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1) I am based in Southeast Asia (UTC +8) so my posting hours may be unusual (especially for those in North America). I usually update at least one or twice per day. Just to keep the game moving, please post at least once every day and at least once during the weekend.
2) Please label all three of your actions. Even if you think what you are doing is obvious.
3) If I am unavailable for longer than 24 hours, I will let you know in the Discussion Tab. Out of respect for your fellow players and myself, I ask that you do the same. Real life happens, and real life will always take priority over the game, but out of fairness for your fellow players, please let us know if you will be unavailable for an extended period of time.
4) Please note that on the following days, my posting can get unpredictable:
Tuesday/Thursdays - all day, as they are the 2 busiest days of my work week
4) Please complete the Macros and the Slides linked at the top of the page.
5) Questions, concerns? Feel free to share them in the Discussion tab.
6) Let's have some fun and tell a great story together! After all, that's what we are here for.
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A silver haired Elf sits in a higher end bar not too far from the Port District of Aspenthar eyes on the door and hand on a glass of white wine Valsin promised me a team so where are they? The directions were explicit, yet here I sit while all those ancient relics lay out there.. waiting for me to dig them up... He fingers the glass in annoyance, munching on almonds and figs with a small bit of rosemary goat cheese.
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A handsome, but serious looking half elf in full plate armor walks in. A holy symbol around his neck and he wears a cloak of red with gold trim. He has a bastard sword in a scabbard and he carries a pole arm, a fauchard with him as well. He nods to those who are here. Greetings. I am Sir Kidron Quintus, knight of Last Wall.
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Full plate in the desert, this should be interesting. At least he'll be someone to stand between me and the walking dead.
The elf sipping wine waves over Kidron "Name's JR, welcome to Aspenthar Kidron." He looks him over, pausing momentarily on the holy symbol and chosen colors, looking strangely perplexed, as if his mind is drawing a blank. "Who's colors are those again?"
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A fair-skinned female half-elf enters the bar, with long red hair under a tricorn hat. She wears a black sailor’s outfit, and has a dagger and hand crossbow at her hip.
“Good day t’ye”, she says, doffing her hat. ”Black Molly’s the name”
Looking around, she adds, ”Bit more posh than the usual tavern”, before ordering rum.
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JR is mid welcome to Black Molly when Fibek hollers out something about artifacts, he stops and stares, giving a slow side-to-side head shake "Best keep your voice down, its never good business to put your business on display in a public place. You never know who may be listening."
He continues his introduction "Great to meet you all for a drink, its been too long, and yes, I'm so old I feel like an artifact for sure."
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The paladin responds to Junior Peppers, JR, a most usual name for an elf. Not from Hyonin? he gets his holy symbol and shows it off, it is a wing with a bastard dword in front of it My liege lord is gaining more notoriety. He is known by many names, the General of Vengeance, is one, His name is Ragathiel.
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You have received a letter from Ambrus Valsin instructing them to travel to Aspenthar. The Pathfinder Society needs you to explore a ruin with purported ties to Ancient Osirion, which the Society recently acquired an exploration license for. You are to meet a representative for Prince Zinlo, who will send you off with a local guide to the seaside cliff where the ruin is located.
Pathfinders,
A reliable source of goods, information, and ancient artifacts became lost to the Society when the Ruby Prince of Osirion closed access to his country’s ruins and sites of interest. As our last extant licenses there have expired, I fear that door is closed to us for the foreseeable future. Fortunately, when some doors close, other doors open. Prince Zinlo of the Thuvian city-state Aspenthar now sells licenses that allow others to access the Osirian ruins located nearby. The prince’s agents say that ruins are numerous and artifacts sure to be bountiful, but Zinlo is not legendary for his moral compass. The terms of the license I have read contain troubling loopholes that suggest that we could find all, some, or none of what we hope to find at the site that we licensed for a high premium.
The task I have for you is to first find a means of entry into the site, which is located on a seaside cliff near Aspenthar. Next, you need to secure the site, ridding it of any remaining threats or hazards. While you’re securing the site, it would be useful if you keep an eye out for what kind of situation our full exploration team will be setting foot in. You’ll meet with a representative of Zinlo’s named Gol Amri at the Aspenthar docks five days from now at noon. She will provide you with a guide to the site.
Once you secure the site, you can return to the docks to meet with the exploration team leader, Kyreen Tael, and give her your report.
Make haste with no waste,
Ambrus Valsin
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The streets of Aspenthar showcase the trappings of wealth and militarization in equal measure. The main road cutting through the heart of the city is patterned with brilliant mosaic stonework, and to each side are seemingly endless rows of proud and opulent structures. The neatly ordered streets give way to the city’s chaotic and bustling docks, where a Garundi woman waits wearing subtle but expensive-looking clothing. She extends her hands in a grand welcoming gesture.
"Welcome, Pathfinders. I am Gol Amri. I greet you as a representative of the great Prince Zinlo. Let us conduct our business! I am sure you are eager to search for hidden treasures, and I wish you no delay."
Prince Zinlo is one of the most powerful figures in Thuvia, though his reputation is as a callous and ambitious man with little concern for leisure or scholarly pursuits.
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Fibek summons the other pathfinders to a private conversation. He acts surprised when he say: "I got information by being nice to someone. I learned that Prince Zinlo is one of the most powerful figures in Thuvia, though his reputation is as a callous and ambitious man with little concern for leisure or scholarly pursuits. I predict his motivations may not be to preserve or advance academics, culture, or scholarship. He is what we call a plebe in elvish society."
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"Most countries don't sell excavation, salvage, or research permits to the highest bidder for the sake of preserving history, they do it for wealth. Some for personal gain, some to finance something bigger like the military or cutting edge research." He looks at the wealth of the city and shrugs his shoulders, not knowing for sure which it is.
JR nods in greeting to Gol Amri "Good to meet you Ms Amri, thank you for welcoming us to the beautiful city of Aspenthar. Could you tell us more about this ancient site? Perhaps more of the travel there, how long and dangerous a journey, has anyone else been there?" He watches her intently, hoping to read between any lines in her response.
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"Oh hello," says a small plant creature, brilliant green save for the lotus blossom on his head, as he joins the other Pathfinders. "You're all very tall! Am I the only one on our team who's not an elf?"
"Hello Ms. Amri!" he says cheerfully when they meet the agent. "The letter said we were heading to a site on a seaside cliff. Are we going to be near the water, or are we at the top of the cliff farther from the surface?"
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"Oh hello," says a small plant creature, brilliant green save for the lotus blossom on his head, as he joins the other Pathfinders. "You're all very tall! Am I the only one on our team who's not an elf?"
Black Molly chuckles at the question. ”Well some folks do call us tree-huggers”, she replies. ”I suppose you’ll fit the bill”
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A crowd of elves and half-elves once comes into the bar, and the bartender tells them: "Pathfinders, get out of here and take the walking bush with you".
These words are uttered with a grin by another half-elf... Or rather, half-drow. Blond hair falls over unusually dark skin, but the extremely muscular and wiry body of this lightly dressed fighter gives him a half-breed no less accurately than human eyes and slightly less pointed ears.
Hey fellas. Name's Zaizarc... Stealth. Violence. Libraries... These are my specialties. I am sure Matron Zarta will turn her attention to me in the near future.
Some of you who are familiar with the structure of societies in the Darklands according to the Pathfinder Chronicles... Well, let's say you have doubts creeping that despite all his experience and travel, this half-breed has not yet realized that under the sun some things works a little differently.
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"I don't know that violins will be useful, but every skill helps!" says the leshy supportively. "My name is Cascading Rapids, but you can call me 'Cascade' or just ''Cade.' I have an affinity for water, since I was mostly made with lotus plants."
He looks the party over seriously. "I know that elves are fragile and must be protected," says the small, delicate flower, "and I promise to endeavor to keep you all safe."
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Gol Amri fidgets constantly, as if nervous. She paces, getting more agitated every minute. Finally, spotting a figure approach, she exclaims, "It's about time you got here! What kept you?!"
The approaching figure happens to be a dwarf with dark skin and vibrantly colored hair.
"Well met, travelers, I am Sefu Moyo. I apologize for me tardiness, the ale and the roast was good and I lost track of time with the lasses in Aspenthar." The smiles broadly at Gol Amri's sour expression.
"Are ye ready to go then?"
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Zizarc looks at Cade with a smile. He likes absolutely everything about this funny creature, and especially the way he evaluates elves and half-elves. However, Zizarc grew up in Darklands and knows that behind this cute appearance there may be a predatory cannibal flower, a real killing machine. Which will only be a plus.
The elf asking him causes very strange emotions. On the one hand, old instincts tell Zizarc that a representative of this most despicable and lowest of all races should be at least killed and at most turned with the help of flashwarping into something that cannot be looked at without a shudder. On the other hand... The world has changed, our Lady in Shadows has changed, he himself has changed... This is not the first elf he meets on the surface, and so far they have all turned out to be much better than he was told in his former home.
In short... My house, the house of Misraria... You probably haven't heard about Zirnakaynin, right? Not so important. In general, the patron of my house was Nocticula. Technically, she still is, but she is no longer a Demon Lord, which 'slightly' violates vile traditions of my people, heh. At the moment of her ascension, there was a violent split in our house. I chose a New Path. I had to run. Quite a long time. And here I am.
Perhaps he would have said something else, but the arrival of the dwarf throws him off. I'm ready.
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Sefu marches along the waterside edge of Aspenthar, leaving the city and continuing on for nearly an hour to a seemingly unremarkable stretch of land bordered by a cliffside overlook of the Inner Sea. The terrain grows gradually steeper, and by the time Sefu motions to stop, he stands in the biting wind as large waves crash and rumble against the cliff.
Leaning through the biting wind, Sefu points downward to a barely visible landing that juts out from the cliff face, about sixty feet down.
He grunts lightly. "It’s not exactly what I’d call a fun climb, but that’s the site down there."
Sefu provides you with a 60-foot-long rope ladder and a crate of metal anchors provided by the Pathfinder Society.
"Ye need to secure the ladder to the site entrance. 'course, that means ye need to climb down the hard way. Ye can use these anchors yer society provided."
You find natural handholds in the cliff face, giving you a +1 bonus to your Athletics checks
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Junior stands and admires the scenery for just a moment, breathing in the salty air before looking down to the crashing waves far below "Well, now we know why this place hasn't been found before, let's see if we can't find a better path down.. unless one of you can sprout wings and fly?" He chuckles, only half serious.
He quickly points out some promising looking handholds in the cliff face "This route should be a little easier, but no cake walk by any stretch. Who likes climbing?" He looks around the group, raising an eyebrow for any volunteers.
"I even have a climbing kit if that helps sway you, but we'll need to use some longer rope." He starts pulling out a bundle of rope and harness, crampons, etc. "We can secure the climbers with rope to avoid any short flights to the beach."
This satchel includes 50 feet of rope, pulleys, a dozen pitons, a hammer, a grappling hook, and one set of crampons. Climbing kits allow you to attach yourself to the wall you're Climbing, moving half as quickly as usual (minimum 5 feet) but letting you attempt a DC 5 flat check whenever you critically fail to prevent a fall. A single kit has only enough materials for one climber; each climber needs their own kit. If you wear your climbing kit, you can access it as part of a Climb action.
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"Alright, looks like Kidron here is a climbing pro, anyone else want to volunteer? Zizarc? You look like you've got some good upper body strength." Junior floats the idea while he gets to work securing the top rungs of the rope ladder to the top of the cliff, tying an extra piece of rope to the ladder itself and securing that as a backup, just in case the ladder is dropped or dislodged.
Ping ping ping rings his hammer as he drives in a series of pitons into the rocks, securing the ropes and ladder.
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"Excellent." Junior speaks up after Zizarc volunteers to go with Kidron. "We'll stay topside and help steady the ropes while you two expert climbers lock in the rope ladder. Ok?" He then turns to help Fibek.
"Maybe its best you wait until the ladder is secured then we'll all head down to the landing.. safely." Or figure out how to retrieve the bodies from the rocks below...