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Cerin finishes rummaging through Aristocrat pockets and shrugs as nothing other than jewels and signets are found. Another animated discussion with the puppet on his hand and the strange Gnome looks up with a twinkle in their eye.
"Nothing! Notasingletrinket that matches my eyes! Some nobs these turned out to be!"
Cerin shrugs and indicates that the Herald should lead on with great deference, after seeing that the Zombie is destroyed.
Turning to Cal the Gnome smiles and gives an elegant shrug.
"Howdidigetmypowers? Ermm, No idea! One day I was poking a corpse with a stick, then it sat up and poked me back! And yes the puppet is the secret to all my ultimate power! Maybe, or it is just a sock...
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Of course! Send the old man down. He hasn't got much longer to live anyway.
The sarcasm is thick with this one.
You go ahead. I think there's more to be seen on this level so we don't end up with clowns to the left of us, jokers to the right, stuck in the middle of our stomach with zombie claws. No, thank you!
Herald moves to the North door and opens it, unless prevented.
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The remainder of the upper level seems to be unnervingly quiet as there are now more nobles dead than there are alive as bodies litter the Opera House.
Hustavan remains quiet throughout the rest of the journey and the group decides to head down to the lower level.
The spiral staircases lead to a well used storeroom, used primarily to store larger set pieces no longer used, this musty basement is now the home to a dig project that extends into the bedrock east of the room. This room is well lit by standing lamps.
The chamber seems to have had tunnels chiseled into the room. The brightly lit tunnel seems to branch off into two separate directions.
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Cerin searches each room of the top floor with as much gusto as the others, rummaging for odd trinkets and gems thst match his eyes of all things, though never seeming happy with the offerings. Sticking close to the mad herald and his great shield, Cerin tries desperately to read some of the scribblings but soon givesup as they get to the lower level.
"Right" the Gnome says in a conspiratorial whisper "Whatdowedonow? Sneaky sneaky? Or here comes the metaphorical cavalry?"
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Don't try to understand them, little one. You run the risk of being driven craz...uhhh...
Herald glances at the odd little gnome who frequently has spirited discussions arguments with his puppet.
Never mind. Read all you want. You may be the only one who can make sense of some of them.
If we're going to be sneaky-sneaky, someone else will have to take the lead. I am as stealthy as a wounded moose dancing on caltrops and wearing a bell suit. Feel free, anyone. If not, I'm happy to take the lead with my shield protecting me.
Maybe I'll find my salvation there.
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Ulfgar seemed to have lost himself a bit when looking around. As he notices the party is going down, he hurries after them.
"Why do you send the old man up front? Isn't it better to have someone who doesn't need a walking stick to take the front?"
He walks up to Herald
"I'll take front if you wish old man, here's my healing stick in case you need to heal someone", he says, looking at herald's wounds.
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Herald draws himself up to his full height.
Why, thank you, Shortstuff.
I am quite capable of leading the way, thankyouverymuch. The gnome (?) he takes a questioning glance at Cerin was questioning whether we want to avoid announcing our presence.
You take left. I'll take right. We'll see who comes out the other end.
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Cerin holds up the puppet at Herald's indication, but waits for the old man to finish, being the polite soul that he is, despite how... Unhinged he may seem to well anyone else really.
"Cerin, not 'the gnome' thankyou." Cerin then giggles, breaking his sombre facade completely, before returning to the strange equations littering the Herald's shield, starting an animated discussion with the puppet, though of course it never replies back.
"I'll go right too!"
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Being an elf, Cal is the oldest in the group, however he is really just beginning his young life and hasn't exactly acquired wisdom yet. Lead on then Ulfgar, maybe you can earn another title for your clansmen....Cal says sarcastically, he still doesn't quite see eye to eye with the dwarf, because he was raised to hate them, but he can't help but respect his martial prowess.
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For a brief moment, the puppets eyes glow red and steam billows up from its head. hehe... wait! what am I doing! they're both insane... stay out of it, Ghaenk... stay out of it...
Ghaenk follows behind the two whackos of the party down the tunnel to the right, but keeps a 5' distance between them and himself.
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Finding no traps the group decides to split down the passages. Glistening with water, the slick walls and floor of these tunnels were recently carved from the thick bedrock beneath Oppara. Well lit by standing lamps, the tunnels stretch into an adjacent chamber, seemingly carved from the bedrock as well. However, the adjacent chamber is made of smooth walls, covered in strange glyphs, and also lit by the same standing lamps. At the center of that chamber stands a tall stone dais. In the middle of the dais is a huge boulder which, by all appearances, fell a great distance before crashing here. The boulder glows with an eerie green light.
Standing next to the stone on the dais is a man in flowing robes bearing the holy symbol of Zyphus. Below him stand another cult warrior and a hulking brute of a zombie.
Fel Brustrani's eyes flicker from the dais as you exit the twin caves. So, you are the one's fouling up all of my plan's for my lord. He waves his hand.
Kill them quickly and add their corpses to the Zyphus zombies.
Herald
Cerin
Ghaenk
Ulfgar
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Zombie
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Caladrel
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Cultist
Fel Brustrani
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Cerin's eyes alight as they come across the vile mastermind behind the attack on ther Opera house and he starts giggling softly. Surveying the scene for a moment only, the Dread gnome thrusts out his puppet arm to point at the Warrior of Zyphus with an evil grin.
"Your death won't be so accidental, I hope you like hell..."
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The Herald hurls his morningstar up towards the dais where it slams into Fel Brustrani's shoulder. He grunts in pain as he hand immediately darts to his limp arm.
Cerin looks at the warrior below and brings doom upon the man with words of his impending defeat.
With the man shaken Ulfgar quickly moves up and swings his long axe at the cultist. Quick on his feet the cultist hooks his pick around the haft of Ulfgar's axe and knocks it off course.
Herald
Cerin
Ghaenk
Ulfgar
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Zombie
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Caladrel
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Cultist (Shaken)
Fel Brustrani (-8)
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Fel Brustrani has little chance to act or even react as a tightly bound snowball catches him in his throat with a snap. He falls to the ground with his neck broken, lifeless eyes stare back at you.
The mindless zombie surges forth at Ulfgar and reaches for him with outstretched arms.
Herald
Cerin
Ghaenk
Ulfgar
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Zombie
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Caladrel
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Cultist (Shaken)
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As the mindless zombie approaches Ulfgar easily slices it in two separate halves. The cultist seems a bit worried that his master and the zombie were cut down so quickly but steels his mind to fight to the death and follows orders.
He steps in and slams his Heavy pick down at Ulfgar.....
.....and misses horribly. He shakes a bit in fright at the immense power brought before him and begins to question his motives slightly as he is faced with certain death.
Herald
Cerin
Ghaenk
Ulfgar
Caladrel
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Cultist (Shaken)
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Although the veins in Ulfgar's forehead almost pop from anger and a red haze is fogging his vision, he remains dedicated to the objectives, and information is important.
"Drop you weapon and surrender, you &@§$*****!"
If the man drops his weapon, Ulfgar will strike him with the side of his weapon only.
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The man does not seem intent to drop his weapon and looks to fight to the death. Ulfgar obliges the man and quickly puts him out of his misery.
The Zyphus Stone is a terrible artifact and the group, as Pathfinders, should immediately know that its acquisition could be both a boon and a terrible burden for the Society. There are two likely paths the PCs might choose: taking the time and effort necessary to destroy the stone, thus ridding the world of its potent necromantic magic, or returning the stone either to the Grand Lodge in Absalom or to the Pathfinder Lodge in Oppara for safe-keeping.
If the Pathfinders extensively search the House of the Immortal Son for Wuthers, they’ll find his zombie corpse among the dead in the northern part of the Opera House. In his belt pouch is a draft of the final letter he wrote to Venture-Captain Eliza Petulengro, wherein he details the final stages of the dig and the strange character of his companion—noted as “cleric of Irori” but clearly Bustrani. His pouch also contains a personal journal, a shorthand record of his many adventures as a Pathfinder.
Surprisingly, more than half of the theater-goers survived the zombie onslaught by gathering together and fighting off the undead menace. Because the Pathfinders dealt with Quint’s roving band bent on stamping out resistance as well as defeating Bustrani himself, the wealthy socialites and nobility of Oppara now have several dinner parties’ worth of sordid zombie stories with which to frighten and awe their friends.
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Cerin stares intently at the stone, frantically circling it with a low manic giggle. The puppet seems to be examining it too and they once more break out in a whispered argument, throwing glances at the stone suspiciously. After a while, Cerin and the puppet turn their attention to the Herald and the dread gnome bows.
"We agree master Herald, we destroy and spread the word of they-she-he-it and how they tear the world asunder!"