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Ridill's staff clobbers Vithiz. The giant bug-man starts shrieking in his bugly way as he wavers rapidly before with a shwooop his form blurs and is drawn into the lantern at the end of the staff. As that happens there's a
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAA
And a weird-looking guy with a snail's shell on his back pops out of the staff and hits the ground.
"YES!"
End of Combat
Alara is still unconscious.
Malvo looks at the snail person and nods. "You're welcome. Any chance you have some healing for our friend here, before we get down to other business?"
"I'm on it, I'm on it! Dang woman trying to tough out her wounds. Sure, be as stupid as men are, see how that works..."
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"すみませんお母さん次回はお酒を飲みませんよ約束します--" Alara groggily mumbles when Tornell brings her around.
Then the extra burst of healing power floods her body and she abruptly sits up. "I'M OKAY!"
Malvo blinks as Tornell's prayers completely heal Alara's wounds.
"Alright then, all taken care of. Desna smiles, and Sarenrae be praised!"
Artyom moves in when the enemy falls. He frowns. ”It’s good to see that you’re okay, Alara. Hmm...” He thinks for a moment before saying, ”Everyone. I want so say I’m sorry for not contributing more than I should. I guess... everything that’s going on has taken a deeper effect than I thought.”
Ridill smiles and chuckles good naturedly as the elf springs to. Turning to Artyom he shrugs "Unless you had some magic to make it hit itself in the face with the stick don't sweat it."
Kishokish wearily moves to sit against the wall - sort of - his massive snail shell makes it awkward. "Mymymy that was an ordeal. Oh dear and all the puzzles you would have had to solve - hoisted by my own petard, hm? I am glad you all survived, and now I have a sahkil in my staff. Serve you right you blaggard!"
He whacks the lantern of his staff against the wall. "Now this is astonishing - mortals travelling the dead roads. I suppose you want my stamp. Well, you have saved me from an eternity of misery so it is the least I can do."
He produces a small multifaceted item and turning it in his hadn it appears to have 17 sides.
"My stamp, here." He goes down the line of the party, stamping all of you before he places the item in Tornell's hand. "I see your symbol, you little ray of sunshine. Keep this. I can requisition another. It will help you."
Kishikoh yawns loudly. "I appear to have a house ransacked by sahkils. Also if you stole anything - keep it. You have made an old shoki very happy. But shoo, I must get my affairs in order."
"Thank you for the stamp. I don't suppose you can suggest somewhere for us to rest up before continuing our journey?"
He sighs. "I suppose you do need to sleep. Fine, but don't mind me puttering around. The guest quarters will suffice."
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Alara wanders over to the guest quarters to find a good spot to set her bedroll down.
Once she's found such a spot, she digs out her teddy bear and walks over to the window, looking out of it at the landscape beyond.
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”What’s their name?” Ridill asks upon spotting the teddy bear. He had had some questions for the snail man, namely, what in the f~@% had happened here. But right now his head was hurting too much to care about that so he had wandered over to the guest quarters instead.
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Alara looks over at Ridill as he approaches her and asks about her teddy bear.
She holds up the patchwork toy with a little smile. "His name is Hogo-sha no Kuma. Translated, it means 'Guardian Bear'."
"I've had him since I was little."
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”Hogo-sha no Kuma? He seems like a right little cara.” he says while looking at the bear. ”Thank you for keeping this bonnie safe.”
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Alara smiles a bit more and makes her teddy bear salute Ridill.
"I also call him Hogo."
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Ridill smiles and salutes him back. ”Guard?”
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Alara gives a little shrug and sets her teddy bear at ease.
"No, the word for 'guard' in Tien is 'Gādo'. 'Hogo' is, well, a nickname."
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Ridill makes a silent “ah” face as he raises back up. ”It’s a pleasant tongue.” he says, going over what snippets he had heard from her.
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The elf nods and hugs her teddy bear to her chest. "It is... and it's rare to hear it spoken in Lastwall."
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”It is?”
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"Yeah." Alara nods and looks back out the window.
"Back when we lived in Vellumis, we didn't meet many others from Tian-Xia, let alone anyone else who knew the language. It..." Her expression turns somber. "...it kinda made things feel a bit lonely."
"I mean, it was a challenge for me to learn Common--everything would've been easier if anyone I spoke with could understand Tien."
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Ridill takes her words in and waits a bit, trying to filter out a coherent idea amid his sore head. ”You could teach me. If you wanted someone to talk to that is.” he offers.
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The thought causes Alara to look back at Ridill.
"Teach you?" She asks, more to herself than to the fey knight. "...yes, yes, I think I could."
"It'd..." She sighs. "...it'd certainly help things feel more... more normal."
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”Then I’d be happy to learn, lass” he says with a smile.
After a lovely night on a comfortable bed, you wake up not-really-dead and are summarily kicked out by Kishokish so he can clean up the house. He takes a little bit to explain what had happened in the first place.
"As a hobbiest of some centuries, I finally was able to build my ideal house so I could truly showcase my puzzles. To assist me, I imbued the house with a fragment of my intellect; the painting that helped you along. It can guide guests, and also ensure against cheating."
He scowls. "The sahkils are the enemies of all psychopomps, they are those who have refused to do their jobs and instead go rogue and live off of the fear of mortals, assuming terrifying shapes for such a reason. Vithiz and his band of ruffians attacked my house to use it as a base for more organized attacks against the psychopmops. My staff here is the tool of my trade for I gather wayward souls to lead them to the afterlife. He stole my staff and trapped me in it where he interrogated me for information on using the entire house. Brought with him that poor phantom, terrified girl but quite enthralled. I'm glad you set her to rest. But anyways, we must go our ways - guests are like diapers and must be changed often and for the same reason."
---
You now have two out of the three stamps you need to finally flee the Boneyard and return to Golarion. The last location is Salighara's Scriptorium. Umble and Thoot had explained that Salighara is a viduus psychopomp - the scribes of the afterlife. They noted she is sanctimonious and extremely boring.
A couple of days of travel has you all finally healed up and ready to get the hell out of here. You finally spy your goal:
This sprawling wood-and-stone structure looks like a misplaced university building, with a grand entry on the southeast corner and a tall tower to the northwest. A path from the road leads directly to the entry.
Umble and Thoot had explained that Salighara is a viduus psychopomp - the scribes of the afterlife. They noted she is sanctimonious and extremely boring.
"So ... Artyom ... this one is a scholar, apparently. Sounds like someone you might get along with. I'm thinking you might be best to start the negotiations?"
Alara nods. "Alrighty then... once we have some free time, I'd be happy to begin."
"We should probably turn in, now. We still have a way to go yet."
---------------------
The thought of getting a stamp from a colossal bore of a psychopomp doesn't set Alara's heart aflame. "...yeeeeeaaahhh, if I start talking with her, I'll just stop paying attention after a bit."
Artyom is satisfied when Kishokish is freed. When the psychopomp says that he'll let them rest for the night, the wizard takes the offer. He then says, "Excuse me, Mr. Kishokish. I had noticed that you have some research notes in one of the rooms. Would you mind if I were to copy them or take some copies? I am very interested in what you're researching."
Artyom finds a place to sleep in the room. He removes his cloak and folds it neatly. He then removes his gear and places them neatly on top of the cloak. He then takes out Vibia's kapenia, removing the wrapped Harrow deck and putting it on his cloak. He then sits in a chair near the window, looking at the etchings and stories woven into the cloth. Seeing Alara and Ridill chatting, Artyom keeps quiet. When Ridill leaves, Artyom looks over his family heirloom before saying in a small voice, "How are you feeling, Alara?"
Artyom is startled awake by flapping and his hair being pulled. He opens his eyes to see Ricky frantically pulling a couple strands of his hair. When the familiar notices that Artyom is awake, he lets go of the hair and says, "Look! The book! The book!" He then flies to Artyom's spell book, which has a few pages glowing in a white light. Artyom springs out of his bedroll and grabs the book, examining it closely as magical writing forms on the page. When it's finished, Artyom goes into his ritual of consulting with Ricky and his spell book, choosing his spells for the day. He then prepares for the day, getting dressed and making sure his appearance is impeccable.
Artyom says little on the way to their next location. When Artyom sees the library before him, he bursts out into an excited grin. He seems genuinely excited for this. At the comments of the others, Artyom's smile fades. "Hmmm.... Well, while I do know a good deal, I'm not the best conversationalist. Perhaps the spells I have prepared can fix that. But any aid you can provide would be appreciated."
"How are you feeling, Alara?"
Alara keeps looking out the window, clutching her teddy bear to her chest.
"...I'm still trying to come to terms with all this. Everything's happening so fast, I feel like..." She starts before she takes a shuddering breath.
Alara keeps looking out the window, clutching her teddy bear to her chest.
"...I'm still trying to come to terms with all this. Everything's happening so fast, I feel like..." She starts before she takes a shuddering breath.
"...like everything is being ripped from you? And you feel hollow and lost as to what do next? To be honest, I feel the same way." He grips the kapenia, while making sure not to tear it.
"...yeah." Alara sighs. "I don't even know how any of this happened or what we can do to make it right. I guess all we can do now is find our way out of here."
"Can't wait," he tells Alara before wandering off and slumping into a nearby bed.
----
"Sooooo, it's like a library? Sweet." Ridill thinks laoud when they reach the Scriptorium.
"I see your symbol, you little ray of sunshine. Keep this. I can requisition another. It will help you."
Tornell's face contorts in slightly angry confusion, though he does recover enough to put on a genuine smile and accepts the badge. Though once Kishokish's attention is turned elsewhere, Tornell mutters under his breath: "Ray of Sunshine? Hah."
Thankful for a respite, Tornell goes around to treat everyone's injuries before retiring for the evening... Or, collapsing on something comfortable and snoring. Too tired and too grouchy to engage in conversation and reflection.
=====
"... guests are like diapers and must be changed often and for the same reason."
Again Tornell sniffs his underarms in confusion.
"Well, not like there's any bathhouses in the Boneyard. Do souls even have a sense of smell?"
"So ... Artyom ... this one is a scholar, apparently. Sounds like someone you might get along with. I'm thinking you might be best to start the negotiations?"
"A scholar who goes on long boring tangents? Yep, sounds like a natural fit. And if not, I've got lots of experience listening to old boring people go on and on and on about nothing. Pretty much every church meeting."
"...yeah." Alara sighs. "I don't even know how any of this happened or what we can do to make it right. I guess all we can do now is find our way out of here."
Artyom nods at that. "Yeah. We get out and find out exactly what's going on. I owe it to Vibia." He then sits there, feeling awkward since some of the times that he's spoken to Alara were him lecturing her on thinking before leaping. 'Come on, genius. You're in a tough situation. Just say something. Start a conversation, d****t!' He then turns his gaze to her and says, "That's a nice bear..." He frowns and mentally berates himself. '"That's a nice bear"? That's the best you got? You can describe magical effects, understand the planes of the universe, and help stonemasons and builders with architecture. And you say, "That's a nice bear"? You really are horrible at talking to people.'
"A scholar who goes on long boring tangents? Yep, sounds like a natural fit. And if not, I've got lots of experience listening to old boring people go on and on and on about nothing. Pretty much every church meeting."
Artyom smirks. "Then you and I should make quite the team for conquering this challenge, Tornell."
"That's a nice bear..."
Alara looks back at the mage. "He is, isn't he?" She holds her bear up again.
"I've had Hogo for a long time. He's been pretty much my only permanent friend."
You make your way towards the scriptorium you see a dour-looking humanoid figure with her lower half wrapped in a cocoon-like husk. She stares forlornly at the building but seems to light up - just a little - as the party approaches.
"Ah! You there. I am Salighara, a scholar and scribe of no small repute among the esteemed psychopomps."
"Pleased to make your acquaintance," Ridill starts before he gets a wary look on his face. "... your home hasn't been overrun by Sakhil too, has it?"
Alara looks back at the mage. "He is, isn't he?" She holds her bear up again.
"I've had Hogo for a long time. He's been pretty much my only permanent friend."
Artyom gives a small smile. "I know the feeling. I guess you could say that, outside of my family, Ricky's been my only friend." Ricky then lands on Artyom's shoulder and nuzzles his cheek a bit, crowing happily.
You make your way towards the scriptorium you see a dour-looking humanoid figure with her lower half wrapped in a cocoon-like husk. She stares forlornly at the building but seems to light up - just a little - as the party approaches.
"Ah! You there. I am Salighara, a scholar and scribe of no small repute among the esteemed psychopomps."
Artyom approaches Salighara with a smile. "Greetings, Salighara. I am Artyom, architect, wizard, and fellow scholar. How can we help you?"
Artyom and Ricky also tries to figure out what type of creature Salighara is. He also tries to figure out the building.
Artyom knows a little bit about viduus psychopomps. They are the legendarily self-importance scribes who occupy the scriptoums and libraries of the afterlife. Their specific area of expertise is the comings and goings of extraordinary or legendary souls. They know many secrets, and will be quick to remind you of that fact.
As Artyom starts to speak, she cuts him off.
"Sahkils? Oh no, I am not so sloppy. But please - let me speak. If I might hazard an educated guess, you seek to leave the Boneyard and return home to your world. To do so, you need my approval, wouldn't you Artyom? Of course who could forget your plucky raven, Ricky. And Tornell of Sarenrae, Alara しんりん, Sergeant Malvo, and Ridill - quite a ways from your Water Lord hmmm? A pleasure."
She begins slithering back and forth on her weird cocoon-body as she speaks.
"I know why you would want to leave—Mictena has set her sights upon you as abominations. She wants to see you well and truly dead. I know all this because, frankly, she told me. Mictena came to me a short time ago, explaining that I would be well advised to see you slain. I’m a creature of logic and process, and Mictena’s pleas were more impassioned than logical. In fact, I outright refused, insisting that I had more
critical work to do. She was not well disposed to that response.
"My current field of study is dreams, and how mortal dreaming intersects with their fates and their desires. Don’t assume I’m going on a tangent here—my conversation is scrupulously intentional, you’ll see. My chief assistant and associate researcher, Mrs. Pedipalp, had been using my research equipment for her own studies into nightmares—things that terrify mortals. I wouldn’t abide by it, and although I knew
she coveted my Dream Gate, I’d assumed her distractions were
mere... frippery.
"Well, after I declined Mictena’s offer, it seems she went right to Mrs. Pedipalp. The rattletrap ousted me and appointed my assistant. My assistant! Mrs. Pedipalp is now master of the scriptorium, my staff, and my Dream Gate. An outrage! Well, her time as my assistant is finished. I will make this deal with you—if you enter my scriptorium and dispatch Mrs. Pedipalp in whatever manner you see fit, I will give you the stamps you need to continue on your journey home."
”That’s creepy,” Ridill tells the psychopomp after she names all of them.
As she goes over the events that led to her getting kicked out he recalls the conversation he had with the psychopomp duo previously. ”So I was right. Y’all’s boss is a dumbass.”
Alara nods in agreement of Ridill's assessment.
"Okay, we'll see if we can deal with Mrs. Pedipalp. What sort of psychopomp is she?"
Tornell simply rolls his eyes and grunts at being greeted by name. And more sighs as yet another location has troubles that need fixing.
"So, just to be clear ... we definitely want to get out of here, and this seems like the best way to do it ... but won't we end up with Mictena even more bothered than she already is? What sort of response could we expect from her if we forcibly reinstate you to your office?"
Artyom blinks as Salighara rattles off their names.
”That’s creepy,” Ridill tells the psychopomp after she names all of them.
Artyom turns to him. "Not necessarily. We are a one of a kind occurrence in the Boneyard. It would figure that word about us would spread."
Artyom listens to the psychopomp's plight and the others before chiming in. "Well, either way, we would be on her radar. But, I agree. We must get rid of Mrs. Pedipalp to continue. Although, I'm rather concerned about Mictena's wrath should we be successful. We would need to prepare ourselves should that happen."
Salighara nods crisply to Malvo. "She will be furious, but her fixation on you as her primary concern will give me some time to set myself in place. You should be concerned with Mictena's kindness, not her wrath. The result will be the same, I'm afraid.
"As for Mrs. Pedipalp - I brought her from the Dimension of Dreams originally, just to interview her about her experiences, but she seemed like a perfectly acceptable housekeeper, and so I kept her on. This little incident certainly tarnishes my opinion of her. I will not be providing her with a letter of recommendation. As for what she is... well I'm not quite certain. No psychopomp, but not exactly the sweet old lady she appears. Perhaps you can find out once you get me my home back."
She looks at you all. "Do you have further questions?"
"Can you tell us what we might expect from Mrs Pedipalp? How will she defend herself? And are there any defenses on the scriptorium we will have to worry about?"