Alchemist? Another accomplice to capture. Best to keep my mouth shut and not raise suspicions...
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Hanlin pauses to listen to the creature's words.
"I guess the answer to that question will depend slightly on what she offers us for our wares. But no, we're not planning on hindering you or your new support companions. Do you do business with Tseka and her alchemist frequently?" Hanlin asks, trying to keep things friendly and light, but its pretty obvious he disdains Tseka.
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A light of understanding dawns in the myceloid's eyes. "To grow her influence in Deepmarket, Tseka knew that she needed to create any and all alliances she could, by force or trade. Tseka scouted into a nearby Darklands entrance and found an unlikely but deadly ally—our colony. We invited her, as an honored guest, to join us in a feast on creatures from Deepmarket and the Darklands. At the conclusion of the feast, she proposed a partnership, so we decided not to devour her."
The myceloid licks its lips, savoring the memory of a plump svirfneblin boy, roasted rare, the juicy fat dripping onto the portobello mushrooms.
"The collective chose me to act as emissary to complete a formal arrangement. With that accomplished, I was prepared to return to my home." The myceloid pauses, considering its diplomatic options. "I will delay my departure long enough to see how events unfold. I will not join you during your foray in Tseka’s base. However, I'm unwilling to risk my own safety to protect Tseka or her followers."
The myceloid bows. "If you survive, please return to me, and we can discuss the future."
The creature grabs a tendril-full of more empty specimen jars and returns to collecting samples from the towering fungal mass.
Devouring. Darklands. We are in quite deep, now. But it doesn't seem too attached to her. Once the Pathfinders reclaim control we can clean up this place.
The Red Raven emerges and then nods, not wanting to upset things too much. "Shall we travel more to the east? You've had a wonderful conversation but we should continue our trip. Time is money."
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"Fair enough." With a polite man-nod Hanlin heads back out into the front area to try another doorway.
"Interesting guy that one." Hanlin thumbs back into the room they just left. "I'd avoid his cuddle dogs though. How about we try the next door?" Hanlin tells the guards, then asks the group about the next doorway.
Oye, this is no place to hang out if you've got any morality.
"I think we should go through the Southeast exit next."
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Okami, only belatedly noticing that his companions are leaving the strange rat-creatures that aren't really rats but some strange name too complicated to retain and the talking mushroom spouting some advanced language way too fast for him. Thankfully he is in the presence of good friends from the Society who is made entirely of friends. He slithers up to Erlathan. "Magic Man! Is mikalood Galt? He magic like Galt pumpkin." He nods his head appreciatively. "Underground is much Galt magic."
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Erlathan twitches his chin noodles down at the nagaji in thought. "Forgive me, Okami, but I am not so familiar with these Galt pumpkins. I've certainly heard of Galt itself. Nasty little place you'd not soon find me trapped in, oh no - but Galt magic? Do tell!" The elf beams an excited smile, as if awaiting priceless magical wisdom.
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"They...they eat people!?" Nina hisses, looking torn between nausea and rage. Her hand twitches toward her mace and for a moment it seems that she might do something rash...but she instead balls it into a tight fist.
"I know we've got a job to do but if he does get in our way after all..."
The little gnome turns and quickly moves to follow the others back out to the southwestern door.
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You return to the entry, and the sentinels look your way, see that nothing seems amiss, and resume their watch of the Aspis hideout's iron double door.
Hanlin and the Red Raven lead you to and through the southeast door.
The walls of this circular hall are covered in painted scenes of fear and torment. The stone ceiling rises in a craggy dome that is haphazardly carved with disembodied eyes, talons, fangs, and other monstrous features.
In the center of the room, rusty brown stains run down from a circular dais, which holds a stained marble bowl and a collection of rusty daggers. A jagged black rune covers up most of the floor. Tattered and moldy bedrolls are pushed into the corners of the room.
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Hanlin takes one step into the room before he quickly recognizes the symbol inlaid in the floor "That is the rune of Lamashtu, goddess of madness, monsters, and nightmares. And that bowl and those daggers sure look like a sacrificial altar to me."
He looks around the room from his position at the doorway, clearly a bit nerved being in such an unholy place.
The Red Raven enters, notices the rune and the bowl. Hanlin's words fade into the back of his mind as something gets his attention.
Something's intruding. Luckily this Tian-Xia monk taught me a thing or two. Focus Aric, focus!
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The Red Raven receives a vision depicting his worst fear. Shaken, but only for a moment, the vigilante manages to exert his will, shrugging away the waking nightmare.
The hall is dark, and its domed ceiling is twice as high as the 10ft high ceilings you've seen in the entry and the room where you met the myceloid and its pets.
Those of you with darkvision note two other doors, one to the northeast and another to the southeast.
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"Oh dear. It makes perfect sense that these scenes depict torture if that rune is Lamashtu's." Erlathan feels a chill up his back. "Let me see if I can light this place up."
The wizard conjures up a set of serpent-shaped magical lightbulbs to illuminate the room, then he points his chin to indicate the southeast door.
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"Eating people??? Are you high or something?" Inky hisses back at Nina as the group continues onward into darkened corridors. "All I heard was something about eating creatures which could be anything from people to the bugs on the wall. So calm it down for now, alright?"
To Okami, she adds, "Can't believe I'm the one telling Nina to calm down. Usually it's the other way around!"
"Terrible visions..." The Red Raven mumbles as he loses his composure for but a moment. "But we must carry on."
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Hanlin will remove his glove and cast light on his helmet, pushing away the darkness at least a little bit. He returns his glove and concurs with dangle chin "Looks like the way to go, let's move out of here quickly. Stick to the outside of the room and way from that altar and those runes."
Hanlin skirts along the outside of the room towards the SE doorway.
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You open the door in the southeast portion of the Hall of Nightmares.
This storage room contains tools, barrels of water, and other mundane items. In the glow cast by Erlathan's dancing lights, you see doors to the north, southeast and west. To the south you see a corridor leading out of the storage room and turning to the west.
As you search the room, you discover that the door to the southeast is unlocked, but it won't budge. It might be barred or barricaded from the other side.
"Should we go north next? I don't know what's with this door-" he points to the southeast door "But the answer may be on the other side..."
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"Yeah, north is good," Nina agrees as she too begins poking around a bit in the storeroom. "It's really weird that they just let people wander around in here - even after getting through the checkpoints - but we don't want to break through anything that's locked until we've finished looking everywhere else, right? It might blow our cover!"
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The Red Raven suggests trying the door at the north end of the storeroom.
After searching through the contents of the room and finding nothing of interest, Nina and Hanlin concur with the vigilante.
You open the northern door and see before you the myceloid and its service pets. The myceloid barely glances your direction, assuming you've not yet finished whatever business you had with Tseka. The two kirrixes alert when you open the door, but the large rat-creatures hold their positions, whiskers twitching as they recognize your scent and beady eyes watching your every move.
"Western door it is..."
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Erlathan's dancing lights illuminate the door in the west wall of the storeroom.
Xuan Fung approaches the door and inspects it. Finding nothing amiss, he opens it and leads the party into a room that the Aspis Consortium is using as a makeshift barracks. Cots and personal belongings are stacked along the north wall. There's a door in the wall to the northwest.
If the room is empty, the Red Raven decides to take a look around the room. "There might be a clue to Tseka's whereabouts. And more detail on Aspis activity. Watch my back."
Assuming he finds nothing interesting, he moves to the western door.
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"Good eye, Haric. I mean Red Raven. Um... yeah." Fung creeps closer. "It might lead to the same room as the previous corridor to the south." He leans against the door to listen through.
"I think though that we should check that room first?" He points to the one to the northwest. "In case whatever is in there surprises us from behind later." He also moves to listen through that door.
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Hanlin leans over and watches the secret door open "Well that's a surprise. I swear I just looked over there..." He puts his hands on his belt and laughs.
"I guess these eyes aren't as good as I thought." He claps Aric on the shoulder, while nodding to Fung. "I like your style, keep your enemies in front. Be great to have another option for escape if needed too."
"Alright, let's make sure this room is alright." The Red Raven agrees with Fung as the check the northwestern door. "We need to secure an exit route, anyway. We don't want to fight our way out of here once Tseka is captured."
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Three practice dummies stand in the southern section of this room that's been converted into a training hall. The practice dummies wear pendants around their necks bearing crude replicas of wayfinders. A ceremonial gown rent by several bloodstained stab marks hangs on the western wall.
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Hanlin takes a look at the gown but can't manage to place it. He looks around with the others, hoping to pick up some pointers from Fung, as he seems to really know what he's doing.
"There appears to be quite the hatred here towards Pathfinders. The question is, is Tseka the ex-Pathfinder we keep hearing about or are they working together?" He muses out loud.
Once the room recon is complete, Hanlin suggests they go back and check out that secret hallway.
The Red Raven isn't surprised by the Pathfinder training dummies. He's imagined plenty of Aspis agents during his training sessions.
You recognize that the gown appears to be the ceremonial attire of members of Goka’s parliament. A macabre trophy, probably taken by an assassin who once occupied this building.
"This is the ceremonial attire of Goka's parliament." He points at the gown. "Probably a hunting trophy, taken by an assassin." He muses. "Best to leave it alone for now, but maybe we'll reclaim the evidence later."
"I agree Hanlin. Let's see that hallway."
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Okami, digging deep into his memory, pays little attention to what is happening around him as he recalls... In fact very little factual memories. His mind instead paints Galt as a forested wonderland, filled with smiling people dancing about farmsteads and in towns, while happy pumpkin-people-things erupt from the ground and begin to serenade an ecstatic Okami, who twirls around, all the while a joyous Ambrus Valsin begins a jig with Drandle Dreng, who is dressed as a Taldane nutcracker might be. He twirls, and twirls and suddenly, a bearded man turns into a clean shaven one as he says "I'm a Venture-Captain, ho-ho-ho!" as walls and bars materialize around him, all the while sashaying Galtan peacekeepers shake their booty with a smile before collapsing to the ground, possibly asleep, possibly not: hard to tell with their big wide eyes open.
Finally, Venture-Captain Elisa Petulengro comes over to Okami, grabs him by the haunches and presents him to the sky, claiming loudly: "He is Magic Guardian of Magic Galt! So Magic!" The sky parts and a butterfly-shaped woman flaps on down from the heavens, saying in a soothing voice that could be confused with the warm whisper of wind on the fall leaves : "I, Butterfly Kami, Approve of this!" But then, a dark shadow made of ice and flesh materializes, yelling: "Pathfinder haters are, ahem, gonna hate. As they say. I guess."
With that, he snaps back to reality with a start, exclaiming: "HOO! HUH! Oh." He looks to Erlathan, and says: "So sorry. What is question again?"
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While Okami spends a little me-time on a bad acid flashback, the rest of the party searches the makeshift training hall.
It appears that the Aspis here focus their combat training on Pathfinder targets, though the Consortium likely targeted at least one member of Goka's legislative body.
Hanlin wonders aloud if Tseka herself might be a former Pathfinder, though the rumors you've gathered so far on this mission suggested, she had a turned Pathfinder in her service.
After a brief search turns up nothing else in the otherwise empty room, you deliberate on where to go next. You've encountered no Aspis agents within Tseka's lair since the three sentries you met at the entrance.