Converting spells and Healing Victrix.
Much of the writing in Talasantri is engraved on stone tablets, but this technique is difficult and the results are unwieldy. Echono provides alternative writing supplies at his shop. In addition to bioluminescent ink and underwater paper, his most popular product is a fine-tipped stylus treated with an alchemical mixture. When the stylus is scraped along the inside of a seashell, it leaves bright blue lines in its wake. Echono also knows several methods for waterproofing parchment.
Attached to his shop is his private research library related to all things Azlanti. Once there, he turns to regard Ema with a keen eye. "Madame, you speak as if you were there in the times of ancient Azlant," Echono says. "Is this true? And if so, how is this possible?"
Victrix follows the others.
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"Sir, your inventions are wonderful. Underwater parchment, and ink, and this fantastic pen. As an archaeologist, I need to take copious notes and drawings. These products will make my life much easier.
I must have a good supply."
Realizing that he was interrupting a question, he apologizes and moves back. "Sorry for interrupting, it can wait until after the fallen-god-who-history-never-noticed story."
Ema was surprised at what Echono had is his shop and was more than eager to look around. She heard Simon ask a question just as Echono asked her one and then heard Simon's grumbled complaint and turned her gaze on him. "Simon?" she said sweetly, "Grow up!" She tried to stomp her foot but it failed miserably and she started to spin around in the water, "It's not my fault that I was involved in so much...OK it was partly my fault, but I never wanted to live this long, and I only saw limited things, I wasn't everywhere so there is much that you can discover that I have no clue about." She finally managed to right herself and stop spinning, "Also I was never a goddess, failed or otherwise, so please quite making up such ridiculous stories."
Ema paused in her rant and then said, "Why is it that this is such a problem for you Simon? What makes you so irate about my past now that I know it? Do you want me to forget everything again? Do you want to lose the chance to ask questions about things of someone who was there? Wouldn't that be every archaeologists or anthropologists dream to be able to ask an eye witness to events?"
Ema turned her gaze to Echono and said, "If you would please help Simon with what he wants I'll do what I can to answer your questions afterwards. I think I need to ready myself anyway, it can be very difficult remembering that my life has been a constant funereal."
Echono nods and moves to fetch the supplies Simon requests.
Victrix pinches the bridge of her nose in annoyance.
"You know, the way you two carry on, people are going to start talking."
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"My problem is that I, and all of my work, are now irrelevant. Mr. Echono will also undoubtedly be upset to learn that his life's work is also irrelevant.
As for questions, I suppose the difference between an immortal and a god would be an obvious one, but I am an achaeologist, not a theologian, so it is not my question to ask."
Breathing deeply, he calms and sighs. "I am not upset with you, Ema. I am upset with the situation. I have to change my entire life to fit in with this new world view and I don't know what else there is for me. Please go on, my angst is not important now."
Simon makes some purchases and retreats to browse the rest of the shop while listening.
Ema rolled her eyes at what she heard as Simon's sarcastic griping about the difference between immortals and gods and managed to bite back a response. Instead she turned away with a, "Hmph," and decided to ignore him as someone once told her "don't feed the troll".
Once Echono was done helping Simon with his purchases and came to her for the story Ema said, "First off, yes, I was indeed alive at the fall of Azlant. I was born some twenty-one years before the meteor came down on us. Even then we knew of the impending doom but there was too much in fighting over what to do about it. Truthfully no one thought it would actually hit us at first, so many such things have nearly happened so many times that the chances were fairly low, at least until something changed the trajectory. It was argued whether it went through just the right spot at the right time or if it was forcibly altered to impact but impact it would." Ema's eyes were lost in thought as she reached back distantly through time to her ancient memories.
"In the end there was great disagreement as to how to proceed as it was projected that all life would die off if the thing impacted the world, if not from the initial impact then the great darkness that would soon follow. That much would at least prove mostly true," her voice was haunted as she remembered all of this and continued to speak, "Most people believed that if they could blow the meteor up that would suffice to stop it but a small group, my Father among them, had learned of the true cause of the space rock's new course, that the or one of the Veiled Masters wanted to wipe out all surface life for their own reasons. They knew that if the plan to blow up the meteor with those city killer bombs went through they wouldn't arrive at their destination and the Masters would have another terrible weapon in their control and we'd still be hit. I was still little when this all happened and so I only heard about it after I came of age and joined my Father in his efforts to find a way for us to survive."
Ema's voice was sad as she recalled her now long dead father, "Ultimately the bombs never made it past the testing stage, whether through lack of time or sabotage by opponents to the plan I never heard, and likewise the Ark Project my father was in charge of never came to fruition for similar reasons. You see he had hoped to...the technical details were complicated and I never really understood the process but the gist of it is to 'freeze' as many people as they could by suspend them in time, similar to the Sepia Snake Sigil spell, and later release them when the darkness receded to build again." Had she been on the surface tears would have been in her eyes as Ema manged to finish, "In the end only one pod was completed and my father put me in it at the last moment so that I would at least survive to carry on the fight."
Ema paused as she collected herself, "I lived to see everything taken away from me, and then found it was even worse because I didn't age, I couldn't seem to die, and I have spent the millennia since the Darkness receded guiding the course of civilization to try and fight the Veiled Master's, to end them once and for all." She smiled wistfully, "I think my immortality is actually gone now, after whatever their agents did to me, so maybe, just maybe, I will finally be able to rest once they have been defeated once and for all." She looked at Echono then and said, "Any questions you'd like to ask?"
Echono blinks when Ema finishes her tale. "Um, yes! A million questions!" he exclaims, tail swishing with excitement. "But I am sure your time is valuable and there is much you need to do to continue your fight against the veiled masters. Perhaps when that is all done, you would be kind enough to return here that I might benefit from all that you have to offer?"
Ema laughed and said, "I would very much like that and I'd be happy to do that. While we don't have time for nearly that much are there a few you want to ask now?"
Echono asks several questions of Ema about what life was like during the time of ancient Azlant. After an hour or so, the merfolk's curiosity is sated, at least for the moment, and he bids the arcanist and her companions farewell, though he invites you to return as much as you would like to speak further or to consult his library.
Once you depart Echono's shop and are traversing the city streets, a woman with a long red plait of hair swims up to you. She has pale, freckled skin and her lower body is that of an octopus with emerald-green tentacles. “Heard there were some surface dwellers in town,” she says as she surveys your party. “Looks like the rumors were true. Might you be interested in some trade?
"My name's Oona. Have you heard of the Undertow? It's a specialty market here in Talasantri, for exclusive clients. We rarely get surface visitors here, but we have many wares that may be of particular interest to you. If you follow me, I can show you where to find the Undertow."
Ema enjoyed speaking with Echono for a while, it was nice to remember her home lost so long ago despite the pain, and was actually a little sad that they needed to be on their way. Still she promised she would return when she could to talk some more and left the store with her friends.
Ema heard the voice of Oona before she saw her and when she turned her gaze Ema began to look the woman over. The red hair was delightful along with the pale, freckled, skin, but when she reached the woman's waist and saw the change to tentacles Ema's eyes widened in fear. As best she could Ema moved behind Simon and Victrix and tried to keep out of sight. She knew it was irrational to be afraid of someone who approached them in such an open and friendly manner, tentacles or no, but she just couldn't help herself as the vague memories of those stalkers after capturing her tore through her mind again unexpectedly.
"Undertow, eh? Sure, I'd like to see it."
Oona leads you through a tangle of narrow streets in the Threadfin District on your way to the Undertow. As you turn down another alley, though, four burly cecaelias suddenly leap out from hiding spots! Two of them close to flank Victrix, while the other two assault Ema! They stab their blades deep into the women's sides, badly injuring them!
"Eek!" Oona shrieks, trying to find a place to hide!
Ema very much wanted to teleport herself right back to the manor when Simon said they'd go along. She didn't want anything to do with tentacled people if she could avoid it. Unfortunately Ema knew she wasn't familiar enough with the manor to go straight to it without error and she certainly didn't want to go all the way back to their town. Resigning herself to this side trip Ema went along staying close to Simon.
As they entered the alleyway Ema heard their guide scream and then felt the excruciating pain as a dagger stabbed into her back. Ema knew she couldn't take another strike like that, in fact she'd nearly be out cold if not for the spell she always cast during the day to bolster her health, and she decided she needed some distance. Ema let her body begin to sink as her eyes flashed and tore a portal at her feet to sink through and appeared fifty feet above her attacker. With several words and gestures she sent a ray of black energy at her attacker to sap his strength.
Victrix flies into a berserk rage and swings her axe at the first one flanking her!
Seeing Ema nearly brought down, Valentin rushes to her and taps her with a healing wand.
Valentin moves to heal Ema before she teleports away, firing a black ray that misses her foe. Simon swims to flank one of the thugs attacking Victrix, striking him with a spear and giving Victrix the edge to land one hit with her axe.
Two of the cecealias continue to attack Victrix, scoring deep wounds. With Ema out of reach, the other pair swims to flank Valentin to try to take out the healer, almost succeeding!
Victrix isn't down yet, but that's only because of her rage. She keeps on fighting, trying to at least kill one of them before they carve her to ribbons!
Victrix succeeds at her goal, sending the wounded cecaelia spinning away with blood leaking from his fatal wounds! Three enemies remain.
Reeling from the attacks, Valentin shifts out of the flank, attempting to get closer to Simon.
Seeing that both he and Victrix need help, he channels energy, excluding the enemies.
Ema nodded her thanks to Valentin as she vanished and then cursed when her spell missed it's mark. Unfortunately this gave her a wonderful view of the man getting nearly skewered by her attackers and she cried out in fear at the same time Simon did. Then she got pissed. Swallowing down another spell for power Ema tore open a portal right above Valentin's attackers and as the elemental came through pointed at teh one Simon just attacked and called out in aquan, "Kill that one first!"
The elemental slammed straight down onto Valentin's attacker twice as it tried it's best to turn the octopusman into jelly.
Simon strikes one of the cecealias attacking Valentin, and Ema's conjured elemental batters him as well. Faced with more immediate threats, the thugs turn to them, allowing Valentin to step away and channel healing energies.
The lone thug tries to finish off Victrix while the uninjured one slips behind Simon, providing a flanking partner for his wounded ally.
From her position above the fight Ema cast and released a spell on her allies causing time to seem to slow down for them and allowing them to react to things quicker. The elemental, also affected by her magic, lashed out a trio of times at the thug below itself that Simon was facing.
Victrix embraces Ema's magic and starts to swing her axe with increased speed.
Valentin channels again, attempting to Heal everyone, but excluding the attackers.
Simon lands a telling blow on the cecaelia that moves to flank him, then teams up with the water elemental to take down his original target. Victrix lands one hit on her foe.
With half of their number down, the remaining two cecaelias cut their losses. They withdraw from battle, jetting away at high speeds!
Once they are gone, Oona cautiously emerges from her hiding spot. ”Whew! That was so scary! Are you all okay?"
Ema was relieved to see the octopeople shoot away and half thought about sending her elemental after them. Given it's increased speed it just might be able to catch them. Worried about another attack though she burbbled to it to stay near and the elemental ended up floating over their guide menacingly after it drew her back down to the others. Ema stayed close behind Simon and Victrix and tried to act brave when the truth was she was scared shitless and hurting from the stab wound.
Victrix growls in pain and glares at Oona. "Did you know this was going to happen?"
”What? No! Of course not!” Oona insists.
Oona holds up her hands. ”We thought you were ordinary travelers. Didn’t expect... well, didn’t expect this. No hard feelings, right? We’re just trying to make a living. How ‘bout I take you to the real market, no tricks? You can meet the boss. She’ll want to hear about this.”
Victrix levels a glare at Oona. "You really ought to find a safer line of work."
"Let's go. But if you're stupid enough to try that trick twice, you won't live long enough to regret it."
Oona nods and leads you over a couple of blocks. A hole in the floor of a seemingly abandoned building leads down into a vast underwater cavern. Figureheads from countless ships have been mounted on the walls: hissing serpents, reaching skeletons, rearing horses, and weeping maidens loom over the market. Between the figureheads, glowing crystal formations emit a dim violet light.
On the floor of the cavern, market stalls have been fashioned from stone, shell, and salvaged materials. Vendors store their merchandise in crates fastened to the craggy floor, with one or two showpieces nailed or tied to their stalls for display.
Oona leads you into a chamber built of barnacle-encrusted timbers and bits of broken stone statues. Floating within is another cecaelia. She has golden-tan skin covered in deep indigo tattoos, and she wears a headdress of flowing spikes. Her tentacles writhe lazily, glistening in shades of orange and red. “Welcome to the Undertow,” she says. “I’m Jurix. I run the show here. I heard of your appearance in the city and I was intrigued. Tell me a little about what brings you here?”
"Yeah, a couple of twats tried to mug us and shank us up. Didn't work out so well for them."
”I apologize for any inconveniences that might have caused. I simply needed to evaluate your prowess. I’m looking for someone to do a little job for me. It’s not dangerous—it’s not even illegal.” Jurix smiles unpleasantly. “I simply need someone put in their place, and you’re in the perfect position for it. I’d reward you for your time, of course. Say, 2,000 gp for each of you, plus a single enchanted item worth 12,000 gp or less. Interested?”
"Veiled masters, is it?" Jurix says, tapping her chin. "I am a well-connected individual in this city. I would be happy to put my tendrils out and gather any information there is to learn to aid your search as part of my reward for performing my job."
Jurix smiles. "I've heard you've ingratiated yourselves with one of the more influential citizens of Talasantri, the mermaid Anemora. You may or may not know that she has a long-simmering rivalry with an aquatic elf artist named Koramallis. This rivalry extends to their children as well, Drecissa and Argnos.
"The task I have in mind for you is simple. I want you to humiliate either Anemora or Koramallis and frame the other. This will light a fuse that has been growing for some time and cause all-out war between the two houses."
Ema did her best not to shut down with all of the tentacles around her but she was mot having much success in her efforts. She could seem to focus on nothing but the undulating horrors and barely managed to catch what they wanted them to do.. It was a serious betrayal and would be causing the exact kinds of things that the Veiled Masters did, dividing their victims with infighting to weaken them against the grand plot.
Ema's head shook and said, "No, I won't be a part of that. It is the exact opposite of what we should be doing to combat them, The Veiled Masters thrive on dividing people so they can't unite against them. Doing as you request would play right into their hands...er..." Ema shuddered, "what ever they have anyway." Ema looked to the others and said, "I won't be a part of this, let's go."
Jurix narrows her eyes at you and nods. “All right, then. Seems we’ve nothing more to discuss. On your way, and hope we don’t meet again.”