"Arrest? Someones full of himself." Calder growls.
Calder maneuvers into the hallway, Snorri's axe cleaving a line along the front of the first guard, who barely manages to jitter himself backwards enough to avoid having his heart carved through. He staggers once before regaining his feet, gripping his sword in both hands. "They're going for blood!" he shouts, "Skagi, run for help!"
The man in back runs out into the night, while the man in front tries to retaliate at Calder.
He manages to get Calder, swinging low and slicing along the Ulfen sailor's knee. The man behind him, still unaware of Kurasaviel, steps to the side of his friend and swings at Calder as well.
Unfortunately, he seems to swing his sword directly into the doorframe that stands between him and Calder, and slices a great gouge out of the wood, but not out of Calder.
Having heard from Tallak about the hidden door, the curious gnome goes to investigate. Hidden door? What on Golarion do they keep behind it?
Hearing the sounds of more conflict, Clara mutters, "What? Who now?" and waddles out. Seeing swords flashing she lobs another firebomb over Calder's shoulder and toward the nearest guard.
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Clara flings a bomb into the new melee. It explodes in a burst of fizzy goodness, sending the guard crumpled to the ground. The guard behind him manages to shield his face with an arm, shielding his more sensitive parts from the worst of the hot carbonated splash that ensues. He does look, however, quite frightfully at the rapidity with which his comrade was felled.
The two guards that were captured earlier jump up off of the ground, having not been restrained. One of them, the one that was guarding Ukshakka, leaps over the low wall that leads to the reception area. His calloused fists fly at Clara, the young gnome woman who destroyed many of his comrades with bombs.
He strikes her easily, for she does not see him coming, but it is his fist that comes away bruised at her unusually tough skin, brought on by the mutagen. His second strike flies by harmlessly as Clara's alchemically-enhanced reflexes take over and she ducks back out of the way.
The other guard charges at Ursus, the closest enemy, his own fists flying as well.
He barrels shoulder-first into Tallak's armored bear, knocking the wind out of Ursus and pushing the big bear a bit back. The Ulfen fighter jumps back right afterward, brandishing his fists and a near-savage snarl.
Assuming the guards are unaware of his presence, Kurasaviel will move to the one attacking Clara. He will attack that guard.
Kurasaviel passes around the inside wall of the mercantile guild in a flash. As he passes the living guard in the doorway, though, the guard shouts, "A-ha!" and lashes out at him with his weapon - he had seen someone lurking there previously and now takes the opportunity to get him as he rushes past.
He gets Kurasaviel well and good along the side, cutting just underneath the rogue's ribs to get into the really soft bits. Still, Kurasaviel vaults over Tallak's bear and comes to Clara's rescue. He slashes into the unarmed guard, who tries to block with his hands and ends up with a nasty slash across both forearms.
Tallak steps in to support Kurasaviel, his magical spear coming to hand. He lunges at the guard there. The spear catches in the guard's banded mail, leaving the guard unharmed.
Ursus gives a great bellow and rears up on his hind legs, swiping at the guard he fights twice with his paws before lunging downwards teeth-first, ending up landing heavily on his front paws.
The bear's powerful claws and teeth savage the man, who is left a bleeding and ragged mess at the end of the attack. Still, he stands, an Ulfen warrior to the end, ready to fisticuff that bear.
Upstairs, Matin grabs a last handful of valuables before he begins dashing down the stairs. "Guys, we've gotta go! The authorities have got to be on their way!"
Calder steps over the corpse at his feet and swings at the guard outside the door.
Calder's swing is quick and brutal, hitting the guard at his neckline and cutting several inches into his chest, killing him instantly.
In the distance, you can see the last guard running - he's gotten to a distance of about 80', and continues to run at full tilt.
"Thanks, Kuree!" Clara says as he comes to her aid.
She takes a step back, vigorously shaking another fizzy pop as she does so. She lobs it at the guard attacking her, hollering "You guys really don't know when to leave well enough alone, don'tcha?".
Clara's fizzy pop sprays boiling-hot carbonated beverage all over the guard that Ursus had already ripped apart, sending the unarmed Ulfen man unconscious to the ground.
Though only one guard remains, he grits his teeth and unleashes a pair of punches on Kurasaviel...
...who deftly dodges both punches, although the strain from his injuries brings the first one dangerously close to connecting.
Tallak thrusts his spear at the lone combatant, and Ursus steps over the fallen man he savaged to continue his rampage.
__________
Kurasaviel holds his new wound with one hand, stepping back from the enemy. He grits his teeth, lets go to grip his sword with both hands and lunges in with a two-handed blow.
Unfortunately, he slips on a bit of blood and his attack goes wide.
Ursus steps up, however, and makes up for his blunder by carving deep furrows in the guard with his claws and teeth. The guard staggers about and falls down, bleeding out from his many new wounds.
The third guard from the new shift still runs, though Matin hammers down the stairs and calls for the rest of the group to come with him - Ulf is already out the door and booking it with Ukshakka.
"Time to go!" Calder tells the others firmly, he picks up Clara and heads to the exit as fast as he can.
Tallak and Calder take the lead following Matin, with Kurasaviel following after him quickly and Clara in Calder's arms. They head out the back door and into the cold night, quickly running over a few city blocks, before finding an alley in which to catch some breath and decide on the next move.
Ulf is there waiting, Ukshakka over his shoulder, panting. "Ok. We have her. What now? You want to go over the Crown of the World?"
"Not just yet. Calder growls, still with his blood up from the fight. "Back to the caravan, making sure we're not followed. We may have a castle to storm yet."
Tallak nods, "We still need to cut the head from this snake. Crossing the Crown is treacherous enough, we don't need enemies pursuing us as well."
He and Ursus then split from the group and take a long, circuitous route back to the caravan.
Ulf nods, his lips pressed into a grim line. "I agree. We must seek vengeance for the wrongs that have been done to us before we run across the Crown of the World with our tails in between our legs."
The group, when split up and taking indirect routes back to the caravan, manages to get back with no problem at all, though it takes about an hour to return from the Guildhouse. The group arrives at just about the same time as each other, regardless of the route through the city, and each is greeted with the concerning sight of smoke rising from the horizon as you draw closer.
When you get within sight of the caravan, you can see that the smoke in fact comes directly from your caravan! One of the carts, a supply cart, is on fire! Koya stands in front of it, hurriedly channeling water onto the flame from in between her outstretched hands. Eglin, the halfling cook, as well as the Dalmuvian driver brothers, run back and forth from nearby snowdrifts with buckets that they fill with snow before tossing them on the fire, which appears to mostly be out.
Nearby, Sandru and Kelda, a Kellid barbarian who you picked up for guard duty, sit on stumps for stools. Both of them appear bruised and exhausted, with blood soaking the side of Sandru's nice vest and a long slash along Kelda's arm. Shalelu stands in front of them, a healing wand at the ready, running it along their wounds.
Three bodies lie underneath blankets in the snow, near the remaining caravans. A few other bodies lie in a small pile on the outside of the ring of caravans - the body of a troll, the bodies of a trio of Ulfen warriors, and the body of a tengu wearing black robes and a mask, with his beak sticking out of the mask.
Calder curses blackly. Moving forward with a call to let them know it's him coming into the camp. "What happened?" He asks Sandru, looking the man over to see how bad he's wounded.
Tallak, rather than ask further questions, begins scanning the area.
"Oh no!" Clara exclaims. She looks over at the bodies nervously. "Who...?"
Sandru looks pretty badly wounded, having sustained multiple serious slashes and bruises. Shalelu has a four-fingered claw-mark across her back, and her quiver is broken. Koya has a bleeding wound in one of her shoulders. More or less, everyone who is present is hurt.
The group exclaims happily when the party returns, though, with Sandru pushing Shalelu back in order to clasp Calder's hand and Koya finishing dousing the flame in order to run and hug Clara. Sandru sighs heavily, saying, "We think it was that same guild that you guys have been having trouble with." Shalelu nods, explaining further. "They came upon us perhaps... an hour past, maybe less. There were many more than we were prepared to handle, with a brace of Ulfen warriors, a number of trolls, some of those... bird-people, fast-moving and silent, and a huge humanoid... bear."
Koya gestures at the three bodies under the blanket. "It's shame, for employees to have come to harm... That's Dyami, Sigurd, and Kikiri."
Sandru nods. "That little kobold was a hero. Got in the way of a troll menacing Ameiko, during the most chaotic part of the battle. It crushed him, but before the troll could move on to Ameiko, the bear shouted that she wasn't to be harmed, tromped over to her and knocked her out cold."
Shalelu's mouth is a tight line. "I nailed him with a few arrows as he retreated, but he barely seemed wounded at all. There were too many to chase, too - we were still fighting while the bear ran with Ameiko, and by the time they were out of sight, we needed to tend to our burning wagon and our dead."
Tallak's investigations turn up largely the same information - that there was a great battle here, dozens of combatants, some of them quite large. In searching the bodies of the fallen enemy combatants, he does find one interesting thing, besides the tengu's gear. In a front pocket lies a statuette of a raven carved from jade.
Tallak looks to everyone and says, "Gather around me, everyone. The spirits shall tend to us."
Once as many wounded as are able have gathered, Tallak kneels and takes up a handful of earth. "Til min Fader, min Faders Fader og min Linje tilbage til Begyndelsen: Jeg beder om, at dine Ånder er tilbøjelige til disse modige Sjæls Kjød, som er samlet. Mend deres sår, berolige deres sind og fylde deres ånd, så de igen kan kæmpe med ære."
As he finishes chanting, he lets the earth fall from his fist back to the ground. As the dirt hits, pulses of golden energy washes out, healing those gathered around.
Calder starts looking for any tracks he can find, hoping to find some distinctive enough to follow.
Tallak pulses with positive energy, and the wounds on his allies knit shut. All of the wounded sigh with relief as the shaman calls on his ancestors.
Meanwhile, Calder begins to search around the area. Ulf joins in after finding a soft place to put Ukshakka, who stirs slightly from Tallak's healing.
Together, the two Ulfen warriors (without too much difficulty, to be honest) manage to find the tracks. Over two dozen creatures attacked the camp not too long ago. Led by Large-sized creatures, their tracks are not too difficult to follow at least at first, and lead towards the outside of the city. Following them even for a few minutes leads the pair to the gates of the Bone District, and the tracks lead out into the wilderness outside.
"So, new friend." Ulf turns to Calder while they track. "What are we going to do about this transgression?"
"We recover the captive," Tallak says as he wipes his hands free of the dirt and stands. "And we put a spear through the heart of the one responsible for so much unnecessary violence."
"We may be able to track them, but we are somewhat depleted of magics. But, so are they, you would think. If we wait until dawn, I can try and force one of these bodies to give us directions, but that may prove just as unreliable," Tallak says before shrugging and waiting for further input.
Ulf walks over to Tallak, slapping him on the shoulder. "You folks saved my sister, and you offer me work. Whatever you need, long as it's guiding or fighting, I can help."
"Dyami? Sigurd?...Kikiri?"
As she realizes that three of their companions have been killed, Clarabibulus loses track of what the others are saying. We've fought. We've killed...but these are the first of our companions to perish. I wonder if they'll be the last?
She walks over to the blanketed bodies, take a long breath, and pulls back the cover. ”Sigurd, I love how hard you laughed that time when I put alchemical glue in Ameiko's boot.” the soot-covered alchemist smiles.
“Diyami, honestly, I didn't really ever pay attention to you--you always had that sour look on your face--but you died protecting us, thank you.
“Kikiri...the only thing bigger than your puffed up bravado was your dedication to Ameiko, and to reclaiming your tribe’s role.” Clara sighs. ”You were the last of the Shadowscales on a wild-eyed quest! You were willing to give everything to restore Ameiko and you did, but now...”
Clara reaches out to close the kobold’s eyes...and as soon as she touches him she recoils backward as if struck by lightning.
Scratching her head she asks, ”What was that?”
Suddenly she hears a draconic voice inside her head growl, ::No time to dally! The true empress of Minkai is in mortal danger.::
With a squeak, Clara exclaims ”What? Oh! Right! Ameiko’s been captured. Time to follow those tracks!”
In response to Tallak, she says, ”I think we need to get going soon. Let's take an hour to prepare. I don’t think we really want to risk waiting longer than that.”
Tallak nods. "Any of you willing and able to fight, prepare yourselves. Any of you trained in following a trail, come with me. We shall seek out our quarry while the others prepare. We will mark the trail so the others can follow, and do whatever scouting needs to be done once we find their den."
Once any and all trackers have gathered, Tallak and Ursus goes with them to the edge of town where the trail leads into the wilds. Once the trail is singled out, he presents it to Ursus and says, "Hunt."
While Clara yanks out her alchemical gear and begins to brew herself a new mutagen - a potion designed to augment her physical capabilities - Sandru organizes the caravan. The remaining hirelings, along with Koya, are instructed to move the caravan outside of the city and wait to meet up with the rest of the party later. Any shortfalls in food or supplies are to be met, and the caravan is to be made ready for travel as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, Shalelu, Ulf, and Sandru himself pull on their traveling clothes, strap on their weapons, and make ready to accompany Tallak on his trip out into the wilderness. Shalelu grabs a new quiver from her own supplies inside one of the wagons, and the group sets off.
Shalelu, Ulf, and Tallak follow the tracks. They are easy to follow, even through the well-traveled city streets, because of how many tracks there are to follow. About a dozen human booted feet, a half-dozen taloned feet, as well as at least three tracks representative of Large-sized humanoid creatures move through the streets. After a few minutes of tracking, the trackers leave the city gates behind and enter the farmlands surrounding the city. The tracks continue to stretch out, leaving the city entirely and leading into the craggy hills to the southwest.
Because of the length of the journey, if you push yourselves you may be able to catch up to the party that took Ameiko. They are, after all, only an hour or two ahead of you.
"Wait, darlings," a slight woman in bright garb calls out before you get too far from the gate. "I know it seems fortune has turned her back on you, but hopefully I can help change that. I've heard of your recent travails and while I had hoped to find you ensconced in the comfort of a warm camp, it appears more martial needs must come first, no? I could do no less and still look Sandru in the eyes."
The woman is unmistakably Varisian, nearly a half-dozen scarves covering her chain shirt, and a pair of starknives hanging from her belt as she slowly canters her horse forward toward you.
A gnome with cobalt blue hair, soot smeared on her face, and alchemically stained fingers looks up as she finishes packing up her vials, alembic, and burner.
Cocking her head, she says, "Uh...hi? You're looking for Sandru? Why?"
"Why wouldn't you look for Sandru, my dear? Have you seen him? We're old friends, though, and as he said he'd be passing this way with some other friends, I thought I might join him and see where the road takes us."
"Oh! Umm, we're just about to go meet up with him only...the road's pretty rocky at the moment. We've just had three companions killed and--" Clara stops for a moment in mid sentence. How much do I say? If she's really Sandru's friend she's probably OK, but...
"--Where he's going is nowhere but into more trouble--and then if we're lucky, over the Crown of the World. You probably don't want to get yourself involved...but, um, you said you're used to 'martial needs'. If you really want to help Sandru, you're welcome to come along. We were just attacked by trolls and talking bears and Ulfen warriors and we surely won't turn you down if you really want to lend a hand.
"Oh! And I'm Clarabibulus Flingflopsparkfizz, great-great-great-great granddaughter of the illustrious Umbilicus Flingflopsparkfizz and on a Great and Terribly Important and Apparently More Perilous Than I Realized Quest to rediscover the recipe to the Ultimate Fizzy Drink. Nice to meet you."
Koya, an older Varisian woman who's just recently changed into her 'combat' gear, walks up beside Clara. "An old friend of Sandru's?" he says, looking Vashta up and down. "Hmph. Now's probably not the time to come calling, Clara's right, we're in a spot of trouble. Sandru has taken up the sword and chased down some men who attacked us earlier."
Sandru nods. "That's a good plan, though I wouldn't count on them being defenseless beyond being asleep." Ulf agrees, saying, "Yes, Ulfen men are known to sleep in their armor with their axe for a pillow. Should we wait for the others before continuing on, or should we do more tracking?"
"My condolences," Vashta says somberly as Clarabibulus mentions the newly dead. "Sometimes the road takes sad turns. But, I know where his journey takes him. I was raised in a caravan, so a new trip will be nothing more than a place I've not yet been. And while I've never seen a talking bear, I'm sure we can arrange for something to get your friend back."
She glances at the older woman, and nods her head appreciatively.
"Fereare beppe," she says. "Ik soe ferwachtsje net minder fan him. Mar as je binne yn de problemen, ik lykje te binne oankommen op krekt it rjochte stuit."
"Honored elder. I would expect no less of him. But if you're in trouble, I appear to have arrived at just the right time."
Clara turns to the Varisian elder and (slipping into Varisian absentmindedly as the conversation drifts that way) says, "Huh, ik tink se is serieus. De Tender of Dreams hâldt laitsjend op jimme, eh, grutte suster?"
Turning back to the newcomer she asks, "You have anything to pack up? If not, we better hustle. We need to catch up with Sandru, Ulf, Shallelu, and Tallak before they catch up with the Rimerunners!"
"Och, jim prate de taal fan it folk? Hoe skattich!" Vashta says with a genuine smile toward the gnome.
"Everything I've been traveling with is on Harrow here," she adds in Common, patting the horse. "It's been too long since I've set eyes on Sandru, and if there's trouble afoot..."
"Oh, you speak the language of the people? How lovely!"
The old woman smiles for the first time in awhile. "Zeii zâmbesc mereu pe credincioși, sora mea, she says. Then, she turns to Vashta and says, "Vom fi fericiți să vă acceptați ajutorul. Ceilalți bărbați s-au îndreptat către marginea orașului. Tallak a spus că va lăsa să urmeze semnele pasajului său."
"We would be happy to accept your help. The other men headed off towards the edge of the city. Tallak said that he would leave signs of his passage to follow."
"Alright then, let's go find our friends before the Rimerunners do!"
As they start to follow Tallak's trail, Clara turns to the young Varisian and asks, "So, do people call you Friend of Sandru? Or do you have a name of your own?"
"Did I not introduce myself? My apologies!" the woman says, in mock horror. "Call me, Vashta, dear."