Igdethun's spell banishes the shadows from the room, causing Tseka to suddenly become visible by the stage! "Curse your light! You come to this place of shadows and defile it!"
Buster continues to bite at the former Pathfinder.
|
Zirt tsks softly, shaking her head and pursing her lips as she ponders the ratman's failure to grasp basic humor. "Now listen here, you... mouse," she calls, commanding his attention with her shrill voice. "That was funny, and I expect you to laugh! Got it? Do you know how to do that?"
Benedict growls at the rat as well, as if to say, You'd better listen to her and stop poking me with that thing! Having expressed his threat, he punctuates his meaning with teeth and claws.
Once Zirt explains that her joke was actually funny, the ratfolk collapses on the floor, rocking with laughter! Gavin gives Tseka a couple of powerful thwacks with the flat of his blade, and Benedict and Buster each bravely bite a baddie!
The sickle-wielding man-snake slashes, bites and slaps, cutting the hysterical ratfolk twice!
Smiley bites at the prone Makino, grabbing him tightly in his jaws once again!
Makino goes still after Smiley’s bite, looking like a lifeless rag doll in the toothy maw!
Tseka dives to one side, darting around Igdethun, dodging past Bodo, and swinging her blade at Drizz’n! The giggling rat folk seems to calm down for a moment, then remembers just how funny the joke was and gets rolling again, laughing far too hard to think about fighting!
Drizz'n tosses a gloomy projectile and it hits Tseka squarely on her whiskered nose! She's still standing, but she is not happy!
"Woof!" a deep bark of acknowledgement is given, then Buster races off to bite the other ratfolk.
Gavin's swing misses the nimble Tseka, but Buster's bite connects. The laughing ratfolk goes still and silent.
|
Bodo 5' steps and casts Prayer and says, "I learned this from a priest of Iomedae. It involves some hand gestures. "
+1 luck bonus on attack rolls, weapon damage rolls, saves, and skill checks, while each of your foes takes a -1 penalty on such rolls
He also whistles to Smiley to move to attack the nearest threat.
Igdethun's blade, divinely blunted and powerfully swung, cracks Tseka across the back as she prepares to flee! She freezes in place and instant, then drops to the floor as if her bones have turned to water!
She lies unconscious on the floor, her poison-coated blade falling from her hand.
With Tseka defeated – though still alive – the Pathfinders take a moment to get a better look at their surroundings. It appears that the maps on the wall are marked at locations where Tseka is planning something, and the notations suggest attacks of some sort.
A search of Tseka herself reveals that she wears a golden Aspis badge, but also carries a silver Aspis badge wrapped in an admonishing letter from A. X. Adrius
Benedict and Buster, snuffling and sniffing around, turn up a piece of paper on the stage, which appears to be an unsent missive addressed to someone named Marnarius sitting on the stage.
|
Idgethun carefully notes down each of the locations of the map markers in her journal before removing the maps from the wall and stuffing them into her pack. She tosses a coil of rope onto the floor next to Tseka. "Anybody mind tying them up? Let us be sure there is nothing else of value here."
Idgethun shoves all of the detritus out of the way of the door, allowing the group to avoid the pit to head west along the unexplored passageways.
|
|
Drizz’n studies the map and the sketches. ”That’s the interior of Hinojai. Looks like they’re targeting the Lantern Lodge and the Hao Jin tapestry for some reason.”
He rolls his eyes when he sees the letter is from A. X. Darius. “He’s the public face for the Aspis Consortium. What a tool.”
And then with another eye roll he scoffs at the gold badge. “Another fake, obviously. Tseka,” he shakes his head in feigned disappointment. ”It’s so sad when you see someone trying to be something they’re not.”
Once Drizz’n has finished his eye-rolling exercises and Igdethun has recovered from her sudden coughing fit, the party does a last check of the room, finding nothing of interest or value. Igdethun leads them through the now cleared doorway and down the hall to the west, which curves and ends in a simple, round room. This hollow in the cavern holds a bed and makeshift dresser. A journal rests atop the dresser, a serpent etched over a picture of an open compass on its face.
Reading the journal quickly makes clear that this room is now the home of Makino Tokaji, the Pathfinder-turned-Aspis agent. The writing makes clear that Makino betrayed the Society after meeting up with someone called “the Spider”, and decided to join the Aspis Consortium out of spite after a group of Pathfinders “chased her into the blade of a murderous madman”. His journal also reveals that if the Pathfinders ever find him, Tseka plans to pretend to trade him away in exchange for leaving her in peace, but asserts that she would never actually let the Pathfinders take him.
Leading the way with her Aspis burden, Igdethun opens the door onto a makeshift barracks, with cots and a few meager personal belongings stacked along the north wall. A little looking around reveals another secret door, connecting to the tunnel leading to Makino’s chamber.
The next room has clearly been put to practical use, as three practice dummies stand in the southern section of this room. They are riddled with holes and slashes, and wear pendants around their necks bearing crude replicas of wayfinders. A ceremonial gown rent by several bloodstained stab marks hangs on the western wall.
Heading back to the guard station, the party just catches a glimpse of the guards as they flee! Clearly, anyone who has defeated Tseka is not something they want to mess with!
|
|
Zirt smiles happily, petting Gregarious as he carries her up to the surface after a job well done. As they emerge into the sunlight, she smiles over at Buster and Smiley and begins to snuffle, grunt, and awoo soulfully.
Leaving Tseka’s base, the party promptly encounters Yrishi, who eagerly asks them to report any interesting information they found within. She peppers them with questions, and seems particularly excited to learn of Tseka’s alliance with the Dragon Fangs. She thanks everyone for teaching her something new, as well as for giving her a chance to get to know more about them and the Society they serve.
With Yrishi chatting volubly, the Pathfinders make their way out of Deepmarket and through Undermarket, their passage through both places marked by gasps of surprise and fear as the denizens realize just who is being carried to the surface. Yrishi remarks that news of Tseka’s defeat will spread quickly through Undermarket.
Finally returning to Goka, on the surface far above, and reaching the Lantern Lodge, the party is shown in to the Taldor Room once again. Amara has clearly heard the small herd of animals conversing animatedly with each other as they approach, as sheets are laid out to protect the fine wood floor and carpets and a number of the more precious artifacts appear to have been moved out of sight. When she sees that Tseka is not only alive, but a prisoner, she smiles serenely and says, ”Well done, well done. You have shown true skill and ingenuity in the capture of Tseka and putting an end to her schemes. The Lantern Lodge and the Pathfinder Society are one step closer to bringing the Aspis Consortium to justice, and you have dealt a crippling blow to the Aspis Consortium’s interests in Goka.” She claps once and a trio of guards enter and take Tseka and Makino’s unconscious forms away, as Amara explains they’ll be taken to a secure location for interrogation.
Gesturing at Makino as he’s taken out, Amara says, ”I had thought Makino was dead, but I now realize that not even Goka is immune to the corrupting power of the Aspis Consortium and the reach of the Shadow Lodge. While this is a painful lesson, I thank you for this discovery. It is always a pleasure to work with Pathfinders – and their pets, I suppose - from different parts of the world. Please convey my gratitude to the Grand Lodge, and let the Masters know that Tian Xia will always welcome the Society. I hope that we meet again someday.”
Buster pads over to Zirt and licks her hand.