Healing:
Shard: Assurance = +46 HP
Martius: Assurance = +46 HP
+66 HP
+66 HP
Shard (248/248 HP) │ Resist Slashing 5
Martius (186/203 HP) │ Bless Aura 15 ft
Amour (163/200 HP) │ Wounded 1; Prone
Miloban (139/184 HP)
”So that was like the Tower of the Midnight Sword,” Miloban gives Martius a grin. ”But thanks for the help.”
Shard nods. Fewer collapsing floors, though.
"That was a difficult fight indeed."
"It has left me feeling less bold than I was."
Shard nods at Martius after he's healed. Thank you.
Shard looks around, trying to ensure the mirrors have been properly disrupted.
Glad we stuck around.
Shard inspects the mirrors for a clue, wondering if just breaking them would be the best course of action.
Shard attempts to smash the mirror-rune!
The straightforward solution.
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CONCENTRATE EXPLORATION MANIPULATE
You touch one of the wall runes and attempt to dim, redirect, or turn off the light emanating from it. Attempt an Occultism, Arcana, or Thievery check; you must be at least an expert in the skill you use. This attempt takes 10 minutes.
Instead of minorly altering the runes Shard decides to go right for the direct approach and actively destroys the runes attached on the wall.
Amour takes a more subtle approach to disrupt one of the runes.
"Perhaps the key is to disrupt them all before the hour strikes again?"
Hero point time.
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Amour finds the key to manipulating one of the runes. Amour recognizes that any obvious adjustment might alert the Gray Gardeners to tampering. You delicately alter the magic of the rune to cast its glow into one of the other force mirrors. He gets the impression that when the clock rings in the new hour that this shouldn't reset this rune.
"Perhaps one is enough Amour? We may not need them all? I'm no expert here, so I could be talking our of my ear."
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Miloban also delicately alters the rune so that the Gardeners will not suspect a thing. With all three runes dealt with the group is able to head back down to the party before anyone realizes that they have been missing for a 30 minute long restroom break. Must have been the bad hor dourves!
As you come back in through the side door you see that someone new has arrived to the party while you were gone. Normally you wouldn't notice among all of the costumes but this one seems to stand out, even among the weirdness. He’s wrapped in a funeral shroud and wears a mask that resembles a corpse’s pallid face with splotchy red pox marks upon it.
Amour will engage the new arrival in insipid small talk, and try to see what he can learn with Biographical Eye.
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Amour approaches the man in the morbid costume and offers up a bit of small talk. The man speaks very loudly, as if he is hard of hearing. Or maybe he wishes for all to hear. He leans in close. "What do you know of fearsome monsters that peer from the Ethereal Plane."
Shard will take his turn on the dance floor, his diamond-studded moon-moth wings glitter as he leaps through the air when the music hits more boisterous notes.
"I can give you knowledge if you ask for it, but know that once your eyes are opened, you may find it difficult to close them again. Why do you seek such knowledge? Are we watched by unseen eyes? Surely Pharasma will protect us?"
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In his raspy but strong voice, the man provides Amour with a warning. He slips his pox mask aside and utters, “Fiends of fear, they are! Sahkils have joined with the Gray Gardeners, harvesting the fear their terrible authority sows in the land. In turn, the Gardeners learn new ways of terror from them. It is a dread symbiosis, but a symbiosis is all it is. They are allies, but neither group is the master. Some inhuman force is behind it, I’m certain! Something is pulling the strings from behind the scenes, making the sahkils, the Gray Gardeners, and all of Galt dance. We’ll see what that is before this night is through, I would bet your souls on it.”
"What can you tell me of Sahkils?"
Amour does his best to recall his own knowledge of such creatures as well.
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“Sahkils traffic in fear and are vulnerable to holy weapons and effects. They can slip easily into the Ethereal Plane and back, making them hard to pin down.” He pulls in Amour close enough that he can smell the older man's rancid breath. "Rumor has it there is a rare one that embodies the fear of being buried alive."
"If we are to deal with them, we may need some assistance. Can you provide any?"
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"Seeing as the world is likely coming to an end, I will see what I can do." He grabs a charm and presses it firmly into Amour's hand as he shakes it and turns to mingle among the partygoers. You overhear him asking a couple of young ladies as he redons his pox mask. ""What do you know of fearsome monsters that peer from the Ethereal Plane?"
Looking down in his hand Amour finds a Greater Nosoi Charm.
Having spent much of your time upstairs healing and dealing with the runes this conversation with the strange Pharasman seems to make time fly as the party continues to get even more upbeat and lively as the clock strikes 10.
From the shadows Shard overhears a couple of Partygoers in a bit of an argument. "Hey Frank, I was just over near the Southeast entrance when, get this, High Magistrate Otvald had four people around him. They quickly escorted him through a door behind a curtain and quickly pegged it shut. They looked pretty grim and rough so my guess is either the High Magistrate is in trouble or he is a high-ranking Gardener and those were his underlings."
The other man seems to balk. "There is no way he is a Gardener! And high-ranking at that...The High Magistrate."
"Frank, listen people have bee saying it for 30 years now. Most rumors are built on a small foundation of truth. I heard Otvald just got picked up for a crime last week but all of the blame shifted over to his bodyguards and they went down for it."
The pair of men notice more people get close to them and move off to go and find some fresh drinks.
"Shard, I stick out like a sore thumb, but I think someone should get the rest of this story."
"Amour, I can't imagine that charm is random..."
Shard follows the men as he dances, stealthily trying to weave among the crowd.
Shard reconvenes with his friends. Let's check out this room.
"Room, then we try to strike up a conversation."
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The group decides to go and investigate the room that the High Magistrate was taken through. There do not seem to be any guards and none of the guests look t question you as you quickly unclip the curtain to pass through the door and clip it back behind you.
Several diaphanous hangings in various shades of blue adorn the stone walls of this room. Blue stained-glass windows depict masked executioners standing tall before open skies. The blue light and rippling wall hangings make this room appear to be underwater. Curtains hang at both exits and across the entrance to a small balcony overlooking the Stormflood River.
A beautiful woman with jet-black hair and wearing little more than an opage evening gown lounges on a blue settee, idly combing her long, blue-tinged hair. She quickly notices your entrance and holds up a hand to stop your approach. “Very sorry, but there’s some private business going on through there, and my friends mustn’t be disturbed.”
"Oh we are well aware. Our presence was specifically requested."
Amour makes his way through confidently as though he was meant to be there.
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She stands quickly, but gracefully as you begin to walk past. She smiles and cocks her head to the side as if to listen as the party music is just audible from the grand ballroom. She places a hand on Amour's chest.
“I shall dance with one of you. A dominant leader moves their partner through the steps, but is not led. If, in our dance, I am led onto the balcony, I shall hurl myself into the river and impede you no longer. But, if I lead my partner onto the balcony first, you will leave the way you came. All, that is, except my partner, who shall hurl themselves into the river instead.”
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Martius strides forth. He looks around at the others, and then takes out the Glaive of the Artist He spins it languidly before thrusting it into the ground. It's a bit shocking at first that it sticks, but stick it does. All of the banners unfurl and it exudes an air of creativity and confidence. He locks eyes with the mystery dancer, and without looking accepts the Token of the Nymph
"I'm your huckleberry, m'lady. Shall we?" Martius approaches with a swagger that he truly feels, whether warranted or not.
"Delightful! Huzzah!"
Shard can't help but smile at the thought of people dunking themselves in the river. He watches with interest.
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The woman wraps her arms tight around Martius. "Well, then Huckleberry. Show me your moves."
Grabbing ahold of Martius she twirls him out as far as her arm allows and twirls into his arms, her back to his chest as she looks back and winks devilishly.
CONCENTRATE MOVE
You move gracefully but firmly in a dance, leading your dancing partner where you’d like to go. Attempt a Performance check to dance, with a DC equal to your dance partner’s Reflex DC.
Critical Success You command the lead and move your partner up to 10 feet. You then move to a square of your choice adjacent to your partner’s location.
Success As critical success, but you move your partner only 5 feet.
Failure You fail to move your dance partner.
Critical Failure As failure, and you provide your dance partner an opening to force you to move. You have a –2 circumstance penalty to Reflex saves and to your Reflex DC for 1 round.
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BOLD: GO!:
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Woman
➤ Martius │
Shard attempts to aid Martius, flitting around to the tune.
Martius tries to blend his moves to her, subtly, but consistently turning the dance to his favor:
Shard glances at Amour and Miloban as Martius is led to the balcony. While it would be entertaining to see his friend pitch himself into the river, it might jeopardize the mission. Martius is even better than he is at Dancing; this is a travesty.
He nods at the mysterious dancer. Chicanery.
He pauses for a breath to see if his friends can add any wisdom.
If they have none to give, he will try to glide through the shadows nearby and stick the haft of his guisarme under her feet, tripping her up.
Amour will do his best to recall knowledge on this woman.
Seeing the dance is going poorly for Martius, he will blurt out "Mind if I cut in? This looks delightful!"
Once a minute has passed, Amour will also use Biographical Eye to learn some details about her.