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Oskar heals Khunbish-bear as he is able to find the wound through all of the burns. Zallarra offers a bit more guidance as she soothes the burns putting Khunbish in a far better state physically.
Khunbish retches up the last remnants of the smoke as he and Irves shift into a last ditch assault to bring the wounded horse down. Irves leaps onto the horses back as Khunbish rends it's chest open killing the fiend.
──────────
BOLD: GO!:
──────────
➤ Anjo
Khunbish │
⠀⠀(Khunbish) Irves
Horse (Green)
Oskar
➤ Jiki
Zallarra
➤ Marta │
⠀⠀➤ Nigel │
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|
Jiki begins to frighten the poor, scared horse as he fires an arrow into its side. Marta stands to the side as she continues to be quite sick. Anjo lines up his own arrow into the flaming steed.
──────────
BOLD: GO!:
──────────
➤ Anjo
➤ Khunbish │
⠀⠀➤ (Khunbish) Irves
Horse (Green) │
➤ Oskar
➤ Jiki
➤ Zallarra
➤ Marta │
⠀⠀➤ Nigel │
The cougar, seemingly in a rage of frenzy, seems not to notice his bad injuries nor the healing as well and joins his master, leaping in and out to attack the horse.
|
Anjo moves to get himself some distance at aims for the part of the horse farthest away
<-Crit
Source Core Rulebook pg. 284 2.0
If the target of the critical hit is adjacent to a surface, it gets stuck to that surface by the missile. The target is immobilized and must spend an Interact action to attempt a DC 10 Athletics check to pull the missile free; it can't move from its space until it succeeds. The creature doesn't become stuck if it is incorporeal, is liquid (like a water elemental or some oozes), or could otherwise escape without effort.
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Anjo recognizes these fiends as Nightmares. As they gallop their hooves burst into intense flames dealing fire damage to those around them.
Oskar's performance continues to linger once more as he heals Irves more immediate wounds. Jiki nearly damages the Amethyst himself as Nigel blanches in shock. "Be careful!"
Most of Anjo's arrows miss, though one anages to go right through the bottom of the flaming horses hoof, pinning it to the floor momentarily. Irves and Khunbish manage to get a few more scrapes and scratches into the horses side as it finds itself immobilized.[/ooc]
──────────
BOLD: GO!:
──────────
Anjo
Khunbish │
⠀⠀(Khunbish) Irves
Horse (Green) │
Oskar
Jiki
Zallarra
➤ Marta │
⠀⠀Nigel │
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|
Marta's debris misses as she tries to clear her throat, albeit unsuccessfully.
Khunbish feels another round of heavy hooves slamming down into his back as the Nightmare rears up and drops hard down onto his neck causing him to see stars.
──────────
BOLD: GO!:
──────────
➤ Anjo
➤ Khunbish │
⠀⠀➤ (Khunbish) Irves
Horse (Green) │
➤ Oskar
➤ Jiki
➤ Zallarra
➤ Marta │
⠀⠀➤ Nigel │
Irves dives under the belly of the horse, seeking to attack where it is vulnerable, snarling in a fury that mirrors his master.
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Your combined attacks are more than enough to bring this nightmare down for good as the fiend collapses to the floor.
Nigel emerges from the hallway as the overall smoke clears and clears his throat. "Well, that could have been much worse. I was beginning to have some suspicions that the foals were interacting with the life energy around them, but I certainly did not expect that. Please, follow me upstairs to my office where we can talk while some of my people clean this up." He leads the way, uneventfully upstairs and you are all offered refreshments.
Once everyone is seated, he frowns for a moment, then looks you all in the eyes before sighing nervously. "I have something of a confession to make. Dhrami and I have been quietly working against her family in the management of the museum for some years now. He rubs his forehead as he pauses for a moment. I don't know how much you know about the history of the Blakros Family or their commercial dealings, but I'll try to be relatively brief." He looks at you wearily.
"For more than 500 years, the Blakros family accumulated a vast fortune thanks to a contract known as the Penumbral Accords. This agreement allowed the family access to the Shadow Plane, allowing the Blakroses to access trade routes inaccessible to other merchants in Golarion. However, this unfettered access came with a heavy price. As part of the Penumbral Accords, the Blakros family provided shipments of slaves to the Onyx Alliance, an organization led by the mysterious shadow creatures known as kayals. Furthermore, once every decade, the family surrendered the eldest Blakros daughter as a sacrifice to their shadowy benefactors."
Nigel stands and begins pacing about the room. "In recent years, the Penumbral Accords came to an end, and the Onyx Alliance fell under new leadership, that of Sarnia Blakros, one of the Blakros daughters given to them as a sacrifice. He strides to the window, looking out. In Dhrami’s eyes, the recent reversal in fortunes does not nearly absolve her family of centuries of sin. Working with Sarnia and the Onyx Alliance, Dhrami and I strive to hit their family where it hurts the most, deliberately losing them gold and prestige. For the last decade or so, Dhrami and I have been using my position as curator here to soak them as much as we can, causing or allowing expensive mishaps and overspending on recompense to our employees and customers injured or harmed."
He stops pacing, facing you directly and again looking you each in the eyes. "If you wish, you can end this subterfuge today by reporting on all of this to the Blackros family as part of your investigation. That would mean my removal as curator of the museum and will result in fewer repercussions to a family who spent generations sacrificing their own daughters for wealth." He bows his head, looking sadly to the floor.
"I ask you to leave me in place, allowing Dhrami and I to continue our work with the Onyx Alliance, against the family. Proclaim no wrongdoing in your report to Venture Captain Valsin."
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Anjo exhales as the last nightmare falls
He looks at wreckage and then he looks at Nigel, "I do not know if it could have been 'much' worse."
Back at the office Anjo listens to the story and thinks about all he knows across editions. [b]"Bleeding the family dry from the inside? That plan lacks imagination and vision. Why do you not take over the family and make amends?"
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Jiki nods in sympathy as Nigel tells his story. He also worked with an organization that most - himself not excepted - would consider evil, but unlike Nigel, the goblin lacked the courage to remain and do what he could from the inside. When the Pathfinders gather to discuss, he says, "I've no desire to stop them from making amends in the way they've chosen, even if it does not seem the most wise."
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Oskar listens to the story with a mixture of amazement and delight. "This is what my script needed! Fantastic! Superb! Why, Nigel, if I didn't have certain ahem debts to pay, I would even acknowledge you and your wife as co-authors! As it is, you'll have to settle for the glory - or is it infamy? sometimes it's damn hard to tell the difference - of having your story told far and wide! Of course we'll open in Absalom, but with a story like this, along with my musical compositions, well it's certain to be a hit - I've no doubt that we'll have a traveling cast performing across Avistan by the end of the year. Ah, finally, the bit hit I have been waiting for. I might even be able to retire from this distasteful "adventuring..." Of course, I'm afraid your desire for discretion won't really be possible when all of Kortos and beyond is talking about my version of your story. But it will be well worth it, I'm sure you'll agree. Just think what a stunning and dramatic ending your public disgrace will make!"
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"You have made a mockery of an institution of art and knowledge all for petty revenge. The things displayed here were not merely trinkets of extravagance, but irreplaceable relics of historical relevance and you had NO RIGHT to shirk your duties as their caretaker over a family squabble! You should have done the honorable thing and resigned while you could.
Frankly, you should have been sacked years ago! The Pathfinder Society risks LIVES to ensure the safety of such artefacts, and thus you have treated US as disposable too! Shame on you!"
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Nigel bows his head. "I understand I am giving you a difficult choice. Neither side is good or right. I leave myself and my wife at your mercy."
You all leave his office and return to report your findings to Ambrus. Ambrus steeples his fingers in a small bit of distress. "I see, thank you for all of your hard work and honesty. This could not have been an easy task for you all and now it seems that I have a difficult one set before myself as well."