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A tall half-elf clad in full plate strides into the them, with a surprising pep in his step for someone theoretically weighed-down by heavy armor.
He has a shield on his back, emblazoned with a stylised representation of a gossamer-like moth, and has a well-used morningstar at his side.
"Greeting! My name is Giovanni. Pleased to meet you..."
Venture-Captain Drandle Drang looks tired as he calls an emergency meeting in the middle of night at his chambers in the Grand Lodge.
“I’m sorry to call you in on such short notice and on such a dark night, but a friend of the Society needs your help immediately.”
From an adjoining chamber, an elegantly dressed woman of middle age with olive skin and long, straight black hair and piercing eyes steps into the room.
“Allow me to introduce to you Hamaria Blakros, of the esteemed Blakros family, whose name I’m sure you all know.”
Hamaria sits at Dreng’s side, smooths her satin dress over her knees, and speaks in a clear though pained voice.
“I’m afraid my forebears made a terrible mistake when they were first gaining a foothold centuries ago when they made a pact called the Penumbral Accords with a strange organization on the Shadow Plane called the Onyx Alliance.”
Hamaria frowns at this thought.
"While this granted us trade routes through its dark realm to avoid unpleasant searches and tariffs - as our wealth and influence grew, the benefits became less pronounced. Now, almost five centuries later, we no longer want to pay the ongoing price of this agreement. Since that time, we’ve been providing a steady stream of slaves to the Onyx Alliance... including the eldest of our daughters each generation. This year we have two eldest daughters—my twins Eleanir and Michellia—and I refuse to let them be taken!”
Hamaria clenches her fist and slams it against an open palm.
“But we can’t actively break the Penumbral Accords ourselves. We don’t know all the details other than our end of the bargain, which requires us to deliver slaves to our very own Blakros Museum on the night of each new moon—and to deliver the eldest Blackros daughter of each generation on the new moon after her 21st birthday. We are told to stay away until dawn, and have honored this command thus far. In every instance for generations, we’ve returned to find no sign of the slaves or our own heirs left in the building. They’ve got some device that lets them take our daughters to their plane, something that only functions one night a month, and only until dawn. That night is tonight, and my Eleanir and Michellia are already there! I need you to get in before the sun rises and deactivate or destroy whatever allows them to keep stealing our people. If that prevents them from ever threatening us and holding the Penumbral Accords over our heads again, even better.”
Hamaria seems exhausted by her monologue and turns to Dreng, who leans forward.
“You understand, I’m sure, how valuable our relationship with the Blakros family is to the Decemvirate. Their assets at the museum are immense, and assisting the Lady Hamaria tonight will go along way to ensuring that both her family and our organization can form a long-lasting alliance that will benefit all parties.”
He glances at Hamaria, who nods once in agreement.
“Hurry to Blakros Museum, friends. There isn’t much time!”
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In the back of the room, Naz listens quietly to the briefing, speaking only when it is complete.
"Nazgûl ... Ready."
Eager to be on his way, the half-orc barbarian stands ... his great sword and collection of spears slung tight across his moderately armored body.
It seems Naz travels light ... other than his weapons and scale mail.
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Nemrok is an hulking well dressed half-orc, but despite his appearance, and the greataxe he carries on his back, his eyes sparkle with intelligence, he seems to be more a scholar than a warrior.
He bows to the Hamaria Blackros as it's the usage in High Society.
It's an Honor to help the Blakros family. Even more if it's for saving the very life of your own daughters my Lady. I will do everything in my power to free them from the grasp of the Onyx Alliance and help you stop such bargain.
I am Nemrok Blacktusk, at your service My Lady. he adds with a last bow.
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Agon nods along with Kildrek's words. "Trading lives away for profit...it always turns badly. I never forgave my mother for her dealings, but maybe with your actions tonight we may rescue your daughters, so you have the chance to get forgiveness."
He stands up and takes a good look at his allies. "Let's move on, then. To the museum!"
Dreng and Hamaria both offer gracious thanks for your willingness to see into the matter at the museum, especially at this late hour.
With a final gesture, Dreng adds "Time's of the essence! You only have a few hours to work your magic, Pathfinders!"
As you return to your rooms and gather your possessions, your rub the sleep from your eyes and step out into the dark of night outside the lodge. The trek to the Blakros Museum is quick, chilly and passes without incident.
The Blakros Museum is a large and well-furnished gothic building that rises out of the night like a great looming shadow.
As you approach the main entrance and open the museum's heavy doors, you note great pillars of hewn black stone support the vaulted ceiling of the Blakros Museum’s grand entryway, visible through its wide, double doors.
Braziers mounted on the pillars cast white radiance from balls of continual light. A fossilized dinosaur skeleton occupies the northwest corner of the room. Upon crossing the threshold, the air ripples and all visible surfaces shimmer as if they were momentarily composed of still, reflective liquid.
As soon as the effect manifests, the strange sensation ends, leaving thick shadows covering all surfaces. The white light of the braziers glows an arcane shade of blue, illuminating the shadowy form of a different skeleton that overlays the more solid dinosaur from moments ago.
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Strange... very strange indeed... It seems that the material plane and the shadow plane are merging together in some way. As if the interior of the Blakros Museum partially exist in both the Prime Material and Shadow Planes concurrently.
Says an amaze Nemrok who draws his wand of mage armor and uses one charge on himself.
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So, we're in two places at one time? That means that skeleton thing is too? Didya notice the shadowy form of a different skeleton that overlays the more solid dinosaur from moments ago? Kildrek pauses, not quite understanding what he just said. Ya saw it, right?
Kildrek will move into the room with the others, taking up a position in the middle of the party if able.
Nemrok deduces the dual nature of the museum's interior on this strange night, while Giovanni's belief in the divine eventually thwarts the gray miasmic shadow that cloaks the interior with some meager light.
Agon practically disappears into the first room's interior while everyone else steps in after him.
As each of you step in, you feel yourselves becoming "less" - more shadowstuff than material, as if you've also become subjected to this strange dual nature that Nemrok identified.
You all then realize that the skeletal dinosaur, perfectly real and mundane on the Material Plane, is something else on the Shadow Plane. It stumbles forward, part skeleton, part shadow, but a very real threat to you all.
Initiative
As the skeletal deinonychus leaps ahead, Finn's instincts kick in.
Round 1
24 Finn :
22 Dino :
18 Kildrek :
17 Agon :
15 Giovanni :
14 Nazgul :
4 Nemrok :
Now Up: Just Finn!
The dinosaur skeleton, happy to oblige, rushes ahead directly at Finn .
for
The warrior, although his experience in fighting skeletal dinosaurs to this date is limited, measures the attack properly, sidestepping it and bringing about an appropriate counterattack.
Round 1
24 Finn : Readies
22 Dino : Advances, misses Finn
21 Finn : (Ready triggered)
18 Kildrek :
17 Agon :
15 Giovanni :
14 Nazgul :
4 Nemrok :
Round 2
22 Dino :
Now Up: Everyone!
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for
for
for
Finn's sword connects but seems to mostly be deflected by the dinosaur's bones as Nemrok snaps his fingers and realizes such skeletal creatures would most be damaged by something blunt and...
Almost identical to Giovanni's morningstar which nearly shatters the entirety of the monster's ribs. Agon and Nazgul swing wildly in their enthusiasm while Kildrek fires a warning shot back at the Material Plane just in case another dinosaur is lurking there.
The dinosaur, possessing little by way of rudimentary intelligence continues to stand amid a flank and furiously bite and slash at Finn with razor sharp talons, cutting a mid-sized gash in his abdomen .
Round 1 Cont'
21 Finn : Slashes for 3
18 Kildrek : Fire bolts the floor in the Material Plane
17 Agon : Swings and misses with hammer
15 Giovanni : Crushes with morningstar for 9
14 Nazgul : Takes a wild swing and misses
4 Nemrok : Identifies the skeleton and hangs out
Round 2
22 Dino (12 dmg): Bites Finn for 4
21 Finn :
18 Kildrek :
17 Agon :
15 Giovanni :
14 Nazgul :
4 Nemrok :
Now Up: Everyone!
Some might tell Finn he didn't have "the right tool for the job". Bringing the sharpened edge of his blade up to meet the skeletal reptile, it would beg to disagree as it shattered into bone shards spraying throughout the interior of the dimly lit foyer.
Beyond this otherwise sparse, shadowy room a hallway leads deeper into the museum.
Agon takes a couple steps ahead while you assess Finn's lone injury.
The first door on the left bears a sign over the door with bright lettering reads “Treasures of Distant Goka,” while a shadowy sign occupying the same space reads in dark, block letters “Cold Storage—Perishable Specimens Only.”
The first door on the right bears a large placard that reads “The Evolution of Dragonkind” in bright, elaborate script while a shadowy sign next to the door describes the room as “Pain Laboratory—Tests in Progress.”
This room is filled with ancient tapestries of chromatic dragons besieging castles and battles between Dahak and Apsu at the dawn of time. An alabaster obelisk covered in Draconic runes occupies the far corner, surrounded by a spread of various dragonhides of all colors and thickness, and a taxidermied wyvern hangs from the ceiling above, its stinger flexed above its head.
Umbral chains drop from the same ceiling on the Shadow Plane; gruesome hooks at the chains’ ends hold longdead skeletons. The southern wall sports a massive wheel with shackles along its edge, apparently for holding writhing subjects in place during tests.
Two dark-skinned fetchlings bare grey teeth and draw longswords as they see you have arrived armed, and clearly do not belong here.
Initiative
Agon, Finn and Giovanni are no strangers to a room full of hostile enemies and get the drop on the pair of grey-skinned "men" beyond.
Round 1
21 Agon :
18 Finn :
16 Giovanni :
15 Fetchlings :
12 Nemrok :
11 Nazgul :
4 Kildrek :
Now Up: Agon, Finn, Giovanni
Nemrok knows he's seen these grey-skinned men around the Grand Lodge - they're rare and he remembers they're called something like fetchlings? He has trouble remembering any details about them.
Giovanni rushes ahead and surprises one of the shadowskin guards before he can even draw his longsword. The guard promptly crumples to the floor like a bag of broken bones.
Finn steps in prepared while Agon recognizes the room's implements.
The lone grey-skinned man steps back, shielding his eyes from the light cast by Giovanni's spell.
"Hsss... Fool! You were lucky to bring your light into here! Let's see if that luck continues!"
The lone remaining guard digs around his body before finding and hurling a flask at Giovanni.
for
The flask hits the half-elf exploding in heat and fire, dripping all over his armor .
Deep in the interior of the room, beyond the furthest door, you can hear cries for aid.
"Did you hear that? It's someone fighting?"
"Someone to rescue us? Please help us! We're chained up in here!"
Round 1
21 Agon : Delays?
18 Finn : Moves, readies
16 Giovanni : Advances, strikes for 11
15 Fetchling : Alchemist fire at Giovanni for 4
12 Nemrok :
11 Nazgul :
4 Kildrek :
Round 2
21 Agon :
18 Finn :
16 Giovanni :
Now Up: Everyone!