Tanjona rushes the nearest changeling and then plants his feet for a powerful stab.
Adolina takes down the changeling she previously stabbed. The other one resists the paralysis spell, but Tanjona skewers her with his trident.
As she steps back to heal herself, the door to the southeast opens as another changeling steps into the room. This one hides behind a fiendish green and gold mask and wields a hooked sickle. Taking stock of the situation, the newcomer begins to invoke a lengthy prayer of summoning!
"I like the look," Farrina says. "It's little bit over the top in a creepy-cultist kind of way, but I've never shied away from something just because it's over the top. However ..." With that, the Color One gestures in the direction of the newcomer. "I'm the star of the show here. No upstaging allowed."
Tanjona remains where he is and brutally stabs his target again.
Unsure what all of the dialogue is about, Seraphina admires that mask and idly wonders if it would fit her.
Snapping out of the temporary confusion, she focuses and fires her crossbow at the enemy.
Tanjona takes out the changeling he wounded with a brutal stab! Seraphina destroys the high priestess’s mirror image, allowing Adolina to strike her! Somehow she maintains concentration, and Farrina’s counterspell fails.
A fiendish giant wasp appears, stinging at Adolina from behind! ”It is you who fall this day, Adolina,” the high priestess declares as she steps back to bolster herself and conjure another copycat. The voice is shockingly familiar—the woman behind the mask is none other than Luculla Gens!
"I knew there was a reason I didn't want any of your damn cookies," Farrina mutters to herself, annoyed that her spell failed.
She points the wand at the baker/priestess and attempts to ensnare her with it.
Seraphina is going to pull the trigger and fire, but she lowers her crossbow as she changes her mind. A bit clumsy, she accidently triggers the weapon and the bolt fires into the ground before ricocheting off into the distance. Grimacing, the oracle flinches in embarassment.
Tanjona turns and lopes to engage the giant wasp so that Adolina can keep the priestess occupied.
Luculla resists the hold person spell and dodges your other attacks. ”Its a shame, I really did like you,” she says to Adolina. ”But I cannot allow you to disrupt our sacred work!” She steps in to flank, raking the cavalier with a claw. The wasp misses again.
Having amassed enough of a wound to kick in her magical healing, the sickles wound disappears from Adolia and reappears on Seraphina who yelps in pain.
Reloading and firing her weapon, she is too afraid to hit Adolina and pulls the shot far too wide.
"Wouldn't you just know it that the stupid cultists bought a bunch of defective wands," Farrina grumbles as she shakes the wand in her hand and then tries again.
Now in position, Tanjona focuses his ire on the summoned wasp.
This time, Luculla seizes up as she succumbs to Farrina's spell. Adolina doesn't hesitate, plunging her blade through the changeling's throat and swiftly ending the woman's life. Tanjona scores a hit on the giant wasp, which continues to follow its summoner's last orders to attack Adolina--
--but it misses again, and quickly falls to your combined attacks. An eerie stillness falls over the room, Luculla's lifeblood pouring out around Adolina's boots...
Checking the room Luculla emerged from, you see that it appears to be a combination bedchamber and personal shrine. A portable cot bedecked with furs and a feather mattress sits to the southwest, while to the southeast stands a small semicircular desk on the top of which lies a miniature altar, a statuette of a skeletal woman with fleshless wings, and several books and scrolls. A wooden stand in the corner to the east supports a gold-plated human skull, its top removed so that it can serve as a basin for what appears to be watered-down blood.
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Adolina looks at the blood pooling around her feet and then, as the adrenaline rush of combat leaves her, runs into the corner and is violently sick.
"Could someone..." She waves her hand behind her in roughly the direction of the body. "I don't want to..." She chokes and then stops speaking in an attempt to muffle the sobs.
Seraphina watches Tanjona take care of the body for Adolina, sure that she hadn't meant for her to do that. After the body is gone, she crouches down and picks up the mask, turning it over in her hands admiring it. She wipes off some blood that had gotten onto the mask and tries it on, turning to Farrina and asking "What do you think?"
The entertain shrugs at Seraphina's question. "Personally, I'm not a big fan of masks as a fashion accessory. We all wear enough of them as it is. Putting a physical mask on your face, just seems to be a little too obvious."
She looks as if she's considering approaching Adolina, but then shakes her head and continues inventorying all the valuables.
"So there's an evil cult down here," she declares loudly. "Do we need to head back out and rest a little before dealing with the rest of them?"
"Oh." the oracle says, lowering the mask in her hands as her smile fades. She drops it on the ground and moves on over to Adolina, putting her hand on her back, rubbing it gently back and forth as she crouches down beside her. "Are you okay?"
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"No." Adolina replies. "Not a bit. But this isn't the time." She stands up, adjusts her jacket and Seraphina can practically see her pulling herself together.
"We had best investigate the other doors before the big ones before we leave." She suggests, "Lu... Lu... she spoke as though she were in charge. If there's a cult down here I think we've probably just dealt with most of it."
Seraphina keeps her hand on Adolina's back and tries to comfort her "Hey. It's okay to take a minute. Don't rush in, alright? We have time.".
Tanjona mutely moves the bodies as directed, like they are just so much cargo. He's used to hauling things around, after all.
He offers little in the way of encouragement, instead simply loitering, trident at the ready, waiting to see if more foes appear or if Adolina gathers her wits again to continue the murder-spree.
You return to the door south of the pit trap and open it. An antique wooden desk sits in the southwestern corner of this room, attended by a high-backed chair with tufts of stuffing protruding here and there from its rotting cushions. Partially broken shelves sit against the north and east walls, and strange symbols of a one-eyed insectile face have been painted on the walls along with curving lines of strange, sinister script.
A bearded devil stands guard here, wielding a wickedly sharp glaive. But he does not immediately attack. ”Ah, finally, something to break the boredom of guard duty!” he says. ”I have a question for you. Do you not agree that waiting for the cusp of adulthood to sacrifice a soul is a waste of time? Souls are souls regardless of how long they’ve been lodged in living flesh, yes?”
Farrina eyes the devil carefully, noting that it hasn't attacked yet.
"That depends," she responds with the practiced air that one uses in discussing the current price of hay bales. "Who are they being sacrificed to? That would make all the difference it seems to me. Some powers, of course, would be happy with a babe straight from its mother's arms. While others would much prefer the soul of one that had lived a long life of piousness - savoring the irony."
She gives a quick gesture to the others behind her, hoping to convey to them that she wants space to 'work'.
"Why, Mahathallah, of course. The Dowager of Illusions? Witch-Queen of Hell?" The devil furrows his brow. "You're obviously not members of the cult. Neither am I, truth be told. I was called to serve as a guard for the prisoners beyond this door. The high priestess promised me the soul of the thirteenth sacrifice she made. She insists on waiting to sacrifice her captives on their birthdays at the moments their souls transition from child to adult. Needless theatrics, if you ask me!"
"Oh, never underestimate the value of theatrics," Farrina replies with a grin. "I do have some bad new for you, though. The high priestess isn't going to be able to make good on her end of the contract." She displays her best evil grin. "She's dead." Mock concern replaces her grin. "So where does that leave you, contract-wise?"
”Dead? Well, I won’t shed any tears over her. But I’m not going back to Hell until I get the soul I was promised.”
"Why don't you take hers? She was killed in the temple, right through there. Maybe she's still hanging around. In any case, there aren't going to be any more sacrifices made, so you're out of luck in that regard. Your contract is broken and you're not getting your promised payment. That means that your choices are to leave or to be put down. And considering that we had no difficulty putting her down. I don't think you'll pose much of a threat. I'd recommending returning to Hell before something worse happens to you."
She gives him a grin filled with confidence.
Tanjona carefully cleans one of the tines of his mithral trident and nods at Farrina's offer, all while sizing up the devil.
Watching the exchange inevitably move towards combat, Sera raises her crossbow into her hand.
The devil sizes you up for a few moments before grunting. "Very well. I signed a contract, but I suppose with the cleric's death, the terms become void. I shall take her soul and return to Hell. Good day to you."
With a puff of smoke and brimstone, the devil vanishes.
In the room beyond, you find a pair of young men, both thin and disheveled, who cower in the southeast corner of this otherwise bare chamber. Faces dirty and streaked with tears, both teens are bound hand and foot by manacles chained to a single ring set in the stone floor. Scratches on the stone walls from desperate fingers attest to the fact that these twins are not the first of this room’s recent prisoners.
These twins are Angus and Phenio Shellet. Kidnapped by the cult several days ago, they’re hungry, thirsty, and traumatized by the recent events. Luculla preferred to abduct young men and women on the verge of adulthood, sacrificing them on their birthdays at the moment their souls transition from child to adult. Both Angus and Phenio know of their fate and despair of their imprisonment, as their birthdays are drawing near. They are extremely frightened and want nothing more than to return home.
Keys found on Luculla unlock their manacles. It seems you have explored all that you can of the Lucky Bones without a means to bypass the arcane locked doors.
"There's magic that will let us get through those doors," Farrina comments. "But I don't have it. With a little coin and some time, though, and I could. Shall we take our leave and do that?"
Lowering her crossbow, Serpahina turns to Farrina and says "WOW. That was great! You really have a way with words, Farrina! Fabulous indeed!"
"I can help you with a little luck, but that's about it."
Tanjona helps the teens to their feet and rummages around for some food to offer them. "We should get dese two someplace safe," he says. "Where you live? Where's da Shellet family home?" he asks of the erstwhile sacrifices.
The twins tell you they live in the Iudemius Tenement building. Like most of the buildings in Old Kintargo, Iudeimus Tenement is somewhat dilapidated, but built well enough to have stood the test of time. The building is one of the taller structures in Old Kintargo; the upper two of its three stories are constructed of old gray wood. The boys thank you profusely for the rescue and quickly run off to rejoin their parents.
When you report back to Lictor Octavio about the arcane locked door, he volunteers to pay for a scroll of knock for Farrina to use to get past it. It won't be ready until tomorrow, though, giving you a chance to take a well-deserved rest.
The next day, while you are preparing for another sortie beneath the Lucky Bones at the Tooth and Nail, a tiefling man enters. His eyes are amber and catlike, while stubby horns protrude from his forehead. He has pointed ears, and his features are rough and angular, yet handsome.
Setrona greets him as an old friend and moves to introduce him to you. "This Hetamon Haace. He's a tailor who runs a shop called the Devil's Threads."
Hetamon bows to you before settling into a cozy corner of the room, inviting you to join him. "I have been patiently waiting for the right moment to reveal myself to you. I am not only a tailor but also the leader of the Rose of Kintargo. The faithful of Milani are ready to aid the Silver Ravens. I ask for no payment or reward, as service to Milani demands the support of any legitimate rebellion such as the Silver Ravens, but the worshipers themselves cannot be directly associated with the rebels. Instead, they will work to keep the government distracted from the Silver Ravens, and when the time to fight is nigh, they will emerge from their hideouts throughout the city to aid directly.
"I look forward to working with you, but at the moment, there is another more pressing topic. Have you heard about the recent murders? Bodies have been discovered slashed up in the same way Professor Manghvune carved up his victims back in the day. The latest victim was one of my own, a relatively new worshiper of Milani who missed an appointment with me the night before. I went to investigate early this morning, only to discover the missing worshiper’s body in a dreadful state. Not trusting city officials to do more than abscond with the evidence, I had the dead worshiper returned to my shop, where the remains wait until I can arrange for a proper burial—but first, I would like your help. If you can track down this murderer and stop him (or at the very least expose him so that the city government is forced to act), you will not only prevent further bloodshed, but you will also bolster the rebellion’s reputation among the people."
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Adolina, who has been sitting quietly all morning and keeps glancing towards the wall that the Tooth and Nail shares with the bakery next door, shakes off her lassitude and focuses on Hetamon properly.
"We welcome any aid the Everbloom can offer." She says formally and seems about to lapse again when he mentions Professor Manghvune and a string of new murders. "Really?" She asks, suddenly all business. "This is serious."
She turns to the rest of the group and speaks quietly. "We only have a week before my new 'hospice' opens, but I think this is more important. Since we've cleared the first few chambers I don't think there's anything else dangerous likely to turn up in a few days? This murderer though... that needs dealing with!"
"So, yet again, another group of outcasts that wish to attach their star to ours," Farrina says with a nod. Her brows furrow a moment later. "Wait, you said that you're a tailor?" she asks, the wheels clearly turning in her head. "I could make use of a good tailor. Are you good?"
"Don't be silly," Farrina says with a wave of a well-manicured hand. "I already have someone working on the leather. There are some things that are so much better in satin, though."
Hetamon smirks. "I'd be happy to make whatever outfits you'd like," the tiefling says. "After we put a stop to these murders, of course."
Back at Hetamon’s shop, the body of the murdered Milanite lies under a bloodstained cloth in a back room. Hetamon and a few of his flock transported the body back from the alley in which it was found, and did their best to maintain its condition so a later investigation wouldn’t be compromised.
This latest victim was a woman named Myrletta. Her body has been savaged, and bears a total of 37 separate stab wounds.
"I've prepared a speak with dead spell so we can ask Myrletta's body what happened to her," Hetamon says. "But I can only ask her two questions, so I'll need to know what they are ahead of time."
Kneeling to inspect the body, Seraphina concludes "It looks like she was slain by a light-bladed weapon. If I had to guess, I'd probably say it was a kukri?"
"Wow," the entertainer says softly when she sees the body. "Anger issues, much?" She shakes her head in disgust. "Well, whoever did this probably had that kukree enchanted. See? Here ... here ... and here? There are magical enhancements that can be placed on weapons that cause wounds like this. They just bleed and bleed."
Hetamon casts his spell, and Myrietta's corpse sighs as she answers the questions posed to her:
Can you tell us anything about your killer? "I didn't get a good look, but he was a Varisian man who walked with a limp. His kukri glowed red, and his leather armor had an apron with many pockets that stank of rancid cheese and urine."
What were you doing before you were killed? "I was out for a late night walk along the city's south wall."
The corpse sighs and falls ilent once more.