|
Midnight recognizes one of the symbols in the sky is the same one used in the Lung Wa calendar for the month of the Dog. He also recognizes several numbers that may correspond to dates. He writes them down as well as he could. Everyone else scribbles doodles that vaguely look the symbols in the sky.
As the flames die out, several green sparks fall to the ground and start to grow in size until they form kobold sized letters made of sparking green flame. The dancing flames begin to move towards the kobolds at incredible speed.
Midnight
Green Fire (light)
Skyxa
Krall
Demm
Kaidynn
Gynnezz
Green Fire (Dark)
Skithryx
|
|
Midnight
Green Fire (light)
Skyxa
Krall
Demm
Kaidynn
Gynnezz
Green Fire (Dark)
Skithryx
Midnight's voice rings out in the night, filling his allies with uncharacteristic courage.
One of the fiery creatures moves towards Gynezz, who is standing out in the open and alone. The creature moves with incredible speed and slams into into the druid.
Despite being caught flat-footed, Gynezz manages to roll out of the way and is unscathed by the creature's attack.
|
"No! Mister Manylegstalkfast!" Gynnez cries out as the slam misses her and crushes the centipede that she had been talking to on and off for the previous while. She suddenly realizes that A. She's completely by herself and B. All the other truebloods are on top of the noscale triangle building.
She runs away, both to get closer to a set of stairs up the structure and to get away from the flame!
|
|
Round 1
Midnight
Green Fire (light)
Skyxa
Krall -3
Demm
Kaidynn
Gynnezz
Skithryx
Skithrx's strikes true, injuring the fiery creature before getting consumed by the flames leaping out of its body. Gynnezz flees towards her allies while Krall runs down the steps and bites one of the creatures. Krall's bite rips the creature apart but predictably, burns the kobold warrior's in the process but at least does not catch their clothes on fire.
Demm emboldens the party with a divine blessing while Kaidynn attempts to harrass it with arrows. Unfortunately Kaidynn's first shot falls a little short but Kaidynn has another arrow in hand, hoping to get another shot at the creature before it gets too close.
Round 2
Midnight
Green Fire (light)
Skyxa
Krall -3
Demm
Kaidynn
Gynnezz
Skithryx
|
|
Midnight's voice continues to ring out in the night, inspiring her allies to maintain their courage in the face of these stranger fiery beasts.
Guessing that the creature is likely to be immune to her spells, Midnight grabs the sling and stones hanging from her belt and fires a shot at the creature.
The bullet strikes the creature, causing it to flicker momentarily.
Ignoring Midnight's missile, the fiery creature moves with blinding speed towards the kobold that slayed its companion, the scrappy Krall.
Krall side steps out of the way as it swings a fiery appendage his way.
Round 2
Midnight
Green Fire (light) -1
Skyxa
Krall -3
Demm
Kaidynn
Gynnezz
Skithryx
|
|
The bugtalker catches her breath briefly as she sees the flame that was near her get obliterated. Unfortunately, that leaves a no-scale mound between her and the other fire. With a bit of a grumble she starts running up the stairs, pulling out a stone and a sling as she does so.
"*huff* Hang on, I'll help in just a beat!" she pants as she gets to the top of the stairs.
|
|
The green flame dances its way towards Kaidynn and reaches out with a burning appendage that looks like the tail of a letter.
The attack is clumsy and Kaidynn easily steps out of the way.
Round 3
Midnight
Green Fire (light) -6
Skyxa
Krall -3
Demm
Kaidynn
Gynnezz
Skithryx
Round 4
Midnight
Green Fire (light) -6
Skyxa
Krall -3
Demm
Kaidynn
Gynnezz
Skithryx
|
|
The creature made of green fire fades out of existence, leaving a pile of warm, dimly glowing green ashes behind.
Those on top of the pyramid can see that there are fires appearing in the distance and the noise of men shouting and clamoring about can be heard over the silence of the night. It appears that the firework display have attracted the attention of the encamped soldiers who guard the ruins during the day.
|
|
The party decides to beat a hasty retreat before the area gets swarmed with soldiers who will most certainly have some questions for a group of armed kobold foreigners lurking around at night.
As the reach the road, the party spots Yue Xin sitting on a small folding stool next to a telescope. Gesturing upward, the eccentric scholar says, “So the letters of green fire invoke the sign of the Dog, eh? Dogs may be vicious gluttons or friendly allies, and the wise know to be cautious until a cur’s true nature is revealed. But tell me, what does the Dog have to do with the lost palace?”
|
|
Using the wand before giving it back to Yue Xin, Kaidynn can see that the notes the other kobolds made are just gibberish that kind of look like Tien words. A clever person like Mai Chun may have been able to figure them out by comparing all of them. Being trained in the art of languages and happening to have been paying particular attention during a lecture on Tien symbols, Kaidynn did actually write the words down accurately enough for a lay person to read. The firework symbols just reference the dog, but specifically the Dog that is part of the Imperial calendar that most of Tien uses. It doesn't make much sense now, but maybe within the context of the other clues Mai Chun is sending the team to find and the letters they've already recovered it will.
|
|
With the first clue in hand, the party is ready to head off Xiwu, the fortified capital city of Lingshen to obtain the next piece of the puzzle.
The School of Affinities stands on the southern side of Xiwu, overlooking the Golden River. The school is a compound of several freestanding buildings surrounded by a stone wall. A small fountain bubbles in the space between buildings. The sliding walls of most buildings are open, allowing light to reach rows of students kneeling at their desks. Teachers walk between the desks, occasionally pausing to check work before continuing with their calligraphy lessons.
standing nearby. There are also several guards in blue and black sashes that seem to be employed by the school itself.
As the kobolds enter the gates of the School, a young man in yellow robes approaches the group.
"You look you might be visitors. My name is Jianghong and I am the one who has been chosen to give guests a tour of our fine school."
|
"School? No! Joining Pathfinder Society they keep wanting Krall to go to Grand Lodge to learn...I learn by doing." the blue kobold says having a bit of a fit as they arrive at a school.
He looks at the young man pensively reaching not for a handshake but to check what the man is holding if anything.
"No tests? Or reading? Just a tour? Okay, that is fine. Is there a food house?" he asks looking up at him.
|
Skyxa smiles at Jianghong; his statement might be the biggest understatement she'd heard yet.
"Yes, visitors. If you were getting kobold students..." she looks around, noticing that everyone else is largely going about their business, "...there would be more people with you to say hello."
And to stare.
Except she keeps that last part to herself.
"We'd like a tour, please. Kobold-learning is a lot less...formal. Structured?"
|
|
As Jianghong starts to lead the kobolds into the complex, a man about thirty years old in a mail shirt and cone shaped helmet comes running from behind a building, the scabbard of his sword slapping against his thigh. The young man tenses up as the warrior shouts and shuffles towards him.
"Jianghong, you know you're not supposed to be running off like that. It might be all fun and games to you, but if anything happened to you, your father would have my head."
Jianghong smiles and says, "This is my bodyguard, Zheng."
Jianghong is friendly and talkative while showing the Pathfinders around the compound, while his bodyguard Zheng is dour and tight lipped. "There is a guest house here. They sometimes let merchants and prospective students stay there. I'm not sure f guys would qualify, but you look like you have the money to stay in one of the inns in town. You'd be better staying at any them instead of this dump."
"You'll have to buy your own food in the market, though. I think the guest house has a kitchen where your servant can cook for you. Otherwise there's teahouses and soup shops in the market. You just need to be back here by nightfall. That's when they shut the gates and most people go home."
Jianghong points out the hedges, saying "They let those bushes grow really tall. When I've needed to hide from the teachers that's where I usually go." Zheng grunts in disapproval.
"That's a classroom. And that's a classroom. And another classroom. Pretty boring."
"That's just a gardening shed over there. I think the gardener lives there."
"That's the main office. Nothing exciting there."
Jiang points out the fountain in the middle of the grounds. "A couple of weeks ago, somebody threw a bunch of firecrackers into the well. You should have seen the geyser. It was pretty awesome to behold." Zheng coughs loudly into his mailed fist.
|
|
Gynnezz is distracted by the almost insectile organization of the 'school' and kind of wanders around after the rest of the group, until something strikes her as rather odd.
"Why hate school? School no matter what is for important learning, whether nature, truebloods saying stories, or writing. And firecrackers down well bad... makes water foul and then needs clean!" Gynnezz offers with a bit of an upset tone. Not to mention any poor bugfriends that might have been blown up!
"Hatchlinguard Zheng, you do your snarl proud protecting foolish young!" the bugtalker ends, trying to draw something positive and attempting to be polite.