You arrive by ship in through Conqueror's Bay to Korvosa, the largest city found in the wilderness area known as Varisia. It serves as the seat of one of three city-states that claim independent authority over their individual holdings in the region. Its citizens and traditions have strong ties to the nation of Cheliax, with many of its people tracing their ancestry directly to servants of the Empire. Despite its remote location in relation to other major cities in Avistan, Korvasa is nonetheless a major force in Golarion, and the Acadamae looming over you from the Heights District is a constant reminder.
You've been instructed to head to the outskirts of the city where you will meet the venture captain assigned to instruct you on your mission. The air is cool and damp with a light rain that falls as you make your way through muddy streets. You arrive at the ramshacke tenement outside the city and are greeted by a group of your fellow pathfinders. Light chatter ensues as you await the arrival of your venture captain.
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The stout dwarf wears simple studded leather armor and has a spear that he carries as one would a walking stick. The bear cub near his side responds to subtle commands from the dwarf. You hear him say quitely, "Now the ship wasn't that bad Torag. At least we are back on solid ground now. And no metal floors like that last place."
He looks around at the other Pathfinders, "Well met companions. I hope we are not to be lead to the slaughter. Has anyone a means of healing? I had hoped to speak to the lodge before my departure from Absalom. I have to remember to speak with this Venture Captain when he arrives."
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A cloaked figure approaches the gathering, but not from the docks; he appears to have been traveling from a caravan on the edge of sight, well past the city limits. He casts back his hood upon reaching shelter from the rain, revealing pointed ears and purple eyes that betray his elven heritage. In every other way, though, he resembles a typical Varisian man, albeit one toting a pack festooned with bottles and flasks.
"Salutations, fellow Pathfinders. I surmise that my sojourn out of town has not delayed our meeting with the Venture-Captain."
"I apologize for my temporary exodus, but my family happened to be passing through Korvosa. Curious, as they usually peregrinate closer to Magnimar."
After years away during Pathfinder training, why does Desna keep arranging these recrudescences to Varisia? It is as if the Society wishes me to return.
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Zebulus's arrival is marked by the soft clatter of carved bone charms that hang from his cloak. The leaf-green colored garment he wears is pulled-up over his head and most of his features are hidden behind a painted wooden mask save a few wispy strands of silvery white hair.
"Soft walks the feet of man over the sands of time. Greetings friends," says Zebulus without looking at anyone in particular.
His purple eyes seem somewhat unfocused through the holes in the mask, and he then tilts his head up slightly to stare at a cloud drifting slowly overhead. After a short pause of silence he continues, "Ah, the rabbit watches the fox, but does not dart away. We should be wary on what task the day speaker gives us."
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From within the shadows gathering in the corner of the room, Taicho emerges ...
Well met companions. I am Taicho, Master of Swords. Let us see what adventure our captain has for us today; then perhaps we can see how our skills measure up?"
... and that should be everybody :-)
... let's get this party started!
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A tiny, savage looking man riding on his companion, a dinosaur which is taller than him by several inches and looks like it outweighs him twice, approaches the group. The thing stands mostly upright, waving its long crocidillian snout about and grasping things with its razor-sharp clawed forelimbs. A huge spiny fin juts from beneath the saddle on its shoulders, to run down its back and tail.
The man is dressed in deer-skin clothing from head to toe, and wears a thick hide vest for armor. On his head sits a helmet made from a hallowed-out auroch's skull. His dark eyes peer out though its eye sockets. His long wild, ash-brown hair streams from beneath the skull like a mane, down around his shoulders. His exposed, muscular arms are covered in what look like claw and bite scars. On his back is a pack of gear. He rides towards the others which he takes for the Pathfinders he's been sent to meet. "Ho! I am Dragomir, this is Scales. You are the other Pathfinders, yes?"
Two figures approach your gathered group, conversing between themselves. As they near to your group it becomes obvious that the man is your venture captain, but the haggard human woman he walks with is unbeknownst to you.
He looks over the group and nods in greeting. "Greetings Pathfinders and welcome to Varisia! I am Sir Canayven Heidmarch, your Venture-Captain for this mission. It appears you have all arrived safely and relatively dry, so we shall waste no time in your briefing."
“For this mission you will have to venture into the sewers beneath Korvosa." Sir Canayven explains, dashing any hope that you've proven yourselves above doing the Society's dirty jobs. He then gestures to the woman that arrived with him. Past her prime, she looks like the rough sort of woman who might stick a blade in your back in some dive of an alehouse, but her posture expresses confidence and experience. “Let me introduce Sascha Antif-Arah. She requires access to a particular vault. The Society is going to help her.”
Sascha eyes each Pathfinder in turn then shakes her head in astonishment, yet steps forward gracefully. “Well this is the damndest group of Pathfinders I've ever seen in my time, but they say you were handpicked. Who am I to argue with the leadership.” She gives Heidmarch a sidelong glance before continuing.
"Some years ago my friends and I had made quite a name for ourselves around Korvosa, and our adventures earned us a considerable amount of gold. We stashed most of it in one of the Vaults after evicting the cult that had already claimed it.” Sascha pauses for a moment, smiles, and shakes her head as if recalling particularly amusing details of the raid. “Anyway, I retired from the business after that, started up a shop, and lived peacefully until I got into trouble with the Hellknights. I can’t show my face in Korvosa because I don’t fancy spending my retirement in shackles, but I’m willing to cede my share of the loot in that Vault to you. It’s no dragon’s hoard, but it should be more than worth your time. The only thing I want from there is an old locket—nothing magical or worth fencing, but it means a lot to me. Once I have it, I’m getting out of this place and off to somewhere the Order of the Nail has no sway. The entrance shouldn't be too hard to find, assuming you know what to look for,” she remarks as she fishes several folded papers from her haversack.
“There’s an old service entrance into the sewers about a quarter mile north of my old shop in Midland; I wrote down directions that should lead you to the vault. There’s a big room inside, and I stashed my share under the flagstones in one of the small chambers nearby.” She extracts a few more items from her bag and holds them out. “I hope you don’t need these, but you never know. I certainly won’t be using them in my retirement. Good luck to you, Pathfinders.”
A bane weapon excels against certain foes. Against a designated foe, the weapon's enhancement bonus is +2 better than its actual bonus. It also deals an extra 2d6 points of damage against the foe.
Antitoxin x2:If you drink a vial of antitoxin, you get a +5 alchemical bonus on fortitude saving throws against poison for 1 hour.
Vial of Antiplague:If you drink a vial of this foul-tasting, milky tonic, you gain a +5 alchemical bonus on Fortitude saving throws against disease for the next hour. If already infected, you may also make two saving throws (without the +5 bonus) that day and use the better result.
Alkali Flask: After a pause for consideration, many of the more educated pathfinders start recalling information related to the quest at hand.
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"Sounds easy enough. Let's be on with it then," Dragomir says. The man is so short that he might at first be mistaken for a beardless dwarf. Despite his height, he appears to be made of solid muscle, and he swaggers about confidently in his dino-saddle. "I do not fear the smell of man dung, nor whatever vermin might be feeding on it."
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"These trinkets should prove useful." Says Bear accepting the items.
"Captain Heidmarch, I had left a request for a wand of healing. Were you able to bring it with you? It may be needed if considering the group that has been selected for this assignment." He further asks hoping that the prestige he gained in Absalom has carried forward to Varisia.
Heidmarch nods and flings a pack of his back. "Indeed I was."
He ruffles through his pack and retrieves the wand. He walks over and hands to Brother Bear along with a sealed envelope.
"I also am carrying a letter from each of your respective factions. I have guarded them and ensured that no one has viewed them."
He produces a letter that is sealed with the wax seal of each of your factions. He distributes them to each of you and says, "It would appear that your superiors have each wished you well."
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Bear accepts the wand and envelope.
"My thanks to the Society." He says as he places the wand in a loop on his belt plainly visible to all.
Tucking the sealed letter away he adds with regard to the wand, "If it's needed, feel free to use it."
Turning his attention to Sascha he asks, "Are there any traps or particular beasties we should be aware of in your vault?"
Sascha turns towards Brother Bear. Her eyes flit up and to the right for a moment as she thinks back. She states, “Korvosa’s sewers have lots of blackboil alligators, so I wouldn’t go for a swim unless you really have to. My group ran into some other strange creatures years ago, but our scholar usually identified them for us; I don’t remember what they were.”
Sascha nods to Brother Bear and looks over the other Pathfinders. "Well, the lot of you have anything else before you head out?"
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Grym arches his left eyebrow and frowns slightly as he thinks back on his previous journeys in the Korvosa region.
"A pleasure to meet you, Venture-Captain Heidmarch. My most recent mission for the Society was delegated by your esteemed spouse. While we completed our task, I nearly spent eternity as a piece of statuary. Have you done any ciphering as to the feasibility of our commorient?
"Lady Sascha, you remarked as to the native fauna we may face along our expedition. However, are there any mechanical or magical defenses of which we should be aware?"
"However, are there any mechanical or magical defenses of which we should be aware?"
The haggard woman thinks back and suddenly her eyes go wide as she says, "Now that you mention it, yes, there was! I had completely forgotten about it and until just now! Just before the vault door I set a trap myself, to safeguard the cache you see. I had setup a javelin setup with black adder venom, quite ugly stuff that is. Due to care to pay attention in and around the door to the vault. Good question."
You make your way into the dirty streets of Korvosa, reeking of salt water and other dubious fragrance of the sea, finally reaching the Midland district after a couple hours in the city-state. Located in the southeast quadrant of the city, it is home to the majority of Korvosa's merchants, shops, and financial institutions. Once the group purchases items and gets acquainted you head towards the Korvosan sewers.
Following Sascha's indications, you have no trouble finding the concealed sewer entrance in the secluded alley. You move the grate, and can discern an iron ladder going down in the darkness. Norgober knows what you will find down there!
A rusty, slime-encrusted steel ladder descends into the Korvosan sewers, whose tunnels stretch to the north, east, and south like roads in an underground city. On the opposite side of the sewer to the north is an opening in the wall leading east.
Curtains of fungus and mold hang from the ceilings, which rise roughly ten feet above the tunnels' walkways, which run along either side of the sewage channels. Occasional dim patches of light filter in from the streets above providing minimal illumination. Despite the sickening smell of decay, the tunnels are free of garbage, waste, and the other byproducts of Korvosan life.
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"I see quite well in the dark, but Torag needs at least a little light. What about the rest of you?" Bear says in response to Dragomir's question.
Bear doesn't bother to stop at any of the stalls, but does have to tug at Torag, the bear cub, a bit when the group passes a meat vendor.
"So which way did the notes say to go?" Asks Bear standing at the entrance with the others.
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Taicho lights a torch and stares at the flowing waters intently for awhile ...
"For the record ... don't swim so good. Happy to stay on one side for now. Let mighty ones show the way."
Anyone got better than +6 perception? If not I'll take the lead.
"Thank you," Dragomir says. Not hearing anything better, he follows the shadowy creature's advice and heads straight across. Scales has little trouble navigating the water. Dragomir holds the torch up, and listens carefully, before peering around the corner.
Dragomir moves across the sewer with ease to the other side. To the north two things of interest catch his eye.
Secondly, at the far end of the north tunnel you believe your see a flicker of a shadow in the darkness on the eastern side of the junction.
Directions from Sascha Antif-Arah:
My former weapons shop was located on the corner of Endrin Avenue and Eodred Street. Follow Eodred Street north for about a quarter of a mile. There is an old service entrance into the sewers on the west side of the street.
Removing the cover reveals a ladder that descends into the sewers. Make your way north from the ladder. After about fifty feet you will come to an intersection. Take a right. Following the passage until you get to a small rat statue. Beside the statue is a large pipe in the southern wall. Enter through the pipe and follow it south for nearly thirty feet. Exit the pipe and continue south for about seventy feet more. You will reach another intersection. Take a left. This tunnel will wind its way north again.
Follow the tunnel for nearly two hundred feet until you reach another intersection in the tunnel. Take a right and follow the passage east for about eighty feet. This will lead you to another intersection. The sewage passage continues south and east, but on the north side of the intersection is a passageway that continues north up several steps.
The steps end at a stone and steel door worked with designs of riders on horseback. This is the door to the vault. Be extremely careful. The vault door is protected by a hidden trap. If you are not careful it will release a javelin coated in black adder venom. Try to disable this before continuing.
Once you bypass the vault door and its trap, you will leave the sewers and enter a passage made out of cut stone block construction. You will pass a number of wooden doors that lead to cells on both sides of the passage. I believe these were used as burial niches, prison cells, or sleeping quarters for the former cult of Zon-Kuthon. I locked a few of them to serve as red herrings to distract any would be thieves. Some of the cells still hold blankets and supplies if you are in need.
Take your first left and follow the passage west for another fifty feet. A few steps will lead down into a large room, which is the main chamber of the vault where we fought the cult of Zon-Kuthon. When we last left it, there were still racks, iron maidens and many instruments of torture in that place. Along the western wall of that chamber are four wooden doors leading to cells. Inside the southernmost of the four you will find four red brick flagstones in the corner. My share of the treasure is stashed under those flagstones in that cell. Keep whatever you find, but locate and return a plain silver locket that is buried there.
Good luck, and most importantly, do not lose these directions or let them be found by would be thieves!
First, the opening about twenty feet north of Dragomir looks like it used to be bricked up but now has been broken open. There is a pile of broken bricks and debris surrounding that opening.
Secondly, at the far end of the north tunnel you believe your see a flicker of a shadow in the darkness on the eastern side of the junction.
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"There might be something up there in the intersection, in the direction we are headed." The dwarf grumbles in a low voice as he begins heading that direction.
Bear carefully moves around Torag and keeps to the side of the tunnel as he heads north. He stops when he gets across from the broken wall and peers into the darkness.
Torag follows closely behind the dwarf, a low rumble is his only complaint about the unpleasant smell of the sewer.
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"Ah, nothing to invigorate an adventurer like the olfactory experience of a Varisian cloaca. Whatever could have possessed me to leave?
"About the source of illumination . . ."
Grym reaches into a pocket of his cloak, and as he withdraws it, flames seem to lick from between his closed fingers. He releases what looks like a fiery crystal that begins to orbit around his head.
"Dragomir, would you like my assistance in reconnaissance? I am not sure having a singleton on the opposite side of the flow is terribly circumspect."
Grym jumps across the sewage to follow Dragomir along the eastern side of the tunnel. His eyes dart from side to side, searching for signs of movement from local predators.
"By the way, I had a flash of recollection while walking through the merchant stalls. In addition to the usual animals one might find in the sewer, we should be on guard for macroscopic protoplasms and fungal predators."