“After the sweltering heat of Nagajor, some might consider the coolness of these tunnels delightful, but we have little time to rest,” Venture-Captain Amara Li begins, addressing a sizeable caravan of Pathfinder agents, laborers, and nagaji guides. “By my calculations, we are now about two thousand feet below the surface, which places us in Nar-Voth. Welcome to the Darklands, Pathfinders. We’ll establish a base camp here.”
“According to our Master of Spells, Sorryna Westyr we have fifteen days before they transport Round Mountain back to the Material Plane. In that time, we must locate the mountain’s original location, explore and document the site, convince anyone who might be residing in the area to evacuate, and evacuate ourselves.
“Unfortunately, we do not know the exact location of the original site. Most of the surface access tunnels that led there collapsed under their own weight once Hao Jin carved out Round Mountain. However, we have managed to piece together folklore from up above—mostly stories to frighten children—and purchased information about various smuggling and trade routes between the surface and the Diguo-Dashu. Thus, based on the intelligence available, I am certain that a large cavern known as the Old Rat’s Stolen Heart is the site of Round Mountain’s return. The name is clearly a reference to the goddess Lao Shu Po and the supposed heartbreak the remaining ratfolk experienced after their defeat. According to our informants, though, the cavern has an easier nickname—the Broken Ticker. This is our only opportunity to explore the Broken Ticker before the return of Round Mountain destroys potentially half a millennium of Darklands history.
“We plan to send a small team down each of the secondary and tertiary tunnels that may lead to the large cavern that was once Round Mountain. Remember, this is not a competition. Good cooperation and communication between the teams may be vital to the success of this mission. I shall brief each team individually, but, if there are any questions for the greater group, now is the time to ask.”
Knowledge (Dungeoneering, Geography or History)
Knowledge (Religion)
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You do not hear much from shy but likable Setare.
She seems to be quite nervous and looks around often.
Setare is a scrawny girl with auburn hair and amber eyes.
Her features seem Chelaxian but also have something else mixed in.
She is wearing a brown adventuring outfit but no armor. She has a plume on her head, carries a scimitar at her hip that is attached to her left wrist with a very fine chain and has a finely crafted adamantine chestus attached to her right hand.
Around her neck a pendant with the holy symbol of Sarenrae is clearly visible.
~
"He ... hello, I am Se.. Setare .." Setare said with a quivering voice and a shy smile when you initially met.
Then she focused on the group of Pathfinders.
"Ehhh ... it is ... you know ... I’m ... ehh ... good that we are together. Nice meeting y.. you.” she said and then looked down to the ground.
Setare remains silent when they’re finally starting the mission.
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Xilt nods as the Doctor speaks but knows all this information himself.
28 Knowledge Dungeoneering on a take 10
30 Knowledge Religion on a take 10
He smiles as he sees Setare who he had adventured with last in the Mana Wastes.
"It is great to see you again. Hopefully the magic will stay on this adventure."
An energetic mephit flies around the room. He points at the investigator and speaks with his master.
"Seems like you have some competition there. This guy know his stuff."
He makes his way over to Setare and pats her on the shoulder in greeting.
"It is nice to see a familiar face. I am sure we will have as much fun as the last time maybe more."
"I am Tzleztor and my travelling companion over there is Xilt."
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" Greetings, I am Senator Lorian Therian, Marquis Urfa-Halji, Ambassador of Taldor, more commonly known as "Lorian the Peacemaker". Here to smooth things out with the current group that occupies the area so that no more lives get harmed when Round Mountain returns. Just left Axis after Hao Jin's trial and want to make sure that everthing works out." the finely dressed half-elf noble said as he addressed the group.
Seeing a pendant with the holy symbol of Sarenrae on it, Lorian lit up. "The Dawn brings new light" he said with a smile to Setare.
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An angry looking half-orc enters. He has many tattoos, but the most striking of them is a butterfly that covers his entire face. No matter which direction he turns, or what expression crosses his face, the butterfly looks enraged.
"I am Tull, warpriest of Desna," he intones sullenly. "For too long, the evil-doers of this world have acted with impunity, mocking the meaning and purpose of our Lady. Now, finally, the time has come to repay their scorn and teach them the true meaning of fear. For fear they shall know, be sure of it!" He pounds the table. "They. Shall. Fear. The. Butterfly!"
Tzleztor bends over in laughter at Tull's words. In fact the mephit almost falls out of the air before he straightens up and flaps again.
"You might be mean looking Tull and you are probably tough as hell being a half-orc but you need better publicity. You can borrow our herald for a while until you come up with a better opening line."
The mephit pretends to be Tull for a moment (but is playful and not mocking).
18 Bluff on a take 10 for the performance.
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" Greetings, I am Senator Lorian Therian, Marquis Urfa-Halji, Ambassador of Taldor, more commonly known as "Lorian the Peacemaker". Here to smooth things out with the current group that occupies the area so that no more lives get harmed when Round Mountain returns. Just left Axis after Hao Jin's trial and want to make sure that everthing works out." the finely dressed half-elf noble said as he addressed the group.
Seeing a pendant with the holy symbol of Sarenrae on it, Lorian lit up. "The Dawn brings new light" he said with a smile to Setare.
Setare smiles warmly.
"So good to see another follower of the Dawnflower!!" she says with even more confidence now.
She bows to Tull as well!
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The Doctor had to smirk at the mephit's performance.
I have to admit, I have never thought of the Lady Desna having a warlike nature. he says. To be honest, with Her being the deity of Space and Time, it would really be nice to discuss cosmology with Her over tea and cake.
So Tull, I would be very interested to hear your view on Our Lady Desna
The Pathfiners have an opportunity to shop and discuss religion before Amara Li sends your group to Round Mountain. You are hiking for about a day before anything happens.
The trader’s route comes to an abrupt end as it exits some distance up a massive, slightly concave wall overlooking an inky darkness. A guardhouse, partially carved out of the tunnel wall, stands alongside the lip of the tunnel’s exit. A massive mechanism of wood, ropes, and pulleys stands just beyond the exit.
Two ratfolk soldiers exit the guardhouse and greet you.
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@cmlobue - Are we still on day 1 of our travels or did we need to rest up overnight? My character has a lot of long duration spells so it is relevant for what spells might already be up and for my character's spell prep in general. Also what type of equipment can we purchase before heading out?
@Tull - If you could spare a 0 level slot for Create Water that would be great. We would have to keep a lot of water on hand to keep this party's thirst quenched if we are travelling for any time at all.
Xilt waves to the two guards and begins to speak to them in Undercommon.
Xilt explains the situation to the party.
"They are just asking us why we are here. Lorian if you want to take over you can assuming you understand their speech."
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I didn't underrrstand vorrrd. I rrrely on you in negotiations, comrrrades. A bald man in medium armor, with a sword on his back and a strange pistol on his belt, rubs his chin. His dark cloak on the clasp is decorated with two symbols - the holy symbol of Ragathiel and a Red Star, and his blackened mithril armor fits perfectly on his slim figure. His accent is slightly reminiscent of Irissen, but still subtly different. Before that, he introduced himself to you as Nikita Volkov and listened with interest to conversations on religious topics, but at the same time preferred to remain silent and just listen.
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"I am not sure what you had been speaking before but I am rather familiar with Tien." Lorian said before switching languages and talking with the guards.
"I could give you all of my titles but as time is of the essence, let's dispense with them for the moment and get down to business. We need to speak with whomever is in charge of this area along with the shamans and sages. Please tell them that "Old Rat’s Stolen Heart" is returning shortly and it will not care who is still in the area." Lorian said.
After the mass briefing, Li begins discussing specific assignments with each of the Pathfinder teams present, four teams in total, including your characters. When Li gets to you, she explains that she has assigned you to a suspected trade route. The trade route follows a wider secondary tunnel that she believes may have been used to smuggle larger cargoes, potentially livestock, lumber, metal ores, or even caravans of slaves. Li also provides a wand of animal messenger (3 charges), a scroll of whispering wind, and a small handbook of cryptographic cyphers. She explains that the Pathfinders should encrypt any written communications using the cyphers provided. Decrypting a message with the handbook available requires a DC 5 Linguistics check, or a DC 20 Linguistics check without the handbook. If you cannot make use of the magical communication options, Li notes that she can spare a scout or messenger. You can establish “dead drops” along their tunnel that the scouts can use to relay information back to Li’s base camp, albeit less frequently and reliably than the magical means.
Li instructs you to immediately contact her should you discover a viable entrance to the Old Rat’s Stolen Heart.
With the briefing and specific instructions now fully relayed, Li also hands over Trade-Prince Aaqir al’Hakam’s donated trade goods, which you can use in negotiations with the ratfolk dwelling in the Old Rat’s Stolen Heart. These include a handy haversack and efficient quiver. The Exchange has stuffed the haversack with 80 pounds of coffee beans, an ornate coffee pot, grinder, cups, and carefully written preparation instructions for each type of bean. These trade goods represent a total value of 2,500 gp. The quiver contains several samples of lumber and woodwork, including 60 masterwork arrows, two masterwork composite longbows, and a masterwork darkwood longspear.
The guards switch to Tien, as it seems to be the language that the most of the team understands.
The ratfolk accept your reason for arrival at face value. They don;t have an answer to your question about the name and state that it is what they always called it They let you know that you will be allowed to enter in a few hours after the necessary paperwork has been completed.
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"Are you sure that you might not want to speed things up and skip the paperwork?" Lorian asked. "I have dealt with enough guards that want their palms greased. Aside from the delay that might cause, I am sure that if your boss finds out that you held out on them, they will be rather upset. However, I am also quite sure that the former residents might want to tack your hides to whatever they can nail it to if their loved ones get killed due to the delay that the two of you cause. Now, get moving." he said in a soft quiet tone.
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Xilt observes Lorian in action.
Xilt
Contingency (Fly spell will trigger if both feet are off the ground) 11 days
Life Bubble CL 13 (26 hours)
Ablative Barrier, extended CL13 (26 hours)
False Life, extended CL13 (26 hours)
Mage Armor, extended CL13 (26 hours)
Tzleztor
False Life, extended CL13 (26 hours)
Mage Armor,extended CL 13 (26 hours)
Endure Elements (24 hours)
It has been said that, in order to make peace, you must prepare for war. Lorian is clearly prepared for war, and the guards decide that this is beyond their pay grade and allow the Pathfinders to pass with a minimum of fuss. The guards suggest that they head directly to Zhotan, the small town towards the center of the cavern floor, explaining that the governor is responsible for negotiations with uplanders.
The guard post is situated a mile above the cavern floor and is well lit. You can choose to make use of your own spells and abilities, a rough staircase cut into the cavern wall, or the wooden elevators to descend to the lower levels and cavern floor. Dedicated teams of engineers manage and operate the elevators.
If you wish to take the elevators, you can further chart the cavern walls and the complex elevator structures that line them. Pathfinders can talk to and observe the engineers with a successful Diplomacy check, observe the flow of traffic and goods with a successful Appraise or Profession (merchant) check, plot out other exits and entrances into the Big Ticker with a successful Knowledge (dungeoneering or geography) check, or examine the elevator structures with a successful
Craft (carpentry) or Knowledge (engineering) check.
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Lorian looked at the flow of trade and took the time to press the flesh, making some business connections.
"Greetings, I am Lorina Therian, proprietor of the Sovereign Sun trading caravan out of Taldor. I am always looking to expand trade. We might be able to come to an agreement as to what goods you are interested in so that we both might benefit." he said meeting with one of the merchants. "Being a surface dweller, the merchants use pack animals and wagons to transport items. We run into problems with flying creatures and raiders coming out of nowhere. Do you have similar issues? he asked.
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Xilt casts Heightened Awareness to help sharpen his memory and senses.
He decides to plot out the exits and entrances with his opinionated familiar at his side.
30 Knowledge Dungeoneering on a take 10.
(32 Knowledge Dungeoneering if aid can be applied from Tzleztor)
"You make some fair points there but really Tzleztor putting slides and ladders around the Big Ticker is a little ridiculous."
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@John - If your character is not really good at a skill then it is probably better to try to aid another character (which is only DC 10). The DC for checks will probably be fairly high as it is tier 10-11 and there might be a consequence for failing a check. As my character has already attempted this check you might automatically be considered to be aiding but it is always good to indicate this fact with your roll to be kind to the GM. :)
Xilt pulls out some parchment and draws maps of the area. The Doctor pokes around a bit as well, but doesn't locate much else of interest.
Lorina discusses the movement of trade goods with various other caravan drivers as well as the engineers who operate the elevators.
The small town resting in the cavern’s central cradle shimmers with the fires of industry, the softer lights of kitchen stoves, and other conveniences. Sign posts dotted around the town welcome visitors and provide directions in Tien, Undercommon, and pictograms indicating points of interest, including bronze-etched placards with directions to the governor’s offices. A large, multi-purpose stone building thrusts upwards in the center of town like an oddly rectangular stalagmite.
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"I guess next stop is to see the governor." Lorian said. "Hold on a moment so I can get spruced up" he asked, pulling a small mirror to take a look at his beard and hair. Making a gesture, the beard got trimmed and the afternoon shadow disappeared. Next, he pulled out some cloth sleeves and slipped them on his wrists, causing his traveling clothes to look like the proper dress for a noble, with a cloak draped over his haversack. As a final act, he pulled out some fine jewelry to match the clothing.
"Okay, ready to go" he said.
Tzleztor grins at Lorian.
"If you like I can send our herald ahead to formally announce our arrival when we are ready of course."
The Pathfinders have learned all they are likely to from the elevators, so continue into the Big Ticker.
The small town resting in the cavern’s central cradle shimmers with the fires of industry, the softer lights of kitchen stoves, and other conveniences. Sign posts dotted around the town welcome visitors and provide directions in Tien, Undercommon, and pictograms indicating points of interest, including bronze-etched placards with directions to the governor’s offices.
When you reach the offices, the governor, Zho Bai, a ratfolk in her middle years, personally greets you when you arrive at her offices. She offers you a hearty mushroom tea before asking you to explain the purpose of their visit.
Zho Bai listens to Lorian's words carefully, then lets out a small chuckle. "Nonsense. There is no impending cataclysm here! The Big Ticker is as safe as it has always been. Why not speak to the priests if you have concerns?"
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Xilt nods. It is monumental news that is hard to accept from strangers.
"I understand that you do not necessarily believe us to be correct about this. You do not even know us. Now, who can we convince so that you would believe us and take this threat seriously? The priests or are there other groups of people as well?"
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"Governor Zho Bai, I am Senator Lorian Therian, Marquis Urfa-Halji, Ambassador of Taldor. I have just traveled here from Axis in the outer planes after the trial of Hao Jin, the creator of the Hao Jin Tapestry. The piece of the tapestry that came from the area that is called "Old Rat’s Stolen Heart" or more commonly known as "Broken Ticker" is due to return in less than two weeks, and it will not care who or what is occupying the location when the magic holding the tapestry fails. " he said.
"The sad part is that this should have been resolved centuries before now but we have been sent to track down the original location, explore and document the site, convince anyone residing in the area to evacuate, and finally safely evacuate ourselves." he said.
"We have been given various trade goods so that you understand the severity of the issue." he added, having the handy haversack and efficient quiver produced. Finally, reaching into his own handy haversack he pulled out a bottle of fine wine from Axis.
Zho Bai looks over the items offered by Lorian. "Hmm... These are very fine, and I'm sure you will find many willing traders among our people. But to evacuate our homes on no more than the word of an outsider... even if I agreed, I'd be laughed out of my office. If you have some proof, I will consider it, but until then, I hope you enjoy the hospitality of my city. If that is all?"
"As I said, the priests may be able to help you. If they were convinced, I may be more willing to listen. But I do not know that they would be more easily swayed than I am.
"You can also speak with the people of this city. They trust me, and I trust them.
"Unfortunately, I do not know how many souls are here. You are welcome to look through our town archives if you would like."
"Most of our citizens worship Lao Shu Po, but of course all are free to practice whatever religion they prefer, so long as they do not harm each other."