"By Kostchtchie's hairy &@(($!"
"Well... that's not good." Basil observes.
He casts Discovery Torch Holding aloft his symbol of Desna and radiating a brilliant light. Though it won't beat back the fog, its light does make things easier to identify.
Duration 10 minutes/level
An object you touch emanates a 20-foot radius of bright light. The effect looks like a regular flame but creates no heat and uses no oxygen. Allies within the area of this light gain a +2 enhancement bonus on Perception and Sense Motive checks, as well as on Knowledge checks to identify monsters that are also within the area and their special powers and vulnerabilities.
When an inquisitor casts this spell, the light emanation doubles (40-ft.-radius emanation) while that inquisitor has a judgment active.
Light spells counter and dispel darkness spells of an equal or lower level.
Niklos pulls out a harrow card, clearly annoyed by the sudden rainstorm raging all around him...
Seeing the card elicits a snort from the rogue, who tosses it over his shoulder before closing his eyes and gritting his teeth in intense concentration. He focuses on the familiar feel of the rapier in his hand, and the solidity of the wooden stage beneath his feet. "Cut it out, you f*cking waste of timber! I'll make you regret this..."
As Niklos grasps the card, pushing his will against that of the whole Harrowed Realm, the air blurs it. The pouring rain is not properly an illusion, it's a story, and the rogue is trying to force the place to tell another one. For a moment the scene returns to the theater Edda standing just a few paces from her companions.
Balimar and Balio look disconcerted, but the man rushes to Niklos and clocks him in the jaw , while the marionette is comically dragged behind, screaming in protest. "I told it was a dark and stormy night! You won't take this away from me! Not my best performance!"
Another ripple moves the air, and the downpour begins again, although you can keep your eyes on the couple.
Cursing like a sailor, Edda moves back toward the group. Hopefully reappearing where she disappeared!
An illusion? Gisele plays The Vision and attempts to disbelieve.
As Gisele plays the Vision card, the whole murky, rainy scene becomes slightly clearer. With another effort of will, she and Edda banish the tale of Sonnorae's murder for a moment longer. You find yourself back in the theater, while Balimar lets out an anguished wail.
"Try as he might, Balimar just couldnt narrate a tale strong enough to hide from his foes." Basil proclaims loudly in his surprisingly basso voice. Though somewhat embarassing, he is someone who wields the harrow, and so he figured he would see if he could mess with the puppet enough to hijack the story, or at least interject a few twists or doubts. "And in his despair... He loses sight of Niklos!"
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Calling on her on her natural abilities, Edda attempts to twist the luck of the 'man' carrying the dummy!
As strong as Basil's focus is, Balimar and Balio are Conspirators, and their self-awareness provides them immunity to the narrative laws governing the Realm. However, with a flash of insight, the rabbitfolk's attention shifts to the ground below puppet and puppeteer, twisting the malleable Playhouse. Thick fog envelops the pair, hiding you all from their view.
"I'll kill you!" shrieks Balimar from the mist. "You are ruining my performance like no one ever dared! You will pay in blood!"
Seeing a chance to participate in a much more enjoyable narrative, Niklos dashes to the side and jumps into the mist from an unexpected angle, driving his rapier in between the puppet's delicate joints.
Cursing at this world's odd rules, Edda pulls a wand from her sash and activates it at the Pair!
Basil smiles to himself as he realizes the power the living has on the world and draws a vial of holy water, pouring it into his hand as he prays.
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As heavy, sticky web strings envelop Balio, Balimar squeaks in pain as the blade hits him, jumping backwards. By twisting one string, he motions the man to attack, and he assaults Niklos with two heavy swings. Too heavy, perhaps, as the rogue manages to catch the first on the flad of his blade, while ducking under the second.
"You are only giving me more inspiration for my next play, you ungrateful, obstreperous scoundrels! There never were clouds in the theater! Szybko ruszaj się, mój przyjacielu"
Balio's movements accelerate, as the mist occulting the pair dissipates, no longer held by narrative.
Going forward with a standard action now that the mist is dissapated, she draws and strikes with an enchanted Harrow at Balimar!
Niklos keep stabbing at the puppet, sending chips of wood and paint flying across the stage as he attempts to find weak point to skewer.
"Big words from a piece of kindling!" he sneers.
Gisele takes a small diagonal step for a better angle to see the puppet. Drawing two cards, she channels arcane energies into them as she does.
Balimar doesn't fall for Niklos' feint and artfully dodges the Harrow cards by pulling himself against his marionette threads in a somersault, but he fails the landing, smashing himself against the rapier. "STOP hitting me, you stabmanic savage! Hit my partner instead, he's big and bad!" he yells, stepping back.
Said partner, however, has just finished ripping the sticky web that was anchoring him to the floor, his clothes are covered in white silk fragments and his hair is ruffled, making him look not quite threatening. "Oh, here I need to do everything myself! At the beginning of this story, it was the darkest of dark, starless and moonless nights..."
Darkness falls.
Pushing herself to disbelieve the darkness, Edda concentrates on her sense of smell hoping to hone in on the doll or at least warn herhself if they are coming at her!
She then casts Guidance on herself!
"Stop hiding Balimar! You know as well as we do that you can't defeat us all! Give up what you promised and we will leave you and your stage in peace!"
Niklos dives further into the darkness, attempting to pinpoint the verbose puppet's location by sound.
"Get rid of this gloom!" he shouts at the others. "I'm blind as a bat in here!"
School evocation [light]; Level bard 2, cleric 3, inquisitor 2
CASTING
Casting Time 1 round
Components V, S
EFFECT
Range touch
Target object touched
Duration 10 minutes/level
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance no
DESCRIPTION
An object you touch emanates a 20-foot radius of bright light. The effect looks like a regular flame but creates no heat and uses no oxygen. Allies within the area of this light gain a +2 enhancement bonus on Perception and Sense Motive checks, as well as on Knowledge checks to identify monsters that are also within the area and their special powers and vulnerabilities.
When an inquisitor casts this spell, the light emanation doubles (40-ft.-radius emanation) while that inquisitor has a judgment active.
Light spells counter and dispel darkness spells of an equal or lower level.
Basil throws his holy ice weapon at the marionette.
Basil's torch blazes in the darkness, flooding the two directors in bright light. As Balio, apparently dazzled, misses Niklos, Balimar is whacked by the two hits of the rapier and the starknife, and goes tumbling on the ground. "Fine!" he shouts, in rage and frustration, as darkness lifts. "I've had it with your ungratefulness, your needless violence, your callous disrespect of Art and your rudeness! You barge in here uninvited, you murder my best actress, then you attack me to rob me of my most prized possession! All right, then, you big, mean bullies! Evil wins this time! Take this-" he throws on the ground something shiny from an inner coat pocket "-and leave me alone with my misery and this good-for-nothing pile of garbage! Or do you want to set fire to the theater as well?"
The puppet starts crying sparkly, pearlescent tears.
On the floor lies a dazzingly beautiful diamond.
Edda will quickly pick up the diamond before Niklos can grab it and pocket it.
"Fine Balimar. If you want I really can set it all on fire... Now, let's leave this miserable place to its owner?"
"Is that what we're looking for?" Basil asks.
"It's the White Lily." sniffles Balimar, while Balio awkwardly tries to hug him and pat his shoulders. "My token, my only remaining thing of some value. Take it and go away, you violent villains, leave me to my pain."
Edda withdraws from the playhouse directly and returns to the path outside leading to the story-book forest.
"Back into the fray again? What should be our next destination?"
With the twofold director's surrender, Niklos reluctantly forgoes hacking the puppet to splinters. Donning his grin once more, the rogue slides his rapier back in its scabbard. He whistles at the obviously quite expensive jewel, throwing a sidelong glance at the puppet—one filled with barely restrained murderousness. "Wise choice, mate."
Niklos shrugs at Edda. "One place is as good as any, I s'pose. We're fresh out of leads. Unless ya'll want me to go back and tickle that puppet for more info..."
The rogue digs out a box of tindertwigs, throwing it between his hands as he eyes the theatre with the look of a seasoned arsonist.
Edda scratches her head with her bear-like claws, then releases her skin-change so that she appears normal again.
"So...should we head to the Smith's Caldera, or maybe the Manmolds...what ever that is? Where was it we wanted to go last? Was that the Prophet's Garden or the Demonfen?"
Edda snaps her fingers as her mind kicks back into gear suddenly.
"I remember! Bernaditi said to visit the Tick-Tock man first, but since we know he lied, we should visit him last. Where would he be? Don't forget, Bernaditi promised us also if we came back to him in a few days he may have summoned the Nightpeddlar for us to trade with, although that could have been a lie as well."
"Although, curiosity does ask why he would send us to Tick-Tock first. And liars sometimes use alot of truth to disguise their lies."
Gisele shrugs, "We could let the harrow itself decide. Take the cards we think best represents the locations, shuffle and draw one. We could use my deck instead of the magical one, just to be safe we don't use a card by accident."
With a smile Edda claps her hands once.
"That works!"
"Most reliable option, in my opinion." Basil admits
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Pulling out an old weathered harrow deck, different from the one she uses as ammunition, Gisele looks over the map.
"So we have Smith's Caldera..." Gisele looks for The Forge.
"Demon's Fen..." Sorting the cards she pulls out The Demon's Lantern.
"Manmolds..." Quickly finding The Waxworks.
She stops and looks puzzled a moment before tapping the outer edges of the map, "Trackless Dearth..." Flipping to The Desert.
"This one I'm not sure of... Prophet's Garden. Any ideas?"
"The Hidden Truth?"
Niklos stows his tindertwigs, turning on his heels to face the group.
"Oh, I live to gamble," he proclaims with a grin. "How about a little game of Towers while we're at it?"
"Not sure we have time for that, this will only take a second."
Gisele finds The Hidden Truth and adds it to the small stack of cards.
"Five destinations, five cards." Gisele takes a brief moment to enjoy the feel the old familiar texture of the old deck as she shuffles them.
Fanning them out she grins, "Who wants to choose?"
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Edda easily reaches for the cards.
Niklos scratches his stubbly chin, looking sideways at Gisele. "Oh, you're no fun..."
Peeking over Edda's shoulder at their to-be destination, he sighs and rolls his eyes dramatically. "Of course. I can't veto that, can I?"
Flicking the drawn card across his stubbly chin, Edda smiles evilly.
"Nope. So pucker your arse and put foot to path. Time to go."
Leaving the Sanguine Playhouse behind, you head back into the Tangled Briar, headed for the Manmolds. Your path, led by narrative laws, is sure, but you find yourself in a nondescript clearing, rather than the eerie place shown on Bernaditi's map.
A tall figure, clad in gilded armor, storms out of the brushes, a shield in his left hand and a sword pointed at you. "Halt there, travelers. I have been watching you, as you moved through this Realm, and I gather that you seek to slay the evil tyrant, Zassrion. But your quest is futile, for I am Algon, the only one who is fated to defeat the monster! Hand over to me the way to reach the Striding Fortress, lest I be forced to do harm unto you, for my righteous cause. I shall not enjoy it, but I will do so if you force my hand."
"Bloody mythical heroes! I am so...tired! Look you...metal beetle! You are a story character! You are NOT real! Now...shut up and get out of our way. We make our own story here! If you want to help, fine, but otherwise stay out of our way!"
Niklos draws a card from his sleeve, glancing at it surreptiously while Edda berates the knight...
Well, whaddaya know...
The rogue clears his throat and pushes past Edda, adopting a servile mien. A quick tug on his sleeve makes some ever-so-slight adjustments to his clothing, making him seem slightly less scruffy. As he speaks, his tenor is much closer to a courtly Chelaxian than his usual Varisian drawl. "I apologise for my friend, Sir Algon! Her Ulfen blood gets the better of her. Our journey has been fraught with peril, and unlike your fervent self, we are not made for such adversity. Of course, we would be glad to be relieved of this burden. However, what you seek is not here. We buried it next to the Sanguine Playhouse, to keep it safe whilst we travel..."
Drawing the Paladin while Niklos is talking and distracting the storykin!
The magic of the Harrow card spreads through the clearing and over the knight, who doesn't seem to notice.
Though initially indignant at Edda's words, Algon is easily soothed by Niklos' honeyed words and heads the way you came after thanking you for helping his noble and righteous quest.
Greasy smoke reeking of soot and rendered fat belches forth from the twin chimneys high above this imposing manor. Dozens of tall windows, all barred and boarded, adorn this formerly beautiful estate, but peeling paint and crumbled ornaments testify to its disuse.
The main door is slightly ajar.
Waving her hand in grandiose fashion, Edda comments.
"It looks like a bad stage set. Look! The windows are fake! Just set-covering for the brick behind them. God's be damned."
Gisele palms The Waxworks card and prepares to use it once either they get inside, or a situation presents itself.
"Shall we?" She motions towards the door. "Storykin and mayhem await."
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Niklos shrugs, eyeing the façade suspiciously. "For the record, I still think this is a bad idea."
As they approach the front door, the rogue motions for the others to pause as he carefully inspects the entrance for traps.
Distracted, Edda nods absentmindedly as she stares at the smoke stacks.
"Noted. Be right back."
Activating her Flight Hex, she floats up tot he smoke stacks keeping an eye out for other flying threats and inspects the stacks.
Are these fake too?
Basil stretches and gives his starknife a spin.