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Jiggo moves up to Nal and sees Luz and Enrax helping her. "Ah, thank goodness. I'll be on standby in case Luz's treatment doesn't work immediately." He gives Nal a thumbs up. "You got this!"
Salera, meanwhile helps Azrael with the webbing. "Spider's dead, honey. Let's help you get out of there, eh?" She taps her foot in triplets. "Just get ready to move like this, alright?"
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Enrax heals Nal to give her additional health to help her survive the poison.
Jiggo helps Azrael free herself from the webbing.
Nal makes progress in fighting off the poison, reducing the poisons impact on her body. She is still not out of the woods.
Bold may act
Ogre Spider ,
Luz Lumino
Nal ,
Jiggo
Azrael
Hadega E. Scrimsworth
Enrax
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Jiggo pulls out a scroll. "Uh, this is perfect... but it takes too long."
Recognizing Luz is better at this, Jiggo offers to Aid his Treat Poison attempt. "Just tell me where to start."
Salera, unable to really do much, moves up to Jiggo. She doesn't want another spider to ambush them.
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As Nal recovers from the poison, Azrael notices a ghostly form hovering over a decaying garden plot on the other side of the remains of the greenhouse.
Jiggo and Salera are certain of a couple of things: You should not disturb the Spirit's remains until you have given the Spirit peace and trying to fight the Spirit would be harder than fighting the spider.
The Spirit watches you intently.
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"This poison is nasty and acts quickly. Too quickly..." Jiggo grumbles. "Next time I should buy a potion." Jiggo lets Luz help Nal and Treat her Wounds.
Oh, wait a minute." Jiggo halts as they move towards the potted garden.
Jiggo looks at the Spirit, and Salera stays in front. "Jiggs, this thing looks tough."
He nods. "Hello, spirit. My apologies if we disturbed you. We'll be more careful."
"I think we need to look for more clues." Step one is to examine the spirit itself. Dressed like Revinus? Dressed like Eloise? Like his daughter would say, every detail counts!
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"Whew! Yup, that was a nasty one. It's passed now, guys. Thanks for all your help." She slowly rises and walks to the nearest edge of the ruined greenhouse to pluck a few stray leaves to help bind her wounds.
Spotting the spirit, Nal freezes for a moment, then gives it a respectful nod as she hurriedly finishes dressing her wounds.
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"Eloise..." Jiggo exhales the rage out as he thinks about Revinus's letter and missive. "We-we spoke to Lysandria. She was worried about you, but we told her we would figure out what happened."
"Oh! We found your satchel and returned it to her." Jiggo recalls. "E.J.C. That's you, right?"
Jiggo does what he can to get Eloise to talk, or at least rest.
"Is there anything you want to tell Lysandria? We'll bring the message back as soon as we are capable."
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When Hadega declares her a Pathfinder, Eloise's spirit looks satisfied and starts to fade.
As she fades into the darkness, the rain slacks off, and a beam of light finds its way through the clouds.
As Eloise fades away and her spirit continues the journey through to the boneyard, you hear one last, firm word, that seems to confirm her brotherhood with you.
Pathfinders!!
Lysandria has made her way into the mansion, and appears behind you on the roof. Tears streaming down her face, she moves toward the mound as the Spirit fades.
Goodbye my love. I am glad you got your wish, but I will miss you more than you can know.
Thank you Pathfinders. You made Eloise's dream come true. I will make arrangements to have her moved to a proper resting place under the appropriate rites. Please leave me alone so I can grieve the loss of my partner.
Word quickly spreads throughout East Hill and the rest of Almas. Lysandria makes sure everyone knows the Pathfinder Society’s role in events.
Venture-Captain Brackett is impressed by your actions during the investigation. Since you managed to capture Revinus, Brackett thanks you for investigating thoroughly, even as he shares concern about events transpiring in Cheliax.
When VC Brackett examines the mysterious letter from “Aydrian”, he confirms it is likely Aydrian Thrune, a minor noble in the Chelaxian House of Thrune. More concerning is the implication that the situation with Eloise resulted from the interference of another party in some elaborate scheme.
With the legal matters coming to a head soon, Brackett tells you to get some rest.
I hope you’ll be around the lodge in the coming weeks when I'm set to present our case for the Pathfinder Society’s rightful ownership of the Cathedral of Aroden.
Salera taps Jiggo on the shoulder and backs away from Lysandria. "Come on, give her some space."
Once the kid grew up, Salera felt so alone. Jiggo was missing, her kid was busy solving other mysteries and Salera never felt satisfied. She felt a bit angry at times, like she was before she was redeemed. Always mad at something.
When they found Jiggo, turned to stone, she knew what to do: smuggle a potion from the Society's stores and save him. And that felt good, even if it was technically bad.
She always wonders what would have happened if Jiggo couldn't be saved. If... he was a ghost like Eloise. Would she be able to contain her rage?
The next week gives Salera a chance to help Lysandria grieve. Salera actually cleans up the house while Jiggo prepares meals. To help raise funds for the burial, Jiggo and Salera perform a tantalizing tango in the town square to raise funds.
Maybe she got a bit too salacious, as they don't earn much off of it. Still, every bit helps.
By the time the week is up, Jiggo and Salera return to the lodge. Jiggo is ready to seek out some antitoxin and antiplague. Salera spends her time thinking about Chileax and House Thrune. Revinus has been quite willing to speak about them. It's not over...
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Nal peruses the letter from VC Brackett warily. "Schmoozing with officials? I mean, I might be able to pull it off, but it's not really my thing. Hmm..." If VC Brackett's intuition about Freya Greensong is correct, I may be able to connect a bit with her. Sounds like my past and her family's present might have some things in common. But I'll leave Tala Farthing to Hadega, or whoever else would jive with a rigid rules-follower.
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Jiggo reads the missive. "Hmm, politics..." He turns to his risen counterpart. "I know you like this kind of stuff. Hopefully we can just appeal to this as a big misunderstanding."
Salera's grin says it all. "Oh, this will be fun. Who knows what their motives are? Maybe one of their toadies has it out for us. Or maybe one of them was working with Revinus." She flexes her fingers. "Who should we talk to first? We need to chat with them before the meeting starts."
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Hadega bristles. "What manners,to only give us a short amount of time to prepare for a social engagement. Such company demands weeks of preparation and meticulous planning!"
She straightens her posture even more it seems. "Goodness me, well I suppose it isn't to be helped. We'll not be laggards while Hadega Scrimsworth is about, I'll tell you that much!"
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"Let's talk to Tritus first. I get the feeling Tara and Freya are polar opposites in some ways, so starting with either of them may miff the other. Plus, he sounds like a fun one. We might ask him to recommend a tavern, then tell him when we'll be there. He can choose to meet us there or not, his call."
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“Good morning!” says Venture-Captain Brackett, “And thank you for coming. I trust you read my briefing and you’re well rested and ready for a busy day at court! Please, let us walk and talk; I want to make sure we’re not late. I hope to speak with Valor, the Iomedaean representative, before we start. We’ll be going to the Golden Cathedral to present our case to the People’s Council.”
The short walk to the Golden Cathedral passes through one of the main streets in Almas. Even at this early hour, the city is bustling. The sounds and smells of the street-food vendors selling breakfast fill the crisp morning air, carried on a bracing ocean breeze. Down the side streets, vendors are setting up their carts and getting ready for another busy day.
Brackett continues, “I am sure you read my brief when you arrived, but let’s go over some of the basics to refresh everyone’s memory. Over a decade ago, I purchased our lodge, the Almas Cathedral, at a deeply discounted price. I got the discount because the Church of Aroden here in Almas had gone bankrupt; it was very scandalous, but the purchase was appropriate, and I like to think we have used the building to help the people of Andoran. It seems that not everyone agrees, and the church of Iomedae has thrown the legitimacy of our claim into question. Recently, the ghost of a woman slain nearby seemingly accused the Pathfinder Society of her murder, but our agents proved the whole affair was orchestrated by Chelaxian spies. It seems someone else might’ve been pulling the strings, but we haven’t ascertained who it is. I can’t help but think our string of unfortunate circumstances lately might be related.”
“It is excellent to see some of you again so soon. Your help in clearing our name in that haunting incident is very much appreciated. I am pleased to get to work with you again. Perhaps you could mention your efforts when arguing our case? It may help if we can remind the council, and the church of Iomedae, that we’re united with them against such machinations.”
Tala is renowned for her fairness. As a retired Eagle Knight—a freedom fighter from Andoran—she appreciates the skills and influence that both Pathfinders and the church of Iomedae can use to help Almas and Andoran. She especially appreciates some of the Society’s more recent efforts in fighting against the slave trade across the Inner Sea.
Tritus is a retired Pathfinder, and sometimes he mentors young locals interested in joining the Society.
Freya moved here from Bloodcove as a child. Her parents had been involved with the Aspis Consortium, a ruthless trade organization, and needed to relocate after some meddling Pathfinders shut down their illegal operations. Freya holds some resentment against the Society for this and is likely to be the hardest to convince.
Most members of the People’s Council take their responsibility to serve their country and its people seriously. They are as diverse in their membership as they are in opinions. Andoran prides itself on welcoming all, and open disrespect of others is not acceptable.
The People’s Council can be swayed by arguments that focus on how a decision makes Andoran better and stronger. While the letter of the law is important, in many cases, the impact of the law on people and society takes precedence.
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"I heard tell that Freya's parents were part of the Apsis Consortium in Bloodcove. She's got a grudge against the Society because we got one of their illegal operations shut down, which forced her family to relocate here. Venture Captain Brackett, do you know of anything she likes or values, or where we might find common ground? And would it be wise or unwise to mention her personal resentment against the Society during the hearing?"
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Given the resentment is implied from what happened in the past, and we don't have any direct evidence that she is biased, I would not mention it in the hearing. I don't know of anything in particular she would want or value, other than the benefit to Andoran like the others. I am sure that if we make our case with enough justification, she will come around.
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"I'm certain we can clear it all up." Jiggo walks alongside the Venture-Captain. "This sounds like a big misunderstanding, anyway. That, or the culprit will drop subtlety and expose themselves to justice. Which Iomedaeans will be glad to dispense alongside us."
Salera is mostly quiet. She's not a fan of these law and order justice types. They tend to look down on her, waiting for her "inevitable" betrayal. She hopes the culprit is dumb enough to expose themselves.
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You are shown to the meeting room by a page upon entering the Golden Cathedral.
The room is well lit, furnished with warm wood furniture, and has a large window that overlooks a courtyard. On the wall is a painting depicting a unit of Eagle Knights—Andoran’s elite freedom fighters— routing undead foes in a gloomy forest. A plaque under the painting indicates that this is a thematic presentation, rather than a depiction of a specific battle.
The room is set up for three individuals to sit at a long table with their backs to the window. Facing this table, and to the left, is a table with a single chair. To the right is a slightly larger table, with enough chairs to accommodate VC Brackett and the rest of your party.
Your group is the first to arrive. The next to arrive is the Iomedaean representative, Valor, who acknowledges the group as they enter:
“Greetings, Venture-Captain Brackett. I hope you had an agreeable morning. I, myself, enjoyed the walk today. I see that you brought some friends with you. Are you hoping to sway the representatives with personal tales? Please, take no offense; I would do the same. I think you’ve done a great job with the Cathedral so far, but— don’t take this personally—the church and I believe that it can be put to better use under our more-legitimate stewardship. Your Society spends too much time collecting and hiding away the past, and not enough time looking to the future. The Society’s numerous enemies are only going to continue causing problems for Andoran if it has such a prominent position in our capital. This transition is long overdue. Well, now I’ve done it, given away my big speech.
Please, allow me to begin again. My name is Valor. Who will I be deliberating with today?”
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Luz, presented with an opportunity to investigate the opposing side, decides the risk of some pointed questioning might be worth pay-off.
"Greetings Valor. I can only assume the Iomedaean claim here is meritorious. After all, there was a sale, so I cannot imagine you would be attempting to rebuke that transaction under any flimsy pretense."
Luz continues to talk with Valor, just long enough to make him a Lead.
Then Luz zeroes in with his pointed question,
"Is your goal to make an emotional appeal, prove the sale was invalid for clerical reasons, or introduce incriminating evidence against the Society?"
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"Hello, Valor. That's some incredible armor. It's always been too bulky for me. Sorry, I'm getting ahead of myself. I'm Jiggo. Pleased to meet you." Jiggo will offer a hand to shake. "And that is Salera. She's... shy sometimes. Say hi, Salera."
Salera keeps her distance from whatever Valor is. Most people assume she's a demon infected with angelic feather wings. She knows what she is.
"Sounds like we have a lot of confusion over the cathedral." Jiggo continues. "We're hoping to clear up the ownership issues. As far as we know, we purchased from the previous owners and paid in full. But if we didn't, then we'd love to see some evidence or meet the current owners."