Rain lashes against the windows of Dryblade House - the Pathfinder Lodge in the city of Daggermark, largest settlement in the River Kingdoms and home of the infamous Assassins' and Poisoners' guilds. You were summoned here at the request of the local Venture-Captain, Istivil Bosk, however you are currently waiting in the reception area outside of his office while he deals with a previous visitor...
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A physically weak looking gnome with white hair sits cross-legged on a chair.
He is wearing just a haramaki for armor and aspell component pouch - showing that he probably is some king of magic user.
On his purple skin there are prominent tattoos. Many look like strange patterns, but the one on his left leg shows a tiny scorpion.
The gnome introduces himself to the other pathfinders: "My name is Tat, Tat Gnosor - and I like fire." He smiles and winks.
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A purple-haired female clad in full plate armor sits quietly in the corner reading a big ironbound tome. Her skin is literary golden color, and mysterious golden crystaline dust flows around her, which suggest her otherworldy heritage. She notices the others Pathfinders in the reception area, and lower her tome: "Patchouli of the Rosenthal family, priest of Milani. May the Everbloom guide your path." then resume her reading.
The door to the office swings open and the Venture Captain emerges accompanied by his previous guest, a dwarf, to whom he wishes good luck before turning his attention to the assembled Pathfinders.
"Ah you've arrived, very good..." he says as he ushers the party into the office, closing the door behind them and then sitting down behind his desk. "I must say I'm very excited about this opportunity, which is why I asked you to come here with such urgency...". He pulls a map from a nearby shelf and unfolds it on the table. "Perhaps some of you have heard of the Emerald Spire? It's an ancient Azlanti ruin, situated in the eastern reaches of the Echo Wood to the north of here."
"I've been trying to get access to the site for a while now as it could prove a fascinating trove of information and relics. Unfortunately my requests so far to send a team of Pathfinders to investigate the place have always fallen on deaf ears. That was until now... You see an opportunity may have presented itself and I'm hoping this team will be able to help me take advantage of it."
He turns his attention back to the map, pointing to an area between the Echo Wood and the West Sellen River. "The area in which the Spire sits falls under the control of the nearby town of Fort Inevitable, a walled settlement close the the Crusader Road. The local authorities within the town, the Hellknights of the Order of the Pike, had previously not been keen on the idea of outsiders poking around inside the ruins. They had concerns that such activities could cause more trouble than they were worth."
"However, recently there have been increased reports of goblin attack in the area. Outlying farms being burned, attacks on travelers and so on. Initial investigations by the Hellknights indicate that these goblins may have set up a base in the ruins of the Spire, that said Hellknight forces are currently thinly stretched and it may be a while before they can afford the resources to mount a proper raid on the ruins to clear out any goblins. So that is where our opportunity comes in... After my most recent enquiry to the Hellknights about the possibility of sending a team of Pathfinders into the ruins, I received a reply from the commander of the towns garrison, Paralictor Lady Audara Drovust, with an interesting proposition in it. Specifically Lady Drovust would allow a team of Pathfinders access to the ruins of the Emerald Spire for the purpose of clearing out any goblin threat found there. Should we prove ourselves dealing with the goblins, the Paralictor has indicated she may be open to allowing the Pathfinder Society further access to the site. This would be a fascinating and unique opportunity and I'm keen to take full advantage of it."
"With that in mind, I would like you to travel north to Fort Inevitable and speak with the Hellknights there. From what I understand they will be able to issue you with the appropriate paperwork to allow you access to the Spire. We have only been granted access to the ruins for the purpose of dealing with the goblins, so once you are done with that you should report back to Fort Inevitable. Hellknights are known for being sticklers for the law and the purpose of this assignment is to get in their good graces so that we can access more of the Spire. In light of that you should be careful not to upset them by overstepping the bounds of your mission."
"Any question?"
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Tat strikes a thoughtful pose.
"Hm... what's going to happen to any valuables we might find while dealing with the goblins? Can we use them? Can we keep them? Or are we bound to leave them there - or give them to the hellknights? I wouldn’t want to jeopardize the mission over a few trinkets, but if they are finders keepers..."
"The deal proposed by Paralictor Drovurst would allow the Society to keep any items discovered while dealing with the goblins and also for the team to study the upper structure of the Spire, which is the area where she believes the goblins have occupied. We do not have permission to explore the underground sections of the ruin at this point, although hopefully if you do a good enough job, the Lady Paralictor will grant the Society permission to explore further."
"As for avoiding the Hellknights, I would not recommend that. It has taken me a lot of work to even get their permission for this limited access to the site and while we may be able to get access to the ruins without involving the Hellknights, they would soon find out and that would blow our chances of gaining any further access."
"In broad terms this is a diplomatic mission, the aim being to prove to the Hellknights that they can trust us to explore the ruins without causing any trouble. If we can do that it will be a real boon to the Society. One key thing to remember with the Hellknights is that they are principally servants of law. While they may be stern an intimidating, that does not necessarily mean that they are they are out to cause problems or aligned to Hell. If you treat them with respect then the chances are they will return the favour."
"...Oh and one other thing while I remember... From my studies into the Spire, I am led to believe that the upper section is under the effect of some sort of 'light draining' magic. I'm not sure of the exact details, but from what I understand things like torches will only have a limited ability to bring light to the area. So being able to see in the dark will be a big benefit when exploring the ruins."
Having answered your questions the Venture Captain wishes you good luck and send you on your way. Transport between Daggermark and Fort Inevitable has been fully paid for by the Venture Captain and the journey there is reassuringly uneventful.
Fort Inevitable stands on rolling plains between the West Sellen River and the eaves of of the Echo Wood. The town is surrounded by green pastures and wide, golden fields of grain. A strong stone wall with battlements and gatehouses protects the settlement, and within this formidable defense, the town is an orderly collection of two- and three-story stone houses and workshops with roofs of red tile or blue slate. If the streets seem a little cheerless and drab, at least they’re paved with good cobblestones and cleared regularly.
Looming over the town is the Hellknight's citadel. When you arrive you are directed to make an appointment with the duty Maralictor, who examines your paperwork and issues you with a letter of warrant, authorising access to the above ground levels of the Spire. You are also provided with the services of a guide who is able to lead you to the location of the Spire itself.
After acquiring their letter of warrant from the Hellknights, the party meet up with Fraxon who had arrived in town a little earlier and get ready to head out to the Emerald Spire. Their guide for the journey is a local hunter by the name of Branek, he's a gruff man of few words, but clearly knows his way around the local woods.
The party's destination lies six miles to the northeast of Fort Inevitable, deep in the Echo Wood about halfway to the nearby settlement of Thornkeep. It stands in a broad, raised clearing in the forest known as the Spire Glen. The Glen is almost perfectly circular with the the ruins of the Emerald Spire sitting at it's center, as if some unseen hand had long ago drawn a border around the old tower with a compass more than 500 yards wide. The trees of the Echo Wood crowd up against this unseen border and suddenly halt. Nothing larger than a sapling grows in the Glen itself.
As the party emerge from the Echo Wood's underbrush, they find themselves staring up at the Emerald Spire's ruined keep guarding the broken central tower, all of which are made of smooth green glass. It’s obvious that a grand battle took place here many years ago and the clearing around the ruin lies barren, with sickly weeds struggling to rise from the magic-blasted earth. Melted chunks of twisted glass pepper the ground, lending a green hue to the clearing’s light. Despite the damage, however, the glass of the keep itself seems to have avoided the ravages of time, with those pieces that survived the initial cataclysm unmarred by pitting or cracking, clean of moss and other clinging debris. At the top of a steep dirt path winding up through the rubble, the party spot a doorway opening onto darkness, its entrance seeming to steal light into its inky depths.
Having delivered the Pathfinders to their destination Branik wishes them good luck before stalking back into the forest where he promises to wait for their return...
The stone staircase which led up to the keep's main door is now nothing more than a rubble-strewn cliff. However, on the tower’s south side, a dirt path winds up the steep embankment providing the party with a more viable route up to the ruins themselves...
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There is a noise from behind and clearly someone is overtaking you, breaking through the bushes... It turns out to be a dwarf in heavy chain mail with a gloomy disposition and a strange, grayish complexion that instinctively makes him seem repulsive to other dwarves. Instead of a beard, he sports a mustache, an obvious deviation from the traditions of his people. His face bears several rune tattoos, ostensibly of mystical significance, and his body bears scars from numerous fights. It is evident that this is no young dwarf who has witnessed some sh*t in his long life. He communicates in an exceedingly rude manner, grumbles a lot and swears frequently, and is always eager to engage in a conflict - all of this is apparent in his behavior immediately upon meeting him. He carries a masterwork but still brutal-looking pickaxe as a weapon.
A bloody blown-up trail in tha damn forest, I barely found ye while I was following tha damn tracks! Arrrghh!!! I arrived at tha fort a week earlier than ye, but I ended up in jail for a drunken brawl an' debauchery. I assure ye, I was framed. While saying all this, he spits irritably several times. One good thing be that we have ta kill little green freaks! Tha'ss'a fun, bhahah! Oh, aye... Me name be Khon'Ur. He smiles with a gap-toothed bandit smile and it looks rather unpleasant.
As she emerges form the shadow of the keep's original entrance fortifications Patchouli thinks she can spot a way into the ruin. The footpath climbs up to a jagged hole in the side of the green glass tower. Looking at the hole she notices that the light from outside of the building does not penetrate any more than a few feet into the ancient structure, beyond that it’s pitch black.
Luckily for Patchouli her vision is able to penetrate into the inky darkness beyond the entrance, where her eyes alight on another set of eyes staring right back at her... The owner of the eyes shouts something in a language she does not understand, before aiming a bow, ready to shoot...
ROUND 1:
Patchouli
Tat
Khon'Ur
Mounted Goblin (orange)
Tusk Arane
Rouqar
Fraxon
The goblin steers her mount to get a slightly better angle on Patchouli and then lets fly with an arrow...
...which flies harmlessly over the aphorite's head.
ROUND 1:
Patchouli
Tat
Khon'Ur
Mounted Goblin (orange)
Tusk Arane
Rouqar
Fraxon
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Having heard of the Pathfinder's mission, but coming from another road, Fraxon had a day off before their arrival. He puts it to good use to buy some new equipment for war, while visiting Fort Inevitable.
First, he bought a sturdy but finely crafted set of scale mail, trading his battle-tested lamellar leather armor, praising Rillin Naginghad for his skills, and studying his art for a few hours, Fraxon having some knowledge about armor making himself.
Then, he sells his dwarf battleaxe to buy an even sharper and well balanced one, recognizing the talent of Tsador Ironmaker but arguing lenghtily about the price
He was waiting at the rendez vous point, and before he could introduce himself properly, a goblin ruins the moment. He speaks in common, in harsh, short sentences with a very strong dwarf accent
Only a goblin. More treacherous than dangerous. More around. Always more around.
The path up to the hole looks clear to Fraxon, but where it goes through the wall there is a lot of rubble.
ROUND 1/2:
Patchouli
Tat
Khon'Ur
Mounted Goblin (orange)
Tusk Arane
Rouqar
Fraxon
The party continue to advance up the path leading up to the hole in the keep's wall.
ROUND 2:
Patchouli
Tat
Khon'Ur
Mounted Goblin (orange)
Tusk Arane
Rouqar
Fraxon
As the party advance the goblin takes another shot at Patchouli...
...which bounces off of her armour. She then drops her bow and retrieves a wicked looking polearm. Her mount once again adjusts its position.
Ahead Patchouli can now see the room beyond the hole. Half-melted blocks of green glass lie thick across the floor. A crumbling archway to the north leads into another chamber, while a door to the west leads into the round tower at the southwest corner of the building. To the east, a barricade of rubble and wooden stakes blocks a passage leading into the tower. It is clear that moving through this area will be difficult, although the goblin and its mount appear very familiar with the terrain and seem comfortable moving through it.
ROUND 2/3:
Patchouli
Tat
Khon'Ur
Mounted Goblin (orange)
Tusk Arane
Rouqar
Fraxon
As Patchouli advances the goblin strikes at the aphorite with her weapon...
...and once again misses. However, she does also manage to dodge away from the book.
ROUND 2/3:
Patchouli
Tat
Khon'Ur
Mounted Goblin (orange)
Tusk Arane
Rouqar
Fraxon
The party continue their advance up the path towards the keep. Now more of them are able to see inside it becomes apparent to those without darkvision that something is odd about the darkness inside the ruin, it's not just dark, something seams to be actively draining away the light.
Out of the darkness to the west a second goblin appears, again riding on a rat like creature and armed with a bow. This goblin takes a shot at Fraxon...
...but misses. He then drops his bow and draws a similar reach weapon to the one wielded by the first goblin.
ROUND 3:
Patchouli
Mounted Goblin (white)
Tat
Khon'Ur
Mounted Goblin (orange)
Tusk Arane
Rouqar
Fraxon
The blob of acid thrown by Tat at the new arrival hits the goblin square in the chest and starts to sizzle through his armour. The goblin yelps in pain and surprise. The goblin's distress is nearly compounded as Khon'Ur calls down the doom of Chandrabha upon him, however despite a brief wobble, the rider remains resolute.
Meanwhile the first goblin continues her assault on the party. First her mount bites at Patchouli...
...and misses. Then she attacks Khon'Ur with her horsechopper...
...which also misses. Looking frustrated, she instructs her mount to take a step backwards.
ROUND 3:
Patchouli
Mounted Goblin (white) -5
Tat
Khon'Ur
Mounted Goblin (orange)
Tusk Arane
Rouqar
Fraxon