The Pathfinders have been dispatched to Greengold, the cosmopolitan port town that serves as the gateway to Kyonin.
But before we get to that, why don't you introduce yourselves?
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"Greetings! I am Xan Ti, a scholar of the stars. And the stars have led me here today."
Standing before you, an aiuvarin human wearing a white and neat kimono style light robes, and under it a breastplate clearly visible. A sheath katana is his weapon of choice, though if you ask him, he will tell you that he is not a fighting man. His features are clearly of Tian Xia origin. Xan Ti keeps a secret from the Pathfinders, his true purpose of exploration, the hunt for 11 more like him.
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You hear a loud thud and then a shout before you turn to see a bronze-scaled kobold kicking a crate and then body checking a shipping barrel. He runs up to Skilgim and Xan Ti, a flail swinging dangerously. "Aaaaahhhhh!" He skids to a stop in front of them.
"Is this where we're supposed to be? I am Vermithor! Dragonkin!" He kicks a nearby wall in emphasis.
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A massive Minotaur with heavy armor and a huge great axe clops in behind Xan Ti.
They pull out a gnarly looking case and open it up, to reveal a fairly thick pair of spectacles.
In a paradoxical deep yet timid voice they introduce themselves and then ramble a bit. "Mr. Gruff here. I'm a monsterologist. Pathfinder Society seemed like a good way to learn more. I'm still a little nervous about my promotion to field agent, I mean I didn't even know how to properly wield a sword before I joined, but Mr. Farabellus put an axe in my hands and told me I was a natural."
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Hearing a loud thud and a shout, Huang Tong Dragonkin rushes around the corner to find a merchant lying stunned amidst the ruins of several packing crates. The shipping barrel lies off to the side, too heavy to tip.
"Not again!" he groans, taking off in a sprint. He sees the bronze-scaled kobold kick the wall and notices merchants shaking their fists at him.
"Vinny! When can you ever make a normal entrance?!" he says, dismayed.
Turning to the others, he bows, "Well met, I am Huang-Tong Dragonkin. Though you may call me HT for short. Before you ask, Vermithor and I are not related, though we are of similar clans."
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A kitsune of calm composure approaches, his steps unhurried, deliberate. Strapped across his back rests an ancient greataxe, its worn edge and scarred haft whispering of countless battles long past. His sharp eyes wander over the gathering as he murmurs something under his breath, perhaps a prayer, perhaps a warning, before releasing a long, measured sigh.
"I am Delta Variant. The spirits tell me that this company will be chaotic. I expect no less." his tone is flat yet steady.
The Pathfinders have been dispatched to Greengold, the cosmopolitan port town that serves as the gateway to Kyonin. Their directions take them over the bridges and away from the canals to an unassuming farm a short walk inland from the city proper.
A community garden surrounds the stone building that was once the Talhindir Pathfinder lodge. While the gardens and a nearby barn seem well kept, much of the somber main building remains covered in unkempt vines. Its windows remain boarded up despite the bustle of the Pathfinder agents in and out of the main doors.
Inside, the lodge is larger than it seems from without, descending into a spacious atrium lit by large skylights and mirrors. Cunning aqueducts
wind through the space to create garden plots, verdant pools, and peaceful waterfalls, but the years have taken their toll. Clogged outlets, overgrowth, and the fetid smell of mold and decay mar what was plainly once a well-cultivated ecosystem. Venture-Captain Viore Ciobanu waits at the very bottom of the spacious chamber, visibly distracted as he paces alongside the pool at the atrium’s base. As he spots new arrivals, he hands a pickax to a kobold agent and directs further questions to a harried-looking gnome venture-lieutenant.
“Ah yes—my final Buds of Talhindir!” he says lightly. “Sorry, plant humor—the old agents were referred to as the Leaves of Talhindir, but since you just got here, I thought it might be premature for you to be full Leaves just yet.” He gives a wry smile. “But please, don’t let my attempts at levity distract us from the mission today.
“As you may be aware, Talhindir has been closed for some time. While the residents thankfully adopted the gardens above, the lodge itself was sealed off by order of Queen Telandia. It was mercifully left alone in that time, but the years of neglect remain a mighty opponent for us to conquer.
“While we aren’t going to stay in this building, we want to fully catalog all assets to move to the new lodge. Just this morning, we took down the masonry that was put in to seal off some of the deeper levels—typically done when closing buildings here to stop the canal seepage from overhumidifying—but I only had enough time to finish clearing the rubble before I was needed here.
“Now, my first wave of assignees on this dispatch were mostly laborers, which makes you my ranking agents on this assignment. As this is technically an unexplored ruin, I’d be quite the Hestram to send any of the unhardened agents in, but this is no ancient crypt—it’s an old library and curation departments, so you shouldn’t have anything more threatening than very well-fed bookworms. Please finish searching those floors for me so we can send a dedicated cleaning and restoration crew in, though do feel free to bring a few bags down with you to make things easier on Sir Dacilane’s poor Adventuring Certificate students. And if you could make a big deal out of the ‘Explore, Report, Cooperate’ agenda, I think it might be good for the fresh sprouts to see this coming from more senior agents.” Viore gives a knowing look.
“Of course, you should be careful; it’s a Pathfinder lodge, which are naturally dangerous without our standard securities and precautions, and an abandoned building to boot. Hopefully you won’t find anything scarier than moisture damaged books—but as always, it remains best to be prepared.”
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With no one wanting some chalk the ratfolk listens to the briefing of the venture-captain.
Exploring a Pathfinder lodge... what for a strange mission. But the allies seem strong. Lao Shu Po would be proud of me making such allies. Good family to be with.
Then he tries to concludes: So we explore cooperating during this task and come back to you to report what we saw, right?
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HT resists the urge to groan in dismay. However, he appears relieved that this won't be as dangerous as he thought it would be. Still, he's happy Vermithor is around in case things get ugly...
"So nothing really deadly in here? Last mission they sent me on, we had to deal with the biggest tengu I've ever seen!"
“Well, first you’ll have the curation department and the public areas. Then you’ll descend into the secure areas of the library, where the important books and artifacts were kept. There’s finally a large vault in the lowest floor, but we didn’t use it much, or really at all.
"As for hazards, I wouldn’t expect much—the magical protections on the lodge only degraded a little. There might be some seepage from the canals, so watch for cave-ins and natural hazards, like oozes, ichors, or vermin that congregate in dank places. Oh, and did I mention the geckos? Magnetic little bastards that can be hell on metal equipment. Groups of them have been sighted around the city of late.”
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You can see Vermithor's face go through a range of emotions from boredom to delight to worry. "Do you mean there may be powerful items and wonderous treasures down there? Yes! Vermithor needs more to start his dragon horde!" He pulls out one of his treasured items from his backpack, a slightly beat up trundle wheel used to measure distances. The dragon clicks it freely around the room in delight.
At the mention of magnetic geckos, the little dragon just stares in awe. "Those sound amazing! Do they eat the metal? How do you get them off?"
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Delta silently nods at the information given to them. He then sits in one corner, attuning himself with the spirits abiding in the place.
Current AC: 19
Current Condition(s): ---
Innate Cantrip (Rank 1) fr Kitsune Spell Familiarity: Forbidding Ward
Prepared Animist Cantrips (Rank 1): Needle Darts, Rousing Splash
Prepared Animist Spells (Rank 1): [] Animate Dead, [] Necromancer’s Generosity
Prepared Animist Spells (Rank 2): [] Final Sacrifice
Attuned Apparitions: Witness to Ancient Battles (primary), Crafter in the Vault (secondary)
Apparition Lores: Battlegrounds Lore, Heraldry Lore, Architecture Lore, Engineering Lore
Known Apparition Cantrips (Rank 1): Shield, Sigil
Known Apparition Spells (Rank 1) []: Sure Strike, Mending
Known Apparition Spells (rank 2) []: Enlarge, Knock
Focus Spell []: Embodiment of Battle
Background Feature: [] Host Spirit
Invested Items (1/10): Wayfinder
Worn Items: +1 Greataxe, Niyahaat, Cold Iron Chunk, Silver Chunk, Healer’s Toolkit, Backpack
Stowed Items (in Backpack): Bedroll, Chalk (10), Flint and Steel, Rope, Rations (2), Torch (5), Waterskin, Soap
Viore gives Vermithor a piercing, scrutinizing look. “It’s all Pathfinder property down there, so follow standard reporting and requisition protocol afterward. Of course, if you find a sword down there and need to take a few swings with it, just make sure to clean it off before turning it in for cataloging.”
Other than Vermithor, the Pathfinders all know about the Venture-Captain. Viore Ciobanu was the Venture-Captain of the Kyonin Pathfinders, known as the Leaves of Talhindir. His disappearance marked an end of elven scholarship in the Society, until his return over a decade later. He was instrumental in forging the new alliance with Queen Telandia.
Xan Ti also knows that rumors say that Venture-Captain Ciobanu was assumed killed in action after Queen Telandia ordered the assassination of all of Kyonin’sPathfinders. Rather than return to the Society, he lived in hiding on the edge of the Tanglebriar until the near corruption of his hometown of Folien by a demon-obsessed former noble led him to infiltrate the Queen’s palace to warn of the coming danger.
Skilgrim, Huang Tong, and Mr. Gruff all recall that Kyonin and the Pathfinder Society were on uneasy terms for many years, with elves blaming the Pathfinder Society for missing elven relics. The Society was recently summoned by Queen Telandia to assist in a matter of demonic corruption, which has restored diplomatic relations between Kyonin and the Pathfinders.
Xan Ti, Huang Tong, and Delta know The Talhindir lodge operated quasi-publicly for many years, toeing a fine line between Greengold’s culture of cultural exchange and elven isolationist politics. The lodge was shut down overnight over a decade ago, and none of its agents were seen again until Viore Ciobanu dramatically resurfaced a few years ago.
Vermithor also knows that one of the reasons the Pathfinder Society was able to operate in Kyonin for so long was that the cosmopolitan denizens of Greengold regarded the Talhindir Lodge as a place to exchange cultures and find new (and non-elven) ideas. Even while the lodge remained sealed by royal order, the gardens remained a community resource and discreet meeting spot.
"I called them 'little,' but magnetic geckos are quite large as far as geckos go. Nearly as large as a kobold, for example. And they're... magnetic. That really says it all, I think. Any other questions?"
Once the Pathfinder field agents are ready, Viore shows them to the newly-reopened entrance to the lower levels.
The stairs become a strategically narrow entranceway before suddenly opening into the spacious atrium. Bright marble shines under condensing moisture. The walls here are etched with carvings by their architects long ago. The area is dark, save for the Pathfinders' light sources. There are sconces lining the walls every 15 feet or so, but they've been covered with leather hoods.
The soaring room gives the feeling of a forest with pillars carved to resemble verdant trees, though two of the columns have crumbled. Statues of graceful and severe elven Pathfinders of historic importance fill the alcoves. A soft green moss grows on the steps and on the carved boughs surrounding the elevated stairs.
The Pathfinders' attention is immediately drawn by the large, aggressive lizards hissing at them. They each have a few small metal objects clinging to them.
Skilgim, Vermithor, Delta, and Huang Tong's turns.
Initiative:
Skilgim AC 19, 24/24 HP (Stealthy)
Vermitor AC 19, 38/38 HP
Delta AC 19/20, 35/35 HP
Huang Tong AC 17/18, 27/27 HP
Green Magnetic Gecko
Xan Ti AC 19, 26/26 HP
Purple Magnetic Gecko
Mr. Gruff AC 20, 32/32 HP
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The few invisible spirits that have been following Delta stirs up at the presence of hostility!
Delta hisses back at Purple Gecko to scare it after he carefully draws out his greataxe.
vs Purple Gecko’s Will DC
◆ Interact to draw weapon
◆ Demoralize
↺ Invigorating Fear
He then concentrates to summon a shimmering shield in front of him.
◆ Shield (+1c to AC)
HT's spell misses its mark.
Delta isn't able to rattle the creature.
Skilgim's shot is way off.
...and then Vermithor moves up and handily dispatches the aggressive animal.
Xan Ti's turn.
Initiative:
Skilgim AC 19, 24/24 HP (glass shield)
Vermitor AC 19, 38+4/38 HP (raging)
Delta AC 19/20, 35/35 HP (shield)
Huang Tong AC 17/18, 27/27 HP (shield)
Xan Ti AC 19, 26/26 HP
Purple Magnetic Gecko AC 13-18
Mr. Gruff AC 20, 32/32 HP
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Xan Ti hesitates, and realizing the danger is unlikely an immediate threat, doesn't reveal his true form yet. Drawing his sword, and focusing on his breathing, he strikes the dragon from afar drawing sigils in a swordlike striking motion. An electric arc cackles from out of his sword.
"3rd form! Thunder dragon lightning arc!"
The gecko mostly evades the spell, but it seems unbothered in any case.
For a moment, the gecko doesn't move. Its body emits a humming sound, and then it scurries up onto the fallen pillar. It lashes out at Vermithor with its tongue, though it doesn't connect.
All PCs' turns.
Initiative:
Skilgim AC 19, 24/24 HP (glass shield)
Vermitor AC 19, 38+4/38 HP (raging)
Delta AC 19/20, 35/35 HP (shield)
Huang Tong AC 17/18, 27/27 HP (shield)
Xan Ti AC 19, 26/26 HP
Purple Magnetic Gecko AC 13-18 (Repelling)
Mr. Gruff AC 20, 32/32 HP
Mr. Gruff finds that the gecko's magnetism is repelling the blade of his axe, pushing back and weakening his swings.
This is not enough to save it.
He also determines that its weak point is its mind... or possibly its lack of agility.
Now that they've handily dispatched the monsters, the pathfinders have a moment to look around. Passages lead away from the atrium in several directions.
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As soon as the battle ends, HT suddenly feels exhausted. He leans on Vermithor for a few seconds to catch his breath before looking around.
He looks around and scratches his head. "This is weird," he says, "Wasn't this place closed for a long time? The water damage from the fallen columns has been cleaned up—while the bulk of the columns remain as they fell, normally there would be much more debris, which would be spread out further throughout the room."
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Vermithor cheers as he sees Mr Gruff chop the gecko up. "Farabellus right. You a natural at this." He quickly catches Huong Tong as he sways. "I keep saying, you should eat more. Maybe hydrate too." As HT looks around the area, Vermithor pulls out a wrapped scone that he kept from yesterday and offers it to HT.
"So someone has been here? Maybe the geckos fixed it?"