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It has been some time! Have no fear, the Dawnflower will keep her arms open for your embrace when you have given up your ridiculous fantasies. the Keleshite laughs, rising to embrace Kaseem warmly. Tell me now, what have you been doing? Making more money for your brothers? I have spent many long months studying the law of Qadira, and working in courtrooms there and elsewhere advancing the needs of the less-fortuneate.
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Ecthelien, the Grey Elf, joins the others, rather stoic in nature.
He shares little of his history but is eager to complete the mission and return to his studies.
With a slight bow to the others.
”Greetings. I have been summoned to this place to provide assistance. I anticipate it will provide some lore or artifacts worthwhile of our time or I would have stayed with my tomes in the great library. Ecthelien is my name in the common tongue. Arcane studies are my contribution to this team.“
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Ecthelien, the Grey Elf, joins the others, rather stoic in nature.
He shares little of his history but is eager to complete the mission and return to his studies.
With a slight bow to the others.
”Greetings. I have been summoned to this place to provide assistance. I anticipate it will provide some lore or artifacts worthwhile of our time or I would have stayed with my tomes in the great library. Ecthelien is my name in the common tongue. Arcane studies are my contribution to this team.“
"Well met Ecthelien! I am Kaseem ibn al Majid, cleric of Wadjet and purveyor of fine goods throughout the Inner Sea! If you need a deal on something just let Kaseem know!"
With a broad and polished grin, Kaseem vigorously shakes Ecthelien's hand.
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A figure that's clearly geared for war approachs the group. Her feature is too human-like and too dark in color to be an elf, and too delicate to be considered a human. One might suspect that she is a so-called half-drow.
She nods to everyone and says "Nonoriri, reporting for mission. I assume you are my companions on the quest? It's a pleasure to meet you all. If my name is tough on your tongue, call me Noriko instead. I will be your blade for destorying evils."
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A figure with long hair dressed in an armored coat advances into the group. They are surrounded in a slightly eerie aura.
Hello! I am Lana, and I am probably just another healer in the party, although I do have a few other spells. It is a pleasure to meet you all.
She looks at Ecthilien with a smirk
Maybe not. Last time we went on a fetching mission, we nearly got are faces eaten off. For a box of wine. Hopefully we can justify getting faces eaten off for something exciting.
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"Faces getting eaten? I'd rather not have that type of experience! My mercantile business would suffer if I'm not able to accurately detail what a fine deal my customers are getting. Speaking of which perhaps we can find some exotic goods along the way which will fetch handsome prices..."
Kaseem rubs his hands together and his eyes gleam at the thought of making profit.
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That must have been quite the box of wine.... Of course Kaseem is thinking of making coin here, but what if the threat of getting our faces eaten off could increase your profits friend? Ezekial smiles at the cleric.
"Hopefully I can convince them that Kelshite faces are a delicacy!" he replies with a grin.
The town of Mishkar sits atop a hill, surrounded by walls that are old but well maintained. People, mostly humans, stream in and out of the gates, watched over by sharp-eyed guards. Past the gate is a bustling market, beyond which is a town of low wooden and stone buildings. Most of the construction looks fairly new and of human design, with no sign of the cyclops remnants upon which most Iobarian settlements are built.
Handout 1
Pathfinders,
As you are no doubt aware, the Fifth Mendevian Crusade has won significant victories of late with the help
of our own Society, and in the wake of these victories, we have discovered a number of old Sarkorian sites about
which there is great mystery. We are trying to track down some of the original inhabitants of these sites, or their
descendants, in the hopes that they will be able to shed some light on the history and significance of these locations,
and perhaps we could even help them resettle their old lands!
It is to that end that I am dispatching you to the town of Mishkar in Iobaria, where our agents have discovered
that a survivor of the Farheaven Clan is said to dwell. According to our sources, she goes by the name Nelket, and it
is my hope that she can speak about her clan's history, or point you to someone who can. Learn what you can, and
bring the information back to the Society. If you can bring Nelket or some of her kinfolk with you, all the better.
I do not expect you will face much difficulty in this task. However, Iobaria is a wild and dangerous land, so be on
your guard.
Inheritor's grace be with you,
Venture-Captain Jorsal of Lauterbury
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Ecthelien pays acute attention to the details of the briefing.
It would appear this is a fetch mission. But of a different sort. Rather than some artifact or bauble to grace the shelves of the Society Archives, we are to retrieve a person. A Farheaven Clan survivor with whatever knowledge they may have to offer. Fascinating.
Not being much of a diplomat, the stoic elf ponders what he recalls of the locations or clan from his time in the Grand Lodge Libraries.
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Kaseem goes to work, working the crowds of people for information, contacts, and of course trying to sell fashionable goods from various parts of Golarion.
"You won't find diamonds like these anywhere near here! Straight from the frozen mountains of Irrisen they are! Could you help me locate another possible customer? Her name is Nelket and I think she might be interested in these diamonds as well..."
You have found out the following information
Nelket manages, but does not own, a small tavern called the Jolly Hag and can usually be found there.
Nelket is well liked in Mishkar, but she is known to be quite guarded and has few real connections with people in town.
Nelket is said to have been some kind of priestess before she came to Mishkar.
Nelket grew up in the Norinor Forest but came to Mishkar at a young age after some kind of tragedy.
When you do find Nelket
“Ah, you must be the Pathfinder agents I was told to expect! I’m surprised you’ve actually come all this way. I haven’t had many dealings with the Society before, so it came as quite a surprise that they, or anyone else, would much care about my clan or our past. But maybe I can be of some help. Unfortunately, there isn’t a whole lot to tell you. I’m one of only a handful of survivors of the Farheaven Clan; most of us perished in a plague about fifteen years back. We had a small village south of here in the Norinor, where my ancestors settled after fleeing the demons unleashed by the Worldwound. I was scarcely more than a child when the plague came; I served as apprentice to our god caller, Roga, at the time. The plague hit fast, taking the elders and even infecting Roga near the end. He urged me to gather the children and leave the village before we became sick as well, but it wasn’t until I watched our god, Dolok Darkfur, rip the life from Roga in an attempt to stop the spreading infection that I gathered the children and fled.”She pauses for a moment and then sighs and shrugs, continuing her story. “I led the younger children through the woods as best I could. There are lots of people scattered about the Norinor Forest; they like their privacy and don’t interact much with others, but they’re not cruel, and they helped us where they could. Eventually we made our way to the Noyrus River and followed it north before heading for Mishkar, and we’ve been here ever since.”Nelket sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose before finishing her story. “Whatever remains of the Farheavens besides the few of us here is in that village. I have the closest connection to the old ways—to our god—but I barely remember these things. The others remember even less, if anything. Some could barely speak when we fled. If you want to know more, the only one left with answers would be old Dolok himself. I can teach you the ritual to summon him to his altar in the village, if you’d like, but be careful; there was a kind of madness on him at the end, and I’ll never forget that fearsome despair in his eyes as he killed my master.”
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I would have serious concerns of performing the ritual again based on the devastation enacted on your clan. Summoning divine beings is not with its perils.
He listens to the other questions.
We could learn a great deal from this being, Dolok Darkfur. Anything else you can tell us about mannerisms, effects, associates, et cetera would be most enlightening.
Some of you try to dig up what you know only to find out you find out nothing you didn't already know. Ari-Ani senses he is telling as much as he knows, but can't tell you everything unless you ask the right questions. Not that he doesn't trust you, he doesn't know what information to tell you unless you ask.
Dolok Darkfur He was, or rather is, the god of the Farheaven Clan. He appeared to us as a bear who walked and spoke as a person. He had been with us for generations, serving as a guardian and advisor to my clan until the plague came. I don’t think it infected him, because of his divine nature, but I think it drove him mad in the end anyway. Watching us die from an illness no one could cure, one after another… By the end, putting the sick out of their misery was the only thing that made sense to him.”
Religion reveals questions you could have asked and now know the answers too.
What is a god caller? “A spiritual leader from an old tradition that dates back far, far before the Worldwound. Many clans had their own gods, and itwas the god caller’s job to maintain the relationship between people and deity. They would call upon the gods, who would come to the people and offer them guidance, protection, or other services in return for their worship. Such a god might not be as all powerful as the Lady of Graves or others like her, but they also helped people directly.”
What is the ritual? “It’s relatively simple, really, but there are some artifacts from our tribe that you will need to find first: a darkwood carving of a standing bear, a leather necklace strung with bear claws and black feathers, a silver bowl engraved with images from the clan’s past, a small polished stone with a mottled pattern, and a small pot of honey. To perform the ritual, one must wear the necklace and place the bowl on the altar with the rock in it. The honey must be placed to the left of the bowl and the bear carving to the right. You have to drip a bit of honey on the stone and then pour water over it until you fill the bowl. After that, recite a simple prayer, which I can teach you, and then wait. Dolok Darkfur should appear, unless he’s become so lost in his madness that he can no longer be reached.”
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"Thank you for the information Nelket, it's very interesting. It reminds me of some of the ceremonies of Ancient Osirion. That's quite a list of very specific items required for the ceremony. I don't suppose you know where we could either acquire those items or someone who could help us acquire those items?"
Kaseem retrieves his handy journal, ink, and ink pens and records everything Nelket has told the group.
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[dice=Perception]1d20
Thank you for noting it down Kaseem, I have no idea where to find any of those things, but it sounds simple enough should we be able to locate them all.
"I'm not so sure. I've never been to this area so maybe things like darkwood carvings of standing bears are popular for decorating one's home? I do know darkwood is quite expensive and can be difficult to find. Although if we find a large enough supply, it could fetch quite the price back in Osirion!"
Kaseem gets that gleam (of gold) in his eyes as he thinks about another profit-making opportunity.
You succeed at your knowledge checks
Succeeding at a DC 15 Knowledge (engineering), Perception, or Profession (architect) check (DC 20 in Subtier 4–5) allows a PC to notice that there is something off about the house. PCs whose result exceeds the DC by 5 or more realize that the house is actually well maintained but has been made to look as if it were in the same state of disrepair as the surrounding buildings.
The interior of the house is far nicer than the outside. Animal skins and woven rugs adorn the walls and floors, helping to keep out the weather, and dried flowers and pleasant-smelling herbs hang from parts of the ceiling. A small table stands against the eastern wall, directly across from the door, upon which sits a large silver bowl.
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Seeking monetary profit while on a mission as a side job is fine, as long as it does not jeopardize the primary objective. I often find myself at odds while seeking arcane advancements and forget that a quest for knowledge is not always paramount. But someday I will have the power to determine my own priorities.
Ecthelien gets distracted and misses any additional detail.
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Ezekial will loosen the scimitar in his belt, Agreed, something here isn't right. he unstraps the buckler lashed to his belt on the other side, keeping his sword hand free for the moment. He then reaches up, unconsciously touching his well-worn holy symbol, glancing about for any sign of what's wrong about the place.