Kallik, you walk into your shared chambers. Your heart skips a beat when you see no one in sight. Then, you remember Egret's hiding place: under the writing desk. As you approach, you see her feet sticking out slightly.
When she sees you, she says, "It feels like there's bad dreams walking around, Sissy." She reaches out for a hug.
With a grim nod, Inam mumbles "Yes, sir."
"I do understand your position Rocky, but I don't think it's going to wait. Ibinu, you going with me? Bian...any chance you know who this thing is talking about?" she asks, scooping up Etrah.
As she scurries after the corpse guide, she calls out "Do you know where to find the evil one? Also, if you do...why did you go after the good inquisitors first?!"
Ibinu slips a small vial to Bian as they leave and points at the prone Inquisitor.
Then dragged along with the flow and hoping to keep Inam out of more trouble Ibinu follows her into the hallway. He suggests with a whisper in Sylph as they move, "Ar cheart dúinn iarracht a dhéanamh an namhaid seo a thabhairt suas roimh iad a mharú? Chomh maith leis sin, ní mhothaím go maith faoi rud ar bith a dhéanamh gan Kallik."
Shifting on her feet, "I cannot leave her be though and I don't know where Eo is. Everything is turning bloody. Try to keep that undine here. I will be right back." Not waiting for a reply and running off as fast as her tired legs will take her.
Damn I hate this place. Where in the world would Eo be? But the hall that leads to her room is found first. Running up and gulping in air that locks in her throat at the stillness. Desk! Running over and hitting her knees and happily tucking Egret in her arms, "Did you see something Egret?"
Standing back up with the youth in her arms and starting to jog back to the room where everyone is hopefully still waiting. "No matter what I need you to listen to me and I promise you will be safe. Ok? Things here are getting a little dangerous Egret. I have to fix it but I doubt we will be staying long."
Egret says nothing as you hustle back to the others. You are, as always, surprised by her feather-light presence in your arms -the thin sylph girl weighs no more than your armor.
She rubs her eyes as you set her down again. You realize she was likely sleeping under the table. Sleepily, she says, "I didn't see anything. Sorry."
Her golden eyes open a bit more, and she looks right into your eyes. With her reserved air of seriousness, she says, "I'm listening. What do I need to do?"
When the business with the child is concluded, regardless of who is staying, the undine nods impatiently and declares, "We begin!"
The white-on-white irises of the undine snap over to Inam. "As for your question," his nasally accent turns this into yaw queestahn, "it is a...how would you say in Common...a difficult trick."
Quick as a snake, he pulls out a serrated, curved knife, and cuts deeply into the meat of his forearm. A dry white dust sighs out of the wound.
He barks a command in Benthic, "生活！" The little pile of ivory-colored dust twitches, takes on a deep red hue, and springs to a strange approximation of life. It looks like a mangy dog made of lumpy clay. It sniffs the ground, and scampers off immediately. The undine follows close behind.
Live!
Wide-eyed, Inam gasps. "That...what did it do?" she asks, hustling after the creature. She draws her sword as they move, keeping it ready.
Over her shoulder she replies to the fellow sylph. "Tá Ibinu. Ba chóir dúinn deis a thabhairt. Níl a fhios agam conas a rachaidh sé seo síos. Féach an rud seo, le do thoil."
"Yes, Ibinu. We should give all a chance. I don't know how this will go down. Please watch this thing closely."
"You will confirm if this person was involved AND allow me to discuss with them prior to doing anything rash." she orders their undead guide. "Evil done in response to evil received is still wrong!"
Looking over at Bian, "Can you keep her safe or get her to Eo?"
Bian nods. "I don't think I would be able to...help with what the undine wants anyway. Her eyes flicker toward the retreating form of the bloodhound. "You should catch up with them." She gives you a small, reassuring smile.
Egret blows Kallik a kiss. "Bye, Sissy." She watches you leave the room with solemn eyes.
Noting the severe lack of response from the undead thing, Inam taps it on the shoulder. "You heard me, yes? Once you confirm this was in fact the person involved, you STEP AWAY and let me take the lead. No ill is to be done without my agreement."
"Not all evil is done by evil beings. Some good beings make mistakes." she mumbles, as they continue to following their guides.
Nodding to Bian, "Keep her safe please."
Sifting her gaze to Egret, "Stay safe and I will be back soon." Please do not make me a liar.
Turning to follow the undine revenant in silence at the end of the procession. Alternating her gaze from their surroundings to her three companions. Inam killed So Khong. Ibinu lost his memory. And the group before us were tortured and slaughtered then came back for revenge. Revenge on the elen that are supposed to be guiding us in the war... Explains why So Khong did so little... She still thinks she can reason with that elen.
As the undine descends a minor staircase on the outside of the Temple, he suddenly stops. He looks at Inam intensely for several seconds, looking for something. Finally, he says, "I swear. Open the door to justice." With a burst of speed, he starts taking the steps down two at a time, keeping pace with the silent hound.
Ibinu follows along, deep in thought. Inam won't allow herself to break her word but just murdering someone in revenge isn't the right thing to do either. I really doubt we will be able to get outta this one without doing wrong. Oooh! Maybe Sky will come back from death or whatever and step in and everything will work out!
Ibinu chuckles slightly, then returns to reality and prepares to defend his allies, hoping for luck to be on their side.
The undine takes you to the border of the Steam Slums, located in the Dims. The dilapidated district seems to be almost vacant as the undine leads you quickly through it. You notice two things simultaneously:
First, you notice something odd about the location. Though none of you have visited the Slums before, you have seen, from higher views, the billowing steam that covers this place at all times. There is no steam at all right now, which is completely unheard of.
Second, as you start down a ten-foot wide crumbling alley, you notice Inquisitor Ky La step around a corner about a hundred feet away. He appears to be conversing with a group of four elens: a muttering sylph who is obviously an alchemist; a tall Oread guardselen carrying a very large war hammer; a female ifrit with a sword who carries herself with confidence; and an older-looking sylph whose eyes gleam with keen intellect and old wounds.
Osric's eyebrows go up as he encounters the other group. Is this a trap Ky La set for us?
Staying relaxed, but ready to draw his blade at the first sign of trouble, he addresses the group cheerfully. "Good day to you, elens! What brings you to this part of town? You're clearly moving this way with intent, and until a few minutes ago, the only thing to do in this direction was die a horrible flaming death."
"Wait, where is this inquisitor?" inquires Inam, glancing over her vacant shoulder towards the temple. "We're going to cause quite a fuss Ibinu..."
Following the summoned hound and inscribed undine, sprints a sylph wielding a greatsword. Scrawled across the stone plates covering her torso is a crude depiction of Volcano. A chicken perched on her left shoulder snores loudly.
The woman points her sword at the group as they approach. "By the name of The Warrior hold your place. I beg you to not interfere." she exclaims. Recognizing the man as an inquisitor, she hesitates a moment in her pursuit of the undead creature. With but a flick of her wrist, a shimmering light encircles her eyes as she calls out "Taispeánann an bolc dom an fhírinne!"
"Volcano, show me the virtuous!"
Jerking awake with a grunt as his mount stumbles in casting her spell, the chicken stretches. Looking around as he clicks his beak, Etrah spies the group ahead. Offering a curt nod to the stonelord, the heralds eyes fall on the inquisitor.
"Brawk BuKAh cAck" announces the creature as it's right wing begins to glow a crimson red. Leaning towards Inam, Etrah taps the back of her head gently, transferring the crimson glow through the elen.
White knuckled grasp on her polearm and nearly growling a response, "I would rather this fight be away from the temple but I do not like leaving."
Raising her voice slightly, "Undine, where are you leading us?"
Bringing up the rear of the procession is a muscular oread dressed in patchwork leathers partially leaning on a guisarme. Her pale marble like skin has lines of green that stand out against the white. Her hair is in long dreadlocks and is dark green hair though there are none of the normally found flowers. Though there are a few beads mixed in the dreadlocks. Narrowed green eyes look the group over before turning to the figure in a brown robe. Moving to stand inches from the robed undine and growling into his face, "Why am I here!"
Byron, caught up in pondering why a great number of mephits were hanging around the place, almost running into Odebie when the group comes to a stop. He looks over and sees the other group--more Temple types? As if the one inquisitor wasn't already too many.
Fiordelise is unmistakably a noblewoman, even through the battered and dust-caked scale mail she wears. Her hand rests on her blade as the other group approaches. Her bright blue eyes stand out against the burnt orange-red tone of her skin.
"Let us not make more enemies through misunderstanding. I trust your business here is well intentioned and you are not more minions of the darkness we face, and I hope you do not consider it impolite if we verify your intentions". she glances over to Odebie hoping he'll get the hint to use his divinely granted senses upon the newcomers.
Ibinu towers over most elen at a wiry 7 feet. However, there is barely any meat on his bones and a stiff wind looks like it might blow him over. Thick black hair cascades down his shoulders. Bright golden eyes reflect his opalescent skin. Wearing a nicely tailored outfit one can still see the two bandoleers crisscrossing his chest underneath his jacket. Both are chock full of various powders and liquids. Anyone familiar with the alchemical arts easily recognizes them as reagents. A well made backpack is slung over his shoulder. Hanging heavily, its straps dig into his thin frame.
His body language is clearly tense as he looks to the female Sylph and the Undine to judge their reactions to this group.
Inquisitor Ky La is evil. The rest of the elens are not evil.
With a wild-eyed look of eroding constraint, the dusty-looking undine whips around to face Kalliik. In his nasally, undine-accented voice, he says, "You and the Key," he gestures to Inam, "are here to help me kill the one who killed me!"
He takes an aggressive step toward Inquisitor Ky La and gestures at him emphatically. "Just ask him! He will not deny what he did to me!"
Ky La smiles and shakes his head in a patronizing air of fatherly concern. "Dear boy, you seem to be operating under both stress and hallucinations. Such things can be detrimental to one's health. Let's not have any violence, eh chap?"
Osric relaxes as he sees these people don't like Ky La any more than he does. Not a trap, but a distraction nonetheless.
"Have you been engaging in some extra curricular activities, Ky La? It shouldn't surprise me, I suppose. Temple business is Temple business, so long as you're not endangering the city."
He turns to the strangely dry undine and tries to defuse the situation. "It's a curious claim you make, sir. I do not believe a court would convict his mercy of murder if the alleged victim is walking around and accusing him. You were planning on handling this legally, right?" He glances meaningfully at the paladin, refusing to acknowledge the ridiculous fowl on her. "Simply attacking him in the streets and killing him out of supposed vengeance is not a righteous act. It is simple murder, which we cannot allow."
"That said, I think we can all agree this man is a snake. If you have evidence to support your claims and wish to file charges against him, we can all walk down to the watch together. If not, do we have anything else to discuss?"
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The opaque white eyes focus on Osric for a moment, then dart back to Kallik. A stiff smile appears on his lips, and he loudly whispers to the oread, "He think I'm not dead." His head falls slackly on his left shoulder as laughter that sounds like a worn-out music box creeps out of the limp mouth.
The undine quickly snaps his head back upright. To Kallik, he says, "You know he is rotten." He grabs her arm firmly, but not aggressively. "You know some of them are wicked. I let the other go - just do this one thing and I can go in peace." He looks you squarely in the eye with his dead-fishbowl gaze.
Pointing the tip of her sword towards Ky La, Inam replies simply. "Volcano has shown me your true colors. It is improper to lie and I request fervently your next works are straight forward and honest. We would prefer to see justice served in a pleasant way. Admit your wrong doing!"
Keeping her eyes on the foe, she replies to Osric. "Our guide is most assuredly expired. Due to acts of the late So Khong and this elen, it is unable to find rest. I have vowed to see to it those involved saw justice and that I will do."
"So, what will it be villain of the light? Surrender now to us peaceably? Or will more drastic measures be required? My herald will see to it I follow Volcano's wishes. Will you uphold your vows? Or will you bend to the darkspawn you so resemble?"
Expecting the situation to deteriorate quickly, Etrah does a summersault off Inam's shoulder. Landing softly behind the sylph, the chicken peeks between her legs at the inquisitor.
"Caw!" he cries out, whilst giving Inam a tap on the right ankle.
Inquisitor Ky La grins in the pearly luminescence of Inam's and Etrah's magic. He nods to you. Looking up, he says, "Let's see here, only true statements...alright." Still looking up, he ticks off items with each of his fingers. "Yes, I carved him up. Yes, I suppose that eventually, indirectly caused his death. Yes, I was-"
He is interrupted by a low growl of anger from the dusty undine, who has taken several steps closer.
A single gray monkey-like creature (that the Home and Hearth Team has already spotted) is inching over a nearby roof. It is about forty feet above you.
All of the Home and Hearth characters' fire resist spells have expired.
"You swore to follow my lead." she snaps to the dead creature. "So control yourself!"
"Continue your list, villain."
Spotting the creature above, Etrah points a wing upward. "BuKaw! CAwCAW!"
"Hunted? I suppose we are hunting this foe... Yes, he is the first. I simply joined So Khong for morning prayer."
As he was trying to take violence off the table, Osric realized she had said "late So Khong"
"Ky La isn't the first inquisitor you've hunted today, is he?"
Osric will drink his other extract of resist energy (fire).
"This discussion will need wait, I think that guy means trouble. We may or may not have banished the spirit of its king to the shadow realm."
Tensing when the corpse invades her space but there is part of her that agrees. So many people want to drag this out. To let the Law decide but these Inquisitors are the Law here.
Fury tries to dig its claws in her veins again as Ky La speaks. That black ichor is still under her nails and in her clothing and he doesn't care what he did. Letting out a angry scream and racing towards the Inquisitor with her pole stretched out infront of her.
"Stop this, we are not safe here, let us call a truce until we are away from the Mephits. We can leave the city if you would have this discussion on neutral ground." while she appeals to a better nature, she makes no move to defend Ky La from the Oread's strike.
Ibinu responds to Ky La after he rattles off his idiotic admission, "such callous disregard for murder, you are truly a horrible being." He turns to Osric, "temple business, maybe. But considering we found four elen carved up like this one and can account for only two of them, I doubt the city is safe."
As Kallik charges Ibinu downs a small vial. As the liquid activates he sees the creature above. Pulling his crossbow and pointing it at the thing on the roof he asks, "what the heck is that thing?!?"
"It's a small fire demon of indeterminate abilities. It's unclear whether they are merely hunting us or if they intend to harm the city at large. Help us eliminate them, and then we can discuss the issue of our murderous inquisitor."
"Sky's breath, he's taunting them. He's a son-of-a-pagona, but he's not an idiot. These mephits must be part of his exit strategy, and if he's willing to confess in front of us, he must be anticipating them killing us as well."
"None of us, save Ky La, are going to survive this if we start fighting each other."
Even for an Oread, Odebie stands tall and broad. His skin is the color of deep earth with whorls of red clay, and his hair and beard are a fuzz of multicolored moss. Laugh lines care deep crevices in his face, and an incisor has been replaced with an emerald fleshgem. At the moment, he's nursing a recently-relocated shoulder.
Preferring to let the... he hated to say 'diplomatic', but diplomatic, members of the team handle the newcomers, Odebie spent most of the above conversation alternating puzzled and worried looks between the sylph servant of Volcano and the undead.
The charge of the other oread puts an end to that. Odebie bodily shoves Ky La out of the way of the strike and shouts in his best 'I deal with delinquent teenagers on a regular basis' voice, We are all leaving this place, now, before the 'mephits' overwhelm us. You all can present the abomination's case once we're away, but attack anyone again and you will be doing it from behind bars."
Following the others' gasps and gazes, Odebie swears violently in Sedime when he sees the mephit. "Move, now!" As he leaves, and if he hasn't stood up on his own already, Odebie bodily picks up the Inquisitor as they beat feet.
Your nat 20 spellcraft check: the mephit is standing precisely where the line of discoloration (from the Steam) ends. You quickly deduce the creature is unwilling or unable to cross the boundary of the Slums.
Ibinu's mind races as he calculates all the possible outcomes and eyes the 'fire demon' warily. He loads and readies his crossbow to shoot if it attacks. I'll let our 'key' and Kallik figure out whether to flee or not.
for
A feral grin crawls across Kallik's green lip whens she sees blood. Glancing at the oread who tried to interfere with her quarry, "The law has no place here. He forfeit that right by torturing those elen!"
On init count 22, the mephit acts. A scalding steam sprays from its mouth, covering everyone but Inam and Ibinu.
The steam lingers, though it is not longer scalding. This is essentially an obscuring mist (see map)
Biting her tongue to avoid vomiting on the spot. A small trickle of blood runs out of her mouth and the partially healed wounds on her neck not longer bother her as the fire licks all around her.
(assuming +2 vs fire attacks from 'scorching weapons' applies)
Fiordelise looks up in annoyance at the Mephit though it was no longer visible through the mist.
Her blade ignites in the mist and she points it towards Ky La "Everybody move. Inqusitor, what little trust you've built is fast eroding. Make a wrong move and I will see to your end."
Byron, with reflexes refined by dodging his own mishaps, manages to avoid the worst of the steam, but that does little for the steam. Wanting to get a clear shot, he starts moving towards the edge of the Steam Slums, trying to get out of the mist.