Boo at the Zoo

You are part of Odora's thieves known as The Reclaimers.
You steal not for personal wealth, but instead in veneration of the Prince of Elemental Earth, Ogremoch. You may do this because you are a true believer or perhaps you fear for the day he shall return. It matters not why, all that matters is that which has been taken must be returned. All of his lost treasures, must be returned to the earth. Perhaps from the efforts of yourself and those who come after you, when the mountain that walks returns, he shall not crush us in his terrifying wake.

Protected by Nobility

The City of Glass is run by the nobles of House M'aiq (pronounced my-eek) and they, as well as the many organisations under their employ, work tirelessly to keep up the nation's image. To the outside world, Odora and it's settlements simply respect the Prince of Earth and do not openly worship him. To maintain this facade, the powers that be work to cover up any cult activity using scapegoats or other means of misdirection. A true believer is made to understand that should they be exposed in a way that endangers to city's image, they will be put to death to protect that secret.
Practising cultists are encouraged to ensure any fanatical behaviour be traced back to a third party should they be practising in foreign territory. For example, should a group be planning to collapse a mine with the workers still inside, they should ensure that someone else takes the fall for the crime. It is not unusual to send entertainers to sow the seeds of horror and superstition with stories of false demons and undead worshipping cults. In anticipation of collapsing a mine, stories might spread of the mine being cursed or haunted. Better the authorities go chasing after a mythical beast than following you home.

Practices of the Cult of Black Earth

Other than swearing off the acquisition or ownership of valuable metals or gems, those who revere the Prince of Earth might practice the following:

Prayer

To pray to the Prince of Earth, one writes a note and places that note in a sealed box, burying it beneath the earth. A reclaimer will often place a gold piece or perhaps a gem inside the box as a means of offering tribute in exchange for being heard.

Bloodletting

Some might practice cutting themselves (or others) and allowing the blood to soak into the ground. Offering the iron within your blood to the prince. Some might go as far as to learn blood magic to cause greater suffering to those who are made to bleed in His name.

The Mission

One or more nobles of House Shafaya is rumoured to have a secret, underground zoo of exotic creatures. Recent intel suggests they have procured a dragon egg. You are to locate this zoo and retrieve the dragon egg (assuming it has not yet hatched) to be an offering in the cult's annual sacrifice. You will have four months to prepare and collect information before you are expected to arrive in this city. (Basically you will have four months worth of downtime to use how you wish before we start)

Character Creation

Please make a level 9 character that works either alongside or for Odora's thieves guild.
Use standard point buy.

Motive

Why does your character work for the guild? Potential reasons are: (you are not limited to the suggestions listed)

• To venerate to Prince of Earth whether this be out of fear or worship
• To work alongside the cult of black earth as worshipper of Imix
• You are indifferent to the practices of either cult and work because of the perks and luxuries that come with the job
• You are in a great deal of debt and are working to pay it off doing dangerous work
• You enjoy the thrill of the job
• The job is temporary but will allow you to progress to a personal goal (vengeance, lowering a prison sentence, etc)
• You have an interest in the antiques and historical artifacts within the vaults and wish to study them
• You like travelling and don't mind the dangerous work that comes with it
• Fell down the rabbit hole and don't know how to escape
• How else am I suppose to pay for my addiction?

Arrival

To insure the safety of Odora, each of you were to fake your deaths and craft a new identity which you will assume for the entirety of this mission. You are to acquire employment through a Kjeldoran guild sponsor and find employment in the city of Tethe'ari.

Downtime

If you wish to train in a skill, tool or language, it will cost 25gp per workweek of training unless a fellow party member is training you in said skill, tool or language. You will have 16 weeks to prepare. The amount of weeks is reduced by an amount equal to your Intelligence modifier. 

Training in	Time required
Tool	10 weeks
Common Language	10 weeks
Exotic Language	14 weeks
Weapon	10 weeks
Skill	16 weeks

You will each have a proxy you can send out during this downtime to either try to sell items you have or locate a buyer for a specific item. The proxy must be paid 2gp per day (minimum one week each time). You have the option of going out to sell or buy items yourself, but will not be able to train while doing so.
I'd suggest everyone comes up with at least 4 items each that they would like to attempt to acquire.

Common Languages

Serpent Speech
Goblin
Giant
Merfolk
Silent Speech (Hand Language)
Elvish
Dwarvish
Gnomish
Halfing
Orcish
Primordial (One of the four dialects)

Exotic Languages

Draconic
Darakhul (ghouls)
Sylvan
Umbral (shadow speech)
Undercommon
Celestial
Deep Speech