The twirls, the feet shuffling, the jumps, the fake hand gestures! It's all there. Yasami is like a dueling peacock, with a smile on her face throughout. Once the elf strikes her feet the last time, she stops dancing, fakes a pout for about two seconds before bursting into laughter. She congratulates her opponent with a clap and a gentle bow, then returns the anklets.
"A beautiful game. Mind if I teach it back home?” she asks, but then realises the elf probably doesn't understand her.
Oren is genuinely happy that his friends are partially motivated by the desire to help him achieve permanent peace from the visions of possible destruction. He gives them all a genuine smile in thanks.
When it comes to the dance contest, Oren remains to the side and watches his more limber friends go at it, deciding not to embarrass himself by going out there.
"A beautiful game. Mind if I teach it back home?” she asks, but then realises the elf probably doesn't understand her.
Once the question is translated, Yasami's dance partner nods cheerfully. She replies, her own words translated as well. "Of course. It is a game that teaches one to always be on their toes, and to strike when the opportunity presents itself. All goodly folk should learn this lesson."
The crowd murmurs with growing excitement as food begins to make its way out onto the platform. "Come," Ose Atsu smiles. "Join us."
The Twin Leopards lead you to a large round table near the center of the gathering. In addition to the twins, you're joined by Renali, Jahsi, and Akosa, who pointedly sits beside Cevendyll. An empty chair remains once you all find your seats. "For my daughter," Jahsi explains. "She makes a few final preparations, and will speak the old tales once we've finished our meal."
And what a meal it was. The table is soon heaped with food. A large boar is the centerpiece, having been taken down by Akosa's hunters. Your turtles have been made into a rich soup, and seasoned, fried, bat cakes are stacked high. Exotic fruits, vegetables that smell divine but that you've never seen before, and piles and piles of soft flatbread take up most of the space on the table. There are desserts as well, fried sweet breads, candied fruits, and a sort of pudding topped with syrup.
At some point during the meal, a group of boys, approaches the table, carrying a basket. They bow respectfully, but it's clear they are excited about something. They ask a question and Jahsi chuckles. "They wish to challenge the Northeners to a contest, as they have heard you cannot handle spicy foods. Pepper eating. You're welcome to humor them, but do so at your own risk -- they are quite strong."
Curious, Caiten takes one of the mildest peppers. "I do not think I will continue the task beyond this, but I would like to sample one."
Immediately after putting the pepper in his mouth, Caiten's circuitry tattoos apparently go berserk. Flikering between the dark almost black to the bright blue that is typical, and even getting tinges of purple and going a dark red at times. "Well," he gasps out, "that is sufficient data collection to satisfy my curiosity."
"Does anyone know good methods for removing the residue?"
Curious, Caiten takes one of the mildest peppers. "I do not think I will continue the task beyond this, but I would like to sample one."
[dice=Fortitude]1d20 + 8
[dice=Deception]1d20 - 1Immediately after putting the pepper in his mouth, Caiten's circuitry tattoos apparently go berserk. Flikering between the dark almost black to the bright blue that is typical, and even getting tinges of purple and going a dark red at times. "Well," he gasps out, "that is sufficient data collection to satisfy my curiosity."
"Does anyone know good methods for removing the residue?"
Cev smiles at his friend's prediciment, and looks around the table for a glass of water ... in the process turning to Akosa:
"None of these are actually poisonous, right? This isn't a trick to kill the foreignors in a game, like more directly than the dancing game, right?" Cev smiles even more broadly "There's also no need for subterfuge, you can kiss me even if you don't need to save me from children & chiles ;)"
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Catalina sits near Caiten and Sulee, fascinated by the pair. She watches the android with amusement, studying the colors of his suffering. "Fat helps," She says, standing up in her chair to look around the table for something appropriate. She snatches up a bit of cheese and offers it to Caiten, a wide grin spreading across her face. "This might help out?"
"I'll give this a try," She says, starting with the mildest pepper.
Catalina handles the first pepper easily, but the second pepper goes poorly. Try as she might, the Ustalavian woman cannot handle the pepper. Not even cheese helps, given her sickened state, and she ends up abruptly leaving the table, her face flushed from both the heat of the peppers and her own embarrassing reaction to the peppers themselves.
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Dario had just sat down when another challenge was brought to him, a coy grin coming to his face as he looks at the others.
"I see, you've come to embarrass us more. No son or daughter of Clan Zuz backs away from a challenge though so be prepared." Dario finishes, biting into the mildest pepper first.
The first pepper goes down and it does have some spice to it. Nothing worst than what he had encountered in his travels though. Swallowing it down with a content sound, he moves to the next one.
The gunslinger handles the next pepper quickly, chewing on it and enjoying its burning taste. Sweat begins to start at his forehead but he shows no sign of losing it.
On the third pepper, Dario bites in and accidently inhales, one of the spiciest seeds flinging its way into his throat and sticking into his mucus. Like an ember, it immediately beings to burn his throat. He burps for a moment, putting his hand in front of his mouth as he struggles to keep from spitting it and the rest of the peppers out.
Dario has nearly gotten his stomach settled when it finally turns on itself, the man quickly rising from his seat to where Catalina. He moves to the edge where he spits out the mouthful of pepper and a little bit more to the joy of whatever animals scavenge from the ground.
"I...I love these games." Dario says through gritted teeth and burning eyes. "They're so...much...fun"
Catalina is leaning over the railing and retching, knuckles white from the exertion, as Dario joins her. She takes a deep, shaking breath as she leans back slightly, wiping her mouth with a cloth she fished out of one of her pouches. "Da, fun. That is one way of putting it." She wipes her face with a different cloth, drying up the tears from the heat and sickness. "I think I shall try to find a different kind of fun, next..." She breathes, her mouth hanging open slightly to try to alleviate the spice. She offers the cloth she used to dry her tears to the shorter man, smiling at him sympathetically. "They will have many laughs at our expense now."
With raised eyebrows as he watches the others nearly die, Joran shakes his head at the boys while holding up a hand. "No thank you. But thank you! Off you go." Smiling, he shoos them away toward the next victim.
Lisi sits out the dancing with Joran, his thoughts equally distant. Perhaps later he'd try out dancing, but...he'd only just found himself right where he needed to be on a dance floor, one comfortable and familiar with the slight stickiness of spilled ale and a very special companion on his arm.
At the sight of the peppers, though, he perks up.
"I'll give it a try," he says modestly.
"I have to say, even that one was a bit spicy..." Lisi shrugs and goes for the second pepper.
Lisi's eyes bug out, and he flushes a deep copper, but he holds up a finger and resumes his calm.
He eyes the third pepper warily.
And just gets it down, wiping sweat off his brow. "Not ure I can...hh,,,ok, I'll give it a go," he says with a weak rasping voice.
The fourth pepper makes Lisi turn bright red, and he seems to be waving a hand in front of his mouth as if it is on fire.
However, he quickly regains his composure, with a rather weak smile.
"You know...I'm going to 'taste' this again as it comes out the other side...standard rule of ethnobotany..."
He plucks the fifth pepper up. "Gozreh's bits," he says in a rare curse.
Lisi wrestles MIGHTILY with the horrible incendiary final pepper. His eyes tear to the point of blindness, and he stumbles, threatening to shoot horrible goo out of his nostrils--or out of his ears, while he's at it. After great theatrical drama, sweat dripping off of his body to splat upon the stick-planks of the feasting area, Lisi gains control over the last morsel. His face turns pale, and he looks shaky and winded, but he swallows the pepper and manages a bow.
He walks to his seat as if he might explode into flames at any moment. "Guba." His voice is a creaking desert. "I need something with citrus. And honey. And perhaps some mud to pack onto my head."
Having someone to suffer alongside with made it a bit less miserable as Dario laughed, letting his burning spit fall from his mouth as he finally coughed out the seed that doomed him. Swallowing hard, he would finally lift his head up from over the edge and nod softly.
"Let them try dwarven ale. See how they fare then." He mumbled, nudging the taller woman in the side. He licks his lips and immediately sets them aflame, earning another hiss of pain from him. Her words earn her a small grin as he shrugs a little bit.
"You learn to enjoy the laughs, I think." He says, taking the cloth and wiping his lips off from it. "We'll show them when the cards are all on the table. Let them laugh then." When he hears Joran try to get out of that, he scoffs and leans against the railing with a quirked eyebrow.
"Really? The mighty Joran Bravestone is afraid of a few hot peppers? Bravely stands in front of a half a dozen bowmen in a field with no cover, no armor, except for some decent pants, but this tiny, angry vegetable stops you? How surprising..." Was Dario baiting the man? Absolutely. Did he want at least one of them to possibly do well? Yes. Dario believed in the fact that Joran could possibly eat them all at once and maybe avoid somehow the worst of it.
As Lisi takes on each pepper, the grin on the gunslinger's face grows. When the man finally finishes the last one, his painful walk is rewarded with a slow clap from the scarred gunslinger.
Quite winded after the dance, Yasamina leans over to the boys and their basket. "Oooh!" her eyes go wide. "Yes, I could use some energy boost. You boys sure you will be able to keep up? I like my meals... spicy. Not sure if you can understand me, but let's give them a go, I guess."
She picks the first piece from the set of peppers and bites in with a satisfying crunch. She chews for a moment, swallows, and reaches for another. This time, she doesn't even wince. She just raises her eyebrow as she chews. "I think this batch needed more sun. Can I try another of the same?"
She reaches for another pepper of the same kind and eats. "Nah, this just doesn't do anything for me. Maybe next year?"
She goes for another. The third pepper gets her redder than usual, and she gets a running nose. "Okay - this one stings, I'll give you that." she takes a few breaths but carries on. The last two are a doozy. She finds a lemon to squeeze on her hands, then rinses her fingers in the nearest water bowl before sitting back down.
She ruffles the boys' hair. "Got some good peppers here, boys. Especially that one." she points at the third pepper and winks at the children.
Yasami watches with a smile as others at the table force themselves through the ordeal.
Seeing Catalina and Dario run off, she grabs two lemons and calmly stands up to go get them. She leans her back against the railing, and offers them some bandages to clean up. "Not to worry." she starts nonchalantly. "I don't think anyone will hold it against you. Here. Squeeze into mouth, rinse." she cuts one of the lemons up and offers each of them a half. "Then spit out. I'll give you the next one to clear the throat. Oh, be right back."
She runs to the table and picks up some oil or whatever greasy she can find, then heads back. "Can I offer you some nice leftover ribs in these trying times? I don't think I saw milk, so I guess this is the best I can do."
Catalina takes Dario's nudge gracefully, chuckling and then wincing with some pain from the spice still. "It is funny," She admits, still panting slightly as she turns around to watch the others subject themselves to the challenge.
She is more than a little bit impressed with Lisi and Yasami's performances, watching the two finish their last peppers and fanning herself sympathetically, still a little overheated from her own failed attempt. She raises her eyebrows as the boisterous barbarian refuses yet another challenge and enjoys Dario's heckling. She did not know any of them well enough to tease, but she enjoyed watching their banter from the outskirts.
When Yasami approaches with lemon and bandages to clean up, Catalina eagerly takes the remedy, squeezing the juice into her mouth before digging out the pulp from the half she held and pocketing the remaining peel in one of her esoterica pouches. Her mouth finally settles some, relieved to finally breath in without a harsh burning sensation.
"Dairy isn't common here," She remarks, taking the offered rib daintily and tearing into it, nodding gratefully to Yasami as she does so. When she finishes, she wipes her fingers and face again, taking a deep, cleansing breath. "Mulțumesc zeilor. And thank you, Yasami. I breathe without pain again."
"Don't worry about it." Yasami puts back her supplies. "It's what I do with these greenhorns." she pats her medical bag as she tightens the straps. "When we met, I thought -I- lack self-preservation instincts. Oh, boy, was I wrong. These guys are... borderline masochistic? I think. They sure seem like it."
She looks at Dario, then back to Catalina. "I won't go into details. They will tell you if they want to. But... Yeah. I have work laid out for me here. Being the only physician and all that."
She looks over at Dario again. "You ready over there, deadeye?"
Yasami's question would be met with Dario's gargling of the bit of lemon juice before he spat it out over the edge, licking his lips again and finding sweet relief. Quietly, he would nod and give a smile.
"Couldn't tell you how often Yasami here has had to take our insides from the outside and put them back in. We've had some close calls but between her skills, Lisi's berries, Cev's curing hands, and Caiten's ingenuity, it keeps us bombastic fools alive." The gunslinger said, pushing off from the railing. "I'm ready. Let's eat."
Catalina beams at the other woman. "Ah, after several years of being on my own, I have developed some skills in medicine myself. Sometimes, you need to stitch yourself back together and keep going..." She clicks her tongue, her hand drifting to her shoulder instinctively, remembering a particularly gruesome wound that had netted her 20 stitches, sloppily done with her offhand. Luckily, her skin tended to heal better than most; a side effect of the angelic blood running through her veins. The scarring wasn't too bad.
Catalina moves away from the railing as well, trailing quietly behind them as they all return to the tables to continue the feast.
Cev smiles at his friend's prediciment, and looks around the table for a glass of water ... in the process turning to Akosa:
"None of these are actually poisonous, right? This isn't a trick to kill the foreignors in a game, like more directly than the dancing game, right?" Cev smiles even more broadly "There's also no need for subterfuge, you can kiss me even if you don't need to save me from children & chiles ;)"
"You think us the sort to send children to poison those we call allies?" Akosa asked playfully. He took one of the hottest peppers. "It must be a terrible place you come from, if that is where your mind goes first." He bit into the pepper, chewed, and swallowed, not a hint of distress on his features. "As for the rest, I thought I might offer you a tour of the city after the feast. Unless you're keen to see just how spicy those peppers are right now?" He grinned and ran his tongue over his lips briefly.
Two of the boys who'd brought the peppers dropped out after the second pepper, and the tallest of the three made it to the fourth before his watering eyes led him to bow out. There were murmurs of approval from the nearby tables as Lisi and Yasami both managed to eat all five, and it seemed the Ekujae's respect for you northerners deepened by your willingness to play along, let alone succeed.
The feast continued, all of you eating your fill of food and then some. Finally, the music, which had become subdued but remained present during the feast, suddenly changed in tempo. The merry beat became a steady, fast pounding that led to the gathered elves and their guests falling quiet. The light had faded enough that torches had been lit, and now six more flared into light, carried by elves who flanked Nketiah.
She was wearing ceremonial attire, face painted elaborately, a headdress of grassy tassels hanging all the way to the floor and matching fringes dangling from her arms and legs. When she spoke, it was in a voice that was not quite a song, but had a musical chanting quality to it.
“Come, children of the Leopard Clan!” her voice calls out, clear and strong above the sounds of the festivities. “Dusk has fallen! Let us call a moth to tell us a story!” She speaks the words in Mwangi, but translates for herself immediately afterwards, intending the words for you, above all.
As one, the Ekujae stand and hold their hands cupped in front of them, each conjuring a ball of light into their palms with their innate magic. Renali rises, too, and she, Akosa, and Jahsi nod for you to follow suit.
“I have caught a little moth!” Nketiah says, dramatically clutching the air in front of her. “It has a story to tell. It is a story of a Great Darkness.”
“We will listen,” the others reply in Mwangi, Akosa and Catalina translating so you can join.
Nketiah stepped up onto your table as a stage, careful to avoid any remaining food, which other elves had begin to clear.“There was once a time of anguish. A time of destruction. A time of night so dark that even moths refused to fly." The torchbearers around her doused their lights, and all the other torches were likewise extinguished, the only lights those cupped in Ekujae hands. "From a hole in this night came a Great Darkness, who saw the world suffer, and thought only that it wanted to see more suffering. The Darkness sought to burn all that remained, until there was nothing left but ashes." Haunting wooden panpipes joined the steady, oppressive percussion, and some of the Ekujae began chanting a single syllable over and over, the Elven word for death.
The feast fades from Oren's vision, and he sees once more the flaming face of Dahak. He sees, as if from the clouds, the great dragon god strafing the land and sea with fire so hot, nothing, not even stone, could withstand it. The only outward sign of Oren's vision are his eyes -- they've gone white as it takes him, his hands gripping the table more tightly, but he remains his still, stoic self otherwise.
Nketiah's voice rang clear above it all. “The first people that the Darkness found were a brave people, who stood before the Darkness with their weapons and did not run. The Darkness sought to destroy them, saying, ‘You shall fall before me, for I am Death and I am Fire.’ But the people were not afraid, and replied, ‘You shall not break us, for we are the guardians of this land, who stayed to defend it when all others fled.’"
"Sima siqinile!" the elves shout. "We stand firm," your translators murmur.
Oren sees the ancient Ekujae, firing arrow, spear, and magic at the great beast.
“Oh, what a terrible battle it was! The people shattered their spears against the Darkness again and again, but no living being could pierce its hide."
"Sima siqinile!"
Elves are being slain left and right in Oren's waking vision. He watches in horror as the liquid flame melts flesh from bone, talons larger than a horse rending the earth, men, women, and children dying.
"At last, the greatest among the people, the kindest, the most righteous, the most brave, gave their lives to forge their souls into weapons for the people to wield. Oh, how their souls burned, like bright coals in the night!" The glow in the elves' hands grew brighter, and angrier, like rage made manifest.
"Sima siqinile!"
This vision he recognizes instantly. He's had it before, though the figures are now clear -- the Ekujae. Figures, once silouhetted, completing some sort of ritual before plunging their daggers into their own hearts. Their souls, appearing as glowing streaks of blue light, infusing the weapons of their kin with great power -- the power to stop a god.
"The people took up the souls of those they had most loved, and in wrath split the skin of the Darkness. They spilled the blood of the Darkness across the whole of their lands. They broke the horn and teeth from the Darkness and flung them into the sea. Yet still the Darkness would not die!" The music reached a fever-pitch.
"Sima siqinile!"
Oren sees the tide of the battle turning. When the fire bathes the people, their weapons emit shields to stop it. When the claws come, they are cut off. Dragon blood is flung across the jungle, and no matter where he flies, Dahak cannot escape the bite of their attacks, like a swarm of bees that follows him.
“The people forced the Darkness back into the place from whence it had emerged. The brave people trapped it in the space between spaces. The people swore they would stand guard so that the Darkness could never escape to threaten the land again."
"Sima siqinile!"
Huntergate. It pulsed with the dragon's power, straining at the magical seams, trying to burst free, but unable to. His vision faded, returning to the here and now...
“Could the people imprison the Darkness forever, when even the best among them could not defeat it? Was it foolish to expect them to try?” Nketiah pauses, then says, “That is the story that we have been given.”
“We will remember,” the other Ekujae reply in unison. The music ended with a final beat, and after a long lull, slowly resumed a more festive tone. Nketiah stepped off the table and into her seat, a heaping plate of food waiting for her, courtesy of her father. She was breathing heavily, the tale taking a bit out of her, and her wooden hand turned to vines to wrap around her mug and take a long drink.
"I will answer your questions. Any, and all of them."
Caiten raises his hand. "So, does that mean that obliterating the apparition in the portal gate will be ineffective - or just more difficult than anticipated?"
"You think us the sort to send children to poison those we call allies?" Akosa asked playfully. He took one of the hottest peppers. "It must be a terrible place you come from, if that is where your mind goes first." He bit into the pepper, chewed, and swallowed, not a hint of distress on his features. "As for the rest, I thought I might offer you a tour of the city after the feast. Unless you're keen to see just how spicy those peppers are right now?" He grinned and ran his tongue over his lips briefly.Cev smiles at his friend's prediciment, and looks around the table for a glass of water ... in the process turning to Akosa:
"None of these are actually poisonous, right? This isn't a trick to kill the foreignors in a game, like more directly than the dancing game, right?" Cev smiles even more broadly "There's also no need for subterfuge, you can kiss me even if you don't need to save me from children & chiles ;)"
"When I mentioned Falling Star earlier it really never occured to me that you were THAT much like a mother hawk ... but if the next challange is tasting the heat from you directly, I am sure you would only feed me what you thought I needed."
Cev moistens his own lips as well, and reaches out to draw Akosa closer. They both smile as their lips meet ... but the challange isn't forgotten either. They are clearly both invested in the heat, and their mouths move gently as they share it. Moments later, Cev is smiling like the Oaf of Breachill walking in to the Wizard's Grace as if everything were normal.
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"You learn to enjoy the laughs, I think." He says, taking the cloth and wiping his lips off from it. "We'll show them when the cards are all on the table. Let them laugh then." When he hears Joran try to get out of that, he scoffs and leans against the railing with a quirked eyebrow.
"Really? The mighty Joran Bravestone is afraid of a few hot peppers? Bravely stands in front of a half a dozen bowmen in a field with no cover, no armor, except for some decent pants, but this tiny, angry vegetable stops you? How surprising..." Was Dario baiting the man? Absolutely. Did he want at least one of them to possibly do well? Yes. Dario believed in the fact that Joran could possibly eat them all at once and maybe avoid somehow the worst of it.
With his face resting on his fist, he cuts his eyes over at Dario and rolls his eyes, grinning. Rising, "Only because I know I stand a decent chance against a half a dozen bowman. Hard to defeat the beast when it attacks you on the inside. But okay, Dario, I'll accept your challenge. At least this will put an end to any grief you'll give me about it in the future." He shoots him a wink. Waving the elven boy over, "Okay, young elf, bring me those peppers! I could use some fire anyway. Ol' Joran needs to show the team how it's done," he winks, grinning.
Burn baby burn!
Joran takes one and is just about to plop it in his mouth before cutting his eyes over at Dario and grinning mischievously. Looking back to the tray of peppers, he takes ALL FIVE of them and shoves every one of them in his mouth. With his arms crossed, he smiles the whole time while he chews. As he does, he looks to one side and then looks to the other, appearing completely unconcerned, as if he's simply enjoying a walk in the park.
Finally chewing them down enough to where he swallows them all in one big gulp, he takes a breath through his nose and says, "Is that it? Or did I get the really mild ones? Y'all didn't take it easy on me, did you? C'mon now, I thought these were supposed to be hot or something." The big guy grins victoriously, pointing and throwing a wink Dario's way.
Catalina watches Joran take Dario's heckling to heart and eat all of the peppers at once. "Sfinte rahat." She breathes, cursing in her native tongue. Her eyes are wide with awe at the giant man's tolerance of spice. "That one. He is terrifying," She says to no one in particular.
----
After Nketiah's tale, Catalina simply sits back and lets the others speak; she was so new to this particular problem that she figured her questions would be a waste of time. The story, however, only served to solidify her belief that she was, indeed, on the right path; this group was who she needed to follow to find her purpose. As she listens, she shuffles her Harrow deck again, putting her nerves on display.
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"The worst, Catalina, is when he decides to give a speech, which is often," says Lisi, who has recovered after a number of citrus fruits and more unusual berries than his own gorse- and snow-berries.
His eyes dart to Cev and Akosa and a smile creeps up one side of his mouth. "A spicy evening indeed..."
He turns to Nketiah. "What we encountered in the portal--that wasn't all of the Golarion avatar of Dahak, the Darkness, was it? Where is the rest of it? Is it dead, or...elsewhere? If that is all that is left...there must be a way to kill it, or squeeze it into a tighter space. It was still able to burn us," he says thoughtfully.
"The Darkness must have been drawn to the opportunity presented by Earthfall. My mother's ancestors were no doubt hiding via gates. A shameful retreat, although some histories say they were certain Golarion would be destroyed. In any case. We are grateful that the Ekujae stayed."
Dario watches with his arms folded and his grin plastered upon his face. It was unbelievable to watch the man eat all five, at once, and remain unfazed. It was exactly what he expected from the oaf. Nodding slightly, he nods to him and the stoic Oren.
"Those two are quite a pair. One of the most terrifying duos that I've ever had the pleasure to fight alongside with. Seen them take wounds that would fell beasts, let alone men or women. They'll surprise you."
The main event was amazing and enthralling, an understatement at best. He listened to the tale, orally told just like the great elders of the hold used to tell. The story of darkness, sacrifice, and hope was one told many times but in it, the actors would always change. This was the story of the Ekujae and their fight against The Darkness that was known as Dahak.
"Thank you for your story. It tells a tale that too few know." Dario says, thinking for a moment now. "So it was sealed in the gate, locked away. Something's changed though, I'm certain, if this cult has been able to break through now."
Yasamina laughs as Joran stuffs his face with peppers. She walks over to the tables, and as she passes Catalina, she stops, and whispers. "As I said - borderline masochistic. But a heart of gold."
She sits down, still laughing at Joran. "To-be-mayor Bravestone, thank you for driving the point home, giving it a nice bath, and putting it to bed."
She scans him for a few seconds. "Yeah, you look okay." she claps her hands while looking at the table, then her gaze focuses on Nketiah. "Yes, questions! I am curious about a few things. We will start with the simple ones. You live in trees, but where do you grow crops? I see a lot of bread here, but don't think I saw any wheat fields or such. What's that about?"
"Secondly - I understand there is a group of followers of Aldu-" she stops herself. "Dahak... here somewhere. Boggards and charauka. Do you know their location? I would like to start our search there. I'm not saying genocide, just- culling the herd?"
"So it was sealed in the gate, locked away. Something's changed though, I'm certain, if this cult has been able to break through now."
"Yes. How did they get the key to the gate?"
Catalina listens to the others ask their questions, mulling over all of this new information. She looks over at Yasami as the woman speaks, nodding along with the suggestion that they pursue the followers of Dahak.
"Starting with the followers is a good plan. Was going to be my suggestion, too," Catalina begins thoughtfully, grinning. "Hopefully, we get lucky and they have left hints about their next steps? They are stupid creatures." She pauses, not wanting to talk too much as a newcomer to this situation.
There is a small part of her that feels a tad jealous of the group - she had been visiting the Ekujae for years, learning about them, making friends with them - and it takes their arrival for her to learn all of this, to be included as much as she had been these past several hours. At least I am part of it now, She thinks, taking a deep breath.
You live in trees, but where do you grow crops? I see a lot of bread here, but don't think I saw any wheat fields or such. What's that about?"
Nketiah was a strange sight, now that the tale was over. She was still an imposing figure with her paint and costumery, but she was now comfortably sitting and munching away on her meal, shooting an occasional smirk towards Akosa and Cev. She swallowed her food before replying, chuckling a bit. "I must say, of all things, I did not expect an agricultural question to rise to the top of the pile. Our breads are not made with wheat, but ground seeds. There are plants here that grow on the tree branches themselves -- a visiting scholar once termed them epiphytes, said it meant "air plants". We just call them lentils." She pointed to the branches above, and you realize that there were a multitude of leaf types -- not all of them belonged to the tree. Like stowaways on a ship, other plants were dangling from the tree branches, living happily alongside one another.
Caiten raises his hand. "So, does that mean that obliterating the apparition in the portal gate will be ineffective - or just more difficult than anticipated?"
"In a way, you all would know better than I. I will reiterate that in thousands of years, no one has ever been allowed to pass through that portal. Until the Cinderclaws came."
"If we had known about them before the attack, we would have dealt with them before they became a problem. We do know that they seem to be mostly made up of boggards and charau-kas. Some of them seem to have taken draconic features into their flesh, but through what means, I cannot say. There have always been cults like them in our lands, but those cults are usually small and disorganized and easy to dispatch. I’ve never seen one spring up out of nowhere like this, certainly never one so large and organized. And they have far more magical power than I would have expected.”
"So it was sealed in the gate, locked away. Something's changed though, I'm certain, if this cult has been able to break through now."
"Yes. How did they get the key to the gate?"
Jahsi interjected before his daughter could answer. "The failing was mine, and one that shames me deeply. “That key was something we protected in the temple for countless generations — as our legends of the Darkness within Huntergate compelled us to do — but we never used it. The cult stole it from us in their initial surprise attack and used it to send their minions through the portal. We have kept an unbroken vigil for thousands of years. To be the first in that long line to allow a breach..." he shook his head. "I must make amends."
Nketiah laid a hand on her father's arm. "Thousands of years have made all our people complacent. The vigil had become tradition. The sort of thing that was done because it always has been. You were overrun, you did all you could. Battles will be lost, but it is the war we need worry about winning."
He turns to Nketiah. "What we encountered in the portal--that wasn't all of the Golarion avatar of Dahak, the Darkness, was it? Where is the rest of it? Is it dead, or...elsewhere? If that is all that is left...there must be a way to kill it, or squeeze it into a tighter space. It was still able to burn us," he says thoughtfully."
"Our tales say that his entire being was trapped within the place between places. For you to have survived your encounter with his manifestation, I suspect that was only a fragment of him. That, or his imprisonment has greatly weakened him."
Boggards and charauka. Do you know their location? I would like to start our search there. I'm not saying genocide, just- culling the herd?"
Nketiah sighed with a bit of relief. "I am relieved that you would ask. I was going to beg your help, but if you're volunteering..." she smiled wryly. "Shortly after we drove the cultists away from the temple of Ketephys, we sent scouts east to track them as they fled. Yet these scouts swiftly came to a spot in the forest they could not enter without being struck blind. They said it was as if the air had turned to embers and ashes, and they could not breathe or see -- as if they were somehow caught in that terrible battle our people fought against the Darkness, thousands of years ago."
“When I studied the broken pillar that the Cinderclaws left behind in the temple after we drove them off, I could tell that the magic was keyed to channel power against my people in particular. The Darkness has a grudge against us, and I think the Cinderclaws are using the power of that grudge to keep the Ekujae from striking back against them where it matters most: at the seat of their power. So, I planned to ask you to investigate the jungle to the east... If I am wrong and you end up blind, I promise we will heal you. We can send scouts after you, a short distance behind, to help.”
She hesitated, looking uncomforatble with what she was going to ask next, glancing sidelong at Jahsi. "We would ask, however -- if you do, indeed, go to face our common enemy, leave the key entrusted to us in the meantime. You have proven capable to defeating enemies we have not, and we are willing to allow you to keep the key and return home, as our allies against the Darkness. But if you were to die amidst the Cinderclaws, they would possess it once more. We wish to hold onto it, until your triumphant return."
"Our tales say that his entire being was trapped within the place between places. For you to have survived your encounter with his manifestation, I suspect that was only a fragment of him. That, or his imprisonment has greatly weakened him."
"Hmm... So destroying the apparition will ultimately be ineffective, but may still be useful. Especially if we intend to continue using the portal."
"We would ask, however -- if you do, indeed, go to face our common enemy, leave the key entrusted to us in the meantime."
"It would certainly not be prudent to carry it into battle." Caiten considers options for a moment. "Another option would be to store it in the vault in Breachill. It would be farther from the known enemies, but it would also be less guarded. What do the rest of you think of the choices?"
Caiten turns his attention back to Nketiah and Jahsi. "Do you know if the darkness was trapped in just the one portal, or all of them?"
Oren grips the table intensely as he experiences the vision. It's clearer this time, the people who plunged daggers in their hearts as part of some ritual, they weren't crazy cultists like he thought when he experienced the vision for the first time, they were heroes who sacrificed themselves so that Dahak could be sealed away.
That's different. I haven't had a vision while I was awake before. When Oren comes to, he's breathing heavily and mainly just listens as Nketiah speaks, only talking once she's reached the end. "That sounds like a fair deal to me. If the Cinderclaws are able to get the key and get back to Alseta's Ring, it's all over."
Yasami listens to Nketiah while making notes. A -lot- of notes. She flips the page to continue when Caiten suggests taking the key back to Altaerein. She thinks for a moment. "How would we get back once we are done with the cult? Don't we need it to open the gate? I'm willing to put his up to the vote, but we need to clear up this little hiccup first."
She then looks back to the Ekujae. "Yes, well - these creatures attacked our home, and I'd rather not have to deal with a full-blown invasion. So that's why we came here, to begin with - to deal with the cult. I personally would be happy to get rid of them outright. Without you asking for it. But help is appreciated. Do you happen to have the local area mapped somewhere? Just that we don't get lost in your jungles. New territory and all that."
She dips her quill into the inkpot. "As for my next question, when you say you banished this creature, entity, whatever... You say many generations. Can you specify that for us, people of sub-century lifespans?", she points to the humans at the table. "What timeframe are we dealing with, approximately?"
when Caiten suggests taking the key back to Altaerein. She thinks for a moment. "How would we get back once we are done with the cult? Don't we need it to open the gate? I'm willing to put his up to the vote, but we need to clear up this little hiccup first."
"I would expect that we would have Alak open the gate at either specified times for the next few weeks, or at periodic intervals. The time that the portal is open would be brief enough that it would be unlikely to be noticed - especially if the Ekujae keep curious people away from it."
"At this point I am more concerned about what could come out of that portal. Compared to what could come through. If you know what I mean. Opening the gates at regular times..." she pauses and sighs "Not sure if that helps."
Nketiah sketches out a map of the region. "Other than the river, there's not much in the way of landmarks out there. Lots of jungle. This whole region seems to be repelling us. The Elephant People here may be able to give you more information, but be wary -- like the animals they idolize, they are protective and quick to anger. Approach them in a clearly nonthreatening manner if you wish to avoid conflict."
She tries to answer your additional questions. "I do not know the extent of this place between worlds. I cannot say how much the Darkness has infected. He came in the aftermath of the Earthfall, when Golarion already reeled in pain, before it had a chance to recover -- so ten millenia have passed."
Regarding the safety of the key, Jahsi speaks up. "I swear to you, we will guard it with our lives. It will not leave my presence, on my honor as keledi. I will not fail again."
"At this point I am more concerned about what could come out of that portal. Compared to what could come through."
"Yes. It is certainly a risk to consider. As is leaving it on this continent where the enemy may know where to go looking for it. I expect the Ekujae would have their forces alert and effective. But we don't know what the enemy strength is. Or what tricks they may have available to them."
"I swear to you, we will guard it with our lives. It will not leave my presence, on my honor as keledi. I will not fail again."
Caiten bows his head to Jahsi. "I expect you would do so. I am just exploring any other options that we have available. Preferably one that puts people's lives - including yours - in the least amount of danger."
"Well then, what do we know about the cult's presence there? Any details? Weaknesses that you are aware of?" She leans forward in her seat, directing her questions to Nketiah and Jashi. She turns a spoon over in her fingers mindlessly, trying to give her Harrow deck a break from all her fidgeting.
"Honestly? We are in the dark. We did not know about them until it was too late, and their strange enchanted pillars are keeping us from scouting."
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Nketiah sketches out a map of the region. "Other than the river, there's not much in the way of landmarks out there. Lots of jungle. This whole region seems to be repelling us. The Elephant People here may be able to give you more information, but be wary -- like the animals they idolize, they are protective and quick to anger. Approach them in a clearly nonthreatening manner if you wish to avoid conflict."
She tries to answer your additional questions. "I do not know the extent of this place between worlds. I cannot say how much the Darkness has infected. He came in the aftermath of the Earthfall, when Golarion already reeled in pain, before it had a chance to recover -- so ten millenia have passed."
Regarding the safety of the key, Jahsi speaks up. "I swear to you, we will guard it with our lives. It will not leave my presence, on my honor as keledi. I will not fail again."
Cev has listened to all the chatter, and while it is pretty hard to turn away from Akosa, he pushes through.
"Friends; we are many many many miles away from Isger, and while we all trust Alak, now, I'm not sure the kindest course of action is painting a target on him again either. Nor, to be honest, would I really feel comfortable with the key being in the citadel when we are not. There isn't an entire tribe devouted to its protection in Breachill either; here there is. It is not lost on me that the gods have placed their trust in these people - I think we should too."
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"Elephant... people?" Yasamina raises an eyebrow. "I honestly don't know enough about the key to give a proper input, Caiten. Sorry. I am just expressing my concerns about the portals now. Thinking about that thing in the tunnel getting out near Breachill is probably bleaching my hair as we speak."
She checks some of the tips she can see. Just in case.
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Lisi nods to Cev. "You have placed great trust in us, Jahsi. We reciprocate that trust."
Lisi thinks about embers and ashes. "This curse of blindness could be many things. I wonder if it actually is doing something with time, like a temporal anomaly. However, there are many ways to approach hidden things, if one is patient and takes time to study them. Likewise, the Cinderclaws will provide clues as to how much more of Dahak there is, and where to find it and destroy it, or put it far far away."
He turns to the group. "This hidden area. We'll find it and see if animals go in and out of it, or if the river does, or if any burrows go under it."
Catalina looks thoughtful as they speak, filing away all the little details she has been learning about the group - from Isger, a place called "Breachill"... She continues to twirl the spoon between her fingers, nodding at Lisi's suggestion to do some tracking around this hidden area.
"We may want to think about something that can counter magical darkness..." She says, trailing off a little, furrowing her brows. "I can see in the dark, but even my eyes can't pierce something created by magic. It may be moot point if the darkness is only keyed to Ekujae, but it is worth preparing for."
After listening to the thoughts, concerns, and requests voiced by the others in the group, Caiten responds, "It seems we have at least somewhat of a consensus on the matter. We will leave the portal key with you, Jahsi. Cevendyll...?"
"We should prepare and be ready to leave in the morning." He goes and looks at the sketched map. "This is where the portal is - and this is Akrivel, yes? So to travel there, he points to the marked location on the map, "would be at least three days if we hurry, and probably five if we go carefully."
"Alright. Three more from me. Who are the elephant people? What do you do against bugs here? And..." Yasamina turns her head towards Renali "Are you coming with us, or are we taking you to your people? Or staying here? I know you said your pilgrimage is not over, but this might be a dangerous trek."
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"Elephant... people?" Yasamina raises an eyebrow.
"Nomadic humans. The follow the elephant herds, believe them to be divine. They intertwine their fates with the animals. They had a camp there, last we checked."
"We may want to think about something that can counter magical darkness..." She says, trailing off a little, furrowing her brows. "I can see in the dark, but even my eyes can't pierce something created by magic. It may be moot point if the darkness is only keyed to Ekujae, but it is worth preparing for."
"It was more of an affliction. Our scout had to pay a visit to Ohnawa, and have their sight returned to them." Nketiah sighed and smiled weakly. "It restores my hope, that you were delivered to us at the very time we needed outside help."
Ose Atsu spoke up. "We will find you comfortable places to sleep tonight. But first, we would send you on your way with gifts."
"In a matter of hours, you have earned the respect of a keledi, won over Akosa, of all people, and we glimpsed your true selves," Ose Panin continued. "You have earned our trust, and as we ask much of you, we will also send you with the help we are able." She waved to a couple of elves who were awaiting her signal.
They brought over a pile of basic supplies that would be useful for camping in a jungle. with mosquito netting built in, a large embossed with a leopard and patterns favored by the Ekujae for each of you, , , , and that Jahsi explains entrap your foe with vegetation and hinder their movement.
Atop the pile was a single tall, pointed, and made from soft, supple black leather decorated with green trim. Boots of elvenkind.
The children from the pepper eating contest came forward, smiling. They handed you .
"We each have gifts for you as well," Jahsi said. "This has served me well in my travels, but as I intend to remain guarding the Temple for the foreseeable future, I think it's time I passed it on. It holds much more than it appears it would." He passes over a finely embroidered bag.
Akosa pulls the bow from his back. "I've seen you all hunt, and I know none of you favor the bow, strictly speaking. But I want you to have mine. I swore on this bow that I would kill every last member of the Aspis Consortium in Whitebridge -- the ones who enslaved me. I kept that oath. Perhaps you can make a similar one, to stop the threat of the Cinderclaws."
Nketiah fishes in her pouch and pulls out a perfectly round crystal made of tourmaline. "This is called an aeon stone. It will save you, should you be on the very brink of death, and can help heal in a pinch."
Ose Atsu and Ose Panin looked to each of you in turn. "We additionally have chosen something for each one of you." They begin to hand out individual items...
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Ose Panin rose, retrieving a staff from another Ekujae. She walked over to Lisi. "Your kinship with nature is unmistakable. There are few who possess your gift, and such powers should be nurtured. We present you with Kijani. It belonged to one of our elders, who has since crossed to the other side."
Ose Atsu smiled at Caiten and cradled a small little model building in her palms. "It was clear to us that you enjoy working with your hands. The children loved the toys you made them. You are far from home -- this will allow you to work in comfort, wherever you may be."
"And for the charmer," Ose Panin grinned. She pulled out a simple wooden crown, and would place it on Cevendyll's brow if he allowed. "Legends tell of a ruler who once sacrificed all he had for his people to keep them safe and well. It is clear you care about your friends in such a way. In addition to making you even more charming, this will help you protect them."
"The weapon you carry is a strange one to us," Ose Atsu nodded to Dario's pistol. "Strange, but not unknown. Many hunters have delved into this jungle, and we have seen similar weapons on occasion. We found one on the body of a man who underestimated the wrath of a hippopotamus. His weapon was badly damaged, but we salvaged this, and wish you to have it." She handed him a metal cylinder with lenses that was clearly meant to affix to a firearm. "We have been using it like a spyglass, but I believe it will be more usful for you.
Ose Panin took Catalina's hands. "You have been a friend to our people longer than the rest. I know it must be strange, suddenly thrown in with a group of strangers, as we ask you to help save us. We cannot express our gratitude, nor our hope that you may find something here to end the lonliness you confessed to feeling. Here," she opened one of Catalina's palms and placed a strange, gruesome, but ultimately interesting object there -- a a very real eyeball, affixed to a ring. "Fashioned from the eye of a basilisk. It will slow your foes, and potentially even turn them to stone, should luck favor you."
"Then there is the man with the visions. The one we believe will ultimately strike the killing blow on the Darkness, if we have read the signs right. We would gift you with one of our ancient relics, one that we have kept, all this time, to help in our fight against him, should he return." She hands Oren a dragon-shaped pendant.
The twins glanced at one another, then at Joran and Yasami. "Then we have the two of you. Our gifts to you would not be items. Rather, if you would permit, Ohnawa is actually quite skilled at crafting magical tattoos. Should you accept, she has the ability to imbue both of you with a permanent boon. The inks are magical, and quite rare, or we would offer them to all of you -- but if you do not wish to be marked, we may be able to find something else to suit you."
Ose Panin looks at Joran. "Yours would ward you against harm, when you are charging ahead into unknown danger."
Ose Atsu looked to Yasami. "And yours would help you to remain ever-vigilant, even should your eyes miss something."
"I would like to join you as well," Renali chimed in, then blushed. "I am not as useful as those gifts, perhaps, but I can help you scout, and weave shelters in the evenings."
After listening to the thoughts, concerns, and requests voiced by the others in the group, Caiten responds, "It seems we have at least somewhat of a consensus on the matter. We will leave the portal key with you, Jahsi. Cevendyll...?"
"We should prepare and be ready to leave in the morning." He goes and looks at the sketched map. "This is where the portal is - and this is Akrivel, yes? So to travel there, he points to the marked location on the map, "would be at least three days if we hurry, and probably five if we go carefully."
"Strictly speaking, a Hunter's Arrowhead is most beneficial in the hands of a hunter, and that comes from Yuelral's knowledge placed in me, not a bias towards hunters ..."
Cev actually looks serious for a moment"I can tell you directly though, the key was never meant to be enshrined. It is meant to be part of the tribe's life, every day, just as our gods should be. Hold it, keep it next to your heart where you keep them. That is where it is safest, and that is where its power will come to you."
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Akosa pulls the bow from his back. "I've seen you all hunt, and I know none of you favor the bow, strictly speaking. But I want you to have mine.
"I do use a longbow occasionally. Though not often enough to claim the item if you would rather have it, Cevendyll. I would also accept the entangling arrows as well."
Ose Atsu smiled at Caiten and cradled a small little model building in her palms. "It was clear to us that you enjoy working with your hands. The children loved the toys you made them. You are far from home -- this will allow you to work in comfort, wherever you may be."
Caiten accepts the tiny building and inspects it. "Thank you very much. This is astonishing. And very useful. It will be a great treasure to me."
Ose Panin took Catalina's hands. "You have been a friend to our people longer than the rest. I know it must be strange, suddenly thrown in with a group of strangers, as we ask you to help save us. We cannot express our gratitude, nor our hope that you may find something here to end the lonliness you confessed to feeling. Here," she opened one of Catalina's palms and placed a strange, gruesome, but ultimately interesting object there -- a a very real eyeball, affixed to a ring. "Fashioned from the eye of a basilisk. It will slow your foes, and potentially even turn them to stone, should luck favor you." (The stoney version.)
Catalina smiles softly at Ose Panin, closing her hand around the ring and holding it against her heart, bowing her head to the elven woman. "Thank you," She replies, her voice husky with emotion. "After all that your people have done for me since you all rescued me years ago...I cannot help but leap at the chance to help you all in the same way." She speaks slowly, making sure to enunciate every word and not forget any that she usually thinks are extraneous. She bows low at the waist and then slips the ring onto a finger on her left hand as she steps off to the side. Almost child-like wonder blossoms across her face as she studies her gift, mulling over the enemies she knows of that may be vulnerable to such a thing.
Dario had done what the gunslinger did best when more serious matters arose; sit back and shut up so he could make sure he listened appropriately. It seemed that the hunt would be anew, the Cinderclaws were targeting the elves effectively and keeping them out of their lands. It meant that whatever they had in their lands, they didn't want their enemies to see. It did have a strange sense of foretelling to it, the fact that they would come through when they were needed the most.
When offered the crystal, Dario looked it over for just a moment before quickly affixing it to his pistol. The speed at which he did was dazzling, his expertise with these strange weapons coming into being. He aimed down the scope, grinning a dangerous smile as he nodded.
"A magnifying scope. Thank you, I'll treat it well." With a spin, he slipped it back into his holster and bowed in thanks to them. "These Cinderclaw are going to rue the day they decided they wanted to burn the world down. I promise you that."
Lisi takes the staff, and it is as if he has always had the staff, so natural does it look on his person. "I will honor your elder by using Kijani well. I would know more about this elder, if someone who knew them can tell me about them."
Cocking an eyebrow in curiosity, "A tattoo, huh? I'm liking the sound of that. I'll take it!" He exclaims excitedly. "Okay, I'm thinking 'Lion'. A ferocious lion with an awesome mane. His teeth showing and his claws. Do I have to see it to make it work? Because I'm thinking of putting it on my back. But I'm not sure exactly. I might want it on my bicep." Crossing his arms and stroking his chin in thought, he eventually shakes his head. "Bah. I'm undecided. I'll have to think on it. Is it okay if I think about where I want it?"