Bashantu cries out in pain as the drake slaps her with its tail and Issi's sword cuts into her chest. She casts a powerful harm spell!
Sadiki, too, is badly hurt by the cleric's spell, as is the summoned drake. She fires a chromatic ray that misses as the summoned drake attacks, landing one hit!
Bashantu unleashes another powerful harm spell!
Luck is on Issi's side, as she cuts down the evil priestess with a powerful spellstrike!
Sadiki grimaces in pain. "I'm out of my big spells. Maybe we should fall back and rest for now."
You fall back to safe distance and camp to recover your health and magic. The prisoners have begun their journey back to Kiutu, and you are confident they will arrive safely.
The next morning, you return to the prison. Luckily, it does not seem as if the remaining Knights have bothered to reinforce the upper level. You explore the remaining rooms there.
The first room is the pinnacle of opulence in an otherwise plain structure, bearing a cot covered in rich furs, a small desk draped with patterned cloth, and a small chest with gold inlay tucked beneath the desk. A sunburst design was once carved into the wall, but it looks to have been carefully chiseled away a long time ago. The furs on the bed are worth 100 gp and the chest is worth 150 gp. The contents of the chest aren’t quite as valuable; it holds three onyx shards worth 10 gp each and a well-read copy of The Words Behind the Mask, an anthology sacred to Norgorberites. Draped on the desk is a bloodstained cassock of devotion to Gozreh, and it’s wrapped around 15 pp and a severed finger.
The next room is an empty prison cell. A suspicious amount of fresh blood stains this room, as if from a vicious fight.
The last two rooms are another bunkroom and an armory featuring several weapons and backpacks with supplies. None of the gear here is particularly valuable, except one of the backpacks is a knapsack of halflingkind.
The stairs leading down from the upper level descend into a ruined room, with half the wall to the north fallen away into a large, half-flooded grotto. A wet clicking noise reverberates through the room, bouncing off the irregular rock walls with strange echoes. Issi recognizes the sound as that of a dangerous Darklands predator called a gogiteth.
You quietly move through the east door to avoid attracting the gogiteth's attention. A protruding cave wall divides this wide cavern into two parts. An enormous stone table and benches stand in the southwest quadrant, while the northeast remains a rough cavern with just enough tumbled stone and smooth walls to indicate that it used to be worked, but collapsed long ago. Murky water covers the floor to the south.
A hulking great cyclops stands here, overseeing a pair of prisoners who work to clear stones and clean the walls. The cyclops blinks his single eye as he looks down at you. "What you want, little Knights?" he asks.
"Um. I seen you. And Halbrux. And the other cyclopes," the one-eyed giant responds. "Why you think little Knights down here? Little Knights stay upstairs. Hmmm..." He furrows his brow, seeming to be thinking very hard.
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"Good." Issi says firmly, trying to move the conversation along. "Of course the Little Knights weren't going to be here, but since they weren't upstairs either Bashantu sent us down here to check. We'll go and speak to Halbrux, get this all sorted out."
With that she starts heading further into the cave, not planning to give the cyclops too long to think about it.
"That's right, thanks for your help, gotta go," Sadiki says, trying to help Issi pull a fast one.
Unfortunately, the cyclops finishes his thought before the sisters can get away. "Wait a minute. You are not little Knights! You tricked me!" he howls angrily. "I hate being tricked!" He roars and raises his club!
He charges at Issi, narrowly missing with the horn on his head! But he brings his club around for a backswing that knocks her good!
Issi misses with her strike, but Sadiki zaps the cyclops with electricity! He roars again and smashes Issi repeatedly! The magus goes down hard!
"Get up!" Sadiki shouts, laying hands on her sister before firing another chromatic ray. This one is way off the mark!
The critical strike disembowels the cyclops, who collapses at Issi's feet! The two prisoners in the room throw themselves on their knees and beg you to release them!
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Somewhat dazed still Issi stands aside and lets Sadiki free the prisoners, only stepping in to break things at her sister's command.
"Ouch." She comments once the prisoners are free and have been escorted to the stairs. "Well, lets carry on and be on the watch for any more cyclopes. We might only need to deal with the leader..."
Sadiki heals all of Issi's injuries over several minutes, then you continue exploring. The next room has little inside except three giant stone slabs, each made up with furs and rugs as beds.
The next room is modestly sized, scarcely large enough for the two stone slabs that occupy it. One serves as an enormous bed while the other provides a makeshift desk, covered with large papers, rocks, rubbings, various writing implements, and so forth. The carvings on the walls here are badly eroded and hard to make out.
A female cyclops is in here, studying the notes on the desk. But she looks up and quickly snarls when she realizes you are intruders. "You will not disrupt my work here," she growls, grabbing a greatclub!
The cyclops invokes her magic to protect herself with stoneskin!
Sadiki strikes the cyclops with an orange ray of acid, while Issi blasts her with ice. Growling in irritation, the cyclops casts a quickened globe of invulnerability around herself, followed by a flame strike!
Only Sadiki's innate magical resistance saves her from disastrous burns from the flame strike. She grits her teeth and fires another chromatic ray, but this one misses.
Issi's fire spell gets through the globe as she slices and scorches the cyclops. The one-eyed giantess grits her teeth and raises her club, trying to predict the magus's movements.
She then swings her club, pummeling the magus in precise places! Sadiki's attempt to protect Issi fail, and the magus crumples again.
Sadiki curses and lays hands on her sister twice more, following up with battle medicine.
The cyclops batters Issi again!
Sadiki strikes the cyclops with a fiery ray. The giantess grits her teeth and takes a step back, her single eye looking between the two magical sisters. "You are tougher than you look. Perhaps I underestimated you. May we parlay? I am an academic, and I think you might be, too."
"My name is Halbrux Far-Sight. I am an expert on the culture of Ghol-Gan, the ancient empire of my people. I learned of this site, the Prison of the Vacant Eye, and came to learn more. But years of water damage and occasional collapses have made studying this place an arduous task.
"I had already ben here for many months when the the Knights of Abendego arrived. I’d already made several discoveries, but I needed smaller, quicker hands for more detailed work unsuitable for my fellow cyclopes. The Knights struck a bargain with me: as long as I would allow them the use of the prison and would work with them as its warden, I could use the prisoners as I wished in clearing the old ruins.
"I care more for my research here than the Knights or their prisoners, though. Allow me to remain and you can do what you will with the humans."
Halbrux shows you to the prison cells on this level, where several prisoners are being held. There's a caravan master and her guards, as well as several more prisoners from the village of Kiutu, the town of Jula, and other communities the Knights have raided. There's no sign of I'boko's father, who has been sent to Jula like the other "chosen" prisoners.
One prisoner in particular, a white-spotted gnoll named Nourishing Gull, or "Gully," can tell you much about Jula. She used to frequent the Jula Alehouse until she inadvertently spilled a pungent drink on Ajbal Kimon, the leader of the Knights of Abendego. As punishment, she was sent here. The Jula Alehouse is the Knights’ headquarters. If given writing materials, she can draw a rough sketch of both the town and the alehouse interior, though she doesn’t know the alehouse’s back rooms too well.
Gully insists that Ajbal lives and works in some hidden room in the back of the alehouse. She encourages you to stop the Knights by capturing or eliminating Ajbal, but she warns you that merely rushing the alehouse is likely to bring all the Knights in Jula down on you at once. A better strategy is to contact the town’s beleaguered leader, Father Heveril, and ask his counsel. Gully greatly respects Father Heveril despite all he’s been through as leader of a town that’s slid into gang rule.
DOWNTIME
Requirements You are a lore-speaker and have unrestricted access to the Prison of the Vacant Eye.
You carefully explore the ruined prison with your students, piecing together cosmological symbols and society shifts in the ancient Ghol-Gan empire. Choose either your primary or secondary branch, and attempt a skill check against a standard DC of the branch’s level. You can use Nature, Society, or one of the branch’s associated skills for this check. This activity takes 1 month.
Critical Success A new understanding of history! You find evidence of practices within the Ghol-Gan empire that no scholars have previously discovered. Increase the branch level of the branch you chose by 2.
Success You and your students successfully piece together several ancient clues into a workable theory. Increase the branch level of the branch you chose by 1.
Failure You’re unable to uncover much of interest. Your branch level remains the same.
Critical Failure You or your students make a series of dramatic misinterpretations that put the validity of your entire research in doubt. You may not engage in Practical Research at this site for 1 year.
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With the Vacant Eye cleared Issi and Sadiki spend a few days going through the place with a fine tooth comb. The sisters also spend a reasonable amount of time with Halbrux, as Sadiki's golden words begin to smooth over the awkwardness of their initial 'meeting'. Issi usually watches from the sidelines, just in case the cyclops decides to try something.
By the time Mariama and Ignaci lead the other students in, an agreement with Halbrux has been reached and Issi is itching to leave for Jula.
"We can't afford to wait any longer." She explains to her seconds. "A week or so might be explained but too long a gap and the Knights in Jula will become suspicious."
"Don't worry, we've got this!" Mariama says with a grin. "We'll keep the other students on task. You go be the big damn heroes you are!"
***
The road to Jula is muddy, miserable, and poorly maintained. The unrelenting rain pours throughout the 40-mile trip. You don’t see any other travelers on the way to Jula; it’s become something of an open secret that the Knights of Abendego control this region, so few people bother to travel this way.
Jula is built upon cliffs overlooking the sea. It was once a larger city, occupying steep river valleys along a highland trade route, but when the Eye of Abendego drowned the region more than a century ago, only the clifftop portions of the city survived. A pair of Knights are standing guard outside the town's eastern entrance, though they don't appear to be scrutinizing travelers very closely.
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Since the guards seem to be relatively lackadaisical Issi makes a point of checking that all her hair is covered (as a disguise, not just because to the miserable rain) and then proceeds into the town, her sister by her side. Unless challenged she doesn't bother saying anything and fully intends to let Sad talk if they are!
The guards look you both up and down before trying to demand a 10 gp entrance fee to get into the town. Sadiki is able to fast-talk them into letting you in without having to bribe them.
Julans use a network of ropes and pulleys to connect important buildings and limit the need to traverse dangerous coastal waters or muddy hillsides. Broad, sturdy awnings cover many streets and public spaces, woven from the same local rainfan hemp used by the town’s sailmakers. Most buildings are wooden affairs with broad eaves and dormered windows, and many homes are converted merchant houses or silos from Jula’s distant past. Companion-planted farm plots outside the city supplement the town’s seafood diet, and rainfan grows along the eastern forest’s edge. Two rivers separate Jula into three informal neighborhoods.
Knights of Abendego patrol the streets in groups of four or more. Few bother staying alert and, like the guards at the gate, they’re more interested in shaking down wealthy-looking travelers than keeping alert for any trouble. They’ve grown complacent with their stranglehold on the city and don’t expect to face any danger here.
The Knights of Abendego occupy the Jula Alehouse, although they sleep at an inn called the Wheelwright’s Widower and their numbers are greatest there. Near this inn is the Hall of the Watchful Ibex, Jula’s temple to Erastil and communal workshop. Father Heveril spends nearly all his time there, and it’s a natural first stop in Jula.
The Hall of the Watchful Ibex has witnessed Jula’s birth, destruction, and rebirth. Jula’s oldest building still holds the ibex-horn bow and tanned hide made from the blessed animal which inspired the town’s founding. Erastilian temples are practical structures, and the Hall provides ample space for hemp processing, weaving, healers’ work, and a dry dock for repairing larger watercraft.
Father Heveril is haggard, jaded, and cynical. He offers aid to any who seek it, but it’s obvious that he’s been worn down by the burden of leading a town through calamity after calamity. "Greetings, travelers. What brings you to Jula?" he inquires.
"Ah, I see," Heveril says. "A friend of Gully's is a friend of mine."
He ushers you into his office so you may speak privately. "If you've come to help us, then I'm glad, but we must be cautious. There are dozens of Knights in town, including their most powerful leaders, and a frontal assault to expel them from Jula is doomed to failure. I'd like to help you directly, but if you fail, the consequences will lead to even worse treatment for the citizens. To succeed, an attack against the Knights must be decisive and, in the process, strike down their leaders in the Jula Alehouse. If you vow to defeat Ajbal Kimon, I will do everything in my power to help the people rise up against the Knights and let you strike at the organization’s leaders."
Father Heveril knows of four individuals (other than himself) who have the influence or resources to make a significant difference in a public uprising against the Knights of Abendego. Unless you can convince at least two of these people to lend their aid, Father Heveril refuses to even consider a fight. The more you can convince to aid in a battle against the Knights, the better.
"I’m doing everything I can to recruit and coordinate anyone willing to fight back against the Knights. But I’m going to need some help. The people of Jula are brave, but courage is no substitute for a good shield. Ajbal has been working our blacksmith Zihara Steeltale to the bone, but she may be able to spare a few things. If she can supply a few shields, even a blade or two, then this plan might not be dead in the water after all.
“Then there’s the Third River, our local thieves’ guild. I trust those cutpurses about as far as I can throw them, but they have their own reasons to hate the Knights. They’re quick, and they’re smart; if nothing else, they’ll make a good distraction.
“Our front line, hopefully, will be made up of the former town guard. I doubt they’ll listen to me, but if you can get their old captain, Eight Briar Sunsets, to step up, they may listen to him. Unfortunately, he’s acquired a severe fear of open spaces. If I wasn’t still bringing him food, he’d probably starve before stepping outside.
“Imara High-Hearth owns the alehouse; in fact, she grew up in it. No one knows the Knights or their movements in the alehouse better. She’s been avoiding a confrontation for fear of her beloved alehouse becoming a focus of the Knights’ wrath, but she needs convincing that the time is now. This might be the best time, in fact, as the Knights recently turned her out, and I’m certain she’s not happy about that."
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"We can do that." Issi says, happy to have something straightforward to deal with. "Let us hope Jura's prosperity returns sooner than anyone imagines."
Having secured the necessary directions Issi stands in the street and looks around before glancing at her sister. The pair can communicate almost perfectly without words by now and Issi's raised eyebrow is all she needs to ask.
'Where first?'
Might as well go in order. The blacksmith first, Sadiki suggests.
The blacksmith, an elf named Zihara Steeltale, has been conscripted by the Knights to produce armor and weapons exclusively for them. Her wife, U’kuyo, and their two adult children have been assisting her, but even with their help, she has barely been filling Ajbal’s growing demands. Ajbal has begun to grow impatient, issuing thinly veiled threats about what will happen to her family if she doesn’t produce enough. She blames her aging bones to buy herself time but has actually produced more than double his demands for months now, hiding away excess arms that she crafts. Getting the family to agree to help isn’t difficult, as they have a deep-seated hatred for Ajbal and his gang, and have been waiting to put their cache to good use.
When you explain what you're here to do, Zihara hesitates only a moment before nodding to her family. Her wife bars the door, her son pulls away the heavy rug in the middle of the floor, and her daughter begins to pry away floorboards, revealing the weapons stockpile.
The hard part is moving the weapons to the Hall of the Watchful Ibex without being caught. Hauling them by wagon across the bridge between the forge and the temple means moving directly past the Wheelwright’s Widower. As many Knights are living there, the chance of getting caught is high.
Another possibility is to transfer the weapons across the rope bridge that extends from the cliff near the forge to the opposite cliff. Carrying heavy weapons makes this a job suited for the strongest and most nimble haulers making as few trips as possible to avoid arousing suspicion.
Using your magic, you make yourself grow and disappear from sight, easily hauling the weapons to the Hall of the Watchful Ibex without being caught.
Once that is done, you head toward the thieves' guild. Jula’s thieves’ guild, the Third River, is a loose affiliation of almost twenty pickpockets and ruffians. They used to swindle traveling merchants and start the occasional tavern brawl for fun, but the town guard mostly left them alone as long as they avoided causing any serious harm to locals. While they lack discipline, Heveril believes their skills will make a big difference in the coming battle.
You find the guild in an old warehouse by the docks. A wiry-looking rogue named Grinning Lex sees you approach and raises their hackles. Even after mentioning Heveril sent you, they seem reluctant to speak with you.
"We give a damn," Lex says, flinching a bit. "We're just...wary. We've already lost people to the Knights. But...come inside, we'll hear you out."
The other members of the thieves' guild share Lex's initial reluctance. They tell you that their leader, Barrister, Indeg, was murdered. When hte Knights first arrived in town, Barrister Indeg didn’t take the threat seriously. But once merchants and travelers stopped coming to Jula, it became impossible for the guild to keep up the lifestyle they once knew. Eventually, Indeg grew fed up and attacked the Knights out of desperation. He underestimated how dangerous the Knights were and was badly injured in the fight, passing away from his injuries soon after.
The promise of payback is enough to get everyone in the Third River interested, but they don’t see the point in fighting without a strong leader who knows what they’re doing. Fortunately, it's not difficult for Issi to prove her magical and martial might, and soon enough, the thieves are on board.
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Having thoroughly trounced one of the thugs Issi gives the thieves their instructions and then leaves them to do their work. They know the terrain and the best ways of doing things - her job is simply to make sure they do what's needed, when it's needed.
With that sorted out, the sisters head for the house of the agoraphobic Eight Briar Sunsets.
Before the Knights of Abendego came to Jula, Eight Briar Sunsets was the captain of Jula’s town guard. In a town like Jula, that mostly meant settling disputes between merchants, breaking up fights that got too rowdy, and slapping local pickpockets on the wrist if they were clumsy enough to get caught. He was perhaps not the finest or most noble, but he was respected and maintained the peace.
Eventually, Captain Briar thought to find some peaceful resolution with the Knights, delineating authority in the town. He met with Ajbal Kimon a year ago, ready to negotiate, but Ajbal stabbed him in the face without warning. That was the last time the captain was seen in public. Since then, he can’t step outside of his home without being wracked with overwhelming fear that forces him back inside. Several townspeople have met with him to convince him to keep working, but he’s turned away everyone and fallen deeper into despair and self-pity. Father Heveril hopes that perhaps you can succeed were others have failed and help the captain find his courage. If Captain Briar can rally the guards, Jula will have a disciplined fighting force to join them into battle.
When you arrive at Captain Briar’s home, he’s surprised to see new faces, but invites you in. All the windows have been nailed shut from the inside, and makeshift insulation—mostly torn clothing—has been placed all around the house to mute the sound of rain. Stepping into Captain Briar’s house effectively feels like leaving Jula behind.
The captain is distant but polite. He understands the desire to fight back against the Knights of Abendego, but he instantly becomes withdrawn as soon as you imply that he needs to leave his house. No amount of discussion can compel him to step outside.
However, when you think to detect magic in the area, you notice a magical aura surrounding him.
"Allow me," Sadiki says, using powerful wish magic to remove the captain's curse. Captain Briar opens his door and takes a few tentative steps outside. He looks up at the sky for several seconds before running back inside, laughing and soaking wet. He’s trembling in a mixture of fear and exhilaration.
It will take him some time to get used to the outdoors again, and even more time to convince the other guards to follow him once more, but Captain Briar promises to be ready by the time Father Heveril needs him.
***
You track down the owner of the Jula Alehouse, Imara High-Hearth, at her home. The Knights have dismissed her from her own bar as they took full control of the alehouse. Though initially reluctant to help due to her fear of the Knights and Ajbal Kimon, with some sweet-talking, you are able to convince her to lend her aid. She knows practically everybody in Jula, and with her aid, organizing the numbers needed to rise up against the Knights is much easier.
***
As you are heading back to report to Father Heveril, a trio of iruxi climb up from the river! It's Scout Leader Ssaraku Akai and two of her most powerful followers. Ssaraku doesn’t mention her promise to you, but simply nods and asks how she can help.
***
With the forces of Jula rallied, Father Heveril handles the rest of the preparations. The following morning, dozens of townspeople come to the Hall of the Watchful Ibex, with still more spread out in key locations throughout town. Father Heveril changes out of his usual robes and into a suit of armor emblazoned with Erastil’s religious symbol. He attempts to string an old, well-crafted bow, but his hands are shaking too much. When he sees you, he sighs and puts the bow down, privately voicing his concerns that he is the wrong person to lead this revolt. He opens up about his past with them for the first time, revealing that he was once in a very similar situation.
When Chelaxian colonists attacked Jula many years ago, it seemed a losing battle. Someone needed to give their life fighting the invaders so others could escape, and that fell to Heveril. As he had recently lost his mother, Heveril agreed to face death for the town. But when he realized how overwhelming the enemy forces were, Heveril turned and fled. He lost Erastil’s favor that day, and doesn’t believe he can be of any use without it...
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"Redemption." Issi says simply. "I am not religious but I know enough to be sure that Erastil is god of communities. You may have lost his favor when you fled, but you have given years of your life in service to Jula. To your community. Your people. That is the essence of Erastil. You need not wield a bow for this fight, your presence and your words are all that matter here. Be there and everyone will look to you. Be strong and they will be too. We will stand with you, and Jula Will. Not. Fail."
Heveril nods and squares his shoulders. He strings his bow and stands before the assembled townsfolk alongside Issi and Sadiki. "You heard her. Today is our day! Jula will not fail!"
The crowd cheers as they head off to battle!
***
This uprising wlll one day come to be known as the Battle of Jula, a desperate revolt against well-armed and -armored bullies who have kept the town under their thumbs for far too long. As the two of you make your way from the temple to the alehouse, you see all of the people you've met locked in fierce combat. Father Heveril fires steadily at the Knights with his white wood bow. U’kuyo wields a warhammer with Zihara’s maker’s mark, smashing through the enemies in her path. Lex bears a big grin as they flee from a group of Knights, drawing them into an alley where rogues wait in ambush. Captain Briar and four people wearing matching uniforms have turned old market stalls into an impromptu barricade to keep the Knights at a distance. Many, many more residents fight from homes and shops, directed by Imara High-Hearth. It seems the people of Jula will win the day, but their victory won’t mean much if you can’t hold up your end of the bargain!