The adventure occurs on the western edge of the Finadar Forest in northwestern Iobaria. The adventurers begin their mission with a briefing from Vigilant Seal faction leader Eando Kline. Kline has taken charge of the investigation into the appearance of the strange demonic figure who absconded with a member of the Decemvirate, leaving only their magical helm behind. Since the kidnapping, the Vigilant Seal has increased security in the Pathfinder camp, setting up clearance checkpoints, cordoning off areas, and carefully securing recovered artifacts. Prior to the adventure, Eando sent each of them a personal invitation to meet him. After a security check, they are allowed in Eando’s tent.
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Before you stands a lean elf, almost dainty with sharp features. There is no hair on his head. He speaks intentionally, almost "at you" making two-way communication the exception. His eye contact seems to be almost looking "through" you, as if conducting some deep assessment of your intentions instead of letting you explain them.
His demeanor is clearly "grumpy" or "agitated" as he seems completely bothered by most people.
Went and got kidnapped, eh? Funny thing, but their identities are unknown behind those masks. How is one to know if they've truly recovered a kidnapped member of the Decemvirate?
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A tall woman in her fourties enters the tent, dressed in plain leather armour and wearing a dark red shawl over her hair. A black piece of cloth is wrapped around her left arm, and she holds an ornate cane in that hand.
She scans each person in the room with the impassive expression of someone used to finding others wanting. After a moment she lowers her shawl and nods courteously.
"Lady Mafalda Delacerda."
After presenting herself, she sets down her bow and backpack and takes her place in the room.
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A half-orc wanders in with a full backpack. He wears no armor and carries no weapons, though he does have a steel shield. "Someone request a medic? I'm Desmond. I got word that you might be headed into a dangerous situation and need someone to tend to any wounds."
He sets the pack down and checks some of the pouches. You can see rolls of bandages, ointments, adhesive, salves, and other medical supplies.
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A carriage which looks more suited to a trip to the Ivy District than navigating the foothills pulls up to the Pathfinder gathering. The teamster hops down and opens the side door, revealing a bipedal clockwork creature with a crossbow attached to one limb and a long blade on another. It looks like the latest gnome experiment got away, except it seems too functional for that. It steps into the tent and approaches the other Pathfinders, then hisses to a stop. A panel in the front slides open, revealing a rainbow-colored stuffed bear with buttons for eyes and grease on the paws. The toy hops out and says in meticulous, Hallit-accented Common, "Good afternoon, everyone. Miss Sorbet is here."
Eando Kline stands in his pavilion tent, rubbing his beard and looking at a sketched map of the cyclopean city of Min-Khadaim pinned to a table. Wooden markers indicate digs in progress, sites of interest, and potential threats. He looks up, his brow furrowed in thought.
“Ah, Pathfinders. How good of you to come on such short notice. We are in need of your expertise. Please, sit down.” He gestures to two benches on either side of the table. “It is good to see you. Our mission into Iobaria has recently changed. While we’ve had expeditions into these lands before, with the Society back to strength it is now time to explore this frontier once more. At least, we thought it was, but no sooner had we begun than one of the Decemvirate was abducted by a demonic figure.
"You see, the Decemvirate,” he grimaces as he answers Voron's question on what seems a rhetorical one, “decided that the time was ripe for a new campaign, plunging us into the wild, flammable, and monster-infested forests of Iobaria, venturing to the edges of the Inner Sea to seek out secrets long-buried. Very noble and all. Would look good on a poster. This city, Min-Khadaim, was identified and chosen as a base of operations. That... didn’t really go as planned. We uncovered more than we bargained for, and as I just mentioned, a demonic figure has disappeared with a member of the Decemvirate, leaving only their mask behind.
"We need to do further research to understand what may have caused this — we need to uncover the history of Koloran, the nation that once thrived here, far from the Ghol-Gan empire in Garund. Vigilant Seal members have been going around the city, inventorying sites of interest. We have begun excavating the entrance to an underground complex, led by fire iconography at surface ruins.”
Eando points to the location on the map. “A team has been making good progress widening the entrance here for easy access, but they discovered a number of bones in the neighboring room, some quite fresh. These ruins are clearly not as abandoned as they first appeared to be. I need you to go to the site, thoroughly explore the ruins, and report back with anything you discover. Cyclops is a fairly obscure language, and it has changed somewhat since the days of Koloran, so I’ll be sending you with translation assistance.”
He pulls out a small book, handing it over with a satisfied nod. “Any questions?”
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Mafalda smiles at Eando's comment about putting up posters—she did appreciate a snide remark.
"Fresh bones, you say? In what state? Any idea to whom or what they might belong?"
Mafalda reaches for the book and leafs through it. After a brief inspection, she passes it to the other scholars in the group—Miss Sorbet, or possibly Voron if the elf eyes the book too hungrily.
"And it seems we have a running theme here—fire iconography, flammable forests. Are we aware of any special relationship between fire and Min-Khadaim or Koloran?"
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A brawny lizardfolk warrior hurries into the tent. "Terribly sorry to be late! Hope I haven't missed any chances at glory! Razzm Tazzm's the name an' I'll be most pleased to adventure with such fine comrades as ye all may be!" He wears a steel shield on each arm and they appear well-used.
... hearing the briefing, Razzm rocks back on his heals a bit and whistles, or tries to, before remembering that lizardfolk are terrible whistlers. "So we're on the trail o' a demon what had the power t' kidnap a decemberist!?! Well alrighty then, I can't think of what could possibly go wrong..."
"Yes, bones. Both old and new, actually. The site of interest is nothing more than a few walls and rubble but has a staircase leading down into a much wider room. The staircase was partially blocked, so when one of the team finally got a good look inside using a lantern, they saw those bones. We don’t know what is down there; hence, we’re pulling back the archaeologists and sending you in until we’re certain the site is secure.” he answers Mafalda. "We have no idea to whom they belong, I am hoping you could find answers to that when you get there." he adds.
"What I only know is that Iobaria is home to a rare species of highly flammable conifer pine known as bruorsivi, also known as blood pine. The forest had always been prone to brief, intense fires that burned out naturally or were contained by elf druids as well as centaur sages. In early 4719 AR, a massive fire swept through Iobaria’s Finadar Forest. This fire, fueled by the magic of an incomplete cyclopean ritual, was inadvertently activated by a small community of goblins living in the skeletal remains of an old draconic graveyard." he shares what he only knows about fire and flammable forests with Mafalda and Miss Sorbet.
"The mask is actually of Decemvirate's if that is the mask that you mean from what I said. If anyone can remember from their training, Decemvirates, also known as The Ten, is the ruling body of the Pathfinder Society. After an attempted coup in 4411 AR, the council adopted anonymity in order to further reduce outside influences. In 4412 AR, the council members all retired and selected successors without revealing their identities, and these new members agreed to wear masks even when meeting with each other in order to prevent any Pathfinder from learning their true identities. This tradition remained unbroken until Eliza Petulengro shed her mask in 4719 AR, the first Decemvirate member in more than two centuries to do so." he lectures them, in case they forget.
"We have already dealt with the abyssal pollution of this place just recently, thanks to the Pathfinders, but we did not expect any more demonic figures to exist in this area. If there are any that you find in the ruins, you know what to do, and hopefully, you can find there where they might be coming from." he answers the best as he can. "If you are ready, you can immediately proceed to the location." he says and offers them a large box containing sundry items (read: school consumable) to get what they only need.
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"Cyclops? I'm no scholar, but I think Cyclops came to power during the Age of Serpents, a period when the serpentfolk were the dominant race on Golarion. The cyclopes were subservient to the serpentfolk, and in many cases, their slaves." He shrugs. "We should be on the look out for serpentfolk artifacts or carvings as well."
The ruins of Min-Khadaim are bustling with activity. Pathfinders clear debris from streets, shore up walls, and cart rubble out. Down one of the smaller streets is a cordoned-off area, containing a nondescript building. They are then led down beneath the building by two juniors that are busy loading dirt into a cart.
Inside, the adventurers find that a damaged stone stairway leads downward. The steps are high, clearly made for something much larger than the average human. The room at the bottom is dark, and a musty smell hangs in the air. One section of the room contains numerous shelves and barrels, while a channel fifteen feet below the main room holds crates. The entire room is littered with pieces of clay, loose stones, and scattered bones.
Checking out the room with a light source, they can easily spot what appears to be a crab-like creature hiding in the debris, which is motionless, possibly asleep, or otherwise incapacitated.
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"It would be nice not to murder the silly things, and I would be completely fine with sneaking our way in, but our job is to make this place safe for the workers. Perhaps we can scare them away, or convince them to move somewhere where they won't be a nuisance? Not that I am particularly good with animals, mind you—far too attached to the concept of personal hygiene to be a druid."
While she speaks, Mafalda tries to identify the crabs.
Mafalda identifies the creatures to be cave fishers. She knows that cave fishers lurk in dark corners near the ceilings of caves and underground structures, lying in wait for prey to approach. When it does, the cave fisher excretes thin, tough, and very sticky filaments at its prey with lightning speed to capture it.
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Mafalda raises an eyebrow and draws her bow.
"These are cave fishers. Predators. In all likelihood, they are already aware of us and just waiting until someone gets close enough so they can trap a victim in their secretions. We may be able to sneak past them, but that is probably not true for the labourers. If anyone has any brilliant ideas, please speak up. Otherwise, draw your weapons."
➤ Graeyson (AC 20)
➤ Razzm (AC 21)
➤ Miss Sorbet (AC 18)
???
???
Voron (AC 17)
Mafalda (AC 18) │
Desmond (AC 20)
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Graeyson throws a dart. It hits but nothing happens. Razzm strides close but before he can even strike, a sticky filament suddenly coils around that automatically grabs him! His strike hits the shell but it only crumbles to pieces! What is happening?!
Miss Sorbet is not sure what is wrong with the cavefishers that the others are attacking. She thinks that they might be just empty shells. If so, where is the real threat?!
Miss Sorbet cannot find the cave fisher that might just be somewhere near them.
The sticky filament that is grabbing Razzm attempts to pull him!
The sticky filament drags Razzm on the floor closer to its source, even suspending him upside down 5 ft above the ground! The cavefisher involved then attacks him with its claws!
Missing him, it attacks again!
Graeyson (AC 20)
Razzm (AC 21) │
Miss Sorbet (AC 18)
Red Cavefisher
???
➤ Voron (AC 17)
➤ Mafalda (AC 19)
➤ Desmond (AC 20)
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** spoiler omitted **
Miss Sorbet cannot find the cave fisher that might just be somewhere near them.
The sticky filament that is grabbing Razzm attempts to pull him!
[dice=DC 19 Athletics to Pull Razzm]1d20+12The sticky filament drags Razzm on the floor closer to its source, even suspending him upside down 5 ft above the ground! The cavefisher involved then attacks him with its claws!
[dice=Claw Attack vs Razzm AC 21, MAP1]1d20+12-5Missing him, it attacks again!
[dice=Claw Attack vs Razzm AC 21, MAP2]1d20+12-10
Graeyson (AC 20)
Razzm (AC 21) │
Miss Sorbet (AC 18)Red Cavefisher
???➤ Voron (AC 17)
➤ Mafalda (AC 19)
➤ Desmond (AC 20)
** spoiler omitted **...