Rollo calmly watches the regeneration of the real Arlo Brighthammer to finally complete. The Sage nods in accordance to this miracle.
Welcome back; Ser Arlo Brighthammer, The Defender of Žemėia. Your return is most fortuitous!
The dhampir smiles at his friend.
Arlo grasps the dhampir's hand in a strong, thankful grip. "Thanks, Rollo."
The dwarf paladin felt his face with a troubled expression. "I guess Barlo gone forever. Sorry."
Gift could only watch in worry, then, sadness, then when she has flung back in horror then shock then Joy.
Two thoughts hit her mind at the same moment.
My Dad is sooo cool
And
Mum is going to freak
Once that passed she helped him up and a big smile on her face, she kissed his cheek.
"I have no idea what's happened but You look awesome dad, you had me really worried there for a moment, and mum is going to freak! Now the whole family is Blond"
As she looks at him her eyes glow blue, something of power has awoken in her because of him, Being his daughter means something important to her deep down. Pride.
Terex freezes as Arlo's transformation begins. He only relaxes when the dwarf finally speaks again.
Well that was... dramatic, he 'says', undertones of fading worry in his mental voice. Any idea what brought it on?
Arlo happily receives the kiss from his android daughter, and returns it with a hug. "Your mother may not recognize me", the dwarf paladin grinned.
Well that was... dramatic, he 'says', undertones of fading worry in his mental voice. Any idea what brought it on?
Focusing on the smaller dragon, Arlo shrugs. "Over the last few days, when my thoughts would stray to Žemėia, I'd experience chest pains accompanied by deep rumblings. Then the rumblings came about when I wasn't thinking of my home world. I was hoping to take care if this issue after the mission, but..this happened!" Arlo added by holding his arms wide.
At the Great Gambling Hall, M. Brophes, and the rest of fey-touched say a quiet good bye. Renon mentions that he believes he has another match for you perhaps eight day hence, this time in Arena #3. They promise to stay in touch. The Silver Elves toast Rollo and Blue good bye as well. As you leave the vast building, you notice the luxurious bustle of the place. The wealthy of dozens of planes are visible, looks are focus, hopeful, calculating, hollow and haunted..
The sports complex is peaceful and quiet as you arrive. A few athletes are still practicing while the aroma of street food wafts across the green lawns and stone structures. Various other athlete groups are relaxing, drinking mild beer and softly singing songs of lost love and wandering.
Your dormitory rooms are more than adequate and you go to bed at your leisure.
The next day, at some point during the morning, party once again approaches the office of Hanlo Estes (Noted, simple wood door in cement and stone build, door at 2nd story level, wood stairs with a railing lead up to it. No windows).
Lucien is impressed (and a little disturbed) by (B)arlo's transformation, but he seems to be alright now, so that's good.
Lucien notices nothing unusual on approach to the office. Once they get there, Lucien rises straight up into the air and hovers just past the railing. Then he casts Invisibility and disappears.
"Stop!" Arlo holds up his hand to the group. "This place smells just like that Yog-Sothoth at the arena. Everyone! Be on high alert!" The dwarf paladin's hand rest on the handle of his holy longsword.
Terex doesn't pick up on the scent himself, but he believes Arlo readily. We already knew he was connected with the attack on the Madame. It wouldn't be a surprise if he had two or three more as his personal bodyguards. We have to assume that he'll be ready to attack--he'll likely interpret our defense earlier today as taking sides against him. But how do we want to approach him if he doesn't?
Outside the small office, the party stops to observe the situation. The side street is quiet and the party is skilled at appearing nonchalant.
You can a irregular trail of areas scraped clean, in a couple directions starting from the Estes office.
Without pointing, Arlo brings the scraped pavement to everyone's attention. "Lots of heavy items being brought or taken from this place."
The office of Hanlo Estes
Prior to arriving, Rollo will cast his usual Buffs on himself and the group.
Shall we knock, first?
The dhampir appears not to be joking.
Gift walks along keeping close to her dad. A small girl with a group of Hard-looking types.
As Rollo buff, she brings up her own personal powers.
Beyond those, she has running all the time.
Her eyes glow blue and are such a small frame the power seems palpable around her. Her feet lift off the ground afoot, and she jumps and runs up the building.
Might as well. I doubt we've arrived unnoticed.
GIFT climbs to the top of stairs and listens carefully, hearing nothing. Rollo mounts the stairs, cautiously knocking. Arlo then pushes open the door and you see scene similar to the last time you entered ... except Hanlo Estes' form is slumped on the table, dead and nothing is moving in the room. the closet door is open, the odor of the spawn is more present but still not strong (though strongest in the closet). An initial quick but thorough search of the room reveals nothing but Estes' books on Syranix law and trade rearrange and rifled through and that an area of Estes' desk has been removed, cut out (likely the location that a strong box would be kept). The floor was recently scored as if some heavy things were dragged across it... and as the party is searching the party searching the area, suddenly "sparkle" sends a image of certain location in the room, just next to the desk, to Terex, and as the party approaches the area, the orb reveals and open a small gate to small demi-planes. In the demiplane
Finally, searching Estes body ... it appears to have been rifled through, there is nothing in any pocket and one pocket is pulled out. It's immediately clear what killed Estes and the body is warm. Who or whatever killed him must have left recently and might be back if you wish to wait. Fascinated by the small demi-plane, Sparkle offers to create a larger demi-plane for the party to hide in if they wish.
Well, I suppose he found someone worse than himself to make an enemy of... Terex comments after a moment to take everything in. I don't know why <Shimmer> is so excited about this demiplane, but... I want to figure out its secrets, too. Rollo, maybe we could study it while we wait to see who did this?
The office of Hanlo Estes
Rollo searches the offices, using Detect Magic. At the mention of another demiplane entrance located in this office, the Sage nods in the affirmative to Terex.
Rollo cast Mirage Arcana; making the illusion of the office looking normal with Hanlo Estes sitting working at his desk.
Rollo seems a bit fascinated by the Gem.
Source Adventurer's Armory 2 pg. 3
Requirement(s) Katapesh
Your experience with magic items clues you in to their properties more quickly than others. You can identify the properties of a magic item using detect magic in 1 round.
Ok. Let's check this demiplane out.
Whoever killed him is going to immediately know someone else has been here with this illusion, Terex points out. Better to hide our tracks and leave things as we found them so we can ambush them unawares.
Once Rollo gets to work so does Gift, with Detect Psionics and Detect Teleportation, Then when they find the Gem Object Reading
The Party quickly analyzes the found items; Rollo discovers ... the Gem is not a magical item but a unique magical identifier - created to be impossible to duplicate and easy to verify.
Terex recalls mention of a "great gem" as one of the ways to enter the gate he and <sparkle> found - this requires also a password and the mysterious note might have an explanation there also.
Gift divines the way that Estes acquired the gem: It seems Estes knows a variety of bars, cafes, salons where stolen items can be purchased on the down-low. With considerable funds from certain patrons, he was able to negotiate a sale and then hid the thing in its present location. (more later with more concentration).
Then, after deciding to leave the office as is, the party follows <sparkles> urging and hides in the demi-plane that <sparkles> enlarges to a sufficient size to hold them (it was originally not much larger than the identifier gem) and waits.
Then after about six minutes, two very average looking workmen enter and close the door, leaving the room in darkness and in darkness, they're something like wraiths. At that point one speaks, "Urg, so nice to be out of the light." the other "I so long to consume those souls... Just frolicking in that sun. The first "Well, we can savor this one to our heart's content, The second. "Ha, imagine he thought he would use us to satisfy some plan of his...
Hah, I thought it might be Dark Traders as soon as we figured out what killed him, Terex 'says'. Ready to ambush them?
Hidden in the pocket dimension, the party considers the options...
Outside, the two wraiths (obviously more than ordinary wraiths) continue discussion.
The first figure:
"We know he had secured an entrance key to the higher level but somehow we have not yet found its location. I have tortured his soul suitably but it seems to have forgotten all knowledge of it's life."
The other: Most peculiar...
The office of Hanlo Estes
Rollo seems a bit disappointed in the leaving the offices as is plan. The Sage merely shrugs; retreating into the pocket dimension with the others.
When the Dark Trader representatives arrive at the offices, the dhampir smiles.
Well then; shall we follow them?
Rollo will ask Terex to ask Shimmer; if they could jump from pocket dimensions in order to follow them.
Gift takes the arge, multicolored gem, and slips it into her pocket dimension holder for sider, her MechBike.
She sits down and waits to see what the bad guys outside do.
"You know I can jump us if we need to go to another dimension."
She sends while hugging her coat about her.
Lucien checks the charge on his pistol. "If we want to take them here, I'm ready." he says to Rollo.
"It's past time I've re-introduced myself to our enemy. Long past time." Arlo adds to Blue's resolve.
Inspired by Rollo request, <Shimmer> shifts the location of the pocket dimension entrance from the wall by the late Hanlo Este's desk to the surface of some mundane papers that one of the spectral figures picks up and places in a folder.
The two figures look around a bit more, place Estes' body into a portable hole and exit the office, taking the party with them(!).
They walk down a couple of streets and then ... dimension door into a sewer tunnel. Winding through the tunnels and then into deserted under tunnels, the finally come to a large room containing a series of tables.
The first figure begins pulling Estes' body out of the bag of holding. You can notice that approximately half the tables have bodies that seem to have been subject to a variety of experiments - some might be moving.
<Shimmer> sends the feeling that it's eager for you to challenge these entities.
A pity, they're operating independently at present... though I wouldn't have wanted to jump out into a full Dark Traders base. Apparently you can send a shudder of terror telepathically. All right, Arlo, if you jump out on that side of this one, I'll appear behind him and surprise him with a jab to the knee...
Terex appears behind one of the undead creatures, stinger aimed at its knee joint since he knows vital organs aren't actually vital when you're undead.
The dwarf paladin draws his holy longsword and nods at the pseudodragon.
Rollo smiles at Shimmer mentally.
My most profound gratitude, my friend!
The Sage studies these apparitions carefully before deciding on a course of action.
Gift hefts her Blaster and nods to her father.
"I think force weapons still harm the incorporeal so let's blast em!"
Saying this as her personal force fields come up
Rollo nods to the group, as they prepare to confront these Dark Traders.
If we can question one that would be useful.
He casts Haste on the group.
Arlo emerges back into Syranix, and attacks the nearest wraith, targeting it for smite evil as a free action.
Round 1
Rollo will exit the Pocket Dimension 25' North of the Dark Traders.
The Sage then cast Acid Arrow at one of them.
As they wait, Lucien casts Greater Magic Weapon on his pistol.
Once he knows they are about to attack, he casts Reduce Person on himself.
As the portal opens, he enhances his metabolism and casts a spell,, opening fire as he does so.
(17 x 1.5 =25 from Empower, total 36)
(17 x 1.5 =25 from Empower, total 39)
Great gouts of flickering electricity leap from Lucien's arm-mounted weapon, striking in rapid succession.
She studyes them to understand how best to attack.
And she is gone, she comes into being by the far wall she points her blaster and fires, and the room is full of blue light.
There is a blast of blue then a shockwave hits the room, as her weapon unloads Psionic power into one of the specters.
The party's fierce onslaught destroys one of the two enhanced wraiths, the one closest to the door, who had cast dimension door and seems to severly damage the other one. The remaining one says "Invaders! how!... then takes a five foot step and concentrates a blast of dark energy at a desk-and-bookshelf area on the side of the room, destroying a significant part of it.
She ports to the area that is has been blasted.
And grabs any books and documents left behind,
Then ports away again
Terex draws his wand of magic missile, remembering it is more effective against incorporeal creatures, and blasts the remaining wraith.
Black energy erupts from one of the two books Gift grabs - 32 points negative energy damage (fortitude save 20 for 1/2).
Gift's hands blacken as some evil magic seems to attack her from a book, but it stops and the reverse. She drops that book but stands in front of it, protecting it, She is hurt but says nothing, they are still in a fight.