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A Pathfinder Society Scenario designed for 1st to 7th level characters (Tiers: 1–2, 3–4, and 6–7).
The Pathfinder Society dispatches you to the catacombs called Cassomir's Locker to find the source of a rat cult breeding monstrous vermin. After clearing Cassomir's dank sewers and delving into the dirty dungeons below, will you find the artifact that powers Cassomir's Locker or bring about the destruction of Taldor's most important port?
Written by Joshua J. Frost
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Venture-Captain Hestia Themis, a small, dark-haired, and dark-eyed Taldan woman, sits behind her enormous blackwood desk in the Pathfinder lodge in Cassomir and clears her throat. My friend, the Countess Arieta Patrizia, is dead. She escaped her capture by the fiends who operate beneath Cassomir only to succumb to disease and wounds incurred in Cassomir’s disgusting sewers. Ordinarily, this would be a matter for the Taldan authorities, but Arieta came to me directly after escaping and recounted a story that leads me to the natural conclusion that only the Pathfinder Society can resolve this issue.
Venture-Captain Themis rises and paces back and forth behind her desk. Arieta told me of an artifact she saw while in captivity below Cassomir. This artifact, called the jet rat, is known to us, but we must confirm that what she saw is indeed true. She claims to have seen it transform normal rats into something bigger, more vile and mean. If that’s true, the artifact she saw down there is old, evil, and should be stored safely in the vaults beneath the Grand Lodge in Absalom where we can study, catalog, and examine it. Worse, she claims to have seen this object in the hands of the derros, vile Darklands creatures that we have long suspected are responsible for the Cassomir kidnappings. I have a map here that shows the location of the sewer grate Arieta was dropped through when she was kidnapped. She could not, due to her illness, recall much about how she got to the location where they kept her in captivity, but she knows where they dropped her into the sewers and you’ll find that location on this map.
Venture-Captain Themis stops pacing and eyes you across her desk. Bring me back this artifact—if you happen to free a few captured Taldans along the way, that’s good news, but the artifact is your mission. Any questions?
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Zinkyudo listens carefully as the venture-captain speaks, his head perfectly still and his eyes focused on something in the unimaginable distance beyond the walls of the office. When she finishes recounting what's happened to Countess Arieta, his bird-like face swivels to face Themis. "So, we might finally get to the bottom of this kidnapping plot? I've never seen a derro, what can you tell us about them? Could they be the grey-skinned creatures with huge eyes that the other captives we rescued talked about?"
Wrinkling his beakish nose in distaste, he continues, "And these sewers you're sending us into...do you have any information on them? It seems they are disease-ridden, so we should protect ourselves against disease if we can. Anything more you can tell us about the sewers would be helpful."
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"Sewers...why'd it have to be sewers. I hate sewers."
Blayne looks a little glassy eyed and flushed, but responds with enthusiasm "I'm in - this is a nasty plot we've tumbled to and I want to see the end of it. How big is this rat idol? Will transporting it hamper our movement if we need to get out in a hurry? Also, will handling it be dangerous?" Blayne finishes, then seems to shiver a bit and clutches his cloak tightly closed.
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Hestia looks over at Zinkyudo and nods, Yes, that is what Derros look like. I've never actually seen one myself, but she described them pretty well. then addresses Blayne, I don't think it is terribly large, you should be able to carry it just fine.
Being a resident, she can give you this information about the sewers, though she's never gone down there herself, because ew.
The sewer waterway itself is a combination of rain water, tidal salt water from the harbor, human and animal waste, and the city’s other refuse. So stay out of the water, but there is a ledge around the entirety of the area.
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Zinkyudo takes the map from the venture-captain, studies it a moment, then says, "Right, off we go. We'll bring you back this artifact, maybe even clean it up a bit first. Never know where it's been down there."
As they turn to leave, he pauses and addresses Blayne, "You feeling all right? You look a bit flushed. You're not sick are you? Maybe you should sit this one out and get some rest."
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Murky puddles dot the tile floor below, which gently slopes toward the room’s center where some of the puddles are very slowly draining into a large, 10-foot-by-10-foot drain. Thick, sticky webs cover most of the corners of the room, and several large vermin appear to be caught in the webs. The sound of running water can be heard to the north.
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"I know this sounds odd, but let's go in two groups, in each ledge. Zinky can stay behind me on one, and Blayne can lead Nev on the other. That way there will always be at least one of you ranged-guys able to fire. If Blayne is engaged, Zinky will be able to shoot his foe.
Let's try that, and if it doesn't work, we'll just form one column, with Blayne in front and me behind."
If that is agreeable, then Gwen/Zinky will march down and around the dead-end to end up going South on the East-most ledge, while Nev/Blayne go South on the West-most ledge.
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"That works for me - I'll shed some light on the situation over here." Blayne chants a quick prayer for light to illuminate the way ahead for himself and Nev before saying "C'mon Nev - I'll take the lead on the South side - can you keep an eye on the water to our left?"
Noting the plank bridges ahead Blayne thinks to himself "When we get to those planks I may connect our side of the tunnel to Gen and Zinky."
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After walking in two groups down opposite sides of the stream of water, Zinkyudo notes that they're going to have a tricky time staying together through all the intersections of tunnels. "I'm not sure travelling this way makes sense, Gwen. I think if Blayne is in front, and you're next, we'll have a couple of people to bop any bad guys or big rats, and Nev and I can try to move around and shoot them. We're both decent shots, and will try not to hit you and Blayne."
Having said this, he moves back the way they came and joins Blayne and Nev on the other side, then follows the group down the walkway to the next intersection, eyes and ears alert.
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As the party moves into the dead-end room, Zinkyudo mutters, "Oh, this is going to be nasty..." He studies the corpses a moment, then looks at Gwen and says, "You know, I think that long spear-thing you're toting is probably the perfect tool to flip those floaters over and see who they might be. Would you mind?"
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Gwen nods at Zink and Blayne. "As you wish."
The first floater gets stabbed. Hard, mean, through and through. "This is how I turn undead," she says with smile. If it kicks it gets stabbed again.
If it doesn't kick, she brings it close so the party can examine it.
Assuming no one shouts the mystic word of 'initiative', she flips over the other bodies and searches them as well.
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Zinkyudo shakes his head in disgust at what they've found. "Awful things in an awful place. Someone should bring some order to the chaos that's allowed these kidnappings to happen. Let's see what we can do."
He gives Blayne a nod, tipping his head east to check out the other tunnel, then brings up the rear as they make their way along the walkway, each crossing the plank bridge carefully.
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You see a man that strongly resembles that Dalirio fellow you killed a few days ago, and two little blue creatures.
They are standing around a bunch of crates and boxes.
None of them notice you there as they talking in another language.
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This room appears to have once been the basement of the building above, the wall separating the basement from the sewer long ago smashed in and repaired, giving it the appearance of a natural part of the sewer system. The ceiling here is 30 feet high and the room is lit by torches in the north and south walls. Stacks of crates and barrels line the north wall, and a set of finely carved stone stairs start on the south wall and make their way up and around the west wall to a door high above the room in the northwest corner.
Sorted Initiatives
Nev
Gwendolen
Zinkyudo
Blue Mite
Red Mite
Grench
Blayne
Nev, Gwendolen, and Zinkyudo are up.
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Assuming Nev shot the red mite, both mites are dead, and Zinkyudo missed the the cleric.
The cleric will move forward and activate his Aura of Madness. All party members have to make a
It is Blayne's turn then back to the top of the round.
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Blayne let's out a war cry that suddenly turns into a howl of rage and pain as he leaps into the air and smashes the edge of his shield into his own face before landing with it between him and the floor. He then starts trying to use his head to hammer the edge of the shield into the floor with manic enthusiasm. Blood spatters the wall next to him and he staggers to a knee.