Ashlion tears the banshee apart! Nihiris vanishes with a final shriek! A few moments later, Ciza escapes from Grelda’s maze. Seeing her sister gone, she wisely decides to surrender.
”I have no wish to be destroyed. You may pass, but I must ask, where did you learn your craft, and where do you perform? I dearly miss singing in the salons of the great drow cities. I would give nearly anything to be the center of attention like that again!”
Not trusting the undead, Tasha keeps her blade at the ready. "We are from the surface world. We're part of a larger family that perform for large crowds in many different ways. Your skill is impressive and would be an asset to us. But why should we trust you?"
She glances at Ruine and the others to gauge their feelings about the banshee.
”I’m not as craven as my sister was. I only want to sing for a crowd. I’ll be on my best behavior, I promise! No killing!” Ciza pleads.
The cleric turns away from Ciza with wide-eyes and flared nostrils, eyeing Tasha with as much composure as she can muster. In a hushed whisper she asks "Are you seriously considering this?"
Tasha steps away from the undead drow, gathering her friends close. "Yes, I am considering this. Our family has always been founded on accepting people for who they choose to be and letting them leave their past behind. We judge people by what they do, not for what they are. We know nothing of this woman other than she has suffered a tragic death and both her and her sister stood between us and our goal. Shouldn't we be magnanimous in victory?"
She looks over at the banshee and then back at the others.
"I claim to be no ruler, though. So if you all feel that she has no place with us then I will offer none."
The near-constant battles and danger that have surrounded them for as long as she can remember have warped the cleric's thoughts it would seem. As Tasha's words sink in, they have an immediate and noticeable impact on Ruinë. As her thoughts turn from outrage to shame, she lowers her head and relaxes her tightened fists and posture.
With her eyes closed she offers a small nod of her head, sighing as she lowers her head to rest on Tasha's. "You're right. I don't know what's come over me. Forgive me."
Tasha wraps her arms tightly around the half-elf. "Nothing to forgive, my love," she says softly. "It has been a long and trying road. Our nerves are frayed and it can be easy to forget who we are." She presses a quick kiss to the woman's temple before turning to her other companions, awaiting their stance on the issue.
"I say we at least give her a chance to prove herself true to her word," Grelda says in agreement.
Tasha nods at the others and then turns to Ciza. She bows, but doesn't take her eyes off the banshee. "We formally offer you a place in our family. That place comes with obligations as well as privileges. Foremost among them is to protect the family over oneself. We also don't take life without just cause." She tips her head and gives a slight smile. "Please check with us beforehand as to what constitutes 'just cause'. More will be explained when we return home. Until then, we must continue in our efforts to regain the object of our journey."
Ciza nods eagerly. ”I understand. Thank you! I do not enjoy travel, but I will possess this sword until you return to the circus.” The banshee flies over to a nearby table and fades away as she merges with the sword that rests upon it.
Tasha draws the new blade from its scabbard and looks it over with an appraising eye. "This is an impressive blade," she says before flipping it end over end and catching the hilt again. "Well balanced and dripping with enchantments."
She attaches the scabbard to her belt opposite her own weapon. "Yes, let us address our foe directly."
Though she spoke her willingness to allow the creature to join them, she still eyes the blade warily. She offers "It's a good thing you have your own blade and don't need to wield that."
You continue on, finally reaching the top of the tower! This level of the tower is much larger than the ones beneath it, and the many mirrors on the walls make it look even larger. Old tomes, strange potions, and fantastical devices of many types and sizes sit on tables in the room, along with herbs and alchemical reagents that emit a bewildering array of scents. Near the north wall, behind the laboratory equipment, sits a large hexagonal pedestal attached to the floor; the pedestal is covered with strange symbols that glow intensely with pulsating energy. Floating ten feet above the pedestal, an aeon orb hangs suspended in the air, rotating slowly around its own axis.
Dyzallin Shraen stands within the sphere of electricity around the aeon orb. He speaks in a terrifyingly cold voice. “Such stubbornness and arrogance! Since you’re here, you can tell me more about the orb’s secrets. But I don’t need you alive for that. So die!”
Grelda casts haste on the entire party, then nudges her husband's fate and maneuvers across the room.
As Ashlion gets close to Dyzallin, the mummy's aura of utter despair washes over him. Though frightened, Grelda's foresight allows him to avoid being completely paralyzed with terror! He misses with his all of his attacks, though, the drow's defenses proving strong indeed.
Dyzallin starts to cast a spell, and Ashlion lashes out. With a nudge from his wife, the barbarian scores a hit! It is not enough to interrupt Dyzallin's spell, though, and as he completes it time momentarily stops for everybody but him!
To you, it seems like only an instant passes. Suddenly, though, two enormous elementals of thunder and lightning loom above Ashlion, slicing at him with their claws. There are now three Dyzallins scattered across the room! Which one is real?
Counting on Ashlion to handle the elementals, Tasha rapidly approaches the copy of Dyzallian in the southwesterly corner. Unfortunately, the fearsome visage the elf exudes is enough to stop her in her tracks.
Though it's difficult, she steps forward with her allies into the aura of fear so that she stays close to them.
Taking stop of Ashlion's wounds, she calls forth divine healing to close the tremendous slashes on his body.
Grelda casts a spell of banishment, sending away one of the storm elementals. She gives her husband a life boost before Ruine heals him further. Ash assaults the remaining elemental, but it's not enough to destroy the creature.
The elemental claws at Ash, landing one hit.
Meanwhile, the three Dyzallins cast a powerful spell, causing their presence to become overwhelming.
Overcome by Dyzallin's spell, Grelda kowtows to the drow, trying to hurry through the compulsion to pay tribute to him that she may resume her attacks against him!
At first she is nearly overcome by their perceived sheer awesomeness, but as she begins to lower herself she fights through the spell with a low growl, stating "Oh really?" before casting the same exact spell back at them.
Tasha continues to be paralyzed, but her tail begins to sway.
Ruine's appearance becomes that of a fiery goddess, swelling to combat Dyzallin's imperious undead aura. Dyzallin partially resists, but is still somewhat compelled to pay tribute to her.
Ashlion destroys the elemental before moving to attack the closest Dyzallin. His weapons pass through the drow harmlessly. This one is an illusion!
Dyzallin pays tribute to Ruine before casting another one of Grelda's favorite spells: phantasmal calamity!
Tasha recovers from her paralysis.
Thoroughly pissed off now, the cleric fires a ray of fire at Dyzallin.
Grelda's mind reels from the phantasm, but she avoids falling prey to its secondary effect. She pays tribute to Dyzallin, but seeing her husband slice through an illusion, she focuses her will to target the other two Dyzallins with a dispel magic. Both disappear, and the real drow mummy, who had been invisible, is revealed!
While no longer paralyzed, Tasha is now trapped in a mental prison and unable to act.
Dyzallin cries out in pain as Ruine blasts him with a fire ray. The mummy's dry wrappings make him vulnerable to fire! Ashlion charges at the drow, scoring a critical hit and knocking him prone, then following up with another brutal strike that leaves him reeling and burning!
The drow tries to cast a spell at Ashlion, but the barbarian delivers another critical hit! He smashes Dyzallin's mummified body to dust, the drow letting out a final scream of protest as he is destroyed!
The aeon orb glows with power as its connection to Dyzallin is severed. It bathes you in its radiance, granting you the final resonant reflection!
Your body is inured to the devastation inflicted by natural forces. You gain resistance to electricity damage equal to your level. You don’t treat wind as difficult terrain or greater difficult terrain while flying, and you can’t be moved by wind unless you choose to be. You gain a +1 status bonus to saves against primal magic. In addition, you can absorb this reinvigorating energy into your body to gain the following effect.
Activate envision; Frequency once per day; Effect You cast moment of renewal (self only) as an 8th-level divine innate spell and regain 1 Focus Point.
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Ashlion roars, invigorated by his victory over the lich. Then the orb bathes him in power and the barbarian marches across the tower room, sweeps his wife off his feet and pushes her forcefully up against one of the mirrors, hard enough that the glass cracks. It is quite clear that he has... some steam to 'work off' after the battle.
"Oh!" Grelda gasps as her husband lifts her off the ground. With the adrenaline of battle still coursing throug her veins, the witch wraps her arms around Ashlion's broad shoulders and pulls him into a fierce kiss. As she succumbs to his amorous advances, her faerie dragon familiar clears his throat.
"Right, um... I'll give you some privacy, shall I?" he murmurs as he finds a safe corner to hide in.
Ruinë scoffs and rolls her eyes, pointedly turning away from all of the testosterone in the room and moving alongside Tasha. Reaching out to take her hand in her own, she users her other free hand to wipe the fallen hair from the swashbuckler's forehead and until she snaps out of it. She softly sings a song, waiting for the effects to pass and making sure she is alright when she returns.
"It's okay, I'm here. The battle is won. Everything is alright, my love."
The tiefling's eyes finally refocus and meet Ruine's. "It's over? What happened? I was ..." She shakes her head and looks around to be sure that her companions are unharmed. Seeing what the half-orc couple are up to she turns away with a start.
It takes her a moment to process that she was useless against the powerful mummy. A fleeting frown graces her face before being replaced with her 'show' smile. Taking the half-elf's hand she looks over the rest of the room.
"The last orb is retrieved. Now we can finish the task set before us," she declares. A glance shows her that Ashlion and Grelda are nowhere near finished with their task. "Can some people can finish rutting for ten bloody minutes so we can accomplish what we've set out to do?" she adds with a sharpness that's uncharacteristic of her.
Grelda's only response is to gasp out the words for two spells of haste, allowing her and Ash to finish their "celebration" just a little bit faster. Soon enough, all of the mirrors in the room are broken, and both half-orcs lay exhausted in each other's arms...
Once they've cleaned up, you claim the aeon orb and make the journey back across the Black Desert to the crystalline cave where you entered the Vault many weeks ago. Grelda uses her magic to teleport everybody back to Willowside! The druids of the Tower of Empty Stones are ecstatic that you have returned the orb, and are eager to return it to the top of the aeon tower that it might bring life back to the land once more.
Back in Willowside, you are able to reconnect with the Circus of Wayward Wonders. Everyone in the circus rejoices as you return. Any shows the circus put on without you were only adequately successful, allowing the circus to break even on its expenses; thus, even if only for financial reasons, the performers are glad to have you back. They welcome all the new additions to the circus that you befriended in the Darklands, although some (such as the banshee Ciza Shraen) are met with ill-disguised trepidation.
Having acquired the resonant reflections of five aeon orbs, you are now stronger than ever. It’s time to rest and recuperate, but the threat that xulgaths present to Absalom and the Starstone Isles is far from over...
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Upon their return to Willowside Ash and Grelda immediately return to the bosom of their family to see how Tygrah is doing, along with little Jagrah. Having seen to their safety and comfort Ash asks Tygrah about the rest of the family.
"HOW HAVE YOU ALL BEEN WHILE WE WERE GONE?" He asks. "HOW IS THUNDER? AND EVORA? IS GIGI MAKING FRIENDS WITH THUNDER? WE MUST ALL GET TOGETHER TONIGHT FOR A LARGE MEAL!"
”We have been fine, husband, but we have missed you terribly! It is far too quiet when you are not here!” Tygrah declares, pulling Ash into a crushing embrace. ”All of the animals are getting along—and so are Gigi and Thunder!” She laughs heartily.
”Yes, a feast is just what we need! Let us prepare!”
Evora pulls Ashlion into an even more crushing embrace, even managing to lift the dense barbarian off the ground! "I am glad you are back. Arm wrestling gets boring fast when you win all the time! And there are other things I missed about you, too!"
Gigi the mammoth trumpets happily from the animal pen. Nearby, Thunder the dinosaur looks up from his grazing, gives a grunt, then takes several more big bites of grass.
Upon returning home, Tasha takes her time making the rounds to each and every member of the family catching up with what has happened in their lives while the team was gone. She also ensures that Khufar and Ciza are properly introduced to everyone. Along with that, she attempts to find out more about the man that shares the similar heritage that she does - something she hasn't seen before.
"You said that you knew your mother," she says casually. "I am of the same history. My mother brought me to the surface, but could not bear the thought of living with nothing above her but the sun and stars so she left me in the care of others and returned. Did you know your father at all?"
~~~~~
As the last light of the setting sun fades from the sky, a new task is upon her. Gathering a basket of wine, bread, and assorted edibles, she finds Ruine and leads her outside the camp to a small outcropping away from the bustle and noise. With a quick flap of her wings, she brings herself and her lover up to the small secluded space.
"Family is not the only thing that I missed while we were down below," she says, offering a bite of cheese to her lover. With a dramatic sweep of her hand, she indicates the night sky and the stars that are now appearing. "I never again wish to travel somewhere where this beauty above isn't visible." She turns back to meet the half-elf's eyes. "Although it doesn't compare to yours."
Khufar shakes his head sadly. "I never met my father. I was born into captivity, and I lived my whole life as a slave up until now. This... all of this... it is greater than I could have ever imagined. Thank you, Tasha. Thank you for freeing me."
"All of us here were prisoners in some way, shape, or form," she replies with a shrug. "We've been freed, so it's our duty to share that freedom with others. I hope you find a place here, but we won't keep you if you wish to leave. You're life is your own now. Your destiny is what you choose it to be."
She begins softly humming a tune that she remembers her mother would sing. It was a song that the slaves would sing in private and quiet places about some day being freed.
Khufar's eyes widen when he hears the tune. "That song... My mother used to sing it..." he says, letting the implications hang heavy in the air...
"I ... I would imagine that it was commonly sung among the slave population," she offers. The unlikely possibility that her and Khufar were ... no.
"I never knew my mother's name and perhaps she didn't have one. I was perhaps five the last time I saw her," she continues. "She found a means to escape whatever bondage held her and taking me with her, she fled to the surface world. It was too drastic a difference for her to survive, I think. She left me with a family of jugglers she came across one night - we always traveled in the darkness and hid during the day." She chuckles. "I was terrified of the huge light in the sky."
Her eyes drift away as she remembers the moment.
"She told me ... 'Live your life for me, my little Tasha,' she said. 'When you look up in into the empty sky above with all its lights and emptiness, know that it is the only gift I have for you. The freedom to make of your life what you wish with no shackles to bind you. The open sky is yours.'"
The tiefling is quiet for a moment. "So every night I look up into the sky and I remember her. I remember her face. Her pale skin with just a hint of pink on her cheeks. I see her eyes when I look into a mirror. Although hers were the palest blue, not this unearthly color," she says with a dismissive wave at her own dark lavender irises. Her hand moves up to touch her eyebrow. "One of her eyebrows was divided by a scar that ran from just above it to her eyelid."
"I remember asking one time when I could have a mark like that, because, as most children do, I thought my mother was the most beautiful woman in the world and I hated the patterns on my own skin. I wanted to look just like her instead of ..." She shrugs. "She told me that, like her, my life would leave its own unique marks on me."
Shaking her head, she turns to Khufar. "Tell me about your mother"
”She was much the same as you described her,” Khufar says in awe. ”Beautiful, brave, defiant. Tasha... I think we have the same mother!”
"How can that ...?" Tasha questions. She shakes her head. "Perhaps it is fate?" A realization seems to take her. "You said that she's ... she passed?"
Looking away, she continues. "I'd always ... assumed ... that she was no longer ... But now I know. I guess I should appreciate the fact that I have closure now, but ..." Tears brim in her eyes but she refuses to let them fall.
"I hope you're in a better place now, Mamushka," she whispers before wiping at her eyes.
"It would mean a lot to me if you could tell me everything you remember about her," she says to her newly discovered half-brother as she takes his arm to walk the periphery of the circus.
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Evora pulls Ashlion into an even more crushing embrace, even managing to lift the dense barbarian off the ground! "I am glad you are back. Arm wrestling gets boring fast when you win all the time! And there are other things I missed about you, too!"
Gigi the mammoth trumpets happily from the animal pen. Nearby, Thunder the dinosaur looks up from his grazing, gives a grunt, then takes several more big bites of grass.
"I AM HAPPY TO SEE YOU TOO EVORA!" Ashlion booms, laughing heartily as she whirls him around. "WE ARE HAVING A PARTY TO CELEBRATE OUR TRIUMPHANT RETURN! YOU MUST COME! WE HAVE MANY STORIES TO TELL OF OUR BRAVERY!" The half-orc helps out with Evora's duties to get her full attention quicker and, as dusk falls, the five half-orcs form the raucous center of the Families eating, making merry and general good cheer.
Part-way through the evening, Ash notices that Evora is starting to look a little uncomfortable and leans over to whisper first to Tygrah and then to Grelda. Shockingly the barbarian keeps his voice low enough that it can't be easily overheard and both his wives nod their agreement to whatever he says. Grelda takes Jagrah, and Tygrah and Ashlion each take one of Evora's hands and lead her away from the fire and back towards the large caravan which serves as home for the growing family.
Khufar wipes a few tears from his own eyes. "I would be happy to."
***
It isn't long before the half-orcs' wagon begins to shake vigorously, and various sounds of pleasure and exertion fill the air. The circus family has long since learned a valuable lesson: when the half-orcs' wagon is a-rockin', don't come a-knockin'!
***
After an enjoyable evening, the time comes to turn once more back to the business at hand...
Part 6: The Apocalypse Prophet
After Aroden raised the Starstone and the Isle of Kortos from the Inner Sea, he found himself facing several challenges. His newly founded domain proved insufficient to support the robust civilization he had envisioned; to solve this problem, he ultimately claimed five of the six aeon orbs from the vault called Vask and built his five aeon towers to distribute their life‑giving magic. Less pressing, but perhaps more dire, was the question of protecting what he had wrought. The Starstone now rested on solid land—protected, but far more accessible than it had been since its arrival on Golarion. Aroden was keenly aware that his followers might well become a threat he needed to defend against.
And so Aroden developed a fail-safe, a means to undo his workings should the worst come to pass, utilizing the same aeon orbs that gave the islands their life-sustaining magic. The extinction curse, as he called it, was a potent ritual that could dismantle the foundations of the islands, wiping them clean of life and hurling them—along with the Starstone—back into the sea.
You know that the xulgath priest Sarvel Ever-Hunger is preparing to unleash the extinction curse to enact revenge for Aroden's desecration of his people's home ages ago. Armed with the resonant reflections of the aeon orbs, the time has come now to put a stop to his plans!
You have the tools you need to seek out the Verdant Beacon in the Kortos Mounts, but before you can begin your journey, you must make arrangements for your circus. As you can’t take the circus into the sparsely-populated Kortos Mounts, you must find a relatively large locale to support the show in your absence. The ideal host would be the large port city of Diobel, south of Absalom.
And so, you say your goodbyes to the people of Willowside. You load the circus's wagons onto the Geode's Center, the same ship that ferried you to Willowside several months ago, and set sail for Diobel!
After three days, you arrive. On the western coast of the Isle of Kortos, where once stood a mighty siege town, rests the flooded port city of Diobel. The city's inner harbor is protected by a giant maze of shipwrecked war-barges, crumbling walls, and haphazard jetties of iron and wood. These defenses prevent larger trading vessels and warships from entering the harbor itself, and the deeper waters of the bay are often crowded with ships at anchor.
Inside the maze lies a wide bay called the Shallows, which provide calm waters and safe passage to the smaller rowboats and flat-bottomed cargo vessels. The Shallows flow into a series of wooden and stone walkways which stretch below the city, possessing various docks and bunkers called the Underdocks. Most of the town stands suspended on pylons above the Underdocks, or hangs precariously on the rocky shore of the bay.
You find that setting up the circus is a relatively straightforward affair, as word of your prior performances has preceded you. You are able to easily secure access to a large, fenced area normally used for corralling livestock in which to set up your wagons and tents.
Although the Circus of Wayward Wonders is an exciting addition to Diobel’s entertainment scene, the city is abuzz with even greater news: an enormous celebration is almost about to begin in Absalom. The Radiant Festival is a centennial celebration that hasn’t occurred in almost 200 years, as Aroden’s death cancelled the last festival in 4620 AR. Festival agents have been in Diobel for several weeks now, scouting out talent for the fair. If the Circus of Wayward Wonders can impress these talent scouts, they might have the opportunity to perform in the City at the Center of the World for audiences drawn from across the Inner Sea region!