The mind's eye lets Katria scout out the area...
K2. This wide courtyard is open to the sky. To the east and west, the balconied upper stories of the caravanserai look down upon the courtyard. A large and seemingly irate elephant is corralled here, stomping about.
K3. The area of the courtyard north of the hanging sheet of canvas has been converted into a cramped, makeshift stable. Eight horses are tied up here amid piles of straw and buckets of feed and water. Each is branded with the symbol of the Taldan Horse, indicating that they are military horses.
K4. A wooden porch 6 feet wide runs around three sides of Tallgrasses, broken off in the middle by the entry into the courtyard. A stout wooden fence about 3 feet high provides cover from attacks originating outside the porch. The porch is covered and therefore protected from inclement weather. This cover is supported by thick posts 15 feet apart, with graceful archways of dun-colored wood between them. Fifteen light, nimble horses wearing Qadiran-style saddles and harnesses are tied to the porch.
K5. Several bunk beds are crowded into this room, with little space between them. Each bed is neatly made, with a pair of footlockers tucked underneath the bottom bunk. Three soldiers are resting here.
K6. This room is similar to the southern barracks. Three more soldiers are here, seemingly nursing hangovers.
K7. A large, dark table occupies the center of this opulent dining room. Gilded fixtures on the walls dance with light, illuminating a ceiling mural of the Yanmass skyline. Thick, carved wooden doors stand in the east and south walls, while the north wall contains a much simpler wooden door. Three officers are taking a meal here.
K8. This tidy, functional kitchen contains an oven, several tables, and a pair of sinks. Shanks of dried meat and bunches of leafy herbs hang from hooks in the ceiling. Plain wooden doors lead out to the west, east, and south. Four halfling servants are here preparing food.
K9. This long dining chamber rises to a dome high above. The tables and chairs are clean and arranged neatly.
K10. This area contains feed, tack, water,, and other items necessary for the care of the animals housed in the courtyard. Two halflings are currently napping here.
K11. Barrels of arrows, racks of armor, and shelves of weapons line the walls of this room, and a large trunk sits at one end. Severed bowstrings and broken arrows litter the floor. The room has only a single exit in the west wall. Two curious creatures apparently made of grass and flowers are poking around in here, cutting bow strings and snapping arrows.
K12. Several bunk beds stand against the walls of this room, each neatly made with a footlocker underneath. The room’s only door leads out to the west. Against the east wall, a bulging leather pouch lies atop a footlocker with a few gold coins spilling out the top.
K13. This large room is furnished with padded mats and improvised training dummies that leak straw stuffing from several cuts. A rack containing padded Qadiran weapons stands in an alcove on the north side of the room. Doors at the south end of the room lead out to the west and east.
K14. The floor of this private bedroom is covered in mud and dried stalks of grass. A single unmade bed is pushed into an alcove in the northeast corner of the east wall. A table strewn with several maps and a couple of chairs piled with dirty clothes occupy the southwestern corner, opposite a larger door on the north wall. A small door sits in the southeast corner. A lean, powerfully built man who must be Jondus Staubel is here, apparently chastising one of the strange grass creatures.
K15. Several overstuffed chairs and small tables have been pushed up against the eastern wall of this room, leaving a wide space covered with a thin layer of soil and weeds. A double door opens to a balcony to the west. Two chandeliers dangle from the ceiling, broken.
K16. The north wall of this once-opulent office contains a massive bookshelf filled with carefully folded maps, ledgers, and scroll tubes. A large desk fills the southern half of this room, with a chair of battered but neatly repaired leather. The only item that seems out of place in the office is a pallet of straw and grass in an alcove to the south. An ornate wooden door stands in the east wall and a simple wooden door stands in the west wall opposite it. A stern, tall woman who must me Commander Jaliessa Staubel is here, along with two officers and her ram animal companion, Anua.
K17. Much of the eastern wall of this large room is gone, with only a low railing to prevent anyone from falling into the courtyard below. The west side of the room contains bedding made of dead grass and torn tablecloths. A desert drake rests here, napping fitfully.
Katria explains what she sees, laying out what she thinks their options are:
* Unfortunately, Gallindra isn't here, which means we'll probably need to sneak past the elephant, or try to calm it. I didn't see any other alarms, but if it makes a lot of noise, that would probably do it. I have one potion that will let one of us hide from animals, so it wouldn't be able to see us, plus two scrolls of invisibility.
* We could try to befriend the plants or fey or whatever they are, though if Jondus is dealing with them, they might not be allies. But they are destructive, so maybe they could be?
* It looks like six of the soldiers might be pretty easy to deal with, if we catch them unawares. If we're not careful they could alert the others, though.
* We could try to sneak upstairs to deal with Jondus quickly, while he's mostly on his own.
* We could instead try to sneak up and deal with Jaliessa quickly, though she has some support up there. We could sneak up the stairs or maybe go directly into the drake's den, which would let us not have to worry about the elephant. I can fly, and I have one scroll of fly, though right now that's it.
"Fortunately, it looks like maybe they aren't aware we caught Fathrie," she says.
"I don't think we have to go through the courtyard where the elephant is. We should be able to climb over the porch railing . We could go over in the northeast corner of the porch, then up the stairs to where Jaliessa is."
"I can also use the Standard of Conquest to teleport myself and up to five others, so we can all appear wherever we wish."
She thought for a moment, "Perhaps we just go up to the leader and end this in one swift blow. They may stand down like the others we've faced." Wrinkling her nose, she adjusts her hood, "I'm not too great with animals mind-you; but if we really want a distraction all we need to do is let them all loose."
"I can assist in making us all invisible if we want to deal with Jaliessa directly, though most of my strongest magic will be expended if I do so. I would rather we have to deal with as few of these people as possible. A few may be diehard loyal, but I suspect most will surrender or flee if they know their commander is dead or incapacitated. If we can avoid the halflings or those plant creatures being collateral damage, I would think that would be ideal."
Katria recognizes the strange plantlike creatures as grasslings. Grasslings are sneaky, inquisitive fey creatures that populate wild grasslands. Resembling a crude, four-armed doll made of long blades of green grass, a grassling’s body contains virtually no flesh or muscle- just fresh, tough grass. Despite their fibrous construction, grasslings are made up of magic and whimsy as much as they are of vegetation; they are fey creatures, not plants. Grasslings are capricious and delight in playing pranks-which range from harmless to mean spirited-upon larger creatures.
Turning invisible, you sneak along the porch of the caravanserai and head upstairs, directly to the lounge where Jaliessa is meeting with the officers. When you are ready, you kick the door open, catching them by surprise!
Liam will use a move action in the surprise round to begin INSPIRE COURAGE +2.
"For Taldor and Princess Eutropia!"
HP 75/66 (inc. +9 from transmutation focus)
AC 24, touch 17, flat-footed 20, CMD 21
Fort +11, Ref +8, Will +10
Speed: 30 feet
Inspiration (Knowledge/Linguistics/Spellcraft checks): 0/5
Mental Focus: 16; Abjuration [4/4]; Divination [3/4]; Enchantment [3/4]; Transmutation [4/4]
Resonant powers (+1 saves; +2 Perception, low-light vision; +2 Charisma
checks; +2 Con)
Spells/day: 1st [][][][][]; 2nd [][][][][]; 3rd [][][][]
Wands: Scorching ray 0/20; lightning bolt 0/20; magic missile (CL 5) 0/47; magic missile (CL 5) 3/35
Effects: resist energy 30, barkskin (+2 AC), inspired (+2)
Katria flings her poltergeist knot , and then pulls her rapier.
This hopelessly knotted ball of golden twine defies any efforts to untangle it, forming new snarls out of nowhere just when it appears to be nearly unraveled.
On command, the twine unrolls and snakes out through the air toward a target within 50 feet. Unless the target succeeds at a DC 13 Reflex save to avoid the poltergeist knot, at the twine’s touch, the bindings of any containers the target is carrying (packs, pouches, sheaths, quivers, and so on) come undone and all their contents are swept up in a whirlwind, performing a madcap dance around the target’s head.
Anyone can grab an item as it spins by succeeding at a steal combat maneuver (Pathfinder RPG Advanced Player’s Guide 322) against a CMD of 12. In addition, the spinning objects obstruct the target’s sight; other creatures gain concealment against attacks made by the target. The equipment moves with the victim, whirling around her head for 3 rounds before falling to the ground.
A poltergeist knot affects laces and buckles only on exterior containers—bottles in a pouch or a bag of caltrops in a backpack, for example, are swept into the whirlwind but don’t spill their contents. The poltergeist knot works on inanimate objects, but can’t open locks. A creature who isn’t carrying a significant amount of gear may be immune to the poltergeist knot’s effect, at the GM’s discretion.
Once used, the knot loses its magic and becomes 50 feet of tangle, mundane twine.
Amelia prepares for battle and takes the engagement into a fast melee hoping to take out Jaliessa.
"I'll give you a chance to surrender now!"
"Surrender, friends! There is no need for this to end in bloodshed." Seth voices, as he strides into the room confidently, then (assuming they don't surrender), erupts into a storm of steel, his blade glowing with a blue light that felt incredibly unsettling to look at and his movements leaving momentary mirages in their wake.
He targets Jaliessa first, but if she surrenders, falls unconscious, or is otherwise incapacitated, switches to the lieutenants.
Maya tries to make the most of the surprise they have by overwhelming all of their foes in the room. Perhaps this could be a quick fight.
Liam raises his voice in an inspiring chant as Maya casts glitterdust, blinding Jaliessa and one of the officers. Seth rushes in and scores a critical hit, slicing deep into Jaliessa's chest and blasting her with negative energy. Amelia moves up alongside the elf and strikes Jaliessa as well. Despite her blindness and injuries, the commander manages to avoid Katria's poltergeist knot.
Seth slices Jaliessa two more times, but she finally gets her sword up in time to parry his final blow. Though terribly wounded, the commander staggers back and shouts out the words to a spell. A column of roaring flame comes down on Amelia and Seth. "Anua, attack!" she commands, and the ram that had been resting in the corner of the room lowers its horns and charges in to attack Seth! The elf easily sidesteps the charge.
The officers draw their scimitars and challenge Amelia, moving to attack her. She parries the first strike against her, and the other officer misses due to his blindness.
Jaliessa recovers from the glitterdust, but the other officer remains blinded.
HP 75/66 (inc. +9 from transmutation focus)
AC 24, touch 17, flat-footed 20, CMD 21
Fort +11, Ref +8, Will +10
Speed: 30 feet
Inspiration (Knowledge/Linguistics/Spellcraft checks): 0/5
Mental Focus: 16; Abjuration [4/4]; Divination [3/4]; Enchantment [3/4]; Transmutation [4/4]
Resonant powers (+1 saves; +2 Perception, low-light vision; +2 Charisma
checks; +2 Con)
Spells/day: 1st [][][][][]; 2nd [][][][][]; 3rd [][][][]
Wands: Scorching ray 0/20; lightning bolt 0/20; magic missile (CL 5) 0/47; magic missile (CL 5) 3/35
Effects: resist energy 30, barkskin (+2 AC), inspired (+2)
Katria quickly intones the command word for the wand, blasting fire toward Jaliessa.
She barely catches sight of the pillar of flame in the melee until she sees one of the soldiers wince at the final second. Pulling her cloak quickly over herself, she creates enough of a bubble of air to insulate her from the magic.
Dropping the cloak she immediately uses the blade and channels some magic, parrying the blow coming for her.
Unscathed, the dandy shifts her position to keep the spellcaster from getting away.
"I see your fighting style is by the book, there is no place to flee."
Even with heavy blows raining down, she manages to pull her weapon skillfully enough to ensure the blade doesn't cut deeply. She trained with this fighting style her whole life and reveled in knowing it better than them.
Maya's eyes bulge slightly at the massive fire Jaliessa conjures. The woman obviously had to have been powerful to command such loyalty, but to see it firsthand was another thing entirely.
The bard uses one of her latest performances to try to keep their enemies off balance. Maya doubts even Jaliessa can resist the tale of valor the bard weaves.
Then, deciding Jaliessa is by far the most dangerous threat in the room, Maya casts another spell at her.
Liam watches the carnage, maintains Inspire Courage, and uses Total Defense.
"Surrender and be spared," he says to the officers. "You cannot win."
Seth carves up the ram, stepping to be shoulder to shoulder with Amelia if it falls, switching targets to whoever seems the most fervent about still fighting back.
Amelia bashes Jaliessa with the hilt of her pick, knocking the tough woman out! Seth turns his wrath on the ram, slicing and dicing until the stout animal collapses as well. Faced with overwhelming odds and with their commander defeated, the two traitorous officers here quickly drop their blades in surrender, heeding Liam's advice!
With the enemies defeated, you can examine the records kept in this room. Most of the books here are plodding military histories; a thick religious treatise is out of place. This treatise is hollow and contains a pouch with 150 pp.
There is also correspondence to the traitors signed by someone called the "Gray Kingmaker." Although these notes don’t indicate who the Gray Kingmaker is, when connected with the notes you discovered earlier in the pairakas' chambers, they prove that Earl Merkondus is behind both schemes!
Katria is disappointed that the treatise turns out to be fake, face falling. At least she has some fascinating military histories she can look through at some point
"Well," she says happily as she finishes going through the notes. "that should help clear things up. We'll need to be careful getting this information back to the council, but I'm sure they'll see things our way after that.
"But what do we do about the rest of the soldiers here?"
She turns to the two captives.
"Will the others surrender and return to the city with us? We don't want to have to hurt people, but we can't leave 'bandits' here."
Katria has long believed even a book that some might describe as plodding has useful information in it; it simply needs to be rewritten by someone who understands who to better present such information.
The bandits look to their unconscious commander. "If Commander Staubel orders the others to surrender, they will comply. But I don't think you'll have an easy time convincing her."
Liam turns to his companions.
"Perhaps we can use some subterfuge to impersonate her? A Disguise Self spell in conjunction with some persuasive words?"
Amelia cleans the weapon off. "I suppose magic would make the job much easier, the best I can do is imitate her clothing sadly... Though I do have the structure and height for her."
"I appreciate you laying down your arms, though how many do we have here? We made quite a stir and I expect your friends coming up at some point."
Maya shrugs as Amelia indicates the best she can do. The bard says, "Why try to impersonate her, when we can just make a copy of her? Or an image of her at least."
Liam looks Jaliessa up and down, comparing her height to his own. He looks at her armor, to judge if it would fit him. He recalls her voice and thinks how he might mimic it. Liam reaches into his pack for his disguise kit.
No, it's too risky. I'm not practiced enough to pull that off. If there is even one trained scout among the troops, I am spotted unless I keep a great distance.
"Yes Maya, that sounds like a good plan."
Katria nods.
"But that probably won't fool her drake," she points out. "And the rest of us may need a reason to be there too. They'll likely know we're not guards, but we could be emissaries from Yanmass, and Merkondus."
"Katria, are Drakes smart enough to understand spoken language? I do speak Draconic, and could give it a Suggestion to follow some reasonable course of action. Maybe to go find Fathrie and her Drake."
"Yes, they should be," Katria affirms. "Especially if it was working with Jaliessa, they would have needed to communicate. But it might be less willing to listen, or obey, if they had a close bond."
"That's where the reasonable wording comes in. We make clear that Jaliessa is defeated and Suggest that the Drake's only chance to stop us and save her is to find Fathrie and her Drake.
Of course, that would still leave us with a Drake problem after an hour or so, however long it takes the Drake to find its slain fellow. So if we want to deal with the Drake more permanently now, I can agree to that."
"Magic? Is there nothing it cannot do!?" She grins at the halfling, "An illusion could work. It would save us from being put in danger as well." She thinks on the drake problem, "It is a non-issue. We deal with this immediately and when it finds us again we will have Jaliessa in our hold, its only a simple matter then."
Liam casts Resist Energy (Electricity) and Shield on himself, opens the door to the Drake's lair, and gives up Dismissal to cast Suggestion, Will DC 19.
As Liam opens the door, he and Seth get the drop on the drake!
The draconic creature succumbs to the half-elf's suggestion, letting out a shriek of anger before leaping out of the opening in the wall and surging out over the plains, leaving Tallgrasses behind!
Liam smiles at his plan succeeding.
"Well, then. That should buy us some time. On to Maya's plan?"
Katria exhales, happy that the plan managed to work. Many dragons are resistant to magic, and she thought they were going to have to fight, but this was far better.
She nods at Liam's question, agreeing that they should be able to use that plan to hopefully persuade the other soldiers to surrender without violence.
Amelia smiles, she loved when a plan just fell into place.
"I suppose so, let's see what we can do to stymie this bloodshed in advance." Going over to Maya she grins, "If you want to practice your voice work in advance I'd love to give you a rapt crowd."
Maya nods in acknowledgment of Liam's magical prowess. She's glad he's on their side.
The bard grins back at Amelia's offer and says, "Probably wouldn't hurt to practice a bit to get the tone of a disgraced former military officer just right. Commanding, cocky, and slightly overbearing. But also demanding of respect. We heard her speak, so the voice shouldn't be an issue."
When the time comes, Maya casts her spell, concentrating on maintaining the guise of Jaliessa. If she could keep the performance up, perhaps they could walk out of this place without further violence.
Disguised as Jaliessa Staubel, Maya leads the way into each of the remaining rooms of the caravanserai. The bard's imitation is on point, and the majority of the traitorous soldiers surrender when ordered to, turning over their weapons and submitting themselves to your custody.
It goes rather well until you reach her brother, Jondus Staubel. His expression turns to one of rage as soon as he sees the rest of you standing behind his "sister." "What did you do to Fathrie? I cannot sense her through our linked bangles. If you have killed her, so help me, I will end you right here and now!" he bellows.
"Your sister Jaliessa and your wife Fathrie both still live. Both will face trial for treason. They may well be executed, unless they can give the people of Yanmass a very good reason for leniency.
I will advocate mercy for the rank-and-file, but the treasonous commander and the senior officers? That is a more difficult argument to make."
I still hope to make it, but I fear it will be harder.
Liam thinks a minute.
"You could take the blame to spare your wife. Publicly insist that you chose to side with Jaliessa, and Fathrie resisted, only complying out of loyalty to you. Such an argument might lead to Fathrie receiving a lesser sentence.
You are in a very bad situation here. You can face trial, in hopes of saving Fathrie, or you can choose to fight to the death."
Amelia winces, The damn bangle. Katria warned us about it and we just forgot.
"Generally, if there was someone above you who was orchestrating the whole thing, you, your wife, and your commander would also tend to fall into rank and file." She offers the idea innocently, knowing full well what she was hoping to get out of him.
Jondus seems ready to fight anyway, but the mention of taking the blame and sparing his wife the harsher punishment seems to take the wind of his sails. "Fine," he says, dropping his hammer. "I'll do it for Fathrie. This scheme was all Jaliessa's brainchild. She's the only one who can tell you if she's answering to somebody else. Well, sis? What do you have to say for yourself?"
Liam picks up the man's hammer.
"This is not your sister - merely an illusion. Jaliessa lives, but is unconscious in her quarters. Let us go question her.
She seemed intent on fighting to the death. My comrades denied her that honor. But she may in life be able to help both you and Fathrie - and maybe herself if she will testify against this Gray Kingmaker.
I suspect this Gray Kingmaker sought to disrupt commerce in order to favor the side of Maxillar Pythareus in the civil war. If I can persuade the people of Yanmass that mercy in the name of Princess Eutropia is in the interest of national reconciliation and ending the war sooner, and that a Mark of Justice can ensure your good behavior, you may avoid execution. Perhaps imprisonment with Fathrie, and then once the war has ended you would be moved to house arrest on a remote farm to live out your days."
Katria nods, glam Maya and Liam have managed to avoid any further bloodshed, and content to leave the fate of these soldiers and their commanders in the hands of other people. That's not a role she wants to take on.
That said, she is curious to investigate the manor more, if time allows. She knows they need to get back to Yanmass quickly, but there could be more clues here.
"Are there any other areas only Jaliessa went, or anything else that might lead to another person, this Gray Kingmaker? It could be the difference between life and death if we can find it," she suggests.
Grey Kingmaker...
"Let us make sure our case is airtight before we approach the Earl, I'm convinced there will be political traps along the way." She eyes the prisoners, "I don't think watching them alone is the route, perhaps we come back once this on hand problem is settled and done." She wants to deal with them before they have their faces buried in books.
"We can always come back."
"I can prepare and cast a Mark of Justice now, if you like. The spell takes ten minutes to cast, but cannot be resisted."
If there are no objections, that is what Liam will do. He will spend 15 minutes to prepare Mark of Justice and 10 minutes to cast it on Jaliessa.
The action that will trigger the Mark is attempting to cause harm to any sentient being; the effect of the Mark is a Bestow Curse for -6 Wisdom.
Amelia nods, "Then prepare it, I am merciful but not naive."