Samen nods in deference to Gabriel. "You may be right, but things are changing in this world, and all the evidence I've seen is that it's not driven by elen hands. Whatever spurred the inquisition to overreach and get toppled may be an important clue to a bigger plot.
I wasn't there, but I tend to believe your mad inquisitor. Bringing the dead back to life, in principle, is just traveling between the planes, which we've seen plenty of. I'm sure it comes with a terrible cost, because all of these artifacts do, but I wouldn't want it to fall in the wrong hands.
Given all that, the Fey being right here presents an existential threat unless we can at least achieve a detente with them. If we could make them owe us a favor, it would go a long way toward liberating Light."
Writhing smokily out into the morning air, Abby says, "Just make sure everyone knows it is us who does all this saving, ember-heart, so they know who to shower with adulation. Are we going to scare more naked els today? That was an enjoyable diversion."
She thought of what he recounted, "If it is a portent or a path to follow, there is no way to know. Gabriel has the right of it." Tapping her chin, she started getting her helmet out, "Regardless I don't think we should discount such a vision. What of this witch and what are these seeds that are planted? Could they be real or metaphorical...?"
Thinking about Samen's query, she continued, "I mean it is possible, but if it matches the fey that you met than perhaps it could be more than just a vision and metaphor." She ignores the comment about the mad inquisitor, the truth spell in her literal hands throbbing. "I will consider it though, but I am hardly an expert on all matters religious, only my own faith."
"Hum. Well thank you all for your insight. Shall we go on then, to see the fey?
Osna senses his old friend's distraction, and gently says to Phon Vos, "So, you had a spell to help us see through these wily Fey, right? Did I hear that wine was involved?" His tone is light, cheerful.
--
When he gets a chance later, on the way out of camp, Osna will ask,
"Everything alright Phon?" The false cheer is gone, only concern showing on his face.
"At night I was visited by a force. This isn't the first time this has happened actually." She pauses, "When I had to speak with the dead, there was this sense of dread. I knew such a spell would have some repercussions but..." It only takes her a moment to instinctively clutch at her holy symbols, "This felt more intrusive."
She takes Osna aside, "I was gifted a Boon, to be able to find the truth of any statement, and I can't stop thinking about that Inquisitor. I have tried to put it out of my mind but someone or something doesn't want me to forget, but I can't shake the feeling that whatever it is is not friendly."
"Any guess who gave this 'gift' to you? Maybe we can find a way to spit in their eye with their own pretty curse."
---
While the undine in bulky armor and the sneaky sylph are away talking, Abby grows bored. She turns to the story telling oread. "What about stories of wind and storm, Ab-Not-Key? Do you not have stories of these? I would find such stories most diverting."
odd question... do we have any idea of the motives of these fey? Why they are causing trouble?
Samen isn't too sure he likes the idea of Abby and Abnaki becoming friends. He has been warned that she plays rough, but nevertheless it could become a problem if he takes her lightly. A problem for another time, though.
"Fey are more inscrutable than most elementals, but they've clearly got a fight on their hands and are looking for an advantage. Who's to say if we even have anything to offer them?"
Abnaki begins happily telling a story of how Storm gained its lightning, but notices Samen's discomfort. He finishes the story, and then says to Abby. "I'll make you a deal. If you turn around, put your hands over your ears, and count to 200 so I can have a private conversation with Samen, I'll tell you another two stories."
"What's the matter friend? Jealousy, concern or something else? I don't want to have any bad blood between us, so tell me what I can do to put you more at ease, and I'll happily oblige!"
Samen jumps in shock, as if he were Storm's lunch. He's not used to people being concerned about his emotional state enough to call out his unending brooding.
"Uh... no, nothing like that. Well, not entirely. It's okay, she can hear what I have to say. It may even amuse her to hear me explain this. Iniga never got it. It's just, she's not built like a normal elle or motivated by the same sorts of things as you'd expect. Becoming interesting to her, while certainly a wild ride, can have unexpected consequences.
For example, her "ellen" form... she didn't always have that. She found my childhood crush, suffocated her soul, scoured her body clean, and moved in. On the basis that it would be pleasing to me. Later, she murdered her host's older brother because of a disagreement between our families.
If a normal girl did this, we would call her a monster. By elen rules, maybe she is, but holding her to our understanding of morality is like judging a pagona for having poor conversation skills. She is what she is, just like the Fey are what they are. They cannot change their aspects. That is a purely elen capacity. It's what makes us special in the universe.
People like you, people with smooth tongues, can read and manipulate people like me with ease. Don't be fooled into thinking it's the same with her."
Abby quickly agrees, and busies herself blowing out smoke numbers that float around her head as she counts.
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Abnaki looks visibly shook. "That's... horrific. I'm sorry to have made you relive that. If there is anything I can do for you... I will be certain to be cautious around her. But is she capable of learning? Her nature may not change, but she might learn that doing things like that aren't pleasing. With your blessing, I'd like to try. Perhaps through my tales I can try and impart lessons?" Abnaki ponders this. "But perhaps not now. We are going to the fey, we must be on our toes, and I have not entirely recovered from my evening retreat."
Abnaki returns to Abby, to repay the promise. But it is harder for him now to even look at her. He had to admit he had found her pretty, but now when he sees her, all he can see is a corpse walking. Perhaps the girl's soul can still be saved. I think it would bring Samen some peace if I could solve that for him. Perhaps Phon and Gabriel could help. They have some knowledge about souls.
The stories that he tells are substantially less violent than the story of thunder, instead focusing on the relation between storm and forest, how without storm the forest would be unable to grow. As well as the story of smoke, and how it can be used to get honey from bees without being stung, or killing the bees. Both are nurturing tales, but both feature what Abby had requested.
"Yes, indeed. I expect they will give us a fair answer either way and let us in and out, but we should be ready for a fight if they might wish to betray our trust. We should hold off on agreeing to anything that we don't fully understand, but express interest in learning more of what their needs might be. The last thing we want is to end up in an unfavorable bargain with them."
"Any guess who gave this 'gift' to you? Maybe we can find a way to spit in their eye with their own pretty curse."
She thinks. "No idea but part of me feels like..." She looks up towards the sky, "Yeah."
Phon tries to dispel the thought from her head, and catches the tail end of Samen's conversation. From the tone of his voice, she realized that something was up.
"Everything okay?" She wasn't one to skirt around the problem, probably for the better because she was very abrupt. "Let us ensure that we eat nothing, drink nothing, and want for nothing. I don't know much about the fey but I know that at least. Whether the legends are true or not doesn't matter if we take everything at a worst case scenario." The undine was all business, she didn't want to think about Samen losing someone... It reminded her too much of her own scars.
Abbygailiwy is suddenly next to Abnaki's shoulder, a smoky numeral 200 spilling out of her mouth. Her gaze is very intense, making eye contact with the storyteller. You wonder for a sickening moment if she heard anything.
"Two hundred. Now for the stories you promised." She smiles, all joyful naivete.
----
After the conversations with Phon Vos and Abnaki, Osna is noticeably grimmer; the worries of Samen's psychotic pet and Phon's troubles show on his face. Taking a few calming breaths, he casts mage armor, the protection flowing like heat shimmer around him for a moment. He flicks a few nervous jolts into the air as he stalks out of camp with his companions.
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Phon Vos, you notice that a fellow mercenary is having some sort of trouble. You recognize the short sylph as Ladyfingers, so named for having a delicate-looking silver golem arm grafted in place of his own left arm. He is on the ground, seeming to struggle with controlling it.
Abby interrupts Abnaki's first story halfway through, sniffing in the direction of the disturbance. "Eugh! Tarnished silver, how foul!" and without another word slips back into Samen's staff.
"What's wrong Ladyfingers?" The warpriest walks up to him, before seeing the struggle. "What can I do?" She thinks, if she were to dispel it, would it be shut down forever?
"I'll help as best as I can."
Samen, not entirely sure how to react to this, and not understanding Abby's reaction, stands ready to smack the arm into oblivion.
As Abby fidgets and throws off Samen's balance for a moment, the rest of you have not quite approached Ladyfingers yet. The el says nothing, just grunts as he struggles against his own arm.
The golem arm twists and writhes, its fingers flexing in rapid arcane gestures, difficult to follow-
Very strange spellcasting, very fluid, chaotic. Seems to be combining:
mage armor
shield
and some small enhancement to the shield spell
for an overall +10 to AC
Seems to be equivalent in power to a 3rd level arcane spell
-and there is some shimmer around Ladyfingers, a protective spell of some kind.
"Something else is controlling his arm, and it's casting a spell to protect itself. I saw similar behavior with the golems in Light right before Moon arose."
Given that it's protecting itself from direct attack, Samen takes a different approach. He sits down opposite Ladyfingers, looks him in the eye, and grabs the rebellious hand, arm-wrestle style. "Stay calm. We're going to get through this together."
"I can confirm Samen, I may be able to dispel it but I don't know what the results would be..." She reaches out to it and touches it to gain some knowledge.
Flashing images -
carnage in the streets-
all the silver golems will kill their alchemist masters-
soon-
soon-
soon-
Staring right back at Samen, wide-eyed with fear, Ladyfingers stammers, "N-no one is safe-"
"Cac. If it isn't one thing it's another." A quick mirror image spell, and a puff of cold air
condenses into six duplicates of Osna that look around nervously, seeming to survey everywhere at once with illusory eyes.
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Gabriel draws his sword immediately, he's not going to attack someone who seems innocent so he'll scout around looking for a potential source of the magic or someone who may be nearby watching. Something suspicious
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Abnaki, after hearing what Phon says about the potential horrors to come, and knowing of Phon's skills in disenchanting, takes it upon himself to calm ladyfingers for what Abnaki expects will be a difficult and potentially painful process.
"Listen, you're going to be ok. Phon is going to shut this thing down so it won't be able to hurt you, or anyone else. It may be uncomfortable, but that's what we're here for. Just stay calm, listen to my voice, and we'll get through this. Together." Abnaki's tone is soothing, hopefully keeping Ladyfingers occupied, but he gives a meaningful look to Phon Vos, conveying to shut this thing down. He hopes that they won't have to sever it to do so.
While Samen grapples Ladyfingers, Phon Vos receives a dire vision from touching the silvery arm.
Being grappled and probed, Ladyfingers becomes agitated, but Abnaki manages to calm him down. "Why is this happening?" He looks to Abnaki for answers, his eyes desperate.
Your vision has changed in subtle ways since you became a shadowdancer; for instance, you are more sensitive to heat changes - a very hot object will show as subtle dancing lines to your eyes, even when your other senses fail you.
Here, you get a sense of a shambling creature, invisible, only showing as subtle lines -- not wavy though, these are all jagged straight lines. The creature is about ten feet from Phon Vos, walking toward her, hands upraised in menace.
The silver arm jerks when Phon Vos says the word 'dispel'. It clenches violently into a fist, and the warpriest must suddenly brace herself against a forceful punch-
-but armored both physically and mystically, she is not moved by the blow.
Samen tries to turn his body around to try to get his knee into the business end of the arm to pin it down. "None of that!"
Phon barely moves from the blow, and focuses her magic in hopes to rip apart its magical protections.
Channeling her fervor she finds the strands and tugs.
There's an Invisible creature causing the disturbance! about 1o feet from Phon, Look for jagged lines and it has hands! Gabriel will spend his Standard action moving up to it
Round 2
Gabriel will chase it if necessary and Attack with his Dueling sword. As he draws it, flames spark from the edge.
"The work of Moon is strange, and often unknowable, but what is known is that while you are with us, no harm will come to you. You are with friends." When Abnaki hears about the mysterious figure moving towards Phon, he leaps into action, although he doesn't take his eyes off of Ladyfingers, looking comfortingly at the man. "Samen! You are a better fighter than I, allow me to keep the arm occupied." Abnaki grabs a handful of grit from the ground, bending over the pinned arm, and throwing it into the delicate machinery that keeps it going, and allows it to move, hopefully restricting it's ability to act.