The catfolk, standing at the same height as Juriya, has silver fur and dull dark spots. She also wields a rapier, and on top of some mundane clothing is lamellar armor. One of her ears is torn, and she has a long scar running above her left eye and down to her snout. Her golden eyes hold surprise at what she’s seeing. Sitting on her shoulder is a cardinal.
“That…” the catfolk panted, “We’ve come here to stop her. She was going to do…horrible things to Sandpoint. Is she…still alive?”
"She cut me, and then dropped to the ground a mere moment before you arrived. She may be still alive," Ethan says, glancing at the fallen woman's body to see if he notices breathing.
Ethan determines that Nualia still lives, but is a strong sneeze away from dying.
Ethan touches his only symbol and says, "The Stagfather wishes you stay with us, for now."
"Are any of you injured?" he asks the group. "If I channel Erastil's light, it will heal all of us, including her. You may want to disarm and bind her first."
Ano nods, “I-I mean, we-need to talk to her. Anyone here have any rope?”
"I think I left mine at home," Juriya sighs.
Ethan takes it upon himself to disarm the unconscious woman, tossing her weapons well out of reach, should she suddenly become hale enough to stand.
"Was she carrying anything else that we would need to take away from her, spell components, scrolls, wands, and the like?"
He begins looking through her pockets, pouches, and bandoliers where such items might be stowed.
Bringing up the rear is a tall, skinny bald woman, in gold-colored robes with sea-green and blue accents and trim. Her ruddy, tanned skin sports many tattoos, an interesting blend of tribal Shoanti marks, what appear to be wizard sigils and the kind of tattoos you'd see on any sailor. Most prominently, however, is the broken circle of strange runes one her face, arranged around her left eye with one larger than the rest just above it, shaped like a hand holding a gem between the thumb and pointer-finger, as if holding it up to admire or examine. She leans on a barbed spear with a whalebone haft, rope wrapped around it.
At Ano's question, she holds that spear out to her.
"Here, I can replace the rope later."
Meanwhile she looks over to Ethan.
"Donimah Southlander, I'm a Cyphermage."
Ethan stands, and extends a hand in greeting to the Shoanti woman. "Well met, Miss Southlander. I am Ethan Sower, servant of the Stagfather, Erastil."
Ano immediately gets to work tying up Nualia, tying the woman around a tree-best chance to keep her from fleeing.
"Check for any spell component pouches or unholy symbols, just to be sure," Juriya adds.
Once Nualia has been divested of all potentially dangerous items, and securely bound to a tree, Ethan gestures for any wounded members of the company to follow him several paces away from her .
"May Erastil's mercy shine upon you," he intones, as he touches the holy symbol around his neck.
Ano feels the positive energy flow around her, and…she feels a sense of comfort she hasn’t felt in years. The feeling of a source of comfort giving you protection while a storm battered in the night…
Her gash that Nualia caused was mostly patched up; the catfolk was internally surprised that she completely forgot about the wound that her former friend gave her. How her former friend almost…killed her…
Following behind Donimah is a wiry Varisian man, dressed in the sturdy clothing of a traveler. Below the knee, his legs end in cloven hooves, and blood from a handful of serious wounds along his side soaks his duster, the tiefling wincing at each movement. Though his battered longsword is held at the ready as he emerges from the trees, he lowers it as his black-and-red eyes scan the clearing, seemingly embarrassed to have missed the fight.
At Ethan's offer of aid, he follows gratefully, nodding in thanks to the cleric as a seven-fingered hand comes up to tip the brim of his hat, and he grins - or at the very least, shows an impressive number of fangs, which he seems to think is the same thing. "I'm much obliged to you, Brother Sower. I'm Zeldrith Angothane, if we're doing introductions." His mismatched gaze flicks over to where Nualia is tied against the tree. "It seems you've met our 'friend' Nualia - if you don't mind my asking, Brother, what brings you out here? I haven't heard much of wandering Erastilans; always thought that was more our thing - Desnans, I mean. You some sort of mendicant, friend, or did the Father send you?"
”My story is better told by a warm hearth after a good meal, Mr. Angothane,” Ethan replies with a friendly smile. ”As for how I ended up here, that’s a simpler tale. I arrived in Sandpoint this morning for the Swallowtail Festival, only to find I had arrived too late. I had also come to see the new cathedral everyone’s been talking about, and so I went there, and met Father Zantus. He told me of the recent troubles with the goblins, and that a band of locals heroes had dealt with them. I asked him if the community of Sandpoint needed help with anything, and volunteered myself in whatever capacity I could. He mentioned a woman named Marina Griggs was suffering from an unknown illness, so I went to her home and asked Erastil to remove her affliction. Once she has recovered, I asked her what happened. She said that she was picking fruits and berries for a friend of hers who was about to give birth. While she was gathering, she saw an animal that she took for an elk, then she blacked out. When she regained consciousness, she was at home, in bed, and I was standing by her side. Anyway, I decided to come out here, to look for signs of the mysterious elk, when she came running out of the woods, crying that she was being pursued by people wanting to kill her. I saw that she was wounded, and asked her to sit while I treated her injuries. It was then that I noticed her demon-claw hand, and became suspicious. I spoke an invocation that only harms evil beings, and it burned her badly. She retaliated by cleaving me with her sword, bu then succumbed to her injuries. That is when your friends arrived”
The group can find on Nualia:
An unholy symbol of Lamashtu made of gold;
Her sword and breast plate are magical when checked for magical auras.
It is a +1 bastard sword.
It is a +1 breast plate.
She also has a masterwork composite longbow (+3 str) with 20 arrows. She also carries 7 pp and 5 gp. Finally, she has a strange medallion hanging from a leather cord. It has a weird 7 pointed star on it.
This is known as a Sihedron Medallion. It is a minor Thasselonian artifact crafted by the runelords. It allows the wearer to cast False Life on themselves once per day as a free action and provides a +1 resistance bonus on all saving throws. If placed on a dead body, it preserves the body via a Gentle Repose effect with indefinite time.
Other than that, when a runelord was aware that such a medallion was being worn, he could sense the world through the wearer using the latter's senses, and could speak through their voice.
"We should probably melt the unholy symbol down to use it as reagents or just sell it outright. Wrong demon symbol to want as a trophy."
Donimah casts a magic detection spell, and Ethan notices the runic tattoo surrounding her eye lights up in a golden glow, the same color as her spell signature.
Almost immediately a shocked look comes to her face and she snatches the medallion, gripping it tightly.
"This...this is a Sihedron Medallion! Crafted by one of the Azghat themselves! This symbol was the mark of ancient Thassilon as a whole, and their makers could see and speak through its wearers! Priceless! We...we need to know how Nualia got this."
She puts the Medallion around her neck and hands the sword to Arrian.
"I think it's only fair that you get this, since she broke yours. As for the armor..." Donimah pauses and looks to the rest of the group. "Most of you value flexibility over sturdiness, don't you?"
"100% , primarily because even if I wore armor like that... I doubt I would be able to lift it up. There's only so much strength that anatomy knowledge can cover, and literally lifting things is not something it can do."
"I have no need of the breastplate, or anything else in her possession. Her bow is beautifully crafted, but its pull is made for one much stronger than I," Ethan replies.
"What should be done about her?" he asks. "I can call upon an invocation of healing for light wounds, which might be enough to rouse her, if you wish to interrogate her now."
"Hopefully by LOOTING. Otherwise, Doni, we might be in waaaaaaaay over our heads. Either a still alive Thassilonian bunkered up somewhere, since they had routes to immortality, or someone who knows how to make it. Know how old it is, just based on the material and no history-lore?"
"What should be done about her?" he asks. "I can call upon an invocation of healing for light wounds, which might be enough to rouse her, if you wish to interrogate her now."
“I need to talk to her,” Ano said, a hint of anger, “She and I were…friends as children. I thought she died in a fire years ago. I…I need to know what happened.”
“Ano,” Cherry the cardinal chirped in concern, “Maybe that isn’t the best idea.”
“We have questions, she has answers,” the catfolk remarked. She looked at the others, “You all probably have a question for her too. Would be unfair to deprive you of answers.”
Ethan walks over to the bound woman, touches his holy symbol with one hand, and places the other on her head. He whispers a quiet prayer, and transfers healing energy to her.
Following Ano out of the brush is a large, grumbling half-orc. Large meaning 6'3" tall and over 200 pounds. His green skin is covered in odd looking scars and wounds that appear to have some sort of meaning. Those old scars are now joined by new ones, some still bleeding, marks of recent combat. His black hair is tousled and his bright green eyes are an almost odd match for his skin but uncommon to orcs; it must favor his mother.
After handing Ano his rope he walks over to the man and extends his hand, "Arrian, Inquisitor of Cayden Cailean. Nice to meet you Ethan Sower. We were definitely trying to kill her since she started off by trying to kill us. Even broke my sword that I just bought."
His eyes seem to darken with a bit of red and narrow as he glares at the crumpled form of Nualia.
"She's responsible for terrible crimes against Sandpoint. She needs to pay the price."
"I agree with Ano, best to keep her tied up, if necessary though. coup-de-grace her. Also, Ethan, be prepared for uh..." the oblivious kitsune says, not sure how to explain her ancestry to some Erastil-worshipper. "Be prepared for her to be a bit confused on sight of me?"
"She's not the only one..."
Assuming Nualia rouses from the healing, Ethan steps back a pace and says, ”These good folk would like to have a word with you, Miss. It appears they take issue with your plans to murder them and their neighbors in the name of the Mother of Monsters.”
He looks to the gathered group, and gives a slight nod of acknowledgment.
Arrian waits for Ano to take the lead. He knows it's only fair for the two former friends to speak their peace with one another. However he stands ready with Nualia's bastard sword in case she manages to break or escape the rope.
"Hopefully by LOOTING. Otherwise, Doni, we might be in waaaaaaaay over our heads. Either a still alive Thassilonian bunkered up somewhere, since they had routes to immortality, or someone who knows how to make it. Know how old it is, just based on the material and no history-lore?"
Donimah snorts.
"Please, Thassilon's destruction was part of the worldwide destruction wrought by the Earthfall, over ten THOUSAND years ago! Even the Runelords, powerful as they were, couldn't shield their empire from THAT," she says dismissively. "And my people would know. We Shoanti are the descendants of those who survived. If the Azghat had contingencies to let them return and restore their old empires, they'd have risen long ago!"
"Oh, I don't mean Thassilon itself. You said it yourself, people survived. And Thassilon was certainly powerful enough to grant people immortality. Any intersection of the two sets... means living people from Thassilon is a distinct, though unlikely-as-sin," to which she giggles at her joke, "possibility!"
"And my people would know. We Shoanti are the descendants of those who survived. If the Azghat had contingencies to let them return and restore their old empires, they'd have risen long ago!"
Zeldrith raises his eyebrows, interjecting. "The Varisians, too, if the legends are true. Anyway, those ancient wizards were powerful, Donimah - more powerful than you, at any rate. How do you know what they could and couldn't do? In all the old tales, they were always cursing people they didn't like - turning them to stone, sometimes. What if that statue beneath Sandpoint is actually Aldarist or whatever her name was? Those Thassilonians made at least a few things to last - there's that whole dungeon beneath Sandpoint, for one, and they say half the city of Jol is just people living in the buildings of Torandey. What if only some bits broke - the part that keeps those wizards alive stayed together, and the part that lets them out after a few years sunk into the sea? I mean, we've stood on the stones of Thassilon, felt them beneath our hooves - they're still real enough to..." He trails off, glancing down - after a moment, he scowls. "Desna's tears, I think I stepped in something down there - that bugbear's blood, like as not. Prakeikimas, I'll have to take care of that - don't think Ameiko would like me leaving bloody hoofprints all over her floor."
Nualia wakes confused. She sees what is happening and her sword in Arrian's hands. She makes a big effort to let herself loose, but isn't able to work through the knot. She screams and thrashes and tries to summon her goddess, to no avail. Eventually, she gets tired and lays still on the grass, peaceful as the autumn breeze.
Arrian calls upon the power of Cayden to assist Ano:
Once Nualia gets her anger out of her system, Ano takes a deep breath, gets on one knee to look the aasimar in the eye, and begins.
"Nualia. I know you. Or...I knew you. A shy little girl who stayed so much time at the cathedral. My aunt knew your father, and that's how we met. We were friends-I remember how the townsfolk treated you. How I stood up for you. How I comforted you. I truly considered you a friend."
Her voice starts to crack with pain, "But then one day, out of nowhere, you stopped hanging around me. I reached out, and you shoved me-literally-away. You told me you found real happiness, and that you didn't need me. I gave you some time to cool down, and when I tried to talk to you at the cathedral, Father Tobyn wouldn't let me see you. I tried to write but you never replied. And that fire...I wanted to run in there to save you..."
Tears started to fall from the catfolk's face. "Nualia, please...what in the nine hells happened? This...this isn't you! This isn't the Nualia I called a friend..."
Auto-aid Diplomacy from Juriya (So it's now a 19)
Nualia looks Ano in the eyes. The catfolk cannot recognize those eyes, despite them being the same shade of violet she once knew. She says "Save me from the fire? Ha. Ha ha. That's hilarious. Why didn't you run in and die in the fire, false friend? I said I found happiness because that's true, I found a purpose. And all you cared about was your daddy. Really... Fathers are useless. Well, almost useless. Hahahaha! I sure made good use of my father" After saying this, she flexes her demonic hand, trying to cut herself loose with no avail.
She continues "It was I who burned down the cathedral. Oh, you didn't know? Figures, you were never good at putting clues together. It was time to finally give Sandpoint what it deserved. Fire."
She stops to think a bit. From her face, one can tell she is thinking about her own future.
Juriya reflexively holds the rapier directly over Nualia's heart, ready to plunge if she attempts escape. "Do you honestly view the town as a single entity that needs to burn? I'll let you in on a secret, the people who moved, some of those whackos who superstitiously thought you hair was good luck? They moved; you'll be doing no damage to them if you burn Sandpoint. You'll do no damage to the superstition running rampant across Varisia. You aren't even getting revenge on the celestials that influenced your birth! "
She then sees her face, and grins.
"Do you know how much force it takes to tear the heart to shreds? Surprisingly little, if you take the make-up of the materials into account without just tearing through it like a brute. If you're thinking of your future, barring some miracle, you likely don't have one. You won't be you in the Abyss, either."
Nualia freezes under Juriya's threats. She ignores all her talk about Sandpoint, raises her chin and says "When I die, I will be welcomed in my Mother's realm. My true Mother!" She is clearly scared, but chooses to not back down. Still, she doesn't look Juriya in the eye. She seems disappointed.
"Lamashtu doesn't favor those who fail her," Ethan says to the woman. "The Mother of Monsters will see your soul as weak, and worthy of nothing but prey for her true children. Here and how, you still have a chance to foreswear your oath to her, and embrace a god who will redeem you."
"Not even necessarily a god who buddies up with the celestials. A protean could do the same thing and take away your 'celestial taint."
Glancing at Zel, Arrian says, "I thought as much. When we read the diary and what Zel told us about his heritage I wondered if that's how Nualia survived the fire."
To Nualia, "So what use did you make of your father?"
For a good while, Ano was stunned silent by what Nualia said. She remembers her dad actually encouraging her to be friends with Nualia, and he even protected her from the cruel townsfolk. And yet she said that…
The smack that the catfolk delivered to the aasimar’s face came in such a sudden moment, followed by Ano shrieking in rage, “DON’T YOU DARE TALK ABOUT MY FATHER YOU, YOU…” She was so furious she couldn’t even find the right words to insult the woman she once considered a childhood friend.
Ethan steps forward and places his hand over the welt on Nualia's face left by Ano's hand.
"You have turned sadness and fear into rage and vengeance, and it has profited you nothing," he says to the aasimar in a gentle tone. "Confess your crimes to the people of Sandpoint, and resolve to make amends for the harm you have caused. An act of contrition may yet save your soul from the torment that awaits you in Lamashtu's embrace. Nualia...do not slap away the hand of mercy."
Nualia looks Ano in the eyes. The catfolk cannot recognize those eyes, despite them being the same shade of violet she once knew. She says "Save me from the fire? Ha. Ha ha. That's hilarious. Why didn't you run in and die in the fire, false friend? I said I found happiness because that's true, I found a purpose. And all you cared about was your daddy. Really... Fathers are useless. Well, almost useless. Hahahaha! I sure made good use of my father" After saying this, she flexes her demonic hand, trying to cut herself loose with no avail.
She continues "It was I who burned down the cathedral. Oh, you didn't know? Figures, you were never good at putting clues together. It was time to finally give Sandpoint what it deserved. Fire."
She stops to think a bit. From her face, one can tell she is thinking about her own future.
"Well f*** YOU, tshamek!" Donimah comments indignantly at the mention of useless fathers. "MY father's a dedicated, hard-working man who raised me by himself and risked his life out on voyages to help me scrape together enough money to go to a wizard school so I could lift us both out of poverty!"
She winces a bit as Ano slaps Nualia and then Ethan heals her.
"Kind of sending mixed messages here," she comments. "Look, you're trying to piss us off so we finish you off. You've got three dead lieutenants, two who've turned on you and one who's run off. Your plans are in shambles. Hoping we'll just kill you, because you don't think you can handle facing the consequences of your actions if we DO spare you."
She turns to Orik.
"That reminds me, did she pay you in advance? If not, we should factor your compensation into the profits we get from selling the stuff we've found. That way it's not a total loss for you at least."
Then she turns back to Nualia.
"Arrian's right, what DID you do with your father's bones? You'd already killed him with the cathedral fire, what more revenge could you take?"