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Quiella strides forward, heedless of the Dretch, and shouts at Tilly's immobile form.
"In the name of Erastil, I command you to FIGHT ME!"
-Posted with Wayfinder
Quiella finds herself nauseated by the Stinking Cloud and unable to cast the spell as she planned.
Tilly remains a paralyzed sitting duck from Ophelia's Hold Person spell.
In other good news, the nauseating fog cloud lifts as quickly as it appeared. The prone dretch tsks to itself, then attacks Ophelia with two claws and a bite. Although it comes close to hitting with its claws, its position on the ground prevent them from actually striking the cleric.
Initiative (Round 6)
William [1 Dmg; 1 Wisdom Damage; Life Link w/Quiella] <= Up
Valik [3 Dmg; nauseated for 4 rounds] <= Up
Ophelia [2 Dmg] <= Up
Quiella [nauseated for 1 round] <= Up
Melufiuos [4 Dmg; Life Link w/Quiella] <= Up
Halkale/Frostfur [H: nauseated for 4 rounds; F: 10 Dmg]<= Up
Tilly and Dretch
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With a grim look, William steps up to Tilly as he lets his firearm fall to the floor. "May those who judge you have more mercy than I."
He then grabs her by the shoulder with one hand, then lays the spikes from the other across her throat. He pulls her hard against his rigid arm, then slams her to the ground in a violent motion.
William moves five feet over to the paralyzed Tilly and quickly slays her with his armor spikes.
Although it takes a bit long, the rest of the group manages to defeat the prone dretch as well, sending it back to whatever underworld spawned it.
A closer inspection of Tilly's corpse reveals that she wasn't a human child after all, but rather an adult halfling in disguise. Looting the body you also discover a potion of gaseous form, a wand of misdirection (CL 12th, 6 charges), shadow essence (1 dose), glamered +2 leather armor, her dagger, and boots of levitation.
Investigating the bodies in the pit also reveals the sleeping bodies of two children, a boy and a girl, amid the piles of rags and blankets. Attempts to revive them with gentle shaking prove ineffective. By the sickly looks of them, they may have been poisoned.
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William looks over the two children. "Ophelia, Quiella, care for these poor children... Mel, come with me and we can grab some of the bed posts and we can form a makeshift stretcher to carry them out of here."
William heads back to the room containing the beds and disassembles one or two of them, using bedsheets and poles to build what is necessary to safely take them out of the pit and away from Ostergarde. As he passes 'Tilly' he spits on her. "Vile deceiver... you do this to children? You will be discarded like the refuse you were in life."
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"Hmm, I thought for sure you just going to tie her safer this way"
Mel helps with a stretcher he also searches the room with detect Magic.
-Posted with Wayfinder
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William looks rather distraught regarding the whole affair. "There are some crimes that only Pharasma can judge you for."
He gives a heavy sigh. "Let's make sure those children don't have to suffer any more than they already have. Maybe seeing them smile after all of this is over will make this whole..."
He mutters a word in Androffan that clearly has a negative tone to it.
"...worthwhile. Once they are safe, we have a job to finish. We have not yet cleared the upper level, but with that wretch out of the way I suspect we will meet with little resistance."
After a couple of attempts, Ophelia manages to neutralize the poison well enough to awaken the children. However, seeing the sight of their dead parents seated at a table in one of the dioramas shock them into tearful silence. Quiella quickly intervenes with her diplomatic skills to coax them into telling their story while gently leading them away from the horrific sight.
The children identify themselves as the real Anders children, Tarcey and Tilly. While traveling from Kintargo to Egorian to find a better life, the family sought shelter in Ostergarde’s stable to wait out a storm. Howlers then attacked the family and the Anders fled into the manor, at which point the gargoyles chased them right into the waiting hands of halfling woman named Vaga. After dealing with the parents, Vaga forced the children to drink some poison which put them to sleep until now. Those of you who read the prison transfer list remember the name Vaga on the list.
After telling their story, Tarcey and Tilly both indicate that they want desperately to get as far away from Ostergarde as possible, and say that they have family in Egorian that they were planning to stay with when the whole family arrived there.
* * *
Searching the room with the desecrated corpses, Melufiuos finds a magical jar of eyeballs.
* * *
Moving back to the second floor to complete your search of manor, you find a number of guest rooms with cots in them, and a pair of empty guard towers. You also find a locked iron door that Melufiuos eventually disables which reveals an armory full of a number of mundane weapons, as well as a Large heavy mace called 'Hell’s Gavel.' You identify it as a Large sized +1 demon bane heavy mace.
The second floor also has a rooftop garden full of plants suited for colder environments as well as a larger posh room that contains a large mirror and an armoire. Doing a thorough search of the room reveals clothing sized for a small humanoid creature and a hidden disguise kit that has been exhausted.
* * *
With Ostergarde secured and the Anders children returned to their family in Egorian, the group makes it way back to Absalom, where you are greeted with a warm smile by Ambrus Valsin. He immediately thanks you for a job well done and informs you that the Blakros family is pleased as well. Upon learning of Tancred Desimire’s shocking plans, Valsin seems unconcerned, but says he'll take the information to his superiors.
The Golemworks Incident
Sheila Heidmarch, the normally composed aristocratic Venture-Captain of the Magnimar Lodge, strides into the dining room of Heidmarch Manor, distracted and overwhelmed by the influx of activity in her home. Seeing the team assembled around the table, she nods in welcome, draws her thoughts to the task at hand, and in a deep voice lays out the Pathfinders’ mission.
"Greetings, Pathfinders! I hope the coming and going of so many fellow agents through the manor has not been too much trouble. It has certainly been trying for me, especially with several expected agents never reporting in, leaving me to pick up the slack. If you could assist me with a small task that I wouldn’t normally impose upon agents of your rank and experience, it would doubtlessly save me much stress and increase the lodge’s efficiency and security."
"I ordered a small contingent of protective constructs from the Golemworks for the lodge’s use—a type of construct unique to Magnimar and the Golemworks called angelic guardians. The artificers there were unexpectedly efficient in processing my request; the guardians arrived more quickly than I anticipated and now wait to be unpacked from their crates and positioned about the grounds to serve as sleepless sentinels. I trust your tactical acumen is sufficient to place them strategically, and taking care of this for me would lift a great weight from my shoulders and allow me to focus on other matters, not the least of which is tracking down these missing agents."
"You’ll find the crated angelic guardians stored in the greenhouse, where they’ve been placed out of the way along with some of the first shipments of Varisian relics brought back by our field agents, which must be analyzed, catalogued, and then sent on to the Grand Lodge. The guardians should be programmed to obey the commands of anyone displaying my personal wayfinder. I trust you’ll return it to me when you’re done arraying the angelic guardians about the grounds." Sheila draws her platinum wayfinder from her pocket and sets it on the table, unclasping the chain that fastens the compass to her belt. "I can’t imagine such a simple task would provoke many questions, but if you have any, now’s the time to ask."
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A tiefling sits cross-legged in his chair with a long tail tucked between his legs, looking at the rest of the group with an inscrutable stare. He is somewhat monsterous looking, with a pair of ridges crossing the sides of his head that appear like horns which never pierced his scaled scalp. The center of his forehead bears a single horn, which upon closer inspection appears to be a runestone of sorts, with a slowly pulsating stone positioned immediately above it. He wears a chain shirt and a tattered loincloth, and on the floor next to his seat rests a rucksack and 3 spears. If he wasn't so bizarrely proportioned, his features might invoke fear. His face cracks into a toothy smile.
"Hi! I'm Sarsczek! Who're all of you? Mister Amanopheus told me dat you guys needed some help. Dis is a fancy house. I like fancy houses! The last time I went to a fancy house there was a big feast. And some big bad demons came too... I bit them until they went away."
He turns his head and thinks for a moment. "Ooh, Varisian relics? My ol' friend Watts woulda loved to be here... He loves sorting things to go to lib-ary places. I like lib-ary places! I read a lots in dem. So we show the Go-lems your shiny wayfinder and den tell dem where to go?"
His eyes light up. "Waitta minute... Go-lems... dose are the big hulking metal things? My ol' friend Diri woulda loved to be here! She loves row-bots and big match-shines. She says dey are high-lee eff...fish...shunt?"
"Your assertions are correct." Heidmarch says to Sarsczek in an even tone, then looks to the others, "Anyone else have something they want to ask?"
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Mel is clearly hung over and not paying attention. "why are we doing this again? Building angels or something "
-Posted with Wayfinder
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Patting himself down in an absent minded, frantic search for something, "What if we lose the ring? Can we make some cheap copies, just in case? The golems will not be able to tell"
-Posted with Wayfinder
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Mel grabs his head, "Oh right. But we should still be able to get some look-alikes."
Squinting his eyes and trying to focus, "So what do these guardians do? Melee combat? Missles? Spells? Maybe they are just for detecting hidden intruders? We cannot place them strategically if we don't know what they're capable of. And what did you buy them to protect against?" Mel looks noticeable paler and slumps in his chair. Perhaps the effort of putting so many words together in his current state was too much?
Later, he interrupts someone else who is speaking, gasping out these words as if their very sound was painful, "And what about the missing team? What were they supposed to be doing? Anything related to the guardians? Bunch of slackers or do you think they got wacked?" A look of horror crosses his face, "were their souls stolen to power the constructs? Is that why they were finished early?"
Covering his eyes, "and why is it so bloody bright in here?"
"The guardians were built by the Golemworks, I don't recall off hand what special features they possess. You can investigate those abilities at your leisure when you activate them and give me a later summary report when you are finished. They are a security measure, nothing more. I am not aware of any immediate threats, but if you will recall, there have been previous incidents here at the Manor."
"As for the missing team, it’s too early to assume that foul play is involved, but if I learn more, you’ll be the first to know. In the meantime, I’d prefer to have you close at hand; with us down these extra hands, I’d like to have trusted agents on call for any urgent matters that might pop up."
As she finishes answering Melufiuos' questions, Heidmarch sternly adds, "I certainly don't think our missing team has anything to do with the angelic guardians."
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Mel rolls backwards out of his chair with a surprised "Ahh!" followed quickly by "We were just talking. I never touched her!" as he scrambles to his feet. Although shaking his head is painful, you can see the relief on his face followed by a small grin, "OK, you got me. Now let's get to work."
He moves with the rest of the party down to where the guardians are. He is anxious to talk to them and find out what they can do.
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A half-elf dressed in dark clothes appears through the door "So you came back from that manor? So good to see you again!" Vailis smiles at the sight of his party once more.
"I guess you came here to help with the golems too. Let's see this done as soon as possible" comments Vailis while checking some of his bags "I am ready".
"I merely need you to unpack the guardians and set them up. I don't see why there would be any need for anyone to be disguised." Sheila Heidmarch replies to Sarsczek in a threadbare patient tone.
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"Hi! Who're you? I'm Sarsczek! We're gonna make angel golems today! I heard some people say if you go to Irrisen and lay in the snow and wave your hands and feet back and forf it looks like an angel! I tried dat... Mine looked like it had a really long... er..." He wiggles his tail about and shrugs.
Sarsczek will happily take the wayfinder and wear it with pride until someone more competent asks to take it from him.
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"So we are to arrange the constructs?" Ophelia asks skeptically. "It's never this easy..."
Sighing and adjusting the clasp of her new cloak, Ophelia stands and brushes off her skirts. Extending a hand to Sarsczek, she smiles warmly. "It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Ophelia, blessed of Pharasma. And it is good to have you back with us, Vailis!" she adds, beaming at the half-elf.
After finishing your light briefing with Sheila Heidmarch, much to her relief, the group makes its way to the greenhouse where the golems have been stored.
This roughly circular glass greenhouse is home to all manner of flora from Varisia and beyond. Any space not occupied by plant life has been stuffed with crates, sacks, and barrels from the field, as well as decorative sculptures hewn from ancient ruins. Mixed among the miscellany are three large crates bearing the iconic emblem of the Magnimar Golemworks—an imposing stone fist.
A quick perusal of the area also helpfully reveals an adamantine crowbar resting against an otherwise unremarkable crate full of bolts of colorful Varisian silks. The words “Trusty Buddy” are engraved into the tool’s handle.
The extreme humidity in the enclosed greenhouse could potentially damage some of the relics being stored here.
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"Hi O-feel-a!" He ponders for a moment. "Pharasma! Dass the one in the boneyard! I like ta read 'bout da gods. Specially da ones in Osirion."
"Ooh... issays Trusty Buddy! Sounds friendly!"
"Made-a ah...dah...man...teen. Da really hard stuff. My teef aren't dat hard."
He'll pick up the crowbar and get to work. "Well well... I guess we get deese boxes open and get the angel golem buddies out!"
With Sheila Heidmarch's Wayfinder tastefully hanging from his loincloth, Sarsczek picks up the adamantine crowbar and uses it to easily rip open one of the crates containing an angelic guardian. Vailis also tries to assist the muscular tiefling with opening the box, but his help is entirely unneeded. Inside, they discover a human sized brass statue that resembles an angel with sharp metal wings and a halo that resembles a burning crown.
While the others easily get one crate open, Halkale attempts to open another one but has no success.
Meanwhile, Melufiuos cautiously examines the greenhouse in more detail for any hidden dangers and finds none.
A more obvious source of danger presents itself, however, when the uncrated angelic guardian immediately activates itself and breathes a line of fire at Sarsczek!
Initiative (Round 1)
Halkale/Frostfur <= Up
Angelic Guardian
Ophelia
Vailis/Coco
Sarsczek [Dmg incoming]
Melufiuos
Quiella
Upon Halkale's request, Frostfur moves circuitously through the greenhouse to flank with Sarsczek, while the ranger steps back, draws his bow, and fires a cold iron arrow that misses the construct.
The freed angelic guardian ignores Sarsczek's order to stop and attacks him with both wings and both fists. Only one of the fists manages to bash the flat-footed Tiefling.
Loud slamming noises emanate from the two sealed crates and soon they both burst open to reveal two additional active angelic guardians that each turn their attention to Sarsczek.
Initiative (Rounds 1-2)
Halkale/Frostfur <= Up
3 Angelic Guardians
Ophelia <= Up
Vailis/Coco <= Up
Sarsczek [25 Dmg] <= Up
Melufiuos <= Up
Quiella <= Up