Mach stands up and wipes some of the blood off his knife.
"Sorry, darling."
The voices in his head cackle with glee. Yesssss... yes yes yes!
As the last of the thugs hightails it down the darkened streets of the Underbridge district, quiet is once again restored. As these streets have been virtually abandoned except by those who make their living at night (in other, wealthier parts of town), there is very little noise except for the sound of your own labored breathing as you try to restore calm.
Natalya emerges from her hiding place and walks over to where the body of the Tower Girl Terisha lies bleeding in the street. She gives her a swift kick in the side and then turns to Mach.
"Thank you, man. You've saved my life and I owe you one."
She straightens her clothes and hair, remarking: "So off to wake up Mrs. Heidmarch, or do we wait until the morning?"
Petronicus winces as he emerges from the building, holding his side and using his polearm as a crutch. "Hey Nimt, you around? I could use your healing touch. Come make yourself useful!" It seems that injury has not improved the Chelaxian's interpersonal skills.
Mach nods at Natalya. "Eh, you're welcome."
Something about the bleeding Terisha draws his attention towards her... he closes his eyes briefly before opening them once more. He focuses his vision on her as he starts going through her pockets.
Something about the bleeding Terisha draws his attention towards her... he closes his eyes briefly before opening them once more. He focuses his vision on her as he starts going through her pockets.
She appears to Mach's vision to still be among the living, although her bleeding will soon end that.
She lives. She lives. "She lives." Mach whispers, standing up. He takes Terisha's sword as he does.
"She's still alive. Not for long." He takes a few faltering steps away from her, the voices clamouring for her blood. "Should I kill her? Or should we save her?"
I like your sword. I'm keeping it.
"Kill who?" says Petronicus, still supporting himself on his guisarme. "Who do you have over there? The woman Terisha? Um'Bala or Quintus, do you have some light spell or something you can cast? I can hardly see my hands in front of my face here."
Mach stops, turns and starts dragging Terisha over to the rest of the team.
"I think... that if... *pant* the Tower Girls... *pant* were that desperate to keep whatever Miss Vancaskerkin found--" He nods at Natalya after stopping in front of the door with Terisha. "--they're not going to give it up that easily. We could interrogate Terisha--find out how to best deal with the Tower Girls once and for all."
Natalya cleans herself with a quick utility spell. "I have a funny feeling that more than the shard I found, it is the location of their new headquarters they are willing to kill me for. If that got out, their war with the Sczarni gangs would flare up again, and that's something they can't afford." The Varisian woman clears her throat, "And I don't mean offense, but judging from what I've seen, you guys wouldn't stand a chance against them. Using your darkvision was a good trick this time, but it also hurt the rest of your band as much as it helped, and they won't fall for the same trick twice. Plus, you don't have the numbers."
"That's why we need to scout them out first. I imagine Terisha will be cooperative in that regard." Mach says, kneeling down with a knife in one hand and cutting swathes of cloth from Terisha's sleeves. He decides to try using them to stabilize her...
...and somehow, without any real training whatsoever, manages to stabilize her.
He stands up, at once proud and more than a little surprised. Part of him wonders why Nimt didn't step up...
He promptly moves over to Nimt. "Thanks for the help back there. Are you okay?"
"Thanks for the light, Um'bala."
Petronicus digs through the climber's kit he took from Natalya and pulls out a good length of rope, using it to tie up the now stabilized Tower Girl. While he is doing so, Krupt notes her bandages and nods his head. "Good job with the bandages, Mach. Glad to see you're not just a one-trick-pony."
Despite his wounds, Petronicus grabs the unconscious Tower Girl and the group leaves Underbridge and marches back up the Seacleft to Heidmarch Manor.
A single lantern holding magical light hangs high above the main gate to the Pathfinder Lodge, and a quick knock brings the night warden, a middle-aged man with a thick mainland Cheliax accent. He quickly ushers you into the courtyard where he informs the Heidmarches' chief butler of your presence, who informs Sheila. The venture-captain meets you a few minutes later in a well-appointed outbuilding wearing an emerald-green evening robe. She quickly notes Natalya's presence and looks curiously at the prone body of Terisha.
"It looks like you met with some success, what do you have to report?"
Mach is all grins when Nimt compliments his combat prowess. Hell, even Petronicus had something nice to say to him for a change. YES! I AM A CREDIT TO THE TEAM!
When the team returns to the Lodge, Mach's grin turns upside down. He was covered in muck and blood and the gods above only know what else--he must reek like a corpse. He couldn't present himself to the Venture-Captain like this!
As it turned out, Sheila, at least, didn't seem to mind the smell. Or perhaps she's used to that sort of thing. Lucky me.
"Well..." Mach digs around in the party's possessions and produces the metal shard that was in Natalya's possession. "...as you can see, we've found Natalya. The Tower Girls found her too, but we were able to come to a mutual understanding." He nods at Terisha's unconscious body.
"Apparently, miss Vancaskerkin here--" He nods at Natalya. "--found this, and it somehow convinced her to turn stag on the Tower Girls and start her own gang."
Two guards stand on either side of the venture-captain, closely watching the movements of Natalya. On her silent command, they move forward, one grabbing the unconscious Tower Girl, the other not-too-gently taking Natalya by the arm and begin to take/lead them out.
As she is being dragged out of the room, Natalya yells out: "Hey, hey, what are you doing? I am in possession of some very valuable information! Hey, let's make a trade! Heeeeyyyyy!"
Sheila Heidmarch ignores the woman's calls and waits until she has been taken out of the room and the door closed behind her before speaking.
"She might still be of some use, but for the moment, I'd rather not have a woman who has not only betrayed me but also the Tower Girls within earshot. Now might I see the artifact you recovered from her? Sheila smiles warmly at Mach, holding out her hand.
Mach is about to hand the shard over when the voice in his head speaks up again.
...you know, you've kinda got a point...
"It's right here, Captain." He holds the shard out, but still keeps a firm grip on it. "Let me explain just how much I had to go through to get it--I got shot, covered in raw sewage, manhandled by one of my teammates, stuck by a stirge, and then I had to fend off an ambush by a bunch of hired goons who didn't know the pointy end of a sword from its handle. That's not even counting my brush with getting captured by a wannabe-Aspis Consortium agent."
"Considering all the s**t I had to endure to get this, I'd appreciate it if you'd tell me just what the hell this thing is."
The venture-captain's tone immediately takes on a much more conciliatory and deferent tone. "Yes, yes, of course, I completely understand. I was not trying to imply that you had undergone considerable trials to secure it. I am simply hoping that we might plumb the shard's origin together, under your leadership. I have studied such items, but am not able to make a foolproof identification until I actually hold it. It will only be for a minute, and then I will give it right back to you. With your permission, of course." She smiles warmly at Mach and meekly holds out her hand to him.
The tiefling smirks. "Thank you. Here ya go, since you asked so nicely."
Mach hands over the shard.
Venture-captain Heidmarch briefly examines the object, a look of genuine concern on her face. She nods, holding the fragment up to the light and looking at it from many different angles. She then reaches into her pocket and pulls out a small jewelry case, the same kind that is sometimes used to display rings, and pops it open with one hand.
Inside is what looks to be a small stone or pearl covered in intricate blue and red patterns. She puts down the case and carefully takes out the stone, placing it in the small, circular indentation on the shard that seems to fit it perfectly. Once placed there, the stone flashes with a coppery light and seems to fuse with the shard, taking on the coppery appearance of the shard itself.
She continues looking at it for a moment before the look of concern on her face evaporates, replaced with a sense of relief and pride.
"What you have found, my friends, is nothing short of a miracle. Varisia has seen its share of miracles of late—the discovery of Xin-Shalast and the defeat of Runelord Karzoug, or Korvosa’s release from mad Ileosa’s rule come to mind—but this discovery will soon be remembered as an equal to those events. This is a powerful Thassilonian artifact, a fragment of horacalcum and a portion of the Shattered Star of Xin: to be precise, the Shard of Pride.”
Venture-Captain Heidmarch's words more or less fly right over Mach's head.
"Uh..." He scratches his head, somewhat bewildered. "...what? I'm sure it's priceless, but what, exactly, does it DO?"
It looks like a sliver of metal that looks like it'd get stuck in your boot easily.
Sheila clears her throat and collects her thoughts and she considers a response to Mach's question.
"Well, in order to understand what it does, it is helpful for me to talk about its history a bit."
"The Shattered Star of Xin was a powerful defensive item created well over 10,000 years ago by the founder of the empire of Thassilon, an exiled Azlanti named Xin. At that time, the item was known as the Sihedron—a seven-pointed star made of the seven skymetals infused with powerful magic. When the runelords rebelled against him, this item was broken into seven parts (at least, according to the legends), and the runelords each claimed a shard for their own. In the 10 millennia since Earthfall and the end of Thassilon, the shards have shifted locations, yet they have never been reassembled into the Sihedron.
"Each of the shards carries a part of the power of the whole, and each is attuned to one of the seven forms of what were known as "sin magic" back in Thassilonian times. This seems to be the shard of pride, attuned to what today we know as illusion magic.
"I have been studying ancient Thassilon for most of my career, and have focused on the legends of the Shattered Star in particular lately, hoping that I might discover some kernel of truth among the legends. It seems that my studies have payed off!"
Petronicus listens carefully to what Lady Heidmarch has to say, then interjects "The power that fueled these shards and the Shattered Star itself; where does it come from? Is it Abyssal magic?"
With his background in hunting demons, Krupt immediately suspects that his old nemeses are behind this.
Lady Heidmarch shakes her head. "As far as I know, no. The runelords of Thassilon did make deals with devils and demons from time to time, but the magic of the Shattered Star is rune magic, first passed down to the Azlanti from their goddess Lissala; and Lissala, as far as I understand, was not a demon or a devil."
Mach blinks. "Okay... for some reason, I know I can use that thing to make illusions of some sort." He scratches his head.
"So... when I was holding it, was I... um... affected by it?" He turns slightly paler than usual.
Lady Heidmarch nods, "Yes, Nimt, the curse of the shard does draw one toward the sin inherent in its magic. Only by placing a particular ioun stone, a magical bauble of some power, into the shard's slot can the curse be countered; at least theoretically. As this is the first shard I have ever seen, much research remains to be done.
"Over the past several years, I have become something of an expert on Thassilon—the legacies of this ancient empire and its monuments and magic are, after all, the primary reason that the Pathfinders recently become interested in Varisia. The story of the Shattered Star is one of the most oft-repeated legends of that time among those who write about ancient Thassilonian artifacts—surpassed only by the Seven Swords of Sin in popularity. Even so, the Shattered Star legend is still relatively obscure, yet I have long hoped to stumble across the location of a shard. Never in a thousand years did she even dare to hope that a shard would simply fall into her lap like this."
With this she hands the shard back to Mach. "Most importantly, however, is now that a shard has been discovered, it is imperative that we track down the other six. Having them in our possession would give the people of Varisia a powerful weapon against any further usurper."
Mach takes the shard back with a prideful smirk. "Well, I suppose it's a good thing that I brought it back to you."
Wait--curse? What curse? I'd never fall victim to something like that--I'm a total f**king badass! I'm a force of nature! See, look at this--grass grows, birds fly, sun shines, and folks...
I kill people. I kill people.
The fact that his train of thought is eclipsing Krupt in terms of unwarranted pride is lost on him.
"Now, Captain, I think there's still the matter of payment for miss Vancaskerkin's safe return." He folds his arms and gives Sheila an expectant look.
Lady Heidmarch nods, "Indeed, my head butler will compensate you as promised after we have finished our discussion." She looks around at the entire group with a discerning glance.
"Have your recent exploits whetted your appetite for more adventure? The recovery of the other six shards of the Star is a mighty task, but one that you seem to be up for. I would be willing to offer Heidmarch Manor as a "home base" of sorts and pass on any further research I would come across. The journey ahead would be full of dangers, but the rewards for yourself and the entire region might be incalculable. Are you up for a challenge?"
|
Um'bala's eyes widen as the Venture-Captain recounts the stories of the Shattered Star. "The Shard of Pride, right under our noses! We'll need to keep this quiet - if the Consortium learns that one of the Shards of Xin was found in our backyard, they'll start looking for them as well. The last thing we need is to turn this into a race!" He glances at Mach, quite uneasy at his devilish companion's recent acquisition. "I've dedicated a year's worth of study into the recent findings on Thassilon, Venture-Captain. To be at the forefront of a search of this magnitude is any archaeologist's dream. You can count me in. Do you have any leads on where the other six might be?"
Mach's eyes practically glow with misplaced pride. "Damn right I'm up for it. If the first shard was this easy to find, getting the rest oughta be a piece of cake."
"And, er..." His demeanour shifts to one of embarrassment. "...if you happen to have a hot bath ready for me, that'd be just lovely." He looks at the rest of the team, his eyes lingering on Nimt before turning back to the venture-captain.
A man of my stature can't go around smelling like a g~&%&#ned beggar. I left that life behind long ago.
"We'll be up for the challenge no doubt about that."
Quintus thinks about how much money could be made off this type of adventure.
At Um'bala's mention of the Aspis Consortium, Lady Heidmarch stiffens visibly. "Indeed, this must all be kept in the strictest confidence. I am fairly sure that Natalya and the Tower Girls did not realize exactly what they have stumbled on, although I'm sure they realized it was not an inconsequential bauble.
"As for the location of the next shard, that may be tricky to find. Perhaps you could study the shard, Um'bala, and see if it reveals any secrets to you. All the shards were once a single item, and they might hold some residual magical connections to one another."
"And perhaps someone else could have a talk with the Tower Girl lieutenant and Natalya once you've had a chance to recuperate and get a good bath. We will keep them both under lock and key here at the Lodge. They might be able to give you further clues as to where the artifact was found. Perhaps its last resting place might give some clues as to where the others can be found. I certainly have no further information about their possible locations. Earthfall destroyed nearly all records from that time."
Lady Heidmarch gives the group a weary smile and adjusts her evening robe. "It is late, however, and I am sure we could all use some sleep. You will find separate quarters for each of you in the outbuildings in the gardens. Your success and enthusiasm gives me some hope and joy that the turmoil of the last few years here in Varisia might come to an end."
With that she bids you goodnight and leaves for the manor house.
As soon as Sheila points the team to their quarters, Mach takes off in their direction, clearly anxious to scrub the grime and blood off of him.
His quarters are rather plain (An outrage! Come on--I carried the entire sodding team through the last mission--I deserve better than this!), but they would suffice for now.
During his bath, he scrubs his normally pale skin absolutely raw in several places--unpleasant-looking swathes of red along his arms and chest are quite visible when he finally stops.
Quintus looks at everyone else who didn't run off to go take a bath.
"The Shards of the Runelords themselves eh? Who would have thought that we would discover something so valuable in a place so dirty?"
Quintus chuckles a bit.
When Mach emerges from his quarters again, he's clad in a plain white shirt and leggings, thoughtfully provided by their host.
"I'm going to have to get rid of my old armour--I don't think anyone in Magnimar would be able to wash the stink out of it." He grumbles as he returns to the gathered team. "So, who should be the one to speak with Natalya & Terisha?"
Mach arches an eyebrow at Nimt as she looks him over. Not that he didn't appreciate her attention, but her subsequent remark about preferring to sleep together instead of in separate cottages caught his ear.
He watches her walk off to her cottage for a bath, with something nagging at him.
...okay, serious question: is she flirting with me?
The thought at once confused him and provoked a swell of pride (again) within him.
Petronicus looks critically around his temporary quarters. "Hmm, a bit gaudy, but it will do. These nouveau-riche families don't realize you can't buy taste." He then relaxes into a warm bath and washes the incredible amount of filth off of his clothes.
What is left of the night passes without further disturbance. The servants let everyone get up at their own pace, bringing a small breakfast when asked.
- Talk to Natalya and Terisha (Diplomacy/Intimidation checks)
- Magically Investigate the shard (Knowledge (arcana) checks + detect magic)
- Sell loot (no particular skill)
- Pursue other, personal goals (various)
"Well I can go and speak with them if it's necessary."
Quintus will go and speak to Natalya and Terisha if he can.
"Well I can go and speak with them if it's necessary."
Quintus will go and speak to Natalya and Terisha if he can.
Quintus asks about the two women and is told that they have been shackled in a cell in the basement of Heidmarch Manor. Terisha's wounds have been attended to (), and they have been given a chance to wash up with a bucket, but otherwise have been left alone. They are being watched around the clock by two house guards.
Mach rolls out of bed, still clad in his plain white clothes. After a quick breakfast of bacon and eggs and dressing in his new masterwork chain shirt, he gathers up his battered, stained studded leather armour and old thieving tools in his backpack and heads out to pawn them off. He keeps Terisha's sword at his side in case things go wrong, along with his remaining four knives.
Before he leaves the manor grounds, he stops and finds Quintus. "Here." He tosses him the shard of Pride. "Hang onto this--it might give you an edge when dealing with them."
See to it that my trust isn't misplaced.
He stops outside Nimt's cottage. "Hey, Nimt--I've got some stuff to pawn off. Want to tag along?"
Petronicus learned long ago that convincing others of anything was not his forte; they simply did not have the intellectual stamina to understand his complex thought patterns. With that being the case, he decided to visit each of the other party members and collect any items they wanted to sell. When he learned that Mach and Nimt were going to do the same thing, he at first started heading the other way to avoid them entirely. When he saw Mach standing in front of Nimt's door looking like a moondrunk school boy, however, his face contorted into a disgusted sneer. "Don't let me catch you two holding hands, or I swear, I will toss my adequately-prepared breakfast!"
Without another word, he turned around and stormed out of the gates of the Pathfinder Lodge toward the Dockway district and the Bazaar of Sails.
Krupt's remark doesn't elicit much of a reaction as he may have hoped.
But the thing about holding hands caused him to give the Chelish man a dirty look as he leaves.
I'm not waiting here to hold her hand--
The thought causes his dirty look to become a devious smile. --but if it'll make you puke... well, sir, that is something that I can't just pass up.
He works his face back into a normal expression and knocks on Nimt's door.
Before doing anything Quintus attempts to discover more about the shard using detect magic, and spellcraft.
Quintus spends some time studying the artifact via magic, but other than a splitting headache from the intensity of the magical aura, he has little to show for it.