Adril Hestram, Venture-Captain's page

Shortly, in the Mezzanine Lounge.

Venture-Vaptain Adril Hestram, a great bear of a man, stands, and observes the assembled Pathfinders over his crossed arms. "Hm."

After Grog arrives with the rest of the party.

"Right." Hestram says, suddenly in motion once more, slapping his hands together "There’s trouble at the Blakros Museum... again,”

“The museum’s curator, Nigel Aldain, came to me this morning asking for help. Apparently, a wayward daughter of his illustrious patrons, the powerful Blakros family, has disappeared, along with a few of the museum’s watchmen who went looking for her. As some of you might know," Hestram says looking at Radaghast, "the Society has helped him in the past, and he wants us to find her, before he loses his job, or worse--the boss's daughter. Now Nigel’s an old friend, and a former Pathfinder, but this kind of missing person case isn’t really our bailiwick. Normally, I’d tell him to find the district guard, and leave the Society out of it--except I would use more colorful language."

“But then he made me an offer that was too good to pass up. Not only will he allow the Society access to the Blakros Museum’s extensive, and very private library, but apparently this same missing daughter just returned to Absalom with a pack full of ancient relics collected throughout Osirion, and Northern Garund. Nigel promised the Society first pick of any of those pieces that catch our fancy. I don’t need to tell you what those kinds of things might be worth, so it looks like you’re heading to the Blakros Museum tonight."

“The missing daughter is named Imrizade Blakros—half-Osirian herself, and a pretty successful adventurer, and fortune-hunter by all accounts. Whatever happened don't let your guard down. If it could take her out of the picture without a peep it's a danger to anyone. Imrizade just arrived in Absalom out of the blue a few days ago, after a couple of years’ worth of tomb-raiding in the Osirian deserts, and carrying an odd metal cylinder covered in hieroglyphs, like nothing Nigel has ever seen before. Nigel says she went straight to the basement of the museum to do some research in the family’s library, muttering something about ‘whispers in the dark’ and ‘old tapestries,’ or something. Had there been a Lack-Wit Faction within the Society at the time he was active he would have been in charge."

"Nigel didn’t hear from her for a couple of days, which apparently isn’t unusual when someone is deep into their research in the archives, but he got worried when strange noises started coming from the basement. He sent a watchman down there to investigate, and when he didn’t return, Nigel sent a few more. That was last night, and they haven’t come back up either."

“Go to the museum and find out what happened to Imrizade Blakros and those watchmen. I'll be in Skyreach going through the archives to see what she might have found. A lot of those old Garundi relics can lift whole cities into the clouds. Nigel would prefer everyone brought back alive, of course, especially the Blakros woman, but the Society is more interested in what she brought back with her. I’ve got a hunch it wasn’t just grave goods, and pretty jewelry. Whatever she found, the Society wants it, or at the very least some information about it.”

"I think there's some folks still inside"

"What's your name, Pathfinder?" He asks Grog.

"I need you to head up down to the library, and see if you can round up some experienced Society members."

He casts a glance up at the Great Hall's vaulted ceiling. "I'm gonna find out where all that noise is coming from. It sounds like someone is strangling a cougar in the mezzanine. Bring anyone you find to me up there."

The die that is cast: 1d6 ⇒ 3

Grog hurries past Vie on the way out of the lounge.

"Hold up there Pathfinder." says a tall, broad man coming the opposite way. It's Venture-Captain Adril Hestram. He's damp from having just come in from outside. He runs one big hand through his shock of hair, and ends up sprinkling the area with water.

He takes a moment to look Grog up and down before slapping him on both shoulders, and saying "You'll do. You see any other experienced Pathfinders around?"

"Are you still here?" Hestram says looking up from breakfast. "Go to the museum and find out what happened to Imrizade Blakros. Nigel would prefer her alive, of course, but the Society is more interested in what she brought back with her. I’ve got a hunch it wasn’t just grave goods and pretty jewelry. Whatever she found, the Society wants it, or at the very least some information about it."

"Urban tomb raiding? Honestly, I'll try to hold back my excitement." Monterey says this back to Adril with complete seriousness. "What's the mission?"

He then begins munching on his breakfast as others chat or inquire.

"Nah, uh, uh, uh." Hestram waves Monterey away from his food snatching a biscuit off of one of the trays, and dunking it into Theodic's tea. "No time for that. There's lives at stake--maybe." He takes a bite.

"Yes i was, Venture Captain Hestram, sir. It was my ape friend, Smiler who came with me. He comes along on most of my missions to help out."

"I'm not here to judge." Hestram says after another bite.

"Sorry, what exactly is urban tomb-raiding? I've heard you're quite the dungeon delving veteran so maybe this is a term I've just not encountered yet."

"In this town?" Hestram says after taking a swig of water. "It's generally a term used refer to Society members gaining free admission to the Blakros Museum in order to clean up whatever horrible mess they have unleashed. Today's no different."

"Nigel Aldain, the curator, came to me this morning asking for help. Apparently, one of the wayward Blakros daughters--Imrizade Blakros, I think--has disappeared, along with a few of the museum’s watchmen who went looking for her in the Museum basement. Now Nigel’s an old friend, and a former Pathfinder, but this kind of missing person case isn’t really our bailiwick. So I told him to go piss up a pole."

Hestram tips a plateful of scramble eggs into his mouth, guiding it there with his soggy biscuit.

“But then he made me an offer that was too good to pass up. Not only will he allow the Society access to the Blakros Museum’s extensive and very private library, but apparently Imrizade just returned to Absalom with a pack full of ancient relics collected throughout Osirion and northern Garund. *BUUUUURP!* And Nigel promised the Society first pick of any of those pieces that catch our fancy. I don’t need to tell any of you what those kinds of things might be worth, so off you go. Nigel will have the rest for you, I'm sure. A good man, but bloody daft. Tonight, when and if you get back, I'll throw a little party for the survivors at the Wounded Wisp. Bring your appetites. Heheheh."

He downs another plate.

"Dawnflower? No gud sir. I's of Irori's flock. Through his g-eye-dance alls possible. I is a lifecoach, yea see? I spend me time heppen society witch matters an I hep udders improve theys lifes." replies Durvak, giving the man a large, gap-toothed smile. Bits of egg still hang in his beard.

"Udders don't have lives of their own.... Though I seem to remember this one wench down to that dive, the Pig's Paunch, that Shaine is always going on about. The place smells like a midden in midsummer."

Red-rimmed eyes scrunch up in a squint. "Er...the manta?"

"The executioner's hood you daft fool! If you're gonna lie don't think you aren't going to be called on it one day. I'd call you harder on it, but I'm busy just now."

Hestram rubs his chin-shrub with a handful of fingers as thick as kielbasa, weighing something in his mind.

Monterey gives a hearty laugh joins into the what he thinks is jovial banter, "Were we supposed to be looking like Dawnflowers, or Daisies, sir?"

"Mayhaps you'll be bedded with daisies before the day is done." He says with all the deadly seriousness of a funeral director.

"You two," Hestram turns his attention to Theodic and Durvak. "Didn't I see that you finish your Confirmation with Janira Gavix recently? Helped with finding those caves of hers, what's their fool name--Gavix's Gorgeous Grotto?" He makes a face.

"And you, weren't you-" He says point at Volar, "on some sort of clandestine extraction mission to Razmiran, with a moose, or giraffe, or something? Yeah, possibilities...."

"What the Nine Hells! Maybe the Dawnflower is with us after all." He claps Theodic on the shoulder hard enough knock a weaker man to his knees.

Hestram sits sidesaddle on the arm of one of the big couches and crosses his own arms in a pose identical to the ten-times-scale velvet portrait of him just over his shoulder--right down to the stern, stare that could bore through adamantine.

"I'm looking for a crew to do a bit of urban tomb-raiding--if you know what I mean. I've seen most of you around--'cept the liar over there, and he seems like he can hold his own in a fight. So, you lot think you got what it takes?"

The venture-captain rounds on Banon. "Oh yeah? What's the weakest form of lurking ray?"

"You there!" Says a large, mountain of a man with spiky blondish hair and beard coming up the stairs. "Yes, you lot. What are you doing here so early, on a Sunday no less? You don't look the part of a field of Dawnflowers."

You recognize the man as Venture-Captain Adril Hestram.

Venture-Captain Adril Hestram Lore - Roll one Knowledge (local) check and open all the following that apply. You gain a +1 competence bonus for each of the following Pathfinder RPG articles you own: 00-01 Silent Tide, 00-04 Frozen Fingers of Midnight, Inner Sea Combat, Seekers of Secrets: A Guide to the Pathfinder Society. Remember you can attempt a DC 10 Knowledge check untrained, but you are limited to a max 10 result.