You have been requested to meet at the office of Venture Captain Ambrus Valsin for an art recording mission.
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>>backflips through the window into the room where it happens<<
"Best not to leave footsteps at all" he thinks to himself, contemplating the meta of this quest - before nobody now stands an armored hobgoblin with a wickedly large bow / crossbow hybrid weapon sporting a long-handled long-sword sheathed on his back and wearing wildly decorated armor, who arrives early, his two-toed soft shoes silent across the stone floor.
"I am Hisaki" he announces ominously - or rather - to the next pathfinder to arrive.
As he strides into his office, Venture Captain Ambrus Valsin looks you all over and says "No vaults this time Rinshu, just a nice ruin to document." before moving to the wall behind his desk.
"All right, Pathfinders, you’re going on a little bit of a cleanup mission." Valsin taps his finger on the map of a familiar island, tracing north and west from the giant star marking Absalom to a sketch of a castle near the island’s western shore.
"A short while back, a group of veteran agents ventured into the ruins of Citadel Uromaz, where they defeated the lich Hekoz and stopped the ritual she was attempting. After dealing with the undead, they were called away to handle another issue. Frankly, we need someone to go back and do the hard work of cataloging the place. Most of the large artifacts and valuable items have been noted and brought back to the Grand Lodge, but the previous agents described a huge mural carved into the stone, and no one even thought to take a rubbing of it." Valsin sighs, "So, it falls to you to go in and document the site properly. "
"I need you all to pop over there, go through and take rubbings of as much of the mural as you can. Everything should be in the central chamber, but if you find any other archaeological finds that are worthwhile? Please note and collect them. Be careful, be prepared, and be vigilant, as usual. "
"Any questions?"
You know that the Pathfinders who completed the initial assault on Citadel Uromaz recovered beautiful treasures, including books, tapestries, and even rugs. It’s unclear how many of these items were original to the keep and how many were the possessions of the lich Hekoz.
You recall that Citadel Uromaz was once a thriving keep dating back to the earliest settlers on the island after Aroden raised the Starstone, nearly 10,000 years ago. While it is unclear how long Hekoz held the citadel, the land surrounding it has been blighted for long enough that the lich may well have stayed there for centuries.
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Oh yes yes yes, we should know if there are still monsters who lurk there. Because we don’t want to perish there. Oh no no no we don’t want.
Then he continues: We want to help with the archaeology. What if we find treasures? What kind of material do we have for the task? We need a carriage for sure. No, many of them, with the drivers. We don’t want to drive them by ourselves. You know… the horses… not always easy.
Valsin listens to your queries and responds to each...
"Apart from the murals, anything else we should be on the look-out for?"
"Keep your eyes out for anything the earlier group may have missed, document it and if you can bring it back."
"Sounds straightforward. Are we expecting anything hostile?"
"Yes, I would very much also like to know if we are expecting anything hostile."
"We are not expecting anything hostile, based on the information reported to us by your fellow Pathfinders. You can never be too sure, though, so please make sure to go prepared for a fight, just in case."
"Do we have any equipment to bring with us to take said rubbings, foldable ladders, charcoal, paper, etc.?
"Yes, of course. In the corner there is a sack with all the writing materials you could need."
In the sack you will find sufficient paper, ink, quills, and charcoal to make many rubbings and drawings, as well as several torches.We want to help with the archaeology. What if we find treasures? What kind of material do we have for the task? We need a carriage for sure. No, many of them, with the drivers. We don’t want to drive them by ourselves. You know… the horses… not always easy.
"Your fellow pathfinders brought back all of the big material they could, so I don't expect you will need wagons. However, I have arranged for horses and plenty of provisions for your journey. It’s about five day’s ride along the roads."
"Sneak in, gather intel, sneak out"
Hisaki summarizes, then nods. Then comments.
"In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity"
"That's the spirit!"
He will then continue " We don't have a map" and he sighs again "so you will likely need to explore a bit to find the large ritual chamber they reported."
"Right then, are there any further questions or are you ready to set off?"
"Very well then," says Valsin, "you'll find the provisions with your horses, and pony, down at the stables. Here is a map of the path to the ruin. Travel safely!"
and with that you are dismissed. As promised, when you reach the stables you find five horses and a pony ready for your expedition. Their saddlebags are already packed with sufficient provisions for you and the mounts for three weeks.
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The journey west from the bustling streets of Absalom across the Isle of Kortos begins peacefully. At first, the roads are well-populated with travelers, guards, and caravans. Plains give way to forests and then farmland. A thin ring of fertile soil occupied by a partially constructed barn divides the fields from the barren lands of the Welt. Within the Welt, the weather takes a turn for the worse. Gray clouds fill the sky and a chill, misting rain pervades the air. By the end of the journey, the sky overhead is nearly obsidian, illuminated only by flashes of greenish lightning.
As you approach the ruins though, you feel a palpable sense of unease. There are no signs of animals near the ruined citadel. Even your mounts shy away from it with widened eyes and flared nostrils, refusing to get too close.
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Lioness watches the weather change with trepidation. He's superstitious enough to make such creepy events fill him with dread. But, his companions seem to be weathering it well and that gives him courage. And they may need his assistance and that gives him purpose.
"Probably not," he replies to Rinshu when the shisk asks a very reasonable question regarding their destination.
"I'm right behind you," he comments to Hisaki.
While the day was gloomy as you approached the ruin, once you have all moved down the stairs to enter the ruin the light suddenly turns dim. Light and shadows dance across the walls, but you see no obvious source for the light. Looking around you, all the colours have faded into muted hues, even your own appearance has been dulled once you are in the citadel.
The walls of the hall you find yourselves in are carved with ornate skulls and funereal adornments. An unlit torch sits in a sconce nearby. Looking back, the stairs you came down are now piled high with rubble, as if they had collapsed long ago. A corridor leads off to the west from the northern end of the hall.
The light from Ironwolf's wayfinder shrinks back to a mere 10-foot radius as if repelled by the gloom.
The muted colours and lack of vibrancy in your garb match whispered descriptions you have heard told of the Netherworld. The Netherworld is a shadowy mirror of the familiar Universe.
From your earlier arcane studies you have encountered descriptions of such muted colours and lack of vibrancy, always referring to the Netherworld. It seems you may have found your way on to the Netherworld, a shadowy mirror of the familiar Universe.
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"Agreed," Lioness says to Quinthalas assessment.
"Agreed," he says in response to Ironwolf.
"Agreed," he says, after a sigh and a doeful glance back at the stone choked stairs to Erven's plan and assessment.
"The way out seems to be through. I wonder why the previous team didn't make note of this. Did they not notice or...was it not in place when they left?"
Before they move on, he lights a torch, potentially the one on the wall if it will light. He can see better than a human in the dark but he's least likely to need both hands to be effective in a fight and he'd like to be able to see a little better.
It takes a few attempts for Lioness to light the torch, its flame guttering out the first time and eventually throwing a weak monochrome light in a 10 foot radius.
When she looks back at the stairs though, she spies a small bag amongst the rubble. Retrieving it, she finds it contains some gemstones of varying kinds.
Pushing forwards, Ironwolf can now see that there is a corridor leading to the west, with signs of another old rockfall in a gap in the south wall of that corridor. Rinshu can see further through the gloom though, and sees that a room opens up at the western end of the corridor.
Rinshu, on inspecting the rockfall across the stairs, you think it is not caused by natural decay, but rather the result of a deliberate collapse that is allowing in material from a massive pile of rubble above it. From where you are, the rockfall beside the corridor looks similar.
The party moves cautiously forward. Once their light spills out of the corridor into the room behind, however, a set of horrible screeches erupt and a harsh breathy voice calls out "How dare you defile our realm with your light! and dark figures rush from the room to attack!
➤ Rinshu
➤ Lioness Lapping Blood
➤ Erven Thistledown
➤ Hisaki
➤ Ironwolf 2e
A
Quinthalas Rath
B
C
D
E
F
Hisaki's inspiring words boost him and the rest of the party. The bolt from his massive crossbow then strikes true, wounding the shadowy figure near the far wall (A).
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Ironwolf strides forward and runs right into 'C'. He swings at the monster before raising his shield.
↺ Shield Block if he takes a hit
↺ Retributive Strike (-4 dmg) if anyone w/in 15' takes a hit (whichever comes first)