The rakshasa resists Pril's pummeling blows, the attacks not proving very effective. Lucius's crossbow bolt and Illy's arrow do pierce its damage resistance, however! Nketiah misses with her shots.
The wounded rakshasa claws at Pril while the other one rushes Illy to target her with vampiric touch!
Her punches having little effect, Pril moves lower and sweeps with her feet.
Continuing to fail to avoid the damage from the attacks, Illyiana just grinds her teeth through the pain and fires off three more arrows at the rakshasa.
Pril comes up short, but Nketiah lands two hits and Illy finishes off the more wounded fiend with a critical strike! The second one snarls and continues to claw at her, despite Lucius’s healing.
Pril moves quickly to aid the besieged archer, her feet flying with a little more intensity than normal. Her emotions are getting the better of her, though.
The ranger breathes a heavy sigh of relief as Lucius takes care of her. "Thanks!" she calls out, firing three more shots.
"Time to finish this!"
There’s a whole lot of missing going on as nobody on either side of the fight lands a blow!
Pril continues to kick at the creature threatening her ... threatening Illyiana.
Illyiana puts an end to the missing, feeling inspired by Lucius's words.
Your luck turns around as Illy scores some well-placed hits, one right to the fiend's chest. With a final punch from Pril, the creature falls!
With the fiends dispatched, you continue looking around the handful of bunk rooms upstairs. The beds in these dormitory-like rooms are all askew, and several dressers and desks lay on their sides.
A halfling hides in one of the rooms behind an overturned bookshelf. When she realizes you aren't here to try to enslave her, she cawls out of hiding and sobs, "They took her! They took Laria! Please, you need to find her and save her!”
The halfling introduces herself as Elianda, a new junior pastry chef at the coffeehose. She goes on to describe how she was upstairs alone when she heard fighting break out below. She sobs in shame at having hidden here, but when the fighting was over and she crept downstairs, it was obvious that her friends had lost—several employees, including Laria, had been chained up by a group of strangers who fit them with gags and hoods and bundled them into large sacks for transport. Elianda is particularly fearful of “Barzillai’s ghost,” and when two of the attackers—“monsters with tiger heads!”—started upstairs, she went into hiding.
Elianda has no idea who the attackers are, but she does have an idea of where they are going: she overheard one of the attackers joking about “how handy it is that halflings are so portable—makes it so much easier to hall them back to Tanessen Tower and up all those steps!”
Lucius knows that the Tanessens are one of Kintargo’s noble families, and Tanessen Tower is in fact located in Alabaster Academy.
You could check out Lady Docur's School for Girls next or head straight to Tanessen Tower.
Once the battle's finished, Pril almost too casually asks Illyiana how she's faring.
Turning to the cardinal, she reponds to his statement with, "Sure. And you going to have to tell me how you knew that they weren't who they said they were."
|
"We know it was not the Nidalese." The Cardinal responds. "So they were lying. Besides, how many humans would you expect to be hiding in a Bellflower Network safe house? Halflings yes, humans, no. At worst I would have been wrong and would have scared them unnecessarily. However, I was not. Unfortunately."
Lucius knows that Lady Docur’s School for Girls was founded by the elven Lady Mialari Docur, and that it is now a haven for half-elves of wealthy but not aristocratic backgrounds. Its curriculum is considered exceptional in language arts, world history, and music, but also quirky and somewhat impractical. He has also heard rumors of the school’s alleged connection to a spy network called the Lacunafex.
The curiously shaped building is made of Kintargo’s typical silver-streaked pale stone but is covered with sinuous carvings of vines, trees, and flowers. Narrow windows punctuate these carvings, adding to the distinct look in a way that invokes elven architecture. Five doors shaped like narrow gothic arches form the building’s entrance.
Ornate letters, carved above the doors in both Elven and Common read “Lady Docur’s School for Girls.” Each door has an additional label, written in both languages reading, from north to south: “Deliveries,” “Parents,” “Pupils,” “Instructors,” and “Visitors.” A braided, silver cord hangs next to each door—if pulled, a soft chime sounds somewhere within.
A well-dressed half-elf woman named Arlethi Soumaila answers the door. She leads you to an octagonal sitting room with comfortable divans and fragile tables laden with refreshments. She invites the you to help yourselves before leaving to fetchi the headmistress, Lady Docur.
Arlethi is only gone a few moments when Mialari makes her entrance. Flanked by two tall, half-elf girls, the graceful woman is the image of elven elegance. Dressed in flowing silken robes with a delicate pattern of grapevines, she sports an elaborate silver diadem atop smooth, scarlet hair that falls past her waist. Stepping noiselessly in delicate slippers, her hands clasped, she nods politely. “When troubles come, they come not singly,” she remarks with a slight smile. ”How can we help you?”
Illyiana responds "I'm fine, thanks. The good Cardinal here once again has kept my heart beating."
When he explains himself, Illyiana nods. "Quite smart. I did not possess the confidence you did, so I am glad you acted on it as you did."
When they reach the schoolhouse, Illyiana lets Lucius do the talking and flanks him with Pril. She eyes the silk robed woman curiously.
Pril glances at the cardinal and keeps her mouth shut for once.
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"Well I trust Lady Docur that we are not one of the troubles of which you speak." The Cardinal replies with a slight smile. "We came to warn you that a slaving group, the Scarlet Triad, have marked your school as a target. While I have no doubt you and your lovely pupils are quite capable of defending yourselves it would have most derelict of us in our duty to not inform you of the situation. I hope this will prove of use to you."
He bows, "I am afraid that was the only reason for us to visit. We will not disturb your scholarly work any longer."
Mialari smiles. ”I appreciate the warning, even if it is a tad late. A few hours ago, three members of the Scarlet Triad dared an ill-advised infiltration of my school. Fencing lessons were in session, and even with their blunted practice weapons, my students were able to repulse the thugs. A rather incompetent bunch. I have the Scarlet Triad prisoners currently locked in an unused classroom, and i have been deciding what to do with the intruders. Do you know what they wanted with my school?”
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"I had little doubt that your pupils would prove most adept." Lucius replies with another bow. "I believe that the Triad believed you connected with the Bellflower Network, and since they are slavers they decided to make you a target. Tell me, if you would, did they attempt to make it look the work of the Nidalese by any chance? It is a rather amateur tactic, but they do seem intent upon it."
Mialari nods. "Ah, the Bellflower Network. That makes sense. The thugs did not attempt to frame the Nidalese, but perhaps they simply did not have a chance to do so. At any rate, I have a few ideas on what to do with the prisoners. We should interrogate them first, of course. I'd prefer to keep the screaming to a minimum to avoid disturbing my students.
"After that, the simplest option would be to make them quietly disappear. I doubt anybody would miss them." The elf smiles thinly. "Or, we could turn them over to the city's authorities. The third option would be to have one my students arrange an 'accidental' lapse in security, giving the Scarlet Triad agents a chance to escape. We could then follow them back to whatever hiding place they're using and find out more."
Illyiana considers the last option. "Perhaps following them back is something that should be considered."
"Wow. you've got good skilled students," Pril can't help but blurt out when it's revealed that the triad thugs were defeated by same.
~~~~
"I like the idea of following them back to where they came," Pril says with a grin. "We get to be all sneaky, like."
Mialari smiles. "That is my preferred plan as well. Alright, then. Let's go have a chat with these ruffians, shall we?"
The three Scarlet Triad thugs remain chained with their own manacles to a heavy table in a linguistics classroom. Their weapons are long gone; two of Mialari’s students already took them elsewhere in Kintargo to practice fencing with the stolen loot.
"We ain't telling you nothing!" one says with a bit more bluster than seems appropriate for his current predicament.
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"The third option would be the most useful in the grand scheme of their operations, although we have reason to suspect that they are holed up in Tanessen Tower." Lucius agrees. "I must object strongly to your first option Lady Docur, these men must be tried before the appropriate civil authorities and punished according to the law. That is the only way that civilisation stands. If you wish to dispose of them I urge you to turn them over to the city authorities."
-----------------------------
Once the prisoners are brought in Lucius looks sternly at them. "You have been defeated by a group of students, captured and no-one knows what has happened to you." He says sternly. "Whilst I have counciled Lady Docur to handing you over to the authorities, I know that she has advanced classes that need to be taught. Therefore I will excuse myself for a while so that she can lay out your options."
Once the options are laid bare, the thugs quickly choose to cooperate rather than face Lady Docur's brand of "justice." They admit that their group is hiding out in Tanessen Tower at Alabaster Academy.
"A good hiding place. It's been all but deserted and vacant for nearly a decade, ever since the Tanesseen family pulled their financial support for its renovation following the rebellion," Mialari says.
The thugs tell you that their direct boss is a conjurer named Barushak Ik-Varashma. He assumed control of several alchemical golems that he found in the tower, and likely has summoned extraplanar minions to augment his defenses.
"What are 'alchemical golems'," Pril asks, once the prisoners have spilled everything they know. "Are those just golems that hold beakers and fetch water and other stuff?"
”More like walking alchemical nightmare capable of inflicting all manner of painful wounds,” Mialari says. ”Acid, electricity, frost, flame, and poison. Resistant to most physical damage except adamantine or bludgeoning weapons. Immune to most magic except sonic attacks.”
"Wow. Who would make something like that?" Pril asks. "No. Nevermind. Some wizard somewhere thought it would be a good idea." She shakes her head. "So off to Tanessen Tower?"
”You look a tad bedraggled. Perhaps you should rest to recover your strength. Tomorrow, I shall accompany you to the tower.” There is a glint in Mialari’s purple eyes. ”The Scarlet Triad made a mistake attacking my school. Now, for me, this has become personal.”
Nketiah clears her throat. ”Lady Docur, your school is quite impressive. I have never seen so many half-elves in one place. My kind are rare among the Mwangi tribes. If you don’t mind, I would like to remain here for a time and meet with your students.”
Mialari inclines her head. ”You are most welcome to do so. Arlethi will show you around.”
Nketiah turns to you with a bow. ”We will part ways for now, friends. I am sure Lady Docur will be a fine addition to the party in my absence.”
"Bedraggled?" Pril questions before looking down at her burned and torn garments. "Oh, yeah. I guess I kinda do. We'll head back to the inn and return in the morning."
~~~~
On the way back to their rented rooms, Pril walks next Illyiana. "Hey, uh, about last night and ... and this morning. If that ... that was a one time thing, just let me know and ... uh ... I'll stay in my own room tonight. No expectations," she stammers out quietly.
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"I concur Lady Docur," Lucius says. "We are low on resources Pril and we don't want another Cypress Point. But for the grace of Abadar we would have died there so let us not rush in where we don't have to. Even with Lady Docur's skills I suspect it will still be a formidable fight."
He returns Nketiah's bow. "It has been a pleasure to journey with you Nketiah. May your songs always be sung and your return to your people be a triumphant one."
Lucius bids the others farewell for the moment and goes to seek an audience with the Lord Mayor to explain what has been going on in her city.
Illyiana had been interested in tailing them back to their hideout, though she did not voice her thoughts aloud.
"Thank you, Nketiah. Your assistance has been greatly appreciated. You are an amazing ally, we could not have done it without you."
When they are walking back to their rooms and Pril brings up their previous time together awkwardly, Illyiana asks "I was wondering if that was going to come up again. My invitation from the other night remains open for as long as you would like to join me."
Turning to Lady Docur, she nods "Nketiah leaves a large void. I cannot wait to see what you can contribute, Lady Docur."
She leans in and whispers in her ear "For what it's worth, I very much enjoyed our time together."
"You shall have a firsthand look at my skills soon enough," Mialari replies to Illyiana.
***
The next morning, you approach Alabaster Academy. The academy was once the foremost institution of higher learning in Kintargo, and at its height the university attracted students from across Cheliax and beyond. Its reputation became sullied when, in 4599 AR, one of the academy’s most beloved professors was revealed to be a murderous sadist. The academy worked hard to rebuild its reputation, but today the school’s enrollment remains low and its glowing reputation is a thing of the past. Today, even with Ravounel’s recent upturn in escaping Chelaxian rule, the academy’s student body is only a quarter of what it was at its height 150 years ago.
Tanessen Tower is an excellent example of the academy’s decline. One of several towers that once held student dormitories on the higher floors and lecture halls below, Tanessen Tower had been all but deserted for nearly a decade before its patrons recently pledged to fund a renovation of the vacant dormitory tower into alchemical laboratories and lecture halls. But as Ravounel’s rebellion progressed to full independence, the Tanessen family’s allegiance to House Thrune cost them dearly, and they withdrew their financial support from the project.
Made of Kintargo’s distinctive silver-streaked stone, Tanessen Tower is eight stories tall with a conical tile roof. Stone stairs run along the inside wall of each level—the lower five stories have been gutted and abandoned and contain only unfinished walls, empty door frames, and a stone staircase connecting to the other levels.
With her tracking skills, Illyiana observes that the stairs, unlike the rest of the lower levels, have been recently used...
Pril looks relieved at Illyiana's response. "I was hoping you'd say that."
~~~~~
"Here, let me go first," Pril says, as she begins to slowly climb the stairs, keeping an eye out for traps or ambushes.
Mialari readies her rapier as she follows in Pril's wake.
The stairs lead up to an empty landing with a dusty pile of lumber stacked in a corner. Adjoining the landing is a large lecture hall. The hall has no furniture save for a wooden podium, adding to the feeling of abandonment.
A trio of thugs in leather armor are hanging out in the lecture hall, one standing at the podium telling a tale of taking in a lucrative slave. Caught up in the boisterous story, they don't notice you approaching until it's too late!
Mialari takes a moment to increase the potency of her rapier. Then she casually strides forward and stabs the nearest thug!
Slightly disappointed that the thugs didn't take more care in their own defense, Pril moves quickly forward to engage one of the trio.
Holding her hand up she adds "But I don't want you thinking that is all I'm thinking about. I think, perhaps, we should talk for awhile first. Maybe you can tell me more your tattoo?"
Illyiana doesn't have any words for these thugs, targeting them one at a time before firing her arrows into them.
One of the slavers dodges the flames that roar down, but the others are badly burned. Illy, Mialari, and Pril focus their attacks on one of the more wounded foes and she falls! The other two draw their shortswords, coating them with poison before attacking. Pril takes a hit.
When Pri gets hit, Illyiana loses focuses and pulls her bow a little too far to the left before she fires her three shots.
"Now that's not very sporting," Pril says, her grin fading as the thugs show no compunction at using poison.
Mialari gracefully moves around to flank a foe with Pril.
One of the thugs takes a beating but is still standing. Both attack, scoring hits on Pril and Mialari.
"Hang in there, Pril." Illyiana says, drawing and firing three arrows into the thugs.
"Don't worry, we've got this," Pril replies.
Between all of your attacks, you take down the two remaining thugs!