|
Felicitas moves toward Payah and bows.
"Strong Payah Against the wind, your prowess in battle is plain to see, for those who have eyes. And you are right to take pride in it, I see you have taken the scars you gained into a living testament of your courage and strength. Although we do not all look as if we are as brave as you, we are here, to stand in shame for the deeds of one of ours, who disgraced us in deeds and words, who lied to us and who did you greavious wrong.
It is our all shame. But we came here to accept the blame, to show that we are not allies who are untrustworthy. We can not mend the broken blade, but we are here to reforge it. To make it stronger than ever.
We do not say we join you in your darkest hours, we are there.
When 5 years ago, the demonwound was festering and the vile darkness was rising. The worldwound is far, far from Absolom, but we heard the call of distress. We started to gather our forces, our diplomats traveled far and wide to find those of courage and conviction and together we stood and bled and many of us died.
But in the end, the demons were slain.
I can stand here today, with the blood I shed that days to proudly ask you to give us a chance to again proof to you that the pathfinder society is an ally and a friend. Not only in good times, but in the worst!"
|
Bielsi, can you get a Sense Motive on Payah or Kemchet?
We do know Diplo can work on Payah. Felicitas, you want to give it a go?
Grandblade, it looks like best match is Kn-Religion for Lake at Dawn.
Melea it looks like a Survival check on Togimal would be your best.
Azra Diplomacy on either Payah or Lake at Dawn.
Tofang Appropriate knowledge on Togimaal, Lake at Dawn or Memory Tender.
Nicodemus will do Kn-History on Memory Tender
While Kraak approaches Payah, Bielsi looks around to size up the rest of the councilors. Though, according to the Venture Captain, they don't have much chance with Kemchet, they need to try everything that they can and get support anywhere it might come from.
"I bid you greetings, Kemchet. Though I know you have little trust for we Pathfinders, I understand that you care greatly for your people and your independence. There is much we can offer without impinging on that independence. We ask only to be given the chance to do so," he says.
|
|
Melea shelves her planned speech and changes tactics. Instead, she continues her moving watch of Togimal, but makes it much more obvious. It's as if to imply that both hunters know the other is on their tail. After circling for a short bit, she approaches.
"From what I see, I doubt you are one to mince words. Nor am I. You have seen my skill. Every Pathfinder has some. For every Lumketul, there are better agents to guide them on the right path, through bleak terrain or past bad decisions."
|
"Lake at Dorn, yor mediation skills are known ter many, at least in rumor. Surely yer'll understand that we're 'onestly tryin' ter make fings right. Us organization made a mistake, and I'm sure yor tribes make mistakes as well! Struth! As one don't start a war over one measly mistake, so should one not break wiv powerful allies over a situation they wish ter rectify."
GM: Do we know if the Aid bonus counts if you use a different skill? e.g. Kn-Religion and Diplomacy working together on Lake at Dawn?
Memory Tender scoffs at Nicodemus's attempts to be clever. "Your being here is a child's puzzle," she says scornfully. "And it is bold of you to assume that the Shoanti will not still be here in a thousand winters, as we have been for thousands since the fall of the Empire of Sin. The stories of our honored dead will not fade, but be sung for the children to hear. Still," she laughs, "the children's puzzle, while simple, is a worthwhile one. Perhaps you can restore the broken rituals, hmm?" She nods and walks away.
Payah Against the Wind's scowl grows deeper as Felicitas speaks. "More wind with no backbone!" she finally interjects with a yell. "Have you Finders of Paths not found your spines?" She looks like she would greatly prefer to tell the bard where she can stick her words, but Cousin to All gives her a meaningful look and Payah just shakes her head and falls silent. Only the tip of her greatsword makes any sound as the tip pings of the stone floor in a steady rhythm.
Kemchet looks down at Biesi and spits. "Bah. You say what you think we want to hear, but it is obvious you have no respect for our culture, our people. Your very presence here is an affront. The Shoanti take care of our own. Perhaps you Pathfinders can find the path home - you've caused enough trouble here already."
Melea thinks she spies a smile under Togimal in Shadow's hood, though it quickly vanishes as the council member simply nods. "A guide that tells everyone how good they are does not last long in the blizzard though," they reply. "Can you see the trail through to the quarry?" The aasimar sees Togimal is more relaxed away from the crowded council platform.
Lake at Dawn seems to be in his element as he balances the conversation between Azra and Grandblade. He bows to both as the conversation comes to a close. "I appreciate your words," he says with a smile. "If you are here for the good of my people, then the least I can do is offer you the chance to prove your good intentions."
As Nicodemus heads back to check in with his fellow Pathfinders, he spots Kemchet Flame Stoker in heated conversation with Memory Tender. The ratfolk's keen ears pick up the louder parts of the conversation, but the murmur of the crowd drowns out the rest. "...hear. They did not respect our traditions before - what makes you think they will now? We must..." As Kemchet storms away, Memory Tender looks thoughtful.
Cousin to All claps her hands. "It is almost time for the council to vote," she announces, her voice cutting through the din.
|
|
Bielsi scowls at Kemchet as he turns Memory Tender against them. He wasn't too pleased with the way the man dismissed him, in the first place. He largely assumes he is a lost cause but it's beginning to feel like they have to make up ground fast or they are going to lose their chance to make right what has gone wrong.
He hurries to Memory Tender's side before Kemchet's words can fester.
"One of the hardest truths of life is that message of our story is not determined until it is too late for us to hear it," he says, as he approaches.
"Only the most unfortunate, such as the woman who lives within my mind with me lingers on after they have had their chance," he says.
"Do you think that the stories told of the great leaders of your past are always the stories that they would have wanted to be told while they were living? We can each only feel our way along the path with a goal in mind but imperfect information on how to get there."
"What do you want the message to be when your descendants tell your story when you join your ancestors? Is it that you let someone who has no interest in dealing with the the world around you make your decision for you or that you had the courage to let outsiders right the wrongs they did?"
|
Nicodemus addresses Memory Tender, "Your words have given me much to consider. There are so many aspects of Shoanti history that remain a mystery, and I look forward to offering what little skill I have to help restore the site. But I do have a single request: Could you answer a question for me: 'What is the Riddle of Steel?'"
|
|
"In some ways, that bluster is a guide's duty," Melea replies. She stays away from others as she continues talking to Togimal, even as she slowly circles around. "If it is given proper context, and the guide has experience. Then the bragging is banter of an informative sort. I held my tongue traversing the faraway Planes of Air and Earth, demon-infested wastes, agitated crypts, and the courts of distant nations. Even if I was quick to understand them. Only now do I see fit to give advice and judgement.
"I've had no set quarry for some time. But rest assured that whatever I put my sight on, action will follow. Be it a well-placed arrow for a fell beast, or a knowing hand on something more fragile."
As the Pathfinder present their last arguments to Memory Tender and Togimal in Shadow, Cousin to All claps her hands once more. "The council will reconvene," she announces, "and present their decision." As the Shoanti leaders make their way back to the platform, the hum of conversation fall quiet as the quahs listen intently.
"I will speak first," Cousin to All states once the rest of the council members have returned to their seats. "While the Pathfinder Society did us a grave wrong, they seek to fix their mistakes. For us to prevent them from doing so would be for us to be complacent in perpetuating this wrong. I vote yes."
"As do I!" Rollicks in Waves is quick to add. "The Society has aided the Shadde-Quah in the past, and I am certain they will continue to do so - provided we give them the chance to right their wrongs."
"Bah!" Kemchet Flame Stoker spits. "The outlanders destroy the resting place of our honored dead and do not confess to their crimes until we show indisputable proof. Now they are here to finish what they started. The Shoanti have never been able to rely on those outside of our own - it is only a matter of time before this Society also twists the knife in our back. I vote no!"
"Kemchet, you are too harsh on them." Lake at Dawn's voice is calm and soothing. "We are not asking them to solve all our problems for us, nor are we inviting them to join the quahs. They recognize that a mistake has been made and seek to repair the damage done. I vote we let them."
Payah Against the Wind frowns in frustration. "They would throw all the blame onto this one agent, then pretend they are not all part of the system that created him," she growls. "If the Shoanti were to ally with them, what would be the last straw before they turned on us and blamed us for their own troubles? I do not believe them to be trustworthy - my vote is no." She thumps the ground with her sword for emphasis.
"Perhaps she who has never made a mistake can judge others with such certainty." Memory Tender's voice is dry, but full of love for her clansmember. "Trust is built of a thousand streams crossed by a thousand bridges. Let them show us they are still willing to build, and we shall show them we have not taken the torch to the past and forgotten them. And when all is said and done, the bones do not lie."
"This one was foolish, like a child on their first hunt. But cooler heads have arrived. They know the way forward." Togimal in Shadow nods once.
"Then it is decided," Cousin to All states. "The Pathfinders shall have the chance to right the wrongs done by one of their own." As the crowd begins to murmur again, she beckons the Pathfinders toward the cave entrance.
"Well done, Pathfinders!" she says, her voice low and quick. "Now, you must head to the Muschkal Sepulcher, up the Muschkal river. This map will show you the way. Now hurry - show us we made the right choice!"
-------------------------------------------------------------
Later that afternoon, after heading east through a gap in the Iron Peaks and following the river, the Pathfinders find the Sepulcher. An unassuming opening into the cliffside is the only hint that something larger waits here. Large chunks of stone are scattered haphazardly through the grass, most likely once part of a seal before being blasted to pieces by Lumketul.
|
|
As they come to their destination, Bielsi looks around for a few moments then finds a quiet, clear spot in the grass and takes a seat, actually sitting on his heels. He closes his eyes, concentrating and muttering to himself.
Nothing changes for a time, then the air shimmers around him. Then, it slowly seems to thicken, taking on a distinctly bluish hue, seemingly flowing from his temples and forehead. As more and more of the blue thickness forms, a shape can fleetingly be seen within it. A hand, a foot, a hip, a hint of a face.
Bielsi holds his hands wide then slowly brings them together in front of him, drawing the blue haze in the air around him before him.
It coalesces further and takes shape, vibrating indistinctly for a moment then, with a pop, taking the shape of a woman. She does not have the body of someone who died slowly of starvation but the haunted eyes and sunken cheeks of someone who died of hunger.
Bielsi rises, only a minute after he knelt in the first place. He starts handing items to the woman, which she then dons, bracer, amulet, ring.
"This is Zarisha," he tells his fellow Pathfinders, then moves up to aid Nicodemus in examining the structure.
|
The slender woman has the blank, yet hungry look of someone who is seeking meaning without thinking she'll ever find it.
She looks around at you all. "You are going through a lot of trouble to right wrongs against people who no longer care," she says, looking to the sepulcher.
"And even if you are trying to impress the living, their opinion won't matter any more than any of these fallen stones in a couple centuries."
"Take it from someone who knows."
She continues donning items, obviously preparing for danger.
|
Grandblade swiftly spends some time preparing his spells...
1st - Line in the Sand*2, Long Arm, Shield, Protection from Evil
2nd - Extended Mage Armor, Bull's Strength, Scorching Ray.
3rd - Haste, Fireball.
Grandblade takes the wand from Nicodemus. "Allow me to show you how, my friend!" He casts the Mage Armor spell on Nicodemus. Grandblade then casts the Extended Mage Armor upon himself.
Nicodemus takes a look at the seal after poking himself repeatedly with various sticks. While a few of the pieces of this several-ton slab of stone are missing, it would be beyond most magics to repair the damage done. Preparations made, the Pathfinders enter the sepulcher.
The gently-sloping passage leads to a cool, dimly lit area. The air is damp, and animal bones, gristle, and long-rotten viscera are haphazardly scattered across the floor. Stairs to the east and west lead to slightly elevated walkways flanking the recess. Doors lead away from the entrance hall to the northeast and southwest.
Of more immediate concern, though, are the pair of ogres who abandon the dead skulls they were smashing for live ones !
Round 1! Bold may act!
Nicodemus
Melea
Beisi
Zarisha
Red
Blue
Felicitas
Grandblade
Azra
The ogre tries to shake off the bad feelings from Beisi...
...but the oread sees a twinge of fear in its eyes as Zarisha rushes forward - though the phantom's ectoplasmic fists only leave a thin silvery film on the giant's chain shirt. Galilah has a similar streak of bad luck, hanging from an oversized leather strap for a second before dropping back down to the floor. Melea quickly points her arrow at the ceiling to avoid catching her best friend by accident, but releases the arrow in the heat of the moment. Nicodemus manages to catch the ogre by surprise, his tiny rapier drawing a surprising amount of dark-red blood as he jabs it into the creature's toe.
Bellowing in rage, the ogres swing their giant axes. the first one yells as he tries to chop Galilah in half...
...and the cat hisses in pain as the ogre's axe leaves a terrible gash in her side. The other ogre tries to laugh off the bad feelings - both from Beisi and Nicodemus - by smashing the ratfolk into the floor!
Successful beyond his wildest dreams, the ogre hoots with delight as Nicodemus falls to the floor, his eyes blank as his breath gurgles in his throat. Not wanting to let the moment go to waste, the ogre swings again - this time at the phantom...
...and his blade cuts right through Zarisha's ectoplasmic form, splattering silverly substance everywhere.
Round 1, 2! Bold may act!
Nicodemus (-65 (-21 below 0))
Melea
Galilah (-23)
Beisi
Zarisha (-23)
Red
Blue (-26)
Felicitas
Grandblade
Azra
|
|
Zarisha looks down at the wavering cut in her form then down at Nicodemus at her feet. The latter glance has more than a hint of jealousy in it.
When she looks back at the ogre, there is a look of determination in her eyes and she until she is as tall as her opponent.
At the same time, Bielsi grows noticeably pale, his cheeks and eyes sinking and his back hunching.
She swings both massive fists at the ogre.
The ogre's laughter is cut short as Zarisha grows to match him in size. As she channels her helplessness against the meaninglessness of life into her swings, her opponent cowers back in fear...
...but once he realizes her fists, while large and otherworldly, are still just fists, he chuckles nervously and grips the handle of his axe with white-knuckled hands.
Galilah's teeth get caught on the ogre's armor again, but that gives the cat an excellent place to claw at the brute before dropping back down to the ground. Melea's aim is true, the wrath of Ol' Deadeye filling her with knowledge of the ogre's weakest points. The ogre yelps in pain, blood gushing from the myriad punctures and scratches, but somehow still remains on his feet as his companion points and laughs.
Round 1, 2! Bold may act!
Nicodemus (-65)
Melea
Galilah (-23)
Beisi
Zarisha (-23)
Red
Blue (-85, Shaken)
Felicitas
Grandblade
Azra
As Felicitas and Azra move into position, the ogres wail as all their hard work is undone! Seeking to un-undo the damage, they swing at the cat and phantom...
...but only Zarisha is unlucky enough to get hit.
Round 2, 3! Bold may act!
Nicodemus (-65)
Melea (Hastened)
Galilah (-4, Hastened)
Beisi
Zarisha (-30, Hastened)
Red
Blue (-85, Shaken)
Felicitas (Hastened)
Grandblade (Hastened)
Azra
Galilah bites and claws at the brute, but it laughs as the cat’s teeth and nails are deflected by its chain shirt. That laughter suddenly stops as Galilah swipes again at the ogre’s injures toe. White-knuckles fists finally release their grip on the greataxe, the giant blubbery form crashing to the stone steps and causing the bones scattered around the floor to bounce from the impact. Emboldened, the cat and master turn their ire on the remaining ogre!
Round 2, 3! Bold may act!
Nicodemus (-65)
Melea (Hastened)
Galilah (-4, Hastened)
Beisi
Zarisha (-30, Hastened)
Red (-55)
Blue
Felicitas (Hastened)
Grandblade (Hastened)
Azra
Felicitas's words are biting, but the ogre doesn't seem to understand them. It certainly understands the message Zarisha is sending, its bulbous head rocking back and forth with each strike until the phantom's supernaturally-quick fists catch him with a wicked uppercut that sends him to the floor to join his companion.
---------------------------------------------------------
The Pathfinders hurriedly collect Nicodemus's body and start making their way back to the Storval Stairs. They are met partway by a band of Shoanti boneslayers, led by Memory Tender. "The way is dark, even for those who would find the path," she says as she sees the ratfolk's still form. "A message I was asked to bring, and a message will be heard."
Kneeling beside Nicodemus, Memory Tender pulls out a pair of scrolls - both embossed with the Glyph of the Open Road. As she chants and runs her hands down the ratfolk's patchy fur, the raven on her shoulder caws once and flies straight towards the afternoon sun. Memory Tender unfurls one scroll, her voice rising in pitch and intensity. The air around her dims slightly, as if the light is being concentrated around Nicodemus's body. The other Pathfinders and boneslayers watch as the terrible gash on the ratfolk's chest begins to knit itself back together, leaving a long pink hairless line from shoulder to navel. As Memory Tender finishes the spell, she places her hands on Nicodemus's chest. With a loud caw, her raven dives from the sky and alights on the ratfolk's head. As they both close their eyes, Nicodemus's open.
"Excellent - your bones have not yet joined those of your ancestors." Memory Tender's voice is tired, but humorous. "After you left, your wizard friend suddenly started yelling about forgetting some task. He practically threw these scrolls at Cousin to All, saying they were for the mouseman, before calming back down and returning to his stump and pipe outside. Truly a most intriguing mind." She unrolls the other scroll while Nicodemus sits up, then wraps it around him like a shawl. "The Lady of Graves does not let those who come to her leave unmarked," she offers by way of explanation. "Now then, let us return to the sepulcher. You have a promise to keep, and we will see if you have kept it when you are done."
---------------------------------------------------------
Back in the entryway, the Pathfinders review their options. Doors exit the chamber to the north and south of the room atop elevated walkways.
|
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Bielsi is obviously saddened by Nicodemus' passage but also knows how to show respect to the dead. He begins the Osirian death rights, commending this ratfolk ally to the Lady of Graves as a noble soul and beseeching the higher powers to overlook all his many failings (as all mortals have) and accept his humble spirit into their embrace.
"When we get back, I can properly embalm him and remove his organs," he says apologetically to his remaining living allies.
It turns out it is fortunate that he did not have the proper tools as the scrolls arrive and bring Nicodemus back to life.
He greets the ratfolk. "Welcome back...assuming you wanted to come back. Sometimes the path continues even if we only want to get off it," he says.
He then turns his attention to his phantom companion and pulls out a wand.
Back at the sepulcher, Bielsi looks around carefully.
"Look here. There's some sort of stone plate," he says, shoving part of a dead ogre and several bones out of the way.
|
|
Gentlemen, Ladies, I've had the strangest dream. There were these hulking brutes wielding ginormous axes that appeared to forged in the very flames of the Underworld, and one of them cleaved me in two..." He pauses and looks about at the group. "That wasn't a dream, was it?"
He slowly rises and starts to shake off his recent demise like a rat emerging from a muddy river. "A little stiff, but none too worse for the wear. Shall we continue? I find I have the urge to give a little payback to whatever else may lurk in this place."
Nicodemus takes a look at the runes helpfully pointed out by Bielsi.
"The one closest to the Sepulcher says "Be Welcome, My Cousin" - the other, "May Your Spirit Guide You"."
Nico turns expectantly toward Zarisha. "Where to, Spirit Guide Zarisha?"
As Bielsi and Nicodemus investigate the stone plate, the translucent form of an elderly Shoanti woman rises through it to hover in the air before them. "Be welcome, my cousin!" she replies heartily. "Ooo, but look at this dreadful mess! That would certainly explain why I felt such a strong need to wake. Oh, but where are my manners - welcome, strangers. In life I was known as Hearth Keeper, emissary for the Shriikirri-Quah." She pauses for a moment, looking over the Pathfinders. "And I must say, none of you look like you're from a quah. What brings strangers to this resting place of the honored dead?"