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The meeting in Absalom with Drandle Dreng nearly a month ago was brief, as always. “I have a routine mission for you, though a dangerous routine mission,” the old man whispered in the great hall in the Grand Lodge. Suffering from a cold and weak from lack of food and rest, the old venture-captain looked quite possibly the worst you’d ever seen him. Through wracking coughs he explained, “An ally of ours in the Land of the Linnorm Kings—Rognvald Skagni—is writing a lengthy report on the state of government in the northern countries of Avistan. I received a letter from him just yesterday requesting several key documents from the vaults here to help him finish the report.”
Venture-Captain Dreng patted a large, heavy-looking chest next to him. “These are the documents, and I need you to board a ship north to deliver them to Skagni.” Dreng tried to stand at that point, but a fit of coughing sent him back into his seat. He gestured for a well-dressed, impeccably kept man standing in the shadows of the room to approach and whispered raspy orders to him. The man picked up a small pouch and a large key and handed them both to the party. “Venture-Captain Dreng is unwell, as you can see. He wished me to give you this key and this pouch of gold. The key opens the chest, and the gold will buy you passage and get you from the Linnorm coast to Trollheim, where Skagni resides. Whatever you do, do not let the chest out of your sight and do not, under any circumstances, allow it to be searched. These documents are for Mr. Skagni’s eyes only. Are we understood?” Dreng’s nameless servant waited for a reply and then smiled. “Good. Now run along; Venture-Captain Dreng needs his rest.”
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Marianne listens carefully, an earnest young woman tall and well muscled without quite being large its obvious she would have been a great beauty if it weren't for her pock marked cheeks. She wears armour made of plates bound together with leather, has her dark hair cut in a short style that looks like it was intended to be boyish but is fighting against a natural curl, and carries a longspear worn smooth by long use,
"Do not worry Captain Dreng we will not let you down, get plenty of rest and do try to eat, please? " Turning to her companions she inclines her head to each in turn and says, "Marianne Bennette, from Taldor, Oppara, I would offer to carry the chest but my fighting style needs two hands and I've been training to strike even when caught of guard. Perhaps we could hire a mule?"
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Her elven curved blade leaning against the wall where she entered, the half-elven beauty lounges in a chair as she listens to the mission briefing. Her long, honey colored hair is wrapped in a large bun on the back of her head and her armor fits as though it were for a woman a size or two smaller. Lean and muscular the young woman seems disinterested in Dreng, but shifts in her chair leaning forward at the presence of the well-dressed young man.
Rapunzel leans forward asking the young man, smiling, "I'm sorry, I don't believe we've met before. You may call me Rapunzel." She offers her hand to the young man.
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"Good evening", two words said as if to convey an entire sentence. Hard-soled footsteps precedes the adult man entering the room. Of Taldan decent, he wears a bearly visible white tunic with a black cravat, underneath layers of black waistcoat, justaucorps, breeches, high leather boots. A strong brow, piercing hazel colored eyes, and tightly greased-back short black hair creates a visage of a perched crow. A trimmed cheveron mustashe and petit goatee completes the mortician look. He curtly bends as if greeting a watchful and silent crowd, "Fästenhyme".
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A huge Shoanti man with a ruddy, pock-marked face studies the large chest as Dreng and his assistant give their instructions. He wears stained high-waisted trousers and a studded leather jerkin stretched across a barrel-like torso and pot-belly. An unpleasant smell lingers around him.
While the Society could not function without scholars to research esoteric lore, access to such lore often requires a bit of heavy lifting, and unless his appearance is an extremely clever disguise, this is your mule.
"I'll carry it." He looks up with a gap-toothed grin. "They call me Outhouse Jon. Nice to meet y'all."
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Fästenhyme stands studying the huge man for more than moments, "I believe he actually does clean the privies at the theater and other localities", he states without emotion. He switches cane hand and greets them both, "Jon. Madam. You both look a hearty and needed pair for this assignment. -My first for the Pathfinders, really, and already being sent to the hinterlands. I shall be grateful for your protection."
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Izoki stands with a slightly hunched back concealed by his black feathers, chain shirt and multiple layers of brown rabbit furs. His large beak nods during the party introductions and squawks twice in a high pitched Taldorn accent, "Ikozi Stoneclaw at your service. I can assist in both arcane and martial roles when necessary but nothing extradordinary. I also cook a delicious rabbit stew." .
No melee weapons are visible except for a large polished steel heavy shield with a cold iron spike wielded in his right claw. A few chakrums hang on his belt near large satchel carrying a traveling spellbook and components. At least they did not assume I was the mule or servant. They might be good companions after all.
After your remembrance of your meeting with Dreng in Absalom and the intervening journey, you find yourselves in Trollheim...
Where the directions indicate Skagni’s house should be stands only the charred husk of a burnt-out building. Bits of burnt timber and ruined furniture lie scattered about, but if anything remained after the fire, it seems to have been picked over and looted. Though most of the walls are blackened with soot, a patch along the former front of the residence still shows relatively clean, white walls. Smeared across those white walls, written in reddish-brown letters four feet tall, are the words, “Pathfinders go home.”
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"Well, that warms the heart", Fästenhyme says to the others. He flattens his hand against the air and waves it across the words, changing it to 'Pathfinders welcomed'.
-Posted with Wayfinder
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Pat-fide...pat-find-res.. Path.. Pathfinders! Jon smiles at having deciphered the big word on the wall.
But the smile drops to a pout as the man with the weird name waves his hand and changes the others before he can figure out the whole message.
A few months ago, he'd never have imagined travelling to a far-off land on a quest like this. Then a Pathfinder, beaten and nearly dead, fell in his lap. Or rather, was tossed down a privy in Albsalom that Jon just happened to be working in. He saved the man, and gained a patron who saw potential in an illiterate backwoods Andoran. Since then Jon had helped the Society on a few small errands around the city, and a couple under it, to prove himself. And he had studied his letters hard, too, but knowledge always came slow to him.
He could almost hear the voice of his boss, Grembal, mocking him when he asked for days off from the job.
Ijdit...
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"Clearly this is going to be a problem." Rapunzel sighs, disgusted. "Perhaps we should find an inn or ale house nearby and see if we can learn the story of what happened here?" Turning toward Jon, "Jon, under no circumstances are you to say the word 'pathfinder' unless I tell you to, ok?" She smiles at the big man and gives him a kiss on the cheek.
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Marianne frowns disapprovingly at Rapunzel, "Subtle. Can we just behave like professionals, and avoid issueing commands we have no right to - sensible though they might be. It should not be too difficult to gather information if we are careful, but it would probably take hours - I did not get the impression our delivery was particularly time sensitive though, and Inns are certainly a good place to start."
As the party stands looking at the burnt out husk, Rapunzel notices four men coming out of a copse of woods north of the house. One that appears to be the leader yells out. "Whata ya's doing here, eh? Let's have a little talk..." He turns to the other three and says something that isn't heard.
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Marianne moves forward twenty five feet and invokes the power of growth shooting upwards until she stands close to nine feet tall and stabbing out with her towering longspear at the leader. She skewers him with her great spear's finely honed edge and snaps,
"So you cretins are responsible for this. Big mistake."
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Lumbering forward under the weight of the chest, which has been wrapped in a winter blanket and tied with rope into a sort of harness that secures the thing to his back, Jon takes up position next to Marianne with a rough oak staff in his hands.
He's not really sure what's going on, but he knows trouble when he sees it, and knows when to use force to deal with it.
Marianne suddenly growa large and moves forward, stabbing the leader with her longspear and dealing a grievous wound!
OJ moves up and readies an attack!
Izoki moves up tries to talk with the thugs, but they merely sneer at the tengu.
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Fästenhyme stands fast, somewhat jolted that the mention of talk has already turned deadly by Marianne's hands. "I believe there can be a peaceful solution to this."
-Posted with Wayfinder
Fästenhyme casts a spell and two of the thugs stare at the man, weapons slack in their hands!
The two, unfascinated men throw axes at the party, while dodging Marianne's opportune attacks.
One axe misses, but the leaders axe opens a cut on Marianne's leg!
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Fästenhyme tells the enchanted men, "Please cast your weapons far and have a seat."
-Posted with Wayfinder
Fästenhyme makes a request and the two men shrug indifferentl, dropping their weapons.
Izoki charges the leader and bashes him with his shield, causing the man to slump with fatigue.
Jon attacks the man next to the leader, but misses by mere inches!
Rapunzel moves up, drawing her blade.
Marianne stabs with her spear, catching the leader in the throat and pushing the weapon all the way through, killing the man as he stands!
The remaining hostile man, seeing his leader fall, swings his axe and opens a gash on Jon's arm!
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Taking advantage of the spell duration, Fästenhyme approaches the two men, "Tell me all that you know of the fire and the ill message. "
-Posted with Wayfinder
Jon swings at the remaining man, but misses!
Fästenhyme questions the two indifferent, weaponless men. They shrug. "Dunno much, boss just told us to burn it down and we was to watch it for the likes of you's."
Rapunzel attacks the last man as well, but her strike goes wide!
Marianne stabs at the last man, but misses!
The two weaponless men shrug indifferently when Fästenhyme asks his question. Pointing to the dead man on the ground, one of the men say. "He's right there, name's...was Beowyrd."