Byron quickly scans the room, trying to identify which areas will collapse the least swiftly.
His cursory inspection reveals little, so he simply starts sprinting, slowing only to grab his precious sample of white obsidian.
He doesn't slow as he reaches the stairs, simply focusing on keeping his footing and keeping moving forward.
Osric dashes for the exit along with his companions.
Upon reaching the stairs, he vaults them two at a time, only slowing to help anyone who might need it.
standard action = +4 to Byron's acrobatics check.
Odebie yells at the inquisitor, before grasping his meaning and moving quickly towards the door.
Fi flees, focussing on keeping her balance in the shaking halls.
Osric, 1 failure
Odebie, 1 failure
Byron, crit fail gets 2 damage dice
In the muffled thudding of your recovering ears, you hear your own harsh breathing as you run out of the throne room and up the stairs. The air is thick with smell of burning metal and cooking meat.
You take what seems like a nightmarishly slow pace up the steep stairs. Cracks and fractures appear before your very eyes, undulating like snakes. Occasionally, a fist-sized chunk of rock will break loose from a step, forcing one of you to dodge or stumble. Byron and Osric are both hit squarely on the head with heavy pieces of rock. A broken rafter clips Odebie on the shoulder, nearly knocking him down, as it free falls down the middle of the spiraling stairwell. Crumbling efreet statues seem to laugh raucously as their lower jaws break off.
Finally, you take those last dozen wheezing, painful strides out into the morning air. A moment later, the head of the marble efreet statue slides off the neck, landing with a loud thud only a few yards away from you.
Safe for the moment, Odebie grabs his shoulder and with a pained gasp slides it back into its socket.
"I would love to, but it would be mostly guessing." Fi managed between deep breaths.
"But I think we did good here."
Osric wheezes a bit as he catches his breath. "I'm pretty sure we eliminated a threat to Hearth, Odebie. However, I'm concerned we've uncovered a far worse threat. Darkspawn don't simply appear, certainly not this close to Volcano. Either someone's been importing them for research or the stability of the world as we know it has been shaken. Perhaps both."
I'll take a potion of CLW when I get the chance.
As you all converse in the middle of the Steam Slums, you notice an odd thing. It takes you a minute to put your finger on it:
As you as you can tell, the steam is gone.
Inquisitor Ky La fails to hide his smirk behind his pale blue hand. "Well, that was...not altogether unexpected." His smirk widens into a smug grin. He casually strolls away from the broken, cracked visage of the once-impressive statue.
There are small creatures that look like particularly ugly gray monkeys crawling around on some of the buildings surrounding the courtyard of the statue. You spot two, maybe three scuttling on the walls to the south.
"Which part exactly? The statue being connected to the steam, the place falling around our ears, or the darkspawn in the basement?"
"What did that altar say, chap?" His grin loses none of its smugness.
"You clearly got more meaning out of it than I did. It told us what we already knew, that the Efreet wanted to serve this other god, Lenny."
Fiordelise listens to the conversation but watches the monkey things. "What are those?"
Byron, his head still ringing from the falling rocks, ignores his surroundings and the conversation in preference for drinking his other healing extract.
I might as well use my last one as well, just in case.
"Who knows? Perhaps they've always been there, hidden in the mists."
"In reverse order, Osric: the spawn was likely a thousand year old trap, thus a surprise; those old ruins always fall down, so literally no surprise for anyone with a brain; the steam however...I had my suspicions."
He looks up at the wrinkled gray monkey-things, as if inspecting fruit in the marketplace. "We'd best hurry - they're only waiting for our resistance spells to run out, which, if my internal candle is accurate, is about five minutes from now."
Odebie does start walking, hammer drawn, but isn't willing to let the inquisitor off the hook quite yet. "What - exactly - did this altar say? And what are those things, that they know we are protected?"
Byron eyes the creatures curiously, wondering just what Ky La meant. Were they somehow related to the (formerly) deadly properties of this place? Or was the Inquisitor suggesting that they had something to do with the steam?
He will follow behind as the group departs, trying to make observations as he goes.
"Odebie, please!" He waves a hand in your direction. "I'm not the one who cast--or drank, whatever--the spell to comprehend all languages." He lazily waves at Osric now. "Ask our observant sylph here exactly what it said. And what he means by 'Lenny'."
The inquisitor takes a brisk pace out of the Steam Slums. "As for the mephits, well..." He strokes his goatee, and shrugs. "What they are is rather simple: invaders from a different plane."
He holds up a lecturing finger and continues, "As for why they are here. Hmm. If our...research is correct, then we have just destroyed the enslaved essence of one of the three efreet kings of old."
"Without the power of his magic, it's no real surprise to see a few protection spells around the city start to fade."
Since Ky La basically explained where they came from, you can have some basic info on them instead.
--These creatures have come from a different plane (they are outsiders)
--DR 5/magic Immune fire
--Weaknesses vulnerability to cold
You come to the border of the Steam Slums, with your resist energy spells nearly running out. At least one mephit continues to prowl behind you as you walk.
Inquisitor Ky La steps around a corner, the four of you following closely behind. Ahead of you, down a ten-foot wide alley, about a hundred feet away, are four individuals: an innocent-looking female sylph in heavy armor wielding a large sword; a dour-looking female oread gripping a large polearm; an earnest-looking male sylph, carrying alchemical supplies about him; and they are lead by...
A very pale, almost dusty-looking undine with opaque white eyes. He is wearing a tattered priest's robe.
"Unfortunately, being able to read the words did not aid me in comprehending the concepts they conveyed. What I could glean was that this was a temple to a betrayer god named 'LN'. I added the vowels for convenience."
Osric strokes his chin as Ky La explains about the enslaved efreet, pondering what to do with this new information. He prepares to ask a probing question as they come around the corner and see the other folks.
Tilting her head to the side and hearing Ibinu yelling but not bothering to stop. Flexing her fingers into tight fist, then relaxing them, only to continue to repeat the motion over and over as she stalks down the road.
Ibinu tries to work out the best way to carry the heavy weapon as it appears Kallik is in some sort of mood. He ends up using it as a makeshift walking stick with his long strides helping him keep up.
Fiordelise follows Ibinu out, "Here let me." she hefts the weapon into a relaxed stance on her shoulder (unless Ibinu protests - Fi's not about to wrestle him for it), letting Kallik walk ahead a little she tries to strike up some conversation with Ibinu.
"So why does Inam not like to look at me? She like that with all Ifrit's or am I special?"
Avoiding the boundaries of the Steam Slums, the three of you make your way through the refuse-littered alleys of the Dims. It is beginning to snow lightly, the white flakes peppered with ash from Volcano. Though there is no wind, the cold air is extremely unpleasant after the warmth of the Steams; one or more of you realize that the perennial warmth of the Slums may be gone forever, with the efreet king's spirit vanquished. What will Hearth look like with no steam?
Once you reach the main street of the Dims, you follow it northwest. The broken husk of Brightfield Arena can be seen to your right, and the Temple looms about half a mile away, directly in front of you.
You happen to spot the dirty ifrit that robbed you after lending you his cart. He has not spotted you.
Quietly mumbling to herself as she stalks down the road, "Stupid child lying to my face like that... Ngacabanga ukuthi ngingathanda ukuhamba endleleni yakhe. Ukuzihlonipha kakhulu kunokuba ngidlulele ebugqilini... Slavers and sheep are all the fill this evil city.. This place is more vile than home was... Snow should be white. Here it is grey and dirty.. Everyone lies, everyone kills... just does what they want with no thought on how it will affect the rest of the world... Izilo ezihahayo.. Should have gutted So Khong myself. Kind of surprised Inam actually managed to do it. Heh, I doubt she looked him in the eyes when she did. Should have asked that. Stupid girl.."
Glaring at the Arena as she passes it only to come to a stop shortly after. Tilting her head to the side and a feral grin forms on her lips as wordless fury finally narrows her vision. No longer held back by the need to behave.
Flexing her fingers and her fingertips lengthen to a sharp point. While darkening to the same color as the ichor trapped in the finally dead oread. She starts running at a male ifrit.
Sinking her claws into the side of the ifrit and growling in his face, "Ngikhumbule?"
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Ibinu is focusing on barely keeping in sight of Kallik and doesn't even notice Fiordelise coming up beside him. When she offers to carry and easily handles the polearm he finally notices, "hey thanks! I'm not the strongest and right now I'm trying to make sure my friend doesn't get herself into trouble."
As he hurries to try to catch up to the surprisingly quick oread, he replies matter-of-factly to the question, "oh yeah, she does that for all Sylphs." He looks over at her and his eyes go wide, "er.. I mean to say, not that you aren't special and... oh my Sky you are beautiful." The briefest of pauses and he apologizes, "I'm sorry for that. I don't have much of a filter between my brain and mouth and can ramble on about things and... well yeah pretty much this right here..." He goes silent and keeps hustling forward.
********************************************************************
Ibinu comes around the corner and sees Kallik charge someone, claws out and slashing.
He yells, and drops his pack to sprints in towards the two, trying to knock Kallik away from the Ifrit.
Fi opens her mouth the respond when suddenly chaos happens.
"What is going on here?" Fi moves to try and interpose herself between Kallik and the Ifrit.
The ifrit, a middle-aged elen wearing tattered clothing, is dead. A grisly death-rattle gurgles from his throat as blood spills from his mouth.
For the moment, the street is empty except for the three of you.
Fi points Kallik'sown glaive at her, "Explain, Now."
Elbowing Ibinu out of the way and sinking to the ground along with her quarry. Grinning at the lack of a response. Jerking her now bloody claws out of his belly only to twist around and glare at the female ifrit. Pointing a bloody claw at her, "Wazama ukungibulala ngaphambili" and offering a sneer while standing back up, "Ngangibuyisela umusa."
Turning her hand so her bloody palm is facing upwards. The smugness in her tone is replaced by aggression, "Manje unike lona isela elincane."
Moving to step a little closer to Fiordelise and growling, "Noma ungajoyina omunye."
A street or two away, you all hear lunch crowds starting to approach the main thoroughfare. The bright, laughing sounds are unnaturally loud in the quiet, tense moment.
Fi looks desperately at Ibinu, hoping he can offer some explanation.
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Ibinu's mind races as he tries to figure out how to solve this. I guess first thing is first and go one step at a time.
Not taking his eye off Kallik he says in common, "please hand me her weapon. If anyone gets hurt, it should be me." He steps in between Kallik and Fiordelise and puts his hand back for the Guisarme. "She may only be responding to Oread, so I'll try to talk her down and figure out what is going on. I THINK the elen she just killed was the one who shot and robbed her a few weeks ago."
When the weapon is in his hand he calmly says in a thickly accented oread, "ungumlingani futhi usize ukuletha isikhali. Kodwa okwamanje angicabangi ukuthi udinga izindlela ezingaphezulu zokulimaza abantu. Wena kanye nami singabantu abanengqondo futhi singasebenza ngalokhu. Angifuni ukuba ngibhekane nomunye umqondo ongokomzwelo onjenge-Inam."
Fi hands over the Guisarme without complaint, relaxing slightly. While she liked to think she was heroic, she would not lose sleep over someone taking revenge on a murderous thug.
Fi catches the last word... Inam, was he comparing me to her or was there some relationship between the two?
"People are coming and we're standing over a body in the street" she prompts.
Shaking her head and then bringing a hand to rub her forehead but it stops half way. Staring at her hand for a moment then quickly looking around. Catchting sight of the body only to rapidly turn as Ibinu butchers her language.
Staring at Ibinu and blinking slowly while he talks, "I don't want it. And stick to the common tounge."
Turning and resuming her walk towards the temple heedless of the blood dripping from her fingertips. Making it a few paces before calling out over her shoulder, "You shouldn't call others what you are Ibinu."
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Watching Kallik turn away from him and Fiordelise already thinking ahead about their other problem he sighs, well that didn't work... this is about all I can think of to do, Sky or whoever forgive me.
Ibinu adds his last hope, "what will you tell Egret? Or Eo? Will you lie? Will you just bottle this rage up until you hurt them too?"
Ibinu turns to see Fiordelise using a tricky little glamour and takes the guisarme over, setting it next to the body under the 'boxes'.
If Kallik continues walking away he adds, "let's quietly follow Kallik, I'm afraid she might harm someone who may not deserve it."
Stopping and turning to glare at Ibinu, "Nginokulawula okuphelele phezu kwami."
Stalking back to him and standing inches from the sylph, "Awusikhumbuli lutho ngakho ungenzi njengokungathi wenza."
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Ibinu stands up tall from where he leaned over to hide the polearm and glares down at Kallik, caring not that she could probably snap him in half. "Oh I remember enough. I remember that you care for Inam yet you abandon her when she needs guidance the most? You think she is acting like a petulant child? Of course she is, she IS ONE! One who just managed to somehow be granted great power and responsibility. Yet when she acts childish you just get mad and run off, taking your anger out on some fool that probably never knew a better way to live his life... which is now over. He won't get another chance, but Inam might if you are willing to stand by her and solve the problems in this city."
A low rumbling growl rolls out of Kallik's throat and the desire to bring Ibinu dances in her eyes. Snapping at Ibinu "Do not speak to me as if I am a child Ibinu."
Stepping closer to him, "Inam will be fine or you are really worried why don't you head back." At the last word she shoves a hand into Ibinu's chest.
Wish I knew more calming songs, most tunes I know incite emotion, not calm them...
"I've only just met you, and well... Actually so far I've seen you get angry and kill someone, so I'm not entirely sure why I care what happens to you. But Inam bore the light the gods and she obviously does respect you. Please show the same courtesy."
A group of four young, laughing ifrits turns the corner. They do not spare a second glance toward the illusory crates that cover the rapidly cooling corpse. One of them gives a desultory whistle toward Fi, but all of them seem more intent on finding a place to eat.
The midday bell sounds from high atop the Temple. The cheery, brassy sound cuts through the cold, snowy air. Crowds of elens are already gathered throughout the Temple courtyards to receive their daily ashbread. Children run about and gather handfuls of dirty snow to throw at one another. Adults grumble about the cold and shout annoyed warnings not to stray too far.
You are all breathing heavily as you reach the top of the Temple. The hundreds of steps are tiring even on the best of days, and this has been anything but a good day.
The handsome, well-groomed ifrit guard stands outside the entrance to the Embern Apartments. He is flanked by four other ifrits. With a nod to Kallik and Ibniu, he says, "Amici! And how are you on this freddo day?" He narrows his eyes, and scans the group. "But where is Inam? Is everything alright?"
Tilting her head to the side and staring at Fiordelise, "You are under no obligation to care but I will try to offer courtesy."
Turning to glare at the whistler but opting to get this long walk over with. Fingers twitching the whole way to the temple. Silently walking up the stairs and habitually glaring at everything. Edoardo now found Kallik looks at Ibinu like he is supposed to handle this. A small but unfriendly grin forms on her green lips while waiting.
***************************Later***************************
"Hello Eduardo, that is an excellent question. Inam is... requesting your presence on a matter of importance. Can you spare a moment of your guard duty to go help?"