Gindalee beleives the scary creature she saw destroyed a buildind in its passing.
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Zaarah claps her hands!
”Then we know what to do! We now go to these Darklands and find out what is going on! You can really be happy that I am not a preaching religious person that would now start to debate about dreams and shadows and undead and so on! No wait a minute! I am religious but not in this way! I believe in Chaldira! In luck and in battle and in risk to be taken to earn the fruits of life!Let us get going immediately!“ Zaarah says cheerfully and starts to search for an entrance to the tunnels with the woman’s support.
The party has been investigating the collapse of several buildings in the city of Kaer Maga. In the course of the investigation, they have run across a scared halfling woman named Glindelee. She relates the story of some tentacled horror that led her cousin Gel into the Halflight path.
Throughout the morning the party continues to gather information. A red haired dwarf, with darting eyes and a wary turn of his bearded chin, offers a tale of a strange sighting. He saw a hooded figure dash off toward the Halflight Path with a couple of undead servants in tow shortly after some kind of commotion in the Ankar-Te district. "I'm not sure what kind they were, but I've been in Ankar-Te enough times to know a dead creature shuffling around. They moved kinda stiff-like, and they might have been wrapped in rags."
No sign yet of destroyed buildings.
, ,
The dwarf turns his head as if he were not staring at the adventurers.
Which he is.
Suspiciously.
The dwarf jumps back from the falling dwarf, reaching for the hammer at his belt as he does so. Seeing no attack following Drogon's lunge, he makes another sideways glance while pretending not to care. "Me stove is on, I best be checking it." He ambles off into the crowd, one hand on his hammer and one eye on the adventurers.
Before reaching the Duskwardens you uncover one more rumor while resting out of the sun for a brief minute. "It was the craziest thing," says one obviously shaken beer-drinker. "It just picked up the helmet in two of its claws, tipped it up to see that it was empty and tipped it down to put on its head. Just right on its head! As if the two humanoid eyeholes would let all eight buggy eyes see through the thing." He takes a swig from his tankard. "Craziest thing.
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"C'mon Drogun" Zestel says, trying to get the dwarf drunkard to his feet.
"Look, we're passing by the meatgate to get to the duskwardens. We can grab a bite to eat there. Help you process all that booze. They have something here called . . . I think . . . a 'pita' that I've been dying to try. Then we can find the Duskwardens, and hopefully they will point us in the right direction of some undead or bug-monster that needs smashing." he says as he helps the drunk hobble along.
"He-ah, he's really quite good in battle." he says, trying to assure the rest of the team.
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"Hmm, not much to go on with these leads. Some manner of creatures are behind the vandalism, but why? And it seems to have something to do with Halflight Path..."
The stories from these witnesses sound a bit crazy, and who knows if they were when they saw what they think they saw. But Tiberius has seen enough strange things with his years in the Pathfinder Society to know these reports could be also true, and not just imagination.
"Unless we want to investigate the damaged property ourselves, let's continue to the Duskwardens. Maybe they have seen something while patrolling the tunnels."
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Horus watches the stilted movement as a master watchmaker might a timepiece that is not quite wound tight enough. He finally answers with almost no elaboration. “I am told that a few walls have collapsed. I have also heard entire buildings have fallen. Both are from sources I trust, so I need you to verify."
Xukong silently contemplates the old human's account...
...as well as, later, the drinker's 'helmet' story.
"Unless we want to investigate the damaged property ourselves...."
"Why was that not the first thing we did?!?" Hisses Xukong.
Finding the Duskwardens is easy enough; almost anyone in town can point to the Duskwarden’s Guildhouse in the Bis district. The multilevel structure within the rest of Kaer Maga’s walls has collapsed in Bis, leaving only the walls and the highest ceiling. Buttressed platforms soar off the sides of the walls, each holding a small collection of homes and businesses. A hodgepodge network of pulley-drawn elevators provides transportation between the platforms. The Guildhouse itself is a squat and solid structure with a placard bearing the group’s twisted-arch insignia in blue and gold.
Duskwarden guards escort the party inside the hall to a small office. Inside is a half-elven woman the guard introduces you to. "Miss Talbren."
The Duskwarden invites you in. “We’re always glad to have competent help around here. Things have definitely seemed more riled up than usual down by the Undercity,” Talbren says. “How can I help?”
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"Hello dear Talbren, we are Pathfinders and were entrusted by Horus to investigate several cases on structural damage to buildings in Kaer Mage which are under his care. Our current investigation hints at the Halflight path and some strange tentacle creature as the reason for the damage but we thought you might know more that you can tell us!"
She bows.
"And before I forget it! My name is Zaarah Katsu and really love your city! It is just completely insane and that is soooooo great!"
“There usually isn’t much beyond the usual danger in the form of treacherous terrain, and if you take it slowly you’ll be fine. Once in a while, though, a creature creeps out of a vault and onto the path. That’s where we step in.”
She continues after a few more questions, "I have a list here of some vaults where we’ve noticed disturbances or unusual levels of activity. Maybe that will help narrow it down.”
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”Thank you very much Talbren! We will investigate those that seem most relevant! If you have nothing else to add we would leave now. !“
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”Of course everyone agrees heading next to the troll ... ehh ... augers?! So Nuregore ... we heard that you are an expert augur and that you are willing to help. The price you charge is steep but what exactly do you want to know to reduce the price? Are you interested in the story about a noble family that lost its title and started a democratic career in Andoran although in secret they were still controlling the population through and elite conspiracy which undermined democratic principles!??“ she asks with a sly smile.
"Story about an Andoran noble?" The troll's voice sounds very much like river pebbles rolling across each other. "I do not think you wish to pay me for the end of a story you already know. Tell me what you wish to know." She gestures at a kit filled with jars of spices, dried roots and herbs, and several containers with creatures and creature parts-some still wriggling.
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"Uups, sorry! So we were hired by Horus, a leader in the Ankar-Te District, to investigate structural damage to buildings. But we found out that a woman saw that somebody also disappeared and she assumes a walking octopus with hypnotizing powers is responsible. Hmmm ... and we would like to know if you know what caused the structural damage in Ankar-Te and how we can find the ones responsible and make them stop damaging buildings and harassing people. I think that's it! Can you help us?" Zaarah says confidently.
"Ahh that is much better, five gold is what I need."
When Zaarah mentions octupus, Naregore opens a jar, pulls out one of the cephalopods and adds it to a silver bowl. Then she pulls out a handful of poppies when the swashbuckler mentions hypnotizing. At Ankar-Te, a big pinch of purplish grey dust gets added to the silver bowl. Other ingredients get added and the troll chants over them as she mixes them all.
Naregore downs the mixture, casting spells as she does so. Her chants continue for a while longer, as the concoction works its way through her.
“I can tell you something of where you should go,” says the troll, who then kneels on the ground, draws a long knife from her belt and, with a powerful swipe, slices the blade across her belly. She doesn't scream, but her face becomes a contortion of pain.
She carefully reaches inside her abdomen and draws forth her glistening internal organs, lifting them to her eye level. She does not respond to the powerful odor that wells forth, and instead studies her intestines intently. The troll frowns and her eyes narrow. She sets her knife and intestines on the ground then reaches deeper into her abdomen, finally drawing out her stomach. She grunts in pain, as she palpates it gently as if feeling for something. “The walls are weak and it crumbles easily, the place you seek. A place beneath and below, yet there is much light.” A rumbling groan originates from her stomach, the gurgle startlingly loud. Nuregore raises her eyebrows and looks at the group. “It falls apart. Beware.” With careful skill, Nuregore shoves her innards back and presses the skin together. Her greenish hide knits together quickly and she stands. “Those are the visions I see.”
With Nuregore's interpretation and the rumors collected, the Pathfinders should be able to narrow the list given to them from the Duskwardens. The damages they are looking for seem to begin in one of these places.
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Zaarah Is truly flabbergasted when she sees how the troll is handling her own intestines and cannot believe that the future can be read by looking at some blood and organs!!
”Ehh ... ehh ... tha ... Thanks! You ... helped a lot! I think ... “
Looking at the group she suggests to go to the Shining Deep: Numerous luminescent crystals throughout. Several cave-ins.
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"All the places in Duskwardens' list sound like wonderful places for vacation. But yes, Shining Deep sounds like the place from ... that divination. It's certainly isn't very clear, and I'm not sure how reliable that... divination is. But since we don't have any other clues, we might as well check out Shining Deep."
Tiberius is still staring at the troll in awe and disgust. He never cared much for divination, and slept through most of the lectures in his youth. But whatever those boring old farts were trying to teach him, they must have been much better options than what he just witnessed. Divining from one's own guts - now that's just ... wrong.
The Duskwarden's approve the Pathfinder's journey and Talbren herself leads the way to the vault known as Shining Deep. She insists the party remain quiet along the journey, to keep from attracting any lurking monsters. The travel is silent for the next few hours.
Talbren raises a hand and stops abruptly. Reaching in to her uniform pocket, she withdraws a handful of glowing crystals on leather cords. She whispers, “These crystals are called Halflight charms. Each of you should carry one with you. They provide a bit of light, but that is not their primary function. If you find yourself in dire straits, clutch the amulet and call for help. The nearest Duskwardens will learn your location and come to assist.” The Duskwarden leans closer. “Do not call for us lightly. The disturbance in this vault provides me and my fellow Duskwardens with an opportunity to see the mettle of the Pathfinder Society for ourselves. However, if your life is truly in danger, don’t let pride get in the way of good sense. Activate the charm and flee.” She pauses for a moment before adding, “Normally, I would be able to guarantee that the signal would reach us, but given the circumstances, try to wait until you’ve fled the vault proper before activating the charm. Otherwise, we may have the same trouble finding you as we’ve had locating the other group.”
The walls of this chamber are smooth in the western end except for where part of the ceiling has collapsed, creating a rubble pile that reaches towards the center of the room. Just to the east of this pile, a natural chimney’s low whistling hints at fresh air entering the cavern from somewhere below. A shallow pool southwest of this
hole is slowly refreshed by a steady drip of water from above.
”Let us go in! We are taking the token of your security and thank you for your offered aid!“ Zaarah says.
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Evariel takes one of the Crystal's and hangs it around his neck. "Our gratitude. We'll be sure and use them as a last resort."
"So then," the elf says to his allies, "my preference is this way, since it's the larger one." He mutters a short incantation, and the tip of his staff glows with a soft light spell.
The east tunnel climbs gradually, a smaller shoot drives off to the south. The party continues east and continues to climb before opening into another room.
Piles of rubble encroach upon the middle of this room. Glowing gems glitter to the northeast, their light reflecting off a small pool of water and casting rainbow patterns on the ceiling.
[spoiler=Perception (DC 15)]A seemingly mundane glistening rock seems to have a fleshy appearance.
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Xukong draws a wand shaped like an isosceles pyramid of black marble, its edges lined with diamond. It touches it to both shoulders, and its form is momentarily overlaid by a the black silhouette of a stylized suit of armor .
Getting the others' attention for a moment, it also indicates two of the wands at its side: One a red coral wand shaped like a pitchfork , the other a verdigris-coated copper wand tipped with a stylized obsidian sunburst, as well as a flask filled with translucent black liquid . "If I should be gravely harmed, use *these* to fix me. I am...wrought of an uncommon temper."
Xukong looks at the cave walls with the eye of a professional art critic.
"Steel yourselves; these walls are indeed riven with instability."
"What is this?" Xukong's normally icy voice rings now with a note of revulsion as it stares down a particular glistening rock. "Is that stone...or crude, base flesh?"
As the dwarf stumbles forward, carefully avoiding spilling anything from his already empty mug, a portion of the cave floor takes a deep breath and pulls itself together. Literally. From a thin layer of flesh spread out across the floor, the creature coalesces into an amorphous blob which forms a pseudopod and strikes at Grundar!
Zestal, Tiberious, Evelain are quick to act and start into action while the creature is still just an outline on the floor.
ZK (24):<-- here now
TS (14): <-- here now
E (16): <-- here now
animate cave floor thingy(10):
D (9):
X (8):
ZC (6):
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"Ewwww! There's a reason why I don't hang out in caverns..."
Tiberius wrinkles his nose, and decides to keep his distance to this thing. But there is one thing most of the creatures will obey - his very own signature magic missile. From Tiberius' outstretched hand, four small darts of energy speed away and strike the blob with terrifying force.