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"She's been inside for...some time now. Very studious, my Cassiel is! I've just been tidying up a bit while I wait for her." he says to Lilyth. Then to Two Tall. "Miss Heracks is teaching math now. Come this way, come this way!"
He tries to take the half-orc by the hand and drag him towards a building near the black pool of water.
Milarandei's comments are met by a confused look, before he shrugs and returns to attempting to lead you.
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"I'd never heard of parents dying in the the Tri-Towers Yard. I'd thought it was only the children and teachers. More than that, if I had kids, I'd not hound them at school so constantly that I get caught in the collapse."
She reconsiders a moment. "Then again, this guy is hounding her on the grounds well post-mortem, so maybe a little caution is in order."
She scrutinizes the man for signs of unlife.
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"Lead on, good sir!"
Lilyth followed the older man, eyes scanning the scenery. At one point she "accidentally" brushed up against their guide, ensuring herself of his solidity.
She dropped back and whispered gently to Fatham. "Madness comes to most men from unexpected quarters. Many have seen or experienced things that their minds were not able to cope with. That does make them less than human. And in my experience, the mad generally have knowledge that others do not, by reason of their madness. Are you so frustrated with your life that you would spit upon showing kindness and mercy to one who does not fit your rigid guidelines of normal? I would have expected more of a druid of your order"
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The ruined paths of the Tri-Towers Yard wind their way around black ponds and gray, shattered buildings. Powerful fragrances precede one roofless hall where a thin path meanders through an abundance of flower arrangements in wild bloom. These are the original funerary flowers from 10 years ago, unnaturally preserved by the magic of the necropolis and growing into a small flower garden. Just off this path is the entrance to a small classroom.
As Deris opens the door, you see eight students dressed in checkered uniforms sit stiffly at wooden desks, staring straight ahead. No one moves. At the front of the class, a conservatively dressed woman leans against the wall. All of them are wispy and translucent.
Suddenly, they all burst into movement. The teacher silently gestures to the blank board behind her. Students nod, whisper to one another, and appear to take notes, though without pen or paper.
"Hello Mrs. Heracks! These parents would like to visit the tunnels under the school. Could you help with that?"
The figure at the front of the class turns to him, silently mouthing something, before turning back to the class momentarily. She then begins to approach you.
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Fatham looks askance at Lilyth as she questions his druidic order.
"I am not a druid as you typically know them," he says, "And I disagree with my druidic brethren on a number of things. My sect is very small, but follow the tenent 'survival of the fittest.' Perhaps you have heard of it. I have come from a harsh environment and have passed through extreme challenges. Someday this world will be cleansed by nature, and those that survive will live to see a new spring. The mad are not strong...they are weak," he says, obviously disagreeing with most everything Lilyth had just said.
He trudges along silently, perhaps looking like he has said too much.
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When the group enters the classroom, Fatham looks about skeptically. He even sniffs at the air.
"I understood they had all perished," he growls.
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Taken aback, Lilyth considered Fatham's claims before responding. "I would argue that civilization is designed around moving beyond 'survival of the fittest' and towards 'survival as a community'. What you see as weakness, I see as progress. However, as a devotee of Cayden Cailean, I espouse freedom for all, even freedom from draconic strictures and tenants of religion. That's what allows me to thrive in the Pathfinder Society. How is it that one with such...unique beliefs as yours comes to work with the Society?"
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Fatham considers the question carefully, as if he himself doesn't know the answer.
"The winds...whispered it to me, though I know not why. They turned me down at first, but by nature's whim and my prowess, earned a spot they should not have withheld from me."
The druid looks about at the others.
"It matters not what I think of civilization. It will destroy itself...I am not here to help with that. But its magic, its excess, its technology...these things will bring it to ruin. We walk upon those ruins as we speak."
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Kastarr is about to comment on Cayden Cailean's ethos being a pleasant one. Instead he is distracted by Fatham's comments.
"We walk on ruins, it's true, but if an earthquake causes a great wave to wash up on a shore, then the trees and wildlife are destroyed just easily."
Kastarr shrugs. "Nature restores herself, but so too, do new civilizations rise to replace the old. As thinking persons, it's our duty to use our minds to prevent the excess that brings down a society. If we can. For myself, I will strive to the bitter end, to cure the ills of our civilization and make our society a better one."
After delivering this mini-speach Kastarr's expression looks both defiant and embarrassed.
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Kastarr notices the insubstantial nature of the children and teacher almost instantly. A shiver runs up his spine, but he holds his ground, looking to Lilyth. Clerics know how to handle this stuff, right? The ranger certainly hopes so.
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Lilyth pushed her way to the front and readied her spear. "Wait for it to get in close, then we can deal with it together!" she called.
She chanted a quick spell, then dropped her hand back to her spear shaft.
HP 10/10. Current AC: 16/12/14
Active conditions:
Active spell effects: bless
Channels remaining: 3/3
Spells remaining: 1st 2/3
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Akhenethys' dart hits the creature, sizzling on its carapace. He's pretty sure it's some sort of vermin (and thus immune to mind-affecting), but not sure about the specifics.
The bug rushes at Fatham, directly into the path of his blade. Its fangs bite at the dwarf.
The disheveled man flings a second dart.
The party is up.
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Milarandei identifies this as a Giant Water Bug. They have tremorsense, grab with their bite , and have a non-poisonous stinger. She learns this just in time for Fatham, Akhenethys, and Two Tall to obliterate it.
Looking closely, it looks as if you see a bit of bone peeking out just above the waterline near the spectral figure.
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Fatham yanks the hatch open, and the water rapidly begins spiraling down the hole, while Too Tall regains his footing.
Fatham finds himself sucked down the hole, landing flat on his back and mildly injuring himself.
Deris leaps into the water, letting the vortex drag him down.
Fatham finds himself in a tunnel. The water is rapidly draining away downhill and through small cracks in the stone.
The pool above has quickly drained away to nothing, leaving a muddy hole, and a ladder down. The rest of you can follow with a DC 5 climb check. When you're all down there and ready (including taking care of light sources), someone can open the door to the next room (delete the red box), and we'll keep moving.
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"Oh dear. Seems like we really need to work on our strategizing. Shall we?"
Lilyth looked over at Tim and shrugged, then walked through the muck and mud to the opening. She lowered her spear into the hole, trying not to drop it on any of her companions that were injured, then climbed down.
She moved to inspect Fatham and Deris, before trying to heal them.
"Hold still while I check you over. The last thing you want is for a cracked vertebrae to shatter when you move, leaving you paralyzed. Especially for someone of your age, Fatham. It doesn't look too bad. Let me give you a quick jolt."
With a whispered prayer to Cayden Cailean, Lilyth channeled a small burst of healing energy into everyone around her.
Splittooth follows the others down, hissing and stomping.
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Once you're all prepared, you open the door:
Carved pillars in the corners of this chamber hold aloft a double-vaulted ceiling of cracked frescos. On either side of the chamber, a single step leads up into a deeply recessed area that forms an arched room of its own. A tall creature with rotting flesh stands in one alcove.
*Turn 1*