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The gala inside the Chelish embassy appears to be in full swing as you arrive, one by one, in the dim street of the alleyway outside. Venture-Captain Ambrus Valsin’s mission briefing from a few hours before stands fresh in your memories…
“Pathfinders,” Valsin boomed but hours earlier in the briefing chamber within the Grand Lodge, “Zarta Dralneen no longer exists. She never existed. She’s never worked for the Chelish embassy here in Absalom, and she’s never been in charge of the Chelish Pathfinders. At least that’s what I was told, repeatedly, to my face, through three layers of Chelish bureaucrats. I know those people, and they all knew Zarta. They didn’t just forget about her. She’s been ‘disappeared.’
“I don’t know where she went and I don’t know who took her. What I need you to do for me is to go into the Chelish embassy and find out as much as you can by snooping around for a bit. I want to know where Zarta is, I want to know who took her, and I want to know why she was taken.
“We can’t afford to offend Cheliax, so you’ll have to infiltrate their embassy quietly. I’ve devised a cover story that should get you in the side door with orders to see the new Chelish ambassador. An ongoing diplomatic gala scheduled for the same time and a clever ruse by Venture-Captain Amara Li— who is also attending the gala—will keep the ambassador busy, but you’ll have to act quickly if you want to secure the information we need before he arrives to meet you. You must get into the embassy, get what we need, and get back out of the embassy without the Chelaxians ever catching on that we’ve been rooting around.
“Here is a packet of information that bears on Chelish interests in Sargava. It’s legitimate intelligence that we probably would have passed on to Zarta eventually anyway and that we’re willing to give up for free as our ticket into the building.
“You’ll enter the embassy through the north entrance of the residential wing, where Chelish imperial security receives all of their informants. Even if you have a good cover story, you might have difficulty getting past the guards there—if necessary, you’ll have to resort to bribing your way through. Once you’re in, the guards will likely make you wait for the ambassador when you tell them you have important information for him. Don’t give it to anyone else, since once they have the information there will be no reason for them not to show you the door.
“Amara Li will keep the ambassador pinned down at the gala while you break out of the waiting room and snoop around. She will also meet you just before you enter the gala to cast a message spell on you, just in case you need to keep in touch during your mission. You just need to make your way to Zarta’s chambers—they’re in the southwest corner of the residential wing, but you’ll have to find a route that doesn’t intersect with the gala’s attendees or residents of the embassy. Try to get in and out in less than an hour. That’s my best estimate at how long the gala and Li can keep the ambassador preoccupied. Once you’ve got the information and made it back to the waiting area, you just have to wait for the ambassador to find time to see you.
“My informants tell me that Ailenia Hospar, one of the clerks you’ll likely run into at the embassy, is addicted to shiver. I’ve procured some of the drug for you to slip her if she initially proves less than accommodating. You may also have to deal with Anstrella Trelax, the pompous night-duty officer.
Beyond that, what you’ll face is beyond my knowledge. I’ve ordered for you to receive several tools that might help you in your mission – two scrolls of disguise self, and two elixirs of hiding. Use them wisely. Good luck, Pathfinders.”
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The faintly scruffy-looking Varisian sat quietly through the briefing, a slight frown growing as he listened. Welcome to the ranks of active Pathfinders, László Kovács. You have to infiltrate the Chelish Embassy, find crucial information, and escape within an hour. There is no pressure here, no.
"Who is the most appropriate of us to talk to the guards? It must be someone with a good reason to have information, who can speak well. I am only passable at such things."
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"I'm not bad at kissing up to the right people. But we need a cohesive plan of what to say to the guards before one of us steps into a verbal hole we would have a time getting out of," piped up the little gnome in the corner. Her most prominent feature seemed to be the large spellbook she had poking out of her backpack.
Shel reaches out and accepts the items provided. "Now who can use these appropriately? I can cast from the arcane scrolls, can anyone else? There are two exilirs of hiding to be dispersed as well. Who thinks they could use those the best? Anyone in particular want to be the "drug mule" as it was? That shiver will no doubt be very important." Her listing of questions came at an extremely rapid pace, barely taking a breath while talking.
How very exciting! Invading a Chelish Embassy and escaping before caught? I'm so happy I joined the Pathfinders!
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Peri looked disinterested during the majority of the briefing. The stunning woman breaks her silence.
I can cast from arcane scrolls, and with looks like these I should probably do my fair share of flirting she stops herself and begins again I mean convincing people to let me have my way
The white haired beauty wryly winks and smiles while extending her hand to accept the scrolls.
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"Aey! Wait for me!!" Haris shouts out to his new companions.
A lean long-limbed human dashes skillfully through the crowd. The motion of his body exhibits a natural athletic inclination; controlled feet placement in anticipation of the chaotic traffic ahead; arms and fingers reached out to balance on passersby though never needing them. His face is jovial, drawn white teeth upon a face used to smiling.
Haris saunters to a stop and exhales excitingly, “Phew! Thought I’d missed you lads! I tell you, that old crone could not pull that cart any faster even with an extra coin. I could have run faster, and I did!” He pauses to pull out a length of lanyard and bridles it in between his lips, then presses back his loose curly dirty-blond mop to tie off. “I'm Harris Hawkson. The Venture Captain gave me the orders and said you meet you here. Impressive mustache isn’t it!”, commenting on Ambrus’s appearance, “Like a privet hedge!!”
“I’m assuming the north entrance? I was told to dress to impress”, Haris presents his courtier’s garb with courtier gesture, as if waiting for applause or fawning - the latest fashion from Aeorgio Garmani of the Silk District - a crimson silk jerkin, grey breeches, a black velvetine cape, a gold-pearl pendant and matching ring. Haris sneers at the potions, “I wouldn’t dare hide these clothes, but since we’re here to work…” Haris takes one of the Potions of Hiding.
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Stepping from the shadows, as if there the entire time, . . ."So the whore of Cheliax has finally bitten of more than she can chew, and it's up to us to find her. . .", he says from behind a large dark helmet, not dissimilar from that worn by the Hell Knights, completely obscuring his features. , stands there, arms crossed. At his side is a simple darkmetal Longsword. He wears a form of rather archaic body armor and carries a large steel shield, all designed as if a part of a set, with stylized thorns and dark roses engraved into the metal.
"Understood."
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The Chelish embassy to Absalom is in the Ascendant Court, a part of the city better known for temples and cathedrals than for diplomatic and government buildings. The embassy is housed in what was once a large cathedral to Aroden, but which has been re-purposed incompletely.
The so-called “spy’s entrance” is a nondescript entrance in an alley that runs along the north side of the Chelish embassy. The only feature distinguishing the spy’s entrance from other doors piercing the alley walls is the presence of a guard in Chelish imperial livery.
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Once the venture-captain has released us, I will take time to introduce myself.
"I am Justicar Beckett des Laurant, of Caliphas. I come from southern Ustalav, ruled by my nephew, Prince Aduard. I served as a templar-traveler, maintaining law and peace in those trouble lands. My nephew, seeking to gain allies in Mendev and Andoran, asked me to join the Society, and so here I am." he says in a thick <eastern european> accent typical to his lands. "I am, . . . pleased to have met you all, and it is my honour to aid you in this quest."
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Peri takes the lead and strides through the door that the Justicar has opened for her. She scans the room looking for someone of importance and says in a very alluring voice
"Excuse me, we have important business to attend to with the new ambassador, you will direct us to him. If he is unavailable where can we wait for him until our requests are satisfied?"
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Peri strides up to the "spy's door" and is confronted by the single guard posted there. Looking slightly bored, he stares at the group as it approaches with a growing frown, which transforms to surprise at the kitsune's tone of command.
"Important business? Yah, all respectable folks seem to always bring their business through my gate.. Don't suppose you have an appointment, eh?"
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Original intimidate
Acting as a woman scorned and hoping the guard can put two and two together, the Sultry Peri whispers into his ear
"Listen handsome, you know as well as I the business someone like me attends to with the ambassador, is not the type of business that needs to parade through the front door. I'll not have that performer Amara Li moving in on my client"
After withdrawing she winks and gestures toward the door.
Bluff
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Haris is a little startled that women of low repute were among Pathfinder ranks, ready to polish off the guard and the ambassador at first mention. I kind like of this girl. He looks incredulously between the other men and decides to wait it out, and stands there lamely like an out-of-place half-masked costumed caper. Two bad lies is better than three lies of any kind.
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The Justicar's impressive presence is enough to convince the guard to stand aside and open the door. "You can talk to the receptionist inside," he grumbles. "but don't get your hopes up. The embassy is pretty busy with a function at the moment."
Stepping inside you find yourselves in a reception room. The red paint that covers the walls of this high-ceilinged chamber does little to hide the raised outlines of ancient religious mosaics that once decorated this former temple. Behind the chamber’s large and imposing desk sits a woman in clerk’s clothing.
The woman looks up as you enter, all business. "Appointment?"
In your pocket you feel the letter given to you discreetly by a contact within your faction. A reminder of other interests you represent within the Society.
My Friend,
Muno Dans, a low-ranking but nonetheless important Aspis Consortium agent, will be at the gala tonight at the Chelish embassy, the site of your forthcoming mission. You’ll recognize him by his distinctive hairstyle: he wears it in Garundi crop-rows, which is highly unusual for a Chelaxian. He also dresses quite distinctively, and frequently flaunts his bright red cloak with the triple-asp on the back. We’ve been trying to get some sort of surveillance to stick to him for some time, but he’s quite careful. We’re giving you a small tracking bead that we’ve prepared. If you can stick it discreetly into a pocket of his clothing, we’ll be able to track his movements long enough to come up with a more permanent solution.
Good luck!
Venture-Captain Ambrus Valsin
In your pocket you feel the letter given to you discreetly by a contact within your faction. A reminder of other interests you represent within the Society.
Loyal Subject of the Padishah,
We have many allies in Varisia, but the distance and the eternal need for subtlety make getting a message to them difficult. One of our friends, Eudom Mansarian, is a prominent merchant of Korvosa and serves as an informal ambassador between Korvosan merchant interests and those of Absalom. He’ll be at the Chelish embassy for their upcoming gala. And lo and behold, so will you!
Attached to this message you will find a coded message for Eudom along with one gold piece that you can use to bribe a servant to get the message to him in the middle of the gala. Make sure to pick the right servant: Too low and they will not be reliable. Too high and they may be too loyal to their masters.
Toward a prosperous tomorrow,
Trade Prince Aaqir al’Hakam
In your pocket you feel the letter given to you discreetly by a contact within your faction. A reminder of other interests you represent within the Society.
Fast Friend,
The Chelaxians aren’t good for many things, but they can be trusted to keep extremely detailed records. Such records are extremely valuable if put to the right purposes, but they so often just sit gathering dust. The Chelish embassy brims with the records I speak of, and I’d be very pleased if you could bring one out with you. I’m sure it won’t be missed!
Reggo Firanz is the name I want—he’s one of our brethren operating around Korvosa, and I’d love to have some leverage I could use to make him more amenable to some of our plans. He’s probably got quite a dossier, given the number of times he’s been mixed it up with the Order of the Nail. Let’s see if any of it is useful. Bring me that dossier and I’ll be a happy man.
Always take the main chance,
Guaril Karela
In your pocket you feel the letter given to you discreetly by a contact within your faction. A reminder of other interests you represent within the Society.
Fellow Agent,
If I don’t miss my guess, you’ll soon have an opportunity to rifle through Zarta Dralneen’s personal files. I have reason to believe that she’s been assembling a list of Shadow Lodge operatives. That list must be destroyed, but the agents she’s aware of may be compromised in other ways as well. So find the list, memorize it, destroy it, and get the names to me. We’ll see how we can use this to our advantage.
Stick to the shadows,
Grandmaster Torch
In your pocket you feel the letter given to you discreetly by a contact within your faction. A reminder of other interests you represent within the Society.
Our Champion,
We all know of Zarta Dralneen’s profane tastes. In many ways, her cursed religion necessitates darkness and evil. But Zarta takes it to depths of depravity that many never achieve. Several of our operatives have been tracking down a sacrilegious painting of Sarenrae so that we may see it destroyed. Imagine my surprise when we discovered that the latest purchaser of the abomination was none other than our colleague Zarta. As you explore the embassy, keep an eye out for the painting. You’ll know it when you see it—I don’t wish to sully this paper with a description. Destroy it yourself—we don’t want such filth spread across any more eyes than it has to be.
Walk in the light,
Ollysta Zadrian
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"Yes my dear lady. We have an appointment with the ambassador. I am Baron des Laurant, of Caliphas, and we,. . . need to talk." Without giving the poor girl a chance to speak, "I expect, even in a" vocally voicing a hint of disdain, as if he is above such things, "Chelish embassy, I expect he has made the proper preporations for us, and there is no need for us to be bothered with, lesser trivialities. Come girl. Stand up and fetch the man, or would you rather I stand here and wait all day?" Again, purpossefully cutting her off before she can answer, with a flourishing handwave as she speaks the first few words, "What sort of refreshments do you have prepaired for us? Bring them at once."
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The gnome steps forward whispering to the clerk, "I apologize, miss...I'm sorry, but I didn't get your name. The Baron isn't used to tardiness. The guard outside has already made him late for his appointment. Culd you please help us out? I'm afraid he will punish us most severely for this, if he has to wait much longer. Please, please help us out."
Diplomacy Assist to Beckett
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Haris continues the mime act, trying to remain non-nonchalantly unnoticed in the background, inching over ever slightly. At the right moment, if and when the woman was distracted enough, he would slip into the next room.
..wth... I keep getting a script warning and posts not sticking, anyone else? GM please make nec. rolls.
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This room has you, the receptionist, and a servant in Chelish livery waiting close by. Slipping past the reception and the servant unnoticed would be nearly impossible under the current circumstances. Down the hall the sounds of many more people can be heard at the gala.
As you examine your surroundings you notice a familiar face, partially obscured behind a hand-held bamboo fan, down the hall. Standing in front of a painting on the wall is Venture-captain Amara Li. She glances surreptitiously in your direction and you each hear her whisper as if her mouth was at your ear. You have made it through the door, I see. Now comes the difficult part. I will keep you informed of events in the gala, and buy you time once you have arranged your meeting with the new ambassador, but remember, I cannot keep them distracted forever. You must move quickly. Good luck.
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Silent until now, the Varisian approaches the desk, taking care to come from the side the servant is on and trying to position himself so he blocks the servant's view. He first addresses des Laurant, in a deferential tone (and not bothering to hide his accent). "Baron? If I may?" He then looks to the receptionist.
"You must pardon the Baron, please. The information he has for the ambassador is of considerable importance, and he has taken some risks to obtain it. It is his express wish that he give it directly to the ambassador. However--" He waves his hand at the gala in the background. "--it would be very rude indeed to disturb the honored ambassador now. Where may we be waiting for him?"
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"I cannot simply give you an audience with the ambassador without an appointment." Ailena says. "Why don't you tell me what this business is... excuse me, what are you doing?" She challenges Peri as the sorceress begins casting her spell.
If a whisper could sound like a shout, then Amara's would be a veritable scream. Stop, you fool! You will give yourselves away!
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What in Absalom?!-
-Slap!!!
“Stop it, you silly tramp!” Haris steps in between the two and lays five across the Qadira’s eyes, strong enough to disrupt her spell. “Quit praying to the spirits! You've been at it for hours! ENOUGH! You're scaring people. – Excuse her madam, she’s high on Shiver and a rabid addict.” Haris shrugs at the receptionist and glares at Peri, “You'll behave yourself in this house! Who’s got her meds? Laz?” He gives Laszlo the directional eyeball to queue the bribe.