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1) I am based in Southeast Asia (UTC +8) so my posting hours may be unusual (especially for those in North America). I usually update at least one or twice per day. Just to keep the game moving, please post at least once every day and at least once during the weekend.
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Tuesday/Thursdays - all day, as they are the 2 busiest days of my work week
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8) Let's have some fun and tell a great story together! After all, that's what we are here for.
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You have been summoned to the Grand Lodge by Marcus Farabellus. Marcus Farabellus greets you in a briefing room in the basement of the Grand Lodge of the Pathfinder Society in Absalom. While sparse, like most construction in the Society’s headquarters, the chamber holds an air of both antiquity and strength. Once Marcus notes that everyone has arrived, he bids the assembled group to sit and begins the briefing.
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A woman with the upper torso of a woman and the serpentine lower half of a snake reveal her to be a sacred nagaji. Her speech is an archaic form of taldane.
"Greetingsss friendsss. 'Tis I, Salissssssa Greenssscale, Misssssstressssss of Wood and Wave. I hail from the junglesss of Nagajor. I am most pleasssed to make thine acquaintanccce."
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Ramona is a short, stocky woman, who looks like a dwarf, but, insists she isn't. She has a puppet, that she calls Banjo, who she claims is her deity. She is always sharing the 'good news' about Banjo.
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Lohco is a goblin, he's wearing a well-fitted trehcncoat and a stetson with a very wide brim. His pockets are bulging, and he appears to be doing card trick.
Not extremely good card tricks, to your adventure eyes, but probably enough to fool a layperson.
"My name is Lohco, I am pleased to meet you all as well. I specialize in...oddities."
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Into the lodge darts a lithe, young elven woman with a fur-lined cloak, heavier than one expects in these parts. She has a pack over one shoulder and a longbow over the other and they both drop down in a fluid motion as she discards the thick coat, as if squarely completing the transition from a much colder place. Underneath is nondescript hide and breeches of earthy tones. Her complexion is overly pale, even for an elf. Most interestingly, an intricate pattern of tattoos can now be seen reaching from her forearms to just where her hands meet her wrists. Sleeves hide where they begin. Her blond hair is always tied back and out of her way.
She picks the longbow back up before introducing herself.
"Greetings all! I'm Endra, a scout from the North."
She looks around at the group and repeats the names for her own benefit.
"Salissa. I'm betting you would not like the weather where I come from!"
"Betel: How large was the class that you were at the top of? That's quite impressive."
"Ramona. How... does a puppet answer prayers and bestow blessing?"
"Lohco. As long as they are helpful oddities, they sound nice!"
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Betel blushes a bit ... Um ... about thirty students ... but then I've always been a studious nerd,. Spent most of my off-time reading. Girly Swot was my nickname as well as Fishy
Betel is also curious about the Cult of Banjo.
What sort of oddities? she asks Lohco.
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"We have a mission that requires discretion, and I know that you can handle it," he states with a confident nod. "You will be exploring a nearly inaccessible vault believed to have been forgotten for centuries, escorting an archivist named Nephaira Savakress to explore, document, and retrieve anything of interest, historical or otherwise."
Marcus pauses, looks around the room, and then lowers his tone conspiratorially. "Evaluate Nephaira, as she has promised to both join the Society and forfeit her rights to vault’s contents, so long as she can study them personally. The Decemvirate has deemed this is a priority mission. Your teleportation to the site is already arranged. We’re also loaning you some magical sacks to store the contents of the vault.
"[b]You have a couple of hours to gather what you need, so stock up at the shops. Return here and we will have a teleportation specialist waiting for you. Get in, get out, and get back here safe. You’re some of our best, so I have complete faith in you. See to it that I’m not wrong."
Marcus hands out a sheet with more info on it. "Ambrus told us to create these "EFF AY QUEUE" documents, whatever they are, during our briefings. Said it makes it easier to answer the questions asked most frequently" he shrugs.
-- FAQ --
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As you prepare to leave, Marcus stops you with an afterthought.
"Oh, and one last thing. Nephaira has demanded utmost secrecy. Apparently, she’s afraid secret remnants of House Rogarvia want to bury her research. When you meet her, she’ll ask ‘How have things been since the wedding?’ and expects you to reply, ‘It’s been rough since the plow broke.’ She must think herself a spy or something," he chuckles. "Regardless, make sure to remember it."
Marcus then gives you two hours to head into town and get the supplies you need.
Choral the Conqueror took control of Brevoy over two hundred years ago, founding its ruling house of Rogarvia. He vanished 10 years after conquering and unifying the land, and no scholars can point to why or to where he disappeared.
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Endra thinks on the bits of history relayed to the team and recalls a bit more herself.
"Choral the Conqueror took control of Brevoy over two hundred years ago, founding the house of Rogarvia, its ruling house. He vanished 10 years after conquering and unifying the land, and nobody knows why or to where he disappeared. Doesn't seem like the best choice for maintaining the stability you just built."
She frowns at the implications of her recollection.
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The mage responsible for transporting you is ushered in. Aroviel, a witch of no small talent, works out of the Grand Lodge thanks to being one of the most capable individuals in the art of teleportation. She wastes no time in sending you where Marcus told her they need to go. As Aroviel prepares to send you off, Marcus describes Nephaira and reminds you of the passphrase.
The pale, overworked witch sets about her work immediately. She's clearly lacking sleep, but before anyone can voice concerns, a blinding flash and the smell of sea air fills the chamber. The basement of the Grand Lodge has been replaced with a spacious fishing hut. The disorienting feel of teleportation lingers briefly. A no-nonsense aiuvarin scholar with dark hair and a very serious face stands near the hut's entrance.
"Right on time," she states, stepping forward primly. "I had hoped you'd arrive early. Still. Better than late. How have things been since the wedding?"
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Relief crosses the woman’s face. "Well met. I’m Nephaira, a scholar and, previously, librarian, though I’ve left that life behind to search for the truth here. It’s a pleasure to meet you." Nephaira pauses and inclines her head slightly to allow introductions.
Nephaira continues, "I am glad that the Pathfinders are willing to take my deal. Normally, I would spend time learning more about your backgrounds and abilities, but time is of the essence. The weather on the lake can turn on a silver, and the wind drives the water to hide the vault’s entrance. I’ve arranged for a boat to take us out there. I was told you’d come prepared, so let’s be on about it."
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"Greetingsss, Nephaira. I am Sssalissssssa Greenssscale. Ssso thee wisssh to trade the halcyon of resssearch f'r field worketh, doth thee? If thou be'est not careful thou wilt find thyssself in the Pathfinder Sssociety anon." Salissa grins. "We know naught of thine vault. Prithee couldssst tell usss about 't?"
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"The library is in an isolated island in the middle of a lake. If locals know about it, it's probably from legends passed down from generations. You'll see once we get there."
"It would be easier for me to take you there than to describe it to you."
You notice that she looks worried.
Nephaira brings you to a rickety but seaworthy rowboat just large enough for all of you. She’s willing to help row but plainly lacks the strength to do so for long.
Nephaira is happy to talk while traveling to the cliff. She knows an immense deal about Brevic history, and no small bit about the rest of the Broken Lands. She has some minor capacity in magic, enough to use arcane scrolls, and some knowledge of magical theory, but it clearly isn’t her focus. She is an expert, if not the foremost authority on Choral the Conqueror.
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You all observe Nephaira and her reactions and determine that she's up to snuff.
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Nephaira looks to Endra. "I have a reason to be. I have seen the same shadows I noticed before my contact—a fisher who provided me a lead on the nature of House Rogarvia—disappeared."
Turning to to Ramona, she says "Choral the Conqueror was known for his ability to command cinder dragons and used them to aid in his conquest of Brevoy. His draconic forces vanished when he did. Some say Choral was more than the human he appeared to be, but little evidence remains to verify such claims. Choral the Conqueror took control of Brevoy over two hundred years ago, founding its ruling house of Rogarvia. He vanished 10 years after conquering and unifying the land, and no scholars can point to why or to where he disappeared." She adds, "Rahasia Rinca is in a cavern hidden high up a cliff that is constantly pounded by the lake's water. Fair weather will reduce the difficulty of traversal, and we're at a rare time of calm winds right now."
Finally, she points you to a barren, lonely island jutting 50 feet out of the water. She points at an opening in the cliff face of the rocky island, 30 feet above the sea. "That’s it. Hopefully you have an easier time getting up there than I did. Took me the better part of the day, and my boat was nearly dashed on the cliff when the winds decided to pick up again. The opening isn’t a cave, it’s a chasm, so you’ll have to climb back down again to get to the site."
Nephaira doesn’t get the boat closer than 30 feet from the cliff, as she worries about waves and winds wrecking the vessel and stranding everyone out here. You must swim the 30 feet to the cliff in calm waters . But you must climb the 30-foot cliff