Uliyara wilts under the nagaji's glare. The jadwiga have not always been kind rulers in Irrisen. Not all of them at least. In the past some witches have been cruel and arbitrary, even sadistic against settlements that draw their ire. But I have no idea what exactly happened here: just that this place was an old dwarven hall and its been abandoned forever. It was hundreds of years before I was even born!
As you look around the room, the two doors leading off of it both only go to small bedrooms. In the dead dwarf's pack however, you find a leather-bound book. Written in dwarven , it seems to have been the journal of the dwarf, named Vargrim. He wrote in it irregularly, but the last entry seems especially important.
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Marcellus looks over the last journal entry before glancing over at what's left of the revenant. "It would seem that this is Vargrim, and his people were sent to some realm by a 'Hao Gin'. And if Vargrim was royalty, then that means his son Bardak is too. They must be descendants of Naldak! If the key fragment isn't here, then it must be with Vargrim's son, though it's not clear if he was also sent to this other realm by Hao Gin."
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" All the work and aggravation and turns out thing was sitting in our nice warm temperate headquarters. Though we'll just explore the rest to make sure," Lynn says dusting the ice off herself.
Turning to Seth she says," I understand your frustration but her answer makes sense. If her aunt is willing to resort to violence and kidnapping to further her ends then it's not surprising her ancestors would have. "
" And as for you. You're not getting off that easily from me. Listen I understand why you did what you did. Learning and improving is kind of my god's domain. But you put yourself into a position where you may have been slaughtered by an undead ending your journey. Just promise me that if you interested in the outside world contact me first ," she says to her guide while tending to a gash in her arm.
Yes. Uliyara says. Of course. I am seeing how valuable operating within a team can be.
The Irriseni woman cocks her head. This 'Gin' woman is in your headquarters? Is she a member of your society?
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"Hao Jing was a great sorcerer from far away from heer. She effectively scooped up places from all over Golarion and deposited them into a demiplane that the Pathfinder Society won as a prize. It seems like this place was one of her locations. Most believe her to be alive given her constant resurrections after death earning her moniker the Ruby Phoenix. If you have any more questions I can provide them back in town.," Lynn rattles off.
After sufficient exploration she says,"It appears where done lets head back."
You spend some time searching through the remains of Naldak's Point, making sure that there are no more documents, treasures, or artifacts to be recovered. Though you take careful notes of what you find in the abandoned dwarven settlement, there is little that remains here: most of what Naldak's Point was seems to have been taken by Hao Jin's spell.
The five of you and Uliyara make your way back to the entracne of the ruins. Emerging from the entry hall, you see the white wolf that accosted you still unconscious outside. He is not alone however: A figure in the uniform of the Dalun guard sits atop a polar bear mount while an armed ice troll stands beside him. Next to both is a white-haired woman that calls out to you as soon as she sees you. Uliyara! Come here and get away from them! The Game is being played strongly lately: your mother suspects that these may be spies here to do you harm.
Uliyara rushes forwards, hands out. Kiryena, no! They aren't spies! In fact, they have already protected me twice! That she points to the knocked-out wolf was an actual kidnapper, one they stopped. And they also leaped between me and a vengeful creature inside. If they wanted to do me ill, they could have simply stood aside: instead they leaped to my active defense!
The other woman hears Uliyara's words and listens carefully. She glances back beyond to the rest of you, her face still somewhat suspicious but already calmer then before. The Baroness' daughter certainly seems to trust you. Why should I?
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Lynn just stands their dumbfounded at this set of circumstances. "I asked you earlier what your mom thought of this situation. Apparently, she thinks we're kidnappers? Once again my compatriots are probably angry with you. Im just disappointed, she says in a very sad tone.
"As for you. I can only speak for myself but I've made it my life's work to help people. So far I can attest to saving people from plagues, hurricanes, and even fires. Uliyara here made a mistake. We didn't know who she was or what she was up to which lead to us being put into precarious positions like her aunt's attempt at kidnapping and the really angry undead with a vendetta. But despite her missteps we ensured her safety. Hopefully, once you realize our intentions maybe the society and you can work together in the future," Lynn says rather optimistically.
Turning around back to Uliyara and says,"If your really curious about the outside world I can teach you about it. Just tell me what your most interested in we can start on that."
The woman leading the guard listens, then gestures behind her. At the motion, the rider and troll stand down.
She gives a nod to you. Apologies. One cannot be too careful in Irrisen. Some hours ago the Baroness received word of a pending attack. I see such fears were not unfounded she nods towards the wolf. Though our suspicions were misplaced. We would offer you escort back to Dalun, if you would like. Unless you are not done here?
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Marcellus sees the entourage that's come to meet the Pathfinders and stands towards the back of the group. Once hostilities die down, he seems to relax a bit.
"Ah, well I believe we have explored all there is to see here, and we would appreciate an escort back to Dalun as we make our way back to our Venture-Captain. Uliyara has been an invaluable guide on our journey!"
Uliyara smiles deeply at Marcellus at the compliment, while the troll slings the sleeping wolf over its shoulder in the background. Together, the guards and women escort you back to Dalun without incident, where Uliyara bids you a goodbye. I'm sorry, again, for any trouble I may have caused. I was just trying to learn more about you and those outside Irrisen - your stories and the skills you've picked up are so fascinating! I never thought it would be an inconvenience to you. She pauses, then gives a final wave before hurrying off into the city, moving towards the Baroness - her mother's - palace.
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After about a week's journey back west, you eventually return once more to where you began: the deck of the Grinning Pixie.
Venture-Captain Benarry greeted you aboard with a smile that faded as soon as she learned you were Sky Key-less. The smirk returns fast though when you explain why. To think, she laughs Naldak’s piece of the Sky Key has been in the Hao Jin tapestry all along! Well, easy enough. I’ll just have to have a chat with the Master of Spells about sending a group of agents in to pick it up. The tapestry is vast, and we never would have known where to look it weren’t for you. To top that off, studying the section of Naldak’s Point that Hao Jin’s magic narrowly missed ripping out of Golarion could teach us more about the tapestry itself. Well done, Pathfinders!
Oh! the half-orc says, almost as an afterthought. A day or two back I got a missive sent over from Dalun. The local leader there was reaching out. It seems her daughter has been asking around about how one would go about joining the Pathfinder Society? The captain looks at you curiously. Could always use an ally in an unforgiving country of course, but do you know anything about this?
Good to hear. Bennary nods. I'll read you reports to see if she's good material, but for now, lets' set sail back south.
The half-orc grins. Two good things about the Grand Lodge right now: it's got one of the pieces we need apparently. And it's Hells of a lot warmer than here.