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He was one of the greatest instructors I've ever seen …
“The Master of Swords was always critical of my melee technique. He always assigned the biggest and strongest recruits to spar with me.”
Abdara’s mouth is an ugly slash as she recalls those days. “I thought the time I spent on my glut maxes was his way of:
In a squeaky falsetto: KNOCKING SUMM’AT THE TALDOR OUT O’ ME.”
“Until I realized he was merely passing on a useful lesson.”
“SOD THE SIZE O’ T’OTHER BLOKE! THE MOST IMPORTANT MUSCLE IS T’ONE ‘TWEEN YER EARS.”
Though none of you are experienced with woodscraft in particular, Abdara's experience with deer-stalking is enough to get you started on your way again and both Gnoda and Pelagos are able to offer their own insights periodically to make sure that the group stays on track. And so the rest of the day goes, with Abdara leading the way and Gnoda or Pelagos occasionally triangulating the best trajectory around some of the larger rocks and fallen trees the party comes across. Just as night begins to fall, the forest opens up to a wide clearing at the base of a sheer cliff. Thick vines cover the surface of the cliff stretching 30 feet overheard. Janira's eyes light up at the sight.
"Here! This is where I saw the gillmen enter the caves," she exclaims, bouncing on the balls of her feet with excitement. "The entrance should be just behind these vines." As she speaks, she approaches the cliff and pulls back the thick layer of vines, revealing a narrow fissure in the cliff's surface. "And we made it right on schedule, too! Good work everyone! Now you can-"
Suddenly, the surrounding forest comes alive with the sound of birds and other animals but these aren't the typical forest sounds of night. There's an urgency to them that seems to say, "Danger!" And then, growing louder by the second, there comes another sound - the sound of something heavy crashing through the trees and the undergrowth, headed directly towards the clearing.
"Quick, inside before whatever it is spots us!" Janira hisses but the warning comes too late. From out of the forest steps an enormous horned monstrosity, easily standing eight feet tall on its clover hooves. Spotting the party, the creature brandishes it's enormous axe and roars with anger. "Oh no...it's a minotaur!" the halfling cries. "There's little chance we can stand against it! Hurry, take my bag," she shrugs off her pack and lets it fall to the ground, "and get inside! Finish your mission and don't worry about me! I'll lead it away and lose it in the forest and then come find you! Now GO!"
With that, the brave halfling casts a spell and darts towards the minotaur. she yells, words that most or perhaps all of you don't understand but are apparently crystal clear to the minotaur. The beast gives a mighty roar of anger and charges towards Janira, who swiftly turns away and dashes back towards the forest...
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Abdara is tired by the time the group reaches the gillfolk caves. Being on point for much of the time, with a sizeable knowledge gap for company has proven draining.
Gnoda and Pelgos’s discreet(-ish) advice, Janira’s absence of criticism and her own acting skills have helped her place one boot after the other with her head remaining high.
“Get inside! Finish your mission and don't worry about me!”
Gnoda’s decisive action and her own fatigue makes the decision to leave Janira surprisingly easy – to the noblewoman’s shame.
Did we just abandon one of our own? Or did she give us a binding order?
Abdara broods for a while, subconsciously following Gnoda until she realizes the decision’s been made, and she has a responsibility to the others and the mission.
"Hei! Šeit jūs esat aizauguši steiku vakariņas!"
“Chaps, my Public School Giant is somewhat rusty, but I’m fairly sure ‘Hei!’ means ‘Hey, over here, old boy!’”
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"...what do you say?"
He hesitates for a moment, shaking his head despite his hand drifting a little closer to his quiver of javelins.
"If I thought we stood a chance I would already be making my throw, but I've heard of these creatures decimating whole bands of fighting men. Janira may well be able to give it the slip and come back to us; we must have faith in her powers of evasion."
He begins to move towards the cavern entrance, his eyes still on the creature pursuing the halfling.
I hate to leave her behind, but that thing would tear us all apart... Gods grant her haste that she might outrun that monstrosity.
With an angry roar, the minotaur turns its attentions to the retreating Janira and lumbers off into the forest after her even as the rest of you heed her instructions and scramble into the cave opening - some more reluctant to do so than others.
As you all pause for a moment to gather your wits, you turn your attention to your immediate surroundings. The tunnel that the party finds themselves in is narrow and stretches well out of the sight and into the darkness. A slight dampness hangs in the air and the walls of the tunnel are cool to the touch and slightly wet - a little extra caution will be in order lest someone slip and fall. Upon closer inspection you can also see that the walls of the tunnel are spotted here and there with some sort of fungi that gives off a faint blue-green light.
You also have a peek inside Janira's pack that Gnoda and Pelagos had the presence of mind to grab before fleeing. Inside you find a variety of useful items, a few even magical! With a little time, you suss out that you have access to the following supplies:
Potion of Barkskin
Potion of Cure Light Wounds
Potion of Feather Step
Potion of Vanish
Scroll of Entangle
Scroll of Gust of Wind
Scroll of Identify
Scroll of Mage Armor (CL 6)
Scroll of Obscuring Mist
Wand of Burning Hands (CL 3rd, 4 charges)
Wand of Cure Light Wounds (CL 3rd, 8 charges)
Acid
Alchemist’s Fire x2
Holy Water
Smokestick
Tanglefoot Bag
Thunderstone
Even with the faint light given off by the fungi and the moonlight trickling in from outside, it's rather dark in here. Hopefully there aren't any grues lurking about...
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"Mmmmm. What have we got here? Janira has labelled everything! Very organised, very good."
Gnoda roots through the pack for the second time.
"Perhaps I take the holy water, mmmmm? The cosmic force I wield has a powerful effect on the weak-willed, but those lacking all mind are near impossible to manipulate. The Obscuring Mist scroll, I can also use. And the rest of you?"
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“✨LUX!”
Abdara casts dancing lights, and will replenish the cantrip every sixty seconds unless requested to stop. “I’m afraid that’s the only Thassilonian I recall from school, Solomon.”
Now what has Gnoda left us?
“I can take a hit in combat, and can cast cure light wounds from a wand, so I should like that.”
The bard locks eyes with Gnoda. “But somehow I think you already knew that, Master Gnoda.”
“Pelagos, I know we can trust you with the wand of burning hands. This gives you a substantial offensive capability –– especially against swarms.”
“I should also like the tanglefoot bag. Then I can do some battlefield control against a large melee combatant, like for example … oh, I don’t know … a minotaur, say?”
Abdara tests her bulk, by bouncing on the balls of her feet with and without her pack equipped. “Hmm … I still have space for one more item. How about the acid flask to give me something to contribute to anti-swarm warfare?”
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Didn't Gnoda pack Janira's bag? Pelagos gapes for a moment before settling on silence. One of our memories aren't what they used to be and I don't think right now is the time to discover which.
He takes the offered wand from Abdara, but the magical energy coming off of it just doesn't align with his. He opens his mouth to say something, but the first two times he does so, she begins to speak to someone else. He eventually works up the courage to tap her on the shoulder.
"Miss Abdara, I, um, I think there's been a mistake," he begins, pointing at the wand in question. "I can't make this work. I'm sorry for disappointing you," he concludes, looking at the floor while offering it back.
Sheepishly, he collects a couple of the thrown concoctions and makes his way to the edge of the group to look them over. I've got to show them I'm still useful!
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He glances over the goods from Janira's pack before shaking his head.
"I'm no good with wands and scrolls and the like. I've already got a potion to heal my wounds... maybe the barkskin? Or you could have that one if you like, Solomon."
He feels a little bad divvying up her possessions, but at the same time he knows it's for their own good and survival that they make use of the tools they have available. It's clearly what she wanted, but that doesn't make it any easier.
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He eventually works up the courage to tap her on the shoulder.
Abdara smiles. “How may I be of assistance, Pelagos?”
"Miss Abdara, I, um,"
“Firstly, servants address me as ‘Miss Abdara.’ Friends and colleagues usually drop the ‘Miss.’”
"I think there's been a mistake," he begins, pointing at the wand in question. "I can't make this work. I'm sorry for disappointing you,"
“Are you saying I’ve made a mistake, Pelagos?”
Abdara tone is stern but it’s clear from her expression and exaggerated hand-on-hip that she’s jesting.
She picks up the controversial item and places it in the oracle’s hands firmly. “You might surprise yourself.”
“And by the way, you’re not here to please anyone but yourself. This is Confirmation of YOUR abilities, as much as it is about anyone else’s.”
After taking the precaution of dividing up most of what you found in Janira's pack and shedding some light on the subject (thanks to Abdara and anyone else with a light source) you all set off down the tunnel.
You proceed onward for several hundred feet, the tunnel twisting and turning as it descends deeper into the earth. As you make your way along, you occasionally spot what look to be old markings on the tunnel walls - petroglyphs that depict various marine animals or spiral shapes. Eventually you reach a point where the tunnel widens into a larger passage - now easily wide enough for the group to walk two abreast. However, you all quickly discover that the path forward is barred by what appears to be an open 10x10 pit, sharp spikes embedded in the bottom. You can also see what appears to be a small bundle of cloth lying among the spikes.
After looking at the pit a little more closely you realize that it's not actually a naturally-occurring hole at all but an artificial one.
This isn't a freshly dug pit, however. You think it's at least a year old, possibly older.
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“I think so. It would be an obvious failure of our preparedness, if we were unable to help a naked soldier of fortune wandering these caves.”
“The pit is NOT a natural feature. Going forward, we should be wary of traps.”
Abdara kneels down, retrieves her rope from her pack, places the grappling hook at the edge of the depression, yanks on it to test it and then stands to toss the silken coil to the bottom of the pit.
“Besides, a new parcel will provide some additional fun for Gnoda.”
While one of the climby types investigates the pit, Abdara draws her club and stands watchfully, sending the dancing lights as far as they will extend in both directions.
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Pelagos accepts the wand again and nods with understanding. Abdara is right, we are on our Confirmation together, but each of us need to be Confirmed through out own abilities. He frowns inwardly at the awfully silent voice in his head. Perhaps it has been playing tricks on me... Fire clears my mind, maybe magical fire works as well. Could it have blocked my connection with this wand?
He stows the wand within easy reach.
At the pit, he begins taking off his armor. "I'll descend into the pit," he offers.
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“I sense a disturbance in your tranquillity, Master Gnoda.”
Abdara claps Pelagos on the shoulder as she messes with the mesmerist.
She points gravely into the shallow void. “When you look at lost gifts in dark places, careful you must be.”
“You will know the efficiently-packed, from the randomly-packed when you are calm. At peace.”
Having decided to investigate the pit further, a rope is quickly produced courtesy of Abdara and dropped into the pit. While she and Felix keep a lookout and Solomon helps to hold the rope Pelagos sheds his armor and carefully descends the 10 feet to the bottom. He notices that whoever crafted the pit even made it a point to round the walls, eliminating any corners that a trapped individual might try to brace against to escape. Good thing for the rope, otherwise climbing in and out would've been much trickier!
When Pelagos gets to the bottom he discovers that there's really nothing of note in the pit, sans the bundle of cloth. Closer inspection reveals it to be a dark blue cloak flecked with bits of silvery thread. Although a bit grimy it otherwise seems to be in pristine condition.
From above, Solomon suggests finding a way to remove or otherwise disable the spikes so as to prevent someone less observant from getting skewered should they fall into the pit. Though the reserved Pelagos is by no means an expert on such things he thinks that it might be possible to just dislodge the spikes with a bit of effort.
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Didn't Gnoda pack Janira's bag? Pelagos gapes for a moment before settling on silence. One of our memories aren't what they used to be and I don't think right now is the time to discover which.
"Mmmmm. May I examine that cloth? Perhaps I can learn how it came to be there..."
Gnoda concentrates on the cloth, running it through his hands.
Check: Once per day, you can concentrate for 1 minute while in physical contact with an item or location, during which you receive flashes of insight regarding the subject’s nature and ownership. After 1 minute, you attempt a DC 15 Appraise check to decipher the visions. You gain one piece of information about the historical significance or the last previous owner—such as a glimpse of the last owner’s appearance or its emotional state when it last used the item—determined by the GM. You learn one more piece of information for every 10 by which your check result exceeds the DC, as long as you concentrate for 1 additional minute for each piece of information. If you fail the check by less than 5 or the item has no significant psychic imprint, you don’t learn any information. If you fail this check by 5 or more, the item appears to be psychically significant even if it’s not, and the information you gain is wildly inaccurate.
If you attempt to use psychometry on an item affected by charge object or implant false reading, you automatically learn all information imprinted by the spell. You must also attempt a Will save. If the item is affected by an implant false reading spell, on a success, you realize the information was false, and can determine the true information as well. On a failure, or if the item is affected by a charge object spell, you believe the information is true.
Action: Reading an object requires at least 1 minute of uninterrupted concentration.
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Abdara stands sceptically through Gnoda’s psychometric psurvey.
She nudges the flame oracle. “Hokey religions and ancient rituals are no match for a charged burning hands wand at your side, Pelagos.”
When the mesmerist is done, she pipes up. “Master Gnoda, do you mind if I examine the artefact as well?”
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Pelagos scales the wall and relinquishes the cloak to Gnoda's "hokey religion and ancient rituals." "Soloman, I think you're going to be best at breaking spikes," he points out, offering the unusually large man his morningstar.
Jumping a little at the nudge, his hand goes to his wand after Abdara's words. "There is... a certain rush to it," he admits. I don't wish to harm anything that doesn't have it coming, but... hopefully something has it coming in here. The rush of anticipation has some intoxication to it.
S̴i̷m̷p̷l̵e̷t̷o̸n̴,̵ ̷t̴h̴e̵r̶e̴ ̶a̴r̴e̵ ̶m̸a̵n̸y̵ ̵t̸e̸s̴t̶ ̴s̸u̴b̵j̴e̸c̴t̵s̷ ̵b̸e̵f̷o̴r̷e̸ ̷y̸o̸u̵ ̷n̶o̸w̵!̷ ̷B̴U̵R̶N̴ ̷T̸H̷E̸M̸!̵ ̶B̷U̶R̸N̸ ̵T̶H̷E̶M̴ ̸A̵A̶A̶L̶L̸L̴!̴
Pelagos is quick to ascend the rope once more, now carrying a pretty nice-looking cloak. It first gets passed over to Gnoda, who seems quite interested in studying it. The gnome falls silent, concentrating deeply...
As you focus your attention on the cloak numerous images flash through your mind...
The silent, mysterious world that lies underneath the ocean...
Green grass, trod by webbed feet...
A starry, moonlit sky much like the one tonight...
Shot through all of these images is a sense of purpose and a feeling of reverence.
All of these images and emotions coalesce and you get a vision of what must have been the cloak's previous owner: a woman with pronounced and haughty facial features, and exotic, purple eyes. Her hair is dark and her skin is quite pale, but most striking of all...a set of three piscine gills on each side of her neck, just above the shoulders. You're not exactly sure how you know it, but you know that this woman came here to pay respects to something or someone.
After a couple of minutes, Gnoda completes his examinations of the cloak and passes it over to Abdara. Slightly more practical, she follows a hunch of her own and begins to examine the cloak for magical auras...and sure enough, it glows softly under her magic-eye gaze. Unfortunately, she can't quite figure out the cloak's exact enchantment.
It's a Cloak of Resistance +1.
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Solomon gets in the pit, and works on the spikes, grabbing them with both hands and getting them out of the ground so that no one will get hurt by these.
After a few minutes of exercise, he gets out of the pit again, climbing up with even more ease than he climbed down, flexes a pose for the sheer enjoyment of an imaginary crowd of roaring, adoring fans
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Abdara accepts the item graciously from Gnoda, but a moment later she shakes her head. “I can’t make out what the cloak does.”
The noble screws up her face, holding up the garment disdainfully on a two-fingered ‘coat-hook’, as if requesting someone else take the obstinate thing off her hands. “I know it’s magical, but that’s the limit of my knowledge.”
“I could speculate on what it is, but that’s all it would be. Speculation.”
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“If you can guarantee making it to the other side by jumping, Pelagos. I see an easy way of getting us all across.”
Abdara points at the grappling hook/rope combination Solomon and the oracle used to get into the pit.
“I’m likely the poorest climber, and even encumbered I can make it in and out using the rope with a wall to brace against.”
“So once Felix, Gnoda, Solomon and I are in the pit, Pelagos extracts the rope, jumps to the other side, lowers the rope and we are all out again.”
“Even if the worst happens and Pelgos fails the jump, I give my fly potion to Solomon, and he flies out to set up the rope and grappling hook on the ‘out’ side.”
“What do you think?”
After Solomon takes the time to disarm the pit of the spikes a plan is quickly hatched for getting everyone across the pit. Abdara and then Pelagos each get a running start and manage to leap across the 10 foot pit, though owing to the slipperiness of the cavern floor Abdara only just manages to make the other side without falling backwards into the pit. Pelagos' attempt is, perhaps surprisingly, a little more graceful.
With two of you on the other side of the pit it doesn't take long for the rest of you to make the crossing through a combination of climbing into the pit and then out the other side or simply jumping it. Once everyone is together again you can see that the tunnel continues onward for another 30 feet or so before curving out of sight. As you proceed onward and reach the curve you can see, just around the bend, a 3 foot wide plank of wood resting up against one the tunnel walls. What's more, it looks as though it was only put there recently.
With little to do but continue forward, you continue to make your way further and further beneath the Kortos Mountains until the tunnel opens up into a large cavern. Along the walls you see what look to be carved reliefs and paintings, likely beautiful once but now so faded that it's difficult - but not impossible - to tell what each one might have depicted. Of what appear to be twelve once-prominent carvings, roughly three or four are still legible enough that they might be deciphered with the right skills.
The Artist - This carving depicts a man painting murals on the walls of impressive buildings, associated with Aroden having painted the city of Absalom with beautiful colors so that it might awe all who visited.
The Beggar - This carving depicts a man kneeling with an alms bowl raised high, representing Aroden espousing humility in all, lest they forget their shared humanity.
The Hunter - This carving depicts a man slaying a giant serpentine creature and then parading a trophy through the city streets — a sign to all humanity that the wilds are safe to inhabit once the monsters are slain.
The Soldier - This carving depicts a soldier bearing a lantern through the streets of a city, following Aroden's prophecy that the vigilant shall carry light to the darkest corners of the world to banish the shadows.
You realize that each of the twelve prominent carvings was meant to represent one of Aroden's Twelve Guises, which were meant to represent his hopes for humanity. However, you also note that the depictions you see here are slightly different from the ones found in the known version of History and Future of Humanity. This suggests that these carvings represent an earlier version of the work.
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In the steady light of Abdara's cantrip, Pelagos studies the four most legible carvings.
"These must be quite, uh, quite old," he begins. "I've heard Aroden's faithful were strong in Absalom, but just about... nonexistence since his passing, yet here is the Artist, Hunter, and Soldier. Three of Aroden's twelve forms," he explains before frowning. "They're different than the pictures I've seen. Maybe an even earlier style of each?" The useless information I manage to keep in my head, UGH! Can't help battling a Minotaur, but remembering some old pictures? Oh man am I winner there...
Sighing, he backs up to let the others peruse the art.
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Surprised by the slipperiness of the floor surface, a few forward revolutions of her windmilling arms –– and perhaps a solid *bump* from the following Pelagos, are all that save Abdara from a minor fall from grace.
Doesn’t have to be pretty, just has to work … Thank-you, Master of Swords.
She looks back at the pit disdainfully. “Do you chaps realize how many ‘did you enjoy your trip?’ japes I just avoided?”
"Is the figure human? We might have made an important discovery with this cave art."
The bard takes out paper and quill to make some sketches.
"The Artist, the Hunter, the Beggar, and.. what was the other one, Pelagos? The Soldier, was it?"
She *humphs* "They sound like codenames of Aspis Agents."
After a little bit of collaboration you manage to decipher all four of the carvings and Abdara, Woman of Many Talents, undertakes the important task of making some sketches of each one. How this discovery might relate to the mystery of the gillmen or whether it does at all is unclear but nevertheless you're each certain that you've made an important find for the Society! Once Abdara is satisfied that she's done a proper job of the sketches, you get back to exploring with Solomon and Felix leading the way onward.
The tunnel is a short one, opening up into a grand chamber illuminated in a soft blue and green light thanks to the torches and the fungus that covers much of the cavern's walls. Clinging to a ceiling that is easily 20 feet high you can see several massive stalactites and here and there you can hear the occasional drip of the water that falls from them. Two other passageways leading out of this chamber can be seen, one to the southwest and the other to the southeast.
Despite the grandeur of the natural rock formations there are two things in this chamber that immediately draw your eye. The first is a large pool of water that sits along the chamber's southern edge and from this pool rises a column of rock with steeply sloped sides and a flat top - as if someone had simply taken a stalagmite and sawn off its top. A miniature city carved from this same piece of stone covers nearly the entire surface and you can see that the little city is covered with various trinkets such as ancient coins, semiprecious stones, and braided loops of string. Pale cave frogs clamber about the diorama and along the floor you can see several foot-long centipedes prowling about in search of prey.
The second thing to catch your eye is what looks to be a solitary man kneeling in the pool of water, perhaps in prayer or some sort of meditation. His back is to you and he gives no indication that he's noticed your presence.
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"Mmmm. A gillman, no doubt. Probably at prayer, judging from his comportment and the psychic reading I took earlier. It would be unseemly to interrupt religious contemplation. Let us also contemplate, mmmm?"
Gnoda quietly shuffles forwards, scrutinising the lone bather and feeling the flow of the cosmic life energy through himself, the bather and the others.
Your psychic sensitivity allows you to read the psychic and magical auras of creatures and objects.
Check: Once per day, you can examine the natural aura of a creature or object to discern the subject’s alignment, emotions, health, or magic. This requires 10 minutes of concentration, after which you attempt a Perception check. Each time, you must pick one of four auras to read: alignment, emotion, health, or magic. The result of the check applies only to the selected aura. You must be within 30 feet of the subject at all times during the reading.
Read Emotion Aura: The colors within the target’s aura reveal its emotional state. If successful, you learn the target’s disposition and its attitude toward any creatures within 30 feet of it. For a number of rounds equal to the amount by which you exceeded the skill check’s DC, You gain a +2 circumstance bonus on Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, and Sense Motive checks against the target.
Action: Reading an aura requires 10 minutes of study.
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Thinking Gnoda and herself the least threatening-looking party members, Abdara advances to support the gnome, from where she takes his advice and bows her head.
🌹
Most holy Eternal Rose, Dutiful goddess of the Azlanti Age, Brilliant Guide in the Darkness and Bardic Heroine of the Lost Age,
I place myself in your care at this difficult time.
Help me know that I need not face my troubles alone.
Please join me in my need, in consolation of my sorrow, courage in my fear, and healing in the midst of suffering.
I dedicate my life in all its living color to You.
The bard withdraws a single gold piece as an offering, but waits patiently in silence until acknowledged by the meditating Gillman.
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Abdara’s eyes *snap* open. She turns to face Solomon with a look of ⚡ THUNDER ⚡ on her face.
She then holds an index finger up vertically to her lips and:
• Points to herself
• Makes rapid hand-puppet ‘mouth open & close’ gestures
• Points to Solomon
• Points to her left wrist, and then waves that pointing finger/arm forward curtly