy-looking merchants who keep to themselves.
You lean against the railing and once again open the letters you received from Venture-Captain Holgarin Smine and Fola Barun:
Greetings, Pathfinders!
I was recently contacted by a high-ranking priest of the so-called god Razmir with an intriguing but troublesome offer: he claims to have his government’s permission to help us set up the first Pathfinder Lodge in the nation of Razmiran. As Pathfinders have been banned from Razmiran for over 50 years, the possibility of once again having access to that land is one we can’t ignore—but I don’t trust the theocratic Razmiri government. All they care about is praising the name of their fake god and keeping the common people poor and ignorant while they live high on the hog. Though I can’t imagine that they see the Society as anything but a nuisance, the agreement they offer seems reasonable.
Despite my misgivings, I’ve been ordered to investigate the proposed location. I’ve chartered you passage on a ship headed to Razmir to meet with this high-ranking priest in the village of Prophet’s Rest, a hamlet on the Glass River just west of Xer. The priest’s name is Narsen, and he’s expecting you. Help secure the location for the Lodge, make any necessary repairs, and hire some locals to help you hold it for the next month or so while I organize a more permanent staff.
I am sending you with a significant sum of cash to pay local workers, buy any construction materials, and grease a few palms if need be. I’m also including a few dozen bulbs of a magical plant called a Whispering Lily. These were given to me years ago by a Chelaxian associate, and once planted, the flowers have the ability to transmit sound to their sister plants here in Tymon. Plant them in secret around the new Lodge, and we’ll be able to keep better tabs on what’s going on with the locals once you leave.
Good luck!
Holgarin Smine
My dear allies, With the death of so many at the Siege of Gallowspire, the Envoy’s Alliance must redouble its efforts to recruit new members for the Society. Razmiran is a completely untapped source of new recruits, and although I know that Smine wishes you to find some who will serve the new Razmiri Lodge as guards and servants, you should also be on the lookout for anyone who might have the potential to one day become a full Pathfinder. Sadly, Razmiran is a land where few can be counted on not to report our secrets to the government, so I send you on a delicate mission: seek out the locals and gain their trust. Once you think you have it, try to ascertain whether or not they can keep a secret from their government. If they are trustworthy, give them one of the special tokens I have included with this missive, and tell them to return it to the Pathfinders of the Lodge once it is fully established. It will serve as a marker to those who come after you of the Razmiri’s trustworthiness. These markers are imprinted with the holy symbol of Razmir and should not arouse suspicion. With your help, we will return the Society to its former glory.
With greatest respect,
Fola Barun
⚒ ⚒ ⚒
|
Filara is a very young elf wearing an elaborate pink coat over a white collared shirt. A dwarven made leather backpack looms at her back, far too large for her lithe frame.
A tiny Belkzeni Cactus Owl sleeps perched on top of her white wizard's staff.
She seems nervous.
"I've watched these shores from south for years living in Greengold. I have ...mixed feelings about coming here. Hopefully we can find allies here. Or at least some new magic to report back in my thesis for the Arcanamirium."
|
|
Jarith Rexantor is a young yet self-assured half-elf/half-human from Taldor, adorned in the simple black-and-white robes of a priest of Nethys. At 5 foot and 8 inches and a slight frame, he presents little physical threat, but projects a certain quiet confidence.
Slumping a little in his seat from the long voyage, Jarith perks up a little at the elf's voice.
"My feelings are mostly suspicion about this nation. I do share a bit of your optimism. I would welcome new magical discoveries myself. I'm sure the All-Seeing Eye would bring me here for no other reason. Of course, the Pathfinders need us here too..."
|
A non-descript halfling wearing studded leather armor, and burdoned with various bags sits leaning against a large box. Several sharp implements hang from her belt, and a quiver and bow peek from her shoulder. Oddly, for a halfling, her feet are shod with sturdy brown leather boots. She is holding several sheets of parchment in her hands and is studying them with a stern visage.
"Plant flowers and moles. Initiate recruitment in Razmiran. Establish a new lodge. *sigh*
"My bad luck again. If I had only turned down the right-hand hall, Fola's assitant might have recruited someone else. I am not cut out for this, I should be warm and cozy, reading in the archives, instead of this so-called-boat"
Upon hearing a shuffle on the deck, Dr. Cherie leans back slightly and raises her head to better see the passengers in front of her. They seem to be speaking...she thinks she heard someone ask about other adventures. She recalls her previous outings for the Pathfinder Society: a night camping between Otari and Absalom; the slog back and forth across the Gravelands - that was horrific; blazing a trail through the Menador Mountains; two trips too many into Garundi swamps! "I hope there are no pseudodragons, insects, or elementals in Razmiran." Shaking her head to clear it she takes a deep breath as she stands.
"So nice to meet you. My name is...Ahem, my name is Dr. Cherie P.I.E. You may call me Doctor, though my friends call me Cherie." She looks around at the gathered party thoughtfully, then continues, "I have been on several missions for the Envoy's Alliance and my Forensic Medicine skills proved very useful, especially in the first endeavor."
Yes, warriors do tend to leave corpses. She blinks several times, then seems to shrink down a bit.
|
A tall red haired woman, marked by an elaborately hilted sword on her hip and a circular green tattoo on her left wrist, stands on deck. Fifty years of nothing and suddenly we're invited to set up shop in their backyard? I'm with Smine. This has all the hallmarks of a trap.
You can call me Rosa. Try to not let my serpentine past bother you. I'm fully committed to the society.
|
To Doctor
it is good to meet you Doctor, I am Bo Regallis, but you can call me just Bo. It's good to have medical people here with us, as I can only imagine the suffering we will find when we arrive. If the state of those on the boat are and indication, your skills will be in constant need.
It may be a trap, but if we know going into it, we can be ready. Keep your eyes keen.
|
|
The Queen of Elysium pulls alongside the dock of the small Razmiri village of Prophet’s Rest on a chilly late-winter morning, with the sun just beginning to burn the morning mist off the Glass River. The rickety wooden dock is quiet, with only a few fishermen going about their business while a single guard in the yellow and purple colors of Razmiran leans lazily against a longspear. He jumps to attention when the ship’s gangplank comes crashing down, then lumbers toward the ship, stretching his cold limbs.
As the other passengers move to disembark, a priest of Razmir appears out of the fog. He wears an iron mask and white robes and comes flanked by two more guards. The priest places himself at the bottom of the gangplank, ready to meet the travelers.
The first group to descend is a group of three poorly-clad Razmiri merchants carrying goods in large sacks on their backs. They hand a small bag to the priest, who peers inside, then nods and gestures for them to move on.
Next are a family of five Lastwall refugees, two parents and their three hungry children, who fish through their packs and hand a few silver coins to the masked priest. He looks at the coins with obvious disdain and hands the money back, motioning for the family to return to the ship. When the parents shake their heads and begin to argue with him, he points at the oldest child and states: “If you cannot pay the immigration fee, you may dedicate your child to the Razmiran priesthood instead.”
The family at first turns back to try and reboard the ship but is stopped by the ship’s bosun, who loudly proclaims, "You only paid to come this far. You will be getting off here."
|
|
"They simply must pay their tithe. It is what is owed." The priest turns to Filara. "Perhaps you would pay in their place?" He holds his hand out.
Bo understands that most common Razmiri are poor and are closely monitored by the government. The clergy of Razmir are its upper and governing class and live in opulence.
Rosa has also heard rumors that undead minions of the Whispering Tyrant have been seen lurking near the northern coastline but seem to have been kept at bay by the Razmiri priesthood.
|
|
The priest gris the coins tightly as the family seems to sigh in relief as they quickly usher their eldest away from the Priest before he changes his mind. The Mother turns as she leaves and mouths the words "Thank you" as she passes, her face stained with tears.
The priest turns to leave you be. "Your duty to the Living God will not go unnoticed."
The village of Prophet’s Rest is a 10-minute walk up a steep embankment from the docks where you arrived. Just as you enter the village another of the Living God's prophets is standing there ready to greet you.
This one comes alone, but has an air of power and magnetism; the mist itself seems to part as he approaches. He wears blue silk robes with a cowl edged in silver thread; his face is covered in a silver mask that conceals all of his facial features except intelligent and inquisitive hazel eyes.
He waves, his soft voice friendly. "Greetings!" He does a shallow bow. "Mask Narsen, short for Mask of the Twelfth Step. It is so good to see you have arrived safely! Please, come with me — I have prepared a lovely breakfast at the inn — I suspect that you are famished."
|
|
Filara is impressed by the display.
The owl on her staff writes something on its tiny waxboard and holds it up in its claws.
The elf returns the priest's shallow bow, matching its depth exactly.
"Thank you. I must say I've been curious to try out the cusine of this land for long. Please lead the way. I'm Filara and he is my familiar, Vulio."
Better to keep my last name out of this.
She then notices the writing on Vulio's board, blushes deply and quickly wipes it clean with a wooden ruler.
|
|
The half-elf says nothing when Filara pays off the priest at the docks. On the journey uphill to the village, he walks up beside her.
"Unfortunate to lose the coin, but I suppose that family's fate would have been quite ill had you not done that."
Later, on meeting the second priest, Jarith merely nods his head in greeting.
|
|
As you enter the village, you see a ruin about a mile away on top of a tall promontory rock overlooking the village and the Glass River valley. Even from a distance, it looks to be in poor repair. Mask Narsen notices you cecking out the structure. "That is Fort Agate, the proposed site for your new Lodge. It may not look like much but the foundation is solid."
The buildings they pass on the way to the inn are all recently painted, and many windowsills are decorated with colorful flower boxes or draped with the yellow and purple flag of Razmiran. The hamlet looks very rich and prosperous.
You notice that the streets are empty except for patrolling Razmiri guards, and many of the houses off the main thoroughfare are in need of significant repairs.
|
|
After getting a better look at the ruins, Jarith doesn't feel any better about it. His eyes wander a bit to the nearby streets.
"Not many people around. It looks like a number of the buildings off the main road are poorly maintained. I fear that the wealth may not be evenly distributed in this village."
|
|
Mask Narsen explains "The facades are temporary fronts while repairs are undertaken. Appearances are an important part of morale. We’ve had some bad weather rolling through and repairs aren’t happening as fast as we once did, but a village that looks in good order soon is in good order.”
When you enter the inn the thin inkeep quickly jumps to her feet bows deeply to Mask Narsen. "A private room please Lotte." She ushers you into a back room where a delicious breakfast has been laid out on a table — bread, eggs, steaming sausages. Mask Narsen claps his hands delightedly and digs in. The innkeep lingers in the doorway while Narsen isn't looking, eyeing you almost angrily before departing.
The mask wipes his hands. Now, we must get to business." He pours himself some tea, "I’ve personally convinced the Visions of the 15th Step to allow your organization into our Blessed Nation. The abandoned fort up the road is yours — a mere mile from this picturesque hamlet, and mere hours away from the majestic port city of Xer itself. A prize indeed!"
"It rests atop a small tor and has magnificent views! It’s a fixer-upper, as they say, but you will have the village's help — for a price, of course. I have also brought in a skilled stonemason from the capital that you can hire as well. I have also had quite a lot of wood shipped in from Xer to assist you in renovations."
"I suggest you see the fort for yourself. Alas, I am getting a bit too old to go stoping up the hills, and I am off to Xer anyway. I am happy to entertain any questions before I depart."
|
|
Filara has a toast with butter and eggs, and tea. She lets Vulio have a third of a sausage.
"I second Rosa's idea. At least having some recommendations on trustworthy and hard-working village people would help get us started."
She ponders a bit before asking:
"Thank you for using your personal time and resources to get the permit. This is a very unexpected privilege. I'm interested, why are you helping us like this? What's in it for you? What sort of compensation do you expect from the Pathfinders, or we've already given? I'm genuinely curious about your motivations."
|
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
"Anyone you ask in town will work for you. The village is at your disposal. You Pathfidners are known for resourcefulness, yes? I trust you will be able to first inspect the site and then create a decent plan to rebuild. It is not my place, as a humble mask of the twelfth step, to tell the experts how to accomplish their task. You are considered the Subject Matter Experts.. It is why you were sent." He gives a deep, meaningful bow before making his departure.
"I'm off to Xer. I'll be back in, ohh, twenty days or so." You get a distinct feeling he will return early. "I am SURE the fort will be a splendor before I even return! "Under budget and ahead of schedule, as they say." He gets into a gilded carriage and departs imediatly leaving you waving in the wind.
★ -- ★ -- ★ -- ★
You take a small tour of the hamlet before going to the fort, talking to some of the villagers along the way.
Melcat’s Folly Inn, where you are now, is the only inn in Prophet’s Rest. It is run by the middle-aged Lotte Mayar, and her two adult sons, Wilfred and Mikkel. Their servant girl Bessama Lingler works here too, though Dimitsi may report that she is mistreated.
The stonemason Junissa Yovitch is the only current guest at the inn; she is disdainful of you and your project.
The Temple of Razmir is run by Priest Lumley, a middle-aged man with thinning grey hair who holds sunrise services every day that are mandatory for all inhabitants of Prophet’s Rest. Afterwards he takes private confessions. He lives in a set of rooms attached to the back of the temple along with three fiercly loyal guards: Petrus, Aasif, and Rakka.
There is a Smithy run by Martin Hengus and his husband Edgar. They are the only blacksmiths in the area.
A large farmhouse lies at the outskirts. This is the residence of a farmer named Benyan Horgat, who immediately takes a dislike to the lot of you. He's by far richest man in Prophet’s Rest, after making a fortune selling produce exclusively to the Razmiran priesthood. His wife Gerlind sitts by the window and bitterly complains about you the moment you introduce yourselves. All the work in the house is done by their sad-eyed servant Matthild.
The Cooperage is the home and workshop of Braderock Brumn, the village’s carpenter. He lives alone in a large empty house, and seems to always be looking over his shoulder.
Knicks and Knacks is the shop of a local wise woman named Sylvina Norritch. She sells trinkets and dry goods and has a thriving business selling healing creams and love charms as well. She also brews and sells minor healing potions for 4 gp each, but only has five on hand. When you talk to her you notice several rats peeking out from her hair, a tail waggling out of her pocket, and another perched on her shoulder.
The Hunter’s Lodge, the residence of the middle-aged Plisken the Brown, a hunter and fur trapper who sells his goods in the village. He gets his name from his earth-toned clothing and his constant chewing of a local type of nut that has turned his teeth permanently brown.
|
|
Heading towards the Fort you have to follow natural game trails for a bit before finding an approach road that was clearly constructed of crushed stone and compacted dirt. This steep but wide road leads to the outer walls and main gate of Fort Agate and might be serviceable, but it's now overgrown with many bushes and small trees.
[spoiler-DC 15 Perception]You notice unusual droppings at the base of the cliff.[/spoiler]
★ -- ★ -- ★ -- ★
The outer walls of Fort Agate are badly degraded in many places. Built of two outer layers of mortared fieldstone with a filling layer of pebbles and sand between them, the wall was originally 12 feet high and 6 feet wide at the base, and 4 feet wide at the top. Most of the once-rectangular merlons have deteriorated and many of the field stones have fallen out, leading to an overall structural weakening. In one location near the main gate, the wall has given way entirely, creating a hole that a Medium-sized creature could just walk on through. Some fort!
Further, the wooden main gate of Fort Agate rotted away years ago.
You head inside the fort…
★ -- ★ -- ★ -- ★
Inside the fort is a courtyard full of debris, there is more of the strange and unusual droppings here as well.
There's an old watchtower so close to collapse you don't even feel safe standing near it and you cannot get inside. It will have to be collapsed, safely. If you do so, you can probably use the stones to fix the walls and other parts of the fort.
There's an old well here too, though it looks more like a pile of rubble.
[spoiler=DC 14 Perception]You find a “time capsule” that was buried here by the couple who built Fort Agate. It contains mostly love letters between the couple that detail their amorous excursions, along with a map of their caches of gold they left behind in Ustalav.
The keep is in better condition than the outer walls but still has many large stones missing. It is 45 feet in height and is divided into three floors: the great hall, the roof, and the dungeon. A series of passageways blocked by rubble. The stairs going up to the roof are totally wrecked and need to be rebuilt… then, the roof needs to be rebuilt.
Finally, there's an old barracks. While the walls and furnishings of this former dormitory have been severely damaged from roof leaks, its foundations and framing are in good condition. With substantial repairs, it could once again provide a comfortable shelter to yourselves and future denizens of the fort.
|
|
The Fort Fixer-Upper Rules
You want to get as far as you can on the fort in fewer than 20 days.
Each calendar day you can do one of three things: Repair the Fort, Make Friends, or Plant Whispering Lilies.
__________
Repairing the Fort
TASK FLOWCHART
Sheet one of the spreadsheet is a visual flowchart showing the main tasks that need to be completed. It needs to be completed left to right.
WORK UNITS
Each task takes a number of work units to complete, measured in Days. They are designated by the boxes inside each node. For example, Clean the approach road takes an effort of 8 full-time equivalent days to complete.
These units are not calendar days; they just represent the amount of work needed to finish the task.You achieve tasks faster by poutting bigger teams on them.
TASK TRAINING REQUIREMENTS
Certain tasks require minimum training. They are labeled on the diagram as well as color-coded. Luckily there are skilled laborers Narsen brought to town who can be hired, though they can only be deployed to one task per day.
HIRING NPCS
You can hire up to 3 NPCs per day each. They cost 1 GP each (so in general, 3gp / PC doing a task).
TASK CHECKS & MODIFIERS
Each activity takes an amount of effort, expressed in Days. If the task has no listed check, you and your three helpers make one day of progress each per calendar day, no check needed.
If you bring an NPC who has a particular speciality that’s in the task requirements, you can add your level as a a proficiency bonus to the associated check, even if you are untrained. You also gain a +2 circumstance bonus on the check regardless of your training.
If a task has a listed check, you must attempt the check at the end of the day to see how much progress you made. You pay the same gold regardless of the result. Overall your goal is to get high cost performance here, earning more than 1 day’s work per gold you spend.:
- Critical success: 6 days
- Success: 4 days
- Failure: 2 days
- Crit Failure: 0 days
The villagers attitude has no effect on DCs or progress. I have included DCs on all tasks for you so you can decide whether to spend a hero point on the check.
__________
Making Friends
You are not just here to build a fort, you must also make allies for the Society. You can eventually ask some of them to carry Foala’s token… if you earn their trust.
Sheet 2 of the spreadsheet tracks NPC skills and attitudes for you, and has a a small notes area for who’s who.
On any given day you can opt out of working on the fort to Make an Impression on any three NPCs instead. You will roll 3 checks to Make an Impression. This is all you can do for that day.
__________
Planting Lilies
This takes 1 day and needs to be accomplished but once.
I will do my best to keep us on track and too keep things clear with initiative blocks.
|
|
"The people who built this were more cunning than I thought. I'm interested in getting the dungeon cleaned to see if they left behind more writings."
"Regarding the building project, it's so overwhelming! Where can we get stone? The barracks seems to me like a good place to start at, it seems to me like we could get it finished with less effort than the other structures."