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“Ah, Adril. That bear of a man isn’t easily forgotten. He’s been quite active in the Maze since you and I last met. In each case, when I confronted him, it always ended badly for me. In fact, I can’t recall more agonizing deaths than those he granted me in all my centuries in the Maze. While he travels often through the Absalom, Galt, and Mwangi Expanse gates, his most recent movements centered around the Chelish portal, taking place under the cover of night.
“Most of the time he moves through the Maze alone, but I have seen him with others on a few occasions. He met and spoke with a Mwangi tribesman one evening, though I could not overhear what they discussed, and he led a finely dressed man with him on his last journey through a portal. This happened last night, and he has yet to reemerge.
“As for your naga friend, I have not seen her since my death at your hands. However, since I was dead for 24 hours she may have gone anywhere.”
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"Cheliax? That would mean they were targeting Eddington Keel in Corentyn. And Kyalla in the Mwangi Expanse. I guess they are not working their way down the hit-list after all..."
Deciding that the need for information was more pressing than his need to remain concealed, Ralph calls out from above.
"Can you describe the finely dressed man? Was he armored or armed? His appearance and any emblems on his person? Did he take any allies with him on his latest trip to Cheliax?"
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"I assume his most recent trip through a portal was also to Cheliax? Do you have any recollection of when exactly his last trip to the Mwangi Expanse was?
"What is your ability to scout the maze? Would you be willing to scout for any signs of activity other than us and report back to us? I would strongly discourage you from confronting him again, it is senseless for you to suffer without cause."
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"I believe I can shed some light, Scotty. We know from our last conversation with Volyanni that Kyalla's location was given to Angahzan cultists several days ago, with instructions to have her killed or captured, though capture seemed an unlikelihood to them at the time. This was before our visit to Alric's keep. Since then, Adril Hestram has spent most of his time focusing on Cheliax, but last night he returned to Mwangi and has not reappeared since. Three possibile scenarios present themselves to my mind. First, Adril has finished his grim business in Cheliax and has gone to check on the goings on in Mwangi. Second, Adril has instructed lackeys to attack the target in Cheliax and has left them to finish the job. Third, there has been an unexpected development in Mwangi with Kyalla that has forced Adril to take his attention from Cheliax prematurely."
"Without more information, it is difficult to tell whether we are too late to save either or both of the targets. But I think we should head to Mwangi first. If Adril was seen going there last night and has not emerged since, then that is where we stand the best chance of finding him and chopping off the proverbial serpent's head. Furthermore, if he has not emerged since last night, it suggests that something is happening there that actually demands significant attention from him. If it intrests him, I think it would be in our interests to investigate."
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Condria responds to Ralph “His guest was a short, towheaded man with eager eyes and wearing fine clothes accompanied him to Corentyn. There were no emblems that I saw, save for a weird ring with a twist in it. I’m afraid I couldn’t get close enough to examine the ring fully. He was the only person I saw with Adril on his latest trip to Cheliax.”
Condria then turns to Scotty. “The last trip I saw him make to the Mwangi expanse was about 2 weeks ago, but I presume from the naga’s rantings that he entered in the portal since then, perhaps during one of my many recent deaths.
“I can go anywhere in the maze, but I cannot go through a portal. I will of course scout the maze. I have nothing else I can do at this time.”
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Scotty turns towards the empty air from which he heard Ralph's voice. "Hold a moment, there are some precautionary measures I wish to discuss."
Turning back to Condria. "Condria, can you tell us how many days it has been since you captured Volyanni and she first spoke of her failures in Mwangi? Do you have any means of communicating with people outside of the maze or through one of its portals? If not," Scotty addresses the party, "do we have the ability to allow such communication," and then to Condria, "and would you be willing to allow us to use our magic on you to give you that ability? Being able to learn of activities in the maze as soon as possible may prove crucial to our mission.
"Should that fail, do we have the means of alarming the Mwangi and Cheliax portals? Could those alarms reach us through the portals?
"On a more personal note: Ralph, how much do you know of Cheliax? Specifically of Corentyn. I do not claim to be an expert on Chelish culture, but I understand them to be a nation founded with the aid of Devils and largely populated by worshipers of Asmodeus. Asmodeus and Sarenrae were once in active conflict with one-another but have since agreed to a truce. I would expect that loyal followers of Asmodeus would abide by that truce, however this can not always be trusted. Would you expect that my," Scotty glances down at his various religious iconography, "affiliation might hinder our mission or put us in unnecessary danger?"
Once all of that is sorted out, Scotty addresses Condria again. "Condria, I hope you will forgive that the urgency of our mission prevents us from properly rewarding you for your cooperation. You have my word as the Sword Arm of the Dawnflower that once our mission is complete I will return with representatives of the Pathfinder Society to discuss how to fully reward you. Until then, is there anything you would ask of us? Is there something we might offer or a task we might perform as a gesture of good will so you know that our promises are not empty words?"
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"As for I know about Corentyr, My favorite librarian in the grand Lodge when there in a mission. That all I know."
-Posted with Wayfinder
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"The VC said that if something is more urgent.
But in the same time, we promess to this naga..
[b]"But question is why did you transmutate and dominate those persons to attack us?"
-Posted with Wayfinder
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"Geatan, I remember every word of my promise to Volyanni. So long as it is in my power to do so, that promise will be kept. But for now, we have an immediate threat to the Society that we must address. Considering the nature of this threat, attacking it directly may be the best way to keep the promise I made to her.
"I understand that there was conflict between us and Condria in the past. Let that conflict be in the past. In the present, we at least have a stable truce with a strong possibility of a mutually beneficial partnership. Let us not jeopardize that peace by reopening old wounds."
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"Doubtless she knew not who we were and probably thought we were part of Hestram's clique. It matters not now. She is cooperating with us. Leave her be, Geatan," Ralph growls with some irritation.
"Scotty, if need be I can procure a scroll for a spell that will allow me to communicate telepathically with another target for a period of time, but that will not cross dimensional boundaries. Conversely, my sending spell can cross dimensional boundaries, but when I cast it I can only send a 25 word message and receive one in reply. Unless Condria can cast that same spell, however, the communication can only be initiated by me, and not too frequently either. The alternative would be to provide Condria with a scroll. I believe in our last encounter with her, she proved herself a spellcaster."
"Going by our experience with Montrose's estate, I do not think we will have far to travel after exiting the portal. That being said, it might be prudent to not openly display your religious iconography whilst we are there. A simple cloak should suffice. Apart from that, I do not think there will be any insurmountable obstacle posed by your religious affiliation."
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Sensing Ralph's tone, Scotty looks towards the source of his voice with a concerned expression. "Peace, friends. We have come far and accomplished much together. It would be a tragic end to a story worthy of the Chronicles if we fell to bickering so early into such an important mission. We know eachother well and must trust that we each act with eachothers' best interest. Mistakes and missteps are inevitable. If we allow something so small to chip away at our camaraderie then it will be a simple matter for our true enemy to tear us apart."
"Ralph, I have met none with your knowledge of the arcane (or that could rival your knowledge in general," Scotty adds quietly with an expression somewhere between impressed and befuddled)"and I trust your recommendations for how best to proceed in such matters."
Scotty addresses the entire party: "My main concern is that Ardil will slip past us into the maze or emerge from another portal. If any of you have suggestions for how we might prevent that or how we might track his movements if he does, I would welcome your input.
Scotty makes the following changes to his appearance:
-He uses Prestidigitation to: 1.)turn his cloak back to dark brown (its normal color), 2.)sully his armor and clothing so it does not shine and he appears as if he has been traveling, 3.)change the color of all the paint on his shield to black (the full shield is painted so it will appear as one solid color), and 4.)change the color of the gem on the pommel of his scimitar from blue to red.
-He removes his holy symbol from the brooch of his cloak and his holy text from his backpack. He puts both in the extradimensional space in his Pathfinder Pouch.
- Scotty removes his original wayfinder from Merena's saddlebags and transfers the Dusty Rose Prism from his Shining Wayfinder to his standard Wayfinder. He hangs his standard wayfinder where his shining wayfinder used to be and adds the shining wayfinder to the extradimensional space in his Pathfinder Pouch and seals the extradimensional space.
-Finally he turns to his companions: "Unfortunately there is little I can do about my aura or the aura on my sword. I don't expect we will come under that close of scrutiny though. Otherwise, do I appear as an ordinary enough pathfinder?"
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"Of course, Scotty. I simply do not want Condria to think that we do not value this alliance, tenuous as it is..."
"If your intention is that we be alerted if anyone were to use the portal, that is easier to accomplish. I can ward the entrance of the portal with a simple spell that will alert me if anyone crosses the threshold. It will only work if I am within a mile of the threshold myself, but if the portal takes us directly to where we need to be, I do not think we will struggle with that limitation, and if we do, I will devise an alternate plan."
"Condria, I would also ask that you wait near the portal, and if you see Hestram coming through the portal, follow him. Whether or not my alarm triggers, if we are not greeted by Condria when we return through the portal, I will contact Condria with my sending spell to find out what has happened. Think of it this way, Condria. Adril has caused you more than a little pain in the last few weeks. Helping us stop him and his plans is your best means of getting revenge against him. The enemy of my enemy, as it were."
"Between those two measures, I think we should have sufficient oversight over the portal's usage."
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"I think you may underestimate her. In this situation, she has as much to gain and lose as we do. She has been very reasonable and open to diplomacy. I suspect it will take more than a few angry words to change that. But I do not see the need for us to dwell on that.
"My only concern with your plan would be our response time if Adril is spotted in the maze. I would like to be on his heels as quickly as possible should he reemerge."
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Koraq cleans his ear with his pinky, flicking off some gunk nonchalantly. "Yeah, yeah, I think we're all in agreement here?", Koraq standing up and stretching, showing his restlessness. "Not tryin' ta sound impatient, but we gotta get to investigating these places and see if we can save anyone and can't do that standin' 'round here."
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"The problem is that this appears to be a pocket dimension unto itself, and only a few spells allow communication across dimensions. I possess the means to cast one of those spells, but if Condria does not possess the same ability, it will prove quite difficult for her to initiate communication with us when she is prevented from leaving the maze."
Ralph thinks for a moment, then smiles.
"But solutions are always available for the agile of mind. Condria may not be able to leave the maze, but her petrified minions are. If she were to unpetrify one of her victims and send that minion through the portal, it could also trigger the alarm that I place on the other side, and alert me that we need to return to the portal. In fact, this would also solve the problem of my alarm being accidentally triggered. If I place the alarm directly above the portal on the Cheliax side, Condria can send a minion to activate the alarm if she sees Hestram moving into or out of the portal, upon which we shall return to the portal to investigate. Meanwhile, Condria will be able to track Hestram while waiting for me to contact her via a sending spell."
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Condria responds to Scotty “It has been about 3 dayssss ssssince I captured the naga if I remember correctly. I do not have any way of communicating with people outside the maze, but if you provided it I would not be againssssst that.
“I do not have any wayssssss of alarming portalssssss.
“As for thingssss you can do to show your good will, you have made a good sssstart by not killing me. My needsssss are taken care of, and it is better for me to show trussssssst now. I’m ssssssure that you will hold up your end.”
Condria then turns to Ralph. “I have no problem with waiting by the Chelish portal, but do call out before you usssssse your sssssspellssss. I will be turning invisssssible assss ssssoon assssss ssssssomeone comesssssss ssssssssstepping through.”
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"Condria, you misunderstand. I will set an alarm spell 10ft above the portal on the Cheliax side. If you see Adril Hestram going through the portal in either direction, what I need you to do is unpetrify one of your victims and make them go through portal and jump with their hands reaching upwards. If they can jump and reach at least 11ft above ground, my alarm will trigger and alert us that we should return to the portal immediately."
"Unless you are able to cast the sending spell, in which case you shold just cast that and let us know."
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"I believe all of Condria's captives are either dead or on a ship to Katapesh, all by our hands. I suspect we may be overthinking this. Alarming the portal on the Cheliax side should suffice. If we discover Adril has eluded us in Cheliax, we can contact Condria to warn her and get an update.
"Ralph, may I please have a quiet word with you? Please put your hand on my shoulder so I know when you're next to me."
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Ralph will cast detect magic before moving towards her, then concentrate on her with the spell's cone.
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“I do have other ssssstatuesssssss in the mazzzzzzzze. I’m sure I could get one of them to trigger sssssssuch an alarm.”
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"Objection noted, Scotty, but under the circumstances I fear taking the time to find an alternative solution will only result in us failing to save our intended targets. After this is all over, perhaps you can try to convince Condria to set them free, but like my desire to find a way to free Zaliex, it must be put on hold until the immediate problem is dealt with."
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Géatan has finish to count the number of seeds in his bag.
Good. They seem to have finished.
"So we go to the jungle?"
-Posted with Wayfinder
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Condria will lead you to the Cheliaxian portal. Whereas the Galtan portal was a big heavy door, the Cheliaxian portal is a pleasant wooden arch set out from the hedge walls. The arch is very bare bones, but flowers and vines grow over it, making it look much more exquisite. Through the archway is another swirling purple portal.
Stepping through the portal, once again you find yourself quickly separated from your fellow companions amongst the random purple. You tumble around like a die in the hamster ball of a hamster on a sugar high. After another eternity , you are unceremoniously dumped in a red and black marble gazebo.
A traditional Chelish garden surrounds the structure, and the form of a sizable manor house rises from behind a row of topiary bushes. The grounds appear to be completely enclosed by a high, granite wall. In between you and the manor are two gardeners, one tiefling and one halfling. They stop cutting the bush they were on and stare at your curiously.
Behind you, you see a black and red marble oval the same size and shape of the portal from the Maze, but you do not see any signs of the actual portal. On the left side of the portal at the oval’s furthest point, there is a Glyph of the Open Road carved in the marble. On the opposite side of the portal, whatever was in its place has been smashed.
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Scotty immediately uses detect evil. He rolls his shoulders and stretches to shake off the discomfort of travel. Noticing the gardeners, he casually steps forward while examining the garden.
He remembers the words of his mentor, "We serve the Goddess of Honesty. As such, we are expected to always be truthful in our words and our oaths. However, our mission to bring her light to those who desperately need it will bring us to dark places where the truth will get you and your allies killed. When you find yourself in such a place, you must lie. Lie through your teeth like the most twisted of serpents. But when you do, remember that there is still power in the truth. Just as we serve Sarenrae, her honesty serves us and gives power to our words. Speak only the truth that serves you and in such a way that they believe whatever lie you wish them to. The ability to tell a lie with the truth is one of our most powerful weapons. Master it, and it will become the difference between peace and bloodshed."
"You have done extraordinary work here. I suspect that you are criminally underpaid for maintaining such a beautiful garden. I might hire you myself if anything this lovely could grow at my home."
Turning to address the gardeners (and taking the opportunity to focus his detect evil on them), he notices their curious expressions. "Forgive us if we have surprised you, we were not sure if we would be expected. I can assure you that you have nothing to fear from us. We have not been paid to hurt a pair of gardeners and I do not stain Wrath (Scotty indicates his scimitar) with blood without proper motivation. Frankly such a contract would be a little insulting considering our formidable skills, meaning no offense to you of course.
"But, forgive me for prattling. I've always been a bit of a talker. If our information is correct, this is the manor of Eddington Keel. Is that correct? Our Captain seemed to think that there might be work for us here. Seems like ages ago that we got word but we arrived as quickly as we could. Might Lord Keel be available to speak with us? If what we have heard is true, he should be very interested in acquiring our services."
-Scotty actually is impressed by well kept gardens, there are few where he lives.
-His homes are in Kalsgard (Lands of the Linnorm Kings) and Katapesh (the city), Chelish fauna would likely not grow well in the desert/tundra.
-He didn't know if someone (friend or foe) might be waiting for them at the portal exit.
-They haven't been paid to hurt gardeners.
-His sword is named Wrath and he does not shed blood without reason.
-He would be insulted if someone asked him to hurt gardeners.
-He prefers to talk rather than fight.
-He believes they are headed to Eddington Keel and assumes this is his manor.
-Venture Captain Eliza is the "Captain" and the "work" is protecting a possible member of the 10.
-It felt like an eternity in the portal hence the "ages ago".
-He believes that Eddington Keel's life is in danger and that Keel would be interested in having the group protect him.
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The return portal used to be here, but now no longer functions. The left and right carvings used to be a key – pressing both would activate the portal back to the Maze, but now that the right one is gone it can’t be activated. But the damage isn’t just to the right key – the whole marble has some structural cracks that destabilize the magic creating the portal back. Undoing the damage isn’t hard – about 4 to 5 hours worth of make whole or a couple days of crafting. The process is easy, but it’ll take some time. (Unless you’ve got some way of fixing things super-fast that I missed.)
You don’t notice any evil, including the gardeners. This includes the gardeners you’ll see later in the text below.
As Scotty steps forward to address the two gardeners, he notices that there are two more outside trimming hedges. One of the other two is a Halfling, and the other is a Kelish human. They look like they’re gardening, but they’re clearly trying to listen in.
The tiefling responds “Yes, this is the Keel estate. I can go fetch Jervo at once.” He then runs around to the front of the house and enters it.
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Whilst the slave leaves to fetch Jervo, Ralph pulls the party aside urgently.
"Something's wrong. It would appear that our way back has been blocked. And it was done by someone who knew about the Maze and its portals. But the portal clearly still works in bringing us here, just that we are prevented from going back. If the perpetrator is who we think it is, there are only two reasons I can think of for this to have been done. Either he did not want his quarry escaping through the portal, or he did not want the portal to be used to pursue him once his work here had been done. Fortunately, this is only a minor obstacle for one who can teleport us to another portal to the maze, but the bigger problem is this: either we have precious moments left, or we are already too late!"
"You there. I am Muhlia al'Hakam. You know who I am, or rather who I represent, do you not? You know what I am here for. But first I need to know who broke that stone. Has Keel had any unusual visitors lately and have you noticed anything unusual here in recent weeks? Tell me quickly!"
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"Finally, some progress.", Koraq satisfied to leave the jibjab to the others for the time being.
When Ralph gathers the others, the half-orc pinches the brow between his eyes. "Of course we would, but guess we outta follow through and make sure either Keel's still alive or that we can find the killer quickly."
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"Yes, Yes Yes. Let's hurry before the "baddy" win." says Géatan without enthousiam. By the look of him, the flowers in the garden are more interesting.
I wonder if some of them are comestible?
-Posted with Wayfinder
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Scotty thanks the gardener before he leaves for the door.
After listening to what Ralph has to say:
Addressing the nearest gardener: "Forgive my curiosity, I couldn't help but notice that you all seemed very unalarmed by our arrival. I would have thought that our method of transportation was slightly more unusual considering the lengths we went to acquiring it. Do you often have strange men appearing in your garden? If not, I must commend you for your bravery. By your reactions, I would have thought this was something you were used to."
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“As to unusual visitors – no. I have not noticed any. As a ‘slave’, we are not allowed near the portal but we’ve seen Keel use it many times. I’ve never seen anyone but him come out of it, but I’ve also focused my snooping on the main house. It is possible that it was being used during the night – I would’ve been more focused on stealing notes.”
One of the halflings turns her head up to speak with Scotty. “Well, it’s a portal. Usually it’s Keel coming through, but it’s not entirely surprising that people can come out the other way. We’re not allowed near it.”
At this point, a halfling dressed in a red and black suit with a cloth draped over his arm approaches. He speaks with a slow drone, like someone who lost their ability to feel excitement and happiness. “I hear that you wish to speak with Master Keel. Come.” Without another word, he leads you to the double doors of the house.
Opening the double doors reveals the tall, vaunted halls of the foyer. But while the architecture may be impressive, what’s more impressive are the paintings on either side of the foyer. On the right-hand wall, the mural depicts a host of devils bowing before a towering aspect of Asmodeus. On the left-hand wall, the mural depicts the famed Pathfinder Durvin Gest aboard The Silken Purse. The room has stairs going up to a second floor, as well as two doors on the opposite wall.
The halfling butler presumably named Jervo leads you through the left door. Inside that door is a library that looks like the room that everyone gathers in when the brilliant detective declares that the butler was the killer. Perhaps that is why Jervo is slightly nervous. Inside, amongst the various comfy chairs, bookcases filled to the ceiling, and warm and inviting flameless torches sits a man of noble stature and bearing, sitting on a couch next to a fireplace with a big portrait of the same man hanging above it. The man sits reading an old copy of the Pathfinder Chronicles, and doesn’t look up when the door opens.
Jervo coughs loudly then drones “Sir, you have some guests.”
The man replies ”Well then, bring them in.”
“I already have sir.”
With that, the man looks up from his book and sees you in the hallway. “Ah yes, I see. Thank you Jervo. Please, everyone, come on in! Have a seat! It’s so great to get visitors! Welcome to Habermorrow!” The man points to the couches and chairs around him. Jervo uses this time to duck into the right door and out of sight.
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Lord Keel looks at Ralph with a slightly quizzical look before his eyes light up and he looks at the cover of the book he’s holding. “This one is… uh… volume 14. I was reading a wonderful story about the City of Brass. It’s quite an interesting place. Have you ever been? I was… uh… thinking about sending some people there myself soon. Fun little mission.”
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Lord Keel looks at Ralph with a slightly quizzical look
"I have actually read much of that volume myself. The section detailing the exploration of Abyssal realms and the demons found there was part of my studies during my training. While I can not say that I have had the privilege of visiting the City of Brass, I have heard many stories. I hear that it is one of the few places in the Plane of Fire that is hospitable to mortal life without the aid of magic. The markets there are said to be the most extraordinary in all the planes. With a properly equipped and experienced team, I would be thrilled to visit someday. Goods from those markets would be an enormous boon to my caravan business.
"I must apologize, it has just occurred to me that we have not introduced ourselves. I am Seeker Scotty McBride. With me are Seeker Koraq Dragonclaw and Seeker Géatan Émond."
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Lord Keel looks at Ralph with a slightly quizzical look before his eyes light up and he looks at the cover of the book he’s holding. “This one is… uh… volume 14. I was reading a wonderful story about the City of Brass. It’s quite an interesting place. Have you ever been? I was… uh… thinking about sending some people there myself soon. Fun little mission.”
** spoiler omitted **
** spoiler omitted **
If I can, since we're not in combat, I will take 10 for 40 on the knowledge arcana checks.
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“Well, I’m glad I could be visited by such esteemed people! Three Seekers. Excellent. Today must be a good day! Outside of Habernorrow I am Lord Keel, but to my friends, I’m Venture-Captain Eddington Keel.” Keel winks at the three of you. “Now then, what seems to be the call for such an important meeting?”
The Perception doesn’t notice anything special except for the Glyph of the Open Road on his ring.
Whole body – faint illusion - this is an ongoing disguise self
Torso – moderate abjuration
Neck – faint transmutation
Waist – moderate transmutation and two faint conjuration (three different items)
Ring – faint abjuration
Ring – strong transmutation and conjuration
Wrist – moderate conjuration and transmutation
Most of these auras just seem to hover over non-existent items. The two rings are clearly hovering over two rings, but everything else doesn’t have a physical item, making it hard to ID what they’re for.
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"Well you can imagine that life as a Seeker can get dull with so few missions requiring our special abilities. We've been keeping our ears to the ground hoping to find work worthy of our talents and heard a rumor that you might have such a task for us. Might you have mentioned that mission to the City of Brass to anyone? That would certainly be an exciting mission even for a Seeker."
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"That's Lord Master Koraq", corrects the half-orc as he lets Scotty and Ralph lead the discussion.
-Posted with Wayfinder