Zykyryz cackles at Princess goes down into the sewers while others peek within.
“Okay, seriously? You think clues to a mighty arclord’s memory would be down some random sewer grate? And Sebnet called ME a numbskull!”
”I heard from Sebnet that a recent Pathfinder mission eliminated a smuggling ring, and the conflict had spread up to the surface in this park. I wanted to check it out. Also, it’s just really nice here. Isn’t it?”
"Heh. Hehehehe. You guys are great. This is the most fun I've had in memory. Not that I HAVE many memories… but I'm sure you rank up there real high, at least for now. Where to next?"
You head to the markets, which are full of wonders and booths selling everything imaginable — from jewels to wondrous items to delicious and exotic street foods from around the world. Zykyryz annoys you, constantly begging to have her parietal bone bedazzled with diamonds, wishing she could try food, or be wrapped in fantastical silks.
In the heart of the markets Zykyryz points out a 10-foot-tall, blue-skinned humanoid with a many-eyed face and three-fingered hands. Domwurd and Haggra recognize her as a Mercane, an extraplanar being who often specializes in the selling of magical items and reagents.
"Whoah. Nobody’s going to lose that one in a crowd. She certainly stands head-and-shoulders above the rest! Let's talk to her! Maybe she will remember something, or jog my memory.”
"You know, I sell my reagents to many important people! If you need a recommendation about my quality, ask around. for example, one of my biggest customers was a powerful arclord… " She frowns, awkwardly pausing for a long moment. "funny. I can't remember their name."
She agrees with Snarlfist. "It IS odd. It's very unlike me — I pride myself on my mercantile and business acumen!"
"I remember this extraplanar entrepreneur! She was my primary source for rare magical reagents and skymetals for experiments. I must've been working on some HEADY stuff!"
Zykyryz gets distracted again — this time by an Oraad who sports an asymmetrical array of razor-sharp crystals from his head in lieu of hair.
"Whoah! Look at that guy! With head spikes like that, he could be a literal headhunter if you got him angry! Let's go talk to him! Come on!”
The oread merchant sees you approach. It looks like he sells diamonds; the stones on display glitter brilliantly in the light. "May I help you?"
"Oh, diamonds are used for that, in addition to spell components. My diamond dust is the finest in all of Quantium!"
"I also sell other precious gems, on commission. For example, years ago I obtained two extremely rare, extremely valuale sapphires for one of my very best clients. They took years and years to find, and were chiseled from the deepest depths of the plane of earth — at no small risk to myself."
"Does something smell? Nevermind. We didn't see any dwarves; we trade with shaitan genies primarily. The plane of earth is practically infinite in size and has no up or down to speak of, mind you. Theoretically, there could be whole civilizations of dwarves within it, but we might never see even one in thousands and thousands of years of digging."
"My client was lucky we finished the project for them in only a matter of years, not decades or more." He slowly blinks. "My client… my… client… what was their name again?" he shrugs. "Well, it doesn't matter. Surely you're not looking for old clients of mine but diamonds or gems, after all!"
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Grams frowns slightly. Two merchants who didn't remember an important client's name? That certainly couldn't be a coincidence, when they were traveling with possibly a former arclord who couldn't remember her own name. No, the game was most certainly afoot.
"Do you remember when you finished this project?" she asks.
Grams frowns slightly. Two merchants who didn't remember an important client's name? That certainly couldn't be a coincidence, when they were traveling with possibly a former arclord who couldn't remember her own name. No, the game was most certainly afoot.
"Do you remember when you finished this project?" she asks.
"Oh… it's… hmm. At least several years. It's all a bit hazy."
Domwurd's thinking follows a similar trail to Grams. "Or do you have a ledger where you wrote down your client's name? For accounting purposes?"
The oread frowns, but you can hell he's bothered by this too, and motivated to dig into it a little deeper. "I cannot share my ledger with you, sorry. But if you wait a bit, I can look. I was going to do so myself anyway."
Olorthu eventually returns. "Odd. I found the sapphires in my ledger, but the name of my client is missing. I must have forgotten to write it down. The date is missing as well. Almost as if this is… an arclord who never was."
"Hey that was me! I needed those amazing sapphires for… for… something!
"Oooh can you by me some of those rocks? See those two walnut-sized ones there? Make no bones about it — I'd one scary-looking skull if I had diamonds for eyes! Fitting for a MIGHTY arclord right? Anyways how much do they pay you guys?"
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Grams shrugs. "Maybe," she says, not wanting to give away their mission. "Well, thank you for your help. I guess it was just a dig without a diamond at the end..."
Once she walks away, she turns to the others. "Or there was a diamond, in fact. Something's strange here and clearly trying to keep anyone from remembering our friend. Let's check the next place on the list."
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Haggra just thinks to himself, 'What sort of merchant doesn't keep good records? Or, if they are going to do fancy bookkeeping, have two ledgers. As they say in Cheliax, you have to have good records if you are going to take advantage of people. Or something like that...'
He shakes his head slowly...
"Well this store may be Shaitan's Choice, but it's a shame about your record keeping."
Kralgang follows to the docks.
BAH! The oread waves you off. "If you won't buy anything, I won't waste my time with this nonsense!"
Snarlfist fails to notice anyone.
You head toward the Easternmost part of the city, nearby where your ship The opportune is berthed. In the distance, you can see Valkus Isle, which is surrounded by a shimmering magical barrier that any can enter but none may leave.
Valkus Isle is famous. It was once a popular resort for the nobility of Nexian society. It also once hosted a palace for the archmage Nex, who used the sanctum as a private place for his earliest experiments. Unfortunately, these magical experiments went awry, blasting the entire isle with planar energy and unleashing horrific monsters. Nex was forced to solve the problem by creating an impenetrable magical barrier known as the Stalwart Wall, which locked everything on the island inside permanently. With Valkus Isle now an inescapable prison, it now serves as an oubliette and dumping ground for Nexian undesirables of all kinds.
Zykyryz asks you to pint out the vessel you came on. Upon seeing the Opportune, she exclaims: “You came here in that ship? You Pathfinders really are brave!”
Grams and Snarlfist are stymied by a fog bank that rolls in over the island.
[dice=Occultism] 1d20+11
"Search your thoughts, skull. What do you know about ships?"
"Ships!? What you think… I'm ready to go sculling or something!? Heh. Heh."
"As a mighty Arclord of Nex I twist time and space to go wherever I please, I surely had no need for mundane transportation! Now, please carry me to that bench over there, Domwurd… yes… yes…
[dice=Occultism]1d20+10
Domwurd, who has spent some time reading at the Grand Lodge, recalls a thing or two about the isle. He happily starts chatting away about what he knows, hoping to nudge a memory out of the skull.
"Domwurd and Kralgang, you Pathfinders know a lot about that island. Almost enough to impress a powerful Arclord. Of course, I know more, but I won't tell you at this time."
"We all agree the island is a great failure, exposed for everyone to see every day. How embarrassing! Even Nex made mistakes, I suppose. There is probably a lesson in there somewhere. Something about never giving up, and trying again? There are tons of other islands out there, after all. Maybe the lesson is 'choose a more remote island to grandly fail.' Yeah, maybe that's it!"
"Anyways, I remember sitting on this bench, looking at the island to contemplate those failed magical experiments."
"Seems like I was working on some POWERFUL stuff — something that would have been at the level of Nex himself! I can;t wait to get my memories back and continue my work."
Sunset's eyes light up. "Oh an actual Palace." She is eager to go as her little cloth feet kick in the air.
And what a palace it is. The highest point of the city is the tallest minaret extending from the top of the Bandeshar’s most central dome. The administrative palace is the most iconic feature of the city, a sprawling form seemingly carved from the silver light of the moon and often lit in dancing arcane illuminations of pink, blue, and turquoise. Unsurprisingly, it is near peerless in its architectural form and beauty. People on their business fly on carpets to and fro, among the clouds.
Unfortunately, outsiders are almost never let inside. So you linger in the parks on its perimeter.
Luckily, Zykyryz has some inkling of where to go. Or she is pretending to — who can tell?
"Turn left at the fountain of rainbows! Head towards that adamantine minaret! Left at the prismatic tower! Look at that guy — the one with glasses… I think I remember him! Let's talk"
As you approach the man, clearly a bureaucrat of some sort, puts down his lunch and nods politely.