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The cloud of glittering dust blinds Roderick. He stumbles around a bit and eventually manages to shake off the effect. Manathiel, displaying the natural grace of elves, skips past Slade and Alahazra who are struggling to get out of the patch of grease. He tosses a pinch of mica dust at the two remaining orcs to return the favour. Both are caught by surprise by this and are blinded.
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Jasmine demonstrates her agility, deftly crossing the greasy patch.
Li Shuo shakes off the blinding effect with ease, and similarly overcomes the spell that is attempting to seize up his body. He fires his two arrows in rapid succession at the drumming orc. The orc, completely unable to see what's happening, takes the two shots to his gut and doubles over in pain.
The injured orc, in desperation, casts a spell while blind, laying a patch of grease directly in front of him, before retreating into the room. The other orc from inside the room can be heard casting a spell as well, but only Manathiel can see what he is doing.
Both try to overcome the blindness of the glittering dust but it remains too overwhelming for now.
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Jasmine can see a small amount of the orc enemy’s body as it tries to defend himself. She lines up a shot as best as possible, and lets the bolt fly from her crossbow, despite the enemy having cover. The bolt careens off the wall, landing in the grease. She than reloads the crossbow for another shot.
Alahazra continues to flounder, but for the life of her can't seem to make it across the grease. She thusly casts guidance on herself in preparation for her next attempt.
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"Ah, they realize it's futile at least." muses the wizard. "qatlh Qo' je jegh Seng toD SoH?" he asks in the enemies native tongue as he moves through the grease into the opposing room.
'What is it he's casting? It's right there....sounds like something I've cast before...I just can't...'
"Why don't you save yourselves the trouble and surrender?"
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While Alahazra continues to be defeated by the patch of grease on the floor, Slade finally finds his footing, and scoots over the two patches of grease, coming up behind the two unsuspecting orcs. Jasmine attempts a very difficult shot at one of the orcs, but he has too much cover, and her bolt glances off the wall instead.
Roderick tosses a bomb at the feet of one of the orcs, resulting a large explosion that somehow warps around Slade. The badly bruised orc fails to realise in time, and takes the full brunt of the explosion, knocking him unconscious. The other hears the smashing bottle in time and presses flat against the wall, avoiding some of the fire. He does this while continuing his drumming and chanting, keeping his spell going.
Manathiel follows Slade's lead and skitters over the grease patches into the room. He calls out the remaining orc to surrender, but he is all intent on his spell, and does not seem to have heard him.
The orc's spell completes and a flying eagle appears beside Slade. Hearing the inspiring drums from his companion cease, he starts drumming a rousing beat himself, just as the eagle tears into Slade. One of the claws plunges into his shoulder, drawing some blood.
Meanwhile, the orc finally manages to shake off the effects of the glitterdust, recovering his sight. He looks in concern at his fallen companion, then roars in defiance at Slade and Manathiel.
Alahazra finally manages to best the patch of grease, nimbly picking her way across. Upon seeing another area directly after it, she mentally screams in frustration but continues.
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Moving to the side to get a clear view of the orc, Manathiel smiles. "Aw, a cute little bird. I knew I'd cast that spell before!"
Smiling, he ignores the summoned creature and launches a a green beam of burning acid at the man. Attempting to avoid hitting Slade, it seems he may have miscalculated the angle.
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Alahazra makes her way across the grease patches carefully, but as soon as she enters the room, the wardrummer swings his scimitar at her. Despite her being uncertain on her footing after coming off the slippery ground, the orc is distracted by so many enemies and his swing goes wild.
Slade and Manathiel attacks the orc with steel and spell but the orc is nimble enough to duck away from their respective attacks. Li Shuo, after catching his breath from the poison earlier, takes a mighty leap into the room. The orc fails to recover from his swing at Alahazra, missing the chance to attack the monk. Li Shuo turns around as soon as he lands, firing an arrow which smashes into the orc's chest, bruising him badly.
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Jasmine fires her crossbow again but the mechanisms must have jammed and the bolt flies wild. Roderick decides to leave his teammates to clean things up and checks on Groblek, who still remains unconscious as ever. He notices a vial of potion in his pouch.
The eagle continues clawing and pecking at Slade as it starts circling round him, drawing blood as it gouges out pieces of flesh.
The orc finally gets a good look, the spots in his eyes clearing completely. He sees his fellow wardrummer still motionless in the room, and his leader similarly appears completely out. He, wisely but possibly too late, turns to flee. Unfortunately, once he steps on the grease patch, he loses his footing, slips and falls on his back.
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Just as the orc steps into the patch of grease, Slade swings his falcata across the orc's back. The gash is deep, and the orc falls unconscious from the massive loss of blood, collapsing into the grease in one messy patch. In his backswing, Slade slices the eagle in half, and it disappears in a burst of brimstone.
With the enemies taken down, you manage to get a good look in the final room you have entered, a room which appears to be some kind of a vault. Lead sheets line portions of the stone walls, floor, and ceiling of this damp chamber; many more sheets lie on the floor, bent. Arcane runes are inscribed on the stone. Patches of fungal growth are fed by a slow trickle of water dripping into the room’s cracked ceiling.
However, what is most noteworthy in the room is a a carefully constructed cairn towards the back of the room. There is little doubt that the body of the samurai is buried under this, as hanging on the wall just above the cairn, secured by pitons, is a katana shining with a radiant light. You have located the remains of the elven samurai, referenced in the poem, Sonnet of the Shattered Sword, and her blade! Seems that you got here just in time before the orcs could loot the room.
However, your task is not quite over yet. As Captain Besnik has instructed, you also need to ensure her proper burial. Respectfully and solemnly, you uncover the cairn to reveal an elven skeleton, still dressed in armor of the Minkai style. Lying next to the samurai’s body is a badly damaged prayer book of Shizuru that, after some study, reveals some information of the proper rites .
Alahazra looks around the room in curiosity. "I seem to have missed a party," she comments. "But here is another one. Let's see if we can properly send off this samurai." Before she looks into the matter, however, she draws her wand and tends to her allies
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Manathiel recalls from a conversation once with a Minkai travellor that the Shizuran tradition is to cremate the deceased on a pyre under the midday sun, then distribute the ashes to the deceased’s descendants. Roderick has travelled sufficiently in the region of Lastwall to know that the tradition here is to cremate the entire body save the skull, which is etched with the name and dates of birth and death then placed
in The Ossuaries of the Fallen in Vigil.
Figuring that it would be almost impossible to locate the descendents of this elven samurai heroine, you elect to perform the latter ceremony instead. The identity of the samurai unknown, all you could etch on the skull is the year that she fell, an event that is clearly pinpointed in history. Together with the katana, you make a overland trek to Vigil, and hand the remains over the Ossuaries. The Knights of Ozem are initially cold towards you when you introduce yourselves as Pathfinders but become suitably impressed when you share with them your discoveries, and receive the remains reverently from you.
Once you to Uscalin Lodge, Venture-Captain Shevar Besnik asks about your adventure. After you recount the events, he remarks what a wonderful chronicle this will make once he’s heard back from his other teams, who are also investigating passages from the tome. He congratulates you saying, “I knew you would triumph! Just goes to show I picked the right Pathfinders to seek out adventure while unknown dangers lurked. There could have been almost anything there! Go and rest while I put our report together for the Ten. Surely, this addition to the Chronicles will put Uscalin Lodge on the map.”
"Locating and recovering the body and katana of the samurai was most impressive, and more importantly, have proven to the Knights that the Pathfinders aren't bumbling messes. Well, most of the time. Though I may joke about the crusaders, they play a vital part in the service of good. You, too, have done important work today. You have removed a pressing danger and helped the spirit of an ancient hero find rest. Well done, Pathfinders. I hope you are as proud of yourselves as I am of you.”
Alahazra smiles in satisfaction at a job well done. "Good work, everyone. It is always to good to prove ourselves to other important organizations. And to help a hero from a bygone age - well, all the better. I hope to work with you all again in the future."