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Betty does a face palm and points to Ukkramak. She tells Ejtehah “Might want ta take out last cultist before worrying ‘bout wreckin’ an alter.”
Gesturing towards the alter, she adds “That there looks ta me like alter fer butchering people.”
Having no spells or gunpowder left, she draws a dagger as she moves into the room. She then throws the dagger at Ukkramak
Betty does a face palm and points to Ukkramak. She tells Ejtehah “Might want ta take out last cultist before worrying ‘bout wreckin’ an alter.”
"Sigh. Now I don't get to try out my brainwashing techniques to reverse engineer them on our Steel talon here...Shame. We're going to need a lot of nannies ..."
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The group wails on Ukkramak, first with a dagger to the face, and then in a blitz of claw, fang and talons! The gnoll priestess falls to the ground, and curses with her dying breath-"Damn you...intruders...Lamashtu take all you hold dear..."-before dying.
The Pathfinders are left alone in the chambers of the priestess, and a heavy air hangs over their spirits.
Combat over!
"Yes, because that would be wrong..." takes out a medallion on a string "What...we need some nannies for the mutant pups. They worship the mother of monsters. It's a small tweak. Like I said, work with whats there. Not like that hack erasing everything...."
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Ejtehah detects magic around the room and finds two large sources: the first one being Ukkramak herself, who seems to be wielding some magic items with an assortment of auras. On the other hand, the shifter would detect a strong necromancy aura around the altar, seemingly spiraling out and suffusing into the walls.
Upon closer inspection, Ukkramak has a potion of barkskin and a magical scroll in her backpocket, and is wearing a magical hide armor and a minor phylactery of some kind.
"Well we could try to desecrate the altar.. that would probably make it stronger. We could put our friend on it and see if they canceled each other out. Or we have a bunch of slaves downstairs that could carry it out of here and dump it somewhere in the sewer. Their souls would probably recover in time. "
"Well if you'd left me with more guilty minions this wouldn't be a problem"
Gnarlpaw shuffles out of the way of the detect evil....
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Ejtehah recognizes the basics of the altar, despite his unfamiliarity with unholy rituals. As he inspects it, the evil magic seems to draw him in, but he knows better and keeps his distance. From what he gathers, it seems the altar has a direct connection to some evil spirit, who is probably not far from where they are at.
The altar has unholy runes covering it all around, which seem to match one of the scrolls found on Ukkramak, but the pattern does not make sense to the shifter.
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Ejtehah approaches the altar and smashes it with a flurry of strikes as strong as adamantine - the unholy ritual piece is broken in half, as negative energy suffuses the room and seems to spiral into Ejtehah! The shifter resists with all his might, but the energy proves too strong for his constitution and he falls unconcious from the ordeal - however, Betty is right behind to catch him as he falls.
The gunslinger witnesses one last visage in the negative energy as it leaves the room and goes up the ceiling. Amidst the green and black energy, she sees the visage of a human woman with her mouth hanging completely ajar, as if torn open forcefully past its limits, and with fangs the size and shape of a hyena's. The visage looks Betty dead in the eye and screams-"You will die, maggots! The three jackals, once hurt, will follow your scent and hunt!"-the scream being audible to everyone. As the spirit dissapears and Ejtehah regains conciousness, you see Ukkramak's body start to gradually rot away, as if somehow linked to the altar in ways beyond the mundane.
The group is able to then surmise this was some kind of spirit infusing the whole hideout with its power, and by finally breaking the altar they have freed the temple, as well as the lands above, of its influence. Some cultists die fighting, other escape, while others surrender, as if reconsidering their position immediately after the spirit is gone.
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As Ejtehah falls unconscious Betty says “…or suppose you could do it that way.”
Looking back at the visage, Betty says “Well, that ain’t so friendly.”
Once Ejtehah is back on his feet and ready to go, Betty follows the group out as they gather any remaining slaves. When she can, she unlocks the manacles.
She is looking forward to being topside again.
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From the safety of around the corner (you expected her to be standing anywhere else?) , Lotus does a creepily good impersonation of the paracountess.
"No need to hunt darlings. Just waltz up onto my palace at 1 Ambasador drive,Ivy district, Absolom. Be sure to make use of any of the hidden entrances, the one by the sewer is a favorite."
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The party eventually makes their way out of the unholy temple, back to the slaver's den, and finally through the Qanat and back to the surface. Lugging behind them is a captured Othine Dalanse, who is presented to the Twilight Talons for questioning.
The pathfinders' actions reach far and wide, as the Three-Eyed Jackals cult's undoing seems to have dire implications for other cults throughout the Inner Sea region. Most of the following weeks are spent just telling everyone what happened, and being questioned about what they saw.
Those weeks pass eventually though, and the Pathfinders (or those that stick around Katapesh at least) are greeted by a heartwarming sight: Othine Dalanse, the very same that stabbed them in the back, eventually is restored to her former self through the aid of Lotus' de-conditioning, and her thanks are accompanied by her outmost support in whatever you require.
While she still has Twilight Talons duties to attend, you are certain whenever you visit Katapesh, Othine will make sure to thank you back somehow.