HP 17/17; 5 nonlethal
AC 15, touch 12, flat-footed 13, CMD 13
Fort +4, Ref +2, Will +3
Inspiration (Knowledge/Linguistics/Spellcraft checks): 0/3
Mental Focus: 7; Abjuration [0/1]; Divination [2/2]; Enchantment [4/4]
Resonant powers (+1 Perception; +2 Charisma checks)
Spells/day: 1st [][][]
Effects:
"Careful, Bernal!" Katria calls out as she reloads and fires again, the bolt this time slamming into the creature's head.
Katria can't help but think that probably hurt a little more, even though her brain tells her it probably doesn't matter with something like this.
Maya nods gratefully to Elif, then says, "Kill it, destroy it, disable it, whatever you want to call it. Point is: Put. It. Down."
She swings at the thing once more.
Bernal misses a step when trying to dodge the griffon's attack and takes a severe beating. Feet trembling, he calmly yet urgently asks for healing while he keeps the griffon at bay.
,
All of your attacks land true, and the taxidermied griffon falls in pieces to the floor, sawdust spilling out around it. In the aftermath of the fight, Elif uses the last of her magic to heal Bernal's injuries.
Maya shakes her fist at the pieces of griffon on the floor. Alive, animated, whatever, it could have proven deadly to a smaller group.
The halfling looks over at Bernal's wounds. The swashbuckler fared worse than Maya had in the battle. Even with Elif's healing, he could use more.
Maya says to Bernal, "You might want to talk to our Abadaran friend about a bit more healing, Bernal. You looked like you were about to keel over. This place has already proven to be quite dangerous. Probably best to heal up a bit more before we proceed further."
To Malphene, Maya says, "Once again you see a demonstration of why we need to work together. This isn't the time to get separated or get up in arms over little differences of opinion."
"I concur," Malphene says with a nod. "I must say, I've not often worked in a tight-knit team like this before. It's...nice, not to be alone." The noblewoman seems to be softening up a bit as she works alongside you.
Katria nods in agreement.
"It's easy to get lost in one's self, but it's more rewarding to work alongside others," she agrees as she begins to look around the room.
Aside from the taxidermied animals, there doesn't seem to be anything else in this room. As you are searching, though, the western door opens and you can see a tall man dressed in well-made clothes.
The doors were open and as you began to explore, you realized others had come this way recently. You followed the sounds of combat and have just opened a door onto a room full of taxidermied animals, as well as several fellow survivors...
Katria looks up in surprise.
"Hello," she says tentatively, aware that this could be some other threat.
"Oh! Hello there."
He nods to Jowuan. "Banker."
And to Malphene. "Lady Trant."
He is formal but cordial to both women. Then looking at the others, armed and armored as they are, he seems a bit more on his guard.
"My name is Liam. I was at the gala. I found myself down here, and followed the sounds to find you all."
Liam bears a morningstar; if it was peacebound, it no longer is. However, it remains at his waist.
He asks in a flat tone, "Do you serve Emperor Stavian?"
Maya nods at Malphene's reply. The halfling may never actually like Malphene, but perhaps she could grow to tolerate her.
The bard grips her sword more tightly when the new man arrives.
Talkative fellow, Maya thinks to herself.
Liam's last statement is the only one that particularly interests Maya. He is already far too formal for the halfling's tastes.
Seeing as how their little group greatly outnumbers the man if he proves to be a threat, Maya replies, "Aroden will come back to life before I serve that madman. Don't tell me you do."
Liam suddenly relaxes, greatly relieved, though he also looks saddened.
"That is not fated to happen, I think." He places a fist over his heart and bows his head for a second, in a brief gesture of lamentation that is familiar in Taldor when anyone mentions the passing of the Last Azlanti.
"I was all set to run. I was at the gala as a guest of Lady Martella Lotheed, and I support Princess Eutropia."
"You may think I'm lying. So look here." He eyes Malphene warily, resigns himself to this course of action, and draws forth a wooden holy symbol from within his jacket. It is clearly a rose, and looking more closely you can see the cobblestones beneath it. "Hope and freedom." He puts it away. "Not the hope of Aroden's return, I think we must make our own way, but hope for a better future. Do you wish me to call a blessing in the name of the Everbloom, to prove myself?"
Even if this Liam is lying, Maya's surprised he so blatantly claims allegiance to Lady Lotheed and Princess Eutropia. Maya still isn't entirely certain whether or not she supports the Princess. Seeing as how the apple doesn't fall far from the tree and all that.
At Liam's mention of a blessing from 'the Everbloom' Maya asks,"Everbloom? Is that some type of plant?"
"Milani. Patron of all those who fight against oppression and unjust rule. Which is a situation we find ourselves in, to a greater extent than I thought this morning."
He pauses, then adds, "Lady Lotheed told me she had invited other 'guests' to the gala. Are you them?"
Maya just accepts Liam's explanation of this 'Everbloom' Milani. So many human deities and so few people to worship them, it seems. Or at least this one since Maya's never heard of Milani before.
It's Liam's second statement which Maya responds to. "You might could say that. I do find your claim curious, though. You say you were invited to the gala by Lady Lotheed, but I never met you once. You were also present in exactly zero of our meetings with Lady Lotheed. She must have had you doing something particularly special to fail to introduce us at all. Care to elaborate?"
"Listening to people at the gala, mostly, and trying to discern who was lying and why. She also had me and a few of my contacts from Andoran prepare for various contingencies. A lot of that part didn't make sense at the time but she told me it would eventually."
"Often caution is the wise course. But sometimes you have to trust in Hope and take a chance. I think this is one of those times. If you don't want me to accompany you, I'll try to find my own way out of here. But I think either Lady Lotheed or Fate meant for us to work together."
Katria nods in recognition of Liam's holy symbol.
"No," she interjects. "We've already had a number of obstacles here -- more than you would expect in such a place, in fact -- so we should stick together, where that's because of Lady Martella or fate or mere circumstance and coincidence."
She turns to Maya.
"It really is irrelevant," she points out. "We're all here now and presumably all want to leave. Plus, I believe I myself was unknown to you and the others (and vice-versa) until we finally met in the Senate."
"As my friend here has mentioned, we have encountered numerous obstacles down here, especially of the "trying to kill us for no apparent reason" type", Bernal adds. "I think we'll have you stick with us, though remember..."
Bernal draws his falcata and swings it with a flourish.
"We are fairly capable, so don't go trying to stab us in the back."
At Katria's comment, Maya realizes that she has perhaps been a bit too trusting of all these people. Still, now isn't the time to question everyone's motives and distance herself from them. They need each other if they're going to get out alive. Maya can worry about discerning their motives and true allegiances when they get out of this place.
Sighing, Maya says, "Yes, Katria, it's irrelevant. For now, at least. Let's at least try to hold off on the backstabbing till we get out of this place."
Once the conversation winds down, Maya moves to investigate the passage to the east.
The hall turns south and ends at a door. Maya doesn't find any traps on it.
Thick wooden bookshelves jut out from the eastern and western walls. Bundles of paper, scroll tubes, and thick tomes cram these shelves nearly to bursting. Layers of dust coat some areas of the chamber, but others remain suspiciously clean. Books and papers crowd one of the worktables in the corners, smeared with ink. Two doors exit to the south.
Several magic auras emanate from a fine brass scroll tube on one of the shelves.
"I'd prefer we hold off on it even after that," Katria adds pedantically, with a smile to show it's her version of humor.
Her eyes grow wide as she sees all the books and a smile creeps across her face.
This place has given her enough sense of caution that she looks around, hoping her recently cast spell helps her, before entering. If she sees no threats, she moves toward the scroll tube.
Katria doesn't spot anything dangerous in this room. Opening the scroll tube reveals a scroll with the following spells: dispel magic, invisibility, mirror image, and mount.
Maya peers at the scrolls next to Katria.
Silly of the humans who set this place up to leave all these valuables just lying around. Well, their loss is our gain, I suppose.
Noting the dispel magic scroll in particular, Maya says, "I wonder if we could use that to get rid of the enchantment we noticed on the door back down the hall? Even if we get both keys, I doubt using them will make it go away, so might be worth a shot."
Liam watches quietly. He has little in the way of magical training. He checks the floors and walls near the "suspiciously clean" area for trapdoors or secret doors or anything else of note.
Liam doesn't find anything hidden in this room. The shelves mostly store senate minutes, census reports, and textbooks. Donations from various aristocrats likewise ended up stored here—mostly self-aggrandizing journals, genealogies, and autobiographies. The books scattered across the table are mathematics and geometry texts.
"Perhaps, if we need to," Katria murmurs, distractedly.
"Hmm. An autobiography of Eros Glednower. He was a romantic, middling nobleman, but also wizard centuries ago who became obsessed with immortality," she observes. "How strange, when the rest seem to be math and geometry texts..."
"Hmm," Maya muses, "I wonder if the math and geometry texts in here have anything to do with the drawings we've found in other rooms? Could this Eros and that Dagio the fey mentioned be connected somehow?"
"That could be," Katria agrees absentmindedly.
She seems quite happy to spend time here, perusing more of the books.
"You met a fey? I don't know much about them, other than that they serve as an object lesson in making promises you can't keep. At least in the tales I always heard. What did the fey want?"
Liam is looking over the ink-smeared pages on the corners of the worktable, trying to discern if anything was intentionally obliterated.
"None of us knew much about it either. The fey wanted gold, which we gave it in exchange for a key which will hopefully help us get out of this place. The Dagio fellow that the fey mentioned supposedly has the other key we need."
Maya glances over Katria, noticing her enthusiasm for the books. "We should probably check out the next room. We can come back later if we want to."
The halfling walks over to western door and, after an inspection, opens it.
"Oh, yes, you're right, of course," Katria agrees, slowly tearing her eyes away from the precious books.
"Math and geometry texts, you say", Bernal wonders. "Say, Katria, do you have an estimate as to how advanced these texts are? Could they possibly be revolutionary should they see the light of day?"
The duelist picks up one of the volumes and pages through it, mostly to look at how intimidating the diagrams and illustrations are. Saulto must've known all this, he thinks sadly.
The ink smears seem to decorate the pages at random. It doesn't look like they were trying to obscure anything deliberately.
The textbooks all seem to be mundane and several centuries old. Nothing revolutionary here--math hasn't changed much over the years.
Both doors in this room lead into the next chamber. Towering rows of bookshelves fill the center of this chamber, separated only by a low shelf and countertop running the room's length. A door exits to the south.
As you are looking into the room, you receive another message from Martella Lotheed. "Stavian's forces retreating, military is divided. Maxillar Pythareus seen moving with impunity through Stavian's assassins."
Katria frowns.
"He was in on it," she says sadly. "So much for being a hero. His hands are as stained as Stavian's."
Flooded with disappointment despite herself, she looks around the room before letting Bernald and Doritan precede her in.
"It looks clear to me," she says.
After Martella's message and Katria's comment, Maya says, "Either that or he had a deal with Stavian. Sounds like something a noble would do. Either way, it's always encouraging to know we have one less ally for when we get out of this place."
Letting her words hang in the air, Maya inspects the new room as well.
As Maya inspects the room, she notices four of the books on the nearby shelf start to move. Insectile legs unfold from beneath them, sharp teeth ring the tomes' edges, and ribbon bookmarks protrude from their open pages like lashing tongues. The strange book creatures rush toward the bard excitedly!
A gishvit finds pleasure in being a repository of information. It can immediately transcribe information dictated to it and material it overhears. Alternately, a gishvit can spend an hour with a willing subject, wherein it collects memories and experiences from the subject. This transcription process is not dangerous to either the gishvit or the target.
Katria's jaw drops as the creatures rush forward and she wracks her brain trying to figure out what on Golarion they are. But ... maybe they're not of Golarion at all?
"Why does almost everything in this place want to kill us?" Maya asks in frustration as the book creatures approach.
And why do these have to be rushing toward me, was the unspoken part of Maya's thoughts.
On a whim, Maya shouts toward the book creatures, "No need for knowledge today, thank you! I'm sure we can come back to partake later!"
The creatures stop a few feet away from the halfling. They seem to be a bit put off by her words. One of them extrudes its silk bookmark and extends it towards Maya, almost as if it wants to caress her with it...
I swear if I lose a hand to this thing... Maya thinks as she finds herself extending her arm toward the creature.
It hadn't immediately attacked, so perhaps there is some small hope of resolving the situation without combat.
"Uh," Maya says to the book creature as she extends her hand, "Aw, what a nice bookmark you have there. It's very colorful. Very nice."
What am I doing? Maya wonders, hoping she hasn't made a terrible mistake.
"It seems like they want you to read them, Maya."
Liam is surprised by this, but figures it probably has something to do with the fey. Best to avoid giving offense if possible.
Katria waits, surprised that the things haven't yet attacked but more than happy to wait and see what happens.
The creature's bookmark wraps gently around Maya's hand. Images begin to flash in the halfling's mind--her own memories and experiences are being accessed. As you watch, words start to slowly appear inside the creature's open book-mouth.
The other three creatures scramble up to the rest of you, bookmarks lashing excitedly. They skitter back and forth and seem to be waiting for you to follow Maya's example.
Maya doesn't like what's happening to her, mind-reading or whatever one calls what the creature is doing to her. Still, it's better than the thing trying to eat her. It doesn't seem like it's actually trying to eat her...
Seeing the other book creatures scrambling up to her companions, Maya says, "The book creature is, uh, reading and recording my memories, I think? It's really quite gentle about it. Beats being attacked, I suppose. Probably best to let them do the same to you, unless you're looking for a fight. And I would very much appreciate it if you don't look for a fight, at least not while this thing has its bookmark wrapped around my hand."
"Fighting is generally a last resort for me, Maya. I am much happier to share my knowledge." In saying this, Liam sounds genuine and earnest. Not naive, but also not cynical.
He moves up and reaches a hand out towards a book.
Bernal approaches one of the book creatures warily, throwing a glance at the halfling.
"Are you sure this is a good idea, Maya? Aren't you afraid it might share some classified information with less sympathetic fellows?"
"Perhaps they will agree to come with us. That way, we know our information remains in our hands. Book, will you come with me?"
The book creature lets out a little snarl and shakes its body back and forth, as if to say "no." Its bookmark gently wraps around Liam's hand and begins to transcribe his memories and experiences into its body.
Katria shrugs and holds out her hand.