Part 1: No Business Like Show Business

Stories of heroes have excited the masses for as long as the art of storytelling has existed. Often for such stories, the more grandiose and outlandish the medium, the better it is at conveying the epic struggles and legendary victories heroes achieve. Stories are still told in the Inner Sea region today of Iomedae’s acts leading up to her ascension to godhood, of Old-Mage Jatembe’s magical legacies, or of High King Taargick’s storied Quest for Sky. More recently, tales of still-living heroes who stood against the runelords of Varisia, who helped to close the demonic rift in the Worldwound, who saved the northern River Kingdoms from an invasion from the First World, and more have proven to be popular inspirations for more modern audiences.

Traditionally, legends of these heroes have arisen organically from their adventures inspiring bards and writers years after their exploits have settled into the annals of history. For Fallenta Sumac d’Venenoux, the passage of time between deed and stage seemed awkward at best and wasteful at worst. Why wait years for these legends to find their way to the stage when one could simply work with the actual heroes fresh off their most recent acts of derring-do and hire them as consultants for Kintargo’s biggest opera since the foundation of Ravounel?

And soon she will find just the right heroes for the show...

Curtain Call

It's been six months since your greatest victory. After dealing with treachery and betrayal and facing down mind-controlled and corrupted minions, you finally thwarted the plans of Osoyo, the Blackfrost Whale, and ensured the alien entity remained trapped beneath the Crown of the World. You certainly have earned a break after everything you went through to foil its nefarious schemes!

All around the region, your friends, allies, and even people in the street have been sharing stories about your heroic exploits—you are, quite literally, the talk of the town. Your fame is even spreading beyond the region in which your previous adventures took place. Awkward hero worship, tall tales, and scandalous rumors about you have become an almost daily occurrence as your legend is already spreading to distant ports that none of you has ever visited before.

On this particular day, a courier has arrived to hand-deliver a scroll case to you. The elegant scroll case is made of silver, blue-painted oak, and abalone shell. Within the case is a scroll curved around a long, slender object wrapped in silk, along with a few loose garnets worth a total of 500 gp.

The scroll reads as follows:

It is my great honor to present you all with the singular opportunity of a lifetime: immortality. Not literal deathlessness, but the immortality of the stage. Like so many others, I have followed your group’s exploits, and they strike me as wonderful inspiration. I wish to turn your epic story into an opera, one that will thrill and delight audiences for ages to come. I ask you to visit me in Kintargo so that we may discuss the possibility of your involvement in this soon-to-be-classic production of your very lives! I’ve enclosed advance payment for your time, including this fine scroll case, but also enough netherwalk incense to cover your journey to Kintargo at speed. Should you choose to travel here via other means, consider the incense additional advance payment.

Seek me out at the Tarry Imp at any time between sunrise and sunset. I apologize in advance for contacting you without revealing my identity, but for the moment, I must use secrecy in order to maintain my advantage over possible competition. When you arrive at the Tarry Imp, simply let the kindly proprietor know that you are there to speak with Auntie Hemlock. I look forward to meeting you, and hopefully beginning a profitable and memorable relationship!Within the rolled silk is a slender cylindrical incense container that holds enough sticks of netherwalk incense to travel to Kintargo. A shorter scrap of paper wrapped around the incense gives precise instructions on how to use it.

Once you are ready, you light the incense that was given you and travel swiftly through the shadowy Netherworld. Before long, you find yourselves emerging back into the material world just outside the city of Kintargo.



Known as the "Silver City," Kintargo is the largest settlement in Ravounel. The city gained this moniker for the silver salmon that dwell in the nearby Yolubilis River, the silvery sheen of the silty river’s water at dusk and dawn, and the unique silver-streaked white stone used in the construction of many of its buildings. Kintargo is also one of the largest bastions for the arts on Avistan’s west coast. Since its liberation from Cheliax’s oppressive rule, Kintargo has steadily grown in population (much of that number coming from halflings and nephilims fleeing from Cheliax to the south) and has become an increasingly important trade port along Avistan’s west coast.

The Tarry Imp is a cozy hole-in-the-wall eatery and coffee shop located down an alley in Kintargo’s arts-and-entertainment district of Jarvis End. As you move through the district, you pass by the People's Temple. Originally the Temple to Aroden, this massive structure sits higher than any other on Argo Isle. Under the auspices of House Thrune, the temple was transformed into a temple to Asmodeus. Following Ravounel’s independence, the Silver Council voted to turn the reclaimed temple into the government capitol. Officially renamed the Administrative and Civic Center of Ravounel, the building is colloquially called the People’s Temple. Progress on the building’s transformation has been slow, as squabbling stakeholders have yet to agree on the ultimate style and configuration of the building.

You can also see Castle Kintargo dominating the skyline to the northwest. This ancient fortress’s imposing edifice houses Kintargo’s civic offices, city watch, and prison. Following the ousting of the Order of the Rack (whose overt loyalty to House Thrune makes it unwelcome in Ravounel), Kintargo’s own small group of Hellknights, the Order of the Torrent, stationed itself here, where its members can be called upon to help keep the peace whenever necessary.

Your path also leads you by the Kintargo Opera House. This enormous theater in Jarvis End has long been the heart of Kintargo’s robust arts scene. Temporarily closed by House Thrune during Barzillai’s rule, the theater is now reopened and busier than ever, with performances nearly every night. The rebels known as the Silver Ravens, led by the opera house’s most infamous star, Shensen, use the site as a base of operations as they continue to watch over the city’s interests. Its facade has recently been restored from the damage the building endured during the city's rebellion against Cheliax.

After you navigate a few winding alleyways several city blocks north of the opera house, you reach your destination: a plain-looking doorway next to a post upon which perches a life-sized imp seemingly made of black wax. In fact, it’s actually a real dead imp preserved in a layer of tar—both a warning to potential diabolists and a trophy of the city’s triumph over House Thrune.

Within, the heady scent of tobacco joins that of coffee. Behind the counter, a single elderly man named looks slightly amused as he tips his crumpled hat to you upon your entrance. When you ask about "Auntie Hemlock," he replies by saying, "She’s waiting for you in the far room—head on back," while he indicates a door at the far end of the dining area.

When you enter the room, you see a well-dressed woman seated at a large table surrounded by chairs. Aurelia and Horace quickly recognize her as Fallenta Sumac d’Venenoux. Fallenta is a famous director whose productions have delighted audiences throughout the Inner Sea region. She smiles and rises to greet you. "Well, look who it is! I’d know these faces anywhere—you are my inspiration, after all! Welcome to Kintargo! I’ve taken the liberty to arrange a light, four-course meal for us to enjoy as we chat. That way, even if nothing comes of our meeting, at least we’ll be well-fed. And thank you for suffering my secretive shenanigans—Fallenta Sumac d’Venenoux, at your service!"

Fallenta moves to each of you in turn to greet you by name and guide you to the seat she's selected for you. The first course of the meal comes out immediately, as a few servers who are obviously excited to have a famous director in their establishment bustle in and out while somehow avoiding any overt fawning or awkward declarations of admiration. They’re well paid for their discretion.

As you settle in for the meal, Fallenta clears her throat. "I am thankful that you've decided to take the time to speak with me. To prove that I'm all in on telling your story, and to serve as an initial consultation fee, please accept these gifts." She procures a maroon silk bag and upends it onto the table. Out clatter a significant payment to in the form of six runestones: two etched with +2 armor potency runes, two etched with +2 weapon potency runes, and two etched with greater striking runes. These runes, she explains, are yours to keep regardless of how the meeting plays out. "But if you do decide to work with me to turn your story into an opera, these will be but the first of your rewards!"The meal commences with a starter of spiced hare soup steeped in ginger and nettles, served with mint tea. "I'd like to begin by asking you all to keep this meeting hush-hush for now. It's a very real concern that some of my competitors might steal my ideas, and rival companies might rush a less spectacular production to the stage to steal our thunder. Now then, tell me about your favorite pieces of art. Theatrical productions, songs, stories, what have you."

Fallenta seems delighted by Aurelia's story. Neither Bekassine nor Ramank are able to pick up much about Fallenta by studying her, but based on how she seems to perk up when Beksassine mentions her village's songs, Horace deduces that the director adores song and music. Incorporating these themes will make it easier to gain her confidence."Why you?" Fallenta says, echoing Bekassine's question. "Why, because your adventures are simply fascinating! Missing moments, magical gates to distant lands, ancient evils slumbering beneath the ice: it's a fabulous story to tell!"

The second course of the meal consists of a tapenade made of artichokes, olives, capers, and anchovies, served with crisp crackers, fresh melon, and berries. Fallenta shifts the topic away from the theater to ask each of you about your previous adventures, particularly if you're willing to share your most positive and delightful memories. "Too often, we storytellers focus on the grim and the violent," she remarks with a smile.