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You see at tall Ulfen man wearing breastplate over fairly 'typical' Ulfen outfit. While not old, he appears to be older than the typical Pathfinder human field agent.
On closer examination of his outfit, however, you can see that the materials and cut of the outfit appear to be more Talden than Ulfen,
"Greatings all. My name is Griss Thisslethron, pleasure to meet you all. Here is to hoping that our tale here is an epic one."
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A plucky female gnome with aquamarine hair, golden oak skin, and amethyst eyes gives Griss a wink. "Oh, I'm sure it will be. At least, that's what my song will tell afterwards. Hi, I'm Salaish. Pleased to meet you."
She gives him a firm handshake, then conjures a hand harp and begins to softly play as she continues the conversation. "My last mission involved fighting off an incursion into the Grand Lodge. Even hanging around home can be epic for a Pathfinder Society agent. How about you? What have you been up to recently?"
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A ruddy-haired halfling hustles into the room. His satchel bag clinks with the sound of glasswear. "I'm here! Oh, hi Salaish!" He spots the gnome and goes over to greet her as she begins to play.
"Look at what I just got." He touches his wayfinder and pink sparkles surround him protectively. "It helps protect me!"
He turns to see the tall Ulfen. Compared to him and Salaish, he's very tall indeed. "Oh, hello! I'm Argoni!"
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A dark-skinned gentleman in a doublet and a top hat arrives next. His exceptionally stylish black clothes are decorated with grim occult symbols: a pair of harrow cards (Eclipse and Crows), the skull of some small mammal, few amulets made of bones and so on. In the middle of his chest, on a chain, he has a silver symbol of Nocticula, made in an unusual style - it seems to be trying to combine Her old and new incarnation in its aesthetics.
Greetings! Solomon Mpadu at your service. He lifts the cylinder slightly. After greeting everyone and hearing Salaish's question, he politely replies, Oh yes, now many and quite often have to defend the Lodge. I also participated in a similar event recently.
Next to him flies back and forth a little fairy .
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"Hey Argoni! Nice wayfinder! Do you think we'll get coffee and Bailey's during this mission?" Salaish give him a wink.
After Solomon and Griss recount their experiences, she remarks: "Yeah, you'd think folks would realize there's always a bunch of folks hanging around the Lodge who know how to fight and work together. Seems like a stupid idea to attack the place."
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One of visitors silently sits in a shadow of statue not far from Valsin's door.
When he stands up you see a half-human with ugly face (for half-elf). Luckily upper part of his face as well as head covered with mask made of large primats skull.
His skin is pale grey as bog, covered with a bunch of scars. He is tall and thin, limbs disproportionately stretched. Dark hair ties into tress. His gray elven-like eyes are patient. He smells as rainy forest.
He observes his future team and growls low with an appreciation.
-Greetings, Pathfinders. I will be your scout and nature specialist. Call me Hunter as I am more than just a person behind. A remember - we should never harm animals without a good reason.
You likely understands that the Hunter is from Mwangi Expanse.
Now you can see him better - half human wears selfmade hide kilt and hide armor, but also got more equipment like spears, simple wooden shield and buttered backpack.
-I'd wish to get back to jungle that the path is dense especially if connected to Blakros. Recently we visited Shadow Plane and Dream plane and seems like the old Dream Hag Aslyn is still on us...
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After a few minutes, one of the Lodge's junior pages swings opens the door to the Venture-Captain's office for you.
Venture-Captain Ambrus Valsin stands behind an oak desk and invites you in. He addresses you with a particularly dour look on his face. “The Pathfinder Society has allies in many parts of Golarion,” he begins, “and we do our best to honor our alliances. Today we need reliable agents who can do our allies justice. The Blakros family has helped us immensely over the years. Without their aid, we likely would have lost many Taldoran relics during the Grand Campaign. Recently, they’ve had issues with one of their major holdings, the Blakros Museum here in Absalom.”
He opens a drawer and shuffles through some papers inside.
“Between thefts, disappearances, and worse, the museum has suffered numerous setbacks these past few years. Now its stakeholders want a neutral party to investigate the curator, Nigel Aldain, for incompetence. Of course, nothing is ever easy. Nigel and his wife Dhrami Blakros are longtime friends of the Society as well. With two valuable allies at odds with each other, we need to ensure we make the right judgment.”
Ambrus produces a letter bearing a red wax seal from the desk drawer.
“The Blakros family has provided us with an official missive, giving me the right to appoint you as investigators in this matter. First, stop at Dhrami’s townhouse in Westgate, where you can interview her and review her records. Compare what you find there with a search of the Blakros Museum. Tour the museum with Nigel, check his records, and make sure everything that should be in the museum’s vault is still present. Then return to me with your recommendation.”
Ambrus clears his throat before handing over the letter.
“Dhrami and Nigel don’t know you’re coming, and they’ll be understandably tense about finding themselves under investigation. If you put them at ease and show your objectivity, you might learn more details from them as their trust grows. In the end, be objective, be fair, and be honest. Understood?”
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Okay. It sounds boring, but everything the Society does ends up not-boring. And the Blakros Museum has a reputation for drama. This mission may sound tedious, but I bet it'll end up exciting! Somehow, Salaish manages to get the gist of the briefing while her mind is off thinking in this vein.
“Dhrami and Nigel don’t know you’re coming, and they’ll be understandably tense about finding themselves under investigation. If you put them at ease and show your objectivity, you might learn more details from them as their trust grows."
"Ah! We'll be sure to put them at ease. That won't be a problem. Just curious: why is the Pathfinder Society considered a neutral party? I mean, we've had many dealings with the Blakroses and the Blakros Museum. I wouldn't have characterized us as neutral. Maybe allied with both would be more apt."
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Griss nods at the druid. "Of course not, there's not glory in such a thing. Well, maybe Linnhorm, but we are not here for that."
Griss looks a little uneasy with this particular mission. "I know you have to go with the agents on hand," he says to the Venture-Captain, "But I am not that much of an investigator myself. Now, if you want me to intimidate the witnesses; that I am good at."
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Hunter's irritation slowly grows as far as he understands it is time to even closer business with Blakros family...
He softly grumbles:
- Over these years it may become obvious Nigel either unlucky, cursed or maintain pretty bad connections. Perhaps everything at one time. Nastiness appears in the Museum annually I've heared.
The Hunter waved Griss to connect suggesting stay out of society-and-politness things together.
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"But think of all the cool things in the museum! I bet Nigel has a blast playing around with all the stuff." Argoni swings his feet as they hang off the chair.
"But sure, if you want us to go look into them and see if they're all on the up and up, we can do that. Hmm, Nigel and Dhrami..." The halfling thinks on them a bit.
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The matrilineal Blakros family earned most of their fortune during the Grand Campaign, a 524-year-long conflict between Qadira and Taldor. Blakros merchants somehow managed to smuggle many goods and relics past Taldor’s closed borders when nobody else could. You also recall that the eldest daughter from each Blakros generation over the past several centuries either died young or disappeared mysteriously.
As a former Pathfinder, Curator Nigel Aldain has arranged open access to the Blakros Museum’s sizeable collection for the Society.
Valsin shakes his head to the many mentions of past incursions to the site. "Yes the museum does have a special place in our hearts, they have funded us for quite a few expeditions into their mishaps in the past. Disasters, plain and simple. Pieces have gone missing, employees have lost their lives, and certain relics have proven more troublesome than they’re worth. That is why I selected you in particular for this mission, Griss. In case something else arises within those walls. I mean, every incident has an explanation, and we've handled them all competently --- but the sheer number of problems over the years have certainly raised suspicions."
Pausing at the perilous tone of his own lecture, he concedes. "However, this is a new day and a new mission, so do your best to keep an open mind during this investigation. Let us earn that "neutral" reputation, shall we?"
"Knowing that even I don't have any idea what you are going to find, have you any other questions for me then?" He exhales.
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Argoni explains the mysterious Blakros wealth. "The matrilineal Blakros family earned most of their fortune during the Grand Campaign, a 524-year-long conflict between Qadira and Taldor. Blakros merchants somehow managed to smuggle many goods and relics past Taldor’s closed borders when nobody else could." He pauses and then shrugs. "It's also weird that the eldest daughter from each Blakros generation over the past several centuries has either died young or disappeared mysteriously."
"Do you think Nigel and Dhrami know about those disappearances?"
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Armagile growl softly with different emotions over the course of dialog, sometimes in appreciation, sometimes - with irritation. But he remains
Suddenly a real sized Fiery leopard appeared from outside with a soft glowing and the Hunter sits to pet her dispite hot fur. The cat yawned with moan.
Then both put attention at Argoni expected to know more as far as we not depart anyway.
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"I doubt it would be something even a powerful family could keep hidden. The Blakroses have centuries of wealth and power behind them. Any family with that level of influence has a few skeletons in their closet to be sure. But they have the right to protect their assets, especially something as important as the museum. There are obviously pressures on these two that we can't fathom."
He pauses to consider, before elaborating. "I mean, think about it. Dharmi is obviously a very competent woman. She’s excellent at creating replicas of some of the museum’s most dangerous artifacts, and she helps Nigel keep the records in order. And Nigel used to belong to the Society, and I think he’s a good man. But... well, everybody has their limits. Running the Blakros museum is different from working in the field. I can’t deny that he seems less organized than he used to be. Working as a curator can overwhelm many people.”
"Remember too - that as a daughter of the Blakros family, Dharmi has a stake in the museum, but she’s also loyal to Nigel, so I can only imagine that this situation leaves her in a difficult spot.”
Seeing the group readying to leave, Ambrus nods at all his dutiful agents. "Don't forget to provision at the quartermaster downstairs. Best of luck, Pathfinders." He waves you away with a well-meaning gesture.
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Like any other day, citizens and travelers from all across Golarion crowd the streets of Absalom. The air dances with smells ranging from freshly caught fish to spices imported from half a world away.
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As Olnik and the others head out toward their destination, a young dwarf falls in step near Olnik. This dwarf barely looks like a dwarf, lean and dressed in roguish leather armors. Olnik nods toward him. "Lurking about during the briefing again, eh?" He motions toward the new dwarf and says, "This is my cousin, Bjorn Shadowstone. Not much use, unless you need a lock picked or need to find something on the black market." Bjorn smiles, clearly taking this description as a legitimate compliment.
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Olnik would be happy to carry the letter, if no one objects. As he is putting it in his pack, another creature comes shuffling along next to him and Bjorn. This one is a leshy, with the torso of his fungal body seeming to consist of the yellowed upper skull of an orc, with tiny fungal legs sprouting from the fangs at the bottom. A vague fungal mound on the top seems to be the leshy's "face." "You wondered off, too, eh?" Olnik says to the creature. It shrugs in response ... at least that's how you interpret the ripple of fungal mass across the upper portion of the skull. "This is S*@#ake Orcface." He pauses, and says for clarification, "Honestly, he picked that name himself."
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About halfway to the townhouse, several of you notice a dwarf woman trailing your group. Subtle observation reveals that she sticks close to crowds for cover, avoids putting her hands in her pockets, and has her fingers extended and at the ready—all signs of a potential pickpocket. She disappears initially in the vast crowd surges during the early morning Absalom rush, but suddenly appears again far too close to Olnik for comfort...
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Argoni spots a rain barrel underneath a leaky gutter. The halfling walks by and casually tosses a thunderstone softly up to the gutter, letting it roll down and then drop into the barrel. Suddenly a loud boom erupts, accompanied by a splash of water into the crowd. He quickly motions for the group to scatter away.
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Nearly in perfect unison, the group hems and haws with enough bravado to pause the dwarf momentarily. As she tries to target how to enter the swaying backpack amidst the drumbeats, she is met by Salaish's mirrored gesture (which she swears contains the letter). Stepping back to reassess her new target, the thunderstone startles her to her core, and she bumps and stumbles her way back into the now jostled crowd and disappears.
Solomon looks around in bewilderment, but does see that she has politely left a gift in her haste to retreat - a small purse.
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The mysterious pickpocket does not make a return appearance.
Dhrami’s townhouse sits at the end of a trail set off from a main thoroughfare of Westgate. Plum saplings line the path, which leads to an estate with a walled courtyard. The stone walls surrounding the courtyard stand ten feet high, while the wooden doors leading within hang curiously open.
Peering in, this courtyard contains a lengthy stable, several immaculately trimmed hedges, and a clear pond stocked with large koi of various colors. Two granite gargoyles stare menacingly at the front gate. The double doors at the center of the building, like the entrance to the courtyard, stand ajar.
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Salaish gestures to the open doors. "Well that's...ominous. Do you think someone knew we'd be coming and beat us here?" Salaish cautiously enters, tailing the back end of the group. "Should we close the gates so if they're still here they can't slip out so easily?" First, she checks the two guardhouses/rooms beside the gate.
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We're not spies right now. We are guests in the house of long-standing allies of Pathfinder Society and must behave according to the rules of conduct of gentlemen in decent society. Having said all this, Solomon adjusts his top hat and with a confident step directs inside the courtyard in order to inform the esteemed couple that we have arrived.
But his eyes still carefully look around the house and everything around. If it were that simple, there would be lower-ranking agents here.
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Argoni and Solomon approach the open doors to the manor and peer inside.
Well-upholstered sofas and finely crafted rugs show off the luxury that this room normally possesses. However, much of the rest of the area appears in a state of upheaval. Pieces of furniture are overturned, papers lie scattered haphazardly across the floor, and the spilled dirt of a potted fern covers the eastern wall. An unconscious Vudran woman slumps on one of the sofas, her hands and feet bound and a bright purple bruise on her left temple.