With much of the party faltering around him, but the help of Mylvwara's magic, Ichio lays into the mummy scoring two impressive hits, though his blades do not bite quite as deep as he might expect.
It's not enough to put the creature down, though and it takes a step back.
A few moments of concentration and there are suddenly...
...seven mummies facing you.
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Shardra barges forward, shouldering her way through the paralysed members of the party in her magically-boosted haste to protect them with a burst of channelled divine energy. As she reaches the edge of the undead creature's aura she recoils as if hitting a physical barrier but surges through, unaffected.
She launches herself into melee range with the mummy, hoping to offer the Tengu an opportunity to flank attack. As she does so, she unleashes a spiritual blast at close range:
Mylvwara shouts a warning about what the mummy is doing before tossing a tiny bead of fire that explodes once it gets beyond the mummy.
The fire crisps and crackles both flesh and linen.
Shardra then follows the firelight with holy light.
She is able to shrug off much of that damage.
One of Ichio's attacks gets through and does an impressive amount of damage to...nothing as one of the images pops out of existence.
The lion is also able to score a hit, but actually does hit and there is a strange visual moment as it has it's mouth on 6 mummies at once.
The mummy is able to swing at it as it moves into position.
Kal'Ryon is paralyzed by the overwhelming aura of despair that just seeing the mummy causes.
The mummy does not bother trying to get away from the lion. But begins casting a spell even while in the animal's jaws.
But the beast's grip is too much for her to get the spell to work.
Before she has a chance to cast any more spells or the rest of the group are able to get involved, Ichio jams a blade into one of the images. There is a moment when they all grow still then 5 of them collapse, leaving only the one impaled on the tengu's sword.
She snarls hatefully at him, then the magics that have kept her alive all these centuries unravel and she collapses in a pile of dust, bone and linen.
Well...umm...good job guys. Glad I could help out.... the warrior says a bit sheepishly when the paralysis wears off. Please don't tell me there are more mummies...this was embarrassing enough. Are the eggs safe? I hope this wasn't for nothing...
The entire room that includes the mosaic burns with magic but Mylvwara is able to pass into the tomb or back into the waterfall chamber and examine the goods the rest of the group finds.
On the lead Aspis agent they find a potion of cure light wounds, a potion of cure moderate wounds, a +1 mithral breastplate, a +1 guisarme, an amulet of natural armor +1, a ring of protection +1, and 400 gp. You also find a half-composed letter she was writing, apparently in response to the discarded letter found previously. Addressed to Aglorn Desimire, it promises riches beyond imagining to pay off the Consortium’s debt for the portal and offers wry well-wishes for setting up “a lasting base of operations in the middle of a glacier.”
On the mummy they find bracers of armor +2, a cloak of resistance +2, a ring of protection +1, and 2,750 gp. Within the burial chamber, they also find a platinum coffer with 4 scrolls of remove curse and 2,000gp as well as the rotten, tattered remains of other treasures that decayed over the years since she was buried.
By the time they have gathered up and examined everything, the Muckmouth tribe has come into the waterfall chamber.
They linger near the entrance between that chamber and the mosaic chamber. They look with resigned hope between you and their eggs but refuse to cross the threshold.
There are more than 2 dozen eggs piled in one corner of the chamber. None of them look damaged.
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Conscientiously Shardra sets about Valeros and Kal with her wand of CLW, prodding and poking at them until satisfied that their wounds have been adequately treated. Once this is done, and she is certain none of the party (bar maybe the lion?) is suffering from Mummy Rot, she turns to her favorite activity - examining the grave goods left by the mummy. Even when the lizardfold return, she barely pays them any attention, preferring instead to run her hands over the recovered items, feeling their pasts run through her fingers.
Her attention too is caught by the mosaic.
Why don't they come through the entrance? Is it warded? Are they bound? Mylwara, can you ask them? This is odd...
"We cannot enter the chamber. That is why they took the eggs there. Just take are in bringing them to us. We will place them properly here,"Esviss says.
After the eggs are returned (I assume) the lizardfolk invite you to a feast. They cook and act as slowly and deliberately in this as in all things and the group is left with hours to kill. Essviss is happy to talk with any of them as will any of the others with any who speak draconic.
Finally, the meal is ready. It is meat heavy - fish, crustaceans, insects with a few rodents thrown in - but also with some berries and swamp loving leaves and roots thrown in. It is also, often, surprising spicy.
As the lizardfolk eat, they also talk. Each one called on carefully chewing and swallowing their food before answering and each one speaking fully before any of the others talk.
The head lizardfolk, Oosthic leads the conversation, first calling on the sentries the party first encountered.
"But they did not kill us and they could have," the other points out."
The tribe takes several minutes to contemplate what has been said before Oosthic calls out Esviss' name. He nods at the pathfinders before answering.
His eagerness is quickly quelled by Oosthic's simple answer. "That is not for you to decide hatchling."
There is quiet again for minutes then Oosthic speaks up.
"But I would hear from them. What is it you want of the Muckmouth tribe?"
This food is great. I haven't had fish like this in a long time. Just the right amount of spice, too. Love a little kick as it goes down. Here...I have some wine from Qadira. Might as well celebrate in style, right? Mylvwara, please translate if you could... Valeros says as he munches down on the spread.
We did try our best to subdue the guards...we knew they were doing this unwillingly.
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Diazepane quietly translates for people who don't speak Draconic.
"We are travelers from the Material Plane, coming to explore the beauty of this place which is your home. Our goal is to understand and appreciate the wonder of this place, and we have no intentions of harm to its citizens or plundering its treasures.
However, as you know, other smooth-skins have made their way here. Their intentions are unknown, although, from their actions, I suspect they differ from ours.
We seek to know how they arrived here, and suspect there must be a portal in or around your territory. With your permission and perhaps aid, we would like to find and sever their means of entry into this beautiful kingdom."
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"Dear friends, as my colleagues say, we are agents of the Pathfinder Society and our mission is the search for knowledge and preserve the relics of the past so that they are preserved and can be studied and observed in the future. The Aspis consortium only seeks business over altruism, we aspire that our companies can reach a cooperation agreement between the two that will benefit both."
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Mylvwara translates for her friends. Afterwards, she gives her own thoughts.
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Speaking with a fluency and cadence which surprises not only the rest of the party, but perhaps the lizardfolk as well, the normally taciturn dwarf advances their case.
"What do we want of the Muckmouth tribe? Many things. We would see you prosper. We would see you thrive. We would see you free of servitude. We would want you to avoid any repeat of the violence done to you by the others."
She pauses.
"We oppose them. But this is not your fight. We desire knowledge of where and when to confront them. Can you tell us?"
She looks directly at Oosthic. "And we would like to share your company, and feast with you again, on other days. But this is for you to decide."
"What do you say?"
The Muckmouth tribe listen carefully to the words of the Pathfinders, focusing most closely on Shardra's speech.
Once she is finished Oosthic gives a nod then looks at her fellow tribesmembers. It is difficult to tell what passes between them, as they make no noises and hardly move but it seems that they have all made a decision.
"Very good. You smooth scales are clearly not as the other smooth scales. The Muckmouth tribe shall be the friends and allies of the Pathfinder Society forevermore," Oosthic finally says.
They welcome you to stay as long as you like and go about the process of returning everything to the way it was before the Aspis invaded their territory.
Excellent! Now...let's get rid of this wine...I can get more back in Absolom...Valeros ssys as he hoists his wineskin