Intermission (Erastus [VII] 4th-Arodus [VIII] 8th 4707 AR)

The heroes then decided to take on the zombies at the public stocks. The zombies could only reach an opponent next to the bars. Otherwise, they clumsily hurled stones at anyone they detected. The zombies fought until destroyed.

Finally, the heroes put to rest the shadow of Rekkart Cole.

The heroes earned great notoriety among the populace of Absalom for dealing with the haunted courthouse. As a result, Drandle Dreng, a Pathfinder Society venture-captain, contacted them to hear their story, and ended up offering them initiation to the Pathfinder Society. The heroes accepted and finished their Pathfinder training.

On a hot summer evening, Drandle Drenge welcomed the heroes into his modest Absalom home for an impromptu meeting. He offered chairs and drinks, wiped sweat from his brow, and dove into business. Once everyone was settled, Venture-Captain Drandle Drenge, a stout and hardy Taldan with thin, graying hair and a thick, bushy mustache, unfurled a map on his butcher-block table and placed a meaty finger on the parchment.

“The abandoned district of Beldrin’s Bluff was once the gem of Absalom’s Precipice District—now it is but a weathered crag of broken rock at the edge of the roiling sea. When the great quake hit ten years ago, entire blocks of the Bluff sheared from the mainland. Cliffside tearooms and exclusive estates fell into the waves and carried hundreds of nobles to a watery grave. An elite academy, called the Tri-Towers Yard, remained on the mainland, but sank wholesale into the earth. Children unfortunate enough to survive the quake lay pinned under debris as sewer water slowly rose from the ground and drowned them. Nearly every student perished."

“Today, crumbled stone walls and weed-filled lots sprawl where gentlemen’s clubs once filled with pipe smoke and hobnobbing lords. The Drownyard—er, that’s what the ill-mannered call the school these days—lies behind a fence of black iron pikes, constructed by the families of the dead to discourage morbid trespassers."

“Even respected archaeological groups have been denied official access. Our own Society has itched to explore the site ever since the quake—that is, ever since we discovered that the school fell through the roof of a lost necropolis. Unfortunately, the emotional trauma attached to the school has remained fresh. But finally, after ten years of mourning, the politically-connected families of dead students have sanctioned our delve request.”

With a toothy smile and a clap, Drenge said, “I’m pleased to announce that I’ve selected your team for the delve. I want you to find a way into the necropolis, document your findings with professional detail, and recover artifacts of historical significance. The Society is interested in one artifact in particular—a two-finger ring topped with a ruby salamander.”

Drandle Drenge answered Jule's question concerning the importance of the salamander ring.  “In ancient times, a wealthy merchant cut a ruby salamander ring from the hand of young cat burglar named Horastian. Horastian later became a renowned information broker and art collector. The Pathfinder Society hopes to magically locate the long-dead thief and his fabled hoard by using the ring as a divination focus.”