Thoriel imbues her blade with lightning, steps forward and strikes!
Two of the ambushing aspis rush forwards - and one thrusts at Thoriel with his blade whilst his partner outflanks her.
Even the advantageous position isn't enough to allow him through the agile elf's guard.
round 2
Daedîn, -1hp
EG (white)
Inky
Yellow, -28hp
Thoriel, -1hp
Pai
Blue
Teric, -1hp
Green
Nina
HK (black)
The bold may act!
Daedîn's arrows fell two more of the ambushers.
The zombie that was Eldis Grone steps forwards out of the choking fog.
Round 2
Daedîn, -1hp
EG (white)
Inky
Thoriel, -1hp
Pai
Teric, -1hp
Green
Nina
HK (black)
The bold may act!
Thoriel cuts down the last of the ambushers.
The zombie is shredded by Teric's icy fireball, but the gaunt man is completely unaffected.
Nina and Inky are up!
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"Hrm...let's hedge our bets a bit," Nina grins as she begins casting a spell; as it concludes, everyone's movements quicken!
"Now, step to the side and forward," she adds to her eidolon, gently nudging Inky with her heels. "But not too far, okay?"
The pair cautiously advances, unsure of what to expect from the gaunt man...
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The four wolves emerge choking from the fog - they try to slink away, no longer interested in fighting.
The gaunt man emerges, wielding an oversized mace - and is struck by Pai's conjured dart of acid. The acid burns, and the aspis commander grimaces.
The gaunt man releases his grip on his weapon just long enough to make the gestures for a spell. A wall of fire springs up around him, separating Nina and Inky from the rest of you.
"You dealt with my men handily. But Asmodeus is my aegis! The powers of Hell are mine to command!"
The flames of the wall singe Thoriel.
Round 3
Daedîn, -1hp
Thoriel, -7hp
Pai
Teric, -1hp
Nina
Inky
HK (black), -5hp, acid arrow 1/4
active conditions: haste
The bold may act!
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Thoriel sighs as the fire licks against her, singeing her skin, hair and robe. "Really? Why do these Aspis have to be so damned annoying?".
She pauses until Pai tries to dispel the wall, then casts a quick spell of her own. This time, instead of electrical sparks, her blade glows with a frosty pale blue light. The graceful elf then glides up the stairs, and twirls her way past and around behind the obnoxious Aspis, before swinging her cold blade at his back.
Teric grants Daedîn the power of flight, and the elf rises into the air and looses an arrow at the gaunt man.
Pai brings down the wall of fire - much to the gaunt man's chagrin.
Adding injury to insult, Thoriel dances forwards and Nina lunges with her lance.
The frost spell does not hurt the gaunt man, though it does seem to slow him down.
Nina's final attack stabs the enemy through the chest - and he falls to the ground with Pai's conjured acid still eating away at him.
Combat over!
Daedîn, -1hp
Thoriel, -7hp
Teric, -1hp
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Teric gives the group a slow clap. "Excellent work, everyone!" He replaces his metamagic wand into his wrist sheathe. Then he activates the Lissalan tattoo, giving himself extra vigor.
He walks over to examine the man's body. "Aspis swine." He glances over to the undead corpse of Eldis Grone. "Well, his uncle will not be happy."
The fallen aspis leader wears a barbed silver unholy symbol of Asmodeus as well as a bronze aspis badge. He carries an ancient codex - Jistkan script stamped into plates of electrum. The zombie husk of Eldis Grone still carries a tattered, ruined journal; perhaps with time some clues can be salvaged from it.
The brief silence of the aftermath of the fight is ended by the sound of inhuman screeching in the distant dark. The screech is answered - and in moments a cacophony begins, inhuman noises echoing all around you. Who knows how many more morlocks, and perhaps Jistkan golems too, still lurk nearby?
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Teric lifts the Jistkan codex, noting the electrum material. "Well, this should fetch good interest from the scholars." He takes the journal from Eldis as well. "I suppose we ought to bring his body back to his uncle for proper burial and rites. Benton should have that much. And it sounds like we should make haste. Do you want to bring back the Aspis too?"
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Teric looks at Daedîn with a cold stare and he begins to lift up. "Trade Prince. Not. Dude."
Daedîn bows deeply. ”Excuse me, m’Lord…it appears I have overstepped my bounds. I will respectfully remember my place in the future…”
Hearing the cacophony of noise, Daedîn mutters, ”We should get going,” as he hurry overs to the corpse of Eldis Grone and picks it up, as he starts to head back to the cliffs and ultimately, the boat…
The aspis have a few healing potions, enchanted armour, and few other magical trinkets that you recover. You haul Grone's remains, and climb or fly back up the minecart track to emerge into the work camp on the plateau surface.
'Prince' Albert (and the other enslaved workers) demand to know how and when you are getting them out. There isn't room in your little row boat - but you can send the sailors back for them
Returning Eldis Grone - what's left of him - to his uncle Benton, you set sail for Absalom.
Benton is distraught, of course, but decides to come out of retirement to continue his nephew's work. Eldis' journal and the Jistkan codex are major finds; the journal contains clues to the existence of other lost Jistkan settlements, and the codex will in time reveal the secrets of the Imperium's golem forges.
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"Another job well done," Nina beams, mostly pleased with how everything turned out. "I wish we could've done more for Eldis but based on the body he was probably dead for days even before we got our assignment. Hopefully Benton can continue his work and do something worthwhile with all the information we found!"
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Daedîn bows deeply. ”Excuse me, m’Lord…it appears I have overstepped my bounds. I will respectfully remember my place in the future…”
Teric nods at the man. "It is not a matter of status between us. You have my respect and I believe I yours. Simple propriety, that is all. We are men of standing; we should act as such." He waves his hand, dismissing the issue.
"Now, Marquise, have some confidence. The Cult of Lissala is far more insidious. And the issues we had were actually not with them, so much as ancient guardians. Besides, pursuing them did turn out profitable. And I'm sure your presence will make all the difference." He gives her a grin.
A cut-off cry echoes in the distance as some unseen predator finds its first meal of the day. As if in warning, a strong wind howls through the ruins that provided last night’s shelter. Worse than the hard rock floor or the overgrown ancient thoroughfares is the incessant banging of primitive drums that pound from deeper within the city. In an effort to block out the thundering drums, your mind wanders back to images of Absalom and your mission briefing.
You are called to meet Venture-Captain Drandle Dreng at the Grand Lodge. (Remarkably, it is not the middle of the night when you are summoned). The old codger seems both excited and worried. "I've booked your passage aboard the Chelish merchant vessel Black Water Mistress, bound for the docks of Belde along the Maiestas River. You're going back to Rachikan." Dreng’s eyes stayed fixed on a map showing the route of the Maiestas River, and the Pillars of Anferita that hide the Jistkan city.
“Here’s the problem: the nation of Cheliax has sealed this region off from non-Chelish exploration.” Dreng’s eyes sparkle for a moment before he continues. “Now that’s not entirely fair, is it?” Without waiting for a response, Dreng winks. “That’s what I thought, so I sent a lone agent to secretly explore Rachikan.” Dreng’s eyes seem to lose their spark, “That agent is your friend and mine, Benton Grone.” Unable to hide his growing concern Dreng sputters, "Benton already lost his nephew, Eldis, in Rachikan, and I’ll be damned if the Grone family loses another member to that deadly city.” Regaining his composure, Dreng continues, “We sponsored Benton to secretly explore Rachikan, and initially, his reports came back to Absalom at regular intervals, but, well... they've stopped completely.” Dreng pauses, “This, unfortunately, is not our only concern.”
“The Chelish government has sealed Rachikan, so they don’t know we’re missing an agent.” Dreng smiles slyly. “My sources tell me a group of Chelish archeologists from Egorian’s prestigious Athenaeum have also disappeared; while this is, of course, a tragedy, we can use this information to our advantage.” Dreng’s smile widens. “I am sending you with forged documents and the official attire of Hellknights. One of Benton’s last missives mentioned a regiment of Hellknights—the Order of the Rack, I believe—who fortified a defensible position in the upper ruins and now guard a lift into the lower reaches of Rachikan’s shadows. It is there, deep within Rachikan, where both Grone and the Athenaeum’s researchers went missing. I need you to infiltrate Rachikan, bluff your way past the Hellknights, take their lift into the undercity, and discover what happened to Grone. Any questions?”
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"Oh man...now Benton's gone missing? That family just can't catch a break," sighs a gnome with strawberry-blonde hair and bright green eyes. Dressed in a sparkling chain shirt she carries a lance of adamantine slung across her back, along with her pack and an assortment of other weapons. Also notable is a small wooden holy symbol around her neck, depicting an angelic ankh. Sitting beside her is a rather large...fire cat? Except that it sports leathery black wings and has only a small stub for a tail.
"If we're Hellknights then I guess I'd better hide this," she adds with a sigh, fingers clasping around her holy symbol.
"Say...did Benton have anything to say about Rachikan before he went missing? We only saw a tiny bit of it and ran into plenty of trouble in just that tiny bit. What other sorts of critters and things are down there?"
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“Hi. Me Aeliah. Got told mission to Cheliax – thought it prolly one of them STOOPID dinner-party missions. Glad me wrong.”
A short half-elven woman slouches in her chair, with her heels up on the table. Immaculately made up, she wears a long Taldan ballgown of green silk, with her long brown hair piled up fashionably on her head and secured with a thin, gold tiara. The signet ring of the minor Taldan Noble House Raine graces her right hand over long white gloves.
The druidess tries to smile genuinely at the gnome summoner – but it comes over more like she’s thinking what a great meal Nina would make. “Gnome Knight Lady, you got cat eidolon? Cool.”
“Hope her not called ‘Tiddles’. Otherwise stuff might get confusing.”
She recognizes Nina’s holy symbol immediately. “Dawnflower a Hottie. Her Sun goddess. Me worship Ketephys the elven Moon god. Both patrol sky against evil. Just got different rosters, yes?”
“That agent is your friend and mine, Benton Grone.”
“So Benton Grone now Benton Gone? Yeah, me know. Aeliah jokes sometimes not appropriate.”
Aeliah parrots a scolding she’s ignored before, before turning serious. “If We Be Hellknights™, Aeliah can go as masked Signifier of Rack, yes? Her no can wear metal armor.”
“Also Aeliah not bluff good. So her should keep mouth shut and accent secret.”
“That OK with Pathfinders?”
"We don't have any of those peculiar masks the Signifers wear, but the uniforms you'll have are the real deal. You might also consider mock armour.
Asmodeus is the chief god amongst the Hellknights, but you might be surprised to know that that they follow several other deities even including Iomadae and Torag. Sarenrae, however, in not looked upon so favourably. The Hellknights are too hot on Law" Dreng smirks.
The venture captain turns to Aeliah. "Ah yes, Tiddles. I hope you have some way of getting your companion up cliffs and into lifts. May I suggest Reduce Animal or Carry Companion spells?"
"Grone confirmed that Rachikan is crawling with morlocks. Just as you noticed Inky, those sadistic bastards hunt in packs. Once one morlock detects your presence it might as well be a hundred, so watch your step. Grone also noted the presence of Jistkan golems. And... well here's the last message we got from him. Came via an Animal Messenger."
Dreng hands you a tiny, tightly rolled parchment.
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“So her should keep mouth shut and accent secret.”
"I would say that goes for most of them too." An oily haired Varisian man swirls a glass of wine towards the rest of the group. He smiles and nods a greeting to Aeliah, taking in her beauty with leering eyes. "It sounds like I will need to be in command of the group. The Hellknights can be such a bore, especially the Rack. But they do respect rank. I will say that at least the colors command a certain style."
Teric takes a moment to read the message Grone sent. "Well, he's being very explicit there. And we're taking no heed? It does seem a pity that both he and his nephew would perish in the same place. It sounds like the Hellknights are looking for this golem manual. Perhaps we can use that as a cover."
He looks around the group, settling on Pai. "Could you play a golem scholar? Perhaps someone else can be your apprentice. I will, of course, need a personal guard, secretary, troubleshooter, and what have you." He drains the wine glass, then snaps his fingers and a chilled pitcher floats over to refill it.
"Oh, and does anyone have that golem amulet we recovered last time? It would probably come in handy."
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“Whoa, Venture-Captain Drandle Dreng! You sure you real Venture-Captain? You actually helpful.”
Aeliah scribbles out a Dark Archivist’s requisition for five copies of Carry Companion on a single scroll. “The log-arithm-istics surrounding Tiddles was gonna be Aeliah’s first question after obligatory 'get-to-know-others' talking.”
She grins at Nina. “Tiddles gonna be mad when him find out odd number spells on scroll. Me can leave him in stone form and not change back if him play up!”
“Aeliah good being Chelaxian archaeologist, Slick Man. But also don’t mind playing Armiger. In fact her can apply to be Real Hellknight Armiger at Cheliax Embassy.”
“Only problem, Aeliah cannot talk – let ‘lone bluff. And mock armor no guarantee to pass checkpoint inspection with real Hellknights. General run-of-camp prolly fine though.”
“Maybe best Aeliah go through check-point wild-shaped as fake-familiar – like rat. Sit on Slick Man’s shoulder, say.”
“Only problem, if Aeliah get excited she ... might ‘make mess’ on Slick Man. But if you boss, you happy take one for team, yes?”
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Teric taps his lips in thought. "A Chelaxian archaeologist...That could work very well." He bows his head. "My apologies for my manners, Miss Aeliah. Or perhaps, we should begin calling you Doctor Aeliah. Or Professor Aeliah. Yes, I like that."
"I am Trade Prince Teric Cain. A merchant trader. I run dozens of shipments across Avistan and Golarian. In my line of work, you learn how to negotiate through difficult conversations. That sounds like it might be needed here. Oh, I also command a number of magical talents from the simple to the complex." He hands his wine glass off to his invisible servant, it floating away. "As for sitting on my shoulder, you may want to ask Darla for permission." Suddenly a mass shifts under his shirt, a snake's head poking out of his collar to coil around his arm. The snake seems to emerge from a tattoo around his neck. It slithers down his arm, hissing. Then it doubles back towards his neck, shifting between tattooed ink and slithering serpent.
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“No worries, Slick Man.”
"As for sitting on my shoulder, you may want to ask Darla for permission."
“Oh! coo, coo! Aeliah Saurian Shaman. Her looove snakes!”
The druidess’ features elongate like a caiman's. Scales breakout like acne on her face and her tongue becomes forked, as she carries on a hissy conversation with Teric’s familiar.
“I was not serious about coiling on your mammal’s shoulder – but if we can be allies, I would love to coil beside you!”
“How easy is your mammal to maintain? Is he mega-needy or whiney? Can he think on his own without asking your advice all the time?”
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The little gnome grins when she sees most of her old friends at the mission briefing. ”Its so terrible what happened to the whole Grone family, you know,” she said sadly.
She makes a large wave to the new member of the group. ”Hi Aeliah. I’m Pai. So nice to meet you. I could pretend to be a golem specialist, I suppose. I do have some knowledge about the topic. Maybe just enough to get us in, but if they question us too much, it probably won’t hold up long.”
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“And you, Pai.”
Fantastic! She’s right on point with no BS. We’re going to get on!
“Aeliah still leaning towards being real or fake Armiger, wildshaped into someone’s familiar as us pass Hellknight checkpoint before mountain lift.”
“But don’t get Aeliah wrong. If team want her assigned other role, just tell her and she do it, no fuss. Have got disguise kit – but Aeliah not good at disguises.”
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Darla lifts her head up to watch Aeliah, flicking her tongue out at the Druid. The tattoo shifts and more of the snake appears, coiling itself under her head. She hisses at Aeliah.
Darla's eyes Aeliah for a long moment, then lets out a strongly aggravated hiss. "Why do you ask about him? He is mine. My pet. I found him and I shall keep him. Back away or I'll bite you like I did that tart from the brothel! She was getting a bit too comfortable with him for my taste. My pet is finally able to give me the life of luxury I deserve. He might be full of himself, but I will not let you take him away, hear?" You see the remaining tattooed body of the snake seem to tighten around Teric's neck.
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Running fashionably late to the briefing as always, Thoriel joins the rest of the group.
With her shimmering violet eyes and long, flowing brown hair, she looks as stunningly beautiful as ever. She is well dressed in her very well-fitted and fashionably low-cut sparkling silver armor and her favourite fine purple cloak. Her extremely sharp looking scimitar is of course sheathed at her hip. She also sports some impressive jewellery, including a dark black amulet that seems to cling to the skin above her breasts and a jewelled band that she wears on her head.
She nods greetings to her familiar travelling companions, and her eyes move to Aeliah. Lingering there, she checks the young woman up and down, her gaze pausing a moment as she takes in the Taldan ring on the young woman's finger.
"Greetings! I'm Thoriel. Marquise Thoriel Liltamael, if we're being formal. I...ah, have we met? Perhaps at a function back home? It's been awhile since I've been back. Love what you've done with your hair by the way!"
The confident young girl gives her own glistening hair a bit of an unconsious flick as she turns back to the rest of the group. "What's this I picked up about us going undercover as Hellknights? I mean, I don't mind wearing black, but have we got anything a little less bulky and more flattering to the figure than their usual plate? Perhaps some hellknight leather or something? Something that won't hinder my moves?" She smirks as she does a graceful twirl on the spot. "Oh, and do we get to bring our own gear with us...in case we get a chance to slip into something a little bit more comfortable at some point in the mission?"
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"You can talk to snakes!? That's SO NEAT!" Nina gasps as she watches Aeliah and Darla interact, clearly oblivious to finer nuances of the conversation. "Oh! And my name's Nina, Nina Brightspark. Knight of Sarenrae! Well, sort of, I mean. I don't belong to any knightly orders or anything but I fight for Sarenrae just the same."
Nina gestures to the fiery, winged eidolon sitting next to her. "And this is Inky. She's my best friend and defender and she carries me into battle."
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"Technically, it's Incandescence," the eidolon rumbles. "But 'Inky's' quicker and easier to say in a fight and Nina does enough talking as it is."
Inky gives Aeliah a curious look. "Soooo...who's Tiddles? Your horse? A wolf? We worked with a battle medic a couple missions back that rode around on a moose. Not too bright but those hooves packed a punch."
There's a slight pause and then the eidolon's tone softens just a bit. "She didn't make it back. The moose, I mean. It was a shame. She fought well."