"Speaking of that, I wanted to talk about your return. I'm very glad you're back. Missing half of the group... it made things very difficult. I forgot about how much I've come to rely on all of you. When Valaria and I went to help Sosiel, the combat that we faced was crushingly difficult. We both nearly died, and it was only three cultists and one babau." He sighs, and listens to what Isilme, Aron, and Sosiel have to say for a moment, nodding to Sosiel at the compliment.
"I wouldn't worry about the glaive so much, Ary. It's not an artifact, like Radiance is. I was actually going to purchase one for Annabelle the next time I had some spare gold... it's a beautiful Shelynite weapon, to be sure, but a regular magical weapon all the same." While he mentions Annabelle, his eyes flick involuntarily to Aron, but he moves them back to Ary in short order.
Hinagiku gently nods, resigned that she cannot do more for now.
"Miss Valaria, would you like to go back to the dining room, maybe we can find the others and drink to our revival."
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Ary nods once again in response to the glaive. "I would still worry about it being corrupted. Evil has a thing for twisting things of beauty beyond recognition... just as good has a habit of bearing the burden of terrible objects." she adds, looking to Sosiel for confirmation about the weapon being only a minor magical item.
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He holds up a hand to quell objections while he takes a moment to explain, "The last couple of battles, and the days in between, really showed me something. You don't rely on me for anything but my opinion, and that's dangerous when we're all in a battle together. There wasn't anything I could do to the hezrous other than run. There wasn't anything I could do to save Aron or Ehren, and I tried. Valaria did the lion's share of the work against the cultists on top of the wall, and even where she didn't, the barbazus did."
Markus sighs, and his hand comes down. "But then... When we came down the wall, and I headed into the infirmary... I saved dozens of lives. Dozens every day. None of my efforts were in vain, and nobody died because of my lack of power."
Markus looks up at Ary, and Isilme. "Does all of that make sense?"
Hinagiku stands up from her bed and motions Valaria out of the room before closing the door behind them.
The kitsune goes to the common room. Seeing almost all the others sitting together, she makes her way toward them.
" May we join you? Or are you still busy giving your report to Ary? she asks nicely, waiting for an answer before sitting down with the group.
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The immediate reaction is a scrunching of Ary's brow and a pursing of lips - though those who are capable at reading emotions can see that it's more to push away the frown that immediately found its way onto her face... though it's also that confusion is warping it. She starts to open her mouth to respond, but stops as he requests it.
She waits for him to finish, then looks to Hinagiku, nodding to her, before responding finally, after listening attentively. "That's... not true at all. I mean... the saved lives, maybe. You have to understand, Markus... there's always going to be those people you don't have the power to save. We, at least from my understanding, saved the entire world from the demons overrunning it. We may yet fail in that mission... though I certainly hope we don't. Time and again, we saved lives..." she says, looking to Isilme, and not trying to hide the segue as her eyes scrunch to fight off tears. "And... we lose people. Because sometimes people can't be saved, and you just have to honor their sacrifice." she closes her eyes as she raises her Faith-weighted arm to touch her temple.
"But... I can understand. All of it, really. Even if it's mostly not true. You have saved us many times, and to my knowledge, there has never been a single time you have failed in any way that is at all fair to blame yourself for. Day by day, you have saved more lives than most of the chirurgeons of the crusades combined - unless we assume extended..." she opens her eyes, "The logistics don't matter on this one. You helped to save every single Mendevian Crusader. You are therefore responsible for every single life that they have saved. I will accept your resignation from your post with me, but I will not accept your feelings of inadequacy. Because you aren't, nor will you ever be. For gods' sake, Markus. You've been touched by divinity." she says, shaking her head, eyes glistening. Then, before tears can cross the brim, she twists her ring, "I will shine in Her Legion." she intones, before taking a deep breath and letting it out once more.
"You need the opportunity to see, every day, the people that you have saved. Just... don't let yourself become a hermit." she says, taking another bite of her not-festival bread... her demeanor every bit the Ary they all knew, though wiser. "Know, that in everything you do, you will fail. That is the true test - not whether you will fail, but whether you will falter." she finishes.
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"Ary has the right of it Markus. You have done much to aid us in our quest, and to be honest there was little-to-nothing any of us could do against the Hezrous. Your actions against the Peryton in the Grey Garrison, as well as your control of the giant scorpion in our fight against Caggrigar very likely saved our lives those times. You should not sell yourself short on your contributions to us in our journeys so far," Isilme chimes in after Ary. "If you wish to devote yourself to healing because you feel it is your calling, then by all means go! But do not make the decision based on the idea that you are easily replacable simply because we were outmatched by the Hezrous," she continues.
"Should you choose to pursue healing as your course from here on, do remember that we are your friends, and should the need ever arise, we will be happy to lend our aid to you," she says with a bittersweet smile directed at the dhampir.
Markus sighs. He hadn't intended to make anybody upset, and now Ary was almost crying. "Listen... everything good about me, it wasn't decided by me. I didn't do it on purpose. I only exist because my mother was assaulted by the son of the worst tyrant in history, my powers come from luck or blood, and the success of our missions was carried on the shoulders of other people."
"I understand that I'm not replaceable, and that I have a unique contribution... I've had enough years of therapy to have that pounded into my head. I just think that out adventuring against the demons, fighting toe-to-toe...there are better, more qualified people. And I can do better work here. And I can help Aron and Annabelle get through...what I've done to them." he looks at Aron then, his eyebrows scrunched. Then he looks down.
"Anyway. That's... all I wanted to say. Report finished."
Val frowns. "If you really think that you'll do more good in the hospital than on the battlefield, it's not really my place to stop you. It's kind of nice that you at least found someplace where you can do some real good. I'm not really of much use off the battlefield..."
Gilas' eyebrows nearly vanish into a mess of grey hair. "Truly?" He smiles. "Surely, then, none of this has been coincidence."
He contemplates this news for a little while longer. "The menhir up and down the borders have all gone inert.... but the menhir within lost Sarkoris should still be functional. Should you happen upon one in your travels... be sure to deposit your memories into it... for future generations. It's important that our people's knowledge live on."
"And you never know what information you'll pick up yourself from a menhir, besides."
Sosiel nods in agreement with Markus. "Yes, ours was hardly the only Blade of Three Fancies in existence... but it will still be quite costly to replace."
Sosiel smiles warmly at Hinagiku and Valaria as they appear, Aron only giving a quick nod.
"Valaria... Hinagiku." Aron says after a moment, taking a second to register the vulpine woman as the Tien monk he met so recently. "It's good to see you both."
Aron and Sosiel listen to Markus discuss resigning from Ary's squad silently. Finally, Sosiel speaks up to agree with Valaria.
"I'm sure your friends will miss you by their side, but it is not as if you will be so far. " He smiles, gripping Aron's hand tightly. "Aron and I are in different squadrons ourselves, and we still see each other often."
Aron doesn't say anything when Markus brings up Annabelle - he purposefully averts his gaze, suddenly finding the other patrons in the tavern very interesting to look at.
After the debriefing and lunch, the heroes then leave for the Woundward command center, seeking a quartermaster with which to trade in Markus' commendation and Isilme's newly acquired heartstone for some diamonds. The quartermaster is a short man named Ralphye - a cleric of Iomedae with curly grey hair and beady blue eyes the color of sapphires. He inspects the heartstone with interest.
"This is a lovely gem - the style on it is very rare. The cross-pattern will make it very useful for creating a beautiful necklace or gem dedicated to the Inheritor..."
They are able to negotiate three diamonds in exchange for the commendation and the gem.
Having declined to help Sosiel and Aron clean up the temple of Shelyn, the heroes spend the remainder of the day relaxing - Ary, Hinagiku and Ehren are exhausted after their travel back to the land of the living... though after trading in his commendation for the diamonds, Markus bids the group farewell, eager to bury himself in his work.
16 Rova 4713
The next morning the heroes visit Sosiel at the temple of Shelyn - it is still very messy, with smashed and ruined paintings, curtains, and sculptures everywhere... though it no longer smells of demonic excrement, at the very least. Markus does not come along - he is all booked out in surgeries in the early morning - though he promises to check in with them in the afternoon once he is done. The Shelynite attends to Ehren, Valaria, and Ary - restoring some of their fractured spirits - their very souls bearing the trauma of their recent reincarnation.
"I'm afraid that's all I can do," Sosiel says as he finishes his work on Ary. Aron sits nearby, inspecting Annabelle's silken black mask. He looks to Hinagiku, showing her the last diamond in his spell component pouch. "Come back tomorrow and I'll be ready to help you as well. But this kind of healing takes a lot of time. There won't be any point in trying any further... for at least a week. So try not to get yourself into any trouble, okay?"
So all that's left to do now is report to Ary's immediate superior - Ser Jorsal of Lauterbury - of the events of the last few days, in particular to inform him of Markus' resignation from her squad to become a non-combatant medic and hopefully to gain further direction as to where they're needed next. Ser Jorsal is not only a crusader, he is a renowned Pathfinder Venture-Captain - his office functions as the city's Pathfinder Society Lodge - a place for Pathfinders to receive missions as needed. Ser Jorsal serves as a useful intermediary in this regard - he secures Pathfinder assistance for the Crusades, while simultaneously sharing Crusader resources regarding ancient Sarkorian sites with the Pathfinder Society.
His lodge is a modest structure in the Egelsee district of Nerosyan with a single front door. The building shares walls with its neighbors - a blacksmith and a local brewery. Unsure of what the proper protocol is to visit a Pathfinder Lodge as a non-Pathfinder, Ary simply knocks.
There's never a dull moment with the crusades, that's to be sure.
Xanderghul had just returned to Nerosyan when the city was attacked, and he fought bravely with his fellow crusaders to help defend the city - the most memorable moment being when his squadron was ambushed by an entire group of giant, demonic bees from above while they were already tied up with a patrol of babaus.
But it's been three days now and he still hasn't heard from his friend, Jorsal. He's run into several crusaders who have bumped into him, including his own squire, Jepheth. So he definitely knows the man is in town.
It's a bit annoying to be sure. Jorsal's recent promotion to the Third Circle of Iomedae was something worth celebrating... but it also marked what has felt like the beginning of the end of their friendship. In the last year, Xanderghul has only seen his friend twice. It makes sense, of course - as both a high ranking crusader and a Venture Captain, Jorsal has been very, very busy.
But Xanderghul has been pretty patient with him. Now that the Fifth Crusade has kicked into high gear, the man is going to be busier than ever. But he's only going to be in Nerosyan for another week before returning to the field with his squad, and he really wanted to see him. He sent him a message a week ago, letting him know that he was going to be in town for a few days, and that they should go out drinking. For old times sake.
He never got a reply.
So today, Xanderghul decided - enough's enough. He'll just show up at the Lodge - camping it out for the rest of the week if necessary - whatever it takes to see him, and then probably chew him out for ignoring his messages. He showed up only fifteen minutes ago and found the door... locked. Which is odd, the Lodge should have opened a good hour ago. Undaunted, Xanderghul picked his way in - easily disabling the magical traps that were placed on the door to help protect the Lodge's valuables from any thieves and... found the lodge completely empty. No Jorsal, nor his squire, nor his administrative assistant, Valais. And the place is pretty disheveled, furniture knocked over here and there.
The hell? Xanderghul resolves himself to scour the place... surely there is some sign... some clue of what happened here and where Jorsal has gone.
He has barely any time to collect his thoughts when there is a knock on the door...
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The door to the Starrise Spire flings open, revealing a tall, imperious figure. A diamond headband rings around his short, brown hair, and a long purple cloak floats in the wind created by the door opening. A vest, reinforced by leather plates but laden with intricately-woven gold filigree, lies underneath the cloak, and sensible but soft-looking brown pants adorn the figure's legs. Scroll cases, a quiver for crossbow bolts and a strange, formless lump of gray iron hang from his utility belt, and what's easily recognizable as a wayfinder hangs from around his neck.
He turns his chin up as he opens the door, appraising the five figures that stand without. His eyes glitter with an almost crystalline red, a color that would be beautiful on somebody else.
Xanderghul harrumphs. "You... You are not Ser Jorsal," he says, looking at all of them. He peers more closely. "But... Neither are you Pathfinders, so I suppose this small duty falls to me: Can I help you with anything?" He stands aside and opens the door wider so as to allow entry. "I don't suppose you're thieves, are you? I shan't let you in if you are."
For a while he walks in silence, trying to put into words what he wanted to say next. “There was another vision I had. A dream, really. I saw trees, larger than any I had ever seen before. The ley was strong there. It was the Forest of Stones, before the wounding. And I saw the Circle of Hierophants. It was the dawn of the Faith itself, father. I think… I need to go there, one day. But I am afraid of what I might find.”
He says nothing of his meeting with the Inheritor. The last words she shared with him were not something he was ready to tell anyone about, even his own father.
When Ehren learns that Markus is leaving the group, he makes his no attempt to sway his resolve. He simply clasps the dhampir’s forearm and gives him a wan smile, knowing full well that they were not parting forever, and that like Hrut before him, there was indeed much good that he could accomplish away from them.
Having declined to help, and then having Markus leave, Ary will go to help, after all. Nothing helps quite so much as manual labor to overcome the things that are most upsetting to you. And besides... she'd likely be one of the strongest people there. Even if she wouldn't make much of a difference. And at the end of the day, she had her ring.
* * *
"No. We are not Ser Jorsal. And neither are you." Ary responds with a grin. "We were looking for Ser Jorsal, though." she says, tilting her head, and wondering if the man in front of her was... alright. He seemed a bit off. "I don't think thieves usually take the opportunity to knock, so I don't think that's worth worrying about. We're... with the Crusades. We've been working for Ser Jorsal."
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"Right you are! I am not Ser Jorsal, but I acquainted with him, and also seeking him." Xanderghul steps aside to allow everyone in, waving his hand accommodatingly. "Please, come in. I suppose in his absence, I'll be your host... and we can search for the good knight together."
As he lets the party into the Spire, Xanderghul's hand goes to a second chain around his neck, and he lifts a glorious golden cross out from the inside of his clothes. Beautifully engraved, and cut to form something very similar to Iomedae's holy symbol, Xanderghul's Crusader Cross marks him as a comrade. "It is always nice to meet new recruits." says Xanderghul, with a smile. "I'm called Xanderghul. I came to see Jorsal about a drinking engagement, so I'm nearly certain he's simply hiding." as an aside, he'll cup a hand and lean close to the nearest person, saying quietly, "My drinking prowess puts him to shame, truly."
While they come in, his gaze falls upon Valaria for the first time. He struggles with allowing his gaze to travel or even linger longer than a cursory glance, as he has no desire to appear...improper... in front of new acquaintances. So he waits. Maybe she'll mention him first. That'll look better for him anyway.
He springs back, putting his hands out wide. "And if he's not, and something's happened to him, well, something will have happened that I didn't expect! That's an adventure of the sort I never turn away."
Xander puts a finger to his nose, as if adjusting glasses, and an overlarge, round-lensed pair of glasses appears. "Perhaps we'll find clues.", he says, conspiratorially.
Val tilts her head slightly, observing the odd man before them. He certainly seems to be a little... spacey maybe. Or perhaps just a bit absent-minded. "I suppose that means that Ser Jorsal isn't around at the moment then..." She sighs. "Well, I suppose that there's no reason not wait for him."
She catches the man's eyes on her body, though she hardly notices. It's not like she's not used to having men, and women, staring at her. It comes with the revealing outfits and succubus genes. Still, she can't help a small frown. Something seems... familiar about the man, and becomes more so as she watches him.
"The Circle of Hierophants?" Gilas echoes, reverently. "That lies far to the north, close to the border of the Crown of the World. I do not know what state the Forest of Stones is in today. But if the menhir remain there, the knowledge stored in those stones would go back to the dawn of our people itself."
"Though if you received a vision from the Green of such a sacred place, it seems that is where your destiny shall lead you." He pauses, standing in front of the door to the Viridian Tankard - they had come full circle. He embraces his son.
"It is late, the sunrise will be all too soon. Get some rest." He smiles. "I'm glad I got a chance to see you."
Xanderghul opens the door revealing the reception area. A clock rests against the opposite wall with a desk directly below it. The chair to the desk lays carelessly on the ground. There are two closed doors, one to the right, and one to the left.
You know that the left door leads to a hallway, which in turn leads to the library, a small storage room, and his meeting chamber. The right door leads to a waiting area which is where pathfinders would typically sit and wait until Valais, his assistant, would call for them.
Isilme gives the finely dressed man a once over, thinking him a bit out of place in a pathfinder lodge. After the events of the previous days she had hoped that they would be able to find Ser Jorsal quickly and report in. It was likely they would have some task or another for them to take care of, especially in the aftermath of the attack. Still, she hadn't expected to be teaming up with a stranger looking for Ser Jorsal himself. She listens to his introduction and returns the favor when he finishes, "I am Isilme, it is a pleasure to meet you Xanderghul," she says with a small bow. "That's Ary," she says, pointing her out, "Our Captain, and this is Valaria," she adds, feeling it her duty to introduce her friends since they hadn't done so themselves, and then gesturing to Hina and Ehren, encouraging them to introduce themselves as well.
"Teaming up to find Ser Jorsal is probably the best choice at this point, since we need to report to him, and it would be best if we did so before you drink him under the table," Isilme says with a chuckle. She moves into the reception area after Xanderghul opens the door and begins looking about. "When was the last time you heard from him?" she asks as she looks about the reception area.
With that, he separates from his father while stifling a yawn. "Good night, father. Send everyone my love."
"Ehren of clan Ferron," the druid says cordially, feeling much better now that his soul has been partially mended. Still, his tone is not without a slight hint of suspicion. The man was a crusader, but he did seem a little... odd. Not that that was saying much, given the company he kept. And he supposed that he too, was a little odd.
Stepping further into the reception area, he turns his gaze away from Xanderghul, instead frowning at the knocked-over chair.
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Having utterly failed to notice the nature of the conversation before asking to sit, Hinagiku simply bows and steps back once she hears Ary’s reply to Markus. She then spends the remainder of the time silently listening to everyone praising, assuring the necromancer that he was helpful, and also supporting his new choice.
Once everyone is done talking with the dhampir, Hinagiku approaches him, and without much introduction, but with a gentle voice, bids him farewell in her own way.
”Mr Markus, I believe you will bring great relief to many people by pursuing this new call of yours. I wish strenght and the best of luck.” she says gently, before bowing and leaving.
Before resting, Hinagiku leaves the others in search of Captain Chun Dawei. She asks many people on her way, being careful to speak slowly and clearly so that the inhabitants of Nerosyan may understand her.
Though Hinagiku is slightly taken aback by Xanderghul’s question (about them being thieves), she does not let it show. Instead, she politely bows before being shown in. She then listens to the man’s while he brags about his drinking prowess. While human, a kind and gentle smile would have appeared on her lips, but now that she is a kitsune, she forces it down, afraid it might appear more aggressive than kind. Her eyes still appear compassionate though.
When Isilme motions for her to introduce herself, Hinagiku steps forward before bowing again:
”It is a pleasure to meet you Mr. Xanderghul. My name is Hinagiku or Daisy in this language. May our future interactions be favorable.” she pauses while the others start searching the reception area before resuming. ”Are we to understand that you are the current curator of the lodge and that Ser Jorsal was expected to come here today?” she asks, still uncertain as to the role of their interlocutor.
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"In truth, it has been awhile. Months, actually," answers Xanderghul with a slight, unhappy frown. "He is so busy nowadays, hardly any time for somebody as insignificant and low-ranking as I, now that he's ascended to the Third Circle." Xanderghul, looking between the party members, sniggers a bit at his own joke, muttering under his breath, "Heh, insignificant."
While he helps them search, Xanderghul makes a few additional quips and responds to Hinagiku, saying, "Well, seeing as how I'm the only Pathfinder in an apparently empty Lodge, it does fall to me to show you hospitality. If you're seeking the services of the Pathfinders however, I only have my own services to offer."
Xanderghul thinks of a joke, laughs at it, and then says: "Although you're going to have to schedule an appointment with the administrative assistant or my Venture-Captain. And I'm terribly busy right now helping a group of Crusaders search for the administrative assistant and the Venture-Captain, who are missing."
Xanderghul points to the two doors. "This leads to a waiting room, and nothing else. The left door goes to all of the interesting rooms." With that, Xanderghul opens the left door and ventures beyond. "I know he's around here somewhere..." mutters Xanderghul. "I saw his squire skulking about town only the other day, which must mean he's been here recently. What happened?"
"The left door has been forcibly shut," Isilme says, her eyes fixating on the strike plate of the door, noting the damage done there. "Perhaps we should head in there and see if there's evidence of what exactly happened here..."
"We're more seeking Ser Jorsal personally," Val replies. "He's been our contact among the crusades for some time now. We were hoping that he'd have something for us." She glances over at the left door. "Well, let's go look for him then. I'm sure no one will mind us looking around if we're with one of the Pathfinders." She walks over to the door and opens it up to see what these 'interesting' rooms are exactly.
Xanderghul opens the left door, with Valaria close behind. It leads into a hallway - there is a closed door on the far, opposite end, and a closed door on the right. On the left is an open door, that leads into what appears to be a storage room- the entirety of this room is littered with barrels, chests, and crates. Many have been opened and are completely empty - laying uselessly on their sides. It is hard to see into this room well because the crates and barrels are piled so high.
The storage room contained sundry items for adventuring - dried foods, thieves' tools, rope, that sort of thing.
The door on the opposite end leads to the library. The door on the right leads into the meeting room.
Isilme moves in behind Xanderghul and Valaria and looks into the open storage room, stopping to listen and observe, trying to spot any signs of who might have been searching through the room, and for sounds that might indicate someone was still around. "Well someone was definitely looking for something here, I assume things weren't normally kept in this condition?" she asks Xanderghul.
Isilme looks through the containers and discovers that, mostly obscured by the mess, there is an illusionary heavy iron door on the opposite side of the room. You would need to move most of this junk out into the hall to get to it, though. It is etched with Abyssal iconography.
Isilme pauses as she looks around the room and does a double take at the back wall. At first she just gets the feeling that something is amiss, and when she takes a closer look notices the back wall appears to be an illusion concealing a heavy iron door. "There appears to be some kind of door with abyssal writing back there behind the goods, we would need to move things around, but it might be worth taking a closer look at," she says to the others.
"I don't see it, but if you say so, I believe it." She moves over to the pile. "Well, Abyssal runes are almost always a bad sign, so let's take a look and see just what the Pathfinders have been getting up to."
Hinagiku's furry brow furrows a bit when she hears about the Abyssal writing. Worried, she focuses her gaze on the room, trying to get a feel of it, to see whether anything evil resides within it. At the same time, she enters the room and starts moving things around to clear the spot designated by Isilme.
Hinagiku focuses and is able to overcome the illusion, seeing what Isilme sees.
Valaria helps Isilme clear a path to the back wall. It is hard work to do this, taking them a solid 15 minutes to accomplish. Once it is mostly unobscured, the other heroes are able to see what Isilme saw - a heavy iron door covered in faintly glowing red abyssal runes.
In addition, while moving through the crates and barrels of mostly mundane adventurers supplies, the heroes find the following things:
- A grey potion in a glass flask labeled cure moderate wounds in flowery script
- A scroll Read Magic or DC 22 spellcraft:Perceive Cues
- An antitoxin
- A cloudy scarlet serum in a tapered glass vial Detect Magic + DC 16 Spellcraft:
- A little bag of silvery dust Detect Magic + DC 22 Spellcraft:
"Miss Isilme, be careful, I can feel evil beyond or within this door." Hinagik says while they are still moving the crates.
Without touching the door, Hinagiku approaches it and tries to read the inscription.
"Mr. Xanderghul, were you aware such a door existed, or where it mayd lead?"
Val ignores the magical items, letting someone who knows something about magic identify them. She leans in, seeing if she can identify any of the runes on the door before messing around with it too much. Once she's examined it thoroughly, she tries the handle and frowns. "Do you have a key... Xanderghul, right? I can probably get it if you don't..." She digs into her bandoleer for her thieves' tools. It takes a few attempts to work, but the lock is no match for her skills.
Ary will move with the group and take the time to read the runes, while Valaria gets to work. It was nice knowing Abyssal now...
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Ehren helps the others clear a path, but pays extra attention to the items of note. Recognizing the antitoxin for what it is, he quickly pockets it, remembering how useful it had been the last time. He then casts detect magic so he can identify the rest of the items.
"This scroll and elixir can both enhance one's senses," he says, explaining their properties. "I am not so sure about the dust, though."
Hearing Hinagiku's assessment of the door, Ehren frowns and turns to gaze upon it with his spirit sense. And, without being too conspicuous, upon Xanderghul as well. One could never be too careful.
When they push farther into the room and uncover the seemingly Abyssal, and illusory door in the storage room, Xanderghul frowns with displeasure. "No, I have no foreknowledge of such a door. I am surprised that illusion magic here slipped by my notice, though. And no, I have no key." he answers.
while Valaria picks the lock, he inspects the magic items alongside Ehren, and puzzles over why she hasn't recognized him yet. Unless she had, and was just waiting for him to say something first.
Well, how rude!
Holding up the bags of dust, Xanderghul identifies them as dust of disappearance. "Perhaps we should avoid taking things from a Pathfinder Lodge willy-nilly," he postulates. "These do belong to somebody, after all."
Impatiently, he taps his foot. "Aren't you done breaking into Pathfinder property yet, tiefling?"
Hinagiku travels to the eastern side of town, after being pointed in that direction by several helpful crusaders. The trek is a jarring one for her - normally she blended into the crowd, but now as a kitsune she was openly stared at wherever she went.
She comes to the Egelsee command center and finds him readying himself to go out on patrol. He has tangled, jet black hair and a beaked nose. His clothes are well made and Tien in origin - he carries a well-worn cold-iron nodachi.
He spots Hinagiku moving towards him - if he is surprised by her appearance he does not betray it. He smiles, addressing her in Tien.
"Greetings, lady kitsune. How can I help you?"
The runes read:
Бафомет ,веркающий в восточной части неба ,Знак праведности по всей земле ,И иероглиф арчаны невидимого мира : Цени наши умы и сердца светом мудрости , Останься с нами в самой глубокой темноте , Просветите нас, когда мы ходим в тени смерти , И мы смертные поднять на высоту : Слава и вечная хвалы Тебе,O Бафометом наиболее сильный,Бафомет самых сильных, Бафомет самый мудрый.
Valaria easily opens the door with about a minute's worth of effort. She slides it open to reveal a long set of dusty wooden stairs that lead down into an equally untidy hidden archive of tall shelves populated by crates, bins, and tomes. A handful of folios lay scattered about the room, concentrated most heavily near a large table that stands only about two feet tall. There is no door leading out of this room.
Val frowns as she pushes the door open. "There shouldn't be prayers to Baphomet in a Pathfinder Lodge... right? Because that's a really, really thorough exaltation of Baphomet." She scowls. "Damnation. Is it possible that the Templars of the Ivory Labyrinth have infiltrated the Pathfinder Society? Because that seems like their MO and a hidden room with a bunch of prayers to Baphomet on it seems like their kind of thing." She wonders over to the books and begins to take a look, not really reading them but taking a look to see what kind of work they're dealing with. Before she gets to reading them more in-depth, she suddenly looks up. "Wait... did anyone hear that? There's something moving around in here."
While Valaria is working on the door, Ary takes the time to slide Radiance along the abyssal runes to scar Baphomet's name from the walls.
"With any luck, Cagriggar just has a thing for rooms behind hidden doors in the basements of musty old buildings... filled with books." Ary says, as she moves down the stairs, looking over the books and flipping through the pages, frowning at the contents, and getting a general gist.
Ary stops near the foot of the stairs and raises her hand, before whispering back to the group via message (or simply using group sign for those who have it, if message isn't active!)
"There's also a door - we'll want to cover both this exit and reach the other to block whatever is in here in."
After thanking the few people kind enough to point her in the right direction, she makes her way toward Egelsee command. On her way, the greatest fear she had had since her reincarnation came into being; people were staring at her. Curiosity or fear? She wondered. She knew that kitsune were not liked in her native land, but she didn’t know whether they were known in Mendev. She would soon need to find a way to appear kind and approachable even in this new form…
Hinagiku feels a pang when captain Dawei addresses her as kitsune lady. Still, Hinagiku bows politely and answers to him in Tien.
”Captain Dawei? I am pleased to meet you. My name is Hinagiku. May our future joint endeavor be fruitful. Captain Dawei, please pardon me for being so direct, but I have come here to ask you for help. I am looking for a way of sending a letter back to our native land. Do you know what is the safest way to do so? I need to keep my master appraised of what is going on here.” she pauses for a moment. ”I am also looking for weapons from our native land. A kyoketsu shoge made of cold iron. Would you know if anyone within the city sells such weapons?” she finishes asking, before bowing yet again, this time more profoundly.
Hinagiku nods in agreement to Xanderghul’s comment about stealing pathfinder property. Then, she gently pats Ehren on the shoulder, trying to convey to him that he should place back what he took.
”Mr. Xanderghul, I understand your concern about investigating this room. However, it is clearly bearing a mark of evil, both in writing and in its making. Leaving such evil uninvestigated would be unwise and could put others in danger.” she says calmly.
To guard the rear, Hinagiku stands at the doorstep once the other enter the room. Noticing the footsteps, she turns her head toward them, and, again, focuses on the flow of good within the room.
Ehren frowns when he sees Xanderghul's spirit, recognizing him as something not quite human, but not something overtly sinister, either. His curiosity more or less sated, he closes off his spirit sense, and says nothing of what he saw. After all, Hinagiku, Isilme, and Valaria all appeared strange to him as well. Feeling Hinagiku's hand (paw?) on his shoulder, Ehren grins at her wryly and sets the antitoxin back down for the time being. Perhaps he had been getting a little ahead of himself.
"Surely Ser Jorsal did not know about this room," the druid says with a foreboding tone, having descended the stairs to peer into the musty archive.
"My vote goes for 'carrying it until we know what's going on, because we're significantly more trustworthy than whoever ransacked the room initially.' But that's just me. Having is a lot better than not-having as well. We can replace an antitoxin, replacing a person who died to the effects of a toxin... less simple."
Xanderghul's eyes flash with detect magic as he circles around the room to the back, where there is a secret door that he sees. "I doubt Jorsal knew about this. The Ser is a very neat man..."
"We can talk about property rights in a moment, as soon as we find whomever's stalking around the building."
Isilme takes a look at the items they'd found before they head in, pocketing what the others left behind despite being unable to identify the dust.
As the group walks into the now unlocked, abyssal-rune-lined door, she wonders how such a thing could've gone unnoticed for so long. "How long have you been visiting this lodge Xanderghul? Who else was here regularly besides Ser Jorsal? Who maintained the supply room?" she asks, knowing he was likely their best source of information at the moment. She herself had never paid much attention to the Pathfinders, as while their aims were exploration, they were too needy a group for her during her years wandering both prior and after meeting Elan.
Like Xanderghul, Isilme calls forth her divination magic to allow her to detect magic focusing on the area which she'd heard the footsteps from, attempting to spot an illusion aura that might signify an invisibility spell in use. "Make sure to block the exit well," Isilme whispers to the others as she positions herself to see the region with the footsteps without including any of her cohorts in her field of vision, lest their gear confound her divination.
"Two others worked here - the Ser's squire Jeff, and his assistant Valais." explains Xanderghul. "I never got to know them very well, though I've been working out of this Lodge for multiple decades now. I certainly have never suspected either to be Templars."
Val casually moves over so she's directly in front of the other hidden door, trying to make it look like she's just continuing to examine the room and the books. "Well, this doesn't look like a new addition. So either one of them is way more into the Abyss than is probably good for a group that's loosely allied with the crusaders, or they have someone spying on them really, really well."
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"It's a pleasure to meet you, Hinagiku," he says, bowing respectfully.
Captain Chun Dawei looks thoughtful. "That depends. It'd only cost you a few silver to send it by boat, but that's a very long trip - it'd be two months before you could hope to get a response. I know of a cleric who has family in Minkai, you could pay him for a sending - but that would cost 320 gold pieces or so. His name is Kunio Ekiguchi...here let me write down his address for you."
"A kyoketsu shoge? I happen to have a cold iron one... it needs sharpened and a good polish, but it's a good weapon still. I'll sell it to you for ah... does 10 gold pieces sound fair?"
The heroes tense and circle around to block the doors as they realize they aren't alone. But they need not seek the stranger out, as she steps out cautiously from hiding - a strange creature to be sure - she appears to be a patchwork monstrosity of cream, red, and purple skin with asymmetrical horns and mismatched legs. The red flesh appears to be stitched on parts of a babau demon.
"Wonderful, wonderful, Xanderghul, of you to bring guests. As you can see, Ser Jorsal, traitor as he is, is not fit to be Venture-Captain of this lodge. So I, Valais, am now Venture-Captain. I am pleased that loyal crusaders have finally come to my home, because I have a mission for you. The traitor Jorsal built a hideen workplace past this room, and that's where he performed his most vile experiments. If the Society is to understand just how.." she twitches, and her voice switches to a deep, booming voice that is not her own - "KUGAL KRI IL.."
She smoothly transitions back her normal voice once more - "someone must uncover his terrible schemes. That's where you come in. As you've already discovered, it seems, there is a hidden door behind that tiefling woman over there." She waves a crimson claw towards Valaria. "Beyond you shall find his lair. ATA BUSHUL?"
Val eyes the new arrival carefully. "Uh... what are you?" Perhaps a bit blunt, but it's not every day that she sees some kind of strange, stitched together person. This might have even been weirder than the mongrels under Kenabres. "Wait, so you're saying that Ser Jorsal did this? That this is some kind of secret cult thing he's involved in? Great, just great." She catches the strange, unnatural voice from the person's mouth. "And are you sure that you're quite sane?"