You all meet in such a non-descript room for the mission briefing, you can't even tell what color the walls are! It's like a brown, or a tope. Or maybe salmon or cream? Is that a hint of pink? Or orange? Ugh, so bland. AND NO CUCUMBERS OR LIME IN THE WATER!?! WHAT KIND OF BACKWARDS ORGANIZATION IS THIS???
But hey, teammates are showing up! Better talk to them.
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The half-orc looks up and nods, continuing to sharpen her axe. "Kuikka. Any idea what we're here for? I was expecting someone with information. At least, that's how all my other briefings have gone." She tests the edge, smiles slightly in satisfaction, and sets it to the side, ready to be picked up just in case.
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a tall Elf strides in confidently before halting unceremoniously, "Ugh what a disgusting color, it looks like someone fed a baby vudrani food and then left the diaper in the sun for a day before smearing it on the wall" he says as his eyes take in the offensive color of the wall.
He looks around at the 2 Pathfinders already here, "and if it wasn't for you lot I'd know for sure I was in the wrong room, Names Barcher by the way."
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"Well, wouldn't you know it. We are back off the boat and they have another job for us. The society is a busy place. I hope it goes better then the last one. The society sent ... Hey well, the society sent some of us to help escort this fella, but then nothing happened. We just sailed around for a month or two. I see Kuikka and Markus. Have you all recovered your land legs?" A tanned to sunburned dwarf with yellow hair and beard enters the room talking a mile a minute. He has a battle axe and scale armor, so you assume he is a martial type.
"Hey, Barcher, nice to meet ya. Is 'Barcher' shorted from Bad a** archer?" Cool! You are tall and walls should be gray, by the way. Stone gray. Or maybe Brown,dirt brown." He extends his hand to Barcher.
"I'm Kimlo Grimmerkin, formerly of the temple guard, Larrad, Five Kingdoms. Now I am a 'Pathfinder'. At least sort of. I have completed one dungeon dive in this Emerald dungeon, more like a bunker with grass growing all over it. And I have sailed around for a month with pirates. Not much "Pathfinding' there."
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Barcher takes the dwarf's hands and shakes it vigorously,why is it no one outside of Galt can say it right? he thinks to himself before responding aloud,No no no, It's pronounced Bar-Shay, it's Galtan you see? You might have heard of it, a wonderful county with some of the best wines and better Revolutions hahahaha no but seriously, those revolution's are why I left." He says somberly, before snapping back to his usual aloof self, "And I'm a fine archer, I'm elvish after all." he says leaning over the dwarf to see the axe on his back,"Oh an axe, well about as original as my bow I suppose HAHAHA right?" he throws his hands up in laughter, finally letting the Dwarf's hands go.
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"I haven't tried an axe yet. I'm rather too fond of my sword." She echoes Kimlo's affectionate pat. "But I've started a collection of others as I travel," gesturing to the glaive and flail she carries in addition to the sword. "You never know when you might need something different. The mission before the boat, I was fighting some nasty undead things in Absalom. The sword wasn't as good, but the flail? Perfect for crunching bones." Kuikka grins at the others, finally showing some interest in the conversation.
Looking over at Barcher, "Haven't tried one of those yet. Too expensive after the sword. Next on my list after getting a better make of sword. Galt, eh? Never been there. Where have you been on your missions?"
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"Spent some time with a mercenary group called the "ungrounded" luckily I was a pathfinder sponsor or that CO would have thrown me in the stocks for my lip." he says in response to where he's been. "other than that Its been Absolom odd jobs till now." he says looking around at his companions, "and it seems the jury is still out on just how odd this one will be eh?"
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A small red-haired female halfling in a Mithral Chain Shirt armor with a small longsword on her hip enters. She is wearing a regular sized spell component pouch around her waist - and also an adorable little backpack on her back. The halfling starts shaking the hands of the pathfinders she already met in the past.
"Kuikka! Kimlo! So good to see you again!"
Then she turns to the monk and looks him up and down.
"Are you Markus? Markus Stonewarden? You certainly look like him - at least according to the description my friend Merida Bowie gave me. Happy to finally meet you!"
Afterwards, she offers a hand to the elf.
"Hi, I'm Corba... Corba Nana. Nice to meet you!"
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"Yep, Corba, glad to see you made it off that skinking boat, too." Well, let's hope we get to stay on dry land for this endeavor."
Kimlo sits and begins cleaning his gear. He seems to have really well cleaned and maintained stuff, but in contrast his face has smudges of grease on it and his beard seems to have pieces of his lunch still hanging as hostages.
The non-descript room talks. Well, cackles. Then shifts into a giant stomach. It tricked you inside and now you are its meal! Now you understand why the walls are such a depressing color. They are the remains of the last group that fell victim to this hideous monster.
Or at least that might be one of your dreams after you doze off. It takes forever for anyone to come get you all. Finally a lamp glows outside the office window in the door and it clicks open.
A halfling enters with an apologetic grin, "I'm really sorry all! I literally got told we had a mission going out this morning. I had to go get traveling tickets and set up a route and plan everything and then they decided to tell me you all had already been summoned ten minutes ago! So I rushed over here to give you the lowdown."
Finally taking a deep breath they toss out six small packets, "Ok so, the mission. Yeah. Ok full honesty here, no clue what it entails. VC Roderus called for pathfinders to get their butts to Katapesh. Meet is at the Winding Road Inn. I've got tickets on the next ship out of port headed that way, meals included. It should sail in the next three hours. I'm really sorry about all the late notice and secrecy, but you know how tight lipped they are about things these days. I'm sure a full briefing will be on site... if that is your end destination, even."
"More boats ... grumble, grumble." Kimlo picks up this stuff, takes his ticket and makes for the door. "I got an order of gear to pick up. I can meet you at the docks." "The vessel name is on the ticket, right, in case I have to ask around?"
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The ship ride is pleasent. Except for Barcher's cabin. It had been newly painted and remodeled before being assigned to him, but the second he opened the door, the same paint from the briefing room immediately assailed his senses.
Apparently that shade was on sale in Absalom...
But beyond the lack of taste, the traveling is safe and quick. Upon arrival the pathfinders quickly find their way to the meeting point and are greeted by their contact.
Venture-Captain Roderus sits at his desk in the lodge beneath the popular Winding Road Inn in Katapesh. Maps cover every wall of his workspace, and precarious stacks of journals and papers nearly reach to the ceiling. The venture-captain glances up from his work. “Welcome, Pathfinders. I hope your journey here was not too arduous. I have a fascinating assignment for you.” He plucks a single sheet of paper from the middle of pile on his desk. “This is a letter from the Osiriani investigator Amenira, who works with the Temple of the All-Seeing Eye. Mercy, the town she mentions in her reports, wasn’t even on our map until now. It’s a small settlement out in the Mana Wastes. Magic is unpredictable out in the Wastes, and it sometimes coalesces into deadly storms. People in Alkenstar reported seeing one of these magical disturbances heading in the direction of Mercy, but the town weathered the fearsome storm without so much as a scratch.”
He hands over the letter from Amenira to be perused.
The venture-captain clears his throat. “One of my contacts at the temple received this missive from her four months ago, and he hasn’t heard anything from her since. I’m sending you to Mercy to figure out why. If she’s still there, ask her why she hasn’t contacted anyone in months and help her finish her investigation; if she isn’t, find out what happened to her. While you are there, see how much of the mystery of Mercy you can unravel. Several of the clergy within the temple are intensely curious about why the mana storm didn’t level the town, and so am I. I will gladly provide you with additional pay for the information that you retrieve. I’ve booked a ship to the city of Alkenstar, which is a few days’ journey from Mercy itself. The ship departs in three hours. If you have any questions, ask them now. You’ll have time to purchase supplies when you arrive.”
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Kuikka scans through the letter quickly, frowning at a couple of the words in puzzlement.
She passes the note off to the next person and clears her throat. "It seems like there's a lot left out of this letter. What is her mission supposed to be? And her illness? And this ointment from the weavers? And...the walrus and the carpenters?? No, carpenters and alchemists? Whichever they were. And the All-Seeing Eye? What's that?" Her voice trails off.
A single eyebrow raises from Roderus , "Well, that was quite the string of questions. Which is good! I like pathfinders that ask things. Let me see if I can answer a few."
He finishes writing down what he remembers her asking, then goes through them one by one.
“The Temple of the All-Seeing Eye is the most prominent temple of Nethys on Golarion. It is a center for arcane scholarship, and it holds substantial sway over the politics of Osirion.”
"Her investigation was into the town of Mercy, simply put. The clergy here are quite interested in why the mana storm didn't level the town as well as whatever is going on with the illness and ointment mentioned in the letter."
"As far as info about the town, you now know as much as me. It’s a small town roughly twenty miles south of Alkenstar. Ask around when you arrive in Alkenstar, and I’m certain you’ll find someone who knows more about it than I do.”
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"So the illness came from the mana storm, too? Even though it didn't smack the town into oblivion? Huh, interesting." Kuikka rubs her chin thoughtfully before looking around. "We might want to pick up some antitoxins or maybe something for diseases if such things exist. I haven't needed any beforehand."
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As Barcher enters the room to put his bags down he sees the offending shade, raised an eyebrow, furrows his nose and exclaims "Calistria sting the dyer who thought of this shade!!"
"So the illness came from the mana storm, too? Even though it didn't smack the town into oblivion? Huh, interesting." Kuikka rubs her chin thoughtfully before looking around. "We might want to pick up some antitoxins or maybe something for diseases if such things exist. I haven't needed any beforehand."
"Antiplague, that is what I would call something like that if it ever existed. It seems a straight forward enough mission, investigate the town, find out why it is so lucky in such an unlucky place, and hope that the contact is still alive and well enough to tell us what they know?"
The VC checks his notes and makes a quick correction, "I believe the disease was contracted prior to the storm. They are likely unrelated, but in the Mana Wastes, one never knows for sure. The one contact you would have there is Amenira, who has stopped responding to messages."
He glances around, "If no other questions, the boat for Alkenstar leaves soon. You might be able to learn a few things about Mercy there."
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"Hmm, it seems like our agent is investigating the people of the town. Why would that be?" "Plus, there is some illness too. Do you know anything about that?" "What is this curfew stuff? What is that, do you know? Some local law?"
Kimlo asks a few quesrions to get a better idea of the town and its customs. He then will gather up his stuff.
"I'll see you all at the new boat. More boats ... grumble, mumble..."
The venture captain shrugs at every question, "I'm really sorry, I know nothing more than what I know. You'll have to answer those questions during your investigation."
And with that, the pathfinders head to the river boat. It, most thankfully, has no traces of the disgusting paint. Instead it is almost exclusively covered in a bright shade of magenta. The gnomish captain spends most of the trip explaining that magenta isn't actually a real color. It's just what our brains show us when they see that shade of reflected light. It's interesting, the first time he mentions it. After that it gets mildly annoying. But not that annoying, he is oddly charming.
The ship travels down the coast of the Obari Ocean, tacks northwest up the Elemion River, then sails south down the Ustradi River, finally stopping at the city of Alkenstar. It docks slightly short of a five-hundred-foot-tall waterfall in the middle of the city, where southbound ships painstakingly ride a winding elevator to the river above. Nearby, carriages wait to lead passengers into the smog-covered city.
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Alkenstar, never been here before, this should be interesting.... Does someone want to take lead on learning about Mercy? I can play bad cop, since that's what I did in all my past, but I'm not sure it'll help us much here... Markus asks the group hopeful that someone's more gifted in speaking to folks than he is.
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"I've always enjoyed Magenta, fine color." Barcher says. every single time the gnome captain brings it up.
As Barcher walks through the town, presumeable near Markus, He tries to overhear what folks are talking about in the winesinks and bars and shops.
"Did you hear that Makrus? Someone is convinced a vampire is hunting travelers on the road, Maybe we'll find out too; Mercy is about 20 miles south of us." he says loud enough for the party to hear,"Guess it's the walking ticket for us?"
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Kuikka trails along behind her companions, hoping to pick up other information. She doesn't know anything about this area herself.
"Hey, Barcher. That one over there really thinks your beard is amusing." She points out a dwarf with a beautifully manicured and braided beard, though he doesn't seem to be paying any attention to Barcher now.
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"Ah, the Temple of the All-Seeing Eye! It is the most prominent temple of Nethys, the god of magic!"
Corba walks directly into the crowd and starts asking questions, playing the role of an excited tourist who has no idea what's going on - and where.
It takes her some time, but after one hour the bard has gathered useful information she wants to share with her fellow pathfinders, so she starts looking for them. After finding them, she starts exitedly:
"Whatdidyoufindout? Igotagreatdealofinformation!"
The confused looks on her comrades' faces make her she realize that she is talking to fast - again. So she takes a deep breath and continues much slower:
"Mercy is around 20 miles south of Alkenstar, they worship the nature god Robori. Also, for the past year, Amenira was here every month, re-supplying and sending letters. She's Osirian, by the way. And there's rumors of a vampire... blah blah blah..."
Alchemical silver applied to weapons is Core. Weapon blanches are not.
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Purchases made, the pathfinders head out on the old dusty trail. Barcher regales everyone with information about vampires. They are only really dangerous on a full moon, when they turn into vicious furred beasts intent upon attacking the unwary. As it is daylight and not even close a full moon, everyone should be perfectly safe!
The dirt road toward Mercy winds through rocky, tree-lined hills. Sporadic clearings occur where large sections of trees have been destroyed or damaged. Some are only missing a few branches, while others have been split almost in half vertically or chopped down to a short stump. The exposed wood is black and perfectly smooth. One such clearing reveals the opening of a narrow cave in the hillside. The trail splits, leading both into the cave and off to the north.
As the pathfinders round the winding bend, suddenly a nasty mutant rises up with a longbow pointed at them, it's an AMBUSH!!! Behind them is some sort of doglike creature, jaws drooling and ready to attack.
Buffs: ??
Markus
Kuikka
Corba
Barcher
Red Mutant
Kimlo
Blue Dog?
Bold may act! Trained K: Dungeoneering for the Mutant, which looks like at some point it was a humanoid... but not anymore. Trained K: Nature for the Animal.
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"you are right! it is a... MUTANT VAMPIRE.... and his... his... vampire dog!" Barcher shouts hysterically as he moves up and begins singing a song about an Andoran Vampire in Oparra?