Your boots squash with fetid water as you plod through the Puddles. A thick fog hangs in the air, seeming almost to caress the flsh with an unnatural chill. As you stand outside the Soggy Piper in a foot and a half of brackish brine, you try to recall what was so damned important to demand your presence in the half flooded slum during Absalom’s rainy season. You remember your meeting at the Lodge just a few hours earlier with your Venture-Captain, Adril Hestram. A bear of a man with only a few teeth remaining in his head, he motioned you into the meeting hall with a casual wave of his grizzled hand. The human captain outweighs most of Absalom’s half-orcs, and though a layer of beefy blubber coats his frame, those of you who have tangled with him in the Lodge sparring ring know that beneath this thin veneer of fat lies nothing but solid, steely sinew. Adril’s wild beard wags to the ponderous shake of his massive head as he examines a scrap of ancient parchment on the table before raising his eyes to greet your gaze and speaking: "Come in then, friends, and thank you for answering my summons so swifty. The society is in need. An old and quite penniless historian, a bespectacled wag-beard by the name of Yargos Gill has recently made a discovery in an old archive that we have a great interest in obtaining: an ancient codebook, left behind in the wake of one of Taldor’s many failed attempts at invasion. This several-hundred-year-old text would prove an excellent addition to our collection, and must be preserved.
Yargos makes his home in ‘The Puddles,’ Absalom’s poorest district, suffering from a well-known reputation as a haven for lowlifes. Following an earthquake ten years ago, parts of the Puddles now rest below sea level, resulting in frequent and untimely flooding. Those who can afford not to live there—don’t. The district is the stomping ground of pimps, harlots, addicts, knifers, and hoards of unseemly derelicts. It’s never been a kind place, but recent reports reveal some new nameless terror on her waterlogged streets. Several persons claim to
have seen cloaked, skeletal-like figures marching through an unnatural fog. Ill tidings indeed. Tracking down Yargos is now a priority—--lest some yellow-toothed thug cut him down, or one of these strange wraiths carry him beyond the pale. Find him, fellow Pathfiders, and find the codebook. Your exploits will be recorded in the Chronicles if you succeed."
The memory fades as a fresh deluge of cold seawater rounds a bend in the lane and assaults your knees. After searching for Yargos at his favorite eatery, the Soggy Piper, you learned you just missed him. According to the Piper’s staff a gang of dangerous young tattooed toughs arrived ahead of you. They grabbed Yargos and several of his friends from their dinner table and dragged them to a nearby cliff at the edge of the Puddle District. The watch was called, but they will arrive too late, as they often do in the Puddles, when they bother to
venture there at all. It is early evening, the fist Wealday of the month of Desnus, an old man is about to face some awful fate at the sea cliff known as Torsen’s Maw, and you are no closer to finding the
codebook Adril sent you for.
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"Hullo, fellow Pathfinders. I'm Kenji," says a slightly built young Tian man. His features are not quite human, his ears are pointed, almost barbed, and his eyes are dark enough to be called black. When he speaks, though he tries to hide it, it is obvious his teeth are over-sharp. He wears loose pants and a tunic tied with a sash. His only visible weapon is an odd small sickle-shaped blade tucked in his sash.
"I guess we'd better hurry to this cliff before the guy we're looking for ends up at the bottom of it... " And to put action to words, he heads off through the puddles and muck in that direction.
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Sele has slightly green scales/skin, is well muscled carries a large sword over his should and wears banded armour, he has a Surcoat with the Symbol of Milani on his chest and the symbol of Milani tattoed over the right side of his face.
"Hello Kenji, I am Sele Paladin of Milani... and yes we had better get there soon"
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"Nice to meet you, Sele," he says after a moment's pause as, obviously struggling with the human pleasantries, as if unused to them and following a script rather than spontaneous greeting. He smiles, mouth mostly closed, keeping his teeth out of sight.
"A paladin, eh? That is a noble profession for sure. And of Milani no less... that is an uncommon choice for a paladin. I've met a few, and most follow Iomedae or Sarenrae. What brought you to worship The Everbloom?"
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"Ah... finally. The society has seen fit to group me with one of my kin."
Baru turns to Kenji and bows.
"வாழ்த்துக்கள் சகோதரனே"
Baru's tail shifts backs and forth, excited to have another tiefling along on this assignment.
"Agreed. We have no time to waste. I'll just want to secure a few components for my concoctions before we go. If not handled properly, they can be a bit.... shall we say... volatile!"
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Kenji obviously understands but replies in common with a formal bow. "And greetings to you as well, cousin... Very nice to meet you."
When Baru speaks of getting components for volatile concoctions, Kenji tilts his head to one side curiously... "Potion brewer or alchemist? I have known both before."
Overhearing parts of the conversation about alchemy, a guy leaning at the wall in the shadow speaks shortly.
Stranger, "Did you know, you can make 1st class naypalm, by mixing 4 gallons of kerosine and equal amount of orange juice? Burns like mad."
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The gnome who tags along with the party is true to most expectations of her race. Fast-speaking, irrepressibly curious, and easily excited.
"Hi, my name's Lynthara, but that's quite mouthful so just call me Lyn! My parents really liked elves, ya see? That's why I got an elf name. But don't worry, I'm more fun than those stuffy elves!"
"I was raised in the Verduran Forest, near that town called Falcon's Hollow. Some Pathfinders rescued the place a while back, stopped some kind of plague or something. Really bailed us fey folk out! Hey, you know gnomes are magic, right? And lucky!"
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Hi Lyn, you are lucky? Like a rabbit legs, or just by rubbing you? Says Keera with a smile.
Don´t take offense on the joke, I just find the idea funny.
Well, Sele and Baru now of me and Alacorta, Says pointing to her Roc. We´d came from my community in Qadira looking to see the wonders of the world.
Being part of the Society had been risky, but I´ve seen wonders I only dream of.
I´ve been in an iceberg whiout going out of town, who will had thinked of that
And now, regarding to our mission. I´m not sure I would be as able to track in a city as I am in the wilds, but I can try. Also, Sele can talk with Yargos neighbours to see if someone had see anything. Well, Sele and any of you who is good at talking.
But as anyone had an idea how can an historian make a life here? Or even survive?
After a lot of questioning for directions, you find yourselves on a pathway to the cliff known as Torsen’s Maw.
Seagulls and the smell of salty water are the only sounds you hear at first, but then you come to the actual cliff area. Six brash young toughs covered with tattoos of vicious, snarling dogs are prodding four terrifid older men of the edge of a cliff into the sea. The prisoners are shackled together in a line with heavy chains, which shall surely drag them to the
sea floor in short order should they tumble from the cliffs edge into the churning waters below. As 2 look up while mocking the men, they notice the 6 (7) of you. "Lads, we got company, to arms!"
Baru & Kenji
Keera
Warhounders
Roc, Sele & Asami
Bold are up, resolve in init order.
Kenji heads for the closest warhounder and throws a punch, it misses though.
Baru
Lynthara
Keera
Warhounders
Roc, Sele & Asami
Bold are up, resolve in init order.
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Baru dashes forward and throws together some components before throwing a bomb at the green enemy.
Tanglefoot bag: A tanglefoot bag is a small sack filled with tar, resin, and other sticky substances. When you throw a tanglefoot bag at a creature (as a ranged touch attack with a range increment of 10 feet), the bag comes apart and goo bursts out, entangling the target and then becoming tough and resilient upon exposure to air. An entangled creature takes a –2 penalty on attack rolls and a –4 penalty to Dexterity and must make a DC 15 Reflex save or be glued to the floor, unable to move. Even on a successful save, it can move only at half speed. Huge or larger creatures are unaffected by a tanglefoot bag. A flying creature is not stuck to the floor, but it must make a DC 15 Reflex save or be unable to fly (assuming it uses its wings to fly) and fall to the ground. A tanglefoot bag does not function underwater.
A creature that is glued to the floor (or unable to fly) can break free by making a DC 17 Strength check or by dealing 15 points of damage to the goo with a slashing weapon. A creature trying to scrape goo off itself, or another creature assisting, does not need to make an attack roll; hitting the goo is automatic, after which the creature that hit makes a damage roll to see how much of the goo was scraped off. Once free, the creature can move (including flying) at half speed. If the entangled creature attempts to cast a spell, it must make a concentration check with a DC of 15 + the spell's level or be unable to cast the spell. The goo becomes brittle and fragile after 2d4 rounds, cracking apart and losing its effectiveness. An application of universal solvent to a stuck creature dissolves the alchemical goo immediately. Crafting this item is a DC 25 Craft (alchemy) check.
5 plash (dc:15 reflex for 1/2) dc:15 reflex fail = entagled + flued to ground, success = no entangle
Kenji heads for the closest warhounder and throws a punch, it misses though.
Baru throws a tanglefoot, despite a miss it explodes near green & red, dropping both thugs.
Lynthara
Keera
Warhounders
Roc, Sele & Asami
Bold are up, resolve in init order.
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Lyn scurries forward, trying to lend a hand. She moves 20' straight ahead, then attempts to daze the "yellow" thug.
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Keera instructs Alacorta to charge and tear the thugs, then moves forward and conjures a flare that explodes over the eyes of the blue thug.
Guys, you´re trying to cath them alive or dead? Because Sele and Baru don´t look to work for the same goal.
Also, Alacorta don´t know how to cath prey alive. We´re working on it
Kenji heads for the closest warhounder and throws a punch, it misses though.
Baru throws a tanglefoot, despite a miss it explodes near green & red, dropping both thugs.
Lynthara heads in and throws a daze at yellow.
, he's unaffected.
Keera casts a shiny flare near blue's eyes. , he remains unaffected too.
Warhounders
Orange kicks down the prisoner closest to the cliff. The man falls with a scream of fear, dragging along all the others in rapid succession. The last one seems to have managed to grab the ledge, how long he'll be able to hold on in uncertain.
Orange then aims a crossbow and shoots at Baru.
Where the bolt ended up is mystery, anywhere but in Baru.
Blue notices the two casters and keeps a shot ready for the 1st one to make a move.
Purple takes a swing at Kenji with a spiked gauntlet
, dealing 5 damage.
Yellow does as well. Contrary to his fellow thug, his aim is poor.
Roc takes a double move.
Sele heads up to purple thug and hits purple for 6 nl. "What the?...", he takes 1 lethal dmg.
Asami
Asami's turn.
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Asami calls out to her hasty comrades. "Hey! Don't rush in so recklessly! No! Don't! Now why did you go and do that to the poor man!" Asami follows her own advice most poorly as she charges ahead at the man and attempts to skewer him with the rapier.
If higher than the attack roll:
None are within reach to hit Asami, she runs the thug through with her rapier.
Round 2
Kenji, Baru, Lynthara & Keera go ahead.
Resolves in init order.
Kenji manages to lift the 1st of the prisoners back up.
"Many thanks stranger, but there's still 3 dangling on these chains."
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Lyn gives a shout as Kenji grabs the chained men. She hurries forward some more and tries her daze spell on the northern enemy.
-Posted with Wayfinder
"No no n...*gurk*...."
Baru puts an arrow in blue's chest and with a deathcry he plummets down the cliff.
The thug manages to dodge Keera's attack.
Seeing as his fellow thugs have fallen, he makes a hasty full withdraw and bails the scene as fast as he can.
Combat over.
As you pull up the last prisoner, the one named Yargos is 1st to stand up.
"Thank you, words hardly describe the gratitude of saving me and my fellow captives. How did you find us?"
"Yes, well, i am Yargos. Why did you come seek me?"
Yargos' face turns a shade paler and he himself speaks with greater urgence.
"There is no time, you lot come closer and i can tell you what this is about."
Yargos waits for you to come near him, before clearing his throat and putting back his spectacles on his nose properly.
"From what i could piece together from recorded history and a codebook, i made a terrifying discovery. 800 years ago, a hidden armada of ships from Taldor were floating off the coast of the isle of Kortos like a thousand locusts. Their mission, to invade and crush the city of Absalom. They hade a simple yet deadly plan, to disable Absalom's keypoints of organisation and defense to make possible the attack on a crippled city, under the guise of misty weather of Desnus (May). When the mist would come, a group code-named Black Echolon would disable many a site on the sign of colored lanterns, the red for the city's granary, the church's morning hymnes with 3 pulses of purple and several others had other colors. But the signs were never given, the Echelon leaders within Absalom had been found and put to the sword, along with the other hidden conspiritors over the next few weeks. Their fleet just waited idly and was caught off guard by Absalom's forces and sunk completely." He pauses, and with concern on his face he resumes. "I...foolishly replicated the starting sign, for historical purposes only, only to find out the skeletal figures to appear. I fear these are the Black Echelon risen from the dead. Black Echolon had sworn an oath that bound them to completing the task no matter what, unless the call-off sign be given. But...so did the marines of Taldor's invasion armada, who all reside on the bottom of the sea off-shore. If we don't stop them, Absalom will face doom at the hands of a ghostly invasion."
He calms down slightly, "But before i could throw the codebook into the water to prevent it and warn the city guard, i was captured by a young crime lord named Nessian, who aims to use the Black Echelon and armada to wreak havoc for purposes unknown."
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After the fight, Lyn says to Keera:
"See? We were pretty lucky there. Grabbed those men in the nick of time!"
To Yargos:
"Don't you worry! We'll help you put things right. Anyone with even a shred of curiosity woulda tried those codes. I'm sure I woulda! But if the city's in trouble, you can count on me!"
-Posted with Wayfinder
"We have to take the book from Nessian and stop the Black Echelon if we see any of them."
A look as if something popped to mind comes upon his face.
"There's a sure way to find out Nessian's hideout but it's kinda.....tricky, we must get to Grandmaster Torch, the greatest information broker in Absalom, who resides within the puddles."
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Asami prods at the downed thugs, and decides they're not worth her effort. As she turns her attention to the conversation at hand, the swashbuckler manages to catch the tail end of the conversation. "What's this about getting to some Grandmaster Torch? I assume it's easier than finding Nissian's hideout."
Yargos nods.
"If you know where to look, sure. But this is an urgent matter indeed, follow me."
While following Yargos through the alleys, all of you but Lynthara & Sele notice several flashes of red. Yargos's voice rings grave concern.
"Nessian!....He’s signaling Black Echelon—the undead! Six flashes of red. I remember that signal..by the gods! That’s the granary! Nessian has sent those monsters to poison the granary! C’mon! I don’t know how, but we’ve got to stop them, we’re the only ones who know what’s happening. The poison was an old concoction known as Gutwither, an ingestable lethal poison."
As you approach the alley and street leading to the granary, all is eerie silent and a fog has befallen the streets. At the impressively large granary, you find the 3 guards posted here dead.
A faint blood trail leads inside.
As Sele goes inside, he notices many hatches in the ceiling. These hatches were meant to drop grain from the top floor to groundfloor as easy access.