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”Young man, I have had quite enough of you!” Matrialda scolds from the rear of the group. ”You are letting your personal grudge against the mayor’s actions cloud your judgement. Now be quiet.” With a wave of her hand, the elderly woman releases a small silver ball that bursts into an explosion of glitter over the guards attacking the Pathfinders. ”Do be gentle with them, dears,” she adds as an afterthought. ”We don’t want to kill them for their foolishness.”
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A royally pissed Kitsoro backs away from the battle and starts shouting at the fools. Tongues of fire descend on the hapless soldiers when she finishes her tirade.
DC 17 Blistering Invective
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"Ow!" Kahwen yelps as the arrow hits him much harder than he would have expected, what with being a werewolf and all. It itches, too!
There's no good spot for him to get and advantage and the ground is too rough for him to charge. So, it's just the old fashioned way...
And, while he's always able to bite, he normally doesn't have such big teeth (or any at all.) It seems a waste not to use them.
A burst of glitter rains down on the guards, leaving two of them scratching at their eyes and moaning.
As Kit moves back, Red shouts at their companions, "Watch her, don't let her get away!" but to little effect. When the bard lashes into them with her words they all three cry out in pain as their faces blister and Green's cloak bursts into flame.
Red has no time to recover before they feel a momentary pain as teeth sink through the gambeson covering their arm, barely piercing the flesh below. A tug rocks the soldier briefly but does not unbalance them.
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Inghinn slowly draws her blade as she glares past the Inspector's hired helpers, "Your jealousy and bigotry have put you on the wrong side of righteousness and justice, Ichonvarde. As my companions told you, we bear the blessing of Ashava, and this form is the manifestation of that blessing. If you insist on violence, though, we will defend ourselves so that we may fulfill the quest we have been given."
With practiced power tempered by caution, Ighinn swings the flat of her blade toward blue.
Inghinn, still adjusting to her new form, finds her centre of gravity has shifted and it disrupts her aim just slightly. The tip of her sword slices through the blue cape in front of her and the guard seems barely aware of the attempt to clobber them.
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Faliana moves through the trees and up towards the people covered in glitter and dust. She pulls out her longspear as she goes, but gets in too close to use it with much proficiency, instead opting for a nice kick to the groin instead.
She then readies to use her longspear or feet to attack again if needed.
The guard with the blue cape is having a bad day, expelling a loud "Ooof!" as Faliana's lower limb connects. They lash out wildly in retaliation. It is then they learn that sometimes the fickleness of the fates can work in your favour. The guard feels the sword slide between pieces of armour and into Faliana's side. They shake their head and look at her with eyes clearing and surprise written on their face.
Their companion in the green cape hears the commotion and stumbles toward it but they are not so lucky and fail to connect with any of the Pathfinders in reach. Instead, they curse as their still burning cape imparts another blister.
Red sizes up Kawhen and looks to be gathering their courage, "He says you die, you die." Unfortunately for them, their bluster was not matched by their skill and the transformed tengu proved too formidable an opponent on this occasion.
Ichonvarde steps out to better see his target and can be heard to say something about shapechangers as he draws his bow and takes aim once more. Despite his determination, his arrow strays from its intended target.
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”Tell me, Ichonvarde, why are you so obsessed with shape changers? Would you not have reasoned with us and perhaps helped us cleanse this corruption if Ashava had not granted us this boon?” Inghinn’s calm speech is punctuated by grunts as she swings her blade with increased speed thanks to Elado’s magic.
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Kit finds herself facing a rather awkwardly swinging man that is quite obviously blind. Taking advantage of the fact that she cannot see her, she slips back to safety along the trail (where Ichonvarde can see her) and whips out some finger puppets. They dance, they cavort, and she orates a skinwalker story from a far off land involving the trickster coyote and the foolish mortal that wanted his skin. the foolish mortal, of course, is configured to look as much like Ichonvarde (or Icky as he is called in the story) as possible.
Inghinn attempts to engage the inspector while simultaneously attempting to subdue the guard in front of her. Splitting her concentration exacts a toll as her second sword swing misses.
Kit's finger puppets make an appearance as she inspires the team while trying to break through to the inspector.
Kahwen ratchets up the demonstration of his fighting skills. His elven blade slices through his chosen opponent leaving nothing but a smouldering corpse on the ground. He then turns and bites at the red-caped guard, leaving a painful impression.
"Aargh!" The inspector cries out as his bow suddenly slips from his hands. He looks at Matrialda, "You must be demon spawn." he growls at her. "Kill them all now and quickly." he adds to the remaining guards.
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Faliana takes a glance down at her feet and double checks that green isn't completely dead, dead, as she prepares to lash out at blue again.
"Investigator, we don't need to continue this. If you surrender we won't hurt you or your friends anymore."
Double checking he won't call off the folly of an attack, she gives a small sigh and then lashes out with a one-two kick at blue.
Faliana lashes out at the nearest standing guard, however, her concern for the one fallen by her feet distracts her enough to throw off her aim.
Elado is not so distracted and an icy ray frosts the armour and chills the guard with the blue cape.
Red continues to apply their power through their longsword but while they come close to hitting Kahwen with the first swing, their second is wild and off-balance.
Blue seems to become suddenly aware of the fight behind them and whirls to also attack the rogue. They can be heard muttering, "You should have moved to flank them, you fool." Once again the furrily feathered Pathfinder manages to dodge the blows, though this guard keeps their composure better than the first.
The inspector looks with disgust at the dropped bow and declares, "You are judged and found wanting, you are marked for destruction!" He then begins to chant and gesture, appearing to cast a spell, before he moves quickly to flank Kahwen while pulling out a wooden stake.
Haste-Elado 5/7 rounds starting R2
Slide 6
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Kit gives the inspector a sour look and slaps together a stiff looking facsimilia of the inspector.
"Good gods, man! You're as pickled as a corpse."
Is that funny? Only a saving throw will tell. Kit casts a DC 17 Hideous Laughter on the inspector.
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"Hey! That's not fair, GramGram! How come they get to kill us but we don't get to kill them?" Kahwen whines.
"Can I at least kill him?" he asks, jutting his beak snout toward the inspector.
"That's vampires, by the way, not werewolves," he says to the man in an aside.
Nonetheless, he steps away from the man. That might just be so that he can get to the blue guy better. He swings his sword blade first, stopping at the last moment and twisting it so that the tip of the flexible weapon flicks at him like a whip.
And since he's all hopped up on haste he does it again.
And the second one is much more accurate.
And, still enjoying the feel of teeth, even though he's going to be gumming the guy, he makes with the biting.
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"Hey! That's not fair, GramGram! How come they get to kill us but we don't get to kill them?" Kahwen whines.
"Because your mother raised you properly," Matrialda answers. "Based on his behavior, I shall make no such assumptions about his own upbringing." The judgement in the elderly woman's voice matches the inspector's as she channels arcane power to strip him of his magic. "Now stop this at once Ichonvarde. You are being willfully stubborn and your refusal to listen to reason is getting your fellow lawkeepers injured."
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Faliana dances forwards to the inspector and takes up a position just in front of him, her jaws glimmering slightly in the gloom of the night and the light of the moon. "You really ought to learn your mystical beasts before you go condemning them. Did you know that werewolves are considered a blessing in some ulfen lands? And if we were truly cursed with lycanthropy, we wouldn't even be trying to reason with you. It's sad that you aren't willing to settle this like an adult and resorted to violence like a monster. Certainly bears the sting of irony, does it not?" She then lashes out with a kick in a very human fashion, trying to highlight physically the restraint she still has.
She then keeps her longspear at the ready in case she needs to try stabbing him if he runs.
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"Enough of this," Inghinn shouts as she marches across the rocky, marshy terrain and brings her blade up in a low arc toward Ichonvarde's side. She keeps the blade flat, though, still hoping to spare the man's life, even if his character seems to lack redeemable worth.
The inspector looks at Kitoro with disdain just before Kahwen manages to incapacitate the remaining guards which elicits a roar of frustration.
He turns his glare on Matrialda as he feels his last spell fizzle out.
A surprised "Ooof" is exhaled as Faliana delivers emphasis to her lecture and his confidence fades further as Inghinn makes his skull ring.
Inspector Theodorus Ichonvarde finally accepts that the Pathfinders are clearly not who he thought they were. He drops his stake and surrenders and while initially still somewhat hostile, he slowly calms and reluctantly provides terse but marginally civil responses.
During their interrogation, it comes out that the inspector had believed the Pathfinders may have been responsible and suspected they were working for a vampire. Instead, he was horrified to discover them transform into werewolves. He provides no other, particularly useful information. With the guards sufficiently healed, the four of them declare they are willing to return to Magnimar and leave the Pathfinders to do their work.
Avoiding the giant spider web, the team of Pathfinders once more find the trail and continue their journey.
Crumbling tombs and moss-covered gravestones stretch out along the northern and southern sides of the path. To the east, the way narrows and splits, plunging into thicker brambles and dense undergrowth. At the centre of the fork in the road, a group of small, glowing creatures carry the bloodied and inert body of a regal woman in silvery armour, whisking her away into the gloaming woods.
A dishevelled woman in dented armour and a feathered cloak hobbles after the group, crying out to them. Her golden hair is a tangle of knots and twigs, and blood seeps from numerous cuts across her dirt-covered skin. “Cybelle! No! Bring her back!”
She reaches out a trembling hand, and feathers start appearing on her arm. A sharp cry of pain escapes her as she shudders. Her arm goes limp at her side, and the feathers vanish. Overwhelmed by exhaustion, the woman collapses to her knees and sobs.
Upon spying the Pathfinders the fey turns to them and pleads for aid.
“Please, help! Those little fiends stole my daughter, Cybelle. They’re in league with that terrible will-o’-wisp. Please save her!”
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Kahwen bows to Ichonvarde as he surrenders then to the men that he injured in the fighting, after helping the latter up and commending them on their skills.
He watches with some satisfaction as the Inspector and his guards leave. "I'm glad we didn't kill them," he comments as they disappear along the trail.
Before continuing, he asks someone to use his healing wand.
A cry for help and a damsel being carted off is all Kahwen needs to hear. The fact that the person crying for help may have feathers is just bonus motivation.
"Fear not! We'll save her!"
He chases the little fiends at his fastest.
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Inghinn listens imperiously to Ichonvarde's confession and "apology." She accepts his surrender, of course, and permits him to return to Magnimar with his life.
Once he and the guards are out of sight heading back toward the city, she finally sheathes her blade, though not without muttering a desire for the ability to use her blade as it is meant to be wielded, but without taking another's life if it can be spared.
Later, as the PAthfinders come across the distressed fey and her captured daughter, Inghinn joins in Kahwen's enthusiastic acceptance of the call. She draws her weapon as she follows on Kahwen's tail.
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After tormenting the hapless inspector, Kit is quite content. Her cynicism flares and she is not quite so content when the gullible Kahwen dashes off after the apparitions.
Did he not listen to anything he was told about the deceitful will-o-wisps?
"Wait! Kahwen! ... Should we go after him or watch and see what happens first?"
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”And good riddance,” Matrialda says as the four lawkeepers head back to town. ”Honestly, young people are so stubborn sometimes.”
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”Well we can’t really leave him out there on his own,” Matrialda answers Kitoro’s possibly rhetorical question. ”He might get himself injured - or worse. Besides, we can’t tell a mother we won’t help her keep her child safe.” Maternal inclinations in full swing, the grandmother follows after the other Pathfinders.
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As soon as the investigator breaks and the group has seen to making sure that the man is tied up and not going to try anything stupid, Fali's face goes slack and Sasha comes bubbling to the surface. "OH, that is a NASTY cut there! Come on everyone, get in close, you too, Kit! There we go! May Ahsava's blessed moonlight wash over us and heal our wounds!" Sasha holds up his holy symbol of Ashava and beams of white energy not unlike moonbeams on a partially cloudy night shines forth striking everyone in range but the investigator himself.
"There we go! Now that everyone is looking better, let's get on with this trip into the swamp! That will-o-wisp needs better guidance! Also, I would never follow a vampire Mr. Investigator, but I would try to help them get better, or to find Ashava's holy guidance. Or to die if they watned it, or to help others, but not for their own goals. And Vampires don't really have anything to do with werewolves, I think..."
Sasha helps to drag or carry the investigator as needed and natters the poor man's ear off the whole time, finally having someone Fali doesn't limit his questions on.
When the group agrees to go chase the will-o-wisps Fali gives a look at her armor and then over at Kit in wolf form. She decides going full wolf would probably help the group as otherwise she'd move at a pretty glacierlike stately pace.
In response to the fey’s plea, the Pathfinders set out after the abductors, some changing into wolf form as they go.
The chase is afoot and the Pathfinders pursue the others with intent and enthusiasm. Suddenly they find themselves entering a thick growth of thorny brambles which obstructs the way.
The team works well together to make their way through the brambles without slowing.
On the other side of the thicket, large patches of quicksand dot the marshland, making passage through the swamp treacherous.
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On the other side of the briar patch, Faliwolf stops to take a moment and pant happily at a patch well avoided. She then takes a moment to lick any wounds or scratches that the others might have gotten on from the offending thorns.
She then lopes off done the slope after Kit, playfully growling and trying to nip at the other full-wolf to get her to play. Seeing her almost jack rabbit across the quicksand. Faliwolf stops for a moment, as her darkbrown fur lightens some and takes on an almost vibrant orange, as her energy ramps up another level. Sasha wolf then tries to copy both Kit and Kahwen, bounding onto what looks like somewhat stable rocks or leaves or branches in the slow moving sand.
He fails to do it as well as the other two, whimpering some as his foot gets caught once, but soon he's on the other side and springing up to lick at Kahwen's face as if to say, "Did you see? Did you see? Didn't I do well? I did well, didn't I? Praise me! Praise me!"