Sylva replies very quietly to Ravenna, “How about a lift? I can peek.”
Ravenna nods, giving Sylva a boost with the butt of her musket.
Sir Batman follows the impetuous ladies down the bridge and to the west Hut.
As Sylva begins talking b*%*&*~% to theLeslie's, the bronze bat decides to look the other way while whistling a little tune.
Entering the loom room, the Champion of Mazludeh grins.
May need to procure a few napkins to clean up all the s!~% you were talking.
Sylva shrugs. “Truth, Justice and The Golarion Way don’t always conveniently align.”
As you approach the ladder, you spot another masked Oaksteward trying to hide at the top of it, watching the room below. A yellow and purple spider the size of a dog crouches nearby. The druid seems prepared to pull the ladder up to prevent you from climbing up!
Without thinking, Ravenna swings her musket to hurl Sylva up and into the room upstairs, then recovers her grip on the weapon in time to give the rogue some covering fire.
EEEEEEEE…!”
Sylva points Donkeytail at her foe as she is flung through the air!
She lands blade-first!
Ravenna flings Sylva up into the air! The dwarf Oaksteward's eyes widen in surprise as the sprite sails towards him and drives her blade into his throat! He gurgles and stumbles before falling to the floor. Sylva uses the momentum of the falling dwarf to launch herself onto the spider's back and stabs the arachnid in the back of the head! It goes down as well!
The room at the top of the ladder is a cozy library that has been repurposed as a laboratory. Easy chairs are shoved against brimming bookshelves to make room for glass vessels, burners, and other distilling equipment. Stairs ascend five feet to a door to the north. Another door leads east.
The dwarf has three lesser acid flasks on him. Scattered about the shelves of the makeshift lab are two doses of shiver, three vials of lesser antidote, and one dose of cytillesh oil.
Sir Batman watches the Daring Acrobatic display in awe...
The Bronze bat retrieves the aforementioned sheets, towels, bedding to clean up any messes that may have occurred.
Sylva drops Donkeytail, fumbles for her Med Kit, and rushes to the dwarf’s aid—
—and to put it mildly, she definitely needs those towels Sir Batman is bringing up.
“I… uh… umm… oh.”
Her lips part again and emit no sound. The blood-soaked sprite sits by her kill, eyes wide open, and looking away from the plump bearded corpse.
Ravenna follows Sylva up the ladder, still surprised that their hare-brained scheme worked at all, let alone so well. Still, seeing how affected her friend is by the dwarf's death, she stops to sit next to her.
"It's not your fault."
Sylva looks up at Ravenna. She manages a fragile hint of a smile.
“You’re not very good at lying. But your kindness is genuine…
“Thanks for the lift.”
Ravenna shakes her head. "I mean it. He was trying to kill us, he didn't give you a choice. You did the right thing."
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Nox follows silently, nodding at the tall leshies as they pass to go watch the gate. "The evil that could have tempted once peaceful guardians of the groves to such madness. I dare not imagine what they've heard or seen."
He falls silent at the fighting and deaths of the two latest combatants and rides up the ladder with Ravenna. "I hope we can end this quickly... and with as little death as possible. Can your weapon simply knock one out without killing them? We do have an obligation to try and take Bolan alove."
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"No," Ravenna says, her tone flat. "It is a tool for killing."
Sylva laughs at Ravenna’s comment. She’s not sure if finding humor in that while inked in the blood of her enemy is healthy. It definitely is not, and her girlish giggle is really the wrong kind of laugh, unlike the maniacal look on her face (a normal laugh-face, plus dwarf blood) which is on-point.
Sylva picks up her named blade, and as Nox said, is ready to finish this filthy business quickly. Then it’s cushy diplomacy jobs all the way!
She points her blade to the north door like a tiny Grim Reaper.
Sir Batman dutifully brings the linen up to the Picaso painting above.
I am especially giddy by the sight of Donkeytail piercing those evil druid cultists' eye balls, foreheads and throats. The splendor of the precision particularly pleases my palate!
The Champion of Mazludeh happily mops up the mess.
The north door leads to a large room that is filled with small beds, wooden cabinets, and dressers, no two of them alike. To the north, stairs ascend to a door. Another door marks an exit to the west.
Half a dozen gnomes lie bound and blindfolded on the beds. They groan listlessly.
“Hey. Wake up big guy,” Sylva says as she removes a blindfold. “We’re here to stop the Bolan.”
Ravenna stands guard, watching the door to the north and listening for the sound of approaching footsteps. "They all right?" she whispers.
Sylva opens her healing kit and tries to assess the situation, and help the gnomes in whatever way she can.
“Oh, they’re a bit woozy and could use some food and water. But first thing’s first.”
She uses Lemonsbane to do her part cutting the ropes that bind the gnomes.
Meanwhile in the Bat cave....
Sir Batman vigorously scrubs, scrubs, scrubs all the mess away....
Who's a bit woozy and could use food and water? I am a bit famished. This is hard work.
You untie the gnomes and give them some food and water. They are grateful for the assistance. Their leader, a woman named Parva, explains that they settled here after being exiled from nearby Omesta. They created this place, the Greenleaf Forest House, as a peaceful commune. But then Bolan and his cronies came a few weeks ago and took over, converting it into their hideout. They've been using the gnomes as test subjects for the poisons they're concocting here.
"We will flee into the woods until the conflict is over," Parva says. "But I will happily give you every scrap of wealth in the compound if you can root out the evil druids and save our home!"
Before they leave, Parva tells you the door to the west leads to a sauna room, while the north door leads to her office.
Sylva hears ‘every scrap of wealth.’
Oh no, I can’t accept such generosity. The deed is its own reward. Pay it forwa… wait, that means go into someone’s house, commit murder, and later discover the inhabitants are innocen… yeah. This isn’t a pay-it-forward kinda deed. So just the own-reward li—
Nox speaks, interrupting Sylva’s train of thought. When she finally gets a chance to refuse the every-scrap-of-wealth, she replies, “We’ll spend it wisel…what?”
"I don't know how many there are. Five, six maybe? The last few days are kind of a blur.
"Two gourd leshys? Don't worry, they are friends of ours. We'll make sure they come with us so they are safe as well."
Sylva giggles. “Tell them I’m sorry I lied. I tricked them so they wouldn’t be in any danger. But there are no other fey or innocents in here that you know of?”
Parva shakes her head. "Nope, not as far as we know. Good luck! Stay safe!" She leads the gnomes out of the room.
Sir Batman smiles up at the gnomes, as they travel through the Picasso chamber. The bronze sprite busy cleaning and such.
Hello! I'm Batman!
The sprite laughs and continues his chores.
Once his job is complete, Sir Batman joins the others.
If someone could learn Prestidigitation?
Holding out his slightly, but ugly damaged shield, Sir Batman smiles coyly at Ravenna.
After taking a few more minutes to recover (and potentially repair Batman's shield), you head through the north door. This cozy chamber has large, glassless windows, several of which are unshuttered to look out over the rest of the complex. Furniture includes a four-foot-long bed, a small desk, and a variety of elegant built-in drawers and cabinets. Unceremoniously unfurled on the floor lies a rumpled human-sized bedroll.
A tall, slender man stands near the desk, holding a gnarled staff. He wears hide armor that exposes his gangly arms and legs, and his face is obscured by an imposing leaf mask. He matches the description of the man you came here to stop: Bolan Nogasso! Beside him stands a sunflower leshy, her eyes and petals glowing with collected sunlight.
"Did the Oakstewards send you to stop me?" Bolan bellows. "I will not let you! The forest has chosen me to hold civilization accountable!"
“No it HASN’T!” Sylva retorts as she ▶️rushes the boss, hoping everyone has that same idea and is quick about it.
Sir Batman gallantly stands just inside the cozy chamber. The Bronze Knight holding his trusty shield.
We are here to put an end to your villainous ways, Bolan Nogasso! Prepare to be served justice for your crimes!
The tiny sprite then looks to his companions.
How was that? Been practicing that in my head, since we got here.
The Champion of Mazludeh then places both hands on his shield, strides to the evil Druid cultists leader, and bashes him in the nose, fluttering easily with his bat wings!
"It's not up to you," Ravenna replies, taking aim not at Bolan but at his leshy protector. She fires two expertly placed shots at the plant creature, hoping to take it out of the fight right away.
Ravenna immediately fires on the sunflower leshy, hitting her in the face! She falls back against the wall as a burst of primal energy explodes from her body, filling the office with freshly blooming sunflowers. Ravenna quickly reloads and shifts her aim to Bolan, striking him in the shoulder.
Sylva pushes through the flowers to get to Bolan, leaping up and driving both blades into his abdomen. As the druid groans and doubles over, Batman moves up and bashes him in the face with his shield boss! Blood and teeth fly from Bolan's mouth, and he quickly realizes how outmatched he seems to be. He shakily falls to his knees and raises his hands in surrender.
"You may have beat me, but it doesn't change the fact that the world is out of balance!" he spits angrily. "Humanoids are driving us towards annihilation! It's my responsibility to cull the herd!"
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Nox approaches through the field of flowers like some black and white child of the fields. "Then you teach to do better, not kill without regard for the why. Life is precious in all forms, so make them understand that. Already today so much needless killing has occurred."
The tiny sprite shakes his beetle coated head with a sigh, "You shall answer to those of your order for your crimes. The deaths of these young druids are on your hands."
"You are fey! You should know, more than most others, just how horribly most humanoids treat the environment!" Bolan shouts. "Clear-cutting the forests! Polluting the oceans and rivers! Driving the creatures that dwell there towards extinction!
"I saw it, in the Seventh Arch. A tranquil, natural world where humanoids were no more important than blades of grass. A world perfectly in balance. And when I returned, I had my new powers: magic which allows me to control the human‑despoiled remains of plants—the wood in buildings, the fibers in fabric. Plant necromancy! A sign that I've been chosen as an avatar of nature's vengeance!"
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Nox considers those words, "Death... " he wilts for a moment before puffing his chest out and sounding more resolved. "Death is a necessary part of the cycle. But it cannot be done recklessly. That is why as the stewards of the wilds it is part of your duty to educate those who dwell in cities how to live with the land."
He swings a miniscule hand openly, "Reanimating the dead, plant or otherwise is unnatural. Death leaves room for new life. Plant the seeds that will become the next generation."
“Speaking of… you can save your remaining followers’ lives by commanding them to tear up their masks, go to the altar and free the survivors, and leave this forest forever.
“This is after you are bound in ropes of course. And… just in case you have any kind of secret signals, know that if there’s any trouble, my first move will be to kill you.”
She assumes someone other than herself will handle the ropes.
“Do as we say, do nothing stupid, and you will not be harmed.” She thinks carefully, and adds, “By us. I don’t know what the Oakstewards will do, but they prefer we return you alive. That’s promising.”
"Bah," Bolan scoffs, but he complies with your commands. He offers no resistance as you bind him securely.
When you ask him about the whereabouts of the gate key to the Seventh Arch, Bolan grins unpleasantly. “You’re too late. I already gave it to Kaneepo the Slim.
"Maybe you’ve heard the stories: a skull-faced smile in the fog, a stick-thin boogeyman who lurks near the Wilewood, a shadowy absconder of the overly precocious. But Kaneepo is no mere story. The Slim is fey, lord of the Thinlands and powerful beyond mortal ken—and they’ve chosen me as their instrument. Kaneepo sends the gorgas. Kaneepo created the obnubilate curse. And Kaneepo will punish you for what you’ve done here.”
“As far as instruments go, you’re more kazoo than ocarina, so maybe tone down the chest-puffiness an octave or two.”
Ravenna, who has exchanged her musket for a notebook, rolls her eyes. "Like you were going to punish us? Be serious."
Bolan laughs. “You'll see. One day you'll just turn around, and there Kaneepo will be, stepping out from the shadows behind a tree, or through a hole in the world. Kaneepo is everywhere. Kaneepo sees everything.” He shakes his head, still grinning. “Yes, the Slim will come for you soon enough.”
Sylva nods. “Wow. So he’s skinny and omnipresent. Uh huh.”
She then cups her hands around her mouth.
To Balon, she clarifies (a little too quickly), “The implication is you have a proverbial stick up your literal ass, and that’s why you’re so square. It wasn’t a sex joke. I don’t do blue humor. Slapstick and puppets are more my speed.
“Just so you know.”
Sir Batman lands lightly back to the ground. The smiling bronze sprite looks at the littered teeth tossed carelessly on the ground.
I only count 12. Keep talking b!%@***! and I will double down.
Nodding at the obligatory villian's confession speech, Sir Batman brightens at the foreshadowing of Kaneepo the Slim.
He sounds absolutely marvelous. Can you provide an address?
Giggling at Sylva's tantrum, the bronze-colored bat turns back to the evil Druid cultist leader.
...stepping out from the shadows behind a tree, or through a hole in the worldI? So, that is two interesting tidbits. Is there a puff of smoke before and after he dimension doors?
Sir Batman slaps him on the back of his head.
Instrument, my bronze arse! More like a tool.
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Nox sighs to tired to try and negate the shinanagens of his companions.
"It seems this Kaneepo is who we must seek next, perhaps they will be more willing to speak rather than resort to fighting."
He turns to exit having said his piece and really not wanting to engage with the situation further. And so he returns to the previous room where he hops up onto the foot of one of the beds and awaits the group and their quarry.
Bolan sneers. "No smoke. Kaneepo is just...there..."
There is one more Oaksteward in the forest house, along with a half-dozen fey allies like gremlins and sprites. The Oaksteward, a human woman, surrenders on Bolan's orders, and the fey scatter into the woods without a fight.
You are able to recover a minor healing potion, five tindertwigs, a bottle of nectar of purification, and a lesser maestro's instrument (a banjo with a deciduous forest motif).
Parva and the gnomes are grateful to have their homes back. They thank you and wish you well.
Sir Batman tries to look a bit more contrite than he thinks his face appears, as Nox exits the chamber.
Let us take our prisoner(s) to the Oakstewards. We have done our duty!
The Bronze sprite shakes hands with the gnomes.
This is a really neat tree Fort too.
When Sylva sees the woman surrounded by fey her own size, there is a moment of panic.
And Balon has the woman surrender. And the fey flee.
“If just one of those sprites fell to our weapons of death, I would kill you both.”
Sylva means it.
And that scares her.
Because before she killed that dwarf those words would surely be a bluff. Bravado. Hot air.
She glares at the woman. “Go to the altar. Two survivors are bound there. Free them. But leave the mask, and never wear that damned thing again!”
The blood-soaked sprite doesn’t know if her party will insist they take both prisoners or all prisoners or just Balon. She’s pretty sure the horse can’t carry more than two humans. And… she’s had enough killing for today. There’s a bath in this house. Maybe the gnomes won’t mind…
• • •
Regardless of whether the woman is sent on her way or bound, Sylva slips away to the bath.
Can’t… get… clean…!
After resting in the Forest House overnight, you make your way back to Sevenarches, escorting Bolan and his surviving cronies. The rogue druid rants and raves the whole time, but aside from annoying you, he poses little threat. When you reach Sevenarches two days later, the Oakstewards lock him and his fellow rebels up in an enchanted cell until they can face the proper justice.
Lemma is grateful to you for defeating Bolan, but she and the other Oakstewards are still concerned about the missing gate key for the Seventh Arch. It’s clear that for all his antagonism, Bolan was the junior partner in his plot to revive the obnubilate curse. As long as the key remains in the hands of Bolan’s fey master, there’s no way to guarantee anyone’s safety. Given your success in dealing with the rebels, the Oakstewards ask you to track down this Kaneepo figure and finish the job.
They offer you 25 gp up front, promising another 25 gp when you return with the gate key.
"Take some time to rest and resupply. When you're ready, return to me and I'll help you get started on tracking down Kaneepo," Lemma says.
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You're walking down a dirt road, surrounded by the sounds of chirping crickets and rustling leaves. You're wearing your full suit of shining armor, and your shields are by your side. You're on a mission to protect a nearby village from bandits that have been terrorizing the area.
As you approach the village, you notice a man standing off in the distance. He's wearing a fine coat and a monstrous mask of white fur and thick horns. You feel an unnerving sense of familiarity with the figure, but you can't quite place where you've seen him before.
You try to approach him, but every time you take a step closer, he seems to fade into the shadows. You shout at him, but your voice seems to be muffled by an unseen force. The figure just stands there, watching you with cold, unblinking eyes. His eyes are deep and dark, with no hint of emotion or expression. They seem to pierce through you, as if they are searching for something deep within your soul.
Suddenly, you feel a chill run down your spine, and you realize that something isn't quite right. The air around you feels thick, as if a storm is brewing. You raise your shields and scan the area for any sign of danger, but you can't see anything.
As you turn back to face the man in the mask, you realize that he's disappeared. You're left standing alone in the middle of the road, surrounded by an eerie silence...
You wake up, your heart racing and your skin covered in sweat. You're not sure what to make of the dream, but you can't shake the feeling that it was more than just a simple nightmare. Indeed, you feel the strange powers you received after the Missing Moment have gotten stronger...