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Arisira relays Mak'da's questions to the halfling, before adding continuing on with her conversation. She is mindful to not attempt to overwhelm the survivor.
"Ystäväni kysyy, mitä teet nyt. Jos heimosi on hajonnut, missä on kotisi. Onko muita ottamaan sinut sisään?"
"Olen pahoillani, että ihmiset eivät olleet tyytyväisiä. Olemme vasta äskettäin saapuneet tänne, eivätkä ole osa heistä. Kuitenkin; Mielestäni tämä rakennus ei ollut kaupankäyntiä. Näyttää olevan puolustusta."
Arisira glances back at Shen
"We saw lizardfolk footprints earlier, and this note is written in a language the halfling can't speak. Those are evidence enough for me."
She turns to Antal:
"Mitä voimme tehdä?"
My friend asks what you will do now. If your tribe is disbanded, where is your home? Are there others to take you in?
I am sorry the humans here were not more welcoming. We are only recently arrived here, and not a part of them. However; I do not think this building was for trade. It appears to be for defense.
What can we do?
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Muhdzudi contemplates for a moment.
He gathers his bag and his empty water skin and waits to follow you out the fort.
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Shen is a little bit relieved to hear that the Halfling seems to be friendly and his story seems to be true.
"Then you have to accompany us back to town so that you can answer further question! My word usually does not count for much but this gruesome experience here is too much to bear and I want to find out what happened here so please come with us and I promise you that I will do all I can so that the authorities let you you live in town with us if you want." she says in polyglot.
She thinks for a while and continues with a grin "You could even move in with me. I have never been with ..." and suddenly she realizes in what environment she currently is and quickly steps back from the Halfling again and stays silent.
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"We still have this key that I found, that dropped off of the body" Antal says to the group. "And if Zooif is as untrustworthy as this halfling says, should we look in the container we found to at least see what it has stashed away?"
He goes out to the edge of the wall overlooking the courtyard, key in hand. Rising up as high as possible, he looks down toward the courtyard and the door to the armory.
To the song'o he says "Minulla on vara-vettä ja muutama ruoka, jos tarvitset jotain." He gestures to his waterskin and then down below, where his horse is. "Onko sinulla muita laitteiden tarpeita? Sanotte, että voit auttaa. Ehkä voisit olla suurlähettiläs meille muiden heimojen kanssa? Mikä sinun nimesi on?"
All this talking is too draining. Arisira and Shen do it so much better than I do.
"I think we check the two remaining locks, then report back. We probably shouldn't stay here tonight." He drinks some water and offers some to the new halfling they have just met.
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The group doubles back to the footlocker that Zooif marked against them and find that they key they have does not go to it.
It has a pretty wicked looking lock on it, but it is merely made of wood if you want to try opening it some other way.
Meanwhile the group doubles back to the courtyard, where the three tiny dinosaurs are still happily nibbling on human corpses. It would almost be cute if it werent horrifying.
Inside they find what is clearly the armory, a room that was remarkably exempt from all of the carnage that marks the rest of the fort.
They find on racks:
5 short swords
4 light crossbows
2 heavy crossbows
60 crossbow bolts
4 suits of leather armor
2 suits of studded leather armor
4 heavy wooden shields
1 masterwork breastplate
There is also an unopened crate that is marked with the sigil you saw at the shop of the local smith back in Pridon's Hearth.
As you manage to collect all of that...it begins to rain in earnest. It is a gentle, but steady precipitate.
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"I guess we better open it. I don't like the idea of breaking his things but... if the halfling's words are true". There is a visible shutter from Arisira. "Then we probably need to at least investigate a little more."
While the team determines what to do with the chest, Arisira takes her time looking over the rest of the room, searching for clues about the identity (or habits) of its previous occupant.
"Pahoittelen minun kurjuutta. Nimeni on Arisira. Mitä voin soittaa sinulle? Tiedän, että tämä on hyvin vaikeaa sinulle, ja teemme parhaamme huoltaessasi. Minulla on vain yksi tärkeä kysymys, jonka avulla voit auttaa meitä. Tiedätkö, mitä tapahtui kaikille näistä kansojen päistä?"
I apologize for my rudeness. My name is Arisira. What may I call you? I know this must be very difficult for you, and we will do our best to care for you. I have just one more important question that you might be able to help us with. Do you know what happened to all of these peoples heads?
"I agree with Mak'da, these supplies need to come back to town- at least for the time being. Antal, I am very glad that you brought your mule with you. I will help you load her up. Shall we attempt to bury the dead, or just leave before our welcome is overstayed?"
A fine magical energy coats over Arisira, and she steps off to start loading up the supplies onto the beast. As she moves about in the rain, the water appears to simply roll off of her cloak.
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Antal smiles as the rain begins, and stretches out his hands as the group makes their plans. "Finally, some good weather!" he says. He notes Arisira's incantation and the rain shimmering off of her cloak. "A nice trick. The one downside to the rain is water down the back."
"I think Harmony would be glad to carry the weapons and extra food supplies. She'll have a good reward of hay and apples after all this." He scratches the mule behind her ears. "Thank you for helping, Arisira."
Antal loads up his four legged friend, water pattering on the hood and back of his ranger cloak. He works swiftly and efficiently, practiced at loading the mule. Where possible, he will have the animal under an overhang to keep the rain off of her.
"I do not have a waterproof tarp to cover the dried food with. Does it seem sealed against water already? I have brought a number of extra sacks, though they are small in size." He gestures at Xanko and Shen. "And two of you big folk could probably lug the crate between both of you."
He looks at the symbol on the sword and shrugs. I wonder if that is worth something?
As they get close to finishing, he listens to the conversation about what to do with the dead. "Vera, I think you are a priest. In addition to any rites you would perform, I would also be glad to say a prayer from Irori. I think endure and renew would be appropriate here."
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"The armory seems like a good place to leave the bodies. Another expedition of soldiers will have to come anyways- if they wish to reclaim this spot."
[b]"We still have the problem of these little creatures. There are at least two bodies in with them. Mak'da, do you think you could get them out and into the jungle?
As the party moves and prepares, Arisira attempts to find the holy symbol of the Abadar acolyte and, once the food rations get packed- shifts her layer of waterproof magic over to the packhorse to ensure the supplies stay dry.
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The group gathers up all of the supplies, making use of the poor poor Mule belonging to Antal, which slows her down a lot, but still allowing you to get home by nightfall in the steady downpour of rain.
You make your way back over to the coffee shop/public house where you met the sheriff earlier and you can see a look of worry on her face as she finishes speaking to someone who is clearly a cleric of Erastil.
Oh good you came back. What is the state of things at the fort?
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”To be honest it is hard to tell you what we witnessed! Everybody is dead! Everybody! Carnage!! We tried to bring back all supplies and weapons but obviously this is a very, very sad moment for all of us as we now know that we are in grave danger! We believe that the Lizard folk are responsible but the Halfling here Is the only real witness that we have and all other evidence is partially supporting his story!“ Shen Looks to the group and then steps back and starts yawning.
”It is quite late so if we could continue this tomorrow I would very much appreciate this as I need my sleep to stay in top condition!“ she says smiling.
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"We have done our best to honor the dead, but we did not have time to burry them. The fort was very run down, so these events are not recent. There are other details that should be discussed" as Arisira looks around quickly, "with a little more privacy."
Finally the drain on Arisira catches up with her. Her limbs grow tired from the poison and she is soaked to the bone. She is very quiet and meek, catching the others off guard.
Before she makes her way to the public common house, she heads to the temple of Abadar, to return the young acolytes holy symbol.
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Antal hurries up the steps after hitching Harmony, cloak over one arm that in turn shields his lantern from the pouring rain. He enters the shop and watches the sheriff finish her conversation with the cleric of Erastil, and listens as the others speak.
Still by the door, he reads the tone of the room. After a pause in the conversation, he speaks.
"I do not want to jump to conclusions. Shen, Mak'da, and Arisira are all correct. The fort is unguarded now. Whatever strategic purpose it served is now unfulfilled." Antal removes his cloak at the door, shaking the water off of the well oiled surface. He looks surprisingly dry in spite of the rain. He hangs the cloak on a peg and walks over to where the group has gathered to speak. He sets his lantern down at a table and stands attentively, if not quite at attention.
Hearing the others speak openly about the lizardmen, he adds his own questions.
"We are here to build the pathfinder society a lodge and I have orders of my own, however I would like to know more about the lizardmen and what threat they could pose. Where are they? Could you show us on a map? Do they inhabit some structure or ruin perhaps?"
I can only hope that they are in a ruin. Where else can I hope to search for the scarab jewels. Irori, is that selfish of me to hope so? I would rather do penance and reach my goal than fail but reach perfection.
He continues when there is a moment to talk, lantern light giving an orange glow to his skin. Weapons bristle from his back, belt, and sheaths on his arms and legs. "Yes, a lair or a structure would make sense to me. Not a camp I hope?"
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Vera enters the building rain dripping off of her hat. "It's wet out there, and we are very tired. Can I get a drink please?" She listens to the others explain what they found. With a drink in hand she moves up to the cleric. "I did my best to give blessings to the dead. There were so many." she shudders. "There was so much death. I've never seen anything like it." S
She takes a large drink from her mug. "It's quite clear that someone wanted us to think it was the halflings, and not someone else. It was almost too clear."
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The mayor prepares and serves coffee, the same rich brew as berore but she seems troubled and distracted the entire time.
When it rains it pours..
she muses missing the pun in her words entirely.
It is good you have furnished us with supplies. Our cleric tells us that a major storm is breaking off from the Eye of Abendego in defiance of normal weather patterns. For now...you may rest here...or in the foundation of that building your employee has worked on. First light...its all hands on deck. Help us prepare to get smacked by a Typhoon.
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Choosing to stay at the mayors, and not in a water filled foundation, Arisira tries her best to make herself comfortable. Pulling out her lute, she tunes it and begins to quietly play and sing.
Initially the tuning appears off, but it soon becomes apparent that it is instead in an eastern style. The song goes on for some time in a mournful style, before she allows it to fade off into silence.
"A song my father taught me, as a young girl. I know little of the old language, but I remember its meaning:
Remember your Creator
in the days of your youth,
before the days of trouble come
and the years approach when you will say,
“I find no pleasure in them”—
before the sun and the light
and the moon and the stars grow dark,
and the clouds return after the rain
It is tonight, for the first time, that perhaps the days of my youth have passed me...
Finally, after several hours of restless turning- sleep takes her.
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Antal grabs his cloak and his gear, hearing of the coming storm, and heads back out into the darkness. Gusts of wind blow sheets of rain across the lantern light at the porch. "I will be back. My horse needs food and shelter. It was a horrible experience up at the fort, but I think she took it well.
Once outside, the ranger looks to the skies and judges the direction of the wind. What do we really have in store for ourselves? A strange new power, lizardmen, and an unusual storm. I best not leave her alone.
He makes his way down the steps to Harmony, now unloaded of her burden. Scratching her on her wide forehead near a streak of white fur, he talks to the animal. "We'll keep you close by girl. Just a bit of rain. Nothing is going to happen to you. Storm tomorrow then we are back on our hunt." He feeds her some fruit from his pack, the last of it. Will there be time to get more?
He looks around for a sturdy roof and some comfortable hay. He finds the stables dry and sheltered. As promised, he gives the mule an extra helping of feed. "I guess I could just sleep here," he says.
Antal takes off his armor and hangs it up, and lays a sword in its scabbard within easy reach and a shield beside it. He listens to the sound of Harmony breathing and the sound of the growing storm. "before the sun and the light..." he finds himself humming as he goes to sleep.
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The mayor nods Well that will really mostly be up to you. We will need to get sandbags up and boards and such onto the wooden houses to help them try to withstand the storm. If any of you are good with math or architecture you expertise would be really helpful. We will need to get this public house, the only stone building in the town, set up to house everyone should things get really bad. That's going to require some greasing the wheels of the ecnomy. You bringing the food from the fort is going to help with that though. Finally......there is going to be panic. None of these have ever withstood a storm of this magnitude and in times of crisis...people panic. Behave wildly. I will need you helping to keep the peace and once the storm begins in earnest protecting those who are out in the storm. I have no deputies other than you....you're all I have now that the soldiers at the fort have perished.
She sighs Lizardfolk attack on top of that too eh? Sometimes it feels like this jungle is just rejecting us, you know? The darkskinned sheriff is clearly half-chelish, half-bonuwat tribe. A product of the Sargavan rule and clearly not used to this level of responsibility. The lord who came down with this expedition succumbed to disease. Everyone has been looking to me to hold down the fort but with the commander dead too. These are dire days. I am glad you all came. You may be the only thing that saves Pridon's Hearth from total annihilation.
With that she sets down her drink and moves to sleep.
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The next day dawns, but its actually hard to tell. The sky is black and the rain has not let up at all. As you peer out the door and look to the ocean you can see the WALL of water slowly approaching. Time is of the essence.
What do you do?
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Antal gets to work on boarding up the houses, using the mule to carry the needed wood, nails, and tools. He eyes the wall of water nervously. He works from the saddle where needed to get himself up to the height of the windows.
"If the stables don't hold up, I'm sure we'll find some space for you in the town hall" he says to Harmony. He examines his somewhat shoddy work proudly. That will definitely hold up!
He sees Shen and Mak'da moving around salvaging and smiles at them. "I am glad we all met!" He shouts to them through the growing wind. "Good luck and see you back at the hall soon!"
He works for as long as he can, going back and forth to coordinate with the mayor and to get more supplies. He makes sure that the stables are also covered, as the other animals will need protection during the storm. Not just the people need shelter!
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Waking early, the halfling immediately throws herself into the preparations for the upcoming storm. Her body shimmers with a light magical effect and she steps off into the beating rain.
From explorer, to mourner, to builder- all in a day...
She begins the day by working closely with some of the other pathfinders. Laboring beside Antal and his ever faithful harmony, Arisira does her best to keep up with the physical demands of the labor.
Upon finding a group of citizens seemingly lax in their preparation, Arisira approaches them. "Go fetch the supplies these others need! The storm will be here before you know it!"- however, looking into their eyes, she can see that the downtrodden colonists seem to have nothing left to give to the efforts. Instead, she sends them back off to the general house to wait out the coming storm.
As the storm picks up, there is little else for the halfling to do and she returns to the common-house. A fire is in the hearth, and all across the room are cold, wet, and tired colonists. The mood of the room is somber, and most have fear in their eyes.
She pulls up a stool near the front of the room:
"Has anyone ever heard the story about the Eye of Abendego? Long before the current Cheliax rulers, there once inhabited the lands many clerics of the diety Aroden..."
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"I am usually less blunt but in this case I just want you to know that I want to save my own a**!! And now everybody get back to work! Individual freedom and celebrating existence starts when this is over! Xanko, I heard there are fighters needed for the patrols ..." and with that she looks at him sternly.