Please dot and delete
Please introduce yourselves. You are in the office of Venture Captain Hestia Themis in Cassomir, Taldor.
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A young girl, if human no more than twelve or thirteen years, sits in the corner seemingly avoiding interaction. Her long hair frames a youthful, round face that is constantly projecting a determined expression.
She only half pays attention to the chatter and introductions around her while she fidgets with her pistol, deconstructing it and check its parts for good polish and fluid mechanical action. She sometimes glares at its details as she navigates them with her scrap of cleaning rag.
As she brushes her hair back around her ears and you note the tell-tail pointed ears of an elf.
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A red-haired dwarf that carries a sharp axe enters the room. Although friendly, he seems as if would not hesitate to use that weapon very efficiently.
Well, well. Here we are. For a new mission. My name is Bagurm. I hve been told that we are needed for something... again. And that it would be ok to pick up one or two fights while working for the Society. I need some exercise!
Bagurm says the latter while he laughs loudly.
The door creaks open. A young half-elf woman is gently guided into the office by an otherworldly figure with similar features—though her presence feels… unearthly. The girl keeps her gaze low, refusing eye contact. Her hands clutch a worn badger plushie.
The otherworldly figure speaks softly, “Milady, it is time. These are the companions chosen for your next expedition.”
She pulls out a chair and waits patiently for the young lady to be seated before standing at her side like a silent sentinel.
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”Laurentina… that’s what the others call me. Daddy said that, if I want more toys, I have to help the Pathfinders hunt things. So I’ll hunt. I’ll give them everything I have.”
She looks into the distance as though listening to something only she can hear. Her fingers absentmindedly smooth the toy’s fur.
The outsider steps forward, addressing the others with elegance “I am the devoted attendant of Miss Rosenthal, summoned from the Astral Plane. Your kind calls my kind an eidolon—a term… sufficient, if incomplete..” She bows gracefully, but ever so slightly alien, ” To honor your customs of referring by name, you may refer to me as Specter. I am here to ensure my mistress’s will is fulfilled, without compromise.”
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This 6 feet tall man with a heavy wooden shield on his back and a buckler on his left arm rushes into this office. The shield has a hand drawn paint of sword crossed with wing on it.
Looking at the clock, he smiles "Right on time!" Obviously, his accent has a hybrid of Shoanti and Taldor. He glances around and nods toward his teammates and venture captain: "Ranger Dass Martin at your service!"
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Am I late? Oh I hope I'm not late? First day on a first assignment and I'm late? How NOT to make a good first impression.
This is from a rather shortish elf with reddish hair and a slight bluish tinge to her skin. She looks rather anxious and eager to please.
Neri Silvermist - pleased to meet you all ....um ... I'm a shaman.
So .. what's the mission. Did I miss the briefing?
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Ela is mostly keeping to herself, still fidgeting with her pistol as best she can. The ranger barging in finally breaks her focus.
Stashing her pistol and the cleaning rag, she stands and greets the rest, suddenly with a friendly jovial demeanor.
I think I'm supposed to join this mission too! I'm Ela!
She turns to Neri.
No! You haven't missed anything.
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A young human girl hurries into the room, a slightly disorganized alchemy toolkit strapped to her waist. "Sorry everyone, had a bit of trouble on the way. I just finished preparing today's alchemical ingredients," she says, glancing at the toolkit and fiddling with it to hide the mess.
"I'm Auray, an alchemist—specializing in bombs. Don't worry, I'm quite skilled at throwing them. No accidental explosions... unless it's a very special case," she adds when recalling a few past slip-ups.
"Hello there, my new companions! I'm excited to go on this mission with you." She looks up cheerfully, greeting everyone with a bright smile.
Venture-Captain Hestia Themis, a small, unassuming woman of Taldan heritage with dark hair and eyes, holds a large sheaf of papers in her small hands and clears her throat. Her booming voice, the antithesis of her stature, fills the main hall of the small Pathfinder Lodge in the Taldan city of Cassomir.
"One of our own has been kidnapped. Pathfinder Cestis was taken just days ago from a relics auction in the Imperial Naval Shipyards, and we believe his dissapearance to be related to the six dozen or so kidnappings of the last several months. Now that one of our own is missing, this has become a Society matter—something we’ll get to the bottom of."
Themis gestures to a teenage boy standing beside her, who nervously regards his surroundings and sweats profusely, his thick brown hair matted and wet against his head. "This is Nefti, the assistant to the biggest thorn in my side in Cassomir—an agent of the Aspis Consortium named Kafar. Kafar is also missing, taken from the same relics auction along with Pathfinder Cestis and a dozen other citizens of Cassomir. Nefti was at the auction, saw where a small group of the kidnapped victims were taken, and his handlers in Cassomir have give us access to him so that he might guide us to our missing Pathfinder. If you happen to find Kafar..."[/] Themis grinds her teeth. [b]"Let him go, per the agreement I’ve just made with his superiors. Your priority is Cestis, and I think Nefti can lead you to him. Any questions?"
(please fill out the form on the first slide in the maps link above, and add your map token to that page)
"Am I to understand the Pathfinder Society has entered a temporary non-aggression pact with the Aspis Consortium, in this instance? " Specter asks calmly, "Preserving Agent Kafar while permitting violence against their peers suggests paradoxical morality, —by human standards, at any rate."
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Auray's eyes widen. "Dozens of people kidnapped? Seems the security here is worse than I thought." She pauses to gather her thoughts, then continues:
"What does our colleague Cestis do? And what about that Aspis agent? Why were they at that auction? Who else was taken besides them?" Her questions come rapid-fire. "Any leads on the kidnappers? What kind of organization just snatches that many people in broad daylight?"
Then she turns to Nefti, "Where were they taken?"
"Both the Pathfinder Society and the Aspis Consortium dispatched agents to this auction. It follows, then, that the event involved items of significant interest. Information about the auction itself—and whatever object Agent Cestis was assigned to retrieve—would be useful. Was the auction halted in response to the kidnappings, or did it conclude regardless, with the items auctioned off" the eidolon adds more after a few moment of contemplation.
"The auction was for relics, and that is all you need to know. Many people saw the kidnapping of both Cestis and Kafar, including other Pathfinders who have since left, but Nefti saw where they were taken. This is why we have made a deal with the Aspis Consortium for his knowledge. Nefti will show you, rather than tell you, where to go."
They started a few months ago. Cassomir has always had some trouble with its citizens going missing, but this was different. Only those associated with the Imperial Naval Shipyards were taken—shipwrights, carpenters, navy guards, and so on. This recent kidnapping, where they took Cestis, was brash and bold. They grabbed more than a dozen people in one attack, neglecting to grab Nefti. Their mistake is our fortune.”
"In terms of who is doing the kidnapping, there are... rumors of twisted men from the Darklands who climb up through Cassomir’s Locker, the sewers, catacombs, and older ruins below the city. Alas, they are only rumors. We don’t know who’s doing it."
Sounds like it's sort of kidnapping to order Neri muses. But ... no ... no further questions Venture Captain sir ... erm .. ma'am
She looks around to the others while looking embarrassed. Is there a non-gender equivalent for Sir and Ma'am?
"Try Boss."
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Auray shrugs, "If you won't tell us where they were taken, at least tell us how long it'll take to get there. If it's too far, we might need to prepare some supplies."
Then she turns to the Venture Captain: "Do you happen to have a picture of Cestis? It would help us recognize him." She pauses in thought before adding, "Could you please tell us about the Imperial Naval Shipyards? And what connection our colleague has with it?"
"You mentioned others witnessed the abduction—so Nefti is not the sole observer. Interviewing them may yield a clearer account of the incident. We would also like to examine the location where the auction occurred; a firsthand survey of the scene may prove illuminating." Specter says while gently patting Laurentina's head.
The venture captain looks at all of you sternly. "I believe some of you have lost sight of your mission. Your priority is to retrieve Cestis, not to investigate the kidnappings. You are to go directly to where he was last seen, as Nefti will show you. Is that clear now?"
"An organization bold enough to abduct both a Pathfinder and an Aspis agent likely won’t smile politely as we stroll in and retrieve our missing colleague. Investigation is preparation. But yes, by all means—let’s charge in blind and hope the kidnappers are feeling charitable today." She tilts her head slightly. "I was under the impression the Pathfinder Society preferred to act with forethought. Seems like hurling agents at the unknown until the problem stops moving is the new operational doctrine."
"But I apologize. I'm certain no one in the Pathfinder Society would ever question such impeccable judgment. Certainly not enough to break away, form a dissenting faction, and demand accountability from leadership. That would be... unthinkable."
Perched precariously overhanging the dirty harbor water stands the Inn of the Unlucky Sailor. A fresh coat of white paint glistens on half the inn’s outside walls, and most of the windows are boarded up. The roof leans slightly toward the harbor, as if at any moment the entire thing could come off and slide into the ocean. The dock leading up to the inn is made of rotting wood connected to thick, rank-smelling pilings. Several small rowboats are currently tied up along its length.
Nefti quietly tells you that the last the kidnap victims were seen, they were being taken into this Inn.
The front door is boarded up, and you know you will have to yank it off if you enter that way. You expect that to be noisy enough to let anyone inside know you are coming.
Similarly, the boards to the back entrance are in poor enough condition that sneaking in that way would be quite difficult.
You get the impression there is someone (or several someones) inside, but can't tell anymore right now.