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Grams tries to intercede, but distracted, she swings well wide of the lion.
HP 26/39
AC 19 (21 with shield raised)
Fort +8, Ref +6, Will +5
Hero points: 0
Effects: +2 AC from lay on hands
Level bump (+1 attack modifiers, attack damage, spell damage, saving throw modifiers, skill modifiers, Perception modifiers, and AC); +6 HP mentor's boon
Deroff's bites cannot penetrate the lion's defenses!
Neither can Tao's!
Gram's step into flanking aids her strike and allows her to hit true! She protects Aldonza, but cannot quite hit the cagey lion!
The lions growl their frustration! Yellow bites and claws at Gram!
for piercing damage!
for slashing damage!
for slashing damage!
Red bites at Aldonza again!
for piercing damage! It Grabs her!
And claws!
for slashing damage!
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Aldonza gets mauled by the lion. For a moment, she’s sure that she gave her final performance, yet miraculously she held on. Well, miraculously enough; she could tell that Grams was her guardian angel.
It was now or never. Time for the grand finale.
She roars in the lion’s face, and makes one last attack.
Aldonza takes a bite, and tries to riposte, but cannot land a solid hit, though she does scrape the Red lion! However Grams shouts, startling the lion and saving some damage, while following up with a smashing hit on Red! Red looks shaken and bloodied!
Jack's second swing lands hard, injuring Yellow even further! Both lions look terrified suddenly!
But it's the goblin cook who lops the lion's head clean off! The yellow lion can hardly make a sound as it dies!
With a sudden angry cry, a thin man appears behind Jack as he swings his kukri at the man! He is a pale, middle-aged Taldan man with a gloomy countenance and dark clothing that looks practical but expensive. He has a cold and calculating look to his piercing amber eyes. His voice is surprisingly soft, though there is no hint of kindness to it. "Meddlesome Pathfinders! I knew your lot couldn't leave well enough alone!" This is the same voice that boomed over the jousting grounds before this fight!
for piercing plus precision damage!
for piercing damage!
for piercing damage!
ROUND 4:
Tao, Grams, Miladistra
Lion
Nikebei, Aldonza, Jack
Archis
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HP 19/39
AC 19 (21 with shield raised)
Fort +8, Ref +6, Will +5
Hero points: 0
Effects: +2 AC from lay on hands
Level bump (+1 attack modifiers, attack damage, spell damage, saving throw modifiers, skill modifiers, Perception modifiers, and AC); +6 HP mentor's boon
Grams hisses in pain as the lion catches her again just under her shield, though Nikebei takes out the threat before she can react further to it.
She's about to call out a thank you when the new figure emerges.
"Who the heck are you?" she calls back, swiping at the remaining lion. She hefts her shield again, keeping it up against any threats.
Grams continues to work on the lion, trying to put it down for good.
Gram downs the final lion, hacking deeply into its neck and severing an artery! The lion makes a final whimper and collapses to the ground, dead.
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With a whipping motion, Tao twirls her bladed scarf around her body, and charges doubly, part ways across the spiritual realm as her goddess's implement assaults this now-visibable foe, part ways across the material realm flying through the air to tackle him!
◆) Stride North 25 feet
◇) Release one hand from bladed scarf
◆) Grapple vs "pale, middle-aged Taldan"
◆) Sustain Spiritual Weapon (Strike)
"Gather round" Tao yells, herbalists and tincture-makers standing by for anyone that ends up adjacent to her...
Tao moves and grapples the Pale, Middle Aged Taldan (PMAT)! She succeeds with flying colors (CRITICAL SUCCESS)!
Furthermore, the spiritual weapon seems equally motivated and strikes the PMAT with vigor, dealing critical damage!
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Jack♢ had half-anticipated the appearance of additional foes, and wasn't totally unprepared for the Taldan man's sudden appearance. The gambler evades most of the attacker's knife cuts, but at this stage in the battle he's bound to succumb to his injuries sooner or later.
The adrenaline-fueled Jack♢ sidesteps to position himself better, and swings his sword in surgical precision.
"You call? I'll raise."
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"Thanks Granma, you held kitty proper good." Nikebei says to the empty space behind the dead lion. She smiles, before looking around for another target and sees a man sticking Jack♢. "Oi yous, don't poke mes friend. I's gonna have to slicey yous. C'mon Granma, you sit on him when I's trip him." Nikebei runs over, her knives held high and dangerous. With her khopesh she tries to take his knees away and land him on the floor, ready to smash him with her dogslicer.
The Missus shouted something, but it didn't matter to Deroff. The aberrant alpha emerged. He had the posture and accuracy of an Alpha, yet he waited for his minions to go first. He's supposed to protect them.
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So many targets. So much bleeding.
"THIS is the monster who was gonna help yer family?" Miladistra roars. "Aldonza stand back. I gotta help Five, or Aces or whatever. He won't be able to take another cut like that."
Miladistra casts heal and imbues the gambler with a cayenne infusion, healing hit points.
Jack's first hit is spot on, cutting the PMAT deeply! His second slice is just kicking a dead PMAT, for the pale fellow looks suddenly shocked and falls to the ground, bleeding in an increasing puddle on the ground. Jack hears him whisper "But you were supposed to die?" with a confused look on his face as he falls.
Nikebei's strike is not needed, but he's welcome to carve up the dead fellow in any way he sees fit!
The jousting grounds are suddenly quiet, save for the distant yowl of an escaped lion tasting its freedom. You have time to search the grounds if you so wish!
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"Come here, Deroff." She pets the wolf and winces as the adrenaline wears off. "We gonna wash you later, yeah?" Deroff whines a bit.
"Everyone- glad to see you all alive. We need to rest up, that's for sure." She looks at the madman, or what's left of him. She kneels by his body and takes his coat right off. "Whomever he was, he may have some kind of identification. A name, a family crest, one of those telltale journals."
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Aldonza, wincing in pain, taps her sword against her scabbard, in an imitation of applause. ”Nicely done!”, she says with a nod. She walks slowly toward the man’s corpse, and wipes her blade off on his shirt, careful to avoid cutting Miladistra, before sheathing it.
”Now then...ah yes!”, she adds, looking around. She takes another step, before she pauses. Swaying a bit, she lowers herself to the ground, using her marotte as a cane. ”The potions...behind the stand...”, she says in a weaker voice. She leans forward, like a puppet whose strings have been cut.
The corpse has a very fancy kukri. Otherwise you don't find any identifying documents on the body.
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Grams nods in appreciation.
AC 19 (21 with shield raised)
Fort +8, Ref +6, Will +5
Hero points: 0
Effects:
Level bump (+1 attack modifiers, attack damage, spell damage, saving throw modifiers, skill modifiers, Perception modifiers, and AC); +6 HP mentor's boon
"Potions? What potions?" she asks Jack, having not seen them earlier.
She looks around the stadium, wondering if Vi is still there watching or if there will be some explanation for all this craziness.
Vi, now that he's dead, dear, do you want to tell us what's going on?" The question is kindly enough, but she uses her stern voice, the one that made her boys quake and come clean quickly enough for whatever they'd done wrong.
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As Tao's attempt at patching Jack♢'s lion- and kukri-related injuries yield minimal results, the elf raises a finger and produces a tiny potion from his rogue's bandolier. "That's enough, hun. Oughta cash out this one."
"Don't look at me, grams," he answers Grams's raised eyebrow, "I didn't nick any loot. This one I won from those sea dogs, remember?"
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"Well done Granma, yous scared him to death afores I's get there!" the goblin chef says, before suddenly falling to the ground in a big heap, letting out a great big sigh, "Wells that was tiring!!"
After a minute or so, Nikebei rises from the ground, looks over herself and brushes the blood into her chefs apron, with a "Tch, Tch! - always messy cutting da meat." She leaves the man and moves to the lions carcasses and starts to chop them up, to take with her. "Gonna makes a nicey lioney stew, yes, very tasty tasty." She is happy to let the others search the area, after all my gourmet meals are the wonder of Golarian. As she works and makes a small fire, for a brew, Thirsty thirsty all this cooky cooks.
"Brew up" she shouts to her companions, hoping a nice hot drink will help ease anyones ills.
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Jesselle whispers to Miladistra "I think Vi's in trouble"...
"Hmpf. Vi's been in trouble ever since this... man entered her life." Miladistra snorts. "But you're right. Where is she?" She leaves the body to rot and looks at Aldonza.
"Wait, you said behind the stands? Where? Which stands? Point please." Miladistra will search the stands Aldonza indicated.
"Deroff, a little help, please."
Jack and Miladistra spread out to check out the tournament ground while healing is doled out.
Jack looks in the royal stand and finds the stash of two invisibility potions hidden in a concealed compartment.
Miladistra checks out the northern tent, which is bedecked in purple and gold, is lit by a lantern and contains a chair stained with blood and surrounded by several scattered ropes. Next to the central supporting pole is a hefty bag that contains an assortment of personal items collected from the captives and a type II spellstrike arrow.
Jack next heads for the blue and gold southern tend, where he finds a foldable desk and a comfortable bench. There are writing tools and several letters on the desk. The letters are signed by one 'Archis Peers.' These letters provide evidence of Archis’ connection to several nobles in relation to the illegal tournaments. Next to the desk is a small chest that contains some of the gold apparently meant to fund the tournament. Jack finds a ledger hidden in the lining of the bench that provides details about Archis’ other illicit ventures. The ledger should work as leverage when the time comes for the Society to further investigate his affairs.
Vionnia shows back up a few moments later, looking crestfallen and frightened. "I'm so sorry. I thought Archis might want to speak with you since you did so well in the first few melees, not try to kill you!" She begins to sob and her tears seem real.
The ledgers detail that Archis is apparently connected to a group called the 'Ninth Army', a secretive group opposed to Taldor’s new monarch Grand Princess Eutropia. Archis apparently uses the melees and battles as a recruiting ground for skilled fighters for the organization. The ledgers have blackmail material as well as contacts for several Taldan nobles. The Society and Lady Gloriana Morilla, who is a close personal friend of Grand Princess Eutropia, as well as a stronger supporter of her, would be particularly interested in this information.
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Jack♢, still wiping late Archis's blood from his blade, gives Vionnia a nod as a casual greeting. He presents the documents incriminating Archis (along with the invisibility potions) and says, "This guy was neck-deep in this business: cooking the books, getting funding from conspiracies, the sort. Went all-in with a risky hand. Bastard panicked when we were representing aces and doing too well, I reckon."
"Goes to show ya: never bet more than you can tolerate losing, folks."
The elf takes out his deck of cards and continues his usual shuffling routine. "Anyway, case closed, good game. You folks wanna hit a tavern and play some games?"
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The captives' remains are all Miladistra needs. She feels a fierce hot wind blow across her, and Deroff whines as she spins around to Vionna.
She marches towards her, each stride helping get a bit closer. She reaches the woman and sees the tears in her eyes. A woman lost among the wilds, buried in a world that wanted her name and nothing more.
Miladistra's uncurled fists wrap around Vionna in a simple hug. "Hey. Hey. Come here. Come on. Good. Good. Let it out." She lets Vionna cry on her shoulder. "Someone out there whispers words into my ears too. Words he knows I want to hear. But not the words I should hear."
"He was going to recruit all of us to his horrible cause. Or, he would have killed us and bid you into silence." she gives Vionna a bit of space. "He would use your family honor long before he gave his support. This Ninth Army or whatever it is is no good."
"We need to return to the Pathfinder Society. Lady Gloriana Morilla needs to see this. And she needs to hear your story, alright? She's full of herself but her heart is in the right place. Can we trust you to help her?"
Vionnia sniffles as she wipes her eyes with the back of her hand. "L-lady Gloriana Morilla? Really? Of course I can! Of course I will!" She immediately seems to brighten up and looks happier as you walk back into town.
Once in town you present yourselves to Venture-Captain Muesello, who listens intently and only interrupts to ask terse, relevant questions. Vionnia stays quiet and seems shocked to find out you were with the Pathfinder Society, but is very ready to help in any way she can. Muesello lets out a rare smile and congratulates you on a job well done. "With these documents and your friend's help, I think we can learn a great deal about this 'Ninth Army' business. Well done, Pathfinders." To top it off, he returns any wayfinders you turned over before the mission, cleaned and polished to pristine condition.
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Aldonza chuckles at Jack♢‘s offer. ”’Come into my parlor’, said the spider to the fly”, she replies with a smirk. ”But I think we’ve all earned a drink, and the first round is on me!”
”We stopped the plans of Archis Peers,
But last call at the tavern nears,
So let’s away and raise a glass!
The Slayers’ Guild has kicked some a$$!”
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All this politics goes straight over Nikebei's head, she really only cares about the recipes for the roast game birds as served to the Taldor nobles. Hoping V will be able to introduce her to several Golarion's renowned chefs, that cook for the nobility, although she realises her skills are not yet up to their abilities. Watchy and learns ... Watchy and learns!
When she has time to talk to Madistra, she adds "So's dey not want us for Nine Army, cos we's better than dat. We's Pathyfinder, we's have class, you's nice lady. If yous ever wants cooky cooky, I does nice stews, you can always call me and Granma. We's always available, special if we's do's Pathyfinders works."
She turns to the rest of the party and offers them the same deal as she passes out another of her brews. Holding her cup up at Aldonza's mini ballad, "You's clevery wit words, Aldonza. Likes you's words lots. I's will sings them to me's friends." She claps her hands, as the last words of Aldonza' poem leave her lips.
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Watching Vionna starts a chain reaction in Jesselle, who it turns out, is quite a sensitive person, despite her feigned bravado to the contrary. Her and her cousin stick together to let the spell take it's course. Tao herself is angry at their companion's actions, but wise enough to direct them at the source, whom it seems they have dispatched. Jesselle's tears being shed upon her shoulder, she succumbs to the moment as well, and weeps generally for those who lost their lives in the tournament, human and lion alike.
With equal and opposite fervor, Tao and Jesselle join Aldonza in the festivities, still with their clothes swapped, as once again she conjures her pan flute and tries to catch the changeling's tune, while Jesselle does her best to jump along, capable of little more than stumbling clumsily in her cousin's flowing dresses. Jesselle tries to get Jack♢ to put down his cards for once and join her!
They feast greatly on Nikebei's stew - including refraining from inquiring about it's ingredients - and altogether, try to make bright a moment caused from the darkness of events...
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"We have class and respect, Granma." Miladistra affirms. "Once you're done, er, harvesting, we should bury the remains."
Miladistra plays her flute along with Tao, picking up a few tips along the way. The Queen's Anger starts slowly and quietly before exploding forth- only to pause abruptly and turn into grief and understanding.
She stares out to the sunset. Her nose wrinkles at the scent of smoke and pollen. Go away, Father. Leave Mother alone. The sky speaks unknown language to her, and she doesn't understand- what does it all mean?
At least Deroff is happy eating her part of the stew.
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Bacon bacon bacon bacon bacon bacon bacon bacon bacon bacon bacon bacon bacon bacon bacon bacon bacon bacon bacon bacon bacon bacon bacon bacon bacon...
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Grams nods in satisfaction as Miladistra helps Vionna, and maybe sets the younger woman on the right path. Hopefully she can get back to her own family and away from all of this. The Ninth Army certainly seems concerning, but that's human, or at least Taldan business. If they need her to help, she's willing, but she still has much of the world to explore. Still, she smiles slightly thinking about what her boys would say if they'd seen her in this fight.
She smiles at her fellow agents. "It was a pleasure working with you all, dears. You're a credit to the Society -- yes, even you, Jack! Don't think I'm fooled by your antics! -- and I would be happy to work with any of you again. Especially if there's more delicious stew!"