Gameplay will go here.
The sky is still dark above the Grand Lodge in Absalom when you are summoned before Ambrus Valsin for an urgent matter...
There Ambrus Valsin seems deep in thought, a common appearance for the stoic Steward of Absalom’s Grand Lodge.
“Most of you know Zarta Dralneen, I assume?” Valsin begins, nodding to the woman. “She’s recently accepted an appointment as head archivist of the Grand Lodge, so you’ll understand her interest in this assignment shortly.”
The venture-captain gestures to a map of Absalom and then the Isle of Kortos hanging on the wall behind his desk. “You’re heading to Otari, along the southern coast between here and Diobel. One of our transport vessels, a barque called Durvin’s Query, foundered just outside the harbor there a few days ago. It was laden with the artifacts collected from a site in the Mwangi Expanse. The Pathfinders returning on the ship collected the most valuable cargo but were forced to leave the rest. They made their way to Otari and sent word of their misfortunes to the Grand Lodge. Based on their report, I need you to go, pick up the material immediately, and bring it back safely to the Grand Lodge.”
Zarta Dralneen smoothly takes up the narrative. “Of course, it’s not quite as simple as that,” she smiles. [b]“The team aboard Durvin’s Query encountered a sequence of extremely unusual events as they returned home. Bad luck plagued them the entire trip, and they ran into more than the usual number of oceanic hazards. I suspect that something they picked up in the Expanse was the source of their extreme bad luck, and I’m eager to find out just what it is.”
Valsin slides a weather-stained list across his desk. “As you may know, salvage belongs to the finder, and so we couldn’t just leave the items in the shipwreck for anyone to find. I’ve already contacted an old friend in Otari, a former Pathfinder by the name of Khoumrock Blackthane, to be your advance agent. Khoumrock’s team has gone to the wreck site to collect everything that was left behind—here’s the list. By the time you arrive in Otari, he’ll have it fully packed for you. You’ll be sailing there for speed, but given the experience the previous team had at sea, we feel the safest method of transport back is overland, through the Immenwood and along the High Coast Road.”
Valsin’s face turns grim. “Now, I know this might sound like a less-than-glamorous assignment, playing caravan guard for a couple of days, but it’s important. That material came from an important site, and the string of bad luck the original team had means there’s something in there that isn’t what it seems. Be on your guard, and make sure nothing goes missing on the way back. Any questions?”[/b]
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A young half-elf woman with dark hair carefully pets a small leopard who is, against all rules of both natural and physical science, on fire.
"Yeah, based on my last mission, caravans are dangerous business. Hopefully, there are no angry forest spirits this time. Well, keeping Pathfinders alive in the forest is why I joined up. I'm Cariad Diastar. Isfan, it's good to see you again."
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When the group met up before entering the Grand lodge Isfan immediately went to Cariad to greet her. "God to see you also made it back savely from Xian. Sorry I had to leave you all, while you were still recovering, but I received an urgent matter from my Homeland. But it looks like you and yur kitten are back up to form again. I hope Zaza is well too?"
"What can you tell us about this forest? Are there any known complications which we might want to prepare for?"
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"I'm familiar with ship life, having just returned from Vidrian myself," a tall Mordent Spire elf with a burnt wooden staff says. He nods to Cariad, whom he's met before. "To those who are new, I am Zanderel Elerin. And though my memory is no longer perfect, I will endeavor to study the items to see if the misfortunes are of a magical nature. I have a strange suspicion that it might be."
He then glances at the manifest, and sees the name at the bottom. "Who is Alysandro? Can we speak with them about the items? Do we have time to?"
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"How careless to just leave so much value unguarded for any common thief to simply abscond with!" Anri chides these unknown pathfinders without sympathy.
A permanent scowl - or perhaps perpetual raincloud - seems to shroud this stern half-elf's face. You get the sense that she is a person who routinely considers herself to be the smartest in the room, judging by the faint but tangible condescension with which she makes her introductory comment. Anri's gait equivocates that self-assurance - or arrogance - and she steps into the chamber, leans against the furthest wall, crosses her arms, and considers her teammates from behind. A fellow wizard I see, if a little scrawny. To make for good conversation none-the-less...
"Was the source of this 'bad luck' isolated to events that occurred during sea travel? Or are they still fortune-plagued to this day? And was it pin-pointed to a single object or objects in tow specifically? Or tethered to their bodies or spirits? And how many were lost at sea?"...
Ambrus and Zarta do their best to answer your questions...
Ambrus counts on his fingers he he recounts the previous team's problems “Unfavorable winds. Constant storms. Hull covered with barnacles - repeatedly. Struck by lightning - repeatedly. Clots of seaweed that blocked passage. The crew also had to make several detours to avoid sea creatures of unusual size. The team now has the dubious distinction of providing the first confirmed sighting of a kraken this close to Absalom in almost two decades.”
Zarta smiles a bit at that last comment. "Brooke Alysandro was the agent in charge of the original mission. Thankfully they are currently in Otari, their missives only having reached me in the last few hours. It didn't mention any land based calamities but we don't know for sure what's going on. Them and their team will travelling back to the Grand Lodge later this morning and we'll potentially learn more in a day or two when they get back, unfortunately we need you to leave within the hour if we want to be sure to recover the shipwrecked items."
Ambrus helps explain the Immenwood "The central forest area around Otari is dense and overgrown. Bandits and others who choose to avoid civilization often hide there but it generally lacks the more serious dangers of of the Kortos mountains such as harpies and the like."
Ambrus and Zarta work together to explain their best guesses, starting with Ambrus "The team stumbled across an ancient temple to Gozreh south of the Sodden Lands, near the Eye of Abendego. We think it may be related to a splinter sect of Gozreh known as the Storm Kindlers. They've been causing trouble recently in Pridon's Folly, south of Sargava."
Zarta follows up "It’s possible that some of the items taken from the site may have residual power that is attracting natural forces. There may be something in the material that carries an unfriendly effect, perhaps even a curse. The team may have done something to anger Gozreh directly."
Almost giggling she finishes, clearly not taking this last suggestion seriousuly "Or it could have been nothing more than coincidence—an extended string of coincidences, all related to the wind and waves, occurring to the same team on their way back from excavating an abandoned Gozren temple.”
Ambrus also adds "Khoumrock should have a wagon waitin' for ya. You'll be sailing there quick as we can, but taking the wagon with the goods back."
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Annotating in her journal from the manifest, after a few moments, she rips the page out, and that into five pieces, "assigning" each person in the room, alphabetically, responsibility for 4 items each of the 20, wanting to plan ahead for the full accounting and expedition of so many objects of value.
Each PC receives a "checklist":
1. Ivory Carving of Lightning Bolt (4 Bulk)
2. Red Mat w/ Colored Portrait of Gozreh?, rolled (1 Bulk)
3. Wooden Chest containing Pottery Shards and Shell Fragments (7 Bulk)
4. Carved Ebony Box with Wax Seal (1 Bulk)
5. Inlaid silver and turquoise necklace with scales and teeth ornamentation (1 Bulk)
6. Carved stone statues (6 @ 15 Bulk each)
7. Chest containing four carved wooden masks (4 Bulk)
8. 4' x 6' bamboo mat inlaid with shells - possible map? - rolled (2 Bulk)
9. Silver figurine of a sea dragon, packed in crate with coconut fibres (5 Bulk)
10. 6 bags of assorted fragments - pottery, glass, beads, semiprecious stones, ivory (a few Bulk?)
11. 4 tapestries from a temple sanctuary, rolled (4 @ 3 Bulk each)
12. Bronze medallion of the sun, on beaded necklace (1 Bulk)
13. 27 scroll cases, sealed, and 18 scroll cases, damaged, in box (1 Bulk)
14. Pathfinder drawings, notes, rubbings of carvings, and charts, in 12 tubes (2 Bulk)
15. Ceremonial dagger with turquoise hilt (light Bulk?)
16. Bamboo armor and shield inlaid with semiprecious stones and fish scales (1 Bulk?)
17. Helm made from a large shell, inlaid with semiprecious stones and fish scales (couple Bulk?)
18. Two dozen tjerbute of bone and obsidian in various states of preservation, in barrels (lots of Bulk?)
19. Assorted spears, arrows, clubs, and staves, in barrels (lots of Bulk?)
20. Wooden buckler covered in reptile scale, dragonhide? (couple Bulk?)
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"Thank you Venture-Captain, Zarta," Zanderel says politely to the two leaders. "I feel the best avenue for learning is to hasten now upon our journey. I will ensure I have the necessary supplies for my Art, and can depart within the hour."
When he receives the torn piece of paper, he raises an eyebrow at Anri. It's possible the noble elf is unaccustomed to being 'assigned' items like this. "I appreciate the note, though a division like this seems unnecessary. We have a complete manifest, and are all jointly responsible for the return of these items. Additionally, with the time we have I intend to study them all. It is a unique opportunity to perhaps collaborate with the team upon our return to Absalom."
Ambrus chuckles at bit at Zarta being called Venture Captain and shes scowls at him in return.
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Pawero arches an eyebrow as the scrap of paper is foisted upon him. He looks at it and opens his mouth but is cut short by Zanderel. He closes his mouth and one corner of his lips rise as the elf finishes.
"I have just a few things to collect from the quarter master," he says. "Which ship are we boarding for our trip to Otari?"
After the briefing Zarta takes a moment and asks to speak with Pawero and Zanderel privately.
“It’s cute to see Ambrus so concerned about your welfare… but he’s right,” Zarta begins. [/b]“Dealing with this sort of situation is exactly why the Grand Archive was created. We have to retrieve whatever caused this bad luck, so it can be studied and understood. Normally, Gorm Greathammer would be the one to discuss this with you, but he is rather preoccupied with... well, he’s not able to be here himself. Just make sure you come back with everything from the wreck. We don’t yet know if it’s a single item, or some combination of items, that is the cause. Even if the cause is a single item, the context provided by the other relics, and especially the charts and notes collected by the team, are vital to our understanding of this phenomenon. Make sure everything is brought back here intact.”[/b]
You've got a bit under an hour to make any preparations/last minute shopping here in Absalom before boarding Ranzak's Smoothsail.
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Once sailing you encounter surprisingly rough seas and fierce winds. Unusual for this time of year.
DC 12+ If you fail you are sickened 1 for at least the duration of the voyage, otherwise you're fine.
Other than a bit of weather trouble you've got about 6 hours of ship travel to get to know each other and whatever else suits your fancy. You expect to arrive in Otari at about 10th bell.
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Anri, wanting to make use of these precious few hour, puts her Journal away, trades it for her Spellbook, does a couple of stretches to get her blood flowing (perhaps 45 minutes of sparring if Cariad or Isfan also have an itch?), allocating the remaining time to preparing to transcribe scrolls for some seafaring study.
On the boat, feeling the tug of the elements, but not becoming overly nauseous, she retreats to the lower deck for one hour, surfaces for another, retreats again for two hours, and surfaces once more, interspersing her time between enjoying her studies and the fierce winds on her face.
-Cantrips: Chill Touch, Daze, Electric Arc, Ray of Frost, Shield & Sigil
-First: Chilling Spray, Fear, Gust of Wind & Jump
-Second: See Invisibility, Shocking Grasp & Longstrider
Ecstatic her work is bearing fruit , she smiles at the stormy weather! Allright Gozreh, let's bring it on...
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Isfan stands near the bow and enjoys the steady breeze in his face. "I wonder what trouble awaits us this time. Bad luck can take many forms and I hope its not swords breaking in the heat of the battle."
When Anri starts looking for a sparring partner he replies: "Sure why not. But dont cry when I hit you a bit harder than yozur instructor at mage school."
When the Woman has managed to score quite a few hits on him, he nods respectfully. "Thanks for the lesson. I will absorb it and come back for more tomorrow."
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The rocking ship doesn't sit well with Zanderel, who struggles to keep his focus. Still, he looks to distract himself with a bit of study, taking a few minutes to study a scroll he had requisitioned.
Yeesh, these dice are not starting strong for me... Here's a Hero Point.
That's a crit, meaning it only costs him 3gp to learn the spell.
He struggles through the process, but after 20 minutes he comes away satisfied.
With Anri deep in study for several hours, Zanderel does his best to watch the horizon and let his stomach settle. When she finishes he strides over to his fellow arcanist. "I see you have been studious these last few hours. I would be interested in a trading notes, though perhaps after we hit land? Though I'm happy to provide some instruction-" Zanderel's face momentarily goes green as the ship lurches, and it takes a moment before he can take another breath. "My apologies. Honestly, any distraction would be a blessing."
Level 1 - Alarm, Feather Fall, Grease, Mage Armor, Magic Missile, Sleep, Summon Animal, Unseen Servant
Level 2 - Comprehend Language, Dispel Magic, Invisibility, See Invisibility, Summon Elemental, Water Breathing
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Cariad spends most of her time on deck, looking at the water. Candela yowls every time a spray of water hits her, steaming in the ever-present fire.
She replies to Pawero, "Yes, we had to find some Pathfinders and their caravan lost deep in the forest. There were angry forest spirits involved. It wasn't pretty."
Zanderel is looking a bit more green than his normal color but the trip is otherwise uneventful.
Waiting for you at the dock is Khoumrock Blackthane, an aging Dwarf with some sort of hybrid diving suit/full plate.
He leads you to the Thirsty Alpaca Tavern to talk. There is orders a round of beer and nearly downs his before swirling the dregs as he tells his tale.
"When Ambrus called me, I got a few friends an’ went right out to the wreck. We gathered everythin’ we could find. The storm already dashed the hulk again’ the rocks and broken her open, but most o’ the crates were washed ashore. I dove in to make sure she weren’t leaking any cargo, but the waves were rough and things were movin’ down that weren’t just the water and fishies!” He frowns as he recalls
the night’s efforts.
“The sky opened up as soon as we started packin’. The horses were half-mad wit’ the lightnin’ and the wind. It took all o’ night and part o’ the morning to collect everythin’, and we nearly lost the wagon to a big wave what came a-crashin’ onto the shore from out of no’ere. The storm followed us all t’way back to town. So did summat else – as we got t’the town gate, we saw summat long and snakish breakin’ the waves out in the harbor. I didn’t get a good look, ‘cause the watchtower
was struck by lightnin’ just then and it blinded me for a tick. When I looked back, it were gone.”
Khoumrock shakes his head again. “Might be time for me to do a little divin’ out thar, clean things out, ya know?”
Finally Khoumrock concludes “Well, the wagon’s all packed and ready to go by t’stable. S’easy enough to drive, or you can hire a teamster, iff’n you’d prefer. Good luck. I’ll be glad to see that wagon roll out o’ town, truth be told.”
Khoumrock responds "I didn't get my hands on one of the finest ships in the inner sea to have to walk places."
Khoumrock doesn't really have anything additional of value to add.
As the local drizzle picks up a bit Khoumrock will take you to the nearby stables with a wagon and pair of horses.
The wagon is made of wood with a canvas cover over the cargo compartment and has room in front for two Medium creatures to sit (one of whom is the driver). It takes up a 10-foot square and is drawn by two riding horses who are both harnessed tightly into a 10-foot square in front of the wagon.
A brief perusal of the cargo seems to line up with the inventory you were given but it'll like take an hour or two to do a more thorough inventory.
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"Perhaps the Sea is angry with some of the contents?" Anri wonders aloud. "Or perhaps another emotion altogether" Excited to ponder such a range of expression. "Or" Unwittingly demonstrating her religious bias "Perhaps it gave birth to something it wishes to take back or destroy?"...
Anri hands Zanderel her spellbook "Try not to vomit on it." Teasing his condition but also serious "If you're up for it, I think we have enough time to go over one of these" Indicating her first level spells. "I am a good teacher"
To Isfan "Is that a promise or a dare?" Taunting him with the explicit purpose of receiving a "fair fight". She too spars in good sport. Venturing a guess "Buy you a drink later" to express gratitude.
A brief perusal of the cargo seems to line up with the inventory you were given but it'll like take an hour or two to do a more thorough inventory.
Despite being in the minority, Anri will beckon Pawero and their comrades to check their 4 items as "It'd be a shame to repeat a mistake" hoping that distributing the work would cut the time down significantly, but will bow to the majority if the party is hyper-keen on trading out thoroughness for expediency?
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After the items are accounted for (in whichever way), Anri cats Longstrider (2nd) before they actually depart.
She would prefer to walk alongside the cart, given the choice.
Recalling a fond memory "My brother used to drive us to and fro the market. Funny how a pattern in behavior, established early, seems to render the inertia needed to overturn it all the greater!"
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Earlier...
With an hour available to him, Zanderel surprises Anri with how quickly he picks up on the concepts she shares. It's almost as if he was remembering something he'd forgotten.
8gp total to scribe the 6 spells
With flawless penmanship the wizard scribes down the arcane sigils for six spells. "Thank you for sharing. Time permitting, I hope to discuss some of your other discoveries. Though I admit I find the necromantic arts to be... Somewhat distasteful."
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Now...
"I have no qualms driving the wagon and allowing the rest of you to watch the road, listen for danger, or whatever you feel is best for the journey. The journey thus far has not been a comfortable one, so I could also use a more mundane task to center my mind and settle my stomach," the elf says, volunteering to drive the wagon.
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"That's wise, Isfan. Allow me a few moments if you will?"
Zanderel calls upon his innate magical abilities to detect the presence of magic. He blocks the known magical emanations from the group, and the with the manifest in hand does a thorough inventory. He studies and handles each item, making sure the descriptions match.
Magic is present among the cargo.
It takes a little over an hour to go through the various boxes and crates but all the items check out.
During that time the rain slowly and steadily increases as the distant bleating of sheep, croaking of frogs and other sounds of nature can be occasionally heard over the rain as well.
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In case Zanderel needs help, Anri takes 10 minutes to prepare Read Aura (swapping out Chill Touch), standing by to identify the object in the unlikely event it stumps her fellow wizard.
-Cantrips: Daze, Electric Arc, Ray of Frost, Read Aura, Shield & Sigil
-First: Chilling Spray, Fear, Gust of Wind & Jump
-Second: See Invisibility, Shocking Grasp &
With the help of Read Aura and Quick ID and one assist from Anri...
Item #3: A dull gray aeon stone is mixed in with the other fragments.
Item #4: The sealed ebony box radiates a faint transmutation aura.
Item #6: Each stone statue radiates a faint abjuration aura.
Item #12: The medallion radiates a faint evocation aura.
Item #13: A scroll of wall of wind rests in one of the open scroll cases.
Item #20: This shield is a low-grade silver buckler covered with gecko scales. ()
No other items are magical, or seem immediately helpful. It will likely takes months of study to comprehend the magical purpose of the items with auras but not specific designations (like the stone statues).
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"Several warrant further study, but the auras are indeed faint. Barring some particularly exceptional magical interactions between them, I concur," Zanderel agrees with Pawero. Once he's certain everything is secured he climbs up to the front of the wagon, ready to drive. He pauses for an uncomfortably long time, looking off into the distance with his head cocked to hear something. And then his attention returns. "Let us begin our journey."
With the weather getting more and more unpleasant the party finally heads out with the cargo secured.
You however do not get very far before misfortune strikes, and by not very far I mean about 20 feet out of the stables.
The croaking of frogs suddenly turns nearly deafening as they suddenly hop towards the wagon en-masse!
The horses seems quite freaked out and are ready to bolt.
Initiative:
Pawero
Anri
Zanderel
Cariad
ribbit
Isfan
Everybody but Isfan is up.