After finally counting out all fifty platinum pieces Tanith offers them up. "Pleasure doing business with you."
"Maybe not a shop. More of just a big house full of stuff. Have you really never heard of him?"
"Didn't I just say I'm an alchemist?" the dwarf snaps. "Do you hang with druids, and chat about proper prayer techniques? Or whatever it is you do? You look like some sorta priest or something, is why I made that comparison. I dunno, I don't keep up with god stuff. Or crazy mages in their cluttery towers. I got enough work to do without that crud."
Tanith shrugs and snatches up his new wayfinder. "Yeah, whatever. Thanks."
"Come on Red, let's see if Ph'rexis has any of those stones." He says before slipping the cord over his head so it dangles alongside his other amulet.
Astraden nods at Eben. "I am very strong. Wanna bet I can beat this guy in an armwrestle?" she asks, indicating the painter.
"You can certainly paint me, if you want," Rodrigo says. "As long as you capture my true allure that is. I can't have any slanderous depictions of my face running around town."
Yalexex looks at Rodrigo completely seriously. "If I fail to capture your inner self perfectly, I will burn the painting and bury the ashes beneath the shrine wreckage." He looks between Eben and Rodrigo. "If you're both free now, we—I can begin sketching whenever you're free, so we can head to my home and I can get the supplies together?"
"Sure..?" Roridgo says, looking at Eben with a questioning expression.
Eben gives a casual shrug. "Yeah, no time like the present. Hey, if we die next week, at least our dashing good looks will be preserved for all eternity!"
Farrukh throws up his hands.
"I'll just go play some cards. You guys have fun sitting still for a few hours."
Tanith shrugs and snatches up his new wayfinder. "Yeah, whatever. Thanks."
"Come on Red, let's see if Ph'rexis has any of those stones." He says before slipping the cord over his head so it dangles alongside his other amulet.
Carina purses her lips and nods, stepping next to Tanith and putting an arm around him.
"Sounds like he doesn't wanna paint me any more, either. I'll join you," Astraden says, following Farrukh.
"He's just a snob. Not like you're any less attractive than you ever were."
"Eh. We'd be bored stiff anyway."
"Besides, with our luck he probably steals people's souls with his paint or something. We dodged a bullet, really." he says with a wide smile.
The night of the same day, having completed their purchases, the adventurers regroup and head to the shrine of Obad-Hai.
Anlathi is there, standing beside Spiny. "I...dug the grave. Or I used a spell for it. I thought you might want to bury him in a proper graveyard, but then I remembered you might want to bring him back someday. So you can leave him here, and I'll keep him safe in case...in case that becomes possible."
Cuetzpalli's body lies beside a five-foot deep pit in the shrine's center, perfectly preserved. Grass and wildflowers are already beginning to grow on the cube of earth expeditiously excavated prior.
"Shouldn't we...you know. Put him in a coffin or something first?"
Astraden shrugs, stone-faced. "The worms eat him all the same."
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
The sight of his dead brother resting in the earth drives home his absence but the big Kordite refuses to let such negative thoughts dominate the service. Among the Brawler's faithful funerals were meant to be a joyous celebration and Tanith meant to show his living friends what honoring a friend's death should look like. He smiles slightly and squeezes Carina's hand before stepping forward.
"I wish I'd met Cuetzpalli when he first arrived in Diamond Lake. I was too involved in my own b+$~~!~& with Smenk and the mines but I think if I'd met him sooner I might have cleaned up my own life and come to know Kord sooner. He was brave, strong, and loyal to a fault all virtues the Brawler teaches us to inspire in others. In his own way I believe he was doing Kord's will long before I started."
Tanith nods and matches the gaze of the assembled.
"I know it hurts to be apart but we should all take joy in knowing that even now Cuetzpalli feasts in Ysgard, among warriors and heroes as great as he was. His death is a loss but he would not want us to linger on it. He's enjoying the rewards that best of him has earned - his strength, his bravery, his hope in the face of suffering - and it's those parts of Cuetzpalli that we should remember and hold in our hearts as we live on."
"Here here."
"I'm not good with stuff like this, so I'll keep it simple: Cuetzpalli was a good man, and a loyal friend. He didn't deserve what he got in this life, and though I'm glad the afterlife is all he could wish for, I'll still miss the guy."
Astraden takes a piece of earth from the mound beside her friend's grave. "I will remember all of you," she says, clenching her hand around the clump and dropping the fragments into the hole. "He will return," she says to Tanith. "We must only fix the world."
After the others pay their respects, she slowly pulls the monochrome mask from over her head. "For - for another dear friend. I commend you to Olidammara, laughing priest, loving father," she quietly intones. Without another word, she snaps the slip of wood in two pieces and drops them into the grass.
Tanith nods in unspoken agreement when Astraden and Farrukh offer there theoretical goodbyes. He reaches out for Carina's hand offering her support.
Carina takes Tanith's hand and steps forward. She takes a couple of breaths before speaking.
"To be honest, I didn't know Cuetzpalli as well as I thought I did--I consider that to be a personal failing of mine. I didn't know the full extent of his life's journey, but I truly wish that I had. And now his journey is at an end, and he is enjoying his just reward. Rest in peace, Cuetzpalli--you will be missed dearly."
"And to Astraden's godfather--" She looks over at Astraden and sniffs. "--I never truly met you, but from what I have heard, I wish that I had as well. May you wander the Dweller's roads in peace, spreading Olidammara's good cheer in the afterlife and beyond."
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
Eben steps forward, a little hesitantly. "I'm sorry, Cuetz. I'm sorry I couldn't keep myself from being replaced; I'm sorry it was the fake me that sprung the trap that killed you. I'm sorry you only got to ride Spiny for a little while. And I'm so, so sorry that I didn't know how hard being alive was for you. Maybe I could have worked to make the world better while you were here. I don't think there's a single one of us that wasn't saved by you and your trident, or axe, or Spiny, at some point or another, and I want to thank you for that. And I hope all the dinosaurs in Ysgard are big enough to ride." He looks over at the broken mask, and offers another eulogy. "I only met your godfather the once, Astraden, but I saw how much he cared about your well being. Wherever he is, I'm sure he's happy that you get to walk in the world again, and he knows his rapier couldn't have a worthier bearer."
Astraden looks down at the mask, making it hard to see her face. "Thank you both," she says, her voice suddenly thick.
Tanith ponders the assorted damaged stones he held and cocks an eyebrow at the mage. Some of them literally had teeth marks on them.
"So you're telling me these rocks might do something special if I put them inside my Wayfinder?" he asks incredulously. "And they're 200 gold each?!"
Carina looks everywhere in Ph'rexis' shop but at the proprietor himself. Her face is a deep shade of blue.
don'tlookdowndon'tlookdowndon'tlookdowndon'tlookdowndon'tlookdown
"Well, I could spot you the cash, Tanith." She says while admiring a strange crystal with what appears to be decorative fangs. "I've got quite a lot to spend..."
"Yes to both!" Ph'rexis says happily. "I think. I haven't seen one of those wayfinder things in a long time."
"I think I can cover it", Tanith answers while weighing his coin pouch in hand.
After the funeral, Astraden stays by Cuetzpalli's grave, praying to Olidammara. Give me luck in the coming battle. Give me strength to cleanse this city. And . . . let a new mask find its way to me, if you can.
Tanith finds himself surprisingly entertained by the whole process, his eyes growing wide when his wayfinder shoots sparks with each stone's insertion.
"Red you've got to get one of these things!"
Carina eyes the wayfinder with some degree of apprehension, mostly because of the sparks the thing is shooting off every time an ioun stone is inserted.
"Um..." She nervously looks up at Ph'rexis right in the eye. "...do you happen to have another of these things?"
He probably doesn't...
"Of course!" Ph'rexis says, beaming back at Carina. "I have a whole closet full! I keep two in my icebox. One of them's under my pillow. That's why I said I haven't seen a wayfinder in such a long time."
Carina blinks. "Oh... well, may I see one?"
Ph'rexis blinks. "I was being sarcastic, but now that I think about it, I'm honestly not sure."
He turns away, leans over, and starts rummaging through boxes. A minute later, he comes out with a small compass. It has a keyhole where the ioun stone would go, and an actual tiny eye is embedded in the north, south, east and west points of the compass. The eyes swivel to face Carina and blink in unison. "Knew I had one."
Carina holds the wayfinder in her hand, recoiling slightly when the eyes on the compass all look at her and blink.
She rummages around in her coin purse and produces fifty platinum coins. "Here you go. Thank you. Now, about those ioun stones..."
Agate ellipsoid: Increases the caster level of divination spells by 1.
Amber spindle: 5% chance per Reflex saving throw of granting the wearer evasion against that effect; bonuses from multiple amber spindles stack.
Amethyst ellipsoid: +2 circumstance bonus on Stealth checks against undead.
Clear spindle: Protection from possession and mental control (as protection from evil).
Crimson sphere: +1 competence bonus on single Knowledge skill (chosen by the stone's creator).
Dark blue rhomboid: The wearer no longer suffer penalties on Perception checks for being distracted or asleep; during sleep the wearer may remain open-eyed and fully aware of his environment, though he is still helpless against undetected threats until he actually wakes up.
Deep red sphere: Improved Unarmed Strike.
Dull gray stone: Read magic 1/day day for 10 minutes.
Dusty rose prism: +2 insight bonus on CMB and to CMD.
Emerald ellipsoid: 5 additional temporary hit points.
Gamboge nodule: +2 resistance bonus on saving throws against disease.
Gold nodule: +1 bonus on saves against language-dependent effects.
Incandescent blue sphere: Blind-Fight.
Iridescent spindle: Endure elements, as the spell, as well as protection against exposure to vacuum and underwater pressure.
Lavender and green ellipsoid: If the bearer is holding the wayfinder, he may use the stone's absorption ability as an immediate action instead of a readied action.
Magenta prism: +1 bonus on one saving throw not modified by the ability score the stone is currently attuned to (chosen at the same time as the ability score).
Mossy disk: +1 competence bonus on Appraise checks.
Mulberry pentacle: +2 competence bonus on Sense Motive checks.
Nacreous gray sphere: Miss chance against incorporeal creatures decreases to 25%.
Onyx rhomboid: Virtue at will (self only).
Opalescent white pyramid: Weapon Focus with the stone's keyed weapon.
Orange prism: Every time the bearer casts a spell, roll 1d4–2 and add this (and the +1 caster level granted by the normal power of the ioun stone) to his caster level. If this modified caster level is too low to cast the spell, the spell fails and is lost.
Pale blue rhomboid: +1 bonus on Fortitude saves.
Pale green prism: Twice per day as a free action the bearer may remove the fatigued condition from himself as a free action (or reduce the exhausted condition to fatigued).
Pale lavender ellipsoid: If the bearer is holding the wayfinder, he may use the stone's absorption ability as an immediate action instead of a readied action.
Pale orange rhomboid: A soul held within the stone can remain there indefinitely as long as the wayfinder remains on the soul's original body. If the wayfinder is removed from the body, the ioun stone's resonant power is suppressed until the wayfinder is replaced.
Pale ruby trillian: Increase by 10 feet the distance the bearer may fall safely (stacks with other effects that increase this distance, such as making Acrobatics checks or falling into water).
Pearly white spindle: +1 sacred bonus on saves against attacks that rely on negative energy.
Pink and green sphere: +1 bonus on Will saves.
Pink rhomboid: +1 bonus on Reflex saves.
Scarlet and blue sphere: +1 bonus on Will saves.
Scarlet and green cabochon: +5 bonus on Constitution checks made to stabilize.
Silver Spindle: All spell-like abilities granted by race are treated as 1 caster level higher.
Tourmaline sphere: +1 bonus on Constitution checks to stabilize when dying.
Turquoise sphere: +2 competence bonus on Handle Animal checks.
Vermilion rhomboid: Breathe water for up to 10 minutes per day, useable in 1-minute increments.
Vibrant purple prism: The bearer may use a standard action to expend one stored spell level in the stone, refreshing a cast 1st-level spell as if using a pearl of power.
Given a week of nothing to do but watch other people spend money, Eben decides early on to revert to some old habits.
"Keep your eye on the red lady, folks!" he says flourishing a handful of cards in a perfectly splayed fan before doing a two-handed deck rifle that sends all 52 cards flying through the air to be collected in his opposite palm.
Well, not the bad old habits; tempting as the thought was, he decided against running any quick cons, partly because, with his newfound state of detente with the thieves' guild, he's hesitant to upset the apple cart. But mostly because he doesn't have much of an appetite for running a scam on random people anymore. (Even though some of the people who stop and watch his street act look like they could afford to lose a purseful of gold or three...) Sad as it may sound, spending his time being sort of heroic has changed him.
But the fact remains he's spending money on lodging and doesn't currently have any gold flowing in. So, he spends all week going back to entertaining, like the old days in the city. First off he makes a stop at a supply shop he used to frequent in those old days and replaces the masterwork deck of cards he gave away back in Lambere. (You have to spend money to make money, after all...)
And after that, when he's not helping with others shopping, doing an unexpected bit of art modeling, or otherwise running errands around town, he spends a few hours each day on the main thoroughfare of Midnight's Muddle gathering crowds and astonishing them with some of his better magic tricks, and doing the same most evenings at the Crooked House.
After deducting the cost of his new deck of cards, he comes out slightly ahead. Certainly the extra gold helps him break even on a week of staying at the Crooked House.
As the moon rises, Astraden gets up, dusting off her new set of clothes. "Thank you, Anlathi. Could you tell me, are there any shops still open at this hour?"
"Um...I assume some?" The elf shrugs. "I don't get out much. Or, um, at all. I'm not sure it's safe for me out there, considering what happened to the last priest who got suspicious around here."
Carina sighs as the ioun stones don't resonate with her wayfinder.
"Aww... hey, Tanith? Do you mind if I try out the two that resonated with yours?"
Tanith hands over the lucky pair. "Sure Red. Give 'em a shot."
Carina starts plugging the stones into her wayfinder one at a time to see their effects.
When the second stone is placed into the device, the needle instantly spins to point at Carina.
Carina keeps the ioun stone that makes her feel more charismatic and hands the other one back to Tanith.
"Thanks." She slips the wayfinder into her pocket.