Beau's strikes finish off his opponent, while Bea stings one of the charau-kas, poisoning them. The simian creature shrieks in pain, deflating visibly as the venom courses through their body. Kyrie seizes the opportunity to steps forward and strike, while the spider scurries upside down on the ceiling to deliver the killing blow.
The surviving foe, backpedalling desperately ahead of Gofran, turns tail and runs.
Karana is less forgiving than usual.
She ▶️follows and, if in reach, hurls fire at the running man.
Beau leans into his strike and shoves the body down to the ground as its life slips away from it. He's about to yell at his companions to stop the runner, but Karana is already on it.
Gofran retaliates as his enemy was fleeing and then bolted after him, fearing that he might call for reinforcements.
The remaining charau-ka only manages a couple of steps before collapsing under the combined attacks of the group. The rock they were still holding rolls out of their limp hand with a loud clatter in the sudden silence.
Bea turns away from the retreating charau-ka to see if everyone is okay. "No one dead? Bleeding out?" she frets a bit, feeling that her other worldly magic was not up to snuff.
Beau gives Bea a weary thumb-up. The gesture looks feeble, what with Beau's hand having a slight tremble to it, but at least he's still standing. "I'm alright. Bruised, battered and beaten, but alright. Tired, too, but alright."
Kyrie sways on her feet a little, having to plant her shield in the ground for additional support. "I am... not well."
Overhead, the strangely helpful spider begins to skitter away, back the way it had come.
Karana does not stabilize her enemies. She will help treat wounds.
"I'm fine, thanks to Karana." He says. Noticing the others are in a far worse shape, Gofran keeps guard as Karana patches them up.
"Thank you" Bea smiles up at Karana as the elven woman cleans her burns. Briefly, she wonders if studying everyone's wounds and helping them along the path to disappearing, she has studied the science of it all. She never practiced on People.
Instead, since she has no particular distaste for the dead and that the practice of looting bodies is part of adventuring, Bea riffles through the dead enemies bodies.
Bea relieves the fallen of anything that might be useful, and the Breachill Heroes regroup for a rest. Climbing back up the hole is not difficult given the rope, but with the not-entirely-sane goblin king a little farther ahead perhaps it is wise to make camp in the cavern where the glowing mushrooms used to exist before being turned into fungsicles by Bea.
Renali is nowhere to be seen.
The properties of the leader's arms and armor are quickly discerned by those with magical inclination, but both Bea and Gofran have a strange feeling about the arrowhead charm... it may not be a simple charm, but something more. Exactly what, however, remains a bit of a mystery for now.
On a critical hit, the Cinderclaw gauntlet deals an additional 1d6 fire damage.
Activate [reaction] command; Trigger Your attack roll with the Cinderclaw gauntlet is a critical success. Effect The creature you hit must succeed at a DC 19 Fortitude save or be sickened 1 by the gauntlet’s acrid smoke. Creatures that don’t need to breathe are immune.
Activate [reaction] command; Frequency once per day; Trigger You would miss with an attack made with a bow. Effect You get a +2 circumstance bonus to your attack roll. This can turn a miss into a hit.
"Where is Renali?" Bea asks with some concern. She worries and frets about. "I know she can fend for herself, she was doing so before we met her, but to just disappear, after such a horrible battle... do you think the spider had something to do with her? If so she saved us, so why would she disappear?"
"Perrhaps she is tending the spiderr, since it got hurrt by the leaderr." Gofran offers as he looks around for Renali. Since he was able to see in the dark, perhaps he could see where she went.
Intrigued by the arrowhead charm, but unsure of what it could do, Gofran pockets it, deciding on having it checked later.
It's that Bea mentions Renali, because Beau had been entirely oblivious to the fact she disappeared. "Wherever she is, she's there by her own volition. About that arrowhead, they surely must've taken it from something or someone more refined. Whatever its magical properties might be, it is a beautiful work of art."
He says that while he fiddles about with the cinderclaw gauntlet. While fascinating, refined or artsy it is not.
Karana wonders if Renali can be a spider, the way she became an ape. It would not explain her disappearance, however.
Karana steps in the direction the slider went, but does not stray from the party. She sniffs at the air.
[ooc]Can she tell if Renali or her spider is still near?
The smell of wet iron fills Karana's nostrils - an injured creature or person is that way.
Meanwhile, Gofran examines the gold symbol that the leader was wearing, recognizing the etching of the smoking dragon claw - the less-known symbol of Dahak.
Karana says, “Please follow. I think our friend is hurt.” Karana is not in great shape herself, but she has healing magic and will not let a friend or an innocent die as long as Desna grants her the gift of healing.
”Renali,” she calls softly, voice partly drowned in worry, “speak or tap the ground if it is you. Be you human or spider, I am coming to your aid.”
"Renali's hurt?" Bea looks up from her scavaging, and quickly follows Karana. "We need to find her." worry etched in her voice, imagining her wounded and all alone in the dark.
Renali's voice drifts down from the ceiling. "Oh, I guess no point in hiding now." A spindly silhouette descends slowly and carefully, her movements clearly hampered by wounds still oozing blood. She is not a spider, but not in her human form either; her head is clearly arachnid, with two large, multifaceted eyes and fuzzy mandibles, while her humanoid-shaped body is covered in colourful markings of cobalt blue and deep red that bleed into each other in violet shading.
"I apologize for the deception. Those who are not anadi find our true form... off-putting." She nods at Karana and Bea. "But you have proved yourself more open-minded than most. I am glad to see that you are all alive."
She gratefully accepts any healing magic.
Karana watches in amazement as Renali descends.
“Renali… you are beautiful! Analdi… you are the first of your kind I have seen. Please, do not feel you must hide your true form.”
Karana does not need to touch-cast her healing spell, but she places her hand on the wound.
She asks Renali to lie still while she works more on the wound.
"Ooo... I was unaware of the Analdi." Bea sounds out the name slowly to make sure she has it right. "I think the diversity of on Golarion is wonderfully outstanding." she says with an awed smile. "One could spend a lifetime trying to catalog us all and unfortunately die failing to manage even a fraction." she has questions so asks all she can think of while the healing takes place centering around how the transformation is accomplished.
Beau's initial reaction is one of surprise and confusion. How much magic does Renali wield that she can so easily shift between forms?! And how much of it does she wield to hide her true nature? That poor woman! Sure, spiders can give Beau the creeps, Renali is anything but a monster.
"While I'm sure there are monsters out there, so far the only real monsters I've encountered were those hiding among us, hiding behind ordinary faces and regular lives. I guess what I'm trying to say is that for most it is a choice to become and be one. What's her name, Lamashtu? Isn't she basically all about people making the choice of becoming corrupt nasty pieces of work? Goes to show how normal and ordinary most of us are, even if we fail to see it."
He then shuts up and helps Karana with treating Renali's wounds.
Renali inclines her head to Karana in gratitude. "Thank you for your words, and your healing. Yes, my people are called the anadi. We call the jungle home. It still feels a little awkward to be in my true form with you, it is considered rude among my people to assume it in the company of strangers... but I am a little drained from the fight and besides, you are not quite strangers anymore, are you?"
Renali clacks her mandibles in a rapid chittering that could be laughter. At Beau's comment, she cocks her head in puzzlement. "Lamashtu? We do not know this one. It is Nana Anadi, Grandmother Spider, who guides us. She is the goddess of twilight, weaving, illusion and family. She led our ancestors from servitude a long time ago, and when my people were frightened by the darkness, she plucked the dewdrops from her web to hang in the sky and light the night for them."
Gofran nods to Renali, appreciating her help with the difficult fight, but he'd lie if he said he did not find her appearance off-putting.
"I think we were going to head back up to recover from the battle. Do you want to come with us?" Bea asks, ready to make sure the townfolk understood that she was a friend, but understanding if Renali wants to keep her secrets.
Renali cocks her head thoughtfully. "Seems like a long way to go just to rest. I am quite used to sleeping in the wilderness, and I can show you how. Besides, there is that horrid creature back there, I do not think it would be wise to encounter him again in our weakened state."
Should the rest of the group agree to rest in the cave, Renali gets to work spinning lengths of spider silk which she fashions into hammocks - a fairly comfortable sleeping arrangement.
Karana loves it. “Oh! I cannot spin a web as you do, but how fun it would be to walk along them!”
She transforms into a tiny spider for a few minutes before resting on the hammock.
And if anyone else needs healing, that comes before rest!
Bea remembers the horrid creature in question and decides "You are right. Hmm... sleeping in a cave would be interesting." her eyes glow in interest. Maybe she believes bats will nestle in around her, if bats actually nestled at all.
With Beau's desire to follow in his uncle's footsteps there is no way he will say no to Renali's offer. Is it crazy? Yes. Outlandish? Obviously! But most of all, it will be a story worth sharing. An unlikely partnership and perhaps one-day friendship: the Andoran in him loves it.
However amazing the moment is, Beau does need a moment to recollect his thoughts and reflect on the (near fatal) events of the day. "Karana, could I bother you for a light? I, eh, I want to scribble down some thoughts in my diary. You know how they are. Here today, gone tomorrow, so I best catch them in ink before they flutter away to only the Gods know where."
“Yes, a light would be no trouble at all.”
Karana casts light on the webbing above the place Beau wishes to write. She likes the way it makes his hair seem to sparkle.
She lies on her hammock an does not look at the sparkly hair.
Gofran would not tell the others that sleeping in a spider's web gives him the creeps, but it was a logical step, since facing the crazed goblin-whatever was too risky.
It's hard to tell the time of day underground, but the "morning" finds everyone relatively well-rested. By all signs, nothing has creeped up from below, or came through the tunnels while they slept. Renali is back in her human form, humming to herself as she mends a few tears in her dress.
Descending down the sinkhole again, the group can explore the area more leisurely. Past the ruined complex of rooms, through the partially melted archway, lies a large circular chamber. The walls and domed ceiling are elegantly carved in spiralling designs, and five other archways are built into the curving wall, stone benches nestled between them in alcoves.
To the north, a double door stands in the side of a squared-off column protruding from the wall, while to the south an open archway leads to a stairwell leading up that’s been blocked by rubble. In the center of the room stand six statues of elves, all facing outward and arrayed around a dry fountain.
Gofran takes a look at the place before addressing the others. "I'm prretty surre this is the Rring." He says, obviously referring to Alseta's Ring.
Gofran then looks at the ruined stairs and then at the statues of the elves, trying to recognize them. "Rrenali, does this place look familiarr to ye?"
The remains of an unfortunate charau-ka lie half-buried under the rubble choking the stairwell to the south. It takes Gofran only a glance to confidently determine that attempting to dig out the stairs without dedicated tools, time, and expertise would lead to disastrous consequences.
The statues surrounding the fountain do depict some deities that Gofran recognizes - Alseta, goddess of doors and transitions, Findeladlara, goddess of architecture and art, Calistria, and Desna. The remaining two are more difficult to discern, but then Kyrie interjects, gazing intently at them. "That one is Yuelral, goddess of crystals and magic. And this one is Ketephys, god of hunting and the moon."
Renali nods at the question, turning in place to take in the whole of the space. "Yes! This is where I arrived after I stepped through the portal!"
While the others talk and point out what's what, Beau gets out his pocket diary and starts making rough sketches of what must be Alseta's Ring. Underneath the sketch, he adds 'Six elven gods, so why the focus on Alseta in the name?'.
Since he has zero talent for magic, he leaves it to the others to investigate the Ring and figure out 'how' it works. Could documenting this be his 'in' into the Pathfinder Society? Or at the very least, lead to a publishing deal of sorts to get his name out there?!
"Say Renali, would you mind ... would you mind showing me in what exact spot you 'appeared' here? And, if it is not too much to ask, may I make a quick sketch of that?"
Renali looks around for a moment, orienting herself, then walks towards the lowermost arch on the western side of the chamber, its stone arch carved with images of hawks and moons, interspersed with jungle vegetation and trees. The statue of Ketephys faces towards it.
"It was this one, I think."
Renali's confirmation is greeted by the hushed scratches of coal meeting paper. Flicking his eyes from Renali to the arch and back to the paper, Beau hastily draws the foundation lines for his sketch. "Hmhm. I see the arch is decorated with what I imagine must be jungle flora. Jungle! It's nothing like the forests of the Darkmoon Vale, that much is clear. And it's nothing like the flora of Osirion. Not that I've seen it, but I've read about it!"
Would he be taking too much artistic freedom if he hinted at Renali's arachnid nature by turning one of her arms into a spider-like limb? You idiot. Draw her as and who she is! Draw her like you'd want others to draw you: like you are.
"Thank you, Renali. Hopefully, we can help you get back home real soon. The idea of being whisked away by strange magics to a place so far from home, from your friends and family, my mind fails to comprehend how horrifying it must be." In fact, Beau has experienced shades of it, but nothing this drastic! Given a horse and a week of travel, Beau could make it back home. Not that there was much 'home' left in the Vale for him.
Once done, the pencil makes place for his sword. While mighty, Beau doubts the Charau-ka can be taken on with a writing utensil.
Bea's eyes light up in excitement, moving about with hushed glee to explore every detail of the gate with her eyes, her magical senses, and soft touches (once she thinks it is safe to do so). While the others talk she Thinks about how to activate it, or replicate it.
Noticing the decorations around the portals, Gofran turns to Beau. "Hey, Beau, could you make a table consisting of each portal, its decorations, its position, and the elven god in front of it?" Tables of information are a very common dwarven method of organization.
Gofran then moves towards the double doors, imagining if behind them they'll find any clues to how to activate the portals so Renali can be sent home.
Bea recognizes the carved stone arch as an aiudara, otherwise known as an elf gate. Each aiudara has a unique key, which is used to activate the gate by touching it to the stone within its arch - doing so will allow passage to the far side of the magical gateway.
As Gofran approaches the double door, one of it halves moves, shifting until it is revealed that the "door" is in fact a giant tower shield wielded by a huge construct, the bronze of its body streaked with verdigris. When it speaks, the sonorous voice sounds like a dozen distant bells.
Bea is happily distracted by the vocal sound of bells, a small intrigued smile on her lips before she actually pays attention. "Oh!" she reaches into her satchel, displacing her friend a little, causing an agitation of tentacles. "This!" the gnome pulls out a silver religious symbol depicting two faces in a profile that Gofran gave her.
She then remembers that not everyone can speak Elven. "He is saying the custodian of the ring is behind those doors, and only those carrying her blessed sign may pass. I hope that means we can all go together and not just the one of us holding it. And if it is just the one do pets count against the number, or..." she decides to stop.
Gofran steps back, alarmed by the unexpected revelation, but smiles of Beatrix's quick thinking. He awaits with his hand on his sword, just in case this doesn't work.
The construct steps aside once Beatrix presents it with Alseta's symbol, allowing passage into the space beyond. The room is plain and rather small, with several empty chests, old wooden tables, and mostly barren shelves. It may have once been used as a vault or records room, but right now only a few scraps of paper remain.
“You are brilliant, Bea!
“…and, I am under the opinion pets always count.”
Relieved that they were able to avoid fighting the construct, Gofran enters the room, taking a look on the few remaining papers, trying to find anything useful.
Beau waits outside the small room as it will be crowded enough with just Gofran and Bea inside. " I wonder why they built this ring here, so far underground and in a place that feels so ... unelvish? "
Bea preens a little at the praise and smiles, but does look a little disappointed at the room. She'll shift her sense into the magical realm, then if nothing appears, she'll peak around the side of Gofran's arm to see the papers.