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Lilianna remains where she is standing and continues to speak. There must have been some misunderstanding, surely this heirloom wasn't simply taken from them without some form of payment! "I don't think any of us were there when it was stolen and can confirm what you're saying, but why don't we all leave the museum together and sort this out? If you speak the truth, I'm sure myself and many others would be more than happy to keep you safe while you leave this city to make the trek back home," she offers.
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"I have always heard that Nigel, the museum's caretaker is fair, and I don't believe he would simply steal something for display. Perhaps he purchased it without knowing it was stolen?"
"I think Lilianna is correct. Come with us while we deal with whatever is going on here, and we can all speak with him. If you act in good faith in our company, we could then vouch for your character."
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She considers the groups words carefully, and is someone unsure if she can trust you."I appreciate your eagerness to clear the situation, but all we want is to leave here with our artefact. But your Nigel man is not a person of good faith. We attempted to reason with that Nigel man. That Nigel man refused. He said he did not honor ‘seller’s remorse.’ Unless we can safely leave here with what is rightfully ours, we see no reason to speak to him."
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Medda replies, “It is bound to me.” She grasps the hilt tightly, then her eyes begin to glow with a brilliant white light as her scars begin to seep thin rivulets of blood. “Does that answer your question?”
Considering her options, she agrees to approach the matter diplomatically, but asks once more to be absolutely certain. "Does this man speak for the rest of you?"
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Seren still appears to have the demeanor of an agitated kitten, lots of claw but little will to approach and act on it. She keeps giving the red gentleman the stink eye, but has backed off from her punchy stance as the others have talked with the tribal woman. "Hey... I mean leaking blood out your face is... uh, interesting and all. But that's not actually sayin' much except you need some bandages."
The medium shrugs faintly. "He speaks enough for me, probably. I don't really care if you take it, honestly, but you gotta explain all of crap to our bosses so they don't get on our backs about letting you go... They like to yell." But if she could get them to set a precedent for taking things from the museum by saying they're yours and bleeding a bit, she could make a killing!
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"I agree with Varuna, I think we should let them hold on to it. They have had ample time to attack us and if they did not have a claim to stake, they would have no other option but to do so." And if they are pulling the wool over our eyes, I'd much rather have the grand reveal in front of more Pathfinders.
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Something seems off here. as he struggles to collect his thoughts. Turning towards the Twinhorn Following, "Allow me a moment to speak with my friends." as he turns to speak to the party privately.
"I don't like this. We have been asked to come look for intruders who had broken in and set off alarms. What proof do we have that they are not simply thieves themselves. If the item was bound to her, specifically her, how is it that the item was stolen from her people months ago? I really think we should keep them with us until we can confirm their story with Nigel. If it is rightfully theirs, I would agree, let them have it." "But, I don't believe that a true follower of Vildeis would break in and rob to retrieve even a sacred relic. Like I said, something seems, . . . off here."
"I really think that you should talk to Nigel. And as I said, if you will accompany us to find out what all is going on here, we would be happy to vouch for you. We are Pathfinders, and we often find ourselves in a similar position in our quest for the wisdom of the lost past. But, we have no wish to steal from a benevolent deity or an innocent fellowship."
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"I agree with him! If that's what you're asking." Hangust says happily. "I'd rather not fight, and letting you leave safely seems like the best idea, but maybe we can figure out what happened and why Nigel thinks he has a right to your belonging. Cooperation, right? That's one of the Pathfinders objectives."
He smiles while bouncing on the heels of his feet, hoping the issue has been resolved.
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For a moment, both parties awkwardly look at each other. Finding it a little bit difficult to find a consensus. But they attempt to continue resolving the matter peacefully.
And without any warning, the chandelier hanging in the middle of the room crashes straight into the floor, shattering into a million tiny pieces of glass.
A red skinned demon like being manifest itself above the wreckage and sinisterly laughs. The creature bears long horns and wields a vicious, saw-toothed glaive, while below its toothy maw writhes a hideous, twitching beard.
Medda's face changes to one of worry and she calls out to group to seek aid. "What is this? we must fight this together. Anok help them. You two stay back, I will not lose anyone else!"
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Torrel believes with utmost convinction that Medda believes in everything she says without a doubt in her heart.
Vildeis is a powerful angel empyreal lord, also known as the Cardinal Martyr, fanatically dedicated to the eradication of all evil everywhere. Other goodly divine beings may rail against the sins of the wicked, but none have devoted themselves as wholeheartedly to its destruction than Vildeis.
Torrel is somewhat unsure about Ivvora, while her name may have existed in the past, you are not sure what her contributions are. However before he is able to make any further conclusions, the devil causes a disruption to the conversations.
***
As the blessing of the Dawnflower comes upon the group, the devil smirks as he notices an unlucky victim within his immediate reach. Using the glaive he holds he swings it twice in Torrel's way.
Torrel has almost no time to react, and finds himself in quite a bit of pain, and the wound continuously bleeds.
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At the sight of the devil, Varuna does not immediately recognize it, but knows it can't be good. He takes a large vial, with a greenish liquid out of a pouch on his chest and drinks it down quickly. His limbs begin to twitch and contract, and his pupils dilate a bit. He moves towards the demon, but stays out of reach for now.
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The Devil seems to be taking the upper hand against the room at the moment. Torrel withdraws himself before becoming a spirit just in time for Liliana to threat his condition curing him of it.
Varuna drinks a mutagen to heighten his reflexes to try to give him an edge on the creature.
Hangust and Kitajo take the risk to move in to attack the creature, this gives him an opportunity to strike Hangust. Both warriors are unable to land a hit on him. The devil seems to be a very formidable opponent.
The phantom Anok, moves in to assist the pathfinders. And Anok fights well only to find the Bearded Devil standing without damage.
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The others all lash out at the devilish threat while Seren is busy flailing about in fright at a chandelier crashing down. It nearly took her in the head! Eventually she calms herself as blows begin to fly...
And she dances. A familiar whirl of travel gear, fabric, and a pair of sharp edges flitters across the room. The dancer hoping that between the distraction of the others and her own wild movements she doesn't draw any reacting strikes from that large weapon.
With a few pirouettes she places herself between Medda and the threat, giving Hangust and her an advantage.
It appears as if her strike will go wide, but a sudden roll of her body brings the blade down at a better angle, hopefully hitting its mark. As she comes about there's a broad grin on her face for red Anok. "This is how you land a blow that matters!" The deep voice of the spirit controlling her taunts its fellow.
Spirit Aura: All allies within 30ft gain a +2 bonus on all non-spell damage rolls.
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Seren's bite is as sharp as her bite as she does some real damage onto the big bad in the room. However, her blade does not go all the way through as the creatures thick skin dampens some of that blow. The wound barely does any affect on the creature as it still looks strong and menacing.
Being surrounded, the devil immediately drop his glaive and relies on his bare hands, eyeing first Seren who managed to hurt him a little. Hi long claws swipe towards her face, but Seren's amazing fluidity allows her to dodge it. But after an unsuccessful first attempt, he frustratingly moves to another opponent, Kitajo. Another pair of claws fly in the air with the strike landing itself a hit, overcoming Kitajo's magical armor.
Hangust bleeds from the previous attack on him.
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The crowd of guards, onlookers, and concerned citizens outside the Blakros Museum quiets as Venture-Captain Ambrus Valsin approaches a woman clad in furs exiting the museum. "My Pathfinder agents tell me that you are Medda of the Twinhorn following, is that correct?"
"Yes, I speak for the following." Medda glares at Nigel Aldain, "I have come to reclaim what is rightfully ours. His agents stole our most sacred relic after we refused to sell it. We have traveled through dangerous lands to claim it back, and still he refused—"
"My agents claim they bought it," Nigel protests. "I’m not going to just give it to you because you stomp into my office demanding priceless artifacts."
Valsin interjects, "Nigel, let us listen to her story and decide how to proceed. Medda, tell us about this relic. Why is it so important to you?"
Medda takes a deep breath. "Over 900 years ago, a powerful warrior named Ivvora came into our camp. She spoke of an angel named Vildeis who guided her hunt for a great dark evil she called Eshimka. Several of our scouts had recently disappeared, later found ripped into pieces. The elders insisted that we help banish this evil and ensure the safety of our following. They laid a trap for the evil spirit, luring it to our sacred standing stones on the winter solstice. There, Ivvora and the great dark evil, Eshimka, fought a mighty battle that raged for hours. Just as the night was darkest, Ivvora dealt Eshimka a telling blow, digging her dagger deep into its flesh. The creature tried to escape, but it only snapped off the blade and then collapsed on the center stone. The elders finished their ritual and destroyed it completely.
"Ivvora rested with us for the winter before departing to eradicate more evil from the world, but not before leaving us the hilt of her weapon." Medda withdraws a bundle of bloody cloth from her bag, then unwraps it to reveal a small hilt with a bloody fragment of black metal. "She told us to bring the hilt back to the standing stones every year at the winter solstice to keep evil away. We’ve had to travel for so long to retrieve the hilt, I’m afraid we won’t make it back in time for the solstice. Please, let me leave now."
Ambrus Valsin contemplates Medda’s story for a moment, then nods, his brow furrowed. "Nigel, you should send for the Blakros agents who ‘obtained’ the hilt and hear what they have to say. Medda, I’m going to send as many Pathfinder agents as you deem necessary to travel with you and your following. I want to ensure we return this relic to its proper place." Nigel starts to protest, but Valsin cuts him off. "Nigel, you wanted my help; you are getting it. I’m helping you fix a mistake your agents made. As for your museum," Valsin takes a moment to survey the heavily damaged museum, "I’m told most of the damage was done by your own security, not Medda and her following.
"Pathfinders, prepare to head north to the Realm of the Mammoth Lords."
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Medda and Ambrus Valsin discuss long into the night how the Society might help the Twinhorn following. By the morning they have concluded that while teleportation magic might take the Kellids and Pathfinders as far as Lastwall, Medda insists that Ivvora’s hilt has lost some of its spiritual strength since being stolen. She believes the only way to restore its power is to walk the same path that Ivvora took into the Twinhorn’s land after the Shining Crusade—and that path leads straight through the Hold of Belkzen, an unforgiving land controlled by orcs!
Society mages gather to transport small groups at a time to Lastwall, and from there, the convoy of Kellids, Pathfinders, and supply wagons set off north. For all their brutal reputation, the orcs have become somewhat more welcoming of caravans at the urging of Grask Uldeth, one of the strongest orc chieftains and the ruler of the de facto capital Urgir. Those who stop at the Table of Ralock can purchase safe passage in the form of special tokens from tribal representatives. It remains to be seen whether the Pathfinders can secure enough.
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A group of pathfinders come to your aid to assist in subduing the bearded devil. Medda thanks for your help, and after much deliberation agrees to meet Nigel and Ambrus on your terms, after all, you saved their lives this time.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Without much of a choice, you accompany Medda and her convoy of Kellids to ensure them safe passage. Not long after you find yourselves travelling through Ungir, capital of Belkzen, land of the orcs, a dusty city composed of a discordant combination of crumbling dwarven architecture and rickety shelters. Medda has asked that everyone try and obtain tribal tokens, which allow safe passage through Belkzen and protection from the orc tribes. She has purchased as many tribal tokens as she can with gold but still needs more to have enough for her following warriors and the Pathfinders.
Upon hearing her advice, you decide to meet all the Orc tribes to obtain as much the tribal tokens as possible.
The first orc that you find is Borbus, a large strong and somewhat mean looking Orc. He finds himself bored with the violence in Urgir and is in need of dired entertainment. On top of that, he has a very empty beer stein elaborated decorated with patterns of axes. "Do you dance?" He groans. His breath stinks for miles.
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Seren is great at traveling! She already had her things with her at the museum, and mostly spends the preparation time being a nuisance to the Kellids. In particular Medda, badgering her and Anok with invasive questions until everyone gets shuffled to Lastwall.
During the trip through Belkzen she practically bounces about, switching between pointing out something familiar to her and questioning the nearest person about something she doesn't recognize. "Hey, did I ever tell you guys the time I got possessed by a servant of the whispering tyrant while I was here?" She lets out a satisfied breath and keeps shuffling along. "Good times..."
"Man, this place is kind of a dump, though. Everything is just sort of thrown together." She gives Medda her best impression of a salute and marches off with a puffed out chest to try and impress some orcs into letting her wander where she really shouldn't be. When the party finds Borbus she jumps in place in excitement. "Do I dance? Sugar, you have -no- idea! I got this!"
The little medium jumps onto the table next to his beer stein to kneel down next to that vile smell mouth. "Prepare to be dazzled, you big lug!"
Seren puts on a maddening dance atop the table full of stomping, a pair of spinning axes that no one is quite sure how she got a hold of (except a nearby slightly embarrassed orc that isn't speaking up), and aggressive posturing meant to appeal to an orc's more aggressive nature. If there's no music about, the beat of her feet is providing the rhythm necessary.
She'll finish the dance with a flying leap to land near one of the more agile members of the team and grab them up as a dance partner, twisting herself up in a knot around them and then back free again to wind up sitting on their shoulders with a slightly confused expression. "Eh, this wasn't how I wanted it to end. I think you missed a step!"
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During the trip through Belkzen she practically bounces about, switching between pointing out something familiar to her and questioning the nearest person about something she doesn't recognize. "Hey, did I ever tell you guys the time I got possessed by a servant of the whispering tyrant while I was here?" She lets out a satisfied breath and keeps shuffling along. "Good times..."
Seren's performance has certainly gathered much attention from on-lookers and passer-by's. They roar and cheer at the maddening dance, and Borbus no exception. He stands on his feet in cheer and spirit, and laughs his head off at the dance of the ages.
Still unable to contain his cheer at the end, he provides the group with a token"You impress little woman. I give you token."
The next orc you seek is Gekgaro of the Broken Spine tribe, they are known as the broken spine tribe. One might easily mistaken them by their name as a cowardly and timid lot, but that is not the case. Their name derives from the broken spines of their enemies that come in their path.
Gekgaro is a ranger by nature, and is known to be in the area to trade for maps and supplies, Gekgaro is having a difficult time finding a hospitable place for his tribe to camp for the winter. It is rumour that he is having a difficult time finding a hospitable place for his tribe to camp for the winter.
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"Well, if you can't find a suitable place, your best chance is to build a shelter instead!" Hangust eagerly discusses various ways to help shield from the cold and details the type of terrain best for building temporary shelter in the winter.
"Hmm..." He hums, while looking over Gekgaro's maps of the area they travel. "These few locations might be good, but I can't seem to find anything perfect...any of you guys want to look it over and give me a hand?" He waves to the other Pathfinders, hoping they can see something he doesn't.
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Seren is not the most observant or knowledgeable person around. Perhaps to prove this point she is busy tossing the token she earned in the air over and over. Until she tries to pull a trick and make it disappear up her sleeve, which instead makes it disappear onto the ground and start rolling away. She spends the time Hangust is guiding the orcs chasing down her lost treasure, only to return right at the end with it recovered.
She has brought a rather sheepish expression with her.
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Gekgaro is impressed with Varuna's knowledge of the hidden cave system. Combined with the information Hangust provided he believes he has enough information to be able to complete the task he was assigned for. The burly Orc is grateful, and in return provides you with a token, and also some ranger-like knowledge of terrain and how to easily move through them using quick and light feat.
Two more Influential orc's are within sight of the group. Graffa, of the burning sun, a female orc that looks extremely fit. It's told that she strives on competition and is looking for a challenge, she's currently training on an obstacle course of her own design. "I give you token, you race and win."
The other one in the opposite area is Mirtgog, of the Murdered Child Clan. A sly looking Orc with many tribal scars and tattoos. His request is one that may consider you to rethink your options. Word around town is he seeks illicit information to topple the ruling Empty Hand tribe. Mirtgog is willing to trade for information he can use against the Empty Hand and Chief Grask Uldeth. You know nothing of the Empty Hand tribe. Medda does not know if she bought a tribal token or not from them.
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The small wayang approaches the obstacle course without a word, sensing the orc's doubt in his ability. He's off with a flash, tumbling and sliding through the obstacles with ease, like a humanoid shadow.
Varuna has no love for any of the orc tribes, and sees nothing wrong with furthering their chaotic tribal squabbles. He slips into the Empty Hand camp, melding into the shadows to steal documents from a locked chest he finds.
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Both Hangust and Varuna put Graffa to the test in her own obstacle course. Hangust makes a very skilled climb over the rope obstacle, but is not able to tumble over the falling rock pits as skilfully as Graffa. Varuna does exceptionally well overall and easily squirms himself through the barbed wire pit. Although no winner was established due to the close calls, she finds herself impressed at the moves the pathfinders put on the test and offers her token as well as some pointers on how to improve your form on the obstacle course.
Acrobatics: You get a +2 bonus on all Acrobatics and Fly skill checks
Athletic:You get a +2 bonus on Climb and Swim skill checks.
Later on Varuna decides to conspire with the Murdered Child clan to play in their orc war games. Harnessing no feelings towards orcs in general. He is able to find discriminating love letters from the chief and another rival clan member. This would certainly be used to Mirtgog's advantage. He is very happy and finds himself providing you with another token.
Precise Strike:Whenever you and an ally who also has this feat are flanking the same the creature, you deal an additional 1d6 points of precision damage with each successful melee attack. This bonus damage stacks with other sources of precision damage, such as sneak attack. This bonus damage is not multiplied on a critical hit.
Around the corner is a fighting pit. Kardook, of the bloodied Gauntlet clan calls upon brave challengers. He wears only a loin clothe and shows off his large muscular build. "You! You non-orcs, do you dare challenge me? I Kardook, the greatest warrior of orc land. Impress me and I give you safe passage. Shiny token. Hah! Hah! I don't think puny people dare face might orc."
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Seren just thinks this whole display is fantastic, and starts laughing her head off at Hangust's tiny, angry assault. She's so amused that she decides to get in on the fun. "ORC PILE!" With the scream leaving her lips she charges in behind Hangust, slamming into his back a moment after he reaches Kardook.
Her impact gives him a little extra oomph to his efforts, and she continues to giggle as they pile onto their larger opponent.
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Surely the frustration built up in Hangust has paid off. With a little bit of help from Varuna's knowledge. Hangust and Seren push the Orc further than anyone has ever seen, about 20ft. On-lookers are impressed and scared. Kardook laughs heftily, "This good, I learn. You token take. I also teach you." And he attempts to show you how become flexible as a fighter.
Along the way, you find Bukog, of the Steel Earers. The Steel Eaters are supposed to be the best metalsmiths in all the clans, and word around town is he is having trouble impressing his peers. He's looking for something of a new or unique crafting technique.
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I might know just the thing... Lilianna approaches Bukog. "The forge priests of Sarenrae in Osirion have been using the strength of the sun focused through a system of mirrors and glass to sear their metal as they enchant it with their faith. They find that it holds fire enchantment more easily and with better deal. Perhaps you could try to replicate such a feat?" she offers him, pointing out a couple spells and items hanging around that may help him do so.
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