The extraplanar slaver quickly falls under your sudden attack.
Potential Loot
Small Ruby x5
Large Ruby
You notice a small humanoid figure is visible inside the larger gem. It's moving slightly, as if it were somehow trapped inside.
Serael peers into the larher ruby and tries to tap into it. If someone is trapped here, the logical thing would be to break this but... What if that kills the little man inside?
She attempts to communicate with whoever is inside "Hello?"
If there is no answer, she carefully tucks away the gem and checks the last remaining door for traps and opens it.
Like the room you just exited, this room appears to be a storage room filled with mounds of moldering herbs, clay pots, and barrels of fertilizer. Of more pressing concern is the Large eyeless froglike creature with a tentacled snout hovering near the ceiling.
This is clearly the 'master' the Denizen of Leng was referencing: a moon-beast. Worshipers of ageless entities from beyond the stars, these creatures use their powerful enchantment magic to capture slaves and sacrifices to bring to the Dimension of Dreams.
Serael quickly reacts to the creature and barks orders from her companions to attack. No time to waste against Dimension of Dreams' beasts.
All four of your shots strike the moon-beast as Summer charges in. Horns's antlers don't quite penetrate the creature's surprisingly-thick hide, but you can tell that your companion came very close to wounding it.
The aberration attempts to call forth otherworldly magic, but the distraction caused by Summer's presence is enough to keep it at bay for the moment.
"Press on!"
Taking advantage of the momentum acquired by interrupting the creature's strange magic, Serael goes for the killing blow.
Three of your arrows strike home, and combined with Summer's talon and Horns's antlers, this is enough to destroy the aberration.
Potential Loot
eye of the void
With the more pressing matter, namely the creature, resolved, Serael investigated this room and the last one for exits from the Dancing Hut.
Maybe there's a way to leave near in those buildings I didn't enter near the garden?
This room contains a large stone fireplace with a series of iron rungs climbing up its chimney.
This square room appears to be a cozy wooden cabin. Shelves packed with esoteric knickknacks and strange ingredients line the walls. A stone fireplace with a large mantel takes up the room's northwest corner, while opposite the room's only door stands a simple wooden table on which rests a cracked clay bowl. A large blackened cauldron sits in the center of the room.
As you finish climbing out of the chimney, three ravens take to the air. In unison, they chant, "Baba Yaga has gone on, off to see her only son. But a trail she left behind, if the breadcrumbs you can find!" before picking up several objects off the shelves and dropping them in front of you. First, they take a stuffed two-headed eagle from a shelf, then place an iron spur and a drinking horn beside it. Next, they take an elephant tusk and a small hand mirror and drop them atop a bearskin rug. The ravens then disappear, repeating their cryptic phrase a final time.
"Baba Yaga's... son?" Serael stares at a distance, pondering who could that possibly be. Does this mean Queen Elvanna will be deposed and we'll have a king?"
She pays attention at the objects, probably cryptic hints about the keys to where to take the Dancing Hut. Just like she did who-knows-how-long-ago with the Black Rider, she kept repeating the phrases in her head: Two-Headed Eagle and drink horn in an iron spur. Elephant Tusk and hand mirror on a bearskin rug.
Serael collected the itens that fit in her bag, just in case they were one of the keys and leaves the room she is in.
Exiting the room, you find yourself in a wintry region of snow-covered mountains. The sun appears to be not much more than a mere pinprick of light, and stars are visible in the sky.
Snow? Am I back in Irrisen?
Before proceeding further, Serael picks up the larger ruby she found with the Denizen of Leng. Hoping it would give answers, and not hurt the being inside, she steps back into the room and throws the gem with all her power on the ground.
"Be released!"
The gemstone shatters when it hits the ground, and from the scattered pieces emerges a blue-skinned humanoid. Over the course of a moment or two, he grows to approximately ten feet tall before giving you an elaborate courtly bow. "Many thanks, kind traveler! I am Zilvazaraat, peddler of wondrous wares from across the Great Beyond. Are you, by any chance, interested in doing business?"
Potential Loot
habit of the winter explorer
Serael grabbed the habit of the winter explorer before leaving the room the first time and wears it, removing her Hyperboreal Robe and putting it back in the bag of holding.
---
Serael feels relieved she didn't actually hurt the Mercane and is thankful it is not a hostile creature. "Hello, Zilvazaraat, I'm Serael. Yes, I'd love to do business, I'm full of itens I'd like to get rid of. Do you happen to know where we are, by the way?"
"I'm afraid I have no idea where we are, but I'm always happy to do business." A large chest appears next to him, full of magic items.
Zilvazaraat's Current Wares
defiant (chaotic outsiders) mithral buckler
adaptable darkwood composite longbow
elemental gem (fire)
ring of sustenance
stonemist cloak
Oil - bless weapon
Scroll - searing light
Scroll - elemental body I
Spell Engine - Ghost Sight
Serael thanks Zilvazaraat for doing business with her, allowing her to offload some itens and restock. Considering the snowy climate, the elemental gem (fire) might come in handy, and the other support items... who knows when I'll need them.
After finishing, she sets off.... somewhere. Realizing she does not know where to go, Serael tries to find footprints or anything that might indicate where the nearest settlement is.
Once your transactions are completed, Zilvazaraat offers you a small figurine. "Thank you for your business - and for freeing me, of course. If you'd like to conduct more business in the future, don't hesitate to call." With a bow, both the merchant and his chest vanish.
Potential Loot
obsidian raven figurine of wondrous power
---------------------------------------------------------------
You quickly realize that navigation will be more difficult than you're used to due to the shrunken sun. Or perhaps it hasn't shrunk at all - you don't recognize any of the flora either. The Hut has taken you to another planet!
Serael thanks the Mercane once again and takes the figurine he hands her. She puts it in her bag, carefully, since it's probably her only link to any living being aside from her companions.
What happened to the sun? - she thinks as she watches the skies. A few seconds later, she realizes the position of the stars, that she knows intimately due to Desna's worship, seem... wrong.
Serael chooses a direction and starts walking, since all her usual guiding posts were useless for now. On her way, she passed along some plants, none of which she recognized, even with her knowledge on the subject. Different flora could mean a whole different continent but different star makeup as well?
I'm in another planet!! she concludes, immediately brings her hands around her neck, as if she suddenly could not breath, which was not true. So a livable, breathable planet. Thankfully.
She searches her mind to where she could possibly be.
After walking for approximately a mile, a shadow briefly blots out the sun. Looking up, you see a Large red dragon circling overhead before beginning to descend. As it lands , you see an armor-clad white-furred creature mounted in a saddle on its back. It holds a strange-looking spear, and you notice the dragon is also wielding some sort of glaive.
Serael watches the dragon land, a red one at that, and a strange creature on top of it. I'm seeing aliens. she acknowledges to herself, almost to force herself to believe in it.
She decides a direct approach wouldn't be too safe and first rummages through her bag of holding, picking up one of the two scroll of comprehend languages she had and using it on herself.
She signaled to her companions to stay in place, but alert and then, crouched in the snow and carefully started crawling toward the dragon and the white-furred creature, hoping to remain undetected and maybe eavesdrop if they spoke to each other.
The rider calls out to you as you begin to approach. Thanks to your scroll, you can understand her - although there's no guarantee she'll understand you in return. "Stay where you are! What manner of creatures are you?"
Serael raises her hands, knowing this is the same situation as when she left the Dancing Hut last time, being able to understand the man, but unable to properly communicate.
She does not pick her weapons and tries to speak, cycling through the languages she knows "The name's Serael. I'm a human from Golarion."
Both the rider and dragon cock their heads as you cycle through languages. Based on the cadence of the rider's reply, you can tell that she's switched languages as well.
"Your words are strange, and I cannot understand them. This is the only other language I know. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
"Yes." Serael answers, while nodding her head, hoping the gesture has the same meaning here. "Not for a long time, however." she adds reflexively, even though she knew the dragon rider wouldn't be able to understand her.
"Mm," the rider purses her lips. "Are you here for peace or for war?"
"Peace." Serael says, mimicking dropping her weapons to the ground. She considered using her new raven to already contact Zilvazaraat, but did not want to scare her interlocutor.
The rider appears pensive for a long moment before lowering her spear and removing her helm. "Peace means you're not with Yrax. Would you be willing to come to Spurhorn and speak with my commander? Your presence might be exactly what we need to finally put an end to a long war."
Serael nods and makes a gesture that she will follow the white-furred woman.
Serael remembers the trinkets the ravens got her. Ah, the iron spur and the drinking horn... 'Spurhorn'. The only one that I do not know is the two-headed eagle.
She picks up some of the items and shows them to the rider one at a time: the two-headed eagle, and if there is no reaction, the iron spur and the drinking horn.
Finally, she uses the newly-gained obsidian raven figurine of wondrous power. "Zilvazaraat, it's me, Serael. I'd like to buy a wand of tongues, the cheapest you can find! Otherwise, I won't be able to pay, sorry."
25 words, right on point.
Only, the two-headed eagle sparks a reaction. "Commander Pharamol has a pet bird like that. They're extremely rare."
------------------------------------------------------
A few hours later, Zilvazaraat abruptly appears in front of you. "Well, hello again, Serael. I have a few options for your perusal."
Ritual Book - tongues
Spell Engine - Logos
Wand - tongues
"Thank you, Zilvazaraat, I'll take the Ritual Book. Always a pleasure."
Serael turns to the white-furred woman "Wait a moment, please" she says while holding her hands up. She sits down and starts the ritual, hoping to finally break the language barrier.
As you complete the ritual, your mind is briefly filled with vague, indecipherable visions of the future. While they quickly fade away, you sense that they'll continue to pop up at inconvenient times until your temporary knowledge of the rider's language fades away
With the ritual complete, and the intrusive visions not bothering her at the moment, Serael tries speaking once more with the creature. "I think you can probably understand me now. My name is Serael, I'm a human from Golarion. I come in peace and I don't even know who or where Yrax is. Thank you for not being hostile to someone you could not understand. Could you please tell me where are we?"
She rapid-fires basically everything she had said at that point.
"I don't know the land Golarion. Is it on the summer half of the world? I've heard tales of the snowless lands but have never traveled there. You're in the Drakelands, near the Skyfire Mandate, and in between Spurhorn and Yrax's fortress Ivoryglass. He's a powerful warlord whose horde is in the process of taking the Skyfire Mandate by force. Our aerie is one of the few remaining bastions of resistance."
Of course she would not assume I'm from another planet entirely. I won't break the news for now, I suppose. Also, this planet seems to be half in summer, half in winter? She glances at both her birds Huh.
"I see. I'll help you in your battle, but I'll need to talk to this Commander Pharamol of yours, because I'll need his bird."
"I can't speak for the commander, but I know that he values our lives far more than a mere pet bird."
---------------------------------------------
You travel close to ten miles before you spot an imposing fortress perched high atop a large rocky crag. The steep cliffs mean getting to it will be quite difficult - made even more complicated by the massive army surrounding the base of the crag. "That's Spurhorn - and Yrax's besieging army. I can fly to it, but Efrixes can't carry much more than me and my gear. What do you want to do?"
"I can fly as well, for a limited time at least."
Serael remembers when she flew to Artrosa's entrance and concentrates on the spirits. She regains the ability to transform her companions.
Finally, she uses her Flight hex and makes a gesture for her and Efrixes to lead the way. "I never asked, what is your name?"
"Oh, my apologies. My name is Bescaylie."
-----------------------------------------
You take off, soaring through the air at a high rate of speed. This proves to be advantageous as the invading army has multiple patrols established to guard against aerial threats. You and your companions outfly several frost-colored two-legged dragons and a few apelike daemons. You can't avoid everything, unfortunately, as approximately 200ft from Spurhorn's walls, you're intercepted by a rider atop a brass dragon.
The dragon swoops past, exhaling a burst of flame as it passes by. Working in tandem with his mount, the rider opens his mouth, and it briefly transforms into a draconic maw as a shower of ice washes over you.
Serael looks at Bescaylie, pondering that she is getting involved in a fight, actually what looks like to be a war, that she has no idea if she is in "the right side", if any of them are right, just because she needs a two-headed eagle.
Serael and her flying companions are blasted by the double breath weapon. Serael reacts faster and avoids the brunt of both attacks, while Summer skillfully dodges one, while leaving himself open to another. Boris and Horns are not so lucky, not as used to flying, which leads to Horns being hit hard... and plunging below to his death.
Serael can only yell helplessly as her companion, the newest one of them, but still, is burned and freeze burned and screams in pain before falling silent.
She looks in anger at the enemies, abandoning her doubts if she's in the "right side", at least for now.
Serael is too enraged to properly communicate with Bescaylie at the moment.
Three of your arrows strike home, as do the attacks of Summer and Boris. The dragon retaliates with fangs and claws.
Meanwhile, a shimmering emerald helm appears on the rider's head, which gives him a terrifying mien.
The dragon bites at Summer, but his hardened scales absorb some of the impact, while Boris is hit by one of the claws, but dodges the other one.
But as soon as the companions trade blows with the dragon, they lock eyes with the creatures riding the dragon and fall to his spell.
Summer shakes off the effects and attacks the dragon once again, Boris helping as possible, while Serael keeps giving ranged cover for them. She looks at the dragon's rider as their spell finishes "You'll fall to your death, as you did to my friend."
Three of your arrows strike home as Summer and Boris open the wounds further. Bleeding profusely, the dragon falls from the sky, taking the rider with it.
Serael looks in disgust as the dragon falls alongside the rider. Her anger and sadness clouding the possibility that the rider might live. Regardless, they return to their ascent, flying a bit slower for a few seconds until Boris recovers from the rider's spell.
She looks around, looking for Bescaylie to continue their ascent.
As you get closer to Spurhorn, you see the walls are lined with crossbow-wielding warriors. Fortunately, Bescaylie shouts a passphrase as she gets within earshot, and the warriors lower their weapons so you and your companions can land without being riddled with bolts.
Once they hear that you're here to meet with Commander Pharamol, you're taken to sparse but comfortable guest quarters to wait until he's able to meet with you. You're told that it will take some time as he's currently working on defensive plans.
Serael sits comfortably in the guest room, alongside Summer, Winter and Boris and the distinct lack of Horns with her. They knew each other the shortest, but his death was still a fresh wound. She laid down and, even with her worries, had decent sleep, after who knows how long trekking through Iobara.
When she wakes up, she does the Tongues ritual again, to be able to communicate.
It takes a while, but you're eventually summoned for your meeting with Spurhorn's commander - and his officers. Of the ten individuals present, six are Large dragons, who appear to be treated as equal partners.
- Amerenth (gold dragon; quiet)
- Calissus (white dragon; patient)
- Herjan (black dragon; gruff)
- Jarilne (elderly white-furred woman; wise)
- Nevra (blue dragon; curious)
- Pharamol (white-furred man; valiant)
- Sumira (armored white-furred woman; passionate)
- Talsune (copper dragon; intense)
- Thronull (white-furred crossbowman; suspicious)
- Zusk (muscular white-furred man; confident)
Serael is brought to a meeting room and finally meets Commander Pharamol. What she didn't expect was a council of what she assumes is the entire command of Spurhorn.
What is even more unexpected is that the majority of the council are dragons. She sees the white dragon and flashes back to the fight at the top of the clock tower in Whitethrone, but this one seemed reasonable.
I cannot lie my way through 10 pairs of watching eyes... And the heightened senses of six dragons.
She decides to tell the truth, but skipping some details, leaving space for them to ask if curious.
She clears her throat "Greetings, council of Spurhorn. My name is Serael and I have come from a very far place called Golarion." she makes a pause after the word "I cannot speak your language naturally, so I'm using magic to do so. If this runs long, I ask for your patience for me to re-do my ritual to be able to communicate."
With the preamble out of the way, she dives right into the question.
"I've come here on a quest. I need to find someone and, to do so, I need two ingredients for yet another ritual. One of them is a double-headed eagle, that led me to this fortress." she turns to Commander Pharamol.
"So I'm here asking for your pet, Commander." she makes a slight bow as she says that.
"Of course, I won't just demand no questions asked. I offer my services. Bescaylie was witness to my fight against a patrol from the army you are... under siege?" Serael realizes she is not exactly sure if a siege is happening, but it looked like it with the army surrounding the fortress.
"My powers seem to work differently from yours and I think I could, alongside my companions," she gestures toward Summer and Boris, feeling a pang from Horns' absence "to tip the scales in your favor."
She takes a deep breath, having finished her spiel. Pretty diplomatic, if I say so myself. - but showing her companions, she decides to add one last thing.
"The army outside, in that fight I mentioned, killed one of my animal friends, as well."
If everything goes well, I hope I can become close to some of them to ask about the bearskin rug and mirror hints for the location of the second key to the Dancing Hut.
Commander Pharamol confers with his war council for a time before answering. "Bescaylie and Efrixes had reported earlier on your actions, and they confirmed that you're a capable fighter. I'm unsure how much use a single warrior and a few animals will be, but as you said, you're an unknown factor, and sometimes even the smallest thing is enough to tip the scales.
"The two-headed eagle you speak of was given to me by a stranger from this 'Golarion' some time ago. She told me that it would be a boon in times of trouble. Now, another stranger comes - one who has already lost a companion to Yrax's troops - seeking this same bird. This cannot be a coincidence; if you can help us break the siege we're under, I'll give it to you."
Baba Yaga?
"I'm not sure, but I think the person I'm looking for is the one who gave you the eagle."
Serael closes her eyes for a second and sighs, the tension of presenting her story vanishing now she knows she was accepted.
"Then it's a deal, Commander. I'll fight to the death at your side. If it's not much trouble, I would like to know about our enemies. What are their abilities?"
"Yrax is one of the few remaining true dragons, so it was easy for him to recruit many frost drakes and other such creatures. He also has a horde of barbarian warriors, a number of channelers like the one you fought, and we've heard rumors of monsters among his ranks. His general is Malesinder: a silver dragonkin."
Silver dragonkin?
Serael thinks but stops herself, as she reminds herself the council of Spurhorn contains both metallic and chromatic dragons. Golarion's standards clearly do not apply here. But what is a dragonkin?
She decides not to ask.
"Thank you, Commander. You can call me for battle as you wish. If you want me to participate in a battle that will not happen by surprise, I ask to please inform so I can make the ritual to be able to communicate with your forces in the battlefield."
Serael nods to the Commander and the council, awaiting a signal to be dismissed. She decided not to push further the topic of Yrax. If Baba Yaga is the one that left the eagle with Commander Pharamol, Serael is almost certain the other key is with Yrax's side in the war or maybe with Malesinder.
What would that key be? An elephant or a bear, maybe? Maybe a mirror with animal engravings? Maybe a play on words like Spurhorn was? "Elephantmirror", "Grizzlytusk"? Would they even know what an elephant or a bear are?