On the edge of the land known as Numeria, the Pathfinder Society has operated in secret under threat of death from the region's ruler, the cruel Black Sovereign. Venture-Captain Dagur Hawksight hopes that a meeting with the recently-sober monarch will allow the Pathfinder Society to operate openly and study the alien technology contained within Numeria's borders, but other forces have their own plans for the region. The PCs must ensure that the meeting between Dagur and the Black Sovereign goes off without a hitch, thwarting acts of treachery and sabotage.
The Pathfinder Society finds itself in a politically difficult position. The once roused against the Society, using the warrior-king’s compromised state to convince him that the Pathfinders were stealing treasures and secrets that belonged to Numeria’s ruler to invoke his wrath. The Kellid warrior has maintained a secret Pathfinder Lodge in , a small border town in Numeria, for nearly 20 years. Dagur has quietly worked to avoid drawing Kevoth-Kul’s ire while waiting for an opportunity to bring Numeria’s Pathfinders out of hiding and reestablish positive relations between Numeria’s leader and the Society. With the Technic League’s power over the Black Sovereign broken, Dagur has decided upon a dangerous but potentially rewarding course of action: she has sent an invitation to Kevoth-Kul himself, asking the Black Sovereign to treat with her as a representative of the Pathfinder Society to start a new relationship between Numeria’s preeminent warlord and the Pathfinders. You have been in the city of Hajoth Hakados in Numeria for over a week, assisting Venture-Captain Dagur Hawksight with preparing the Pathfinder lodge to receive an important guest: Kevoth-Kul, Numeria’s ruler. Dagur has arranged for Hajoth Hakados’s leader, , to participate in the event. Preparations have been going well, and Kevoth-Kul is expected to arrive tomorrow morning...
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A small brass colored Kobold in fancy clothing, a rakish hat, and a rapier with a snarling dragon's head on it. Honestly, just glancing at this Kobold shows that there are a lot of drgaon-like accotramond on him, include a split cape that would give the impression of wings in a high enough wind.
"Dread Marshall Emoubu is here!" The Kobold cheers themselves. "After many weeks of difficult crossing, Emoubu has finally arrived to do the things Emoubu is good at!"
In honest truth, the trip from Abaslom was honestly not that difficult. Unless he makes a big show of himself being a small creature, and a kobold at that, means that people tend to overlook Emoubu. Emoubu may exagurate some of the things that happened to him on the trip, but he won't delibeartly lie.
"Emoubu presumes Emoubu is here to lend Emoubu's majestic presence to things. And if not, Emoubu is sure Emoubu is here to scare all the disagreers into agreeing. Emoubu is very scary when Emoubu wants to be, and can make nice talk too."
Emoubu has spent the last week making sure his clothing and gear is shinny and clean. There are signs that his gear is well used, but still well cared for.
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A tengu carrying a temple sword with an amber pommel approachesI am Soguchi I have travelled from Absalom to tell a young gnome there are more endeavours more suited for her and her cat in other places. I will take her place here and help out where I can. No this is not a prank. We had far too many of those at the Dacilaine academy[b] He shakes his head [b]No Nan Slicing heads off is not required today. He then looks to his left No Gran magic is not required here I think Grandfather has the right of it Stick to my practices and see if there is any here interested in the Way of the Kirin
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A tall attractive half-orc woman in purple robes arrives at the meeting place. She seems a bit weary, as though she hasn't been getting enough sleep. She is followed by a very well behaved black mastiff. She slumps down in a nearby chair and gestures for the dog to lie at her feet.
"Greetings everyone. Sorry I've been out of pocket so much during the preparations for our esteemed guest, but I've been working behind the scenes trying to see if I could generate some goodwill with Kevoth-Kul. I heard rumors of some tech thieves smuggling artifacts out of Numeria and I've been burning the midnight oil trying to catch them. I figured that would be a better use of my abilities than trying to play hostess and prepare for some high mucky-muck's visit. Unfortunately my leads haven't lead to the ringleaders yet." She yawns. "I had hoped that by hurrying here from Blackwood Forest as quickly as I did to get an early start I'd be able to see better results. In retrospect I should have just taken my time. I certainly could have used the extra rest."
"Dread Marshall Emoubu is here!" The Kobold cheers themselves. "After many weeks of difficult crossing, Emoubu has finally arrived to do the things Emoubu is good at!""Emoubu presumes Emoubu is here to lend Emoubu's majestic presence to things. And if not, Emoubu is sure Emoubu is here to scare all the disagreers into agreeing. Emoubu is very scary when Emoubu wants to be, and can make nice talk too."
Emoubu has spent the last week making sure his clothing and gear is shinny and clean. There are signs that his gear is well used, but still well cared for.
Zaza smirks at the kobold's braggadocio. "I hope you're as skilled with your weapons as you are frightening. I've found peacocks can be rather intimidating but ultimately rather delicate when met with force."
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A tengu carrying a temple sword with an amber pommel approachesI am Soguchi I have travelled from Absalom to tell a young gnome there are more endeavours more suited for her and her cat in other places. I will take her place here and help out where I can. No this is not a prank. We had far too many of those at the Dacilaine academy[b] He shakes his head [b]No Nan Slicing heads off is not required today. He then looks to his left No Gran magic is not required here I think Grandfather has the right of it Stick to my practices and see if there is any here interested in the Way of the Kirin
The half-orc turns to the tengu. "I see you speak to your ancestors as well. Is it only the more recent ones that speak to you or do you hear from ancient ones also?"
The industriously unapproachable secretary (who on at least one occasion had a loudly vocal mini meltdown from the stress of organizing the impending events described HERE) of this ordinarily well-run lodge whom the lot of you have politely avoided all week turns their attention suddenly your direction - an exasperated look after reading the morning briefing! - and with a brief nod before speaking, conveys with utmost professionality “We of the Hajoth Hakados Lodge thank you for your willingness to contribute in this politically sensitive endeavor. Our attentions cannot be diverted from other matters presently. I shall be brief. Our scribe, a gnome named Zatqualmish, has gone missing as of this morning, along with several necessary documents. We suspect foul play, potentially from an internal element, as the documents were magically hidden. A preliminary search has given us nothing conclusive, but you are welcome to investigate any areas or staff of the lodge you feel may help.”
They gather their sheaf of notes and hold out a silver compass. “Take this, should you need something to give you a bit of authority with the locals.”
The compass is a wayfinder!
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The half-orc turns to the tengu. "I see you speak to your ancestors as well. Is it only the more recent ones that speak to you or do you hear from ancient ones also?"
There are three aspects of the many storied ancestors of clan soguchi. I call them Nan the warrior Gran the stormtouched and Grandfather the founder of the clan and one of the founders of the Way of the Kirin. The ancient Tien Sword art all soguchi follow
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The industriously unapproachable secretary (who on at least one occasion had a loudly vocal mini meltdown from the stress of organizing the impending events described HERE) of this ordinarily well-run lodge whom the lot of you have politely avoided all week turns their attention suddenly your direction - an exasperated look after reading the morning briefing! - and with a brief nod before speaking, conveys with utmost professionality “We of the Hajoth Hakados Lodge thank you for your willingness to contribute in this politically sensitive endeavor. Our attentions cannot be diverted from other matters presently. I shall be brief. Our scribe, a gnome named Zatqualmish, has gone missing as of this morning, along with several necessary documents. We suspect foul play, potentially from an internal element, as the documents were magically hidden. A preliminary search has given us nothing conclusive, but you are welcome to investigate any areas or staff of the lodge you feel may help.”
They gather their sheaf of notes and hold out a silver compass. “Take this, should you need something to give you a bit of authority with the locals.”
I too have one of those Soguchi produces his own wayfinder But perhaps yours is better held by someone more persuasive Looks towards Zaza
So who else works here at the lodge that we can Soguchi shakes his head ASK about these things. and where does Zatqualmish reside here in the lodge or elsewhere
A little short with the tengu - stress! - the secretary replies snippily "You've been here a week I'm sure you have taken note of everyone's quarters - of course we searched his! - but being on the payroll, this irritating task is hereby delegated to you! I must get back to my preparations, please and thank you"
And with that, she clips her boots together and goes to sit back down and resume tending to the large pile of well-organized notes encumbering the moderately large (and made of quality wood) desk.
Vanis Mercuria was right - the party does know where Zatqualmish was quartered - and there was some buzz around the lodge wondering why he never left his room, except to arrange for meals with the kitchen staff...
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Tempting but no Nan Soguchi mutters as the secretary leaves
He turns to his fellow investigators I am better a the SQUAWK Squawk than the chirpy chirpy Can someone with a friendlier face ask around and find out what meals this gnome liked and what strange things have occurred this past week. I will investigate the room and see if my knowledge of scouting techniques comes in handy there
Laspeth Soguchi assesses the social environment, and concludes that a little Coercion may have it's place in such an environment, what with tensions high, riding on the stakes of what is to come, and the frazzling of most of the folks onsite, cued from the tone of the stern secretary...
Upon hearing his name, Rufus raises his head and wags his tail.
"No no - dogs are..." the secretary seems to reconsider, bites her tongue "I'll get that lock, thank you. Please leave your picks stowed - scratches the metal..."
Vanis unlocks the door, and in Zatqualmish's quarters, the party discover the following clues:
• A cold, half-finished breakfast for one is laid out on a small table.
• While messy, the room shows no obvious signs of a struggle.
• The desk and cabinets seem to have hastily stripped of quills, inkpots, and other scribing tools, though none of the drawers and wardrobes seem touched.
• There are no footprints or any other sign of passage below the inside window.
Outside, however, you finds a trail beyond the tree line that leads into town...
...footprints of a small-sized humanoid...
"Woof!" The mastiff barks happily and leads everyone around for a bit, finally ending up just beyond the tree line outside. He sniffs at a trail of footprints left by a small-sized humanoid.
"Woof." Rufus barks at Emoubu as the kobold begins to follow the tracks. At a nod form Zaza, the mastiff wags his tail and happily runs to lead the way for the swashbuckler.
Following the dog's nose, the party abandons the stressful lodge proceedings, and proceed themselves into town, where, the Homeshore District’s markets are buzzing with activity! Some peruse at their whims, pointing out odds and ends, while others move with focused purpose to exact stalls and prepare to haggle. While it seems impossible to find anyone here, an obvious path of disgruntled citizens winds its way around stalls and storefronts.
Zatqualmish is, however, nowhere to be seen. But there is another gnome - a shopkeep of some sort - moving around jars to make his display more orderly and neat.
Ahead, one of the workers at the Lodge the party remembers seeing buzzing around this last week is haggling for what looks to be a very large quantity of tubers.
To the side, there is a dwarven construction supervisor resting with her crew - she seems to be in the middle of a joke at one of the newer (cleaner) members friendly expense!
And a shady-looking goblin gang-member lurking in the shade of a nearby allyway, one of his runners holding up an umbrella while he adjusts his false leg.
But aside from this strange assortment of folk, there are no other obvious leads!
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Soguchi approaches the construction workers
It is hard to keep oneself clean. And people tend to assume you are just doing one thing and before you know it a gnome with purple hair* comes blundering along oblivious to what you are doing and suddenly you have to take avoidng action
* this trying to describe Zatqualmish
"Ha!" the woman guffaws "Bia Blazebane - help me with these logs, would ya?" she gets up and hands Laspeth a stack "Take 'em over there now"
She then settles in to answer the question "Matter of fact I did - a purple-haired gnome indeed ran through the markets in an unheeding rush only a few hours ago, heading for the district of condemned alchemical and blacksmithing workshops known as the Crafters’ Quarters!" then "What's it to ya?"
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Zaza calls Rufus to heel and sidles over to the goblin. She nonchalantly leans against one of the alley walls looks up and down at the one-legged goblin. "Staying out of trouble are we?" Without waiting for a response she continues, "We're looking for a gnome gone missing. Name of Zatqualmish. We'd like to find him quickly and quietly. If we have to start up a ruckus it could be very bad for business you know. Nobody wants a bunch of constables stomping around and looking into things. Bad for business, you know. Anyway, I don't suppose you have any information that might help us get to the bottom of this mystery?" She raises an eyebrow expectantly at the goblin.
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Neesquix likes Zaza's style "Tell ya what - I usually charge by the word - but I'm on a sabbatical at the moment, and feeling generous - we greens gotta stick together, eh?" he rises and stands with the posture of self importance - elbows the brute carrying the umbrella who adjusts it again to keep him shadily out of the sun "Turns out I know someone who knows someone who saw a harried and frantic gnome enter an old building in the Crafters’ Quarters, "Morgan’s", a long-since abandoned potion shop. You bring me a potion back and we'll call it square, okay?"
"Or!" Suddenly inspired, he gestures a 'come hither' with a curling finger, trying to draw Zaza in "Dog for sale?"
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After the group splits up, Emoubu approachs the farmer, everyone needs to eat right?
"Emoubu apologies for interrupting." He begins, "But Emoubu is looking for someone and believes you can help. *Insert Description of Gnome* have you seen them?"
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After speaking to the farmer, Emoubu moves onto the shady goblin, but this time Emoubu takes a much fiercer appearance, playing into his 'Dread Marshall' persona.
"Emoubu hears that you are someone who knows things. Emoubu is searching for this person, what do you know?"
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Neesquix likes Zaza's style "Tell ya what - I usually charge by the word - but I'm on a sabbatical at the moment, and feeling generous - we greens gotta stick together, eh?" he rises and stands with the posture of self importance - elbows the brute carrying the umbrella who adjusts it again to keep him shadily out of the sun "Turns out I know someone who knows someone who saw a harried and frantic gnome enter an old building in the Crafters’ Quarters, "Morgan’s", a long-since abandoned potion shop. You bring me a potion back and we'll call it square, okay?"
"Or!" Suddenly inspired, he gestures a 'come hither' with a curling finger, trying to draw Zaza in "Dog for sale?"
Zaza smiles wryly at Neesquix. "Sorry, Mother would be very cross with me if I sold Rufus. She felt I needed some protection in my travels so she gifted him to me. If you're truly interested in a well-trained mastiff though I could send her a letter. She breeds and trains dogs in Urgrir. I should warn you however. They're rather expensive."
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"Ha!" the woman guffaws "Bia Blazebane - help me with these logs, would ya?" she gets up and hands Laspeth a stack "Take 'em over there now"
She then settles in to answer the question "Matter of fact I did - a purple-haired gnome indeed ran through the markets in an unheeding rush only a few hours ago, heading for the district of condemned alchemical and blacksmithing workshops known as the Crafters’ Quarters!" then "What's it to ya?"
** spoiler omitted **
Well as annoying as he may be he did have some rather important stuff he gathered up before leaving and we need it to complete our job did you get a read of where je might be going in the crafters quarters
The farmer construction worker and street thug know nothing further - or if they do, they ain't talking!
Zaza heads over to the gnome shopkeeper and peruses his wares, asking some pointed questions about his goods before leading the conversation to the missing Zatqualmish.
"The other gnome, yes. Purple hair, right?" he scratches his own Red-dyed beard "He was alone, I know that much, or rather, he arrived alone, but then, after he got to Morgan's - that potion shop down the street - I saw him moving amidst a crowd of slow-moving humanoid figures who seemed to follow his every command and who occasionally twitched as sparks flew from bits of metal in their flesh. Weird stuff, eh?" and "Can I interest you in some pottery?" changing the subject back to plying his trade.
While agreeing that going in hot might make a wrong impression, the tengu and kobold disagree about where to enter the building...
...which has posted the following sign on it's front door...
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"We don't necessarily need to break in. One of the doors might be open." Zaza surreptitiously checks all the doors looking for one that might be unlocked.
The "slow-moving humanoid figures" who "occasionally twitched as sparks flew from bits of metal in their flesh" mentioned HERE you recognize as TECHNIC ZOMBIES!
Choose TWO spoilers to open below - something you remember about these creatures!
1) Fighting Skill
They slam with their fists and can reach 10 feet despite being medium creatures, and can automatically push a creature back 5 feet with a successful slam!
2) Energy Composition
Powered by electricity, they have Resistance to it, and if they critically strike their foe, send powerful volts that can disorient and discombobulate!
3) Tactical Defenses
They have incredible fortitude, and can withstand brutal punishment, but suffer from slow reflexes, moving about somewhat lumberingly!
The "slow-moving humanoid figures" who "occasionally twitched as sparks flew from bits of metal in their flesh" mentioned HERE you recognize as TECHNIC ZOMBIES!
Choose ONE spoiler to open below - something you remember about these creatures!
1) Fighting Skill
They slam with their fists and can reach 10 feet despite being medium creatures, and can automatically push a creature back 5 feet with a successful slam!
2) Energy Composition
Powered by electricity, they have Resistance to it, and if they critically strike their foe, send powerful volts that can disorient and discombobulate!
3) Tactical Defenses
They have incredible fortitude, and can withstand brutal punishment, but suffer from slow reflexes, moving about somewhat lumberingly!
The miraculously attached sign creaking above the barred door reads “Morgan’s,” the only thing making this squat building distinguishable from the other warehouses crumbling around it. A firmly nailed placard states that the proprietor is currently away. The few sooty windows near the ceiling are more for ventilation than passing perusal and are an unlikely point of entry.
After some discussion, the party quickly discovers that both doors are locked and barred, and Zaza gets to work picking the lock...
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Zaza frowns as she works on the lock. She turns and whispers to the others. "That gnome merchant mentioned Zatqualmish moving amidst a crowd of slow-moving humanoid figures who seemed to follow his every command and who occasionally twitched as sparks flew from bits of metal in their flesh. I think those might be technic zombies. One of my informants told me about them last week when I was trying to track down artifact smugglers. They're supposedly resistant to electricity and can even deliver a shock if they hit you hard enough. That might complicate things. Also why would Zatqualmish be able to order them around?"
You overhear talking inside!
“This affair has taken entirely too long and you have drawn far too much attention to yourself,” a woman grumbles imperiously, her rasping growl cutting through static pops and crackles. “Maybe you’ve had second thoughts. I would consider just where that would leave you.”
Emoubu (only)!
You Recall this particular sibilant rasp as a voice belonging to a Medusa!
Laspeth, with his ears on the door, gestures to Zaza to get closer!
Crafting (DC 18) or Engineering Lore (DC 16)