The invitation delivered last night was remarkably simple, especially given the importance of the occasion: “Start where it all began. Meet us at the Pig’s Paunch one hour before dawn.”
The Pig’s Paunch is a run-down building with a faded sign of a large pig standing on its hind legs, arms folded above a corpulent belly. Inside, the air is thick with the scents of human sweat, stale tobacco, and leftover food. In the center of the room, surrounded by inebriates sleeping off their revelries, a familiar elven man stands high upon top of a large round table.
“Welcome! Welcome, my students! Please, have a seat!” With that, Kreighton Shaine, the Pathfinder Society’s Master of Scrolls, nimbly drops down to sit cross-legged on the table before looking about the tavern with a sense of reverent wonder. “Can you believe it? It all started here years ago—well, over four hundred of them at least. Under this very roof the Pathfinder Society was born."
“But today! Today you will begin your Confirmation! Master Farabellus, Master Zey, and I all agree you each have shown your worth and dedication to the Society, so there’s no better time to see if you can handle becoming full field operatives. Allow me to introduce you to Janira Gavix,” he says as he motions for an excitable halfling woman to approach. She wears a large backpack and carries all manner of tools, pouches, and scroll cases around her waist. Shaine continues, saying, “Janira here will be going with you on your Confirmation. She was one of my brightest pupils and will no doubt be an invaluable resource on your journey, for she discovered the caves you are about to explore during her own Confirmation.”
Janira speaks up in an enthusiastic and cheerful voice, “Greetings, aspiring Pathfinders! Six months ago, while I was mapping cave entrances in the foothills of the Kortos Mounts, I witnessed a lone gillman entering a concealed cave. I thought little of it at the time, but I saw another one enter the cave again a month later as my Confirmation stretched on. A few days later, after I completed my assigned task, I entered the cave system, but was unable to find the gillmen.”
Master Shaine hops to his feet. “Initiates, for your Confirmation, you will travel to these caves to explore and document its many passages. Additionally, and most importantly, you are to learn what the gillmen are up to in there. Oh, and you need to come back alive as well.” With these parting words, the Master of Scrolls jumps off the table and strolls out of the building while humming to himself.
Janira watches Master Shaine as he walks away and then sits down at the table and smiles "Before we crack on with introductions are there any quick questions about anything mentioned so far?".
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Zika al-Zahra sips her mug of milk while making a mental list of everything that has been said.
"Two different persons that visit the same place alone a month apart don't seem particularly noteworthy on it's own. We'll be exploring out of healthy curiosity or do we have a reason to believe that the two sightings are related besides their shared heritage?"
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a hulking half orc hoists his mug of ale as he listens to the Society elders speak. He nods as he does.
Makes sense to go in a group..especially in unknown territory. Safer... he nods.
He ponders for a moment.
If I recall correctly, there might be some nasty brutes in the ares...minotaurs...a worthy challenge... he says with a smile.
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A tall. slender woman with elven features wearing a brightly-colored long tunic and trousers, her hair covered by a matching scarf, ponders while sipping her glass of wine.
"The point, I suppose, is that gillmen don't tend to frequent the mountains here--they stay closer to the coast. Besides, if there are no records of these caves that Mistress Janira could find, their exploration could yield some useful information for the archives." Or our painful deaths, far from home and the warmth of the sun.
"A good question and an equally good answer." nods Janira. "Plus, well remembered about the minotaurs!"
"The gillmen are a humanoid race much like humans save for the three piscine gills on both sides of their necks. They’re a little secretive but not outright hostile and most live in or near the water.”
"The only known permanent surface settlement of the gillmen is in Escadar. Why they’re venturing into the foothills of the Kortos Mounts is a mystery. One that you can hopefully get to the bottom of!"
Once everyone has had a chance to ask any initial questions Janira pulls out a large leather-bound journal and opens it on the table. “Before we set out, we should all get to know each other and review our plan. After all, the most important factors that determine whether an expedition will be a success are cooperation and preparation! I’ll go first!”
"As Master Shaine says, I'm Janira, Janira Gavix. I grew up in the Eastgate district of Absalom, where my father works as a porter, and joined the Pathfinder Society four years ago as soon as I came of age. I originally joined the Society as I was keen to travel and see the world, especially to experience its different cuisines. But as my training progressed my interest quickly turned to the work being done by Master Shaine relating to the acquisition and preservation of knowledge and I'm hoping one day to get some of my work published in the Pathfinder Chronicles so that I can perhaps become a proper Pathfinder Chronicler. In addition to my training as a scholar under Master Shaine, I've also spent some time training under the other two Masters, specifically focusing on the arts of the whip, blade, and crossbow from Master Marcos Farabellus and a few spellcasting tricks from Master Aram Zey. Although I've been on several missions since my own Confirmation this will be my first time in charge of leading an expedition."
"So that's me. Who wants to go next? What can you tell us about yourselves and what made you decide to join the Pathfinder Society?"
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Minotaurs... I think I might have heard of them before but I am not remembering right now…
Zika al-Zahra finishes her milk, doing a, not at as discrete as she would like, look at the rest of the drinks on the table.
Seem’s ill adviced to start the day with alcohol but I guess even Cayden Cailean drank before his trial to godhood...
She is a robust woman with bronze skin and short black hair cut just under her ears. Her clothes are dull and have an earthly tone, as if wanting to look plane on purpose. Her bow, unstrung in the confines of the city, has been leaning against her chair at arm’s length all this time.
"I'm Zika al-Zahra. I was born and raised in the Foreign Quarter of Absalom. My father is a sailor and my mother was a sellsword, so I guess wanting to travel goes in the blood, thought I myself have never been farther than Otari before… I have some training with the spear and I know how to defend myself with a dagger, I have also received some arcane training and have good enough aim. I guess I am also a scholar, thought I admit I don’t have the best of memories." She pauses as if wondering if she should add any other detail before deciding to say one last thing. "And as suspicious as it’s going to sound I haven’t killed anyone before. Let's hope it's not relevant for our Confirmation."
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"Minotaurs, eh?" grins a heavily armored dark-bearded dwarf who had definitely been there the whole time after lifting the visor of his helmet. "I bet they're no match for ol' trusty here." He jerks a thumb toward the poleaxe across his back, a weapon taller than he is.
"Name's Morden. Ironsbane, they call me back home, not that it's meant as a compliment if ya get me, hah! Come from the Five Kings Mountains, couldn't cut it as a smith, an' me kinsfolk thought I'd be better off if I, eh, see more o' the world as they put it. So now I'm here. Firs' mission!"
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The elfin-looking woman sets down her wineglass and looks around at the rest of the team. "I'm called Zhaxia Tilea, and I've been with the Society for a little over two years. Most of that time I was working in the archives, teaching Pathfinders about my homeland and trying to find a way back there. I've been on one mission so far, stopping a bandit chief in Jalmeray and recruiting him away from the Aspis Consortium." The distaste in her voice is oddly palpable in the air. "The one good thing about that was working with a countryman...a fine korasha fellow. I'm looking forward to a more...research-oriented mission. As for what I can do, I'm a student of mental power--specifically, a ysoki discipline called ranatagi--and something of a scholar."
"It good to meet you all and it sounds like we have a great mix of different skills which is a fantastic start!"
"So, on to the details of the mission at hand,” Janira says with an eager grin. “After reviewing my mission reports personally, Master Shaine believes it is no coincidence that each time the gillmen entered the caves it was during a full moon, so it is also no coincidence that you have been called here now, just a day before the moon is full again. We both believe that tomorrow night is our best chance to find out why these caves are important and what exactly the gillmen are doing in there."
“The caves we’ll be travelling to lie under the base of the Kortos Mounts. We’ll need to spend every minute of daylight possible to reach the caves by foot, crossing over the Cairnlands, taking the paths to Diobel, and finally making our way through the wilderness. With any luck we won’t run into any of the local inhabitants. Once in the caves, we’ll need to work together to explore and determine whether any gillman are present or have been recently. Keep an eye out for any other clues that might hint at the caves’ significance, too.”
"Does anyone have any more questions regarding the mission?"
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Zika is startled by Ironsbane, who she failed to notice until now, but does her best to not let it be noticed. Her best is not great.
The full moon? Could this mean...? No, don't be ridiculous. The full moon doesn't necesarily means werewolves.
"Ehem... Miss Gavix, ideally the plan is to explore the caves before the night of the full moon or during it?"
Thought if they were suffering from lycantrophy that could explain why they went the farthest away from their settlement as posible in the middle of the wilderness...
"It will be on the night of the full moon." explains Janira "If we set out soon we should be able to make it across the Carinlands today and then get a full day's travel through the Immenwood to the base of the Kortos Mounts tomorrow. That should get us to the cave before it starts getting dark."
Seeing Zika's slightly concerned reaction the halfling adds "I know what you’re thinking, but I have no reason to believe the gillmen activity has anything to do with lycanthropy!"
Janira seems pleased at Zhaxia's mention of alchemist fire "That's a good point, we should take a moment to go through your gear and make sure nothing important gets left out. There are certainly dangerous swarming creatures in the woods, so alchemist's fire would be a good precaution if we happen to run into any of those. We'll also be camping overnight so I'd suggest some foodstuff would be useful and something to sleep on. The weather this time of year shouldn't be too bad so you should be fine without a tent, but it will be dark in the cave so I'd make sure you have sources of light if you need them.”
"Oh" she adds passing out some writing supplies and paper "One other key thing to remember is the importance of keeping an accurate record of your mission. It's great to make new discoveries, but if you don't write them down there will be no record of what you discovered. So remember to keep notes of what you find throughout your mission to make sure nothing gets forgotten in all of the excitement!"
"I'll give everyone a bit of time to sort out anything else they want to do before we head out and once you are all ready let's meet back here and we can get going."
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Bart drops his pack on the floor and rummages through it.
I only have the basics...shelter, food and water. Swarms are new to me..never run into them before....unless finding a massive ant hill when you're sleeping in the forest counts. I suppose you can't just club them... the big bruiser says with a hearty chuckle.
"I've got a couple of flasks of alchemist's fire, plus one of acid, so if need be I'm happy to share those." offers Janira. "Hopefully the notebooks and writing materials I provided should be enough to cover this mission, so you shouldn't need to buy any more of those unless you want to have some spares."
Once everyone is ready Janira leads the party out of the Pig’s Paunch and then west out of the city itself. From their they embark on the long trek across the Cairnlands during which Janira entertains the party with a discussion on the history of Absalom, pointing out the great siege towers which dot the surrounding landscape as well as some of the distinctive local flora and fauna.
Eventually night begins to draw in and the party make camp on the edge of the Immenwood, which they will need to travel through the following day as part of their journey to the cave.
Janira is impressed with the party's proactive arranging of watches and also offers to cover one herself.
The night passes without incident and after breakfast the Pathfinders break camp to begin the second day of their journey. As the party progresses deeper into the forest, the trees towering overhead begin to shield most of what remains of the day’s sun and the vegetation beneath grows denser. Janira pauses a moment and pulls out an intricate silver compass emblazoned with the Pathfinder Society logo: the Glyph of the Open Road. “I received this wayfinder when I successfully completed my Confirmation. Should we be successful on our journey, you will get your own as well.” She flips open the device and holds it in front of her; the initials J. G. are engraved into the inside of the device’s lid. After studying the compass inside for a moment, she remarks, “We’re on the right path. We need to keep heading northwest past those large rocks up ahead.”
Just as the party are about to start pressing on the stillness of the surrounding woodland is broken by a sudden loud crack as a rotten branch breaks from a nearby tree and crashes to the ground below. After checking that there is no risk of further falling branches everyone starts moving again, only to notice that the fallen branch seems to have disturbed some of the local wildlife... In fact a whole nest of the local wildlife... The Pathfinders watch in alarm as hundreds of tiny snakes begin emerging out of the ground next to where the fallen branch landed and surge in the direction of the party...
Janira is first to react "Look out it's a snake swarm! Luckily they are big enough to hit with normal weapons, but bludgeoning ones would be best... and try not to let them get on you, they can be a really unpleasant distraction!". She then moves away from the party to help reduce the number of potential targets for the swarm, jumping up onto a log and reciting an inspiring tail about the adventures of famed Pathfider Gregaro Voth in the Mwangi Expanse ...
-- ROUND 1 --
Janira
Zhaxia
Swarm (white)
Zika
Morden
Bart
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Earlier...
As the party heads out of the Pig's Paunch, Morden trots off to the nearby stable and returns with not a horse but a woolly rhinoceros. "Future mount!" he says proudly as he rejoins the rest of the adventuring party. "He's not big enough yet, can't support me weight. But when he's full-grown I can stop walkin', hah!"
The rhino snorts in assent. Or perhaps in protest.
The writhing mass of snakes slithers forward, making a bee line towards Morden and his rhino, swarming around their feet and attempting to bite at the pair with their tiny fangs...
-- ROUND 1 --
Janira
Zhaxia
Swarm (white)
Zika
Morden -4
Rhino -4
Bart
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Zika was about to start with her phrose, but Janira went ahead of her.
Alright don't panick... What spells do I know that can work here? Silent Image? They are already too close. Grease? They don't have legs they won't trip, I think... I don't have a single spell that will help. Well then...
Zika puts an arrow on her shortbow and aims towards the swarm of snakes [white], they are currently at the feet of Morden's and the rhinocerous feet. What was the word? Paw? No... Pigs don't have a... Nevermind that now! It would normally be a shot almost garanteed to hurt his fellow iniciate or his future mount if not careful, but if Zika al-Zahra is something besides an above average archer is reckless.
An arrow is not going to do a lot, but it's my only option right now... What attacks were the swarms of little creppers effective against again?
I think they are asociated with healing so they probably regenerate? Not that it matters right now, this is the only thing I can do.
Zika lets the arrow fly towards the swarm of reptiles, not aiming at a single one of them and hoping to just stab a few by sheer number of targets.
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With no time to draw his longaxe before the first snakes reach him, Morden reflexively lashes out with the only weapon at hand-- his own hard head, covered in steel.
"Bludgeoning weapons?" Morden pats his knife sheath, then shrugs. "Guess it's this." He brings his helmeted head down on the snakes a second time.
The rhine rears and tried to shake off the snakes, leading with its deadly horn but having no more effective weapons.
Zika trawls her memory but isn't able to recall any additional information pertaining to snake swarms. As she takes her shot Janira shouts out some words of encouragement ...
...and the arrow finds it's target, or more specifically multiple targets as it skewers a number of the wriggling reptiles.
Bart's club also strikes true, its bludgeoning nature proving it's effectiveness in pulverising more of the writhing mass .
Morden's fist strike goes wide but his second is more accurate as he crushes further snakes between his head and some rocks on the forest floor. His rhino companion has less luck, however both of them avoid being nauseated by the tiny snakes.
Janira follows Zika's example and also takes a shot at the swarm with her crossbow...
...which strikes more slithering creatures.
Following the party's assault the remaining snakes disperse, disappearing off into the surrounding undergrowth.
"Nicely done everyone, great teamwork!" smiles Janira. "It looks like Morden and his rhino took a few bites, I can use some of my healing magic if you want?"
-- End of Combat --
Janira
Zhaxia
Swarm (white)
Zika
Morden -4
Rhino -4
Bart
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Zika nods at Bartok as she aproaches Morden.
"Are you alright? That was... Amazing. I didn't know someone could bend themselves like that, and wearing scale mail no less." She hands the dwarf a handkerchief to clean himself the crushed snakes remains from his forehead. "Here. You have snake innards on you."
Before the party get going again Janira makes use her bardic magic to heal the wounds to Morden and his rhino
"Everyone did really great there." she says "But we'd better crack on, otherwise we won't reach the caves before dusk and I fear if we don't get to the caves tonight any gillmen who are there will have left before we arrive."
As the Pathfinders continue to travel further into the wilderness of the forest, they find the going starts becoming significantly more difficult. Trails are blocked by fallen objects and shortcuts are overgrown, all of which cost time to deal with.
Making good use of his survival skills Bart successfully navigates the party through the uncharted terrain. The dense forest eventually opens to a wide clearing at the base of a sheer cliff. Thick vines cover the surface of the cliff stretching 30 feet overhead. “Here! The cave entrance is behind those vines,” Janira says with a broad smile as she walks to the cliff’s face. She pulls back several layers of vegetation to reveal a narrow crack in the cliff’s surface. “This is where I saw the gillmen enter.”
As she motions toward the aperture, the surrounding woods come alive with the sound of small animals fleeing some unseen danger and a large creature crashing through the undergrowth. The halfling worriedly remarks, “Quick, take cover before whatever it is spots us!” As if she’d summoned the creature with her words, a massive horned monstrosity emerges from the trees. Standing eight feet tall on a pair of cloven hooves and wielding a tremendous axe, the bull-headed creature roars with unbridled anger when it spots the group .
Wisely assessing that a minotaur is beyond her charges’ capabilities, Janira screams, “A minotaur! There’s little chance we can stand against it. Take this bag,” she continues, pulling off her backpack, “and head deeper into the caves. Finish your mission. I’ll lead it away from the caves, lose it in the forest, and join you as soon as I can. Now go! GO!” She heaves her backpack into the cave, casts a spell, and darts off toward the minotaur before turning to lure it away.
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Zika hesitates, with her bow already drawn. She takes an arrow and points it to the creature, but unlike with the snakes her hands are trembling. The sheer size of the creature is intimidating enought, however it's not her monstrous fetures that make her hesitate, the humans parts are the ones that seem to make it impossible for her to let go of the arrow.
"Dammit..."
Zika follows Zhaxia inside the cave, her hearth beating heavily from the sight of the monster and feeling heavy due to her cowardice.
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"We'll have to trust that she knows what she's doing. She's definitely more experienced than we are." The uncertainty in Zhaxia's voice doesn't match her confident words. She pulls herself together visibly, straightening up and looking more serious. "Right now, though, we need light. I have torches and the means to light them--do any of you have anything better?"
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Zika puts her bow on her back, extends her hands and let's out a few arcane words in kelish.
40 feet ahead of the group a glowing orb of white light materializes, iluminating clearly a 20 feet radius and making mostly visible the next 20 feet after that. Then 5 feet ahead of that orb another one appears, and 5 feet ahead another one and finally 5 feet ahead a fourth one, illuminating a 20x35 radius area ahead of us and dimly iluminating for another 20 feet, barely leaving the group of pathfinder initiates clouded by the shadows.
"It doesn't last long, but if I keep casting it we can see ahead while remaining barely out of sight of most creatures than see in the dark..." The bard remains in the shadows, but she can't hide her barely restrained tears from Bart's and Morden's eyes adapted to darkness. "Also... Sorry. I couldn't shoot him... I'm afraid we forced you two to make a choice. I know that you were looking forward to face a minotaur, Bartok."
As the party head into the cave, they hear Janira directing a number of taunts at the minotaur in some unknown language. Looking behind them they see the halfling disappearing into surrounding forest pursued by the terrible beast who bellows as it struggles its way through the dense undergrowth. Soon the cacophony of the chase fades and the sound of the forest slowly returns to normal.
Turning their attention to the cave that they have just entered (and once Zika's spell has brought some illumination to the situation), the Pathfinders find they are in a narrow tunnel that heads further into the rock. Retrieving Janira's backpack and heading down the tunnel the party discover that it twists and turns for several hundred feet before slowly opening into a wider passage. The caves they find themselves in are damp, with water dripping from a number of small stalactites and the distant sound of rushing underground streams providing an eerie backdrop to the party's exploration.
Looking along the passage the Pathfinders also spot a couple of petroglyphs carved into the walls, one depicting a marine animal and another showing some sort of spiral shape. The walls of the passage are also the home for patches of blue-green luminescent fungi that provide the whole area with dim illumination. The rough surface of the petroglyphs provides a natural habitat for the glowing fungi, causing the carvings to glow with slightly more intensity than the surrounding stone.
Shortly after the cave begins to open up into a wider passage the party's progress is curtailed by the discovery of a sudden drop off in the tunnel's floor. On closer inspection the drop appears to be one edge of a large hole which drops vertically for about 20 feet and is roughly 10 feet across, spanning the full width of the tunnel. At the bottom of this pit lies what would appear to be a small bundle of cloth.
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Morden draws his longaxe in preparation. Looking around, however, he sees his allies have taken Janira's advice and are retreating into the cave. I think we can take the big lug... but I ain't about to do it alone. "Mount! C'mon!" He nods to Bartok as they head underground.
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"This pit wasn't here on accident. Someone put it here."
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"I have some silk rope in my backpack to climb down and then up... Though I'm not sure if we could lift Mount with it..."
Zika looks at the pit, sheding some light into it to see it better.
"It's not that long we might be able to jump across with a running start, thought, can rhinos jump? Uh?" The bard looks at the bundle of cloth at the bottom of the pit. "I think there is something down there... I'll see if I can get it."
After saying a few more arcane words the bunddle of cloth let's out a fainth light for a second.