The man stops waving and stands gaping at you for a moment. "No--no ship? Then how'd ye get here without the akata gettin' yer? Hold yer horses a minute...." He casts a short spell and squints at you. "Huh. Seems y'might have a fascinatin' story t'tell me. Wait there, an' I'll bring the boat over. Iffin' ye'd come twelve hours past, I could've put up the bridge, but tide's in now." Muttering to himself, he puts the dinghy in the water and rows over to you. "Best be hurryin', as it's almost sundown an' I need to get the light set up."
What's an akata? And what happens if you don't put up the light?
"Akata's what folks took t'calling 'em. They're these blue beasts kinda like lions with tentacles. And th' light's important, you! Ships hit the rocks if it weren't lit!"
Briar does what he can to help the boat get to the dock and stabilize it. He holds it in place against the rocking tide, and gladly takes any rope from the dock (or offered from the old man in the dinghy) to tie the boat temporarily to the dock.
"Where do these Akata come from?" Briar asks, rolling the word around in his mouth to see if it rings any bells.
Briar is easily able to steady the boat while the party boards. "Now sit still, all of you! Especially you, big boy." This last, while indicating Darc.
"Where'd they--" He stops, looking exasperated. "They showed up here after Starfall--you do remember hearin' about that, reet? I were only a lad then, but everyone said they come with the Star. Like a lot of...other things, lately." He looks around worriedly. "Enough talk! Let's get back to the light!" And you push off.
Darc sits bolt upright at the man's words, his arms straight and rigid as his white clenched knuckles show how tightly the half-orc grips his seat. "Not good, dangerous!" His head too doesn't move, it keeps looking straight. "When get off?" he asks, his voice showing the strain, it is as tense and stiff as the rest of the muscles in his body.
It's about fifty feet (or 55 feet too long for Darc...), and the old man gets you to the other side in good order. A sea eagle is perched up at the top of the ruined light, next to a wooden framework of some sort--an open pyramid with a pulley and rope hanging from its apex. "Reet, then. I don't have much to eat right now. Dried fish an' water, an' an onion or two. First I gotta get the light set fer the night. One o' you want to lend a hand, I won't turn y'down." He climbs up to a gap in the side of the old lighthouse tower, past the hut, and goes inside. Assuming one or more of you follow and help him, you see that he's using the rope and pulley to raise a basket filled with about fifty everburning torches up to the top of the ruin and tying it off. "T'ain't much, but she works. M'mum & da 'ud be proud."
"I have a bit of jerky I could throw in for the soup if you like." Briar says as he follows the old man up to help him with the lighthouse.
"Oh, right. Atakas. Abberant denizens of The Dark Tapestry, that typically arrive on Golarion by piggy-backing on meteors."
When the old man mentions the limitations of his hospitality, Charles smiles.
"We would appreciate whatever generosity you can offer."
Like Briar, he then moves to assist the old man get the 'light-house' sorted out.
"Aye, that'd be them. Say, what d'ye gents call yerselves? I'm Luntz. Sorry I didn't say so earlier...don't get many visitors any more, an' most that come by know me already."
As he talks, he opens the curtain on the hut--it's a bit small for all five of you, but there are rocks to sit on outside--and builds up the small cooking fire inside. He cuts up several onions, breaks up a loaf of dried bread (after murmuring an orison over it that Briar and Yeronimous recognize as a druidical purify food and drink) into a heap of chunks, tears up some dried fish, and fries the whole mess together in a big pan with some oil. He pours water for you in mismatched but fine-looking cups--"Iffin' y'came a month ago, I had a few bottles o' wine--traded 'em but last week...." and serves you each a bowl of fish and onion hash.
"Now, where'd you come from? No ship, so I'm guessin' magic o' some sort brought ye here, or yer far, far more able than y'look, no offense. Yer not unworldly like some I heard tell of...what's yer story?"
Darc sits on a rock outside the cramped living space, he listens to the conversations. At an appropriate time he says "Me Darc, Luntz friend. Good food." He seems so much happier, almost smiling now that he back on land. He gazes out over the sea, looking and scanning for ships that might be passing, hoping they don't come too close. Every so often he looks up into the sky, expecting to see these strange Atakas creatures. As he looks up, his hand caresses the shaft of his flail. His instincts tell him a soldier of Belkzen is never relaxed in strange and dangerous territory, he will stay out here and watch.
No ships in the near vicinity, Darc, and nothing falling from the sky. However, as you look back at the ruined city you see occasional flickers of light in the dusk. You eventually resolve at least a dozen akata roaming the dock area, flashing the lights on their flanks and tentacles in no particular pattern you can discern.
Our story, dear man, is hard to follow and harder to believe... Yeronimous sits down, resting. Believe it or not, we are not from the same Golarion that you belong to. We come from a different Golarion, an alternate version of it. We travelled through a portal to get here, and to be honest, this reality you live in is far from the one I was expecting. Just what happened here?
Luntz stops mid-bite, his mouth hanging open, before swallowing. "Reet, then. Iffin' y'din't want t'tell me where yer from, y'coulda just said so. So yer wantin' t'know 'what happened here?'"
"Round about fifty-six years gone--I was a lad of five then, my Da an' Ma ran the light here--a star fell out o' the sky to earth, in th' north." He pauses, looking off into nothing as memories return. "I didn't see it fall, but I still 'member how it felt in my feet when the ground rose up an' broke the light. An' half the city. Then the sound...oh, gods, the sound. Like nothin' I ever heard before, an' I never want t'hear anything like it again. Right on its heels came the fire, a hot wind from th' north. Th' Verduran Forest burned to nothin', th' parts o' the city atop the bluffs were gone...th' bluffs sheltered us a bit, so we lived through it, but th' Sellen ran dry for days 'til th' rains came. Powerful thirsty, we were by then.
"Rescuers came from Absalom, from Qadira, from Cheliax. Places th'fire didn't reach. Da an' Ma, they figured the worst was over, see, an' we'd be able t'rebuild. Da would talk of how the new light would look, once people came back. But the akata changed all them plans. See, they die easy enough, reet? But they bite you, an' sometimes y'catch th'void death. Y'start out feeling a mite weak, a mite clumsier 'n usual, then next thing y'know yer walkin'dead, an' soon after that a new akata hatches outta yer corpse. Took a while t'find out about that, an' by th' time folks did th' things were all over. So Cheliax pulled all their folks out, t'guard their borders--all it takes, see, is one gettin' through. Qadira did likewise, an' th' other places just wrote us off. Oh, they'd give passage t'any who wanted, but Da wouldn't leave. Said he was a keeper o'th' light first, last, an' always. Ma didn't see it that way, though....
"Anyhow, I stayed with Da, an' we did as much as we could t'keep some kind of light going here. Few years later, I got a step-ma for a time, when this druid came by an' stayed with Da. She taught me that craft, an' it's served me well over th' years. Th'akata tend not t'come out in daylight, an' seawater burns th'buggers something fierce. So I have some gardens in th' city, I dig around an' trade salvage with anyone comes by, an' I keep th' light. Da's buried under it now, but I think he helps, y'know? Took me years t'figger out how t'make those torches with druid magic, but I did. Don't know what's going t'happen once I'm gone, though.
"Oh, yeh...one other thing. The akata, they're not from here, so th'world...it doesn't like them much, y'might say. They're what step-ma called aberrations. So I'd put t'gether another little spell, lets me tell if anything like that's around. Saved my bacon on more than one occasion, hey? Couple o'years ago, I was headin' up to one o'th' gardens, an' I saw a man walkin' down th'street, like he owned th'place. But that spell, it told me he weren't nothin' human. So I shoved a cornice over on him, went down t'see what he was. His face looked normal, but the rest o'him under his clothes weren't. Eyes on his arms under his sleeves, an extra mouth on his stomach." He shudders. "Thought you might've been sommat like that, at first, but y'didn't show up on m'spell. Didn't have a way t'sense th'crazy, though....
"So that's 'what happened here.' I heard rumors that Cheliax was fightin' demons way up north, round th' other side o' where th' star fell. Folks say all kinds o' things about why the star fell. In Absalom they call it Aroden's Sword, say it were his vengeance on whatever killed him. I don't know. All I know is that we must've gotten someone really, truly angry, an'I'd rather think that than that something like a falling star could happen fer no reason at all.
"So how'd I do?"
Briar eats his soup without much comment, pausing only slightly at the mention of the Void Death. He waits for the story to finish before he asks his question. "This Void Death...was there ever a cure found for it?"
"Basic remove disease generally did the trick, but most little villages didn't have anyone could cast it. I can't do that, but I saved one feller five years back or so. He'd been bit, an' I used lesser restoration t'keep him alive 'til his body could shake the thing by itself."
Briar... Were you bit?
Briar nods, once. "I think so, and the weakness I felt on the beach matches the description of the symptoms he gave."
We have to find a way to heal you then...
To their newfound host: Dear man, the tale you told us is certainly something you don't hear every day. This falling star... You say that there should be a reason why it fell. Do you know anyone who might possibly know the reason? Or a way to track down who might be responsible? If some malevolent entity decided to hit Golarion with a force of such cosmic proportion, surely it would be someone with great power at hand. A people like that don't pass unnoticed, if there is even a person the one we are talking about.
Darc listening into the conversation grunts, "Powerful spell Lesser Restoration, too difficult me." He thinks a while, "Maybe one day." Then resumes his guard duty.
Luntz looks concernedly at Briar. "You been bit? When? An' yer feelin' it. That's no good. Here, lemme see...y'look healthy enough right now, so y'should be able t' last a while. I'll prepare lesser restoration tomorrow, we should be able t'keep you on th' right side o' th' ground. Long's yer here an' I'm workin' on you, mayhap y'all can help me do some diggin' in th' city.
"As to th' star, lots o'folks were troubled by it...Taldor an' Andoran are gone, an' I've heard no word out of the likes o'Druma, Ustalav, Razmiran, Galt...but word was it landed on Kyonin. So if it were brought down fer a reason, I'd hazard a guess that whoever did it really don't much care fer elves."
He looks out of the hut's door past Darc. "I see th' akata are out fer the night. Don't know why they stay hereabouts, 'less they know I'm here. Some low tide nights, they come out onto the breakwater, right up to th' edge there, and look at me, just waitin'. They get close enough I can put a harpoon into one, pull it right into th' water. An' that sorts it out reet. Scares away th' rest, leastways fer a few weeks.
"Damn them, anyway! Were it not fer them, th' city'd be built anew, an' I'd be sittin' in a fine house, children an' grandchildren about...damn them all...."
Charles regards Briar worriedly.
"Well then, it looks like we might be staying here for a little while.
I guess we should learn a little more about our new 'neighbours'; how many of the beasts are there? Would it be possible to clear them out? Are they confined to the ruins of the city, or do they roam the lands beyond?"
The old druid rouses himself from his maudlin fantasy to ponder Charles' questions. "I'm thinking there're ten or twenty o' the beasts in the city...'least, that's how many I can recognize. See, those lights on 'em...different ones flash different, an' after a few years y'can sorta pick 'em out. Always a few come in I haven't seen before, see a couple o' days, then they're gone again. Ain't seen too many o' th' walkin' dead about, past ten-fifteen years. They hole up different places durin' daylight." He pauses, struck by an idea, and grins wolfishly. "Say! If you folks feel up to it, how 'bout we go hunting on th' morrow? Track 'em to where they lair, then take 'em down? None o' the traders come by for salvage've been interested, an' I never wanted t'go alone--didn't want t'take th' chance I wouldn't come back, 'cause keepin' th'light's too important." He looks pleadingly at each of you in turn.
Charles turns to the others.
"What do you think? I know that it is strictly not within our purview, but I still think that it would be a worthwhile venture - crushing Akata skulls will at least be an interesting diversion, and will make this area of the world slightly safer..."
"I have no problems with this. It will definitely make travel easier once we leave." Briar nods as he speaks, then goes back to eating his soup. Won't this world just vanish once we accomplish our goal anyway?
Hunting vile beasts is not something I usually do, but I'll accept your offer. Maybe we will be able to acquire some useful insight of the situation once we explore this place better, something we can't do in safety until the akatas are around. I guess we will have to leave next morning.
The evening passes uneventfully. Briar, the next morning you feel no worse. Luntz spends time meditating before sunrise, the sea eagle you saw last night perched next to him, then secures the bundle of everburning torches and casts lesser restoration on Briar.
With the tide out, the gap between the lighthouse and the rest of the breakwater is considerably narrower. Luntz produces a long plank and bridges the gap with it, grinning at Darc. "No need to get in th' boat again, big boy!" He sends you on your way and takes the boat himself, rowing next to you as you walk down the breakwater--"Don't know how long we'll be there, an' gettin' caught th' wrong side at nightfall be a bad thing, reet?" The eagle flies overhead, and occasionally Besmarial rises to meet it.
Charles nods to Luntz.
"That would be prudent. I certainly hope that we are able to clear-out the nest(s) before nightfall, but having a back-up plan is always a good idea..."
Where do you suggest we start this hunt? Do you know a place where these creature might hide during the day?
Darc's yellowing teeth smile at Luntz, "Better!" he chuckles, a throaty deep sound as he crosses the plank. As they get onto solid ground, he loosens up with practice swings of his flail, before catching the other's up. He hears Yeronimous' question, nodding sagely he looks to Luntz for an answer.
Briar pauses as he looks over the ruined town. "These beasties don't like the light, do they? So we could search house by house..." Briar trails off as he looks around. "...Or we could set a lovely fire."
Briar grins, and looks at Luntz for approval or disapproval.
"Oh, aye. There's an old theater building--place was a stone ring with a wood roof. Th'ring's mostly in decent shape, but th'roof came down in flames, near as I can tell. One time I walked past there, an' I could see eight or ten of the things sleepin' on the old stage. Didn't stop t'count, mind."
For the first time in a while, Besmarial speaks. "The creature we met on the beach was resistant to my flame attack. I conjecture that mundane fire will likely have little effect on the creatures as well."
Startled, Luntz asks in a low voice, "Er, what's that? Friend o' yours, I'm thinkin'. But what is it? Whate'er it is, it's right about akata and fire. They tend to ignore it."
Resistant to fire, you say. Good thing I have a vast array of elemental charms at hand. Lead us to the theater, Lurz, hopefully we will surprise the creature with an unexpected raid.
Luntz secures his boat at one of the more intact docks and leads you into the city. For anyone who'd been to Cassomir in Golarion Prime, this place is disturbing. Many of the taller stone buildings have collapsed completely; the plants overgrowing the wreckage of some show how old those ruins are. Others are fresher, the likely result of too many years of wind and weather without maintenance. Even now, years after the impact, there are still small piles of ash and dust in lee spots, mute testimony to the ferocity of the fires, and the forces unleashed by the fallen star. The only sounds are birds, the occasional small animal, the wind, and your footsteps. To some extent the silence is relieved by Luntz' occasional muttering to himself and to his eagle, but the thought of spending decades in a place like this without some powerful ideal gives you insight into why he so treasures his role as light keeper.
Many streets are partially or completely blocked with debris from the fallen buildings, and it's slow going. Eventually you come to a circular building several hundred feet across, with a chunk taken out of the west side of the ring. Luntz points to it and murmurs, "That be it. Stage is in the middle, an' iffin' I'm recallin' correctly th' floor about the stage got lots o' trash from th' old roof on it. Now, I'm not much of a fighter, but I'll stay with yer fer healin' an' such. Oh, yeah--" He indicates his eagle, high overhead. "Ambrosius says they're in there. Can't count, so no handle on how many exactly, but they're not packed on th' stage."
Watch out. Let's try to ambush them before they ambush us. Yeronimous casts detect magic to help him navigate the ruins of the theater.
Briar pulls out Mareth and castes Sense Magic as he does so. He keeps a wary eye out for the Akata once more, doing his best to be sure not to be bit again as he follows Yeronimous in.
The party slowly moves toward the rubble-filled gap in the ring, trying to keep out of line of sight of it. I've made some easily changed assumptions about marching order, and with that in mind the map of what you see is HERE.
That's quite a lot of them... Do you have any idea of how we might lure them one at a time?
Darc looks up at the stage and the layout of the land, "Darc no able to charge. Darc pray you before battle. Then Darc fight. They evil?" as he points towards the creatures.
"We could try to hit one with bow or a spell, try to get it and the others good and angry, then force them to come out through here. If we keep our backs to the wall, we should be able to keep from being surrounded." Briar gestures at the rubble next to the wall, and the smaller opening to indicate the natural funnel the area makes.
Wait, let me try this before our combined attack... Yeronimous casts mage hand and manipulates a distant pile of rubble , trying to make some movement and some noise. He then lowers his voice: If this works, the akatas will go straight for that debris: this way we can flank them without exposing our position right from the beginning. Is everyone ready?
In reply to Darc, Luntz shakes his head. "They aten't evil as such, just...wrong for here. Iffin't they'd kept t'their proper place, where'er that be, I'd have no quarrel with 'em."
Yeronimous, none of the creatures seem to react immediately to the movement. Then one that was facing the pile you shifted twitches a bit, its eyes opening fully. In direct sun its flashing is largely washed out, but you can still tell that it flared a little. Then it stretches, and slowly walks down towards the pile. Two more that were facing the first begin to stir, opening their eyes fully as well and watching the first as it lazily ambles off the stage.
Righty-o, it looks like things are going to get hot around here, soon...
Charles quaffs a small vial, which causes his form to warp and twist in unusual ways, sprouting long, dog-like fur, and granting him sharp teeth and claws...
Briar nods as he speaks the words, causing a shield of force to form around him. He readies his sword, and prepares to strike.
Darc holds up his flail towards the sky, "Look kindly on your servants as they battle in your name."
As with the first one you fought, this akata moves nearly silently. I'm assuming that you do all your preparations right before the creature arrives at the pile.
Round 1:
Initiative Order:
Briar
Charles
Yeronimous
Akata
Luntz
Darc
The akata arrives at the pile and noses around it a bit. It does not appear to have noticed the party.
Updated map is HERE.
Yeronimous wield his mace, ready to attack.the creature should it come close to him or any of his companions.