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"My nose, my beautiful stuffy nose!" Cries Stitch as its nearly bitten off. Lucky for him he's made some new friends that cast healing spells. He gently pats at it, feeling mostly fixed he grins. "Follow Bella and Nicky in there and kick some ass!" He follows this up by bravely raising his shield to protect what's left of his nose.
Finally!
Meat Wagon throttles down to squeeze through the hall and doorway, moving up next to the black bugger covered in Stitch's blood, trying to ram it into the wall. Its wheels spin in the coins but finally gain purchase!
SMOOSH!
Stitch's beautiful yet stuffed nose being mostly fixed, he urges Meat Wagon into an attack on the remaining megalictus, which thanks to the Courageous Anthem, turns into a crit!
Meatwagon rolls over the megalictis and completely flattens it.
Meanwhile, Red's eyes widen and he raises his hands. "I suppose you can split this treasure with me? We could all be rich. What do you say?"
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Meat Wagon simply rolls back and forth over the megalictis' corpse, its mower blade pulsing off and on menacingly while Stitch reloads his pistol.
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Red looks a bit green in the face as Meat Wagon rolls back and forth over the megalictis corpse, and looks longingly at the gold in the vault before shrinking away from Bella and fleeing out of the room.
Shortly after he runs out, a blue kobold arrives and looks around with approval at the scattered corpses and gore on Meat Wagon. "You caught some vault thieves! And you're back! You got the artifact that Purepurin wanted?" Before you get a chance to answer, he nods and says, "Good, now follow me!" And he takes off at a run.
Other kobolds join in, ushering you deeper into the caves to where Purepurin has been preparing the ritual to contact her mistress. The cavern is devoid of treasure, designed solely for meetings and communication with the outside world.
A small breeze flows throughout the spacious cavern from ventilation sources somewhere near the distant ceiling. The soft glow of crystals along the walls illuminates fine furniture of all sizes, with sets of tea and various delicacies artfully arranged on lavish tables to accommodate guests. At the tallest wall is a large hearth carved by nature's work, surrounded by ritual items and bursting with a twisting cerulean flame.
Purepurin stands before the hearth, struggling with a pair of tongs to adjust the hippogriff in a jar into the center of bright blue coals. The Pathfinder Society's gift to Valashinaz sits on a small table beside her, ready to be presented, and the ghost courier fulu is plastered onto the wall. The kobold turns as she hears company arrive, nearly swinging the jar out of the flames as she shouts.
After a brief discussion of your sanguinolent style, you decide that perhaps it is better to clean it all off. Lokaloka obliges with some swift prestidigitation, making you all look and feel much fresher.
Purepurin has already prepared the ghost courier fulu and hippogriff in a jar, hurriedly taking the jug of fond remembrance from you to complete the ritual. She pours the contents into a series of connected ceramic saucers and slides them into a compartment beneath the flames, the steam changing the fire from blue to gold.
The jar set within the golden flames cracks open and the fulu evaporates into a mist that swirls into the hearth. A dark shape emerges, twisting and stretching as it grows. Smoke coalesces into the agile shape of a dragon that stretches out to fill the empty spaces of the cavern. A cold, ancient face forms from the vapor, misty scales rippling into place as a rumbling voice echoes out. “Purepurin, have you called me?”
“Yes, ma'am!” Purepurin stands straight, tail twitching nervously. The enormous smoky image of Valashinaz, powerful, lithe, and nowhere near full size, peers down coolly. “You see, there's been a bit of a scheduling mishap! These nice adventurers have brought you a gift from, uh...” Purepurin glances over and gestures, whispering, “Introduce yourselves! Tell her why you're here!”
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"Greetings, Valashinaz." Bella bows respectfully. "I am Sidare, given name Bella. We are representatives from the Pathfinder Society, and we arranged a meeting with you to exchange knowledge- and perhaps forge a new alliance."
"This is my younger sister by 7 seconds, Khiari. I'll let my teammates introduce themselves."
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Beady red eyes wide, Lokaloka is for once at a loss for words. She bows as best she could before stammering out "I's Lokaloka. Yous big dragon. We's Paffinders here and gives yous gift"
As an afterthought, she rummages around and retrieves a short green object still dripping with... something.
"Pickle?"
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Stitch allows the cleaning, Meat Wagon does, but doesn't make it easy, constantly rolling forward or backwards at just the wrong time. "Let's hope this dragon doesn't eat Dwarves." He chuckles, half serious.
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Arriving in the room atop his steed, Stitch mostly just looks around. He shrinks down a bit when the dragon's presence towers over him. "Stitch here, and my intelligent yet obedient construct companion Meat Wagon." Who, answers with a blast of smoke, which you aren't quite sure was in agreement or protest to the 'obedient' part.
Its also odd Stitch doesn't include his clan name, he almost always does.
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Nicole, somewhat terrified by the huge presence of Valashinaz, reluctantly introduces herself, trying to maintain her composure.
"Uhmm, I am Nicole, Nicole Flames," she says, slowly moving behind Bella, or Stitch's Meatwagon, even though it might belch smoke on her. However, her immediate concern is the presence of Valashinaz.
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The dripping green thing that Lokaloka was holding dissipates into vapor which swirls into a spiraling green mist that smells of dill and brine. The green vapor flies directly the mouth of the vapory Valashinaz.
"Pickle? Not bad. Next time, I want one with more crunch," the dragon says.
Then Purepurin speaks up. "Oh mighty Valashinaz, these Pathfinders are coming as the vanguard for an official embassy that will be arriving later..."
"Embassy?" The vaporous head grows ever larger until its eye is as large as Purepurin. "And when will this... embassy be arriving?"
Purepurin squeaks as the vapourous dragon eye looks disapprovingly down upon her. "In half an hour?"
A snort of smoke from the dragon billows around Purepurin.
Purepurin continues quickly. “So, you see, boss, it would be really great if you could come back in time for the meeting! I'm sure these nice Pathfinder ladies are going to be here soon, and it'd be a shame if we couldn't have our talk with them after they've brought you such a nice gift.” Purepurin gestures at the silk-tied bundle of books that you brought along with you, along with the Wayfinder of the Open Road. She grins at her mistress, all teeth.
The smoky vision of Valashinaz weaves throughout the room, eying each individual creature with measured scrutiny before settling in front of Purepurin. “Very well, my steward. I'll return shortly. Perhaps afterward, we should discuss schedule management.” Valashinaz's misty face stretches into a long smile as the smoke evaporates, swirling back into the hearth and snuffing out the fire.
The room dims and Purepurin heaves a sigh of relief. “The boss isn't the late type, so we should be seeing her pretty soon. Let's get some fresh tea and snacks ready for everyone, huh?”
You help Purepurin brew the tea, carry out the finest delicate ceramic tea dishes, one tea cup, covered in delicately painted black dragons, the size of a large bowl. Kobolds come out of the kitchens with dozens of tea treats. Almond cookies, and delicious fried puffs filled with savory fillings, and delicate dumplings.
When Valashinaz returns to the vaults, she unwraps your gift gently with her claws. "Thank you for these gifts. Fascinating." She turns her gaze once more to you. "I promise to have an open mind about the Pathfinder Society, and talk faithfully to your Emissaries."
Purepurin brings you along to greet Venture-Captain Yi Da Som and the Waterfall as they arrive at the cave entrance. The kobold loudly praises the Pathfinder Society for helping clear the vaults of vermin (without mentioning the scheduling mishap) and Da Som assures her, "The Society is always there to help."
The Waterfall thanks you for your hard work. "And I have heard you have negotiated with a friendly local goblin tribe." She raises a hand. "I commend you for giving us a new alliance, and ask that you return back to the Hwanggot Lantern Lodge for a thoroughly deserved rest."
The meeting commences and the Society begins a formal discussion with Valashinaz about magical artifacts and their connections to mindscape while you return back to a relaxed lunch at Hwanggot Lantern Lodge.
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Stitch avoids carrying anything that looks breakable, its in the group's best interest. He does however partake in all the free food and drink, keeping his distance from anyone with any power or giant fire breathing mouths... just in case.
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On the trip back to the Hwanggot Lantern Lodge, Vardarel says “I am surprised at how disorganized Purepurin is as an assistant.”
"I haven't been around too many kobolds for too long, the family used to just vaporize them on sight, but always been told they run around a lot yipping like dogs and trying to lead you into some crazy trap. Times they have a changed." Stories of vaporizing goblins and kobolds in the mines with the blast furnaces just seemed normal back then!
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"I thank you for your aid, Purepurin." Bella helps prepare the meeting.
"Forks on the left." She quickly shuffles one of the serving plates.
Khiari simply shrugs and pours more tea.
Bella is filled with awe as the dragon presents herself to the Pathfinder dignitaries. It's not everyday you see such a majestic beast.
Khiari tugs her arm and she takes her leave.
"Yes, times have changed, for the better I believe." Bella and her sister practice tap dancing on their way out.
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The team reconvenes after a solid 8 days of downtime, rested, recuperated, re-energized, or maybe just broke and bored. A small tabby cat with a torn ear slides up next to Mr Midnight meowing, a small tube with a note inside tucked under its collar. When opened it reads as the following:
Head to Katapesh, speak with Yigrig in the city of Katapesh. Leave Stitch behind but don't tell him the real reason, be convincing. This message will explode in T-5 seconds. . . . .
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Seeing the note, Vardarel quickly folds it into a box as he counts down in his head.
At slightly less than two seconds left, he hands it to Stitch.
As it explodes, he says “Seems lots of stuff explodes around you. You need a vacation.”
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When he meets up with the others at the docks, he asks “Have any of you been to Katapesh before? I haven’t.”
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Bella spends her days working on her slam poetry and her dance moves. Plenty of stuffy suitors hold her attention long enough to mock them. Khiari is much nicer and able to avoid fights from breaking out.
When she approaches the other Pathfinders, she now has a pale blue-gray scarf around her waist. Tiny bells remain fixed on it. "Greetings, everyone. My sister acquired a beautiful scarf. She refuses to inform me of how she acquired it. But she says it was legal."
Khiari giggles and holds a hand to her mouth. Bella sighs.
"A vacation is a good idea. Forests in Galt are quite lovely at this time of year. There are many upcoming industrial conferences occurring, as the region is slowly yet steadily recovering their economy."
Eventually Steeltoe bids goodbye, with Meat Wagon blowing off two puffs smoke as a form of goodbye.
Khiari learned a few more dance moves with her hooves, and a few using her multijointed legs. She also found one of the suitors was a merchant with a beautiful dancing scarf. It was the perfect gift and he was more than willing to gift it.
Which is good, because Khiari spent a lot of money on ale at the taverns and reserving dance halls for Bella.
"What's happening in Katapesh?" She shrugs. "I've never been there."
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"Clover! Boy did I miss you!" Roark runs up to Mr Potbelly and peers inside, wondering if there's any soup to be had.
Roark stares at the scarf on Bella's wrist. With a flip, he also shows off the scarf he's wearing like an ascot around his neck. "Oh! Did ya get one too? Gives me some thing to flash around while dancing now."
Khiari bounces to Roark. "Wow! It's beautiful..." She looks at his scarf. "I bet it flaps in the wind, too, like a cape. I've been thinking about getting something like this, but it only really works for my sister. Maybe I just need one that looks as good as yours."
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Stitch looks at Roark's give with apprehension but does indeed accept and open it "Hey, I'll put these to good use!" He ties a fresh one on a string for Mr Midnight straight away and saves the rest for later.
Responding to Nicky he says "Vacation, downtime, whatever you want to call it. Mostly I call it 'work on Meat Wagon upgrades'." Who promptly flings a stone at a particularly aggressive looking squirrel chattering at the wagon.
Stitch accepts the box from Vardarel only to have it explode "Now that's a pretty devious thing to do for an Elf! Not bad..." He grins.
"I think I'll take a few days off, maybe make some more cat toys while I think of a rebuttal." He snorts a quick laugh and rides off, Meat Wagon slinging stones at rodents along the way.
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"Bye Stitch, bye Meat Wagon!" Fran waves as the pair take their leave, puffs of black smoke and exhaust left in their wake. "Enjoy your vacation!"
Turning back to the rest of the group, she shakes her head in reply to Vardarel's query. "Um, n-no, I haven't. Not that I remember, anyway. It's in the desert, right? Should I go buy some warm-weather wear, maybe?"
She then smiles and waves cheerily at both Clover and Roark. "It's g-good to have the both of you back! If we need to do any shopping, um, want to go together? It's usually more fun with, um, friends..."
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"Obviously!" Khiari pipes up and tugs her sister's arm. "Bella won't say this openly but she's a stickler for store etiquette. She will be silently judging each clerk that comes to help." She turns to her sister's emotionless glare. "She gets a big kick out of that."
Stitch's friends are directed to the docks district to board a ship named The Gambling Genie, a three masted schooner loaded down with lumber and ready to set sail.
"Stow yer gear and prepare to sail, next stop Katapesh to the South!" A goblin mate hollers as the last Pathfinder steps aboard, and not a moment later.
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Right on cue the all goblin crew bursts into song with the mate starting off with the rest of the crew calling back.
"Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?"
"Absorbent and yellow and porous is he"
"If nautical nonsense be something you wish"
"Then drop on the deck and flop like a fish!"
Then everyone heads back to work, securing the ropes and preparing to set sail.
Khiari stomps on the deck to provide percussion, along with a "SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS!" as harmony accompaniment.
Bella can't help but slip on her taps and follow her sister's lead.
...although she does wonder who would ever wear square pants.
The goblins all get excited when passengers join in on the songs, or even better: come up with their own on the trip.
The days pass uneventfully as the schooner sails south into warmer waters, finally reaching your destination: the port city of Katapesh, in the country of Katapesh, on the Katapeshi coast, filled to the brim with Katapeshians Keleshites. Along the way you learn the following:
The metropolis of Katapesh, where anything imaginable can be bought or sold, and the city’s masked rulers, known as the Pactmasters, care for nothing as much as keeping the flow of commerce moving.
Upon arrival you're immediately escorted to meet with Yigrig, an older goblin of local importance, and someone many of the crew, including the first mate, often refer to as Uncle Yigrig "He doesn't like to be kept waiting, we better go!" Is the response you get whenever anyone doddles.
Yigrig's estate is expansive. Comfortable, yet expensive. Well appointed, yet tacky to anyone with a sense of taste. Frequent oversized body guards and soldiers mill about the estate, with the look of aged apathy, nodding as you go past, often eating.
You're left outside a closed door where a goblin woman sits behind a desk calmly filing her fingernails but remaining silent otherwise.
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The goblins are quite skilled in their singing, although Bella remains confused on who exactly is Mister Crabs, and why they would discuss it so openly.
Katapesh's market is busy, but there's no sense of community. It feels so dry. Money and goods exchange but no one seems happy.
Yigrig's estate seems to annoy Bella more than anything. How do you keep suck a large estate but leave it in such poor state? The merchant class is so eager to pretend to be noble they forget the core values of nobility: Presentation, Perseverance and Provision. If you can't present well, then scale down until you can.
"Greetings, madam. We were dispatched from the Pathfinder Society to meet... Yigrig."
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Fran and Mister Midnight both seem to enjoy the goblin songs, doing their best to sing along when they happen. To anyone to asks or questions the enthusiasm, Fran simply shrugs.
"Um, we all l-like what we like, right? And there's nothing wrong with being silly and having a good time when we can."
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As the group is left to wait at the reception desk, Fran looks around. "It's not, um, what I'd personally pick as far as decoration goes, but I like seeing big homes that look like people actually *live* in them instead of being something just for show..."