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Ensconced in a private meeting room at the famous Farseer
Tower in exotic Katapesh, Venture-Captain Wulessa Yuul
wastes no time commencing her briefing.
“This has all the makings of a magnificent embarrassment,”
she begins sourly. “The Grand Lodge recently sent a delegation
to the mansion house of Temel Passad in Kerse. Passad is an
enormously wealthy devotee of the Prophecies of Kalistrade,
and he happens to possess the only known copy of the Mutani
Manual of Martial Mastery in the Inner Sea region. The
delegates were tasked with obtaining this rare tome, by either
purchasing or leasing it.
“By all accounts Passad is a difficult man, but the delegation
proved… stupendously inadequate to the task. Not only did
they fail to secure the manual, but they also managed to
grossly insult the merchant. Two of the representatives were
manhandled off the property and taunted by Passad that under
no circumstances would he part with the Mutani Manual unless
the Society could earn it, challenging us to take it from a hidden
location among his many holdings throughout the region. The
third delegate, who happens to be one of the foremost experts
on all things Tian, was detained by Passad for what he termed
‘an extended conversation on the finer points of ambassadorial
etiquette.’ He’s invoked an obscure Druman statute involving
foreign embassies, making this kidnapping perfectly legal in
his government’s eyes.
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When Hekk enters he plops down on his chair and you hear a *crack* at which Hekk smiles an uncomfortable and VERY toothy grin. The man looks like an orc, or at least partly an orc and carries a Bardiche + composite bow, and has a single ioun stone circling his head. Armored in a mithril breastplate he looks every inch a warrior, except for the book he takes out and starts reading titled Diatribics by Leopold R. Bibbard.
"Another student of prophesies. I wonder if he has met my mentor Leo and gotten cleared yet. That could be his problem you know. Too many thetodemons."
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A Virisian human walks in, nods at everyone and sits down. She is striking beautiful, long black hair with a streak of red in it. She wears black leathers that seem to be tailored to fit her very well. She sets a pack down that ahs a short bow and buckler attached to the back of it but keeps a scroll case and smaller pack in her lap.
"Ah. Sadly I have met many in the society who have similar... negotiation skills. So.. I assume our task is to find the manual. It sounds as if this supposed expert would be an asset. Would rescuing him first be a faux pa?"
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A human walks into the room, literally, pumping into the door frame as he is reading a scroll in his hands. "Oh... parden me.." he says without looking up as he continues into the room.
He finally puts the scroll away and looks at those gathered. "Did I miss anything?"
The Venture Captain continues. "Ahem...As I was saying Mutani Manual holds information that is essential if the Society is to prevail
at the Ruby Phoenix Tournament in Goka later this year, so we need the book and naturally, Harmidio Besai must be rescued as well. The mission is complex."
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"Oh...Mutani Manual. I would definitely love to read that. Sounds good. I'm sure we'll retrieve the Manual and save this Besai fellow."
As if just remembering, he has to introduce himself. "I'm Juis Helfro by the way. Scholar and such. I dabble in some martial skills and a little bit of magic. But my knowledge is my true weapon."
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The Venture Captain continues.
“Do as little damage to the property as possible—we’re not
vandals, after all. Also, take nothing else of worth from the
place. We’re not common thieves. I cannot stress this strongly
enough. Given our already ample embarrassment with Passad,
please don’t add to that dishonor by making off with the man’s
silverware or his grandmother’s brooch, for Abadar’s bloody
sake. No doubt the villa is a sumptuous and tempting target,
but you must keep this in the forefront of your minds: The
tome and the scholar are all that matter. Everything else is a
distraction. The Decemvirate will take a special interest in your
conduct on this assignment.
“Lastly, we have reason to believe that others are in pursuit of
the Mutani Manual, including agents of the Aspis Consortium.
Be wary! Under no circumstances can the book fall into the
hands of a rival organization. Now, do you have any questions?”
What do you know about the Mutani Manual?
written in Tien, it’s an exhaustive compendium of eastern
fighting styles and combat games. It’s supposed to be
copiously illustrated and the cover bears an embossed
representation of a Tian weapon known as a nunchaku—
two rods of wood connected by a cord or chain.”
Is there anything we should know about this Harmidio
Besai?
has few equals within the Pathfinder Society this side of
the Crown of the World. He began his Pathfinder career
as an active agent, a wizard I believe, but soon found
his true calling in pure scholarship. He is known to
be a cantankerous man—certainly his inclusion in the
delegation was an epic error. We have no reason to believe
that he has been seriously harmed, but it’s probable that
Passad has made an effort to injure the man’s dignity.”
Any suggestions as to how we should proceed?
hired a westbound barge to ferry you up river tomorrow
morning. It should take between 10 and 12 hours to reach
the manor. There’s plenty of cover around the place,
so secret yourselves until well after nightfall. There’s
no reason to think that Passad’s security is especially
concerned about the wellbeing of any intruders; his
precautionary measures may indeed be deadly. After
you have secured either the Mutani Manual or Besai—or,
gods willing, both of them—make your way north and
east to the trade spur that eventually follows the river
back to Katapesh. You should be able to secure eastward
transport with one"
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"Sorry I'm late. I knocked a jar of honey over and was stuck to the wall for a while until I squirmed free.
A tall Tengu says as she enters the room, the sticky remnants of honey still clinging to her feathers.
"Does anyone have a bag of holding? I'm thinking we shove the scholar in the bag, it'd be significantly easier than having him stumble around and get us caught.
"I have a few questions for the Venture-Captain. Are we allowed to use lethal force on guards and such? If the book is about to be stolen from us, is it acceptable to destroy it?
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"Sorry I'm late. I knocked a jar of honey over and was stuck to the wall for a while until I squirmed free.
A tall Tengu says as she enters the room, the sticky remnants of honey still clinging to her feathers.
"Does anyone have a bag of holding? I'm thinking we shove the scholar in the bag, it'd be significantly easier than having him stumble around and get us caught.
"I have a few questions for the Venture-Captain. Are we allowed to use lethal force on guards and such? If the book is about to be stolen from us, is it acceptable to destroy it?
"I'd rather you use subtlety!"
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Makras, having slept through most of the barge travel with only an occasional grunt, belch, or fart, Markas wakes up when it stops. Seeing the old man sitting near the manor, he approaches. "Doom be upon thee!" he suddenly shouts. "The end is nigh! By flame or frost, this world will crumble to dust! But first--do ye've got somethin' to eat?"
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Arie steps up. "Please excuse my associate. He apparently missed joining the last group that came this way. We would like to speak to a scholar that is reportedly staying here. Would that be possible?"
If needed:
[dice=diplo] 1d20+22
The man smiles a big grin, then shakes his head as if saying "no"
"But I'd be happy to answer any questions in the house over a nice cup of tea. Follow me please!" He starts walking.
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The man leads you inside.
The man leads you through an entry hall
This opulent entry hall was once a proudly appointed place,
with detailed and realistic murals of a marketplace on the
walls, carved mahogany benches, ancient statues of red
stone—each bearing distinctly Tian features—and a pair of
huge fur rugs assembled from the pelts of unusual and exotic
animals. Clear signs of violence now mar the room: four of the
benches are overturned and one to the southwest is charred, a
statue has been reduced to rubble, and both rugs are torn and
ragged as if hacked at with knives.
and into the drawing room
A rich green rug of Qadiran manufacture with dizzying
geometric patterns filling its thick pile runs down the middle
of this charming room. To the north and south are finely
carved mahogany benches, before which sit exquisite tables
hewn from the same wood. The stone walls are painted in
subtly shifting shades of green, so that the color grows lighter
the further up the surface it proceeds—clearly the work of an
artisan of considerable talent.
He sits and a woman pours out 7 cups of tea. He smiles and speaks
“I bid you welcome to Ghenett Manor. I have been instructed
by my employer to extend this courtesy—I assume that you
represent the world-renowned Pathfinder organization? I
would ask that you make an effort to respect the property,” he
states, casting a quick frown in the direction of the room to
the east. “I will answer what questions I can.”
What is the layout of the villa?
built around a central atrium. The main entryway is to
the east and the banquet hall directly to the west, along
with guest rooms, the master’s suite and such.”
What is the nature of the security?
that I can hardly be specific about it. I’m afraid some
of it may prove lethal, but the master did ask that your
retrieval of the book not be easy.”
Do you know where we can find the Mutani Manual?
“One would assume it would be in the library, with the
other books, also to the west of here.”
Is Harmidio Besai being held here?
are currently vacant. I was instructed to house the person
of whom you speak where his endless expertise would be
most appreciated.”
Who else has been here?
yourselves, albeit a less cordial grouping. More than this
my master forbids me to say on the subject.”
Why are you being so friendly?
organization greatly offended my master, he nevertheless
wishes to extend all the courtesy as is customary for
guests in his home. My hospitality ends here, though,
and you’ll be on your own to survive the challenges he’s
placed before you and leave with what you came for.”
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Arie pays close attention, specifically on the question of where the manual might be...
Once he is done she smiles and nods at him.
"Well, after hearing details of what that first group may have done I am pleasantly surprised at this greeting and your master's graciousness. We shall do our best to keep any accidental damage to a minimum." She glances at Makras.
"I would like to also thank you for the tea. It is very pleasant. Now, does anyone else have questions for this nice man?"