Groog simply grunts.
Visions if the future. How stupid. All a bunch of lies and aurochs s~$$.
Aurealia nods along eagerly to Croq's words.
Kallie didn't exactly care for the order in which they got the visions provided they got them all, but she couldn't help but be invested in news of the Sihedron Heroes.
"Yes, let's start with that."
"I caught glimpses of the Sihedron Heroes' battle against Alaznist and her minions. It was quite vicious, but the Heroes nearly won," Ayavah begins. She closes her eyes. "However, at the last minute, Alaznist distracted them somehow; they seemed surprised by whatever she did. Alaznist then summoned something radiant into her hand, and that's where the vision ends."
Ayavah opens her eyes and turns to Croq.
"Your mother appeared to be faring relatively well until the end," she says. "Unfortunately, I didn't see what happened to her after Alaznist summoned that radiant object."
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Kallie rubs her temple in frustration as she listens to the vision. "'Did something surprising.' 'Summoned a glowing thing.' Why'd I think this could've been useful?"
She then gives Ayavah a sweetly saccharine smile. "Thank you so much for that vision. You said you had two more: one of us, and then one >ahem< frustratingly vague?"
She did try to keep the sarcasm out of her voice. She really did.
"Yes. The one involving all of you was arguably the clearest, but it was also the shortest," Ayavah says. If she heard Kallie's grumbling, then she doesn't seem to be bothered by it. "I saw your group and Runelord Sorshen standing next to a massive portal. From the other side, there was an absolute behemoth of a creature thundering toward the portal. The creature was quite... elephantine in appearance."
”Wow,” Groog comments, his voice full of sarcasm and amusement. ”we get to see a big elephant. Such a life changing vision.”
Kallie shrugs, but glad for Groog's focus on the elephant and not the other revelation of that vision. "I dunno. Elephants are cool. But maybe it'll be a mastodon? Or a mammoth?" She turns to Ayavah. "Was there anyone riding the creature?"
Aurealia waits for her to answer Kallie about the rider and then asks, "And the third vision? The vague one?"
Kallie shrugs, but glad for Groog's focus on the elephant and not the other revelation of that vision. "I dunno. Elephants are cool. But maybe it'll be a mastodon? Or a mammoth?" She turns to Ayavah. "Was there anyone riding the creature?"
"The creature resembled an elephant more than a mastodon or a mammoth. I didn't see any riders," Ayavah replies. Despite the doubts that have been expressed, she maintains a neutral expression and demeanor. "And I must emphasis that this thing was a towering behemoth of creature. Its presence also seemed to concern Sorshen. If no one is there to stop it, then I fear the consequences will be dire for Varisia."
Aurealia waits for her to answer Kallie about the rider and then asks, "And the third vision? The vague one?"
"This final vision almost seemed like a prophetic story. It's quite layered. The central figure was a fire elemental... I think?" Ayavah recalls. "What stood out to me about them was the bright red, orange, and yellows composing this individual. And they went around... talking with other figures. However, as they travel, everything around them burns."
Ayavah takes a few seconds to think about to describe her vision.
"The fire elemental first approaches a fully cloaked figure with blood flowing from their lips. The two talk, and they seem to quickly reach an agreement, shaking hands. The fire elemental then consumes the cloaked figure, gets bigger, and burns brighter. The fires left in their wake are also larger.
"After some more traveling, the fire elemental suddenly pauses and sees a golden figure clashes with a heavily armored warrior. The fighting is fierce. The golden one, however, doesn't seem to have their heart in the battle, mostly focusing on self-defense. The fire elemental considers intervening but ultimately decides against it.
"Instead, the fire elemental's attention falls on a woman - her outline was distinctly feminine - watching the fight while standing in a dark shadow. They talk. However, the golden figure then appears by the woman’s side, clearly intent on protecting her from the fire elemental. They all talk... and that's where things branch.
"Sometimes, the fire elemental is completely rebuffed, and the woman leaves with the golden figure. Other times, the woman leaves the side of her golden ally and gets consumed by the fire elemental, who goes to cause incredible destruction. The golden figure becomes sad and then vanishes.
"However, there's also a third outcome. The golden one joins the fire elemental alongside their friend, leading to the fire elemental becoming an inferno that consumes... everything. All I could see was everything burning."
Croq feels her hope soar, during the vision...and then crash again.
So she summoned something radiant in her and and then? What happened then??
Croq restrains herself from asking (realizing with a bit of embarrassment that she just blurted out her fear for her mom).
She listens to the rest, and then asks, "When Alaznist was fighting my...the Sihedron Heroes, how did she do it? What kind of spells? Did she have allies there? Anything else you saw?"
. . .
At Groog's answer--so unlike what it might've been a day ago--she turns, curiously, to the man she realizes she doesn't know at all. "Have you seen elephants before? Where?"
With a sudden start, Croq goes digging back through the pages of the notebook she uses to compose new songs.
"Here it is! I wrote down that sending from Jeevika. 'We failed. Unsure if others live. Alaznist wielding godlike artifact. Recruiting allies: Apathy, Malice, The Destroyer. Stop Alaznist... Sorshen... Xanderghul. Others' plans unknown. I'm sorry'
"Maybe that's the glowing orb. And you say you saw us talking to Sorshen. Maybe Jeevika was saying that we might be able to persuade Sorshen and Xanderghul to stand against Alaznist? Thybidos said Sorshen didn't ever get along with Alaznist, right? I gotta say, this is way over my head. What even were those two the runelords of? And it's not like we have any way of finding them, right?"
Croq feels her hope soar, during the vision...and then crash again.
So she summoned something radiant in her and and then? What happened then??
Croq restrains herself from asking (realizing with a bit of embarrassment that she just blurted out her fear for her mom).
She listens to the rest, and then asks, "When Alaznist was fighting my...the Sihedron Heroes, how did she do it? What kind of spells? Did she have allies there? Anything else you saw?"
With a sudden start, Croq goes digging back through the pages of the notebook she uses to compose new songs.
"Here it is! I wrote down that sending from Jeevika. 'We failed. Unsure if others live. Alaznist wielding godlike artifact. Recruiting allies: Apathy, Malice, The Destroyer. Stop Alaznist... Sorshen... Xanderghul. Others' plans unknown. I'm sorry'
"Maybe that's the glowing orb. And you say you saw us talking to Sorshen. Maybe Jeevika was saying that we might be able to persuade Sorshen and Xanderghul to stand against Alaznist? Thybidos said Sorshen didn't ever get along with Alaznist, right? I gotta say, this is way over my head. What even were those two the runelords of? And it's not like we have any way of finding them, right?"
"The object wasn't really an orb. Alaznist was holding it like someone would hold a torch or the hilt of a sword," Ayavah recalls. "From what I understand, the first time she fought the Sihedron Heroes, Alaznist used little more than blasts, explosions, and other forms of brute magical force. This time, her spells seemed much more varied. I didn't see how exactly she distracted the Heroes, but perhaps she used an illusion to surprise them or enchantment to sow discord among their ranks. As for her minions, I only saw fiends, and none of them particularly stood out; they were all slain by the time the vision ended."
Kallie sighs. "Xanderghul was the Runelord of Pride. He and Sorshen were the only two to have never been supplanted. Getting him -- getting either of them -- to agree to help us is likely a pointless endeavor. More like, we'd be working with them to further their aims."
She puts her hands on her hips as she paces back and forth while she muses over the visions. "Okay. The fire is most likely Alaznist. I mean, it makes sense, right? She's an evoker, she's wrathful, and fire equals anger, right? So... it's all about the other figures. Who will either join up with her or will get burned up by her. It's tempting to assume Sorshen is the woman in the vision, but I don't think Sorshen would ever join up with Alaznist. And then there's a bleeding figure, a gold figure and an armored one. That's four figures, and so far there's only the two runelords.
"Most likely, the bleeding guy, the gold figure, and the armored one are the 'allies' Jeevika mentioned: Apathy, Malice, and the Destroyer. But I don't know who those might be, and it sounds like one's consumed already. Maybe the woman is still Sorshen, but that leaves Xanderghul out of the picture."
"Deities, arch fiends of some kind perhaps?"
"This is the first time I've heard of those three individuals. I don't think the woman is Sorshen. She had a different... physique," Ayavah says. "As for Xanderghul, I haven't seen anything about him."
"It seems to me that the challenge will be matching those names to a figure. Unfortunately, we've got four figures and three names," Galatea observes. "Is there anything else you can tell us, Ayavah?"
"For what it's worth, I think these were all visions of the future," Ayavah says. "For example, it's only been a matter of days since the Sihedron Heroes fought Alaznist, and I didn't see any indications of the bleeding figure being present at the battle."
"Deities, arch fiends of some kind perhaps?"
Kallie throws her hands up. "Okay, so a bunch of vague symbolism that will look great in hindsight. And the multiple endings means it's even harder to be wrong. I guess we just need to be on the watch for these four figures."
She looks over to Galatea, to see if she is having any other reaction to these visions.
Kallie throws her hands up. "Okay, so a bunch of vague symbolism that will look great in hindsight. And the multiple endings means it's even harder to be wrong. I guess we just need to be on the watch for these four figures."
She looks over to Galatea, to see if she is having any other reaction to these visions.
"I did say that this vision was frustratingly vague," Ayavah says. She pauses for a moment before adding something else, "In this particular instance, if you ever cross paths with her, I think you can trust Sorshen. In the vision featuring her, you all appeared far more worried about the elephantine creature than her. To me, that implies that allying with her is a possibility."
Ayavah stays a bit longer to answer any questions, but with the discussion winding down, she eventually takes her leave.
The following day, after breakfast, Sheila gathers the group.
"Last night, the Council's agents finally located the base of operations for Maga's cult. It's one of the pilings of the Irespan, a stretch of the massive Thassilonian bridge that once went to Hollow Mountain and now lays in ruins. This piling is known as the Gecko," she says. "However, when our agents tried approaching it, they were attacked by the ghost of an old foe of the Varisian Rangers and thus forced to retreat."
Sheila takes a moment to gather her thoughts.
"Are any of you familiar with Xanesha?" she asks.
"The Lamia Matriarch, yes? Karzoug's minion? Subtle, cruel, lethal?"
Groog rips apart a large chunk of boar belly as he replies, mouth full, ”Never heard of ‘em.”
"I remember hearing about her. She fought the Varisian Rangers in one of their earlier battles. Xanesha killed someone they knew... don't recall her name. But she didn't last long against the rest of them. Think about it: Zoli, Eugeni, Mory, and Riley -- not Mama Ryli but one of her earlier lives. She didn't have a chance."
She glances over at Gali to watch her expression.
"You looked bothered by something the seer said. Care to share?"
Croq initially scratched her head (wondering if Xanesha wasn't maybe the name of a band she'd heard once) but nods at Jaya and Kallie's recollection."[/b]
"Oh, now that you mention it, I think Mom said something about that once, when Zoli was visiting.
"You really think her ghost is messing with folks?"
"The Lamia Matriarch, yes? Karzoug's minion? Subtle, cruel, lethal?"
"That would be her," Sheila confirms.
Croq initially scratched her head (wondering if Xanesha wasn't maybe the name of a band she'd heard once) but nods at Jaya and Kallie's recollection.
"Oh, now that you mention it, I think Mom said something about that once, when Zoli was visiting.
"You really think her ghost is messing with folks?"
"We are. We've checked our records, and the ghost's appearance matches that of Xanesha. She's evidently been haunting the area for some time too; Ayavah actually lives nearby and informed us yesterday about a 'serpentine ghost' haunting the area. Her warning is the main reason our agents weren't caught completely off guard," says Sheila.
Galatea frowns at this news.
"At this time, none of our available agents are strong enough to get past Xanesha," Sheila continues. "However, after hearing about your adventures in Hollow Mountain, I believe that you could."
Just great. Something else ninety percent of my spell repertoire won't affect. "Wait. 'Getting past her?' Usually that's not enough to put her spirit to rest. We'd have to do something for her. And she's probably not going to be too friendly to the kids of the people who killed her in the first place."
Kallie relaxes. "Oh. Okay."
"My apologies for not being clearer. Xanesha is currently haunting the Gecko, which Szuul's cult is using as their base of operations. She seems to be guarding the place. That might mean that she's working with the cultists," Sheila clarifies. "However, I agree. Ideally, Xanesha needs to be put to rest for good."
”Yeah? And how do you suppose we do that? We ain’t really a group of ghost bustin’ pros,” Groog replies.
"So...how do we put ghosts to rest? Could that same ritual Audrani just used work again?
"Anything we should do before heading there? If not, let's get a move on. The V.R.s need our help!"
"If we're lucky, it might be that some of Xanesha's remains are tying her to this realm. We destroy that, plus her ghost, and she'll be gone for good. Otherwise, she'll be problem for a long time to come."
"Between the lot of us, we should be able to figure it out."
Aurealia looks slightly uncomfortable for a moment. "Before we go on our next adventure, I need to find a barber."
"Between the lot of us, we should be able to figure it out."
Aurealia looks slightly uncomfortable for a moment. "Before we go on our next adventure, I need to find a barber."
"That shouldn't be an issue. A few barbers actually set up shop nearby to cater to the Pathfinders," Shiela says.
With the meeting concluded, you spend the rest of the morning preparing for your expedition to the Gecko.
The Gecko is a towering stone structure with a shape roughly resembling a square. Even with the sun still out, the pilling looks quite ominous. What's left of the Irespan covers it in intense shadow. There is no immediate visible entrance to the structure.
"So, how should we approach this, everyone?" Galatea, perched atop Cheshire's back, asks as you get closer.
Aurealia shaves her head, removes her makeup and accessories. They now appear far less female. With their small breasts and masculine shoulders, if you didn't know them it, would be hard to code their gender at first sight.
****
Aurealia sneaks a bit closer and examines the Gecko closely from a hidden vantage.
Kallie does a double-take at Aurealia's change of appearance, but decides to not comment on it though she gives them a smile. Her force-based armor flares to life around her with some concentration and a small expenditure of power.
"I think we approach like we're going to get attacked at some point inside," she answers Gali. Just before entry, she casts shield for some additional protection.
When Croq sees her sibling's new, less-binary look she lights up.
"YES! That's you. Your and my bodies have always been fluid, why not your gender?"
. . .
As they approach, Croq nods to Kallie. "Gimme a sec to sing about how badass I am, and then I'll be good to sail in."
Xanesha's arrival is announced by the deafening tolling of immense phantom bells. Despite the noise, Aurealia nearly detects her approach, but before they can react, they're caught off guard at the last second by the sheer number of Xaneshas (nine in total) that suddenly appear before them. With an angry hiss, Xanesha lashes out at Aurealia with one of her large, clawlike hands.
Galatea squeaks in fear and quickly vanishes from sight. Despite being dazed by the deafening tolling of the phantom bells, Cheshire, however, grows angrily and lashes out at the nine ghosts. She manages to destroy one of them with her bite.
Groog clutches his head before gritting his teeth and slashing at the snake woman ghost with his axe.
Kallie succumbs to the initial shock of seeing the ghost manifest before them. Still, she sticks with her original plan of blasting Xanesha with magic missiles until it's dead.
When Croq sees her sibling's new, less-binary look she lights up.
"YES! That's you. Your and my bodies have always been fluid, why not your gender?"
"It always felt right to act like a girl back home. I was innocent then....Now presenting myself that way feels wrong. Frills won't get us anywhere in a war with evil."
*****
Xanesha's sudden appearance staggers Aurealia, and then she gets touched by the claw and her flesh withers badly. She cries out in pain, slipping away through a dimensional crack.
"Aaaarrghgh! Croq is thrown off by the pain in her head, and attempts to clear it with a Raging Song.
Crap, she's even hotter with a butch haircut.
***
A pit formed in Jaya's stomach as she withdrew, flinging a scattering of force bolts back at Xanesha.
Hells. I wish I had a stronger remedy to beings like this.
While very mighty, Groog's strike only destroys one of Xanesha's dopplegangers. Meanwhile, Jaya's magical missiles unfortunately fizzle out as they draw near Xanesha. Thankfully, Kallie's spell manages to punch through the ghost's apparent spell resistance.
When Kallie's spell actually hurts her, Xanesha flinches slightly and then growls with rage; it seems that she isn't used to being "hurt" any longer. The ghostly snake woman sets her sights on the centauress and studies her for a few seconds.
"You have her eyes... The eyes of the one who escaped Ironbriar..." Xanesha observes, her voice somewhat distorted. She smirks, revealing a set of wickedly sharp teeth, and then hisses like a snake.
Taking advantage of Croq being airborne and her own ability to phase through solid matter, Xanesha quickly closes the gap between herself and Kallie and swiftly lashes out at the enchantress.
"Where did-" an invisible Galatea whispers before crying out ""
Meanwhile, as usual, Cheshire embraces the power of Croq's song. With a fierce roar, she moves lunges at the snake women and begins tearing away at them.
Kallie reels against the undead's touch, but her mind resists the draining effect. Gali's invisible healing restores most of what she lost, so she stands her ground and throws another barrage of magic missiles at the ghost.
"Nice to know there's still a family resemblance," she says.
Croq manages to disperse one of the false ghosts as Xanesha rushes by. Seeing her friend under attack, she swings twice, hoping to connect at least once.
Groog continues slashing with his axe at the specter.
Aurealia works some magic and her companions feel themselves speed up drastically.
Jaya tsked loudly at her spell's failure - if only to give her teeth something to do besides chatter. Dropping her rod she plucked another one from her tote, releasing a new spread of missiles with a tighter focus, drawing in a blend of energies to give her spell a little spice.
[/ooc]
Croq manages to disperse one of the false ghosts as Xanesha rushes by. Seeing her friend under attack, she swings twice, hoping to connect at least once.
Thanks to Cheshire briefly distracting the snake woman, Croq manages to land a single swing on Xanesha.
Groog continues slashing with his axe at the specter.
Groog destroys one of the illusions and lands two mighty hits on Xanesha!
Xanesha hisses angrily upon realizing that you all are packing potent spells and magic weapons that can actually injure her! Likely aware that she'll be overwhelmed if she stays put, Xanesha instead rushes into the air. She then lashes out at Croq.
Cheshire growls in frustration as Xanesha flies beyond her reach. The tigress briefly crouches down as if she intends to lunge into the air and attack her ghostly adversary, but she ultimately seems to decide against it. Meanwhile, Galatea places an invisible hand on Groog's shoulder and casts a spell on him.
"Groog! You can walk on air now!"
”What tha f@&~ you talkin’ about!?!?” Groog bellows as he glares up at the ghost thing.
"I just cast a spell that lets you walk on air," Galatea's disembodied voice explains. "Try moving towards her."
Jaya pinched the bridge of her nose till her fingernails nearly drew blood and continued blasting away.
Forget conserving spells, Xanesha has to be dealt with before I suffer some sort of hemorrhage.