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Doc seems surprised that his first jab hit, and gets a little careless in his giddiness.
He then follows the naga, swimming up next to Hepsubia to try again.
"This is getting ... tiresome. {sigh} Just leave ... or die that I ... might study your passing."
His boredom with the whole exercise is apparent in the lackadaisical way he thrusts with his spear.
--> image popped
Malachi manages to pop an image as the naga moves away and then promptly gives chase, taking a risk as he swims right past her in an attempt to circle around from behind. As he does, Dathivi snaps at his leg and *just* manages to dig her teeth in good! Malachi feels the wound immediately begin to burn as he moves to flank Dathivi, blood trailing in the water behind him.
You suffer Con damage!
Doc expresses his displeasure and boredom with the naga by pointedly (or maybe not) attempting a very poorly aimed spear thrust or two.
"We'll sssee who enduresss!"
Dathivi, tired of being taunted, doesn't flee but adopts a defensive position as she begins casting another spell (she seems really good at close-quarters casting, for some reason). Four red darts of magical energy zip upward and slam into Zithembe, as if to prove a point.
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The Grandfrogger
Hepsubia
Zithembe
Malachi
Maria
Dr. O’mayga
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Dathivi
Active Conditions: Spiritual Invocation (+2 Non-Spell Damage), Weapon Song
Environmental Conditions: *blub-blub*
Everyone may act!
Maria drops the underwater crossbow and flits through the water towards the melee, drawing her rapier as she goes. She readies herself to strike if the naga tries any additional funny business with magic.
The Grandfrogger once more focuses his baleful gaze at Dathivi, who finally seems to realize she's in trouble and shrinks under the glare!
Then Malachi drops all pretense of playing nice and rips into the naga. His first claw swipe misses, but does manage to pop the last image. And though the next claw swipe is also a miss, he hits home with his beak, piercing through muscle and bone! Dathivi barely has enough time to shriek, "Wait, I sss-" before the tengu delivers a vicious gore with his horn and puts an end to the troublesome water naga!
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With the threat (or perhaps just inconvenience) of the water naga taken care of, you're able to turn your attention back to the undines and their trapped friends. While the unstable building is now stabilized enough to work with, the digging looks to be slow going with just two of them working. You're able to lend a hand and after about 10 minutes or so, the two remaining undine - one male and one female - are pulled from underneath the wreckage. They're ruised and battered and shaken up, but alive.
"Th-thank you! I thought we'd be crushed under there," gasps the woman, her long green hair done up in a braid. You notice a holy symbol of Gozreh hanging around her neck. The male, dressed in plain, simple clothes, gives a nod and a sigh of relief. "Yeah and we heard a lot of racket happening out here! What was going on?"
"These strangers just came swimming up out of nowhere to help us," answers one of the other undines, who carries about him an aura of leadership. "And then a water naga showed up, yelling something about an orb! Some of them fought her and some of them helped us keep these ruins from coming down."
"Then we owe you our lives, strangers," the rescued undine woman smiles. "I'm Zulfibha, faithful of Gozreh. It looks like some of you didn't escape the battle unscathed. If you'd like, I could mend some of your wounds...?"
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"Well...if you're certain...then thank you," Zulfibha answers, touched by the group's selflessness. She sets about mending the scrapes and bruises suffered by herself and her friends during the earthquake and subsequent collapse, while Maria searches the fallen water naga. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like Dathivi was carrying anything.
But your efforts don't go unrewarded. The other undine who was trapped, who introduces himself as Rirzik, digs into the rubble for a moment and triumphantly pulls out several objects. "Hah! I *knew* I'd seen something glinting in all that rock and stone," he exclaims. "Here, friends, is there anything you might like or could use?"
Looks like Rirzik managed to uncover a heavy underwater crossbow, 10 bolts to go with it, four masterwork cestuses, and a very nice-looking tiger fork that radiates a modest magical aura when inspected more closely.
It's a +1 Tiger Fork.
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Doc watches in awe as the Tako-Tengu shreds the naga once and for all. It's an impressive sight, and he's caught a little off guard as she passes out. But not one to miss the chance, he gets to her just in time to guide her spirit into the River of Souls.
"Yes, Hogo, ... I know it's a ... metaphor. Still, it is ... different and yet ... the same ... seeing it here beneath the sea."
He follows her slowly sinking form to the bottom and ponders what he felt as he soul passed through him on its way to Pharasma. It was full of magic, and he wishes it didn't have to end this way. Perhaps he could have learned from her. Learned of life and death down here and learned more of her magic. Oh well. As Hogo says, this is why I'm a Pathfinder. They give me so many opportunities to study new and unusual deaths. I suppose I should be grateful. {sigh}
He watches Maria as she performs a more secular post-mortem of the naga then joins the others.
"I suppose I ... could use the ... crossbow. If I do ... run out of magic."
He examines the tiger fork, and Hogo peers at it closely too.
"This is ... a simple enhancement. But not a ... weapon I could ... easily weild," he says with a smirk as he hands it back to the undines. "Thank you, ... though."
"Are you from ... Wavebreak Haven?" he asks as Hogo gently reminds him why they're here. "Remendi asked us to ... find you."
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"That fork might serve better than my sword if we encounter more brigands drawn to the sphere before we leave the water," Zithembe says, sheathing his sword and slinging his shield behind his back. He makes a sign with his hand and then takes out a bone wand to heal his own injuries before taking up the lengthy trident. "Malachi, do you need healing?"
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I got a very good friend who could use it for his meals-which are quite impressive. Do you have a Tyyger's spoon and a Tyyger's knife? No need for a Tyyger's plate, he hits mostly what he kills.
She bumps shoulders with Zith
I've seen what you have done here. It was nice. Even underwater, you will never be shell-fish.
She winks at the Shabti, who knows tha, under the pretense of humor, she genuinely values his last good deed.
"Remendi sent you!? Then things make a little more sense," Zulfibha remarks with some surprise. "Yes, we're all from Wavebreak Haven. It's fortunate for us that you came upon our home when you did. Visitors aren't unheard of but they also don't happen by every day. But I suppose you're wondering what we're doing down here, yes? Rhakned can probably explain it best." She gestures to the undine who seems to be the de-facto leader of their small group, who nods.
"We found these ruins down here about five years ago or so," Rhakned explains. "Most of the buildings were already in ruins but a few were still intact. And in some of the intact buildings, like the one that collapsed during the earthquake, we found stone tablets demonstrating unique fighting techniques that we'd never seen or heard of before. So we've been coming down here since, practicing and teaching ourselves from the tablets."
He sighs and looks at what remains of the building that came down on Zulfibha and Rirzik and then around at the rest of the ruins. "But I suppose that's come to an end because everything that wasn't already collapsed came down when the earthquake happened."
As you examine some of the ruined buildings more closely you realize that this is not where they originally stood. Some of the stones have reinforced fractures, indicating the buildings were rebuilt in this location, while other piles have clearly been neatly stacked up, rather than strewn apart by a collapse. The lack of any sign of a permanent foundation around these piles indicates that no building was ever constructed there.
"Um...well, that's not entirely true," Zulfibha coughs. "Look over there - that one is still standing, somehow."
You follow her gaze and see that there is in fact a solitary building standing upright among the ruins, surrounded on three sides by reefs of sharp, forbidding coral.
"We've never been able to get inside," she continues. "It's locked and there's a trio of water elementals that guard the area. They'll get violent if you get too close to the door or try to break through one of the walls or ceiling, but they won't give chase if you back off. We've never been able to figure out why they're guarding the place but since they haven't bothered us during our practicing we just decided to leave them and that building alone."
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Malachi is about to accept the undines' offer of healing when Zithembe turns them down. Then the Captain opens his beak to admonish the righteous paladin but before any words escape the fatigued tako-tengu Zith produces his own wand.
Somehow, the tentacles bird-man looks sheepish.
"Eh, it's a small wound but it's best to heal it yes. Sharks will have the scent of the blood, and won't be far off. Let them have the snake woman, yes."
Listening to the aquatic martial artists' tale, Malachi furrows his feathered brows.
"Eh, remarkable what you learn as a humble fruit and vegetables merchant, yes. This is not the original site of the monastery we seek. These buildings have been moved, yes. Rebuilt without new foundations. Is like opening a store in new market without first making friends amongst the locals, yes. Doomed."
"Eh, we must confront those elementals. Perhaps they will acquiesce to the wish of the bearer of the orb, yes?"
The Captain sounds doubtful, and recovers his hammer in expectation of more violence.
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Maria taps her chin while looking around, "Odd. Some of these buildings did not originally stand here. See? Some of the stones have reinforced fractures, indicating the buildings were rebuilt in this location, while other piles have clearly been neatly stacked up, rather than strewn apart by a collapse. The lack of any sign of a permanent foundation around these piles indicates that no building was ever constructed there."
The elf reaches for her pack for the 12th time in the last five minutes before stopping herself from opening it. She frowns again and then refocuses on the remaining building, "It sounds like that is where we need to go then. Perhaps some answers about the orb will be present. And maybe the orb will even help us get past the elementals. If not, at least we can just send them home for a bit. Better than the killing we have had to do so far to protect the damn thing."
I guess that is what we get when we bring a pirate. Ah well, it wasn't like we didn't give them both a chance to negotiate or flee. But still, another sentient soul sent to the graveyard over this orb thing, it sucks. Better solve it quickly before more are harmed.
She collects her crossbow, reloads it, stows it and then swims slowly up to the surface where she slams back another elixir and then swims back down more efficiently, "I'm ready, let's go. Give the Orb to whoever goes first."
After taking a few minutes to mend your wounds and reapply some of your magics, you prepare to investigate the lone building. The six undine have no desire to stick around after the close call they had and bid you farewell - for now - before they depart back to Wavebreak Haven.
The lone building stands tall among the wreckage of many others, with elegantly curved walls made from stone. Runes carved into the exterior glow brightly, and razor-edged coral reefs form a protective fence around the building’s perimeter. As you approach, three large water elementals swirl into being, one on each side of you and the third in front of the building's front door.
"நிலநடுக்கக்காரர்களே, இந்த இடத்தை விட்டு வெளியேறுங்கள். பெரிய ஆபத்து உள்ளே இருக்கிறது!"
"Leave this place, landwalkers. Great danger lies within!"
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Doctor O'Mayga swims along behind the others stopping occasionally to look at all the wonderous little things here beneath the sea. He chats with Hogo in their unique language and points out interesting fishes, sponges, coral formations and any other amazing form of life to Maria if she seems interested. He stops to watch a parrot fish nibbling on the reef and suddenly realizes that it's feeding on the living polyps housed within the rocks. He stretches out his hand and watches the tiny life essences get swept away into the River of Souls just like any other.
Amazing, he thinks as he looks up and takes in the view of the ocean across the reefs. All this is down here - all this life, all this death, all this beauty - and so few of us from above ever see it. This is truly a blessing. Though I doubt you listen to one such as I, still I thank you, Pharasma, for granting me the chance to experience this.
He swims away from the parrot fish to rejoin the others, a smile of contentment on his face. When the elementals speak, he looks to their Captain assuming that an octopus speaks the local language.
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"Eh, they're not hostile, yes. Yet. They say great danger lies within. I'll parley, yes."
Malachi doffs his tricorne and addresses the elementals. "Uo mamalu, aua le fefefe, aua e le o a'u o se tagata savalia, ioe. O aʻu o Kapeteni Malaki Malarkey, ma o le sami o loʻu fale, ioe. Tatalo ta’u atu, o le a lenei tulaga matautia ua e tautala ai? Tatou te tauaveina le Sacred Orb, ma le fefefe i se mea leaga, ioe!"
Luckily, Malachi speaks the language of the waves and rivers and is able to open a proper dialogue with the trio of elementals.
<"You have the orb!?"> Green exclaims, edging closer to the party as they speak. <"All the more reason for you to leave this place!">
Orange quickly raises its hand and their two companions fall silent.
<"Bravery is well and good, Trade Prince, but it takes more than a stout heart to face evil and come out on the other side. This place was once a place of learning but is now nothing more than a prison, meant to contain a fearsome, unliving menace,"> Orange explains. <"We have been bound to guard this place and keep the creature contained, but know nothing more about the matter than that. The orb you hold is the key to the prison's lock but it matters not, for we cannot allow you to pass.">
<"Are we certain? They look strong..."> Yellow remarks quietly as they study the group.
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Malachi turns to the shabti beside him. "Eh, they say there's an 'unliving menace' imprisoned in this place. The orb is the key, yes. If we want the knowledge within, we will have to face the prisoner. Except that the elementals are there to make sure the prisoner stays put, yes. They don't want to let us in."
"Eh, over to you, Zithembe. See if you can persuade them of our good intentions. I'll translate, yes."
Malachi interprets Maria's words of reassurance (and bravado) back to the elementals. The trio consider this and then gather in a huddle to talk amongst themselves in hushed voices. After a minute or two of quiet back and forth, they break from their huddle and turn back to address the group.
<"We have decided! We believe that the mighty Trade Prince Captain Malachi Malarkey and his companions can surely handle whatever unliving menace lies within,"> they declare. <"We believe this because you seem very legit and sincere and scary and also because we would really like to return to our home and not be stuck guarding abandoned buildings! You may pass.">
And with that, the three elementals stand aside and allow you to approach the front doors. Large letters arch gracefully over the top of the large front doors, while much smaller writing covers the surfaces of the doors, interspersed with ancient, brightly glowing runes. There's an obvious niche sized exactly for the orb.
The large letters over the front door read Monastery of Unbreaking Waves.
The smaller writing is more difficult to read but you get the gist that this was once a place of learning but was repurposed to be the prison of an undead creature guilty of murder.
You also work out that the monastery was intentionally abandoned after the creature was trapped within.
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With a little alchemical help, Hepsubia is able to decipher more details from the writing on the door, which makes the situation much, much clearer.
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Doc and Hogo listen intently as Hep explains what's going on. Although not a member of one of Pharasma's holy orders, he shares her disdain for undead. Hogo, however, as an emissary of the Lady of Graves, is eager to get into the fight on Her behalf. They tremble and writhe across Doc's body in anticipation.
"Forbidden techniques ... and an unliving horror. Hmmm. ... The restless dead may be ... created by many means.... Sorcery, arcane rituals, ... unholy rites, even ... alchemy," he says with an acknowledging nod to the Amazing Hep. "And many many variations ... of each of those."
He launches into a dissertation on the many and sundry methods of undead creation that he learned or even just heard of in his youth and apprenticeship in Geb. It's so boring even Maria tunes him out completely. He finally wraps up, "But it will be most ... instructive to observe ... their passing."
"Oh, ah, yes ... Hogo. I meant ... "they" in the ... plural. The three ... brave monks that remained ... are surely still within," he says as if that was obvious.
When everyone is ready to enter, he recasts marid's mastery on Malachi. It seems the most effective use, given the number of attacks the Tako-tengu makes. He elects to save his last couple low level spells for liberating command just in case someone gets grappled that doesn't want to be. He readies his crossbow with one of the oily bolts as Hogo blesses him with Pharasma's guiding hand.
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"Eh, I have arrows, Mate" Malachi nods to Maria. "But they're no good underwater, unless you have one of those fancy crossbows like yours, yes. I find I don't need arrows underwater" the tako-tengu gesticulates with his tentacles.
"Time for a little more magic before we open the door, yes."
Malachi casts Eagle's Splendour and then Bull's Strength upon himself.
Malachi passes along Hepsubia's question to the Elemental Trio, but it's met with a shaking of heads from all three. <"No, we have never laid eyes on the creature ourselves. The door was magically barred, preventing them from leaving, and we were meant to guard it from outsiders seeking entry.">
The elementals unfortunately can't give you any information beyond what they've already shared, so there seems to be little else to do but press forward. You ready yourselves and then Zithembe places the orb into the niche, where it fits perfectly. A (much, much, much smaller) magical pulse radiates from the door...and then it swings open.
You gaze into a small foyer which runs east to west, with smaller branches leading off to the north. Immediately ahead lies another set of double doors, which are closed but don't appear to be locked. To the east and west open archways lead into what look like classrooms; each has a large, round, stone pedestal about three feet tall, with several round stone seats surrounding it. Scrawled writing has been carved all over the walls, looking distinctly non-academic and much different from the writing on the front door.
The phrase "They killed me, they trapped me, I will be free" repeats over and over, as does the word 'vengeance'.
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Maria follows and spreads out to the west, or left of Zithembe if using that sort of direction.
I wonder why most people don't have an innate sense of the cardinal directions? One would think that would be a pretty useful sense.
She readies to fire her crossbow/spear-gun if an undead monster shows itself.
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"I do ... ... not," Doc says slowly enough that it sounded as if he was saying yes at first. Instead, he launches into a discussion of how similar the script is to some Tien languages but also how different it is. He does this even as he absentmindedly takes the Captain's wand and taps it to the good tengu's stone. then moves in to follow the others, his massive crossbow held awkwardly in his thin hands.
Hepsubia isn't truly familiar with the language scrawled on the walls of the classrooms but she's studied enough to pick up on some similarities it shares with other languages and from there, get the gist of what's written:
'They killed me, they trapped me, I will be free'
'vengeance'
These words are repeated over and over and over.
After making sure that everyone is ready and in position, Malachi moves up to the double doors. He inspects them and finding no obvious traps, boldly pushes them open.
Large stone panels throughout this round room feature carved images of figures demonstrating martial arts techniques. Flowing writing surrounds each image. A large window to the north looks over an elliptical arena set into the ground. The flowing text carved onto the panels appears to be written in the same archaic mix of Aquan and ancient Vudrani found on the front doors.
Gazing through the window to the north, you can see that the large elliptical arena that it overlooks is set five feet down into the floor, with staircases at the eastern and western edges for easy access. Risers of seats surround the arena on all sides, with space for dozens of people to watch bouts. To no one's surprise, the arena is occupied by three rotting and putrid corpses, their bodies skeletal in places and their eye sockets glowing with red light.
These look to be some variant of wight, humanoids who rise as undead due to necromancy, a violent death, or an extremely malevolent personality. They also look a little tougher than most wights.