You have each received the following note
Pathfinders,
I do hope you’ll join us at the Grand Lodge for the celebration to congratulate the most recent group of initiates. I have to say, I’m proud of how far you’ve come since you were an initiate, and I look forward to seeing you support the next generation of Pathfinders.
Besides that, gatherings like this are an excellent opportunity to rub elbows with the Society’s leadership and get to know them. That means you’ll always be quick to know about the best opportunities as soon as they arise. I hope you’ll take advantage of the event to put your best foot forward. I’m looking forward to seeing you there!
Janira Gavix, Pathfinder Society Head Initiate
You arrive at one of Skyreach Tower’s convocation halls for the festivities.
It seems as though the entire Grand Lodge has the air of a
celebration. The great gates are flung wide, and the phoenix
trees lining the entryway are in full flame. The halls of the
main tower of Skyreach, normally somber and reserved, echo
with the sound of voices and music. The great ballroom is
decked for a celebration, with colorful banners and bunting
along the walls, tables replete with food and drink, and a
jovial cacophony of conversation rising from Pathfinders of
all ancestries, nations, and backgrounds.
After a quick scan of the room, it’s obvious that many of
the attendees have gathered in small groups here and there.
A half-orc woman in an iconic ship captain’s hat stands
near the punch bowl, handing cups to anyone who passes
within reach, and a dark-skinned half-elf leads a small group
of new agents around the room, introducing them to other
attendees. Several senior agents stand in quiet conferral
with a dark-haired Taldan man with a distinctive chin strap
beard, while a scholarly dwarf tells a rousing tale to a
growing audience.
A familiar blond halfling woman bounces over, bubbling
with excitement. Janira Gavix, Head Initiate of the Pathfinder
Society, grins, “Oh, I’m so glad you made it! After all, the
celebration is for you. Have you gotten drinks? Snacks? Be
sure to spend some time getting to know everyone—it’s best
to be on good terms with the movers and shakers in the
Society, that’s how you learn about the latest opportunities.
I’ll be here if you need me to help you with anyone’s names
or to make an introduction. Just let me know how I can help!”
Janira gestures everyone forward into the room, beaming all
the while.
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Wearing a breastplate polished for the occasion and carrying a shield in the back the dwarf with a long brown beard and an obvious clan dagger at the belt says to Janira: Thank you, thank you. Well it's not brand new but it's still in the beginning of the career, I hope. And he laughs.
Then he goes to the group of senior pathfinders around the Taldan guy. There he should learn something interesting he thinks.
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You see a male Halfling wearing hide armor, with a rapier on his hip, and a shield on his back. His black hooded cloak covers his head, and his outfit has lots of pouches. One of them moves a bit.
“Call me Moonshadow, champion of Cayden Cailien!”, he says in a gravelly voice. ”Defender of the oppressed, upholder of justice, and Hunter of evil!”
Nodding at the bat on Arthass’ arm, he adds, ”Impressive! I see you have a partner too”
He spots the woman at the punch bowl. ”Who’s the woman at the punch bowl?”, he asks Janira.
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A stout dwarf with his leshy joins the group. They are holding hands while singing a happy song in Druid language. The duo seems enthusiastic to who they will meet at the party they are invited to attend. Travelling all the way from Droskar's Crag, finally they made it here at Absalom to hopefully relax and enjoy.
"Hello, everyone! Nice to be at this party, yeah! Been quite a while for a party. Tandang Boreas is me, and she is Plantina. Plantina, wave to them." Tandang introduces himself and his fleshy, who happily waves her leafy hands to others while perching at the druid's shoulder. Looking around, he notices among the crowd a fellow dwarf that looks scholarly. "Who is that?" he asks Janira.
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Janira beams aat Moonshadow That is Calisro Benarry leader of the Horizon Hunters you know explore Explore EXPLORE report cooperate. She appears to be in conversation with Aaqir al-Hakam who will no doubt be speaking about new trade contacts. Your colleagues seem to be making a bee line for Urval and Eando Kline I believe Eando may have a mission for you all. Fola Barun She indicates the elven woman now in conversation with Kreighton Shaine the master of scrolls will also love to meet new agents
She smiles at Tandang. "That's Gorn Greathammer who is speaking with master of spells Sorrina Westyr may also have something of interest
The Tall Taldan man is Eando Kline who is in conversation with a lizardfolk "Urval you know I always say the actual pathfinder agents on the scene make the best judge of what is dangerous He turns to welcome you
Welcome friends. Could you sort out a matter of concern that has been raised. A scholar Tavvar Hamavsi at the college of mysteries has found some long buried research rituals and is eager to try it out but some say the research is dangerous.Could you look into it for me?"
She should be studying the natural world no?" Urval interjects
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Liam entered the ballroom a little apprehensively. Given the nature of the party and of the Pathfinder Society, he thought it would be appropriate to have his gear openly displayed. But it was a party, and if he had misjudged that and arrived in armor...
He's relieved to see that the others are also fully equipped.
He is a tall-ish and somewhat broad human in piecemeal armor that was recently patched. It has more than the usual number of buttons and knobs, and occasionally emits small bursts of steam. He has a Wayfinder prominently displayed clipped to his belt, and a flail-type weapon of his own design featuring a length of chain wound around it. The shield hanging from the back of his armor is fairly ordinary and bears no device.
Liam nods at Janira's introductions, but she isn't providing as much information as he would have hoped. Still, he recognizes the Master of Scrolls and moves towards him and Fola Barun.
Listening for what they're talking about, Liam hopes to impress them by following and contributing to their conversation. He's no spellcaster, but that doesn't mean he's not knowledgeable about the subject. He helped his older brother learn to control his budding sorcerous powers, after all.
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Moonshadow makes his way over to Sorrina. When Gorn Greathammer finishes his story, he waits for the laughter and applause to die down before addressing her.
”Sorrina Westyr”, he says ominously, ”Call me Moonshadow, champion of Cayden Cailien. Do you have any advice for making the most of His blessings?”
Fola is delighted to meet Liam and asks what he did before joining the society and what he's excited to be doing now he's a fully fledged agent. She then adds A recent Pathfinder Society recruit who’s still in training lost a relative who tried sneaking into a famed haunted house to learn its secrets. The house has since been slated for demolition, given the number of injuries and casualties that have occurred there. Fola promised the recruit that she would make sure their relative was laid to rest properly, Could you explore the Mavedarus Manor in the precipce district and retrieve the body. The easiest way to identify the victim is by the spiral-shaped religious symbol of Pharasma that he wears.
She also addsStrong or deceptive words are still by far better than physical blows especially if backed up by a little magic and hands Liam a Silvertongue mutagen
Calisro Benarry Grrets you warmly and offers to "Spice up" your drinks with a little something from a hip flask that bears a detailed engraving of a ship and the phrase Grinning Pixie
I has made some weird friends over the years. One of the weirdest—a long-lived naga with unparalleled occult knowledge—was unjustly accused of a crime, punished with the Charge of the Gorgon, and left petrified in Westgate. I've bribed someone to get permission to restore my friend, but it’ll look a lot more official if a third party takes care of the details, Know what i mean!. She gives a sly wink hands a greater salve of antiparalysis with explicit instructions that it be used only on the Naga to Lendaru
I can not be part of any such clandestine activiy adds Aaqir al-Hakam who is not at all mollified by Lendaru, Dranthal or even Calisro's hip flask
Tandrang spends some time discussing the objective of the Verdant Wheel which impresses Eando Kline is impressed with Tandrang saying to him I can put your social skills to good use. He provides you with a list of individuals he goes to for information across Absalom, telling you Drop my name in conversations with these people to get the best scoop on current events.
I nice jest but there is little one as studied as I can tell you of the magic of Cayden he is much more impulsive than most Gods Sorrina sponds to Moonshadow
Hah do not be so hard on our new pathfinder I am sure Moonshadow has all the skills necessary to deal with the situation in the flotsam graveyard. A sunken ship has recently washed up on a reef not far from Absalom. I have heard that the smugglers using it as a safe house are involved in smuggling texts and possibly living creatures from Nex. The books are valuable enough that I doubt they’d be left lying around, but I'm interested in any information you can find about the smugglers’ methods
Now texts from Nex would be very interesting interjects Sorrina
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"My older brother suddenly developed sorcerous powers, possibly as a result of something my mother was exposed to on her adventures. He had trouble controlling his magic. I learned a lot while helping him to learn to control it, and anticipating that I might have a similar breakthrough. I never did, and he joined the Society years ago. I might have had the aptitude to learn magic, but I spent all that time focused on studying about controlling magic for people with inborn power--never picked up anything about how people get started learning magic if they don't already have that.
"My mother started training me with weapons instead. I never quite had her talent, but--" A vent at Liam's shoulder emits a puff of steam, "--I've also been working on my gadgets since my brother left. It's kind of the family business. I had to consider the skills I wanted to master and found a path different from my brother and not quite the same as my mother's, but we're all going the same direction. I always knew I would."
He nods and holds up the mutagen. "Thank you for this. I'll make sure to look into that situation. Hauntings aren't my specialty, but I know a thing or two."
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Arthass moves to the great Kreigton Shaine "Greetings master of Scrolls my name is Arthass and spy a recent aspirant to the Pathfinder Society, I am a novice in the art of magic although my dream is to enter the Magambian Academy one day and become a promising archmage in the service of the Society maybe you could give me some advice"
Fola continues her conversation with Liam Indeed and how is your brother doing. Oh is that Janira trying to get your attention remeber Mvadarus manor in the precipice quarter.
Tandrang impresses Sorrina Gorm why dont you give these recruits one of those scrolls I got for you. Ibelieve you had a heal scroll amagic missile scroll or a disrupting weapons scroll Gorm iis more than happy to offer just one of those scrolls
Janira gathers you all together
You have your missions are you ready show your fellow pathfinders what you are made of
Gorm fixes Tandrang with a warm smile So will it be disrupting weapons to make two weapons deadlier to undead, Magic missile to unerring hit any foe, and fully effective against the ghostly forms or the heal scroll that both harms undead and heals the party at the same time
Janira smiles I like a decisive group. Remember you may well glean some useful info from folks living close by your areas of interest
The Mavedarus home was once a grand, three-story structure with a rooftop veranda and manicured grounds. Now, only the first floor remains standing, the second and third stories having collapsed during the earthquake, and in the years of neglect since, the grounds have grown into a wild disarray.
Most of you get "why do you want to know about that manor its scary dont go in"
Dran'Thal also hears
Liam hears
This old home might have once commanded the respect and envy of its neighbors, but the remaining story is cracked and crumbling. Whatever upper stories it might have once had have long collapsed, scattering stone and debris across gardens grown wild and weedy. Two curving staircases lead to a broad veranda bereft of its railings. Two openings that might have once been doors lead into the faint remnants of a solarium, while two more doors lead further into the creaking house itself. A whiff of rot and decay seeps from the structure.
The tiled floor, ornate columns, and sweeping staircases of this once-grant hall evoke a distinctly Taldan aesthetic, though the finery has suffered greatly over the past years. The marble floor tiles are cracked and filthy, and the statuary lining the walls has been smashed. None of the three staircases climbs beyond head level before ending abruptly, debris from their fallen upper reaches scattered across the floor.
There is no sense of magic here or in the two rooms easily visible from here
C5. Kitchen
Only a single, aged worktable still stands in one corner of this room, though the clay fragments of an oven and rusted metal suggest it was once a kitchen. The ceiling has completely fallen in, leaving this room open to the sky above. Doors stand in the east and west walls.
C6. Dining Room
The furniture in this once-fine dining room was crushed by the debris falling from the floors above. What remains is sodden and mostly unidentifiable.