Vamir tries to kick the door open and a magical backlash slams into him .
Sweeper gasps and goes to help Vamir up. "We can help! Just tell us what you need!" He looks over to Full-Plate and Seamless, nodding at them to confirm they'll help too.
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Vamir is hurled backward as the door violently pushes against his kick, sending him flying out of the doorway!
"Ouch! Wow! I really should have checked its magic first."
He groans as he scrambles to his feet, rubbing the aching spot where he hit the ground and shaking off the sting of the sudden impact.
"That is no ordinary door."
The otter tries to find a weak point in the magical ward. Sweeper and Seamless work to help him navigate around the protections and Bren feels the ward dissipate!
You cautiously open the door, but then head up the stairs.
In contrast to the rest of the dollhouse, this room is well taken care of. The paint is fresh and bright, plush velvet cushions line the sofas and chairs, and the opulent carpets are clean and free of dust. Sitting in the nicest overstuffed chair is a doll wearing a fine silk dress and a coronet of ice. She scowls as soon as the door to her room is breached.
“What chaos have you brought to my beautiful house? Why do you intrude here, turning my staff against me on your half-baked mission? And you, Sweeper, is this some scheme of yours? You never did know your place!”
”Explain yourselves and do it quickly before I have you replace our missing prisoners.”
The Warden's brittle mask shatters as Bren informs her of the failing magic and that there's a new Queen. The Warden collapses in a heap of tears. "I was so afraid Queen Elvanna would make an example out of me! It's all been falling apart, but now without the magic, my failure would be laid bare! She clearly had lost faith in me, never sending anymore prisoners!"
"But, but, you say there's a new Queen? And that we're not even in Irrisen anymore?" She wipes her eyes and looks at Sweeper and the other poppets. "You can go. You can all go. I'll lower the wall. Just leave me here." The Warden slumps down and the invisible wall suddenly turns opaque for a moment and then shatters.
Sweeper looks at the Pathfinders. "We're free!" She leads the group out of the dollhouse and as soon as you step past the barrier, you return to your normal size in the vault you started in. All the poppets emerge from the dollhouse as well. All except The Warden.
The poppets are disoriented for a bit, but they agree to meet with Eando Kline to explain. Eando is incredibly surprised to see the Pathfinders accompanied by their new allies, and over the coming days, he speaks to each of the poppets. Now free and truly awake, the poppets each eventually seek a new purpose; they remember the conversations of places to go and jobs to be had in the wide world of Golarion, though Seamless decides to stay in Absolom until Bren works through his tax situation.
The last one to leave is Sweeper. She doesn’t wish to continue being a janitor. What’s more, she’s found that, between her strange awakening within the vaults and her presence at the shattering of the old wards, she has an understanding of how to spread this to other dollhouse prisons. She wants to help in a more meaningful manner after Eando Kline informs her of the other dollhouses that Queen Anastasia has in her possession. Sweeper offers to go help free any other poppets who are still imprisoned, or otherwise help to take care of the dollhouses. She accepts a field commission as a Pathfinder agent and liaison to Irrisen.
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Mu Long steps out of the dollhouse, relieved to be his size again. Heading off to the common room, he finds his brother studying a chronicle, as well as making notes in another.
"Huang Tong! I'm done! I had the most remarkable adventure! We were shrunk down to the size of poppets! I met a new elf and the biggest Dragon of all!"
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"Huang Tong, where did you go?" A mighty dragon's voice echoes in the hallway. A small, lanky dragon flies in on two oversized wings. He stands with a bit of a hunch, but power shines in his eyes as he huffs and snorts smoke. "Come, we're late for lunch. I hear they have scones!"
"And who is this? Ah, you must be Mu Long! I hear you like dragonfruit." He chuckles and bows. "I am Rhaegal Dragonkin, mighty defender of Jadirahx and the Bane of Urxehl. And I am hungry."
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Lirien laughs softly, relief and warmth shining in her eyes as the last echoes of the shattered dollhouse fade behind them
“I’d like that very much,” she says to Mu Long “Another adventure—and a quieter one this time, perhaps. A garden sounds like a warm welcome of change after dusts and broken magic.”
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Zak will greet the gaggle of 'mighty dragons' as the Pathfinders leave the briefing. "Well met, friends. I am Zaxykebronuanni of Triaxus, though my friends -" he glances warmly at Mu Long "- call me Zak. This one acquitted himself nobly during our sojourn, and it would be my honor to adventure with him again."
He gives his other teammates similar praise, and congratulates Sweeper on their new commission.
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Mu Long blushes slightly at the praise from the other Dragon. He turns to Rhaegal, his Uncle Jinlong, and finally his brother, Huang Tong. "This is Lirien, " he says, "She is a Smoothscale Bard who helped me with my first mission. She can join us for lunch, then wants to see my small grove later. She has questions about tree bark tea and dragonfruits..." He points to Lirien, who is standing off to the side...
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Rhaegal welcomes Zak, happy to meet another dragon. "You know, I once a dragon from the future. Her name was Heraxia, and talked about a place called Triaxus too!"
He pauses to look at Mu Long and Lirien. Then he laughs. "Fine, fine. Bring all your friends, even the poppets. We'll have to get a bigger table, but scones for everyone!"
"Huang Tong, where is Vinny? I thought you were going to keep an eye on him? If he misses scones, it's his own fault!"