Mavenee has mixed success in dodging the fiery breath, leaving them somewhat injured.
Junior moves to one side a throws a couple of Javelins at Fasiel.
◆ Stride
◆ Strike at Fasiel
◆ Strike at Fasiel
Fasiel continues to rant as he moves through the party, attacking seemingly at random.
◆ Stride
◆ Frightening Rant
Yellow and Green shake off the tirade, but Red starts to shake.
◆ Punishing Strike
Bold may act
Nic Blackwillow ,
Fasiel , ,
Martin Amblecrown , ,
Smoky Rat- Yellow
Hui Kong ,
Green
Red ,
Junior ,
Slipp , ,
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Martin heals Nic, mostly healing the massive damage Fasiel had caused to the Halfling.
The Yellow smoky rat moves next to the wall and attack Fasiel and then Mavenee.
◆ Stride
◆ Attack Fasiel
◆ Attack Mavenee
The smoky rat is very ineffective but is providing concealment to Fasiel and Mavenee in addition to itself.
Bold may act
Nic Blackwillow , ,
Fasiel , ,
Martin Amblecrown ,
Smoky Rat- Yellow
Hui Kong ,
Green
Red ,
Junior ,
Slipp , ,
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Ignoring his wounds for now, Hui Kong grins to himself as his target moves right up to him. He first calls out a word of power, twisting the threads of fate around him to guide his attack. Swinging his staff over head as he chants a spell, he charges his staff with electricity as he brings it down upon Fasiel.
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Hui Kong generates a charge and hits Fasiel with a combination of Cold and Electricity that makes Fasiel scream in pain and anger.
Green moves in to try to strike Fasiel and Nic.
◆ Stride
◆ Strike at Fasiel
◆ Strike at Nic
Red moves in to try to strike Fasiel and Mavenee.
◆ Stride
◆ Strike at Fasiel
◆ Strike at Mavenee
Green manages to catch Nic with a claw and Red catches Fasiel with a claw.
Bold may act
Nic Blackwillow , ,
Fasiel , ,
Martin Amblecrown ,
Smoky Rat- Yellow
Hui Kong
Green
Red
Junior ,
Slipp , ,
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Slipp's ray hits Fasiel in the center of his chest, causing massive damage.
Fasiel’s wound is fatal. That much is clear even as he clings to it, dragging himself along the ground. “Safa! Heal me! Return me to my lair, so I may plot my revenge!”
You are all completely healed as Safa reappears and all the Elemental creatures disappear.
Safa appears out of nowhere, descending through the air without bothering to hide their glee. “Of course.” They snap their fingers, summoning a flash of white-hot flames that cauterize Fasiel’s wound. He howls with pain, rolling in the dirt and cursing Safa’s name. The genie pins him to the ground with one foot and casts a hasty glance around the courtyard.
“His wounds will heal... with time.” Safa flashes a wicked grin, but it lasts only a moment. “Fasiel has encountered the Society before, in the home of Corvius Vayn. He believes your agents prevented him from becoming a genie binder. A cruel genie twisted his wish for confidence and power by transforming him into the creature he is today. The wretched skelm is hateful and cruel, but also shortsighted—he could never match the Pathfinders. Your true foe, the one who gave him my seal, is far more powerful. They hold deep hatred in their heart and have long dreamt of the Society’s downfall. They would trade anything, even me, to further their goals. They’re angry, sinister, loathsome—your newest nemesis. Please don’t ask for a name. Just know that they’re out there, and this... man... is hardly their only puppet.”
Safa stoops, hoists the mewling Fasiel over their shoulder, and salutes. “Good game, Pathfinders. I hope we meet again.” With a snap of Safa’s fingers, they both vanish.
In the next blink, you find yourselves back in the real Sedeq Lodge courtyard.
The crowd is eager to speak with you and congratulates you on a successful party, expressing how much they’re looking forward to the coming feast.
Agdal Karga approaches you and congratulates your group for hosting a successful event. Khayrat adds to the congratulations with a bottle of fine elven wine. Casira doesn’t approach you, but she’s among the crowd and happy to tell anyone who asks about your help in the library.
The adventure ends with Danya Ben-Abn calling the assembled to dinner, a feast which should serve as quite the pleasant reward for a job well done.
Thank you for playing. Chronicle sheets will be sent in a couple of days from RPGChronicles. I have noticed the Chronicles sent via RPG Chronicles tend to end up categorized as SPAM, so please check your SPAM folders for them.
If you would like me to include any Earn Income rolls on your Chronicle Sheets, please roll them here and I will add them. You are under no obligation to do so since they made Downtime the player’s responsibilities.
I'm planning to start the next scenario in the middle of next week to give people a chance to shop and/or level their characters.
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In a blink Junior goes from preparing for a fight, to hearing Safa's words, to an after party of sorts.. not bad! "Well yes, it was quite a day, I'd be happy to enjoy another chilled wine." He does his best to reconstruct the battle in his head, if not to at least get his report straight with the other's.
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After a short downtime, you have been called to the Sedeq Lodge. While you are waiting to speak with Venture-Captain Esmayl ibn Qaradi (NG male human aristocrat), a scholarly hijabi halfling enters the lodge, burdened with a carefully wrapped package, peering out from behind it to catch her bearings. She leans her face against the silk wrapping to straighten her glasses before noticing anyone. “Ah, hello? Is Esmayl ibn Qaradi here? I brought a gift to welcome you all.”
Casira bint Meji (N female halfling scribe), who you rescued from the lava-filled library, greets you all by name.
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Slipp wanders it, looking a little distracted and perhaps a little unsure of exactly where they are... or why they are there.
When Casira bint Meji calls them by name however the gnome seems to shrug off whatever was affecting them, blinks twice and then smiles.
"I hope you have been a bit kinder to flies since that other one saved you!" they grin, obviously not really expecting an answer.
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Martin, thank you for your assistance. The package contains The Bones of Paresh, a contemporary Qadiran perspective on the Taldan counter-offensive across the Plains of Paresh in 4324 ar, with details on ancient battlefields. Since you are also waiting to speak with the Venture-Captain, please deliver the package while I peruse the library and wait for you to finish. Casira hands Martin the package and heads toward the library.
Shortly after, two agents talking about chartering a boat to Okeno exit the meeting room and send you inside.
A dozen plain wooden chairs surround the room’s long central table, piled high with scrolls and tomes. Venture-Captain Esmayl ibn Qaradi smiles and stands in welcome. “Welcome, my friends and colleagues. Please, join me and partake of some refreshment to wash the dust from your throats so we may speak comfortably.” He gestures to several enchanted carafes of cold beverages and trays of fruit and cheese, all carefully separated from the documents.
“We at last can explore the vast opportunities our new position in Sedeq offers. There’s quite the surplus of leads, and I hope to impose on your help looking through these documents for where we should venture first. And I see you have brought a gift as well. I thought I overheard Casira’s kind voice in the hall. She has gone to plunder our archives further no doubt— what a commendable curiosity. Let us see what she has brought so I may thank her properly.”
The venture-captain carefully unfolds the cloth, revealing a centuries-old tome embossed with ornate Kelish writing. More remarkable is the intricate haath phool resting atop the book, its fine golden threads decorated with diamonds.
“Magnificent, but quite unexpected from our friend Casira. What do you make of it?”
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Junior heads inside the VC's office, one of the last to arrive back at the Lodge after their last venture's downtime. He wears his collar undone at the top, its been recently cleaned and pressed. "Greetings Captain. We'll be happy to help find some leads, there's an entire country here to explore, best we get started before they change their minds!"
He joins in examining the box's contents with Hui, but only superficially.
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Martin, Luz and Hui Kong notice the gold is smithed in swirling whorls like gusts of wind and the diamonds would aid in binding an air-affiliated elemental creature.
Hui Kong and Luz also notice that the diamonds are flawed, useful for summoning, but not controlling.
Strong winds blow the doors closed, though barely fluttering the papers. The sudden rush of air coalesces into an elegantly dressed djinni wearing multi-colored silks, their azure skin draped with jewelry of gold and bright lapis lazuli. The djinni’s arms are bare, decorated only with barely visible cerulean scars.
“Well met once again, Pathfinders! But today, I come to you as Safa the unbound! I am at last free of that wretched skelm, Fasiel ibn Sazadin. Neither he nor... any other... can long contain one as clever as I. But he still poses a threat to you, while I desire his capture and that he see mortal justice. Perhaps if there were some heroic Pathfinders willing to see this done, we would all get what we want.” Safa gives the room a grin, floating effortlessly in the air.
Esmayl stands in formal greeting. “You honor us with your presence, noble Safa. Let our hospitality be your pleasure in this time we have together.” The djinni smiles at the formal welcome and respectfully accepts an offered cup. “Perhaps you might explain the situation further? This Fasiel has certainly proved our enemy, and you spoke of one behind him when you last appeared, our true foe.”
The djinni raises their hands in warning. “If only the matter were so simple! Don’t ask me of them, but know their influence stretches across the city. They find Fasiel useful still, and before I managed my daring escape, I learned this enemy shall move their puppet to a new hidden lair before the sun rises tomorrow. He, and those he has captured, genie and mortal alike, will vanish. His patron would slow the city’s response, so I come to you. I can guide you to the skelm’s lair, where I leave it to you to ensure his capture.”
Esmayl considers Safa’s words, "I recommend you go along with Safa’s plan to remove Fasiel as an enemy and further improve the Society’s reputation in Sedeq. Do you have any questions? "
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Junior takes a step back as the winds whip into the building "Not again.." His fears quickly quenched as Safa the Unbound appears. "Well done Safa, may your wrists never be bound again." He offers up a toast to the newly liberated.
He echoes Slipp's poignant questions, especially the second. "Is this lair in the city or out in the desert?"
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Nic, thank you for your well wishes.
"Slipp, As if a fool like Fasiel could hold me! The skelm is cruel, but short-sighted, and it was easy to plant the idea of ‘improving’ his control over me with flawed diamonds.”
“The skelm’s ego led him to a now-abandoned museum in the city where genie-binding was once celebrated. It lies hidden within subtle illusions, but not so subtle I can’t guide you through them.”
“He has gathered others like him. Mortals who spread misery and fear or steal from the weak. They have stolen people and treasures from the city for him. His master also granted him a cohort of bound genies, and Fasiel used their power to seal himself in safety and opulence. Their lives are tied to this barrier. You will need to earn their trust or steal some part of their elemental nature to open the way. Remember, Fasiel gives little thought to his orders. Few are as brilliant as I at outwitting him, but you Pathfinders show promise!”
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Genies are connected to the elemental planes, with djinn (air), shaitans (earth), efreet (fire), marids (water),and jann comprised of all four elements. Binding these incredibly powerful creatures was a lucrative practice in Qadira until recently when the Church of Sarenrae’s influence led to its ban.
You each have one Hero Point.
Safa directs your group through Sedeq. The neighborhood you arrive
in has fallen into disrepair, and the inhabitants react to strangers with
suspicion, anger, and fear. Your destination is a dilapidated museum that once showcased the art of genie-binding but fell out of favor after a few
accidents and as genie-binding became unpopular. Magic and the skelm’s unpleasant presence divert people from investigating. An ancient iron archway states in Kelish, “The Grand Binders Museum.”
Safa manifests in the swirling sands blowing through the empty street. “The skelm’s hateful influence is a blight on everything near him. But
while he delights in other’s misery, he desires only the finest for himself.” They snap their fingers, and a sudden sandstorm tears away the illusion around the grand museum, revealing its true glory. Lush gardens and fountains fill the courtyards, while banners bearing Fasiel’s antlered visage adorn the walls. Safa makes a sweeping gesture toward the structure. “I’ve announced us. Let’s not keep him waiting.”
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Junior relays what he knows on the way there "Genies are connected to the elemental planes, with djinn (air), shaitans (earth), efreet (fire), marids (water),and jann comprised of all four elements. Binding these incredibly powerful creatures was a lucrative practice in Qadira until recently when the Church of Sarenrae’s influence led to its ban."
"A little heads up would have been ok." Mumbles Junior as he moves to be a little less conspicuous. Warning the crazy genie binder they've arrived on his doorstep wouldn't have been his first choice. Junior starts by sneaking about a bit to find the entrances and exits.
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As you approach the house:
Verdant gardens surround the museum grounds, containing radiant flowers of unearthly hues and glittering gemstone fruit. High above, a flock of white birds dances to the mournful sounds of a flute. The rippling, semi-transparent image of Fasiel appears, tall as the building and disrupting the tranquility. He wears the rich garb of an aristocrat, while two tall antlers protrude from beneath his hat. His red face twists in rage.
“Safa! And Pathfinders as well! How dare you intrude on my home. But my power has only grown since we last fought, and I no longer need this useless djinn, for I hold mastery over all genies.” The skelm shouts to the sky. “Janni! Heed me and deal with these pathetic fools. Give them a performance to die for!” The image pounds its cane and vanishes.
An invisible voice in the sky pleads. “Stay back, I beg you. I don’t want to hurt anyone.” Then the flute resumes.
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Martin sees that the disturbance in the garden is a flock of paper birds that will attack if the group approaches within 10 feet of the main doors.
Adagio Disable DC 24 Crafting (trained) to create beautiful flying objects to complement the paper birds; DC 26 Acrobatics or DC 23 (19 if using a flute) Performance (trained) to perform along with the flute and paper birds (requires three successes total among Crafting, Acrobatics or Performance); or one successful attack roll against the invisible flute player (AC 24, DC 24 Perception to determine the flute player’s location)
Putting up an initiative tracker just to track who has acted.
Bold may act
Nic Blackwillow
Luz Lumino
Martin Amblecrown
Slipp
Hui Kong
Junior