Eurdan Stonemantle produces a smile on his marbled face as you agree to meet with him in private.
That is good, plllease folllow me. I´ll trry to asnwer alll your questions.
He leads you to a house with an inscription probably none of you can read.
This is our council house, where i and the other members of the council used to hold council meetings. But that´s a long time ago. It doesn´t rain here very often. You know, you are not the first strangers to come here lately. There was another group, wearing such strange compass badges. This created some unrest with the oreads here and soon after first the strangers vanished, then Koriath, a fellow council member disappeared without any trace too. I assume they are all the guests of Tygora now. Are you searching for those other strangers?
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Milton considers the information before responding, "We most certainly are seeking the compass wearers of which you speak, and if in searching for them we were to find your Koriath, we would certainly attempt to return him to you as well." He glances around the room before turning his gaze back onto Eurdan, "do you know the nature of any interactions the compass wearers had around here? Who did they meet? What were they doing? Any idea where they may have gone? And while post hoc ergo propter hoc makes for a bad argument in court, I have also found that coincidences rarely are, so with their disappearances being close temporally, mayhap they are causal to one another, so perhaps you could tell us what you know of Koriath, and why he may have gone missing?"
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'So Chelaxian that one. Does he realize his kind are actually shunned in his homeland? He loves his big words, must be how he tries to show his dominance.'
Lady Natalia smiles and nods to Eurdan. "It is as my grandiloquent associate has stated. This 'compass', as you put it, has the Glyph of the Open Road upon it, the symbol of the Pathfinder Society. We are an organization of explorers, seekers of knowledge." She looks to Hagrym as if daring him to speak. "We are here to discover what happened to our fellow Pathfinders and to rescue them if possible. We would also like to know what they were looking for as well as the reason that they disappeared.
"We would be happy to work with you to find your lost friend, as it does seem that there is, at least, a coincidence in regards to the disappearance of our agents and he."
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This is our council house, where i and the other members of the council used to hold council meetings. But that´s a long time ago.
Following and listening intently, Yanos waits while the other's ask their questions, holding his piece until they are answered before asking the obvious one. "You had mentioned this before, that you where the last of the council. I thought it was a bit odd, but this seems to confirm my suspicions. What happened with the rest of the council, if I may ask?"
Ah i see you are young, full of questions and energy. Probably because you are not in harmony with the earth as we are you are also fickle. Slow down, one question after the other. First small one, Tygora Cinderfury, our city’s efreeti ruler, oversees all actions for the city. I have no doubt she already knows you are here.
As for your friends and your other questions, let me tell you the story of Crystalcrag, as far as i know it. Then you will understand what happened here and what the situation is, maybe.
He motions for you to sit down and offers you some water in a delicately worked brass decanter.
The society outside here has not welcomed us elemental outsiders with open arms. Rather than face this prejudice, many geniekin such as ifrits, sulis, sylphs, and oreads created small, tight-knit communities throughout the country’s mountain ranges to escape discrimination.
We hid in the mountains here using the natural geography and illusions.
At one time, geniekin found peace on Golarion. This all changed, however, with the eruption of the Zhonar and Zhobl volcanoes in the Zho Mountains nearly a thousand years ago. These eruptions triggered terrible rockslides that buried vital mountain passes, opened erratic fissures that swallowed entire communities, and spewed volcanic ejecta that buried what remained near the mountains’ peaks. The burning devastation even ripped open small rifts to the Plane of Fire, luring
fiery beasts of all sorts to Golarion. Our settlement was heavily damaged then and at the brink of extinction. Nonetheless, we oreads tirelessly rebuilt what we could and erected a large crystalline memorial in our main plaza to commemorate our struggle only a year before Tygora arrived and offered magical assistance.
She offered us a single wish. Knowing that repairs would take years and risk unwanted exposure to the our Kelishite neighbors, the town’s council wished for a rebuilt settlement, seclusion, and safety from the outside world. On the one hand, Tygora honored our desires by veiling Crystalcrag and its surrounding lands with powerful illusion magic. On the other hand, she twisted our wish to rebuild the town to fit her own needs — with her as its absolute ruler. Under her dictatorial reign, Crystalcrag has grown in influence at the expense of the our freedom and happiness, yet most have come to accept their safety as a fair trade for their servitude. In the centuries since, we oreads have grown to accept Tygora’s harsh but stable rule, though only a few generations separate us from our ancestors who survived the volcanoes’ wrath, and most still wistfully remember a time when we ruled ourselves.
Only over the past century have the volcanoes’ rifts and Tygora’s ever-hotter ambitions caused many of us oreads to give birth to ifrit children. The efreeti has been quick to take these youths under her wing, giving them training and special privileges to secure their ruthless loyalty. We oreads have voiced some resistance to this two-tiered society, yet this has only invited crackdowns and new restrictions. Any substantial show of rebellion leads to brief but harsh crackdowns, and a year ago one of the members of the three-person council — we are more a symbolic but ultimately powerless group of leaders — simply disappeared after trying to win concessions for the other oreads. The second member Glaheri disappeared soon after the first group of Pathfinders arrived and stirred up trouble.
I believe they are all together in her palace now. I´m sure you saw it from afar, it´s a big and strong place from where she rules.
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Not liking the way this sounds, not at all, Yanos will plant his spear in the ground to help emphasize his point, (pun intended) and help to focus a bit of his anger. "The organization I work for," ," has a long history of sticking our noses in where it's not wanted. It sounds like you and your ken could use a bit of the chaos and . . . mu, . . bo, sorry, chaos and upheaval that normally follows our kind. No one, doesn't matter if they are born of mother and father, earth, fire, heavens, or hells deserves to be enchained, either physically or politically. Such tyranny simply shall not stand. It didn't stand in the Worldwound when the very legions of hell and beyond made heir move. Nor in weak Cheliax when they thought they could expunge the Crusade, and all Pathfinders with it. As if kicking out a single worthless whore would matter. Freedom is everyone's right, and Ol' Deadeye would make sure you have your chance at it, like everyone else!"
And for perhaps the first time ever, both Yanos and Gamin see eye to "the pointy end" on something.
After an awkward moment where you cast each other weird glances, Stonemantle continues:
Uh i don´t think that would be a good idea. There are many there in Fury´s Hold and you are few. Perhaps you should find some support. We oreads, are a peaceful race though, might be idfficult. Though Tygora’s rule is harsh, many of the people here have found it somewhat of a give-and-take. Tygora gives the people complete invisibility from the
surrounding settlements in exchange for completing any demands she may have requested.
It seems Stonemantle is hesitating to offer you his full support. Perhaps he has some second thoughts, but could be convinced.
The old Oread musters all of you intently.
You could try your luck in The Fifth Facet tavern (area B), sabotage something at Valsog’s smithy (area C), or at the alchemy shop (area D). That would probably weaken Tygora´s defenses somehow. But this is exactly the trouble those other strangers stirred up, trying to instigate a rebellion here against Tygora and keeping her from going to war against the surrounding settlements.
Deep lines of sorrow wrinkle his stony face.
Seems someday we have to pay the price for our ancestors wish for security by going to war for Tygora or fighting her. Either way at least some of our childen will die.
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"Sir i am a monk of peace. We wish only to find the people we are looking for, help you get your comrads back and leave. Starting civil unrest is not in our agenda i assure you."
-Posted with Wayfinder
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"Sir, We are here to help out your people as much as we are here to find our own people. " she says. 'Just pretend you are one of those idiot Andorans, or even one of the Silver Crusaders your brother hangs out with!'
"We cannot do his alone, and your people will not survive without us. I have seen what happens when people do not rise up, do not overthrow their oppressors. Their very souls get lost as they follow the paths of appeasement. Aroden, patron of all mankind, including you elemental kin, taught us to use a,l of our strength, together, to oppose our oppressors. Absalom would not have survived her infancy to become the shining jewel that ahe now is, had not all of her people stood together and fought. I say to you, fine oreads, the time is now! You must overcome this, for your oppressors not only subjugate you, but they steal your children. THIS CANNOT STAND, Will you help us with everything you have?"
She glances at Xiaobo, passing a secret message
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success
"Come my friend, the life of the elemental kin is very similar to that of the devilkin such as myself. Let me and my people aid you and yours. I understand your struggles."
success
Oh, and tack my own on back to Natalia
"So for all of the reasons we have described, you can trust us."
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-Posted with Wayfinder
Mh maybe you are right. Our people struck that deal with her and we would be bound by it, since she granted us the wish and fulfilled it quite good on the one hand, but on the other hand nobody asked her to become our ruler. So she fooled us! I think that´s a lawful thing to do then, uprise. I´ll see what i can do for you. I would very much like to see Glaheri liberated and free to inspire the other geniekin. My influence will motivate many oreads, but not all of them nor will it cripple our foe.
He looks around between you.
How do you want to progress, will you try to visit any of the locations i told you about or just storm the palace? i would recommend the first.
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"well, storming the palace might be a little premature. We definitely need to find out as much as we can, if it even comes to that. But the way I see it, based on what you have said, is that your ancestors made the deal, not you. Not sure I see you bound to it any more than we are, nor does that somehow give anyone else the right to your children."
"Regardless, we should probably seek more allies first, and I don't think I could, in good conscience, start a bloody war without first at least trying to speak with this woman."
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"We thank you for your time and council, Councilman. We need to ponder things a bit before simply jumping into an unknown river. Can we call on you in the future? We will be heading over to this, "Fifth Facet tavern", both to secure lodging and to begin a bit of an investigation should you need us. From there, we will also look into things at the smith and alchemy seller as you have suggested."
Yes go to the tavern and think it over. I´m pretty sure your friends are in Tygoras palace as her prisoners most likely. You could of course go and speak with her, but beware. She´s tricky and prepared to go to war for a long time now. I don´t think she will be giving this up easily. Also the palace is really fortified, there are many ifriit and who knows what else Tygora made up there. We common Oread normaly don´t go there, only the ifriit. Probably all of Crystalcrag including Tygora knows you are here by now. perhaps she will even send someone inviting you to her palave. We´ll see. I hope this turns out well for you and us, although i fear this might very well be my own end. I´ll go and speak to some friends. The tavern is over there.
You leave the council together and walk over to the tavern, while Stonemantle vanishes in a seide street.
The Fifth Facet is a square, two-story, stone tavern that sits on the main roadway of Crystalcrag. The smell of charred timber and cooked food waft gently out of multiple windows hewn into the building’s facade.
The tavern is filled and busy with oread customers. Many of them watch you surreptitiously while others do so with open curiosity. Behind the counter stands the barkeep, who also watches you with open curiosity and obviously waiting what you will do. He waves for you to come over to the counter.