Pathfinders

First Mission

“First, allow me to apologize for that unpleasantness regarding the gremlins—but it does provide an excellent object lesson. The life of an adventurer is not one for the weak-hearted. That you not only took care of the gremlins but also got the box open in the first place is all the confirmation I need that my gut was right—you’re the perfect group for the job I have in mind.

“You see—I’ve recently had trouble with one of my informants here in Magnimar, Natalya Vancaskerkin. She’s a half-Varisian who recently approached the Pathfinder Society with an offer to serve as a street informant. She runs with the Sczarni—I’m not sure with which group. A week ago, Natalya sent me a cryptic hint that her gang was on the verge of uncovering an item that would be of great interest to the Society. Since the Sczarnis’ methods of uncovering something often involves an armed robbery or breaking into somebody’s personal chambers, we thought it prudent not to press for further details and instead wait to see what it would produce.

Suffice it to say, she hinted strongly that it pertained to Thassilon, and promised to meet with me to discuss this find three days ago.

“She never kept that promise—instead, she seems to have simply vanished. Initially, I assumed that the acquisition of this item was simply taking longer than expected, but now I’m hearing rumors that the Sczarni are looking for her as well.

“It seems likely that Natalya has absconded with this item she’s discovered. And this is where you enter, my friends. I want to know what it was that Natalya and the Sczarni found. In fact, I’m more interested in that than in what happened to Natalya herself. For now, I’d like to keep all of this quiet—if you can find out what happened to Natalya without letting a lot of people know she was also working for me as an informant, that would be preferable—that’s a big part of why I’m coming to you, as new members of the Pathfinder Society, with this task. You don’t yet have a reputation in Magnimar, and as such, the lowlifes and criminals you are likely to encounter may be more likely to talk.

“So… go out there and look for Natalya. Find out what happened to her, and to this item she and her gang discovered. If you can secure the item, all the better—bring it back to me and I’ll have a reward of 250 gold pieces for you. And if you can bring Natalya back alive for me to speak to, I’ll double that!”

The Mystery Deepens

During the investigation, the party discovered a pattern of strange burglaries across Magnimar. Three locations had been hit over several days, each one swept clean with peculiar marks left on the walls at different heights—1 meter (halfling height), 1.5 meters (human), and 2 meters. All metal objects were removed from each scene, and witnesses reported rattling, clanking sounds followed by noises on the rooftops during the thefts. The culprits remain unclear - gnomes, trained monkeys or perhaps rival halfling gangs?

Research revealed that a cult devoted to Mammon, the demon lord of greed, had been active in the Beacon’s Point district about ten years ago before being dispersed by city authorities. The trail led to Colchak’s Counting House, where a swept corridor in the bank vault revealed a hidden floor hatch. Below, a secret chamber dedicated to Mammon contained a broken statue of the demon lord and signs of recent activity.

First Artifact and the Bridge Pillar

The Shard of Pride - part of the Shattered Star of Xin. Appears copper-colored but is forged from horacalcum (meteoric ore). A powerful defensive artifact created by Xin, the Azlanti founder of Thassilon. Sheila Heidmarch directed the party to “The Crow,” an ancient bridge pillar in Magnimar (70m tall and wide).

The Crow exploration: Bronze statuette (70-80cm, full armor). Doors with mask carvings and riddle inscriptions: “LISTEN THE EYES” -> “SILENT THEY SEE”. Giant centipedes in the kitchen. Skeletal remains in storage.

Pillar chamber with sihedron symbols and triangular lock. Magic on the lock released Baz (imp) who asked the party to handle Zuzerain (embodiment of carelessness/sloth). Alchemist’s laboratory with mural showing demons, devils, and deformed humans marching toward a mountain (woman’s face in relief, tentacled demon with eye in mouth). Lemures present. Transmutation potions were made here. Found statue/creature (Volgob has the key). Encountered nupperibos.

Return to the Bridge Pillar

Second expedition to The Crow. Boat secured with rope and camouflage. Explored room with traces of old salt containing a pool with submerged stairs. Next room featured spiral staircase with observation point at bottom.

Encountered large lemur (similar to Malagar) capable of limited speech. Learned that Liza Jane Brast is the wife of the undead lord from Magnimar. The shard sensed another nearby. Four blue dwarves (derro) present. Successfully recovered the shard. Lorian used air crystals to reach the ship and retrieve Lord Brast’s brooch.