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How stupid. Look. We caused trouble where there was none. What a waste of time. Everyone is going to think that Pathfinders are trouble-making busybodies with no respect for privacy or other people's time. I cannot abide being associated with this group of numbskulls. Completely forgetting the useful qualities of her teammates, Yangrit's scowl deepens upon seeing that there was nothing wrong here, as she suspected. Still, she was given orders and might as well check for trouble. She begins inspecting the backstage elements (ropes, pulleys, etc.) to see if everything is in good shape. It wouldn't do to have actors hurt during the performance due to faulty equipment. While she's at it, she keeps an eye peeled for people or creatures that look like they shouldn't be there.
"Well everything was going fine until you burst in here. Now your prophecy has come true! Look at this," the gnome says, gesturing toward the wounded man's arm, "It's an utter disaster! Maximos’s sword arm is the only stageworthy part of the buffoon!"
The wounded man, Maximos, looks down at the troupe's leader with an offended expression, and his sparring partner steps forward. "Come now, Maestro Bellowskin, Maximos isn't that bad. And this man offered to heal the wound. Even if that weren't the case, maybe he could stand in for Maximos. Look, he even wears a rapier. A little mask powder and no one would be able to tell the difference!"
Maximos steps toward Darksid'lous, a hopeful look in his eyes. "Is it true Sir Swordsman, could you heal my arm? I would be so grateful!"
Maestro Bellowskin huffs, "Fine. You can fix the issue you caused. Now what did you say you were here for? You're looking for someone? Did Andriel short the barkeep on his tab again or something?"
While some of you speak with the troupe, Yangrit excuses herself to inspect the stage for anything that looks like it might cause further mayhem. Nothing and no one appears out of place at the moment, and she is left wondering how she got dragged into such a fool's errand.
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Keep the Pain, it will help you get better. Says Darksid'Ious to the wounded man before approaching.
Calling for the magic of hi wand to heal the man's wounds, he pauses his hand on where he was wounded.
As for your offer, It's quite generous but I'm not a professional comedian like yourself. I know how to do poetry and rhymes but nothing about acting.
Turning back to the man who 'greet' them he says We're looking for an old varisian women. She made a card drawing to a friend of us and something strange came up.
May be you have seen her? and Darksid'Ious describes the women.
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Miriel sneaks on the stage, admiring everything around her. She is so lost in her thoughts that it takes her a while notice the man getting wounded. She rushes in just when Darksid'Ious heals the wound
"As my companions have already stated, we offer our deepest apologies. I am Miriel Magol, servant of Shelyn, and surely the Eternal Rose would be disappointed if the show was canceled. Thus, whatever I can do to provide aid, I will do", Miriel adds to the apologies.
"If your words are true, and Maximos's part requires mostly skill with a rapier, one of us might be of use as replacement. I would volunteer, but I do agree with you that Darksid'Ious matches the role better".
She turns to Darksid'Ious, begging him: "Please, agree to join in. I would love to see you act, your natural charm is surely enough."
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"This may seen unimportant, but what exactly is under this theater? I think there is a space or cavern under us. Is there a way to investigate that space?" Lybram addresses the gnome. "It would get us out of the way and you could continue rehearsing."
"In short we are hear to stop a card reading predicted disaster." "I think we need to look under the theater." "Before we can commit to the play we must check the facilities out.
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Yangrit is far enough away from everyone that she can barely hear what Lybram says, and certainly no one else can hear her mutter: "Oh, no. The theater has a basement. We must go there, because we have not caused nearly enough unnecessary trouble for one day. Wasting our time is our idiom. Idiots." Schooling her expression as best she can, she trudges over to the group and silently awaits the group's decision. She is resigned to following the motley group of fools to which she was assigned.
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"Yangrit, I think it important to 'check out' the theater building." "Think of it as a game." "Now, if it is not too much of a bother, could you open and look-in that door right in front of you?" "Now, there's being a good sport."
Lybram will wait for either Yangrit or Graff to open their door. If neither appears to want to do as asked. He will shrug his shoulders and open his door after 10 seconds or so.
"We will gladly work out helping with the play later. But first we should do what we came to do. Else we really are wasting peoples' time."
With the soothing words of Hannar and Miriel, the troupe seems to warm up to the party again, especially at their extensive offers to help with providing a stand in for Maximos and repairs of the his costume.
While Hannar works at mending Maximos's sleeve, Lybram addresses the maestro, who answers with a shocked expression. "You mean you don't know?! Why, the theater is directly above the famous Kendall Vault."
As she and Graff open the door to one of the theater's dressing rooms, the dwarf hears a strange scratching noise.
Back on stage, Maestro Bellowskin continues, "You know, rumor has it that subterranean creatures sometimes emerge from the Vault..."
Yangrit turns and smells a strange caustic smell coming from back toward the stage.
"That's why there's a strict policy that contests held at Kendall Amphitheater must be bloodless, since burrowing predators would be drawn to the scent." The maestro smiles mischievously, as if playing up a spooky story for dramatic effect. Just as the troupe is laughing softly at the gnome's antics, a loud cracking sound splits the air, and two large bug-like monsters scuttle out from holes broken in the stage on six legs, drooling noxious green ichor from their clacking mandibles.
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Darksidious seeing the creatures, starts composing and drops his whip to draw his rapier, empowering it with raw arcane energy.
–At midnight, in the month of June,
I stand beneath the mystic moon.
An opiate vapor, dewy, dim,
Exhales from out her golden rim,
And, softly dripping, drop by drop,
Upon the quiet mountain top,
Steals drowsily and musically
Into the universal valley.
The rosemary nods upon the grave;
The lily lolls upon the wave;
Wrapping the fog about its breast,
The ruin molders into rest;
Looking like Lethe, see! the lake
A conscious slumber seems to take,
And would not, for the world, awake.
All Beauty sleeps!- and lo! where lies
Irene, with her Destinies!
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"I was about to say that something's down there, but someone wouldn't shut up!" She really is getting sick of all this malarkey.
Recalling her bruised knuckles from fighting a vaguely similar giant insect on one of her very first missions as a Pathfinder agent, Yangrit draws her kama and advances on the blue insect. She opens the door, sees the big ugly monster, then steps aside with a surly, sarcastic bow to Graff. "You wanted destruction; here it is!"
Each of you may also ask one question about the ankhegs (e.g., special defenses, attacks, etc.)
Darksid'lous inspires her companions for the ensuing combat, while Hannar hurls magical bolts at the blue ankheg. The creature screeches miserably, then lunges out of its hole to bite at one of the nearby performers.
The ankheg bites into one of the performers, whose scream is cut off as she falls unconscious in the beast's jaws.
Miriel slashes at the ankheg, but her blade scrapes harmlessly off the hard exterior of the creature.
Meanwhile, the second ankheg lurches out of its hole and snaps at another of the actors.
This one also manages to sink its viscious maw into the second actor, dropping him to the stage floor.
The rest of the Chameleons scream and begin rushing off the stage away from the ankhegs as the fight rages on!
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Suddenly becoming lighter on her feet than anyone in the group has yet seen, Yangrit practically dances through the door to take up a fighting stance across from Miriel. Finally our presence is not a waste!
She then takes the mightiest underhand swing she can with her kama, hoping it is strong enough to punch through the creature's still-plenty-tough under-shell.
As Yangrit dances by the ankheg on her nimble dwarven feet, the ankheg lashes out at her.
She ducks gracefully beneath the crushing mandibles, however, and brings her blade to bear on the thing's underside. Contrary to her expectations, though, this part of the ankheg's hide proves just as tough as its upper side, and her blade scrapes harmlessly away.
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Darksid'Ious continues to provide inspiration to his comrade by declaiming
O, lady bright! can it be right-
This window open to the night?
The wanton airs, from the tree-top,
Laughingly through the lattice drop-
The bodiless airs, a wizard rout,
Flit through thy chamber in and out,
And wave the curtain canopy
So fitfully- so fearfully-
Above the closed and fringed lid
'Neath which thy slumb'ring soul lies hid,
That, o'er the floor and down the wall,
Like ghosts the shadows rise and fall!
Oh, lady dear, hast thou no fear?
Why and what art thou dreaming here?
Sure thou art come O'er far-off seas,
A wonder to these garden trees!
Strange is thy pallor! strange thy dress,
Strange, above all, thy length of tress,
And this all solemn silentness!
He says to his comrades Save the performers! before taking a step towards the creature Miriel is fighting and after powering his weapon with raw arcane energy , strikes the beast.
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"Look at the pretty lights you stupid Ankheg!" yells Hannar as he points to one of them.
Range: medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level) Area: creatures and objects within 10-ft.-radius spread Duration: 1 round/level Saving Throw: Will negates (blinding only); Spell Resistance: no Description: A cloud of golden particles covers everyone and everything in the area, causing creatures to become blinded and visibly outlining invisible things for the duration of the spell. All within the area are covered by the dust, which cannot be removed and continues to sparkle until it fades. Each round at the end of their turn blinded creatures may attempt new saving throws to end the blindness effect. Any creature covered by the dust takes a –40 penalty on Stealth checks.
Darksid'lous's strike finally proves strong enough to pierce the hide of the ankheg, and it lets out a wretched shriek of pain.
Meanwhile, the second ankheg lets out its own cry of alarm as magical dust fills and obscures its vision.
With multiple wounds covering its body, and more dangerous prey beginning to defend itself, the blue ankheg decides it's time to spew and shoo! It opens its maw and projects a stream of acid that rushes out toward Miriel. It also happens to catch the backside of its fellow ankheg. It then retreats back into its hole in an attempt to escape the dangers of the surface world.
Those surrounding the fleeing blue ankheg fail to slay the creature outright, and it escapes back to Kendall's Vault.
Undeterred by the first creature's escape, Miriel turns and rushes across the stage to deliver another devastating blow on the red ankheg.
The creature screams and turns to Miriel, unleashing another jet of acid on her as it also turns to flee underground.
Despite their wounds, the Chameleons who suffered the ankhegs' bites seem to be stable, so their fellow troupe-members go about helping patch them up. The gnome leader, Maestro Bellowskin, emerges from his hiding place backstage and thanks you all effusively. "What a show! Well done! Thank you thank you thank you! Please, forgive us for our earlier rudeness. How can we help you, who so bravely saved our lives?"
The two central performers, Hamm and Maximos, similarly thank you all, shaking your hands and asking for tips on how you made your combat look so stylish. Even Graff, whose blade never tasted the hide of the ankhegs before they were driven away, looked heroic as he burst onto the stage!
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"And no comeback for you!" Miriel throws the last taunt with her last wild swing.
When the beasts are gone, Miriel redirects her fire at Lybram. "Never, ever even think about using such evils as poison! I'll make you... she snaps but then fades her voice as she realizes what she's doing. She turns her gaze to the floor and apologizes: "Sorry, I have just had experiences that were most unpleasant, with such... substances".
When the maestro comes to the stage, she remembers the people she protection. "No! The poor actors!" she cries out but soon calms down as they are found to be alive, though hurt. She then nods to the maestro. "It was our duty, especially for people working in Shelyn's beloved crafts. My only request is if you could provide your help in our task of trying to help the city. We are seeking certain persons, and if you have any information about their location, we would be most grateful."
Miriel goes to see that the fallen people are fine, and then sits down on her knees to clean her blade and her outfit. "This stuff is almost as bad as poisons. All this damage, I have to replace so much", she mutters to herself as she tries to rearrange her acid-damaged outfit.
Miriel's parting swing as the last ankheg flees fells the beast, and it slumps back down into its hole, dead.
"Yes, of course we will help you find your friends. Who is it you're looking for?"
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Yangrit's surly, impatient growl cuts past her polished elven compatriots: "She is a Varisian half-elf with scraggly black hair and rotting teeth by the name of Goldtooth, a Sczarni criminal who sometimes impersonates a harrower. She gave a harrow reading to our client, which...lead us here. ...Somehow."
Maestro Bellowskin ponders this for a moment before shrugging and turning to his troupe, "I don't think so. Any of you lot seen a half-elf Varisian woman? Hamm? Maximus?" Hamm shakes his head to indicate that the woman didn't sound familiar, but Maximos immediately frowns and snaps back at the maestro.
"How should I know? I'm just trying to deal with getting slashed then attacked by these beasts! Don't ask me about some woman coming around here!"
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Lybram will ask the prettiest girl he can see. "Look, you must have seen this woman. Pretty women such as yourself always notice other pretty women. She is a Varisian, tall, good looking, but bad teeth. She is behind all this craziness today. Surely, she was not a friendly person. There is a motherless boy today because of the trap she set. Please help us find her. She needs to be stopped."