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Kembe nods in agreement as he and Arin take a stroll to check in on the others, overhearing the prayer and Arin's knowledge he frowns "Perhaps there are more involved in this than we thought? Or are they just ignorant as well and going along."
He quietly shares what they've found so far with the others in the garden. "Arin and I are nearly completed in the library. Afterwards we'll come help the rest of you finish up on your projects." He looks around for the temple gardener "Where did he go off to?"
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Pai's eyes light up with a mischievous twinkle. "Oooh! Yes! I've been wanting to stick a stick in that turtle's mouth all day! Keep an eye out for me, will you? I don't want them to see me messing with it."
She hunts around for a bunch of good, sturdy sticks. With the first, she simply sticks it into the turtle's mouth to see what happens. With the second, she trims a thick, strong piece to just the right size to brace the turtle's mouth open and tries to jam it in there so the miniature guillotine can't come down. "Hopefully that stick is strong enough," she mutters. She then tries poking another stick in there to see if she succeeded in blocking it.
Guiding the bit of plant into the the turtles mouth to the very end of the cavity the statue doesn't seem to move, but withdrawing the stick reveals that a deeps gouge in the wood from some sort of knife or blade. After a few more attempts she is able to secure a jam to block whatever blade is in there, but anyone reaching their hand would be able to remove the blockage with some effort and be hit with the knife in the process.
A more permanent solution might require someone with more skill or damaging that statue.
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"Has anyone noticed if any of the teachers here are missing fingers? Or just the followers. I'm inclined to think anyone that has all their digits still is in on this ruse and could be a demon in disguise..." He tries to remember if he noticed Dakang was missing any fingers, or the man teaching the meditations.
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Pai checks to see if anyone's coming or observing the Pathfinders as she ponders the implications. "I remember that Duang and Xifen said that the rite in the garden offered visions to the pure of heart and mind, but they lost a finger if they weren't ready. They said it didn't hurt. So Gastidem is drugging them, that's for sure. He seems like he's in on it, all smug-like and stuff. And has all his fingers. But of course none of them would believe us if we told them. Unless they were in on it too, and then they'd be trouble. I wonder if there's a trigger on the outside or something, so he can control who gets to be "pure of heart and mind" and who doesn't." Pai begins searching around the statue for any sign of something that could indicate such cheating, muttering as she does so: "Man-oh-man, I wish I knew how to disable stuff like this! I really gotta learn that."
After more searching Pai is able to see a number of blades lining the throat of the statue. Most are immobile, aside one at the end that she has locked in place herself. The immobile blades wouldn't be able to do much damage aside a pin prink.
After moving her focus to the outside, she thinks she is able to find what she is looking for. There is a well hidden switch at the base of the statue, directly below the mouth of the of the turtle.
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Arin ponders all of the facts so far.
One of the Aasimar guards is missing a finger... so it's possible they're not in on it? That would make sense given that one of celestial lineage likely wouldn't be consorting with the abyssal or infernal. I... wonder if we could get them on our side.
He thinks some more.
Of course it's also possible there are illusions at work here, either to fake a missing finger or perhaps even the celestial lineage itself. As always, answers lead to more questions.
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"Once we finish gathering our information maybe it would be possible to travel back to Absalom to their great library and get some of these books that have been altered? Ones that show the names and rituals they speak and practice are actually of demons and not who they think." Kembe speaks slowly and deeply, articulating his thoughts with his large hands.
"Then they can make their decisions. I fear if we do too much they may not believe us and fight back. If we show them the truth..."
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[b]"Once we've finished all the other tasks, we can send the pack animal with the rubbing and notes from the garden through the eddy. Then we can ask up the food chain about the missing books. Keep it innocent: show logbook indicating missing volumes, try and get a read on them. Start with folks missing their fingers, mention missing volumes, and maybe mention the odd/wrong information we've uncovered, and that we're just seeking the truth. Maybe start with halflings, then Zhuang. If none of them have info (and don't attack us for heresy), do the same with Dakang's Aasimar pals. Finally, Dakang himself, if we aren't already fighting for our lives by then."
A short time later Gastidem returns back to the gardens and once again watches the progress from his place at that statue. He does give it a brief inspection and find the tampering done to it as he gives a sneer to the party as he goes to clearing it himself, reaching his hand deep inside to withdraw the foliage from within. "There are better places to leave offerings to Korada."
Aside from that the progress continues smoothly in clearing out the rest of the gardens and within the crypt. The mapping of the gardens is interrupted though by an unholy screech from inside the crypt that makes Gastidem jump with a start.
Inside the crypt the rest of the party working within can see the source. A small bloated creature, the height of a halfling, has no hair across it's dull red body. It has bared fangs as it yells out at you, charging with claws ready to tear into flesh forcing you into combat.
- Round 1 -
Pai
Feelo
Mera
Arin
Jahz
Monster
Gastidem
Kembe
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Arin walks up behind Mera and mutters some additional, guttural sounding abyssal to himself. He reaches out and touches Mera's weapon.
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As soon as she hears the screech, Pai's head whips around to face the open door to the crypt. Seeing how crowded it is in there and the direction all of them are looking, she swiftly decides to try to loop around from behind to see what's going on, or fight it as the case is likely to be. She gives a rueful glance at the doors from the garden to the hall of statues as she passes them by. Dang! I wish we had unlocked those other doors! She chides herself as she moves toward the doors to the south. "Let's go, Jahz!"
The creature hisses at Arin's statement, it grunts and yells seeming to understand but with a mouth designed for tearing rather than speaking.
His blathering is cut off by Mera's empowered weapon smashing into the creature. It barely unable to avoid the blow. It is left staggering, barely able to hold itself up after the attack.
Kembe's own attack feel short and didn't connect with the horrid creature.
It's face broken from the blow, it backs off and calls upon magic to fill the area with a foul smelling mist that makes it difficult to focus on the fight. The cloud is dense enough to even block vision, obscuring everything around you, able to only make out what is within arms reach.
- Round 2 -
Kembe (Fort Save)
Pai
Feelo (Fort Save)
Mera (Fort Save)
Arin (Fort Save)
Jahz (Fort Save)
Monster (-14 damage)
Gastidem
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Delay Affliction (Su) Once per day as an immediate action, whenever you fail a saving throw against a disease or poison, you may ignore its effects for 1 hour per level. At 7th and 15th level, you can use this ability one additional time per day.
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Not knowing what else to do, he passes some divine guidance to her, in hopes that it helps her likewise stave off the nausea, or at least strike out in the mist more truly.
The creature flinches as it sees the morningstar approach, but it is able to avoid the lethal blow as it grumbles and gives screams of elation and rage as it prepares to sink it's claws into Mera.
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”Whew! Who let that nasty one loose?” Jahz says as he waves his shield arm in front of his face. ”It’s alright, we can admit it. We’ve all been there - I won’t judge.” As he moves through the cloud and spots the demon, he yells, ”I’ll keep this foul beast from retreating!” and moves into a flanking position.
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Kembe tightens up his core muscles and controls his breathing through his mouth as the stench encircles him like a wet mist on a hot day. I have cleaned bedpans with worse odors... but its close.
Seeing the direction the creature retreated, and Mera in front of him, Kembe carefully weaves ahead, doing his best to dodge any attacks that may lash out from it.
Through the mists he recognizes Jahz and nods as he attempts to deliver a kick to the creature's already damaged face.
The monster swipes at Jahz as he passes, but the attack doesn't manage to connect being both too slow and hampered by the smoke itself.
Pai sees as Gastidem take cover from the battle as he considers even retreating even farther. Continuing on her path, Pai moves into the hallway and catches signs of the continuing battle at the edge of the smoke.
The hateful creature forgets the two people that have moved to block it's escape. Instead it turns all the frustration out on Mera, baring claw and fang at her. Each time she moves her morningstar, it flinches in fear and that prevents it from landing any blows.
- Round 3 -
Kembe (Fort Save)
Pai
Feelo (Fort Save)
Mera (Fort Save, guidance)
Arin
Jahz (Fort Save)
Monster (-14 damage)
Gastidem
Jahz drives his blade into the monster and the creature's flesh is able to resist much of the blow despite the magic in the attack. Despite that, it isn't enough for the creature to survive the critical blow digging into the fetid flesh. It screeches a final time as it falls dead onto the ground, the flesh rapidly boiling away into a vapor within the rancid mist.
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Mera forgets herself and lets out a cheer of victory, promptly sucking in the noxious gas. She urps and heaves a bit before vomiting in technicolor. She quickly moves clear of the cloud and catches her breath, trying to cover up her embarassment at forgetting she was in a poisonous cloud.
After catching her breath, she asks, "Was that some kinda summoned critter, the way that thing just boiled away? Cuz if it was, we might need to deal with the Dakang fella sooner rather than later."
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As Jahz finishes wiping off his blade, he considers Mera's idea. "I don't remember hearing any spellcasting while we were working in the garden, and summoning tends to be a noisy affair," he says finally. "And if Dakang has been in his chambers all day, how would he have summoned anything out here where he couldn't see?"
Gastidem for his part is a bit on edge, but lowers his shears a tad once he sees the party settling down themselves after the fight. He is at a loss for words for how to approach this for a moment.
"These invasions? Gastidem reacts vehemently in denial crying out, "No! No no no no no. Everyone once in a long while someone comes by who means to do the worshipers, everyone here, harm. When that happens the guards dispatch them. There have been some monsters that have come by, but in my years here I have never seen anything like that!"
His defense of himself and the temple complete, he asks Arin back, "Maybe it came in here following you? No one here would be drawing the interest of some creature like that. But you," he gestures about Arin's hair and skin searching for the words. Quickly though he seems unwilling to address the topic himself as he sidesteps into another statement, "and your party are much more worldly and likely to drawn the interest of some threat or another."
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"Listen, fella. We've been making nice since we got here, dealing with the undead and now this extra-dimonstrab--extraplanular--this demon." She asks the party in a quick aside "That was a demon, right?" Then she turns back to Gastidem. "Instead of being grateful, you're throwing accusations. Either you're in league with Dakang, or you're just covering for him. Either way, I suggest you admit it's the latter and tell us everything. That way, you don't end up like that demon. We've about had enough!"
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Pai leads Kembe down the hall, away from the crypt, coming upon the group questioning Gastidem. She listens in, then decides to take matters into her own hands. She stomps right up to him, shoving her face into his with a glare that could cut glass, and activates her Enveloping Winds ability. Tiny lightening bolts arc around her as her short-cropped orange hair stands on end. Her pale green eyes almost glow with electrical energy.
"Tell. Us. What. You. Know. NOW." Her finger jabs his shoulder--hard--with each word, sending snapping static electric pulses with each contact, implying more to come.