Xango moves in flanking position and unslings his earthbreaker and slams Natalya.
Oster you suddenly realise that Natalaya is your friend and you don't want to hurt her.
Under Xango's blow Natalaya falls to the floor and is bleeding out.
Oster you come out of the effect at the same time.
At this point there is a hissing noise and a snake appears from the fireplace, grabs the knife like object and starts to move slowly away with it.
Devlin it is back to you.
"Don't let that creature get away!" Memnosyne yells.
"Hey now! Got back here." Devlin swings a hand out towards the snake.
Devlin's missiles hit the snake, it drops the object and turns round to attack.
Memnosyne, you are able to stabilise Natalaya.
Oster its your action.
Moving towards the snake, if possible into flanking, Xango swings his massive weapon again.
Before Oster can act Xango darts forward with his weapon and pulverises the snake into fragments.
Ok so treasure is as follows - please let me know who is taking what.
Sack containing 33gp, 86sp, 192cp.
Brass comb worth 2gp
Buttons worth 30gp
Printed handbill claiming the owner is the owner of the Grand Mastaba of Korvosa
Strange knife bladed object
Natalaya has (if you're taking any of this):
2 scrolls of shield
wand of mage armour (11 charges)
smokestick
tanglefoot bag
masterwork mithral short sword
cat burglar's boots
climbers kit
second story harness
masterwork thieves tools
55gp
"We can sell the comb and buttons. The handbill and this strange knife bladed object should probably be taken back to the manor. The rest of this stuff we can just divvy up and sell anything left over." Devlin plucks the wand out of the pile along with the two scrolls.
Ok so you all have some money and Devlin is taking the wand and scrolls - what about the rest?
Oh and what are you doing with Natalaya?
Xango takes the shortsword, if no one wants it and slings Natalya over his shoulder. Handing the boots and the tools to Oster and the sorcerer the wand and scrolls he finally looks at the knife shaped object as if he had an idea.
"Is anything magic here?"
Is anyone casting detect magic?
"Hold on. They taught me how to check for that kind of stuff back when I was in college in Oppara." Devlin gives his fingers a wiggle and begins to look around.
Ok other than the scrolls and wand, Natalaya's boots are magical (cat burglar's boots).
The strange knife blade like metal is strongly magical
"So that odd thing the snake was trying make off with has a strong magical aura to it." Devlin continues to concentrate on the object as he attempts to identify what type of magic it is made with and what it does.
Oster shakes his head after the momentary influence of Natalya's magic.
"Good work, everyone! Not just on the fight, but playing along earlier. We're getting even smoother at this.", he says with a grin.
"I'll bet that blade has more importance than just monetary. I could make good use of her thieving gear, and would be happy to pass up other loot later to keep them. Sound fair?"
He singles out the following, in descending order of interest:
* Cat burglar's boots
* Masterwork thieves tools
* Climbers kit
* Second story harness
* Smokestick
* Tanglefoot bag
Xango smiles and nods. "Good choice!"
"We must return her to Heidmarch. That knife may very well be the object she reported finding, seeing as how I've never heard of a snake trying to run away with a knife. I would suggest caution with it. I doubt our employer would have hired a deluded megalomaniac as an agent. Perhaps the blade can alter one's mind." She shivers at the thought. "Anyway, Natalya's stabilized. We should get her back as soon as possible. I'm not interested in dealing with her more than strictly necessary."
"We can also ask about this handbill once we get back," she says, curiously perusing it.
"Agreed on all counts. Anyone see a sack or cloth to wrap the blade in? It might help."
"So here is what we are going to do. I am going to hang onto this thing and we are going to take Ntalya, the handbill, and what we now know back to the manor. Now lets get moving. We don't have time to waste." Devlin cradles the knife like metallic object with his left arm as he moves to leave this ramshackle home.
With Devlin leading the way you make your way back through Natalaya's lair.
As you get to the side door you are surprised to find it open. Standing in the doorway are 3 thugs with crossbows together with a tall human female carrying a whip and wearing a red bandana who says,
"OK, that's far enough. We'll take Natalaya from here. Let us take her and we'll let you leave alive, otherwise we'll just take what we want from your corpses."
Oster slides the collar of his shirt down, to reveal a strange necklace of obsidian skulls.
"Folks, you seem to misunderstand your situation. It is *you* who have the opportunity of walking away from here. If you do so. Right. NOW."
As he speaks, his voice takes on a more and more sinister cadence and his eyes almost seem like little flames dance within them.
"Deal with this rabble and let us be on our way." Devlin waves a dismissive hand in the direction of the thugs while carefully guarding the knife like object.
Unslinging his earthbreaker Xango smiles and nods.
"Run you fools."
With Oster and Xango's words the woman and her thugs take one look at you and then run off, they are clearly intimidated by your words.
You head back to Heidmarch manor, with Devlin leading the way.
Slipping his necklace back under his collar, Oster turns to the others with a smile.
"That went pretty smoothly eh?"
"You have done well in your service Oster. Now follow me as we return to the manor." Devlin once again takes point during the walk back to Heidmarch Manor.
You arrive at Heidmarch Manor. You are greeted by two servants who look at you slightly askance, as after all several of you are covered in muck from the sewer.
"Yes, how may we assist you?"
"We have come to meet with Sheila Heidmarch" Memnosyne says with an annoyed tone. Clearly she's in a hurry to get to a bath. "She sent us to retrieve some objects for her, and we have done so. Please butle off and let her know we've arrived."
Xango looks at himself and his comrades and shrugs.
"A basin of water, a few blankets and a soap, and afterwards the Lady please!"
Devlin uses Prestidigitation to clean himself as the group approaches the manor. "Begone from before me. I've not come to consort with those of lesser station." Devlin tries to step past anyone in the way and enter the manor.
Oster smiles at the help.
"And also inform the good lady that we have brought her an additional guest."
Devlin barges his way through the manor until he comes to Sheila's parlour where she is talking to her husband. She appears momentarily annoyed at the intrusion but then she looks curiously at Devlin and says,
"My apologies for not greeting you at the door. That is is a fine artifact you have there my lord. I think I know what that device you have is and I have something which will improve how it looks." She reaches into a box and takes out an ioun stone which will fit into a rounded indentation in the shard and offers it out to Devlin.
"Are you going to make me guess women or are you perhaps going to tell your Lord what it is that he now carries as a sign of his right to rule?" Devlin snatches the ioun stone from from Sheila Heidmarch's hand and slots it into place as he finishes speaking.
The rest of the party can easily hear Devlin's raised voice as it carries through the nearby halls of the manor. You have, as of yet, never heard him speak in such a manor to anyone.
Memnosyne follows Devlin in, trying not to get too much filth in too many places. She looks puzzled by Devlin's manner. Possibly less than Heidmarch, but puzzled nonetheless. "Devlin, are you feeling alright?" Hmm, perhaps the 'bit of cloth' is insufficient protection against this magic.
There is a flash of coppery coloured light and the ioun stone appears to fuse to the shard (GM note- Devlin you now return to normal)
Sheila then says,
"What you have found my friends is nothing short of a miracle. Varisia has seen its share of miracles of late -the discovery of Xin-Shalast and the defeat of Runelord Karzoug, or Korvosa's release from mad Ileosa's rule come to mind-but this discovery will soon be remembered as an equal to those events. This is a powerful Thassilonian artifact, a fragment of horacalcum and a portion of the Shattered Star of Xin: to be precise, Shard of Pride."
"So if this a portion of this star artifact, that means there are more of them, yes? Do they also warp people's minds? And is there a way to counter those effects? Like that ioun... You knew what the shard was all along. Of course." Her lips curl up in a one-sided smile. "We also got the girl for you," she says, pointing her thumb over her shoulder at Xango carrying Natalya. "The effects are only temporary?"
"That was a fine bit of work everyone. I am glad to see we could put a stop to that Natalya girls plan before anyone got hurt." Devlin looks around as he is speaking and seems a bit surprised that find himself back in the manor, clean, and still holding the odd object. "I do believe this belongs to you ma'am." he says as he holds the Shard of Pride out towards Sheila Heidmarch.
"I do hope I didn't do anything to offensive while I had a hold of that. Given what you said it is I assume it brings out ones pride in a rather nasty way." Devlin looks a bit sheepish as he speaks and shrinks in on himself just a bit.
Sheila continues,
"The Shattered Star was a powerful defensive item created well over 10,000 years ago by the founder of the empire of Thassilon, an exiled Azlanti named Xin. At that time, the item was known as the Sihedron- a seven pointed star made of the seven skymetals infused with powerful magic. When the runelords rebelled against him, this item was broken into seven parts (at least according to the legends), and the runelords each claimed a shard of their own. In the 10 millennia since Earthfall and the end of Thassilon, the shards have shifted locations, yet they have never been reassembled into the Sihedron.
Each of the shards carries its own curse but each curse can be countered by placing the correct ioun stone into the receptacle on the shard itself. And Devlin, no apology is necessary, you were under the effects of the shard, as Natalaya was I suspect.
Over the past several years I have become something of an expert on Thassilon-the legacies of this ancient empire and its monuments and magic are, after all, the primary reason that the Pathfinders have become interested in Varisia. Never in a thousand years did I expect a shard to come to light, but the moment I saw it I knew it for what it was.
In order to find the other shards, someone needs to hold the Shard of Pride and concentrate, the location of the next shard in the sequence will then be revealed.
The Pathfinder Society is willing to pay handsomely for each shard that you can recover.
As for Natalaya, leave her here for now, I will ensure that she gets rest and healing. I suspect that long exposure will take longer to heal, you are Lucky Devlin that you only held the shard for less than an hour."
"Before I do something I may come to surely regret I have a question. Does the person that holds and concentrates on the Shard of Pride need to keep holding it in order to have it guide them to the next shard? Or could they discern the location of the next shard and then store the currently possessed shard away until it is next needed? Also does the shard possess any other abilities or powers we should be aware of besides what we have already witnessed?
"Concentrating once allows you to know the location of the next shard, which as far as I have been able to discern should be the Shard of Greed. Once you've located it one you don't need to keep holding it unless you want to use its special ability. The Shard of Pride allows its owner to cast major image as a spell like ability once per day. You also get the benefits of the specific ioun stone that the shard will hold."
Xango ponders for a moment and replies.
"Well, we should gather some information first. Second, maybe Natalaya can tell us more when she awakes?"
Oster turns to Devlin.
"No harm done. I've witnessed a lot more vicious words drip from the mouths of 'the great and the good' back in Oppara, and they weren't being influenced by an ancient artefact! I too would have a chat with Natalya, now that she's likelier to cooperate."
"Are you in possession of all of these ioun stones? I'd hate to see what mischief the other shards can cause."
Sheila says that she can give you the stone for the shard of greed, once you have this she'll be able to work out which shard is next and procure the next ioun stone quickly.
GM note - Who's concentrating on the shard?
Oster pipes up.
"I'll volunteer to focus on the shard. Devlin's had his turn."
Oster you concentrate and see powerful vision of the Irespan and Magnimar's harbour, and around one part of the Irespan in particular, called the Crow. It appears that the shard is somewhere within the Crow piling.
Sheila's husband, Canavan would be grateful if you could make notes/drawings/sketches of anything you find in the Crow and he will reward you handsomely for whatever you bring back.
Xango nods and replies."Any other possibilites to make some cash!"