First-time GM running a campaign for mostly first-time players; doing a homebrew game to tie into a friend’s campaign before running either Runelords or Council of Thieves for my group. All mistakes in/adaptations to the campaign setting are my own.
Alaric Mannix (human monk, played by Irwin Dolobowsky): A Vudrani Quiggong Monk from the island of Jalmeray, seeking entrance into the House of the Unfolding Wind to further his studies.
Danaddenaw Thrashmire III (human paladin, played by Jay McCleery): A paladin of noble birth and high self-esteem.
Elspeth (half-elf rogue, played by Dawn Dolobowsky): A woman with talents for getting into places she isn't supposed to be, who performs odd heists for entertainment or suitable compensation.
Landathradon Alyameldir (elf wizard, played by James Richey): A wizard with high intellect countered by low wisdom, who recently escaped some unpleasantness in Westcrown.
Sir Pepwinn Samrit of the Eastern Samrit Retgroves near Gladefield (halfling paladin, Order of the Cockatrice, played by Darrel Rustvold): A halfling with many mottos, and an entrepreneurial streak.
Pepwinn’s schedule of services is as follows:
Retrieve cat from tree 1gp
Retrieve child from well 5gp
Retrieve maiden from lover 15gp
Locate abducted maiden 200gp
Rescue abducted maiden 1000gp
Princess add 4000gp
Queen add 9000gp
Slay wolf or other creature* of similar size threatening livestock 10gp
Slay creature* of large size threatening livestock 150gp
+1000 if dragon, +100 per year aged
Slay creature* threatening village 500gp
+500gp town
+1000gp city*per creature. Add 20% to total for each additional creature. Ask about our multi-creature packages.
Additional expenses:
Travel 25sp/mile
10gp/day + expenses.
Equipment and supplies (free estimate)
Insurance option (automatically included) +15%Other perils? Let us know. No job is too small, no adventure too grand! We work with you to provide the service you need. FREE estimates!
Also available for festivals and parties. Entertain your guests or towns folk with a real-life adventurer! Tales of great peril will be told! Fighting demonstrations! Trick riding! And more!
Tales told 1gp/tale
Fighting demonstration 5gp
Trick riding show 8gp
And more! 2gp
For larger shows ask about ticketing pricing options.Absolutely NO charities!
Eons ago, the monstrous Rovagug sought to destroy Golarion, and the goddess Sarenrae allied with the other deities to tear open the world and confine the Rough Beast it its center. Like most inhabitants of Golarion, the residents of the small town of Stardale know this tale, but it rarely crosses their minds. They recently celebrated the Sunwrought Festival at the solstice, which commemorates the event, and gave thanks for a bountiful growing season, but as summer wanes into fall, it has largely left their minds, remembered only as the first incident in a string of mysterious livestock disappearances.
But the town has more pressing concerns. Stardale shelters in the mountains within the shadow of Kraggodan, one of the great dwarven Sky Citadels, but it is located within the young country of Nirmathas, recently broken from the control of the expansionist empire of Molthune. The Nirmathi remain ever-vigilant against incursions from Molthune or the ancient and corrupt Empire of Cheliax, and the citizens of Stardale cannot help but be affected by this state of continual wariness, although Kraggodan itself has remained firmly neutral. In return for protection, Stardale provides produce and other supplies to the Sky Citadel.
The town's one real claim to fame is the Azthur Glorgirn Academy of Dungeoneering, a school for mercenaries and other would-be adventurers. Azthur himself -- outwardly gruff but really quite fond of almost every student that passes through its doors -- is a retired adventurer of no small fame and a skilled teacher. His network of connections, built over his long and storied career, includes a myriad of other adventurers, warriors, and government officials, some famous in their own right, and he often prevails upon them to teach seminars and classes at his school, which has brought a steady flow of visitors to the sleepy village.
Stardale has built up an industry as the place to stay for tourists coming to see the Sky Citadel; students, teachers and visitors to the Academy; and those wishing to obtain dwarven-forged weapons, which are available from competing father-and-daughter blacksmiths, both with famous forges.
Our tale begins with a new class soon to graduate from a summer session at the Academy. For three months, five adventurers have been studying the ins and outs of dungeoneering, and are beginning to feel ready to take their knowledge out into the world. They’ve been assigned to a group and sent off on a training exercise in the nearby town of Kassen. It's only a training exercise, and should be perfectly harmless...
Twenty years ago, Azthur Glorgirn retired from his career as a guard in Kraggodan, a dwarven Sky Citadel tucked away in the forested landscape of Nirmathas. Retirement didn’t suit him, however, and he spent the next decade as a sometime mercenary and adventurer for hire, developing his extensive network of contacts in high places, comrades in arms, boon companions and other friends and allies.
When he retired for the second time, he returned to Nirmathas, purchased an abandoned manor in the shadow of Kraggodan, and opened up a school to pass on what he had learned in his first two careers. He called upon his network to bring the best guest teachers to Nirmathas for summer sessions, and many of Golarion’s most successful mercenaries, explorers and adventurers have benefitted from his tutelage.
The first floor of Azthur’s school contains a number of classrooms, a student lounge, the kitchen and pantry, and the great hall. Outside is the stable and a practice yard.
The second floor contains rooms for the students (although many of the wealthiest and most established students take rooms at one of Stardale’s inns instead), and an additional lounge.
The third floor contains the teachers’ apartments. Students are rarely invited up to the third floor, which is secured by a magical ward that recognizes the teachers and allows them to pass, but keeps out all others.
The cellar is a vast space containing a near-legendary collection of weapons, potions, adventuring gear and artifacts acquired by Azthur in his travels and gifted to him by grateful students. Azthur occasionally allows some of his treasures out of the cellars for classes and demonstrations, but most students have never been invited into its hallowed depths.
Azthur himself is a neat-bearded dwarf beginning to show a bit of silver in his hair. He is a little gruff, but would do anything for his students and takes paternal pride in their accomplishments. He teaches classes on engineering, underground flora and fauna, and general dungeoneering.
The other teachers at the school are:
Anton Devari: An Aldori swordlord from Brevoy, Anton teaches advanced swordplay.
Elena Foxglove: Head of the Shadow Tigers (an Absalom-based mercenary troop of druid-rogues with feline animal companions), and an influential noble in her own right, Elena teaches classes on traps and camouflage.
Elham al Saleem: A cleric of Sarenrae, famed as the goddess' warrior-poet, Elham teaches a class on dealing with evil outsiders, undead and other evil creatures. She also has visions.
Ergum Sandane: An inquisitor from the land of Astaria, in the River Kingdoms, Ergum teaches about the uses of divine magic in adventuring, as well as providing advice on evaluating paladins and clerics who wish to join an adventuring party.
Eriel Aletta: An aasimar sorceress who teaches a class on fire and light spells. Eriel is most famous for her memoir, The Pastwater Adventure, which has been widely read in fashionable circles around the Inner Sea this year.
Jherek Oivos: Jherek teaches classes on physical conditioning, although Azthur privately suspects his main motivation is recruitment for his homeland of Hermea.
Ries Cuprianas: Known as the “Steel Fox,” Ries teaches summer courses on ambushes and hit-and-run tactics when he can take time away from his duties with Andoran’s Eagle Knights.
Vendlara Alderane: This playful elf from Kyonin teaches archery and ranged weapon techniques.
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(Slight adaptation of the Crypt of the Everflame module)
Being an account by Landathradon Alyameldir, Wizard
Party (in alphabetical order):
Alaric Mannix (Human) – Monk
Danaddenaw Thrashmire III (Human) – Paladin
Elspeth (Half-Elf) – Rogue
Landathradon Alyameldir (Elf) – Wizard
Sir Pepwinn Samrit of the Eastern Samrit Retgroves near Gladefield (Halfling) – Cavalier
My Lass (Wolf) – Sir Pepwinn’s riding ‘dog’
Prior to the beginning of this account, the aforementioned party (hereafter known as ‘the party’) was sent to the Crypt of Ekat Kassen in order to light a lantern from the eternal flame which burns above the titular hero’s grave. Normally, this ritual is completed by young adults from the town, as an initiation or coming-of-age ceremony, and the townsfolk prepare the tomb with largely harmless traps and encounters. This year, however, there were an insufficient number of town citizens of the appropriate age, and the town agreed to let students from the Azthur Glorgirn Academy of Dungeoneering participate as a training exercise. When the party arrived at the crypt, it became apparent that their seemingly straightforward quest would take a much darker turn.
The party discovered that the tomb had been taken over by undead, and found one of the townsfolk who had been sent to prepare it, Roldare, hiding in a room and driven mad from his experiences. He refused to leave until the party rescued his sister, Dimira.
The party, having exhausted their spells and energy, took refuge in one of the rooms to rest for the night. There, they were contacted by Professor Eriel Aletta, one of their instructors at the Azthur Glorgirn Academy of Dungeoneering, who offered them a means of returning safely to the school, but suggested that if they were to cleanse the evil from the tomb, the town of Kassen would be most appreciative.
After their instructor departed, the party decided to proceed deeper into the crypt to rescue Dimira and vanquish whatever evil had taken residence in Kassen’s Tomb.
Key in a Well
The following day, the party found their path blocked by a stone door secured with an ornate lock, which Elspeth was unable to open, forcing the party to find another way into the crypt’s depths.
Backtracking, the party discovered a headless statue of Ekat Kassen in a previously unexplored room to the west, looming over a deep pool of water. As Danaddenaw entered the room, a voice boomed out: “Magic is the key!”
Landathradon determined that a magical item lay at the bottom of the pool, amongst dozens – if not hundreds – of other keys. The wizard attempted to explain to the party which of the keys radiated magic, but only Sir Pepwinn was able to understand his explanation. Unfortunately, Sir Pepwinn’s heavy armor made him more likely to function more like a stone than a fish in an aquatic setting. Pepwinn sent My Lass, his riding “dog,” into the pool to fetch the key. The wolf leapt faithfully into the water at his command, swam around on the surface for a bit, then popped gleefully back out and returned to the cavalier’s side.
Alaric volunteered to retrieve the key, but was confused by the wizard’s original explanation of how to identify the key. Landathradon spent 20 long and tedious minutes discussing the exact location of the key with him. Alaric dove headfirst into the pool and adroitly recovered the correct key.
No Glory in Traps
By this time, Danaddenaw had become bored by the inactivity and wandered off. He discovered two doors on the south wall, which appeared to lead elsewhere into the crypt. As the others were helping Alaric out of the pool, the paladin brashly threw open the doors, but was chagrined to discover nothing more dangerous than an empty hallway with statues of armored knights guarding its length. The stone warriors held large ceremonial swords above their heads, several of which appeared to be wrapped in thick leather padding.
The rest of the party joined him, and Elspeth and Landathradon agreed that the hallway was likely to be trapped. Based on the party’s previous experience with traps, the two decided to try to other door before subjecting anyone to further humiliation. Elspeth carefully checked the door for hidden dangers, and discovered that it was locked. She studied the lock for a moment, then casually pulled a key out of her pack. It fit the lock perfectly.
With a deft turn of her wrist, she opened the door, revealing a room containing a stone bench, a large mural, and a door on the far wall. The mural depicted a great battle between Ekat Kassen and Asar Vergas, his former ally turned bitter rival. The rogue pointed out the oddly-shaped medallions around both men’s necks, dubbing them “BFF necklaces.”
Upon trying the door to the south, she discovered a long and narrow corridor that bent toward the left. As she stepped into the corridor, the party heard a shout from Danaddenaw.
The paladin felt that there was more glory in continuing along the path of greatest resistance than waiting in an empty, safe area, and headed down the hallway with the statues.
“Its arms are worn more heavily and there is not nearly as much dust coating them,” Danaddenaw shouted back to the others, who were still patiently waiting at the doorway.
“That’s great! How about we go the other way, seeing that everything here screams ‘trap!’?” Landathradon called back.
Ignoring the question, the paladin continued, “Thief! I believe these mechanical devices are traps and not enemies!”
“No ****!” Elspeth retorted.
Danaddenaw seemed deflated by her response. “Well, there’s no glory to be had from traps. Let’s go down the other hallway…”
Nodding at the armored hulk of the paladin, the wizard turned to the rogue. “Elspeth, if we push him right now, we might be able to rid ourselves of this nuisance once and for all.”
Elspeth seemed to consider this idea for a moment, but then shook her head. “If we leave him to his own devices long enough, he’ll probably accomplish that for us.”
Danaddenaw pushed past the party and went into to the small room with the mural. Elspeth, happy to be without the brash paladin screaming in her ear about glory, cautiously approached the nearest statue, examined it, and disarmed it with aplomb. The statue lowered its arms slowly until its weapon came to rest on the ground. Bolstered by her success, Elspeth continued on to the next pair of statues and was able to disable them with equal ease. However, as she stepped towards the third set, the stone tile beneath her feet dropped, and the statues’ blades crashed down sharply in front of her, crossed and blocking the path.
“Uhhhh, we might have a problem here…” Elspeth shouted over her shoulder.
“Can you nimble your way past the blades and see if there is a way to disable the rest of these devices?” asked the monk.
“Turns out, yes!” Elspeth announced after a moment of experimentation. However, it took her another 20 minutes to disable it. Bored at the downtime, Danaddenaw wandered off down the other corridor and discovered a closed, but unlocked door. It opened easily enough, but there appeared to be some sort of spring mechanism inside the room that forced the door shut if it was not being held open. “Hey guys! I think there’s another room over here,” he yelled.
Sir Pepwinn, intrigued by the paladin’s apparent death wish, attempted an experiment of his own. “Go in and check it out!” he yelled back. “What are you, chicken?!”
“Well, all right then!” responded Danaddenaw.
Elated by his companion's suggestion, the paladin boldly pushed aside the door and strode through the archway into the room beyond. Just as he crossed the threshold, the door slammed shut behind him with a loud thud.
(Thanks to Jamie for recapping.)
Alaric, Pepwinn, and Landathradon all turned at the sound of the thud. Pepwinn smiled. “Have you guys seen Dan?” the cavalier asked mirthfully.
“Dan? You still with us?” the wizard inquired, his voice echoing eerily in the silent tomb.
Alaric, more perceptive than the rest, added his own observation: “I think that we might need to go help Dan…”
“Do we have to, Alaric? Do we really have to?” Landathradon pleaded. “I mean, what if we find him partially digested? What do we do with him then?”
“Hopefully that won’t be the case,” Alaric responded as he pushed his way past the wizard and headed down the hallway.
After passing through the doorway, Danaddenaw was immediately plunged into darkness. His blind fumbling at the wall led only to the discovery that no mechanism to reopen the door appeared to exist on his side. Undaunted, he reached into his pack for his lantern, flint, and steel. As he rummaged around for his loose items, a heavy missile clanged against the armor on his shoulder. The paladin ignored the blow and after a few seconds, lit his lantern.
He found himself in a large room centered around a gaping pit, from which rose a large stone pillar bristling with arrows; strangely, all the arrows seemed to point outward. A rickety wooden bridge connected the pathway along the room’s perimeter to the pillar.
Elspeth finished disarming the traps and looked up to find herself alone. She stretched her back and eased back down the hallway, muttering to herself, “I guess I’ll go see what’s going on with Dan as well. Dumb***…”
Pepwinn rode My Lass over to the door and eased it open, readying his shield. “Hey, Dan! How’s it going? Need saving?”
Danaddenaw glanced through the door at the halfling. “Eh, I got this…”
Pepwinn decided to continue his experiment on the strange human. “Good for you! Only a total wuss would accept help from a halfling!”
Immediately after this exchange, an arrow shot out from the pillar and caught Danaddenaw right between the eyes. Fortunately for the paladin, the arrow had a blunted tip. Unfortunately for his brain cells, even a blunted arrow can do significant damage to the unwary. A little bit of drool escaped from the side of his mouth as a large welt appeared on his forehead.
Alaric called out, “What’s going on in there?! Dan, get the hell out!” When no response came, he persisted. “Do you need help, Dan?”
With a fresh head wound and possible brain damage, Danaddenaw was so focused on the pillar and determined to continue his quest to glory that he could not hear the monk. Instead of responding, he rushed up to the pillar, hoping to find some way to disable the device.
Recognizing yet another opportunity to grief the paladin, Pepwinn offered his own advice. “Smash it!” shouted the halfling from the doorway. “Hit it with your sword!”
“You continue to be the best doorstop that you can be!” Danaddenaw yelled back. “I got this!”
“Seriously! Go ahead and smash it! Look how strong you are!” Pepwinn snickered to himself.
A pair of arrows whizzed by the paladin’s head as he stood staring at the device. Time was clearly a factor in this situation and it was quickly running out. Finally, Danaddenaw drew his broadsword and, with a mighty swing, struck the stout stone pillar. A loud clanging sound rang out and a small scratch appeared on the side of the monument. The pillar appeared undaunted; the paladin’s sword, however, seemed quite the worse for wear.
As if insulted by the paladin’s feeble effort, the pillar launched two more blunted arrows at point-blank range. They struck Danaddenaw in the chest, and the paladin crumpled to the ground, unconscious. Pepwinn choked back laughter.
Elspeth, on the other hand, was quite annoyed by this turn of events. She turned to the halfling. “If you move, I’ll tear your you-know-whats off and feed them to your puppy. Understand?” She crept forward to examine the pillar.
Slightly unnerved by Elspeth, Pepwinn called out to the remaining adventurers, “Uh, guys! The smart one fell down and the pretty one is trying to disable the device. Any thoughts on what we should do?”
Alaric took matters into his own hands, returning to the stone statues and retrieving one of their swords. He hurried back toward his companions and used the sword to brace the door open, then sent Pepwinn into the chamber in order to retrieve Danaddenaw’s sleeping form.
Pepwinn dismounted from My Lass and commanded her to return with the unconscious paladin’s body. The wolf responded with alacrity and quickly dragged the slumbering man back to the safety of the doorway. Coincidentally enough, as soon as Danaddenaw was out of range, the stone pillar ceased to rotate. It appeared that the trap had spent its last missile.
As the pillar finally came to rest, a door on the south wall of the room slid open. Elspeth approached the opening with caution and called back to the party to let them know if appeared safe.
Alaric approached the unconscious paladin. “It seems like we should get him back on his feet. Does anyone have a healing potion?”
Elspeth suggested an alternate approach. “We can just let the wolf drag him around for a while; he’s so much more tolerable when he’s unconscious.”
“Yeah, this is the most effective that he’s ever been,” chimed in Landathradon.
Pepwinn agreed. “Don’t waste the potions! Those are valuable!”
Despite the consensus of his colleagues, Alaric succumbed to his upright monk upbringing and fed the paladin one of the party’s healing potions. The others emitted a loud groan.
“Frickin’ monks,” Elspeth muttered to herself. Then, as Danaddenaw’s eyes fluttered open, she exclaimed, with false cheer: “Oh yeah! He’s back!”
As the paladin regained consciousness, he surreptitiously drew a wand from his pack and began making frantic motions at himself. This seemed to go on for a few minutes, but finally, he appeared content and stood up. He now showed great exuberance and renewed vitality, much to the chagrin of the rest of the party. “I’m back; as glorious as ever!” he announced.
Ignoring the proclamation, the party moved on through the door to the south. After passing through a short hallway, they came upon a room sporting murals depicting Ekat Kassen’s funeral and mourners. On the far side, a short stairway down ended in a pair of large, ornate doors.
Pepwinn guided My Lass into the entrance of the room, and Landathradon, intrigued by the prospect of learning more about the images, followed him. As he approached the nearest mural, a loud scraping noise came from behind one of the pillars on the far side of the room. With a choked “Eeeep!” the wizard turned tail and immediately fled back down the narrow hall.
Elspeth grabbed hold of the fleeing elf’s arm as he tried to run past. “What the hell happened in there?”
“Noises!” the wizard squeaked, right before he shook himself free and continued on.
Bloody skeletons shambled out from behind the pillars scattered throughout the room. Alaric warned his companions that the skeletons were likely to regenerate, given time, so a quick and decisive victory was needed.
The resulting melee was pitched and fierce. Pepwinn and Alaric proved particularly skilled against the undead menace. After less than a minute, the bloodied skeletons lay in heaps on the floor. Elspeth perused the bodies and found a small silver necklace. It was rather dated, made in a style that was popular over 200 years ago, but still worth a tidy sum. Recalling Alaric’s statement about their regenerative abilities, Landathradon suggested that the best place for the bones might be down the chasm in the previous room. The others agreed with this course of action and quickly disposed of the remains.
With the room cleared, the party disagreed on what to do next, until Pepwinn played his trump card. “Hey, Dan! Are you certain that we’ve cleared ALL the evil from the top level?” the halfling said to the paladin.
A confused look on the human’s face was all the response elicited. The halfling tried again, with less subtlety. “There is an unopened door at the end of that other hallway. What are you, some kind of pansy? Don’t want to check that out? Little chicken?”
Danaddenaw drew his sword and charged back the way they came. As he disappeared out of sight, the remaining party members heard him shout: “For Glory!”
The others shot Pepwinn dark looks, then sullenly followed after their wayward paladin. They managed to catch up to him just as he opened the door at the end of the hallway of statues, revealing a split-level room guarded by two stone statues. A large wooden statue of Ekat Kassen, holding two large shields and perched on a stone dais, dominated the sunken end of the room. One shield was marked with the word Home, the other with Family.
Pepwinn pushed past Danaddenaw and moved towards the statue. As he began to descend, both sets of stairs collapsed to form slides. Wolf and rider tumbled down their length, but found themselves miraculously upright upon reaching the bottom. They tried to catch their bearings when, with a rustling sound, the wooden statue took a step toward them.
Danaddenaw, finally faced with a truly powerful enemy, realized that he needed to act quickly or the halfling would reap all the glory. He jumped onto the stairway-slide and slid down on his back. There was a prolonged and earsplitting series of clinks and clangs as the plated Paladin bounced to the bottom. Invigorated by his decision to take action, he leapt to his feet to confront the mysterious construct.
Alaric, preferring to be strategic over being suicidal, remained at the raised end of the room and heaved a bottle of lamp oil at the wooden statue. Alas, his aim was off and the flask struck the ground between the giant's legs.
"Somebody light it!" he shouted.
Danaddenaw obligingly smashed his lit lantern and tossed it into the pool of oil. A ball of fire erupted and flames engulfed the statue's legs.
While the act might indeed have appeared glorious, the paladin's resulting situation was somewhat less so. The construct turned its ire on him, and struck him solidly on the side of his head with a large fist.
"Get out of there!" Alaric shouted. He tossed a rope toward the paladin. "Dan, get out of there before you get knocked out again!"
Elspeth, who had chosen to hang back, noticed a small keyhole notched into the back of the golem's neck as it turned on Danaddenaw. She leapt acrobatically from the raised platform onto the statue's back, making a perfect landing astride its shoulders. The magic key the party had retrieved from the well slid perfectly into the keyhole. With a quick turn of her wrist, she rotated the key, and the wooden giant returned to its place on the dias.
Pepwinn pulled out a waterskin and dumped it on the flames. After witnessing the Cavalier attempt to put out a grease fire with water, Elspeth shook her head, dismounted, and casually used her blanket to smother the flames.
An aggrieved shout erupted from Danaddenaw. "You couldn't let my fire burn it down?" he asked in anguish. "You had to go and put it out?"
"I can always turn the key back the other way if you want," Elspeth offered. "I am perfectly happy to turn it back on and watch you fall down again."
"I vote no!" Landathradon chimed in from his hiding place in the corner.
While perched on the statue's shoulders, Elspeth had noticed a door leading off from the lower chamber. She approached and found it unlocked and untrapped. Still mourning the loss of his glorious triumph over the golem, Danaddenaw refused to let the rogue steal any more of his victories. He rushed past her and kicked open the door.
Broadsword bared, the paladin bravely confronted what appeared to be an old supply room. His fierce demeanor and menacing blade produced no visible influence upon the room's sole occupant: a small wooden table. Upon the table were several items covered by a note. Annoyed that the useless piece of paper had the temerity to block his view of his just reward, Danaddenaw flung the missive over his shoulder. His face fell as only a handful of potions, a magic wand, and another useless scroll were revealed.
Elspeth plucked the note out of the air as it fluttered past, then cleared her throat and read aloud. "Congratulations, adventurers, on having reached this point in your test. These items are here to assist you in the second half of your trial."
“Half!? There’s another half!?” exclaimed Landathradon. “That’s it; we’re all going to die!”
“Nothing but potions and scrolls…phhhbbt,” Danaddenaw said dismissively.
“Wait, there are potions and scrolls? Let me see!” the wizard demanded. Completely forgetting the prophecy of doom he'd proclaimed just moments earlier, he scampered blissfully down the stairs to inspect the loot. “Wow! A wand too!” Landathradon proceeded to identify all the magical goodies and the party divided up the items amongst themselves.
The party backtracked to the room which contained the murals of Kassen’s funeral and opened the ornate doors. Beyond them was a stairway down to the lower level of the tomb, which emerged in a small circular chamber with passageways leading east, west, and south. In the center of the room stood a pedestal covered with markings. The wizard examined them, then read aloud, "To the south, you may take your ease to rest and reflect upon Kassen's deeds. To the east you will find the wheel to open the gate. To the west is the resting place of Kassen."
The sound of running water came from the eastern passage, along with a gust of foul-smelling air, carrying an odor of rot and corruption.
The wizard cringed at the smell. "Well, I think we did it, guys! We cleansed the evil! What do you think? Good game? Head back to town?"
Pepwinn gave the elf a withering look. "We made it this far, my friend; we'll be just fine." He slapped the wizard's back heartily.
Landathradon flinched at the blow. He looked around at his companions and recognized that none were interested in returning without completing their task. He sighed in resignation.
Pepwinn wrinkled his nose in the direction of the eastern passage. "It really does smell like *ss over there," he observed. He rolled his eyes at the paladin. "It would take a brave warrior with a grand constitution to go down that stinky tunnel..."
"Stinky!" roared Danaddenaw and ran past the cavalier, down the rotten-smelling tunnel.
Before following the mentally-challenged human, Pepwinn torn off a piece of his bedroll and wrapped it around his head to filter the air from his nose and mouth. He exchanged a glance with Alaric, and they followed the rapidly retreating figure of their comrade. The three men soon found themselves in a relatively large room full of coffins. The smell of rotten flesh was almost overpowering.
“Awwwwww, it’s just a crypt! There’s no evil in here!” Danaddenaw said dejectedly.
Pepwinn trotted past the human to explore the rest of the room. As he approached the far side, creatures began to emerge from the sarcophagi scattered around the room's perimeter. They were humanoid and dressed in a manner similar to that of the man the party had found dead by the side of the lake a few days before. Their horribly decomposed bodies were putrid with rot, but they were still in better shape than those of the skeletons the party had faced earlier. Their intent, the party observed, seemed hostile.
Back in the circular entrance chamber, Elspeth and Landathradon heard the rustling sound of the undead advance. "Uhh, what's going on there, guys?" the rogue inquired of the empty hallway.
"Foul undead abominations have arisen!" proclaimed the paladin.
The rogue, having reached her daily brainless zombie quota through tolerating her paladin classmate, opted for caution over bravery. "Yeah, you kids have fun with that."
As the triumphant cries of his companions rang out, the wizard felt the need to introduce some reality into the situation. "Hey guys! I don't know how to break this to you, but there's like a 99% chance that you've all contracted zombie rot."
“I feel fine!” responded Pepwinn.
“That’s just great!” Alaric said sarcastically. “Do you have any ideas on how to get rid of it?”
“If we had a scroll of cure disease, we’d be in business, but we don’t. Otherwise a talented healer could fix you all up…” the wizard trailed off as his gaze fell on Danaddenaw, who was lying face down in a pile undead entrails. “Alternatively, I’m sure there are clerics back at the village who would assist us. All the more reason for us to get the **** out of here!”
“How long do we have?” asked Alaric.
Landathradon considered for a minute before responding. “You’ve got anywhere from 24 to 48 hours before you notice any ill effects. After that, things will start to deteriorate rapidly.”
“All the more reason for us to finish our quest,” the monk said quietly, then proceeded to search the room.
Pepwinn, concerned that another might reap greater rewards than he, began to cast about as well. His instincts were true, and he discovered an old pack tucked away in the far corner. Rummaging around in the pack, he tossed some rotten rations out, then handed the wizard a large map, which appeared to portray the tomb, and a handbill advertising potential employment for anyone who would travel to an inn called The Ranger's Lament, in the Nirmathi capital of Tamran.
Alaric returned to the unconscious body of the paladin and stared at it thoughtfully. "The pedestal indicated that there was a place of healing and rest to the south. I suggest that we focus our search there next."
With some effort, the party was able to drag Danaddenaw's inert form over to rejoin Elspeth, who had been patiently waiting by the entryway. They opened the southern door and discovered a shining silver fountain burbling with clear water. Above, an inscription read: Kassen's legacy lives on with his people. Drink and be refreshed.
Pepwinn hastened to the water's edge, and lowered his lips to the surface, drinking deeply. The others noticed a small cut on his cheek that seemed to heal before their eyes. The halfling appeared to grow more vibrant as they watched. Elspeth, needing no further proof, quickly followed his example, and felt similarly revived.
One by one, the others imbibed. Pepwinn filled a waterskin and managed to force enough down the paladin's slack throat to restore him to consciousness. Landathradon, after witnessing this, emptied his canteen and filled it with water from the fountain. Pepwinn, still amused at having saved the paladin, did likewise with his three waterskins.
Alaric helped the paladin up, and offered his fellow human some words of advice: "Dan, often the bravest course is to be thoughtful. One can be neither brave nor glorious in battle when one has been rendered unconscious."
His words were met with a blank stare. "One who stands in the back of battle will never be written into the histories!" he retorted. Apparently, paladin training conferred logic immunity.
Recognizing a lost cause, Alaric abandoned the attempt at reason and guided the rest of the party back to the now-empty crypt and a door within. Danaddenaw pushed past him and flung the door open. Inside was a large reflecting pool filled with murky water. The walls were covered in scorched tapestries, their contents long since burned beyond recognition.
As he approached the pool, Danaddenaw caught a glimpse of his reflection in the still waters, but instead of the strong, chiseled face of a charismatic young man, he saw a rotting visage, whose owner turned from the water to murder the rest of the people in the room. The paladin screamed in terror and ran from the room.
"What the hell was that?" Elspeth wondered as her companion ran past, howling.
Before anyone could opine, two large bat swarms descended from the ceiling, awakened by the paladin's shrieks. They took their ire out upon the party.
“OK, Dan is not allowed to walk first into a room ever again,” the rogue muttered.
Elspeth, Alaric, and Pepwinn all turned to face the threat and were about to engage when an unexpected voice chimed up from behind them.
“Get down!” Landathradon shouted. “I think I got this one!”
All three exchanged questioning looks, but followed the wizard’s instructions. As they hit the ground, an intense flash of color lit up the room and the bats dropped to the ground, unconscious. Shocked that their magician actually contributed to a battle, the others rose and put the creatures out of their misery. Pepwinn surreptitiously scooped up a couple of the dazed creatures and hid them in his pack.
Just as the group vanquished their last foe, Danaddenaw came rushing back into the room. “Don’t worry! I’ll protect you!” he yelled, charging through the door. His courageous entrance was met with looks of exasperation by his classmates.
They moved onwards and came across a 10-foot-wide bridge leading across a very deep pit. Across the way stood two large stone statues and behind them the party noticed a pair of grand brass doors. The paladin, somewhat miffed that he had been unable to showcase his glorious talents against the bats, chose to push past the rest on his way to observe the statues. He had taken no more than a few steps onto the bridge when both constructs appeared to lift magically from their pedestals and charge at him. The entire party was knocked prone by the onslaught. The statues returned to their resting positions on the far side of the bridge.
Elspeth gave Danaddenaw a dark look and made her way cautiously down the bridge. When she reached the point where the paladin had triggered the statues, she made an athletic leap and landed on the far side of the bridge. From this vantage, she noticed a large pressure plate covering the center of the bridge and stepped down to disarm it, then called to her party to proceed. They met up with her in front of the large doors on the far wall.
Inspecting the doors, Pepwinn ruminated loudly, "It sure would be glorious for someone to open these doors..." He shot a sidelong look at Danaddenaw.
The paladin kicked the center point where the two doors met. The heavy portals bowed inward, then snapped back and flung the man on his back, where he struggled awkwardly, like an overturned turtle. Over his prone form, the party peered between the doors and spied a bright flame dancing over an open sarcophagus on the far wall of a large room. Lying beside the stone box was a beautiful young woman in tattered clothing.
“Maybe it’s the lady!” Pepwinn cried.
“Yeah…why don’t you go find out,” suggested Landathradon.
The halfling considered for a moment, then shook his head. “Last time I tried to kiss a woman to wake her up, it did not end well…”
“I meant to do that!” Danaddenaw exclaimed, picking himself up off the floor and brushing the dirt from his armor. "I totally meant to do that!"
Pushing past the clumsy human, Pepwinn rode My Lass into the room and approached the sleeping girl. As he passed the vestibule, a dry, mirthless laugh echoed about the chamber. “So Kassen’s heroes have come to fight me again…”
“NO! NO! NO! NO!” screamed the wizard, in terror. “Wait, seriously!? Heroes!? I don’t think so!”
Without interruption, the sinister voice continued “…you will make fine minions in my army…”
Landathradon waved frantically in the general direction of the voice. “You’re not listening, voice! We’re REALLY not heroes!”
“…come and meet your doom!” concluded the menacing monologue.
“Seriously!? Why’d you have to say that!?” the elf shrieked back at the room. The whites of his eyes were clearly visible as he gestured at the paladin. “That is like the worst possible thing you could say to this guy!”
“YOU HAVE NEVER MET HEROES QUITE LIKE US!” bellowed Danaddenaw as he charged into the room.
“Yeah, meet this, ****ers!” Elspeth seconded him, and slipped through the doorway.
A wicked undead creature wearing polished mail and brandishing a cruel longsword appeared by the open sarcophagus, issuing another dry laugh as the adventurers approached. His eyes were small blue flames. Skeletons began to creep from the crevices scattered about the room.
Landathradon, still quivering in fear, hung back by the door and studied the creature. His research into the tomb’s history lead him to believe that their opponent was none other than Asar, Kassen’s mortal enemy, who had died and was buried in this very crypt. His guess was confirmed when he spotted the amulet around the creature’s neck, matching the "BFF necklace" Elspeth had spotted in the mural. Kassen's body lay in the open casket beside Asar, a broken chain visible on its chest. The matching amulet was missing.
“Hey, I think that we should do…uh, something…about that necklace!” the wizard called to his companions.
“Define something,'” Elspeth called back over her shoulder.
“I have no idea!” screamed the elf. “Make it not be on him!”
In response, Asar struck at Pepwinn. The halfling winced in pain as the blade bit deep into his flesh.
Landathradon stepped forth from behind the door in an uncharacteristically brave manner and ran to assist the cavalier. A viscous liquid sprayed from his hands and landed at Asar's feet. Caught off-guard, the creature tottered on the slick surface, then tumbled to the ground.
Danaddenaw recognized that his moment of glory had arrived and charged at the prone opponent. Calling upon his goddess, he rushed past the skeletons and smote his evil adversary. Asar shrieked in unholy pain.
Alaric, Elsepth and Landathradon, covering the group’s flank, moved to protect Pepwinn. They faced off with the advancing skeletons and each felled one of the minions.
The halfling took a moment to regain his composure, and paused in his attack to pour magical oil over his blade. “Asar will be the creature that I defeated in songs sung across the land!” he sang out, then swung at the monster’s head. The blow, while truly mighty, was deflected at the last moment by Asar’s bony arm.
“Excuse me, sir, but I'm doing the defeating here today,” said Danaddenaw to the cavalier as he struck the evil creature with his holy weapon. Asar’s screams of pain once again filled the chamber.
Enraged, the monster flung himself upright and struck out blindly at the adventurers. His wild blow connected solidly to the side of Pepwinn’s head and the halfling crumbled in an unconscious heap across My Lass’ back. The wolf sensed her master’s plight and slunk away from the fight.
With the cavalier down, the rest of the party moved to surround Asar. Alaric’s fists pummeled his exposed joints, Elspeth’s daggers backstabbed his flank, and Danaddenaw’s righteous blade continued to slice at his head. Finally, recalling his years of training against the skeletal undead, the paladin ultimately realized the folly of his actions and turned his sword to strike with the flat of the blade. A final mighty blow reduced his opponent into an untidy pile of rotten bones.
“YES! Hero of the day!” announced Danaddenaw.
Elspeth approached Pepwinn and fed the halfling a healing potion.
“Wazat? Did we win?” he called out drunkenly.
Elspeth filled Pepwinn in on the conclusion of the fight as Danaddenaw looted the mail and sword from the vanquished foe. Observing that his window for triumph was still open, the halfling rushed to the side of the unconscious woman. He poured some of the healing water from his canteen down her throat and positioned her head such that his face would be the first thing she saw upon waking. His careful preparation appeared to be in vain as the young woman, upon regaining consciousness, seemed more taken with the strapping paladin than the diminutive cavalier.
She introduced herself as Dimira and explained that she had been with the townspeople when Asar attacked. He spared her to perform some arcane ritual, in the middle of which the party attacked. She knew nothing about the other bodies in the tomb, but that she and the other townspeople had noticed signs of trespassers who had apparently broken into the crypt before they arrived.
Disappointed at the maiden's lack of gratitude at being revived, Pepwinn approached the Everflame and lit the silver lantern provided by the townspeople. Ekat Kassen, a ghostly apparition, appeared and thanked them for putting an end to his mortal enemy. Roughly 3 months ago, a group of bandits had broken into the crypt. Their search for loot caused them to defile Asar's grave and roused his evil spirit. He awoke hungering for vengeance and began to assemble an undead army to destroy his Kassen's village.
Elspeth wondered to where Asar's magical amulet had disappeared, and noted that Kassen was missing his, as well. The ghost indicated that the bandits had stolen the jewelry, and that the necklace that had appeared around Asar's neck during the battle was an illusion. The amulets, the ghost explained, were two of three parts of a key that would open a treasure vault housing the plunder Kassen and Asar had amassed during their adventuring days. The third belonged to Eramine, an elven sorceress.
Kassen produced various items from within his sarcophagus and rewarded the party with them, then thanked them a final time and evaporated.
The party began divvying up the presents, and noticed a body off in a side chamber. It was wearing ceremonial gray robes and an iron mask. He appeared to have been strangled about three months ago. Alaric observed that the man was most likely a priest of Razmir, a self-proclaimed living god. The monk had heard tales that cults of the living god had been springing up around the area.
The party found a map leading to Kassen's crypt secreted in the priests robes. With it was a note stating, The amulets are entombed with the bodies of Kassen and Asar. The robes also held various magical sundries, which the group divided amongst themselves.
As they approached the exit, the wizard stopped and stared at the eastern, unexplored passage. "Uh, guys? We still haven't finished our task. We were told to cleanse the evil from Kassen's resting place, yet we never bothered to go through there." He pointed to the closed door.
“Evil. Glory. Let’s go!” agreed Danaddenaw.
“Or we could just take Dimira to her brother, like we promised, and go,” Elspeth countered.
“I can’t believe that I’m going to say this, but I’m actually going to side with the paladin on this one.” The wizard sighed in exasperation. “We were told by our instructor do cleanse the evil. I really don’t want to lose credit on a technicality.”
Danaddenaw pushed past the others and started down the passageway, which gradually sloped down until the entire area was covered in a couple feet of cool, stagnant water. There were two doorways, and the air was filled with the sound of chirping frogs. The paladin grabbed the handle on the door to the right, and the door shattered in his grasp. On the other sie was a flooded narrow room with strange blue fungus covering the walls. Wispy strands of it waved lazily, though the air in the room was utterly still. Floating atop the water were four decaying corpses, two of which appeared to be large rats. The others were giant frogs. Each body was covered with strange burn marks.
Danaddenaw noticed another passageway leading off from the room and paused to consider his course of action. From behind him came the sound of a halfling impersonating a chicken. In response, the paladin strode bravely into the room. As he passed the fungus, it seemed to become agitated and a bright bolt of electricity arced out to strike the man. His plate mail seemed to amplify the discharge, and the paladin fell into the dank water, twitching.
Landathradon peeked his head into the room and identified the plant as azure fungus, which is known to store electricity over time to incapacitate unwary foes. He used his magic to clear the room of the lethal flora. Pepwinn advanced into the chamber and fed the paladin some healing water.
“I thought that we were going to see my brother?” asked a very confused Dimira.
“In a minute!” replied the wizard. “We’re watching our paladin die. It’s sort of a thing we do…”
With only a single room left to explore, the entire party converged to tackle it as one. A newly-revived Danaddenaw chose to use the opposite entrance from the rest and was immediately confronted by a pair of large frogs. One of the beasts wrapped its tongue around the paladin and proceeded to swallow the man whole.
Begrudgingly, the others came to his aid, but not before Danaddenaw was engulfed up to his ankles in the frog’s mouth. After the battle, Alaric noticed the corpse of a man tucked away in the corner and, upon searching it, found a ring of swimming.
With the final monster destroyed, the party reunited Dimira with her brother. The sight of his sister restored Roldare to some semblance of sanity and they were able to convince him to return with them to town. Eriel appeared once again and offered to teleport them all to the village of Kassen. They graciously accepted her offer and their adventure came to a satisfying conclusion.
(end of Crypt of the Everflame module)
The next morning, after breakfast, Professor al-Saleem asked the party to join her in the students' lounge. Upon reaching the lounge, they discovered Dimira waiting for them there.
"I'm here with some tokens of Kassen's thanks," Dimira said shyly, indicating a chest beside her. She seemed somewhat awed by the school. Professor al-Saleem hid a smile and left them with the young woman from Kassen.
Alaric gave a small bow.
"Miss Dimira, you are looking well and seem to be recovering quickly from your ordeal. We are grateful to see you up and about, for no one should have to endure what you did." He nodded toward the chest. "The people of Kassan are very generous. Seeing you and your brother home safe are certainly thanks enough. We do very much appreciate your gifts." He bowed again. "Tell us, though you were transfixed in that spell for some time, do you remember anything? Can you tell us about the bandits who befouled the tomb?"
Pepwinn nodded. "Yes, a job well done is its own reward. Although a reward is its own reward regardless of the job. Soooooo...." He eyed the chest. "I am more than happy to have been of service."
Dimira shook her head. "I know nothing about the bandits, sir, beyond what I have already told you." She shot a glance at Dan, blushed, and looked away.
"Of course, forgive me for asking," Alaric murmured. "And do tell us, how is your brother faring?"
"He's doing a bit better, sir," she said, although a brief expression of pain flitted across her face. "The priest says he should be back to normal after a few months of rest and care. But I should be going back to him now. Thank you again for everything you've done for us."
She slipped toward the entryway, then paused, her hand on the doorframe.
"There was one thing, a strange thing, about the bandits. We found a body outside, and didn't think much of it at the time. We assumed wolves had gotten him, or a bear. It happens, in the Fangwood. He appeared to be Nirmathi, but he had an amulet around his neck. I didn't recognize the symbol, but when Pietran saw it, he looked very upset. He told me as we were going in that it was the sign of Asmodeus."
She made a warding gesture. "We spend all our lives under the shadow of invasion from Molthune or Cheliax. Why would any Nirmathi wear that sign?" She shivered a bit, then ducked out.
After guiding Dimira out, Professor al-Saleem watched as the party dug through the chest. Alaric pulled out a ring and she identified it for him.
"A Ring of Protection! I can't...." Alaric composed himself. "The people of Kassan are quite generous with their thanks. Surely these items are of significant worth and were not parted with lightly."
He looked to his classmates. "I'm sure we can each find an item or two here to study further and perhaps make use of. I myself have long sought to discover and learn about a Ring of Protection. For a monk, this item is quite wondrous, as it provides protection without burden, allowing us to maintain our nimble ways."
He gave a slight bow. "If I might be so bold and if it is not objectionable, without jealousy or prejudice, I would humbly request this one piece to hold. I will see that its use brings honor to use and the people of Kassen."
"Fine by me," said Pepwinn, thumping his breastplate. "There are, after all, more conventional ways to be protected. Just keep in mind that I get what I deserve and I'm not about to get any less than my fair share. I have no personal claim to anything specific. Though I'll need to take some time to determine the quality of the gifts we've been given."
Taking a break from recording their recent exploits in Kassen's tomb, Lan finally joined the rest in the student lounge. His entrance was rushed and his arms were full of loose papers covered in markings. "Sorry I'm late! I lost track of time while collating our most recent adventure!" A few pages slipped from his grasp as he came to an abrupt stop by the chest of goodies. "I had no idea that academic writing would be so arduous. Every detail needs to be examined for veracity; every uttered comment transcribed verbatim. It really is quite exhausting! You all really should..."
The wizard trailed off as he caught site of the chests contents. All worry about his work forgotten, the elf dropped his transcript to the ground. "Are those scrolls? And a wand?! Are they for us!!??" He began to sift through the magical sundries. "If no one else objects, I'll be able to make use of these." He held up a few scrolls. "Anyone claim these yet?"
Dan, who until then had been silent, stood forth.
"I am greatly pleased that you have recovered, Miss Dimira. That is the only thing that is more rewarding than doing our duties in clearing out the crypt of the monstrous infestation. Most impressive that the town was able to acquire these, and exceedingly noble for them to offer them for us to use. Please convey my most fervent thanks, Dimira."
Dan pointed to a mace and wand. "Those would be most helpful in my quest for the glory of Iomidae. I am more comfortable with the longsword, however, so if anyone else wishes to use the mace, I would have no objections. Also, I have not the divine knowledge to cast those scrolls. But, with more chances at glorious heroism, I will gain such ability in time." With his fist to his chest, Dan bowed with a flourish of his resplendently white cloak. "If ever Kassen, or yourself, is ever in need of our services, please don't hesitate to send for us."
"Actually, Miss Dimira, something is troubling me. The dead man you mentioned, with the amulet of Asmodeus? I believe we stumbled upon his body as well, but did not find any amulet. We did, however, see some tracks leading away from the corpse. Thinking this was just a poor soul that was fell upon by some wild animal, we buried him and went on our way. Did you or anyone in your party remove the amulet?"
Everyone in the party looked at Dan strangely as he'd been addressing all his questions to someone who'd left the room several minutes ago. His comments were being made to an empty doorway.
A few furtive glances were passed between the others and a non-verbal consensus was reached: permanent brain damage.
"What I find most perplexing is that he was addressing the coat rack," Pepwinn murmured to Lan.
Lan whispered back furtively, "I've heard of this before. Sometimes when someone is deprived of oxygen long enough, or if they take too many blows to the head, they come back a little...funny. After watching him in the tomb, I think that our Paladin friend might be already well on this path..."
Dan turned red, but said loudly, "But hey, thanks for asking the important questions, like 'Perhaps this new coven of infernal clerics might have something to do with the undead infestation?' 'Who has the amulet now?' Oh, and my favorite:'I wonder if those tracks we saw was some cleanup crew from the Asmodeus sect come to try and wipe traces of their odious presence?'"
"The paladin does brings up some good points," Pepwinn said reluctantly. "Maybe he wasn't hit on the head all that hard. Hmmm," he took out his pipe and lit it, "there seems to be a mystery, and where there is mystery often times there is profit. Lets see, there are the infernal clerics; on their own, I'm sure someone would pay to have them dispatched. Then there were the dead man by the side of the road..." He began to pace back and forth, puffing on his pipe. "And the amulets removed from the tomb by some evil force... I would not be surprised if these events are all somehow connected. But how? And more importantly who is going to pay for all this? We should speak with the mayor once we know more. Perhaps he would be willing to compensate me for my, er - that is to say, us for our troubles. We should try and find out more about these Asmodeus fellows. Perhaps some of the teachers would know."
Brightened by the prospect of a quest to vanquish evildoers, Dan launched into a series of speeches, an avalanche of condescension. "Agreed, Sir Pepwinn; this needs investigation. Unfortunately, we'll have to do this while still keeping up with our studies. But, knowing how keen you all are on ridding the world of evil, and the quest for glory, I know I can rely on you. Lan, would you be willing to research the Asmodeus sect?" Looking a bit squeamish, Dan turns to the thief. "Elspeth, could you use your...contacts...to get a view into any changes around the area? Alaric, perhaps some time talking with the ascetics around Azthur's would point us in the right direction? Sir Pepwinn, please plumb the requests for aid that might have ultimate causes by these foul cultists. I think that should be our first steps. Is there anything I missed?"
"How about the fact that the rest of us might not be so keen on the whole 'rid the world of evil' mission statement?" Lan asked querulously. "While I enjoy research, I'm not too hip on needlessly stirring up trouble for the sake of 'glory.' Besides, some of us might have loftier goals above the simple 'hit thing with stick until thing falls down.' Don't you think the professors can take care of this?"
"I don't think the professors even know about it yet," Dan protested. "For Iomedae's sake, did they know about the infestation at the crypt of Kassen? The Gods have placed this challenge in our paths, and they wouldn't have if they didn't think we were the right ones for the task. Besides, I think they would be proud if we were to unearth a Chelish plot to infiltrate Nirmathas. We might even get a plaque in the Hall of Trophies...or better yet, statues!"
Elham, who had been standing next to the chest ever since she identified the contents for the party, looked up from the scroll she'd been examining and murmured something in Kelish. "I'd worry about passing your graduation test first," she suggested. "Nirmathas is not going to fall this week."
"There! You see? Words of wisdom from the wise," Lan noted. "Thank you for putting things into perspective, professor. I'm going to head back to my chambers to finish my work." With that, Lan gathers up the loose papers on the ground and walks out the door.
Seeing that everyone had either declined claim or left the room, Pep picked up the remaining items in the chest. "Looks like the burden of these items falls on us, My Lass. Be a good girl and keep an eye on those; they look quite valuable." Pep looked around and back at My Lass. "Okay, girl, let's go find something to eat!"
Finally able to get a word in edgewise, Elspeth asked, "My 'contacts'? What kind of people do you think that I hang around with?" She stormed out of the room, thoroughly offended and done with "group time" for the present.
Looking utterly dumbfounded, Dan stared back and forth around the room. "Well, that went differently than I expected. I bet they just need some time to absorb things. This did jump up on them quite suddenly, and not all of us are ready to be thrust into the role of greatness. I will just give them some time; I'm sure they'll come around."
After what was a restful night's sleep for some of our heroes, and something less than restful for others, they awoke to find invitations slipped beneath their doors.
They were asked to meet that night in the Great Hall at 6 o'clock for announcements about their final exams. Professors Aletta and Al-Saleem would be hosting a dinner at the Ranger's Lament in Tamran the following evening. They would provide transportation to the capital.
When not chronicling the party's adventure in Kassen's tomb, Lan spent many hours deep in study, finally acknowledging that he was as prepared as he could possibly be for his final exam, the nature of which remained mysterious. His only real fear was that, once again, the test would be administered in groups and he would be stuck with the paladin again.
That night, the party headed to the Great Hall for their graduation informational, and found a hearty dinner laid out. Most of the other students -- a motley assortment of adventurers, mercenaries, Nirmathi militia members, and others -- were already there, and seated, gossiping amongst themselves in low voices. The party took seats at the remaining open table, where they were joined by a two other students.Luthar Nessivi, a half-elf mercenary, traveled all the way from Absalom for the summer session, and had become so taken with a pretty young baker in Stardale that everyone suspected he might not go home again. Cari Scrommins, an agile and clever halfling, had filled the role of the class clown. She was planning to join the Pathfinder Society after graduation.
Professor Aletta entered the room and made her way to the teachers' table at the front. The light from the sconces in the doorway hit her strange, metallic gold hair, appearing to set it alight. Cari looked at it speculatively. People tended not to take her seriously, but she was a talented inventor.
“Congratulations, everyone!” Professor Aletta said cheerfully. “You are a few days away from graduation. You’ll get your final assignments tomorrow morning, but please check the list in my classroom to find out what group you’ve been placed with. I’ll be eating here tonight, rather than in my rooms, so feel free to come talk with me during dinner if you have questions or concerns. Enjoy your dinner!”
She sat down in a place reserved for her at one of the other tables, and the students' chatter started up again, more intensely than before.
Cari asked Luthar something hard to hear over the noise, and he replied, "It’s a really great town, and I’m a bit sick of the noise and crowding of the big city. My father was a farmer, and when I save up enough, I hope to get some land of my own. I think I’d like it to be here. Although…not if the livestock keep disappearing! Have you heard? Cows and sheep, vanishing without any sign of who or what took them. Wonder if there’s a pack of werewolves out there in the forest. Stranger things have happened."
Aleza, a young woman who's already been offered a leadership position with one of the local bands of the militia, approached Professor Aletta and asked her something. The professor shook her head, and appeared to be explaining something. Aleza nodded politely and turned to go back to her table, but at the last minute, she brushed a finger across the professor's sleeve. The professor pulled her arm away with an expression of resigned frustration.
The students at the next table over, who were all members of the the Golden Boars (a mercenary troupe) raised their voices in heated debate for a moment, then looked around and huddled in to continue the discussion in whispers.
"Missing livestock?" said Cari.
"Yeah, do you know what happened to them?" Luthar asked.
"Nope. Nobody's herd," Cari answered. "Get it? Herd? ...yeah, okay, that one was terrible."
Alaric looked up. "It would seem simple enough to stand guard through a few nights to catch the culprit. Has anyone tried?"
Also piqued, Dan jumped into the conversation. "Not much glory to be had with cattle disappearances. But, what's this about werewolves? What makes you jump to that conclusion?"
Luthar shrugged. "Just a joke."
Cari shook her head. "I assume the farmers have tried standing guard. They sound completely stymied about where the sheep could be going."
"A mystery indeed," Alaric observed. "I wonder if the professors here know of this? Seemingly with their collective weath of knowledge and skills this would be quick to resolve."
"I don't know if the townspeople have asked," Cari explained. "They probably don't want to bother the professors."
After concluding what seemed to be a heated discussion conducted in whispers, the Golden Boars departed the Great Hall.
As the conversation went on, a number of students approached Professor Aletta. Most talked to her for a few minutes without incident, but a few appeared to ask her for something, or to attempt to surreptitiously touch her, and she rebuked them with the same look of resigned annoyance that she had worn in her exchange with Aleza. Cari noticed Lan watching, and shook her head with a wry smile.
Lan politely waited for the pedantic talk about livestock to end before approaching Cari. When the conversation seemed finished, he gestured her slightly aside.
"I hear that you're interested in joining the Pathfinder Society. I, myself, while not interested in membership, am curious about acquiring an audience with one of their members." He paused to glare toward the paladin. "I've approached others with this request previously, but my inquiries have been met with silence thus far... Would it be possible for you to assist me with this endeavor? I don't mean to intrude or violate any rules, mind you, so please let me know if my request is out of line."
The halfling shrugged a bit. "I have no special in with the Society, Lan -- I only hope to join. But wasn't Dan's father a Pathfinder? Surely he can get you a meeting."
"Thank you for the suggestion. I will certainly ask the paladin again." Lan caught Cari's amused response to the professor's annoyed reaction to some of the more persistent students. "Does everyone around here treat her kind so? Is it really such a big deal? I mean, is the presence of outsiders so rare in these parts?"
Cari looked at him in surprise. "Are outsiders so common where you're from? Most people live their lives never having met one."
She looked at Aleza with a strange combination of sympathy and humor. "I made the same mistake when I first got here. I was nervous about our first test, and they say a touch from her kind can bring luck, a token from their hand can bring a blessing. So I asked her for a blessing. She got pretty offended. But she's been nice to me ever since, so she must have forgiven me. People must be worried about finals if they're going to her for charms."
While she watched, Jenta, the cook's 8-year-old daughter, approached Eriel shyly and mumbled something to her. The professor pulled loose a few strands of her shimmering hair and quickly braided them into a bracelet, which she fastened around the girl's wrist.
Cari shrugged again. "She puts up with it from kids, I guess. I think Terst -- the stableboy -- has been bullying Jenta, and she needs a little help standing up to him."
Luthar was staring at Eriel, although he colored and looked away when he noticed others noticing. Cari hit him lightly in the back of the head. "Forget it, champ. She's taken, and so are you."
In response to Cari's question, Lan waxes pedantic. "The focus of my arcane studies is conjuration. I've spent most of my life researching outsiders in hopes to further my mastery of the subject, so perhaps my views on the matter are a little skewed." Lan added, in the tone of a confession, "It doesn't help that my family is full of very powerful spellcasters as well; I imagine that my definition of 'common' differs dramatically from that of the average person..."
Cari looked speculative. "Are any of the outsiders you know free with their blessings?"
"To be fair," Lan admitted, "Professor Aletta is the first outsider that I have ever met." He paused to correct himself "Actually, come to think of it, she's the second."
Cari smiled. "Well, most outsiders are just that -- outsiders. They live on other planes and only visit here and are likely too alien for us to understand much of how they feel anyway, or at least that's what Professor al-Saleem said in our class on them. But it has to be strange to be an outsider born here. Was the first outsider you met something you summoned, or was it a native outsider?"
"Alas, I am not privy to this information as the woman was met in my travels, not summoned." Lan seemed thoughtful. "I was not aware of her heritage during my time spent with her or else I certainly would have made inquiries."
Lan began to drift slightly off topic once again. "I find the whole concept of extra-planar beings so interesting. Just imagine the ideas that these folk must have! Their very lives are so alien from our own that our basic understanding of reality must differ quite markedly. Speaking with them must be quite intriguing!" He paused for a moment to consider that statement. "The only other extra-planar being that I knew was very kind and certainly provided aid when needed, but I wouldn't go so far as to consider them blessings. From what I can tell, most native outsiders just want to be treated like everyone else, which might explain why some go out of their way to hide their heritage."
Wishing he had found a chance to chat with the Boars before they left, Dan approached Aleza.
"Congratulations, Aleza. I'm sure the militia will find you many interesting adventures and I hope they bring you much glory. They are lucky to have you. I'm curious if you know anything about some local rumors? There was some twitter about cattle disappearances, and some person mentioned werewolves. I don't want to chase around flights of fancy, but lycanthropy is something you need to squash quickly and with finality."
Aleza was looking somewhat downcast, and her cheeks were flaming. "No," she mumbled, "I haven't heard anything about werewolves..."
"Well, that's actually good to hear," Dan told her. "I hope we get to stay that way. Have you looked at your assigned team for the final exam? I'm curious what we have to deal with for the graduation test. Have you heard anything about what they might throw at us?"
Aleza shook her head. "No idea. I assume they'll send us into a cave or dungeon somewhere, with a goal, and see how we fare."
Lan looked crestfallen. "Really!?" he asked incredulously. "Didn't the handful of us, you know, pass that particular sort of test already? Why can't our dungeoneering final be written? Multiple choice, short answer, true false: those all work for me! Heck, I'd even take an oral exam, so long as it keeps me away from fighting undead lords who can't tell the difference between their lifelong enemies and a bunch of students who ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time!"
Aleza looked mildly astonished. "Why take a class on dungeoneering if you don't want to actually explore real dungeons?"
"I admit, it all sounded a lot more glamorous on paper," Lan said a bit dejectedly. "To be fair, the circumstances which led me here didn't leave much room for proper contemplation, so really I only have myself to blame."
He shifted into a ruminative state. "Why does it always have to be cold, smelly dungeons? I know that it's in the title, but doesn't the term 'dungeoneering' cover all manner of interesting locales? Aren't there some clean, well lit, and comfortable libraries that can be discovered? Perhaps an inn that serves really good mead, yet is just a little too out of the way for most to visit: can't that be covered under the same auspices?"
"Oh hey," Dan mentioned, as if he'd just remembered it. "I saw a notice the other day about some traitor in the militia. Something about a soldier trying to kill his commanding officer? Very surprising. The poster said something about the infernal mark of Cheliax. Our recent experience out near Kassen showed some disturbing links to this report. Have you any details about this deplorable incident? There might yet be a connection, and even a nefarious plot that threads through these two atrocities."
Aleza's face became grim, and Dan watched she transformed from a flustered student to loyal -- and formidable -- freedom fighter. "There are always some who will feel that slavery is better than eternal vigilance," she said flatly. "They have no place in Nirmathas. Cheliax has always wished to reclaim our country, and manages to subvert a few of our citizens each year. The traitor is being dealt with. Beyond that, I know little."
"The average Chelish citizen isn't really all that bad" observes Lan. "I mean, sure, their leadership made a choice that neither you nor I would have made, but it hardly seems fair to condemn the entire populace for the mistakes of their rulers."
Dan shot the bookworm a sidelong look. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were a part of this conversation. I think you might want to finish your discussion with Cari before monopolizing Miss Aleza here. Also, the citizens of Cheliax are duty bound to follow House Thrune. That 'noble' family has made it very clear they act to serve Asmodeus and the forces of Hell. Quite literally, they are an agent of the devils on the mortal plane. I would think someone as book learned as you would understand the ramifications of that."
Aleza nodded in agreement. "Every day that they live under the rule of Hell without rebelling is a day that they collude with the forces of evil. Molthune broke away from Cheliax. We broke away from Molthune. Their cities and provinces could do the same. There can be no quarter for collaborators."
"That certainly sounds easy enough, but the average person is not as apt to handle themselves as you might be. When confronted with demons, Hellknights, and inquisitors, I believe that the common man wisely does as instructed," Lan responded. He was clearly starting to enjoy the debate. "Furthermore, I'm fairly certain that the regular Cheliax farmer, whose sole concerns revolve around feeding his family and administering to his crop, has as much allegiance to hell as an earthworm in his field."
Aleza narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Are you Chelish? I've heard that there's the occasional elven diabolist there..."
Lan seemed to be confused by question. "Why would my perfectly logical stance on the reality serfdom make you think that I would advocate for such a system? Is your worldview so narrow that any opinion contrary to your own leads to the assumption of malice?"
"When it comes to the Chelish, we tend to shoot first and discuss nuance later," Aleza said coldly.
"Ah, I see," Lan responded with a rather nervous swallow. "Perhaps it might be best to agree to disagree on this point?"
"Your rudeness and perfidy is over matched only by your torturous extortion of logical debate," Dan broke in. "The earthworm has no idea of politics, or morality. You cannot fault a deaf person for ignoring the cries of a child, but you certainly can to one who heard them and did nothing. By your logic, any injustice can be justified by just plugging your ears and closing your eyes. Ignorance is not a valid shield for your conscience.
"Any 'man' who simply gives in to the demands of evil is as guilty as one who does nothing to help a besieged friend. Lifts no finger when a call for arms during an invasion. Hides behind an excuse, when the right decision is clear.
"Quibbling and prevarication are the acts of a person on the slope into Diabolism. Your choices, made with full knowledge of their consequences, are what make you a human, and not a worm, demon, or elemental. You should use the gifts the gods have given you, and demand that others do the same."
Lan did his best to piece together the ramblings of his mentally-challenged classmate. He thought that the man was trying to present a cogent argument, but it was difficult to discern the point from his religious rhetoric. When he felt like the Paladin had finished his monologue, Lan responded: "But I am not a human. I am an elf. I thought the ears would give me away..."
Professor Aletta had been circulating amongst the students, and stopped by the party's table. Aleza blushed again and scurried away. Professor Aletta greeted Luthar and Cari, asking if they would be glad to have graduated.
"Oh yes," Luthar said enthusiastically. "My troop mates are going to have to respect me now, since I'll be the one saving them next time we're in a dungeon. And it was an honor to study with Azthur."
"My family is going to be so proud," Cari chimed in. "You'll all have to come visit me if you're in Magnimar."
Professor Aletta turned to the party. "And the heroes of Kassen? Where will you be headed after you graduate?"
Dan bowed his head in respect. "Professor. I have always wanted to follow my father in the pathfinder guild. I plan on vanquishing evil, and spreading the righteous light of Iomedae's glory far and wide. I think I will start here, in Nirmathas. There are a few local matters that I would like to resolve before heading out to other lands."
"Hello, Professor Aletta," said Dan. "I was planning on seeking out the Pathfinder Society in Tamran. As we discussed earlier, I have need of their assistance in a personal matter..."
"If you don't mind me asking, Professor, how were the groups picked for our final exam? I mean, it seems a little...circumstantial...that the five of us would end up in the same team."
The professor smiled. "Well, you survived ghosts and skeletal champions in Kassen's Tomb, so we felt you worked well together."
A pained look crossed Lan's face. "Not that I want to argue the point with you, Professor, but 'survived' might be overstating things a bit. Did you happen to get a chance to read the report I left on your desk? Not to name names, but some of us were on the brink of death throughout a vast majority of our little adventure..."
"But you did survive, Lan. Most here would not have. I'll see you tomorrow morning to discuss your final exam."
As it turned out, exactly as the wizard had feared, the heroes of Kassen had been assigned to the same group.
An account by Landathradon Alyameldir
Final Exam: Scheduling and Details
About two weeks after the party returned from the tomb of Ekat Kassen, their final exam schedule was announced. As before, the class was split into teams and, as before, the five classmates who braved the crypt were assigned to a group together. This decision, the instructors made clear, had not been left to chance: the group's previous accomplishment had demonstrated such teamwork and perseverance in the face of overwhelming danger that the teachers were loathe to separate them.
On the morning after the exam schedule was announced, Professor Eriel Aletta met with the students to discuss the details of their particular test. Most of the students in the group were eager to learn of what challenge they would next face, but the wizard was much less enthusiastic. Finally, after speaking with several other parties, the professor made her entrance.
“Since your team did so well in Kassen's Tomb, I’ve saved you the most challenging assignment. Clearly you all represent our most capable members of the class," the professor remarked.
“Yay..?” responded Elspeth, with a noticeable lack of enthusiasm.
“Gods dammit,” muttered Lan under his breath. Then, addressing the professor directly, he attempted to reason with her. “So our assignment is the library, right? Can we re-index the books?”
Seeing an opportunity, Elspeth added her own suggestion. “Can our quest be to turn in our Paladin for one that works?”
Professor Aletta deigned not to notice the comments and continued to give them their instructions. “Your quest is to travel to the nearby town of Stardale and meet with Faran Thieras, who is a ranger and member of the Nirmathi militia. A tribe of kobolds have been harassing the village and they even managed to wound the town baker late one night.”
"This cannot stand!” Dan proclaimed.
“Wait, kobolds? The little guys? Really!?” Lan's tone was somewhat skeptical.
“Yes, which is why your group should be more than capable of handling the situation,” Eriel told them.
“Yeah, you also said that about the whole tomb thing and that sh** got deadly real fast,” the elf countered.
“This is true,” Pepwinn agreed.
The professor considered this for a moment. “Well, the villagers think that the kobolds are behind their missing livestock, but Faran does not. Nevertheless, Stardale needs them gone in order to reestablish peace in the town.”
“Death!” shouted Dan enthusiastically.
Taken aback by the paladin’s bloodthirsty response, the wizard appealed to the professor. “So is there no hope for a peaceful means of resolving this situation? Maybe offer the kobolds a cow in exchange for them leaving the town alone?”
“All that is required to pass the exam is to end the attacks on the town’s livestock and its people. How you accomplish this is entirely at your own discretion,” the professor clarified. “A peaceful resolution with the kobolds, if you can obtain one, is fine; we just need the harassment to cease.”
The professor stood to exit the room. Before leaving, she suggested that the group spend some time together to discuss their plans and any supplies needed. The students headed up to Pepwinn's room to do so.
A Stranger Among Us
Lan, encouraged by the prospect of a non-violent solution, was first to chime in. “Maybe we don’t have to resort to murder in order to pass this test,” he suggested. Glancing at both the paladin and cavalier, he hastily continued, “I know, I know…glory and fanfare and riches and all that, but maybe, just maybe, we can try to avoid genocide on this one…”
Before anyone could react, a figure appeared in the doorway. None of the group had seen the man before, which was strange, because they knew all the other students, and no one else (other than the teachers) would have had reason to be on the floor that housed the students. He asked casually, “Hey, where can I find Professor Aletta?”
“…downstairs?” suggested Elspeth hesitantly. “She’s probably downstairs, in her classroom…”
Alaric turned to address the man directly. “Welcome, good sir. We recently left the professor in her classroom downstairs. What business do you have with her?”
“Thank you very much,” the man responded and, completely ignoring the monk's question, left the room.
Lan was perfectly happy to be back to the task at hand, and immediately put the stranger out of his mind to continue his line of thought. “So, as I said before, we don’t have to actually kill to accomplish our goal…”
“Kobolds are a blight on this land. Their only thoughts are of death and destruction. We should kill them,” Dan proclaimed.
Nonplussed by the response, the elf refuted this claim. “You know this for a fact?”
“You can’t kill all of them” Elspeth agreed. “I mean, that would take more than a lifetime…”
Alaric cleared his throat. “Does anyone else find it suspicious that some outsider was roaming our halls?” he interjected.
“I don’t like it at all,” Pepwinn agreed.
“Eh, it’s a little suspicious, but we are in a school for dungeoneering,” countered Elspeth.
“We all have the right to walk where we want. I mean, do you own these halls?” Lan asked Alaric.
At this point, Pepwinn made up his mind and hopped astride My Lass to confront the mysterious man. Upon venturing into the hallway, he found it empty, to his chagrin. Just as he was about to return to the others, he caught a glimpse of movement near the staircase.
“So anyway, the kobolds,” Lan said emphatically. “I’d very much like to graduate at some point, so if we could somehow stay on the task at hand…”
Ignoring the wizard, Alaric followed Pepwinn into the hallway. With the monk and cavalier gone, Elspeth and Dan exchanged glances, then dashed out into the hallway as well, a few paces behind Alaric.
“…I guess we’re done, then,” said Lan to the now-empty room.
Pepwinn reached the top of the stairs in time to catch sight of a figure descending them. It was not the same man who had interrupted their conversation. The individual who turned to face the cavalier was a scarred, middle-aged man in Chelish clothing, while the other had been roughly the same age as the party members, with an unblemished complexion.
Pepwinn drew his sword and shouted, "On your knees, sir, lest I run you through with my blade!"
Lan, confused by the yelling, stuck his head out into the hallway. “What’s going on out there?!”
“Pepwinn’s brandishing a sword and threatening some dude,” Elspeth explained.
“What!? Seriously!?” cried out the wizard “Is it a kobold? If it’s not a kobold, then what are we doing!?”
“There’s a Chelish man in the hallway!” the cavalier called back.
“I thought that we had this conversation already: not everyone from Cheliax is evil," Lan sighed.
“It’s actually a different guy from before,” the rogue pointed out.
“Oh, in that case we should totally kill him,” the wizard agreed, acidly.
“Anyone in Nirmathas wearing the clothes of Cheliax is inviting certain doom,” Dan announced, not being particularly fluent in sarcasm. He too unsheathed his sword and charged over to Pepwinn to aid in the fight.
Meanwhile, the stranger on the stairs (confronted by an enraged wolf-riding halfling) pulled a potion from his pocket. With a swift motion, he drank the contents and disappeared from sight.
“What’s happening now?!” Lan cried out. “Why have you all stopped shouting!?”
“You don’t want to know and I really don’t want to talk about it right now. You just hang out in the room for now,” Elspeth reassured him.
“Done and done!” replied the elf enthusiastically.
Alaric, while none too pleased at having witnessed their quarry disappear, refused to give up their pursuit. He turned to Pepwinn and gestured to his mount. “Your companion -- is it possible that she can trace our foe?”
“Find the intruder!” Pepwinn commanded My Lass. The wolf cast about for a few seconds, but seemed unable to catch the scent.
The paladin came running over to him, finally catching up to the wolf. Seeing nothing in the stairwell, he turned to the rest with a puzzled look. “You guys were yelling at the wall?”
“The coward chose to hide rather than to stand and be judged,” explained the cavalier.
Finally coming out of the room, Lan approached Pepwinn. “Seriously!? Are we going to be those guys?! The ones who attack on sight anyone we don’t know and trust?! Is that how we are doing this?!”
“You, sir, forget yourself. I was not attacking,” the Halfling clarified.
“Gentlemen, this is not the time,” Dan interrupted. “We still have a stranger about!”
“Perhaps we should go find Professor Aletta and tell her what we’ve seen,” the monk said, eyeing the confused wolf.
“Good idea,” Elspeth agreed. “I like that plan. Also, I think that you should be the one to talk to her; I don’t want the halfling drawing his sword on any more people today.”
The group headed downstairs and into Professor Aletta's classroom. “Professor Aletta, may we have a moment?” Alaric asked.
“Are you safe?” Pepwinn demanded as he burst through the door.
Professor Aletta blinked. "Yes," she said cautiously. “I’m fine... Why do you ask?”
“Has anyone appeared here and asked you questions recently?” the monk asked, peering about the room.
With a perplexed frown, the professor did her best to answer. “Besides students such as yourselves wondering about their final exam, I’ve spoken to no one else recently.”
"We found a stranger wondering the halls upstairs who seemed interested in asking you some questions,” explained Alaric.
“There shouldn’t be anyone upstairs other than students," the professor protested.
The monk continued. “A young man none of us recognized asked where he could find you. When we went to follow up with him, we encountered a middle-aged man in Chelish garb in the stairwell. This man then promptly disappeared when Pep here rather forcibly suggested that he stop.”
Elspeth stepped forward to clarify this point. “Pep drew his sword and told the gentleman to... ‘kneel or be run through’ I believe were his exact words.”
The corners of the sorceress' mouth twitched slightly at this detail, but she did not laugh. “I thank you for bringing this to me, but I’m not sure why anyone would be looking for me, why they would have gone upstairs to do so, or why they wouldn’t just come and talk to me directly.”
“A bigger concern for me is the gentleman who disappeared on the stairwell. We didn’t see him anywhere when we came down and he could still be around for all we know,” Alaric warned.
The professor looked thoughtful as she considered his words. “Thank you. I’ll speak to Azthur about this and we’ll reexamine all of the school’s wards. People shouldn’t be able to just…”
“…enter through that giant door we have standing ajar over there? Yeah, I’d agree with that,” Lan said as he pointed at the open door in the main entryway.
“You know, you guys might have a security problem,” observed the Halfling.
“For a reasonable fee I’m sure that Pep would examine your current security and offer you a quote on how you might be able to improve upon said security,” Alaric suggested.
Professor Aletta appeared amused at the suggestion, but she declined to comment on it, only assuring the party that the staff at the Academy had the school’s security well in hand, and left, presumably to speak with Azthur.
Back to the Task at Hand...Sort of...
“All right, so are we done with this adventure? If so, then I’d like to get back onto the whole kobold-not-murder-thing…” said the wizard as he tried to get his classmates back onto the subject of their final exam.
“Yes, I think that we can return to the topic of not-murdering tiny little lizards,” Elspeth agreed.
“I’m still a little ill at ease with the thought of a stranger running around our school,” Alaric noted. “Perhaps we should try to do something about this?”
Pepwinn nodded his head at this. “I, too, would prefer to take action against this threat. Does anyone possess the ability to track?”
“I'd rate my survival skills…at -1,” Dan chimed in helpfully.
“Wow, that implies that you really are too stupid to live.” To her credit, Elspeth allowed only mild snark to creep into her tone.
“Seriously, next time we go camping, let’s all make sure that Dan doesn’t accidentally try to light the fire in his lap,” Alaric agreed.
At this moment, the school bells rang out, announcing the top of the hour. The group realized that that they only had two hours in order to rendezvous with their contact in Stardale and return back before their evening meal. They were planned to teleport to Tamran for a celebratory meal hosted by the school, so failure to appear would not be an option.
“Seriously guys: game plan,” the wizard encouraged. “The whole kobold thing ain’t gonna solve itself…”
Dan seemed by confused by the statement. “What is there to plan? We get enough food to hike to out, kill the kabalds, and then come back and graduate…”
“It’s pronounced 'kobold,'” Lan corrected him.
“I don’t give a sh*t,” the paladin sniped. “We go kill the evil menace that is plaguing the countryside.”
Lan appeared exasperated. “Again, not everything that is different is evil. I’m not sure how I can explain this to you!”
“Are they killing people?” questioned Dan.
“No, they are not!” answered the wizard.
The paladin considered for a beat and then corrected himself. “They’re killing livestock,” he noted.
Lan shot him a dejected look. “That’s not people!”
“That is their livelihood; that is their food,” Dan countered. “They are a menace!”
“Fine, let’s just go,” Pepwinn interjected, though he seemed more interested in ending the argument than anything else.
The paladin was not amused by the interruption. “Let’s go find out where they are. You guys can do the touchy-feely talking about the whole kobold history and how they have a rich culture." He waved his hands in contempt. “I’m going to solve the problem.” With that, Dan strode out the doors of the school and headed towards the town.
Watching their classmate leave, Pepwinn nodded his head at doorway. “Does anyone think that he's half the problem?”
Lan considered the question. “I think that this is somehow going to work out in our favor.”
“I’d say that knowing is half the battle, but he knows so very little,” the monk observed as he joined the pair. “I am uneasy leaving with lurkers hidden in our school, though I am unable to find an alternative solution.”
“Do you want to stay here and babysit the grounds?” Elspeth suggested from the corner.
Lan attempted to bring a bit of civilization back to the conversation. “What do you propose that we do in the interim?”
“No, we should continue to town, but we ought to make a hasty return when we are through,” Alaric acquiesced.
“That’s just fine. While we are at it, can we talk to our party about not attacking strangers on sight? I’m just saying that there’s probably going to be a lot of faces there that we might not recognize,” Lan suggested, cutting his eyes at the halfling.
Pepwinn scowled. “I did not attack!”
Elspeth rummaged around in her rucksack, muttering to herself. “Do I have a rope here somewhere? Because if I do, I'll seriously just tie the halfling up right now.”
“If you don’t, then I will buy you a rope when we get to town!” said the wizard agreeably.
Pepwinn ignored them. “Had I attacked, there would have been blood on my sword.”
“Had you left your sword in your pants, there would have still been a person in the hallway that we could talk to," Elspeth pointed out in an exceedingly reasonable tone of voice.
The group continued to argue all the way to the town. They caught up to Dan just as they reached the outskirts of the village, then searched for their contact together at the Stardale Inn.
They located the ranger Faran at a table, drinking with his fellow countrymen. He was a rangy man with years of experience chiseled onto his wizened face. He expressed doubt that kobolds were behind the attacks on the livestock, pointing out that kobolds tended to slaughter their prey in the field and devour or butcher it onsite. Stardale's livestock had been vanishing without a trace. However, he'd located some kobold tracks, leading to a nearby cave, and was happy to lead the party to them. They agreed to meet up the following morning and venture out together in search of the kobolds.
Before returning to the Academy, the group went shopping at the local stores. The cavalier purchased a myriad adventuring items; the paladin, a +1 longsword; the monk, a cloak of resistance, the wizard, a pearl of power, and the rogue, masterwork thieves tools and 10 lbs of sturdy rope. She also considered, but ultimately rejected, both manacles and a cloth sack.
A Night Out In Tamran
an account by Landathradon Alyameldir, Wizard
That evening the students were led into an inscribed circle in the school cellar, which teleported them into a small apartment a block from the Ranger's Lament, an inn in Tamran. Lan observed that this same establishment was mentioned on a handbill that the group had found during their quest in Kassen’s tomb. It had advertised adventure work, advising those interested to travel to this very tavern.
While in the city, the elf requested that Dan introduce him to the local Pathfinder Society chapter in order to continue a personal errand. The paladin agreed and the two were joined by Alaric, who was curious to learn more about the area. At the Tamran Lodge, Dan introduced himself to the guards and we learned that his father was, and still is, a member nicknamed ‘The Thrashster’. They were escorted into the presence of Venture Captain Amelia Milani, and Lan revealed that he was in search of an old mentor and friend known as Valeria Fremont, who herself was a member of the society. He had been informed that the local chapter might be able to help locate his acquaintance as she had gone mysteriously missing several months past.
Amelia, after moving apart from the rest and using magic to prevent eavesdropping, went on to inform the party that Valeria had been operating undercover in Westcrown. The Venture Captain had not heard from Ms. Fremont in some time, but she gave Lan the names of her contacts in Cheliax in hope that they might be able to help. Furthermore, she gave them access to the Lodge's library so that the Wizard could research his mentor’s mission and history in hopes of finding and contacting her, and informing the society as to her whereabouts. Lan thanked Amelia profusely on their way out and Dan, sensing an opportunity, procured an application for membership which he planned to fill out later.
Back at the tavern, Pepwinn and Elspeth made themselves comfortable. The halfling bought the entire room a round of drinks and asked if anyone cared to share their stories of adventure. The group seemed to be comprised mostly of local militiamen and a rough and tumble atmosphere permeated the establishment. They were encouraged by Pepwinn’s generosity and told him tales of their time spent along the Molthuni border and their incursions into Cheliax.
Finally, after gauging that the mood in the room was just right, the cavalier stood upon the table and held the handbill for employment above his head. He waved the notice in the air and, once he felt that all eyes were upon him, he addressed the crowd. “I hear that you seek a great adventurer!” He paused to ensure that everyone's full attention was being given him.
Finally, judging that the dramatic tension was at its peak, he concluded. “I am he!”
Silence befell the entire bar as the patrons tried to process the display. The bartender, normally used to puncturing the pomposity of his customers’ tall tales, was so amused by the halfling’s actions that he offered the cavalier a drink on the house.
Pepwinn accepted the beverage as one would an expected reward. He held it above his head and indicated it to the crowd. “Free drink for the adventurer!” He then returned to his seat in order to consume his well-deserved libation.
Before he could finish his first swig, an older townsperson approached and informed him that the man responsible for drafting the advertisement was not present this evening, but he offered to pass on the message that the posting was answered. The man went on to relate that Gregor was the name of the individual who was responsible for the request and that no one else had seemed interested in lending assistance thus far. Finally, the aged man took Pepwinn’s name and expressed shock when learning that the halfling hailed from Stardale.
“Yes, we do travel” the cavalier responded with an air of superiority. “See that he contacts me for this trial will be trivial for one with such adventuring prowess as I.”
Lan, Alaric, and Dan returned to the tavern soon afterwards. The paladin, clutching to his chest the application in an almost reverent manner, had an air of smug satisfaction only closely matched by that of Pepwinn.
Locating a dejected-looking rogue drinking by herself in the corner, the wizard approached with a conciliatory hand gesture. “So, Elspeth, was your night as interesting as mine?”
“It was…entertaining” the half-elf replied. “I think that Pepwinn is pimping himself out for adventure. I found it best to just sit here and pretend that none of this is happening…”
“Ahh yes, I know the feeling,” commiserated Lan as he watched the paladin saunter over to join them. The elf put on a brave face as he turned to address the approaching human. “So, Dan, are you on cloud nine right now?” he asked, indicating the application which the paladin was still lovingly cradling.
The man considered the question for a brief moment and then dismissed the notion with a casual wave of his hand. “It is only my destiny to join the Pathfinder Society,” he replied self-righteously.
The evening continued and everyone ate and drank merrily. At one point, Pepwinn’s mount made her entrance after becoming bored outside and her presence caused quite a stir. Apparently the townsfolk were not accustomed to having a full-sized wolf at their meals and there was clamoring for her to leave. The bartender, attempting to rectify the situation, sought out the halfling. “Who’s the canine?!”
Confused by the question, the cavlier responded the only way that he knew how. “She’s My Lass,” he stated plainly.
The look of abject befuddlement turning to disgust and then horror on the bartender’s face forced Pepwinn to clarify further. “She’s my riding dog and faithful companion.”
The halfling’s words seemed to mollify the man. “Well, make sure that you keep control over her,” the barman grunted as he turned to resume his duties.