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The directions that Selan provides, at least, help the team get to the correct general area of the Maze pretty easily.
They find the main path, though it abruptly ends at a pool of water. This small artificial pond gives a calm and peaceful aura and is the perfect place to rest in. The water is clear, easily letting the viewer see what is at the bottom of the pond.
Which is a rucksack, about ten feet below the surface, tied to a rock.
While there may not be an actual path around the pond, it rests in the middle of a perfectly square clearing in the middle of the wall-like hedges and trees, so walking around it is still simple enough. The path continues on from here, both to the south and to the east...
It looks like--once the party has decided what (if anything) to do about the submerged rucksack--someone should take the lead on navigating again, seeing if they can find or sense any clues pointing towards the elemental portals.
There doesn't seem to be any sign of danger or any hidden trap, as far as Fernán can see.
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"Somebody must have left it, we should get it." Siyokoy agrees to Gwendolyn, thinking for an easy way to get the ransack.
"Well, I can swim." he says, almost forgetting what he can do.
The azarketi leaves his things behind and swims down to get the submerged ransack. Once he is back to the surface, he opens it.
The backpack contains a shield, a buckler that is lavishly decorated with gilding and inset gemstones that glitter in the light. It's probably magical, but doesn't seem dangerous.
It's still completely unclear why someone wanted to lose it in the pond.
A glamorous buckler (Hardness 3, HP 6, BT 3) is lavishly decorated with gilding and inset gemstones that glitter in the light. While you have it raised, the glamorous buckler grants you a +1 item bonus to Deception checks to Feint.
Activate [free-action] envision; Frequency once per day; Trigger You Feint; Requirements You have the glamorous buckler raised; Effect As you Feint, the glamorous buckler sparkles mightily. On a successful Feint, the target is dazzled for 1 round.
Due to the proximity of the planes, the area leading up to the currently inactive portals of the Planes of Earth and Fire have merged into one stony and fiery path whose rocks give off considerable heat. Runes pulsing with light litter the surfaces of the stones. Occasionally, flames flicker from the carved symbols.
The heat makes it relatively easy to find this place, though also makes it challenging to find a safe way to enter. Eventually, Dakon does get the group safely inside. It's uncomfortably hot, so they probably don't want to stay too long... and there's no immediate sign of the wisps here.
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After realizing the contents, Siyokoy returns them inside unless anyone wants them. "Does anybody want any of these?" he asks them.
vs spoilered text
Nothing unusual with the items, he supposes.
He then collects his things and dries himself by slightly, letting the cooling effect of water work on its own.
"Let me try navigating the Maze," he volunteers to do the task next. "I hope the wisps haven't gone far from here."
to Navigate
Poking around the fiery, rocky terrain, the Pathfinders don't find any sign of the wisps. But they do find finds small loose agate fragments on the ground, probably worth about 7 gp, and a hunter’s bane talisman.
After exiting the area touched by the planes of fire and earth, Siyokoy expertly leads the party towards a portal touched by the planes of elemental air and water. Unlike the first portal, this one seems to be actively drawing elemental energy in from the Maze, creating a kind of reverse waterfall that pours endlessly upward.
The wind picks up here, too, and the Pathfinders find themselves pulled strongly up by the gale and down by the current. If they can't resist the pull, they'll be forced to look in to one of them.
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Unable to resist the pulling up of the gale, Siyokoy chooses to look down, because everything that goes up must go down, right? At least he can see where he is going, or so he thinks.
to Grab an Edge or hold into something
Just in case it helps his situation, he quickly opens the gate (◆ Channel Elements) to the Water Plane and Generates (◆◆ Base Kinesis) water and Proliferates it to catch him so that he can swim down through it and then back to the surface away from the gale.
Siyokoy looks down towards the watery current, and is suddenly plunged into the depths of the ankle-deep water. How ankle-deep water has depths is something of a mystery, but he manages okay because he grabs onto the ground before he's completely submerged (and also because he is a humanoid fish).
Dakon looks up into the wind, and is blasted into the air. He's buoyed up and down for a few moments before crashing back to earth inside the Maze. Thankfully, despite having technically fallen a great distance, the fact that he was pushed both up and down mean he didn't really fall very fast.
Solveig, Gwendolyn, and Fernán stay on their feet. But Hallow...
Taiwalei dodges back from the elemental forces, and is also unharmed. He rushes to the centaur, alarmed. "Are you okay Dakon? Do you need help?"
What happens to Hallow is much the same as what happened to Dakon. Swept up into the gale, then ejected roughly back into the maze.
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Siyokoy blinks rapidly, realizing the water is only ankle-deep!
"This is so strange," he mutters, continuing to check the water's depth. He then quickly turns his attention to Dakon's injury.
"That looks painful, I can see." Siyokoy opens the gate to the Plane of Water, conjuring healing waters to soothe Dakon's sore centaur legs, restoring HP.
He does the same for Hallow, applying cold water to the leshy's sore area, healing HP.
"This place is crazy; we need to be really careful."
"'Caution mortals! To not fall and drown,'" Taiwalei recites,
"'You must remember, do not look down.' That was part of the poem Selan gave us. From the trees."
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He does the same for Hallow, applying cold water to the leshy's sore area, healing 1d8 HP."This place is crazy; we need to be really careful."
Hallow flinches, uncomfortable with the water seeping into the mechanisms of their exoskeleton, but after a second flexes the healed area, finding it undamaged. "Thanks. Need to update the waterproofing on this thing."
"Right, the poem!" Gwen tilts her head up, trying to avoid any glance downward.
"It talked about taking steps back, and Spring and Summer. What does that mean? Would this water be the 'spring'?"
"Maybe? I'm not sure what'd it'd mean by the steps further and back though."
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After listening to Gwen and Hallow, Fernán will look around with a puzzled expression "Springs are normally a source of water right? Where does this lot come from? Is it just transferring from one plane to another or is it drawing from the region? Or maybe I am just not understanding this at all!" and he will try to trace where the water is coming from before it forms this upwards waterfall.
The water comes from all around, running in small rivulets before it comes together enough to be noticeable.
Siyokoy realizes that he fell into the water, realizing its impossible depths, because he looked down into it.
In any case, the wisps don't seem to be around here.
The Pathfinders see a crossroads not far from the portals here to air and water. They realize one path likely loops back around to the pond they found before, but paths verge off in other directions.
They don't need to look far to find the likely location of the next elemental portals, though--the elemental forces of metal and wood exert their forces in the same spacial niche, resulting in fractal trees that manifest in a state of decay. The unusual landscape makes it obvious where to go to find their portals.
Among the unusual trees are a pair of unusual people. One looks to be a planar scion, mostly human but with metallic hair and veins of metal running through their flesh. The other is made entirely of wood--and has a collection of elemental wisps trapped in a cage of wooden bars in their chest.
The person with the metallic hair chastises the wisps, but also seems to be interrogating them, asking questions about the surroundings.
"I'm going to go collect Selan and tell her we found them," Taiwalei whispers, "I'm sure you can handle this."
He's only just slipped away when the wooden person looks up sharply. "The trees say someone is there." The spot the Pathfinders, and level a spear-like arm in their direction--but their partner intervenes.
“Wow! Hold your hostility, everyone. Especially you, my friend. We’ve only just met these folks! No need to come to blows just because we’ve found each other, right?” The humanoid in leather armor with metallic veins shows their empty hands. Their voice has the timbre of fine metal particles rubbing against a singing wind chime. “As you can see, I’m quite unarmed here. My good friend... well, that is their hand, so do pardon us. I’m sure from their face you can tell they’re actually extending a friendly handshake. Right, budding? That was totally what you wanted to do?”
The figure, resembling a carved wood statue, turns to stare at their companion, articulate joints fluid as they transition between poses. “Not if you call me that in front of strangers again.” The spear point retracts as the elemental’s arm rotates at the elbow. Their expression remains unchanged.
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Fernán will step out from the copse and give the trees a glare. Then he'll turn to the two elemental people. "Ah.. hello. Sorry to startle you we really don't mean any harm. I'm Fernán and you are?"
and he'll leave that to hang in the air for a couple of seconds before continuing "So we're pathfinders. We were actually chasing after the little wisps over there in the hope that we could stop them from causing trouble. We could take them back to their guardian if they are a problem for you."
then realising what the mettalic one was asking the wisps he'll volunteer "We'd be happy to share what we've seen of the maze so far - we've been making our way through quite a bit of it."
“Gedun and Yeyacha, a pleasure to meet you all! I’m a scout and my partner here’s a collector. We mostly collect valuables from the hands of the undeserving and gift them to those in need. What about you all?”
The wood genie steps back defensively, holding an arm in front of the wisp's cage as the Pathfinders approach. “They were very impolite! Positively the rudest clumps of essences I’ve ever met in my life. One of them—the fire one—even called me something very insulting! Who raised these rascals? I have a word or two to say on their discipline and manners!
[b]"We've just arrived on this plane." The talos puffs out their chest in pride. “We became big names back home after a job. I’m talking wanted posters and bounties big. We’re not exactly celebrity material though, so after hearing the Material Plane is quite nice around this season, we decided to take a vacation. Might even make it
a staycation if things get interesting. Speaking of what is this place? It's more like the elemental planes than we were expecting. Yes, please show us! If you can show us around, I can coax Yeyacha here and see if we can’t release them to your custody."
The wood genie is much less animated compared to their companion, but after a moment they nod. "Agreed. Please, take them."
Some of the wooden bars over the hollow in their torso retract, and the wisps come buzzing out. new wood grows to cover the hollow.
Soon enough, Taiwalei and Selan arrive. Selan is ecstatic to see the wisps, safe and free, though she scolds them for their behavior. She's also excited to see Gedun and Yeyacha. "Oh, that's a talos. They're like me, but their elemental ancestry is metal instead of wood. And you're a kizidhar, right? A wood genie? We might be related!"
Together, the kizidhar, talos, and ardande enter a perplexing conversation in a mix of Muan and Talican (the elemental language of metal), which Taiwalei looks on in awe.
That... takes a while, though. Still, the Pathfinders have plenty of time before their scheduled return to the Grand Lodge.
"So we landed right in this 'Maze of the Open Road'? Unlucky! Are we even technically in the material universe?" Gedun asks eventually. Taiwalei and Selan waggle their hands noncommittally. "Ugh. Yeyacha! Instead of trying to find an exit, let's just go back to the Plane of Wood--just for a moment--and then try again to land somewhere more hospitable. Thanks for your help, 'Pathfinder Society'! I hope we see you again!"
"Shall we escort Selan back to the Woodsedge Lodge, then?" says Taiwalei, "To help her with the wisps, since they're loose and adorable?"
"Here," says Gedun before departing, "a gift for your troubles."
They give Gwendolyn a pair of rings, one wood and one metal. There doesn't seem to be anything special about them, but they're a nice matching set and probably worth a bit of gold.
After finally getting their hands on the naughty wisps (and perhaps with new friends in tow?), the field agents, Taiwalei, and Selan begin to head back to a lodge of their choosing. However, as they arrive at a t-intersection, the planar fabric rips and elemental energy begins to pour in.
While the sun is much lower in the sky now, the area is still under bright light conditions. From their previous travel through the area, the team knows the path to the right leads to the portals to the lodges, the path right leads to the elemental portals, and the path south leads back to the Grand Lodge.
Three things happen at once. From the sky, water begins to pour down into the intersection, creating an ankle-deep pool in its center. Though clear enough to see, the currents push Taiwalei back and away and separate him from the rest of the group. As Selan turns back with the intention to help, a wall of swirling red flame erupts, stopping her in her tracks. As the fire burn away a patch of foliage it touched, the bark peels away to expose a metal core, as if someone used the wood of the tree as a mold for a metal sculpture.
Shadows dart in the water below. A back fin breaches the surface, then goes under again. “That’s definitely a shark!” Taiwalei calls out. “I don’t think it’s one I’ve seen before though, so be careful!”
In addition to the shark fins inexplicably moving through the ankle-deep water, there seem to be several unusually-aggressive flowers.
"Big sharks grab prey with their bites and drag them underwater," Taiwalei shouts through the waterfall, "The young sharks here would be too small to drag you around. However, their movements seem hypnotic, so it could be dangerously distracting to watch them too closely."
Fernán and Siyokoy's turns.
Initiative:
Taiwalei's Advice
Fernán (16/16, Stealthy)
Siyokoy (32/32)
Blue Baby Brine Shark (Small)
Dakon (17/17)
Purple Hyacinth Lamprey
Orange Hyacinth Lamprey
Red Baby Brine Shark
Gwendolyn (20/20)
Solveig (18/18, Shield Raised)
Green Hyacinth Lamprey
Hallow (17/17)
Selan's Advice
The arrow punctures the plant, just below the flower. It withers and dies.
Siyokoy's turn.
Initiative:
Taiwalei's Advice
Fernán (16/16, Stealthy)
Siyokoy (32/32)
Blue Baby Brine Shark (Small)
Dakon (17/17)
Orange Hyacinth Lamprey
Red Baby Brine Shark
Gwendolyn (20/20)
Solveig (18/18, Shield Raised)
Green Hyacinth Lamprey
Hallow (17/17)
Selan's Advice
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"I'll take care to some of the sharks." Following Taiwalei's advice, Siyokoy opens the gate and blasts water at Red Baby Brine Shark.
B damage
He then bends water beneath them to form a shield. He also averts his gaze to them.
◆ Channel Elements
◆ Hydraulic Deflection - +1 circumstance bonus to AC
◆ Avert Gaze
Siyokoy realizes that the water here is like the water he encountered before, and its depth is a matter of opinion. Anyone who spends a few seconds looking down into the water will find it's much deeper than they previously thought.
The water blast hits the shark, and pushes its fin momentarily into the water. But it pops back up as the animal stays near the surface.
While Taiwalei seems to be unable to force his way through the torrential waterfall, the elemental water is perfectly clear and he can clearly see the Pathfinders and their assailants just fine.
Selan, behind a wall of fire, is having a different set of problems. "Gah, hot! I can't see you!" she shouts, "I know a lot about the elements, but I can't see what's happening. Describe it for me, and I can help!"
One of the sharks moves a little closer to Dakon, the thin layer of water between its skin and the surface sparkles in the sunlight with a reddish hue as it dances. Taiwalei was right, it's oddly disorienting.
Also it bites Dakon's front leg.
Dakon's turn. The water is barely ankle deep and normal terrain; spending an action to look into the water will make it infinitely deep for that character, who will then need to swim instead of walk. The sharp metallic trees are difficult and hazardous terrain; make an Acrobatics check if you pass through them.
Initiative:
Taiwalei's Advice
Fernán (16/16)
Siyokoy (32/32, Hydraulic Deflection, DC 17 will)
Blue Baby Brine Shark (Small)
Dakon (9/17, DC 17 Will)
Orange Hyacinth Lamprey
Red Baby Brine Shark (-6)
Gwendolyn (20/20, DC 17 Will)
Solveig (18/18, Shield Raised)
Green Hyacinth Lamprey
Hallow (17/17)
Selan's Advice