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"Oh, how fascinating! To think that such a remote cave could have such history, and for two faiths! Better not wait too long to start writing your report; you'll want to record everything while it's fresh in your mind." Janira picks up GAB!'s drawing and chuckles. "Here's a good start!" she says with a grin. "Anyway, ready to head out?"
"Oh!" Janira deftly catches the wand, then holds it out with two fingers, trying to shake some of the residual goo off of it. "Uh...wonderful, thanks. Here, let me heal you up." She uses the wand to heal GAB! and Mukbud (and anyone else that's injured). Once she's satisfied you're all healed then she turns the wand on herself, leaving a damp patch of goo on her arm where the gooey wand touched it. "Well, out with it! How was the cave? Did you complete your mission?"
Seeing the creature fall, Janira puts her hands on her knees and takes a deep breath. Straightening, she says "Are any of you hurt? I'm so glad you showed up when you did! I was just about out of ideas." She looks around, seeming to recover her excited spirit. "So, what'd you find in the cave? Did you see any gillmen?"
Quasar takes a step back, visibly relieved the people who actually look like they can take a solid hit have interposed themselves, and leans over to Janira for a quick, "You OK? I'd thought you were just going to keep running back towards the city until this jerk gave up." "Wow am I glad to see you all. That beast is tenacious; I couldn't shake it."
"Foul beast, you have no business here! Flee, for you shall surely be destroyed!" Janira's words don't seem to hold the same power they did during the battle with the snakes, her fatigue evident. Still, she draws a tanglefoot bag and hurls it at the minotaur, covering it in rapidly-hardening tar before stepping back again.
“A minotaur! There’s little chance we can stand against it. Take this bag,” she continues, pulling off her backpack, “and head deeper into the caves. Finish your mission. I’ll lead it away from the caves, lose it in the forest, and join you as soon as I can. Now go! GO!” She heaves her backpack into the cave, casts a spell, and darts off toward the minotaur before turning to lure it away.
--- Janira takes a step away from the swarms path and shouts directions. "Spread out! And quit shouting at them, Niocholu, it won't work! Does everyone have a splash weapon? If not, use this!" She draws a flask of acid and holds it out for someone to take, then begins an inspiring recitation of Pathfinder lore. “Let us remember the sacrifice of the fabled Yasmin bint Faroud, favored of the Ten, who gave her life distracting Zythrustianax, draconic scourge of the Society, so dozens of junior agents could survive. Her act of benevolence is the epitome of cooperation within the Society.”
Janira pauses a moment and pulls out an intricate silver compass emblazoned with the Pathfinder Society logo: the Glyph of the Open Road. “I received this wayfinder when I successfully completed my Confirmation. Should we be successful on our journey, you will get your own as well.” She flips open the device and holds it in front of her; the initials J. G. are engraved into the inside of the device’s lid. After studying the compass inside for a moment, she remarks, “We’re on the right path. We need to keep heading northwest past those large rocks up ahead.”
"Indeed, and we're going to need every minute of daylight over the next two days to make it there in time." “Now, before we head out, if there aren’t any more questions, we should take a moment to go through your gear and make sure nothing important gets left out. Do you have food? Does someone have a way to make fire? How about a light source? Does anyone have a means of magical healing? How about alchemical items? A flask of alchemist’s fire or acid can be a life-saver in some cases.”
"In the caves? I didn't run into any inhabitants in my brief time in the caves. I'm more concerned with the trip to get there. Centaurs control the lowlands and surrounding wilderness of the Kortos Mounts. The areas farther up the Mounts are controlled by minotaurs, and the icy peaks are home to tribes of harpies. They’re always vying for territory, but with any luck, we should be able to avoid them and reach the caves without conflict.” “As with any journey, there’s always the chance we may run into bandits along the way, and there are dozens of kinds of predators in that forest. That’s why we should always be as prepared as possible.”
“You're wise to worry about proper equipment, but I think that's a discussion better saved until you know your mission. Speaking of which, on to the details of the mission at hand,” Janira says with an eager grin. “After reviewing my mission reports personally, Master Shaine believes it is no coincidence that each time they entered the caves it was during a full moon, so it is also no coincidence that you have been called here now, just a day before the moon is full again. We both believe that tomorrow night is our best chance to find out why these caves are important and what exactly the gillmen are doing in there. “The caves we’ll be travelling to lie under the base of the Kortos Mounts. We’ll need to spend every minute of daylight possible to reach the caves by foot, crossing over the Cairnlands, taking the paths to Diobel, and finally making our way through the wilderness. With any luck we won’t run into any of the local inhabitants. Once in the caves, we’ll need to work together to explore and determine whether any gillman are present or have been recently. Keep an eye out for any other clues that might hint at the caves’ significance, too.”
Janira pulls out a large leather-bound journal and opens it on the table. “Before we set out, we should all get to know each other and review our plan. After all, the most important factors that determine whether an expedition will be a success are cooperation and preparation! I’ll go first! ”I grew up with six siblings, in the Eastgate area of Absalom. When I came of age, I knew I wanted to see more of the world, so I joined the Pathfinder Society! That was about four years ago, now, and while I joined up to travel (and try all of the exotic foods I could find), I’ve really grown to love learning and the processes of preserving knowledge. I hope to one day have my work published in the Pathfinder Chronicles! ”Now it’s your turn. Please, tell me a little about yourselves!”
"Yes indeed, the caves are in the mountains. And no need to worry about the caves being flooded, Quasar, they are quite far from the shore and a good ways above sea level. Gillmen are an amphibious folk, so they can survive in the air, though most do live in the sea. In fact," she says, pausing to think, "the only known permanent surface settlement of the gillmen is in Escadar. Why they’re venturing into the foothills of the Kortos Mounts is a mystery.”
Janira speaks up in an enthusiastic and cheerful voice, “Greetings, aspiring Pathfinders! Six months ago, while I was mapping cave entrances in the foothills of the Kortos Mounts, witnessed a lone gillman entering a concealed cave. I thought little of it at the time, but I saw another one enter the cave again a month later as my Confirmation stretched on. A few days later, after I completed my assigned task, I entered the cave system, but was unable to find the gillmen.”
Janira writes a quick response. "Well, I trust Master Shaine and the other Masters. If they say he should be on a mission, that's good enough for me. Still, feedback is always good. Make sure to include that in your report." Out loud, she says "Sounds like you're ready to head back! Let's gather up our supplies and camp here tonight, then we can head back in the morning!"
Janira struggles to her feet, wincing and dusting herself off. "Thank you! I'm so glad you found me when you did. I thought for sure I could lose that beast, but I just couldn't shake him. I thought I was a goner!" She looks around at you, proudly. "Oh, Desirea, you're hurt! Who has my wand?" She takes her wand from Palakar and uses it to heal Desirea's wounds before doing the same for herself. "So! What did you find in the cave? Were there any gilmen? Did you finish exploring?"
“A minotaur! There’s little chance we can stand against it. Take this bag,” she continues, pulling off her backpack, “and head deeper into the caves. Finish your mission. I’ll lead it away from the caves, lose it in the forest, and join you as soon as I can. Now go! GO!” She heaves her backpack into the cave, casts a spell, and darts off toward the minotaur before turning to lure it away.
Janira breathes deeply, seeming to get her nausea under control. "Is everyone ok? Quick work, especially you, Desirea! Is anyone hurt?" Seeing the wounds on Wu, she touches his arm, infusing him with positive energy that causes his wounds to close , then draws a wand that's clearly labeled cure light wounds and heals her own wounds. "We're running a little behind. We better hurry if we're going to get to the caves by nightfall, otherwise we may miss the gillmen entirely!"
“Now, before we head out, if there aren’t any more questions, we should take a moment to go through your gear and make sure nothing important gets left out. Do you have food? Does someone have a way to make fire? How about a light source? Does anyone have a means of magical healing? How about alchemical items? A flask of alchemist’s fire or acid can be a life-saver in some cases.”
----- Your first day of travel is interesting, if uneventful. Janira points out broken siege towers as you pass through the Cairnlands, explaining what she learned from Master Shaine about the many times Absalom has been unsuccessfully assaulted. You make camp in a pleasant, sheltered hollow in some low hills, taking turn at watch without incident. Janira wakes you up early the next morning and you press on towards your destination. As you progress deeper into the forest, the trees towering overhead begin to shield most of what remains of the day’s sun and the vegetation beneath grows denser. Janira pauses a moment and pulls out an intricate silver compass emblazoned with the Pathfinder Society logo: the Glyph of the Open Road. “I received this wayfinder when I successfully completed my Confirmation. Should we be successful on our journey, you will get your own as well.” She flips open the device and holds it in front of her; the initials J. G. are engraved into the inside of the device’s lid. After studying the compass inside for a moment, she remarks, “We’re on the right path. We need to keep heading northwest past those large rocks up ahead.”
“The area we’re heading to is controlled by a large centaur tribe. If we cross paths with any of them, they’ll see the horses as an affront and might become dangerously unfriendly. Our mission is to explore the caves and investigate the gillmen activity, not fight the local populace. We could probably convince them to overlook one horse, if you were walking beside it rather than riding, but we cannot travel as a mounted party. Honestly, given that you'll be exploring a cave, your horse may be better off here in Absalom anyway.”
When they told me there was a halfling bard coming on this mission, I thought 'oh, an easy one! I know how to advise a halfling bard!'. What have I gotten myself into? “Well...um...I guess we won't be wont for entertainment on this trip! Anyway, on to the details of the mission at hand,” Janira says with an eager grin. “After reviewing my mission reports personally, Master Shaine believes it is no coincidence that each time they entered the caves it was during a full moon, so it's also no coincidence that you have been called here now, just a day before the moon is full again. We both believe that tomorrow night is our best chance to find out why these caves are important and what exactly the gillmen are doing in there. “The caves we’ll be travelling to lie under the base of the Kortos Mounts. We’ll need to spend every minute of daylight possible to reach the caves by foot, crossing over the Cairnlands, taking the paths to Diobel, and finally making our way through the wilderness. With any luck we won’t run into any of the local inhabitants. Once in the caves, we’ll need to work together to explore and determine whether any gillman are present or have been recently. Keep an eye out for any other clues that might hint at the caves’ significance, too. Any questions?”
Whooboy, this is gonna be a tougher assignment than I thought! Still, Master Shaine wouldn't have given it to me if he didn't think I could handle it. "Why don't you come on over here and join us, Wu? Here, I'll guide you." Janira leads Wu to your table with one arm while signalling to the bartender for a beer. "Don't worry, I'm sure they already learned a valuable lesson. Here, have a seat. The nice bartender is bringing you a new beer as we speak." Janira pulls out a large leather-bound journal and opens it on the table. “Before we set out, we should all get to know each other and review our plan. After all, the most important factors that determine whether an expedition will be a success are cooperation and preparation! I’ll go first! ”I grew up with six siblings, in the Eastgate area of Absalom. When I came of age, I knew I wanted to see more of the world, so I joined the Pathfinder Society! That was about four years ago, now, and while I joined up to travel (and try all of the exotic foods I could find), I’ve really grown to love learning and the processes of preserving knowledge. I hope to one day have my work published in the Pathfinder Chronicles! ”Now it’s your turn. Please, tell me a little about yourselves!”
"Oh my," Janira responds to Lucius, "aren't you officious! We'll get to the details of the mission in just a moment, don't worry. And don't worry about it, Palakar." she says, turning to the halfling. "You're in the right place now. Desirea, I'm afraid I don't know much about Kung Fu, but I'm sure you'll learn plenty while you're out there!" Janira checks her clipboard. "I thought we had at least one more coming. The only name I have is 'Wu', though." She turns to address the other patrons of the Paunch. "EXCUSE ME, DO ANY OF YOU KNOW A WU?"
Janira speaks up in an enthusiastic and cheerful voice, “Greetings, aspiring Pathfinders! Six months ago, while I was mapping cave entrances in the foothills of the Kortos Mounts, witnessed a lone gillman entering a concealed cave. I thought little of it at the time, but I saw another one enter the cave again a month later as my Confirmation stretched on. A few days later, after I completed my assigned task, I entered the cave system, but was unable to find the gillmen.”
"Oh, thanks Makon. Maybe just a half for me. I'm supposed to be writing, after all. Now, let's see about that coin." She takes the coin from you and examines it for a few moments. After a brief examination, she frowns, pulls out a scroll, and reads it. As she completes the incantation, the scroll crumble and her face lights up in recognition. "Just as I suspected! This is a Pathfinder's Coin. These things can hold hidden messages! Do any of you have a Wayfinder? Surely some of you have received yours after your recent confirmation, right?”
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