The Society believes that a powerful relic lies in the depths of the Plane of Water, yet the most recent expedition to retrieve it failed for mysteriously tragic reasons. It's up to the PCs to travel to the aquatic metropolis of Vialesk to investigate that ill-fated mission and overcome the forces determined to keep the truth from coming to light.
The Pathfinder agent Zahra urgently summons the you to the Plane of Water to request your aid investigating a mishap that befell her expedition. She has arranged for transport to the Plane of Water, and has hired a giant turtle-drawn carriage to take the you to the city of Vialesk. A bubble of magically replenishing air encases the carriage, allowing you to survive the journey through the boundless sea.
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The little gnome looks around in wonder, pressing her face to the window of the carriage. ”Look out there! Look at the massive turtles! And look at all the fish swimming around! This mission is going to be amazing, I can just tell,”, she added as she was almost vibrating from excitement of her surroundings.
”Im Perrine,” she says, not taking her face away from the window.
The carriage continues on its journey, and soon a broad coral structure dozens of stories tall emerges from the boundless sea. A steady stream of submersibles dock and depart, while dockworkers unload goods and carry them to carefully protected glass tunnels. Water mephits swim and flit about, surveying the new arrivals. The turtle-drawn carriage swims up to one of the tunnels. As the carriage’s bubble of air meets the tunnel’s mouth, fresh air flows into the carriage, carrying with it the smell of fish. Within the glass passage, an elf with teal hair, webbed fingers, and gills stares out at the sea. As the turtles come to a stop, she raises her pale blue hands in an unfamiliar greeting. A golden wayfinder is secured tightly to her wrist, and a pair of long coral daggers is strapped to her back. “So, she actually did it,” the elf comments, tilting her head and giving a small smirk. “I had heard Zahra was threatening to summon agents to investigate what happened, but I thought it might merely be bluster to save face. Still, whatever cause has brought you here, you are welcome in our city. I am Lileone Blacktide, and I wish you luck, but I warn you that there is no culprit for you to find beyond Zahra herself."
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Perrine cocked her head at the strange greeting from the aquatic elf. That wasn’t how any mission briefing she’d ever received before had began. ”Hi Lileone! I’m Perrine and yep, you guessed it, we are here from the Pathfinder Society! Zahra said she’d had some problems in her mission and wanted us to investigate things. I don’t suppose you could tell us more could you?”
Sense motive
"I can take you to Zahra's residence, if you wish. If you're here to investigate, you will need to stat with her."
"A week ago, Zahra set out on an expedition towards a sea of jellyfish known as the Lambent Bloom. She believed she had made an incredible discovery: the remnants of one of the lost elemental lord Lysianassa’s servants, which might still hold a fragment of Lysianassa’s power. I was skeptical of her claims, but I joined her. If there was any chance she was correct, I thought it was worth investigating. I should have thought better of it. Not two days into our journey, Zahra steered our caravan too close to a patch of the Carmine Scourge, a poisonous red algae that drifts through the plane on the tides. They say it blooms in places where the elemental lord Kelizandri has passed, and it certainly shares his hunger. It sprung upon our caravan as if drawn by a magnet, sending everything into chaos and killing most of our precious whale sharks. Several members of our expedition are still violently ill, and I only survived myself because I was scouting when the incident occurred. Worse yet, though we managed to escape, the algae clung to us as we fled back to Vialesk. It broke off and settled among the coral reefs, and now the reefs have begun to die."
“Zahra has managed to convince herself some great conspiracy is to blame, rather than her poor navigation decisions and her inability to listen to anyone else. I have no doubt she truly believes she’s innocent; she has always been stubborn and arrogant, and it has always led her into trouble. The Society may have overlooked her errors in the past due to her superb mind and her talent for damage control, but this time, I will not allow them to slide. I warned her that the waters ahead didn’t seem right to me, but she couldn’t be troubled to listen. She has no excuse for the damage she has done and I will see to it that she is held accountable for her negligence. I look forward to your attempts to prove me wrong."
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”Well that seems awful all the way around. But, I am ready to get to investigating if the rest of the group is. But first, did your group make it to the Lambent Bloom? Is there anything else you can tell us about that red algae? What were you scouting? Were you alone or did you have a scouting partner? Has anyone been able to stop the spread of the algae on the coral reefs?”
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A well-appointed human man introduces himself to the rest of the assembled Pathfinders. He looks like a typical Taldan with all of his gear cleaned and polished.
"Greeings, I am Gaius Marius of Absalom and an accomplished agent of the Society."
He flashes a Wayfinder that has his name engraved on it and adds, "They don't give these special Wayfinders to just anybody you know."
He introduces himself to Lileone, "Greetings Lileone Blackwater. I am Gaius Marius and I hope to assist the denizens of Vialesk in determining what went wrong."
“Rather not die again. So I’ll take that. So what’s everyone’s trade and fighting style? Knowing this is a society mission, s&%@ goes bad very quickly.” Dare says and will buy two air crystals.
”Well that seems awful all the way around. But, I am ready to get to investigating if the rest of the group is. But first, did your group make it to the Lambent Bloom? Is there anything else you can tell us about that red algae? What were you scouting? Were you alone or did you have a scouting partner? Has anyone been able to stop the spread of the algae on the coral reefs?”
"We didn't make it to the Lambent Bloom, though we were close to the outskirts. I was scouting the outskirts of the Lambent Bloom, alone when the Carmine Scourge hit the caravan. For the Carmine Scourge, its toxic algae. You don't want to touch the stuff, but you would have to talk to a healer or someone for more details."
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Gaius will share what he knows with the group.
"The Lambent Bloom is a 'forest' of toxic Jellyfish, each immensely long and acting in a similar capacity to a tree in a terrestrial forest. They drift through the endless seas of the Plane of Water, some distance from Vialesk in a massive cluster."
"Carmine Scourge is a red, toxic Algae that drifts on the tides through the elemental Plane of Water. It is said that it blooms at locations Kelizandri, the evil deity ruling the plane of water, has passed."
Lileone leads the pathfinders through the busy streets of Vialesk while talking, before stopping outside a house. ”I’m still pretty sure that this was Zahra’s fault, but you all seem to be taking a diligent approach, and I hope you’re able to uncover exactly what happened.”
Lileone hands over 3 potions of water breathing to Perrine. ”A lot of Vialesk is filled with air, but a lot of it is under water too. These are potions of water breathing, and may help if you need to enter a submerged area in the course of your investigation. Now, I have to go, but please reach out and try to find me if you find anything of significance.”
Inside the house, the pathfinders are greeted by female undine. ”Greetings. I am Zahra, are you the pathfinder team I sent for?”
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Even though they were not given to him Gaius still thanks Lileone, "Thank you Lileone for your generous gift. We may indeed need your assistance in the future if your instincts about what happened to the mission prove accurate. Is there a particular location to look for you?"
Inside the building:
Gaius makes a slight bow to Zahra and says, "Yes we are. Gaius Marius, Inquisitor of Hathor, here to assist. Lileone provided us with some details of how the mission went awry; what do you recall of the situation?"
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Perrine takes the proffered items and stows one in her pack. She offered the other two potion to the rest of the group.
She brightens up when she was introduced to Zahra. ”So nice to meet you. I’m Perrine. Yes we are here from the Society. We’ve heard what Lileone had to say. Could you tell us what you remember?”
Diplomacy
Dare gives a wave. “Dare.So what killed them?”
It is obvious that the recent events have upset her greatly, as she has difficulty keeping her thoughts organized and keeping signs of anger off her face. "Lileone! That woman! She calls me the arrogant one! She has always challenged my authority over the smallest of details. No doubt she feels herself vindicated by this disaster. "
She sighs, then takes a deep breath. "No, but I must be more charitable. Lileone has a deep love for sharks, and she was enamored with our caravan beasts. Most of the creatures died from the poison, and she’s lashing out at me in grief."
"The expedition itself was to travel to the Lambent Bloom in search of an ancient artifact that my research has led me to believe may be present. We were traveling by caravan, with whale sharks providing most of the transport. As we neared the lambent bloom, I heard rhythmic clanging in the distance. Half an hour later, we encountered the algae bloom where none should be. I am confident this was a signal, though I have yet to ascertain who was signaling. As I have double checked my navigation and know I was not at fault, the noise must have been related to the disaster."
Zahra takes a note out and hands it to Perrine. "I firmly believe this was due to foul play, though I do not know how it could have been arranged. I have been trying to track down any survivors from the expedition that have left the city, and have been cataloguing those who remain. I have made a list of survivors that remained in Vialesk, with notes for possible investigations. I would start with these individuals, but be subtle; it is possible that whatever went wrong was caused by a sabateur among the previous adventurers."
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Gaius removes his notebook, ink, and an inkpen with which to take notes. He then says, "I have a few questions for you about the note and what you've told us. What ancient artifact were you looking for? Where and what sources were your research? Who else knew what you were looking for? You wrote the Murajau current-chasers "had an unhealthy interest in the shell settlement." Where is the shell settlement in relation to the Lambent Bloom and what is in the shell settlement that would be of interest? Concerning Razethka the Scarred, what are the possible reason you have heard as to why she is in exile? And you note she could 'find a motive with ease' to sabotage the mission; what do you mean? Were you able to inspect the submersibles after the expedition to check for the presence of iron? Also if you could provide us with a map of your route and approximately where you were when you heard the clanging. Did anyone else in the expedition hear it? If so what did they think could be the source and the reason?"
“I discovered several promising texts hinting of a fragment of Lysianassa’s power. You know Lysianassa? She is one of the lost elemental lords. It was said that she ruled this plane, until Kelizandri imprisoned her. I located several sources claiming that she gifted her breath to a servant, a giant nautilus called Riam the Unyielding, who was sent to govern the seas in her absence. But Riam was lost, blast it all, due to Kelizandri’s witless brine dragons—when they mortally wounded Riam, it dove into the Lambent Bloom and it could not be retrieved."
"I organized the expedition to pursue rumors of its giant shell, which was claimed to be a holy site until a few centuries back. I was unable to verify anything without traveling in person, as the shell proved resistant to divination and teleportation spells.”
"Regarding Razethka, I don't know why she is in exile. But Dragons live a long, long time and can have the patience for complex plots that can be difficult to discern. As for Yuka, I honestly can't think of a motive. But that doesn't mean there isn't one, and he had more opportunity than most."
Dare cocks his head. “You keep saying it wasn’t your fault. Have you ever heard of the phrase ‘ thou dost protest too much’? Do you have personal enemies or competitors that would want this to fail?”
"Interesting. Do you have any information if Razethka is one of the brine dragons involved with the attack on Riam the Unyielding?"
"No, that was a long, long time ago. Noone really knows a lot of details from that far back.
“You keep saying it wasn’t your fault. Have you ever heard of the phrase ‘ thou dost protest too much’? Do you have personal enemies or competitors that would want this to fail?”
"Who, me? Maybe, I can't think of anyone but I've been a pathfinder for some time. Sometimes we make enemies in this line of work."
"In any case, try to follow up on the leads and see if you can determine what happened. Its worse than just ruining the expedition, what's happened to the coral reef is terrible. I've been trying to organize some efforts to help save it, but need more resources." Zahra shakes her head sadly.
“Many of the expedition suppliers and survivors are associated with larger organizations, and such resources could be pooled together to save the reef. While you're investigating, see if you can get any assistnace, though I will warn you not to employ any expedition traitors in this task.”
Dare nods. ”Lets do the alchemist.” If we can expedite travel by buying horses or is there a faster travel means. Do they offer any?
The Pathfinders make their way though the city. The metropolis is full of people of many races going about their day to day work. Streams of water, with tubes leading to the under water sections of Vialesk are common, and many buildings made from giant shells or cut stone line the pathways. It becomes apparent that many of the streets are designed to head towards Arrekin’s Bazaar, a massive marketplace that acts as the commercial hub for the city. Yuka's workshop is in a residential neighborhood, however, and the Pathfinders are able to reach it after about an hour of walking.
Noone is at the front desk, but the door to the workshop is open and the Pathfinders are able to find a handsome, dark skinned man wearing an eel skin suit covered in pockets. He is tightening a bolt on a submersible, and turns to the group when you enter.
"Well hello there! Its nice to meet you. I'm Yuka, engineer, alchemist, submersible designer and general tinkerer. How can I assist you on this fine day?"
Yuka shakes his head sadly, then gestures towards the submersible. "Oh, that unfortunate business. Of course, of course, I have nothing to hide. A terrible shame that was, some sort of navigation error I heard? I was taking a nap on board one of the submersibles when the bloom hit, so I missed a lot of the commotion."
Yuka shows the group the submersibles, pointing out some of the features. "I don't suppose you would be interested in renting one, would you? Very handy for traveling outside Vialesk, if you breath air. Only 50 gold for the day."
"Oh yes, there's a hatch here on the top. It has a water lock to enable exits while submerged, but both doors can be opened to just climb out if you're surfaced."
Dare will try his engineering