"Hey look, a centipede."
"Looks more like a millipede."
"No! It's a centipede!"
"Are you blind? It's a millipede!"
The archers waste so much time arguing they fail to brace against Eddie's swarm.
"Shut up! Focus on the task at hand." The shadowy creature turns around to berate his allies. You notice behind the mask there is no body- just gray smoke in a vague shape of a head.
Red Cross (8 damage, Sickened 1, Unloaded, Poisoned Bolt #2)
Red Slash (8 damage, Sickened 1, Unloaded, Poisoned Bolt #2)
Blue (20 damage)
Nykor
Green
Landon (Light, Quickened, Shield Raised, Poison Stage 1 DC 17 Fort Save)
Shae (23 damage)
Takumi and Shinju (10 damage, Takumi Quickened)
Eddie
Desmond (11 damage, Holding Alyreha, Blur, >Pending Action<)
Takumi unleashes a burst of light amongst the enemies. They recoil against the brightness.
Shinju leaps upon the table and gores the Blue creature.
Desmond takes this time to move to Green gloved person and hits her once.
"Shake a leg, folks! Your next swing will be very accurate! Well, maybe not Takumi and Eddie, you two aren't really the swinging type. Take down the shadowy leader!"
>True Target<
"Gah! I can't see!" The creatures in Red reload, fire, then apply another poisonous dose to their nearest foes. Despite the spots in their eyes they find their targets.
Red Cross (8 damage, Sickened 1, Unloaded, Poisoned Bolt #3, Dazzled 2 rounds)
Red Slash (8 damage, Sickened 1, Unloaded, Poisoned Bolt #3, Dazzled 10 rounds)
Nykor (True Target vs Shae)
Green (3 damage, True Target vs Shae)
Landon (Light, Quickened, Shield Raised, Poison Stage 1 DC 17 Fort Save, True Target vs Shae)
Shae (23 damage, Dazzled 10 rounds)
Takumi and Shinju (13 damage, Takumi Quickened, DC 17 Fort Save vs Poison, Shinju True Target vs Shae)
Eddie (12 damage, DC 17 Fort Save vs Poison)
Desmond (11 damage, Holding Alyreha, Blur, >Pending Action<, True Target vs Shae)
|
Eddie looks down at the arrow shaft sticking out of their stipe "Well that was rude."
The poison hits just the wrong spot on the spongy fungus.
Poison Resistance: Feat 2: Alchemist Druid: Source Core Rulebook pg. 77 4.0
Your body has become fortified against toxins. You gain poison resistance equal to half your level, and you gain a +1 status bonus to saving throws against poisons.
The poison takes hold of Eddie, but it's not really designed for them. The poison rages but they ignore the damage entirely.
Nykor switches weapons and ducks before taking aim. He catches the Shae off guard but his arrow misses anyway.
"Give me that skull, you!" The attacker in Green hisses at Desmond.
Desmond isn't falling for any of Green's tricks. In fact, he notices her overreaching, and is Off-Guard to his counterattacks!
Red Cross (8 damage, Sickened 1, Unloaded, Poisoned Bolt #3, Dazzled 1 rounds)
Red Slash (8 damage, Sickened 1, Unloaded, Poisoned Bolt #3, Dazzled 9 rounds)
Nykor
Green (3 damage, Off Guard to Desmond)
Landon (Light, Quickened, Shield Raised, Poison Stage 1 DC 17 Fort Save, True Target vs Shae)
Shae (23 damage, Dazzled 10 rounds)
Takumi and Shinju (13 damage, Takumi Quickened, Shinju True Target vs Shae)
Eddie (12 damage, Poison Stage 2 DC 17 Fort Save vs Poison)
Desmond (11 damage, Holding Alyreha, Blur, >Pending Action<, True Target vs Shae)
Landon shakes off the remainder of the poison. He carries his bright morningstar aloft before swinging at the shadowy presence. The targets in Redcloaks quickly shudder.
The Shae is ready for his approach, and reacts by slipping into his shadow and emerging next to Desmond. "Dammit. Kill the lightbearer!"
Landon realizes his target is too far away, so he tries to hit one of the cloaked figures, but they are too fast.
The Shae stabs Desmond with an ice cold dagger.
Then the Shae bides its time, preparing to react to something.
Red Cross (8 damage, Sickened 1, Unloaded, Poisoned Bolt #3, Dazzled 1 rounds)
Red Slash (8 damage, Sickened 1, Unloaded, Poisoned Bolt #3, Dazzled 9 rounds)
Nykor
Green (3 damage, Off Guard to Desmond)
Landon (Light, Quickened, Shield Raised, True Target vs Shae)
Shae (23 damage, Dazzled 10 rounds)
Takumi and Shinju (13 damage, Takumi Quickened, Shinju True Target vs Shae)
Eddie (12 damage, Poison Stage 2 DC 17 Fort Save vs Poison)
Desmond (25 damage, Holding Alyreha, Blur, True Target vs Shae)
Eddie feels some of the poison, but no matter. They conjure a blast of water that pummels the Green clad raider off the table. "No! The skull..." are her last words as she slams against the wall and slumps.
Red Cross (8 damage, Sickened 1, Unloaded, Poisoned Bolt #3, Dazzled 1 rounds)
Red Slash (8 damage, Sickened 1, Unloaded, Poisoned Bolt #3, Dazzled 9 rounds)
Nykor
Landon (Light, Quickened, Shield Raised, True Target vs Shae)
Shae (23 damage, Dazzled 10 rounds)
Takumi and Shinju (13 damage, Takumi Quickened, Shinju True Target vs Shae)
Eddie (14 damage, Poison Stage 1 DC 17 Fort Save vs Poison Round 2)
Desmond (25 damage, Holding Alyreha, Blur, True Target vs Shae)
Desmond trips the Shae, but he is unable to land a blow.
Takumi requests Shinju wait for a bit, and they delay.
The Red robed creatures act next. One raises their crossbow and fires at Landon.
"Uh, the light blocked my aim." They mutter as they smear another crossbow bolt with poison and reload.
The other one is still rubbing their eyes, but Landon is bearing down on them. They fumble to swap their weapons, and Landon sees an opportunity!
Assuming Red Slash survives, they switch to an Aklys and move into the room to get around Landon.
But Landon's shield easily deflects the blow.
"Hey Desmond, let's light things up." Alyreha casts Light on him. The Shae hisses angrily as Alyreha cackles. "Believe it or not, all of this magic is giving me a headache... I think you got it from here."
Red Cross (8 damage, Sickened 1, Poisoned Bolt #4)
Red Slash (8 damage, Sickened 1, Holding Aklys, Poisoned Bolt #3, Dazzled 8 rounds)
Nykor
Landon (Light, Quickened, Shield Raised, True Target vs Shae, Reactive Strike vs Red Slash)
Takumi and Shinju (13 damage, Takumi Quickened, Shinju True Target vs Shae)
Shae (23 damage, Dazzled 10 rounds, Prone)
Eddie (14 damage, Poison Stage 1 DC 17 Fort Save vs Poison Round 2)
Desmond (25 damage, Holding Alyreha, Blur, True Target vs Shae)
|
Takumi and Shinju exchange a quick look, then both nod simultaneously. Takumi turns to Red Cross, and again starts chanting. Soon he starts gritting his teeth in pain as the spellcasting progresses. Suddenly a scorpion seem to burst forth from his chest, landing in front of his target and growing to full size in the process.
The scorpion immediately grabs at Red Cross with its claws.
"Ooo! A scorpion! I call it Bitey."
"Stingy is a much cuter name if you ask me."
"Well I didn't ask!"
The two short Red-robed figures argue while dodging to and fro.
Shinju has much better luck, impaling the shadowy figure. Desmond's bright light outlines them nicely. The Shae is barely holding together- another blow should finish the job.
Red Cross (8 damage, Sickened 1, Poisoned Bolt #4, Reaction Used)
Red Slash (8 damage, Sickened 1, Holding Aklys, Poisoned Bolt #3, Dazzled 8 rounds)
Nykor
Landon (Light, Quickened, Shield Raised, True Target vs Shae, Reactive Strike vs Red Slash)
Takumi and Shinju[ (13 damage, Takumi Quickened)
Takumi's Cave Scorpion - AC 16; Fort +6, Ref +9, Will +5 HP 20
Shae (42 damage, Dazzled 10 rounds, Prone)
Eddie (14 damage, Poison Stage 1 DC 17 Fort Save vs Poison Round 2)
Desmond (25 damage, Holding Alyreha, Blur, True Target vs Shae)
Landon reacts and hits the robed figure. And hits them again before raising his shield. The critter still stands. "A little help here? Stop playing with Pinchy!"
"Ooo that's a good name! Maybe we can adopt it after this?"
"Idiot! We need the skull. Oh, maybe Pinchy can carry the skull for us?"
Red Cross (8 damage, Sickened 1, Poisoned Bolt #4, Reaction Used)
Red Slash (26 damage, Sickened 1, Holding Aklys, Poisoned Bolt #3, Dazzled 8 rounds)
Nykor
Landon (Light, Quickened, Shield Raised, True Target vs Shae)
Takumi and Shinju[ (13 damage, Takumi Quickened)
Takumi's Cave Scorpion - AC 16; Fort +6, Ref +9, Will +5 HP 20
Shae (42 damage, Dazzled 10 rounds, Prone)
Eddie (14 damage, Poison Stage 1 DC 17 Fort Save vs Poison Round 2)
Desmond (25 damage, Holding Alyreha, Blur, True Target vs Shae)
Nykor tires of their banter and critically shoots one of the Red robed figures, killing them.
The Shae scrambles to stand up, lash out at Shinju and quickly move away.
Eddie feels the poison trying to coarse through their system.
Red Cross (8 damage, Sickened 1, Poisoned Bolt #4, Reaction Used)
Nykor
Landon (Light, Quickened, Shield Raised, True Target vs Shae)
Takumi and Shinju (29 damage, Takumi Quickened)
Takumi's Cave Scorpion - AC 16; Fort +6, Ref +9, Will +5 HP 20
Shae (42 damage, Dazzled 10 rounds)
Eddie (14 damage, Poison Stage 1 DC 17 Fort Save vs Poison Round 2)
Desmond (25 damage, Holding Alyreha, Blur)
|
|
The poison has little effect on the talking mushroom called Eddie.
"I'll fix you up some big kitty, and tell you a secret!" Eddie shakes their bundle of herbs at Shinju, sending a squirt of healing liquid at them, then they whisper some guidance.
"Bite the middle one!" Guidance spell: +1 to your next roll.
Eddie heals themself of poison, then heal Shinju before giving a bit of Guidance.
Desmond tries to sweep the Shae's leg but he sweep is too slow. "I don't this knucklehead likes light, Desmond- head's up!" Desmond throws Alyreha and she bonks into the Shae, crushing the armor and causing the shadows to wisp out and disperse. "What's a matter? You want me? Here I am!" She laughs some more.
The last attacker takes a careful Step back from Landon before firing at him. "Well, may as well not waste it."
The crossbow string snaps. "That skull wasn't worth it. Come on, I'll take you all on!" They switch to an aklys and put up a brave face... not that it will last for much longer.
Red Cross (8 damage, Sickened 1)
Nykor
Landon (Light, Quickened, Shield Raised)
Takumi and Shinju (20 damage, Takumi Quickened, Shinju Guidance)
Takumi's Cave Scorpion - AC 16; Fort +6, Ref +9, Will +5 HP 20
Eddie (14 damage)
Desmond (25 damage, Holding Alyreha, Blur)
Nykor shoots the foe with another arrow. They flinch and duck underneath Eddie's aquatic blast.
Red Cross (18 damage, Sickened 1)
Nykor
Landon (Light, Quickened, Shield Raised)
Takumi and Shinju (20 damage, Takumi Quickened, Shinju Guidance)
Takumi's Cave Scorpion - AC 16; Fort +6, Ref +9, Will +5 HP 20
Eddie (14 damage)
Desmond (25 damage, Holding Alyreha, Blur, Shield)
Landon finishes off the final enemy. Within a minute or so, the sun shines again through the windows and normal light returns to the room.
"Well, thanks for saving my bacon. Knowing them, they would have stuck some flowers in my eyesockets and kept me as an ornamental piece!" Alyreha seems to relax.
Sebnet returns just in time to see the aftermath. "Incredible... well, it's time to begin the repairs. I'll check on the damage."
Never a dull moment. Well, helping to repair the damaged lodge is a bit slow.
You hear loud ponderous footsteps as Vrisk the proto-golem makes the trek from his sanctuary along with a dozen animated brooms. "I thought I could assist with cleaning Alyreha's study corner, but... what did happen here?"
|
|
Eddie watches the Elf pummel the last attacker and bobs their head in approval. They ask the fungal spirits to make some tasty fermented berries, eating them to heal their wounds.
"Yum! I'll be resting for a few minutes and can hand out more berries!" Eddie finds a cool, shaded corner to rest, poking through a dead attacker's stuff to look for clues and shinies.
"Is it usual to have this place attacked? I thought we were safe here?" Eddie asks when Sebnet returns.
Vrisk arriving has Eddie popping up from the heap of dead bodies "Yes, quite messy! These gray ones with the big eyes tried to steal your skull friend."
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
"I doubt they would have gotten far..." Vrisk replies. "Alyreha may be reduced to a skull, but she is still an Arclord. Thank you for protecting her." He pauses, and the brooms begin to disperse, sweeping up loose rubble. The stone statue you saw alongside Vrisk carries the larger bricks and stones like they are paperweights.
The attackers are quite tight-lipped. Some of them claim they were looking to sell a talking skull and make a quick buck. It's clear they are working for someone and they had a grudge with the Pathfinder Society. Getting more information will take more time, so they survivors are imprisoned for later questioning.
Once things have calmed down, Sebnet summons you to her office, where she and Alyreha’s skull await you. Sebnet is sporting a bump on the back of her head.
The vash-vatom speaks first. "In these dangerous times, I must put in a request for Toldrar, Head of Security for the Grand Lodge in Absalom, to give Nexus House his special touch. She expresses her gratitude to you for learning who the Arclord is. "Her research into the magic of true names is invaluable."
"Man, I'm tired!" Alyreha mumbles. "You'd think an arclord would be able to cast more spells. I gotta get stronger. My home is full of magic and stuff. Much bigger library than here. No offense, you're kind of a pamphlet stand compared to my place."
Sebnet rubs the bump on the back of her head. "None taken. The sooner we can learn your true name, the sooner we can restore your body. We can then identify the attackers. But for now Pathfinders, please rest. Well, finish cleaning up the entryway, THEN you can rest."
The last week or so has been quiet the Nexus House. Toldrar came from Absalom, bringing new agents and new protections with him. The lodge is even stronger than before. On the last day of his visit, he requests aid from Eddie and Desmond, and they bid goodbye as all three return to Absalom. He leaves the new agents behind to help you. Because he knows the threat is not over.
The next dawn, Venture-Captain Sebnet Sanserkoht, a female gnome excitedly greets you and ushers you into a small meeting room.
Closing the door behind her, the brown-skinned gnome with golden streaks through her long, dark hair crosses the room in a few long strides and leans against a stool, grinning wryly. Atop the stool sits a skull with glowing pink eyes. “Good, good you’re all here. I haven't formally met all of you, so... I’m vash-vatom Sebnet Sanserkoht, or venture‑captain, if you prefer. I have someone I need to introduce you all to before we get to the rest of the briefing.”
She gestures towards the skull beside her, “This here, is Alyreha, one of Nex’s arclords. Some of the agents here assisted her in recovering her lost memories.”
Alyreha shakes and rattles before Sebnet is allowed to continue. “That’s right! I up and lost my head, but you helped me put the pieces of it back together. But in turn, I also remembered why I lost it in the first place. See, I was doing research on true names and had just hit a breakthrough, but someone else wanted to get a hold of my work to use for some sort of evil plan. Needless to say, I didn’t agree with that, and tried to lock away my research by erasing memory of myself until the time was right to let my studies out."
Sebnet finally cuts back in, “And now that her memories have been restored, it’s likely that the rest of her research can be as well. So that’s where you all come in. We want to you to take Alyreha and go to her former manor, to find the pieces of her research and restore her true name before anyone else finds her old notes.”
"Vigilant Seal leader Eando Kline had sent an extra letter."
I wish to bid you good luck on your upcoming challenges. Your mission to aid Arclord Alyreha is, of course, of paramount importance. There is, however, a troubling aspect. If you haven’t already, I’m soon you will soon learn that her research concerns true names—a dangerous area of magical research, though one promising great power as well. Alyreha’s research has already shown its appeal as a target for those who would use it for twisted ends.
Our night hag foe is but one of those who would steal the research if given the opportunity. I need you to convince Alyreha of the severity of this danger, and of the safety and security that we would afford her research here in Skyreach. I would be incredibly grateful were you to secure an agreement with her to store her true name research in the vaults here at the Grand Lodge. Though we do not want to threaten the goodwill we’ve built—and that you will continue building with her—please do your utmost to convince her to keep her research safe with us.
Good luck and stay safe out there,
Eando Kline of the Vigilant Seal
"Fola Braun insisted that you open this letter, not me. Must be something for you Envoy's Alliance folks."
I hope my letter finds you all in good spirits once you have arrived in Quantium. I know you are all being sent out to help our new ally Alyreha, and I want to wish you all the best of luck in restoring Alyreha to her former self.
I write you now to request that you do whatever you can to prove that she can trust and rely on the Pathfinder Society as allies. As an Arclord of Nex she makes a valuable ally for us, and I would like us to be able to call on each other for aid in the future. If you could help her recover as much of her research as possible, I think she’ll be grateful and understand that we’re an organization in which she can put her faith.
As such, I trust you all to do whatever you can to build Alyreha’s faith in our Society’s competence. Even should fewer scraps of her research prove critical to restoring her, do your utmost to find every bit until she confirms she has it all. That should properly demonstrate the Society’s skill and dedication.
Best Regards,
Fola Barun of the Envoy’s Alliance