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"Right, Boss. I mean, Meredith." Denair breathes deeply and pulls again.
Denair tries to keep her grip on the man before pulling again. "So the tree was really happy about its new spot, but it was sad about the grubs and the little mole who lived near the roots. The mole was able to find a new home next to another tree, so it mostly turned out okay. A few of the satyrs were impressed with the loggers, and left a few gifts for them and their mates. Um, and they also left other gifts but the Boss warned me about talking about those kinds in front of strangers. But the next generation of loggers had a lot more fur and hooves than before."
Denair continues to yammer on as she resumes her airlifting duties.
Vosk groans as his grip slips off of Meredith. Turning with the sudden burst of freedom, he steps over to Frankie with a hand outstretched. "Anything that goes splash and will hurt the rats. Two throws are better than the one, my boy."
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ZirtBot staggers out of the swarm of rats and towards the rest of you, being unable to do much else due to the nauseous feeling in her stomach. Benedict splashes out into the boggy sinkhole and begins to burrow down towards the trapped victim....
Quang Chi plunges his arm into the mud and grabs hold of whoever's under there and pulls, even as he also imparts a bit of magic to maybe make it easier for the poor sap to try and save themselves. At the same time, Denair and Meredith also give it the old heave-ho...and finally, the mud-covered head and shoulders of a man break the surface of the muck!
Having realized that his own efforts in helping Meredith don't seem to actually be helping Vosk instead steps over to Frankie and quickly inquires if the boy might have other alchemical items to share.
The rat swarm, still squeaking and snapping, streams towards the lot of you, the narrow confines of the alley proving little issue as many of the rats scramble up the walls of the nearby buildings as they move. As the swarm gets dangerously close Frankie throws the vial of alchemist's fire in his hands...
...but the throw is off and the vial flies over the swarm and shatters on the ground adjacent to it. Still, some of the liquid does splash onto the swarming rats.
Unfortunately, the swarm keeps moving and rolls over both Zirt and Frankie this time, biting and clawing...
Ooh...you feel nauseous!
Hey, wait...you feel fine! Or do you?
"Eun! Thank th' gods!" the woman exclaims as her friend is pulled out of the muck enough to at least let him breathe. "Keep hanging on, okay? We'll getcha out!"
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Vosk
Quang Chi
Meredith + Denair
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Rat Swarm Red
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Frankie
Pleading Woman
Zirt + Benedict
Active Conditions: Inspire Courage +2
Environmental Conditions: Sinkhole (Acts as a Deep Bog)
Frankie and Zirt + Benedict are UP!
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"AIIEEEE!" Screams Frankie as the rats roll over his sneakers, climb up his legs and start biting him. He musters up all the sense he can to give an enhanced alchemist fire to Vosk before fleeing through the rats and past Zirt.
"I'm ok, I think. I'll help from over here!" He checks his pockets to make sure no rats stole his 'liberated' taffy from his pocket.
Thoroughly disgusted by his predicament Frankie shrieks and flees out of the swarm, shoving an alchemist's fire into Vosk's hands as he does. Luckily he seems okay aside from some bite and scratches!
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Vosk
Quang Chi
Meredith + Denair
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Rat Swarm Red
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Frankie
Pleading Woman
Zirt + Benedict
Active Conditions: Inspire Courage +2
Environmental Conditions: Sinkhole (Acts as a Deep Bog)
Zirt + Benedict are UP!
Zirt flees back the other way from the swarm, rushing past Frankie as she does. But the gnome hasn't lost her mind completely and she pulls out a vial of alchemist's fire, ready to fling it at the rats.
Back at the sinkhole Benedict manages to work his way underneath the man, pushing him upward...and out! He flops up and out of the sinkhole, collapsing in a muddy heap next to his companion as he spits out a mouthful of mud and dirt.
"Gah! I thought I was about to see the Boneyard for sure! Thank you stra-what the hell is THAT!?" he gasps, his relief turning to surprise and horror as he spots the swarming mass of rats only a few feet away. And to make matters worse, it's about this time that another swarming mass of rats emerges from the sewer drain...
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Vosk
Quang Chi
Meredith + Denair
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Rat Swarm Red
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Frankie
Woman + Man
Zirt + Benedict
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Rat Swarm Blue
Active Conditions:
Environmental Conditions: Sinkhole (Acts as a Deep Bog)
Vosk, Quang Chi and Meredith + Denair are UP!
"Okay? Done and done." Denair is glad the man is out of the hole. "Hey boss? I can work on scattering the rats. Maybe you should focus on getting away?"
Denair hovers 10 feet over the visible group of rats.
Vosk cocks his head. "Well I certainly won't look a gift horse in the mouth. If Meredith is willing to handle this, I say we leave her to it!" he suggests, already taking a step away from the fight. Damn them, some misguided notion like 'honor' might keep us within a bloody arm's reach from filth... Suppose it has it's benefits, but this isn't one of them!
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Denair suggests that her land-bound companions might want to focus on simply getting out of the way as she hovers up and over the closest of the rat swarms and swings a mighty fist down at them, crushing several of them and leaving the rest looking on the verge of scattering completely!
Rather than fall back, Meredith tries to help finish off the closest swarm but her swing goes wide and comes close to catching the two people you've just helped.
Though Vosk has no problem falling back and letting Denair handle things he quickly realizes that there's no good way for most of the group to get past the sinkhole - not to mention Frankie and Zirt are still caught between the two swarms. So he instead takes a step back and flings the enhanced alchemist's fire at the Red Swarm as hard as he can...and nails it! The flask explodes with a mighty *WHOOMP* and fire erupts everywhere, burning away the rest of the swarm!
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Vosk
Quang Chi
Meredith + Denair
Frankie
Woman + Man
Zirt + Benedict
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Rat Swarm Blue
Active Conditions:
Environmental Conditions: Sinkhole (Acts as a Deep Bog)
Quang Chi, Frankie and Zirt + Benedict are UP!
Frankie demonstrates that he has excellent hops as he takes a running leap across the sinkhole and lands right in Quang Chi's arms. Benedict quickly clambers out of the mud as Zirt hustles towards everyone else, attempting to put some distance between herself and the newly-arrived swarm.
The two individuals you've helped quickly climb to their feet and look around for a means of bypassing the boggy mess...but come up blank. "Nothing for it but to wade through, Eun!" the woman calls out as she sloshes into the boggy mess while Eun just watches, looking gobsmacked. "Almost drowned in that mudpit and you're tellin' me to just hop right back in!?"
But though it takes a lot of effort on her part, the woman actually manages to wade through the muck and pulls herself out on the other side, sidling past Quang Chi and Frankie. "It's safe to cross now, ain't no suctionin' to it Eun! Come on, you can do it!"
Eun utters a stream of curses in a language that most of you - except Quang Chi - don't recognize before splashing back into the mess and wading through the water and mud and out the other side.
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Vosk
Quang Chi
Meredith + Denair
Frankie
Woman + Man
Zirt + Benedict
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Rat Swarm Blue
Active Conditions:
Environmental Conditions: Sinkhole (Acts as a Deep Bog)
Quang Chi is UP!
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Quang Chi looks up just in time to see Frankie leap across the pit straight at him. His instincts kick in, and he reacts as he was trained to do at the monastery. He grabs the boy's tunic and whips the small body across and around himself in a graceful yet powerful spinning movement. If it weren't for his tight grip, Frankie wouldn't been thrown further down the alley, but Quang Chi knows just how to control the momentum. He torques his shoulders, flexes his knees, and sets Frankie down on the opposite side of the sinkhole.
"Just like the acrobats of the Shen-Yun circus," he says with a smile of pride at his quick-thinking maneuver. "Perhaps we should practice these moves in the future. It would be an excellent workout for both of us, I think," he adds part serious but also part teasingly suspecting that the boy will defer at the mention of a "workout."
Turning back to the pit, he draws a flask from his bandoleer and prepares to throw it should the swarm pursue his friends. The Bull having served its purpose, he calls forth the Tiger for the great cat's flexibility.
After catching Frankie with little to no effort Quang Chi pulls out a vial of alchemist's fire and readies to throw it should this second swarm insist on pursuing the group. Sure enough, it begins to move closer and closer and so when it reaches just the right point...
*BWOOSH!*
...Quang Chi flings the vial, which shatters and engulfs many of the rats in a burst of fire. A drop or two splashes on Denair but the damage is almost more cosmetic than anything else. Luckily for Denair, the swarm isn't quite able to reach her to engulf her - yet.
Unluckily for everyone...yet another vile swarm of rats comes vomiting out of the sewer grate...
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Vosk
Meredith + Denair
Frankie
Zirt + Benedict
Quang Chi
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Rat Swarm Blue
Rat Swarm Orange
Active Conditions:
Environmental Conditions: Sinkhole (Acts as a Deep Bog)
Everyone is UP!
"It is as if the entire population of rats is being expelled from the sewers, I've had it!" Vosk declares. Looking at the sewer mud, back to the sewer rats, throws up his hands and begins trudging through the mud.
Clambering out of the mucky pit, he stares fiery daggers at the rat horde.
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Denair snaps her arms instinctively at the swarm.
"Uh, Zirt, do you want to clear out of here? I could carry you. Unless Benedict wants to do it."
As the Blue Swarm approaches Denair smashes many of the rats with a powerful fist and then the blast from Quang Chi's vial of alchemist's fire is enough to finish them off! The few straggling survivors quickly scatter, leaving just one last tangle of rats left to contend with.
Meanwhile, Vosk sees nothing for it but to wade through the muddy, watery sinkhole and clambers out the other side, glaring daggers at the rats the entire time. Just wait until they get his cleaning bill!
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Vosk
Meredith + Denair
Frankie
Zirt + Benedict
Quang Chi
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Rat Swarm Orange
Active Conditions:
Environmental Conditions: Sinkhole (Acts as a Deep Bog)
Meredith & Denair, Frankie, Zirt + Benedict and Quang Chi are UP!
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Seeing the others retreating, the wee gnome glances around and nods once as if arriving at a decision. "Come on, Benedict, let's go!" she exclaims, backing a short distance and then beginning to twirl and spin toward the boggy pit. The wolverine blinks at her for a moment before lumbering along behind.
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Quang Chi debates hopping back over the pit to help versus simply moving out of the way. He decides instead to combine the two by scooping Benedict up and carrying him down and out of the alley as quickly as he can At the mouth of the alley and away from the rats, the monk gently and respectfully sets the wolverine onto the pavement.
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Meredith stows her mace and runs underneath Denair. "Looks like we're flying out of here. Denair, let's get out of here." Denair lifts and flies Meredith over the sinkhole, dropping her on the other side.
"Everyone alright? I could ask Denair to scatter the rats, but I don't think they'll be bothering us across the sinkhole."
Everyone seems to be in agreement that the best course of action is to beat feet before the rest of the rats come for you - or anything else that might be lurking down in the sewers. Between those who can fly or simply run very fast you have little trouble putting enough distance between yourselves and the rodent menace to feel secure. As you all finally stop to catch your breath and reconvene, the woman who first called out to you for aid flops down into a sitting position.
"Thank you!" She gasps when she catches her breath. "My name is Ylandria. This is Eun." She indicates her companion who, once some of the mud and muck is wiped away, is revealed to be a handsome Tian man with a tattoo of exotic flowers blooming across the top of his shoulders.
"Yes, thanks for your aid, friends," Eun agrees, his native accent shining through in spite of his casual, Varisian manner of speech. "Much longer under that mud and you'd have been hauling a corpse out instead!"
As he speaks you all notice that Eun wears a satek identical to the one found in the Dryad’s Trousseau and that Ylandria’s neck is dressed in a mudsoaked bandage...
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Quang Chi silently acknowledges the wisdom of letting their noble wizard do the talking. But he is nonetheless curious about the Tian man and the pattern of tattoos on his shoulders.
"Wǒ de péngyǒu, nǐ shì nǎlǐ rén?"
As the man answers, Quang Chi squats down next to Benedict and combs his fingers thru the short bristly fur to help remove as much of the mud and muck as he can. As he does, he surreptitiously fingers his wayfinder for a little help in their upcoming discussions.
Eun's eyes light up as Quang Chi addresses him in Tien, though the archer isn't able to place any significance on the man's tattoos.
"A! Wǒ láizì Quain. Nǐ ne? Wǒ bù cháng zài zhèlǐ jiàn dào wǒ jiāxiāng de qítā rén."
"Ah! I am originally from Quain. And you? I don't often meet others from my homeland here."
Meanwhile Ylandria looks on with a bit of surprise and amusement. "Fancy that, one of the folks that saved Eun bein' one of his people! Must be our good fortune," she chuckles. "Glad somethin' finally went right!"
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"Xa Hoi. Wǒ shì Quang Chi de érzi Quang Lin, de xuéshēng Chính Xác Hơi Thở Xuéxiào," he answers Eun with a bow-to-an-unknown-rank-stranger-likely-of-lower-caste-but-great-fighting-sk ill.
Introductions aside, the scion of the Dragon Lands continues making small talk but in Common for the benefit of the others.
"Eun is from Quain, a land known throughout Tian Xia for their excellent martial arts schools," he informs his friends with an appreciative nod.
"What style and school do you practice? And what brought you here, of all places?" he asks Eun with a look at their squalid surroundings.
"Eh...I once practiced the Way of the Spinning Zephyr," Eun responds with a bit of an uncomfortable shrug. "I still do, I mean, but the movements are ingrained at this point and I don't think I could forget them even if I wanted to. You know what I mean, yes?"
Eun eyes Quang Chi with some wariness as he adds, "I could ask you the same question. If home is so wonderful then why-"
"Criminy, Eun! The fella's just tryin' to make small talk with you," Ylandria exclaims, exasperated. "You don't gotta be so defensive all the time!"
To this, Eun sighs and massages his temples. "Right. You're right." He then turns his attention back to Quang Chi. "I was unable to complete my training in the Way of the Spinning Zephyr...much to my shame and the shame of my family. So I left."
"You know the Goddess of the North Star?" he continues, gesturing to his tattoos. "She guided my steps across the world, until I found myself here."
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Vosk, busy magically restoring his dignity and the sanctity of his fine clothes, finally injects himself into the conversation. "You're welcome," he says shortly, accepting the offered thanks.
"Wouldn't want to leave you with the burden of a debt of honor or something, so answer a few questions and we'll call it square," he says, working his magic against a stubborn stain in his cloak. "Eun has quite the special scarf," he comments, pulling out the one they found in the store. "We want to know where we can find more, maybe even have a guide lead the way and put in a good word with the provider."
He turns to Quang Chi. "Don't you think we'd all look rather dashing in a portrait with the same outfits on?" He loops it around his neck and strikes a pose. Unfortunately, he finds another marred portion of his clothing that demands his immediate attention.
"And speaking of corpses, what almost turned you into one?" he continues, gesturing to Ylandria's bandaged neck. "See, just a few questions, maybe a follow up, practically harmless!"
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Both Ylandria and Eun's expressions grow rather grim as Vosk produces the bloody satek and points out the former's bandaged injury and they shoot each other a look.
"Ah. That explains a thing or two..." Eun sighs.
Ylandria cautiously raises her hands in a placating measure. "Look, whoever you're with, we don't want no trouble, alright? We were there at that shop this mornin', won't deny it, but if you're lookin' to bust some heads for that guy then we aren't the ones you want."
She glances around and lowers her voice slightly. "I can tell you how to find 'em, though. But we can't talk about it out here with all these ears on the street. Come with us back to our place in Two-Lights and we'll talk more."
"And if you're with us, no one will give you any trouble," Eun adds. "Twincandle's honor. You saved me and you're right - we do owe you something in return."
Even though it seems like the most obvious beginning to a setup ever, both of you get the hunch that Eun and Ylandria are being straight with you on this.
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Frankie is about to pipe in to support Vosk and Meredith's arguments but the two spill the beans quickly enough. He gives them both a wary eye, one eyebrow raised while the other flattens out. "I've heard this thing before.. Mom would sometimes yell it at her boyfriends... There's no honor among thieves.. and you're an a#+*###!" He shrugs his shoulders some, not quite knowing what that means.
"So who's making the cookies? I've got cocoa!" He rummages around to produce the currently filthy and empty waterskin.
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Quang Chi answers Eun's questions pleasantly and honestly, quickly explaining that Accurate Breath is a monastery of archery and that Master Kae and the Dragon Lords tasked him with learning and reporting back about Avistan. He's honestly thankful when Vosk shoulders into the conversation just before he can admit to not knowing who Eun's "Goddess of the North Star" is.
He briefly considers Vosk's question about the portrait, but at the big man's comical pose, assumes that he's not 100% serious. But why not? What a momento of this team that would make. Master Kae would be shocked at the kind of people the Pathfinder Society employs. Maybe they should look into it. But perhaps without the scarves.
Shaking off his reverie, the monk returns to watching the newcomers carefully. He's unfamiliar with the Way of the Spinning Zephyr, but Eun's honesty in admitting his shame at failing to complete training is a point in his favor.
He nods to Meredith and Vosk to indicate his assent as he prepares to follow the pair to Two-Lights.
It takes a moment but you finally remember who the Goddess of the North Star is - the goddess that Avistan knows as Desna.
"Whoa kid, you kiss your grandma with that mouth?" Ylandria asks with a wince of her own at Frankie's language. "Save that kind of talk for when you're older, yeesh..."
Seeing that you're all seemingly satisfied with her offer, at least for the moment, she then nods and beckons you to follow. "Alright, it's this way. Won't take long to get there."
"So it's like this. The Twincandles, we'd been mindin' our own business and taking care of our own ventures until a group of our Sczarni cousins moved into the area," she explains as she and Eun lead you through a maze of barricaded alleyways. "Now you're supposed to stick with your family, right? So we let them in on some of our ventures - like this morning, a couple of them came with me and Eun to ol' Chert's shop to pick up a package. Chert, he's an ally of ours and we've always had good dealings with him. But for reasons I still can't figure, those guys decided to up and rob him!"
At this, she throws her hands into the air. "The whole thing went sideways from there. Eun and I tried to stop 'em but they beat the tar outta poor Chert and then started ransacking the place, looking for that package. And then while I was trying to bring Chert round, they shoved this ugly compass thing into my hands and told me to just leave it next to the poor guy."
"It gets worse," Ylandria continues. "That weird plant came to life and attacked us!" She gestures to the blood-soaked bandages across her neck. "We got out of there with some of what we were lookin’ for, but I couldn’t leave Chert in there with that thing. I didn’t know if it would hurt him. So I drug him out into the street - by that time there were people startin' to show up so I had to scram. Threw that compass down and Eun and I took off..."
Ylandria sighs. "A mess. The whole thing was a mess. I dunno why they did it. Wasn't no reason for it."
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As they walk and listen to Ylandria, Quang Chi suddenly remembers that in Tian Xia, Desna is sometimes called the "Goddess of the North Star." He's a little abashed at having forgotten that, so makes no mention of his embarrassing memory lapse. Though it gives him pause.
Perhaps I have been away too long. It might be nice to return home, both to the monastery and to the family home in Pat Ya. Reconnect with family, check in with Master Kae, eat some proper food, he muses as the smell of an open cooking fire wafts by. He looks at his friends with a tiny bit of sadness, and then makes a decision. Yes. After this mission, I will return to Tian Xia and take a sabbatical from the Society.
The decision made, he returns his focus to Ylandria's tale.
"The compass. It was like this one?" he asks bringing forth his treasured jade wayfinder rather than revealing that they already have the broken one.
"And you do not know what was supposed to be in the package, of course," he asserts without asking.
Both Ylandria and Eun's eyes light up with recognition when Quang Chi produces his own wayfinder and the former nods. "Why yeah, it was! Not nearly as nice - it was all busted up and everythin' but definitely the same sorta compass."
To his second question, Ylandria gives an awkward sort of shrug. "Ehhh...sort of. It was supposed to be, uh, pesh. Chert's a good guy and he knows where to get some good product. That's another reason why I don't get why they just decided to jump him - you don't do that to a good supplier!"
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Frankie frowns at the mention of his Grandmother "I don't have a grandma.. or at least I've never met her. Does everyone have a grandma?" Frankie grabs a hold of Meredith's hand as they walk towards the pair's territory.
As the Twin Candles fill in the story Frankie pays more attention, who doesn't like a good story? "Sounds like these cousins of yours need to go, that's too bad." You can't pick your first family, but you sure can pick your next one. He gives Meredith's hand a squeeze and smiles.
"Oh, Mr Chert looked sick from some kinda disease... but I fixed him." He puffs out his little boastful chest a bit "How come they had to get him sick AND knock the stuffing out of him? I don't blame Antaios for layin' the wood!"
"What I'm hearing is that some guests of the Twincandles might have overstayed their welcome and you're looking for someone to help send that message?" Vosk leads. "Is this something the rest of your central family would approve of or are we going to be bringing some people around to our way of thinking?" Always outsiders or fresh-blood that cause the trouble. Either have motives of their own or are too eager to prove their worth. A mess either way.
"Somethin' like that," Ylandria replies with a bit of a grin. "But the fine details are up to our bosses - that's who we want you to meet. We're almost there, just another couple minutes of walkin'!"
A small collection of shanties, painted wagons, and tents built on the grounds of an ancient temple now reduced to a collapsed ruin, the Twincandles’ headquarters Two-Lights gets its name from two torch-like beacons erected in the center of camp and lit nightly. Two-Lights lies in a lightly populated section of Ordellia continually plagued by minor flooding - and in recent months, excessive flooding. The scent of incense suffuses this ramshackle camp, not quite overpowering the pervasive odor of mildew. Gnats swarm between lean-tos, shanties, and tents, the best of which are assembled on foundations of scrap wood, and the worst of which rest directly on the soggy ground. Soot-smeared children play near cook-fires tended by old women, while tannery workers eat from bowls held in their stained fingers. At the center of the cacophony of color and smells is the base of the two tall wooden masts upon which Two-Lights’s nightly beacons burn. The masts form the central support for a festively ornamented and irregularly shaped tent, clearly occupied by the camp’s most important residents. It is to this tent that Ylandria leads you now.
A bare-chested Shoanti stands outside the tent, his eyes keenly scanning the shadows. As you approach, the formidable guard bares his teeth, preparing to expel you from the area. However, a short exchange with Ylandria is enough to placate him and he steps aside as she beckons you into the unusual dwelling, which houses a sumptuously appointed den draped in heavy curtains and furnished with piles of pillows. Leaving briefly, Ylandria returns, introducing the two regal people who enter with her.
"Pathfinders, meet kapteos Olivia and Jacek Giatano."
The two Varisians have such similar features that it’s obvious they’re siblings. Similarly attired in ornately edged trousers and voluminous silk blouses, the only obvious means of telling the two apart is the thin, tweedy mustache Jacek wears. "Ylandria has informed us as to your business in Ordellia, and it’s fortunate for all of us that the goals of the Twincandles and the goals of the Pathfinders are as alike as two petals from the same bloom," Olivia begins, addressing you crisply. "We can tell you how to find the ones you seek - the scoundrels who attempt to debase your honor."
Olivia pauses long enough for Jacek to speak - his grating patois creating a jarring transition from his sister’s measured tones. "Oye, truth! They worn out any welcome they had here, and we want ‘em gone. We tell you what you want to know, you lot agrees to listen."
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Frankie swats a few investigative gnats away from his face, wrinkling his nose in annoyance. Although he's spent quite a bit of time recently in the wilds on missions, and running around the fields at Meredith's farm, he's still a city boy through and through. Bugs quickly get on his nerves. He keeps a firm hold on Meredith's hand as they make their way deep into Twin Candle territory, his curious eyes scanning the residents, often settling on the other children and what sort of fun things they might be doing.
Once they are introduced to the siblings Frankie steps forward to introduce everyone and offer up fist bumps, which apparently are a thing these days. "Hi there, I'm Frankie and these are my family and friends." He moves through the group one a time.
"Acceptable terms," Vosk agrees. "How many of them are there? How will we tell them from your own? Where are they now? And their names?"