Master of Swords Marcos Farabellus meets with you behind closed doors at the Grand Lodge in Absalom.
Marcos Farabellus paces thoughtfully for a moment before rapping his knuckles on his desk to call the meeting to order. “Sometimes challenges force us to re-examine how we treat others, including old enemies. That’s a good thing, leading to growth and moments in which rising stars can distinguish themselves against dire odds.” He gives an appreciative bow before continuing. “I say this because we’re not alone in our struggle against the Korholm Agenda; they’re even more a thorn in the Aspis Consortium’s side than in our own. If we let those wounds fester, it will destroy us both. It’s jarring to work with the Aspis against a common foe, but their assistance might help us stop the Korholm Agenda before they could harm thousands more innocents.
“The Agenda was behind the recent events in Thuvia—again, well done on stopping that—and the team unearthed records of one Professor Kramolag, a member of the Aspis Consortium who has been supplying the Agenda with her technical expertise. When I discussed these findings with my contact in the Consortium, he seemed unsettled by the development but promised to handle the matter personally and relay his findings after the fact.” Farabellus smirks with chagrin. “We may be trying to mend some bridges with the Aspis, but I’m not so foolish to trust an Aspis higher-up at his word. I sent several agents to follow his team and observe from afar as they traveled to Nidal. Within a few hours, they had broken into an underground facility, left with bundles of strange relics, and set part of the nearby plantation on fire to hide their tracks. As you might guess, my Aspis contact politely informed me that the matter was resolved and that I didn’t need to worry about it anymore. Bullfeathers!”
The Master of Swords lets the affront sink in before reaching down and dumping a stack of papers on the desk. “What my contact neglected to mention is that they never found Professor Kramolag. Our own experts have tracked down where she’s hidden based on intercepted correspondence and questioned survivors of that Aspis raid. She’s set up a lab on a barren island west of Nidal known as Wingless Rock, and hopefully she still thinks she’s safe and hasn’t run off yet. We’ve also found she has one other intact secondary lab at the southern edge of the Uskwood, and there are still unanswered questions about the damaged site near the Mindspin Mountains.
“If Kramolag’s research is any indication, she’s armed, dangerous, and has been calling the shots for the past year. I’d like you to lead the expedition there, ensure she doesn’t remain a threat to the Society, and secure all other information you can on any other plans she’s set in motion already. I’ve gathered the teams you oversaw in Thuvia to provide you additional help, and I’m letting you call the shots on this Nidalese campaign. I recommend assigning one or two to check out the secondary sites, as it’s only a matter of time before the Consortium or the Agenda learns what we know and destroy any remaining evidence there.”
He straightens and concludes, “Not every agent has what it takes to lead like you do. It isn’t easy, so I’m here in an advisory role until I have to attend to other business. Good luck.”
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Kal’ryon nods as he listens, his eyes glinting with interest at the mention of a hunt.
“Master Farabellus, I appreciate the trust you’ve placed in us. It’s no easy thing to work alongside Aspis agents, but if it means crushing the Korholm Agenda before they do more damage, then I’ll swallow my pride.” He smirks, leaning back in his chair, one hand resting lazily on the hilt of his pole arm- the light catching against glossy black nails. “I'm happy to participate in the Nidalese mission, no problem. We’ll root out Kramolag and bring her schemes to light.”
He pauses, tilting his head thoughtfully before giving a shrug. “I’m no stranger to getting my hands dirty,so if these relics are as valuable as they seem, I’ll make sure they land in Absalom."
With that, Kal’ryon flashes a confident grin. “If it matters to anyone else, I think I would prefer a more spontaneous approach to this guarded rock. Our plans always seem to fall apart after first contact anyways...”
Farabellus nods briefly at Diazepane's comment. "I distrust the Apsis as much as the next Pathfinder, but I also trust them to always serve their best interests. The Korholm Agenda is an internal threat that could eat them up from the inside out, not unlike certain factions within our own organization at times. I have no doubts that we'll be opposed again, but for now, our goals align.
“Professor Kramolag has spent considerable resources researching otherworldly creatures and events, including the Astral Plane, teleportation mishaps, and cutting-edge alchemy. This is beyond the scope of one researcher, so she likely has capable assistants who know not to gossip. Go into Wingless Rock prepared for the worst, and expect the unexpected," he answers Svetlana.
"I don't expect any trouble from the Nidalese. Wingless Rock is far enough off the coast and so barren and uninteresting they've paid no attention to it...which is why it was a perfect place for a secret laboratory."
He taps the pile of papers on the desk. "You can read all the reports for yourself here. They have information about both Wingless Rock and Wirholt's Rictus, which is where we got our information about Wingless Rock and about the 3rd facility in the Uskwood."
The Aspis raided a research laboratory hidden beneath a Nidalese plantation known as Wirholt’s Rictus. Few of the workers there seemed to know anything about the facility below.
A known member of the Korholm Agenda would occasionally visit the site, but it is believed that person perished during the raid.
It appears the site enacted containment procedures during the raid, destroying some of the evidence before the Aspis team intervened. The Aspis agents left carrying a collection of magic items, documents, and even a few biological samples (all of unknown provenance to the Society).
Initial forays into the damaged facility found signs of occult research, but utterly alien creatures chased off the Pathfinder agents before they could learn anything of substance.
The secondary facility just inside the Uskwood seems to be the smallest of the three, but any defenses it has are likely still operational.
The main facility is 40 miles off Nidal’s coast, on a black skerry known as Wingless Rock. It’s a small, barren island partly surrounded by dangerous reefs and other mundane hazards that discourage visitors.
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Nadya had been busying herself with a Harrow reading at a small reading table in the corner of the room for the last half hour, since before the Master of Swords even entered the room, and at first seemed to be paying little attention to his briefing. But now she finishes, packs up her deck and wraps it up in a brightly-colored silk Varisian scarf.
"Master Farabellus," she says in her careful Ustalavic-spiced dialect. "Perhaps I did not read the journals we discovered in the dragon's lair under Abadar's Temple closely enough. It was clear that the Korholm Agenda seeks to learn more of cosmic secrets and extraplanar paths. We know they were cooperating with the Aspis Consortium in the theft of the Sun Orchid Elixirs and used those extraplanar bandits to try and snatch us. But why are they the enemy and not the Aspis?"
"You say their efforts could lead to the loss of many innocent lives. What do we know of their goals? Do you prefer this Professor to be captured, turned, or eliminated?"