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"I do not believe they listened," Kageko remarks, drawing her blade. In deference to Marika's wishes, she refrains from actually attacking any of the civilians just yet, but holds at the ready to intercept anyone making a move on her or her companions.
"I recommend we make a break for it the moment we see an opening."
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Uthraed snaps out of the trance that he has been in. The shock of time travel must be too much for me. "Why are ypu coming at us with knives drawn? What have we done to you? "
Uthraed draws an arrow back "I don't want to but if it comes down to me or you, I'll put an arrow through your head." Uthraed's comments are said with his eyes locked on the man with a potion.
Uthread's imposing presence gives the civilians pause, and they seem to suddenly realize that most of their friends are occupied in other tense standoffs elsewhere. No longer enjoying a numerical superiority, the Azlanti wisely remember pressing business elsewhere.
Around you, the situation plays out in much the same way, as most of the other Pathfinders either reason with or terrify the civilians into flight. However, a few skirmishes do break out, while overhead, the imposing Starstone continues to grow brighter and larger in the sky.
As you watch the Aztlanti flee into their homes and shops, a familiar figure limps out from between two buildings. The weight of years seems to hang over Kreighton Shaine, the Pathfinder Society’s illustrious Master of Scrolls, his face more deeply lined than it was this morning.
“My apologies for not reaching you more quickly, but I have been quite distracted,” he pants. To the left and right across the ancient marketplace, other versions of Kreighton Shaine are speaking to other, equally bewildered Pathfinders. “It seems redundant to say so at this point, but the Harbingers of Fate have seized control of the Sky Key, and we all appear to be trapped in what the Isle of Kortos used to be eons ago. The same sort of temporal bubble that brought the serpentfolk city of Sessegishoss to us now keeps our forces pinned down here."
“We are attempting to uncover the Sky Key Vault now. While the vault itself seems to be here in this time period, our entrance to it wasn’t projected back, and we’ve lost our bearings relative to its location in this new landscape. What’s more, I worry simply reclaiming the Sky Key will not be enough to allow our escape— that green surge we all witnessed seems to have invested many of the Harbingers with enough of the Sky Key’s energy to maintain our chronological exile.”
Shaine looks worriedly up at the sky. “We will need to work together to uncover the vault and cut the tethers that anchor this time period to the Harbingers’ spellcasters. We must do both so we can use the Sky Key to escape.”
A crack of thunder sounds overhead as the dome of green light twists and arcs down to the surface with a thunderous crash, and strange, hairy beasts stride where it struck. “And we would be wise to move quickly. Here, take these - they may prove useful." The Master of Scrolls passes you each a potion of cure light wounds. "Now, any questions before we move?'
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"I suppose 'whose bright idea was this anyway' would be impolitic," Marika mutters under her breath. More loudly, she does get out [b]"Obviously anyone who knows can answer this while we're running for our lives, but who the heck are these people and why were we not aware they might try something this stupid?"
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Trapped before the apocalypse. Way out lost at best. Impossible at worst. Liitle chance. Less hope.
An obvious bout of panic overwhelms the lady in furs, who clenched her fists and begins to visibly shake.
"And this is the Way the world ends," she whimpers. "How did they stop our ritual? Can we do likewise from here?" she asks, shaking.
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"Just the one: Is anyone at the Society going to object if I choose to use physical means to express my extreme displeasure at Aroden's followers once we get back?" Kageko clearly still isn't terribly happy about things.
"Please take your time answering. In the meanwhile, we'd best go and find the ritual sites so we can get home before this particular world ends."
Kreighton Shane turns to answer your questions one by one. "The Harbingers of Fate are followers of the dead god Aroden - though they've never accepted that explanation for their god's absence. They once believed that if they could make one of the old prophecies come true, that it would bring Aroden back from wherever he's gotten to. Alas, their last prophecy has expired, so it looks like they've decided to use the Sky Key as a way to try again, so to speak. Unfortunately, this "Lady Arodeth" has absolutely no idea what she's tampering with. She overloaded our device, putting us in our current predicament."
"The Harbingers stopped the ritual by slaying all of our spellcasters participating in it. It will take years for the Society's magical abilities to recover... assuming, of course, we're not all killed in Earthfall. If you can find and, ahem, "disrupt" the Harbingers in the same way, it can provide us time to retake control of the Sky Key."
"As for followers of Aroden... well, the Harbingers are followers or Aroden in much the same way that Hellknights are followers of Law - the focus on a few extreme tenants of the faith while ignoring most others. I wouldn't tar them all with the same brush."
"As for time... well, wen have very little. don't know, exactly... advanced magical theory was always more Aram's area of expertise. We need to find the Sky Key Vault first, which is buried about 30 feet underground. We might be able to backtrack from here, if you recall your movements since this whole mess started... or perhaps some of you have ways to search under the ground? The sudden appearance of the vault underground should have left some signs. We could ask some of the locals... Alas, the ritual that allows me to be in many places at once, also prevents me from doing much else."
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Marika thinks. "Well, they're probably going to recognize Kageko as she is, but she's probably best at ferreting out info among the locals. We don't exactly have an expert, but let me see what I can do..." A bit later, with a cloak and some soot, Kageko might reasonably pass as a Shoanti or possibly one of the jungle peoples from the Mwangi. "If we can get that Tongues spell..."
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Kageko gives Shane's words due consideration. "... I suppose I'll reserve judgement for now," she eventually concludes. "As to the vault.. Hmm." She starts pacing and looking around the area as she thinks.
"Most optimal would be to ask around if any of the locals noticed some kind of upheaval. However, much as I usually pride myself on my ability to get things done with a kind word and earnest smile, I fear I don't speak this country's language, and we've already made just about the worst possible impression we possibly could have..." She trails off, turning to look at a currently unattended nearby laundry line. "Then again, those look like they might be my size, and I think I remember how they're worn... Scrollmaster, would you have something that might help with the language barrier?"
"I can help break the language barrier, if you wish," replies Kreighton.
Osten does manage to backtrack a bit, helping to localize the area somewhat. You are now far enough away from your starting position that the "locals" nearby are different than the ones you scared away earlier, improving your chances at Diplomacy.
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With an hurried demeanor with an undercurrent of desperation, the lady in furs does her best to help the party search out the Sky Key.
While Kageko is using diplomacy to gather information from the locals, if there's an opportunity, the lady in furs uses detect thoughts to try and get an idea of what the locals know.
Working together, you manage to narrow your search area even more, and Kageko determines that there are a few areas of interest nearby. As you head in that direction, an arc of green lightning gathers above and crashes to the surface, leaving something bizarre in its wake: a large blob of putrescent ooze, animate and heading in your direction.
Round 1
The amoeba oozes forward and menacing Uthread.
Sees-Far-Ahead, Kageko, Uthread, Marika, Osten are up!
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Uthraed takes a 5foot step back moves right, loads and arrow and fires.
As he does he keeps a careful eye on his piercing arrow attepting to judge its effectiveness and decides if it might be betther to use a blunted arrow against the blob.
[ooc]Im still at the hospital and on ny phone. Wanting to move 5 foot step north and then move west 1 square. [ooc]
Round 1 (continued)Kageko, Uthread, Marika, Osten are up!
Sees-Far-Ahead jabs at the ooze with her longspear. There is a loud "pop" and a trail of slime oozes from the wound. The acidic goo begins to eat away at the wooden haft of the spear, although doing no real damage.
Kageko slashes it wiht his katana, opening a huge slice in the blob's side. The ground sizzles as the monster's acidic insides spill everywhere.
Uthread's arrow hits the blob as well, and with a final "pop" the creature falls apart into an acrid fluid that slowly spreads out on the floor.
Combat over!
After dispatching the ancient amoeba, you continue with your task of questioning the locals and searching for the Sky Key vault. With some discussion, you manage to find evidence of an upthrust area of earth in the approximate spot that you backtracked to.
"Well done, my friends!" Kreighton Shane congratulates you, after tearing himself away from studying a bottle of the amoeba's fluids that he collected after your battle. "This is it! Now, go and help track down some of those Harbingers while I round up a few of your colleagues to help excavate this place... unless any of you happen to be able to summon earth elementals, by any chance?" He smiles. "Just look for the crazy-looking people with the green ectoplasm exuding from their bodies. Can't miss them." The Master of Scrolls turns away, already scanning the area for some suitable excavators.
As you look around, there are several greenish glows nearby. Several are already being engaged by other Pathfinders, but not far away, a single human in robes stands, arms outstretching, laughing maniacally at the sky. Thin green trails of energy seep from him into the sky, feeding and energizing the green dome over your heads. His skin, eyes, and even hair radiate a green glow.
"Remember, the Harbingers can release the temporal energy voluntarily, but it also fades upon their death," Kreighton Shane calls out as you head towards the green man.
Initiative order: Marika, Kageko, Sees-Far-Ahead, Osten, Uhtread, Gad Gemple.
Everyone is up!
Round 1
Marika grins viciously. She runs the charge through her body again, slowly rushing in to circle around the glowing green man.
Kageko moves forward and circles around the caster, preparing to feint.
Sees-Far-Ahead violently probes the wizard's mind.
Osten charges forward, leaping onto the platform, but his attack misses.
Uhtread hits the wizard with an arrow.
Gad seems to snap out of his reverie as you all charge forward. "Fools! You know not who you deal with! I am Gad Gemple, grandson through many fathers of Aroden himself! How dare you interfere with my destiny?" He steps back, pulls out a potion, and makes an arcane gesture with his other hand. A bolt of greenish goo flies towards Osten, striking him and burning him for points of acid damage.
Round 2
Marika tries to kick the potion out of the wizard's hand, but misses.
Kageko attacks from behind, but can't penetrate the wizard's defenses either.
Sees-Far-Ahead delays (see below).
Osten slices the wizard near in half, and he drops to the ground.
As the green glow fades from his body, another bolt of lightning strikes nearby, emanating from the globe overhead. In the aftermath of the timestorm, four skeletons arise from the ground. Although their flesh is completely rotted away, there is something... familiar... about them. One wields a katana, which shows signs of acid ecthing along the broken blade. Another still has scraps of furs hanging from its bony shoulders.
Suddenly, a chilling realization hits you: these are the corpses of Kageko and Sees-Far-Ahead. They must have died here, during Earthfall, and been cursed to wander as undead in the area. The time fluctuations caused by the Sky Key has brought them back in time to the moments before their death, ironically to face... themselves.
Sees-Far-Ahead is up!
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Suddenly, a chilling realization hits you: these are the corpses of Kageko and Sees-Far-Ahead. They must have died here, during Earthfall, and been cursed to wander as undead in the area. The time fluctuations caused by the Sky Key has brought them back in time to the moments before their death, ironically to face... themselves.
Round 2 (continued)
Sorry, I thought we were waiting on someone else - but we were waiting on me. :/
Sees-Far-Ahead casts mage armor.
Red charges the seer, clawing at her with a bony hand. Luckily, her spell protects her from damage... this time.
Green advances and grabs at Marika. She feels a sharp pain in her leg as the claw slashes through her clothing.
Osten, Uthread are up!
Initiative order: Blue, Marika, Brown, Sees-Far-Ahead, Red, Green, Osten, Uthread.