VC Hestram speaks up. "Well, now that you're all here, you'd best be going."
You had time to make purchases before you left Absalom. You can list them in ooc text if you'd like.
The last few weeks traveling by boat up the Pashman River and then hiking the short distance to the oasis city have been grueling to the extreme. A poisonous river snake claimed one of your guides; you remember his last gasps well, and how his face bloated to twice its usual size within seconds of the bite.
Before you now lies Lopul, the great caravan city, erected around the crystal life-giving waters of the Pool of Sihbon, the largest oasis for over one hundred miles. Mud brick houses baking in the sun and great canvas tents crowd the central copse of palm and date trees.
A small mud-brick, domed dwelling lies at the end of a humble, sandy street here in the heart of the caravan city. The scent of the nearby oasis still reaches you, and a hive of bees, attracted by the nearby water, hangs from a date palm next to the house. The wails of mourners and cries of women and children reach your ears, and you can see a small crowd gathered outside the house’s single door, its members crying and tearing their garments. Whether professionally hired mourners or sorrow-filled residents outpouring legitimate grief for the loss of a local hero is unclear, but the emotion seems genuine enough.
Venture-Captain Adril Hestram bursts into the room, his massive arms waving all of you toward a nearby door.
Isn't there supposed to be another one of you?
Nevermind. Follow me. Inside. Let's hope he gets here soon.
Hestram wipes the sweat from his brow and takes a long draw from a waterskin before sitting down heavily in the chair behind his desk. Although Hestram has a reputation as a fierce warrior, often seen sparring in the yard of the Grand Lodge, his face looks rather drawn and distraught. It doesn't seem possible for such a large and powerful man to be defeated and yet his shoulders slump as he settles into his chair.
One of our number has fallen.
Hestram pauses to let out an audible sigh and take another swig of water before continuing.
Our esteemed Venture-Captain Targos Min-Katheer is dead. His last wishes are simple: he wants his mortal remains to take one last trip along the Silken Way to his home city of Katheer to rest with his ancestors. He was one of our finest and we aim to honor his request. It is for this reason I've called you all together.
Adril points one sausage-thick finger at the map on the table, tracing a line from Absalom to the mouth of the Pashman River, then snaking up the river to the oasis city of Lopul.
Here is where you can gather up his remains and join the silken caravan, one of the only caravans daring the harsh journey across the desert from Lopul to Katheer. This mission is simple. A joyful ride really. But we insist you give it the attention it deserves. A few weeks in the sun, seeing the sights of the desert. A dream assignment.
Oh, and before you go I have a few missives for you all.
Andoran/Silver Crusade:
Fellow Free Citizen,
Many warm greetings, friend. I hope this communique finds you well. It has come to my attention that the Pathfinder Society's next mission takes you to the oasis town of Lopul. I have included a proclamation along with this missive, a scroll meant to urge the locals to throw off the oppressive auspice of the local sheikh and the satrap. Post this proclamation in a visible and public location in Lopul for all to see. Let the fires of unrest begin to smolder in that nation of slavers and tyrants.
As always our mission must be to spread freedom to our fellow men and women of the world. Keep this close to your heart and keep your sword at the ready. The deserts of Qadira are filled with venomous things and evil monsters.
Respectfully,
Captain Colson Maldris
Cheliax/Shadow Lodge:
Her Majestrix's Most Loyal Servant,
May this letter find you amidst the darkest delights.
Old Taldor and Qadira have long been at one another's throats like two jackals in heat. We would love nothings more than to see these hostilities continue and intensify. Dark eyes of our in Qadira report that trade along their Silken Way has been disrupted as of late. Investigate this, and if you find any hint of Taldor's involvement in Qadira's recent trade troubles, be sure to gather some evidence of this and bring it to me. It will prove a delightful bargaining piece in future dealings with both nations.
As always you have my thanks, and my most sinful desires. I look forward to your safe return.
Yearningly,
Paracountess Zarta Dralneen
Osirion/Grand Lodge:
Honored Subject of the Ruby Prince,
Greetings to you and honor to your ancestors. The winds tell me many things, and today they speak of your upcoming assignment in Qadira. You know as well as I the long and bloody history between our people and theirs; however, it is no mission of petty vengeance I charge you with.
Irori sees into the past. He is the Father of History. His worship has all but vanished among the Qadirans, though he once rivaled Sarenrae for their favor. Deep in the deserts along the Silken Way trade route lies an old long forgotten temple to his wisdom. I would see it given proper respects. Travelers' rumors speak of monsters lairing within, befouling the place with their offal. I would see this temple cleaned and restored as best as possible and any unwelcome denizens removed. Do this and you honor the Father of the Past himself-a deed unlikely to be forgotten.
Respectfully,
Amenopheus, The Sapphire Sage
Qadira/Lantern Lodge:
Servant of the Satrap,
I am pleased to learn your next mission shall bring you home. I miss our golden sands and silken cities with all my heart. Enjoy Qadira's warm embrace, and know you have my deepest envy.
While you are in the satrapy, I have an important mission for you. I have learned that you accompany the remains of a fellow Qadiran Pathfinder named Targos Min-Katheer, a venture-captain who supposedly succumbed to old age. I have reason to think otherwise, and would like you to see if you can discover the truth of his demise. If you find his death was the act of another, you must collect diyya: the solemn recompense. This diyya can be an item of power or great value. Once recovered, return it to me immediately. Beyond this diyya, there need be no vengeance. What is done is done, but we shall demand payment for it.
Additionally, there is a disruption of trade along the Silken Way as of late. This proves most troublesome. We have lost several caravans to forces unknown. If you discover who is behind this, eliminate them with extreme prejudice.
As always, your toils shall not go unrewarded, and the satrap praises your noble service.
Sincerely,
Pasha Muhlia Al-Jakri
Taldor/Sczarni:
Agent of the Empire,
The spice merchants, scimitar-wielding silken slaves, and the flea-bitten camels of Qadira ever plague our southeastern border. News that your next mission probes Qadira has reached our ears. I have need of your services while you navigate the treacherous sands.
Our empire is much gloried in many arenas, but in the treacherous waters of trade and commerce, we have been continually outdone by our rivals to the southeast. Qadira rules much of the Silken Way, the valued trade corridor to the Eastern empires. It is imperative we gain our own interests along this route and repel theirs. We need to obtain an operative along the route, a successful merchant with the necessary contacts to expand our interests there. Find such a person, and give him a message along with this small sack of gold. Let him know there is a good deal more where that came from if he will but arrange for our wares to make it East without the satrap's greedy fingers reaching into our pockets. Do this without anyone's knowledge.
Also, we need to keep our empire out of entangling conflicts with Qadira right now. If you discover anyone from our august empire making trouble along the trade routes, be sure to cover up their involvement if you can.
As always, you have the thanks of a grateful empire.
Joyfully yours,
Baron Jacquo Dalsine
At this time you can all make me Knowledge (geography or local) and Knowledge (nobility) checks. You will have some time in Absalom to buy supplies and prepare before you head out for Lopul. It will take a few weeks of travel by boat up the Pashman River followed by a short distance hike to get to the oasis city of Lopul
