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Luisila flies easterly and ✨casts murderous command on Garugu.
“He’s used you to boost his own prestige for too long. Take your revenge!”
Vladek twists the flow of luck around the huge gorilla, and you see multiple possible outcomes for his future, most of them bad.
Qadathra flies in, his body glowing with magic (though very few in the cavern can actually see it). However, before he can reach his target, he slams into an unseen barrier.
As the last bralani enters the fray, the giant jabs his spear. It connects, and you see a wash of greasy black energy flow into the azata.
The three azatas slice with their scimitars, scoring several strong hits.
Myrdon arrives, and casts a spell. A blast of acid gushes out of his mouth, spraying over the two gorillas but just managing to miss his allies. The acid burns them both badly; it is enough to finally knock the larger one out.
Aegis flies in to engage the second gorilla, but can't quite manage to connect.
Fendahl and Kirra charge in as well, and between the two of them, finish off the beast.
The noise of combat finally dies down, and leaves you listening to the frightened sounds of the woman on the altar. Though her brow is enlarged, her arms are lengthened, and her skin is covered with a short but thick coating of hair, you recognize the features of the woman in Keel's portrait, Venture-Captain Kyalla. She looks about, seemingly in a panic, and makes low, gutteral sounds.
As you move about the room, you notice that only Marta and the azatas are capable of approaching within ten feet of the body of the lich gorilla, running into some unseen barrier.
The large body seems pretty done, and there are no signs of any regeneration. The smaller one seems to be an ordinary gorilla.
The object Marta throws is not hindered in any way.
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Myrdon asks the azatas to help search the body of the lich gorilla, hoping there is something that could point to what would reverse the magic. Meanwhile, he moves near (but not too near, and with Aegis beside him) Kyalla and starts scanning her with his magic, hoping to uncover something.
"Vladek, come! You're better at this! How do we reverse this?"
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Luisila also ✨detects magic, interested in the unseen barrier and the lich’s phylactery. “Maybe it’s a wall of force?”
“We could try disintegrating or dispelling it. What say you, Vlad?”
The priestess has a confident smile for the abductee. “It’s going to be all right, Lady Kyalla. We’ll have you free and back to normal soon.”
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"Make sure you are very careful where you aim that thing if you are going to try a disintegration spell. It's not a wall of force as inanimate objects seem to go through just fine."
Marta moves to free the captive after testing to see if she is not going to do anything stupid like bite her. If there are locks he will call out "see if there are any keys on those animals."
Somehow I thought a lich would be more of a challenge.
Somehow I thought a lich would be more of a challenge.
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Vladek examines the larger gorilla for magical auras, and determines that he is under the effects of an Anti-life Shell (which outsiders such as azatas and aasimar are unaffected by) as well as Righteous Might (explaining his enormous size). Almost as he does so, the latter spell expires, and the gorilla reduces to a more normal size. Vladek believes the Anti-life shell will expire within fifteen to thirty minutes, or you could dispel it if you need.
Vladek suddenly realizes that if this was in fact a lich, it would have a phylactery; however, he also knows that in the stories of liches he has heard, very few keep their phylactery near where they live, so that in the event they die, they will recover somewhere else safe.
Turning your attention to Kyalla, you realize that she has been the subject of a transformation that is beyond your ability to reverse with what you have available here. She reacts with the intelligence of an animal and makes only simian sounds, no words. She is panicked and confused. She still wears much of her personal clothing and gear, including a gold ring matching the one found in Keel's home, a wayfinder with a clear spindle ioun stone, and a signet ring bearing the Glyph of the Open Road.
Around the altar you find four candles, melted down to the stone slab, each consisting of one of the four humors: red blood, green phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile. The eviscerated corpse of a shaven baboon lies at the foot of the altar, drained of all bodily fluids; there is no indication where these fluids are now, though you probably have a grim suspicion.
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Myrdon thanks the brave azatas for their help with a formal bow before they disappear back to Elysium.
He turns back to Kyalla, quite stumped what to do. "Think we have to bring her back for... treatment. Not much we can do here. But oh, we can't go back without the glyph."
Looking at Kyalla again, he tries to communicate. "You come? Follow us! Saw glyph? Like this shape?"
Fendahl attempts to communicate with Kyalla magically. He interprets her simian sounds as mostly gibberish, but he can make out occasional phrases like “newbody,” “want Eddington,” and “no more hurting.”
Myrdon uses his skill at working with animals and is able to calm her enough to follow you out of the cave and back to the camp. Using the glyph on her signet ring you are able to activate the portal into the Maze of the Open Road, and from there make your way back to Woodsedge Lodge.
At the Lodge, Eliza locks Kyalla up for her protection and vows to find a way to one day cure the venture-captain of her affliction. Osprey, disheartened by the hopeless nature of Kyalla’s situation, sequesters himself in the library for nearly a day, then quickly departs the Lodge, following a few hints he hopes will lead to a cure.
"I am sorry to report that Venture-Captain Keel is almost definitely dead. Another victim, alas!"
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"I must say, our house is a mess, figuratively speaking. Every time we turn around another pathfinder has gone loopy. First Hestram, then this Keel, now Kyalla. This whole thing smells to high heavens. Still, none of these things SEEM related, unless one of you can spot a connection. Well, other than that list which doesn't tell us why."
Marta putzes around the lodge nervously, half-cocked ideas and theories bouncing around inside her head. She likes her world orderly and making sense. Eventually she decides to work off some steam.
"Anyone care to spar, practice with whatever they got around here? Those fights we got into didn't last long enought to help."
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“Nah, I’m good thanks, Marta. Aegis II or Kirrah might be up for it though.”
Luisila visits Osprey in the library soon after he’s settled in, after asking the creepy masked servants for a pot of green tea, two teacups and some raw kippers.
“I’m fairly handy around a bookshelf, Osprey. Perhaps there’s something I can help you with?”
The priestess is keen to find out what the famous Seeker is researching, and also to get a sense if anything is off about him.
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”Hrrmm. Definitely a most disturbing pattern. If this trend continues, there may be few Venture-Captains remaining. “
Fendahl scratches Kirrah as he continues to ponder the riddles unfolding in their recent adventures.
”Hrrmm, Marta I would not attempt to cross blades with you.
And Kirrah does not fight persons I have told her are our friends. I could summon a lion or tiger if you wish to test yourself. Just let me know how challenging a sparring partner you desire.
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Marta smiles wryly in response to Qadathra's offer.
"I have a feeling it would be more of a teaching exercise than sparring. Fendahl... How long do your summoned creatures remain?"
In the end, unless the summonings last for more than a minute or two, Marta settles for running hrough some katas in the gym.
Osprey refuses to even acknowledge Luisila's presence as he studies in the library, and clearly wants to be left to himself. The next day he departs, following a few hints he found.
Eliza asks you all to stay nearby as she determines what can be done next.
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EYES OF THE TEN - PART 3: RED REVOLUTION
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You’ve had a full day’s rest in the Woodsedge Lodge. The next morning, Venture-Captain Eliza Petulengro welcomes you to the lodge’s meeting room, largely repaired since the Red Raven’s assault. She is joined this time by a dark-haired man, slender and silent, clothed in a simple traveler’s cloak, heavy shirt, and wool pants. The dark-haired man stands behind Eliza as she gestures for you each to sit, a heavy chest set on a table beside him, a thick iron lock sealing its contents. Once you’re settled, Eliza makes a few gestures, muttering a few incantations before sighing heavily and directing her attention to you once again.
“The man beside me is one of my agents in the Grand Lodge in Absalom. He is not a Pathfinder, is not employed by our illustrious organization, and is my little secret. Therefore, you need not and will not know his name. He has spent the better part of this week gathering a host of information on Adril Hestram—his motivations, his reasons, anyone he spoke to in the Grand Lodge, and most importantly, the contents of his personal quarters.” Eliza reaches back and thumps her hand on the heavy chest. “All of that is in here. Sadly, it hasn’t told me anything I didn’t already know save one piece of information: I now know where Odrian is.”
Eliza waits a moment to see your reactions and then continues. “If you recall, Odrian was on Adril’s target list, but it seemed as though Hestram didn’t know where Odrian was. At some point just prior to joining you in the journey here, he found what he was looking for. It seems Odrian leads a double life—apart from being a venture-captain and, let’s face it, likely a member of our Decemvirate, Odrian is also Prince Odrian, the Thurok of Arl, a city high in the cold mountains of the northern region of —” Eliza pauses for a moment. “—the planet Akiton.”
“It seems likely to me that whoever took Adril’s body from this lodge likely took it to Akiton, as neither Adril nor any of his co-conspirators have shown their faces at the Grand Lodge, and since it was the only other location he was seeking and hadn’t found when he set his plan in motion here in my lodge.
“I want you to travel back into the Maze of the Open Road, and see if the medusa Condria can guide you to the portal that leads to Akiton. As far as I know, Akiton is cold and dry but you can breathe the air, even if it’s a bit thin. Go there, find out where Odrian is, and find Adril or any of his conspirators should they still be there. I shouldn’t have to say it, but I will: I want Adril alive, should you find him. He has many questions to answer and many deaths to answer for. Any questions?”
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Marta definitely reacts to the naming of the planet. As most pathfinders of her rank, she is no stranger to dealing with other planes of existence, but she's never had the opportunity to visit another planet.
"Interesting."
she muses for while and decides it can't be too different from visiting other planes and takes it in stride.
"I see no reason for delay, though our prepared spell casters might want to memorize spells or request miracles accordingly before we go. And a little research on the planet might help."
Marta scowls inwardly on the amount of paperwork this venture is going to generate.
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"Wait, what? Did you say Akiton? As in that red light up there in the sky? We're going there?" Myrdon cocks his head to one side in disbelief. When he says that Eliza is serious, he deflates and simply replies, "Okay..."
"Um, well you see, I can't say I've visited this planet before. So honestly, I don't even know where to start. What kind of people live there? What's the terrain, the climate like? What do they eat up there? How do they not fall down to Golarion?"
"Oh yes, any progress with Kyalla?"
"Not much is known -- we haven't really put any effort into exploring there given the difficulty involved in travel and the number of things there are to do right here on Golarion. Regardless of the outcome, your report about you find will certainly be material for the Chronicles. "
"All I can really tell you is that you can expect it to be much like the top of the highest mountains. The air is breathable but thin, so be prepared to tire more easily than usual."
She looks at Myrdon. "As to falling to Golarion, that is something for the wizards and scholars to debate."
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Vladek's expression in reaction to the revelation of interplanetary intrigue...seems more akin to how one would react to a juicy bit of gossip.
"Akiton?! I've never been out there! I grew up on Castrovel, you know - but it's been decades since I came here through the Gate."
Vladek will take some time to purchase some warmer clothing - and cooler, just in case, while he's at it. He'll also pop down to the apothecary and pick up some more grease and acid.
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"I have this!" Volunteers Qadathra, presenting a long, slender, redwood wand tipped with an aquamarine set in gold at one end and a citrine set in silver at the other.
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“Just a few questions, Venture-Captain if I may.”
Luisila is excited about inter-planetary travel, but tries to maintain a professional demeanor. “Do we know if the natives of Arl, Akiton speak Taldane or another language spoken by our party?”
“You said Prince Odrian is a ‘Thurok.’ What the heck is that?”
“And if we are to find Prince Odrian, it would be handy to know his profession and what he likes to do in his spare time.”
“Do we have any intelligence on those things, VC Petulengro?”
Luisila *bobs* to Qadathra. “I also have one of those wands, so the cold shouldn’t be a problem.”
“‘Easy to tire’ suggests it might be an idea to stock up on lesser restoration effects.”
The priestess checks her inventory. “I have seven spells in portable magic items – wands and scrolls.”
“Might be an idea if I pray for some more … how many do you think? Two or three on top of the items?”
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"I don't think the main issue will be the cold. The environment can cause all kinds of disabilities from effects other than cold, and thin air can cause unnatural fatigue. A more useful spell would be one that collects breathable air and protects us from poisonous vapours. That's not to say that the cold will not be an issue at all, but that particular issue is easily dealt with."
Eliza shakes her head. "I've actually told you all I know. Apparently Odrian has been living among them as a prince, or "thurok". Clearly they have their own language, but if he's been there for a long time it is possible that at least some of them heave learned a Golarion language -- through given Odrian's talent for tongues, it could be almost anything."
"As to his profession and personal life, I can't really say. He is a fairly private person, and I was lucky to find out about this double life on Akiton."
"How so?"
"... I was lucky to find anything at all, and doubly so that it was a useful clue and not just some random fact about his business or personal life."
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“So Thurok Odrian is a linguist. That’s something. Language experts often love books and libraries.”
Luisila turns the Akiton language problem over in her mind. “Guys, do you think I should pray for tongues before we leave?”