With a hearty laugh, Sajan responds, "When I rush ahead there is no danger!"
------
Feeling overconfident yet again, Sajan tries to take the lead through the plants, but finds himself walking straight into one.
"You're right Kalla, either we're really unawares or these are incredibly sneaky..."
After getting Ursula and Sajan out of the carnivorous plants, you've all barely made any progress, but you hear more shouting from up ahead, though now it sounds like there are three voices, not two...
While rarely native to the region, carnivorous plants are surprisingly common throughout Ustalav, particularly amongst the gardens of their nobles (and those with the pretensions to be noble). As such Laszlo is very familiar with such plant behavior.
"You know, there is a fun trick you can do with these. If you touch them right about here..." So saying, he reaches out to scratch one underneath its "mouth"
The mouth closes and bobs slightly almost like a dog being scratched under the chin. "Yes, you are a good boy, aren't you? Really, you're just simulating the same sensory organs as if it caught something, but it makes for a fun show. You shouldn't do it often though, plants are not meant to move this much and if they don't actually catch anything they are effectively starving."
Kalla is still nearly through the plants when the hubbub happens. Knowing if she rushes back, she'll probably step on somoe vine of another, so she waits... quietly and still... which is hard for her.
She does consider trying Laz's trick with petting the plants, it looks very interesting, but once again No, she just waits... patiently.
Nixoret rummages through his pack and pulls out a collection of various vermin bits and bobs. As he carefully places a rat's head in the mouth of the nearest plant, he says "Or Laszlo, you could just feed them instead"
Brushing bits of plant matter off himself while muttering, Sajan looks with determination. "Second time is the charm!"
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As Nixoret carefully places a rat's head in the mouth of the nearest plant, he says "Or Laszlo, you could just feed them instead."
"Second time is the charm!"
Even after extracting Nixoret and Sajan from the plants, the Pathfinders are still making progress, even reaching a plant that has a tuft of fur in it as well as a lapis lazuli pendant that seems to have fallen from a tanuki's pocket...
Furious at the lack of progress and kicking herself for adding to the delay, Ursula slips through the plants without touching anything and avoiding more chomping, before making a beeline towards where she spotted those ruffians running.
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Sighing at the predictable results of the kobold's actions, Laszlo reaches in his bag looking for an appropriate solution. "You don't just feed them because you don't want your hands near that part of their mouths, Nix." He pulls out a jar of dust labelled "STERNUTATING POWDER".
"On the upside, I've been wanting to see if this works on things that don't strictly have lungs. Don't breath this in Nixoret, we don't want you caught in a sneezing fit."
With a dramatic wave of the hand, he spreads a dusting of the material on the plant, causing it to rapidly eject the kobold. Nodding in satisfaction, he turns and does the same to Sajan's plant.
"Now come along, we have tricksters to catch."
Following Ursula's sure steps and with Laszlo dosing any plants that get to curious, the Pathfinders burst through the fangy foliage! Following on the tails of the tanuki, you head down a twisting length of labyrinth with enchanted music echoing there to... guide you?
Dawn tries her best to block out the music as she presses forward.
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Kalla catches the sounds around her and goes "Hmmmm... good but as olld man Jack at the pleasure houses would say, all tunes get better with a bit of smut." so the bard invents a whole bunch of lyrics to go along with the enchanted echoing music that have the innocent blush and the not so innocent...
Well, it distracts from the melodies being anywhere near malevolent.
Sajan thanks his companions for the assistance, though wrinkling around his nose indicates his growing frustration.
"Third time... surely. They're not even moving!"
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Pushing through the lure of the music, Ursula can't help but sigh heavily at Kalla's bawdy lyrics. "Must you resort to such vulgarity when we're in hot pursuit of our quarry?"
Fey trickery holds no fear for you all as you unerringly find your way through their territory of the maze with Kalla's lewd lyrics filling your ears.
Before you stands the statue of Narven in the heart of the maze, though now there are a total of four differently colored flower garlands on his head... and he's swinging that big stone staff at you!
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Nix puts his claws to his ears and tries to join in on Kalla's song "doo doo dah bah do dah doo JACK doo doo doooo dahh do dah, doo dooo dah doo dah dooo doo dah BUTT". He's able to get a bit of the cadence and almost intuits a couple of the words by assuming that the bard has chosen the most crass option available.
Feeling an extra pep in his step from his impromptu karaoke session, Nix doesn't miss a beat as they come upon the malicious loremaster, promptly sliding under the staff and scurrying out of it's range on the other side
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Noting the glint of intelligence in the statue's eye, Laszlo determines to resolve an ongoing internal dispute he'd had with a particularly odiferous author from his master's library. "Forest King Narven, I beg your attention!"
"The scholar Fusco Pulcus said- GAH! He said that your kingdom- oof! Your kingdom was in Chel- huk! Stop hitting me I'm trying to ask a- guh! I don't care anymore!"
You all scamper past Narven's statue as it's stony staff sweeps down, in time to see what now looks like four?! tanuki squeezing and scrambling through a dense thicket of brambles. Peeking back, one of them blows a raspberry at you, while another pair helps a bespectacled tanuki disentangle herself - apparently a scarf in her sleeve got caught near the entrance and has been getting pulled out and out and out for almost half a furlong!
Abandoning the scarf, but not their friend, the tanuki continue making their escape into the twisting labyrinth, but you're able to make a quick detour to hopefully catch up without getting similarly ensnared!
Unfortunately, the route you've chosen takes you dangerously close to a witch's hut - it's supposed to be abandoned, but that barely makes it safer!
Dawn tries to ward herself from evil spirits with the friendly spirits she has called upon.
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"There was an alley witch down past the bendy patches on south and deeper south lanes just before you get to the Turners." Kalla explains as she looks with a fond glean at the stick and sap dolls hangings near the hut (and gives you the impression to never ask her for directions). "She'd make cuties like that, given them out to the alley rats like me to throw at those out fishing for the dark in them. Nice lady she was. Til toe rot made her right and cranky." with a sigh she added "Oh, don't touch those, I think they'll make you itch so bad in hard you'll dig trenches in you just to get it to stop, and in not so lovely places too."
Dawn's wards, Sajan's craft, and Kalla's horrorshow of a childhood see you safely past the Witch's Hut,and before the tanuki can get away you're in lunging distance!
You pounce, crashing down on top of one of the furry little guys as you skid into a large clearing ahead. The air is thick with the sounds of laughter, music, and the clinking of cups. The full moon and colorful lanterns paint the maze walls with hues of red and silver, and dozens of raccoon dog-like humanoids dance and frolic on the lawn. They cheer and applaud as performers take the stage. One of the performers jumps in the air, does a backflip, and as she lands on the stage, she has turned into a beautiful crane, standing on one foot.
Suddenly, someone in the crowd yells, "Intruders!" Looking worried, the cavorting creatures turn toward the entrance and fall silent. After a few moments of confusion, two of the furry creatures step forward, one of them gray and burly, the other short and frail. The latter speaks up, "What brings you here to our party, my dears? Why do you look so cross?"
Ursula does look cross, her lips pressed thin as she keeps one hand on the head of the tanuki they had managed to tackle. She looks back to ensure that Charlott has caught up from the rear, before speaking.
"I am Ursula Vashkara of House Orlovsky, Pathfinder Agent. Your vandalism has caused fluctuations to the Maze, a vital piece of infrastructure for the Society. You are hereby ordered to cease and desist any acts of frivolity, jubilation or pageantry at once and vacate the Maze!"
Despite her best efforts, she's perhaps less intimidating since she's slightly out of breath after their chase. She fumbles with her Wayfinder, holding it like a badge of office to a group that clearly doesn't know or care much about them.
Sharlott nudges the rest of the group from behind. "Um, Miss Ursula probably needs someone else to do the talking - I don't think they'll listen to her when she's mad like this..."
Kalla couldn't help the mirth from bubbling in around her words as Ursula's imperious authority goes flat on the smaller furry. "Yes" laugh "Stop." chuckle "Please."
"Hello Ursula Vashkara of House Orlovsky, Pathfinder Agent. I am Mimiko, a village elder of the Wanshi river enclave. This is Kenta, also an elder." The graying, burly tanuki nods as Mimiko continues. "Friends, we understand your concern, but the maze is not yours alone," the frailer elder explains and Kenta echoes and grunts assent. "We apologize though, if our presence in the maze has caused any inconvenience." "Ngh." It is in our nature to be mischievous, but we assure you that we mean no harm. What's more, the maze has accepted us." "Welcomed us." "Observe." Mimiko extends her arm toward the hedge wall. A branch curls out from the carefully manicured wall, gently touching the tip of her finger. She continues, "We do not wish to cause any harm. Is there a way for us to co-exist in this lovely maze?" "A solution we can find?"
"Um, well..." Kalla thinks "Coexisting is easy, just doing so where the neighbors don't want to beat each others with sticks is the hard bit." she taps her chin "Mischievous can be annoying to others and all, like a buzzing fly in your face, but statues that try and eat you ain't mischievous it's a wasp not a fly, a Big angry wasp, that you have to kill. So'd I'd say, start with Not Doing Things Like That!"
Mimiko listens to Kalla's anger unfazed, but for a slight gesture of sorrow. "Yes, yes, this is understandable, but the Maze, it likes the pranks. It likes the freedom to expand on our little jokes... But I think I have a solution!" "A solution." Kenta nods along.
"We will need to talk to each other about rules and their breaking, but there will be times we are at loggerheads. Why not settle all those times now with a fair contest? As for what that contest should be, there’s only one honorable way to settle the matter!" Kenta takes a swig from his mug and echoes, "Yes, one way only"
As one the elders speak:
"A trial by combat!"
"A dance-off!"
Kenta chokes on his sake, "What did you say, Mimiko? A dance-off? I say trial by combat is the only way!" The pranksters you chased to this clearing shrug, clearly amused by the discord, so Mimiko turns to you. "Pathfinders, looks like it's up to you to decide. What will it be?"
Ursula's face has turned a deep shade of red from holding onto her outrage. Her hand tightens on the handle of her sword, seeming to be ready to accept a duel.
"Miss Ursula, they're not really bad people," Sharlott speaks up as she skips over to her side. "Maybe we can try to resolve things without more fighting?"
The noblewoman's anger bleeds out slowly as she takes in a breath and exhales slowly to regain her composure. "...Very well. If it will resolve things peaceably... then... a dance-off," She says with some restraint.
Slightly scratched and battered from the chase, Sajan tilts his head and adopts a slight smile. What an odd outcome...
Unable to hold it in, Sajan bursts into laughter, gripping his belly as a few tears are released. Taking a moment to collect himself he expresses agreement, "A dance-off sounds good to me!"
"The strangers have spoken!" Mimiko beams, and continues, "A dancing contest shall decide who is right!" The tanuki crowd starts chanting: "Dance-off, dance-off, dance-off!" and clapping their hands and drumming their bellies, creating a beat to dance to.
One of the pranksters runs forward, clearly over the moon at getting to do a dance-off even as she goes over the rules. "So so so! We're going to do a dance-off! I'm Mochi by the way, did you like the mushrooms? I didn't know they were gonna happen, but sometimes a painting can really change things, huh? So we're gonna do, uh, four rounds? Yeah, four rounds where there are set styles you have to do: A Dance of Mystery, a Warrior Dance, a Courting Dance, and and Acrobatic Dance. And then two of us get to Freestyle to finish things off! Everyone gets to dance one round, otherwise it'd probably just be me every round, right? 'Cause I'm the best dancer? Oh, maybe you didn't know that, but it's true!" She beams again. "Okay, we're gonna go figure out who's dancing what - let us know when you're ready!"
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Nixoret steps forward and flings his many‑pocketed coat to the floor. In his hand, you see only his trusty mirror. Nix delves deep into the accumulated knowledge of his forebears and begins to move. He undulates, slow and ponderous. His limbs seem fluid and mindless, but with inexorable surety - as if, were you to get too close, he would fully envelop your person and never let go.
Without warning, the kobold’s manner completely changes. No longer is he amorphous and slow; he suddenly seems to be all limbs and teeth. He drops low to the ground, and his arms shoot out as if becoming tendrils.
As he lunges out one hand, Nix shines the light of the mirror onto his own shoulder, and suddenly two kobolds are moving as one. The kobolds raise their arms in a menacing claw shape, the lower one grabbing hold of the upper’s feet while the top displays draconic rage. Together, they rhythmically roar at the assorted crowd, channeling their ancestral exemplar as their horns pulse with crackling electricity.
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While Nixoret dances Sajan claps, cheers, and shouts encouragement. "Express the mysteries of the universe, Nix!"
---
When the time comes for Sajan's dance, he starts by standing at attention, eyes closed, and brings his palms together slowly. With a straight, stern face, Sajan opens his eyes and slides his right foot outward to adopt a fighting stance. Every move is slow and deliberate, designed to build tension and exude power before the next phase of the dance.
Once settled into his fighting stance, and briefly flexing his impressive muscles, Sajan bursts into a flurry of blows at the air. His right leg again leading with a spinning kick, higher than his head. As the spin nears completion, he follows with his right fist with a deadly blow at chest level. The first blow is followed by his left fist, a knee, more punches, eventually ending with a spinning uppercut.
After landing on the ground in a three point pose, Sajan raises his head to look at the crowd with a grin on his face. Exploding from a crouched position, Sajan executes a perfect backflip followed by a series of half flips punctuated by slow and deliberate hand stands. The dance finishes with a difficult move in which Sajan holds out his right hand, palm open, and flips sideways such that his hand appears fixed in space and his body rotates around it. "For the wisdom of Irori!"
Dawn dances every morning to commune with her apparitions. She adapts the formal dances of the Rivethun with those of dwarven high society, waltzing with an invisible partner, keeping her back straight and chest out as she whirls and curtseys across the stage.
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Ursula's expression is sour as she takes her position. Sharlott claps for her on the sidelines, and this gives the noblewoman a good idea. She gestures for her maidservant's hand. The young woman looks slightly panicked, but takes it up. And then they're both off as Ursula leads Sharlott in a partnered, whirling dance.
Ursula's expression softens as she gets into the rhythm, Sharlott squeaking as she is bent and twisted and flipped in Ursula's arms, completely at her mercies while she steps lightly along the ground.
In the last vestiges of her performance, Ursula seemed to actually be enjoying herself, a smile teased on her lips as her golden curls were tossed around her head. The maid yelps as she is suddenly tossed spinning into the air...
...and easily catches her servant, tumbling with her into a bow for their audience. Sharlott looks dizzy and out of breath, but Ursula seems to be delighted for a few brief moments. Until she straightens back up, stepping aside for the final dance of the competition.
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As his turn arrived, Laszlo seems to almost unfold as his back straightens and his shoulders pull back. His militaristic posture reveals a somewhat frightening height, normally obscured by his slouch. Marching to the dance floor, he gazes out imperiously before announcing, "Ladies, Gentlemen, and other assembled personages, I present to you the Gonchey Val's of Brevoy."
Raising his hand to the level of his eyes, he claps twice and then issues a piercing whistle. So prompted, Bruit leaps from the crowd, circling Laszlo once, then taking position opposite him. Master and mechanical hound bow to each other in unison before the two begin circling.
Their deliberate pacing segues smoothly into a form of canine dressage. The fleshwarp's actions are mirrored by his hound with impressive synchronicity, a procession of pirouettes, piaffes and levades. The clever maneuvers and fluid performances seem almost designed to draw attention to the quality workmanship of both manufactured beings.
After several cycles, the pair face each other once more in their starting positions. Laszlo stomps forcefully calls out, They dart at each other and begin a simulated battle of man versus beast. Compared to the refined dance so far, the violent action is far less controlled and more naturalistic. However, the choreographed savagery is still clearly a dance: blocks acting a springboards for acrobatic leaps, vital weakness presented for dramatic blows that are pulled in the last inches, showy dodges that would invite punishment in a real fight.
Returning once more to their starting positions, Laszlo and Bruit bow again to each other, then turn together to Mimiko and bow a final time.
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Kalla is in pure heaven seeing her companions shatter all preconceptions of the average adventuring party. She claps, she hollars, she leaps in utter joy. She even hugs hard any of those that don't throw her a DON'T TOUCH ME glare.
On her turn, she rushes out, leaping then sliding out on her knees, only to have her sword catch and send her tumbling in circles, laughing the entire way until she is in a heap.
Quickly, and complete unperturbed, the Rose leaps to her feet, throws away her sword, then whirls into a spin, broken up to sway easily but uncomplicated through the sounds of the music.
With a wide smile, she announces "Dancing alone is fun but..." stopping in front of a cute little tanuki, curling her finger under the soft chin, she entices them, and then several others to join her in the waving motions and laughing spins she has created.
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Suzu, the first tanuki steps forward, her stylized depiction of a druid's rites of springtime bringing tears to your eyes that can't have all been from the pollen, but in the end Nixoret's Double Dragon Dance simply cannot be denied!
Sajan's martial display is met with nearly equal vigor by the mighty Tonta, who joins the other monk in a series of kata, though his are accompanied by what seems to almost be a chorus of snarls and percussive shouts! Still, it is a dance contest and not a shouting contest, and Sajan's precision prevails!
Dainiki sways his hips and bobs his head, snapping his jaws as he finds a tree to sensuously scratch, but his owlbear mating dance can't compare to the novelty of Rising Dawn's waltz of spiritual fusion, and the Pathfinders take that round as well!
Kagebashi claps their paws to their cheeks as Ursula's impromptu acrobatics fill them with so much delight they almost don't bother competing! Instead, they float and twirl balletically above their supposed opponents, using fluttering gusts and flattering zephyrs to eke even more spins out of the acrobatics of the Lady and her Handmaid.
Laszlo's formal robo-canine dressage is an appropriately bizarre match for the first freestyler, Toshiro, who announces that he'll be doing his 'smooth prankster' dance, which seems to mostly consist of sliding around on his back in circles around the other performance until at the end he tosses one of Laszlo's own socks at him to gales of tanuki laughter, but the surprisingly impartial judging still finds Laszlo's actual dancing to be superior.
Mochi waits by the side of the designated dance area, quietly bouncing up and down on her heels as she waits to see what Kalla will begin with, immediately joining Kalla's laughter and flinging herself forward in a protracted series of rolls and leaps that only finish when she jumps out of her pose to catch Kalla's sword in mid-air and sink it safely into the earth. She similarly mimics Kalla's whirls and sways, but manages to do so while actually climbing the other woman, but as Kalla calls on everyone to dance with them, she seems so charmed by the maneuver that she mimics one last thing.
As she dismounts, she stumbles and tumbles and eventually completely sprawls ungracefully on the ground. "I say they win!"
A celebration explodes (at least from Kalla). It is like a hundred member band erupts on the scene, hundreds of pounds of confetti pour from the sky, and a crowd roars thunderous applause. Metaphorically. And from Kalla at least.
When all that settles down, it is time for serious rules creation. Which is much less Kalla's cup of tea.
"Thank the Ruby Throne. All right," Ursula says as she gestures to Sharlott, who retrieves a writing set for her. "The Society is a little too loosely structured for my comfort. But it does mean we don't need barristers and notaries for this. My proposal is that you and your kin will be allowed to remain in the Maze. I would say no pranks but I hardly think a week would go by before that was broken. Instead I believe that penalizing pranks that cause direct or indirect harm to others should be the focus..."
Ursula gets into the serious rules creation that others seem to distaste, drafting a simple document and requesting Mimiko and Kenta put their marks to the three copies she has made. "One for your people, one for the Society, one for my estate as a backup should the others become lost to accident."
Mimiko and Kenta happily make their various marks on as many of the papers as Ursula wishes to present them with. "Fair's fair after all!"
The tanuki gladly return to their picnic, pouring you tea and passing around sweets and savories wrapped up in waxy paper, scarcely allowing you to depart before you're all thoroughly feted and satisfied. They load you up with gifts of friendship and a final unsigned promise. "No pranks that get people too hurt or too lost!"
***
When you emerge from the Maze back into the lodge, you're immediately greeted by robed agents who've been startled out of their incantations. Behind them Sorrina Westyr and Drandle Dreng look on intently - the Master of Spells immediately looks up towards the skies in exasperation. "Ms. Vashkara, I suppose it was your idea to jump into a freshly unstable extradimensional realm?"
Dreng cackles to himself behind her, "Never mind the six syllable words - Did it work anyways?"
Ursula bristles at the slight of being addressed without her noble title. But she can't exactly rebuke the Master of Spells for that. "There was a problem that would have inconvenienced many agents. I took the initiative to resolve it before it could drastically impact operations. Sharlott, please hand over the contract."
The maid offers over the copy of the drafted contract to Dreng so that the venture-captain could review it. "I will of course write a full report later. To summarize, a community of tanuki from Tian Xia have migrated into the Maze and established a colony. Their cultural habits had the misfortune of causing the instabilities that were detected. After contacting them and establishing dominance in a challenge set by their leadership, they have agreed to reduce their impact by enforcing the aforementioned cultural habits to avoid further instabilities and accidental maladies. I drafted a written agreement that their elders signed for everyone's benefit."
She holds up her chin, looking at Sorrina Westyr. "If you feel that my actions warrant discipline, I will take sole responsibility. My fellow Pathfinders only followed my lead on this venture."
Dreng's impressive eyebrows crawl up his face in pleased surprise. "Got it in writing too? Could actually come in handy, that." He scans the contract with a slight crinkle of disappointment though. "I'll need that full report though - when you collect and catalogue as many dangerous or powerful things as the Society does there's a lot under a lot of pressure. That means little things going wrong can throw everything off, and it's my job to know where all those little weaknesses are. Even if it's just to tanuki pranks." He turns to face Sorrina with one eyebrow still lifted. "Maze business is my business and so are the cracks between things. Anything else really need to be added?"
Sorrina shakes her head, not seeming to recognize the challenge in Dreng's words. "I recognize the need for daring as much as any other. But next time? Leave a note. And get some sleep. We have a briefing for you in the morning." She sighs wryly. "It's a good thing the Maze is open again, but even it might not be fast enough for you..."
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"Understood. I'll sleep after compiling my report. Sharlott!"
"Yes miss Ursula?"
"I will need my black tea for tonight. Two...no, three spoons of honey."
Sharlott gasps aloud at this proclamation. "Of course! You can count on my support!"
She turns to the rest of the group. "I will retire to write. If you wish to contribute to the report for the venture-captain, this may help to ensure our deeds are considered for publication." There's a spark in her eye on the prospect of being in one of the Pathfinder Chronicles. "I will duly note all of your contributions, of course."
The following morning Dreng bursts into your chambers with pastries, tea, and piping hot coffee. "So! Iobaria! Now that the Maze is open again, we can start moving Agents and materiel through to Jorsal, and he can lead the march out for the grand expedition, but you my friends, you are going to be the tip of the spear!" He stops, reconsiders. "Well.. the tip of the spear is still pretty close to the rest of the spear. The... hook of the fisherman? Still a string... The woodcock of the springe? No... Anyhow, you're going on ahead!"
He grins broadly at the great gift he has bestowed, and then explains. "I sent Urwal to Iobaria, you know Urwal? Well, he wasn't so much sent as he was in the room when I mentioned the word, but he's always marched to the drip of his own clock, so that might've been better than an order in the first place. Anyhow, he sent me a sending, and I couldn't think of anyone better to help him out there in Mishkar! Err, if he is in Mishkar..."
Dreng pauses, and then with a certainty that bespeaks accuracy recites, "Three months ago, the Green passed briefly beside the Stranger, the two in confluence for a half-turning of a moon. In Finadar’s heart, the spirits run riot. Flesh and flower flow together, and bones walk on limbs of wood. Soon, the Child shall pass beneath the aegis of the Mother. The time is auspicious for the Pathfinders to fix what was broken.
"Journey to Iobarian Mishkar. At the caravansery beneath, amid the stalls, you will find Jaldan, a shaman of Redpine. She will wait for you there until the moon turns once more. Do not dally."
He pauses sheepishly for a moment. "The translation is mine; the actual message was in Drooni. It's a very succinct language, good for sendings."
Kalla might have pointed out she was Never following Ursula's lead, but the prospect of writing a report of any kind makes her, for once, to shut it. "I'll spread the tale my own way thank you, enjoy your tea!" she coos before heading to the tavern where a lovely song about 'Tanuki in the bush' comes into being.
Despite a long time of drinking, singing, laughing and one rather ridiculous fight involving pancakes, Kalla looks rather fit for a morning of pathfinding.
"I know some of that. Let's see, the Green is the fertility planet, the Stranger is part of the Cosmic Caravan all seeping with ill magic and a Big Ole Eye." she took a bite out of her pastry and looked through it, before gobbling the rest of it down.
"Hmmm... child is what we are on, the mother is another in the caravan, this one protection instead of ill eyes." she sips her coffee with a long sigh of happiness, waving on whoever wants to give more info.
"Finadar Forest?" Ursula's wearing a new outfit for the meeting, looking as if it had just been freshly purchased. A brooch pin with a black eagle on a yellow field adorns her blouse. She purses her lips, a furrow in her brow. "Well, we must prepare and then set off. As all of you have experience in Iobaria already, I'll follow your leads until I have become more accustomed."
She glances at Sharlott with a quiet, inquisitive look. The maid nods silently to her. "I'll pack up the cold weather clothing!"
Nix slips off his hood and his ears perk up at the astrological information.
"The stranger and the green together portend powerful twisted natural magic, with the confluence of fey in Iobaria, dark forces will be brewing... Kalla is right that the mother should offer us protection. I'm convinced, time to go be heroes"
Nix flicks his hood back up in an attempt to seem mysterious and impressive
"Good good. Well, as you may have noticed, we don't have time for you to travel from Mendev, so until we've grown another entrance to the Maze in Iobaria, that's no way to travel if you're going to get there before the moon turns."
Gingerly, Dreng hands Kalla a carefully sealed scroll. "Think of Mishkar when you use this. It will get you there - give or take a dozen miles; it will not get you back, and if you muck around and waste it, there will not be another."
He looks at you all seriously for a long moment.
"But it's not so difficult as all that - after all, I do it with less magic than you have when emergencies call. You just read that bit right there and... Oh - errm. It does have a limit to how many of you can be brought along." Searchingly he peers into your faces before making a decision. "Sajan, will you travel the Maze instead? Jorsal will need your help setting up the camps and digs."
***
Sprawling on a hilltop, smoke trailing to the sky lies the town of Mishkar. From here you can't see any remnants of the damage from the recent forest fires, but several buildings have roofs of red Taldan tile - less flammable than their previous thatch. The caravansary outside the walls however, is clearly bustling with at least one large caravan from some neighboring land.
As you draw closer you see more and more of the scorch marks from your last hiding beneath new coats of paint - for all that Mishkar may be trying to put the recent unpleasantness behind it, it's still a settlment of paint buckets and ladders, of carpenters and surveyors and masons, smelling of sawdust and sounding of workers' cries.
A small scattering of goblins make up new faces in the crowd, though the great bulk of the Dragonskulls have moved on with Nelket and Dolok Darkfur and the rest of their new tribe. You do, however see several centaurs, mostly in the caravansary, trading with the Brevic merchants that have brought such impressive steel, but some of them seem to have put down roots in Mishkar - at least for now.
"Well, shall we seek out Jaldan?" Ursula suggestst to the group. She seems to be in high spirits, looking around. Sharlott stands behind her, ready to assist if necessary.
Heading down towards the caravansery, Ursula starts the process of asking for their shaman to assist them. She supposes it's not that large an area and shouldn't take too much time, if at all.
Of course, she starts with the Brevic merchants. Perhaps they might also have news of her house, and wearing Orlovsky heraldry would certainly get their attention.
"We need more of those scrolls." Kalla hums in awe as they are suddenly HERE. Before they are five feet into the place, Kalla is grabbing a goblin into a bear hug, only to get punched rather hard, once, twice, then a kick "Oh, sorry, you look Ouch so much like Dragbog, you kown him, are you a cousin?" she drops the goblin to keep her face intact, and grins, the punch completely forgotten, as well as what she was planning to ask them "Here I owe you and yours here something to fuzz me being a knob." and she wanders away with a group of goblins to a tavern.
Though Kalla is getting quickly dragged away by a gaggle of gleeful goblins, Ursula's connections help her overcome her high-handed delivery, and a groom mentions that he saw Jaldan out by the east wall perhaps 20 minutes ago...
Just past the east wall of Miskhar you find the peculiar sight of a freckled, teenaged centaur yelling at an apple tree. Upon closer inspection, it is clear that she is actually yelling at a pair of human children who have climbed the tree: a boy and a girl, each about ten years old, with matching red hair and homespun clothes. The girl nonchalantly eats an apple while the boy rifles through a decorated leather satchel.
"You little demons, give that back!" the centaur yells, flicking her tail in profound irritation.
"Hmm. Nope," the girl in the tree says, munching on the apple.
"Not until you show us how to make those dead squirrel monsters!" the boy calls down.
"Sure, I’ll show you! Come on down, I’ll make two dead monsters! Little devils, with red hair!" the centaur yells, then spots your approach. "... Oh no. You’re the Pathf… did Urwal send you? Oh no. Um. Can you just... I’m sorry, could you come back in a half hour Please?"