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"I swear, I know nothing more about the Pathfinder's origins! Not about their person!" Mahdi holds up his hands in protest. "As for Okeno...I am surprised you do not know it! A holding of Katapesh. It's a massive port on Stonespine Island, and it's home to the largest chattel market in the world." He beams. "But then, I suppose the bastions of any given industry are unknown to neophytes. Forgive me!"
Seeing that you have no further questions, Mahdi bows you out of his shop.
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An hour or so of touring Absalom's busy docks is enough to confirm that the At Sea hasn't docked yet--no one's seen or heard of a ship by that name in months.
It occurs to you, however, that now that you know where Atlag was first sold, Lady Darchana might be interested in your report...she did ask for any information on the slave's origins, after all.
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With information in hand, you head back to the Petal District and make your way to Lady Darchana Madinani's estate. The northern end of the District is even ritzier than Lady Dimora's neighborhood, and when you finally find the estate you discover that it's surrounded by a high wall of polished stone. As you make your way through the well-groomed grounds in the early evening light, the more astute among you note that many of the plants you're passing have alchemical or arcane uses as well as decorative value.
A doorman greets your knock and, once you've introduced yourselves, leads you into the state, noting that Lady Darchana has been expecting you. He hands you off to a well-groomed lady with short-cropped dark hair, who takes you upstairs and pushes open a large set of double doors leading into a study. The walls of the study are inset with bookshelves that are brimming with texts of all varieties. A large drawing table in the middle of the room bears an unrolled map of the Inner Sea region. At the far end of the study stands an impressive darkwood desk, and seated behind it is a woman dressed in midnight-blue robes. Her piercing gray eyes look expectantly at your guide.
The estate manager softly clears her throat and announces, "Senior Lesser Councilwoman, Archdean of the Arcanamirium, Second Spell Lord of Absalom, Lady Darchana of House Madinani, please receive these agents of the Master of Spells of the Pathfinder Society."
Lady Darchana beckons with a short hand movement. "Pathfinders, join me. That is all, Jemina." She folds her hands and waits for Jemina to close the door behind her, then continues. "After my conversation with your Master of Spells, we agreed by necessity to keep the details that were passed on to you to a minimum. I am keenly interested to hear what you were able to learn based on what you were provided." Her gray eyes fix on Raijan, and she gestures for him to speak.
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Three weeks ago Lady Silviana purchased Atlag, the handmaid, from a slaver named Mahjub Mahdi, owner of a location known as Mahdi's Chattel over on Misery Row, via her solicitor Solvius Salbus.
Mahdi was the one who selected Atlag as a woman who met with the specifications given to him by Salbus.
He procured her from one Captain Waheeda Wardak. She hails from Okeno and sails on a ship called the At Sea. Supposedly Mahdi is expecting cargo from her soon, so we may have an opportunity to examine the good captain's effects. And rescue the Pathfinder.
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Accustom to giving reports, Roscoe adds in a flat, almost emotionless tone, "When we arrived at Mahdi's shop, we interrupted some members from the Sanguine Beast attempting to harass Mahdi. One large half-orc and two other men; one named Rolf. It's unclear how much leverage they have on him, but from their dialogue, this wasn't the first time they've attempted to extort protection money from him. In addition, Mahdi mentioned that a fellow Pathfinder may have been enslaved and is expected to be for sale when Captain Waheeda arrives."
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Amut can't restrain herself anymore and speaks after Roscoe has given his additional report. She's polite, but direct. "That's all well and good. I think we've given a comprehensive report of what we've found so far. Now, I am quite curious what you meant when you said that only a minimum of details have been provided to us. Is there more to tell?"
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Lady Darcahan listens raptly to Roscoe's report, and smiles slightly when Amut breaks in. "I'll tell you all now, Amut Al'Noor," she says pleasantly. "An Okeno pirate captain? Captain Wardak of the At Sea." She nods her head, giving a brief smile. "Yes, that would stand to reason." She flips open a ledger on her desk that bears the seal of the harbormaster and begins scanning the pages. "When I became aware of the eavesdropping handmaiden, using my own magic I was able to follow the arcane trail back to its origin. I only got a brief glimpse of the heavily veiled perpetrator, but given the distance and direction, I knew the culprit was on Stonespine Island--somewhere underground on the island at any rate, with a powerfully enchanted mirror. The Okeno pirates' base of operations is a city on that island, and the Fleshfairs may be the largest slave market on all of Golarion. It is a cunning place through which to move these sensored slaves." Her hand finally comes to rest on the ledger. "At Sea, here we are. It has been to Absalom two other times in the past three months. According to this, however, it has been marked with a bounty. 'Failure to fully declare cargo value for taxation.'" She clicks her tongue loudly. "Excellent. You said Mahjub Mahdi was expecting another shipment from the At Sea soon? If it hasn't already docked, it'll be anchored outside the Ships' Graveyard, waiting for a pilot. We cannot allow those slaves to make it to the docks unaccompanied! I trust I can count on you to help?"
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Amut nods as she listens to Lady Darchana. "I'm not too happy to be sent on a mission with only partial knowledge, but I can see the need for discretion in this case. The trails seem to match up, that's for sure. I'm in," she adds her voice to those already in agreement.
"However, what's the next step? Should we head out to the ship where it's anchored? Why would it risk coming on when there's a bounty on the ship? What does that mean, if I may? Does that mean any well-meaning group of citizens could go in there and collect on the bounty?" She seems to apologize for so many questions, but rather adds more. "And how will that help us in getting to this Stonespine Island, and the one ultimately responsible for the scrying attempt? Apologies for so many questions," she adds belatedly, with a hint of a smile. "Just trying to avoid having to bother you again with a partial report, of course, before we get to the bottom of this." There's a twinkle in her milky white eyes, good-natured amusement at her reference to having been sent off without the full picture before.
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Lady Darchana smiles. "I applaud your eagerness! But before you set out, let me...look into something. I think I may be able to help you out in your search for the At Sea. As for Stonespine Island..." She frowns slightly, nodding to Amut. "I do not know if we will ultimately be able to send you there in the immediate future. It is, after all, well beyond the jurisdiction I control. But if we can find any evidence as to the identity of the perpetrator--which I hope you may, on the At Sea--then I can take some arcane steps to prevent such magical spying impossible in the future. As for the bounty...yes, in theory any group of citizens could attempt to claim it. But they'd first have to know about it, and second have to identify the ship. This bounty is new, and not likely to be public knowledge. Let me look into that now..." She rises and, bidding you to wait in some chairs, exits the room. She returns a short while later, smiling.
"I've spoken to an acquaintance in the Harbormaster's Grange. There is an outstanding docking request for a ship called the Kat Season--" she chuckles, "which is likely our ship in a flimsy disguise. For those of you not from Absalom, I should explain that the shoals in the southern bay are extremely dangerous, so no ships are allowed to dock without a licensed Absalom pilot on board. Hence the Kat Season's request." She writes out a brief letter, and seals it with a blob of ink. "Here. Take this letter to the Harbormaster's Grange--it authorizes the inspector to provide you with a rowboat and a pilot. So long as you can confirm the ship's identity, you are legally free to claim the bounty for yourselves."
She smiles, open to any further questions that you may have.
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Amut barks a laugh at hearing what the ship is now called. "Oh, that's rich. I'll have to remember this one." She laughs some more, then straightens her face with a touch to the hilt of her falcata. "I don't think we'll have much trouble to confirm the identity of the ship, if that name is any indication. I wonder if they even used the same color of paint." She rolls her eyes at the thought. "Just one last thing: what is the bounty? And are we authorized to deal with any opposition we face, against our legal taking of that bounty?"
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Lady Darchana presses the letter into your hands, and the estate manager sees you out of the manor house, and bows to you as you depart. Early evening has settled over Absalom now, and the city's lights illuminate your steps as you make your way south, toward the harbor. Many shops are still open, so you can make any purchases you need to en route.
The Inspection and Pilots' Office of the Harbormaster's Grange is cramped and perfumed by a particularly smelly bowl of salted fish stew that's cooling on one of its several desks. Ledgers and loose papers occupy most of the horizontal surfaces in the office, and a bookshelf on the southern wall sags under the weight of heavy files.
At present only one inspector is on duty. The sleepy-looking halfling woman sits up, covers a yawn, and says, "Welcome to the Harbormaster's Grange. I'm Inspector Second Class Lilia Ginsi. How may I be of service?"
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Amut if quiet on the way to the Harbormaster's Grange. It's not the smell that's off-putting to her; she's spend quite some time in Cassomir and is used to the bustle of the harbors. However, actually going out on the water isn't something she's looking forward to.
When they enter the office, she greets the halfling woman on duty and retrieves the letter from her backpack. "Good evening, ma'am. Amut Al'Noor. Me and my associates are on some business, about a ship we suspect is sailing under an alias. She's still waiting for a pilot, or so we've heard. The Kat Season? We'd like to check up on that. Could you provide us with a rowboat and a pilot?" She hands the halfling woman the papers and waits quietly for her to read them.
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Lady Darchana just laughs when Quintillus asks his question. "I'm afraid that as the Archdean of the Arcanamirium, I can't afford to just chatter about my own proclivities." She smiles thinly. "Too many enemies. I'm sure you understand."
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"Hmmmmm, lemme see this...oh, this is from Lady Madinani? Of course! Just a few minutes, this shouldn't take long..." Inspector Ginsi scans her ledger. "Yup, there's a docking request for that ship in process! Permits here..." She scribbles for a few seconds, filling out a form. "Gotcha. Here's your permit for the rowboat...now let me just go and check on the pilot roster to see who's on-duty and available." Hopping off her stool, she bustles out of the room, leaving you alone for about five minutes.
When she returns, Inspector Ginsi beams brightly at you. "All righty then! You should head on out to meet Zigil at Docking Slip 49. She's not the friendliest, but she knows her stuff! She'll get you out to the Kat safe and sound. Medium-build dwarf, dark hair, you can't miss her. If you get lost, just come back and give me a holler!" She waves you off cheerily.
Outside, it takes you only a few minutes to find the dwarf named Zigil waiting at Slip 49. She nods curtly to you as she unties the rowboat from the post. "Some sort of inspection, eh? Right then. Get on in. You're rowin'." Once you're all settled into the boat, she sees to it that you put your backs to the oars while she keeps an eye out for rocks, ships' spars, and other possible dangers of the Ship Graveyard. As you make your way out, Zigil comments, "Just to let you know--my job is pilot only. I'll not be comin' aboard this ship until you lot have made sure it's secure."
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Amut thanks Inspector Ginsi and follows the group to their designated pilot. She's a bit awkward at rowing, occasionally looking over the side. "I think we were meant for the water of the oases, not this. Let's hope we don't have to row far." As Zigil indicates that they're getting close, she checks that her buckler is strapped on securely. "Are you sure about that, friend? These waters might be treacherous, and I wouldn't hazard to scale a ship in the dark. They're expecting a pilot, so I'm sure they'll help us up. Remember, they shouldn't expect trouble if they trust their ruse."
She looks up, hoping to get a glimpse of the ship's name as they approach.
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Absalom's harbor is an inky, shifting landscape of shadows at night, illuminated only by the city's lights, the waxing moon, and the distant blaze of the Absalom Lighthouse on Pilot's Island. Eventually, a three-masted ship with white sails comes into view. It's just over 100' in length, and its bowsprit is a weather-worn representation of a canine-headed mermaid. The crew is busy as they wait for an escort through the Ships' Graveyard. A rope ladder hangs from its starboard rail to a foot above the water line.
As you approach a gruff voice calls out, "'Bout time we got a pilot! Cussed city rats, you've kept us waitin' all day. Get up here!"
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Jinny peers ahead, squinting in the hopes of seeing something useful.
She watches intently as another ship moves in the distance.
Are they heading this way? What kind of game are they playing? Is it a larger conspiracy? Just how many ships are involved?? They seem to be raising sails -- are they planning to sink us before we reach the ship? Now they've changed course. They're heading out to sea? Is it a feint to throw us off guard? How can they possibly...oh, we're here.
Jinny would prefer to go first, but will take whatever order comes naturally based on the position of the rowboat.
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"You're right, Roscoe. I see it as well." She stands and grabs the rope ladder. "Go ahead, Jinny. They shouldn't be suspicious of the first person to board. I'll be right behind you. If there's trouble, we can hold them off together until the rest climb aboard. May I suggest Quintillus after me, and Roscoe to bring up the rear?"
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The Thundering Spirit slips silently into the water and disappears around the side of the ship, making it to the port side before beginning to climb slowly up with the aid of his magic potion.
Jinny climbs the rope ladder first, making her way up on to the deck. There she finds a half-orc coiling rope in the center of the deck, a mace hanging from his belt and a two-handed sword on his back. Two hunched, feral, hyena-headed creatures, instantly recognizable as gnolls, are also tending to tasks around the deck. They're armed with spears and longbows.
"Took yeh long enough," the half-orc growls at Jinny, barely even glancing up from his work. "Cap'n Wardak'll be happy t'finally 'ave a pilot t'guide us in." He glances up when Amut lands on the deck, and frowns. "Ain't usually so many o' you--what, yeh think we're gonna tow yer rowboat in?" When Quintillus, panting slightly, begins to clamber over the rail, the half-orc frowns and straightens. "'Old on here. Why're there so many of yeh? Wha's goin' on?!" He goes to peer over the side of ship, toward your boat where Zigil still sits and Roscoe is at the foot of the 10' long ladder.
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Sensing that the crew of the (K)At Sea(son) will not wait any longer before their suspicion gets the better of them, Jinny springs forward to engage the red-bedecked gnoll.
Seems you aren't what you appear to be, and neither are we. There's a fat bounty on you, and we'll be claiming it.
Surrender now and you may keep your lives!