Intermission (Lamashan [X] 4th-Kuthona [XII] 31st, 4707 AR)

Following an uneventful return trip, the heroes met again with the Black Marquis. The man listened to their tale with great interest and thanked them profusely (having pieced things together, he and Riverbane clarified any aspects of the story still elusive to the heroes).

The Black Marquis failed to realize the part his trusted second in command, Lady Riverbane, played in this situation. The woman plotted to dethrone him and spent the past months undermining Bazzak’s hold on the group. The Black Marquis could only truly rely on a handful of close friends and bodyguards, and Riverbane came up with a plan to get these last followers killed. One month ago, she approached Bazzak with tales of how she stole an ancient manuscript entitled Memoirs of the Silver Brotherhood. She claimed the book held clear directions to a long-lost vault in the nearby Echo Wood — a vault full of great riches waiting to be plundered. With so much gold involved, Bazzak’s reaction was predictable. Unwilling to rely on his insubordinate pirate troops, the Black Marquis called upon all of the few rare men he could still trust to accompany Lady Riverbane on a treasure hunt.

In fact, Riverbane never stole any book. She forged a copy of the famed memoirs, fabricating the passage about the crypt and its alluring prize. This counterfeit didn’t point to any gold but marked the location of something much more sinister: an unholy shrine to Mazmezz, demon lord of vermin. This was where the villainous woman led Bazzak’s best men and left them to die at the hand of ettercaps and arachnid monstrosities she knew lived there.

Riverbane learned about the ettercap menace and the ancient shrine they inhabited less than a year ago from a wandering adventurer. As part of her convoluted plot to seize control of the Pirate Pact, the perfidious woman led her companions — the Black Marquis’s best men — on a fictitious treasure hunt and marooned them to die an ignominious death among the web-spinning horrors.

Riverbane later came back to the Black Marquis with the story that a pack of giant spiders ambushed the expedition, slaying everyone but herself. Bazzak dispatched scouts to locate survivors, but all they brought back were accounts of Pirate Pact members found dead, dangling in spider webs stretched across the River. With rumors spreading and many brigands overtly challenging his leadership, the Black Marquis acted quickly. He turned to the Pathfinder Society for help. Still convinced Riverbane’s book is genuine, he sent a letter to Istivil Bosk, Daggermark's resident Pathfinder Venture-Captian, offering a deal: the memoirs in exchange for assistance.

Being the greedy pirate he is, Bazzak refused to reward the Pathfinders beyond letting them keep what they looted. “Such is the way of the River Kingdoms,” he declared. “If nothing else, your involvement in this affair helped free the region of a dangerous ettercap menace. Hopefully, that’s worth a quick mention in a Pathfinder Chronicle. No?” As for Istivil Bosk, he was certainly disappointed by the turn of events but didn’t hold it against the heroes. The heroes eventually returned to Absalom.

School Spirits

Nearly 10 years ago, Junia Dacilane was the otherwise unremarkable daughter of a prominent Absalom family. The only child of Lady Miranda Dacilane, a noblewoman of Chelish descent, Junia lived in a large manor home in the exclusive Ivy District, and attended an elite academy in the cliffside neighborhood of Beldrin’s Bluff. Junia spent her time with her older classmates Grishan and Cassiel. The three loved exploring the spooky necropolis Grishan had discovered beneath their school, the Tri-Towers Yard, and wearing the jewelry and other finery they found amidst the burial goods.

Both Grishan and Junia’s childhood came to an end when a massive earthquake struck Absalom in 4698 AR. The calamity caused serious damage to every district of the city, but no neighborhood was hit harder than Beldrin’s Bluff. Whole streets broke off and tumbled into the ocean, wiping out entire centuries-old family lines in an instant. Even though the Tri-Towers Yard avoided this watery fate, most of its buildings collapsed or sunk into the ground, crushing or trapping the students, staff, and teachers within.

Junia, Grishan, and Cassiel had been playing in the necropolis when the earthquake struck. Even though its sturdy construction saved them from being immediately crushed to death, the tremors collapsed their only exit, trapping them without access to food or fresh water. After a few days of calling for help, they came to the conclusion that they would not be rescued. Junia, unlike Grishan or Cassiel, seemed to not be suffering from hunger or thirst, her good fortune owing to the ruby salamander ring she had found in the dark. The ancient bauble was actually a magical ring of sustenance that kept her healthy while her friends quickly began to suffer the effects of severe dehydration. Cassiel died first. Grishan hung on a few days longer, wracked with guilt for having led his friends into the necropolis to die. Now all alone, Junia crawled into an empty sarcophagus and awaited death. 

A cloud of shadows drifted into the necropolis to feed on Junia’s suffering, but found that she was not alone. Grishan’s spirit, unable to find rest in the afterlife, had returned as a phantom to protect his friend. Knowing he was no match against the shadows, Grishan instead hid Junia’s still living soul deep in the Ethereal Plane. Without the spark of life within her, Junia fell into a catatonic state between life and death, while the ruby salamander ring kept her body alive. Grishan guarded his friend’s soul in this manner for the next 9 years. 

In 4707 AR, the heroes explored the necropolis beneath the Tri-Towers Yard. To their amazement, they found the comatose Junia still within her sarcophagus and returned her to her mother, Lady Dacilane. Sensing that she had been rescued, Grishan reunited Junia’s soul with her body and caused her to finally wake. Fearing that he would be exorcised should his presence be discovered, Grishan remained hidden and silent within Junia’s consciousness for weeks, only emerging when he felt she was mature enough to deal with him. To the phantom’s delight, Junia quickly accepted Grishan’s presence, and the two resumed their former friendship. 

Grishan has been encouraging Junia to visit the Precipice Quarter for his own reasons. Hazy memories from his life as a spy have begun to reemerge in the phantom, and now that Junia can take care of herself, he longs to complete his life’s unfinished task and ask Junia to recover his notes so that he can finally take them to his brother.

 Getting Started

The heroes received letters instructing them to meet Venture-Captain Drandle Dreng outside the main gates of the Grand Lodge at noon in formal attire. The winter snow had come early this year, and a chill wind blew off the waters of Absalom’s harbor, bringing with it the smell of a storm somewhere far off at sea. Venture-Captain Drandle Dreng hurried down the street in a most unusual outfit for the aging Venture-Captain: some sort of blue military uniform complete with a green sash displaying a pair of ornate medals and a black umbrella.

“Ah, there you all are,” he half-muttered to himself. “Is everyone here?”

Without waiting for an answer, he turned on his heels and headed off at a brisk pace, occasionally turning around to make sure everyone was keeping up. 

The heroes identified Dreng’s uniform as a dress uniform of a junior officer in the Taldan Navy. They also recognized that he was wearing two service medals: a Combat Action Ribbon and a Counter-Espionage Ribbon, the latter of which is rumored to only be awarded to members of the Lion Blades, Taldor’s secretive espionage organization.

The heroes followed Dreng. “You’re probably wondering where I’m dragging you, eh? Four months ago I sent you on a preliminary exploration of the necropolis below the Drownyard in the Precipice Quarter. The Drownyard is the name that was given to the old Tri-Towers School, once home to some of Absalom’s wealthiest progeny. It was destroyed in the great earthquake of 4698 AR, and we thought that all of the children, teachers, and staff had perished.”

“But let me back up a bit. Last year, the Society discovered an ancient necropolis under the Drownyard. It dates back to the third century AR, and if you know anything about Absalom’s history, you’ll know that we know almost nothing about those early years. It took me almost an entire year of negotiating with the parents of the children who died in the Tri-Towers Yard to convince them to grant us access to the site, and when we did, what did you find? A lot of spooky stuff: undead, haunts, and some nasty bugs. But you also found something completely unexpected: a survivor. A little slip of a girl named Junia Dacilane somehow survived in a death-like state for 9 years. The only thing that kept her alive was a ring of sustenance that she had found among the crypts. Junia’s mother, Lady Miranda Dacilane, was of course beside herself when you pulled her living daughter from the ruins and she vowed to not only give the Society full access to the property, but personally underwrite our archaeological efforts there. Soon thereafter I organized an archaeological dig at the Drownyard, ready to pull out fascinating fragments from Absalom’s early history. But Lady Dacilane seems to want us to jump through an additional hoop to sign the contract. She wants us, or rather you, to escort her daughter back to the Drownyard. It seems that Junia’s become a bit obsessed with her alma mater, and since the Precipice Quarter is no place for pampered young noblewomen, she needs an escort. Think you can manage that?”

Without giving the heroes a chance to interrupt him, he quickly added, “Oh, and don’t forget to call the Drownyard the Tri-Towers Yard while we’re at Dacilane Manor. No one who lost children in the earthquake likes to be reminded of that tragedy… even the ones who got their child back.” 

The heroes knew more information about the Precipice Quarter: The Precipice Quarter was once a wealthy neighborhood called Beldrin’s Bluff, until an earthquake in 4698 AR broke several blocks of the district into the sea and killed hundreds. 

Dacilane Manor

After approximately 10 minutes of walking through the snow, Dreng and the heroes arrived at their destination. Dacilane Manor was an imposing four-story townhouse of heavy masonry with a parapet roof that was festooned with numerous leering, demonic gargoyles. After knocking on the door, a middle-aged halfling woman in a large apron answered it. “Please come in. My lady will join you momentarily in the drawing room.” 

The interior of Dacilane Manor was just as imposing as the outside. A wide foyer with a grand staircase led to the second floor, while open double-doors led into the drawing room. Heavy black draperies covered all the windows, shrouding the manor in shadows. All of the furniture in the common areas was oversized, expensive, and gothic, made of dark-stained mahogany wood.

Lady Dacilane entered a few moments after the heroes and Dreng had gathered in the sitting room. She was a tall, stern-looking, yet attractive Chelaxian woman with sharp features, a fair complexion, and black hair accented with gray and white. She was dressed in a well-made, floor-length black gown streaked through with crimson. A plain-looking silver pentagram necklace was her only jewelry. Dreng immediately jumped up to greet her, bowing and kissing her hand in a formal fashion. He then quickly introduced Gryxxa before launching into a speech about the importance of Lady Dacilane’s ongoing support of the Society’s activities and the many important artifacts they will be able to recover from the Tri-Towers Yard necropolis. Lady Dacilane listened politely, making a few pro-forma inquiries into several details about the management of the site before getting to the heart of the negotiation and addressing the heroes directly. 

“As I am sure Master Dreng has already informed you, I have a particular request of the Pathfinder Society. My daughter Junia has recently celebrated her fifteenth birthday, but she maintains a certain obsession with the traumatic events that befell her at the Tri-Towers Yard so many years ago. I have stopped her from sneaking out of the manor and visiting that place several times, and I feel that her past is keeping her from fully embracing her future. I would ask that you accompany her to the gods-forsaken Precipice Quarter and let her see her fill of the decay and misery. Perhaps those sights will cure her of her unnatural obsessions.” 

Lady Dacilane made a point of thanking the heroes again for returning her daughter. 

Lady Dacilane answered any questions the heroes asked, although she grew visibly uncomfortable when asked about Junia’s personal life.

When asked if she knew specifically what troubled her, she responded: “Junia’s experiences during and after the earthquake were terrible, and they have left lasting mental scars. Despite my efforts and those of some of Absalom’s best healers, I have been unable to truly help her. Nevertheless, it is time for her to put her childhood experiences behind her and face her adult responsibilities.” 

Lady Dacilane called for her daughter once the heroes had finished asking their questions.

Introducing J.

Lady Dacilane’s daughter came bounding down the stairs and into the sitting room a few moments after her mother called her. She had her mother’s height, black hair, and fine facial features, but that’s where the similarities ended. Unlike her mother’s carefully coiffed hair, Junia’s was short and practical, and she carried herself with a confident and unladylike swagger. She was dressed in grey breeches, knee-high leather boots, a white cotton shirt, and an azure blue riding coat with tails with a golden eagle pin on the lapel. Beneath her coat, it was clear that she was wearing a mithral chain shirt. Heroes from the Andoran faction immediately recognized that Junia was attempting to look like a member of the Andoran Eagle Knights.

Upon arriving in the drawing room, Junia clicked her heels in a military manner and greeted her mother with a mischievous grin. Lady Dacilane immediately turned bright red, reprimanding her daughter for appearing in such a “ridiculous outfit in front of our guests”, and then threw up her hands and stormed out of the room without another word. 

Junia introduced herself to each of the heroes as not Junia but “J., like the letter”, and shook everyone’s hand.

Junia recognized the heroes immediately. She greeted them enthusiastically by name.

Dreng excused himself at this point, saying that he was needed back at the Grand Lodge. Before he left, he handed over a large, iron key to the heroes, telling them that it opened the wrought iron gates to the Tri-Towers Yard. He warned them that although the necropolis below had been cleared of undead, the partially restored surface structure still held a dangerous haunt. “Try to stay away from there,” he muttered, “we’ve tried to eliminate it several times, but it keeps coming back. If you do need to go in there, take a look in the supply closet, you may find it useful.” 

Once the Venture Captain left, J. picked up a backpack from a stool in the corner and pulled out a kukri, which she sheathed at her hip. She then strapped on the backpack and looked expectantly at the heroes. “Well, shall we go? I’m ready when you are.” She took a minute to collect a couple of heavy volumes from a side room—these books were Pathfinder Chronicles.

Once out of her home, J. breathed a sigh of relief and visibly relaxed. The heroes realized that she was hiding something, and convinced her to share it with them.

“I guess I should tell you, considering who you are and where we are going. I’ve been keeping him a secret for far too long in any case.”

“Grishan, can you come out, please. These people would like to meet you.” 

Grishan stepped out of J.’s body, revealing himself to be a green-tinted apparition that resembled an emaciated 14-year-old boy with sunken cheeks and hollow eyes. He was still wearing his school uniform consisting of a blouse covered by a vest. His legs ended just below the knees, trailing off into nothingness and he floated above the ground. He introduced himself as Grishan, and told the heroes about his history with J. Grishan himself focused on how they became trapped in the necropolis, how he refused to leave J.’s side after his death, how they were rescued, and how they have been coexisting ever since. Grishan spoke in a calm voice that sounded as if it was traveling from some distance away.

Grishan admitted that it was he who had been pushing J. to sneak out of her home to visit the Precipice Quarter. He also admitted that he had his own reasons for wanting to go to the Precipice Quarter, and came clean about how his brother asked him to spy on his friends and their families, how he hid the collected packet of intelligence he gathered in a place called the Arboretum Arcanis, and how he never got the chance to place it in the secret dead drop. He pleaded with the heroes to take him to the Arboretum and allow him to accomplish his life’s greatest unfulfilled mission.

The heroes decided to postpone their mission until the next day and gather more information on the situation.