Wembly Templeton |
"Well done! A beautiful fish. I wish I was better at catching fish than being caught by fish. Water was never my thing...yet many of our mssions have been all wet. Right Whiskers? ."
Wembly ponders the scrolls.
"Very peculiar writing, wouldnt you say Antonella? Pieces to a bigger puzzle perhaps? Are they written in the same hand?."
Antonella Schiavo |
Antonella cheers the wayang fisherman, clapping both her hands together at a rapid pace. “Bravo, Ser Sihir! Well done, old chap!”
The priestess underlines her appreciation by bringing two fingers to her mouth before releasing a piercing **WHISTLE**
"She's angry, because the handsome smarty-pants dogcat escaped."
I wonder if that’s the fox in the poem’s title – the ‘handsome man’ Agent Virml saw?
Antonella pitches some dried meat at Whiskers, as she nods at the gnome. “It’s getting curiouser and curiouser, Wembly.”
As we have heard, the worm’s got by the bird
Who gets up so early a-dawnward,
But what of the bird who, deceased and interred,
Becomes food for the worm worming onward?
“I’m guessing this is a NEW bird we’re soon to meet, whose job is to keep the Mistress of the Demiplane’s subjects where they’re supposed to be. But the fox/worm?? seems to have escaped from it.”
“Hmm, Sarenrae always rises in Golarion’s east, so perhaps ‘a-dawnward’ means easterly?”
Antonella's features turn serious for a moment. “The last two lines of the stanza suggest an undead creature to me – ‘deceased,’ ‘wormfood’ et cetera – so we should be on guard.”
"We had a harrowing journey through the belly of the big sleeper. But that's a story we are not going to tell every stranger.”
She holds out more dried cranberries to the big bird. “Do have some more, my friend. Oh! Seeing we’re no longer strangers, care to tell us more about Her?” The paladin points up the stairs.
Sihir Aneh |
"Worms are not ambitious creatures - why would they struggle with the undead when they would be content to eat the simply dead? What if "the worm worming onward" is not a 'worm' at all? What if it's Time? This is all beginning to sound very...Pharasman, actually."
Knowledge (Religion) for any related data, particularly regarding Pharasma: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (16) + 14 = 30
"It also reminds me of a proverb I've heard among the diurnal folk, although I am not sure where it's from: 'The early bird gets the worm.' Have others heard this?"
"The owl is a night bird, so perhaps the owl gets the worm BEFORE the vaunted early bird...?"
GM Baerlie |
"The dogcat was once one of the greates ridllers in Varisia and one day he challenged a powerful fey of the First World to a contest of wits and lost. He might have walked away unscathed, but he offended the fey by disputing the answer to its winning riddle. As a punishment he was caught in a magic prison called The Name of the Fox and the magic of the prison also breathened life into several of the other fictitious creature mentioned in the poem, many of which now serve as guards and wardens of the captive humanoid. A lot of time passed and one day the handsome guy escaped and with him all the creatures captured in this prison. Unfortunately the big sleeper has a lot of space in her belly and a thousands of gallons of water are inside. She spit us out and we were flushed through the sink down here." the albatros tells the story.
Two of the papers floating on the water are scrolls.
Sihir Aneh |
Sihir notices two magical scrolls in the water, retrieves them, and looks them over.
Read Magic: 'Leave home without it?' I don't even get out of bed without it!
Wembly Templeton |
Wembly looks on to see what the scroll reveal. Whiskers tries to stand atop a dry spot, if he can find one.
More clues or riddles?"
Sihir Aneh |
"Certainly! What have you got for us...? Oh. That was not your intended meaning."
Sihir Aneh |
Isn't read magic all one needs to identify scrolls? At least, that's the impression I was under....
Antonella Schiavo |
I would interpret the rule the same way you do, Sihir. Here’s the entry in the PRD to assist with your ruling, GM Baerlie! :)
Once the Gathlain have eaten their fill (or more likely, when Antonella’s run out of food) the paladin rises and bows to her feathered friends.
“Thank-you for your company and conversation, brothers. We shan’t keep you any longer. No rest for the wicked and all that.”
Antonella looks to her companions and gives Whiskers a pat before pointing up the staircase. “So, onwards and upwards, Pathfinders?”
Sihir Aneh |
Sihir looks blankly at who he's travelling with. Even if violence isn't inevitable, Sihir thinks, HE will no doubt make certain it is.
I use my mage armor wand and cast...
false life: 1d10 + 5 ⇒ (4) + 5 = 9
Sihir Aneh |
Knowledge (Nature): 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (7) + 11 = 18
Knowledge (Dungeoneering): 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (7) + 14 = 21
Knowledge (Arcana): 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (9) + 15 = 24
GM Baerlie |
Sihir knows that the fish-like creature is a grodair, a magical beast. The bulbous sac on its spine is an extradimensional space that can contain thousands of gallons of water. A grodair is intelligent, but extremely absentminded and careless. Its memory is poor, and it has difficulty remembering things it was told even 5 minutes prior—though it can recall some events of the distant past with perfect (and often frustrating) clarity.
Any questions about the grodair?
Antonella Schiavo |
Antonella bows to the creature. “Greetings, sister. How are you this fine day? This one is called Antonella. My friends and I …” She gestures to the others. “Could be accurately described as problem-solvers.”
“Is there any way we may be of service? Our rates are reasonable and could involve your obvious talent with aqueous resources.”
Diplomacy + enhanced diplomacy: 1d20 + 7 + 2 ⇒ (17) + 7 + 2 = 26
Sihir Aneh |
Any questions about the grodair?
Alignment?
Habitat/place of origin?Things it fears?
Things it likes?
Skills?
GM Baerlie |
A grodair is chaotic neutral, from the aquatic plane. It does not have resistances or immunities. It can use water to attack, when it dies it explodes in a burst of highly pressurized water. It's skills are Knowledge nature, Survival and Swim. It's a CR5 creature
The fish-like creature sees that you are talking to her, but it does not understand.
Sihir Aneh |
I'm afraid that I, for one, do not speak those languages. In case I can use this to decipher what it's saying...
Linguistics: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (6) + 12 = 18
Wembly Templeton |
Wembly listens to the fish creature and recognizes the response in Sylvan.
Wembly Templeton |
Wembly turns to the paladin.
"I have not asked yet. We have not made it through proper introductions. Do you think it would have another piece of the riddle?"
Wembly turns back to the creature and smiles, patiently awaiting a reply.
Wembly Templeton |
Wembly nods.
"By chance would you be able to stop spraying water? It is making a bit of a mess. That would give us more time to chat and all."
diplomacy: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (14) + 4 = 18
GM Baerlie |
In Sylvan
"My name is Mistress Koi. I'm looking for ... Whatsisname — that dreadful, haughty fox. The kitsune outwitted her with some fiendishly clever magical ruse and now runs riot in the vaults below. Flooding the vaults is the only way to catch him. If you want me to stop the flood, I agree only if you promise to recover all the fragments of The Name of the Fox and bring them to me. Its magic can recapture the fugitive kitsune. Furthermore, I vow to remove all the water I have already released so long as you can deliver ... Whatsisface — that whiskered riddler - alive."
Wembly Templeton |
Wembly conveys the message to the others.
in sylvan .
"Let me discuss with my friends, but we should be able to help with the kitsune and resolve this problem. Alive you say? Any particular reason? ."
Sihir Aneh |
Sihir laughs at Ticlo's suggestion in spite of himself.
"Ask her how many fragments of The Name of the Fox we should expect there to be." Sihir prompts Wembly.
Antonella Schiavo |
Antonella does not look thrilled that the price of draining the Overflow Archives is the imprisonment of a sentient, mortal creature.
If the kitsune hasn't broken some natural law I'd be surprised. Not to mention it is most assuredly an agent of Chaos.
The paladin nods her head reluctantly at the deal. "How will you remember the terms of our agreement, Madam? Will the sight of the fox and the knowledge of your name be sufficient?"
At Ticlo's mention of a fox hunt, Antonella *shudders* recalling a past life when she and her half-sister used to hunt human beings for sport.
Wembly Templeton |
Wembly continues the dialog, adding bits and questions from his friends.
Sylvan
"We will do our best. By the way, did the Kitsune leave any fragments here? We are tracking those...kind of a puzzle or scavenger hunt if you will. Although we do not know how many pieces there are. Would you happen to know? Also, once we bring back the fox-man, would you remember and honor our agreement? We really do want that water stopped. Are you sure you do not want to stop it now, since I can assure you we will be back?"
Sihir Aneh |
After a moment of considering Antonella's concerns and the unfortunate reality of grodair memory, Sihir speaks with a note of hesitation, as though he finds what he's about to say distasteful.
"Perhaps we could draw up a written contract?"
Do I know whether grodairs are in the habit of reading and writing?
GM Baerlie |
The grodairs can read I think, but not write because the don't have fingers. But she can sign a crontract with her tentacle.
"The Kitsune did not leave any fragments here. Did you already find fragments? May I have a look?" the grodair asks.
Assuming you show her the fragments
"Well, according to the size I think the scroll broke into six pieces. Each rhyme is one piece. And I will stop the water for now, but if you don't return I will flush the catdog out of his hidingplace."
Raul |
Raul looks contemplative as the exchange occurs. It is unclear whether he speaks Sylvan and is simply content to listen, or whether he is perhaps instead considering lunch. He pats his morningstar idly.
Wembly Templeton |
Wembly shares the reply with the others.
Assuming someone can come up with suitable words, Wembly will scribe them into sylvan .
"Very good. Just sign here and here and initial here and here. It looks like we have a deal ."
Sihir Aneh |
Need paper and writing equipment, by chance? I've got some if it's needed.
Wembly Templeton |
Wembly digs around looking for his pen/quill and ink. After coming up short, he has his journal but obviously flustered.
"Well, I um....oh Sihir, yes, that will help. I have my journal but cannot find my favorite quill.
Sihir Aneh |
"No need to deface your journal," Sihir says as he produces pen, ink, a sheet of rice paper, and several more writing accessories than are frankly necessary.
A lot of my characters carry writing equipment. This is the first time I've actually gotten to use any of it!