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Eltis puts a crossbow bolt straight through Depp’s throat. It juts out the back of the man’s neck as he falls to the ground, clearly dead.
Zenari and the Signet gang up on poor Ms. McGee and knock her out.
Gray nods to the old man who draws his cutlass, shifts position into a flank on the Carnelian Signet, and swings.
Gray takes the opportunity and swings for the fences three times at both nearby women.
He’s clearly frustrated (maybe in more ways than one?) and can’t manage to hit either woman.
Dockside Brouhaha
Conditions: None yet
EVERYONE May Act
Mrs. Crinkle
Shalosar
Blue Luffy
Green Depp
Red-haired Woman
Adelmare
Eltis
Zenari
The Carnelian Signet
Yellow Old Man
Gray Dockworker
"To be honest, Depp's quality declined rapidly after his third adventure." The Carnelian Signet remembers some novels she read about a pirate who seemed all too familiar...
She uses a fiery lash to sweep the Yellow Old Man's legs and ◆Trip him.
That didn't work. She makes a feral grin to ◆Demoralize him.
Then she swings way too high.
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The Carnelian Signet tries to trip and swat the old man. He’s definitely afraid of her, but he’s conflicted as to why he should be after she just kind of flailed about otherwise.
But it’s his feeling about the Signet and the situation in general that makes him an easier target for Eltis’ magical attack. It strikes him square in the face, nearly burning the skin of his face away!
Dockside Brouhaha
Conditions: None yet
BOLD May Act
Mrs. Crinkle
Shalosar
Blue Luffy
Green Depp
Red-haired Woman
Adelmare
Eltis
Zenari
The Carnelian Signet
Yellow Old Man
Gray Dockworker
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A dark shadow suddenly looms over the grey old dockworker. He looks up to see a set of jagged wolf teeth inches from his scalp. Mrs. Crinkle Wolf growls: And she shoves him into the water.
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Zenari pummels the younger worker into unconsiousness. Mrs. Crinkle looms over the last man standing. The old man puts up his hands just as she shoves him towards the water. {Splash!} ”Eh, don’t mind me. I got a bit of that there water-folk blood in me. But hey, Luffy. Tell ‘em about the Curator so’s maybe they’ll leave ya’ be, son,” he calls out as he swims towards the shoreline with surprisingly powerful strokes and excellent form.
Luffy turns towards you and stands. ”Well, you didn’t murder all of us, and Pops says to tell you. So here it is. First, there's a bounty out to protect the port against any ‘influx of armed groups’”. He looks at your group, shrugs and continues. ”This bounty is supposedly being paid by the Red Mantis Dispatch, and they’ve assigned some undead for protection and to pay it out.”
As you begin to ask him questions about the Dispatch and the undead, he sighs and shakes his head. ”Depp was our point man on that. Heh, maybe they’ll make him an undead. You know, now that he’s dead.” There’s a clear bitterness in his voice at Depp’s murder, and he eyes Eltis accusingly. After a moment, he turns his attention back to the rest of the team.
”Pops said to tell you about the Curator. He’s some kinda do-gooder, speaking out against the Red Mantis Dispatch. He’s an aiuvarin with snooty looking eye-glasses. The man offers gold for information about the Dispatch’s activities and safehouses and always pays his debts rather than forcing compliance through threats and intimidation, like the Dispatch would.”
About this time, Pops returns from his workout swim and joins Luffy on the dock. (If none of the Pathfinders tends to the unconscious workers, he will.) He explains that he knows how to find the Curator, and with his instructions, Luffy draws you a map to the back-alley moneylending house, Baccara Holdings, that The Curator uses for business dealings. Battered and beaten, the workers and wanna-be pirates leave you and head for the nearest ale house to sooth their aching heads.
Mrs. Crinkle
Zenari
The Carnelian Signet
Shalosar
Adelmare
Eltis
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Just before that but after the fight, Zenari sits down next to Luffy in order to try and cheer him up.
First fight huh? Yeah ... it can be scary at first. Lemme give you a few pointers from my pirate days .....
She calls out to the old man. You too huh? Pretty handy that.
What's an aiuvarin Luffy? I forget.
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elven, dearie." Mrs. Crinkle explains as her body shrinks back down to its normal plump, petite size. Her snout melts back into her cute old lady face, the fur fades into her skin, and her dress pools around her. She grabs armfuls of the stretched-out fabric before it falls completely off her and begins tying it up in bunches again.
The flames extinguish themselves as the Carnelian Signet relaxes. "That was..." She frowns at the fallen body of Depp. "Not how I wanted it to go."
"This Curator fellow sounds interesting. May be worth checking out."
She smiles at Zenari. "Call yourself whatever you want to, dear. Some people descend from orcs and humans and want to be called Droomar. Some are fine with Half-Orc. If I let labels hold me down I'd be stuck in a dressing room somewhere."
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”What kind of glasses are snooty-looking?”
"The kind that sit at the end of your nose, dearie. I knew a young 'un named Chuck Shoe-mer who wore his glasses like that, then he'd look over them like he was chiding everyone he saw. It sure was a silly look! --Thank you, dearie. That feels much better! Heehee!"
With an influx of Pathfinders coming to the docks aboard the [i]Seekers’ Quest’s[i/] support craft, most of the docked courier ships and barges push off of the piers to make room for the incoming invasion of armed adventurers.
The nearly abandoned settlement looms up into the hills surrounding the dockside warehouses. Several rowboats bringing other Pathfinders to begin the disembarkment process reach the docks and tie off, bringing their passengers to solid land in mere moments.
“From everything we know, this island has been nearly uninhabited despite many attempts to settle it.” Zarta Dralneen holds a few sheafs of different maps made of the island’s interior while she gestures out to the small settlement. “Which makes it a perfect place for a hideout, even from the Ilizmagorti forces.”
“Pathfinders, we’ll form a beachhead here,” Eando barks his orders to the agents around him. “Break up into scouting parties and see if we can find where this Red Mantis Dispatch hold court. Once we know where they are, we can find out where they have prisoners hidden and figure out how to bring them down.”
Zarta puts a hand on Eando’s shoulder and takes control of the conversation again. “Remember that we learned about a dark presence here. Something that commands the undead. Keep focused, keep calm, and report back. Somewhere on this island is this Red Mantis Dispatch. Find them!”
"Seems strange they would take residence on an island of creatures who devour living flesh." The Carnelian Signet shrugs. "Unless they have a careful arrangement."
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The streets of this small settlement had some promise, with tall structures of brick, stone, wood, and plaster over flagstone streets. Most of the structures have become derelict over time, with only hints of habitation here and there. Yet the streets are eerily silent for a settlement that provides a home—even temporarily—for the teams of workers that load and unload cargo on the nearby docks.
The flagstones beneath your feet are flat and sturdy, as if laid with expert hands. The buildings lining the street are all at least two stories high and throw deep shadows, with no internal light bleeding out into the streets.
Adelmare is the first to spot the two patrols of undead coming from around the building.
The Dead Streets
Conditions: None yet
BOLD May Act
Adelmare
Blue Skelly
Red Skelly
Yellow Ghoul
Eltis
Mrs. Crinkle
The Carnelian Signet
Shalosar
Zenari
Green Ghoul
Black Skelly
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Adelmare starts hoofing it toward the fleshy Undead.
"Hopefully I can confuse these creatures into attacking each other"
♦Stride Toward Ghouls
♦ Cast Nymphs Grace
♦ Raise Shield
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Adelmare moves into the breach, drawing the attention of the ghouls who seem intrigued by the grace with which the big centaur moves.
However, as he gets close, he notices that they too seem to radiate something - an awful stench!
The Ghoul in the Yellow jacket seems to forget that Adelmare even exists and turns her attention to her companion. ”You ate that sailor I wanted yesterday! I’ll kill you for that!” she screams as she grips her bastard sword with two hands and lays into the other ghoul to near deadly effect!
Meanwhile, the skeletons to the north spot Zenari and the Carnelian Signet and lumber towards them, lashing out once each with their blades and drawing blood on both women
The Dead Streets
Conditions: None yet
BOLD May Act
Adelmare
Blue Skelly
Red Skelly
Yellow Ghoul
Eltis
Mrs. Crinkle
The Carnelian Signet
Shalosar
Zenari
Green Ghoul
Black Skelly
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Shalosar sizes up both groups of undead, and turns his attention to the skeletons. ”Time to break some bones…”
He grimaces as spiked chains erupt from the back of each wrist. They’re ten feet long, shiny black, and weave through the air around him. With a snap of each chain, the last links fly off the ends toward the one attacking the signet.
B
B
"How adorable." The Carnelian Signet bursts into flame as enemies descend on her.
The skeleton cuts through her bravado, leaving a scratch. "Hmpf!" The flames erupt around her into tiny harmless embers, hovering 10 feet around her. ◆Channel Elements
"Since you were so kind to approach me, I shall return the favor." She ◆draws her warhammer and prepares to ◆Strike the skeleton in front of her.
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Shalosar does indeed break some bones and after two smashing hits, the skeleton in the tattered Red pirate hat crumbles to the ground, robbing the Carnelian Signet of the chance to smash it herself. Instead, she blows a fiery kiss at the other skelly who seems not only uninterested in her advances but completely unaffected by the fire.
Eltis attacks both ghouls with different means; his spell obliterating the injured ghoul and his crossbow glancing off the edge of the building but still just barely hitting the poor confused one.
Adelmare easily ignores the foul odors wafting from the ghouls.
The Dead Streets
Conditions: None yet
BOLD May Act
Adelmare
Blue Skelly
Red Skelly
Yellow Ghoul
Eltis
Mrs. Crinkle
The Carnelian Signet
Shalosar
Zenari
Green Ghoul
Black Skelly
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Zenari backs away and prepares to engage. Mrs. Crinkle on the other hand charges in as she shifts her form. She gets a big mouthful of stinky head-cheese as she crushes the ghoul’s skull in her teeth.
The last one to act shambles around the tree and just makes it to the Carnelian Signet. It swings its scimitar and…
Cuts deeply into the flaming vigilante!
The Dead Streets
Conditions: None yet
BOLD May Act
Adelmare
Blue Skelly
Yellow Ghoul
Eltis
Mrs. Crinkle
The Carnelian Signet
Shalosar
Zenari
Black Skelly
"How undignified!" The Carnelian Signet grumbles as the skeleton cuts through her armor. "Your ghoul master owes me a new dress!"
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Mrs. Crinkle goes in search of more snacks, and Adelmare swiftly follows her across the battlefield. He rears up and stomps on the skeleton’s rib cage! The bones look fragile and barely holding together after that.
But with a new opponent, the skeleton mindlessly just goes after the new meat.
It swings the scimitar back and forth as the big centaur does a bit of dressage to avoid each and every attack.
The Dead Streets
Conditions: None yet
BOLD May Act
Adelmare
Blue Skelly
Eltis
Mrs. Crinkle
The Carnelian Signet
Shalosar
Zenari
Black Skelly
"Bah! They don't even have half a brain to appreciate anything I do." The Carnelian Signet Strides to help set up a flank.
Flanking Adelmare against the skeleton with the Blue helmet, she strikes. Sadly the flames don't do much besides emphasize her swings.
Especially when she almost drops the hammer. Let's try that again.
Much better.
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The Carnelian Signet’s first swing goes waaaay wide as she’s thinking about how useless her flames are this one time. But the second hit smashes bones. The oversized puppy in the too-tight red dress comes in and claims a femur before Shalosar finishes off the last one.
Adelmare
Eltis
Mrs. Crinkle
The Carnelian Signet
Shalosar
Zenari
As Mrs. Crinkle munches on a bone, and the rest of you sweep the square to check on the foes, you notice that the ghoul in the Yellow jacket still clings to its unlife. She spits and sputters as her demise hastens just long enough for you to hear her plea. “They called us. They control us. We sustain them. Sotroz must be judged...” As she dies a final death, her hand opens to reveal a small map rolled into a scroll, hidden within her hand. The map is hastily drawn to show the directions to an inn closer to the center of town, far from the docks.
"That explains it, then. Sotroz must have made demands that were too difficult to fulfill. Or they took became impatient and took control. Undeath does not treat our minds well." The Carnelian Signet is thankful for the healing.
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we're taking down with this operation, honey." Mrs. Crinkle reminds Zenari as she shrinks back down to adorable granny size and re-ties her dress into manageable (and goofy-looking) bundles. "Ooo, look! A piece of candy's still stuck here! I thought they'd have all fallen off by now! Heehee!" She plucks a stuck peppermint off her sweater dress and pops it into her mouth, fuzz and all. "Mmmmmm! Refreshing! Heehee!"
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Refering back to the map that Luffy and Pops gave you, it leads to a small back-alley office with a hand-painted sign decorated with dark roses and gold writing that reads “Baccara Holdings” exactly as the stevedores had described. There is a soft light within that barely makes it through the grime-covered windows, but not shedding any light into the streets beyond the alleyway.
The interior of Baccara Holdings is as unremarkable as its entrance. The small office has a single dust-covered counter with an unswept floor littered with mud and footprints from the characteristically rubber- soled dock worker shoes. A small everburning torch lights the entrance and several melted candles offer their meager light to the counter and a heavy desk covered in books and letters far beyond. From a nose deep in a ledger on the desk, a tall, dark-haired aiuvarin man stands up wearily to approach the counter. “Welcome to Baccara Holdings. I am the Curator.” The Curator’s clipped accent doesn’t resemble that of the island’s other inhabitants. “Are you here for a loan or for other business needs?”
As the Curator approaches the counter, the candlelight brings his features into focus. Nigel Aldain. Curator of the Blakros Museum and former Pathfinder Society agent. “How can Baccara Holdings be of service this evening?”
"I have SO many questions..." The Carnelian Signet leans forward. "Mister Curator. Did you know the Pathfinder Society just docked on this island? They are looking for one of their own." She pauses to see if that alarms Aldain. Then she adds, "An agent who has been kidnapped. We like to Cooperate, so we wanted to Cooperate with you. If that's acceptable. Have you heard of Khione Thidos? Maybe a Nexian Child? Or perhaps an Actual Red Mantis informant?"