The woman sneers, then laughs. "I do not know who you are talking about foolish man, but clearly they are an accomplice and someone else I will have to seek out shortly. I am Hellknight Signifier Iluvia Thorn, and I will catch and arrest you here and now."
Iluvia makes some arcane gestures before leaning over the railing and throwing up uncomfortably. Her retching continues and as you look closer you realize that she's spewing spiders. They swarm up and begin heading in your direction.
Seltyiel dives into his pack with one hand, pulling out a scroll. He rattles off the incantation inscribed within, allowing it to burn to cinders in his hand. "Time for some action..." he growls.
The two men up top launch arrows at Dissa and Dulomak.
Dissa, Dulomak, and Kontha all rush up the stairs to show those archers just how much they don't appreciate being shot. Dissa removes the head of the one in the north from his body while Dulomak and Kontha drop the other with a concerted effort, leaving him a bleeding mess on the balcony.
Iluvia merely frowns with displeasure and ceases focusing on her swarm, causing it to mill about without direction. Instead she speaks another incantation and makes several arcane symbols in the air. She follows that up by whipping her head around, seemingly increasing the length of her hair. When it is nearly twice the length of her body she stops and glares balefully in your direction.
Seltyiel calls out as he rushes past Dulomak and Kontha, "Avoid her touch, she has a spell ready to force negative energy into you without your permission. My shield spell should protect me from her touch if you wish to follow me in."
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"Bozmir, I will do my best to keep her alive, but we have others holding Zefiro next door. Speed is of the essence." Dissa mutters under his breath at Bozmir as he moves past the skald on the balcony.
Dissa moves to adjacent the fallen crossbow mook. He drops his fauchard while kneeling next to the corpse to retrieve crossbow and bolts. "She seems very well defended from our assault. Perhaps we should meet fire with fire? Crossbow fire, that is. Hahahahaha!" The Paladin cannot help but laugh at his own wordplay.
Iluvia begins looking at Dissa incredibly angrily. "Surely your mind, thinking in past, present, and future understands how dire your situation is? You have no chance, you may as well give up here."
The spider swarm down below dissipates as Seltyiel rushes forward doing his best to reach Iluvia before she can do more with her magic.
Her hair snakes upwards but is stopped by an invisible force in front of Seltyiel as he sets himself up next to her in preparation for his attack.
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"And surely you, Iluvia, know the righteous blessings of Tsukiyo would protect me from your feeble trick. Perhaps you are now ready to surrender. Arcane, Divine, and Natural forces surround you. Your positions, both on this balcony, and within the Helllknights, will be vacant soon! Hahahaha." Dissa takes advantage of the clarity of battle to free his mind. The taunts, the banter, the freedom within his own mind and body are a welcome relief from the confusion and drudgery of hazy exploration. Thus is his purpose in life!
Bozmir's dagger flies true, avoiding getting entangled in Iluvia's hair and reaching its destination before she can dodge, stabbing her deeply and causing her to cry out in pain.
Iluvia shrieks as the Stirge attaches while the man Kontha takes a bite of expires permanently. Iluvia reaches backwards using her hair to grasp the Stirge, her body still singing with magical power.
Something about the magic does not agree with the small insect as it explodes, showering Iluvia with her own blood. She returns her attention to Seltyiel who uses the opportunity to bespell his blade and prepare his attack. Iluvia does take the opportunity to whip her hair at him and mess up his spellcasting.
Her hair misses allowing Seltyiel to finish, striking with both spell and sword!
Iluvia screams again as Seltyiel's blade transfers a powerful electrical shock to her.
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Dissa charges, prepared to destroy the witch.
"Great moves, gentlemen! The super mosquito was brilliant Dulomak, and Seltyiel your brooding darkly sullen melancholy has yielded more than angst in combat." Dissa compliments his friends as he lowers his pole arm.
With a leaping strike flies through the air lending power to his downward chop. "As promised, my Fauchard will end your accursed cursing, and your vexing hexing!"
Dissa strikes down Iluvia without issue. Searching her body yields little, a potion, a wand, a gold pendant , and a letter.
By the authority vested in the Imperial Ministry
of Historical Accuracy by Her Infernal Majestrix,
Queen Abrogail II of the Thrice-Damned House
of Thrune, Signifer Iluvia Thorn is hereby
authorized to apprehend the suspected traitor
Zefiro Balinger, to question his known associates,
and to confiscate any unlawful items found within
the Museum of History in Corentyn. Zefiro
Balinger and any evidence are to be delivered
into the custody of the Sirmium bureau of the
Imperial Ministry of Historical Accuracy.
– Inspector Lusarious Deckland
There are sounds of concern and alarm outside of the museum, and it is clear that a larger force of guards may be on the way to determine what was happening. Seltyiel hums to himself a bit, "We'd best figure out what happened to Zefiro quickly, lest we find ourselves on the wrong side of the law."
Bookshelves and display cases stand in the corners of this large office. An oaken desk sits in the middle of the room with large windows set in the wall on either side of it. Doors to the south open to a raised terrace, and a large painting of Abrogail II hangs on the north wall. This appears to be Zefiro's office, at least based on the small placard with his name and "Museum Director" on the desk.
Both Dulomak and Bozmir suspect something is up with the painting if Zefiro is really trying to hide illegal history books behind Thrune's back. Upon examining the picture they discover it swings outward revealing a room behind it.
Several bookshelves, a desk, and a display case crowd this cramped room. To the left stands a statue of Aroden.
Among other things, you find an early (and now publicly redacted) diary filled with tales of infernal war crimes committed by Thrune, an Aspis Consortium cargo manifest for a shipment from Taldor to Khari, and Zefiro’s holy Arodenite scriptures.
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"This document seems quite legitimate. Perhaps we should stash her body in this secret chamber to maximize our chances of escape. Also, I would like to remove her uniform and identifying clothing to perhas delay any investigation." Dissa is clearly torn by competing loyalties to Zefiro and the Pathfinder Society or the local authorities.
"As you peruse this room, I will discard the guards and the witch. After that, we should press toward Zefiro!" Dissa frantically works to stash the thugs and strip Iluvia, stowing their corpses behind the statue of Aroden in the secret chamber. "Dulomak, can you grab the guard on the far side of the room? I can grab Iluvia and the closer guard in about the time it will take you to get the far guard."
He is quite sweaty from rushing up and down the steps while carrying the bodies.
"Bozmir and Seltyiel, do you have all the evidence and artifacts you need? Let's go!"
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Bozmir pockets the locket, sure that it means something, but it just barely escapes him.
"This letter and the diary are damning enough, in addition to what we witnesses," He replies. "Unless you have a way to transport all these bookshelves..." His words trail off as Dulomak speaks up.
"Great! Point them out and Seltiyel an I will grab them."
Zefiro Balinger’s arrest and imprisonment casts a dark shadow over Cheliax’s new relationship with the Pathfinder Society, especially as you have brought to light new ways in which the infernal empire hoped to reshape their national narrative by falsifying its past. If Taldor ever founded a colony so deep into Rahadoum, Ibhir is not it. You board a ship out of Corentyn before authorities are able to connect yourselves to the museum incident.
Back in Absalom, Master of Swords Marcos Farabellus can barely restrain his fury at Cheliax’s duplicity and use of the Society as a cat’s paw to validate Chelish lies. He sends for Ianareth Alazario, the new liaison from Cheliax, only to find that she has slipped away from the Grand Lodge to “attend to pressing business abroad.” Farabellus assures you that although Cheliax may be more powerful than their organization, the Society won’t suffer this indignity with a smile. He cryptically advises to remain in Absalom and await further word about a daring mission he has only just begun to plan—one to save the Society’s ally who has paid the greatest price for Cheliax’s villainy: Zefiro Balinger.
The captain’s quarters aboard the Hornet’s Nest sits in uncomfortable silence. The normally composed Zarta Dralneen awkwardly shifts in her chair, repeatedly glancing across the room at a stocky halfling with short salt-and-pepper hair and practical black clothing. Between them stands Venture-Captain Dennel Hamshanks, the ship’s captain, who seems relieved to have other visitors.
“Welcome, agents,” Hamshanks announces. “My other guests have already skipped the social niceties, so I don’t see why we need to start now. Zefiro Balinger, a Corentyn museum curator and ally of the Society, has been abducted by agents of House Thrune on charges of ‘treasonous misinformation’—which is to say the heretical preservation of unedited Chelish histories. The Decemvirate cannot afford to lose such a valuable asset, nor can it allow these documents to be thrown onto a ‘clarity pyre,’ but Cheliax would love nothing more than to do exactly that.” Hamshanks pauses as if waiting for someone else to pick up the conversation, then clears his throat at the distracted Zarta.
Zarta snaps to attention. “Pathfinders discovered that Zefiro has been taken to Ostenso. His prison is called the Bloody Nail, a facility where political enemies disappear for interrogation and punishment. Trying to spring a captive from a high-profile prison in the heart of a major Chelish city would normally be suicide, yet that is our only remaining option.” Zarta’s expression sours slightly, and she glances at the halfling again before muttering, “Fortunately, I know someone who specializes in such suicide missions, yet curiously always seems to come back alive.”
The halfling smirks at Zarta, hopping to his feet. “Please, Zarta, the pleasure is all mine. The name’s Tamrin Credence, longtime Bellflower and master of coming back alive. The lovely paracountess laid out your situation for me. Luckily enough, liberating Chelish prisoners is a favorite hobby of mine, so it looks like we’ll be working together on this project.
“Infiltrating the Bloody Nail won’t be a picnic, but it seems my luck hasn’t deserted me yet. Turns out tomorrow is Loyalty Day, a national holiday celebrating House Thrune’s oppressive regime and those who willingly agree to be oppressed by it. Citizens are required to attend the festivities, and since Ostensons aren’t exactly known for their docility, that means lots of guards in the streets keeping order. Those extra guards have to come from somewhere, meaning we’re looking at a short-staffed prison detail stuck working a holiday.
“So here’s the plan: we march up to the Bloody Nail looking all intimidating. I’ve still got some clout with Ostenso’s guards from back when I worked for the Consortium, so I’ll convince the lead interrogator to bring some of his guards with me to deal with a Loyalty Day ‘emergency.’ Fortunately for him, I’ve brought some of my own agents—that’s you—to cover for him and his soldiers while we’re away. Knowing Chelish prison administration, he’ll agree as long as one of his lackeys can supervise you. I’ll keep the interrogator distracted long enough for you to get the lay of the land, ditch your babysitter, break in, get what we came for, and get out before anyone smells a rat. We’ll meet back at the southernmost docks of the Custodisce Break and sail for Andoran. Easy enough?”
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Dissa looks back and forth from Zarta to Tamrin as they describe the mission. "Tamrin, typically I am happy to see previous acquaintances, as my fellow pathfinders can attest. However, I certainly did not appreciate your extortion on the docks of Corentyr. That said, I can certainly attest to the effectiveness of your cover stories and duplicitous espionage." Dissa seems to genuinely distrust the Halfling, quite certain of a future betrayal. "Just know, when you betray us in the future, my Fauchard has a long reach, and no one can escape the view of Tsukiyo, Prince of the Moon."
Turning to Zarta, he asks "Can you please tell us what happened to Merielle? We performed a similar escape mission for Zefiro's friend in Corentyr, and I assume her participation has been quite valuable. Does she, or do you, have any advice for our rescue mission?"
With that, Dissa activates his Sleeves of Many Garments to display a chelish soldier's visage. "I hate to mask my old armor, but Jade O-Yoroi may stand out a bit. Any critiques on my disguise? I'll activate it fully when we get to town."
The halfling merely shakes his head, "I don't expect any Hellknights to give you trouble, especially with the festivities going on in the city. But you should be able to get some information out of the person overseeing you about the mundane nature of the defenses, locks, doors, traps, and other such things."
Looking Dissa over up and down Tamrin rubs his chin thoughtfully, "You may not need to be dressed entirely as a soldier at all. You are supposed to be with the Aspis Consortium, so if you have a badge to that effect it would help a disguise. I can tell you that we were...*ahem*...better equipped for the most part, but the eclectic gathering here should do just fine as Consortium guards." Seltyiel, sitting in a corner of the room by himself just huffs and mutters to himself before turning the page of his spellbook.
Tamrin smirks and looks around, "Any further questions?"
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Dissa looks distrustfully at the Halfling, and shifts his disguise back to a basic explorer's outfit. Cream robes with jade trim replace the proud O-Yoroi appearance, and belie the armor beneath.
"Do we have any maps of Ostenso? I personally struggle with directions, as my location is new to me every morning. I'm no good with maps either, but I would prefer Seltyiel or Dulomak at least had one to help guide us through the streets." Dissa nods respectfully toward his traveling companions, deferring to their expertise.
"Seltyiel, do you have any questions you thing would help? I'm more of a guard, and my Fauchard works equally well in all my assignments." Dissa looks at the magus, hopeful his intellect can help with relevant questions.
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"Aspis?" Bozmir spits out the rhetorical. "I was hoping the first opportunity I would meet one would be glorious battle, not meet a convert and immediately pretend to be one. But it's good to see some gems among them have the sense to leave and join us!
"What was it like in the Consortium? How do we act to pretend to be one? And should we be wary of them showing up tonight?"
When answered, he follows up with, "How do the celebrations tend to go? A formal parade? Family Gatherings? Heavy drinking? Raucous parties? Lots of opportunities for thieves and looters?
Wait... Will the Clarity Pyre be part of the celebrations? Executions?" A look of horror plays across his face.
Tamrin reaches into his bag and pulls out a basic map of Ostenso before handing it off to the party. He answers Bozmir's questions as they come out rapid fire, "Pay’s good at the Consortium, and our boss has a reputation in Cheliax so we can get into places we aren’t normally allowed. Just be yourself, but care more about money than your fellow agents. I haven't heard anything about the Consortium's activities in the city while the festival is going on."
He smiles wistfully, "Before this we were planning on seeing some parades and listening to speeches before moving on to the next assignment. You have to love how House Thrune takes care of the people on days like today. All of the above for the celebrations, which is why the guards will be out patrolling the streets. And the Clarity Pyre is...an execution of sorts. The Order of the Rack roams Cheliax looking for 'unapproved histories', which are the older versions of whatever the government wants to change. The Clarity Pyre just so happens to be a larger event where a mass book burning takes place, executing our knowledge of the past."
Seltyiel looks up from his book, "There is only one thing I need to know, how violent can we get?"
Tamrin glares at the half-elf, "Do what you have to do, but if the interrogator returns to a charnel house, he’ll mobilize the guards faster than you can wipe the blood off your swords. If that happens, better hope you can beat feet to the docks faster than all of Ostenso’s law enforcement on high alert."