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A Tian human walks in with a long, dark blue coat and a hat that seemingly merges with his hair. He already looks angry, but following behind him is a phantom with the appearance of an even angrier human. The sigils on their bodies make it obvious. The human is a summoner, and the phantom is his eidolon.
"Name's Qtaro Kujo," says the human, but it's more of a whisper, as though he's trying to achieve the bare minimum for friendly communication. "My eidolon here is Q Platinum."
"Ora?" asks the eidolon.
"No, not these ones. You'll get your chance to vent soon enough."
"Orrraaaaa..."
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A small green tripkee confidently hops into the room. He sports stylish blue-grey breeches, a crisp ivory shirt adorned with ruffles, a flashy crimson cape, and a jaunty feathered hat that almost brings his height up to two feet.
“Greetings and salutations!” he croaks with a heavy froggish accent. “Prince Ribbit, at your service,” he doffs his hat with a graceful flourish as he bows ever so slightly, “but you may call me Your Highness.” Replacing his hat, he peers more closely at the room’s occupants. “What derring-do do we dare do today?”
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"Hello, um, your highness. That's weird, right?"
Aside from the speech, there's something about the way the dog carries himself that sets him apart from a normal animal. The look of his eyes is particularly striking.
Of course, the first clues are probably the armor, and the greatsword strapped to his back.
Also perched on his back is a small cat. The cat is also clearly atypical, a paw holding open a large leather book as the other adjusts her spectacles. "A bit, yes."
"I'm Artemios," the dog says. He doesn't refer to himself as "the Radiant," but it is somehow obvious that it is part of his name all the same. "I'm a warrior. And this is Nadia, my Chronicler. Oh! This is the Pathfinder group, right? I'm a Pathfinder!"
“Good day, Pathfinders. You’ve been called in to assist us with a diplomatic situation.” Venture-Captain Armeline Jirneau smiles warmly. “One which will very much help the Pathfinders in the long run. Please follow me; I want to introduce you to our very interesting guest.”
After leading the way to one of the Woodsedge Lodge’s dormitories, the venture-captain knocks on a door. Something inside the room hits the floor with a crash, followed by a curse in Draconic. The sound of panicked cleaning follows, ending with a youthful voice calling out, “Come in; it’s open.”
Venture-Captain Jirneau opens the door, revealing a gawky teenage aiuvarin standing in the center of the room. They’re wearing clothes that don’t quite fit and appear to be uncomfortable with all the eyes on them. The room, clearly meant to house multiple Pathfinders, has
had all the beds moved out.
Instead, a mound of blankets and pillows stand piled in the center, visible just over the teen’s shoulder.
“Hello, Quill. These are the Pathfinders I was telling you about.
They’re here to help finalize our alliance.” She gestures to the teen as she turns back out to address the group.
“This is Quill, a refugee from the Wildwood. They’re new to the area and need assistance relocating. I’ll let them explain what they’re looking for and their reasoning behind it. Quill?”
The aiuvarin shuffles their feet uncomfortably, then looks out the window and sighs.“Um, hello. Like she said, I’m Quill. While I might look young, I’m actually something more.”
With a shiver, Quill begins to change. Their clothes merge into their body, wings and a tail grow from their back, and their tangled hair becomes a mass of horns. A young horned dragon now lays in the middle of the room.
“I’m Quillixan of the Grand Crown. Some time ago, I was run out of the Wildwood by Ruzadoya Swiftmane and her terrifying Reborn. I believe the Wildwood Lodge is still hunting me.”
The dragon sounds nervous “I was in my grove in the middle of the Wildwood when her forces began to take over. They corrupted creatures in my lands. Being outnumbered, I had little choice but to retreat. Disguised as a young aiuvarin, I’ve been trying to locate allies, which led me to the Pathfinders. Your venture-captain and I have come to an arrangement that the Pathfinders would help me find new lodgings in the area, and I will share information on the Wildwood conflict, as well as help defend the Woodsedge Lodge.”
Venture-Captain Jirneau nods. “Thank you, Quill. I have a map with 3 locations that align with Quill’s preferences for a place to live.”
She hands over the map. “This will be a good task to test your skills and help you learn more about the region. Do you have any questions before you get started?”
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The tripkee looks at the dog—and the cat riding him—with intense interest. “Splendid to meet you, Artemios and Nadia.” He offers a small webbed hand for a handshake. “I say, were you also polymorphed by a witch? Jolly bad luck to all be in the same boat. If I ever find that witch I’ll make sure she turns you back too.”
“Great dragons!” Ribbit exclaims, bounding back and reflexively reaching for his rapier when the horned dragon reveals its true form. After calming down a bit and listening to what they say, he pipes up “Who is this Ruzadoya Swiftmane? And her Reborn?” He circles the tip of his rapier up in the air, as if to rally the troops. “Shouldn’t we gather our forces and confront the evil-doers with a direct frontal assault? Why hide when we can venture forth in a blaze of glory?”
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Good grief, Qtaro thinks to himself. I thought these missions were supposed to give this angry spirit a chance to blow off some steam. How's playing realtor going to accomplish that?
Ora ora, retorts Q Platinum telepathically. Qtaro realizes he's thinking aloud.
Hmm, good point, concedes Qtaro. "You said this mission would test our skills. In what way?"
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A half-elf enters the scene , leather armor creaking softly as she moves with calm confidence. A composite longbow rests easily in her hands, and an elegant elven curve blade hangs at her side.
“I’m Katniss Everdream,” she says to everyone.“I prefer to end things from afar, but I won’t complain if you insist on getting closer.”
A small mole pops up near her boots and chitters proudly. “And this is Peeta. He’s braver than he looks.”
Quirky, sharp-tongued, and a little rebellious, Katniss doesn’t like being told what to do. But when battle starts, she watches over her allies, offering support, creating openings, and striking at the perfect moment.
Katniss listens and watches quietly as Quill introduces himself. When Quill turns into a dragon, her instinct made her hold onto her bow for a moment.
“Alright, that explains a lot", she thinks to herself.
She listens to Quill’s story, her expression turning serious. “Running doesn’t mean you’re weak. It means you survived.”
She laughs at prince ribbit's joke. Polymorphed by a witch, no but you probably were. Honestly though, there are other Tripkees out there you can befriend or even mingle with.
She looks at Qtaro. Well, it tests skills by working together. Not even I know exactly how and when you'll be tested.
Yes I survived by running Katniss, but that means I now have to hunt them down before they do further harm.
Question: What can you tell us about the three locations you picked out?
Answer: Jirneau nods. “Based on the information
given to us by Quill, these 3 locations fit their requirements for a place to live. One is a cave by a river which has room on the inside that can be expanded. We haven’t been there in a
bit, so local wildlife might have taken it over. The next is a grove that looks like it had an old homestead once. It’s isolated with lots of tree cover, so Quill should be left alone there. The last one on the list is a natural rock formation with a cavern toward the back. That one’s a bit more off the path and will take longer to reach. At this point, to our knowledge, they’re all abandoned.
Question: ”What are you looking for in a home?
Answer: A melancholy look comes over Quill’s face as they remember their old lair. “I would somewhere with a dry space to keep books and water nearby to keep my scales clean and also fish.” They pause to think. “Somewheredark so I can sleep and somewhere with space so I can grow.” They smile wistfully. “My old home was near a river under the roots of a large tree where I burrowed and made a network of tunnels and nooks. If you can find me
something similar, I’d greatly appreciate it.”
Question: Are there any dangers we should know about?
Answer: “If you run into anything it’s most likely an animal defending its territory,” says Jirneau. “We monitor these woods and
have allies in them so please try to be diplomatic before drawing steel.”Quill clears their throat, leading Jirneau to roll her eyes, “I should inform you that there have been rumors of a dark figure causing mischief and playing pranks in the woods, so be aware it might be connected to Ruzadoya Swiftmane or a more malevolent refugee from
the Wildwood.”
Question: Who or what is this dark figure?
Answer:The venture-captain’s skepticism is palpable.
“It’s an unconfirmed rumor. Some of the locals claim to have seen a tall, looming creature in an old Gray Gardner uniform shambling through the forest near the river. There was a report of glowing eyes when the figure was seen at night. As I said, nothing has been confirmed. If you do find something, remember we’re trying to gain allies, so only start a fight if you need to.”
QuestionWhat kind of pranks have
been happening?
Answer“Nothing truly malicious. In fact, they’ve
all been a little silly. A hunter fell asleep under a tree and woke up with a moss mustache. One of our agents on patrol took a nap, and when he woke up his boots were tied together.
A villager was picking berries when they were hit in the face with a pie. In all cases, no one was seen leaving the area.”
Nature or Dragon Lore (Recall Knowledge)
Society or Galt Lore (Recall Knowledge)
Nature or Forest Lore (Recall Knowledge)
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“Sounds like someone’s misguided jolly good fun,” Ribbit comments on the pranks in his croaking voice. “But it sounds like the cave by the river is the best fit for Quillixan’s wants and needs,” he says, returning to the task at hand. “A bit rustic for my tastes, but to each their own.” he remarks as his tongue darts out to nab a juicy fly.
1st Check involving Nature or Dragon lore: Horned dragons are known for living in caves, near swamps, under trees, and in forests. Their hoards are usually filled with books, scrolls, and antiquities they collect from around the world.
2nd check involving Society or Galt Lore: The Gray Gardeners are heroes of Galt, known for defending the land against demons and undead. They still help those in need today.
3rd Check involving Nature or Forest Lore: Galtans leave the smallportion of the Verduran Forest within Galt’s borders alone due to internal conflicts. Galt relies on other forests for its lumber needs.