Coral speaks up.
"Doeswen Aubry?
I am Coral, from Three Pines Ford.
Ranton Gandry sent us to the Northgate Road way station to find you, to inquire about the gnome Kilibrandt. He apologizes for dismissing your concerns and acknowledges that you were correct to be alarmed. He is overwhelmed with grief at his failings, but Lastwall needs him. And you. And us, I believe. There is great danger.
It seems Gildais, an agent of the Whispering Way, contracted with the Six Wise Crows to steal the fragments of the Shattered Shield of Arninsant and replace them with forgeries.
We don't know why the Whispering Way would want fragments of the Shield, though.
The Whispering Way unleashed a weapon of terrible power, called the Radiant Fire, destroying the town of Roslar's Coffer.
It also seems that Seal-Breakers came into conflict with the Six Wise Crows, though both would seem to be working on behalf of the Whispering Way. We don't know what is going on between those two factions."
"Why were you kept alive? Did they want information from you?"
Doeswen's eyes widen at Coral's words, and she visibly relaxes as she processes the information. She takes a deep breath, the tension in her shoulders easing slightly.
"Yes, I am Doeswen Aubry," she confirms, her voice still raspy but gaining strength. "I can't believe Ranton acknowledged his mistake." she says, awestruck.
Shaking her head, she continues "I was taken from the way station by those bastards. They beat me, threatened me, and locked me here with these poor animals. They wanted to know what Ranton or I suspected. I knew what was going on, but no one would listen to me."
She blows away her frustration, takes a deep breath and tries again. "It seems you have some idea of what's going on. Two years ago, I was stationed at the Crusader War College, near the reliquary holding the shards of Arnisant's shield. I saw Kilibrandt steal the relic and sounded the alarm. But when the shards appeared to still be in place, I was dismissed as a troublemaker. Ranton reassigned me to a remote post to keep me quiet. I continued to research the theft, even after my reassignment. I figured out that they forged the replica in Brunna’s Quality Shields, Smithy, and Sundries. I have a lot of notes and information hidden in my office, I hope they didn't take it."
She sighs, thinking back to the attack. "The Crows assaulted us at the way station from the inside, we never saw it coming. Usundra led the attack. I tried to stop them, but I was caught unprepared and knocked out and when woke up here where they started questioning me. Kilibrandt is the leader of the Crows. A wicked, wicked gnome. She warned me not to cry for help, saying she'd beat anyone who heard me twice as hard. I shouted a few times, but no one came. They would beat me within an inch of my life and let me heal myself only to repeat it again and again until my powers were gone. They enjoyed it."
Doeswen's expression grows darker as she remembers more details. "They took me to the millhouse repeatedly and threatened to throw me into a putrid ooze if I didn't answer their questions. Be very, very careful if you go there."
"Anyway, I passed out from the abuse. I woke up later, hearing noises from outside—shouting, running, the clash of metal. The Crows, they were shouting about an attack, saying things like 'They've got Dondun!' and 'They came from the sewer!' The attack was quick, and then it went silent. No one came to check the barn, so I've been stuck here since. Whoever killed the Crows had no idea I was locked up in here or surely they would have killed me as well."
Lola smiles slightly, ”we are always careful - though I don’t think the group has a name yet. Boneyard Buddies? Coffer Crew? Delirious Half-Dozen?” She says as an aside to Isabet, ”we had to get out of the Boneyard to successfully return to the Coffer.” Turning back to Doeswen, she notes, ”we keep having to introduce ourselves - I am starting to think that some shorthand would be helpful.”
She seems to relax slightly, and greets the woman with her typical flourish, ”you may already know of me, or perhaps not - the people of Lastwall have given me mixed reviews - but I am Lola, singer of, for, and to the dead. This is La Guittara, because I was not feeling creative when I came up with the name.” She taps the bone white guitar and plays an experimental strum, melodic and soothing, ”whatever our name, if there is any power in these old bones, we have dedicated it to stopping the Way.” She looks over the injured woman, ”maybe we can heal you some, go fight whatever horrors these pendejos left behind, and head to your office?”
Damian's smile answers Lola's. "I like Boneyard Buddies." He lifts his holy symbol by its chain from underneath his shirt, displaying it to Doeswen Aubry. "If it puts you any more at ease, I am a sworn servant of the Dawnflower. Sister Isabet's ability with healing exceeds mine, but I offer my help to you nonetheless." He grimaces a little. "I am sorry to say that of your fellows at the waystation only a handful survived."
He inclines his head to Lola. "Perhaps more fighting is not our priority right now, unless there is a very pressing need. We should first ensure the safety and well-being of..." He trails off, looking at Doeswen as he tries to work out with what title to address her. "...Dame Aubry? Then we should secure these documents that she mentions, and go meet the Venture-Captain."
Before heading back to Vigil, you do a thorough search of the area to make sure nothing important is overlooked.
Inside the waystation office, you find a tan leather cloak . The niche also contains some contraband Doeswen put here: an ornate counterfeit seal worth 75 gp depicting a roaring lion and three doses of terinav root.
More importantly, however, you find Doeswen's notes, which seem on-point for the current predicament. Ever since Doeswen’s shameful transfer from her post as a reliquary guard in the Crusader War College, she has obsessed over the Shattered Shield of Arnisant. She suspects it was stolen and replaced with a forgery. Most of her research on this subject is in a file hidden in her office.
Doeswen notates that she has hidden this file, as it’s technically not in her jurisdiction, and she’s been warned against pursuing the matter. Doeswen’s notes describe the Six Wise Crows as a nefarious gang working within Vigil that is responsible for several unsolved acts of larceny. This gang is led by a female gnome named Kilibrandt and includes a death priest named Usundra, an old male human wizard, and three other members whom Doeswen hasn’t been able to identify. The notes posit that the Six Wise Crows were responsible for creating the forged shield shards and swapping them for the originals. Included is a map of Vigil with a large red ink mark highlighting an establishment called “Brunna’s Quality Shields, Smithy, and Sundries.” Above this ink mark, a question reads, “Replica forged here?”
"We did find the notes from your office," Coral adds. "They were instrumental in leading us to Brunna's, where the Six Wise Crows had already started a fire to cover their tracks. We were able to recover more evidence there."
She looks at Damian with appreciation. "Dawnflower's light is always welcome. And thank you, Coral, for finding my notes. They were my only way of proving what I knew, even if it took too long for anyone to believe me. Thank you all for your assistance."
"I'm Doeswen Aubry, former captain of the Northgate Road way station." she says, offering a somber frown as she thinks of all of her slaughtered knights she could not protect. A heavy burden washes over her as her shoulders slump.
She looks down, thinking "You said they torched Brunna's. Took me for questioning. They're trying to clean up. Why now, after all this time? Is it because you were on to them? Why did these Seal Breakers kill the Crows? I must warn the Knights of Ozem! These Seal-Breakers must be found and stopped!"
"In the rear of the millhouse is a warehouse. I think that's where these Seal Breakers came from. There's a connection to the ewers there; I heard it being discussed."
Lola snaps her fingers, "I think you're right Coral."
She turns back to Doeswen, before pausing and adding, "I think it a bad idea to leave you to go alone to the Knights - can we drop you off at the Temple of Iomedae? And you don't have to worry too much. Many of Vigil's leaders already know about our discoveries. Your safety is paramount, as you have direct knowledge of the crime."
She opens her hands, nodding "Si, these... actions. They are particular. We intended to visit with the pathfinders soon, before venturing into the sewers and finding the Seal Breakers," and she adds for Damian, "maybe we do not need to get into a fight, but, we should make sure there's no other villainous humanoids else lurking about on the grounds of the dyeworks. We can assume that the stench from the pits will stay there - but it would be prudent to sweep all the other nooks before leaving. What do you think?"
Kendren had been quiet during the introduction, still expecting an ambush from out of nowhere. Now he said, "We do have a cordon of Watchknights outside, still, who can help keep you safe while we clear the rest of the dyeworks. I am Kendren Nollt, also a servant of Sarenrae. We did not want the Six Wise Crows escaping that way if they were here."
Doeswen nods, accepting the suggestion. "That's fine. I'll be fine with the knights out front; they can get me to where I need to go. Just be careful with that ooze; it's terrifying."
She tilts her head to the side, wondering "How many of the Crows are dead now? How many did the Seal-Breakers kill, all six?"
Doeswen nods, accepting the suggestion. "That's fine. I'll be fine with the knights out front; they can get me to where I need to go. Just be careful with that ooze; it's terrifying."
She tilts her head to the side, wondering "How many of the Crows are dead now? How many did the Seal-Breakers kill, all six?"
The group heads back to the shop and begins to inspect the room.
The heaps of fabric in front of the counter conceal four corpses—three humans in fine clothing and a female half-elf in blackened full plate armor. None of them bear the mark of justice that would identify them as citizens in Vigil. They were all killed with slashing weapons. The half-elf is badly scarred, as from a hard life of battle, and wears a cloth over her mouth beneath her helmet. Several pieces of her full plate have been removed, including the chest plate on which identifying heraldry or markings might have appeared. She was killed with piercing weapons. No weapons remain here.
You spend some time reconstructing what happened here by examining the corpses and clues around the room. You eventually surmise that these individuals were all in a fight here in this shop recently, along with four other people wearing heavy boots. Additionally, the half-elf ’s boots and greaves carry a faint odor of sewage. Furthermore, the humans were fighting against the half-elf and the four other people; the half-elf ’s side won and stashed the bodies underneath the fabric.
"The Seal-Breakers killed three of the Six Wise Crows, I believe, but the gnome Killibrandt was not among them. Just three humans. We were able to tell that the Seal-Breakers had come from the sewer."
Her shoulders slouch when she hears Killibrandt is still alive. What about Usundra or Dundun? Death priestess and wizard, respectively." She describes Usundra as the red-cloaked woman you encountered at the way station, and Dun dun is the figure you saw just outside the burning shop belonging to Brunna. "Though there are six, those three are by far the worst."
"The fates always seem to save the worst for last." Sister Isabet says bitterly, but smiles at the woman, rubbing her shoulder in solace "They will be found and stopped, the good gods willing, or more likely by will of these brave souls."
"You mentioned an ooze?" her mind is considering sloshing sounds in vats as she asks.
"Usundra we killed at the way station. She had some necromantic orc abomination with her.
Given that, and the horrific slaughter of the knights there... These Six Wise Crows were not conducting a clever heist for a bit of coin. They are absolute monsters. We will end them."
Feena considered the name for their group and said, "I kind of like Boneyard Buddies, it is descriptive and memorable." Her gaze turned to the rescued Doeswen and said, "I am Feena, a sorceress with ties to Sarenrae's sacred phoenixes."
As the discussion shifted to the Six Wise Crows and which ones were dealt with Feena felt herself concerned as they certainly had not handled the worst of them from the sound of it. Feena was struck by something that Doeswen shad asked, why the Crows were cleaning up the loose ends. She began to piece together what they had learned and what was going on in the city, how it was so crowded with people for the festival, and then paled, "The only reason I can think of that they would be cleaning up is if they were done here and wanted to prevent anyone from figuring out their purpose. What happens if they do the same thing here that they did...to our home? And if they do what time would have a stronger impact than at the start of the festival?"
"You mentioned an ooze?" her mind is considering sloshing sounds in vats as she asks.
Doeswen nods, "Correct. It was in the northern vat."
"We will end them."
She nods somberly to Coral's declaration.
The captain's face pales as she comes to the same conclusion as Feena
"You said they destroyed Roslar's Coffer with a weapon called the Radiant Fire? And you think they intend to do this here? In Vigil? During the festival?"
She shakes her head, "No. They must be stopped, that is beyond imaginable."
Feena considered the name for their group and said, "I kind of like Boneyard Buddies, it is descriptive and memorable."
"Too lighthearted for my tastes. You can think of us that way if you wish. I just think of us as the survivors of Roslar's Coffer. People with whom I have faced unimaginable horrors."
As the discussion shifted to the Six Wise Crows and which ones were dealt with Feena felt herself concerned as they certainly had not handled the worst of them from the sound of it. Feena was struck by something that Doeswen shad asked, why the Crows were cleaning up the loose ends. She began to piece together what they had learned and what was going on in the city, how it was so crowded with people for the festival, and then paled, "The only reason I can think of that they would be cleaning up is if they were done here and wanted to prevent anyone from figuring out their purpose. What happens if they do the same thing here that they did...to our home? And if they do what time would have a stronger impact than at the start of the festival?"
"But we don't know how this Radiant Fire works, where it comes from, where the caster might be..."
When the party is ready to go, Coral will lead the way to the millhouse. She will check the door for traps, of course, but ask Sister Isabet to look through the door and get the layout (and allow us to plan) before opening the door.
"This ooze...does anyone know anything about them? I've never encountered them before."
Lola tilts her head, ”depending on the ooze, Kendren - my training requires that I know a little about most things.”
The sister calmly walks up to the door, trusting the others and her faith to either protect her or not depending on what is needed or right. Her hand presses lightly on the wood door and she looks through to see...
Lola pieces together what she suspects is a putrid ooze, a creature resistant to fire and electricity with digestive acids that dissolve organic and metal very quickly but is unable to dissolve the stone.
You exit the barn and study the Millhouse to the west. You know there is trouble brewing in the tanning pits, but don't feel like dealing with it at the moment. The closer door to the Millhouse looks ajar, but you cannot reach it without traversing close by the pits. You observe there is a second entrance to the Millhouse to the north that is off the path.
Pushing north behind the hedges, you take a short dirt path to the closed wooden door and let Coral examine it for traps. Once she feels safe, Sister Isabet uses her sight to see what's beyond.
Two mill wheels straddle a wide trough in the ground. Each is connected to a stirring mechanism in a huge vat, one to the north of the wheels and one to the south. Several barrels stand near the vats; each overfilled with bright, rainbow-colored pigments. Fireplaces stand on the east wall near each vat, roughly opposite large sliding doors. No enemies or active creatures are in sight.
After relaying it the party, Kendren opens the door. Almost immediately afterward, a huge ooze bursts violently from the northern vat, sending a cascade of rainbow-colored dyes splashing in all directions. The enormous, sludge-like creature surges upwards, towering menacingly. Its amorphous body glistens with an unsettling mix of acidic sludge and vibrant pigments, creating a grotesque yet mesmerizing appearance.
The ooze moves quicker than anticipated and gets a fist that swings towards Kendren. Luckily Coral is there to yank him to the side out of the way just before it makes contact.
"I thought it was supposed to be in the vats out in the courtyard" the sister grumbled, before switching into a prayer "Protect these heroic unbelievers of your magnificence from the digestive acids of this oozing beast." she says loudly, but then more quietly "ignore the 'magnificence' part, flattery just helps Cayden get off his bottom to help."
Feena was startled by the appearance of the monstrosity in a place it should not be. How it got there from where it was she did not know, maybe there was a passage connecting the pools or, worse, maybe there were more than one of the things. Either way she was not going to hesitate. She quickly cast a spell and slowed down everyone's perception of time as their bodies and minds began to move faster.
Coral turns back and shouts at the party (so that Damian can see her lips move).
"What's the plan? Shut the door? Outpace it and use ranged attacks?"
She may need to fight it in melee, but waits for confirmation.
Lola thinks quickly, "we have the speed and the resistances - outpace with ranged attacks. The acid is dangerous, but Isabet's spell can protect us. Nothing can protect us from its... gooey pseudopod." She drops her spear and moves back while dancing, drawing her bow. "Anyone can it, so put extra power into your shots." As she moves back, she notes "don't bother with electricity or fire damage, and hit as hard as you possibly can, it has a gooey hide."
Coral will fall back to Lola's position.
Sister Isabet takes stock of her offensive capabilities, and comes up short, as always. "Cayden armed me mostly with supoort." she mentions, again, as she moves with the others.
"Very well. Let's do that." Kendren cautiously backs away from the ooze, leaving the door open for it to pursue.
Damian and Feena quickly retreat, positioning themselves at the group's rear, ready to provide support. The ooze takes the bait and lumbers through the door as they fall back.
The creature's immense strength becomes evident as it explodes through the side of the millhouse, creating a gaping, fifteen-foot-wide hole. The structure groans under the strain, the roof sagging and creaking ominously, yet miraculously, it does not collapse entirely.
The ooze surges forward; its movement is slow but predictable. Wooden beams, lush hedges, and even garden sections vanish as they are absorbed into the ooze's acidic body. The colorful sludge leaves behind nothing but burning bare ground, sizzling from the oozes acidic touch.
The ooze closes the distance on Kendren and gets within a few feet of him, its rippling mass nearly able to slide over the top of him.
Sister Isabet pulls a crocked brass wand out of her belt and loudly says "May Cayden correct any wobbles or wanderings from your aim" the drunken god is an expert of appearing sober even when plastered to heck and back.
With the ooze right on top of him, Kendren said, "I don't think I can fall back further. I will try to hold its focus on me while the rest of you fill it with arrows."
Adopting a more defensive fighting style than his normal, Kendren tried bringing powerful blows of his scimitar to bear on the ooze, hoping to do something to its massive bulk.
Lola steps away slightly and puts as much life-draining power into one bow shot.
"It is impossibly easy to hit. Throw whatever you can at it with as much power as possible.
Breaking off his fascination with the colourful creature, Damian quickly nocks and arrow, pulling the string back with a practiced motion and letting loose. The magic from Feena and Isabet thrums in his body, nudging his movements - faster, better.
Having heard the thing was resistant to the only types of magical damage she could dish out Feena was once more at a loss on what she should do. After a moment she realized there was one option left to her, magically speaking, and that was to try and blind the thing. She wasn't sure if she even could blind it but it was her best option. With a few words and gestures Feena produced a pall of glittery dust to spread over the creature's mass.
Coral takes a 5' step and tries to defend Kendren.
As Lola said, the ooze is extremely simple to hit, and all party members land their attacks. Unfortunately, however, it proves quite difficult to inflict any lasting damage.
Feena lands her spell, and the ooze would be blinded if it didn't have blindsight and prove immune to her clever idea. Regardless, the already colorful ooze now sparkles with glitter.
Coral helps protect Kendren as much as she can and the paladin prepares for the inevitable, powerful blow from the ooze. The creature surges up and a portion of the creature explodes into Kendren with tremendous force!
The ooze begins to encircle him, trying to grab a hold of him.
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Kendren felt the wind knocked out of him by the blow as the ooze's bulk wrapped around him. He felt magic bolster him as struggled against the thing's grip, but he just wasn't slippery enough to escape.
Wait. Slippery. "Could someone magically grease me? I might be able to slip out of the ooze's grasp!"
As grease covers Kendren head to toe, he tries to burst free, hoping that the combination of greasiness and brute strength can get him out.
With a roar, Kendren bursts from the ooze's pseudopod, free from its grasp, breathing heavily. Hefting the shield before him, he braces for its next attack. He's sure that if it hits, he'll be down, but maybe Sarenrae would smile on him and keep him safe.
Lola curses loudly, ”¡Mierda!” and almost fumbling, snaps out a scroll from a compartment on her wrist, and flicks it. A sheen of oily grease appears on Kendren, though he’s being constricted. She raises her bow and glances towards the two spellcasters, ”if you have anything up your sleeves, now’s the time to pull it out. This thing will kill half of Vigil if it gets past us.”
With a firm worried line of her lips, the sister watches the valiant young man get swallowed by the horrible, though lovely, blob of glitter gunk. Somehow he pulls himself free with a impressive greasy tenacity and sets himself in front of it once again.
When he should be running to never experience that again.
"Cayden, there is one that rivals you in that questionable insanity that you call bravery, so we must do what we can to see him through the day." she whispers to her god, grasping her holy symbol and choosing to share his pain.
Feena saw how badly Kendren was harmed by the monstrosity and knew he needed to healed quickly. Knowing this was a chance she could help in the fight Feena cast a spell and sent a pair of scorching beams of energy lancing out at Kendren causing some of his injuries to heal with soothing heat.
*.5 = 7
*.5 = 7
Coral is just about out of options - it has been a very long day.
She settles for trying to defend Kendren again, but isn't going to step up closer to that monstrosity.
The sight of the ooze enveloping Kendren is shocking, and Damian is greatly concerned for his fellow paladin. Slamming the winged staff on the ground, he releases one of the blessings stored inside.
The party stands their ground with a collective sense of determination, bolstered by Damian's prayer and their coordinated defensive stance. Kendren, now shielded by Isabet's protective magic and aided by Coral, braces himself as the ooze lunges again.
The creature's massive pseudopod slams into the ground just inches from Kendren, missing him by a hair's breadth. The impact reverberates through the garden, sending a tremor under everyone's feet. The ground shakes violently, scattering leaves and debris and rumbling nearby buildings.
Having managed not to be hit this time by the ooze's pseudopod, Kendren briefly calls on Sarenrae to heal more of his wounds, then once again lays into the ooze with his sword.
Feema stayed well back from the fighting, she could do little help as it was, and began another chant. When she finished she dropped a fireball onntop of her companions causing their wounds to heal.
÷2=11
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The sister stands back and watches the battle. The creature's shattering smash make her say "Cayden preserve us" with a healthy amount of awe. She happens to be holding her holy symbol in a firm grip when she says so, and her god is ever the show boat.
A ghostly swashbuckler with a silver rapier on one hand and an overflowing tankard in the other swaggers into existence behind the prismatic ooze, bowing to each of the ladies before stabbing the creature lightly in its rear.
Isabet rolls her eyes at the specter "Please don't play with your foe, sir." said with comfortable but firm mirth.
Coral does not hang around in melee with the ooze.
"Come on Kendren, let the invincible ghost-warrior fight it."
She takes a step back (unsure IC of the thing's reach, so a 5' step), switches the sword to her buckler hand, and draws her bow with her free hand.
Damian swiftly reaches towards Kendren and Coral, tying their fates to his so that any hurt visited upon them would be shared.
Lola looks torn, as if she's trying to decide what to do, but since Kendren already attacked, she lifts her bow and takes a step back, re-establishing her inspire courage.
Both Kendren, the spiritual ally, and Lola land their attacks on the colorful monster, but its defensive oozeness hinders their ability to wound it severely. Even so, slow pieces of the ooze begin to break off, and signs of their attacks are slowly becoming evident.
Damian and Feena both help Kendren. Isabet brings in a special friend of force, and Coral begins to reposition.
The ooze extends out a large section of its body and raises it high in the air before bringing it slamming down on top of Kendren with such tremendous force that, once again, the buildings shake, and the ground trembles.
After slamming him, the ooze wraps around Kendren, grabbing a hold of him once more. As it wraps around his body, it begins to squeeze and tighten around his body with unimaginable strength, squeezing the air out of his lungs and breaking his bones in the process.
Broken and nearly lifeless, the ooze drops Kendren and turns around and focuses its attention on spectral Cayden.
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