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Khiari ruffles at Vardarel's comment, but Bella takes a careful sidestep in front of her.
"Excuse me, sir. Our World and the First World treat death very differently. However, our father's murder was definite and deliberate. The assassins were paid well, they did not care of the ramifications." She can feel Khiari calm down a bit and her breathing return to normal.
Bella realizes she was quite open to a relative stranger. "I don't believe we have met, but I see you are with my other teammates. I am Sidare, given name Bella. And this is my sister, given name Khiari. I am seven seconds older and thus seven seconds wiser."
"And you are...?"
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"He's Vardarel; diplomat yes, actor and dancer NO. I believe I have that right? And destroyer of undead, healer of wounds, and he likes to carry a bow but I've yet to see an arrow fly. He did good for his first mission with our team." Stitch helps fill in Bella and Khiari, with his own sly grin and spin on the details.
"I think you had a little inside information Bella.. skipping the mission in the sewers? Avoiding the zombie splatter?" He looks down towards her shoes, imagining slinging some of the slop on them just to feel better.
"None taken..." Khiari stamps her hooves to cool off.
"I liked my adventure more, though. Solving mysteries in the First World at full powers? Ah, it was nice..." She rubs her belly, engrossed with the glowing sigil of a rose.
"House Sidare is in Galt and Effervescent Green, simultaneously. So without the summon ritual, we go to our respective homes when we leave the manor."
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"Hmm. I guess I'd say your world is more... restrained than mine." Khiari starts to ponder. "People here are less adventurous, less animated. Much more cautious. That means it's easier to affix morals and standards here than in the First World."
"Like, things fall down when you drop them off a cliff. That's not always true back Home. Time is also loose. I'll meet you in an hour has wildly differing meanings. Is it timeless? Accelerated? Sometimes time catches up to you in the blink of an eye, especially if you come to this world. Which means you may be stuck somewhere because you'll age instantly when you leave."
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"Huh...it sounds dangerous...b-but exciting, too," Fran remarks, looking both thoughtful and wistful all at once. "I, um, I'd like to see it for myself one day..."
She continues to appear lost in thought until Bella inquires further about the playhouse, which snaps her back to the present. "Oh! Um, yes actually, a playhouse ran by goblins. Their leader, King Zusgut, seems to have a thing for the theater and other performing arts. I think they fled here from the, um, Gravelands."
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"Ah, Madame Nettlesoup. Thank you for your directions, they proved to be quite accurate." Bella turns to Clover. "Have you read the Absalom Lovers recently? They have all sorts of salacious gossip. Trouble is brewing on the Absalom Council, due to a stray undead creature revealing the origins of family wealth." Bella retrieves the magazine from Khiari's notebook. Khiari holds the bookmark in place so Bella doesn't ruin her spot.
"Also, there's a rather tempting recipe for rosemary and cranberry bread..."
"Oh! Well. It's alright Nicole." Khiari gives her a hug. "We don't exactly tell everyone. But the mystery bounces between this world and my world, so it seemed appropriate to figure out how to summon each other."
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Roark sticks his head into the cauldron (not into the soup) and savors the odor coming from it. He pulls out his bowl and dips it into the cauldron.
"Now this is something I missed." He winks outrageously at Clover.
That guy IS definitely part sea gull. If he tries stealing my fries I'm gonna light him up!
Stitch gives Clover a hello nod.
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"It is a question to consider. House Sidare exists in both worlds." Bella ponders. "As long as they can climb over the walls they can gain access. My father's reputation kept intruders at bay." Bella's face softens for a moment.
"Your soup is exemplary, Madame Nettlesoup." Bella takes a quiet sip and a small spoonful.
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Moving over to where Clover and her caldron are, Vardarel smiles and says “Greetings, I am Vardarel, a priest of Ketephys The Hunter.”
“It is my understanding that you have adventured before with these people, but I fear about all I know of you is that you make soup.”
"And fire. All sorts of fire." Stitch adds in without prompt, as he is one to do, from under the mower deck of Meat Wagon. Oh wow, a hand. I wonder if anyone's missing one.. from those undead in the sewers? Maybe older..
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"Pleased to meet you, Vardarel!" Clover beams. "I have a roasted red pepper soup with seared bits of shrimp today, which should go well with the rosemary and cranberry bread recipe that Bella found."
Clover shows Vardarel her hair, which contains tiny sparks of multi-colored flame in among the normal tresses. "One of my ancestors was a phoenix, which has given me a bit of an affinity for fire, but I do use other elements in my magic." She looks up at the elf. "What is your specialty, Vardarel?"
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She looks up at the elf. "What is your specialty, Vardarel?"
"Healing magic to soften the walking dead... so the mower blade cuts deeper." He chuckles, tossing a hand out from underneath the deck before going back to work resharpening the blades with a file.
The only finger remaining is the one in the center.
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Vardarel sighs at Stitch’s description of his capabilities.
“I do not consider myself a specialist, but I suppose that I have focused more on channeling life energy than other priests. Ketephys shares Pharasma’s abhorrence of undead. The only thing worse is Treerazer and his minions.” He says the name Treerazer with clear disgust in his voice.
“Other than that, I have what I would consider a classical elven education.”
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Stitch continues to clean the underside of Meat Wagon, tossing various unrecognizable chunks out, various bits of twine, roots, and even a belt. "Well, now that that's done I can eat!" He wipes his hands down his greasy overalls and heads for the cauldron.
"Say, anyone heard what the next errand they're sending us on? If I had a little bit of notice I could modify Meat Wagon to be more effective." More effective than it is already? I know, hard to believe.
Though Stitch doesn't get an answer to his question immediately, it doesn't take more than a few days for one to come around. Thanks to the collective efforts of the Pathfinder Society’s agents and allies Aslynn the night hag merchant, dreaded foe and nemesis of the Society, has recently been defeated and a sense of peace has returned. While plenty of cataloging and chronicle-reporting remains to be done, the Pathfinder Society decided its members need a break from work to officially recognize the recent achievements, acknowledge a few promotions, and applaud all for a job well done. And what better way is there to celebrate than to host a weeks-long festival at the Grand Lodge with agents and guests from all corners of Golarion?
It's currently a few hours after midday, and the festivities are in full swing within the Events Hall of the Grand Lodge. The hallways are chock full of agents and guests filing in and out, jovially introducing themselves, discussing recent ventures, and swapping stories. You currently find yourselves in one of the offices of the Envoy’s Alliance lounge, having been asked to gather there by Fola Barun. Fola and several other familiar agents are in the middle of undoing and resewing some gilded letters stitched onto a large green banner when you arrive. Notably, Fran and Mister Midnight seem to be absent.
Fola momentarily pauses in her needlework and waves hello as she approaches. Once she arrives, she places hands together before her face. Thimbles cover the tips of all her plaster-bandaged fingers. "I sincerely apologize for pulling you away from all the fun, but as you can see, we have something urgent to remedy." She nods in the direction of the green silk banner. One of the agents yelps, having stabbed themselves with a needle. "The seamsters misspelled a crucial word and I only caught it this morning. Originally at this hour, I was scheduled to give a fellow Envoy’s Alliance member, Taiwalei, a guided tour of the Maze of the Open Road. Since I’m unable to part with my duties, however, I would like you all to act as his guide instead. Of course, this counts as a regular Pathfinder mission, so you will be compensated. It also shouldn’t take very long. I informed Taiwalei there’s an event here he must attend around late afternoon. You have three hours before the event starts. Once the time is up, you can all return to the ballroom in the Event Hall to join the party and consider your mission complete. Any questions?"
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Clover has been alternating between dishing out soup and performing for the party, so a break sounds nice. Still, she has questions. "Can you tell us a little about Taiwalei?"
"Also... only three hours to guide someone through the Maze?" Clover asks. "But the Maze of the Open Road goes everywhere! It even went to Akiton a short while ago. Where does Taiwalei want to go?"
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Bella has enjoyed the celebration so far. Her only regret was not arriving in time to insult Aslynn personally. It was so much fun to mock her shadow and her overly polished, obviously enhanced horns.
But she and her sister Khiari are regulars at the lodge. Bella has enjoyed the impromptu jam sessions and wordplay that spring up from the many performers, poets and silver tongued rogues. It's not often that she is challenged and humbled by a well timed quip.
When Fola Braun calls her over, there's a sense of relief. "I believe I am due for another display of acrobatics in the training yard. But of course, duty takes precedence. To be frank, these routines are very taxing. Oh, how I wish the suitors who visited my manor were half as gifted. Perhaps I wouldn't find them so dull."
She pauses. "A fellow Envoy's Alliance member. How far should we travel into the Maze? It will be easy to get lost, won't it?"
She feels a brief itch, as if she walked into a wall. "One moment while I recall my sister. She must stay relatively close to me at all times."
Khiari appears in a puff of smoke next to Bella, her fur messier than usual. "What am I doing here... sis! I was about to get to the fun part!" She stamps her hoof. "I met this one guy, kind of cute, kind of shy, but a great kisser! We were about to-" She looks around the room, changes subject and gives an innocent wave. "Oh, hi everyone. What are we doing today?" She dusts off her clothes and wraps a short green shawl around her neck.
"And where's Fran and Mister Midnight?" She counts the teammates. "And Stitch? Well, at least I'm not last."
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Meat Wagon rumbles through the hallway, a gaggle of excited, yet slightly scorched Gnomes and Goblins trailing behind "Yes, let's get into that maze of roads.. " He hollers over the never ending slew of questions about Meat Wagon's construction, calibration procedures, internal steam pressure ratings, fuel ratios, and WDxxx chemical formulae.
"We should go now, no time for questions.. just get ME OUTTA HERE!" His eyes look wildly for the entrance or some person that could possibly be named Taiwalei.
Fola laughs and raises her hands again, indicating that everyone should calm down just a little. "Your enthusiasm is wonderful but please, one question at a time!"
"Sure thing! Ummm what does this new member look like?"
"Can you tell us a little about Taiwalei?"
"Taiwalei is one of the Envoy's Alliance’s most esteemed recruiters, and one of several recently promoted venture-captains. He comes from the eastern Okaiyo Ocean and is quite the accomplished seafarer," Fola explains. "He's human, male, quite well-built and tan, as most seafarers are, and he should be easily identified by the traditional tattoos on his right shoulder and neck." Fola hesitates, "Unless he's decided to wear a tunic today. Let's hope he's still in his usual white sash."
"Anyway, if it is a tour, what would be the itinerary for this one?"
"But the Maze of the Open Road goes everywhere! It even went to Akiton a short while ago. Where does Taiwalei want to go?"
"Oh no, don't worry! Neither of us expect you to give a guided tour of the entire maze - especially when there are still parts of it that we haven't mapped out yet. As for where he wants to go, I'm not certain of what else he has in mind but I do know he mentioned wanting to visit Heidmarch Manor in Varisia."
“How do we navigate the Maze?”
"By way of written directions," Fola answers; her expression is sincere so it's clearly not a joke. "Each known portal and location has a set of directions given on how to reach it. Taiwalei will have the directions for the locations he'd like to visit. Now it does take a little time to navigate to each place even with directions...and it doesn't hurt to let someone with a good sense of direction be in charge of the navigation."
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As you ask your questions and chat with Fola, some of you recall additional information about Taiwalei and/or the Maze of the Open Road.
Bella, Vardarel, and Stitch have all heard Taiwalei's name before and know that he became a Pathfinder Society agent while exploring Tian Xia with his cousins, having sailed there from their home islands in the eastern Okaiyo Ocean. He is known for generously offering free passage to those who wish to join the Society.
Bella, Clover, Nicole, and Stitch happen to recall that Forest King Narven did not, in life, pass much knowledge on how to maintain the maze's condition. The hedge maze thus declined after his death. The planar fabrics were frail in certain areas, which led to gradually worsening instabilities that have only recently been resolved. Eliza Petulengro, a member of the Decemvirate that leads the Pathfinder Society, took point on the recent stabilization efforts. In addition to this, Roark also remembers reading that other than being transposed from their previous entry and exit points, some of the portals of the maze have merged. This is particularly the case with portals to the various elemental planes, likely the side effect of the Material Plane containing large amounts of all elements.
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"Having no itinerary to follow sounds... interesting!" Nicole perks up. "We will just have to be careful unless we get lost in the Maze." she adds. She then readies herself to meet the man and 'guide' him into the Maze.
If given time, Nicole will affix talismans to her weapons: the owlbear claw on the dagger, and the potency crystal on the hand crossbow.
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"Oh, I guarantee we'll get lost." Bella perks up and double checks her handwraps. "But it's like getting lost in the library. You'll find a few new books you've never seen before on your way out."
Bella takes a moment to procure a pair of minor healing potions on their way out.
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"Don't expect me to lead they way. Scratch is the woodsman of the family. Its about all he's good for."
The sounds of a mower blade powering up drowns out the gaggle of curiosity, followed by more hollering from Stitch "If you get any closer you'll lose a limb, and it won't be my fault. You've been warned!" He points particularly to a pair of scorched goblin twins trying to climb up on the buck board.
"Yes, your compasses and wayfinders should function as normal," Fola answers with a reassuring smile. "Now don't forget, you've got three hours until the event. While there's a little wiggle room for being fashionably late, much longer and we'll have to send a search party out! Oh and be sure to pick up anything you think you might need or want before you go collect Taiwalei."
"We agreed to meet before the heads of Baphory’s Walk. Knowing him, he should have come this way when I didn’t show up on time, but there is quite a crowd to mingle with between the statues and here. So, he’s likely somewhere among the crowd." Fola smiles a little awkwardly. "Maybe we planned too many distracting attractions during this event..."
"And where's Fran and Mister Midnight?"
"Oh! I almost forgot, but since you understandably are curious, I believe Miss Rosemont's expertise was needed on another matter today. But don't worry, she should be finished in time to rejoin us later this evening."
"Hey Stitch! Maybe you can help Fola out? What they're doing has your name on it!"
"Oh very kind of you to offer, but there are many details which I must personally see to because we have...our surprise event planned. A pleasant one!" That last remark is quite welcome given the Pathfinder Society’s natural affinity to disruptions, particularly during celebrations. "Besides, Taiwalei mentioned in his last correspondence that he is looking forward to making some new friends. You should take the opportunity to get to know him." Fola winks when she gives her suggestion. "Now, I'll let you get to it!" She seems eager to see you off and surely it's 100% in relation to wanting Taiwalei to have a good time and 0% to do with keeping Stitch's greasy hands away from the decorative banner.
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