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Sarion retrieves an Antitoxin from his belt pouch and downs it as Fung tends to his wound.
The poison seems to run its course but the big Tiefling still looks a little worse for wear. "Thank you friend." he says to Fung, clasping his hand. He pulls another vial from a pouch and offers it to him. "This should alleviate some of your weakness."
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Wow, many thanks Sarion! Fung grasps the big man's hand and pulls him to his feet. He pops the cap of the vial and downs it in a single gulp. What a handy thing to carry around!
Current Con 6
EDIT: Piria, how far do you think it is to the vault? Do you think it will be safe to rest there for a while?
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Piria answers Sir Fung, I am in touch with my goddesses and do possess some healing capability however I exhausted it all keep the Blossoms alive during the attack before you arrived. I don't think the Vault is that far now but we must make haste.
About an hour after the spider ambush, you and Sarenite refugees finally reach the Vault of Sarenrae.
In the center of this large, natural cavern, easily more than forty feet in height, stands the ruin of a truly ancient temple constructed of chipped grey and white marble. Its domed roof collapsed long ago, but the structure is otherwise in remarkably good shape. Where doors must once have hung, a small campfire now burns, surrounded by piles of ragged but neatly folded bedding.
Millennia ago, this magnificent temple served as the center of Taldan Sarenrae worship. As time wore on and the faith’s popularity gave way to the veneration of Aroden, the temple, like so much of ancient Oppara, was built over and lost beneath countless layers or new development. Now, the Dawnflower Blossoms and other underground cults of Sarenrae use this as a gathering place for their largest meetings and a refuge in dangerous times.
Seven people sit huddled around the small campfire to ward off the damp and cold of the cavern. As soon as they spot the approaching party, they pick up wooden clubs and leap to their feet suspiciously. One of the cult members calls out, “Well met by moonlight, sisters and brothers, but soon the dawn will come!” Upon hearing the coded greeting, the cultists by the fire set down their weapons and welcome the party and their fellow Sarenites to the camp.
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Fung laughs weakly, Actually, I meant skill in the healing arts rather than blessings of the Dawnflower, herself. We will just need some good rest, but while I can tend others, I need some care, which limits what I can do.
--
Hi, the stout monk smiles, The name is Fung Xi, I am please to meet you all.
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Sarion strides into the shrine and after the initial moments of mistrust, the Paladin strides to te altar and makes a prayer to Sarenrae in a heartfelt and obvious manner, making reference to her portfolio as The Redeemer. When he removes his helmet to reveal his fiendish blood, he hopes this does not prejudice the cultists too much. He makes his way among them, trying to make himself known for more than his heritage.
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Greetings, brave folk. I am Brizza. Your quest to worship freely, despite all hardships, is quite awe-inspiring. I hope we can be of some small assistance.
Brizza will try mapping this location,and the territory from the entrance to here, as best as she can remember.
Once they've settled in for the evening Brizza will sing an inspiring ballad of a people who were forced to wander, before finding a land of their own.
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Piria states that she will be more than happy to help treat any wounds that have been incurred as a result of helping the blossoms.
At the mention of Khisima the group looks saddened and peers over to a group of piled corpses. She fell the night before last.
Akkuret invites the new arrivals into the ancient temple, offering them seats in the recently constructed pews. All are given food and wine, and while everyone is eating and drinking, Akkuret states that he wishes to discuss some new developments with the group. Akkuret knows that Chalfon Dalsine’s plans to foment all-out war between the Pathfinder Society’s rival factions come to fruition tonight.
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Sorry this is going to be one hell of a post.
Chalfon Dalsine should have led a charmed life. The
third son of one of Taldor’s wealthiest senatorial
families, Chalfon grew up with everything a young
boy could want. He lived in his family’s vast country
estate outside of the capital city of Oppara with servants
at his beck and call. Not being the eldest, Chalfon wasn’t
burdened with the responsibility of someday taking over
as head of the family, and spent his youth indulging
every whim. As he matured into young adulthood,
however, he slowly began to resent his parents’ emotional
distance, their burdensome rules, and their insistence on
tradition, station, and family pride, and he began to look
for diversions outside of Taldor’s strict social hierarchies.
He found such an outlet in the easy camaraderie and
fantastic adventures promised to members of the
Pathfinder Society in Absalom.
At first, life as an initiate in the Society was everything
he had hoped for. Because of his family’s wealth, he
was able to circumvent some of the more stringent
requirements the Society places on its initiates, and live
a life of relative luxury. He paid others to complete his
chores and assignments, and spent his days and nights in
Absalom’s brothels and taverns. He did not care that his
actions violated the Pathfinders’ basic rules, believing
that his ancestry and social class placed him above such
boring, petty concerns. But when the Three Masters (the
Pathfinders charged with overseeing initiates’ training)
discovered Chalfon’s indiscretions, he was summarily
expelled.
Chalfon left Absalom angry and bitter, and spent the
next few years roaming the Inner Sea region in search
of distractions. He sampled the more exotic wares found
in the markets of Sothis and Katapesh, lost and gained
fortunes in the darkest gambling dens of Ilizmagorti
and Riddleport, and drank strong mead in the cold
longhouses of Kalsgard. When his gambling debts began
to mount up, he fled his many creditors and went into
hiding in rural Taldor. With nothing else to do so far from
“civilization,” the bored noble began dabbling in esoteric
arcana under the tutelage of a local, reclusive magic
theoretician named Banell Half-Drowned, who followed
the way of the magus, preaching the blending of magical
and martial techniques. Being a rebel at heart, Chalfon
found personal validation in the rejection of wizard
orthodoxy inherent in this approach, and saw it as a way
of achieving wealth and true power. Not surprisingly, he
soon became one of Banell’s most promising students.
During his 4 years of study under Banell Half-Drowned,
Chalfon occasionally visited some of Taldor’s larger, if not
most metropolitan, cities in disguise to blow off steam
and escape the drudgery of rural living. On one of these
trips, Dalsine met a young Pathfinder named Kormiggon
Sussworth in a seedy tavern. Kormiggon was slowly
becoming disenchanted with the Society and spoke of a
group called the Shadow Lodge, which aimed to supplant
the inefficient and feckless Decemvirate. Since Chalfon
blamed the Pathfinder hierarchy for many of his own
problems, he and Kormiggon quickly became friends.
When he felt he had learned all he could from Banell,
Chalfon left his master’s house and began exploring
remote ruins and forgotten places of power throughout
Avistan, hoping to discover powerful magical artifacts that
would help him in his ascent to power and limitless wealth.
Although he ultimately failed in that endeavor, he made
contact with a group that would change his life, living in a marshy bog
among the River Kingdoms. For their own unknowable
reasons, they agreed to ally
themselves with Chalfon in exchange for access to the
upper crust of Taldan society. At first, Chalfon was hesitant
to return to Oppara, not wishing to once again be ruled
by his family. They quickly convinced him
that he had outgrown their feeble restrictions, and could
now use his family’s position to help him achieve the
wealth and power he so desperately craved.
Chalfon hired a ship, brought the group
back to Oppara, and began reingratiating himself with
the Dalsine family. Playing the part of the prodigal
son, Chalfon did his best to seem contrite and was soon
accepted back into the family fold. When the opportunity
presented itself, however, Chalfon acted with utter
ruthlessness. He secretly killed his only surviving older
brother (the other had been slain in a duel years before) and
took control of the family’s fortune. Within a few years he
had placed the group in prominent positions not
just at the royal court, but also in both the secretive Lion
Blades (Taldor’s spy organization) and Oppara’s largest
thieves’ guild, the Brotherhood of Silence.
But even though his wealth and power kept increasing,
it was not enough. Through his continued correspondence
with the Shadow Lodge member Kormiggon Sussworth,
he made contact with an influential and radical member
of the Lodge’s hierarchy—a secretive agent known only
as the Spider. The Spider offered Chalfon an incredible
opportunity: if the Taldan noble helped bring down the
Pathfinder Society in Taldor, he would receive his pick of
the artifacts found in the Society’s vault in Absalom once
the Shadow Lodge brought the Decemvirate to its knees.
Soon afterward, Chalfon’s spies came across some
incredible secrets that would allow him to put this plan
into motion. A spy placed in the Lion Blades
informed Chalfon that they had been spying on a secret
and illegal cult of Sarenrae worshipers hiding in Oppara
who called themselves the Dawnflower Blossoms. A
Keleshite member of the cult named Khismia happened
to be the youngest sister of a Qadiran noblewoman named
Pasha Muhlia Al-Jakri, the faction leader for the Qadiran
loyalists within the Pathfinder Society.
Chalfon knew very well who Pasha Al-Jakri was.
Chalfon’s older cousin was none other than Baron Jacquo
Dalsine, head of the rival Taldor faction, and Chalfon
knew that the two of them hated each other. Not caring
for his cousin any more than he did for the rest of his
family, he devised a plan to pit the two faction heads
against one another.
Chalfon could not believe his luck when he received
further news—that the venture-captain for the Opparan
Pathfinder lodge, a man named Muesello, had been using
the Dawnflower Blossoms to smuggle Taldan artifacts
out of the country in order to circumvent Taldor’s high
export taxes on such items. The situation seemed almost
too perfect. With a few well-placed manipulations, he
would not only be able to expose the venture-captain’s
crimes and discredit the Pathfinder Society in his home
country, but hopefully also create an all-out war within
the Society by pitting Baron Jacquo Dalsine and Pasha
Al-Jakri against each other. All the Shadow Lodge would
have to do then is come in and pick up the pieces. All he
needed was a little luck.
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We cannot let this happen, Fung says, before wincing in pain. He takes a deep breath and motions for his friends to move closer.
We may be heading into a dangerous predicament, and... the monk takes a deep breath, If I don't make it, give my things to Lady Amara. I may yet have enough influence with the Society to recover my body, so if it comes to it, leave me rather than risk your lives further.
Fung leans his head against the pillar, I cannot in good conscience turn away from either the Dawnflower Blossoms, or the Society, while I still draw breath... I just want to be clear.
EDIT: He turns back to Akkuret and Piria, pulling himself up from the pillar, What can we do?
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"We stand together." Sarion says abruptly. "The rallying call of the Paladins of Sarenrae." The Paladin stands to his full height. "We all succeed at our tasks." he says. Looking to his companions. "Perhaps we need to share our burdens so that we can all carry them through to completion. I for one need to locate three entrances to the catacombs for the Silver Crusade so that these people can receive food and other supplies."
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When we have more time, I would love to hear your perspective on this... false prophet, Fung smiles, an honest look of interest on his face.
EDIT: Fung pulls Akkuret aside, away from the rest of the Dawnflower Blossoms, nodding to his compatriots to join them if they would like. You are holding back. I can see it. I will repeat one more time, if you do not tell us everything, we cannot help you.
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Moving back to Al Suresh and the others, Fung speaks softly so as not to be overheard, Beware, I fear that there may be betrayal in our midst. I have no proof, but I would rather we be prepared, just in case. We may not be as safe as we think.
If his companions are spread about, Fung will move to each and speak to them privately, warning them to be prepared. He also asks Brizza to tag him with a mage armor (assuming hers has worn off already.)
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In the debate about the Dawnflower, Brizza remarks to Shel. Just because a prophet is not yours, does not make them false. The Dawnflower gives succor to many. She is not my patron either, as I spend my days gaining deeper understanding of the powers within me, rather than without. But as long as they do not infringe on the rights of others, the Blossoms should be free to worship as they please.
Brizza happily agrees to cast Mage Armor from the wand on Fung, and with his permission-- on herself to save spells. (AC19)
To Akkuret, Yes, explain yourself quickly or be prepared to be moved aside.
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Sarion - detects evil, draws, advances
Brizza - plays with fung's wand
Shel - draws,
Akkuret
Fung
Al
Akkuret changes shape before your very eyes into a a hairless, leathery biped has a face dominated by grotesque and unsettling whorls and slits instead of actual features.
He draws a scimitar and withdraws 15' back from the group.