Mialee stabs the Green boar with its beak, but can't scratch its hide with its claws.
Kellvan reloads his hand crossbow and fires, then reloads.
The boars continue their rampage, Red attacking Khaul ...
... Green attacking Khaul ...
... and Blue charging Nal.
--Round 2
Nal (68/68)
Kang (56/56)
Mindartis (66/66)
Farnguy (63/63) / Protector Tree (0/10)
Arfsnarf (60/60)
Khaul (68/100, Guidance) / Myra (91/96)
--Round 3
Kellvan (-0)
Red Boar (-13, dazzled)
Green Boar (-53, dazzled)
Blue Boar (-0, dazzled)
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Kang doesn't let the surprise at how well the summoned glittering dust is hammpering the wild boars distract him. Almost as soon the casting of the first spell ends, he starts chanting another and releases an arc of electricity at the two boars on either side.
Coming slightly out of his trance, he shifts the grip on his staff to wield it with both hands.
◆◆ Cast Spell
◆ Change grip
Farnguy casts a spell, and some berries appear in his hand.
Nal stabs twice, the first encountering flesh, and the second, just fur.
Khaul raises Myrsa, and strikes twice. The first hit brings down Green.
Arfsnarf breathes electricity at Red and Blue.
vs DC 22
vs DC 22
Red is tied to a copper grounding rod with copper wire, and takes double damage!
Kang summons electricity!
vs DC 22
vs DC 22
Red falls, dead.
Mindartis fires at Blue and hits. Mialee strikes at Blue, but misses.
Blue, in a frenzy, thrashes about.
vs Mialee
vs Mialee
vs Nal
--Round 3
Nal (57/68)
Kang (56/56, guidance)
Mindartis (66/66)
Farnguy (63/63)
Arfsnarf (60/60)
Khaul (68/100, shield) / Myra (91/96)
--Round 4
Kellvan (-0)
Red Boar (-62)
Green Boar (-79)
Blue Boar (-31, dazzled)
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With one spell cast, Kang almost in a state of semi-trance moves fluidly into casting the same spell again, this time just focusing on the lone target left. Again, arcs of electric fly at the boar.
Then just as smoothly, he waves his staff in the air and it flies at the boar, attempting to bludgeon it, before it flies back to his hands.
◆◆ Cast Spell (Electric Arc)
◆ Cast Spell (Focus Spell: Hand of Apprentice)
Combined, the Khaul, Arfsnarf and Nal take down the boar.
Nal (57/68)
Kang (56/56)
Mindartis (66/66)
Farnguy (63/63)
Arfsnarf (60/60)
Khaul (91/100) / Myra (91/96)
---
After the boars fall or flee, Maeri shoves two leather flasks into the Pathfinders’ hands. "Gods, you need these more than me." The flasks each contain a moderate healing potion.
A crate previously abandoned by a traders’ caravan lies in the ditch beside the road. The crate contains bundles of damask silk and embroidered satin, worth .
---
The Pathfinders finally reach the crossroads as afternoon fades into dusk. Devil’s Rest is a weathered two-story log building that overlooks the intersection from atop a nearby knoll. Twin brick chimneys protrude from its bark shingle roof. A vegetable garden and wooden hitching post occupy the yard to either side of the dirt path, which leads to a covered porch. A stable and outhouse are positioned discreetly behind
the building.
Having delivered her charges safely to the trading post, Maeri bids the Pathfinders goodnight and unhitches her horses from the wagon before leading them around back to the stable.
Farnguy notices that the garden’s centermost rows are unplanted, and the earth looks recently disturbed.
Inside the trading post, the Pathfinders encounter a collection of individuals relaxing in the common room. Each of the individuals introduces themselves.
Annavinia Narikopolus is in all ways the archetype of a Chelaxian noblewoman: composed and authoritative, expensively and smartly dressed, and possessed of unbending pride and unflinching confidence. Annavinia ignores the Pathfinders' arrival, content to study her texts and record information in her own journal.
Dehliana Vought is a medium capable of piercing the veil between the material and the spirit world. She approaches the Pathfinders once they settle in and offers to read their fortunes using a harrow deck.
Nordvick Finnegan is a stoutly built human looks strikingly reminiscent of a 7-foot-tall dwarf, with a barrel chest, broad brow, and
well-groomed black beard. He works at the Devil's Rest, and is at the bar serving drinks when the Pathfinders arrive.
Selik Farheaven is a member of the Farheaven clan and the Society’s contact. Selik is locked in friendly conversation with Nordvick as the groundskeeper pours him a drink at the bar. He invites the Pathfinders to join him.
Kellvan beelines for the bar and orders a pint of ale as he surveys the room.
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Someone studying obscure texts and recording information in a journal? Kang is immediately drawn to Annavinia like moth to flame. And possibly with the same results.
"Um..." Kang looks around for something to start a conversation. "I believe you're from Cheliax? Well, I'm from Goku. You know something interesting? Despite originating from practically opposite sides of Golarian, the heraldry of the nobility of both are startling similar. I mean, yes, they have the serve the same purpose, to display in one glance who is from where. Particularly important in warfare, I suppose. But somehow, the shield motif appears in the common frame for both, albeit of different shapes due to cultural difference. I mean, so long as it can block a sword, does it really matter what shape it is?"
Kang realises he's rambling but can't seem to stop.
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Khaul, after making sure the rest of the group (which oddly enough, includes his shield. He keeps speaking to it as if it were a person) is okay helps with unpacking the wagon at the crossroad. And by unpacking that includes dropping off some dear boar for the folk at the inn to eat.
Once inside he takes a drink from the bar and sits down with Selik. "Ay, its good to be here. We brought some dinner with us, thought I suspect they may take a bit of roasting to make them palatable." he adds with a grin.
"The society sent us to give yer a hand or two. It's as obvious as a wart on a nose that things ain't right here still..." mentions the doughty champion. "And they way I see it, we be the hand of the gods to help put some things right."
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Nal gratefully accepts the moderate healing potions. She keeps one for herself and offers one to Farnguy. "Khaul's hands tend to be full in a fight. Would you be able to pour this down his throat if he needs it?"
-------
Upon entering Devil's Rest, Nal's first instinct is to slip into the shadows and observe things for a while. She notices Kellvan surveying the room and decides that's as good an avenue for conversation as any. She makes a point to be obvious in her approach so he doesn't think she's up to no good. She too orders an ale, then remarks to Kellvan as she turns her back to the bar: "You're not a fan of folks sneaking up on you either, huh?"
Heyo! You seem like the fortune telling type.
He draws his clacky rock.
What is your means of divining the fates!
"Interesting. I speak through the spirits through this harrow deck." She pulls out a deck and deals a card, face up, to the left. "This card represents your past."
"Ah, the Cyclops. A seemingly inconsequential figure, but which represents fellowship and refuge." She then deals a card in the middle. "This card represents your present."
"The Eclipse. It represents loss of faith and purpose, and the subject's doubt about his abilities or prospects."
"The Joke. It represents a foe defeated through trickery, or the value of humor in circumventing difficult people."
She pauses and looks at the cards as a totality. "The spirits know of your origins within some sort of Society, full of self-importance but ultimately sending you on a mission for which you are ill-prepared. This is a dangerous place for you, and you will face grave danger. Either you will be tricked, or you will survive only through trickery."
"I'm sorry, but the spirits have spoken. If you'd like, you can gather your friends together, and we can hold a seance together, to speak to the spirits directly."
"I believe you're from Cheliax? Well, I'm from Goku. You know something interesting?""
"I know many interesting things, and I'm not sure any of the things you told me compare," she sneers dismissively.
"And they way I see it, we be the hand of the gods to help put some things right."
"A religious man! I love it!"
Selik gabs with Khaul and explains that he is a member of the Farheaven clan. Once a dwindling family of Sarkorian refugees hiding in Iobaria, the clan has become the leading group of Sarkorians reclaiming their ancestral territories from the demons that still plague the country once known as the Worldwound.
Not all residents of Sarkoris followed the same route. As a matter of fact, this trading post was founded by a Sarkorian refugee over 200 years ago, named Linneus Narikopolus. He was an Asmodean cleric of the Chelaxian Narikopolus noble house.
As for the Farhaven clan, led by their powerful bear god, an unfettered eidolon named Dolok Darkfur, and the god caller Nelket, the Farheavens have partnered with the Pathfinder Society, allowing its agents to survey the ruins the Farheavens have reclaimed, as well as permitting the Society to publish the tales of the Farheavens and their reclamation efforts.
Selik asks Khaul for some inspiring stories of heroism to share with his people.
"You're not a fan of folks sneaking up on you either, huh?"
"I do try to keep an eye on things. I'd like to think it helped me stay alive as long as I have," says Kellvan. But he's not particularly chatty.
"Well what kind of fungi was made for these drinks..."
"Some type of yeast, I'm sure," Kellvan replies, curtly. But Farnguy notices that Kellvan is a little short on details because he hasn't actually tasted the beverage - he is merely pretending to drink.
As a matter of fact, Farnguy gets the distinct impression that the fraud suspect is one of the people in this very room. He had made it sound like he was only stopping by the Devil's Rest, but this was his destination.
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"Interesting. I speak through the spirits through this harrow deck." She pulls out a deck and deals a card, face up, to the left.
Arfsnarf lights up like a little kid getting handed a present to unwrap.
Ooh, cards! Do they evolve?
"This card represents your past. Ah, the Cyclops. A seemingly inconsequential figure, but which represents fellowship and refuge." She then deals a card in the middle. "This card represents your present."
Hmm, refuge. Maybe mean my spell support of friends and teammates? He rubs his chin and truly thinks about what it could mean.
"The Eclipse. It represents loss of faith and purpose, and the subject's doubt about his abilities or prospects."
This causes a bit of shame to creep into his expression.
Faith in what? Pathfinders? Clacky rock? Everything seem great for now. Clacky rock has been moody lately though... He holds it out in front of him in his palm, eyeing it suspiciously.
"The Joke. It represents a foe defeated through trickery, or the value of humor in circumventing difficult people."
Positivity returns to his demeanor. Now that sound more like me! Success and jokes!
She pauses and looks at the cards as a totality. "The spirits know of your origins within some sort of Society, full of self-importance but ultimately sending you on a mission for which you are ill-prepared. This is a dangerous place for you, and you will face grave danger. Either you will be tricked, or you will survive only through trickery." can hold a seance together, to speak to the spirits directly.[/b]"
He jams his thumb into his chest and keeps with his confidence.
I think the tricking will be done by Arfsnarf!
"I'm sorry, but the spirits have spoken. If you'd like, you can gather your friends together, and we can hold a seance together, to speak to the spirits directly."
Arfsnarf holds up his finger as if to say Wait just one moment! and sprints off back towards his teammates.
Everybody, come join Dehliana. She going to help us call the spirits and talk with them about our mission! They always know whats up!
He begins aggressively shoeing those not already in conversations towards her.
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Khaul nods to Selik. "To fall is not the end, it is just a beginning. A few years ago I was .. well... the details don't be matterin much. The point is that I had an option to save meself, or to try and save one of me friends. I opted for the later and ... well... it didn't end well. The lady o' graves though had no use for me yet, and sent me soul back to bound again to me body reforged. As I see it yer people are a bit like me. Battered, and bloody, but too stubborn to give up."
He approaches the bar and looks the giant bartender up and down. "Well, yer big enough, but as us dwarfs know, size is not the most important thing when it comes to taking a drink."
He will try to impress the bartender with his drinking skills.
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Noting that Kang fell flat with the Chelish lady, Nal decides to give him the opportunity to reset or retreat. She approaches and says: "Narikopolus? I heard them mention over by the bar that Devil's Rest was founded by a member of the Narikopolus family. Is that so? What do you know about them?"
She cringes inwardly; that came out much pushier than she intended. Well, Kang, here's your chance to save me instead.
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"I know many interesting things, and I'm not sure any of the things you told me compare," she sneers dismissively.
"Oh really?!" Kang starts getting excited over what interesting things Annavinia have to share. Not one to be deterred, or even to notice, a brusque dismissal when he encounters one, Kang readily soldiers on.
"Hmm, how about this? Everyone knows that the 8th Emperor of the Lung Wa dynasty was the 4th son of his father. But did you know that he had intended to pass the throne to the 14th son? I found an reference from a contemporary clerk who noted in a letter home that one of the brushstroke on the will seemed to be of a slightly different ink, a stroke that conveniently would have turned the word "fourteenth" to "upon the fourth". In written Tien that is. And coincidentally, while the 8th Emperor pretty much put all his brothers to death in time, guess who was the very first? Yes! The 14th! Coincidence? I doubt not. How's that?"
"Well, yer big enough, but as us dwarfs know, size is not the most important thing when it comes to taking a drink."
"Yeast? I know all about them! Did you know..."
Nordvick is impressed by both Khaul's drinking ability as well as Farnguy's knowledge of yeasts. He actually knows little about either - he was once a crusader fleeing the Worldwound when he and his companions were attacked by giant spiders. Only Nordvick survived. On the brink of death, he stumbled to the trading post, where the elderly owner helped him back to health. Nordvick decided to stay and work at the inn as a form of payment for the owner's hospitality. He currently serves as groundskeeper, cook, and barkeep for the trading post.
"Narikopolus? I heard them mention over by the bar that Devil's Rest was founded by a member of the Narikopolus family. Is that so? What do you know about them?"
"Not much, other than our family motto, which is, 'Mind your own business.'"
"Hmm, how about this? Everyone knows that the 8th Emperor of the Lung Wa dynasty was the 4th son of his father. But did you know that he had intended to pass the throne to the 14th son? I found an reference from a contemporary clerk who noted in a letter home that one of the brushstroke on the will seemed to be of a slightly different ink, a stroke that conveniently would have turned the word "fourteenth" to "upon the fourth". In written Tien that is. And coincidentally, while the 8th Emperor pretty much put all his brothers to death in time, guess who was the very first? Yes! The 14th! Coincidence? I doubt not. How's that?"
Kang finds that Annavinia's attitude softens somewhat as he talks about ancient journals, and interpretations thereof. When Nal has been successfully shooed away, she confides that she is, in fact, a distant relative of the inn's founder, and she too has discovered some old journals of her ancestor's. Annavinia was fascinated by the tales, and is collecting stories and scholarly research about the area’s history to put together a more comprehensive treatise.
Mindartis walks over to where Kellvan is and tries to observe his actions.
Kellvan appears non-hostile, but Mindartis doesn't discover anything the others didn't.
Arfsnarf returns to Dehliana, figuring that the team will eventually gather to get their reading and form a seance.
Dehliana is delighted, and heads up to her room to get her supplies, but Nordvick stops her and tells her that dinner is almost ready. Dehliana seems disappointed, but assures everyone that as soon as dinner is finished, the seance will begin. Annavinia, Dehliana, and Kellvan depart for their rooms. Nordvick disappears into the kitchen to bring out a dinner of roast boar and root vegetables while Selik holds court at the bar, passionately discussing reclamation efforts with his new friends over glasses of brandy. The group reconvenes to share a communal meal in the common room, except for Kellvan, who retired early.
As soon as the last bite is eaten, Dehliana encourages the group to gather for a seance. Dehliana places a velvet satchel on the table, from which she produces her ritual tools, including tapered candles, a silver dousing rod, and a mahogany planchette.
Arfsnarf notices Dehliana’s tools are expensive replicas of common divination items.
Selik is particularly enthusiastic about witnessing a medium commune with spirits, and eagerly sits at the table. Annavinia also agrees, albeit reluctantly, to take part in the séance given the possibility she might learn about the inn's history. Nordvick avoids the group by clumsily clearing away mugs and plates, and anxiously tidying the already spotless common room.
Dehliana lights the final candle and settles into a chair at the head of the table. “Place your fingertips on the planchette. The spirits will speak to us through this quill. Remember, friends, I am here as nothing more than a guide,” she murmurs, gesturing for the participants to follow her lead. Her shoulders relax and she rests her fingertips on the planchette. “Spirits, make your presence known and enlighten us from beyond the veil.” The room is silent for a few moments. The table rattles as the sound of unintelligible whispers gathers in the air.
Dehliana gasps when the planchette moves beneath her fingers, tracing a lazy path against the parchment beneath it. “Spirits, are you with us?” She inquires. The planchette twitches and jerks of its own volition, darting out from under Dehliana’s fingers. In shaky, cramped handwriting, it scrawls the word, “Yes.”
Dehliana smiles and turns to face the group gathered around her. “If you have questions for this peaceful spirit, now is the time to ask.”
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When it becomes clear that the seance is definitely happening, Nal feels unease in her gut. There are things about her family's past that she just doesn't want to know. Before anyone has taken a seat, she quietly slips into the shadows at the far corner of the room. She wants to observe to make sure there's no funny business that might compromise her friends.
His eyes widen when the quill starts to move, and his mind races, trying to figure out the cause.
He tries to observe if some tricks are involved.
Spirits! Arfsnarf must know if there is a spirit in clacky rock!
The planchette spells out, "YES."
Dehliana warns that, just as mortals don't always get along, sometimes spirits don't get along either. "Maybe we can talk to clacky rock after the seance is over."
"I wonder if it's the owner of the tavern..."
The planchette begins spelling.
The Pathfinders are not particularly surprised by this, but Farnguy notices that Annavinia seems particularly disturbed by this.
Spirits: are there demons nearby? Have there been demons near the inn recently?
The planchette begins moving towards YES, then towards NO, then back towards YES.
The brass candelabra on the mantelpiece flickers back to life and reveals a wizened man draped in bloodstained robes standing in the center of the common room. The apparition bellows, “Not a demon! A devil! Beware the devil who haunts this place!” He raises a trembling finger to point at each guest in turn. “For it serves a cruel master and is responsible for my death! Even now its master lurks within these walls! None shall escape until this night’s end, or till the devil is revealed and the one responsible for my death is brought to justice!” The vision quickly disappears.
Dehliana gasps and immediately yells, "This isn't supposed to happen!"
Suddenly, a red-hot poker from the fireplace flies across the room and burns Dehliana’s hand before embedding itself into the table. Dehliana cries out in pain. Annavinian screams and runs out of the room.
The exterior doors and windows of the trading post slam themselves shut immediately following the ghost’s pronouncement.
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Nal is justifiably flabbergasted, but her experience in the Society, particularly with helping one murdered spirit find rest during a previous mission, help her keep her cool. She steps out into clear view. "Okay everyone, let's remain calm. Panicking and wanton finger pointing will only help the perpetrator. We need to be methodical and meticulous. Now, let's calmly and rationally discuss how we're going to proceed." She tries to gauge how all the folks who were here when she arrived are reacting to all this.
She does some mental calculations. Hmm... Kellvan seemed to think his fraudster was one of these folks when we arrived. I wonder if it's the same person as the devil's master... Annavinia is either very innocent or very guilty, based on her response. Need to get a better read on her. It's unlikely to be any of us, but we need to at least consider the possibility. As soon as the opportunity presents itself, she shares her musings with her team.