Douena lets the pearl go with no regrets or second thoughts and opens the door to let the two crabs out. "It's cheating because we didn't catch them," she explains to Pezock. "Swim away, little crabs! Do they swim, or do they walk? Wouldn't it be interesting to walk along the bottom of the lake and see what's down there on the bottom? I bet people have dropped all sorts of interesting things down there." She settles in as Pezock's crab-catching assistant, lighting up small stones and dropping them in the water so he can see beneath the surface more easily and otherwise following instructions.
Urza smiles at Douena. She is absolutly the heart of the group. "Come on, Makoa. Lets make ourselves useful and look out for trouble."
"Might worry a few people, a pair of strange and dangerous looking half-orcs walking around." Makoa replies. "Let's go."
The people of the village actually pay Urza and Makoa little mind. The two half-orcs' appearances don't seem to unsettle the villagers, although the villagers don't approach unless approached first (they treat the rest of the party much the same way, though).
Sasha and Lorenz wander off on their own, while Alton circles in the sky above the lake, only to occasionally dive down to snatch a fish out of the water.
Ishirou stays with Shokambe while he talks to the villagers. Eventually, the two of them return to the rest of the group. "The man I seek is apparently in the area," Shokambe says. "The villagers say he has been residing a few hours walk north of here for the last week or so, tending to some local fauna or something like that. We could go now, but it will be past nightfall when we reach there, and we'll still need to do a bit of searching to locate him precisely. Or we could wait until morning."
Douena is muddy past her knees and damp up to her shoulders from the crab hunt. "Oh!" she cries anxiously. "We should go right away! Or should we wait until morning? What if we can't find him in the dark? Or what if we wake him up and he's cranky? But then what if he's finished with what he was doing and he leaves tonight and we can't find him tomorrow? What should we do?"
"It is probably not wise to travel in the jungle at night. However, I would feel guilty if we missed our chance at.... helping our friend." After a moment's consideration Urza decides, "I say we go now."
Ishirou nods at Urza. "I agree. Now."
Mahjik smiles in return and lets the waitress continue her duties. He enjoys his stay in the tavern - it has been a while since a lazy hour or two could pass for him. While nursing a drink of two over the next couple of hours he pays some subtle attention to the waitress and her demeanor. After that time he nods to himself, satisfied that very little gave away the potential prowess of the waitress. This in itself was quite a feat - as most people could be fairly quickly gauged to be quite dangerous or rather harmless - regardless of the accuracy of such evaluations - but the waitress... not her.
Mahjik nods to the girl, when he feels the place is running into a relative dry spell over the early afternoon, and beckons for her to sit at his table. As she approaches he indicates a series of subtle gestures that are easy to miss or disregard by the uninitiated, but to a follower of the Kusari-Gama faction of martial artists the signs were meaningful. The girl sits down and responds appropriately with a few symbols of her own.
Bowing his head subtly in respect, the little man speaks: "Irori's thoughts on our meeting. I am Mahjik-san, someplaces known as the Flink. It is an honor to meet you. I've been traveling for quite a while now - gathering the progress and new insights of the Kusari-Gama in the less accessible places on Golarion. Kalabuto was to be my last stop before returning - though it seems I'll spend some more time in the jungle." He bows deeper now, obvious to anyone who cares to pay attention in the tavern, "I humbly ask to learn what I may from you."
"I'm not sure I could track him if he left. Now would be better."
Shokambe nods. "Then we will leave now. We need to head straight north from here."
"I will gather Lorenz and Sasha," Ishirou says, and rushes off to find the two.
Pezock gathers up the crab cages and peers at the three crabs he's managed to catch. "Not as many as I'd hoped," he says. "But we will eat them later tonight!" He starts marching northwards, not waiting for Ishirou to get back with Sasha and Lorenz. Luckily, those three arrive very soon after and you all catch up to the tengu with ease.
The journey north soon takes you away from the mud and into tall grasses growing on gently rolling hills. A few trees dot the landscape here and there. There are quite a few birds about, but you don't see very many other animals. Alton zips by on occasion, stirring the birds into a panicked frenzy, but otherwise everything is calm.
After a couple hours, the sun begins to set to your left. As the light dims, you reach a small stream with a number of animals drinking at it. They clear away at your approach. "This is a good spot to begin the search," Shokambe says. He bends down along the banks of the stream and begins to examine the grasses.
-- success
Working together, Shokambe and Makoa quickly determine that there have been a number of humans (or humanoids) through this area in the last several days--one more frequently and more recently than the others. This particular human seems to be always in the company of a large cat, probably a lion. Shokambe says that should be the right trail, and you turn to the northwest to follow the trail. Makoa is able to pick up a scent to help keep track of the trail, especially after night falls completely.
After a couple hours the trail has become much clearer and the scent stronger. Up ahead, you see a single tree at the top of a small hill. A human-shaped figure is lying against the tree, apparently asleep. A lion stands near the figure--very clearly wide awake and staring straight in your direction.
"Oooh, a lion!" Douena breathes, her eyes glowing with excitement. "Do you think he'd let me ride it? After we meet him, I mean. The hill and the tree reminds me of Aycenia. Do you think he's as nice as Aycenia? We shouldn't wake him up; he'll be cranky. Why don't we camp down here and keep an eye on him, and when he wakes up we can say hello? What's his name, Shokambe? Did you find out? Everyone has the most interesting pets around here."
"Lions can be quite savage creatures," Shokambe replies quietly to Douena, keeping his eyes on the lion the whole time. "Even ones that are pets. However, I suppose you will have to talk to Entelu about that. That's the druid's name, by the way. Entelu. You are right that we shouldn't wake him, though I am less worried about him being cranky than I am the lion."
"But the lion's already awake so it can't get cranky if we wake it up," Douena reasons. "Do you think it stays awake all night while he sleeps to keep watch? But then when does the lion sleep?"
"I am Ntisi," the waitress says, "and it is likewise an honour to meet you. You are undoubtedly concerned about the people who attacked you last night. Yes, I know about that. Word spreads fast in Kalabuto. As you're probably already aware, the people who attacked you were a gang of mercenaries. They're known throughout town as being willing to work for anyone with the right coin. Alas, I don't know who hired them. The young girl, Kibi, is an independent. She's not part of the mercenary group. She was presumably hired to work with them, but whether she was hired by the mercenaries themselves or by the people who hired the mercenaries, I have no idea. She is unlikely to provide that information to either of us. For somebody so young, she has developed great skills. However, on her own, she would not be a match for you and your friends."
Ntisi pauses for a moment, thinking. "I don't know who hired your attackers, but... It was likely the Aspis Consortium or the government. Word says your group has discovered something valuable and both groups would do anything in their power to acquire your knowledge." She holds up her hand. "No, don't tell me anything about it. It will soon be known that we have spoken and people will come to me to learn what I know. I will tell them everything, so the less you tell me, the better for you."
"But the lion's already awake so it can't get cranky if we wake it up," Douena reasons. "Do you think it stays awake all night while he sleeps to keep watch? But then when does the lion sleep?"
"Yes, but waking the man could make the lion cranky," Shokambe says with a smile. "The lion probably sleeps whenever it wants to. It may have been asleep before we saw it. It probably heard and saw us coming before we saw it."
He points a short distance to the side. "We can camp over there. Hopefully, it is far enough away that we do not seem threatening, but still close enough that he will see us upon waking."
"I wish there were something to write on," Douena looks around forlornly. "I could draw him a picture like for the woman with the dinosaur at the salt mine. Whoever's on watch ought to be able to get his attention, though."
Mahjik bows his head in gratitude, "I understand that you are compromising your position for me. You have my thanks. ...for the purpose of my work... will you accept a sparring match with me? As the mind studies, so the body studies too. Perhaps it can also help ease the problems that will come from having associated with me."
"I'm not so worried about the lion being cranky, but if that shaman is in a foul mood it will make him less likely to aid us. I could use the rest in any case." Urza makes helps make camp.
You move off to the side of the hill and set up camp for the night. The lion continues to watch you as you do so. Once you've settled down, the lion eventually lies down as well, but those of you on watch notice that it's always facing your direction, and even though its head may be down and its eyes closed, it appears ready to leap up at the slightest provocation.
Assuming you do nothing to provoke it, however, the night passes by without incident. (Pezock mutters on a couple of occasions that he's sure he could take the lion, but he never actually puts that to the test.)
The man on the hill awakens with the first light of dawn, the lion jumping to its feet the moment the man stirs. It doesn't take him long to notice your group camped to the side of the hill, and he peers down at you cautiously for a moment. Then he glances at the lion by his side, as if looking for advice or approval. The lion just looks straight out at your group. With a shrug, the man begins moving in your direction, waving to you as he does so.
He's a middle-aged Zenj man, his dark hair spotted with grey. He wears simple travelling robes, although you get the impression he's wearing light armour under the robes. He carries a staff that he leans on as he walks. There are a couple of small pouches hanging from his belt, but otherwise he carries no other noticeable items or weapons.
Urza greets him with a traveler's welcome. "Welcome, friend. Come share our fire, add to the stew, and tell your tale." Urza prepares a bowl of the crab stew for the newcomer. "I don't know if our fare is appropriate for your friend, but you are both welcome to some."
Makpa watches the pair carefully as they approach. The lion could be a problem if things took a turn for the worse, and if the man was a druid, then he could cast spells. Still, neither sparked Makoa's instinct to fight, so he sits calmly by the fire and waits.
"Greetings! the man says in reply to Urza. "It is not often I awake to find such a large group camped so close. I suppose you must be looking for me. I am Entelu. Thank you for kind offer of hospitality."
He finds a spot to sit near the fire and settles himself down carefully. The lion stands beside him and nuzzles its head against Entelu's. "This is Zin," he says, indicating the lion. "She is friendly enough. As long as you stay on her good side. Now, what can I do for you?"
Douena stares at the lion excitedly. "Can I pet her?" she asks hopefully. "Yes, we were looking for you. We had a friend who was killed in Kalabuto, and we thought maybe you could make him better."
Urza hands Entelu the bowl of crab stew. "I am Urza." He points to the others as he names them. "Douena, Makoa, Shakombe, Lorenz, Sasha, Pezock, and Ishirou. It is as Douena said. We came here hoping you would aid us by returning our companion to us."
Zin looks at Douena as she asks to pet her, eyes narrowed slightly. Entelu strokes the tiger's neck gently. He then takes the bowl of stew from Urza. "Thank you," he says, nodding as Urza introduces everyone. Turning to Douena, he adds, "Approach her slowly, hands down at your side. She knows that I am calm, so as long as you do not provoke her, she should accept you. She likes a good neck rub."
He looks to the rest of you. "Return your companion to you. Your friend must have meant a lot to you for you to go to this trouble. It is not an easy task. The spell itself is not difficult, but it requires some very rare oils. And it will not simply return life to your friend's corpse. It will merely guide his spirit into a new body formed by the land itself. There is no way to control the appearance or even race of this new form. I'm sure if you were to travel to Eleder, you could find a priest there to raise your friend's original body."
He pauses momentarily, noting a couple people like Sasha, shaking their heads ever so slightly. "Or perhaps Eleder is too far away to get there in time," he continues. "Or a cleric would charge more than you can afford. Tell me about your friend. Tell me why he deserves to return to life."
Douena inches excitedly up to the big cat, holding her arms stiffly against her sides as the druid instructed. Gazing up with shining eyes, she cautiously pets the tawny coat with a few fingers; if she's not met with a growl, she quickly escalates to a vigorous scratching with both hands buried in Zin's fur. "Jask? He kept us alive when we were all shipwrecked on Smuggler's Shiv. I mean, I helped, but Jask knew a lot more about diseases and how to make people better than I do. He knew lots of stuff, and he taught me lots of stuff. And the people in Eleder were mean to him; they locked him in a cage, and then some other people were going to kill him because they said we were ... mining diamonds? Something ridiculous. And then we got to Kalabuto, and the Pathfinders sent us to a dwarf who was supposed to protect us but he didn't, and people came and tried to kill us to get us to tell them what the Pathfinders wanted, and Jask was in another room, and I couldn't get to him in time, and he died all by himself." She's snuffling a little by the end of her story. "And we know he wouldn't be the same kind of person as before, but that's okay because he was kind of old for a human, and if he came back the same, he might just have gotten killed again or died anyway. Plus, if the government people in Eleder want to find him again to lock him up, they won't be able to because he'll be different and they won't recognize him. And I think it will be very interesting because I like surprises."
"He was a good man, and a good friend. If he wants a second chance at life, he deserves it. Douena has already told everything else I'd say."
"We don't have a whole lot of money," Douena explains helpfully, "but we've got a lot of worthless junk. Some heavy old Pathfinder compasses and a wand. And I have a bunch of red pearls left from the island. Oh! I should have brought my tiara, but I left it in Kalabuto." She looks momentarily crestfallen. "Still, it was a grand gesture. I hope Cheiton tells Gelik about it. And we have two crab cages. You could have one."
"Jask is a worthy man. I know because I have spent a disproportionate amount of time with bad people. Mean, hurtful, spiteful, evil people. Jask is the sort of man that the world needs more of. He is kind, humble, brave, intelligent, and warm. He is a devoted friend. His quiet strength kept us strong on that island and knowing him makes me a better man. No matter his form, Jask is the best of us."
Sasha nods at Urza's words. "He really was the best of us," she says. "He deserves another chance at life."
Entelu nods slowly as everyone speaks, and surveys each of you closely. His gaze stops at Pezock, who is the only one of you who seems disinterested in goings-on. "What of you?" he asks the tengu.
Pezock shrugs. "We live, we die. Sometimes we live twice. Which is what they want him to do. He wasn't a coward like the cowardly monk who isn't here right now. I respect that. So if he wants to live again and they want him to live again, I don't have a problem with that. We will seek glory and adventure together!"
"I see," Entelu responds.
Shokambe speaks up. "I have heard much of you, wise Entelu. I was the one who suggested they seek you out to help their friend. They speak truthfully to you, and if it is within your power to grant their request, I ask that you do so."
Entelu smiles. "I am willing to cast the spell. However, I was not expecting this today, so you will need to wait until tomorrow. Provided he has not been dead more than a week, that is. If he has, there is nothing I can do for you. As I said, I will need some rare, precious oils. You can use the next twenty-four hours to acquire them for me. I will provide you with a complete description of what I need."
"Thank you," Mahjik drops his head in return.
Mahjik spends the rest of the afternoon waiting out the shift. In the first hour he still orders a secondary light meal - but after that he just nurses the food before him slowly. Toward the deadline he begins stretching a little - not enough to draw attention - just limbering up a little while seated.
When Ntisi indicates she is done, Mahjik presents two open palms to her - one indicating the room, the other outside, an open question to her.
Douena pulls her hands out of the lion's coat to count anxiously on her fingers. "I think it's been ... four days? Five?" She looks around for confirmation. "Jask would know. Where do we find oils? My brother-in-law bought cooking oil from the store back in Whistledown."
"They're not the kind of oils you would cook with," Entelu says with a smile. He begins to describe the specific oils he needs, referring to a number of rare, but local, plants. "It would take you days to find and press a high enough quantity of the oils if you search the wilderness for the plants," he says. "However, I'm sure you can buy some already prepared from the village by the lake. As well as being a component for reincarnation spells, the oils are also bought by traders for resale to rich northerners who use them for various aesthetic purposes. The oils do produce a pleasant smell when burned."
"The village we just came from?" Douena asks. "They were nice. They gave us the crab cages. Does anyone ever ride on Zin? I have a lizard, and he rides on me."
Urza listens closely as Entelu describes the required oils and the plants from which they come. "They were nice. At least the villagers we met. The ones we'll need to talk to this time will surely be a different sort. They'll be more savvy for sure." Urza wonders at the trouble that will undoubtedly await them or their return to the village.
"The village we just came from?" Douena asks. "They were nice. They gave us the crab cages. Does anyone ever ride on Zin? I have a lizard, and he rides on me."
"No one has ever ridden her," Entelu replies. "At least, not as long as I've known her, which is several years now. I don't think she would appreciate it very much, though I could be wrong, as no one has ever tried."
Urza listens closely as Entelu describes the required oils and the plants from which they come. "They were nice. At least the villagers we met. The ones we'll need to talk to this time will surely be a different sort. They'll be more savvy for sure." Urza wonders at the trouble that will undoubtedly await them or their return to the village.
Entelu chuckles and nods. "They will be savvy, as they must deal with northern traders frequently. However, treat them with respect and they will show you respect in return. At least, I'm fairly certain they will." He frowns slightly and shrugs.
"I don't think there will be much problem dealing with the villagers," Shokambe speaks up.
"If time is an issue, I could... carry someone back. Without my gear, I can run much faster." It's clear Makoa doesn't like the idea of carrying someone to the village, but when a friend's second chance at life is on the line...
"Time shouldn't be a problem," Shokambe says. "We can easily make it to the village and back again by tomorrow morning."
"Then what are we waiting for?" Sasha says, jumping to her feet. She grabs Lorenz's arm and pulls him to his feet as well. "Might as well get started."
"No one had ever ridden on me," Douena points out, reluctantly leaving the lion, "before Sir Ralph, and I hardly even know he's there. You tell her to think about it while we're gone."
Entelu smirks a little. "I will tell her to think about it, but she does have a stubborn streak to her." He strokes the lion's neck. "She only really listens to me when she wants to. I delude myself into thinking I'm in charge sometimes, but really, I think she's the one in charge of our little partnership. Typical cat, I suppose."
He stands up, leaning slightly on Zin for support as he does so. "I will collect a few other minor things I need and meet you here again tomorrow morning, when we will call your friend's soul back to the world."
"Thank you," Shokambe says.
You pack up your camp and set out again back towards the lake. Pezock grumbles a bit about how if you're just going to end up coming back to the same spot again, he might as well just wait here for you to come back. Then he decides that that would be boring and he could go treasure hunting while the rest of you search for boring oils.
"Those boring oils are for bringing Jask back," Sasha points out.
"Oh, right," Pezock says and falls silent for a while.
The journey back to the village is quicker as you don't have to spend any time searching for trails. You easily make it back by noon.
The sparring match draws a small crowd of onlookers, maybe a dozen total. You think a couple of them may actually be betting on the results. It quickly becomes apparent that Mahjik is the more skilled of the two, although Ntisi is certainly not unskilled .
Once the match is over, Ntisi bows and thanks him for the opportunity. "Best of luck on your endeavours," she says.
Mahjik then sets out to catch up to the others. The journey is luckily quite uneventful (although it's rather muddy), and he reaches the Lake of Vanishing Armies and a small village there on the morning of the 26th. Inquiring after his friends, he learns from one of the few villagers who knows any Taldane that his friends were here yesterday, but went north in search of a local druid. They are expected to return here after finding the druid.
Sure enough, he sees the others arriving back at the village just before noon.
Oil doesn't have to be boring," Douena points out to Pezock. "You can use it to set fire to things. That's pretty interesting. Not that we're going to use this oil to set a fire," she points out as an afterthought, "but we could buy some normal oil and burn something," she concludes encouragingly.
Pezock's eyes light up and his beak parts in a near-gasp of delight. "Burn something?" he says. "You're right. That would be pretty interesting." He pats his sabre and mutters, "Yes, it has been awhile since we've burned something."