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Born less than 24 hours ago in the verysame lodge, Wormcaller takes leave outside to observe the city around him, getting lost in the bazaars and architecture of the great city itself. Contemplating his new existence, he heads to a grove and collects the detritus of fallen leaves and bones of small animals and adorns his skull with them, creating a ”headdress” of sorts, serving as a focus for his primal magic.
Coiled inside of his ribcage, something living stirs, writhing like the living guts of what might have once been flesh organs.
He turns his cervical vertebra as the next PC enters…
The sandswept nation of Osirion is truly ancient. Its first pharaohs arose from the warring factions along the River Sphinx, and a succession of pharaohs ruled over the land for millennia. This period came to an end in conquest, when the forces of Kelesh assassinated the pharaoh and brought Osirion under their rule. But just over a century ago, Osirion regained its independence. Under its new pharaohs, the Osiriani people have worked to preserve their cultural history and protect it from outsiders who might seek to exploit their ancient treasures. In recent years the Osiriani policies on allowing outsiders to investigate their tombs and sites have become far more strict, following several disasters originating in opened tombs. The Pathfinder Society has retained its permits for several sites where it had already begun work, which the Osiriani government has honored, albeit with additional supervision. The Society has sent agents to review one of the last sites the Society received a permit to excavate, uncovered less than a year ago by shifting desert winds.
But these Pathfinder agents have just arrived in the Sandswept Hall, Osirion’s Pathfinder Society Lodge, and are allowed to stay for a day before they are sent for their mission.
As Pathfinder agents, you know the following facts are common knowledge among yourselves about the Pathfinder Society:
1. Pathfinder agents are adventurers who travel throughout the world, exploring new places and chronicling both history and modern lore.
2. The motto of the Pathfinder Society is Explore, Report, Cooperate.
3. The Pathfinder Society publishes the records of its most exciting and significant missions in a series of journals called the Pathfinder Chronicles. Most of these Chronicles are available to the public.
4. The Pathfinder Society’s bases of operation are called lodges. The largest and most prominent of these lodges is the Grand Lodge in Absalom.
5. The symbol of the Pathfinder Society is the Glyph of the Open Road, .
6. Most Pathfinders carry a type of magical compass called a wayfinder. Because wayfinders are rarely seen outside of the Pathfinder Society, they often serve as symbols of membership in the organization.
7. The Pathfinder Society leaders agents are most likely to interact with are called venture-captains. Venture-captains organize missions for other agents, and they typically manage their own lodges. At the top of the Pathfinder Society’s hierarchy are the Decemvirate, also known as “The Ten.”
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A small fungal creature wearing the head of a stuffed bear (if one had to hazard a guess, the stuffed bear currently in their arms sans head) enters the lodge, munching on what seems to be the remains of a dried shrub they collected from the desert outside. "Too dry." they say. "And not enough moss. Unsure why they sent us here, but hey, they're the bosses." They take another bite. "Maybe they're just really lacking in puppets." The bear head does not move as they talk, but as they eat, a mouth is visible on the creature's fungal neck.
After a second, they turn and see the other agent in the lodge, and immediately light up at not being the only odd non-human present. "Hey!!" they say excitedly, running up to the skeleton, a sock puppet dangerously close to falling out of their bag as they move. "You've got bones! I've got bones too!" They hold out their arm, an internal structure of warped bone revealed beneath fungal flesh. "I mean, most things have bones, apart from me here--" they gesture to the headless bear, "--but normally the bones are on the inside so they're all wet and you can't see them. We've got bones on the outside!" They pause, cocking their head. "Yours are more on the outside than mine, though. You've got some leaf things, too, but they don't look like they're a part of you, at least not like my mushrooms."
They pause for another moment, perhaps realizing some degree of social faux pas. "Was that rude? Sorry. We're new to this." They extend a bony hand to meet the skeleton's own bony hand. "Vee-one-one-five-dot-oh-four, Vee for short. I'm Amanita, and I'm Barry." They gesture to themselves and to the headless bear, respectively.
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A young woman with blond hair and green eyes strolls slowly into the hall, rubber-necking to take in everything. Next to her is what at first glance appears to be a silver wildcat about the size of a halfling or a gnome. It is, in fact, a construct using clockwork insides to function. It pauses and stands upright, its joints shifting to give it a bipedal form, as it looks at something resting on a table.
The woman puts on a pair of wire-rim glasses and looks at the sandstone walls and the barred cells around the edge. She wears a scale-mail suit of armor, but much of this is covered by a pair of baggy bib overalls. She has a variety of gadgets fixed to her wrists, waist, thighs, and ankles, as well as tools, belt pouches, and so on. She has a shield slung on her back and at her side is what at first glance is a mace, but is really a sturdy socket wrench, which she in fact uses as a mace in fights.
She also has a crossbow, although it is different from most crossbows. It is fashioned with elegant curves and has a cocking mechanism that is spring powered and a chamber housing bolts. It has a number of tools attached to it while preserving its overall elegant design. Weapon experts might recognize it as a sukgung, a crossbow with much greater range than normal and a nasty ability to inflict serious wounds if fired with precision. It has a grip that allows it to be fired with a stock braced against the shoulder, but it can also be fired with one hand.
The woman's eyes fall on the Pathfinders already in the room and she hesitates, taking in the sight and thinking before speaking. "Hello. This is the Pathfinder lodge? Sandswept Hall?"
As no one corrects her, she continues. "Then you must be Pathfinders too. I'm Agate Stark, newly recruited and looking forward to my first adventure. I'm from Absalom. This is Cranky." She gestures to the mechanical lynx which responds by sitting and again looking more like a normal feline.
The two walk purposefully over to offer a handshake to the leshy and skeleton. Her face reveals she is not entirely comfortable but making an honest effort at showing professional respect for each.
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"Given the circumstances of my being" our skeletal hero chitters between teeth "I am bothered not by the mispolite" he grins here, the expression lost due to lack of skin and facial muscle, appearing as little more than a momentary closing of his mandibular jaw.
Turning his cervical vertebra towards the fully-fleshed agent before him, he counts "Five of us so far, or rather..."
◆◆◆) Manifest Eidolon
Uncoiling from it's master's chest cavity, a segmented beast of some sort emerges itself, a powerful bodied worm with teeth of molten lava, slithering onto the ground, massively long, where perhaps to the utter horror of standers-bye, out of the cylindrical creature's anus, indeed, extrudes another mouth and opposing pair of visual sensory organs, gesticulating with twin tremble;
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An halfling with a middle long hair and wearing a simple Gi with a buckler strapped on his arm enters emerges from the gardens. He carries a longbow in his back.
Hello, hello, my public is already assembled. Nice of you. I can interpret you my full repertoire if you want. My name's Nob Cutton, with double "t". I'm a bard of profession.
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A tall brown-haired elf, wearing clothes of varying shades of green arrives. On his head rests what appears to be a leafy locust-looking creature. He looks around the party and quickly gravitates towards Amanita. "Hallo! I am pleased to meet all of you! I am Babak Vardek. Please call me Varde. This is my friend Hopper. Say hello Hopper!" He gestures to the leafy locust on his head.
A high pitched muffled sound comes from the leshy. Whatever it had said, is unintelligible to anyone who doesn't speak plant.
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Bramblespine slowly unfurls and rights themselves, raising up from what initially appeared to be a thorny rose bush into a rather thorny humanoid who's hands open up like petals on a rose while closed roses encircle their neck.
With a strongly arboreal voice, Bramblespine speaks. "I am Bramblespine. Once a guardian of Feathereyes' Maze, after nearly 200 years of service I have decided to commit a life to exploring The Universe, with the help of the Society for whom I have served for so long."
After staying in the lodge for a day, Venture-Captain Norden Balentiir invites the agents to join him in the lush gardens outside the Sandswept Hall.
"Cute doll," he tells Amanita while the group make their way toward the gardens.
"And you know Bastet? She is the goddess of cats here in Osirion. She has a cat-like head, and she's the daughter of Ra and sister of Hathor..." he continues, now referring to Agate's cat, but he trails off as they arrive at the garden. The shaded gardens outside the Sandswept Hall provide a welcome respite from the sweltering midday sun. Venture- Captain Norden Balentiir reaches up to one of the date palms overhead, pulling down a bunch of ripe fruit to share with the table.
“They’re good for much more than shade, my friends. But I did not call you here to enjoy my garden. A few months ago, I finally received confirmation that we would be able to execute one of the last excavation permits issued by the Osiriani government. The site is a desert location where the dunes have shifted, revealing the beginnings of a staircase leading down beneath the sands.
“The Osiriani government is protective of its cultural history, and with recent changes in their stance on allowing foreign archaeologists to work inside their borders, I wasn’t sure this permit would even stand. The bureaucracy was rather slow this time around, but it turns out we were approved before they stopped issuing permits. I’ve already secured your provisions, including camels, tents, food, water, tools to perform the excavation, and a map to the site. As you know, it may take many weeks to clear the site of debris. The desert can be unforgiving, so don’t hesitate to return here to rest as needed.
“The government has already sent guards to oversee the site and protect against any potential thieves. Remember—keeping up a good reputation in Osirion is vital to the Pathfinder Society’s continued presence here. Don’t antagonize the guards.”
"You've got any questions before you leave?"
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Varde is pleased to see the Ghoran Bramblespine. "I cannot say that I've met a Ghoran in the last 150 years. It is a pleasure to work with you."
"A desert! That is a very dangerous region to work in. I understand why you're sending this team. Many look quite sturdy! Based on what you've said, it seems this is more of a hodgepodge between archeology and politics? Is that assessment correct?"
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With some success, Agate remains calm at the sight of the worm crawling from a skeleton. She met a wide range of sentient beings while studying at the Clockwork Cathedral and during preliminary Pathfinder training. Still, instinct told her to beware. She greets the other newcomers and talks enthusiastically about the sight of the great beetle carapace that dominates the skyline in the city and other sights witnessed.
After the briefing, she asks, "Have our scholars or those of Osirion identified the site? Do we have any idea of it's original form or function?"
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Curious, Wormcaller moves between the shade and direct sun - feels his bones alternately cool and heat - satisfying the urge to know...
...drawing a cloak over himself, he readies to leave, Ouroboros coiling back into his chest cavity.
◆◆◆) De-Manifest Eidolon
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"Cute doll," he tells Amanita while the group make their way toward the gardens.
They cock their head. "What doll? Oh, do you mean the puppets?" They gesture to their pack, seemingly not understanding to what the venture-captain is referring to.
Amanita ignores the fruit on the table, instead reaching down to find a bruised and rotten date from the ground.
"Do the provisions include any moss?" they say, tossing the rotten date into a maw opening up in their neck.
The venture-captain blinks twice when he sees how the eidolon de-manifests itself back to his summoner before he hands them a map and their permit to the site.
Well, that's... peculiar."
"A desert! That is a very dangerous region to work in. I understand why you're sending this team. Many look quite sturdy! Based on what you've said, it seems this is more of a hodgepodge between archeology and politics? Is that assessment correct?"
"Indeed, desert is a dangerous place, for those who are ill-prepared. I advise you to drink plenty of water. Travel near dawn and dusk to take shelter from the midday sun, and bundle up at night. Also, the desert heat can play tricks on your eyes. Stick to the map, use your common sense, and you’ll be fine."
"As for politics, yes. So stick to the mission of exploring the site. Show them your permit so you can enter the site, and explore the ruins by taking note of what you will find there. Then your report will be sent to the government."
After the briefing, she asks, "Have our scholars or those of Osirion identified the site? Do we have any idea of it's original form or function?"
"The government provided us the site to explore. The shifting winds revealed only the top portion of the staircase. What lies beyond it remains a mystery. You will be the first to explore what is inside it."
"Do the provisions include any moss?" they say, tossing the rotten date into a maw opening up in their neck.
"We can provide them if that is what you need." he replies.
The agents’ journey to the archaeological site is relatively uneventful. When they arrive at the ruin, they find that the ruin’s entrance has already been excavated. The staircase leads down to a torchlit chamber. A canvas fence secured around staircase keeps most of the sand away from the opening. Nearby, a guard sits under a tarp, humming to herself to stave off boredom while two additional guards nap in the shade, resting with four camels. The guard addresses themas they approach.
"More Pathfinders? How many more are coming? You really have to wait to join the expedition until after the hard labor of clearing the entryway had already been finished, huh." the guard chastises them.
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"Sincere apology for being late. We were briefed only recently, and arrived as presently as we could, awaiting the fall of night to avoid the midday sun" Wormcaller explains.
"Here are our permits" It was nice being chastised for something other than his appearance...
The guard is confused. "Didn't you know? The expedition began over a month ago, but much of that time was dedicated to clearing and securing the entrance by some agents. It was only in the last week that the head Pathfinder came here. The rest of his agents went home once the sand was cleared away." she explains.
When she is handed over with the permit and finds that it is authentic, she just scratches her head. "Well, I think I must let you in. The head Pathfinder must be waiting for you inside." is all she can say before she allows everyone to enter the ruins. She is also afraid to enter the ruin and call the head Pathfinder herself.
Entering the ruins, a 10-foot-wide staircase leads from the surface into this ruin. Sandy dust covers the floors of the underground complex.
Crawls out of Wormcaller’s chest and begins slithering down the halls.
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Before entering the ruins, Agate asks the guard, "Did this 'head Pathfinder' give you a name or indicate his or her office or function?"
"I would prefer to explore the open passageways before opening any doors, so we can get the larger picture and locate anyone who might be lurking about. But lead on if you want to check the place room by room."
Cranky remains on four feet, looking warily at the other companions. If one comes close to him, he holds still and pokes his nose forward curiously.
"Who among us has the sharpest eyes to look for things that might be traps or to listen for sounds from within the room? I'll watch their back as we check out the door. I suspect that if a trap is spotted, I might be best equipped to try to disarm it."
Before entering the ruins, Agate asks the guard, "Did this 'head Pathfinder' give you a name or indicate his or her office or function?"
"He says he is Durvin Kline, a pioneer of the exploration of Azlanti ruins and the discoverer of a lost serpentfolk city." the guards responds.
But Agate and Bramblespine are sure there aren’t any particularly famous Pathfinders with this name. However, one of the Pathfinder Society’s founders was a man named Durvin Gest, and Eando Kline is a prominent Pathfinder and the founder of the Vigilant Seal faction.
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Entering the ruins, several of the pillars in this once-grand entryway have collapsed. The statues around its edges depict scarab beetles. Agate and Bramblespine know that in Osirion, scarab beetle iconography is commonplace in tombs and other places associated with death.
The group heads to their right .
And to their right is a chamber. The carvings on the floor glorify someone, showing him leading an army of undead against a city. The carvings represent a grandiose fantasy rather than a historical event.
Written in Osiriani
There is an entrance close to Agate.
The room over the next door reveals colorful pits that are each 5 feet deep. They were once filled with embalming fluids, but the liquid within has evaporated over the centuries, leaving a powdery residue.
Nothing else can be found in this room.