Lore uses her extra speed to move into the center of the room and cast a cure on Maximo.
Chochok fires three shots, hitting with two of them. Only the first appears to do some small injury to the lamia.
A scuffle for weapons ensues between Maximo and Miakovna.
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"You are stealing my act!" Maximo exclaims as both weapons fly from hands. He suffers another slash from the creature's scimitar, but after Lore's healing touch and Shelyn's healing mercy, he is still in fighting condition.
Stepping to his fallen weapon, he snatches it up from the floor. Then swings at snake-woman.
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Turg's spell finishes, making Augmented Stirges appear in threatening range of the snake lady! They attempt to attach themselves to her!
In the meantime, she instructs the Mites to retrieve the weapons from the mutual disarming and work together to return the Paladin's weapon to his hands!
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Turg summons a flock of stirges to harrass the lamia. Two of the blood suckers manage to attach to her, while the others flutter around.
Maximo retrieves his weapon from a mite and swings. However, he does not manage to make contact.
The snake-woman is beginning to look from annoyed to dismayed with Turg.
"Curssses to you and your little friendssss!!!
The two stirges manage to suck some of the blood from the lamia despite her stone-hard skin.
Eadie 5' steps closer and swings three times but none of them connect with the fast moving snake.
Caradeum likewise is finding it difficult shooting into the swirl of melee with Maximo and the flying stirges.
Miakovna is more concerned with the stirges than the other opponents arrayed against her. Lacking her whip, she will attack Maximo and the attached stirges with her remaining scimitar.
To Maximo, she sneers...as she slashes at his head.
"Your minions can only lasssst for ssssoo long, manling!"
On Maximo
for Wis drain (DC23)
for
for
"And there will be no more of thisssss sssssucking my blood!'
On 2 attached stirges
for
for
Finally, she slithers closer to Eadie and the band at the doorway.
Lore heals the party with holy goodness.
On the other extreme, Chochok has depleted his list of grippli cuss words as he is convinced the mites tampered with his bullets.
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Maximo takes another wound, but Lore heals it.
Eadie says something across the way to Maximo, though the words are muffled within her helm.
"I beg your pardon, m'lady?!" Maximo calls back, peering around the snake-woman.
Eadie gestures emphatically for Maximo to flank the enemy.
"Oh yes! A most excellent plan Lady Eadie!"
Maximo makes a short jump to the left.
And Eadie takes a step to the right.
Maximo shifts his hips,
Eadie brings her knees in tight,
And like dancers in sync,
They swing their weapons again and again!
Caradeum continues his barrage of arrows, striking the Lamia with two more arrows...that seem to more damage than previously.
Followed up by Eadie with a solid hit from her hammer that knocks the serpent back. Maximo moves in and hacks twice with big love.
"Ssssssstop you foollsssssss!"
With the nonlethal damage and blood loss the Lamia collapses to the ground before she can get off another spell or flee.
"Lissssaalllaaaaaaa......noooooooo!
Searching the room you either uncover 4 glyphs traps in the room (by finding them or setting them off).
A sliding door in the rear of the dais opens into a small cavity, which the PCs can locate with a DC 20 Perception check (Lore, Eadie or Caradeum can easily make with T10).
Stored here are valuables used in services, plus some Thassilonian antiques Miakovna has taken in tribute.
Additionally, a gilded coffer contains Miakovna’s correspondence with other Lissalan cults; cursory reading reveals that a number of
Thassilonian artifacts tithed to the cult by the Aspis Consortium have been sent forth to other shrines throughout Varisia, including undisclosed locations in Kaer Maga, Magnimar, Palin’s Cove, and
Riddleport. While the fact that relics like these have been stolen from the Pathfinder Society in the first place is unfortunate, much more disturbing are the number of individuals Miakovna has been in
contact with, and the implications. The Well of Tainted Virtue was not a lone cult; the church of Lissala is an active, living religion hidden throughout Varisia.
Miakovna lies unconscious. Unless the four remaining stirges are called off, they will quickly drain her of her last drop.
Searching her (body) you find her +1 Scimitar, +1 whip (mites), a magical ring and a potion.
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"Shelyn be praised!" Maximo exclaims upon the snake-woman's defeat, then begins swatting away the stirges before they finish her off. "Thank you my little friends, let's not be gluttons now. Aram Zey would surely want us to bring this one back alive if at all possible." He says, obviously not knowing Aram Zey very well. "Hmm.. I seem to have left my rope above. However, I believe there were plenty of chains with those poor souls in the prison. One moment, and I will procure them!"
Turning on his heel, Maximo gets about one step before falling flat on his face. Groaning, he rolls over and by the wrinkles on his face and sudden gray in his hair, his mutagen has finally run out. "What happened...?"
Later, after he has had a few minutes to recover, and the others have looted the place...
Once the true scope of the cult of Lissala is revealed, Maximo tugs his coat straight, sets his jaw with a determined look, and strokes his beard. "I see we have not seen the last of these evil Thespians!" He shakes big love like an old man shaking his cane at naughty children. "I think it time someone gave them a final act!"
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Chochok frowns at his musket and takes a seat across the room while the others examine the body. He pulls out some tools and starts to work on repairing his firearm. "Ayup, the Lissalans seem to be back alright. Not good news; they were a nasty bunch back in the day, or so I've heard. I'll be sure to write up some warnings in my report."
Additional searches of the room turns up a set of keys of a design similar to the manacles worn by the Aspis prisoners with the chains.
Upon returning to the room of chains, the three prisoners have a dazed look upon their faces.
"Who are you again? What happened to us? Please help us get free of this horrible place."
If released they continue.
"We cannot thank you enough for rescuing us. Lyone’s made dealings with the cult and the monster Miakovna’s below. He betrayed us! That dastard!!!!"
The other two chime in...
"Yeah! It is both of them that put us into these chains and he let her torture us for the rights to the Well. They must be stopped!"
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Turg will unsummon the stirges at the polite request, as she also barely knows who Aram Zey is. She is unsure if the blood goes with the creatures or if it remains on the Material Plane, but makes no attempt as warning anyone about the potential mess.
Three of the mites attempt to climb the Paladin and attempt to cheer on the bloody melees, possibly "singing" poorly at the victory while the fourth plays with his new Whip (just as poorly). The fifth returns to smashing things until scolded by the Queen to cease his activity, at which he joins the chorus.
"Blood and Guts!"
Unintelligible, semi-rhythmic babble
"Mess all around!"
More unintelligible, semi-rhythmic babble
Repeat
Turg takes more interest in the now-sane prisoners. "Betrayed, you say? How would you feel about just desserts and letting some of our people know some of these deals?"
"Yeah we will let you know what we know. But we were not involved with all the deals."
The other two nod in agreement.
"When the Consortium returned to the shrine, other agents discovered it was no longer unoccupied.
In the years between the Aspis Consortium’s discovery of the ruin and the decision to use the asset,
thee cult of Lissala had reclaimed it."
They continue...
"They were being led by Miakovna, and the cult was settled and actively working to restore the shrine.
We assumed Lissala’s faith long dead but would not want to lose the Shrine and Well to them. Fighting seemed inevitable until
silver agent Lyone Ekonian, our task force’s leader,
came up with his brilliant idea to subcontracting the assignment. "
With a snear of contempt for his prior leader, the first picks up again after catching his breath.
"He met with Miakovna and assured her no disrespect was intended; indeed, he would happily
allow cultists to personally enact the portal-shifting magic to avoid any desecration. "
All of them in unison.
"What they did not tell us is the three of us were GIFTED to the Lissalans as converts to the faith.
She brain washed us and let Lyone live in the shrine and use of the portal.
For payment, the cult would receive a percentage of the profits—most especially the tithe of all Thassilonian artifacts looted.
Sweet deal for them but sucked for us. Until you came along."
"Hey, where is Lyone anyway? Did you kill him or did the coward escape?"
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Maximo paces the prison chamber as he listens to the prisoner's tale.
"Yes.."
"Hmmm.."
"Lyone you say? A silver agent? Was he the one who threw himself upon our swords?"
"Fascinating..."
"Brain washed you say!"
"Lissalans? I thought we were discussing thespians."
"No Eadie, that would be women who prefer women, I said thespians... you know, actors!"
*** Epilogue ***
Once the PCs have secured the Well of Tainted Virtue by removing all opposition, the Pathfinder Society is able to move in to the locale, secure it against further intrusion, and establish it as a research and storage facility for artifacts pertaining to the Hao Jin Tapestry. Artifacts that had been stolen from the tapestry are reclaimed and cataloged, though frustratingly many have already been sent elsewhere either by the Aspis Consortium or the Lissalan cultists.
Furthermore, the now-secure portal allows the distinct advantage of near-instant and free transport for vast numbers of personnel and materials between Absalom and Varisia; while the Well of Tainted Virtue is not the most convenient of locations in Varisia, traveling from the portal’s location to Riddleport, Magnimar, Korvosa, or other points in the region is still much faster than the months-long voyage by sea or the costly option of teleportation from Absalom.
Any prisoners taken by the team are treated well, and sent back through the portal for holding until such time as they can be given more permanent detention or else ransomed back to the Aspis Consortium. Lyone, if made a prisoner, is led away wearing a smirk that indicates he doesn’t expect to be a captive for long. But escape from within the Hao Jin Tapestry proved impossible for beings much more powerful than him for centuries.
If the PCs discovered Miakovna’s correspondence, they have already learned that the Lissalan religion is living and established throughout Varisia, and possibly beyond. Should they report this, the news is met with both astonishment and concern. Word quickly spreads through the Society that the Ten are eager to look into this reborn ancient religion, and many venture-captains can be heard weighing among themselves the potential value of studying the ancient faith in the flesh versus the danger posed by a religion clearly favoring a return to the old ways of the Thassilonian empire.
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"So Epone was a silver agent?" Eadie looks deep in thought. "He'd have one of those silver badges then. Wouldn't that make a cool brooch! You could even enchant it as a brooch of shielding."
"I said thespians... you know, actors!"
"I guess it's time to make like mischievous fey then, Max."
Eadie looks at her companions as she recites from a play she saw with her Aunt Alix some time ago in Bard's End.
So good night unto you all.
Give me your hand if we be friends.
And Eadie shall restore amends.