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Ahendile ignores your demand and curses as she touches her shoulder, causing some of her wounds to heal. She struggles once more to break free of the entangling plants, without success.
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"Is this really how you want to do this?" Garif asks, his tone a mix of frustration and amazement. "I am no genius, but I know when I'm beaten. Yet you're going to stand there and try to heal yourself faster than we can fill you with arrows? You should pray for a little guidance from that rubbish god of yours."
With a shrug, he spins up his sling and lets fly at the idiotic Razmiran. He then looks in his pouch for a suitable stone and loads it, ready to keep up the barrage.
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Nico reaches a large paw tentatively into the grasping grass, then pulls it away in alarm. He gives the grass a look full of disdain, then sits back on his haunches, waiting for the person tangled in it to be reasonable and come closer to be bitten.
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Iovo looks at Ahendile and says “Do we allow her to bleed out? We should at very least strip her of her gear.”
Looking towards the dwarves being rescued she adds “I imagine it is more than just our friends here that she has mistreated.”
She then goes over to the three former prisoners and starts moving them out of the stables and through the gate.
Gesturing towards the inn as she guides them out, Iovo adds “We may want to offer Rosh a chance to leave this place. As for the sisters, we know they were part of this kidnapping. I just don’t know how complicit they were.”
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Rees frowns at Iovo's words. Ignoring her question, he moves quickly to Ahendile's side and attempts to staunch her wounds. As the blood continues to seep through his roughly-made bandages, he clenches his jaw in anger and frustration, and begins to mutter quietly to himself in a chant-like cadence.
"Authority is to be heard; curse the unlistener."
"Authority is to be heeded; curse the rebel."
"Authority is to be lauded; curse the naysayer."
"Authority is the foundation of society; curse the exile."
"Authority is the protector of society; curse the weakener."
"Authority is."
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Having dismissed the grabbing grasses, Garif moves to help Rees move the cursed cleric into the inn, then pauses as Verrix suggests bringing her to justice. ”I’m no legal expert, but it seems that bringing her to some other country’s justice - even if it’s my home - is not all that different from kidnapping. And if we get stopped again by one of those ‘faith barges’ and we’ve got one of their own aboard as a captive, it’ll be the end of us for sure.“
He scratches his head a moment, then says, ”Knowing how these folk value their possessions, I say we take anything of value she’s got, and rescue her prisoners. She’s sure to lose status in that ‘church’ she belongs to, and miss her wands and such - seems a way to dole out some punishment without us having to haul her along with us.“
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Rees whirls on Verrix and Phinellippa, and stands gaping at them for a moment as he tries to collect his spinning thoughts. Who do these people think they are?! he wonders. How can they march into some other country, defy its leaders, even try to kill them, and then suggest...
As Garif speaks, the stony solidity of the dwarf's voice gives Rees' frantic mind something to grasp, and the tall elf slowly lets out the breath he had drawn to begin his tirade.
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“Sheesh! Are all of you really so worried about this? Seems pretty simple.”
Pointing off in the direction of the river, she explains “We were told not to dock, because even with their silly papers that wouldn’t help us. Our diplomats tried it by the rules and that is how they ended up down there!” She points down to the area under the stables.
“Do you really think the people in charge are anything except a bunch of thugs? From what I see they have no care for anyone other than themselves!”
Crossing her arms across her chest, she says “I can’t respect that sort of thing!”
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Iovo looks down at the body and shifts nervously from foot to foot.
“I would have allowed Pharasma to decide if she survived. Now...well I don’t like the idea of killing a defenseless being. I also don’t like allowing them to continue ambushing travelers, but there are other ways to prevent that.” Merchants should be very interested in knowing this, and we can spread word other places as well.
With a sigh, she says “I suppose putting her in the inn works. If we are doing that, we should also offer Rosh a way to leave if he wants.”
Looking towards the stables, she adds “We should also release all the horses, allow them to run free. That would slow down them alerting others, and I would rather people like that” gesturing towards Ahendile and the inn “didn’t have them.”
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Garif gives Rees a nudge and returns to dragging Ahendile into the inn. "Maybe Verrix could give the innkeepers a little scare," he suggests as he returns to the inn yard. "Make it clear to them they shouldn't work with such folk? Though that nasty Ahendile might have bullied them into it. Anyway, might be worth a quick chat with them. Or we could just get out of here."
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Rees closes his mouth and shakes his head slightly as if to clear it, then moves in sync with Garif to get the woman into the inn. As they move, he purses his lips and frowns thoughtfully as he tries to understand his companions. Finally he nods. "Just... if Rosh doesn't want to leave, we shouldn't try to make him. He probably grew up here, and we're outsiders. It's... different."
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Iovo gives Rees a puzzled look. Why does he think I want to force anyone to do something?
“I wasn’t suggesting we force him to leave.” she says with a hurt tone. “It is just that he has shown mercy which makes me believe he may not agree with what is happening here. On his own, it is doubtful he could leave.”
“As for the three innkeepers, I would leave them be. They should be capable of escaping if that is what they want.”
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Taking their words at face value, Verrix says, "And did you know that Rosh was bringing your captives food? The lad showed more courage and compassion than you did!"
Maintaining an angry tone, he continues, "What would you have us do now? Is her wicked bidding the law of this land, or is she rogue? Are you her accomplices, or are you also victims? Now that she's helpless, we aren't going to kill her, but I, at least, would like to see this kidnapping business stopped."
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"Rosh did that? Oh my, that dear sweet boy. Why, we're victims too, of course! We would never wantonly do anything like that. We try to stay out of politics and whatnot, but I can tell you that priests are given a lot of autonomy to enforce whatever they want around here. We were afraid to cross her, or who knows what she would do to us!"
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Verrix looks suspicious, but he can't detect any deception in the woman. "We could take all four of you away from this place, if you like," he says. "Things are not so bad in most of Andoran, which we will pass on thew way back, nor in Abasalom. Of course, you would be leaving behind everything you own that you couldn't carry...."
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Rees smiles slightly at the response, as if he expected it. Who would want to leave their home? he wonders. For all we know, the dwarves we 'rescued' broke the law here and were being justly punished.
"We're very sorry if we've brought you any trouble," offers Rees quietly. "That was never ou... my intention."
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Upon returning to the Abacus docked on the Glass River you are able to sail upriver with all speed and put Razmiran behind you as quickly as possible. The remainder of the journey to Mendev is uneventful, save for the obvious hostility that now exists between Metella Raugar and Temel Passad.
You have made it through Razmiran relatively unscathed, and have rescued the envoys to boot. It seems likely, however, that the Razmiran authorities will eventually figure out who you were, and you may have just earned the Pathfinder Society a powerful enemy. For today, though, all's well that ends well.
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As they finally leave Razmir behind them, Damiar sits on the deck next to Rees. He’s so pretty, with that long white hair. But look at him tense up the moment I come near...
“Rees, why are you mad at my sister and me? Is there anything we can do to talk about things? I’m starting to get the sense that you get frustrated with us sometimes. Do you want to talk about it? Or... Anything at all? I don’t know many elves locally, and I’d hate for the only one we hang about with to be always angry with us.”
She looks eanestly at him, wishing that they could just go back to laughing and braiding each other’s hair.
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Rees starts slightly as Damiar approaches. "I'm not angry." he replies, a bit too quickly, not looking at the other elf. For a while he stares out across the water, before finally sighing. "It's just that you're so... foreign to me. I don't understand your logic or your society or what motivates you or... or how you manage to fit in so well here. And sometimes..." ... sometimes, I think I want to. And that's even worse.
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“Foreign? I suppose so.” Damiar says, compatibly. “Often, when I meet the elves around here, it’s like they come from a different world than Iovo and me. But don’t you think that people with different outlooks can learn from one another?”
“You’re pretty tense, and Iovo and I... We kind of take life as it comes. We love exploring, seeing more of this crazy place called Golarian, undergoing missions, doing teamwork... We love it. I get the sense that you are doing all of this not for the fun of it, but because you have no idea what you would rather do with your time.” She says this, not accusingly, but in a friendly manner. “But even if you are a Pathfinder just to make a living until something better comes along... Why not embrace it? Life... it’s just awesome. There’s so much to see. So much to do. So many fun people to meet.”
She gets up and says, “You fight well, and you’re determined, and you have a moral compass. Even if we disagree, I’d love to call you friend if you’d allow it.”
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Rees shrugs lightly in his human-like way. "I can't very well disallow it," he replies, with a slight smile to soften his words. "You're right; I'm not here for the 'fun of it'... but I am here by choice." Make a living? Oh, acquire money to pay for stuff. I can't believe she actually thinks that, but... let her.
After a moment, he shakes his head. "You talk like you think I have a problem with you 'enjoying life', as you call it. I'm sorry if I've given that impression."
After a few days' rest, the Pathfinders receive a summons for their next mission — together! They head south toward Almas in Andoran, and arrive, finally, at an inn which has been set aside for them.
The next morning, the group makes its way to the Cathedral of Aroden, and arrives with the morning light streaming in through the massive stained-glass windows. Venture-Captain Bob Brackett is seated behind a large, antique desk replete with hair-thin lines that mar its surface like nearly-healed scars. He scans a handful of papers before addressing the group of Pathfinders and the other assembled guests, among them the no-nonsense wizard Wystorn Telfyr and Major Colson Maldris.
"I recently received news of a kidnapping in Sauerton, up in the northern wine country. Thalia Andares, heir to the Sauerton Red wine fortune and daughter of Consul Tercio Andares, vanished during the Silverglazer Sunday celebration and has not been seen since."
With a meaningful look, Maldris catches Brackett's attention, and the two nod in understanding as the major contributes. "Tercio Andares is powerful and widely respected; not only has he been the mayor of the large town for many years, but he is also a strong voice in the Andoren military—even for a consul. The Sauerton Red winery has made him extremely wealthy, and his financial support could be a considerable asset to the Pathfinders' important work in and around the Worldwound. He seems uninterested in foreign affairs, though, perhaps because it's politically safer to focus on domestic matters. Even so, he is known to help those who help him."
"I appreciate the summary, major," continues Brackett smoothly. "I am convinced that the Andares' gratitude would do much to refill our war chest for a struggle that is unlikely to end quickly... and we believe we can earn that gratitude by rescuing his daughter, which is where you come in. When you track down Thalia, as I trust you will do quickly, it is important not only to the Pathfinder Society but perhaps to the whole world that you request funding for the military campaign against the Worldwound. Of course, convincing Tercio to contribute troops and military aid would be even better, but aim for finances first."
With a sigh, Major Maldris picks up his tricorne hat and prepares to depart. "I would stay longer, but I must make final preparations to travel," he states in a quiet voice. "While I hope that the Andares family agrees to help the society, I am also wary of this political practice of mutual backscratching. As all of you are in Sauerton—especially those who care for this fine country—remain vigilant for signs of short-sighted corruption and abandonment of Andoran's founding principles: freedom and democracy. Follow what you believe to be the best course of action, as I will not be available to advise you. Nonetheless, I would appreciate any reports of corruption after the situation is resolved." After sharing a quick handshake with Brackett and a nod of farewell to the rest of you, he departs, closing the door
behind him.
Telfyr breaks the moment of silence that follows by reporting, "My scrying indicates that the young Andares is being held in a building with high ceilings and once-elegant adornments in a style popular in this nation before the People's Revolt. The structure seems to have sustained extensive fire damage which has not been repaired. Thalia is alive and unhurt, at least for now. She was reading a fresh copy of the essays of Alysande Benedict when I saw her."
Brackett begins to bring the briefing to a close by concluding, "We have transportation ready to take you to Sauerton as quickly as possible. When you arrive, present this letter to Consul Andares before you begin your investigation. It introduces you and offers the condolences and assistance of the Pathfinder Society. Not only is this proper etiquette to announce your intentions to the mayor, but Thalia vanished from the Andares manor. Someone there should be able to make sense of Telfyr's visions."
Telfyr frowns at Brackett’s diction. "Scrying, Brackett, is diff–" "Alright, yes, scrying," the venture-captain concedes as he pushes a sealed letter across the table. "Introductions, rescue operation, then negotiation for funding and possible military support. Make any questions quick; you've got a boat to catch."
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“Ugh. Sauerton Red. Didn’t we have that awful stuff in an inn a few months ago en route to the Grand Lodge? It was so bad, I didn’t even want to pour it out onto the plants.”
She sighs. “I do find it interesting that the Andares family has such a lock on the Mayoral seat though. You think the voters would revolt. We should start the ‘No Icky Wine’ party!”
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"Would that work, you think? I don't know much about plants (or wine, for that matter), but that seems like a weird way to make them grow."
Kleines pulls out a bar napkin from what seems like a fresh supply, and scribbles some notes, includeing *WINE + PLANTS = ?*, which he circles.