Ursahla is spotted leaving, but doesn't raise any questions.
With a firm set to his mouth, Landers moves to slam the door in Rogar's face.
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Ansha steps forward, placing a hand on Landers' arm, a pleading look in her eye. "Please," she says. "My mistress is very upset at my failure, and sent me with him"--she gestures at Rogar--"to attempt to change your mind. My lady wishes for a more friendly relationship, as do I. We are friends here, so there is no need for further conflict."
No one resists my charms.
You're... you're right. We're all friends here.
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Ansha turns away from Landers and gives Rogar a cat-that-ate-the-canary grin. She turns back to give Landers a radiant smile. "Anyway, won't you invite us in? I was thinking it would be good to chat and have a look around your offices. I am quite content with what I see"--she gives him a coy wink--"but my lady insists that I verify everything quite thoroughly."
Landers sees no problem in inviting you in to take a look around.
It's simple enough for Ansha to temporarily dispose of Landers while she tends to the lock that had flummoxed Ursahla.
The lockbox springs open, revealing 5,000 gold pieces of Minkaian mintage.
Back at the Lodge, Captain Heidmarch is pleased to discover that these Duchesses are unlikely to be a significant factor in the auction to come.
I believe you should have sufficient time to complete another task. It seems the Runecarved Key has attracted the attention of a small exporting company run by the dubious Vaor family of Underbridge. Why the Vaors are interested in the key, or even how they came up with the deposit, is beyond my imaginings. I doubt they have much in the way of finances, but one can never tell. Perhaps they represent someone else more powerful, perhaps not. In any event, I need someone to head down to Underbridge and find out. This map should get you to their warehouse quickly. Best of luck, Pathfinders.
The door opens onto a poorly organized storeroom, the few open crates seem to contain an assortment of salvaged junk and stolen trinkets, but as soon as you outsiders open the door, the inhabitants react with vicious fury.
Their humanity itself seems to slough off of them as fur erupts through their skin, their faces elongating into a more traditionally murine shape.
Intruders!!!
Ansha
Rogar
Seren
Tessara
Kresch Vaor
Warehouse Thugs
Actual Rats?
Ursahla
Rogar's swing leaves the wererat downed and bleeding on the warehouse floor.
Bold may go!
Ansha
Rogar
Seren
Tessara
Kresch Vaor
Warehouse Thugs
Actual Rats?
Ursahla
"Ladies and gentlemen, the Cathedral of Abadar will soon open its doors for the public auction! Anyone interested in participating must be within the cathedral in fifteen minutes. Once the auction starts, the doors will close. This is not an open door auction and no one will be admitted to the auction once the bidding starts"
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Seren is slowly growing more and more cross-eyed over a period of several seconds before finally slamming her hands over her ears and shouting. "STOP ARGUIN'! I can't hear myself think! I'll pick one of you once I see what's going on!" She jabs a finger at the air and accomplishes little useful at the moment.
The sudden tide of fur crashes against the Pathfinders, Ansha and Tessara collect some shallow gashes, but everyone else manages to escape unscathed, At least until Kresch Vaor, looking far less presentable than she had been at the auction-party conjures up a ball of flame and hurls it at Rogar before dashing forward.
Ansha -3, Protection from Evil DC 11 Fort Save or infected
Rogar DC 17 Reflex or
Tessara -7
Kresch Vaor
Warehouse Thugs
Actual Rats?
Seren
Ursahla
Ursahla bursts through a thicket of blades and fangs to cross swords with Kresch; a clash that leaves Ursahla reeling with a fresh slash to her side, and Kresch pawing at her eyes.
Ansha -3, Protection from Evil DC 11 Fort Save or infected
Rogar DC 17 Reflex or 7 Fire Damage
Tessara -7
Kresch Vaor Blind (2)
Warehouse Thugs
Actual Rats?
Seren
Ursahla -17
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With the sudden swarm of rats around her Seren takes it as her queue, shoving away at the air before pointing at her own nose. "Get in here, Katsu!" And then she dances, her limbs drifting through the crowded melee without touching anyone as she begins her violent ballet.
On the second pass her skin pales, eyes roll back, and the grip on her blades becomes certain as they begin to snap out at the rats near her.
Spirit Aura: All allies within 30ft gain a +2 bonus on all non-spell damage rolls.
Blades whirling, Seren and Katsu handily dispatch both of the dire rats assailing her/them.
Ansha -3, Protection from Evil DC 11 Fort Save or infected
Rogar DC 17 Reflex or 7 Fire Damage
Tessara -7
Kresch Vaor Blind (2)
Warehouse Thugs
Actual Rats?
Seren
Ursahla -17
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Ansha curses as one of the rats bite her. She starts to take a step back, but bumps into the wall behind her. Quickly casting another spell, she asks the nearest hybrid rat-man, "What did the vegetables say to the guard?"
"Lettuce in!" As she pronounces her joke's punchline, the rat-man begins to feel the urge to laugh....
Clearly entirely due to magic, Ansha's deadly pun strikes home!
Active Effects: Haste
Bold may go!
Ansha -3, Protection from Evil Infected
Rogar DC 17 Reflex or 7 Fire Damage
Tessara -7
Kresch Vaor Blind (2)
Warehouse Thugs (Purple - Chuckling)
Actual Rats?
Seren
Ursahla -17
Rogar makes quick work of the swarming rats, only a fortuitous twist of fate saving the one that remains to menace him.
Ansha -3, Protection from Evil, Infected
Rogar -7
Tessara -7
Kresch Vaor Blind (2)
Warehouse Thugs (Purple - Chuckling)
Actual Rats?
Seren
Ursahla -17
Kresch listens for the clanks and sends her ball of fire back into Rogar once more. Chanting in a high pitched voice she suddenly lunges for Ursahla, but her sighted opponent is easily able to sidestep her swiping paw.
While one of the wererats continues to chortle on the floor, the rest of them take advantage of their dwindling but superior numbers to surround the Pathfinders, only Rogar proving safe against both bite and blade
Ansha -4, Protection from Evil, Infected
Rogar -7 DC 17 Reflex or
Tessara -15 (May Post Twice), DC 15 Fort Save or infected, DC 11 Fort Save or infected
Kresch Vaor Blind (1)
Warehouse Thugs (Purple - Chuckling (5))
Actual Rats?
Seren -9
Ursahla -25
Rogar smashes the squealing rats with his greatsword, though the close confines of the stacked crates prove to be too restrictive for him to squeeze through
Active Effects: Haste
Bold may go!
Ansha -4, Protection from Evil, Infected
Rogar -7
Tessara -15 (May Post Twice)
Kresch Vaor Blind (1)
Warehouse Thugs (Purple - Chuckling (5))
Seren -9
Ursahla -25
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Seren takes a cutting blow to her side, her spinning about helping the blow cut deeper along her torso. Drops of blood fly, but her momentum doesn't falter and Katsu continues to barrage the rats surrounding her and Tessa with a hail of attacks.
She's a spiral of sharp attacks and death that might just do Rogar proud. "Let's simply crush them all and be done with it!" Her spirit offers to the large warrior and flashes him a grin during one of her revolutions.
Seren's blades weave an ever tightening net, eventually leaving one of the lycanthropes, though it puts up a valiant defense, with nowhere left to run.
Ursahla continues to vex Kresch, her silvery blade carving into Kresch with a painful hiss!
Active Effects: Haste
Bold may go!
Ansha -4, Protection from Evil, Infected
Rogar -7
Tessara -15 (May Post Twice)
Kresch Vaor -12 Blind (1), Entangled (3)
Warehouse Thugs (Purple - Chuckling (5)) Orange
Seren -9
Ursahla -25
Tess's spell rocks the wererat on his heels. Kresch swipes once more for Ursahla, but her attempts to reach the canny buccaneer only open her up to another stab.
She recoils from the blade with a squeal, and cries out to the rest of her followers to surrender..
Enough! What do you want?
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Ansha gives a somewhat-worried look at the wounds she received from Kresch's rats. Composing herself, she turns her attention to the lead rat-woman.
"What my friend means is, we would very much like to know why you are interested in the relics at a certain auction--and, of course, where you got your money."
The last of the attendees are shuffled into the Cathedral of Abadar and the crowd eagerly await the beginning of the auction. A portly man takes to the stage, and with a voice like a foghorn declares ”The auction is open!” which sets off a hum through the crowd as people start jostling for position and readying their auction bidding paddles, as though they were cutlasses with which to defeat the auction itself!
Kresch Vaor looks around at the readied auction-slayers with a broken resolve “Bah, too much for an old key. Proctor, I’m out. Have one of your clergymen transfer my deposit to my personal account.” then sits back down.
The bidding then begins with fury, paddles being thrust into the air representing thousands of gold at a time
The Duchesses seem a bit distant, and very quickly exit the bidding.
As the numbers rise, Maiveer Sloan calls out, he pleads with the auctioneer, “I don’t have the funds on hand, but let my organization put down credit on the key. I can have the extra funds in a few months and you know we’re good for it.” The Auctioneer purses his heavy lips in sympathetic understanding. The Proctor interjects ”The rules state this auction would be a fast sell only with coin in hand” Maiveer pleads further ”Sir! I protest! I have been victimised and robbed - and though I make no issue of it now I protest that I would have had the coin had it not been so! The rogues, robbers, and conspirators sit right under this very roof and gain from this injustice!” The proctor, having none of it, simply turns to Sloan ”Contain yourself or the church will have you removed.”
As order is almost restored, a group of toughs barges in and heads straight for Dymal Rinks - ”Minvandu wants a word”. He begins to protest, but two burly half-orcs simply grab an arm each and pick him up and start walking out. Sheila Heidmarch makes a gesture that is very clear - do NOT get involved. Minvandu’s chief legbreaker pauses at the Proctor ”Sorry about that interruption, bit of confusion needing to be dealt with. Whatever deposit Rinks tried to put down on the auction belongs to our employer, Mr. Minvandu. I’ll send someone around later to collect it, after the boss has a few private words with Rinks”. Rinks is then dragged out of the auction house, kicking and screaming.
The auction begins again in earnest, with some Pathfinders baulking at the sums being thrown around and consider wandering to a nearby tavern instead. The number of bidders begins to rapidly thin…
Doctor Landis starts making an offer,then thinks better of it - some concern playing at the back of his mind no doubt. He lowers his hand, and simply gestures that he’s cut himself off by waving his hand across his throat.
Falrig Sneve seems spooked by Doctors Landis withdrawing and it triggers him too “Too rich for my blood. Fold!”
With only Pathfinders and Lady Kaddren in the bidding war, the atmosphere gets tense - it is clear that Lady Kaddren is determined to win… yet as she is about to bid a breathtaking sum, a runner presents her with a note which she quickly reads. After, she grimaces at the assembled Pathfinders and their Venture Captain and in a threatening tone says, “This time, you got lucky. From here out, you might want to watch your backs.” Then she turns to the proctor and tells him, “You can close my bids out.” After, she tucks the note into her cloak and storms out.
The Auctioneer continues “Going, going, gone! And sold to table seven with the red coloured paddle for a final price of sixty thousand gold pieces! Table seven please send one representative to the front of the room to claim your prize!”
A seasoned Pathfinder, Eadie Navhelan from the winning table strides out to collect.
Without warning, a tremendous flash of light and smoke appears behind the auctioneer, and the very fabric of reality is sliced open. Seconds later, a black-robed figure steps through the rift and pulls a jagged black-bladed dagger across the auctioneer’s throat sending a shower of blood into the screaming crowd of bidders. The remorseless assassin snatches the Runecarved Key and in a fit of mad laughter bursts into dozens of shadowy black forms, each fleeing from the cathedral in a different direction.