|
The Pathfinders head out to meet with the angry mob. Revecka follows them to the entrance of the manor, saying, "I'll be watching at the window. If there's any problems, come back here. I'll be at the door."
As you approach to within speaking distance the man leading the people steps forward. He gestures at the man behind him. "Kistur did say that there might be Pathfinders here, held under the sway of th-"
Static noise presages the appearance of Lumna, and they suddenly appear standing next to Fen. A chorus of gasps and angry mutters follow, though the alien seems ignorant to the demeanor of the mob. "Hello. I am Lumna. It is a-"
"Block your ears!" Kistur shouts as a warning. You see him adjust the grip on his cleaver, then uses it to point at the Pathfinders. "The vile, malevolent, sick and evil being is trying to get in your head! It's already gotten to that lot."
You can tell that, without some intervention, this is going to escalate to violence quickly...
|
"She may be a vile, malevolent being"
Fen speaks loudly, and tries to surprise them with her words to cut through the din.
"But the truth is, we don't know yet. Shouldn't we offer her the benefit of the doubt, the same consideration any of us would want?"
Pausing for effect, she indicates the leaders Desnan symbol.
"She seems strange to us because she is a traveller. She has travelled further than I can imagine, and doesn't Desna teach us that the traveller is blessed? That we should offer them hospitality, and learn from them? We can help her go home, and end all of your troubles."
She makes eye contact with Kistur when she mentions the troubles.
"Just let us do that"
|
Drak will pick up on Zhao Fen's points and work to reinforce them.
Any actions taken out of ignorance, without understanding of what is happening, can be very dangerous. We are in the process of trying to gain that understanding. You are welcome to stay and work with us in reaching that understanding. Once we understand what is going on, that may be the time for torches and pitchforks.
But travelers from faraway places often require understanding and translation. Even words we find familiar may have different meanings when used by a traveler, as they come from different context. Do the people of the Mwangi use words in the same way as the Land of the Linnorm Kings? Yes, there have been problems with dreams, and we are working to resolve them peacefully. Understanding the traveler is the key.
|
Zabu slips his mask on before he addresses the crowd. He steps in front of the others and crosses his arms over his chest.
"Listen, we've already fought balls of fire, carnivorous pudding and bird ladies and we haven't even gone down into the basement. You're not ready to go in there," he says.
"But the most dangerous thing around here is standing right in front of you and I'll happily show you why if you don't go somewhere else and mind your business."
|
|
Kistur looks at the man leading the group as most of the farmers begin to flee from Zabu and Durg. "Saban, please. Don't listen-"
The man named Saban raises a hand, silencing Kistur. "I will not risk harm to the good people assembled."
With a nod to Drak, Saban turns and leaves. The mob, including Kistur, follow wordlessly behind him as you disperse them with non-violent means.
The Pathfinders return to the manor in time to see Revecka about to head up the stairs. Her voice is weak when she speaks. "I need to get some rest. I'll be upstairs if you have other questions. If you're keen on heading to the lab, it's through the study," Revecka says, pointing at the door to the left.
When one of you gets close, a deadpan voice intones, "The laboratory is in lockdown mode by the authority of Revecka Cioraru. Only authorized personnel with the current password may enter."
You say the word 'Stormheart' the voice continues, saying, "Password accepted." The door unlocks, revealing a small room with stairs leading deep below the manor. As you descend, the air becomes cold and humid and carries an animalistic smell. The sound of water is faintly audible in the distance.
Looping around to where the water flows in. The source of the water is a fountain that, perhaps due to the rerouting of power that's occurred, is now overflowing at a slow trickle.
Heading south from the fountain, you reaches a fork. You see a room filled with spacious pens holding a few different animals. On one side, an albino ball python slithers in a terrarium adorned with Osirion inspired decor while a vampire bat sleeps lazily away from the light. On the opposite end, a large aquarium fitted with a spigot hosts a pair of bizarre fishlike creatures. An attentive and diminutive cu sith sits free in the middle of the room, wearing a polished silver collar with the word "Gleam" on it.
Upon spotting you, the cu sith taps his paw three times on the floor and sits next to what appears to be a chart on the floor.
|
|
"Wusses," Zabu comments disappointedly as the crowd disperses without violence.
"I'm no scientist but a stream of water on the floor in a building full of electricity seems like a bad thing," he says as he sees the leaking fountain.
The animal scent gets him amped up, though but there is only disappointment again as the animal proves peaceful.
While the others do more talking, he taps the glass on the terrarium with one sharp nail.
|
|
Several of you study the chart. It's simple enough, explaining the meaning of the tapping from Gleam, the cu sith, and lists off various planes of existence.
Clearly looking for a reward, Gleam once more taps three times. Consulting the chart reveals that the taps indicate a portal to the Shadow Plane.
|
|
The Cu Sith doesn't seem to respond to druidic and eagerly takes the snack, munching on it in large hungry bites.
Meanwhile, you move past the Cu Sith to explore another room. The room is dominated by a complex device fitted with two large coils and dozens of dials located on a raised platform. Its metallic shine has not faded over the years, although some of the engravings next to each panel have been worn out due to long-time use. The machine emits a steady and low hum.
Vilo reappears, and when he speaks it's through the machine. His voice is strangely melodic as he talks, suggesting that there may be a musical quality to the device. "Hello again! Seems you've found the device Silvu created for me. Normally, I could only communicate through this, but the key you carry seems to also be a broadcasting device of sorts."
"I wonder what would happen if the two were interfaced together..."
|
|
Not much for crafting Durg takes several minutes to look over the strange device that Drak believes to be some sort of communication vessel.
Durg shifts some plates enough to reveal an opening as he rigs the 'key' in place.
The hum from the device is replaced by a series of different high and low frequency sounds before it creates a connection. A moment passes before the Pathfinders hear a feminine voice filled with trepidation ask, "Revecka? Is that you?"
|
|
Revecka is resting upstairs, and in no immediate danger. I am unclear as to exactly how she got injured, but we are helping her and will do our best to make sure she recovers. We are downstairs in the lab, and it seems when we activated the device that we thought was a vessel for Lumna, we ended up in communication with you. Which brings us to the question of "Who are you?"
|
|
At Drak's words there's a deep exhalation. You can tell that this person cares deeply for Revecka.
"Good. Good! Alright then, since you're Pathfinders I feel like you probably deserve answers. It's a tale, so please bear with me."
"My name is Narcela, and my mother is a night hag named Aslynn. She sent me to monitor the Ardis Scholars several months ago. During this time, I got to know them. They're good people, and don't deserve to be pawns in my mother's game. So I started visiting the dreams of one of their researchers, Revecka."
"When I discovering what my mother did in the Tomb Between Worlds, I decided to turn against Aslynn to protect Revecka and the rest of the Ardis Scholars. Before I could do much, Aslynn launched a sudden raid on the laboratory and captured most of the scholars, planning to use their knowledge of rare technology and interplanar travel to further her schemes."
"I am no match for my mother in a direct confrontation, so fled the scene, pocketing a strange crystal key," Narcela pauses, and you can hear the regret in her voice when she continues. "The survivors left behind have been forced to fend for themselves, including an incorporeal being from another world named Lumna, that you mentioned."
"I knew that Lumna would likely evade Aslynn’s raid, but they can't survive on Golarion long-term without specialized care. Lumna’s telepathic communications can traverse great distances using the crystal key as a beacon though, so I snuck the key into the Pathfinder Society’s treasure hoard, hoping Lumna would eventually reach out for aid."
"My plan was for the Pathfinder Society to arrive in time to save Lumna, learn what Aslynn had done to the Ardis Scholars, and rescue whoever had survived Aslynn’s plots. I've been unable to reach Revecka’s dreams since the raid, and was worried she was dead or caught in the grasp of my mother’s power over nightmares. But neither of those things happened, and you're there now. So my plan worked. Thanks you."
Thoughout this whole conversation Durg pokes around, finding nothing of interest.
|
|
It sounds like you know quite a bit about the situation here. Can you tell us where the Ardis Scholars are and how we might rescue them? Also, we understood this device to be a vessel for Lumna to use as a safe haven. Where is Lumna now? And this device seems to be sending disturbing dreams to many people, and this is especially a problem for the locals. Can that capability be turned off?
|
|
"I understand you cause for concern. I am not sure where the Scholar's are being kept by my Mother yet but I intend to find out."
Listening to her Drak feels as if she is being entirely truthful.
"If you can help Lumna, please do. They're an innocent in all of this, and are trapped due to circumstance and bad luck."
|
|
Narcela breaks off communications then, and silence returns. The Pathfinders resume their exploration, heading further into the Lab. Before long they reach another chamber.
The air feels stale and cold, as if something were draining this place of warmth. Scraps and spare parts lie scattered across the room, making it difficult to move without hitting a spring, coil or tube. Unfinished, humanlike constructs lean inert against the wall, most missing limbs or critical components. One slender construct, heavily modified by expert hands, is fitted with a large coil leading to a container filled with dark energy.
The construct begins to move, swirling purple energy infusing it to an animate state. At the same time some of the scattered parts begin bouncing about. Each moves with a menacing intent!
The clockwork construct slowly grinds it's way out of the room as a several gears moves plates into place to better defend itself while a long halberd strikes at Zabu.
──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
Clockwork Vessel (Red)
➤ Durg
➤ Drak
➤ Zabu
➤ Zhao Fen
Clockwork Heap (Green)
Clockwork Heap (Yellow)
|
|
Fen see's the spirit of her mother Zhao Meifeng telling her to be careful and use guile, but she doesn't have time for her at the minute. She moves quickly to the creature attacking Zabu, and over her Mother's shouted protestations that only she can hear, she touches it with her Katana and channels the fury of her ancestors through it.
◆ Stride
◆ Cast a Spell (somatic) - Ancestral Touch (Cursebound Emotion Enchantment Fear Mental Oracle)
With her ancestors more visible to her than ever, she tries to continue ignoring her mother and strike down at the construct.
◆ Strike +1 Striking Ghost-Touch Katana (Deadly d8, Two-Hand d10, Uncommon, Versatile P)
Meifeng is finally replaced by her wizardly ancestor Zhao Shuo who crosses his arms and shakes his head at her swinging her sword around. To everyone else, Fen appears as distracted as always, if not more!
◆ Strike +1 Striking Ghost-Touch Katana (Deadly d8, Two-Hand d10, Uncommon, Versatile P)
|
|
Durg's fist bounces off of the hard metallic plating, though as Durg moves in she is met by the constructs halberd as it moves rather quickly.
Durg ducks out of its path as Drak begins to inspire the group, sending a loose stone intp the creature, denting in its side.
Zabu enrages but his teeth aren't near sharp enough to puncture inot the metal. Zhao Fen reaches out to try and tap into the constructs mind and draws a blank.
Fen's katana slices a thin opening in the plating.
The two smaller piles of scrap begin to stir dust, debris as it swirls out across the floor 30' out damaging everything in its path.
The plates on the back of the clockwork vessel begin to slide and chatter as they shift from defensive to offensive and back to defensive. As the plates shift they release tendrils of negative energy.
──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
Clockwork Vessel (Red)
➤ Durg
➤ Drak
➤ Zabu
➤ Zhao Fen
Clockwork Heap (Green)
Clockwork Heap (Yellow)
|
|
The portly spirit of Fen's magical ancestor points to the cluster of enemies and starts to intone the magical words for a flame strike spell. Fen nods and rushes back, copying his words and motions.
◆ Stride
◆◆ Cast a Spell (verbal, somatic) - Flame Strike (Evocation Fire)
|
|
◇ Lingering Composition
◆ Cast Inspire Courage
Three rounds of +1 status bonus to ATK/DMG Saves Versus Fear
◆◆ Try to hit the Clockwork Vessel with another piece of clockwork junk with Inspire Courage
|
|
Most of you take a few scraps and some small burns from the negative energy but, Fen strikes back protecting Durg as much as she can, her katana slices another hole across the metal, causing some of the gears to cease moving.
Durg sends a lightning bolt down the hallway, striking all three of the clockwork constructs.
The electricity courses through their frames having a serious effect on the constructs.
Drak manages to get his inspiration to linger a little longer this time around. As his small stone whips back around and dents in the clockwork's head piece.
Zabu continues to rage, though it doesn't seem to help his concentration as each of his attacks seems to just slide right off the metal with little more than small scratches.
Fen drops down a pillar of fire right on top of the trio.
The flames are so strong that they begin to melt the internal components of the constructs. All three collapse to the floor as blackened metal turns red-hot in some areas released steam.
Among the many scattered parts, you find a damaged galvasphere. While the galvasphere has no inherent power, you are fairly certain it can still be of use. Alas, there is nothing else of worth, so you continue your explorations.
Moving to where the water trickled in you see that the worked stone gives away to a more rugged and natural cavern overflowing with water from an underground stream. A fine metal mesh containing a slowly dissipating energy orb about 5 feet across is suspended in the center of the enclosure.
Inside the mesh is a glowing orb, one that you realize must be Lumna.
The electrified mesh serves two purposes: it protects the anyone from the alien’s otherwise overwhelming telepathy, and it keeps Lumna’s essence somewhat stable.
"You have found me. This is good news. I have been curious about this place, your world. But would rather have arrived in gentler circumstances," the glowing orb dims slighty, then continues. "The unpredictable nature of my planar jump wounded me, but the kindness from Doctor Treju was unexpected. I wish I had not hurt them, and promise to you that it was not on purpose. It seems that my natural form is not compatible with your minds, and so I find myself within this enclosure."
You realize that the essense gatherer you just retrieved could be used to extract Lumna from their cage and allow them to leave the manor.
|
|
Taking the essense gatherer, Drak moves towards Lumna to collect their energy-based body within. The bard has no difficulty avoiding the electrical energy that bound the alien as he only takes a small shock and moments later steps away from the danger.
"It is done. Thank you. I will be forever in your debt," Lumna says, their voice filling the air around the essense gatherer. "I would like to travel with you, at least for a time. If you'll allow it?"
With Lumna saved and the mystery behind the crystal key solved, you make ready for your return to the Lodestar Inn, but not before Revecka makes a 'call' to Narcela through the device in the basement to let Narcela know she is alright and what transpired.
Once more seated at a table with Evni Zongnoss, the group recounts all that they learned. Kamenya is pleased that Revecka came back with you all, expressing their thanks for helping the Ardis scholar. Ziri listens to all that you learned, but does not seem overly impressed by your findings. That said, the half-orc does bring you all a round of drinks and raises a glass to commend them on their work.
When the last of you finishes your report, Lumna speaks up. It's like a dam that has finally broken, as the alien barrages Evni, Ziri, and Kamenya with questions. "What is a Pathfinder? How many people are you? Is everyone helpful like these Pathfinders? What planets have you traveled to? Where..."
After the questions abate, which takes a while, Evni speaks with Revecka. "The Pathfinder Society will provide the alchemical reagents needed to keep your heart beating, and the Society has numerous researchers who
would be interested in collaborating with you. You have my word: we will help."
"Thank you," Revecka says. "I'll take what help I can get. Hopefully I can get in contact again with Narcela too. I understand that Aslynn is a concern for you. She's a concern for Narcela and I now as well."
|
|
After the others have electrocuted and melted the machines into oblivion, Zabu vents his anger at having been completely ineffective on the remains by kicking them, a lot.
He continues to sulk as Lumna is saved and the return trip and the reporting. He only perks up as booze is forthcoming.
"Hey...exploring and fighting are what I do second best," Zabu says to Ziri, toasting her and giving her a broad wink.