Jarha hurls another telekinetic torture implement, and this time his aim is perfect. With a bit of skill, good timing and a healthy dose of luck, the spike drives straight into Vencarlo's forehead as he spins away from Segang's weary attack. The implement sinks deep with a crack. Vencarlo's eyes go wide as he goes rigid and then topples to the floor.
A moment after he dies, the false Vencarlo's body shifts form in a misty vortex. After it settles, before you lies an attractive human woman with the head of a fox. Short fur covers her body, and her hands are distinctively reversed and open away from her body.
The real Vencarlo carefully helps Neolandus down from the torture table and moves over to you. He shakes his head in wonder. "What was... she?"
"Annoying," Absinthe replies, curtly. "Let's heal up, loot the corpses and get out of here."
Well shot! Segang complements Jarha as he lets his rage fall away and he sags in fatigue and injury. And none too soo. I must rest a moment. Looking at the dead enemy he notes its, er her hands; they are wrong. What does that tell us?
"What was she doing down here?" Melianthe gazes at the...thing.
"Jarha, I don't trust that corpse. Can you put a few more spikes into its..." Melianthe gazes at the reversed hands, and shudders. "...Ech. Anything to keep it pinned down."
Melianthe zaps Segang continually. "Our poor bloodied hero," she coos.
As the healing energy flows into him bruises fade and cuts close. Once the fatigue fade he moves over to the creature to both make sure it is dead and to see what other equipment it might have.
Jarha responds modestly to Segang's compliment. "I am glad to be of service. I felt Khepri's hand guiding me in that last attack."
While the others examine the bodies and collect loot, Jarha heads over to Neolandus.
"Sir, I can help you with your injuries. You will find it a little uncomfortable and tiring, but I assure you it will substantially aid the healing of your wounds. I have assisted Vencarlo in the same way."
Unless he is stopped, Jarha passes his hands over the area of most grievous injury and weaves the aether to repair the damaged flesh.
plus 8 points NL damage to Neolandus
Jarha asks Neolandus and Vencarlo if they would like more healing, then offers to the room: "Would anyone else like me to heal their wounds?"
"Allll right, Absinthe, Doctor Mel is here," says the elf, brandishing her wand.
"You keep burning people when you heal them, or...whatever you're doing!" says Melianthe to Jarha. "It's rather strange," continues the purple-red eyed, white haired, grey-skinned dusk elf, the likes of which are almost never seen.
Seren walks over and kicks the foxy lady ineffectually, "That was uncalled for, you tricky freak."
"We need to get you two out of here. Need to be careful too. Not sure our hosts were expecting us to come out alive. They may not be pleased that we took down their exotic toys. Maybe I can pretend to be this one"
Seren looks at Vencarlo and then takes his form using a veil point.
"Bet on it," Absinthe says. "We'll either have to sneak or cut our way out."
Melianthe squints at the fox-lady. "So, not a kitsune. I think...but why is it here?"
She nods absently to Absinthe. "We've gotten this far--we can get out easily enough."
While the rest of the group is in conversation, Jarha searches the bodies and the room.
Upon seeing the creature's true form, Melianthe remembers tales of the rakshasa, evil Vudran spirits in flesh form.
Searching the room and bodies, you discover the following valuables: the foxy rakshasa carries a magic wand, the electrified kukri (that Seren grabbed), 2 magic javelins, and a pair of non-magical golden armbands. There is also a vast array of exotic torture implements and contraptions, which would be considered valuable to certain parties.
Neolandus nods thanks to Jarha, but is too exhausted to add much. Vencarlo nods to the plan. "Yes, let's get out of this twisted pit and get out of Korvosa. If we can escape the city, I have a safe house in Harse we can use to regroup and recover." He thinks for a moment, then adds, "I remember seeing a water cavern with a dock when I was dragged in... there must be a way out we can use."
"I'd much rather melt down the torture devices," says Melianthe with a look of disgust. She nods to the hound archon as it disappears in a burst of light.
"Good plan, Seren, by pretending to be Vencarlo. What do with do with the real one?"
"I do so enjoy a boat ride around Korvosa! Minus sharks and hags," says Melianthe. "And minus blood veil. Otherwise, a wonderful jaunt."
"A boat ride and chance to take a breather sounds perfect to me," Absinthe says. "Let's get out of here."
Jarha simply nods in agreement. He moves over to Neolandus to offer his assistance (support in walking) as the group prepares to head out.
Melianthe identifies a wand of dimension door with 3 charges, a +1 ki focus shock kukri, and 2 javelins of lightning.
Escorting Vencarlo and Neolandus, you backtrack out of the labyrinth and into the large entrance cavern. The pier and the barge are as you left them a short time ago.
Segang will carry one of teh javelins if no one objects. When arriving to the pier Segang asks Can we simply take the barge out?
"First we check for traps and ambushes," Absinthe says.
"If we can avoid those treacherous thugs upstairs, I feel that would be best for everyone"
"They'll just assume we died," says Melianthe with a smile and a shrug. "We should have set the dungeon on fire."
If no one finds anything untoward about or on board the barge, and no enemies pop up to further ruin the party's day, Absinthe starts moving around the ship to make certain it is in condition for travel and gets ready to take the helm.
"An amusing suggestion, sister Mel, but sadly impractical," she says, absent-mindedly. "Too much stone. A fire hot enough to destroy this stinkhole would likely cause the structures on top of us to collapse, and we do not know how far the labyrinth extends. We might end up killing people in Old Korvosa who are largely blameless in the grand scheme of things."
Melianthe nods, although her eyes still dance with dark possibilities. "Onward, then."
You pile aboard the barge and shove off. Absinthe dusts off her piloting skills and navigates through the narrow sea cavern. Seren, Melianthe and Segang help watch for trouble and push away from rocks, while Jarha attends to the wounded. A short while later, you emerge onto the Jeggare River below the northern cliffs of Old Korvosa. You can see Arkona Palace high above you. Behind you, the sea cave entrance disappears behind an illusionary wall.
The barge is not well-suited for long distance travel, so you take it as far as you can, putting some distance between you and the city. You land on the opposite shore, a mile or so up the coast of Conquerer's Bay. Vencarlo leads the way, guiding you along the coastal trade road for a ways before breaking inland along a winding farm track. The swordmaster makes pains to keep your passage incognito and avoiding patrolled roads.
You are short on traveling supplies and unused to being outside the city walls, but Vencarlo provides enough from hidden caches along the route as well as trading with a handful of trusted locals. It is clear the man has used this route often -- probably most recently to safely extract Trinia Sabor from the city.
Vencarlo keeps side chatter to a minimum, but once you are a couple days away from the coast, he noticeably eases up. Neolandus gradually regains his strength, especially aided by Jarha's healing skill. The seneschal pumps you for information about what's been happening in the city since he was abducted by the Arkonas. You relay what you have heard and experienced... when you explain Cressida Kroft's account of the assassination attempt against the queen, his eyes grow wide and Vencarlo lets out a rude curse.
"It is as you feared, my friend," Vencarlo says to Neolandus grimly. Neolandus nods, looking a shade paler.
"When we came looking for you and the Seneschal, Marshall Kroft told us youd uncovered some rumors of dark magic and unholy pacts with regard to Queen Ileosa. What did you find, Vencarlo?"
"This 'advisor', Togomor, sounds suspect as well," says Melianthe, nodding. "And whither are we bound, Vencarlo?" She has mixed feelings, being away from the city that adopted and hid her for so long, but her face radiates the odd excitement of travel to parts unknown.
"Yes, pray do not keep us in suspense. It's been a stressful month," Abby says.
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Jarha nods and also comments to Neolandus, "Marshall Kroft thought you might have insight as well, and might have also ideas how to legally move against the Queen, although after the scene Kroft described, I'm not very optimistic about that approach."
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"Ah, well. Moving legally has never really been our strong suit, anyway..."
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"Laws are built to feed the needs of the law makers, not the rest of us. Let's keep all options on the table, we just need to understand the risks and potential consequences of each course of action."
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"...and what Seren means is, we've come this far and don't want to die just yet," says Melianthe.
In the days that follow Segang is surprisingly unhelpful in all things survival. He is an urban barbarian which has its advantages but he was city raised and is not at home in the wilds.
If we could somehow get word of our, departure, to Cressida Kroft I know it would give her hope. I doubt that is possible now though.
Vencarlo and Neolandus exchange a glance, and the swordmaster nods. "We should be safe enough to speak out here in the open." He gestures to the surrounding land, on which the nearest settlement is a farmhouse several miles off.
Neolandus begins in his deep, eloquent voice. "As Seneschal of Korvosa, it was my duty to act a balance against the worst whims of the monarch. For all his flaws, Kind Eodred II was an effective ruler, so I rarely had to exercise my powers against him. He was old, but healthy, and so his sudden illness and death were surprising. I began an investigation."
"When I confronted Iliosa on the matter, she dismissed me out of hand. Her 'true' response came later, in the form of Red Mantis assassins -- proof enough of her guilt to me. Through my knowledge of Castle Korvosa's layout and a dose of good luck, I managed to escape into Old Korvosa and into hiding with my friend, Salvator Scream. Thank you for rescuing him, by the way," he adds earnestly.
"After I recovered from the attack, I spent much of my time conducting clandestine interviews, poring through records in Endrin Academy, and piecing together rumors to try to determine what caused Queen Ileosa’s sudden personality change from a petulant queen to a scheming tyrant."
"I knew that Ileosa had been 'borrowing' the treasury key to look through Korvosa’s treasures, but at the time it seemed the harmless ogling of a young noble. I am also familiar with several old and obscure legends about the rooms below Castle Korvosa -- chambers, it was whispered, used to hide something of great power or terrible evil. I'd heard mention of something called 'Midnight’s Teeth,' believed to be a sacred relic of great import to the Shoanti. Circumstantial evidence indicates that the Shoanti kept these teeth somewhere inside the pyramid that now serves as Castle Korvosa’s foundation."
Further research uncovered a chilling old legend: Several hundred years ago, a blue dragon agent of Zon-Kuthon named Kazavon brought the orcs of the Hold of Belkzen to their knees before attacking Ustalav and Lastwall, until he was finally defeated and his remains scattered. According to the legend, some of his body parts, including his fangs, contained fragments of the powerful dragon’s essence." With a deep breath and exhale, Neolandus concludes. "I suspect that Midnight’s Teeth and Kazavon’s fangs are one and the same, and somehow Ileosa unearthed them from the vaults below Castle Korvosa. The description of the queen’s new crown sounds to me as if she now wears the teeth on her brow."
Jarha's brow furrows as he tries to follow Neolandus' explanation of the Midnight's Teeth and he asks, "And are you suggesting that discovery of these teeth may be responsible for her personality change? That she was possessed by this Zon-Kuthon agent dragon Kazavon? Can we release her from its control?"
"Well, that answers the question of Red Mantis assassins in the city--we dispatched a few on the way to finding Scream," says Melianthe. This does sound like some sort of undead possession by Kazavon, which might explain the apparently deathlessness of Ileosa herself. Jarha, if she's no longer truly alive, it would be difficult indeed to release her."[/b]
She turns to Neolandus. "Could we find out how to destroy this artifact, or remove it? Could there be records in Lastwall, perhaps, or closer, ideally?"
"That would be most tragic if she's already dead... By the way, was it just a coincidence that Scream and the capable elf we encountered in his abode are also adherents of Zon-Kuthon? I've never heard that deity mentioned with such frequency outside of Nidal."
Seren’s face darkens at the mention of the dark God and the nation of shadow.
He becomes more introspective and brooding through the conversation.
"That was about as much as I was able to learn before I fell in to the Arkona's clutches," Neolandus replies, frowning. "Hounded by the Red Mantis and trapped by the chaos in Old Korvosa, I was unable to verify my suspicious."
"If Ileosa has indeed been coerced by these Midnight's Teeth, it would explain much. But how much is actually Kazavon's influence, or her, emboldened by the artifact's power, I cannot say.
"Korvosa’s founders didn’t think it important to preserve much in the way of Shoanti culture. Yet the Shoanti have very strong oral traditions, and if anyone knows the truth behind Midnight’s Teeth, that truth is doubtless hidden among their historians up in the Cinderlands."
To Jarha's aside, Neolandus injects with a defensive tone, "Salvator is not a Kuthite. His work is grim, often gruesome, and clearly influenced by that dark god's imagery, but he was never an adherent."
"I apologize. I didn't mean any offense. I misspoke and did not intend to suggest Scream shared the Dark God's evil aims, and I certainly hope Laori did not either. It's my experience that sometimes people find aspects of a god resonant for them without actually aligning with all of the god's goals. As long as one is not a cleric directly communing with a god, one can generally take what inspiration one likes from a deity. For example, back in Osirion there was a society of wealthy persons, upstanding community members, who several times a year threw feasts of extraordinary excess inspired by The Pallid Princess, the goddess Urgathoa. I, as a follower of Khepri and thus oriented to the poor, found the waste deeply offensive, but the participants were certainly not evil."
"He's headed to Nidal for sanctuary under the protection of a self-admitted Kuthite," Absinthe says, bluntly. "Even if he's not a Kuthite now, it'll be made very attractive for him to become one. Especially if the pain prince's church is looking to sponsor him."
The tiefling abruptly stops walking.
"Wait. Blue dragon. The third painting in Scream's study! The man peeling his own arms to reveal blue scales!"
"You're right, Absinthe! What might have led Scream to include such imagery in his painting?"
Segang seems to grow quiet and worried as the discussion continues. If this is an artifact of my people I would have to know more before agreeing to destroy it. The Shoanti have lost much already.
"I believe gods and powers sometimes send messages to people, through dreams or otherwise, and perhaps that is the sign given by...well, by someone or something...to Scream about this blue dragon."
Melianthe muses. "The Cinderlands, then. Segang, you're right. The Shoanti have the bid of primacy on this artifact; if they can sequester it, or control it, or nullify it, it should remain in their hands. Well, it seems you'll have a chance to speak to them in person. We must head north, and cross several rivers. It has been so long...let's see, and then up the Yondabakari, yes?" She looks delighted, and more elven than she's appeared in Korvosa.
Neolandus nods to Jarha, acknowledging his apology. "I do not need to be so defensive, either. Salvator is a peculiar man with very peculiar art. I do know, from his own words, that he gets the inspiration for his art from imagery of his dreams. He could not identify the subjects in his paintings, but most were clearly tied to Zon-Kuthon in some fashion."
After Melianthe speaks, he adds, "Salvator told me that his dreams had been growing more vivid of late. I suspect the re-emergence of the Midnight's Teeth may have had something to do with it."
Lastly, to Segang's concern, Neolandus says, "The Shoanti, if they have any living memory of this artifact, may also know of its proper disposition, or destruction if needs be. Most Shoanti are -- regrettably though not surprisingly -- distrustful of Korvosans if not actively hostile. The Skoan-Quah tribe, Tribe of the Skull, have been the most open to peace. I tried to meet with one of their elders, a level-headed and friendly shaman named Thousand Bones, but the turmoil had forced them to flee the city."
Thousand Bones; a good man. I have met him, months ago.
"Both his name and his..Quah...have a link to bones, and I suppose, the dead. I wonder if he would be a person to speak to regarding other bones, such as of this Kazavon."
"Come, let's keep moving," Vencarlo speaks up, eyeing the horizon warily, despite the stark lack of anyone within miles. "We are not far from Harse. We'll be able to rest and recover there, and we'll have time to formulate a plan going forward."
The next afternoon, you reach Harse, a trade village at the confluence of the Sarwin and Falcon Rivers. The settlement is an important stop over for dwarven merchants traveling to and from the Mindspin Mountains and destinations west, but far enough from Korvosa to avoid heavy traffic. Vencarlo takes you around the village and along the Sarwin River north. Less than a mile along, a moderately sized horse ranch sits comfortably in the cleft of two low hills topped with small copses of fir trees. Smoke rises from the chimney and you catch scent of something delicious.
Vencarlo whistles a distinct call pattern. A few moments later, the front door opens and a hale middle-aged man emerges. He has long, brown hair and a handlebar mustache. He immediately walks up and embraces Vencarlo like a long-lost family member, and shakes Neolandus's hand vigorously. The man turns to greet you in turn.
"Jasan Andriel," he introduces himself. "Welcome to Blackbird Ranch. Vencarlo has told me of your heroics. You're always welcome in our home." At the door behind Jasan, you see a woman an several children, girls and boys, glancing out.
"You're here!" a familiar voice squeals. A pretty young woman comes running out to wrap the closest -- in this case, Segang -- in a tight hug. Looking healthy and grinning as wide as ever, is Trinia Sabor.