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Meredith's Summon Monster IV spell completes.
What do your require?
Meredith's mind races to the most fearsome beast she can think of. But then everyone begins talking about the topiary. She notices it pausing as Chi and Vosk talk to it.
Give me... Lantern Archons. Uhh... of them.
Really, Meredith? Again with the talking. Fine. The voice fades from her mind as two shining lights appear around her. Meredith shakes her head. Why did that sound like the emissary?
"Wait, we can talk to it?" She turns to the shrub. "Antaios? Hey, Antaios. Hold on, hold on. We mean you no harm. Elias Chert helps take care of you, right? He's injured but he'll survive, he just needs some rest."
She then looks at the lights. "Hey Buzz. Hey Lightyear. Can you two heal Denair?" The lanterns fly up and cast Aid, granting Denair temporary hit points.
Meredith stows away her longspear.
Denair floats in midair. "Oh, hi Antaios. Sorry, I thought I couldn't talk to you. How ya doing?" She waves her oversized hand. "I'm Denair, this is Frankie underneath you. That's my Boss, Meredith. This is Zirt and her wolverine Benedict who is in a pretty bad mood. One second."
Thanks to the weird lights, Denair feels a bit more confident than before. She stretches her arms down to scoop up Benedict before his rage overwhelms Antaios.
"It was all an accident! Don't worry! Calm down, we're trying to work things out, okay?"
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Chi catches Vosk's eye roll but says nothing. Instead, his own eyes crinkle in a small smile as the big man follows his lead and goes to talk to the plant. He similarly watches in amusement at poor Benedict's humiliation. Judging the combat to be over, he returns his bow to its spot in the quiver.
"Apologies for shooting you, Antaios. If you stop, we will gladly heal your wounds as well," he offers.
As more of you begin to catch on and speak directly to the topiary there's a visible change as the plant-creature slowly relaxes and backs down, at least as best as they can while surrounded.
"We are here to help Mr. Chert. Please, no more violence!"
"Ya, what he said!"
The creature, Antaios, cocks their head to one side as if to say, 'I'm listening.'
"I suppose you're just trying to defend the shop, aren't you? Well, we're trying to help figure out who came in here earlier. We don't want to hurt you."
At this, the topiary begins to slowly change their shape, reforming itself into a rather rudimentary form of a man. Then, they reform again into the rudimentary shape of a woman. And then, back to their tiger-like form.
"Antaios? Hey, Antaios. Hold on, hold on. We mean you no harm. Elias Chert helps take care of you, right? He's injured but he'll survive, he just needs some rest."
At this, Antaios rather vigorously nods their head up and down before doing a small but happy-seeming prance.
"It was all an accident! Don't worry! Calm down, we're trying to work things out, okay?"
"Apologies for shooting you, Antaios. If you stop, we will gladly heal your wounds as well."
Antaios nods again and then lowers their head as if to say, 'I'm sorry.'
During all this, Meredith's conjured lantern archons set about bolstering Denair a bit and Denair is quick to scoop Benedict up and away from Antaios so that both wolverine and topiary can calm down a bit.
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Slowly pulling a wand from his sleeve, Vosk holds it delicately between thumb and forefinger. Then keeping both hands raised with palms forward, he cautiously walks towards Denair and casts a spell on her, gesturing to the wounds that begin to close. He approaches Antaios and does the same.
"I won't pretend to be an expert on interpretive topiary shape-shifting, this time, anyways, but I think they just signaled to us that two people, a man and a woman, broke into the shop," he speculates. "I'm happy to keep healing with this, but speak up if you'd rather use a less efficient method."
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Denair is a bit startled as Vosk splashes something on her. Buzz and Lightyear quickly back off, mumbling their displeasure. Denair snorts. "Ew. Stinky. But it does hurt a lot less."
She gently lowers Benedict to the ground. "Sorry Benedict. Most of the wolverines I know of can't control their tempers."
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Frankie's face contorts as he tries to win at charades with Antaios. His eye twitches and you swear you smell something burning.
"An elephant and a horse walked into a bar?" He scratches his head "Is this one of those 'Adult' jokes? I never really got them even after Mom explained." He relaxes his defensive pose and goes to hug Benedict before Denny lets him go.
"Aren't you a furry guy! Do you like cocoa?" Spurt.
Vosk brings the wand closer for inspection. "Devils, can't be trusted to make a reliable product," he grumbles while shaking his head. tightening one side of it, the leaking fluid stops. Just in case...
He pulls out an empty potion bottle, slides the wand in, and stoppers it again.
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"Maybe you should have that looked at by a wand doctor. That can't be healthy, and you wouldn't want it to spread to your other ... wands," Chi says with a twinkle in his eye.
He remains out in the main room to keep Antaios from feeling crowded and hemmed in and watches the pantomime.
Turning his attention to the attemps at communication, he agrees with Vosk. "Yes, a man and a woman, it looked like. Antaios, was one of them smaller, like my friends here?" he asks as he gestures toward Frankie and Zirt.
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Benedict endures Frankie's hug with only a mild glare at Denair, as if blaming her for giving the boy the idea. As soon as he can do so in a dignified manner, however, he escapes their grasping arms and walks sedately over to where Zirt is standing. Only the smallest curl of his lip lets Denair and Frankie know that their rude action would have been met with quite a different reception under other circumstances.
"Yes, a man and a woman, it looked like. Antaios, was one of them smaller, like my friends here?"
Antaios turns to look at Zirt and Frankie. They seem to think about the question for a moment before shaking their head in the negative.
"Antaios, right. If there's any information you can give us about the attackers, we'd be grateful."
The topiary shifts itself in a manner suggestive of a shrug...but then suddenly perks up as though something has occurred to them. They crane their head around towards their flank, giving a little nod as they do so. As you all study the topiary more closely you realize that there's a colorful piece of blood-streaked cloth stuck to them.
You recognize the piece of cloth as part of a satek - a kerchief commonly worn by ethnic Varisians. The cheaply printed scarf, bandanna, or shawl may also bear an intricate pattern to discreetly display the wearer’s Sczarni affiliations, if they have any.
This satek is printed with a repeating insignia that resembles two burning candles crossed in an “X,” the symbol of a Sczarni gang newly arrived in Magnimar: the Twincandles.
Vosk gently plucks the satek off of the topiary. "Hmmm... Varisian. See these burning candles here, making a sort of X? One of the newer Sczarni gangs in Magnimar known as the Twincandles," he explains, pointing to the design as he speaks.
"Sounds like we've found the source of our issues, assuming they aren't being framed as well," he concludes, handing the satek off to anyone who wants a closer look.
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"A local gang? Great. Maybe someone paid them. Still, it's a good clue. Thanks Antaios." She carefully picks the cloth off of the living shrub.
"I think Mister Chert was attacked, they may have stole something or applied the rage potion or whatever was in that vial." She points back to the vial with the spider insignia. "They didn't know Antaios
could move. Their mistake. We find them, we find our answer."
After a minute or so, Buzz and Lightyear fly up up and away, well beyond the infinite canvas of the night.
As some of the clues fall into place and begin to paint a rough narrative of what must've happened inside the shop both Vosk and Zirt also recall that the Twincandles normally avoid violent crimes in favor of street-level confidence games and protection rackets. Rumor has it the gang is headquartered in Ordellia, in a shantytown known as Two-Lights.
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Quang Chi watches Benedict's reaction to Frankie's ministrations and hopes that it doesn't happen again. For Frankie's sake. The scent of wolverine pee is notably difficult to remove from bedrolls. Someday I will get back at Bayu Variza for what he did that night. Assuming I ever get back to Xa Hoi, he muses angrily.
But the monk also notes that Benedict still looks a little battered. He kneels down next to him and taps him several times with the wand from his pack. Once healed, he asks, "Are you ready to go track these people down?" He looks up to Vosk and Zirt and reaches out to the scarf.
"Perhaps their scent still lingers on the... What did you call it? A satay? No, that's a Vudrani food. The... scarf. May I see it please?"
He holds it out to Benedict and then he too takes a deep whiff of the mixed aromas from the cloth.
Vosk hands over the satek to Quang Chi and rubs his hands together. "Let's see what your noses uncover! I know where the Twincandles tend to operate, but with the actual scent of the culprits up your noises, I say we see what that brings first," he suggests. "Wouldn't want to spoil your expertise with a preconceived notion!"
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Quang Chi considers Vosk's challenge as he stands and returns the scarf. "A wager, my friend?" he asks. "What do we bet? You have riches, and I am but a simple man. And Benedict certainly has nothing to his name," he laughs as he scratches the wolverine behind the ears.
"Bragging rights are the first step on the path to arrogance." He shakes his head rejecting that.
"A service, perhaps?" he offers. "Even in loss, one wins by serving humbly."
Vosk, immensely pleased with himself, makes a show of thinking over his end of the wager. "Service works splendidly. How about... from dawn until dusk on a day within the next month, that doesn't conflict with our Society duties, the loser must be the other's manservant!"
"You may adjust the terms of service if you wish, but that's my proposition," he says, extending a hand.
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"Agreed," Quang Chi replies. He bows to just the right angle meaning 'agreement has been reached on a business or other deal.' Aware as always that he is still in Avistan (the smell is always just wrong,) he rises and offers his hand in a shake also.
He thinks I would be deterred. He has no idea what life in a monastery is like if so. But what would I even do with a manservant for a day?
Leaning down he whispers to Benedict, "Don't worry. I do not think you are included in this bet."
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Benedict takes his time cleaning his fur from the battle, for all the world as if he can't understand a word of what's being discussed above him. Just as Vosk reaches out his hand, however, a gleam enters the wolverine's eye and he bares one tooth... almost as if he's grinning. Standing up on his hind legs, he noses the big man's hand in acceptance of the offer. At Quang Chi's whisper, he snorts contemptuously, almost as if to say, Pfft... who'd miss a chance to have that fellow as manservant? I can't wait to catch his scent when he loses...
Zirt giggles softly as she watches the byplay, but doesn't interfere.
Though Vosk (and Zirt) have a pretty good idea of where the Twincandles can be found, they keep mum as they opt to see if Quang Chi and Benedict can track down the miscreants by pure scent and woodcraft know-how. The quiet, reserved archer and the confident magician even make it into a friendly wager. For their part, Antaios seems grateful to you for your help but certainly isn't inclined to leave the shop. They follow you all as far as the shop exit before they halt, twisting and reshaping themselves back into a vague, humanoid shape and giving you a wave good-bye as you depart.
After taking just long enough to secure the shop and pop in to give Mrs. Soap an update on the situation you all set out, letting the wily wolverine take the lead after getting a good, deep sniff of the broken wayfinder and the piece of cloth that you recovered from Antaios. It's quite a strange sight, Benedict scampering along with his nose to the ground like bloodhound and the rest of you following behind, and several people stop and gawk as you pass by. Luckily, no one does more than that and so you slowly but surely make your way through the city...and in the direction of Ordellia.
Separated from the rest of Magnimar by the Yondabakari River, Ordellia has always considered itself somewhat apart from the rest of the city. It is termed the Foreign District or the "Mush", depending on the kindness of the speaker. It serves as a hotbed of dissent and new political ideas, the people of the district viewing themselves as embodying the spirit of freedom that led Alcaydian Indros to originally found Magnimar. The people of the district are proud of their community, organized militia and other services, and tend to march to the beat of their own drum.
As you proceed into the 'district' the going gets slower as it becomes apparent that portions of the cobblestone streets here have been devoured by small, muddy sinkholes, making it much more difficult for Benedict to keep on the trail. In addition, some of the streets and alleyways have been barricaded with warnings of imminent collapse, which slows things down that much more. But even with these setbacks you soon realize that you're getting warmer as you begin to notice several shops and businesses displaying placards bearing the Twincandles symbol, indicating they've purchased the security of an alliance with the gang.
You come to a stop on a corner as Benedict pauses, seemingly unsure of where to go next. Has the trail finally petered out? Will wolverine and archer be forced to play manservant after all? Suddenly, a deep rumbling sound followed by a sharp cry echoes from a nearby alleyway: "Watch! Watch!" Rushing around the corner you discover, in the narrow alley, a 10-foot-diameter section of street has collapsed into the earth, creating a churning cauldron of mud, loose cobblestones, and sewage. Laying prone beside the sinkhole is a young woman, her muscular arms plunged into the quagmire, straining under an unknown weight. She pleads with anyone who can hear her for aid. "Quick, quick! My mate got pulled under!"
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Vosk
Quang Chi
Meredith + Denair
Frankie
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Pleading Woman
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Zirt + Benedict
Active Conditions: None
Environmental Conditions: Sinkhole (Acts as a Deep Bog)
Vosk, Quang Chi, Meredith + Denair and Frankie are UP!
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Meredith casts Long Arm on herself, wrapping her arms in long vines.
"Denair, hurry up."
Denair nods and begins to fly 5 feet above the ground, double moving towards the woman.
Damn! Twincandle sigils everywhere... At the calls for help, Vosk raises a skeptical eyebrow. Mmmmhmmm, of course trouble starts as soon as the foreigners arrive.
Sauntering closer, he turns his eyes down any nearby allies and gutters, but also up to the roofing. Wouldn't be the first set heroes-of-the-moment to get suckered into being mugged.
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I dunno...this lady seems really worried; she's got the same look on her face that you've seen on Meredith's the handful of times you've had a close brush with misfortune.
While Denair and Frankie double-time it towards the prone woman and the sinkhole Meredith pauses just long enough to extend her reach with magic before moving forward as well.
Vosk also moves closer but in a much more cautious manner, his eyes scanning all around for any signs of a potential ambush or other shenanigans afoot. But there doesn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary - well, aside from the sinkhole in the ground.
Normally you'd certainly think this was some sort of trap but there's an edge to the woman's voice that you're certain isn't being faked.
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Vosk
Quang Chi
Meredith + Denair
Frankie
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Pleading Woman
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Zirt + Benedict
Active Conditions: None
Environmental Conditions: Sinkhole (Acts as a Deep Bog)
Quang Chi is UP!
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When Antaios waves goodbye at the door, Quang Chi turns and bows. He feels sorry for the topiary, their caretaker laid up and them now all alone. "We will do our best to track down these people, Antaios," he says as he turns to follow and assist Benedict.
As the team and its wolverine leader make their way through the city, Quang Chi occasionally kneels in the street and sniffs the wind. At one intersection, he picks up a handful of dirt and lets it trickle out of his fingers as he carefully watches the bits fall, then takes a deep breath of the residual scent from his palm.
Several blocks later, he spots a single red thread in the gutter, the tiny piece an exact match for the satek, and further on the broken branch of a street-side tree holds meaning only to an experienced tracker.
But as they enter the Mush, tracking gets more difficult. He readily notices the signs of gang-affiliation and the way the locals warily watch the strange group. So it is with caution rather than alacrity that Quang Chi reacts to the woman's plea.
A ruse or trick? Like the ones the urchins pull in Goa, just before they pick your pocket? Or is her panic genuine? he wonders as he takes her measure.
Seeing Vosk scan the rooftops, he nods sharply to the big man as if to say that he agrees that caution is warranted. He lends his eyes to the search, sharpening them with an aspect of the falcon, even as he draws his bow from its quiver.
She's dead serious. This isn't a ruse or a trick.
Much like Vosk and Frankie, Quang Chi isn't 100% sure of whether to buy this or not and instead of rushing to help he draws his bow and calls upon the eyesight of the falcon, scanning about for any signs of something amiss.
But unlike Vosk, he notices something. It's faint at first but as he focuses in on it the sound grows louder. The sound of tiny claws scraping across metal and stone, but it sounds as though it's coming from somewhere below.
Meanwhile the prone woman struggles mightily as she attempts to pull her companion from the muddy sinkhole but though she seems to be maintaining her grip she has no way to gain any leverage to help pull him up.
"Rrrgh! Eun, hold on! Just hold on!"
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Vosk
Quang Chi
Meredith + Denair
Frankie
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Pleading Woman
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Zirt + Benedict
Active Conditions: None
Environmental Conditions: Sinkhole (Acts as a Deep Bog)
Zirt + Benedict are UP!
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"Oh no!" exclaims Zirt as she takes in the scene. "You've got to go save them, Benedict! Save the man first! My aunt once told me that if you get sucked into a collapsing street, you never get to drink tea again! I suspect she meant that you die, but I'm not actually sure... she didn't say that..."
The little gnome reaches over and pats Benedict on the head, imbuing him with the group's hopes as she strides forward, talking all the while of her aunt's tale... and tea... and somehow that leads to laundry... and a moment later she's pulled a pair of mismatched spoons from her pocket and is reciting a stirring tale to their rhythm. The wolverine shakes his head as if to clear it, then runs quickly forward and dives into the sinkhole.
As Zirt pulls out and begins to play the spoons - while performing an impressive if rambling bit of oratory - Benedict hastens towards the sinkhole, clearly intending to dive in and attempts to pull the woman's friend out. Quang Chi warns that there may be trouble brewing from below but the wolverine is undeterred.
And realizing what Benedict is about to do, Frankie can't help but be impressed as well as a little envious!
But he might be about to change his tune, for the sounds of scrabbling feet grow louder and are now accompanied by the squeaking of many small creatures...
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Vosk
Quang Chi
Meredith + Denair
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?????
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Frankie
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Pleading Woman
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Zirt + Benedict
Active Conditions: Inspire Courage +2
Environmental Conditions: Sinkhole (Acts as a Deep Bog)
Vosk, Quang Chi and Meredith + Denair are UP!
"Okay, let's pull him up!" Denair reaches her long arms into the hole and tries to pull whatever the woman is holding onto.
"Make haste, I fear that sinkhole has opened into the sewers and we're about to be accompanied by some rather filthy and virulent rodents!" Vosk anticipates. Mentally thumbing through his spellbook, he groans. I can't care any less about the fool in the dirt, but my companies will surely risk their lives to save them...
With a groan, he hustles over to Meredith and tries to help her pull the victim out.
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Realizing that the area around the sinkhole is getting very crowded, Quang Chi lopes past Zirt and leaps over the pit. It doesn't really take any effort; it's quite a bit easier than jumping from rooftop to rooftop when he rescued Maharni in Katapesh. He practically flies past Denair, does a supple twist in the air over the dirty water, and lands facing back the way he'd come from.
His connection to the falcon having served its purpose, he calls upon the bull to enhance his strength causing tiny horns to grow upon his brow and his already impressive musculature to bulk up even further.
Vosk and Meredith both try to help the struggling woman; Meredith reaches into the muck and manages to get hold of the submerged friend while Vosk comes up from behind and grabs hold of Meredith. They both pull but the poor person in the muck doesn't budge.
Denair, on the other hand, has better luck as she reaches into the bog, manages to hook her hands under the victim's armpits and gives a mighty heave! She and everyone else struggling to pull them out feel them come upward through muck but it looks like it'll take more than just one good tug to pull them free.
Meanwhile Quang Chi gets a running start and leaps across the sinkhole and everyone crowded around it, landing lightly on the other side. He then shifts his aspect, taking on the strength of the bull in preparation to help pull the victim out of the mud.
The scrabbling and squeaking reaches a fevered pitch and there's a rumble from back the way you came as a swarm of angry and panicked rats comes boiling up out of a nearby drain! They roll forward en masse and swarm over Zirt, biting furiously!
Luckily they don't seem to bite very hard, yet...
Ooh...you feel nauseous!
Hmm...you feel fine. Or do you?
This isn't just a regular swarm but an especially vicious, advanced rat swarm.
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Vosk
Quang Chi
Meredith + Denair
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Rat Swarm Red
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Frankie
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Pleading Woman
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Zirt + Benedict
Active Conditions: Inspire Courage +2
Environmental Conditions: Sinkhole (Acts as a Deep Bog)
Frankie is UP!
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"Okay, it's like the time those nice loggers moved a tree from some diseased puddle of... something or other." Denair carefully scoops the man up. "They dug around the roots first to give it plenty of room. Well, they missed a few roots but that's not the point. Then they slung this big harness underneath so the tree wouldn't drag across the forest floor. Some of the branches did and snapped off, but they were trying really hard!" Denair rambles a bit as she tries to get the victim to relax.
Denair notices the rats crawling out the whole. "That's a swarm of rats. Rather advanced. Why are they in a sinkhole? Are they diseased?"
As Denair rambles on to the submerged victim she glances up in time to see the rats come swarming out of the drain further back down the alley. She's quick to identify them as a rather advanced-looking swarm of rats and recalls that they have the ability to spread disease as well as cause temporary nausea with their bites.
Filth fever: Swarm—injury; save Fort DC 14; onset 1d3 days; frequency 1/day; effect 1d3 Dex damage and 1d3 Con damage; cure 2 consecutive saves.
A creature with this ability can nauseate creatures it damages. Any living creature that takes damage from a creature with the distraction ability is nauseated for 1 round; a Fortitude save (DC = 10 + 1/2 creature’s HD + creature’s Constitution modifier) negates the effect.
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"Does anyone else hear squeak..." Frankie turns around and watches the rats swarming around Zirt. "Oh hey, you've got a bunch of pet rats too? COOL!"
Even Frankie though quickly realizes the biting isn't friendly. "Umm... guys! Zirt? Get away from the rats!" He pulls out an oversized flask of red liquid, ready to toss it at the rat swarm if it gets too much closer.
As Zirt is covered with numerous angry rats the pain of the bites and scratches they inflict leave her feeling temporarily nauseated! Meanwhile Frankie realizes that there's also some bad juju happening elsewhere in the alley and calls out a warning as he pulls out a huge flask and gets ready to toss it.
The woman throws a frightened glance over towards the swarming rats but doesn't release her grip on her friend; instead she closes her eyes as if to block out the threat and keep her focus on freeing her friend.
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Vosk
Quang Chi
Meredith + Denair
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Rat Swarm Red
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Frankie
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Pleading Woman
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Zirt + Benedict
Active Conditions: Inspire Courage +2
Environmental Conditions: Sinkhole (Acts as a Deep Bog)
Zirt + Benedict are UP at the bottom of Round 2 and Vosk, Quang Chi, Meredith + Denair are UP at the top of Round 3!
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We must work quickly. Hopefully Vosk can 'do that wizard thing' and deal with them, the archer thinks as he looks down the alley to where their newest teammate has disappeared under a squirming blanket of diseased vermin.
Turning his attention back to the sinkhole and the unlucky person within, he yells, "Bỏ trốn!" with as much magical energy as he himself can summon. It's a simple and quick spell, meant to help himself or others escape, exactly as the words imply.
The command barely out of his mouth, he reaches as far into the filthy water as he can, trying to grasp whomever is under there. His fingers grip a slim arm and he pulls with all his might...
...but the angles aren't quite right for him to get the full leverage he needs.