You arrived to the city-state of Aspenthar in order to meet Venture-Captain for the briefing. In Aspenthat you joined a caravan leading you into the deserts of Thuvia. All of the sudden you were part of rather large group of merchants and caravan guards. The only animals used were dromaders carrying food, water and tents. The days were filled with mesmerizing views of sand dunes, and despite the burning sun some of you could enjoy the views. The warm days are followed by cold nights, where you sick close to the fire, eating cooked meals and looking into the sky sprinkled with stars.
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Symeon isn't adverse to some time on the road, the halfling with shocking reddish orange hair enjoying the time to reflect and think back on things he'd been through. He'd needed it after that encounter with a fey realm and the monarch of it trying to kill him and his group. It also helps that this was a good place to ply his trade. Large groups of people on the road always meant someone was likely sick or needing some medical attention... It wasn't his true passion of surgery, disappointingly, but did provide good places to gather evidence of that new theory of 'microbes' that had gotten him kicked out of his university in the first place.
He'd spend time during the day bundled in white and ferrying water around to the various groups, all the while keeping an eye out for a sick person, and asking for a sample of blood and mucus. The nights, with a little ingenuity, made great times to study the samples by microscope and get and idea of what illnesses were caused by what.
The sands and dunes... made things... interesting. It'd mess with his slides and cultures if he wasn't careful and could lead to some badly abraded skin if the wind picked up, literally sand blasting anyone caught unawares. However, it was better than moisture or a creeping chill and moreover lead to him swiftly moving tons of his homemade skin ointment that helped with sunburns and small cuts.
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A brown furred ratfolk in a dusty, mangy cloak seems comfortable in the desert climate. He is carrying a staff like a walking stick and has a wayfinder hanging from a chain around his neck.
At the briefing in Aspenthar he is cheerful enough, holding out a paw to shake as he introduces himself. “Good to make your acquaintance! I’m Brekovi, a traveler and scholar.”
He greets the elven duskwalker by name. “Tess! Good to see you. So what new food have you discovered?”
He also greets the half-elven ranger and her owl by name. “Meadow and Silence! It has been a long time. What sort of missions have they been sending you out on?”
In preparation for the trip, he purchases some extra rations and loads them into the saddlebags of his large horse. He looks tiny when riding it. Sometimes he just leads the horse by the reins.
Each day just before the travel begins he brings out a wand and uses it. Seems it lengthens his stride for most of the day, allowing him to move nearly as fast as the horse.
A caravan moves at the pace of its slowest members. This gives Brekovi plenty of time to scavenge food and water along the way. Seems he is adept at it, sharing the excess he finds with other members of the caravan.
Through the days of travel Symeon finds himself providing medical help to caravan members with regular troubles related to crossing the desert. Dehydrations, heat strokes, bruises, cuts, camel bites, and similar. Couple of times even he is asked to take a look at the dromaders as one had some odd skin condition, any attempts to explain that you don't deal with animals is being discarded
"Those animals are what ensures our survival here. It is better for me to fall dead than for one of them to do."
Brekovi is able to explore some flora and fauna present on the desert, you see enough of evidence of snakes, scorpions and lizards to be certain that other animals have to be present there as well. You quickly spot eagles, some jackals and foxes. You find some succulents and other plants that do not need as much water. Brokovi finds other caravan members to be interested in what he is doing, and every now and then asking him to identify animals based on the marks.
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A young half elf woman enters the briefing room in Aspenthar. She is wearing leather armor and covered with a green cloak embroidered with an owl and what appears to be either a lizard or a cat. Following her closely is a snow white owl. "... saying that you've gotta get used to it. It's gonna be hot here. You really are getting spoiled aren't you?"
Silence flaps his wings. "Screech"
He greets the elven duskwalker by name. “Tess! Good to see you. So what new food have you discovered?”
The owl perks up at the mention of food and looks expectantly around the room.
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The archer frowns at the owl. "Will you knock it off? You just had lunch. If you're not careful you're gonna be too fat to fly."
He also greets the half-elven ranger and her owl by name. “Meadow and Silence! It has been a long time. What sort of missions have they been sending you out on?”
Meadow's face breaks into a huge grin as she notices the ratfolk. "Hey Silence! Look who it is! It's our friend Brekovi." She bounds over to the wizard a gives him a friendly hug before answering his question. "We've been all over Golarion. It's been great! We spent a lot of time in Iobaria. We had several small missions and then we got involved in that huge fight up there. There were so many pathfinders there I couldn't even count them. Were you there? Have you had a chance to get back to the Razmir lodge at all? I haven't." She frowns briefly. "I hope my geckos are okay."
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Brekovi gladly accepts the hug from Meadow.
“I’ve only been sent to Iobaria twice so far, but I’ve heard rumors of what happened there.”
“They have been sending me all over the world. Tien Xia, Arcadia, even the frozen north for a cross country race through snow and ice. Had another bad experience with hordes of undead, but fortunately there were others there that knew how to fight them.”
“With two instances of undead hordes, I decided that I needed to put some study time in on the subject so I could better fight them if it happens a third time.” He makes a warding gesture, obviously not wanting it to happen again.
“No, I haven’t been back to the Exalted Lodge. Not sure I want to if Lumley the Unpleasant is still near there.” He mimes holding his nose and waving his paw as if to get rid of a bad smell after saying the name. “I wouldn’t mind seeing Plisken or Sylvina again though.”
“If they offer to send you to Port Valen, you should go. I really enjoyed that trip.”
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A tall man with blond hair joins the group.
"Pardon my tardiness. I was caught up in an investigation in Absalom. I was able to hand over the case to my subordinate, Zhamie Zhapp, who is also training some new detectives we hired. Strange fellows, one an upright feline named Purrlock and his partner, a Tengu named Watson. Isaku Beru is my name. I'm intrigued by this mission we're going on. Does anyone know much about what we're going to be doing?"
Isaku is a tall man. He wears common leathers but has an array of weapons on his belt. His preferred weapon is a pistol he keeps in a shoulder holster.
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On the trail, Symeon mutters things about 'being a doctor and not a vetrenairy worker' but does ultimately take a look at the beasts that the caravan needs to handle. He regularly checks on the infected dromaders from the back of his large, fluffy, white and brown dog named Wuffles, diagnosing extremely dry skin on most of the dromaders and one case of ring worm.
Once finally at the meeting room, Symeon sets down some water for Wuffles and goes about making greetings with everyone. He first finds Brekovi, having seen the ysoki on the trail some and heads over. "Oh, I hadn't realized you were with the Society too! It's a pleasure to meet you, I'm Symeon Isafira and here to make sure you stay not only a live but healthy during this mission! Do you have any preexisting conditions I should know about?"
After making sure he has a good grasp on Brekovi's health he turns and spots Meadow for the first time. "MEadow? I that you? Do you remember me? We went through the Mawangi Expanse together when the Society was chasing the Thorned Monarch. How have you been?"
He finally turns to Isaku and gives a nod extending a hand, "No worries about being late, you're here and we've still got time. SO, Isaku, any pre-existing conditions I should know about? Alergies? Bad joints?"
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After making sure he has a good grasp on Brekovi's health he turns and spots Meadow for the first time. "MEadow? I that you? Do you remember me? We went through the Mawangi Expanse together when the Society was chasing the Thorned Monarch. How have you been?"
"Oh my goodness! Symeon! I didn't recognize you. Did you get a haircut or something?"
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He first finds Brekovi, having seen the ysoki on the trail some and heads over. "Oh, I hadn't realized you were with the Society too! It's a pleasure to meet you, I'm Symeon Isafira and here to make sure you stay not only a live but healthy during this mission! Do you have any preexisting conditions I should know about?"
Smiling, the ysoki chuckles and says “Well then, this should work splendidly. A pleasure to meet you Symeon, my name is Brekovi.”
“You can take care of the medical health while I concentrate on keeping our trip through the desert as safe as it can be.”
“No, I don’t have any ailments.”
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Tess approaches as Brekovi hails her, and then hugs the ysoki. "What new foods have I discovered? Most of them are Thuvian. I arrived at this desert early to deliver a book to Eando Kline, and have just stayed. My favorites are Thuvian tea -- they steep it dark with cinnamon, cardamom and ginger, then add enough sugar that a spoon can stand upright in it -- and falafel. Who knew that deep fried chickpea flour could taste so good?"
Then she turns to smile at the others. "Any friend of Brekovi is a friend of mine!" As she offers her hand in friendship, everyone can see that the extended arm is covered in tattoos of skulls, spirals and spider webs. An emerald green spider hops on to her shoulder, and she smiles indulgently at it as it waves its legs as the party. "Oh! Where are my manners? This is my familiar, Humphry. Humphry says 'Hello!'"
She looks around eagerly. "Have any of you discovered new food recently? I'm simply fascinated with mortal cuisines."
The little green spider waves, then scurries back under Tess's hair when it spots the owl.
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Isaku's eyes take on a far away look, as if recalling something.
"Symeon Isafira. Are you the same Symeon Isafira I read about in an old Pathfinder chronicle about some strange happenings in an Absalom school? The fellow who runs the coffee stand next door, a nice chap named Gnimish, mentioned the name. As for myself, no, I don't have any pre-existing conditions, other then maybe I'm allergic to ne'er do wells that I try to stamp out whenever possible."
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"Pre-existing conditions?" Tess raises an expressive red eyebrow, and then smiles wryly at Symeon. "Do you consider possession a pre-existing condition?"
As she speaks, she takes a slightly more martial stance, with a slight shift of her shoulders and a hand lightly touching her elven curve blade. "Though I don't know if you can properly call me possessed, since they're all part of me now." She rolls up her sleeve to show her tattoos more clearly. "Mother made me six months ago, in the plains of Geb. She infused parts of three different souls into my creation, and most of the time everybody takes turns. But when things get stressful, they all have different ideas of what I should do, and so I sometimes have to struggle with them - er, me - a bit. " She sighs. "It's complicated."
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"Oh my goodness! Symeon! I didn't recognize you. Did you get a haircut or something?"
Symeon gives a nod, "I did cut it short to try handling the desert heat better. Also grew a goatee."
Smiling, the ysoki chuckles and says “Well then, this should work splendidly. A pleasure to meet you Symeon, my name is Brekovi.”
“You can take care of the medical health while I concentrate on keeping our trip through the desert as safe as it can be.”
“No, I don’t have any ailments.”
Symeon jots a very quick note down in a notebook and smiles at the ysoki. "Perfect! Preventive care is always a better shot, anyways."
Isaku's eyes take on a far away look, as if recalling something.
"Symeon Isafira. Are you the same Symeon Isafira I read about in an old Pathfinder chronicle about some strange happenings in an Absalom school? The fellow who runs the coffee stand next door, a nice chap named Gnimish, mentioned the name. As for myself, no, I don't have any pre-existing conditions, other then maybe I'm allergic to ne'er do wells that I try to stamp out whenever possible."
Symeon's cheeks brighten a little at the mention of his exploits at the Dalcine Academy. "Oh, no! You've been talking with Gnimish, have you? He hasn't talked about, you know... the mannequin has he? I was a bit shaken up by everything and not in my right mind."
"Pre-existing conditions?" Tess raises an expressive red eyebrow, and then smiles wryly at Symeon. "Do you consider possession a pre-existing condition?"
"Mother made me six months ago, in the plains of Geb. She infused parts of three different souls into my creation, and most of the time everybody takes turns. But when things get stressful, they all have different ideas of what I should do, and so I sometimes have to struggle with them - er, me - a bit. " She sighs. "It's complicated."
Symeon, posed to start writing notes, pauses at the unusual question. "While I'm sure many of my peers in the mental health realm would definitely, I've met enough Pathfinders to know it's not necessarily a concern. As long as they don't interfere with your day-to-day or cause you other concern, it's not something to worry about. Just let me know if I should do anything different when treating your wounds, you know your body the best afterall."
He jots down a short note, and then drops the professional demeanor. Giving a bright smile, his own shickingly red goatee splitting to show his teeth, Symeon comments, "You're only six months old? That's amazing. I bet you're probably the picture of perfect health."
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A stocky man in simple clothes arrives with the caravan in the area. The hustling and bustling of merchants in the desert here remind him of Katapesh. His stay in the place gives him an opportunity to help those in need of his medical profession. He seems to be enjoying his stay and takes his leisurely time outside and arrives late at their meeting place. "Greetings! I apologize for being late. What did I miss? I just finished treating the wounds of a certain man nearby who was bitten by a scorpion and thankfully I was just around the place but it took much of my time before I arrive here. My name is Henri by the way." he tells the others.
One of the caravan members listen to Symeon "Goat tea? What an odd choice for a drink" he looks him over
"Regardless, we are here, behold Inspiriting Wellspring!"
The Inspiriting Wellspring, once a lively settlement, has been reduced to a single tower sticking out of the desert sands. A bustling camp sprawls on the north side of the tower. At its south side, ropes mark off large sections of sand and canvas tarps on poles provide shade for the Pathfinder agents busy with careful archaeological work. The tops of multiple buildings have recently been dug up from the sand, and cartloads of sand are being moved away from a partially unearthed building. A group of four agents emerge from a hole in the tower, sweaty and dusty, and immediately report to a group of senior agents. Among the tents stands a large pavilion, easily identified by its pennants as belonging to Eando Kline, the leader of the Vigilant Seal faction.
As you approach one of the agents come to you and say "Please report inside the pavilion after you have time to refresh yourself."
The inside of the pavilion is as hot as the outside, but its shade and the rushes on the floor provide reprieve. Bent over a large map of the desert showing numerous trade routes are Gol Amri (N female human representative), a representative of the Thuvian government, and Eando Kline (CG male human explorer), leader of the Vigilant Seal. As you enter, Eando welcomes you and motions them to sit on a bench in the tent. He makes sure each has a large mug of water before he begins.
"Thank you all for coming. Prince Zinlo of Aspenthar has graciously granted the Society rights for exploration of the Inspiriting Wellspring and surrounding area. This is Gol Amri, the prince’s representative. While the ruins here are proving to be an amazing discovery in and of themselves, you are, however, needed elsewhere." Eando takes a moment to refill everyone’s drinks, including his own. He rubs his thumb across the engraving on his mug as he orders his thoughts.
"The Society recently came to own a vast trove of magical relics. I would have liked that the studies of these items could proceed more cautiously, but the impatience of some opened up an opportunity we can’t afford to miss. One of the acquired items is a magical dagger. Study revealed that this dagger is linked to a lost war machine of the ancient Jistka Imperium. The fact that the dagger is still ‘active’ leads us to believe the machine itself is active in some way as well." Eando gestures with his mug for emphasis.
"But we’ve run into a complication. We believe the dagger has a twin. And that twin is in the hands of one of the Society’s enemies, a night hag named Aslynn. We have reason to believe Aslynn’s forces are using the second dagger to search for the war machine. So, the short of it is that I’m sending you off into the desert with a dagger to look for a much larger ancient weapon. How that goes in practice, I’ll leave for Gol Amri to explain."
As Eando sits down, Gol Amri gives him a nod and unfurls a map. "The area you are to explore is located in between two trade routes. Very little is known about it." To emphasize her words, Gol Amri points to an area of the map which only reads ‘desert.’
"The dagger seems to be attuned, or maybe attracted, to something. While exploring the area around the Wellspring, we observed the dagger’s behavior. It seems to function like a dousing rod or compass. We’re relatively sure that it’s not pointing to the war machine directly, as the dagger changed directions during our surveys. Whatever it is that influences the dagger, it must be eliminated, and quickly. With the interference out of the way, you can hopefully use the dagger to then find what you seek." Eando puts a scroll on the table. "I also have a message to pass on to you."
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Brekovi looks at the map and then over to Gol Amri. “Will you be wanting our findings of what is out there? I am guessing the landmarks are few and far between.”
Looking to Eando, he asks “How quickly is this interference moving? Would you recommend we do a though search of the areas traveled through, or attempt to travel quickly and then take a new bearing in order to locate it?”
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Meadow quickly downs her mug of water. Once it is refilled she turns away from Brekovi and serrupticiously pulls a dead mouse from a belt pouch. She pours much of the water from her mug over it and holds it out to Silence, who consumes it in whole. As he eats she does her best to prevent the ratfolk from witnessing the process.
Brekovi looks at the map and then over to Gol Amri. “Will you be wanting our findings of what is out there? I am guessing the landmarks are few and far between.”
The young half-elf rolls her eyes at Brekovi. "Of course we'll be telling them our findings. Remember explore, , cooperate? That's Pathfinder 101."
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Brekovi looks at the map and then over to Gol Amri. “Will you be wanting our findings of what is out there? I am guessing the landmarks are few and far between.”The young half-elf rolls her eyes at Brekovi. "Of course we'll be telling them our findings. Remember explore, , cooperate? That's Pathfinder 101."
Looking up at Meadow, Brekovi gestures towards Gol and says “He is with the Thuvian Government, not the society.”
He waits to hear the answer to the question Tess posed before saying anything more.
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"I suspect that we will learn what the interferences are when we find them," Tess sighs. "Still this could be a fascinating chance to study the desert, and do some important surveys."
Tess pauses and looks at Eando Kline. "Is there any chance that we might encounter undead in the desert? Is Aslynn a known necromancer?" She swings her legs, and her tone is almost hopeful. "I'm very good at freeing undead so that their souls can once again travel to the afterlife."
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"I hope we don't run into any of those crazy animated beetle exoskeletons. They totally creep me out when they sguiggle." She shudders.
"I don't see why we can't explore thoroughly as we go. Silence and I can cover a lot of ground pretty quickly. You never know what's going to end up being important and we wouldn't want to miss anything."
"These appear to be contradictory missions," Tess says. "You want us to proceed with all haste, and Zarta wants us to pause and study. Do you think it is at all possible to do both?"
Eando responds "I had the pleasure of reviewing a copy of Zarta’s message before you arrived, she send one to me as well. I am sorry to say we’re both expecting rather contradicting results from you. I’m afraid you will have to make a choice: either go with all haste for me and the Vigilant Seal, or take your time and study whatever else might be attracting the dagger for Zarta and the Grand Archive. Neither of us will hold it against you should you choose one mission over the other."
"Have you determined what these interferences are? Maybe we can work on that ahead. Also, it would be hard to track if that war machine is moving as well, or is it not?" Henri adds more questions to what is already stated by others.
"We don’t know. It could be several things, but it’s most likely some remnant of Jistkan artifact. Battles between Ancient Osirion and the Imperium were frequent in this area, long ago, so keep your eyes open. With regards to the topic is it moving..." Eando pauses for a moment
"It is most certainly active, as otherwise we do not think the dagger would function at all. We don’t think it’s moving, however. If it had been wandering the area, someone would have encountered it. We believe it’s stationary, or moves very little."
Looking up at Meadow, Brekovi gestures towards Gol and says “He is with the Thuvian Government, not the society.”
Gol looks at Brekovi "She. She is with the Thuvian Government." Gol smiles and fixes her glasses
"Foremost, while the desert does not look like much, it is still part of Aspenthar. Working closely with the local authorities is beneficial to both parties. And we don’t want to feed into the gossip that Pathfinders are nothing more than grave robbers. Other than that, Jistkan technology can be incredibly dangerous, especially if it falls into the wrong hands. These war machines can cause great destruction and death. With one out there, working together gives us more time and resources to prevent this finding from becoming a catastrophe. I think I heard a rumor about manikin being devastated in one of your schools in Absalom and buried?" she says wondering.
Gol moves towards the entrance and ask you to follow her. She provides each one of you with a dromedary fitted with a harness to carry supplies. Each dromedary carries enough food and water for itself and one of you. The food and drink are enough to last 30 days and weigh 10 Bulk. The dromedaries have been well-fed and watered. They are well-trained and quite docile. They easily follow along when led by their harness.
"Let me warn you here, those ships of the desert are not trained to carry a rider and will stop if you try to ride them. Also it annoys them" she smiles and looks at them "Look what beuties they are!"
Gol Amri also hands each one of you a one-person tent, and instructs youin how to set it up so that part of it drapes across the side of the dromedary. This way, you can benefit from the dromedary’s body heat. This is an important part of desert survival, as temperatures can drop to freezing during the night, and in much of the desert it is impossible to gather firewood. Any PC lacking clothing appropriate for the desert receives a set on loan. Eando provides one half of a pair of slates of distant letters, and instructs you to report back when you make a discovery, find the war machine, or end up in over their heads. He also shows them how to use the dagger.
"This is how it goes, you put the dagger on your hand and say the following incantation: 'Dagger, dagger on the floor show who's strongest of us all'"
The dagger moves from west to south and back a few times before falling
dormant. "You can try to do it once per day."
You try to recall knowledge about the Thuvia desert. Symeon, Isaku and Brekovi know that the Jistka Imperium rose to power after Earthfall, but before Old Mage Jatembe brought arcane magic back to Golarion. Jistkan artificers built golems by creating a magnificent articulated home, magically coaxing spirits into the physical bodies using occult magic.
Early Jistkan golemcraft bound elementals into clockwork bodies. But the war with Ancient Osirion made the demand for constructs sharply rise, and Jistkans turned to other sources and employed arcane magic. These other sources included dangerous experiments with fiend-binding, which produced devastating weapons whose destruction was prone to spreading farbeyond the targets the crafters wished the see eliminated. Their greatest breakthrough came when they discovered how to bind the minds, life forces, and souls of accomplished Jistkans into ageless constructed bodies called automatons. Some of the automatons who have survived and retained lucidity until modern times have recently joined the Pathfinder Society.
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Somewhat embarrassed by using the wrong gender for Gol, Brekovi does apologize for the mistake.
With the other questions out of the way, Brekovi turns to the group.
“I have one other question, but this is for the group of us going out there.”
“Does anyone know how to read the Jiskan language? I can use magic to do so, but if someone already knows it that saves me needing the magic.”
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Tess grins at Brekovi. "I don't speak Jiskan, but with magic I can speak, read and understand any language. How else will I be able to find new foods on the menus of places that I travel?" Then she sighs. "I bought extra rations in Aspenthar, but I despise rations. Sure, they sustain you, but they feed the body rather than the soul."
Humphry appears once again at Tess's shoulder, tapping his little legs.
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“Alright, I will not worry about translating anything for the moment.”
“So, which mission do people want to focus on? Finding what causes the interference and capturing it or finding the war machine?”
“We don’t know what our opponents have planned, but they are no doubt using their own implement to search here as well. Sounds like it is a race between us and them.”
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Tess appears to listen to the spider, then grins at Brekovi. "Humphry was reminding me that we should choose our missions. I'm Vigilant Seal, and usually am all for eliminating dangers with haste. That said, it does not appear that Aslynn is a necromancer. If there are no undead to eliminate... I might be open to Zarta's Grand Archive mission to study these machines, provided we have the skills to do it."
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..."I think I heard a rumor about manikin being devastated in one of your schools in Absalom and buried?" she says wondering....
Symeon, blushing even harder, glances off to the side guiltily, "Unrelated. These incidents are comepletely unrelated."
He shifts topics abruptly, joining in on Tess and Brekovi's conversation instead. "Personally, I'm inclined to taking our time and finding out what we can about the machine, but if push comes to shove, the quick path might be better. Let's see what comes of it first."
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"If I understand it correctly, and if the dagger works like a compass, and seeing that it moves from west to south a few times..." he trails his words and looks around into the said directions, "Does it means there are interferences in that area?" he asks them. "I think we should work on determining those interferences and decide on what to do with them so that we get to pinpoint the location of what we are looking for. Whether to destroy or examine those that are causing interferences, maybe we can decide it when we learn about its nature." he suggests. "I don't understand these faction leaders, how does the word 'cooperate' in the motto works in them?" he whispers to himself.
"Does it means there are interferences in that area?" he asks them.
"This is what we believe" says Eando "But it will be for you to find it out."
As you pack your belongings and collect your own camels, alongside your choices of horses and dogs. Eando and Gol Amri are standing there to fare you well.
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You depart heading deeper into the desert. But before you go anywhere, Eando pulls on a Brekovi's clothes and says "I am sorry, but I think we have some irregularity in the forms. You did not sign one of our waivers, pretty boilerplate thing you know."
the sun is scorching but you are full of optimizm. Your bags are heavy with the equipment, water and food making an impression that they would last forever.
It takes you full day of traveling through the sand, the dunes visible to you are contant part of your day. When the sun is beccomign to set you start to set up your camp. You light the fire to cook meal and drink some water, taking care of your animals as well.
You perform the ritual and the dagger begins to point the directions between west and southwest.
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Each day, Tess uses the staff to cast three castings of Create Water in order to refill the water supplies of the people and animals. "Drink from this supply first, so that we can conserve our water." She shades herself in her light robes, and travels through the desert, seemingly content as she marvels at all the life forms that scuttle through these otherwise barren areas.
She turns to her fellow travelers. "So, while we travel, how do we want to while away the time? I propose that we start by telling our stories. How did you all become Pathfinders? What brought you to the Society?"
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You depart heading deeper into the desert. But before you go anywhere, Eando pulls on a Brekovi's clothes and says "I am sorry, but I think we have some irregularity in the forms. You did not sign one of our waivers, pretty boilerplate thing you know."
Brekovi looks up at Eando, then holds out his paw for the forms. Standing in the shade of his horse, he reads through them. “Where is the part about body recovery? Thought that was standard.” After carefully reading them, he signs them.
Going back to his horse, he attaches some poles and a tarp to his saddle to provide himself shade while he rides. Using one of the nearby crates, he gets his saddle into place and climbs on.
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That night he checks all of the gear and animals.
As everyone is finishing their dinner, he gives some advice.
“Remember, always shake out your boots or shoes after a days travel and in the morning before putting them on.”
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"So, while we travel, how do we want to while away the time? I propose that we start by telling our stories. How did you all become Pathfinders? What brought you to the Society?"
“I heard of the Pathfinder Society while studying at the Scrollspire. I read some of the Pathfinder Chronicles and found the concept of the society interesting. Someplace I could use both my wilderness and scholarly skills. Once I left the Scrollspire, I made my way to the Sandswept Hall in Sothis and applied.”
“Like most new recruits, they transferred me to the Grand Lodge in Absalom. Head Initiate Janira Gavix saw to my initiation in the society.”
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Each day, Tess uses the staff to cast three castings of Create Water in order to refill the water supplies of the people and animals. "Drink from this supply first, so that we can conserve our water." She shades herself in her light robes, and travels through the desert, seemingly content as she marvels at all the life forms that scuttle through these otherwise barren areas.
She turns to her fellow travelers. "So, while we travel, how do we want to while away the time? I propose that we start by telling our stories. How did you all become Pathfinders? What brought you to the Society?"
"My friends the sprites would often fly off and be gone for weeks. It gets kind of lonely in the forest with just Silence and me so when I heard of Absalom I decided we should go and visit. Wow! And to think I thought Otari was big. Absalom was huge! I'd never seen so many big people in my life! And from so many different places! Did you know that Absalom is called the City at the Center of the World?
Anyway once it started to get dark we were just going to find a nice tree to sleep in but a guard told us we couldn't do that. This nice lady overheard me arguing with the guard and she let me stay in her room for awhile while she went off on a mission. She was a Pathfinder! And that's how I started living at Mrs. Mullinax's Home for Adventurous Young Ladies. While I was staying in Yasmin's room I would help Mrs. Mullinax with some chores like milking the goat and washing dishes. Well actually I still help out now that I have my own room. Anyway Mrs. Mullinax used to be a Pathfinder when she was younger and told me a lot of stories about her adventures while I helped her. At mealtimes the other pathfinders staying in the house would tell me stories too. It sounded so exciting! Silence thought so too. Mrs. Mullinax wrote a letter to Ambrose Valsin and Silence and I were accepted into the Pathfinder Society and started our training."
Tess provides you with plenty of water, which raises your spirits up.
After the day of travel and checking your dagger you spend the day to scan the surroundings, but thing nothing...
So why do you peek into the void when the void do not look at you?
The following day you head in the same direction. Some first sun burns are already present, whenever you eat or drink you feel like sand is in your teeth, skin is getting dry and your eyes hurt from the sun. The sand dunes look completely different and yet the same.
In the afternoon you perform the ritual, the dagger again swings in between west but this time reaches towards south and back west.
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Tess kneels down to watch what Brekovi is doing. "It's possible. Perhaps you should just pick one of the two directions to travel to, and we can note the other one on the map for later?" She looks around the group. "Symeon, Henri and Isaku... What are your stories of how you joined the Society?"
"Mine was about five and a half months ago..." Tess bares her arm, showing off her Duskwalker tattoos, which include Pharasma's spiral in the iconography. "I was born six months ago in a field in Geb, watching zombies harvest wheat. My mother was there..." She pauses. "I know that mothers are usually present at the birth of mortals, but with duskwalkers... Well, they don't have to be. Mom told me that I was number four, meaning that I was her fourth duskwalker child in all the millennia that she's been alive. I asked her for my purpose, and she told me that I would have to find it myself. She handed my clothes and weapons, and then she left me in Geb."
Tess grimaces. "I've always wondered why of all the places in the world she could create me, she dumped me off in Geb, where casters of positive magic are outlawed, and a duskwalker with pharasmite symbols all over her body is... well... a really bad idea." Tess shrugs. "Perhaps she did it to teach me self-reliance, or to have a way of judging the different places that I travel to? So far, every place I've visited since Geb, no matter how bad, has had the distinction of being better than Geb."
She gets up, casts the create water spell, and refills everyone's canteens before continuing. "So... How did I get out? I was smuggled out by the underground. And when I say underground, I mean that literally. There are Kulanett dwarves that have caverns and tunnels that extend throughout Geb, and they have no love for undead above. They found me and helped me get out of Geb, connecting me with a Pathfinder group who took me on the final leg of my journey to freedom. I was fascinated by these seemingly carefree strangers who rescue people and journey all over the world, and I was determined to become one myself."
She grins, spreading her arms wide. "Honestly, this has been the best job ever."
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When Tess finishes her story, she is struck on her face. A large semi-dry and harsh camel tongue licks her cheek. Was the beast moved by her story? Who knows.
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“Let’s keep going in the same direction.”
“It looks like one source is directly to the south and the other directly to the west of here. If we go slightly past, the direction the dagger points should clearly indicate that.”
“Assuming that what we seek is still a fair distance away, it shouldn’t significantly increase our travel time. It would give us confidence in our reading.”
“Any objections?”
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Henri thinks hard, focusing on the erratic results of the dagger acting like a compass. Maybe he can be forgiven for sharing his story much later. "I suggest we go to one of the directions, perhaps it is one of the interferences that cause the dagger to sway into two directions. If there is indeed interference with that, we can deal with it and and remove its effect, narrowing our choices to which way to go toward the machine that we are looking for. That is what I understand on that compass situation. If that is so, I vote to go west."