"Heck, I want the stuff," Belka says, eyes narrowing. Then she looks to Bydar. "But I can't speak for a whole city of folks. I'm not a chancellor or what have you, so it's your decision, boss."
Reis snorts, "Not that it's any of your business, but I don't force nobody to stay here if they don't like the way we run things. We keep 'em safe, warm, and fed. If they want to take their chances somewhere else, good luck to 'em."
"I suppose that's all one can ask," Bydar admits in a slightly apologetic tone.
Upon hearing Belka's question, he narrows his eyes a bit and glances at one of his henchmen. Looking back, "Yeah, we heard of him. He founded our town. Left before we got here."
With a wide smile, he leans back in his chair, "Come to think of it, we might have a chest of stuff he left behind when he took off. Personal effects, books, papers, that kind of thing. I wonder if we could find it?"
He looks to the man on his right, "You think we can find it, Gor?"
The man looks thoughtful, then nods, "Sure, boss. We could find it, but it would take a bit of work. It's in that storage shed with all those books and records. Might need two, three people to go in there with me."
Reis looks back at Belka, "There you go. He's not around no more, but we might have some of his stuff."
He stands up slowly, followed by his comrades. Reis holds out his hands and smiles, "And I tell you what, I can see it's important to you, so you can have it. I'll give you the chest and everything in it, no strings attached."
One of the men starts to speak but Reis puts a hand on his chest, "No, I want to do this."
Gesturing at Bydar, Reis continues, "You say a new land is being started, and that's good. Bringing more people in, more trade, I got no problem with that. What I do have a problem with is neighbors who don't get along with me and my kin, trying to judge us when they don't even know what they're talking about or dealing with. We've been here for ten years keeping this town and the people in it safe. We've all got families, friends, and we don't need people coming here intruding on our lives. So let's make a deal right here: you don't have to like me, and I don't have to like you, but if I learn something about this army, I'll let you know. And if you learn something, you let me know. Otherwise, we leave each other alone and we each go our own way. Deal?"
"Sincere," Hoi Polloi hisses, "him."
Other than that, the hooded warrior continues to stand at Belka's shoulder, waiting for the next thing to happen.
Bydar glances to Hoi, a being he barely knows, but he begins to suspect the fellow has insight for all his strangeness
Bydar raises a brow, "And I have a problem with folks who offer food they don't eat themselves and then try to intimidate their guests, Headman, so let's not pretend it's just what you are or believe that's involved in my distrust. However," He nods, "You are also right. We don't have to like each other, but an exchange of knowledge about threats to our lands is best for those counting on us. And I agree to that," He shakes the hand, "I don't know if we'll ever be allies, but maybe we can still be good neighbors. Time will tell."
Reis nods once. In a more somber voice, he responds, "Fair enough, but we can't eat that. It's all poisoned."
He looks at you for a moment to gauge your reaction, then smiles broadly, "Ah, I'm just joking!" he says with a laugh. Indicating his two comrades, he continues, "We only eat a few times a week. Have to watch it or we'd end up big as whales."
"Anyway, I'll have Gor take a few men and search through that warehouse. Might take a while, so you can either wait out here, or we'll put it on a cart with a couple of guards and take it where you want it."
Raxus stands and readies to leave. He had nothing to say to these people.
Reis nods once. In a more somber voice, he responds, "Fair enough, but we can't eat that. It's all poisoned."
Bydar merely raises a brow.
He looks at you for a moment to gauge your reaction, then smiles broadly, "Ah, I'm just joking!" he says with a laugh. Indicating his two comrades, he continues, "We only eat a few times a week. Have to watch it or we'd end up big as whales."
"No one can deny that you are an interesting people," He admits.
"Anyway, I'll have Gor take a few men and search through that warehouse. Might take a while, so you can either wait out here, or we'll put it on a cart with a couple of guards and take it where you want it."
"I think if you're being kind enough to bring this to us, it's only fair we show some patience, thank you." He answers.
Arianna stands with Bydar, and bows respectfully to Reis when the group prepares to depart. The young woman carefully takes mental notes of the features and mannerisms of Reis and his wereshark henchmen before leaving.
The group turns back for Corbenic after they receive the chest. While disappointed to find the "chest" is actually much smaller than expected, it is full of papers and letters that seem authentic.
On the journey home, the conversation turns to the strange request made by the lemkin fey - that you investigate a unusual door that leads to a magical staircase. Coupled with the symbol given to you with the request, solemn looks are traded before the decision is made to investigate the door.
Following the directions given to Arianna, the group makes its way to a small forest south of Corbenic. After searching for several hours, the destination is finally discovered. A massive oak tree rests in a small clearing at what must be the very center of the forest. Easily ten feet in diameter, the sheer majesty of the tree almost overwhelms even the least emotional members of the group.
Recovering from the shock, the path leading to the door is finally discovered - a narrow fissure in the ground is almost entirely hidden by the features of the tree and its huge root system. You are fairly certain that even if you had plenty of time to search, you would not have found this crevasse without knowing about it. Steps carved into the dirt and covered by leaves and twigs lead down into the darkness.
After descending about 30 feet or so below ground level, the stairway opens up into a small room. Fitted stones form a solid floor, while the walls curve upward to form a rough earthen dome over your heads. On the far side of the room, an old wooden door sits inside an ornately carved frame.
Arianna hums a quick tune, casting a spell to reveal magical auras as she studies the wooden door inside the ornately carved frame.
"This air smells like it's been through a thunderstorm, and it's charged with static electricity."
Raxus was cramped. He really didn't like being under ground. He kept at the rear of the group and sat down on the stairs once they entered the small room.
The air made his skin crawl. He didn't enjoy it.
"I don't understand why we are here."
"Because of the debt we owe the fey for getting rid of the Black Guild members in Corbenic," Arianna replies to Raxus' question. "Behind this door is a magical staircase that leads to several other doors. One of the other doors bears this symbol." The young woman opens her hand, revealing a piece of paper bearing an image of a rose with exaggerated thorns. "It's the same symbol that was on Zatlusan the gnome's signet ring and the thorn knights that he left in the fey gnomes' village. A Royal emblem of the First World. The lemkin who visited me in Corbenic want us to go through the door bearing this symbol, see where it leads, then come back and report our findings to them. They've given us three months to complete their task..."
Arianna lets the implications of what may happen to Corbenic if the companions don't repay the debt to the fey within the allotted timespan hang silently within the air of the subterranean chamber.
Bydar would have cast detect magic on the contents of the chest, he half way expects some sort of scrying
When they move down underground, Bydar nods
"I agree with Ari, we certainly don't want to upset our allies. And yes, I can feel the lightning in the air too. I'm starting to wonder if metal armor might not have its drawbacks."
"Hn," Belka says, frowning as she tries to smooth down her hair. "I wonder whether it mightn't be that the thunderstorm is getting ready to erupt in here. Or else did someone throw around oodles of magic lightning...?"
Like Arianna and Bydar, Belka mutters a brief cantrip and looks around the room.
Belka's frown deepens even further when she hears about the Lemkin and the debt the group owes them. "Don't mind helping you, seeing as I live in your city," she says. "I'll just say this: it's best not to incur too many debts from the Fey. Or anything else of that stripe."
"Fae, like the Barons of the Wood? I like them, but they do seem like they come from a very strange people. The Mites were Fae as well, and the... bird thing that chased us?"
"This first world does not seem like an easy place to live"
After examining the room for several minutes, the only route forward seems to be through the door. Taking the plunge, you find that the door swings inward. The static in the air immediate dissipates as the door opens to reveal what lies behind it. Beyond the doorframe is a large stone platform, roughly thirty feet wide and long.
But the most stunning part of what you see has to be the lack of walls, or any other kind of structure, on or around the platform. From what you can see, the platform is suspended in the middle of space. Where you should see walls and a ceiling, you see millions and millions of stars.
As you take in the sight, you also notice three twenty-foot wide staircases connected to the platform, one leading down directly opposite your door, and one on your left and right going up. appears Strange vines loosely encircle the staircases, seemingly having no beginning and no end. It seems like the vines on the staircase leading up to the left are significantly more healthy and green than those on the other stairs.
It seems the staircases leading away from the platform all end at other platforms. Each of them is several hundred feet away from where you stand, one below, and two above. You can also make out other stairways leading to and from those platforms. But no matter how far up or down you look, you do not see and end to this apparently infinite staircase.
Raxus immediately crouches low and puts a hand on the ground in the center of the platform, not liking the stomach-rolling feeling of an impending fall that being here gives him.
He looks at the staircases and does not seem thrilled.
"Where are we supposed to go?" then after a pause, "Where are we?"
"I don't know, but it's beautiful."
Seeing the infinite stairs she asks
"Does this thing go on forever?"
"They might," Belka says, shrugging. "Or it might all just be a spectacle of illusions, and only a bit of it is real. Right now, I couldn't tell you."
Hoi Polloi turns to Raxus and unslings his longbow, nocking an arrow in readiness. "Dangerous place," the hooded guardian hisses. "Flying enemies can come from anywhere. Be cautious."
While he truly doesn't know at first glance where they are, Bydar tries to think on his lessons, the teachings he had of other planes and the like.
Belka is also combing her memory for any useful tidbit of information she might have picked up.
"I'm not sure we're on Golarian anymore...at least, the staircase isn't. Let's keep looking for that symbol."
"Follow the strongest growth of ivy," Belka says. "We're following Fey cues, so we need the strongest signs of nature."
Bydar nods to Belka's suggestion, and follows the ivy growth as she says.
The stairs are uniformly twenty feet wide, as if some master architect was behind their creation. In addition, each step is precisely as high and deep as the step before and after it, and the edges are slightly rounded. You hear your footsteps, but with the open space around you, there is no echo.
Fifteen minutes pass and you finally reach the next platform. Looking back down, you are able to follow the staircase you just climbed, but it appears to curve around in a wide arc. While you were on it, there was no indication of anything but "going up"... it must be a strange aspect of this place.
Another door is located on this platform, made from what appears to be jet black metal. The frame is made from similar material, and the hinges are massive, almost reinforced. At ten feet away from the door, you begin to feel a sensation of heat emanating from the metal.
You also see another staircase around which the green ivy wraps and ascends. To your surprise, a strange humanoid figure is descending the staircase headed right toward you. It moves in a short hopping manner, and wears heavy dark robes that conceal its body from the neck down (though you can make out two arms and two legs). It does not possess a mouth or nose - it's face is smooth and white, with only two large dark eyes breaking the surface.
Bydar looks curiously at the being approaching and whispers, "I've never seen someone like this before, does anyone know what race or species he or she is?"
"I almost feel like I should know it," Belka mutters in reply, "but it escapes me. Maybe it's headed for the hot door?" Belka's brow wrinkles, and she gives Bydar a look. "Something... Umm, what was it? 'The sequence of extra-planar beings recognition is as follows... Xa, Ya, Ta, Va, Ka, Na, Ga'... You know, the Codex of the Planes! Standard work. I'm sure this thing is in there somewhere..."
"Stand asiiide?" Hoi Polloi hisses. "Attaaack? Fleee? Whiiich?"
The hooded guardian's fingers twitch slightly as he tenses his bowstring a little, ready to pull it all the way back and let it fly. He also takes a gliding step forward, ending between Belka and the oncoming creature.
"Best to give it plenty of room I think. We're not looking for a fight after all but we don't want to be caught off guard in case it wants on either. Back up a bit and give it room."
The creature reaches the platform, then raises its head sharply, apparently only noticing you for the first time. After a moment, it bobs its head once, then moves toward the metal door. Thin fingers reach out and touch the metal door in several places in a seemingly random pattern. Finishing the ritual, the creature pushes with one hand and the door opens.
Through the opening you see a hellish landscape. Sharp gray rocks reach high into the sky, and massive volcanoes are visible many miles away in the distance. But what you really notice is the heat that blasts from the open doorway - the only sensation you can compare it to is what you have seen and felt from white-hot iron being pulled from the fire.
The creature steps through and disappears from view. The iron door swings closed a few seconds later.
Once the door closes, he dares to say "Gehenna..." and then shudders. "Let's move on."
Arianna remains silent in the back of the group as the strange creature approaches the iron doorway. The young woman carefully watches the ritual that the creature uses to open the portal before it enters the hellish place.
"Well," she says in a subdued tone after the iron door closes. "Shall we continue along the ivy-path?" she asks, pointing toward the stairway that the strange creature descended.
"Yes, whatever we're going to, it has to be safer than that." Bydar makes to move as Ari suggested
Raxus stared in awe and horror when the create opened the door to that burning place. He shook his head and backed away, his mind reeling.
"How?"
"Where... I don't understand?"
"What is this?"
"It's just a very far place," Belka says, reaching up to pat Raxus as far up the back as she can reach. "When you're on Golarion, there are places so far away you can't see them all the time, right? This is like that, just even further. Don't worry about it. You won't have to go to that horrible place unless you decide to become a mass-murdering bastard for the sole sake of killing. Let's just move on."
Raxus took a deep breath and began carefully moving up the stairs again.
"It's true what she says, Raxus. Places like that are reserved for evil people normally. In some ways, it's a place people send themselves."
"One good thing," Belka says as she moves on, following the ivy's growth while Hoi Polloi follows her, "looks like there's a code of conduct on these stairs. Any denizen from Gehenna should'a been lusting for our blood, but it passed with a nod! Might be some rule ta do no harm 'xcept to those who does it to you, first. Helpful, that."
"Very, given the power some creatures are said to have. I propose we adopt that policy as a default , but everyone keep their guard up regardless"
"So that thing was once a person?" Raxus said with a disbelieving eyebrow raised.
"Perhaps it once was. I didnt recognize it so much as the realm it went to. Actually, I really should study more on the planar creatures now that you mention it."
Raxus shuddered and kept slowly climbing the stairs.
Several minutes pass as the group climbs the staircase. Those who dare to look back see the lower stairs curling unnaturally away from you leading back to the platform you just left. Luckily, those in front of you seem to be a consistently strait line - it's almost as if the stairway makes it easy for you to get where you're going.
You continue to climb toward the next platform which, like the others, seems to simply hang in the middle of this place without any supports. As you reach a point fifty feet away, a hoarse cry can be heard, followed by several loud "thumps!"
upon hearing the cry of pain, and the thumps sounded almost like fists being used on another person.
Bridgette says
"I wonder if we're getting closer to some dark plane where immoral people are sent?"
"Mmmm?" Bydar seems to have been distracted
Raxus' eyes went hard. He knew that sound well. He'd been the victim of it for a long time.
The heavy muscles of his neck and shoulders bunched and he moved toward the noise, suddenly ignoring the surroundings that made him so uncomfortable.