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Unphased by the woman's pout, Uthe is happy to help the man to his feet and lead him out of the chamber.
"Your mutterings carry farther than you probably imagine," she says as they walk out. "Just so you understand, make no mounting overtures towards the beautiful woman with the pistols, Say'ri. We would take that as a challenge and would be forced to take action."
Once they have left the place, Jamie gives the man they rescued a stern look. "You're welcome for the rescue. You can repay us by helping us stop the undead that are menacing the city. I am Jamie Vernisant, and we are Jamie and the Falcons. We've wasted enough time already. Let's head to the next site."
"Your mutterings carry farther than you probably imagine," she says as they walk out. "Just so you understand, make no mounting overtures towards the beautiful woman with the pistols, Say'ri. We would take that as a challenge and would be forced to take action."
The man, barely out of the room with his belongings (and life, for that matter) intact, stares at Uthe for a good five seconds, non-plussed and unsure what to say to something like that.
Then he blushes. 'Pistols'...? Is that a local Osiriani term for female genitalia? You all seem, ah, 'quite open' about these things around here..." The man replies, deliberately not looking at Dhakira, then turns to Jazadi, still reddish in the face. "But very well, if you insist? *Ahem!* I, Adol, former knight of Iomedae, hereby solemnly swear not to mount you or touch 'your pistols', fair lady. Oh, and my sincere thank for speaking up on my behalf, just now. I don't really fear death, but I'd much prefer to go out in a fight over whatever torture those things had in store for me. "
"You're welcome for the rescue. You can repay us by helping us stop the undead that are menacing the city. I am Jamie Vernisant, and we are Jamie and the Falcons. We've wasted enough time already. Let's head to the next site."
"And thanks to you as well, Lady Jamie. Of course I'll be happy to assist," he instantly responds, apparently much more comfortable with getting down to business. "So I take it you're finished exploring this place? Or... for that matter, why did you come here?"
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"Give him a minute to get his armor on at least Jamie." Say'ri says, putting a hand on the halfling's shoulder. If she heard Uthe's comments she makes no mention of it, simply sending the new fellow a nod.
"Say'ri al'Bashere, and you are?" She asks politely. "Sebti the Crocodile told us we might find allies here, did she send you?"
"Sebti the Crocodile told us we might find allies here, did she send you?"
"Oh. Well, that explains such. I'm... afraid it's just me, then. The rest of my group were killed by the half-lions. At least... I think so; I stayed behind to cover the retreat and being unconscious does tend to dim the senses."
The armored man sighs and shrugs, his copperish-red mane moving with the motion. "And after I specifically told them picking a name like 'The Just Desserts' would invoke divine retribution, too..."
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'Pistols'...? Is that a local Osiriani term for female genitalia? You all seem, ah, 'quite open' about these things around here..." The man replies, deliberately not looking at Dhakira, then turns to Jazadi, still reddish in the face. "But very well, if you insist? *Ahem!* I, Adol, former knight of Iomedae, hereby solemnly swear not to mount you or touch 'your pistols', fair lady. Oh, and my sincere thank for speaking up on my behalf, just now. I don't really fear death, but I'd much prefer to go out in a fight over whatever torture those things had in store for me. "
"No, her pistols are her pistols. They're about this big ..." she demonstrates with her hands. "And they shoot ..." She tips her head as she considers something. "They are quite phallic now that we think about it. Though they are much louder than most penes that we've had experience with." She shakes her head setting off a jingling of bells. "However, returning to the original subject ... If we had meant her genitals that's what we would have said. Your oath will be sufficient, assuming it applies to those as well, thank you."
With a swish of her tail and a slight sway of satisfaction, the Amurrun moves away from the red-haired man and closer to the woman of discussion. Her eyes never leave the newcomer, though.
Heading to the next marked location of a possible elegiac compass isn't all that easy and on your way you are beset upon by a host of various undead roaming the necropolis. Fortunately, you manage to persevere and make it to your mark; a decaying building with an old sign carved into the stonework; The Shiny Bauble. Searching the shop reveals nothing of use apart from a decaying ladder leading to the rooftop. The rooftop itself it empty apart from a device anchored to the floor.
Dhakira listens with amusement to the exchanges between her friends and the newcomer, but gets serious again as they search for the next compass.
Before they leave she asks Pharasma for more healing, then gives a couple of shots of the CLW wand to Say'ri to top her up.
She looks around the site of the compass while others try to determine if it's in working order.
She doesn't see anything out of the ordinary.
Jazadi pointedly ignores any and all suggestions of lewdness or salaciousness as she investigates the elegiac compass.
"...looks like the core of this device is missing." She sighs.
"And..." She looks around the rooftop before finding something else. "...there's tracks." She points in the direction of the large sinkhole at the back of the building.
"Made by some sort of draconic creature, no doubt."
Uthe also seems distracted by the newcomer. She stays close to Say'ri's side and periodically her tail wraps possessively around the woman's waist.
"So we should go after whatever this draconic creature was, yes?" she questions once Jazadi brings them up to speed on what they missed.
"I would presume so--there's no way this compass is operable without its core component, and best I can figure, this draconic being made off with it."
"No, her pistols are her pistols. They're about this big ..." she demonstrates with her hands. "And they shoot ..." She tips her head as she considers something. "They are quite phallic now that we think about it. Though they are much louder than most penes that we've had experience with."
"I... have many questions," Adol states, his blush increasing. "But... perhaps we can get to the implications of all that after we deal with the undead?"
The newcomer walks at the front, alert for immediate threats but obviously not as skilled of a tracker as Jazadi.
"Is something wrong?" he asks Say'ri at some point. "I notice you keep glancing at me. Well, you and your lover, despite the Oath."
"In that case, there's only one thing to do," Adol says, drawing his sword after leaving all the technical stuff to those more proficient in it. "I'll go in front. Just let me know if anyone sees the trail suddenly end."
"Is something wrong?" he asks Say'ri at some point. "I notice you keep glancing at me. Well, you and your lover, despite the Oath."
Uthe narrows her eyes and her ears tip downwards just a bit. "We are watching you because we have previous experience with humans and their oaths. Some humans value their oaths very highly. However, forgive us, but other humans value them less than a used chamber pot. We have not yet determined which category into which you belong. Until then, we will keep our eyes upon you."
The sinkhole leads into a large fissure, which can be easily descended with the help of a coil of rope. In the dim light below you all see a remarkably shiny sight... and then it moves!
A large, scaled head, roughly the size of Jamie, looms out of the darkness - sending the little light there is refracting around the fissure in a wonderful display of colour.
"What are you doing here?" It demands loudly. "If you have come for my horde you will not find it defenceless, for I am Shardizard. Hear me roar!" And roar she does!
Jazadi blinks in surprise. "Er... no, Ms. Shardizard, we haven't."
"We're just looking for the core component of the elegiac compass up here. We have a bit of an undead problem, and we kind of need it if we're going to get it under control."
Jamie frowns at the dragon. ”Indeed, we’ve bigger fish to fry. Kindly tell us anything you might know, and we will be on our way.”
"We are watching you because we have previous experience with humans and their oaths. Some humans value their oaths very highly. However, forgive us, but other humans value them less than a used chamber pot. We have not yet determined which category into which you belong. Until then, we will keep our eyes upon you."
"And simply put I dont trust you yet."
The man simply nods. "I understand, given you also know nothing about me or why I'm here, and being the only survivor of another group probably doesn't do me any favors. However, my word is my bond - at least that much honor is left to me. I'll gladly tell you whatever you want to know when we're somewhere less exposed, as much as can be said with everything going on around us."
Adol regards the dragon somewhat coolly, seemingly not very impressed. "From what I know, most dragons are evil by nature and not acting risks innocents in the future. But I'm in your debt, and it feels unlikely this one is related to the greater danger facing the city. Perhaps we should save our strength," he mutters softly, leaving the decision to the core team.
"From what I know, most dragons are evil by nature and not acting risks innocents in the future. But I'm in your debt, and it feels unlikely this one is related to the greater danger facing the city. Perhaps we should save our strength," he mutters softly, leaving the decision to the core team.
"Then you know very little of dragons," Uthe states. "There are just as many good dragons as evil dragons. And while they're not as commonplace, neutral dragons exist as well." At an arm tug from her companion, the amurrun frowns. "What? We were just correcting his flawed knowledge."
The young dragon preens as she is labelled as mighty, and she shuffles around in her nest of shimmering silken sheets, coins and other very shiny looking objects.
"Well perhaps I have what you're looking for, would you be willing to make a donation to my growing horde in return? Really, you should see all the manner of things I have been able to collect - its going to be much better than my Mothers when I am done!"
Dhakira looks up at the stranger once he is standing "Well the fact that Mother Sebti trusts you goes a long way to earn mine, but I will still keep an eye on you as I swore to watch over the welfare of this group of ladies. She stops a few seconds, her heart heavy with the memory of the time not long ago when their group wasn't composed of only ladies, then starts again " Know that if you prove false, I have the power send some otherworldly allies against you, but if you prove loyal, and useful, you'll have my protection, and that of the Lady of the Grave.
Dhakira stays on her guard, ready to cast but says "Well, Lady dragon, let me discuss with my allies to see if we can make you an offer" She turns to her friends and new ally and murmurs " Do you have any idea what could please her? The gutstone maybe? If we can make her happy, it'll be better and safer than a fight."
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"We need something visually impressive." Say'ri replies. "Look at her horde - the gutstone won't do it."
She sets her pack down and start rummaging, looking for the sparkliest things they've collected so far.
"Apart from the sword our best bet is probably some of the jewelry." She concludes. "Jazz, Jamie, one of you able to negotiate?"
Uthe rolls her eyes and then reaches up to pulls the earrings from her ear. "She would like something sparkly like these, yes?. Say'ri, you still have the rest of these, don't you?" she asks, holding out the two she'd attached to her ear.
The dragon approaches, stretching her wings and angling her head to get a closer look at the variety of earings that is offered to her.
She pauses then nods enthusiastically at the sight of the shiny gold and then retreats before pulling up a clear quartz stone wrapped in copper wiring. "This! We can trade this for all of them?" She states eagerly before glancing at Uthe's vast array of jangling adornments on her ears "Would you...could you put them on me like that?" She asks. "I would very much like to have my own golden rings."
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With a grin, Say'ri steps up to the dragon and begins to attach the earrings - although it is something of a challenge getting them through the dragons tough scales.
"This might sting a little." She warns, not wanting to hurt a dragon unexpectedly. Once the job is done and Shardizard is suitably glammed up Say'ri steps back and applauds enthusiastically. "They look lovely Shardizard. I'm sure no other dragon has anything like it."
Flattery is always the way to go with dragons, and cats.
Flattery is always the way to go with dragons, and cats.
"Yes, quite lovely," Jamie remarks, though it's clear her heart isn't in it. "Come on, let's be about it. There's more work to be done."
Once Say'ri has finished buttering up the dragon, the halfling leads the way towards the next site of interest.
Dhakira smiles to the dragon "Yes you look very pretty, but you are also wise to deal with us in this way and not attack without looking for another solution. We thank you."
Then to the group "Any of you know how to make this compass work?"
"It is a magical compass," Uthe says, reaching out for the copper-wrapped stone. "It should not take much."
Once they return to the partially deconstructed device, Uthe turns the stone this way and that in an attempt to reattach the power source.
Dhakira looks up at the stranger once he is standing "Well the fact that Mother Sebti trusts you goes a long way to earn mine, but I will still keep an eye on you as I swore to watch over the welfare of this group of ladies. She stops a few seconds, her heart heavy with the memory of the time not long ago when their group wasn't composed of only ladies, then starts again " Know that if you prove false, I have the power send some otherworldly allies against you, but if you prove loyal, and useful, you'll have my protection, and that of the Lady of the Grave."
"I see. In that case, I'm sorry for your loss," the man says, solemnly. "I wasn't with my team members for that long, at least, this set..." For a moment, he gets a faraway look. "...But they were good folk - most of them. I'll try to make it so their sacrifices weren't for nothing. Words like 'they knew the risks' are empty and don't do the dead justice. I'd like to think the fallen would want us to keep our thoughts in the present and fight as best we can."
He touches the ring on his necklace and mutters a few words of prayer before excusing himself and joining the rest of the group near the front.
"I stand corrected, Uthe. I'd like to think this one is harmless as well. She seems a bit... ah... juvenile? Reminds me of my sister when she was around ten or so. Do you all always try to talk down potential threats?" Adol asks the catfolk, observing the scene of the dragon being ear-ringed with some surprise.
Uthe thinks that she has the main idea of the device, but knows its going to be quite a lot of intricate work to get the flows of magic running through the object and the core seemlessly again. Even then, two more will still be needed in order to triangulate any particular location.
Dhakira's demeaner softens as she looks on the new comer with compassion and says "I see that your no stranger to loss yourself. My sympathies are with you. I know Pharasma will judge your companions justly and send them where they deserve to rest for eternity, if that's what their deity has in store for them." Later she continues "We are ready to defend ourselves as necessary, but will avoid being the attackers and try to resolve encounters peacefully as much as possible. We try to avoid killing, but sometimes Fate deems that we need to send some enemies to meet my Lady. Of course, we put down any poor souls that has been raised in undeath, so they can rest and move on to the Boneyard."
She turns toward the sorceress "Do you think you can make this thing work Uthe? Or shall we continue?"
After two hours of listening to the amurrun's frustration with the device - mostly consisting of hissing and spitting - it's clear that Uthe is unable to reconstruct the device.
Just barely restraining herself from flinging the piece of quartz at a nearby wall, Uthe drops it into Dhakira's hands.
"Take this kusht'ak f'ist'th ... thing away from us before we do something drastic with it," she says to the dwarf. She stomps away, her tail wildly flipping back and forth causing the bells there to jangle dissonantly.
Jazadi looks over at the quartz piece. "Mind if I take a look at it?"
If allowed, Jazadi will try to fit it into the compass...
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Say'ri moves swiftly to get between Uthe and Jazadi, just in case the catfolk's frustration (and possibly her claws) get a little too much of an airing. She strokes Uthe's fur at the back of her neck, in the way she knows the sorceress likes, hoping to calm her down while Jazadi does the work that Uthe couldn't.
"What did you think of the dragon?" She asks, grasping for a change of topic. "It was kind of you to give up your earrings for her."
As soon as Jazadi manages the final intricate flows of magic through the quartz, a faint white thick beam of light appears, spreading out across the necropolis from your location. Jazadi figures that the source of the undead uprising must have been somewhere upon this line, but without at least one more of these up and running, perhaps two, it will be difficult to pinpoint the location exactly.
Unfortunately, it is another looted tomb, with yet another broken compass.
Upon finding the compass, all that still exists is a stripped bronze and stone frame.
The tomb itself is empty apart from a simple wooden sarcophagus holding a mummified body. The walls of the tomb are painted with elaborate frescoes of stars and star charts.
One item left discarded upon the floor is a game of some sort, probably buried alongside many other treasures that have since been stolen.
"I'm not an expert in divine magic, but this body probably had a sanctifying protective spell cast on it, preventing it from being raised. If only all bodies had been so fortunate, we wouldn't be facing this undead plague now," Adol remarks, looking through the tomb. "Judging from the walls, perhaps this figure was an astronomer in their time?"
"I'll take your word for it." Jazadi shrugs.
She strokes Uthe's fur at the back of her neck, in the way she knows the sorceress likes, hoping to calm her down while Jazadi does the work that Uthe couldn't.
"What did you think of the dragon?" She asks, grasping for a change of topic. "It was kind of you to give up your earrings for her."
Uthe's tail twitches even faster, but seems to calm and slow when Say'ri finds that one spot that makes the amurrun melt. "Pretties are just that, Pretties," she says with a faint rumbling sound. With her eyes closed, she leans harder into Say'ri's hand. "There are ... umm, yes ... more important things in life. The young dragon will learn that. Or it won't."
"Yes, protective magic," Uthe says, agreeing with Adol. "In a place like this it should be required for internment."
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"Necromancy is an abomination against the gods." Say'ri points out. "Almost everyone would simply never consider doing such a thing, to anyone's ancestors - thus such protections are not needed."
Since the tomb is useless to them she doesn't bother with much exploration and simply examines the map again. "Let's move out. This won't help us." She says, squinting at the sun. "We don't want to be here anywhere near dark."
"Necromancy is an abomination against the gods." Say'ri points out. "Almost everyone would simply never consider doing such a thing, to anyone's ancestors - thus such protections are not needed."
"Unfortunately, 'almost no one' is enough to start a disaster if there are no measures in place to stop them. The problem with dead bodies is that there's a lot of them. Golarion is old and conflict is everywhere. Always has been," Adol says. "And if you turn your back, it might just be your friend doing it behind you."
He resumes his place near the front as the party starts heading back out.
Uthe looks at the man in surprise and then turns to Say'ri. "Was he just suggesting that we would perhaps be a secret necromancer?" she questions. "Should we consider that rude?" The sorceress seems genuinely curious rather than offended.
Coming up on the marked spot on Pteminib's crude map, you come across market stalls and small shops in various states of decay rising from the worn cobbles of this plaza. Rubble and bits of gnawed bone lie heaped in corners.
Fussing around a doorway, trying to find a way in are four humanoid creatures with long, sharp teeth and pallid fllesh stretched tightly over their starved frames but due to their lack of attention on their other surroundings, they have not yet noticed you.
Uthe looks at the man in surprise and then turns to Say'ri. "Was he just suggesting that we would perhaps be a secret necromancer?" she questions.
"No. It's just personal experience," Adol replies, before moving on."Your mutterings carry further than you think as well, you know."
"Hm... think I recognize those garbs from when I got here. Rising suns and all. Weren't they some adventuring company in the lottery?" The swordsman asks, frowning. "Turned into ghouls, though. If I recall correctly, they seek to feast on flesh of the living and can turn others into ghouls as well. Are we going to try and appeal to their former selves and ask them to leave?"
Meanwhile, he draws a wand in his empty hand and holds it ready.