"Faboooo!", Yrishi snaking and coiling around the base of the staff briefly. "The wood feels so polished and magnificent. I think I can almost feel the magic!", she exclaims before answering Gob's question. "I hear they are bad news, at least according to those Aspis guys. A bit ago, some of them were celebrating an attack at their grand lodge that killed a bunch of them, although killing a bunch of people isn't something a good person should be celebrating."
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"Well, I guess you could say we are similar in some ways, but very very different. We do share a common ancestral source... really on both sides according to some theorists and quite different on one side too..." She shrugs. "What defines us more though is what we do with our innate bloodlines, not where they come from."
"I must say, you are quite beautiful... I've never met anyone like you before and I didn't expect to find such a sweet guide."
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Gob nods at Yrishi's insight on the Aspis. "Indeed, killing is not often the best way of dealing with a problem. Though from what I know of the Pathfinders I think you'd find them quite interesting. In fact their main mission is to gain and preserve lost knowledge. They have a grand lodge in Absolomn that has a library holding so much knowledge you wouldn't know where to start."
"Is that the same grand lodge that was attacked?"
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Aspex gives the pipefox a small smile. "One of my ancestors was an extraplanar being from a realm of fire. I do use some of that power myself, but my preference is to summon creatures from the planes to do my fighting for me."
She listens closely to the conversation between the pipefox and Gob but doesn't contribute to it.
"Hopefully not dark, creepy things. Some of folk who do business down here seem to revel in that kind of work. I mean, it's not like I'm not curious what they do, but I don't think I want them to be good at it."
After traveling for about two hours with their chatty guide, the party approaches a chokepoint in a cavern. "Alright," chirps Yrishi. "you'll have to cross this checkpoint controlled by them Aspis people. I'll sneak around and find you on the other side. Good luck! With your knowledge, I believe you can do it and slip through unharmed!!!", compliments the pipefox as she dashes towards the shadows once more.
Purple and yellow bioluminescent fungi line the base of the walls of this tunnel. A thin, shallow stream of water flows lazily through the passageway. Two figures stand just a bit past the water. Everyone calmly moves forward to the figures, now visible as half-orcs with falchions at their backs. They look over the party, their eyes judging you immediately. "State your business.", the lead one asks tersely.
"You guys deaf or something? Speak up or get the hell outta here!", the guard asks once more.
"Uhhh, what?", the guard looking over at Gob. The other comes out from the shadows and smacks the first guard on the back of the head. "Not him, you nitwit, the others.", pointing to Marduk, Wyeth, and Hakime. "He's obviously the manager, all the new merc groups got one nowadays." The guard then turns to the party. "Yeah, if you wanna get inside the base, gotta use the phrase 'The serpents rise again'.", the second guard corrects.
The party doesn't waste much time and slips past the half-orcs, and just past their site, Yrishi waits for you. "Good job making it through!", she chirps, her eyes happily pointed upwards at your success.
"Come! We're almost at the Deepmarket, then to the Aspis base!", Yrishi leading the way once more.
The small communities of recently constructed, shoddy structures give way to large caverns with dilapidated buildings. While there are some finely dressed merchants about, most wear dark, dingy clothes to blend in with the large number of squatters, beggars, and destitute too poor to be anywhere else.
Unlike the cheery, inquisitive self she normally is, Yrishi is quieter, pausing occasionally to look one way or another to see if anyone is eyeing them before moving forward. Eventually, the winding tunnels end at an ancient building nestled against a rock wall.
"That over there is the Aspis base. Please take care! I'll be waiting for you where we met so you can tell me about all the cool things in there!", Yrishi smiles before slinking back into the shadows.
The party, ready in their plan of action, head towards the Aspis base. The tunnels open slightly into a small cavern that ends in a wall of worked stone. An iron door bearing a raised image of a three-eyed beast
on its face prevents entrance.
That is the unholy symbol of Lamashtu. Nothing bad could be inferred from that.
Four exits lead out of this sparsely furnished room—an iron double door to the northwest, and three wooden doors leading south, east, and southeast. Worn wooden benches line the walls, and discarded bottles are scattered across the floor.
A pair of ratfolk sit near a table closer to the east door. One squeaks, "Passphrase. Now.", wasting no time with his demand.
One of the ratfolk's ears perks up as Hakime says the correct phrase. "Well then, what trade goods you brought to offer?", the other eyeing the party suspiciously.
Hakime seems to assuage their suspicions, but Aspex and Marduk get their attention, being eyed carefully.
While Wyeth still seems to fit in, Gob dour nature and arcane staff seem to throw off a vibe to the Aspis guards. "One second, sumptin feels off...", the lead ratfolk placing a hand inside a coat.
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"I'm sorry if we don't seem our usual selves today. It's been a rough journey to get here. You have caught us after a long trip, during which we had to get through several Pathfinder," she pauses to spit as if in disgust, "checkpoints, and even one fight with the stupid society thugs. We are tired, and carrying much acquired booty from that battle. Just be a mensch and let us pass, for we bear other trinkets beside just that one, and the Mistress of the Market herself will want to see us."
-Posted with Wayfinder
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"Of course there is something off, you cretin. We went through a great deal of effort to acquire these items and have already been low-balled by the merchants above. We are expecting you to try to do what you are about to do." She gestures at the ratfolk's hand in its coat. "So yes, we might seem nervous."
The party then berates and bluffs the pair of now bewildered guards. They look at each other briefly and shake their heads. "I ain't paid enough for this...", one mutters to himself. "Just get in there!", the other guard thumbs as he opens the central door to a large, circular room with some design cut into the floor.
"Don't be getting snoopy in there.", the first guard chimes in as the door closes the behind the party.
The walls of this circular room are covered in painted scenes of fear and torment. The stone ceiling rises in a craggy dome that is haphazardly carved with disembodied eyes, talons, fangs, and other monstrous features.
In the center of the room, rusty brown stains run down from a circular dais, which holds a stained marble bowl and a collection of rusty daggers. A jagged black rune covers up most of the floor. Tattered and moldy bedrolls are pushed into the corners of the room.
Yup, that's the unholy symbol of Lamashtu there.
Aspex quickly gets a brief vision of terror flash before her eyes before the effect fades. She seems to be the only one fallen to such an effect.
Hakime, not finding anything of interest around the door, shrugs and opens it...
A flourishing mass of purple fungus separates the western portion of this room. Two cages lined with straw and fungal spores sit ajar against the north wall. To the east, smooth stone covered in scorched images of screaming faces gives way to rough stone.
There are two doorways, one that would appear to return you to the entrance, and the other heading south.
Gob can tell that the fungus makes an effective barricade, although otherwise seems to be not dangerous. It was definitely cultivated at first, but has since grown more naturally.
Not hearing any noise or noticing anything strange about the other door, Hakime opens it. This storage room contains various tools, barrels, and other mundane goods. There are three doors in this chamber as well as a passage that winds around to the southwest.