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Before scattering to prep for the event, Alrik pulls out the sketch of Inysha...
”Just to confirm.... how good a drawing is this of the main threat we have been briefed on? Inysha was it? The more info we have on her look, her habits, her targets, her methods the better we are likely to be able to handle the situation”
Boss takes one look at the sketch and barks out a single laugh. "You don't recognize your own general?" he asks incredulously. "You must be new on the job - just my luck. But that's the spitting image of General Faiza bint hanif. Here, this is what Inysha looks like." He passes Alrik a stone sheet with a quick sketch of a human woman with long brown hair and large brown eyes. "She's known for crafting convincing disguises," he adds, "so..."
The woman looks disdainfully at Taariik as he approaches, but does not rise from her seat. She listens to him with a face as expressive as a statue, then waves a hand. "I am off duty," she says slowly, as if speaking to a simpleton. "I am not interested in whatever sort of 'partnership' you might be trying to sell me on. Leave me."
From her station near the door, Ayo watches as more and more people begin to enter the casino. One woman stands out to her though - an oread woman wearing an ornate courtier's outfit with long sleeves and several voluminous skirts. Ayo's keen eyes take a few seconds to notice a bit of smudged grey paint on one of the sleeves and a similar-sized blotch of pink skin on the woman's hand, but once she does it's quite clear this is a disguise.
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Ebonfeather frowned at being told that the picture that they had been told to keep an eye out for was General Faiza bint hanif. That would have been a major faux pas if they got roughed up by mistake. One more thing to confront the Captain when the party was over.
With the new information received, he scanned the area to see if there was any sign of Inysha.
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The woman looks disdainfully at Taariik as he approaches, but does not rise from her seat. She listens to him with a face as expressive as a statue, then waves a hand. "I am off duty," she says slowly, as if speaking to a simpleton. "I am not interested in whatever sort of 'partnership' you might be trying to sell me on. Leave me."
Taariik raises an eyebrow.
“Lady, I mean no disrespect but I’m part of the Ungrounded and Captain Othis showed me your picture and said that you are ... “ he says and takes out a note that he obviously wrote down to not forget, ”... ehh ... yes here ... Captain Othis said that you are the notorious cheater known as Inysha. We believe that Captain Othis wanted us to capture you. Can you imagine why? Oh and who are you by the way?“ he asks innocently.
Taariik raises an eyebrow. “Lady, I mean no disrespec-"
"Then respect my wishes and leave," she interrupts, cutting off the ifrit mid-sentence. "Else I might think you do mean to disrespect me - and I do not suffer disrespect lightly." She taps a sheathed blade at her hip meaningfully and stares at Taariik with hard eyes. "Now."
Meanwhile, Ebonfeather and Alrik both notice the same woman in disguise as Ayo. Ebonfeather discretely moves towards the entrance while Alrik scans the rest of the crowd for other disguised individuals, leaving Ayo to keep an eye on the person of interest as she waits demurely for a pair of living avalanches to finish emerging from the wall.
"Moi?" the woman replies, clutching her pearls. "'Ow dare you! If you must know, I vas badly burned as a child vhen ze efreeti forces attacked my family. Zis disguise is ze only vay I can conceal ze dreadful scars and forget zem for a little vhile." A tear artfully rolls down her cheek as she continues pleading with Ayo in a thick accent, gasping and shrinking away from Taariik as he rejoins the other Pathfinders.
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Ayo is unmoved, easily seeing through the deception. ”The accent you are putting on is as poorly-conceived a lie as your story. You have one more opportunity to comply before every guard in this building comes down upon you, Inysha. Do not embarrass yourself further and accept your loss with dignity and grace.” Ayo folds her arms in front of her to show the cestus already on her hand.
The lady sighs in defeat. "Alright, fine, you caught me," she says with her eyes downcast and without her accent. She waits a moment before looking back up at Ayo. "But I'm a changed woman! Don't I deserve a second chance, to make up for my past mistakes?"
Meanwhile, the other Pathfinders notice that pieces of paper have started circling around the room, each covered in Terran script. Сражаться или нет? Делайте ставки прямо сейчас! Шансы два к одному в пользу чисто словесного спора по сравнению с физическим противостоянием!
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”Taarik my friend, you need to get out and about more. This lovely lady is lying through her teeth.”
He turns his attention from Taarik to Inysha...
”On the other hand, she does talk good sense. You really need to leave... And not come back!”
Distracted by the notes, he gets a good look at one as it passes by. He coughs, suppresses the urge to grunt a laugh, and keeps his serious face focused on Inysha.
"Oh fine," Inysha sulks, her face fallen and her mouth twisted as if she'd just been fed a piece of raw lemon. "I promise to leave and never come back. But can I at least try a glass of the bubbly they're giving away over there? Just one glass?" She looks hopefully up at the Pathfinders before sighing dramatically and flouncing back to the elevator.
The rest of the evening passes without incident (other than a drunken dragon trying to abduct one of the mephit waitstaff) and the guests eventually make their way back out through the rock walls or glass elevator. Boss retrieves the silver and gold sashes from the Pathfinders, grunting approvingly. "Gotta say, I was worried for a bit," he says with a sigh of relief as the front desk attendant hangs up a "Closed" sign on the entrance doors. "But you certainly proved your worth - I wouldn't have even known Inysha had been here if someone hadn't mentioned a flustered woman taking the elevator down far too early in the evening. Here, your payment - and something extra for the excellent service. Tell your captain I'll be sure to contact her again next time." He hands Ayo a bag of gemstones before ushering the Pathfinders out of the casino.
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"You're still here?" Captain Othis growls, without looking up from the pile of missives on her desk. The Pathfinders stand in her office once more, having been summoned in the middle of eating breakfast the morning after working at the casino. "I thought you'd find a path out of here by now," she continues. "Well, maggots, it's your lucky day. I have another easy job for you to screw up." The captain rifles through her stack of stone papers and holds up a tablet bearing a bronze seal.
"Zuhair Issawa needs someone to babysit a shipment of gems. Our real troops have more important things to do, so I'm sending you. All you have to do is get the caravan to his estate a few miles outside the city. Any questions?" Without pausing to allow anyone else to speak, she continues, "Good - now get out of my sight."
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The caravan was easy enough to find, loading up at a warehouse on the outskirts of the city. Four stocky rock beetles carry what look to be the heaviest goods, and a massive bronze-ringed serpent with horns and silvery skin carries the bulky materials. It spots the Pathfinders and hisses warningly, baring long deadly fangs, before a pair of dwarves shush it and draw its attention away from the strangers.
"Howdy there folks!" one of the handlers says once the serpent is calm enough to speak over. "You must be the escort we contracted out, yes? Name's Annie, and that's Nef." She waves at the other dwarf who waves back with a smile on her face. "And you're just in time - we're ready to head out!" Annie continues happily. "Where would you like to be in the caravan while we travel? Do you mind telling us about the Material Plane? What season is it right now? I'll admit sometimes I get a yearning to see the sky again, but everyone knows a dwarf's most at home underground. Ain't that right?" She winks at Alrik before running over to tie up a loose package on one of the beetles.
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“Ahh yes, the sky is beautiful now and it is currently spring! You should see the flowers!!“ he answers the lady dwarf’s question.
Taariik chats with the dwarves and what they are up to. Where were they before? What is their connection to the ungrounded etc. and his primary objective is to find out where the gems are located in the caravan.
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Ayo goes over the caravan to inspect it for any irregularities before they head out.
Regardless of what she finds, she takes her comrades aside afterwards. [smaller]"Considering the captain's previous attempt at sabotaging us, I think we can predict that there is another sabotage planned for us. If it is not within the caravan, it will come from without, so stay wary, comrades."
Nef cheerfully informs Taariik that goods are fairly-evenly distributed amongst the caravan, "...but of course the bulk are on Rockhead here, given that she's so much bigger than the rest of us." She pats the agrawgh gently, and the towering creature huffs gently before shaking her head impatiently. "You're right, you're right," Nef concedes with a deep laugh. "Let's be off then!"
The journey to the Issawa estate is slow going - the beetles in particular seem quite prone to stopping and refusing to move until Nef or Annie cajole them into rejoining the rest of the caravan. After almost four hours of this stop-and-go travel, the group emerges from a forest of stalactites and stalagmites. Ahead, a narrow bridge made of what is likely magically-shaped quartz spans the vast geode walls surrounding the Opaline Vault. A waterfall tumbles from the ceiling nearby, filling the air with a thin haze and dampening everyone's spirits (and clothes). Below the bridge, the jagged crystals of the Vault's geode shimmer and shine in the Pathfinders' light.
As the caravan makes its way over the bridge, a sudden rumble is all the warning the Pathfinders get before a pair of rocks fall from the stalactite above and land on the agrawgh's head with heavy thuds. As the creature roars in pain and rage, the rocks unfurl themselves to reveal vaguely-humanoid shapes. A cackling laugh heralds the arrival of a third creature that likewise plummets from the ceiling - but as this one hits the ground, the rocky floor ripples like water.
Ayo watches as Alrik and Ebonfeather jump aside quickly, but the rest of the Pathfinders quickly find themselves stuck in the now-mud ground!
The rocky-looking creatures are earth elementals. Even though they stand about as tall as a human, these natives to the Plane of Earth have no need of air nor food as they tunnel through the Plane's endless stone without a trace. With their innate connection to the ground, earth elementals strike hard against creatures standing or touching the ground - though they struggle against swimming or flying creatures.
You're not sure about the little one with wings though.
Round 1! Bold may act!
Taariik (Immobilized 1/??)
Damhán (Immobilized 1/??)
Yellow
Red
Blue
Ayo
Alrik
Caravan
Ebonfeather
Conig (Immobilized 1/??)
Round 1! Bold may act!
Taariik
Damhán (Immobilized 1/??)
Yellow
Red
Blue
Ayo
Alrik
Caravan
Ebonfeather
Conig (Immobilized 1/??)
As Taariik swiftly strikes down one of the rocky creatures, Damhán struggles against the mud that holds him fast. "They're earth elementals," he wheezes before a bit of mud gets in his mouth.
The flying creature screeches in astonishment at the demise of her companion. She flaps her wings and flies over the surprised Pathfinders' head, inhales sharply, and exhales a flurry of stone shards!
The mud encasing Damhán and Conig deflects the worst of the rocks, but Taariik has no such protection and gains several bruises. The remaining elemental, meanwhile, digs its hands into the ground and tries to push Ayo off the bridge!
The holy warrior stands her ground though and refuses to move.
This is indeed an earth elemental. Their innate connection with the ground makes them particularly effective against landbound creatures - though they are much less effective against flying or swimming opponents. They often burrow through the rocky expanse of the Plane of Earth, leaving no trace behind except when they wish to.
The winged one, on the other hand, is an earth mephit. Its rocky hide deflects most weapons, though a magical one can disrupt the abjurations.
This is indeed an earth elemental. Their innate connection with the ground makes them particularly effective against landbound creatures - though they are much less effective against flying or swimming opponents.
The winged one, on the other hand, is an earth mephit. Its rocky hide deflects most weapons, though a magical one can disrupt the abjurations. It can also summon more of its kind or enlarge itself much like an efreeti - though few who make such a comparison aloud live to tell the tale for very long, as neither of the two creatures enjoys being compared to the other.
Round 1! Bold may act!
Taariik (-3)
Damhán (-1, Immobilized 1/??)
Yellow
Red
Blue (-36)
Ayo
Alrik
Caravan
Ebonfeather
Conig (-1, Immobilized 1/??)
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Ayo silently calls upon Shizuru to pass Her judgment and give Her inquisitor protection.
"This one is an earth elemental. The flying one is an earth mephit. You need magical attacks to fully harm the mephit."
Ayo draws her katana and slashes at the earth elemental next to her, but she pulls back on her swing at the last moment as she worries about hitting an ally in the close quarters.
"Nef, I am not sure if you can, but I would like to join in the fun. Maybe after you hit the pile of rocks, you step out of the way?"
"Working on it!" the dwarf hollers back as she pulls at the beetles. "Chuck, Bessie, move!"
On the other side of the caravan, Annie likewise herds her charges out of the mud and away from battle. "Watch out," she cautions. "Poor Rockhead took quite a blow from those thi-" The merchant is interrupted by a howl of pain from the agrawgh and bits of acidic spray from its maw splatter across the battlefield.
Taariik and Ayo avoid the worst of the sizzling liquid, and Ayo's celestial heritage keeps her from harm even as the acid hisses and spits. The other Pathfinders are not so lucky, coughing and yelping from the pain. "Try calming her down!" Nef yells from safety. "She's panicking and in pain, but if you can convince her to stop thrashing about like that..." She looks like she would have said more, but one of the beetles almost pulls the dwarf off her feet and her attention shifts to it instead.
Round 2! Bold may act!
Ebonfeather (-5)
Conig (-6, Immobilized 1/??)
Taariik (-5)
Damhán (-6, Immobilized 2/??)
Yellow
Red (-12)
Blue (-36)
Ayo
Alrik (-5)
Caravan
Ebonfeather unleashes a flurry of kicks and bites at the elemental, but rather than cutting through tendons and muscle he only encounters more rock. Taariik tries to calm the agrawgh, but the massive creature pays him no mind as she continues to thrash around in pain.
Damhán continues to thrash around in the mud as the mephit overhead claws at Taariik twice before dancing back out of the larger man's reach.
On the other side of the agrawgh, the earth elemental swings a massive fist at its tengu tormenter...
...and goes for the dwarf on the backswing!
Perhaps disheartened at the miss (or not wanting to be stuck between a dwarf and a hard place), the elemental sinks into the muddy stone underfoot.
Round 2! Bold may act!
Ebonfeather (-21)
Conig (-6, Immobilized 2/??)
Taariik (-9)
Damhán (-6, Immobilized 2/??)
Yellow
Red (-23, Underground)
Blue (-36)
Ayo
Alrik (-5)
Caravan
Alrik bids his time, waiting for the elemental to return.
Round 2! Bold may act!
Ebonfeather (-21)
Conig (-6, Immobilized 2/??)
Taariik (-9)
Damhán (-6, Immobilized 2/??)
Yellow
Red (-23, Underground)
Blue (-36)
Ayo
Alrik (-5)
Caravan
The agrawgh only thrashes around more as Ayo tries to speak with it, spraying the Pathfinders with acidic droplets!
"Maybe you can heal her!" Nef yells from a safe distance. "She's in pain after all!"
At long last, Damhán pulls himself free of the muddy ground.
Round 3! Bold may act!
Ebonfeather (-21)
Conig (-10, Immobilized 2/??)
Taariik (-11)
Damhán (-8)
Yellow
Red (-23, Underground)
Blue (-36)
Ayo
Alrik (-9)
Caravan
Taariik's blade sinks deep into the mephit's torso before flying back to his hand. She curses even as the massive hole begins to close, flying away and back into the darkness.
Round 3! Bold may act!
Conig (-10, Immobilized 2/??)
Taariik (-11)
Yellow (-15, Withdrawn)
Red (-23, Underground)
Blue (-36)
Ebonfeather (-21)
Damhán (-8)
Ayo
Alrik (-9)
Caravan