Mary lashes out at the swordsman with her claws.
power attack, blessing of fervor for extra attack
She tries for a grab
All of the swings at Mary missed.
The phoenix whirls in the air, blowing away most of Mark's glittering dust before it can do any harm.
When Butyl's spell settles on it, the phoenix becomes very still. "I am... free", it manages in a booming voice after a long pause. "It's been so long..."
Mary swipes several times at the swordsman through the sleeting ice. Three times she feels her claws scrape against armor and once she misses entirely. She senses the elf move into a better position and then hears spellcasting. A moment later a torrent of lightning tears through the air.
After eating the full blast of lightning, Gregor chases after the elf. Sensing that his target's close, he swings mightily.
Despite the poor conditions, with three swift punishing blows, Gregor turns the elf in the powder blue shirt into paste.
pass, evasion, no damage
The swordsman continues blinding battling Mary.
Mary will tear into the guy again (or at least try).
power attack, blessing of fervor for 1 extra
Mary hits twice and manages to catch something in her claws. Unfortunately, within the sleet storm, Mother Magda can't make out much. Besides blinding sheets of ice all she can see is that Mary's got something bleeding in her claws.
Butyl's plea snaps the Phoenix out of its confusion. "The men and women of the Red Revolution have noble hearts. They do not understand the chains that bound me. Call off your monster and I will help subdue them."
The swordsman gasps as he's suddenly freed from his unseen attacker's claws.
With a casual sweep of its fiery wings, the phoenix dispels Mark's sleet storm. "Brave Teko, I will not fight these men and women any longer. Stand down and surrender the ring you bear to them. This battle is over."
Seeing the revolution's guardian turned against him, the swordsman drops his blade and falls to his knees. "The Spirit of the Revolution has forsaken us. I... yield."
***
"I was bound to this cavern and made a slave to that ring decades ago by the man called Teppin Montrose", the phoenix explains as Teko is bound and disarmed. "Eventually the Red Revolution claimed the lands above and my service was gifted to them by Montrose. I admired their cause but I've always resented that ring. The magic that binds me here is more powerful than my own but if you destroy that ring at least I'll be a prisoner with free will. Please, I don't not want to be a slave again."
"Forgive us spirit, we did not know", the swordsman pleads. "Teppin Montrose has always been a patron to the revolution. I can't believe he'd enslave a noble creature so cruelly. I'm almost glad he's dead."
Shade determines that, in addition to allowing the wearer to control the phoenix, it has the power to change the phoenix's elemental polarity (from fire to cold, acid, or lightning).
Despite its powerful magic, just about anything could destroy the ring.
|
"Gregor, do you care to break it?"
Butyl turns to the Revolutionaries. "So, do you want to explain why you attacked us without provocation?"
-Posted with Wayfinder
Ignoring Zarzuket's suggestion, Gregor does as Butyl asks and smashes the golden ring into bits of twisted metal. "It's done."
Teko looks up at the aasimar and shakes his head. "The Red Revolution struck at the Pathfinder Society because the Red Raven believed your Adril Hestram to be responsible for Teppin Montrose's death. I don't know much more than that. If you'll spare my life and the rest of my men I'll show you around what's left of the keep. Maybe you'll find more of the information you're after. I'll even return the sword Cale stole from your armory."
Butyl gets the sense that Teko is a broken man. He doesn't have it in him to mislead anyone.
With the ring destroyed the phoenix's form shifts until it no longer resembles a raven. "I am... free. Thank you strangers. This kindness will not be forgotten", it says before diving back into the crevasse.
Teko leads the party up the stairs on the left.
The secret door from the tunnel leading down into the Raven’s Roost opens into the false facade of an altar in an austere chapel dedicated to Abadar, Master of the First Vault. Numerous lit candles flicker from shelves built into the whitewashed walls, which extend thirty feet to end in what must be some sort of spire or steeple. The upper walls of the structure bear huge stained-glass windows. From the light illuminating their colorful scenes it’s clear you’ve emerged onto the surface. Two huge double doors on the far wall, about 20 feet away, stand open just a crack, revealing a sliver of the courtyard beyond. Refuse and blood can be seen in the yard.
Inside the chapel, though, all is quiet.
"The mob came for Aric, the Red Raven, yesterday. They believed him to be one of the blue-blooded aristocrats responsible for bleeding our noble country dry. He chose to let himself be executed rather than reveal his secret as their hero", Teko explains grimly. "After the execution the mob ransacked the keep but they couldn't get into the armory. Your sword and any evidence of Aric's secrets would be hidden in there."
Leading the party through the ruined building, Teko comes to a pair of intact double doors. He leans in and whispers something and the doors drift open in response.
A life-sized dummy of stands at the center of this room, on which is draped the cape of the Red Raven and his elaborate headdress. The dummy holds a grappling hook shaped like a raven’s wings in one hand, while the other holds a set of engraved iron bands. The dressing doll’s head is adorned with a pair of goggles. On a small table a folio rests the Pale Maiden and a thin folio inside which are several items of interest.
|
|
Butyl examines the documents.
"What are these locations on the map? I've seen these names before."
-Posted with Wayfinder
Markavious recognizes the names as prominent Venture Captains. The locations on the map look to be their home lodges or personal residences.
With the Pale Maiden in hand, the party leaves what remains of the Red Revolution behind and returns back through the Maze of the Open Road to Eliza's Pathfinder lodge.
Eliza and Osprey leap to their feet the moment the servants bring you into the Lodge’s Great Hall, where the Red Raven first attacked Adril Hestram and drew you into this mess. Both have been nervously awaiting your return.
“You’re back!” exclaims Eliza, her face lighting up with a bright smile. “I trust you tracked the murderers to their lair?”
Osprey steps forward. “Well,” he says expectantly. “What have you learned?”
|
|
"The Red Revolution are not our enemies. They attacked Hestram because they encountered his treachery as well. There's been enough blood spilled on both sides."
"It seems Hestram killed Teppin Montrose, and he has a list of 4 other persons that he's been tracking." Butyl hands over the list and the map that they found.
Eliza and Osprey become somber once more at Butyl's news. They take turns looking over the evidence closely.
"So the rumors were true. Adril was working with or as an agent for some shadow lodge but what he or they hope to gain from hunting these Venture-Captains remains to be seen."
Osprey returns to the papers to Butyl and shakes his head. "We'll be in touch with the Ten and see what they want done with this information. In the meantime, don't wander far from the Woodsedge Lodge. I suspect you'll be needed again shortly."
It's been a week since the Talespinning, Adril Hestram's death, and the confrontation with the Red Revolution, when Eliza summons each of you.
"Thank you for coming", Venture-Captain Petulengro says as she welcomes you to the meeting room that is still undergoing repairs after the Red Raven’s assault. She motions for you to have a seat. The red-haired woman mutters an arcane incantation under her breath and gestures deliberately at the doors and windows, then sighs heavily, nods to herself, and looks up at you.
"I apologize if you've felt like a prisoner here", she says to Mother Magda, Zarzuket, and Butyl. "But it's taken the Decemvirate some time to determine the best course of action. Gregor and Markavious were needed for more in depth questioning but in their stead I've arranged for reinforcements. This is Adaxis and Zandu. Like the three of you, they're some of the most experienced Pathfinders in the Society's ranks. And I've had them thoroughly vetted, I'm confident they can be trusted."
|
Twirling a coin between his fingers a veiled Kelish man stands up at the mention of his name and gives a brief bow. "I believe you give me too much credit dearest venture captain" he says as he adjusts the fine white silk attire that he's wearing. " It is nice to meet you as the fine Venture captain has mentioned my name is Zandu and I will be getting paid to assist you in this endeavor"
"Uhh, Hi. " sound quite like your average surly teenager.
|
"Ah, a Dwarf brother!"
A deeply tan and weathered dwarf wearing rhino hide bows in your direction and speaks in a broken Garundi accent. Several huge gold and silver necklaces jingle as he lowers his head. A cloak blurs his movements similar to the effect of consuming one too many pints of dwarven ale.
Adaxis Copperclaw at yer service. Clan Copperclaw are proud nomadic desert dwarves inhabit da eastern deserts abutting da Shattered Range in eastern Garund. Me feet have traveled many roads until I grew wings like me best friend Mousebane.
A magnificent eagle lands on his shoulder devouring dried fruit and seeds.
With introductions more or less complete, the Venture-Captain begins her briefing.
"To start, I must confess some disturbing news: Adril Hestram's body has gone missing. After his death I personally locked his body in the study to be questioned later but some time after you returned the second time it vanished. Whether it was removed by a traitor among my staff or via magic remains to be seen but we should assume that Adril's plans or his masters' plans are still in play."
“As you know, we believe the very fabric of the Pathfinder Society is under attack. Though your efforts were instrumental in protecting this lodge, our task is far from done. You are already intimately involved in this affair, so it falls to you to see it through. Secrecy is of the utmost importance in this regard, so rather than involve any more people in this embarrassing debacle, we trust you to take care of everything. These are among the most momentous events in our organization’s long history, and our very survival depends on your success."
“What I ask of you now is even more dangerous than your previous involvement, but I trust that you will not let the Society down. I need you to return to the Maze of the Open Road and discover what you can about Adril’s use of the portals within to further his devious plans. Since your previous visits, I learned that the eternal guardian of the maze is a medusa named Condria. Find her and gather from her any information you can on Hestram’s recent comings and goings in the Maze. We believe that list of names you recovered was Adril's hit list and while we have a general idea of who his targets are, we don’t yet know how or when he plans to assassinate them."
“Should you discover any hints as to the identity or location of his next target, do not delay in travelling there and ensuring his or her safety. May the gods be with you; if they don’t favor your efforts, I fear the Pathfinder Society may be doomed.”
"But mommy said I can't get stoned anymore!"