Lyaro visibly sighs
"I do not trust human justice, they have already been deceived by this man, but I will stand beside you."
Erik says nothing, but steps in closer to Devyhn.
You turn yourselves in and are taken by the guards to prison. Stripped of your weapons holy symbols and spell components they toss you all into a cell together.
you are unsure how long you spend there hours at least and it becomes late.
There is a chill and a breeze and suddenly there is a flock of doves in your cell. Ceyanan appears a moment after.
The angel was floating in the chamber’s center, its toes pointed like a dancer two feet above the floor. The robes that flowed around it in an undetectable breeze were gray against worm-pale skin, and combined with the black hair they made the figure look like a charcoal sketch. Its features were too perfect to be truly beautiful, like a marble statue, and androgynous enough that not even the sheer fabric revealed a gender. More arresting than all of these were the black feathered wings that sprang from its back. Even half folded, they were clearly not normal appendages. More shadow than form, they gave the impression that if they spread, they would not so much unfurl as bloom, the way the dust moved on the ground the angel’s floating seemed to have little to do with them, and they remained still, the individual feathers flickering in and out of visibility. It looked around the room.
"This is not were I expected to find you but it is not fully unexpected. The herald of pharasma groans and bends over a tiny bit seems like he's hurt but is trying not to show it.
Seeing that you all noticed he smiles a bit. "As you completed your task I to had to complete mine. You had to find the man responsible for the theft and my task was to capture the thief and bring him before Pharasma. I paid a visit to the protean responsible shortly after you left and managed to bring him to Pharasma. His screams echoed all the way down to the streets of axis. No being is going to do something that foolish again for a very long time."
A little startled Lyaro looks at Ceyanan
"Well hello there. So we were correct, we got them and this should all wash out in the end?" He says hopefully
"You did well in solving this case. The goddess knew about Khoyar all along of course but forbid me of revealing him as the culprit. It has to be done by someone in the church she said...His goal in becoming a cleric of Pharasma was not to worship death but to find a way to overcome it. He dabbled in the wizard arts as well in secret looking for immortality and even becoming a mystic theurge with mastery of divine and arcane. Still the goddess allowed him to continue as in his own way he did worship death and life. However this business with Anvanory was crossing a line. She took away his clerical powers on the night of the murder and dispatched you to deal with him and me to recover the thief.
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Devyhn bows again to Ceyanan. "So now that divine justice has been served, we now await the justice of mortals," he replies. He looks at the celestial, wondering silently if the Herald will offer any token or testimony in their defense, but resolved to accept the circumstances with or without divine intervention.
"There is something you should know, I briefly spoke to the protean while I had him under guard and found that Khoyar was not the one who bound the protean -indeed such a task would be beyond the magical power of one such as him who divided his skills between arcane and divine. The binding was done by Rasmir himself who then ordered the creature to go to khoyar and do his bidding. There is a grander scheme at work here I suspect Rasmir has some grand plan in place to steal the elixir for himself. As for your trial Anvanory is to be revived and you will find him willing to speak in your defence."
Erik listens carefully but says nothing.
"I must return. Be careful there is yet an agent of Rasmir in the city and he will make a move for the elixir."
"So do we try and hunt them down or guard the elixir?"
The next day you get another visitor. This time it is Yusef the Paladin.
"You have given me much to think about...The soul of the merchant was in the ring as you said and the lady of graves refused to allow him to be revived. I believe what you said in with that in mind I must atone for my actions. He drops a bundle with you confiscated gear. Anvanory has been revived and him and his daughter have been sent home. The elixir is being delivered to his home and for some reason your trial is delayed until tomorrow."
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"Are we officially free to go until then?" Devyhn asks, looking a Yusef quizzically. "It is not typical to release those accused of crimes such as ours, and with our possessions no less. I do not wish to walk from these premises only to be arrested by one of your superiors who feels we have attempted to escape justice."
"Officially no but the grand vizier is pushing for you to be buried up to your neck out in the dessert and left there to be eaten by ants and I suspect that even if you are released by the time you are the sun orchid elixir will have been stolen from the Anvanories"
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"If we are arrested again, I trust we can count on your good honor to testify on our behalf?" Devyhn asks pointedly, then after a moment sighs and shrugs. "It matters little if you will or not. As long as Razmir is involved, I am bound by my duty to the Gray Lady to intervene. Thank you for releasing us."
Devyhn gives the paladin a respectful bow, then kneels to begin collecting his gear.
Lyaro had already bent down to get to his gear, when he straightens and asks a question
"Good Paladin, where is the Sun Orchid Elixir travelling from and how far away is that please? I presume it would be easier to nab it before it reaches the Anvanories?"
"I wouldn't try it. The blind sage will escort the elixir until it is delivered to it's buyer and he is the reason nobody tries to intercept the delivery convoy anymore."
"Who is this Blind Sage and why is he... or she... so feared?"
"He is a blind and mute man who has been guarding the sun orchid elixir since the Age of Enthronement (3832 years ago) and so far as I know nobody has ever stolen a vial from him. Other than that not much is known."
"Yeah he's not harder to steal from than Pharasma and they managed to do that.. so yes let's find him and provide an escort, we'll end up where we need to be as well."
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"If the Razmirans have the ability to bind proteans and create soulless assassins, even this blind sage may not be safe - unless he is some god in disguise. I agree, meeting him en route, or at the very least being at the Anvanory Estate when he arrives would be prudent. Shall we go, then?"
He looks to the others for assent, and gives another nod of acknowledgement to Yusef.
"Yes Devyhn lets go... I suppose to the Anvanories? Or to the monk?"
"If we are to guard the elixir then the earlier in its journey the better. The other choice is to track Razor's agent, but that may prove a formidable task."
Yusef escorts you out the prison you walk right past a checkpoint but the guards let you out. if you ask about Yusef merely says "I told them I needed to release you. They did not question it. I have a reputation as a man of honour in this city. I hope that remains true after this."
Once you get outside "I will remain here and seek an audience with the queen I will try to explain the situation to her."
You leave the capital and rush towards Anvanory Manor taking the route most likely taken by the convoy delivering the Elixir.
You are almost at the manor when you notice a group ahead.
At first you think it's the convoy but then you notice the groups composition. A gnoll, a quasit, a wood elf and two men.
They are still a good two hundred feet ahead of you and their attention is forward so they haven't noticed you yet.
"It sounds like the opening to a bad joke... 'A gnoll, a quasit, a wood elf and two men walk into a bar...'" he gives a wry smirk and nods to Devyhn... "And what do you propose as an alternative? We could hail them, but they might run, and we might never quite catch up to them.. or we could get hasted, catch up to them, and THEN hail them."
"And in close proximity to the Anvanories? No I don't trust the situation either. "
"Such a party is not likely strong enough to take the Elixir. Let us greet them and ask their intent."
Lyaro follows Devyhn his head turning this way and that as their must be more to this.
Keeps up with Devyhn and Lyaro, pace for pace. Seeing Lyaro very attentive to just about everything around, Bleyz does his best to be aware of surroundings as well, just in case Lyaro misses something.
You approach the the group intent on greeting them and the group notices you approaching.
The elf woman acts first taking her bow and shooting at Achren in the air.
One of the men follows it up with a fireball at those on the ground.
DC 29 reflex for half.
Your turn.
Lyaro casts Vanish and then moves 30ft forward
Erik tries to shield Devyhn from the blast but fails, taking the full force.
Erik launches a volley at the man who cast the spell.
Bleyz spends a ki point to increase his speed to 80 to close with them faster,