The dusty roads and wave-tossed ships have been left behind, abandoned for forest paths enclosed in boughs of emerald leaves. The air is cool, heavy with the smell of vegetation and rich soil. Birds sing peacefully overhead and wolves howl in the distance.
But this is no walk in the park.
Agent, I hope this message finds you alive and well. I'm sorry to pull you away from your regular duties like this, but you are needed urgently in Kyonnin. Travel with utmost haste and discretion - the Society is not openly welcome in Iadara. Your safety has been guaranteed to me, but I would still advise against antagonizing the locals by flashing your wayfinders around.
See you soon,
Fola BarunPS. Eando asked me to remind you to keep your receipts so you can be reimbursed for reasonable travel costs. He also asked me to stress the word reasonable. XD
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Jaware is wandering about the Malhitu Bazaar of Sothis when a young child brings him a missive. Seeing the seal upon the letter, he drops a copper coin into their hand and sends them on their way.
When he finishes reading the note from Fola Barun, the old man shakes his head. I've spend my whole life in Osirion, and now this. Kyonin! The Lady of Mysteries definitely has her hand in my fate.
The elder clergyman, who spends most of his waking life as a peddler and merchant, takes a ship from Sothis to Cassomir the next day to ply his trade. He journeys up through Taldor via a river barge, hunting for curios that could have value back in Sothis. Throughout the trip he marvels to anyone who listens at how green everything is, how wet everything is, or how cold it is compared to home.
Eventually Jaware arrives in Kyonin, bag laden with knick-knacks and tchochkes. Iadara is a marvel to the old Pharasmin, taking both his breath and his words away.
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Filentsa is shopping in a market in Absalom when the message arrives. She seems oddly well-practiced at destroying the note and subtly glancing around her to make sure that no one is watching.
She books passage on a ship, entertaining the children aboard with her clockwork devices, but never ever removing her tall, pointed hat. She transfers to a carriage to take her over land.
She makes small talk with the other passengers. "Ah, hello! I am so happy to be traveling to Kyonin. It has been some years since my last visit!" And quite a few more years in your time than mine she thinks to herself.
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High elves rainbow s+~&. Kyonin. I'd should go to some arclord adobe as was suggested. Wataever - thinks Valhalla reading message.
But Val saw lots of life twists and g#~&~#ned reality to not be afraid of another Society call. Even in Kyonin. After strange forest in Tian Xia elven warrior maiden was glad to come to civilisation with wine and dangers without odd spirits.
Impressive brunette fem elf with pale skin stands around 5 feet high only.
Thanks to leather armour with corset her chest looks large and hips thick. Although heavy gaze grabs attention also. Val has slightly visible scar over one eye, which barely shadowed, while other is clear greenish yellow.
Handling of elven branched spear is graceful and dangerous, as her dance moves.
Well, at least my kin know how to dance, fight and make good wine. I like cold, what this osiriani talks about? It is not even Irrisen here.
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Vans Pullman long ago ate the paper his note was written upon.
"Huh. 'Haste and discretion'? Lucky thing 'Haste and Discretion' was my nickname at the monastery."
Wearing only simple clothing and carrying a backpack, Vans Pullman is a normal sized halfing with a chin beard and a cheerful face. He has already shown delight in the many small things aboard the ship - the food, the rocking of the boat, the marvelous clockwork devices on display.
Each visitor to Iadara is met by the city guards and escorted to a small building on the outskirts of town. Indistinct shapes gracefully rise like spires through the perpetually-misty air (though the lack of humidity might cause some to suspect magical rather than natural forces are at work). One by one, the newcomers are allowed inside. A descending spiral staircase is the only feature of the room, leading to a basement downstairs.
The air in this cavernous cellar holds a palpable excitement as Pathfinders fill it, joining together in small groups as they evaluate supplies and whisper excitedly about why everyone has been summoned to Kyonin. Representatives from all the nations of the Inner Sea and beyond have come, gathering together amid the haphazard assortment of tables and chairs, seemingly pulled together in support of this unprecedented mustering.
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Jaware retrieves a scroll from the Pathfinder quartermaster, tucking it into his belt. Although he's a relatively new Pathfinder, he's learned that you can never have enough healing magic.
He then sets about introducing himself to the others. "Good day, my friends! I am Jaware Sahat Alttajir, purveyor of high quality goods. Alas, my shop is back in Sothis. But you should come by and visit. You will not find better deals, I promise!"
"I am curious why so many of us have been summoned to such a far away place. But I am not worried. Pharasma is with us on this day. I know it," he says this last line with a wink.
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Filentsa stands in line behind Jaware to pick up a scroll. "Burning hands, please!
Filentsa is quite pale and wears a very old-fashioned robe covered in finely embroidered runes. She has a tall, pointed black hat with dark hair cascading from underneath and addresses you cheerfully.
"Hallo! My name is Filentsa. I will certainly come to your shop if I am ever in Sothis, Jaware! I am unlikely to ever be in my home again; I am from Thassilon. The Pathfinder Society helped me get out, so I decided to join them. At least I have a few trinkets from home!"
She pulls out an intricate clockwork mouse and winds it up. It starts puffing out tiny clouds of steam as it crawls around, sniffing each of you.
"This is my little friend, Dickory!"
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Vans Pullman waits his turn for a simple healing potion.
"These things are sooooo tasty!" he excitedly tells the others. "It makes getting pummeled almost worth it, to get to drink one of these. I've tried buying some in the past, but the Society ones always taste the best. How are the flavours of healing potions at your shop, Jaware?"
Without waiting for an answer, Vans Pullman adds an additional question. "Say, does anyone know what the hubbub is? Usually a mission is just 4 or 5 of us. Lots of groups of folks at once is new to me!"
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Valhalla does not like it to be in the basement without good reason. Her mood soon spoiled so she mostly nods without actual talking. Although she looks at Filentsa's hair and hat with a bit curiosity.
- More people at one spot - more troubles expected... Hubus you say? Taste of healing potion are good question though... Are there soke with red wine flavor?
Val is a pretty elven warrior maiden despite her unwelcome cold gaze - so she tries to finds a spot further from crwods but closer to good alco drincs.
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"In Sothis, there are flavours that cover the spectrum of your imagination. A potion that takes like wine? I'm certain I could get you one."
He couches down to examine Dickory. "Quite the marvel, Filentsa. Would you... no, I can see right away that you would not part with such a fine trinket. But if you ever change your mind, know that I could find you a wealthy buyer. You need but ask."
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The raucous excitement that has filled the room comes to a calm as four figures step to the center. Fola Barun and Eando Kline are accompanied by a scholarly elven man and a lithe, hooded figure. Eando clears his throat and begins.
“Agents, thank you for braving the not-quite-so safe trip to join us here in the heart of Iadara. While publicly still unwelcome within Kyonin, when we received a cryptic message bearing her majesty’s seal, asking us to come here and lend aid, we took the chance. One of our foundational principles is cooperation, and in doing so here we have opened the door to an opportunity to foster mutual respect, loyalty, and trust; perhaps even to rebuild a bridge long burnt. However, this is better explained by the envoy the queen has sent to us.”
With that, the hooded figure takes the center of the floor. A feminine voice begins to speak from behind the cowl that obscures their face. “Thank you, Pathfinders, for obliging the request to come. You see, things here in Kyonin are not what they seem... And, let me start by clearing some of the confusion by introducing myself properly.”
As the elf lifts her hood, it starts to shimmer, and then falls back upon her shoulders. She lifts her head, making eye contact with the audience surrounding her, all the while the crystal in the center of the circlet encircling her fair forehead glows with the new day’s dawn.
“I am Queen Telandia, and I hope you will accept my apologies for concealing my identity, but there are many here in Iadara, in Kyonin as a whole, who still hear the title Pathfinder and find a bad taste in their mouth. For them to find me meeting with you would be very... bad for my health. However, I know this opinion doesn’t need to stay the case—even if the glacial pace of elven politics seems nigh impossible to change. After speaking with your former Venture-Captain of Kyonin,” she gestures to the other elf in the entourage. “I have come to ask a great favor from your society, one that is surely dangerous, though I’m still trying to discern how much so. I am certain that your success at this mission will help me to prove your worth as allies to others, possibly even speeding up politics.
“As for why I have called you to this place: the Tanglebriar at the edge of Kyonin is a horrid place. A twisting swamp filled with abyssal energy and other horrors one dares not speak of. Thankfully, the corruption within Kyonin has been kept to there—that is,until now. My agents have found information that indicates an individual named Nathatel Zephon is actively working to spread the message of his ‘elves first’ manifesto and is possibly involved with the spreading corruption.”
Amplifying his voice for the room to hear, Venture-Captain Ciobanu comes into the explanation. “There are pockets of woods in Kyonin that are starting to resemble places that have been tampered with, not the least of all my hometown of Folien. Reports state the area around the town has become darker, more sinister. You can never take the same way home as how you got there, and the shifting navigation has made it nearly impossible to get through if you don’t already know exactly where it is you’re going.”
The queen continues, “I’m certain something is messing with the town, working to find a way to take control of it and the ley lines running through there. What I need from you is to find your way to the town, find out exactly what is causing these concerns, and neutralize it with whatever means you must.”
Fola looks to the agents gathered in the large underground tavern, and then back to the queen. “Your Highness, I believe this is a challenge we can take on, and we’re grateful you’ve determined we’re the right people to help you.”
Eando smiles. “Of course we are. Containing power from being accessed by an evil enemy? This happens to be my area of expertise.” Venture-Captain Ciobanu looks at the rest of the agents in the room. “What say you? Are you with us?” As a cheer erupts from the crowd, he smiles. “Well, we have but a few moments for questions, feel free to come and ask, but then we must be on our way.”
Jaware and Vans both remember hearing about how Kyonin and the Pathfinder Society have been on uneasy terms for many years. When the elves returned after Earthfall, they found many of their artifacts had been looted from their homes, and with the Society’s reputation for taking first and asking later, the residents of Kyonin have trouble trusting them. Vans also recalls hearing about Venture-Captain Ciobanu. He's from the town of Folien, and was the leader of the lodge in Kyonin, known as the Leaves of Talhindir. The Society had been making great headwinds in gathering information about the history of Kyonin prior to Earthfall when suddenly he disappeared.
With a newfound sense of urgency, the expedition prepares to depart for the forest town of Folien. Many tasks must be accomplished if they hope to arrive safely.
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Valhalla barely not spit out her drink, when queen Telandia in flesh appeared. Obviously Pathfinders are much more valuable organisation, than she thought before.
Val bows to queen with all due respect. She than tlaks loudly so that some other agents hear her:
- Do we have a scouts or druids on our side? Hope lots of you here, as we gonna cooperate to survive this expedition, and nature and survival professions welcomed! . Otherwise agree with checking Camp side and look for missing agents...
... Val ends with lower voice to her team.
Venture-Captain Ciobanu approaches the group, the concern in his voice tinged with fear. "Our forward scouts report a group of elves trapped in the woods. With all this ever-changing overgrowth, I’m not surprised, but I do worry what will happen if we don’t help them out. I need you to go and escort them back to the road so they can get to somewhere safer, away from whatever power is affecting the forest." He shows a map of the surrounding area with a patch of forest circled, then hurries on to another group of agents.
The Pathfinders depart, finding their way through the dark and very expansive forest without much difficulty. The glow of firelight cuts through the murk, illuminating a pair of elves sitting in a clearing having a heated discussion. The two notice the approaching agents and quickly rise to their feet, hands on their weapons for a moment before relaxing. "Terve," the taller one calls out cautiously. "Hello?"
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A gentle man by nature, Jaware quickly tries to diffuse tension by holding his hands up in a placating gesture. He repeats the elven greeting but switches to Taldane for the others. "Peace, friends. It may seem hard to believe, but we're here to help. We've been asked to find some of the people who have been trapped in the woods and help them get back to the road so they might find safety. Can we help you?"
Filentsa can't identify any magical effects in effect - everything appears to be perfectly mundane. Likewise, Vans doesn't spot any other creatures besides the two elves walking up to Jaware. The taller one smiles, but it doesn't reach his eyes - unlike his hand, which reaches toward his belt.
Val'halla knows danger when she sees it and springs into action!
Round 1! Bold may act!
Val'halla
Red
Blue
Vans
Jaware
Filentsa
The two elves watch Val as she circles around them, though neither seem to care about her intimidating glare. The shorter one pulls a mace from his belt and closes the gap. He swings the weapon with more force than grace...
...but the force of the blow nearly knocks the other elf over. Meanwhile, the taller stranger steps back from Jaware and finishes grabbing a bottle from his belt. With a expression closer to a snarl than a smile, he throws it at the priest.
But the bottle catches on his clothes and falls at his feet. Swearing, he stamps out the flames before his pants catch on fire.
Round 1! Bold may act!
Red
Blue
Vans
Jaware
Filentsa
Val'halla (-6)
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"The way they move...like puppets! I think something may be controlling them, but I don't know what!"
Two separate lines of runes on Filentsa's cloak glow as she casts a couple of spells in quick succession. Sparks fly at the two elves, while a mystical force field forms around Filentsa.
, DC 18 basic Reflex on both
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Vans Pullman enters the Tiger Stance with a growl.
"Yeah it's super weird. I'm going to strike to subdue, not kill. Luckily The Subduer was my nickname back at the monastery."
After this declaration, Vans Pullman Strides to the west side of Blue and unleashes a Flurry of Tiger Claw Strikes.
"Take that!" Vans Pullman shouts, as he swings wildly.
The taller elf dodges the worst of both spells, but his companion's long hair stands on end as Filentsa's electricity courses through him. Vans swings claw-like hands, but his opponent uses the difference in the two combatants' statures to his advantage and leans away.
Round 1! Bold may act!
Red (-7)
Blue (-6)
Vans
Jaware
Filentsa
Val'halla (-6)
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Not only this one strikes her hard, but also her good mood. With blood in her eyes Val whispers coldly
-I will leave you for later, scum
...she dances around red foe to strike once blue from back (flamking) and move away after.
seem like the spear is too long to operate at short distance.
The tall elf doesn't even seem to notice Val's clumsy attempt at backstabbery. The shorter one, on the other hand, grins at the elven woman with a smile too wide and too long to be painless. His eyes flash with fearsome power, his lips move in syllables that do not sound so much as scrape across the mind...
You think that's some sort of divine magic, but you're not sure what kind of spell it was.
...and fear grips Val's heart. The stranger's strained smile spreads even wider - Val would swear she saw the flesh at the corners of his mouth split open a little as he swings the mace again.
But even when frightened, Val has the presence of mind to dodge back. The taller elf scowls, steps back from Vans, pulls out another vial, and throws it at the monk!
The cold numbs Vans's feet, causing him to stumble slightly.
Round 2! Bold may act!
Red (-7)
Blue (-6)
Vans (-5, -5 ft speed 1/1)
Jaware
Filentsa
Val'halla (-6, Frightened 2)
Vans uses his opponent's shocking experience to elbow him in the ribcage. With a wheeze, the elf collapses. Rushing over to Val's aid, he throws another punch that comes nowhere close to his opponent's body.
The remaining elf ignores Jaware's prayer and ghostly hand, brushing both off like cobwebs.
Round 2! Bold may act!
Red (-13)
Blue (-21, Unconscious, Stable)
Vans (-5)
Jaware
Filentsa (Shield)
Val'halla (-6, Frightened 2)
The remaining elf dodges away from Val's spear, then begins to twitch and writhe. The sound of popping joints and flesh tearing fills the air as a four-jawed worm erupts from the now-clearly-dead body!
The creature crawls out of the body it’s inhabiting, devouring much of the body’s remaining flesh and regaining 10 Hit Points in the process. The corpse it leaves behind is little more than a husk.
Whenever the creature Abandons a Body or Inhabits a Body, all creatures within 30 feet who can see it must succeed at a DC 18 Will save or become frightened 1. On a critical failure, the creature is frightened 1 and sickened 1. Regardless of the result, creatures are immune to the same creature's unsettling movement for 24 hours.
The Pathfinders try to contain their horror...
...but only Vans can keep his knees from knocking - Jaware in particular looks like his breakfast might come back up. The worm-thing bites at the monk...
...and sinks its razor-sharp teeth into his leg!
Round 3! Bold may act!
Red (-3)
Blue (-21, Unconscious, Stable)
Vans (-12)
Jaware (Frightened 1, Sickened 1)
Filentsa (Frightened 1)
Val'halla (-6, Frightened 1)
Val does not recognize the worm-creature , but she stares intimidatingly into its... mouth? Regardless, the creature recoils slightly from the force of her gaze - then even more from the force of her spear. It spasms from Filentsa's electricity yet again before Vans's fingers rake bloody gashes across its soft skin. It desperately tries to squirm towards the other elf's body before expiring in a spreading pool of purple-black ichor.
The corpses (or at least what's left of them) don't have much of interest, but Jaware's sharp eyes spot a patch of recently-disturbed earth. With the help of the shovel from the taller elf's body, the Pathfinders dig up a sack containing two bottles of red liquid and a sword of dull grey metal that still somehow gleams in the dappled light .
Upon their return to camp, the Pathfinders are directed to Eando Cline for their next mission. The venture-captain folds a piece of paper and puts it in his pocket as they arrive and begins to pace. "There are a few of our number who have, for lack of a better description, decided this mission doesn’t emphasize our core values as Pathfinders and have instead opted to desert. Due to your repeated dedication to the Society, I am sending you to catch up to them and convince them to come back - remind them of who the Pathfinders really are."
The agents depart to find their wayward colleagues, but first they'll have to find their way through the dark and very expansive forest.
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Valhalla breaths heavily and moans, when leash back her sper as the move obviously brings pain.
SHe takes time of self-aiding while after, tryin to sit further from these worms.
Although she is unable to set ribs back and continue moaning mildly somitimes...
-DOes anyone going to open them up or something? Can we somehow understand that other elves may be cariers of these worms? she asks about enemies with unpleasense in voice.
After haveing rest the elf comes to better mood.
Alghough Val is relatively good in seeing things, she decides just help someone who's good in forest navigation, not lead.
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Vans Pullman will do one of his favourite things - take a drink of his Society-issued healing potion.
"Oh that is soooo good. You know, I did not care for those worm things, not one bit.
Upon hearing the next assignment, Vans Pullman has a question.
"What part of 'the region is being infested by a creepy forest and monsters, go fix it' goes against core Pathfinder values? I think if we're going to try convincing these people, it would help if we had a better understanding of exactly what their big problem is. Are they creepy 'elves first' people like our villain here, or is it something else? I mean, it can't be that we shouldn't get involved in local politics - we do that aaaaalllllllll the time, all over Golarion."
Regardless of the answer, Vans Pullman is something of a "cityfolk". He'll give Perception a try.
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Jaware watches Val tend to her wounds for a few moments, but stays quiet when he gets the sense that she's capable enough. Especially given that her wounds are superficial.
He otherwise spends the rest of their break speaking last rites over the dead, bidding them a quick journey to Pharasma for judgement in the afterlife.
When he's nudged about the mission at hand, he takes a moment to look around.
Vans finds some tracks to follow that lead downhill, but Jaware loses the trail at the edge of a stream and can't find it again for several hours, even with Val's help. But the group eventually locates the missing agents on the far side of the stream, huddled together under a makeshift tent and looking absolutely miserable. When they spot the approaching Pathfinders, their expressions turn even more sour.
"Oh look, it's Ambrus Valsin's lapdogs."
"Come t' drag us back, have ya?"
"We're not even supposed to be here! I'm supposed to be studying archeological ruins, not fighting some war against an unstoppable demon army!"
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"Greetings, fellow Pathfinders," Jaware says, ignoring the barb about being a lapdog. "I, too, am out of my element in this otherwise beautiful forest. Look at me. I am old enough to be the father of at least one of you, and I come from a land where most of Golarion's sand comes from. In a lot of ways, this is not where I belong."
"But I received a note from Fola Barun, and I heeded that call. Because there are people in need, and Pathfinders try to be good people. But also because Kyonin is a land largely unexplored by Pathfinders. We know so little, and by helping Queen Telandia we find an opportunity to once more make discoveries. Because if you want to study archeological ruins you must sometimes dig through the sand to find them. What we do here, this day, is dig. So that tomorrow we might discover."
Jaware hold out a hand, offering to pull one of the Pathfinders up from their huddled position. "Please, come back. We need your cooperation, so that we can explore and report."