PFS #30: Cassomir's Locker

[IronWolf]

You find yourselves in the bustling city of Cassomir, the second largest settlement in the empire of Taldor, summoned by Venture-Captain Hestia Themis to the Pathfinder Lodge. The streets are alive as you make your way through the city streets towards the lodge, rushing along to reach it without being late. The sound of clattering wagon wheels echo about mixed with the clip-clop of horse's hooves pulling the wagon to and from the shipyards.

Soon you reach the Pathfinder Lodge and are immediately shown in to the large office of Hestia Themis.

Venture-Captain Hestia Themis, a small, dark-haired, and dark-eyed Taldan woman, sits behind her enormous blackwood desk in the Pathfinder lodge in Cassomir and clears her throat. "A pleasure to see you again Kronk." she states looking at the half-orc. "You are welcome to fill these gathered Pathfinders on the previous events you were involved with."

"My friends, the Countess Arieta Patrizia, is dead. She escaped her capture by the fiends who operate beneath Cassomir only to succumb to disease and wounds incured in Cassomir’s disgusting sewers. Ordinarily, this would be a matter for the Taldan authorities, but Arieta came to me directly after escaping and recounted a story that leads me to the natural conclusion that only the Pathfinder Society can resolve this issue."

Venture-Captain Themis rises and paces back and forth behind her desk. "Arieta told me of an artifact she saw while in captivity below Cassomir. This artifact, called the jet rat,is known to us, but we must confirm that what she saw is indeed true. She claims to have seen it transform normal rats into something bigger, more vile and mean. If that’s true, the artifact she saw down there is old, evil, and should be stored safely in the vaults beneath the Grand Lodge in Absalom where we can study, catalog, and examine it. Worse, she claims to have seen this object in the hands of the derros, vile Darklands creatures that we have long suspected are responsible for the Cassomir kidnappings. I have a map here that shows the location of the sewer grate Arieta was dropped through when she was kidnapped. She could not, due to her illness, recall much about how she got to the location where they kept her in captivity, but she knows where they dropped her into the sewers and you’ll find that location on this map."

Venture-Captain Themis stops pacing and eyes you across her desk. "Bring me back this artifact—if you happen to free a few captured Taldans along the way, that’s good news, but the artifact is your mission. Any questions?"

[sblock=OOC]

I will be PM'ing faction missions to you shortly.

Some of you have played with me before, but I will post a short bit about my Play-by-Post GMing style over in the OOC thread as well. Feel free to ask any questions you may have over in the OOC thread.

Enjoy the game!
[/sblock]

 

[vl.arandur]

With a soldier's stance Kayleigh stands before the Venture-Captain's desk, staring straight ahead, letting her silent acquiescence implicitly answer the question posed to her. Every movement of her body is tightly controlled, but not stiff: she has become comfortable in her own skin through rigorous training and introspection, even though she's an ugly towering messy hulk of a woman...

No, none of that.

Controlling one's body is comparatively simple. Controlling one's mind is harder. And so Kayleigh's mind wanders as she awaits more orders.

She dwells on her father's parting words, the anger and the rage and, beneath it all, found after years of digging at the memory, the fear in his voice, the tears unshed.

She dwells on the unease she feels at the private mission given to her by Captain Maldris, handed to her before she entered this room, read in privacy.

She dwells on the fear of the unknown, ever present in her mind... but forces that feeling to the back of her mind, willing herself to become what she appears to be on the outside, eyes forward, disciplined and sure.

 

[JarvethDarksmith]

Evrand stands listening to the Captain's explanation of the task at hand, carefully studying the map that she indicates. The shortest of the party, he has to stand on tiptoe in order to get a good look at it, but after years living among the taller races, it's not something he even really thinks of--it just comes naturally. He makes a solid mental note of the location before looking up into the face of the Venture Captain. His voice, though of higher timbre than the others, conveys an unwavering strength and determination.
"You have my word, Captain," he assures her. "The artifact shall be retrieved and returned as you have asked." Of course, he has other things he intends to accomplish along the way, as requested by Captain Maldris, but he does not speak of them to the other Pathfinders. "Do you have a good description of this device?" he adds. "It'll be easier to find it if we know at least something of what it looks like."

 

[PeteZero]

Kronk smiles back at Venture-Captain Hestia Themis, "thank you, hope we camn solve this problem as good as the one before." Turning to his fellow Pathfinders he explains: "We've been sent out the last time to free a fellow Pathfinder. A lot of kidnappings have been going on in Cassomir, and seem still be going on. When we investigated, druids seemed to be part of the kidnappings, and with them big fat rats. Not really pleasant. And their leadersw, at least at that time, seemed to have a close affinity to the undead, at least they always had some around them. Don't know though, iff this is the case this time, as we might encounter derros." He stops for a moment, "anyone knows some specialtiy about them? Are these fey?"

 

[Maidhc O Casain]

Jalil stands easily in the company of fellow Pathfinders, listening carefully to Venture-Captain Themis' mission outline. Though he served two masters - possibly three - thus far he'd found it easy to compartmentalize these and there had been no conflict between Sarenrae's will, his thirst for knowledge and the orders of his Venture-Captains, and the 'requests' of his Qadiran satrap.

Venture-Captain Themis' request for confirmation of understanding, followed closely by the Half-Orc's question about the Derro brings the desert-man's attention fully to the present once more.

"Understood, Venture-Captain." He turns his head slightly to Kronk in order to reply to his question. "I know little of the Derro, unfortunately. But I look forward to expanding my knowledge!"

 

[zizazat]

Pavanna stands before the Venture-Captain dressed for travel, her darkwood shield across her back, her heavy mace hanging from her belt. She takes a finger and slides it under the leather choker around her neck, coming to rest on the pentacle of Asmodeus. "Venture-Captain Themis, I understand why the Ten would choose me to lead such a mission. Having just returned from Ustalav where I was able to save the life of the Master of Blades, I believe the Ten mean for me to prove my skill was not luck. Asmodeus' strength will again guide me. It is obviously a powerful artifact that cannot remain in the hands of such...rabble." Pavanna takes a few steps forward and picks up the map off the table, scanning it for a moment then folding it away in her scroll case. "I have spent some time in Cassomir, and I believe I know this area. We should prepare and leave quickly."

Pavanna jingles her coin purse and says, "I'll have need of a Wayfinder if you have one for sale Venture-Captain. But can you tell me, how long ago did the Countess disappear? How long was she missing? And how many days ago did she escape?"

 

[zizazat]

Pavanna turns to Kayleigh and says, "Kayleigh, do you have gear for an expedition into the sewers of Cassomir? I suspect we'll need rope, or better yet rope ladders. A few sunrods may come in handy as well, in addition to my wayfinder. Some alchemist's fire and chalk probably wouldn't hurt either. The trip from Ustalav back to Absalom was rather long and I'm traveling very light. I believe there was a general store down the street." Pavanna puts some gold coins in a small pouch and hands it to you.

OOC: - Pavanna hands Kayleigh 83 gp for Alchemist's Fire (x2), Sunrod (x2), Silk Rope (x2) and Chalk (x100)

 

[JarvethDarksmith]

Evrand turns to the cleric who has just spoken. "I have 50 ft. of rope with me; it's hemp though; if that would suffice we could perhaps save a bit on that account. I didn't think to pick up sunrods--but then I rarely require extra light myself."

 

[IronWolf]

Venture-Captain Themis slows her pacing, still looking over the desk with her dark eyes as they turn towards Evrand, peering just over the desktop, asking about the artifact in question. "Yes, of course. The jet rat. It should not be too large in size and will be a shiny black rat statue if the reports are true.".

She nods at Kronk as her attention turns briefly, "I am confident in your ability to obtain this object, I am certain the Pathfinders gathered here can aide as skillfully as the others you have worked with in the past or you would not be Pathfinders yourselves."

Venture-Captain Themis studies Pavanna upon hearing her questions. "Of course, one of my assistants in the Lodge would be happy to help you with purchasing a Wayfinder. A necessary tool of the trade and likely to serve you well."

"Countess Arieta disappeared some two weeks ago by her account. She was taken from her villa in Old Cassomir. She said derros bound and gagged her and dragged her through the streets before finally descending beneath the streets through a sewer grate. She said they traveled for sometime in the sewer through a dizzying number of twists and turns."

"She was gone from around ten or eleven days. She managed to escape her captors about seven days when what she described as a miserable blue creature forgot to secure her cage door after feeding. She hid in an area beneath the city that appeared to be an entire city block of houses, streets - complete with lamps, signs and hitching posts. It was a most unusual description. She said they referred to it as "Cassomir Below".

"She then made her way out of the sewers over the course of two or three days. The countess had to find her way out of the sewers and she fought off numerous rats along the way. Unfortunately it was the fever from one of these rat bites that she had that did her in. She passed but three days ago. It was shortly after that I summoned you."

As the conversation goes on Jalil is deep in thought to recall what he can about the derro. He cannot remember much of them save for them being small creatures of some sort that live underground.

 

[vl.arandur]

Kayleigh's eyes widen a bit, and her face flushes a little as she quietly replies to Pavanna. "I thank you for your kindness, but I cannot accept your money. I will acquire more gear with my own funds before we leave."