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Once more Ayala is able to slip her grip. Lowering her chin and shaking her head, she scolds the rat lady. "You are one slippery rat b!!#~, lady. This doesn't end well for you, just give us the shard and submit now!"
Looping around to flank her behind Veltariel, Esrisi once more reaches out to grab a hold of Ayala. "Will someone knock her out already!" she blurts out frustrated.
Drask steps in, snarling and setting up a flank with Esrisi. He had fought defensive enemies before, but never one that shrugged off his blows like this before. He continues his onslaught.
"I already took care of that other rat . . . and I feel so guilty!"
Caroliss goes back to being a source of positive energy by moving to Mokhasi and healing him.
The chaos of six people trying to hit one person is too much for Sapher's accuracy.
Vel moves up trying to disarm the rat woman again, but just gets sliced with the bladed scarf again for her effort. Es grabs a hold of the rat woman once again while Caroliss moves over and heals Mokashi almost closing up all his previous injuries.
Drask, Sapher and Mokashi all attack. Drask is the only one that manages to land a blow, but his weapon doesn't even pierce her skin.
Once again she slips out of Esrisi's grasp. Frustrated and not overly worried about people attacking her she just makes her way past everyone to head for the door.
The one tower girl continues struggling against the ropes to no avail.
As she runs away, a beleaguered Veltariel tries once more to rip her weapon away from her. She then rushes after her to try to distract her enough so that Adorellan can have a better chance of hitting her with his spell...
___________
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When Ayala slips her grip again, Esrisi has had enough of this cat and mouse game. Clenching her fists in frustration she spins and tries to kick the rat in the face, trying to stun her. she screams as her boot spins towards the rat's head.
The woman easily dodges another attack from the dwarf. Seeing the creature trying to get away, and thinking about who has the best shot of hurting it, she decides to opt out of trying to hit her again and simply runs around the creature to block as much of an escape as she can.
Vel manages to knock the bladed scarf out of the rat womans hands finally as she tries to walk by. Es gets in a solid punch but her fist doesn't cause any permanent damage. Sapher takes a swing as the rat-woman walks off as well, but misses.
As the rat woman just runs past her, Caroliss tries sticking out a foot to trip her.
But to no avail.
She follows along with the scrum, this time healing Veltariel.
Drask, Caroliss and Mokashi all try and hit the rat woman as she flees, but only Drask manages to connect, finally putting an end to the rat woman.
Veltariel slumps over into the floor at the wall opposite the rat-woman, panting to catch her breath and nursing several still deep lacerations across her legs and midsection.
Despite what the others may say, that one was a good fighter...
She looks up to Adorellan, concern in her eyes, as she asks ”બધું બરાબર છે ને?”
Drask roars, burying his axe in the ground beside the invulnerable rat woman. The battle had gone poorly, and she had fled, but he took pride in having cut through her defenses. "Ahhh!" Brother I will need more of your might. You were always the stronger of us.
Sapher pauses, eyes wide when the woman finally falls, then she bows her head and gives a brief prayer to the fallen. Looking at the others, she nods to each one, giving them thanks and praise in her own way.
Then she'll go back to the tower girl, mutter a "Sorry for your loss, now come with me to see if we can save your other friends."
Sapher will check on the other girls and stablize them if possible.
Once assured Adorellan is alright, Veltariel will gingerly stand and go to help Sapher round up their prisoners. Her head is hanging as they walk, her eyes turned to the floor, silent as the pair walk through the complex.
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Frustrated that Ayala was able to skip her grip again and again, Esrisi throws a kick in the downed rat. She throws her arms down and glares at the leader of the Tower Rat Girls. Seething, she scolds Ayala ”Why didn’t you just surrender?! You didn’t need to die!”
With a sigh of exasperation, she crouches over the for and searches her for items of interest before going over to the prisoner. She levels her finger at her at shakes her head. ”It didn’t need to go down this way.”
The other tower girls have bleed out in the time it took you to fight the rat woman.
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Mokhasi watches the other Pathfinders for a moment as they collect themselves, quietly shaking out the flame on his hand. He approaches Ayala when the others have gone, and closes his eyes, muttering something under his breath, before he bends down on a knee and closes her eyes. He stands, looking around for a larger piece of cloth - which he notices in the other room. Quietly grabbing it, he returns to her and takes whatever she had of apparent value, noting each item in his journal, then covers her with the cloth.
He stands up and wipes away some blood and sweat, seemingly diminished slightly, and looking tired. When Veltariel approaches, he watches her quietly, as she looks him over for injuries. Mokhasi appears slightly sick, his face seemingly drained of some of its vitality. ”I am healthy, Pathfinder. Nothing a night’s rest will not mend. Please ensure that you are safe, as well. You took a solid hit earlier, has it been mended?” He looks her over, but lacks much skill at healing.
At Adorellan’s callous and dismissive reply, Veltariel becomes visibly shaken. ”I’m fine,” she says before turning and walking off with Sapher, not so discreetly wiping away a tear with the back of her hand.
1x vial of red liquid
3x tanglefoot bags
1x masterwork studded leather
1x magical bladed scarf
1x masterwork composite shortbow
20 arrows
1x climber’s kit
grappling hook
50-foot silk rope
masterwork thieves’ tools
second-story harness
Sapher notices Vels distress, and pats her (hopefully uninjured) arm, and gives her a worried smile. "Mok... seems a little strange at times... just give him time. Maybe?" Sapher isn't really that great a people person so has no idea.
She'll sigh in regret over two more dead, and say another quick prayer. Turning to the remaining tower girl. "Some of your friends are alive and tied up near the entrance. Once we are done in this place and ready to leave, we'll set you free so you can set them free and leave you a boat to get away. So Stop trying to get free."
Es takes her time looking around the rat woman's room. Heaped on a table are sections of wall murals, ancient coins, pieces of jewelry, gems, bits and pieces of pottery, and more that were obviously for eventual sale in the markets of Magnimar, all treasures the Tower Girls must have scavenged from the Crow.
In addition, several journals on the table, written in Varisian, provide details on Ayala’s history with and plans for the Tower Girls, including her increasing frustration at Natalya’s betrayal.
Ayala Javeski was one of a dozen wererats born to a established clan of wererat Sczarni who dwelled in Riddleport. Infighting and treachery eventually saw the destruction of that clan, with several of the siblings fleeing the city rather than be slaughtered by their kin. Today, the only scion of this clan who still lives in Riddleport is the crimelord Ziphras. Ayala ended up in Magnimar, where she worked for several years as hired muscle for the Wreckwash
Blades. Through a combination of manipulation, seduction, and coercion, she managed to become apprenticed to a local cat burglar who taught her many of the finer points of breaking and entering. She repaid him with a knife to the back, leaving his bleeding corpse in a gutter one moonless night. Since then, Ayala founded her own female-only gang of cat burglars, calling them the Tower Girls.
The Tower Girls have thrived under Ayala’s hard-nosed leadership. But after a failed attempt to seize power from the Wreckwash Blades forced Ayala to flee Dockway and go into hiding for a time in Underbridge, the Tower Girls’ fortunes seemed to be growing shaky. The discovery of the chambers within the Crow represented a great stroke of luck to Ayala, she hopes to use the treasures she has found within to restore her gang’s place in Magnimar’s underworld. The apparent betrayal of Natalya has left Ayala in a particularly bitter mood, and she’s increasingly turning her plans away from using her newfound resources to restore her gang toward financing a large-scale hunt in Magnimar to track down Natalya and destroy her.
A small chest under the bed holds 87 gp and 175 sp.
The woman Sapher is talking to just slumps against a nearby wall and slides down it to sit quietly and stew.
Veltariel silently nods, her face full of emotion. She walks quietly with Sapher until they return to the group. Veltariel makes her way into the leader’s chambers, searching the room for any sign of the missing shard.
She balls the moment she sees Esrisi in the room searching it as well. She takes a deep breath and begins rifling through things as well. Eventually, she looks to her and mutters ”You fought well in there...”
___________
Veltariel nods without looking back to her again. ”You had good form. And showed courage despite the risk of gaining her affliction. Not many would be willing to risk that.”
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Oh S$%#! You can catch becoming a rat woman?!!?
Esrisi’s face turns white as blood drains from her face, panic nearly setting in. Her eyes widen as she swallows the lump in her throat.”C-catch it? Right. I’m fine though, right? You don’t think I caught it? Right? She didn’t bite me or suck my blood or anything.”
The oracle begins to fervently check for wounds from Ayala while she talks.
Veltariel ceases looking the room over and makes her way to Esrisi. She puts her best gamblers face on before saying ”Hold still. I’ll check...if you’d like..”
Drask grins. "That's a disease? I'll catch anything that makes me that invulnerable to blows." He jests.
Veltariel methodically begins looking Esrisi over for signs of wounds from Ayalah’s teeth. She finds a few minor nicks and cuts from her blades, but nothing that would even leave a scar. ”Looks fine. I don’t see any bites. And the cuts look far less severe than what she managed to inflict on me,” she says as she turns away from Esrisi with her head down.
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Relieved, Esrisi let’s out a huge sigh of relief as she lets her shoulders hunch forward. Wiping her head with the back of her hand, she says ”Whew! Thanks for that, you uh, had me worried for a moment there.”. She exhales again and takes a deep breath before catching sight of the downtrodden elf.
Squeezing her brows together as she studies her, she tries to figure out what is going on. The “human” did well in combat so now she’s sad? This elf has serious issues.... She holds out her left hand and waves it in a slow circle as she speaks. ”Hey! You did good too, you know? I mean, not when she kept cutting you all up, but when you took that stupid scarf away from her.”
What kind of backhanded complimented is that, you idiot?!
This is the same b%@~% who cut my hair off! What? I am supposed to help her when she is down now?
Esrisi scoffs but quickly hides it, not meaning to do it out loud.
Take the high road! Be the voice of reason! Start the path of mending your relationship now!
Shaking her head at her own thoughts, she has one more.
Cars says Calistria preaches vengeance, not apologies!
”Bah! uh, I mean-“ she stammers. Backtracking she adds ”Thanks Veltariel. Why don’t you let me check you out too.”
Veltariel pauses, and stands quietly for a moment. She was almost positive she hadn’t been bitten, but in the heat of a fight...things can get overlooked. She doesn’t reply, but raises her arms out to her sides to give Esrisi a chance to scan her over for any wounds she hasn’t noticed herself.
She turns her head to Drask. ”You did well too. Your strength helped turn the tide...”
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Esrisi moves up to Veltariel and starts to look her over, crouching down. It doesn't take long to notice all of the blood all over her from armor and clothes. She grimaces as she looks over her back. Unable to hold back she exclaims "Oh, Veltariel! You took a serious beating! There is blood everywhere! I'm surprised you still able to walk around!"
She looks around and only finds cuts from the bladed scarf, nothing that looks like puncture wounds. She stands back up and nods "I think you'll live. Curing spells will likely remove the wounds enough so that they won't scar, but I'm not entirely sure about all of them. Some of them were pretty deep."
Looking to the doorway for Caroliss she offers, "I can go get Caroliss to use the wand on you if you like. I'd do it myself, but you know." She holds up her hands as if that explains everything.
Veltariel lowers her hands slowly and shrugs at Esrisi’s comment. Part of her still seethed at being so nice to her, but it was going to be the only way to get Adorellan to even possibly acknowledge her existence again. And she had seen Forlorn elves in her travels, and if she wasn’t one already, she knew she was dangerously close. She could feel the love of life oozing out of her even now. The same part of her that had offered Esrisi her dagger not long ago...
She quietly resumes looking through the were-rat’s things. ”Any sign of the shard yet?”
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Elves are weird. What is that shrug? Is that a no or a f@+$-off?
Holding her hands out as Veltariel walks off, leaving her hanging she finishes. "... Or not. You could just keep walking. I guess."
Once she is gone, she turns to Drask and walks back into the room. The hints of an excited smile on her her lips that she can barely mask "SOOOOOOO..." She leans forward and punches him playfully in his right shoulder "Anything you want to tell me about the fight with Ayala?"
Looking over at Veltariel, she lowers her voice enough so that she won't be overheard. "If the heartless elf can compliment me, you KNOW that means I did damn good!" She crosses her arms and looks away playfully, waiting for him to compliment her, the smile growing wider as she waits for the half-orc's praise.
Sapher will wait near the tower girl, standing guard and watching her companions with curiosity. Part of her is still certain Ez and Vels are fighting over Mok's affection, no matter how hard it was denied.
"The shard is probably behind that rune-scribed door." she'll add her two cents when it seems appropriate.
When Vel comes in to the room and starts to help Esrisi look around, the two of them working together notice something odd. One of the walls, has scratch marks on the floor near it like something was opened and closed. Checking they find that there is actually a secret door.
Inside is a long dead skeleton. a rough estimate is it is at least a few decades old. A search of the bones reveals a masterwork chain shirt, a masterwork rapier, a magical pendant, 50 feet of silk rope, and a leather pouch containing 250 gp.
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Ez pushes aside the wall, revealing the secret door. Peering inside, she gasps at the skeleton. Kicking it with her foot, it falls to pieces. Sorting through the pieces she pulls out the pendant, turning it over on her hands. She holds it up and says "Huh. Hey Mokhasi! You're going to want to see this I think! It has your name written all over it!"
Sapher had noticed over the two women's elbows and was just about to suggest for Vels to offer it to Mok, as a way back in his good graces, but the other suitor beat her to the punch.