The Pathfinders traveled by river boat up the East Sellen river to Restov, the capital of Brevoy. As they disembark, Marcos Farabellus greets them on the docks. He is a man of sturdy build with a bald head and a full beard.
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Nyx is a pale-skinned elf with platinum-colored hair tied in a neat ponytail behind his head. He has a very chiseled face, and purplish eyes.
He's usually covered in a dark cloak, with a hint of leather armor visible only from the front. He clutches a shortbow with the string sporting beaver-tail silencers. He has a quiver full of fluflu-fletched arrows at his back. The hilts of a shortsword and dagger protrude from his belt.
He waits in a dark area of the deck, seated on an empty barrel. He nods to everyone as they arrive. He had introduced himself earlier as Nyx Rath, which he'd said is an abbreviation of long elven name.
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A half-orc with a full pack wanders down the gangplank. He nods at Farabellus. "I assume you called for the medic, yeah? I'm Desmond." He glances back up at the others. "You Pathfinders always getting into scrapes..."
He sets his pack down and begins checking it. You see various bandages, ointments, and wraps. The half-orc doesn't seem much of an adventurer, wearing no armor or any weapons. He does have a shield attached to his pack, but other than that, the only noticeable gear he has is a set of sturdy boots.
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You see a male Fetchling with chalk-white skin. His eyes and shoulder-length hair are black, and he has several black piercings in his face and ears. A small silver skull hangs around his neck, the black chain looped through the eye sockets. He wears studded leather armor, but his forearms are bare. Stylized chains are branded around both wrists, with circular scars on the backs. There’s something unpleasant about the way he’s grinning.
”I’m Shalosar, acolyte of the Midnight Lord, and metal kineticist”, he says in a gravelly voice. ”I rip people open, and sometimes close them up”
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Wearing a leather armor with an holy symbol hanging at his neck, a shortsword at his belt, the Garund man disembarks following his companions.
I'm also able to close up wounds, thanks to the Prismatic Ray.
The human smiles.
My name's Atlach, coming from Mwangi. It seems we are a lot ready to treat wounds. Perhaps the society will open an hospital here.
“Ah, agents! So very good to see you! Welcome to Restov. I hope your journey wasn’t too bothersome. This time of year the mosquitoes on the Sellen can be worse than falling face first and buck naked into a patch of poison ivy.” Marcos punctuates his own jest with a bellowing laugh. “Let’s get you all a bit freshened up before I get to the heart of the matter.”
Marcos leads the Pathfinders to a nearby street vendor who sells fried fish and vegetables. He buys each of them a portion and buys himself a skewer of crayfish. While everyone eats and walks, he elaborates on the mission.
“First off, thank you for coming. This is a bit of an unusual ‘mission’, so let me get right to it. I received a challenge recently from Orlaelia Aldori. She’s an up-and-coming swordmaster here in Restov. Claims her students are capable of besting any of mine. Now, I get challenges like that all the time, and normally I ignore them. But this time? Well, there’s a little bit more to it. A double-edged sword, so to speak.” He lets out a small chuckle. “Which is apt, because one of these extras is a sword. Orlaelia has bet Inheritor’s Fury, her old longsword, on this deal. She used to be a Mendevian crusader, you see, and the sword has seen the depths of the Worldwound. It’s a relic in its own right and an item the Society would love to study in depth, not to mention a valuable piece of modern history deserving proper cataloging and preservation.
“While the pursuit of a relic alone would not merit taking you away from your other duties, this challenge also gives us a chance to make new friends and acquaintances in Restov. It’s been a while since the society had an active presence here. Rising to this challenge could give us a friendly rival at worst and some new friends at best.
“Orlaelia, though a veteran of many battles, is still Taldan at heart, from what I know at least, and still loves the arts. So! While this challenge will culminate in a duel between you and her students, she will most likely have a few other tests in mind that go beyond raw combat. Who can say what they’ll be. From what I hear her style is quite practical, but old veterans like us see lessons in the strangest of places.” He smiles, perhaps thinking of similar examples from his own past, though doesn’t elaborate further.
“I’ve opened up Birchwood Hall, our lodge here. Haven’t managed to get all the damp and dust out yet, but that shouldn’t bother us overmuch. I’m sure you’ve all seen much worse during your travels.”
The group arrives at Birchwood Hall just as Marcos finishes speaking. He leads them inside the building, through the main sitting room and into a wood paneled conference room. There’s a faint smell of dust in the air that the open windows have yet to dispel.
"Do you have any questions while we wait for them here?"
You also know that Venture-Captain Alvar Hadrias greatly enjoyed fashion and collected many outfits and items during his time leading the lodge. Some of these have been brought to other lodges or museums due to their historical value, but many are still stored in the rooms on the second floor of the lodge.
”Would she expect these duels to be sword-to-sword?”, he asks.
"Highly doubt that, I know she knows Pathfinders are not just sword-wielding adventurers but also magic users, so she must except a combo of anything the Society has to offer! If it is a sword-to-sword duel, I would not have called..." he pauses and puts an arm over Desmond, "this guy here, right? Haha!" he then gives a cheerful laugh.
Desmond stares at Farabellus. "You brought us for some sort of teaching duel?"
"Don't worry, apart from the duel, I’m not sure what but you can count on her coming up with some good challenges that will surely test the body and mind in interesting ways. That's why I came up with your bunch that excels in different things. Hopefully, I am right. Hehe."
"This is what I can tell. Out of politeness, I didn’t check her student roster, but I know she’s bringing her four best students. They will all have sworn the swordpact and taken the last name Aldori. They’re neophyte swordlords and will be more than capable with the Aldori dueling sword. It’s a well-balanced blade, excellent for parrying, and the style focuses on unnerving opponents."
"Be prepared, they will arrive any time soon. I am counting on all of you." he says with a wink at Nyx.
Soon enough, there is a hard knock on the lodge door. Marcos asks the Pathfinders to accompany him to the sitting room and be on their best behavior — but to also try to look impressive. He carries a slightly nervous air as he opens the door.
A party of five waits outside, led by a middle-aged woman with her dark hair pulled back into a simple knot. She wears woolen trousers beneath her sensible skirts and a thick leather jerkin with an emblem embroidered on the right side. Catching sight of Marcos in the doorway, she grins widely and greets him with a firm handshake; one that goes on a little too long.
"Marcos!"
"Orlaelia!" Marcos says in return.
The four students behind her wear similar jerkins. All carry a distinctive Aldori dueling sword strapped to their hips. As the guests enter the lodge, the instructors share a bit of competitive banter.
"I told them that Pathfinders see battles unlike those in the streets and dueling halls of Restov, so I believe they’re looking forward to seeing what their opponents can do." the middle-aged woman tells them.
"Oh, yes!" Marcos almost forgot. "Pathfinders, she is Orlaelia Aldori, a crusader under the banner of Queen Galfrey. After the closing of the Worldwound, she began training as a swordlord. She quickly defeated many of Restov’s duelists and established her own school after becoming a swordlord herself. The name Aldori is taken by most who learn the style, part of taking the swordpact. But reaching the rank of master, that’s not easily done, especially since she focused on an entirely different fighting style before coming here.” The admiration in Marco’s voice is clear.
"You don't need to do that." Orlaelia smiles. "Anyway, I would like you to meet my students."
The first to introduce herself is a dromaar woman with long black hair in an intricate braid.
"Hello everyone, I am Dura Aldori." She wears her school jerkin partially open to reveal a spotless white blouse underneath. Her pants are a light brown linen and don’t show a crease out of place. She wears black leather shoes with silver buckles.
"Halran Aldori." says the next one who steps up and gives a fancy bow to everyone, a human man with short brown hair.. He looks to be in his late twenties. He completes his school jerkin with riding pants and boots and wears a single pearl earring in his right ear.
The ysoki beside him with white and gray fur is a bit more standoffish, though not unfriendly.
"Uhmm, my name is Rhenei Aldori." they say with curtsy. It is hard to guess their age due to the natural gray fur. Their school jerkin has a few extra pockets sewn on and they wear colorful layered skirts along with wraps around their back paws, leaving the toes open.
The final student, a gnome with golden hair in a bowl cut that looks as if she performed it herself, practically thrums with energy.
"Hi! I am Thisnabel Aldori! Finally, I meet not just a Pathfinder, but Pathfinders! I have a thousand questions like, yeah! I'm Thisnabel!" Her introduction is very swift, and she looks ready to explode. Her school jerkin looks as if it had several minor accidents with various substances and bears odd stains. She wears practical leather pants laced up down the sides and leather boots which have seen better days.
Marcos then motions to the Pathfinders to introduce themselves to them.
"Well then, let's start, shall we?" Orlaelia begins.
"I am most interested in testing my students’ martial prowess against your Pathfinder agents." she tells Marcos.
She then turns to the Pathfinders and her students. "However, my experiences in the crusades fighting demons have taught me that to not only survive, but win decisively, one needs more than a strong sword arm and quick reflexes. So, I propose to have a total of three challenges, with the third and final challenge being a duel between the students. Since I issued the main challenge, you may choose which other two challenges you wish to accept. I will explain the nature of each challenge, as I want to test my students’ mettle against your strongest abilities."
Orlaelia then proposes the challenges:
"Alright then." Orlaelia begins. "For the first challenge, I will ask everyone and leave us, I and Marcos, in this room."
The Pathfinders and students alike leave the room, and the masters close the door behind them. After a few minutes, muffled shouts can be heard!
"Help!" the masters say in unison. Opening the door, the Pathfinders and students find Orlaelia and Marcos, lying down on the ground, playing victims of "severe wounds". The students rushes towards Marcos, while the Pathfinders are left to "treat" Orlaelia.
The Pathfinders work together to mend the "wounded" Orlaelia. The all-male group carefully handles the fine warrior, treating her wounds skillfully. Meanwhile, her students seem to struggle to deal with Marcos.
Once everyone is settled, the masters briefly discuss their observations and return to them.
"Whenever we have official duels and training matches, there is always a first aid professional close by; however, by our nature, duelists usually aren’t so lucky when accepting a challenge in the heat of the moment outside of such formal settings. Not only that, I have seen enough of my friends and comrades die in the Worldwound before first aid could reach us. Therefore, I feel it’s always best to be prepared and have someone on your team trained to save your life." Orlaelia explains to them.
"And that's what I witnessed from the Pathfinders. They are not just muscles and strength; the Pathfinders have shown me how patients must be well taken care of." she reports and looks at Marcos.
"Ehem..." the master of swords begins. "Well, there will always be a first time, and usually first times are frequently bad. I understand that your students aren't as skilled as I expect them to be, but I can see the potential. I believe they have the theory in mind about the basics of first aid, they just need more practice."
Orlaelia nods to her students, signaling to them that they have done their best.
"And with that, for this challenge... the Pathfinders win." both masters clap their hands.
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"Speaking of strength, let's put it to the test. Our second challenge will be Tug of War. I also like a good, old-fashioned tug of war to test everyone’s physical prowess without resorting to duels. It not only tests raw strength, but also teamwork and steadiness." she then motions everyone to the grounds.
Two lines are drawn in the grass in front of the lodge, 30 feet apart. A long rope with a ribbon tied at its center is placed so the ribbon lies at the midpoint between the lines.
"The students will take up one end of the rope, and the Pathfinders will take the other end." Marcos explains to them. "The goal is to pull the ribbon completely over a team’s line. Position yourselves and be ready."
Shalosar
Nyx
Desmond
Atlach
Enrax
Steady footing from Nyx...
... but not that steady.
Despite Nyx having trouble planting his feet firmly on the ground, the rest manage to pull the rope and the ribbon closer to their line.
Shalosar
Nyx
Desmond
Atlach
Enrax
Nyx tries harder to plant his feet steady on the ground.
Despite Atlach and Shalosar struggling to maintain their footing, the rest of the team keeps the rope from being pulled to the other side. Enrax then makes a powerful pull, bringing the ribbon to cross into the line!
As it happens, the students are also being pulled with the rope, finding themselves stacked one after another.
"Nicely done, everyone!" Orlaelia exclaims. "I hope my students can learn more about your secret. Your Pathfinders are not just skilled, but they are also strong and have teamwork."
"For this challenge, I declare the Pathfinders the winner!" she declares and Marcos gives everyone a victory pat on their backs.
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When the first two challenges are completed, Orlaelia calls for a break.
"I want both my students and the Pathfinders to be well rested for the final challenge. For the last challenge, you will have a nonlethal combat. With Marcos’ approval, I chartered the help of two ritualists to cast a ritual to ensure that any damage done in the sparring room is nonlethal. The ritual takes an hour to cast, and we will take that time to take a break."
As Marcos is hosting, Orlaelia has arranged for food to be delivered, since the lodge is currently not staffed. Fresh baked bread, vegetable soup, and sausages are all brought in, still hot and steaming. As food is consumed, Marcos and Orlaelia engage each other in conversation, trying to lightheartedly one up each other with tall tales. Marcos even offers to teach Orlaelia the Farabellus Flip. The students converse with the Pathfinders during the meal.
Thisnabel takes the opportunity to learn more from the Pathfinders.
"So, have you been on any missions with the Pathfinder Society? How is it like? Or this your first mission? What other missions do you like to do in the future?"
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As nobody seems wanting to tell something the Garund man takes the lead: Of course I was already on missions for the Pathfinder Society. I recently was even sent into the maze. I've also helped a future agent to get his confirmation mark. I've participated in an excavation in Osirion and did what to do for a bridge to be built by some goblins near Katapesh. I was also sent in the Netherworld. But my very first mission for the Society was more boring one. We had to inventory some items in a vault.
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Shalosar nods knowingly as Atlach tells his tale. ”Yeah, I just joined not that long ago. Mostly guard duty, though this one time we tracked this dragon-type monster to its lair. That was close”
”As for the future?” He glances at the other Pathfinders. ”There’s been some talk about starting a hospital. ‘Course, it won’t be complete without a shrine to Zon-Kuthon in the chapel”