You completely ransack the silk mill, turning over every piece of furniture and opening every drawer, box, and sack in order to discover more information about the cult.
Upstairs Office:
*A +1 shock composite longbow (+3 Str)
*20 MW longbow arrows (from the "nest" in the office)
*MW artisan tools for fletching arrows
*Raw materials for creating at least a dozen MW longbow arrows
*The desk’s only drawer contains quills, paper, sheets of silk, and eight intricately spiraling glass ink vials with golden lids, each holding a different color of ink. The set is worth a total of 200 gp.
*The trunk contains 760 gp in mixed coinage and trade goods worth 450 gp in total.
*The desk has few papers. There’s a shallow bowl full of ashes, with a candle and tinderbox nearby. The few papers that do exist are written in Vudrani and consist of:
1) A list of new regulations: no more sacrifices without permission; report those who openly express support for the new law banning “our most holy dark mother”; pass on any information, no matter how minor, about the thakur’s palace.
2) Information about each of you, including descriptions, which possessions detect as magical, where you’re staying, and other details about you.
3) A scribbled note which reads the following:
"Given that our brethren from the Order of Unfathomable Darkness are groundling creatures that will never know the glory of the sky, I estimate that it will take them roughly (some calculations follow listing how quickly one can travel on foot through the jungle and through hills, listing that it is "40 miles from Village through hilly jungle") 4 days of travel north to Niswan. Sarpini, slithering abomination that she is, shall send word to the Masters of the Order, requesting that they come immediately to Niswan, so that together we shall RESOLVE the situation!"
Given the calculations on this note, someone with a detailed knowledge of the geography of the island could probably figure out what village is referred to in this note.
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The six mill workers each had:
* 1 suite of MW studded leather
* 2 MW punching daggers
* 1 MW composite shortbow (+1 Str)
* 20 shorbow arrows
* 1 potion of CMW (although Ursus has consumed 3? of these)
* A nasty-smelling paste that is probably a poison (Craft alchemy to ID)
* MW thieves' tools
* 25 gp
The three Darkness Acolytes protecting the naga each had:
* 1 potion of CLW
* 1 dagger
The three guards protecting the garuda each had:
* The same equipment as the mill workers
A storage room holds bolts of spun and woven silk worth 2,250 gp, as well as a tiara set with blood rubies worth 1,400 gp and several sets of jeweled earrings worth 450. Judging by the fact that the key to the jewelry box was found on the naga, it was probably hers.
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Ursus patrols the building helping Daxter look for clues and searching for survivors.
"Dax, what do you want to do with this one?, the Ulfen shouts indicating the cultist in a stupor from the wizard's suggestion.
Pushing over the shelves in the other room Ursus finds the bleeding form of the snake-woman. He absentmindedly rubs the still very raw and bleeding wounds on his torso where her burning rays scorched him.
"And what about her?", he yells picking up her head by the hair. "I can think of a couple good uses for her", the Ulfen says crudely, "But do you think you can use your magic to make her talk?"
Montesquieu ponders this for a moment, trying to recall what he has heard about the geography of this land.
Going by what you can remember of the geography of this island, the "village" that is referred to in the notes that is located near the main cult headquarters is probably the village of Leckumgee. As the note states, its probably at least a four day journey on foot, but none of you are intimately familiar enough with local conditions to know what is the best way to get there this time of year.
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Ursus patrols the building helping Daxter look for clues and searching for survivors.
"Dax, what do you want to do with this one?, the Ulfen shouts indicating the cultist in a stupor from the wizard's suggestion.
"He is useless to me. Put him out of my misery. Clearly my magic not working as it should be."
"And what about her?", he yells picking up her head by the hair. "I can think of a couple good uses for her", the Ulfen says crudely, "But do you think you can use your magic to make her talk?"
"Is that all you ever think about? If she is a dark naga, then my current magic will not work on her. I would like to take a sample of her blood for my research, but otherwise I do not care. Same goes with the Garuda. In any case, I suggest we take our spoils and take a rest after we are done here."
Daxter will take some of the mystery paste and attempt to identify it with what little knowledge he has.
Untrained Craft(Alchemy)
1d20 + 8
You think you've heard about this type of poison before. The Vudrani call it dhat-gunchi paste and if introduced via a wound, it will begin to shut down the central nervous system. A single dose is not generally fatal, but it is easy enough to manufacture that it can be mass-produced in large amounts. A single dose will sell from around 100 to 150 gp, depending on the market and the local laws. You currently have 18 doses.
Knowledge(Local) to figure out if we can sell it in any markets around here.
1d20 + 14 ⇒ (15) + 14 = 29
"As you wish", he says as he retrieves a length of rope and ties the snake-woman up binding her arms behind her and her head and neck painfully extended backwards.
After a quick outlay of gold (30 gp), you all help to pile the comatose naga into a donkey cart purchased off a water seller. You load all the other valuables you ... liberated onto the cart as well, and after pulling a piece of fabric over the serpentine creature, start making your way back to the palace to have a little chat with Lord Pandisar.
It is now late afternoon, but Lord Pandisar is still going about the business of government in the Palace. The guards would not let you bring the cart and its contents into the building itself, so you had to leave it in the courtyard outside, surrounded by about 20 nervous men. The Vudrani lord looks up as you enter the room. Seeing your many cuts, bruises, abrasions, lacerations, avulsions, and puncture wounds, a quizzical look crosses his face. "Well," he mutters in Common, "you've certainly been busy, haven't you?"
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"Yes, Serah Pandisar. We found one of their headquarters and purged it as best we could. It was not the easiest encounter, but we accomplished it without any casualties. However we are far from done. Which is why we have come back here. Our latest information has lead us to a village 4 days from here. So we are here to politely request a small advance to pay for some supplies before we leave."
Diplomacy
"On a different note, we have captured this Naga that is proof of our work. It along with a Garuda, was working with the cultists. Which from what we know, is unusual. What would you like done with it?" Daxter asks the Lord.
Lord Pandisar's eyes sparkle with interest. "A naga, you say? Very interesting. They are dangerous creatures, no doubt, but divorced from its poisoned stinger and without a tongue, it will certainly be much more manageable. I will have my associates look into it."
He turns around and strides toward the back of his study. Reaching into a small box on his desk he pulls out a red velvet bag and hands it to Daxter. "Inside this purse you will find gems worth 6,000 of your gold coins, which is half of the agreed-upon amount I promised to pay you for the destruction of the cult in Jalmeray. The balance will be paid upon your eventual success. In addition, I will provide you with the services of two of the Thakur's elephants and one of his guides, a man named Bala. He is quite familiar with the local jungles and should be of great use, seeing that you are foreigners."
After a moment of thought he continues, "I would ask that you travel to this village and strike at the cult before they are fully prepared for you. If too many people know of your mission, the cult may find out and vanish, only to reappear later and take further vengeance against our ruler. I suggest that you eliminate them in a single attack, if possible, so that they have no further chance to regroup. Can you leave tomorrow morning, or do you need further time for healing? I can provide access to a priest of Irori who is a chosen servant of the god and has the power to bind wounds."
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Daxter pockets the bag of money.
"Much appreciation, Serah Pandisar. You are too kind to offer us a guide and some beasts of burden as well. Our plan was to leave tommorow morning as we need to rest and regroup."
At the mention of the priest, Daxter's eyes narrow a bit.
"What can you tell us about this priest of Irori? How long have you known him? We found evidence of shapeshifters among the cult, so it would be prudent of us to find out more about who we deal with."
The Vudrani nobleman nods, "Yes, I can vouch for him. He works here in the Palace and has been thoroughly vetted. I will send him to you after our meeting."
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The Vudrani nobleman nods, "Yes, I can vouch for him. He works here in the Palace and has been thoroughly vetted. I will send him to you after our meeting."
"Alright then. That is sufficient, it will save us resources for the trials ahead. We just have to make sure of who we trust. Thank you, Serah Pandisar."
Pandisar nods in response. "Now," he says, looking at each of you in turn, "do you have any questions for me before I send you to the lama's tender ministrations?"
"Maybe yes, can you tell us details about the region? We have never been in that area, so anything we could expect during our travels? Besdies the cult I mean?" Farouq enquires, as he has never travelled the jungle.
Pandisar nods. "Well, the village you mentioned, Leckumgee, is located almost directly south of the capital, I believe, although you cannot simply travel south as the crow flies to get there. You will have to ford the mighty River Sald, probably near the village of Mudaliar to the southeast. It is not an overly long river by your northern standards, but near its delta it is very wide. You will ford it upstream of there, near Mudaliar, as I said. From that village you will travel southwest over open terrain until you reach the Segang Jungle.
"South of the Sald there will be few villages, and you will go for miles without seeing a single soul. Once you are in the Segang, you will have to rely on your guide, Bala. He knows that land better than I. I believe the terrain will become more hilly as well as you travel south. The village of Leckumgee is south of the Segang Jungle, almost 50 miles inland of the island's southern coast. I can't imagine that the cult's headquarters are in the village itself, however. From what I have been told, it is a very small thorp with wood and mut huts. I can't imagine a cult as well-financed as this once seems to be run out of easily discovered and destroyed peasant dwellings."|
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While listening to Lord Pandisar's reply to Farouq, Daxter is able to come up with a question.
"I find it odd that a Rakshasa, a Garuda, and a Naga were all involved in this cult. Normally Garudas and Nagas are mortal enemies, so perhaps you can shed some light on why they might be working together. Or perhaps you can tell us who would know about such things."
While listening to Lord Pandisar's reply to Farouq, Daxter is able to come up with a question.
"I find it odd that a Rakshasa, a Garuda, and a Naga were all involved in this cult. Normally Garudas and Nagas are mortal enemies, so perhaps you can shed some light on why they might be working together. Or perhaps you can tell us who would know about such things."
The nobleman shrugs, "Garudas are native to my ancestral homeland where they inhabit the wildest hill country. Although they are impetuous, they are generally gallant creatures who occasionally will act as protectors of small communities. I do not know why such a one would turn to evil. Perhaps this is the influence of Dhalavei at work, perhaps this one was simply a ... bad egg." Pandisar chuckles slightly to himself at the pun.
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The big Ukfen roars with laughter at the nobleman's simple pun. "Garudas are bird people... And he said... Bad egg!"
Once we are done with Pandisar Ursus will do the following in preparation for the trip:
1) Get drunk and get laid back at the Happy Ox. Not necessarily in the that order and not necessarily just once over the course of the night. A brush with death makes Ursus value the simple things in life even more.
2) Change his prepped spells. He'll take Endure Elements and Alarm until further notice.
3) Do his shopping picking up the things from the list.
4) Hunt down Daxter or Monte (He can UMD right?) and get him to charge his new ioun stone with a Shield.
5) Check on the naga and make sure she has been thoroughly neutralized as a threat.
6) Meet with their guide and and see the elephants before the departure. Ursus has a great deal of respect for the powerful animals (maybe almost a kinship) and wants to form a bond with them before the party leaves. .
3) Do his shopping picking up the things from the list.
5) Check on the naga and make sure she has been thoroughly neutralized as a threat.
6) Meet with their guide and and see the elephants before the departure. Ursus has a great deal of respect for the powerful animals (maybe almost a kinship) and wants to form a bond with them before the party leaves. .
As promised, the elephants are noble beasts from the Thakur's personal herd. They are very well cared for and will be carrying you on beautiful howdahs tomorrow. They are quite docile and quickly take a liking to the hulking Ulfen. They reveal themselves to be quite intelligent and proud animals.
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The nobleman shrugs, "Garudas are native to my ancestral homeland where they inhabit the wildest hill country. Although they are impetuous, they are generally gallant creatures who occasionally will act as protectors of small communities. I do not know why such a one would turn to evil. Perhaps this is the influence of Dhalavei at work, perhaps this one was simply a ... bad egg." Pandisar chuckles slightly to himself at the pun.While listening to Lord Pandisar's reply to Farouq, Daxter is able to come up with a question.
"I find it odd that a Rakshasa, a Garuda, and a Naga were all involved in this cult. Normally Garudas and Nagas are mortal enemies, so perhaps you can shed some light on why they might be working together. Or perhaps you can tell us who would know about such things."
Daxter tries not to groan at the horrible pun that was just forced upon his ears.
Once we are done here, Daxter will buy his scrolls and try to find a nice quiet place far away from Ursus to study and to scribe into his spellbook.
After finishing your business with Lord Pandisar, you are introduced to Lanak, the cleric of Irori. He attends to your wounds (i.e. he heals you all), after which you return to the Happy Ox to "rest up" for the night and organize your belongings for the next day. You are expected to be back at the palace to meet your guide Bala and your steeds at sunrise tomorrow morning.
After a somewhat eventful evening and night (a little too eventful for Ursus, judging by the look on his face) you meet at the palace in the pre-dawn darkness. Bala, your guide, already has the two elephants with their howdahs prepared. He orders them to kneel after which it is easy enough to climb up their backs with the small rope ladders provided. The animals obviously will take some time to get used to Adjo, but Bala convinces you that he has dealt with such things before. He reassures you that as long as the lion does not act threateningly towards them, they will eventually learn to tolerate the predator's presence.
The first day is spent traveling through the hilly countryside around Niswan, crisscrossing countless agricultural fields growing rice, corn, wheat, and sunflowers. Towards the late afternoon you reach the incredibly wide Sald River. Luckily Bala knows this country well, and he hires a large team of ferrymen to take your party across the waters. The ferrymen load the huge elephants onto their barges with practiced ease and it only takes about an hour to reach the fishing village of Mudaliar on the far side. Bala recommends that you spend the night here, as it will be last glimpse of civilization until to reach your destination on the third day.
Mudaliar is a small fishing village on the south side of the Sald and largely unremarkable.
** spoiler omitted **
Ursus hits the breakfast wine hard in an effort to drink away the worst of his hangover.
"Are we full on supplies for the trip or should we pick some things up while we're here?"
The guide Bala turns to Ursus. He replies in broken common, "I have food. You want wine? I no have."
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Bala shakes his head, "We are here by order of the Maurya-Rahm, ser. They cannot speak against us. They will not like the lion here, but they will not say anything against it for fear of offending the rulers of this land."
-We don't want wine. We need food and water. -the samurai looks at the Ulfen- We want to have a mind as clear as possible.
"Well to be fair, Ursus' mind is not that clear to begin with, but you have a point, Takuma."
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"Well to be fair, Ursus' mind is not that clear to begin with, but you have a point, Takuma."
"We all have our own talents and ways of keeping them sharp", the big Ulfen defends. "Dax has his spells and his sharp mind to wield them. Takuma's finesse with that funny blade is enhanced by his discipline and honor. I have my might and my animal... uh magnetism", the northlander says lifting up his trunk-like arms and flexing. "And both those things need spirits to be at full strength right now", he adds with a laugh.
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"Well to be fair, Ursus' mind is not that clear to begin with, but you have a point, Takuma.""We all have our own talents and ways of keeping them sharp", the big Ulfen defends. "Dax has his spells and his sharp mind to wield them. Takuma's finesse with that funny blade is enhanced by his discipline and honor. I have my might and my animal... uh magnetism", the northlander says lifting up his trunk-like arms and flexing. "And both those things need spirits to be at full strength right now", he adds with a laugh.
"Well if you believed in sleep, your "talents" may be at full strength. But alas your "habits" are coming back to bite you." Daxter says with a self righteous smirk.
The night passes without incident. The next day Bala asks for help putting the howdahs back on the elephants (they don't sleep with them on) and you head out of the small village of Mudaliar.
The next day you pass from the sparsely populated lowlands near the river into the higher elevations dominated by the jungle. Your progress slows significantly as Bala must choose the best paths to take you through the dense forest.
Eventually you hook up with a more well-worn path heading in a generally southern direction. A few hours after you break for lunch, the jungle opens into a clearing, where the thick foliage parts to display the sky above and a cool breeze renders the air less humid. A rough wooden shrine holding a wide variety of clay statuettes depicting Vudrani deities stands to one side of the clearing.
A hermit with a scraggly beard tends the shrine. He's dirty and wears worn, grimy clothing. Upon seeing the elephants emerge from the jungle, he steps forward and bows deeply. He begins a greeting in Vudrani, but when he notices your foreign complexions, he switches to very broken Taldane. "Welcome, sirs. Welcome to most holy enshrined house of worship."