Acid splatters everywhere on the old docks! Herondal and Kamil dodge to the sides and avoid the worst of it, but still get burned!
Zora calls upon magical missiles that slam themselves into the beast's flanks as it lies hurt on the planks. It screams in rage, deafening all around him.
"أطلق سراحي! لن تقتلني!"
A passerby ignores Hamarel and slams the door to his home, his voice barely heard behind his home. "To free him!" Returning his attention to the flying reptile, Hamarel has time to see another crate of fireworks past the dragon and 5 feet down in the lower docks and another crate in the nearby western pier.
The small water spirit, on hearing his friend's plight, flies off towards Hamarel and emits sounds akin to a bubbling stream.
An arrow of acid goes flying towards Hamarel as the water spirit gurgles like boiling water!
"عال جدا! أنت صاخب للغاية!", the reptile-like thing screams in Hamarel's ears.
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Kamil's deft fingers find several of the lit fireworks, the wicks down to a stub as he reaches for them while avoiding lighting the others and tosses them away from the crates, where they explode in loud small bursts of color and smoke!
The winged, leathery creature keeps thrashing in Hamarel's iron grip, but on hearing Herondal speak it stops and speaks back.
"تتكلم لغة البشر المتحضرين ؟!", it responds puzzled in a deep, tired sissing voice. "أنا أهركينوس دريك العظيم. أطلق سراحي إذا كان صحيحا أنك تسعى إلى التشجيع."
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Hamarel dutifully lets go, then steps over to the dock. He keeps his gaze fixed on the creature while scooping up handfuls of water to pour over himself.
The elf manages to rinse off the caustic stuff before it runs its course. Returning to his guarded stance, he asks, "What does it want if not a fight?"
"أنت تعرف مكانك ؛ ممتاز. أسعى لإنهاء الضجيج الذي تضعه عليّ عامًا بعد عام! لقد أزلت أزهار الكراهية حتى أتمكن من النوم بهدوء ، ومع ذلك ، قامت غاباتك الصغيرة المزعجة بغزو عرينتي وسرقت الأشياء الملعونة ، وإضرامها وإشعالها مرة أخرى!"
Herondal, I imagine, translates:
"You know your placcce; excccellent. He gives a rueful look at Hamarel as it scratches where Hamarel grabbed it's neck. "I ssseek the end to the noissse you bring upon me year after year!", he snarls, snapping his teeth in anger. "I removed the hateful fireflowersss ssso that I could sssleep in peaccce, yet your annoying hatchlingsss invaded my lair and ssstole the cursssed things! Sssetting them alight and making noissse onccce more!
The old creature looks defiantly at you. His wings are old and crippled and he has several scars along his hide. The water spirit flys over to him and pets him trying to soothe its pain.
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I can help sooth some of your pain.
"By hatchlings I presume you mean children. Noise complaints can get complicated even without involving someone as powerful as yourself. Stopping the yearly celebration would be a major undertaking. Helping you sleep through it would be much simpler. There are magics that block sound but there are skilled craftsmen in this city. It may be as simple as padding for your ears to block the sound."
After translating his side of the conversation to his allies, In common "Ideas?"
To Ahrkinos: "Do you sleep all year? I'm sure you would be welcomed if you wanted to participate in the celebration."
Ahrkinos hisses in pleasure as Herondal's soothing spell not only removes the marks around his neck where Hamarel took hold of him, but also aliviates older pain from his bones. He answers after shaking himself of detritus.
No more noissse, no more intrudersss would be niccce. Muraxi and I ssseek peaccce." He tilts in head at wonderment at the proposal of participating in festivities with the others. "Ssspare me your hideousss noissse and bright lightsss. I want nothing but to be leffft alone in sssilence! Ifff I have to hear more sssongs and explosssions, I'll go mad! The hatchlingsss are the mossst annoying. No ressspect for their eldersss, invading one'sss home and wanting to play! He gets clearly agitated on thinking of the children running around his lair.
"They dare call me a crocodile! A mere beast! I, the great drake Ahrkinosss!"
From what you gather by speaking with Ahrkinos, his lair is in the sewers right under the Old City docks. You could easily access it by heading down the lower pier near Hamarel and entering a storm drain.
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Hamarel gingerly lifts the drain. He beckons Ahrkinos to go first and then denies the drake an opportunity, easing himself in as best he can. "I don't think I like having my back exposed to this one," he mutters, contradicting himself once again.
Hamarel sees cockroaches and rollypollys scurry about. It's not a pleasing sight. An ugly, fat rat gives him an angry hiss before running off.
The drake looks down as Hamarel slides into the filth. He speaks in halting Taldane, as if the language has been unused in some time.
"Your ssservent isss odd, mortal, for that isss not the entranccce to my lair.", he swings around and beckons Muraxi, the water spirit. "Come, faithful Muraxi. Let usss return home." With that said, he dives into the water behind him, followed by the water spirit. You can see a dark shape by the river's surface that turns around and disappears under the boards.
By this point, several of the Eyes of Sothis have come by to see what prompted the panic, with the locals speaking of Sobek's Tail, the crocodile spawn of Sobek spitting fire and flying in the air. From the look of the city watch, you can tell they think some of the locals are drunk.
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With the missing fireworks secured and returned to the storehouse, you send word to Amenopheus.
"I'm glad to have all crates returned. The festivities can continue without interruption then. So tell me, who was responsible?"
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Hamarel scowls when it seems he has been tricked, most likely by his own perceptions. "I am no one's servant," he says to the water as if to call after Ahrkinos, but at a normal volume.
Upon returning to Amenopheus, the elf is no less content with the situation. "It has left us the burden, the responsibility of being quiet for it. Perhaps this year calls for a more muted celebration. We could move the fireworks to a different district, if possible, and then we have a year to better prepare accommodations for the demon."
Amenopheus listens to what you say pensively.
"This creature hasn't done anything to warrant its destruction. Hmm." He grows quiet for a minute, thinking to himself. "We could move the festivities to the Palms in eastern Sothis. It would be, rather inconvenient to do so at the last minute, but it can be arranged. However, it will be impossible to stop people from making noise in the Old City docks. We might as well ask the Crimson Canal to stop flowing! Is your new friend amenable to being relocated? That might be a better idea in the long term."
"Tell me about its lair. Did you see it? Perhaps based on what you saw, we could find a more suitable place for it."
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You recount the rest of your tale to Amenopheus...
As Hamarel speaks, the creature called Muraxi bursts forth, spraying him with water and gesturing the elf to follow it before disappearing out of sight. Before you go down to the lower docks one of the Eyes of Sothis approaches you. Children and adults are making their way towards the crates of fireworks left on the pier. The only thing stopping the adults is the stamp of the Ruby Prince on the crates. The children have to be held back by their parents, more interested in obtaining a sparkler than incurring the wrath of the pharaoh's representatives "Keep those children clear!" she yells out to her subordinates. "I'm captain Elrekah, of the Eyes of Sothis. May I ask if you know anything about these crates of fireworks lying around, sirs?"
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Hamarel looks annoyed at Muraxi's methods and the guards' intrusion both. It isn't very distinct from his normal expression. "These were stolen from their proper place by the creature you may have just seen us broker peace with. We were asked to track down the culprit, salvaging the Evoking Day celebrations," he says, the tail end of the statement sounding a bit confrontational.
"It has just invited us to its abode so we may prevent such problems now and in the future. To that end, if we may...?" The elf starts taking steps away from Elrekah and towards the spirit's trail.
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What my friend says, is that a powerful and ancient creature lives here. It seems that the fireworks and the children play annoyed him quite a lot. We just avoid some major confrontation and were hoping to take care of his sound-proof problem.
Could you make a security perimeter around here to stop children or curious people to come here? The creature seems to be some sort of dragon. I'm sure that you don't want burned children all over the place right?
Telling the story, Kamil makes grand gesture and numerous grandiloquant noises.
The guard bristles under Hamarel's attitude, and is about to chastaise him for his bluntness and lack of respect towards the guards, but her anger is abated by Kamil's intervention. "Asked by who? Who are you people?", she says, glaring at Hamarel.
"All right then", turning to Kamil, she nods "Don't be ridiculous. There are no dragons here in Sothis", she says with assertiveness. "We were going to create a perimeter either way, as those fireworks belong to the state."
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"Ah captain Elrekah I am glad you are here. We are Pathfinders and were asked to find the misplaced fireworks, Which we have done. However as you can see by some of the nearby damage, There is more to the situation and potential danger. Nothing we can't handle. Please guard the fireworks for now and we will see they get to their rightful owner after insuring there will be no further... issues."
Herondal will then follow into the lair being sure to call ahead in Ancient Osiriani that we are thee to help block out the fireworks if possible.
You all head down to the lower docks. Beyond several support pillars, you can see ruined storm pipe, just large enough for the drake to come in. In the mud, you see several small footprints coming to and fro the entrance, as well as the larger bellied imprint of the drake's passage. It's quite dark in here and the lair smells of wet mud and rank water. Muraxi appears, coalescing next to you and motions you forward into a larger water collection chamber
"Yesss, you again?", the voice of Ahrkinos echoes loudly through the chamber.
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In Ancient Osiriani followed by translating in common. "Hello again. Remember we discussed blocking the sounds of the celebration so that you may sleep. We wish to look around your lair to see if that is viable. If not then may we measure your head for possible covers to bloc the sound? I'm sure comfortable options can be made. Out of curiosity is the water creature a friend of yours??"
Kamil would know by the shape of the footprints, that they belong to small children, more than likely the intruders Ahrkinos mentioned as they avoid heading towards where the drake is coiled and go towards a burlap sack that smells faintly of saltpeter.
Ahrkinos does avoid the light, and he is coiled up in a small mound made of mud, palm bark and pieces of flotsam that lies in the middle of the chamber, which is rather large. The only danger Hamarel notice would be getting his clothes stuck on any of Ahrkinos' hoard, a collection of junk parts from ships and broken furniture. You can all immediately tell that soundproofing this chamber would require several weeks of work and the irascible drake would have to put up with people in his home during that time.
"Measssure my head? You may approach", he tells Herondal "Fffaithffful Muraxi isss my fffriend. What isss it to you?"
With Ahrkinos permission, you have the measurements of his head, although he is quite puzzled by the interest in this.
Ahrkinos looks even more baffled as you talk about "earplugs".
"Fffaithffful Muraxi isss not bothered by the noissse. Ssshe doesss not have earsss like you and I", he says swishing his tail annoyed.
Ahrkinos thinks for a moment. "Take your cccelebration elsssewhere. Provide to me, ssservant of the warriorsss a new lair, worthy offf one sssuch asss myselff".
Muraxi gurgles in approval.
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To Amenopheus.
"I will include the full details in my report but in short the fireworks were taken by an old dragon? named Ahrkinos living in the sewers. His long sleep was disturbed by the celebrations. Even worse, Children have been entering it's lair and disturbing it. The fact that there was no deaths and minimal injuries is a testament to it's patience.
My recommendation is to find a nicer lair for it and it's friend made of water. One far enough away from the city to not be disturbed by the noise. It may be a good source of stories if you can catch it when it is awake. We have saved most of the fireworks and a captain Elrekah is guarding them."
Amenopheus pauses, mulling on the new information provided. "Hmmm. Yes. Then the best option is to definitely relocate the drake and I believe I have an idea, if your newfound friend is willing. Once I have it fleshed out, I'll contact you again for your help, given that your initial contact has been fortituous."
"In the meantime, I believe payment is in order." Amenopheus turns around and opens up a lockbox with several bags of coins. He hands them over to you. "A job well-done", he continues. "I'm relieved you recovered the fireworks intact, no less, given the circumstance. As promised, for your discreet and speedy work in this little incident, you will have a front row seat at the festivities in the Palms District as my guests." He smiles, "As well as this. My treat. He hands each of you a dwarven daisy. "I hope you enjoy the holiday."
Early the next morning, before the Evoking Day festivities begin, Amenopheus calls upon you and with your help, just before the streets and canals get busy with people, you are able to relocate the drake and his watery friend to a new lair in the western part of the Crimson Canal. You all enjoy one of the finest fireworks displays in all Golarion later that night.
The day after the festival, you visit Ahrkinos in his lair. The relocation did wonders for cantankerous old drake, who was finally able to sleep peacefully through the entirety of Evoking Day for the first time since his arrival to Sothis.
...thus was the incident with Ahrkinos the drake of the Old City docks of Sothis recorded in the Pathfinder Chronicles on 19 Neth 4719.