Welcome!
After a hurried summons to the Grand Lodge in Absalom, a quick conversation with Venture-Captain Alissa Moldreserva, and a wet, stormy trip across the Inner Sea to Andoran, the small, warm Pathfinder Lodge in Augustana is a welcome break from travel. “I can’t believe we are wasting our time on this matter,” says Caudron Wallace, the venture-captain of Augustana as he paces the main hall. “Frankly, I want as little to do with it as possible, so I’m passing it on to you.”
Wallace nods toward a door at the back of the room. “The vagrant through there was found collapsed on our front steps gripping a wayfinder of all things. We still don’t know who he is. Talk to him, for the tale he tells is amazing if true, and then come back here.”
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A young muscular man and his lion are sharing a snack as they listen to their orders. Kristoff slowly rises out of his seat and Yaweh looks alert."A wayfinder? Hmmm....."Kris gazes around seeing if anyone else is intrigued....
Kristoff is a kind hearted man, he grew up in Absalom, but always seemed as the the he belonged in the wild. One day when he was exploring the wilds, he came across a lion cub caught in a hunter's snare, he freed it and nursed it back to health, and it's been with him loyally ever since. His father served in the military and died a few years back from some strange disease, his mother still lives, and he sends home his earnings to keep her comfortable.
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Arkath, seemingly smaller and less green than the party remembers. Although more dour, he is smarter and wiser from his experience abroad. Looking at the lion, he turns to the badger at his side that seems to glare challengingly at the larger beast. 'I know you could take 'im, but now's not the time nor place.', he whispers.
Listening to the Captain's orders, he walks in, badger in tow, and looks at the man. "So, whatcha doin' here, fella? And how'd ya get that?"
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Nemrok is an hulking well dressed half-orc. Despite his appearance, and the greataxe he carries on his back, his eyes sparkle with intelligence. He seems to be more a scholar than a warrior as the heavy book he carries confirms it. Around his neck a red diagram hangs.
Do the archive of the Society confirms his claims ? Do we have a trace of him somewhere, another element than his wayfinder ?
asked intrigued Nemrok before asking question to the vagrant.
"Perhaps you should meet him first, and then we will talk."
You enter the room at the back of the main hall, where you find a small sitting room with six comfortable chairs and a few bookshelves filled with the latest Pathfinder Chronicles. An old, withered man sits in one of the chairs, half-dozing when the PCs enter. His skin is shockingly pale and his features are sharp with high cheekbones and a jutting chin. Despite his incredibly filthy visage, matted white hair, and infirmity, when he awakes and regards you with a look of absolute, confident superiority.
“My loyal subjects, welcome! I know that some of you might not recognize me in my current state, but it is truly me, Gandros, the long-lost Prince of Augustana. I have been in hiding since the untimely death of my father, the Emperor, preparing for my return to glory. Unfortunately, I bear ill news. The army I have been gathering in the otherworld has been infiltrated by agents of our enemies. When last I called my forces together for inspection, dark assassins attacked me and I barely escaped with my life.”
He takes this opportunity to roll up his sleeve and reveals a series of recently inflicted claw and tooth marks on his right forearm. He then launches into a breathless retelling of how he came to be in the Lodge, without pause or acknowledgement of interruptions.
“I fled back through the magic portal to this realm. Grievously wounded, and with the assassins in close pursuit, I leapt into the dark river. I floated past the Almsman’s Sanctuary, but couldn’t climb out of the water. I did manage to grab one of the bridges, but a plank fell in with me. I held on for dear life and continued to drift downstream. I went over a waterfall and then emerged in the lake of ships and crawled to shore. Augustana has changed since I last walked my city’s bright streets, but I managed to find this house, bearing the symbol of my father’s empire.” He holds up the wayfinder hanging from a chain around his neck. “I knew I would find help here! If you remove the threat from my kingdom below and help restore me to my rightful place as Emperor of Andoran, I will grant you any boon within my power!”
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"why do you have an army from hell and not your loyal soldiers left by your father"
-Posted with Wayfinder
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Auriferous sits listening.
"How did your father, the emperor, die?" she asks, before adding a respectful "My lord" to the end of it.
"Would you be able to guide us to the Portal, or even to the Almsman's Sanctuary?"
She looks around the others
"Does anyone know of the Almsman's sanctuary?"
Looking back at the prince she adds "Should we pass this dread portal, would your army be waiting to assist us in dealing with the assassins?"
The only question he seems to acknowledge is Auri's first one.
"My father, my poor, poor father. There was an uprising, and he carried me to safety, but the smoke and flames of the fires were too much for him and he died. He gave me this," showing the Wayfinder, "with his dying breath, saying 'Go to them for help, dear son.' And so now I have!"
Then he sits quietly, regally.
You return to the room with Venture-Captain Wallace.
“My diviners say that there is some truth to his story. There has never been a Prince of Augustana, nor an Emperor in Andoran, but the old fellow has a surprising amount of knowledge of the pre-revolution noble families of the city. He may be the lost scion of some noble line. If so, he’s fallen far. From the filth and stink on him when we found him, we’re fairly certain he’s been living in or near a sewer. The wayfinder is also a mystery, but for now, it makes him one of ours. However, I’m more interested in his supposed gate to the otherworld. If it exists, I want to know about it. Implausible as it may seem, I’m certain that his injuries were caused by otherworldly beings. We must take the possibility of a portal seriously. I don’t want to dirty my hands with this, but you don’t have that choice. Retrace the old man’s path through the sewers. The Almsman, whom he repeatedly mentions, is rumored to be an eccentric priest who runs some sort of hidden beggar’s sanctuary in the sewers. He may know where our prince’s portal is, if you can find him. But be warned; a local gang calling themselves the Steel Wyverns claims the sewers near the Almsman’s Sanctuary as their own territory.”
Venture-Captain Wallace shows you the spot on the map of the likely sewer outlet from which Gandros came. It’s near the north end of the crowded Augustana harbor, near where the north harbor wall hits land.
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"The sewers?" says Auriferous in obvious disgust.
"I'm not sure that my armour is necessarily the best thing to wear down there."
She thinks for a moment or two. "What are some of the things we are likely to meet down there? Steel Wyverns? What about rats and spiders?"
She looks at the two more nature oriented people.
"Do you think you'll be able to deal with such vermin?"
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"Steel Wyverns hmm...never heard of such things. at the mention of sewers he pauses and tries to recall what he might remember about sewer critters. As he makes his way to the market, Kristoff will try to gather info about the Allsman, and Steel Wyverns. Kristoff, not very used to socializing, does surprisingly well in this city and comes across very kind and easy going.
Kristoff discovers that the Steel Wyverns were once the most powerful criminal organization in the city, but they have been in decline for decades. Now they are a rag-tag gang of thugs and petty crooks. The wyverns prefer to fight with spiked chains, which they call “Wyvern stings.”
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May be this man had a breakdown ? And the only thing he remember is that bringing the wayfinder is a mesure of safety ? Nevertheless if something is true in his story, as Pathfinder we must find this "Gate" to another world if it truly exist. I'm sure the Dark Archive could be interested in such a discovery ! As well as the Pathfinder of course.
said Nemrok.
I have a wand of cure light wounds. I don't know how to use it, but if somebody know that he looked at Auriferous, Tyranius and Arkath I will gladly lend it to them. The could use it of me, but also on anybody in need.
The Almsman has recently started providing sanctuary and assistance to the city’s beggars. He is a mysterious figure who wears a mask, but most folk believe he is a priest. Most of the city’s poor do not know where his sanctuary is—those who do know won’t tell.
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Realizing there is a time and a place for everything, Auri asks the captain.
"Would you be able to store my armour for me? I don't think wearing it in the sewer would be a wise idea. The society said something a while back about showing some appreciation in return for my efforts with the Frostfur goblins... I was hoping you may have a wand I could use to protect myself?"
So, where to? One of the challenges you face in this scenario is actually finding your way into the sewers...
You could look for the outlet into the sea, or look for an alternate entrance.
To check the Hall of Records for sewer information:
Unfortunately, all records of the sewers construction and maintenance were lost during the People’s Revolution.
To go to the Docks and search for sewer outlet:
You find a sewer outlet, but the pipe extends under a breaker and is hard to see from land. You will need to swim out to get into it.
To ask around the docks:
You locate the sewer outlet, but the pipe extends under a breaker and is hard to see from land. You will need to swim out to get into it.
Look for an alternate entrance: (+5 bonus if you already found the outlet)
You find a maintenance access, which looks like a cellar door in an alley. Opening it reveals stairs descending 20 feet into the darkness.
Aryeh finds what everyone is looking for, and somehow manages to convey it to Kristoff.
He sees the sewer outlet, but the pipe extends under a breaker and is hard to see from land. You will need to swim out to get into it.
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"Good boy Aryeh, hmm there has to be another entrance, maybe more in town. Aryeh come let's find this other entrance." Aryeh, using his scent, tracks down the other entrance and leads Kristoff straight to it. "Good boy Aryeh, let's tell the others." Kristoff tells the others about the entrance in the Alley."We shouldn't waste anymore time, I'll lead the way lets make haste friends."