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The blue tinged Oni falls to Nivi's explosive surprise! Galmar likewise finds that his bomb is extremely effective, though his opponent still stands... for now. Popol's magic bolts slam into the Naga, though it doesn't seem fazed in the slightest, and only laughs back.
Foolish Mortal! You think you have power? Let me show you real power!
Electricity begins to arc and spit around the giant serpent, as she begins gathering energy to cast a spell! Tomas, unfazed by the show, steps up to beat the serpent into a noodle! His first attack is foiled by the Naga's displacement spell, but the second catches it right in the jaw with a vicious hook! His third strike is foiled again as the Naga tries to escape, and he can't make the hit with it squirming and its pesky magic defense!
Round 2!
Tomas- (15 Damage) Attacks, lands a blow!
Popol- Up!
Eladrian- Up!
Naga- (33 Damage)
Kuwa 1 (Red)- (20 Damage,
Kuwa 2 (Green)-
Kuwa 3 (Yellow)-
Galmar-
Nivi-
Theo-
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"You seem to have a lot of magical protection on you. I should take you from some of your burden."
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The naga snaps its head around to glare at Popol as he strips away the beast's displacement spell! The creature's eyes almost speak to the elf, saying You're next!
Round 2!
Tomas- (15 Damage) Attacks, lands a blow!
Popol- Eliminates the displacement
Eladrian- Up!
Naga- (33 Damage)
Kuwa 1 (Red)- (20 Damage)
Kuwa 2 (Green)-
Kuwa 3 (Yellow)-
Galmar-
Nivi-
Theo-
As the once raging battle begins to slow, a strange cloud of translucent smoke appears in the center of the arena, coalescing into the demonic form of Kiang Zhen. The oni raises her hand, and the remaining creatures suddenly fall back and drop to their knees as if to acknowledge defeat.
”Well done, well done!”
”My minions accept your victory, and you have adequately the Emissary. Please, lower your weapons. I congratulate those of you still alive, for you have grown that much closer to qualifying for the Ruby Phoenix Tournament!”
The oni pauses for a minute to study the crowd before continuing, ”Beneath the trapdoors lies a series of subterranean passages. Scattered within the passages I have secured a collection of small, but nearly priceless porcelain vases. Your challenge is to locate one of these vases and return it to me. However, there is a catch – there are fewer vases than competitors. Only those who present me with a vase shall pass on to the next part of the competition.”
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Tomas eyes the Naga as the creature backs off and admits defeat, his fist clenched in preparation of the finishing blow. Nodding slightly to the creature in acknowledgement the Brawler listens to Kiang Zhen's latest announcement in silence. During the speech, he draws forth a mahogany wand and activates the command words, sealing his wounds suffered at the Oni's hands.
When it is done Tomas turns to his allies, eyeing up the competion as they prepare to go underground and grab their ticket to the next round.
"Let us waste no time here! We must get to a vase and keep it safe, I am happy to lead and can see in the darkness."
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Please that a round finished without a dead. Popol says"Let's go we have no time to lose!"
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The trapdoor from which the Naga and her allies came through is the closest entrance to the underground passages. Peering down, it's a 20 foot drop.
Smugglers once used this 20-foot shaft to move contraband cargo in and out of the passages above, which connect to the arena. A rusty pulley, threaded with a worn rope, connects to a wooden lift platform at the shaft’s base, however the pulley no longer turns. Still, the thick hemp rope remains strong enough to safely hold the weight of two Medium-sized creatures without snapping.
Once you all make your way underground, the din of the other contestants and battle fade away for the moment. You are greeted by the faint stench of sewage.
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Hearing nothing, Tomas slowly stalks down the corridor, keeping his footing sure and his eyes darting along the floor and walls for signs of tampering. Satisfied, Tomas glances down the right off-shoot before continuing on to the end to make sure they are not to be ambushed.
"A vase in this place, where do you think we should start friends?"
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As the rest of the team passes him, Eladrian moves a bit down the tunnel to his right to inspect the dead end before catching up with the others.
He then moves up behind the rest of his team. Being suddenly relegated to rear guard, Eladrian stows his hammer and draws his bow before entering the room and looking about.
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Looking down at the little creature following his steps, Tomas shakes his head slightly, causing hos blonde hair to sway messily.
"Lost? No your method would avoid that, however it could get your hand removed by a well placed trap." His tone is steady and unwavering, making it hard to work out if he is teasing or serious.
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"Ahaha! True, true! I do tend to miss most of those though. They seem to fire way above my head for some reason! He hehe!" While definitely enjoying the joke, that laugh is no less creepy. When accompanied by the now somewhat hushed and high-pitched voice, it is positively disturbing.
She also discreetly drinks from a small vial, a home-made concoction to strengthen her reflexes.
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As the group progresses through the sewers, Tomas is able to identify the hall that you passed as a drain for the sewage, though it is currently off. No one knows how to operate it, until he also finds a wood carving in the room with the bins, and is able to turn it on!
The noise comes from the room down the stairs, and a quick peek in is enough to tell that the room is full of Absalom's finest sewage, including the most atrocious smell you've ever seen. Once it's drained by the pump, however, you're left with a tunnel leading down into the next area, albeit a tunnel covered in the waste of what appears to be every being in the entire city.
After traversing through the pipe, you find yourselves in a dry room, used by sewer workers in case of a flash flood, and an area surprisingly clean of sewage, except for what you brought in with yourselves. You do, however, hear footsteps and bickering from the south, as though another group is close by...
Come on! We have to find this damned vase, or the Aspis are gonna kill us!
Well, if you hadn't been such a pansy about the sewage, we'd probably be there by now! I'll be sure to put in my report "Rokkar didn't want to walk through some poo, so the pathfinders got there first!
Shut up you! I'll kill you myself!
As you figure out that there is a group of Aspis Agents to the south, heading toward you, you take a peek out of the dry room, to the west, where a small passage opens into a wide room with arched stone ceilings. On either end of the room, three channels allow sewage to flow into a mazelike series of channels that flow beneath stone walkways. Just south of the center of the room, a small iron cage hangs from the ceiling, suspended 8 feet above the level of the floor. Within the cage... is a vase.
Surprise Round!
Tomas-
Popol-
Eladrian-
Nivi-
Theo-
Small groups of challengers slowly begin emerging from the tunnels, some elated at having a vase, some looking crushed with defeat as they stare at their empty hands. Victorious or vanquished, they drift off into the night to get clean and well rested after a crawl through a sewer.
The party easily dispatches the Aspis team with relative ease, and turn to find... the Vase is gone.
The dejected party returns to the surface, looking for a respite after a long day...
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"Gone before we could turn around?!"
Tomas seethes as they find the Vase missing from its cage. Kicking the downed Aspis agents the Warrior Priest leads they way back out of the sewers and back into the arena along with the other groups around. Not in the mood to talk he makes his way to their Inn and drains a few drinks in homages to his Patron, the drunken hero.
"That would spell our end my friends I wager, it was an honour nonetheless" he slurs at the bar after a few drinks.
The party follows Tomas to the bar, where drinks are poured, and glasses tipped.
The room is filled with victors and failures alike. On your left sits 5 Pathfinders who celebrate raucously with their Vase displayed on the table. On your right, 2 quiet halflings sit quietly, depressingly tipping ale after ale back while 3 other chairs remain conspicuously empty beside them.
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Popol, just before entering the room, notices the pair of halfing. He goes close to them, and expressing the intention of sitting with them.
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Eladrian hurls curses at any departing Aspis, before turning around and seeing the empty cage. He slams his hammer down on the ground, releasing another string of invectives that would make a sailor blush. He first makes sure that his party is uninjured, then grabs his gear and heads out following the others back to the inn. He drinks sparingly, morosely contemplating his next steps. Seeing the two halflings, Eladrian sends the bartender over to their table with a couple of refills. It doesn't take much thought to understand what the empty chairs mean..
At least it didn't end like that for us.. he muses. "There will be a tomorrow for me to wake up to..
Popol sits with the halflings... just as a round of drinks materialize seemingly out of nowhere.
"We were doing well in the arena... then we were ambushed by this hideous tentacle creature... it took Kyra first... after that..." The poor halfling bard sobs a bit...
Her companion holds a hand on her shoulder and finishes the story "Valeros fell slaying the beast... some sort of poison taking his last breathe..."
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"Oh my... You must wrecked by this. Losing a fellow friend is something that is devastating. My condolescence. "
Popol's hands touch the shoulder of a halfling.
"
My friends... What are your names? I am Popol. Please let's me hear about those people for they just to be more than a scratch in a wall and be in the memory of an Elf. "
For what they are dead? Old Relic? Something no one but fools or rich nobles have a interest. Heartless Decemvirate. This your fault.
But those names are familiar... I think i heard a rumor that the society clone a lot of those. Mooks that are killed by the dozen.
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Over the course of an hour or so the two halflings tell a few tales, and listen to a few in turn...
As the bard is winding down the full tale of what occurred that night... her companion pulls out a stack of red paper envelopes... "It was never about that stupid vase... it was the invitations inside..."
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Galmar is thankful for his fellow Pathfinders- he didn't realize the sneaky Aspis rogue was upon him until after the dagger was stuck in his side. Slowly making his way back up to the tavern, he gingerly follows his team toward the two halflings. "It is a shame to lose friends- their names will forever be remembered on the Wall of Names in the Grand Lodge."
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Raising a tankard to the fallen allies, Tomas joins his friends with the halflings and ensures that the beer keeps flowing. He had fought alongside Valeros before and knew the man was a stout worshipper of the Drunken Hero, it was the least he could do.
"At least their deaths were not in vain, our downfall came from Aspis, they struck in numbers and whilst we were busy, one of their number must have sneaked through and pilfered the Vase we sought." he takes a pause to drain more of his tankard. "What will you do now friends? Will you brave the rest of the tournament alone?"
The halflings look at each other. "We are going home to bury our friends, and scribe their names on the Wall."
They finish their drinks and somberly rise to depart, leaving the 6 envelopes on the table. "Good luck friends." and they leave for their rooms.
The envelopes are each embossed with an elaborate hand-painted print of a jade phoenix. The envelope holds a folded invitation to attend a performance of a traditional opera from Lung Wa entitled Dawn of the Jade Phoenix, to be held at a small theater in the Foreign Quarter.