"My word! Who is this and where is Keoki? I swear you loose more members than spot disease.
"I too wish one day to meet The Collector. Never have. Probably never will. Yet I digress.
"The offer stands and you will be hard pressed to find a better offer. But if you are determined to follow a different course, I wish you all the best and know we will be here. Golarion is a big place, and many strange things happen. I would have bet ... well what is done is done.
"May our paths cross again one day!" Ending with a flourish and a bow that would make any Varisian menagerie owner green with envy, The Mouth pops out of existence.
Ok, gear up and let me know when you are all ready to party like its 4099
The Mouth's countenance falls like the Starstone of old.
"Pathfinders? Money grubbing murder hobos. No. The Collector has more refined tastes.
"Honestly, few every every have refused an offer from The Collector. And I did not expect "No' for an answer. What will it take to persuade you to accept this quest for the Collector? I shall give each of you 20,000 gp, plus any magic item you desire from one of The Collectors secret store room read any item 9,000 or less. Come let us reason, for a I have a kobold waiting for you to debrief back at my pavilion. He is full of interesting information about the Plane of Shadows.
"You would find the Collector a most generous benefactor."
Early the next morning, the Mouth appears in the groups' bedchamber. Trusting open the shutters, he looks disappointed as the sun hasn't reached a sufficient zenith to flood the chamber with light. The sound of morning songbirds, as well as dusky light are enough to make them uncomfortable enough to rise from their slumber. A few relieve themselves in the under bed chamber pots, while the Mouth reclines at an awkward angle on a rickety chair in the corner.
"Did I wake you?' he giggles softly. "Big day. Decision day. So what will it be? Have a few adventures, fulfill all your wildest dreams? Or shall I let you fade into retirement in some backwater hamlet where you can be the kings of nothing?"
Assuming you are finished with The Mouth. If not you can ask him in the morning.
"When I check in tomorrow, please be prepared with an answer, if you are interested or not, and we shall discuss compensation."
"Fare thee well." With that he is gone, and the protective bubble that kept the mass of humanity from them busts, and they find themselves back shoulder to shoulder with the unwashed masses.
"Oh, and I'm assuming we'll get some gear to help aid our chances of survival on the Plane?
"Definitely. Just can't bring any of your whores. Just make a list of what you need. Try to keep it under 1500 gp. And don't worry, we can get you there and back."
Arimar wrote:
"Also, tomorrow, I'd like for you to have an idea of exactly how much gold risking our lives is worth to your employer."
"The Collector has given me a pretty loose leash to negotiate with you. You will get twenty-five percent of the agreed upon price up front. Full amount when you return the book to me.
"If you come back empty handed like the last team, but give solid, credible evidence of its current location, you'll get half the agreed upon price. Come back with nothing, and no leads, you keep the gold I give you upfront and you can crawl back to Mistress Lanvi. I hear she is having problems with a local shopkeeper. And a cough. Sounds dull as hell.
"Cross us, well, even your goddess won't know how to bring you back to life."
"Tell us more about the plane of shadow, and the location of this book. How will we recognize it? If it is such a rarity, and so highly desired, then what do you know of who holds it now?"
"All good questions. Very good questions. The Plane of Shadows, as is detailed here in this dossier"linked on the Campaign Tab -forgot to mention that"Will tell you much about it."
dossier wrote:
The Plane of Shadows is the dark and twisted reflection of the Material Plane. All things lost or forgotten eventually find their way here. Everything from missing keys to great tomes and powerful weapons can be found scattered across the darkened landscape. Small items that simply disappear on the Material Plane reappear on Shadowsfall when no one remembers them anymore. Larger things, such as buildings and forests, decay over time and show up piece by piece on the plane. Rarely, events on the Material Plane, like earthquakes and tornadoes, shallow or otherwise, decimate entire sections of lands and cities. When this happens, this decimated land appears almost instantly on the Plane of Shadows, taking any people and buildings once situated there with them. The people living on the Plane of Shadows call it Shadowsfall, just as those that live on the Material Plane have a name for their own realm.
Not entirely devoid of light, the plane exists in a perpetual shadowy gloom. Dominated by monochromatic landscapes of black and gray, the portion most familiar to planar travelers from Golarion resembles Golarion itself, cloaked in darkness and altered as is if through a warped and broken lens. Oceans on the Material may appear reflected in the Plane of Shadow as dry basins of black dust, devoid of life, while mountains may be higher and more treacherous, the forests deeper, thicker, and more menacing than their real counterparts. The Plane of Shadows constantly absorbs parts of other planes that are forgotten.
"As for who has it and where it is, erm, not quite sure?" he ends with a high pitched squeal.
"I know, bad answer.
"Well my new friends, though it pains me to do so, I must hurt your feelings. The Collector has many groups, not unlike your own, scouring Golarion for items he desires. Your group has an unique set of skills that the Collector feels would be beneficial for recovering the Grimorium Verum.
"He has been searching for it for a day. No, that is not right. A thousand thousand days. Does that sound like a long time? Regardless, recently he commissioned a different group, one with different skills than you, to recover it. He sent them into Numeria looking for a Thassalonian archive rumored to contain information that he hopes could be found in the Grimorium Verum. Sadly, they arrived too late. By a day. Does that sound like a short time? No? Maybe ten years? It seems an earthquake triggered an avalanche that buried the mountainside temple.
"Of course we then hired another team. They could move things. Lots of things. Quickly. And they discovered the archive was gone.
"The most likely place this archives has disappeared to is the Plane of Shadows."
"Like I said, we detained an inhabitant to guide you across the Plane. Hopefully he can help you find a newly formed mountain range. You do a bit of exploring, and bam, you find the book.
"As for what it looks like, well, when you see some Thassalonian ruins, inside you find an old leather book with the words Grimorium Verum written in virgin's blood on the cover. And runes. Lots and lots of runes. Just don't open it or you'll go mad.
"No, just f%@$ing with you there. Go ahead and read it. I don't care. Collector might get pissed, but doesn't matter to me. Make a copy, well watch your back because he is sending someone after you." The Mouth shudders at the thought.
"Life is terrible." The Mouth places a hand upon Arimar's shoulder. "And your goddess is your goddess. I am not one to judge.
"Who knows what man you would have been have things occurred differently? It is often our greatest tribulations that make us who we are. Yes?
"Keep your anger. Keep you fury. Channel them. Use them. F++! myself. What a great trick that would be."
"Again, think on it. We shall discuss terms tomorrow, but know that The Collector's pockets are deep, influence wide, and ... well he is a big deal and all." wiping his brow with his buff colored kerchief.
"Ah the Society. They have a reputation for success no matter the costs. But they prefer to keep what they find.
"As for the book, again, I am just an intermediary. I am not quite sure what it is used for. You are free to ask about it with whomever you want. The Collector, well he collects you know. Of all the items I have procedure for the Collector, well there hasn't been another Earthfall, has there?
"As for what I am not telling you, I have told you what I know. Tome. Plane of Shadows. Very scary." he ticks his fingers off as he speaks, "Seems about it." he ends with a grin.
"And pray tell Master Stoneseer, what is wrong with the fine streets of Magnimar?" he chuckles as he swipes a fruit off a passer-by with one hand, and flicks a coin into the fruit basket with this other thumb.
Feel free to add in whatever I have glossed over, but to fast forward a bit and bring Malgim back into the fold (I missed you)
The next morning the sun is unusually bright and warm. The Companions reunite for a quick breaking of their fast from the revelry the night before. Arimar chews blandly, while Benaiah continues to clear his plate and pick from Arimar's. Keoki and Malgrim pick and chose their food carefully, avoiding the large man's reach.
Heading into Magnimar's busy streets, they make their way to the bustling markets to spend their newly earned gold.
Maybe it was a haze from the night before, or still acclimating to dry land after being at sea for so long, possibly it was daydreaming of their future, but for some unfathomable reason, the normal shoulder to shoulder press of people in the city relented enough to give them a clearing 10-feet across,. It has gone unnoticed by all the inhabitants of Magnimar. The Companions pick their heads up, and shake off their malaise to see a nondescript man standing in front of them.
Of average height and build, dressed in a dun colored tunic and breeches, he sports a beige wide-brimmed hat with a buff colored scarf hanging loosely from his neck. His eyes are hidden behind darkened spectacles, but they can all tell he is looking directly at them.
He holds up one chestnut glove as a sign of greeting.
"Hello. Worry not, I am here to celebrate your good fortune with you. I have heard, and I apologize if it is too soon, that you are without an employer. Is that correct?"
The foot traffic continues to break around the group like waves upon the rocks, often creating circular migratory patterns around the bubble. None of the inhabitants even glance in their general direction as they perform their mundane tasks.
"Who am I you must be wondering? I am called the 'Mouth'. I had a name once, but that was a long time ago. I can remember it like a first memory. You know the one you have of your mother singing to you, or in the fields with your dad. Hazy. More emotion than detail. But Mouth works for me, and has for a long time. Names aren't really that important, at least not to me.
"So I represent an interested party, let us call him the 'Collector'. Not sure if he is a 'he' or a 'man' for that matter. He is rich, and powerful, and special, and all that entails, I assume. Never met. Probably never will. Like I said it doesn't matter to me. There is something that everyone of us desires, wants more than anything, and as I perform duties for him, he makes my dreams come true. And it makes me very happy.
"He has many friends. Many interesting and powerful friends. And some very dull and boring friends. Many perform small services for him, whether they know it or not. I believe that you are all familiar with a Mistress Lanvi? Who can forget the harlots of Callistria .. erm .. priestesses. Good times, am I right? Well, back to business, it seems that the services you performed for her made quite the impression, and well, the Collector is an admirer. So let us strike a bargain.
"What is it that you desire? Money?" A billowy mass of water and smoke forms above the Mouth's head. Inside the dense fog the group can see a beheaded white dragon, blood still dripping from its neck where its head was severed, strewn atop a dragon's horde of precious stones and coins.
"Perhaps you desires are more carnal in nature? Hmm" The image within the cloud blurs and fades, replaced by scantily clad dancers, of both sexes, lounging on a pillowed cairn.
"Maybe, and just maybe it is power you crave." The image this time quickly flicks out, and a new image rapidly appears. They can seem themselves seated in thrones of power, servants and supplicants surround them, performing duties as well as pleading their cases.
Arimar:
Time stops, people stop, your friends have stopped. Only you and the Mouth are moving. "Yes, it is just us. I know how you feel about them. But really, let us talk about you.
"The Collector has watched you, silently, from afar. I know not why, but I am told, you are destined for great things.
"Why were you allowed to suffer at the hands of the priests of Pharasma? I know not. But it was part of a plan. Does this upset you to know that someone was watching, not doing anything?
So what is it that the Collector can do for you? Is it revenge for their transgressions? Do you wish to break the hold your evil goddess has over you? What is it that Arimar wants?"
Benaiah:
Time stops, people stop, your friends have stopped. Only you and the Mouth are moving. "Yes, it is just us. I know how you feel about them. But really, let us talk about you.
"The Collector has watched you, silently, from afar. I know not why, but I am told, you are destined for great things.
"Why were you allowed to suffer at the hands of your father? I know not. But it was part of a plan. Does this upset you to know that someone was watching, not doing anything?
So what is it that the Collector can do for you? Is it revenge for his transgressions? Do you wish to return to your birthright, to be a hellknight? What is it that Benaiah wants?"
Malgrim:
Time stops, people stop, your friends have stopped. Only you and the Mouth are moving. "Yes, it is just us. I know how you feel about them. But really, let us talk about you.
"The Collector has watched you, silently, from afar. I know not why, but I am told, you are destined for great things.
"Why were you allowed to suffer at the hands of Blood Hand Empire? I know not. But it was part of a plan. Does this upset you to know that someone was watching, not doing anything?
So what is it that the Collector can do for you? Is it revenge for the cave in, when they left you for dead? Do you wish to return to your tribe and leave the racial prejudices of the world behind? What is it that Malgrim wants?"
Keoki:
Time stops, people stop, your friends have stopped. Only you and the Mouth are moving. "Yes, it is just us. I know how you feel about them. But really, let us talk about you.
"The Collector has watched you, silently, from afar. I know not why, but I am told, you are destined for great things.
"Why were you allowed to suffer at the hands of your father? I know not. But it was part of a plan. Does this upset you to know that someone was watching, not doing anything?
So what is it that the Collector can do for you? Is it more souls for your fifty-father’s throne? Do you wish to return to your home and rule? What is it that Keoki wants?"
Time reverts back to normal.
The Mouth continues. "Whatever it is, it can be arranged. Within reason that is. So I have an offer for you. My master, the Collector, wishes you to perform him a service, for which you shall be justly compensated.
I shall answer any and all questions you may have. To shed some light" he giggles,"A brief introduction.
"My master is looking for a tome, Grimorium Verum, one that has been lost in this world, but he was able to track it down to another world. The Plane of Shadows. We were able to procure a native of that plane, and he has been most helpful once we asked the questions correctly." He pauses to chuckle.
"Should you be interested, I have a dossier prepared with all the information he was willing to share. And should you be interested, you can meet our friend from the Plane of Shadows.
"Provided that is, if we can agree upon terms. I know this must come as a bit of a shock, and you have had quite the day. Ask you questions and then let us reconvene tomorrow. Have the night to yourselves. You may also peruse the dossier if you wish. When I check in tomorrow, please be prepared with an answer, if you are interested or not, and we shall discuss compensation."
