You are in the Pathfinder lodge in Korvosa, waiting for the venture captain to give you your assignments. Please introduce yourselves while we wait for the convention to start.
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A burly, surly half-orc with large tusks takes a seat in the corner. His outline seems perpetually indistinct. He draws a large hammer from a scabbard it shouldn't fit in and begins inspecting his weapons. Seeming satisfied he touches the head of the hammer to the scabbard and in a blink it is replaced by another and the process repeats.
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A brief outburst of shouting and bright smack of a fist hitting bare flesh breaks the silence of the hallway outside the room. Stumbling into the room, a woman in the distintive steel and sanguine armor of Korvosa's Gray Maidens grimaces as she massages her cheek. She leans out into the hallway and shouts after someone. "Look, I deserved that, but the dinner offer still stands!" Her voice has a tinge of Osiriani around the edges. She throws up her gauntleted hands in futility as she turns back from the doorway, still cradling her cheek. She winces and checks her hand for blood.
Finally noticing the seated Thrag, she salutes in the quick, jaunty manner of someone who enjoys flaunting conventions. And there is nothing conventional about her. She has pageboy cut of red hair, fiery orange eyes, and cruel scars running across her entire face in valleys and cracks. The scars have been done over with tattoos, the ink of which pulsates like a warm fire. On her back, she carries a standard with a scarlet rose charge on a silver field, the banner fluttering in a phantom wind. Her hand caresses the pommel of a sheathed longsword. "Sorry about that. Entirely my fault." She does not take a seat, instead casually strolling the room as she takes in the surroundings. "An old flame, one could say. One with quite a hook. What I first noticed about her."
She throws up another perfunctory salute. ”First Sergeant Sayna Asenath Elantho, Scarlet Rose Company, Eagle Knight, etcetera....” She points towards Thrag's weapons. "I presume you're here for the Society job?"
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The aasimar is tall and slender, with feathered wings folded on his back. He has a vaguely Ifrit look about him, suggesting he is in fact one of the Emberkin.
He wears a mithral chain shirt and carries a buckler. Hanging from his belt are a whip and dagger, and outside his backpack is a light crossbow. None of the weapons look particularly impressive, although they do seem to be almost brand-new and unused.
He sees the half-orc's obvious magic items. A Pathfinder, I assume. The muscle, probably.
He hears the commotion and sees the armored woman. Grey Maiden? As she begins to speak to the half-orc he realizes, Oh, that's right. The Scarlet Rose are the reformed ones. So more Society muscle. I wonder what they expect?
The aasimar wanders over. "Ah, greetings. I assume you are the worthies that the Society has sent in case this mission requires more than just reading old inscriptions. I am Daathiel, and my specialty is the more academic side of Society work."
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A scrawny scarred half orc entered the lodge in Korvosa. "Greetings, I am Rognak, of the Quadruple Deaths" he said, pointing to four faint scars carved on his forehead. "I am a Spell Sage serving Nethys and can do a pretty good job of tossing out evocation spells. I tend to like leading battles off with chain lightning." he added with a smile.
Canayven Heidmarch enters the room and greets each of you. He explains that the Headmaster of the Academae has requested a team of Pathfinders be sent to meet with him, and you have been selected. He asks you to do everything you can to improve relations between the Academae and the Pathfinder Society. He declines to answer any questions, saying that he is sure the Headmaster will provide any necessary explanations.
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A sylph appears out of nowhere next to Thrag and nods at the group. "Aria. I'm not sure we're the best choice for diplomats, but I go where you pay me to go." She shrugs, toying with the hilt of one of her weapons. Breezes swirl gently around her, flicking the ends of her hair and ruffling the dark cloth of her armor.
When you arrive at the Acadamae, you are escorted immediately to the headmaster’s offices in Ornelos Hall. Toff’s office is an austere, well-organized chamber with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and a large oaken desk. The wizened headmaster stands to welcome his guests, his long beard wagging slightly as he moves to shake their hands. Once you are seated comfortably, Toff speaks.
"Welcome, and thank you for answering my invitation. As I’m sure you well know, the Breaching Festival is a longstanding Acadamae tradition, with prizes both material and magical. You might also know that entry in the contest is traditionally reserved for only the best and bravest of our students and a select few representatives of other Korvosan institutions. This year, though, we’re changing tradition and expanding the invitations further than ever—we want the most powerful, qualified individuals to compete, in other words. It has been a century and a half since the last—the only—winner of the Breaching Festival won the prize! One of you surely must bring glory to yourself and the Acadamae by enduring the traps and tricks in the Hall of Wards. I’m even willing to bend the rules to allow a team of allied competitors like yourselves to cooperate as a single unit—whatever it takes to get a winner tomorrow."
"Let me guess, the one time that prize was awarded was as no one else has survived the other times?" Rognak asked.
"Well, yes, of course..."
What's the Breaching Festival? And why do you need a winner?
"As I said, the breaching festival is our yearly competition. The rules are simple. First, there can be but one winner, though you are welcome to work together to help one of your team win and then split the money. Second, contestants are not allowed to directly interfere with other contestants. Third, the contestant who first emerges from the front doors of the Hall of Wards is the winner. Finally, all contestants must sign forms that release the Acadamae of any liability for any misfortune suffered as a result of the contest. And we need a winner because it looks bad that it's been so long without one."
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"Traps and tricks are no problem. I am ready. Looking forward to the challenge.
Thrag, I am absolutely confident that we will not need you to smash any doors, walls, chests, or traps. Against enemies, smash away to your heart's content. But we can deal with the Acadamae property in a civilized way as befitting the Society."
"You can use any magic that you can use. It is very likely that you will find that such magic has been disabled in some way, but it's not against the rules to try. You'll meet the other challengers soon if you agree to participate. And here are the waivers to sign."
After your meeting with Toff concludes and you leave the headmaster’s office, you are met by a lanky human wizard by the name of Jandar Lilswin. He introduces himself, explaining that he’s been selected as your guide during your stay on the Acadamae grounds.
Rognak is taken to a room full of dusty old books with accounts of previous contests. They show, as expected, that every contestant since the last winner has been found dead, apparently from a deadly trap of some kind or other. He also finds that the only winner won on a technicality... he was only inside for a moment, and then came back out through the same door. In reaction to that, it is now required to come out through a different door than one enters through.
Lilswin shows you to your rooms and you rest for the night.
As you leave Ormelos Hall, you hear a scream and a thunderous crash coming from one of the first floor classrooms.
You rush into the room where the screams came from, and see a huge creature who obviously does not belong there, and a very badly wounded, unconscious student-age human slumped on the floor. The human may be dying.
You may attempt knowledge:arcana checks to identify the creature. The creature did not expect to see you, so you all get a surprise round action. You may roll your own initiative when you take your surprise round action. Your map tokens should start out somewhere in the yellow box.
[dice=K:Arcana]d20+24+d6
This is a retriever. It is an evil construct that can shoot rays out of its eyes, can heal itself (fast healing), and can grab with its bite.
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Daathiel knows basically what Rognak knows, maybe a bit more.
"On your guard! Beware its eye beams!"
Daathiel starts his Naturalist performance (swift action), giving everyone within 30' the following benefits against Retrievers specifically:
He also activates his Ring of Blinking (standard action).
Thrag smacks the retriever hard, and then Rognak disintegrates it. There is literally nothing left.