Hiromasa laughs, but there's no mirth in it.
"My Xīn'ài...she rose as a creature of the night. The rest of us...slowly began to follow, but not at the same time..." he glances down at himself, "...or in the same form."
"Go...go to her tomb, her only refuge...when forced to turn to mist. She rests there now, in her physical form...healing from the injuries...you wrought...upon her. But...helpless as she heals, helpless as a sleeping babe! Drive a stake through...through her unliving heart...and it will be done."
He inclines his head slightly in the direction of Jan's voice. "And then...I will go...go out, into the sun...and join her in death once more. You will no longer need...to fear me...fear my gaze. This, I swear...on what little Honor I...have left."
"Son of...Quang Lin...when it is done...join my ashes with Hers...in the little box she once gave me. It would...please me. And it would have pleased Her too, the Her that was once full of hope and joy...and not cruelty and darkness..."
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With a loud hum, the azata restoring Serge's constitution disappears. The paladin soon fades back into visible light, standing up, cracking his neck and his back.
"That was... too close. I apologize, friends, for falling in battle. Luckily, an old friend owed me a favor, and I'm feeling much better now."
Surveying the scene, Serge looks pleased. "Everyone is still here in one piece, thankfully, and it sounds like we know how we might stop this vampire. Really wish I'd carried some garlic around."
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Frankie drops his dagger with a clang and hops up to give Serge a big hug "You're back, we did it!" He hangs on for a long while before dropping off and picking up his dagger.
"You looked really prunish and dry... want some cocoa? Might help!" He pulls out his thoroughly disgusting and crusty 'cocoa-skin' and shakes it, a few swigs left.
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"Hiromasa-san, your adherence to ichimeiyo even beyond death shows that you are still an honorable warrior. This service you ask of me shall be done."
"Rú dàimǎ suǒ shì,“méiyǒu fúwù, shénme dōu méiyǒu.”
Quang Chi retrieves the tea box, but to the shock of his comrades instead of backing away from the bodak, he approaches instead (looking at the floor, of course.) He uses two hands to present the cleaned box to the undead warrior. "Carry it one last time, if you wish."
"You... appealed to him. Just with words. Incredible..."
"I appealed to his Honor," he states, as if that is sufficient explanation.
"But we should hurry back to her tomb near the archery range. Before she has a chance to recover further."
"Quèshí. Hé..." Hiromasa whispers, instinctively replying in his native Tien before switching back to Common. "Thank you."
"Indeed. And..."
The bodak carefully takes the box and turns away as he begins to shuffle back towards the entrance to the underground fortress. At the corner he pauses, but does not turn around.
"I will...wait...at the entrance for you. Meet me there when it...when it is done."
And with that, Hiromasa turns the corner and disappears from your sight.
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Eager to see the task before you complete you hurry back to the other side of the complex, to the small tomb you'd explored near the entrance. As before, a single sarcophagus dominates the east end of this room, its lid lying fallen and cracked on the floor nearby. The walls are adorned with engravings of soldiers in plate armor holding their helms reverently to their sides, eyes downcast.
Except that now, the one to whom the sarcophagus belongs has returned. Akina Yohanatotus, the elven woman you fought only minutes earlier, lies within, her hands folded over her breast and clasping the hilt of a katana still wet with blood. Your blood. She does not stir as you enter the small tomb and appears to have fallen into a sleep so deep that you doubt even the gods could wake her.
If it weren't for your firsthand knowledge of what she has become, you might even think her dead - again.
As you look more closely at Akina's sleeping form you notice what appear to be rather strange-looking burn scars peeking out from underneath her clothing and armor. And remembering what you learned about the tomb earlier, it clicks. Akina suffered these burns before her mortal death - they were caused by a large burst of holy energy.
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Meredith is amazed by all of this. An undead obsessed over tea, an elf turning into mist and then falling asleep in a sarcophagus, relatively unharmed? And they have to kill her, again?
"So...how do we do this? I could just beat her head in with my mace, she didn't seem to like it. Maybe Jan's sword could do better?"
"Wait, didn't uh... the Bodak... he said we could drive a wooden stake through her heart while she was helpless, right?"
Denair is glad she doesn't have to bludgeon someone to death. Er, undeath. No wait, they are undead to begin with, right?
She twitches nervously as Meredith goes into gruesome detail about executing a helpless elf. Then again, said helpless elf did try to steal the life from Denair, and slashed her Boss, and they almost killed Serge and made him one of them.
Maybe putting the elf out her misery is the best solution. But Frankie.
"Hey Frankie. Maybe we should wait outside the room for a second. It's gonna get really yucky out there."
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Holding his hand over his face, Serge steps into the room, flinching as he nears the woman. "To see her so helpless after nearly being killed by her fills me with a... strange filling," he whispers. "I would be lying if I tried to mask my vengeful thoughts. Even so, I'd rather not be the one to do what must be done." He gazes around the room at his companions.
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Frankie looks around, everyone has such grim looks on their faces. Speaking in weird words back and forth. I still don't know why we can't look at that thing!
He follows the others to the room with the coffin, standing on his tippy toes he looks inside and wrinkles his nose in confusion. "Hey, she's back, neat trick."
Denny takes his hand and pulls him out of the room "Outside? Oh ok, I gotcha. Grownup stuff. Let's have a snack then ok?" He drags out a bag of pilfered cinnamon buns from.. EONS ago.
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Quang Chi bows to the undead warrior as he shuffles away. Their next meeting with be their last.
At the tomb, he approaches the body of the less honorable undead samurai maiden. He picks out an arrow and snaps off the metal head, preparing to use the shaft as a stake unless someone has a better idea.
But as he looks for a gap in her armor to drive it through, he notices an unusual pattern of burn scars peeking out from beneath her clothing and armor. And then it clicks. These burns were caused by a blast of holy energy before her mortal death, thus the scars survived her transformation and do not heal.
He shares what he has discerned with his colleagues but wonders, "Who would have assaulted her with 'holy' energy in her life? A cleric of good? There is another part of this story that we are missing, I fear."
Not waiting for an answer or discussion, though, he turns back to the sarcophagus. "Yohanotatsu-sama, I release you from this unlife. You will join Him, your loyal servant Hiromasa-san, once again and forever." On that final word, Quang Chi drives home the wooden shaft through her heart.
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Lazarus mutters a prayer to Desna, while Quang Chi examines Akina Yohanatotu lying in the sarcophagus.
The wizard-priest nods, concurring with Quang Chi's assessment, and he watches as the monk performs the rite that ends her un-life. His eyes are drawn to the vampire's bloody blade.
With another prayer for guidance, Lazarus casts detect magic and picks up the samurai's katana, studying its auras, if it has any.
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"Maybe it was her last effort to avoid her transformation. Better to die than be killed." Meredith reflects on her own life, or maybe the Queen of Thorn's life, she's not sure. Is she just grasping onto her own existence? Even if it's not what she was herself?
Meredith watches Chi execute the vampire and breathes a sigh of relief.
As Quang Chi drives the sharpened stake through Akina's undead heart an unholy shriek fills the air, echoing through the halls as her eyes open wide and her hands scrabble futilely at the stake. Before your very eyes you watch her form begin to wither as the weight of centuries comes to claim her at last, bones and all crumbling away until nothing remains of Akina Yohanatotsu but a pile of ash and the equipment she'd been wearing.
Curious, Lazarus examines said equipment and quickly sees that the steel lamellar armor she'd been wearing, as well as her katana, glow with a magical aura.
It's a +1 Katana.
+1 Steel Lamellar.
The only other gear Akina appears to have been carrying were additional weapons - a masterwork naginata and a masterwork wakizashi.
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Having finally extinguished what you think - and perhaps hope - the biggest threat to be found in this forgotten fortress, several of you take a moment to consider what you've learned thus far. Surely Akina was not the virtuous samurai maiden that was written of in the Tome of Righteous Repose but an undead monstrosity.
Or was she?
You think back to your initial briefing with Venture Captain Besnik and the particular poem that had caught his eye. Besnik seemed certain that it referenced some manner of protection against the Whispering Tyrant. The information that Jan and Lazarus recalled about the history of the area seemed to support this. Okay, sure...but have you found any other evidence?
Actually, you have. During your exploration of the shrine earlier you were able to recover a piece of vellum that offered details of a holy ritual. You also recall that when you first visited this tomb the group discovered a holy symbol of Shizuru lying on the ground. Lazarus was able to determine that the symbol was meant to be used as part of a holy ritual and that the walls of the tomb were scorched and marred by a concentrated and powerful blast of holy energy.
Akina's body, before you destroyed her, had been covered with burn marks caused by holy energy. Marks she must have suffered prior to her mortal death.
You recall something she'd said during your battle with her: 'Once, I was in command of this place and lived my life in service to the light. And when the time came, I foolishly volunteered that life to seal away the Whispering Tyrant.'
Hiromasa's earlier words seem to echo all around the tomb...or maybe just within the halls of your mind.
'This was...was not the fate She deserved, my...my Xīn'ài.'
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"The sword is a +1 katana," Lazarus determines. "The armor is +1 Steel Lamellar."
The wizard-priest regards the holy symbol of Shizuru, considering all the team has learned. "The vellum in the shrine to Shizuru referred to a cleansing ritual. The Rondeau of Righteous Retention wasn't completely legible, but offered further clues about the ritual the Knights of Ozem used to create layers of wards and defenses against the Whispering Tyrant."
The samsaran holds up the holy symbol of Shizuru. "It’s made of pure silver, and the details of its design imply it was intended for use in a holy ritual."
"Remember the evidence of a great blast of holy energy we observed earlier? Perhaps, we should return there, now. Together, we might possess the skills and knowledge we need to repair and restore the wards and defenses the Shining Crusade constructed to keep Tar-Baphon sealed within this prison."
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Jan admits he doesn't understand all of the magic in play in this tomb but does understand enough about giving the dead a proper send off to go along with whatever Lazarus suggests.
"I think we should do as Laz says. The magic of this place was probably damaged somehow and needs to be restored. I don't know how the dark magics of the dead work... but I think if we don't do something, then more undead, maybe even this vampire, is going to come back and haunt this place again."
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Denair wraps her hands around Frankie's ears as Akina shrieks. The cinnamon rolls were pretty stale, but at least it used cane sugar instead of syrup as a sweetener.
"So now we... um. Now we continue a ritual or something?"
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Frankie smiles as Denny covers his ears. In response he covers her eyes. He chuckles, chewing on the stale sweet bread.
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"So... more exploring right? Or boring history lessons and magic again..." He laments, looking around at everyone, but being sure not to linger in Laz's teacher to student gaze for long.
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Quang Chi begins to gather the ashes of Akina's remains into a small clay pot. As he does so, he empties his mind and lets himself be and do in the moment.
In this zen state, the pieces come together. She gave her life in the ritual. It was 'not the fate she deserved' for having made that sacrifice. Something went wrong....
"Apologies, but I have a duty to perform," he says to his friends as he walks away with Hiromasa.
"Yíshì chūcuòle, bùshì ma? Zhè jiùshì fǔbài kāishǐ de fāngshì," he asks the undead warrior as they stand together outside the entrance. In the distance, the sun prepares to break the horizon. Quang Chi pours Akina's ashes into the tea box that Hiromasa holds open to receive them.
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With a couple of you having pieced things together the way forward becomes much clearer. While Lazarus and the rest wait within the small tomb where Akina was initially laid to rest - for it looks as though the original holy ritual was conducted here - Quang Chi goes to fulfill the promise that he'd made. He joins Hiromasa, waiting just outside the entrance to the fortress and watching the twilight slowly fade as the dawn approaches.
"Bù...Gāi yíshì zòuxiào. Wǒmen ràng wǒ xīn'ài de rén ānxí bìng jìxù shǒu wèi zhuó bìngfáng. Suízhe shíjiān de liúshì, wǒmen qíyú de rén yě jiārùle tā de yǒnghéng shuìmián," Hiromasa replies to Quang Chi, though he keeps his eyes on the horizon.
"Ránhòu...Wǒmen túrán yòu yìshí dàole, dàn bù xiàng yǐqián nàyàng. Wǒmen měi gèrén dōu juéqǐ, biàn chéngle bié de dōngxī. Ér wǒ de zhì'ài...Tā zài shēnghuó zhōng de měi yītiān suǒ dài lái de kuàilè, duì wèilái de xīwàng...Yǐ shì. Qǔ'érdàizhī dì shì nüèdài kuáng, chúle zìjǐ de sīlì zhī wài, duì qítā rènhé shìqíng dōu yī wú suǒ zhī."
The dawn only a few moments away, Hiromasa turns his head slightly towards Quang Chi and offers a faint smile. "Bìngfáng yīdìng biàn ruòle. Rúguǒ nín hé nín de méngyǒu yǒu nénglì-xiūlǐ tā. Kǎolǜ yīxià zhè shì wǒmen de zuìhòu yīgè qǐngqiú. Zǒng shì zǒu zài guāngmíng zhōng……wǒmen kěyǐ yǒu yītiān zài lìng yībiān zàicì jiànmiàn."
As the dawn finally breaks over the horizon Hiromasa turns to meet it with a look of profound peace upon his undead features...and then the rays of the sun pierce his form and he crumbles to dust, rejoining his Akina in death.
"No...the ritual worked. We laid my beloved to rest and continued on, guarding the ward. Over time, the rest of us joined her in eternal sleep."
"Then...we were suddenly aware again but not as we were before. Each of us had risen, changed into something else. And my beloved...the joy she took in each day of life, her hope for the future...gone. Replaced with sadism and little concern for anything but her own self-interest."
"The ward must have weakened. If you and your allies are able - repair it. Consider it our last request. Walk always in the light...and may we meet again one day, on the other side."
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As Hiromasa meets his fate the rest of you do what you can to set up and prepare to repair the holy ward that was laid over the fortress and surrounding area all those centuries ago.
Lazarus is able to piece together enough information from the piece of vellum you recovered to understand that the holy symbol of Shizuru must have been used as a focus and can be used as such again. He also reasons that it might not hurt to add to the ritual by making use of additional holy symbols of other good deities and entities - such as his own Desna or perhaps Serge's Ragathiel or even Jan's Gozreh.
Some of the other implements you have to improvise on, such as substituting smokesticks for incense, but others are no problem - there are several in the party capable of channeling divine or arcane power to fuel the ward and strengthen it. Luckily no sacrifices are needed this day, since the ward seems to be in place but weakened rather than completely destroyed.
Then, once everyone is congregated and ready, the ritual begins as those of you who believe offer up prayers to the gods of light, channeling that faith and power into the ward as an incantation is recited...
~To all who have stood true
for the good of their communities.
To all who have held strong
against overwhelming opposition.
To all who have remained vigilant
outside the fire's warmth.
I give greatest thanks
and pray for your guidance
on this guardian path.
Grant my senses clarity
that I might see the peaceful way
through dangerous times.
Hear the cries of those in need
and smell woodsmoke before the fire catches.
Lead my hands as they shape a safer world
and lead my feet to the places where I might
do the greatest good.
My thanks to you, sentinels, for all you've given.
Thank you for standing beside me,
behind me,
and before me.
A circle completed as I step into place.~
As the incantation is completed there's a brilliant flash of blue, holy light that races outward from the center of your ritual circle to encompass the entirely of the underground fortress and the lands beyond, strengthening and repowering the ward that was waning.
And as the light fades...you catch the faintest glimpse of a beautiful elven woman in shining armor, a human male also dressed in armor standing at her side. The pair smile at you, bowing deeply, before fading from sight.
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Meredith stands aside and lets the divine casters do their thing. It's not that she doesn't believe in the gods or anything, it's just... never jived with her. She's been more focused on the immediate needs, like a talking tree-fox telling her about her past as a crazy queen made of roses.
But watching Akina and Hiromasa, restored to their former glory, it does make her wonder about her afterlife. Is this her afterlife? What if she's stuck in a tomb for the rest of time? It frightens her.
She exhales deeply as the vision fades. "Okay. We're- we're done here, right?"
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Serge is glad to lend his support to the ritual, his hand folded on wing and bastard sword symbol over his chest. Afterwards, he nods solemnly at Quang Chi and Lazarus. "It is fortunate that we were accompanied by the both of you, who were able to communicate with Hiromasa, and discover and perform the ritual. My thanks," the paladin smiles, thankful that they had been laid to rest properly. "I must ask, however, what's next?"
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Frankie watches the goings on but doing his best to stay relatively quiet and out of the way. He holds his necklace with Desna's symbol on it without even noticing as the ceremony is going on. He waves goodbye to the two spirits as they fade.
"Well, don't we need to finish exploring this place? There's gotta be some other fun stuff in there right? RIGHT?" He drags Denny back inside to see if there aren't any rooms they've missed. Any sacks of long lost hidden coins stashed away, piles of boring books Laz or the Society might want to look at, or maybe even just something fun.
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Quang Chi returns the deep bows of the two ghosts with a warm smile and relief at knowing that they are free of their curse. "Sayonara," he bids them in Minkai fully understanding the implied finality of that phrase.
Indeed, they did not deserve the fate that befell them.
He then gives a smaller bow in response to Serge's thanks before watching Frankie head back into the fortress in search of 'fun stuff.'
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Jan remains curious as Lazarus reconstructs the ritual and asks a few questions to clarify various arcane and religious necessities for the reconstruction of the magical barrier.
"If this works... It will be good for the spirits to rest again."
Upon completion of the ritual and the appearance of the two spirits Jan will be resolute, knowing that he too will one day go the blessed halls of the dead. As the pair of spirits bows to the group Jan offers a respectful nod.
As they fade from view Jan begins to chant-sing an ancient Ulfen ritual prayer,
"The seer is speaking with his gods
He will see what the future will become
In his vision all in the way will fall
Before the mighty warriors
The ritual of blood is a gift
To the spirits of the sea
They will help us reach
The place of our glory
Through the sea
Through fire
Through honorable death in fighting
We will come to the sacred land
Nothing stops us
Nothing breaks us
Our father awaits us
In the golden halls of Valhalla."
The ritual completed and the restless spirits of the fortress' guardians laid to rest - hopefully for good this time - an aura of calm that wasn't present earlier seems to settle upon the place. From what you've seen of the layout you estimate that there are only two major chambers that you've yet to investigate and resolve to do so before taking your leave of this place.
First, you make your way back past the three-sectioned barracks to the lone chamber that you bypassed on your way into the celestial gallery earlier. Old crates lay open and scattered around the room. Bare shelves contain little more than patches of mold, and water trickles down the moldy west wall. This room once held enough supplies for the crusaders stationed here, perhaps maybe a month’s worth judging by the number and size of the crates. The rations themselves, however, are obviously nothing but dust at this point.
Several of you versed in nature lore are quick to identify the mold growing on the walls here as remnants from a slime mold, which can cause fungal rot if it comes into contact with bare skin. After taking some necessary precautions you search the room but don't turn up anything worthwhile and so you continue further north and to the east, to the last chamber you have yet to visit - and the one that Hiromasa must have emerged from earlier.
Petrified oak banquet tables and benches form long lines in this large chamber while the smaller rooms just to the north form a makeshift kitchen. On a raised platform stands a large ceramic bowl, covered in runes and full of a greenish-yellow substance. Bits of random detritus litter this chamber but Lazarus' magic-eyes pick out a number of things that radiate a magical aura - a flat iron bar with a button on one end, an arrow, a small amulet, and the ceramic bowl.
Oh hey, this seems to function much like a Sustaining Spoon except you estimate the bowl could provide enough gruel to feed up to 40 people each day.
With the last two chambers fully investigated and the malfunctioning ward now repaired, it looks as if it's time to leave this place and return to Vellumis to give your report to Venture-Captain Besnik. You're fairly certain that he'll be most interested to hear your tale, especially since it seems his suspicions regarding a potential ward turned out to be true.
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With several prayers to Song of Spheres, Lazarus examines the magical objects in the banquet hall.
"The large ceramic bowl, covered in runes and full of a greenish-yellow substance? It functions much like a sustaining spoon, though I estimate this bowl could provide enough gruel to feed up to 40 people each day."
"This is a searing arrow."
"This amulet is an aegis of recovery."
Shaking his head, he offers the flat iron bar with a button on one end to his teammates. "I'm not sure what this rod is, though."
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Denair looks curiously at Meredith. Fey don't really understand death. It's more of a reincarnation trigger. Everyone reincarnates, right? Just looks like she and Lazarus are the only people here who know it happens.
"You should be happy. The elf and that human with the creepy eyes get to try agian. And we found this stuff." She butts heads with Meredith. "So, we won, right? Yay! Let's go home."
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Quang Chi takes his turn examining the rod but quickly realizes it is well beyond his new-found abilities.
As he hands it back to the wizard-priest, the cute bunny pokes his head out from Laz's robes.
Quang Chi reaches out to give the bunny a quick scratch between the ears, but quickly pulls his hand back. There is something very 'not-quite-right' about that creature.
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"This place... Somehow feels lighter," Serge comments as the agents make their way back out of the tomb. "The oppressiveness has vanished, with the spirits laid to rest, and the ward restored. Quite the close call with that wraith, huh?" The paladin chuckles to himself on the way out of the tomb. In his left hand, he idly flips a miniature hourglass around, the contents emptying between sides within six seconds.
Come to think of it, cousin Brayden was also reported to have died at the hand of an ethereal creature. How... coincidental.
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Inside Lazarus' robes, Sid continues to vent.
*Do you f*~~ing hear that guy?! Sounds more like he just dropped a load in the f+!#ing privy!*
"Friends," Lazarus announces. "I think Sid needs to retire from the adventuring life and start a new life."
*WHAT?!!!!* Sid screams in Lazarus' mind. *Don't even think about trading me in for one of those 'improved' familiars!!*
Thanks to Sid inadvertently lightening the mood a bit with his sass the journey back to Vellumis gets off to a good start. While the area outside of the fortress still looks as desolate and foreboding as ever you still feel a renewed sense of peace as you begin making your way back down and out of the mountains.
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Several uneventful days later you find yourselves back where you started, crowded into the rather cramped and cluttered back office of Venture Captain Besnik.
"You have no idea how happy I am to see all of you back here and in one piece," Besnik begins. "Not that I didn't think you could handle yourselves, but...well, that region of Ustalav is more dangerous than some. But here you are and not looking any worse for the wear! Fantastic!"
Besnik kicks back in his chair and props his feet up on his desk, knocking a few papers to the floor as he does.
"So! How did it go? Were you able to find any evidence of any wards or protections at the site?"
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Meredith was mostly quiet during her journey back. She's glad to get out of there.
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Back with Captain Besnick, she takes a long swig of ale. "There were definite wards out there. A... sacred ritual, bolstered by holy gods. The occupants... gave their lives but something happened along the way and twisted them to undeath. We- we freed them."
She nurses her mug of ale and looks down at her own reflection. "I'm sure other people can add more detail."
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Frankie's hair is raggled, his face is dirty, and his cocoa is all gone. "We made it.. barely..." He gasps. "So thirsty..."
He nods along with Meredith as she starts the debriefing "Bunch of scary ghosts and a woman that turned to a cloud, but they're gone now. And Serge almost died! But we saved him." The little guy puffs out his chest a bit, even if he wasn't really all that helpful. Its the thought that counts.
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"We managed to repair and restore the wards, and Tar-Baphon is still confined within his prison." Lazarus describes the details ritual for Venture-Captain Besnik. "But I worry our efforts may have only delayed an inevitable collapse of the magical defenses."
The samsaran adjusts his pack, ready to resume travel.
"I will report back to Skyreach and discuss our concerns with Zarta Dralneen and the Dark Archive specialists. A day of reckoning with the Whispering Tyrant approaches."
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Quang Chi nods his agreement with Lazarus' assessment of the wards and Meredith's summary. "Indeed, the honorable samurai bodak told me that the ward had weakened. The guardians who had died there arose again, but not as they were before."
He pauses and cocks his head to the side as he considers his words. "Apologies, that may not be a perfect translation of the Tien we spoke. Either way, they have all passed on to their proper reward."
"Amazing! What a wonderful chronicle this will make once I've heard back from some of the other teams I sent out," Besnik smiles. "Oh no, you weren't the only ones who investigated passages from the tome - you're just the first team to report back."
Besnik straightens up, plopping his feet back down on the floor. "Just goes to show I picked the right Pathfinders to seek out adventure while unknown dangers lurked. Go and rest while I put our report together for the Ten. Surely, this addition to the Chronicles will put Uscalin Lodge on the map."
With that seemingly all Besnik has to say the group of you rise and move to head out of the office. But before you do, the venture captain coughs to get your attention; his jovial expression is now much more somber and serious.
"Though I may joke about the crusaders, they play a vital part in the service of good. You, too, have done important work today. You have removed a pressing danger and helped the spirit of an ancient hero find rest. Well done, Pathfinders. I hope you are as proud of yourselves as I am of you."
Roughly two weeks after the business with Shevar Besnik and the Tome of Righteous Repose is concluded, each of you find yourselves once more back at the Grand Lodge in Absalom. As your group's reputation grows the Society seems to be calling on you for increasingly complex and urgent tasks, the latest being no exception. You now have a front-row seat to Venture-Captain Ambrus Valsin as he paces in front of a small table in a small meeting room in the Grand Lodge. In front of him on the table is a packet of parchments.
"Pathfinders, a rather concerning development has come to light," Valsin begins without preamble. "I have received a summons requesting Pathfinder presence at a meeting of the Shoanti quahs. The impetus for this request is troubling, to say the least."
"About one year ago, a Pathfinder named Lumketul Simset returned to the Grand Lodge with notes on a rather exciting discovery: a Thassilonian ruin, tucked in a remote area in the Iron Peaks in Varisia. He also returned with several artifacts, which we took in for further study. Lumketul’s notes were the basis of a tale published in the Pathfinder Chronicles shortly thereafter, which has become rather popular among those endeavoring to uncover new Thassilonian discoveries.".
"However, I recently received a message from Cousin to All, an ally from the Shriikirri-Quah. Shadde-Quah traders came across a copy of the Pathfinder Chronicles. Upon reading Lumketul’s entry, they realized that he was speaking not of a Thassilonian ruin, but of a sacred Shoanti burial site known as the Muschkal Sepulcher. Shadde-Quah leadership contacted the Skoan-Quah, which sent out their boneslayers to confirm the reports. Turns out, unfortunately for all parties, that Lumketul did in fact damage and plunder the sepulcher."
Valsin rubs his temples with one hand, then continues. "Our relations with the quahs have already been somewhat strained, although friendlier than their other connections with outsiders. Fortunately for us, we have some history of goodwill with the Shoanti, so Cousin to All was able to convince the other quahs to send representatives to hear our side of the story. Unfortunately for us, our side of the story is still bad. Lumketul showed no regard or respect in his blind pursuit of discovery, and frankly, the Society doesn’t have much grounds to deserve forgiveness. The Muschkal Sepulcher is an important location for all the quahs, and Lumketul’s disregard has cast the Society as a whole in a bad light. We’ve tried contacting Lumketul, but he has cut contact with the Society, and no one in the Society has heard from him in over a year. This is where you come in. I would like for all of you to travel to the meeting of the council members and represent the Society. I believe excuses will not be received well; rather, please petition the council with utmost earnestness and sincerity."
He pushes the packet of parchments across the table. "I’ve had Lumketul’s notes on his expedition dug up in the hopes they’d be of some use, as well as the map he drew of the ruins. I’ve also included a copy of his Chronicle publication, although his embellishments and obfuscation of truth may have rendered it useless; nevertheless, maybe you’ll glean some helpful information from it." Valsin then reaches down beside him and pulls up a large satchel and an egg-shaped rock that emits a warm, red glow. "The bag is a Bag of Holding and contains the items Lumketul plundered from the burial site. At the very least, we must return the items to the Shoanti, and I request you try to convince the council to allow you to restore the sepulcher to its proper state. As for the stone, it’s a Scavenger’s Stone - if you touch it to a broken object, it will gradually repair it. It won’t last forever, but it should have enough magic left in it for this mission."
The venture-captain pauses for emphasis. "It’s important to the Society to develop further relations with the quahs, so this could be an opportunity to show that we can be trusted."
The bag contains four carved wooden weapons mounted on simple bases: a bolas, a bow, an earth breaker, and a klar. It also contains a small stone statue of a wolf cub and a ring stylized as a scarab beetle.
Map of the Muschkal Sepulcher
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Venture-Captain Valsin gives everyone a moment to absorb the glut of information that he's just delivered before coughing and addressing the elephant in the room.
"Now...several of you are obviously already well-acquainted with each other and you've worked together for some time. While I was loathe to shake up a solid team that's known for getting results, this situation is especially sensitive and so I made the decision to call upon an agent or two that have personal ties to the Shoanti clans."
As he speaks, he nods at the new face(s) among you.
"I've arranged transportation directly to the meeting site so you won't have extended travel time for getting to know each other. So it might be a good idea for you to make introductions now - and ask any questions that you might have, of course."
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The fierce Shoanti are spread throughout the Storval Plateau in northern Varisia, where they eke out a living in harsh, inhospitable conditions.
The Shoanti formerly inhabited much of southern Varisia, until they were forced northward into the Storval Plateau after bloody conflicts with Chelaxian colonists. This violent history has led to many Shoanti being mistrustful of outsiders.
Despite seeming xenophobic, Shoanti are not completely closed off. Many outsiders have been known to join their ranks, but only after a history of demonstrating loyalty to their clan and dedication to its principles.
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Meredith kept to herself during the last few weeks. Death and the afterlife wasn't something she tried to think about, much. Lazarus believed heavily in reincarnation, to the point where he could recall his past lives- or maybe that was just his source of inspiration. She didn't get it fully. Didn't matter.
Her crops were doing well when the Pathfinder Summons arrived. The other staff at the farm were used to her sojourns and so they simply wished her luck and promised to take care of the crops and property. Good, that's why she hired them in the first place.
Once Frankie was asleep (or at least pretending to be asleep) Meredith and Denair would spend the night under the stars, just talking about her days as the Queen of Thorns. Some of the tales were scary, some were raw, all were beautiful.
Back in Ambrus Valsin's office, hearing the tale, all she could do was shake her head. "So, some idiot ran into a sacred temple, stole their stuff, and we have to mend the bridges he burned. Did I get that right?" She huffs. "Well, at least we don't have to deal with lightning dogs and more undead." she pauses. "Right? We're going to the meeting among nobles, right?"
She thinks for a bit. "Not that it's going to be easy. The Shoanti are in general very distrustful of outsiders, Chileax's many colonization attempts solidified that distrust." She sighs. "We'll have to demonstrate our loyalty and dedication to their principles."
"Northern Varisia is a pretty harsh climate, but that's where they call home." She grunts. "I'm gonna have to play dress up, won't I?"