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"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."

***
Poof!
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.

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."

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..."

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?"

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!"

"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!"

Any of these dances can be done with Performance, but they all have other ways they can do things too. You'll be trying to showcase your stuff. Each round of the dance will be three checks, but you'll get a stacking -1 penalty if you just use the same skill over and over.

Luckily, Laszlo, Nixoret, and Ursula know something about these dances and can fill you in on what might be helpful besides Performance (including additional options because they crit).
*A Dance of Mystery is meant to be slow, focused, and deliberate, almost as though you're in some sort of trance-like state, but it should also contain subtle, precise movements to carry its meaning. Arcana, Occultism, and Thievery can all be used here.
*A Warrior dance should have vigorous movements and be inspired by combat techniques, if not just beautifully performed kata. You can use Athletics, Intimidation, or Melee Attacks here
*A Courtship Dance is used to demonstrate your status and worth, and is often highly structured and formal, but you also know that the dances performed by birds and other animals are an equally valued display here. Society, Religion, or Nature work here.
*An Acrobatic Dance should be graceful, elegant, and expressive. Your footwork should be intricate, light and fluid. Acribatics, Deception, and Stealth may be used here.
*Freestyle - the only important thing is that you not be boring. If the skill you use was used by anyone else, then the DC starts off as hard.

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?"

"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?"

Sajan's Stealth: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (12) + 8 = 20

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?"

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! And it's magic!

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!

You can make easy Occultism checks to ward off any lingering hexes, or you can try to just be unassuming and innocent enough not to draw the evil eye with a moderate Stealth or hard Deception.

Kalla, Dawn, and Sajan are up!

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!

You can either try to juke and dodge past with an easy Acrobatics or a moderate Deception, or since this statue is of a famous lorekeeper, you can query it with questions about Narven and his history with moderate Society or Pathfinder Society Lore and dash back while its focus is split.

Nixoret is the only one up right now, but I'll be carrying Ursula's 19 forward

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?

It will be a Moderate Will check to ignore the malevolent melodies, or an easy Performance check to counter them!

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!"

CHOMP

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...

But the Tanuki themselves are still onward! You can use your knowledge of Nature (easy) or Survival (moderate) to mask your self from whatever senses these plants possess, or a moderate Stealth check to avoid disturbing anything at all!

"Thank You Moonshot!" rumbles the hulking bouncer outside the VIP, another old friend from the Veskarium. "Been more than a few cycles. Keepin' 'em polished?" Her laugh is almost infrasonic. "Look, I can get you in. VIP is a bit of a judgment call, right? But I gotta warn you, Vazylyza isn't even gonna hear a pitch unless you've already got her attention. Just being in the VIP's not gonna cut it, but maybe an introduction from another whale? Or hey, one thing that will always catch her eye is if Lady Luck seems to already be on your side. She'll gamble with interesting people she doesn't know."

Nixoret Nature: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (17) + 4 = 21

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...

But first the Carnivorous Plants! You an use your knowledge of Nature (easy) or Survival (moderate) to mask your self from whatever senses these plants possess, or a moderate Stealth check to avoid disturbing anything at all!

A smooth slab of oily steel shimmers with a sheen of colorful light as it glides through the air, its colossal face cutting through the haze like the prow of a mammoth barge. At all hours of the day and night sleek VIP shuttles and bulky hoverbuses ferry patrons up to the Magenta docking platform, where grand archways open into a wonderland of thrills and material excess.

Inside, high rollers and thrill seekers are shackled by their enjoyment to the wheels, tables, and arcades of this massive amusement complex, testing their luck, or hoping to win their way into the VIP area. Behind a translucent wall of shimmering pink energy is a sparsely populated section with a few roomy booths large enough to seat an entourage. Beyond are private rooms veiled by ornate floor-to-ceiling screens embedded with jewels and glinting with kaleidoscopic holo patterns.

Laz, Dawn, and Ursula quickly find a path through, but end up leading the party into a field of giant carnivorous plants, trying to trap anyone moving past!

Beyond the plants you can see two tanuki who have just struggled free turn aside from a collapsed temple and instead go down a pathway where ethereal music echoes...

But first the Carnivorous Plants! You an use your knowledge of Nature (easy) or Survival (moderate) to mask your self from whatever senses these plants possess, or a moderate Stealth check to avoid disturbing anything at all!

Jaedana quickly discovers that the defenses of the Archives are Not trivial, and quickly has to close her link to avoid being immediately traced for her attempted intrusions! Vorza has a little more luck - he's heard of a high-rolling vesk fence and socialite who pays big credits for First Ones relics, and who is rumored to have winkled something right out of the Archive before!

She infamously never talks business on traceable media, but she can frequently be found at Magenta Amusement Orbital Plate - a hovering casino that slowly hovers in the thermosphere above Striving.

The secret shortcut would allow you to take a direct route through the maze and avoid some dead ends and dangers. You should be able to navigate the maze by recalling the Society's maps and descriptions Easy Society or Pathfinder Society Lore, or you can just reason it out as you go with a moderate Survival check.

The tanuki yelps in surprise and pain from somewhere far ahead and leafy, and then another voice calls out in soothing, similarly squeaky tones.

"Itai! Ano shokubutsuo sasu!!" "Watashiga tetsudaimasu!"

Laszlo directs the heroes to move the statues, correctly deducing that Stoneroot the Gardener is the human, Sunsear the Healer is the dwarf, the donkey-headed statue is Green Ghost the Traveler, and the elf is Midwinter the Hunter. Once they're all in position, the donkey head on the Green Ghost's statue reverts it its original iruxi form, and the hedge walls withdraw, appearing neatly trimmed again and revealing an exquisite silver incense box, its intricately carved lid featuring a stunning image of an imperial dragon. and it's worth 25 gp!

The maze is beginning to clear, maybe it won't even be that bad if you don't find the actual pranksters and - hey! Who's that guy?!

A short person looking like a humanoid raccoon dog with a bottle in his hand saunters into sight of the clearing, stopping short when he notices you. "Wait, who are you?!" he exclaims. "Oh, you're trying to ruin our pranks!" With an expression that blends indignation, guilt, and nervousness he adds, "Uhhh gotta go - you'll never catch me!" turns into a four-legged raccoon dog and breaks into a sprint!

Unfortunately, as you chase after him you quickly find yourselves entangled in a bunch of Sneaky Snares! The tanuki darts away towards some Rune-Etched Doors that bar the way through this section of the maze, but then disappears down what seems to have been some kind of Secret Shortcut!

To overcome the Sneaky Snares you'll have to spot all the snares in advance so you can avoid them Moderate Perception or just safely trigger them with either Hard Reflex or Easy Thievery

Nix and Kalla carefully examine all the statues, noticing some things that the sculptor(s?) intended, and others that are almost certainly wear and tear.

The elf statue was carved with a particularly aloof and ruthless-looking expression; there are cracks at the base of the donkey-headed statue that clearly don't match the Midwinter pedestal, and while the human's head and eyes are slightly turned to the left and the dwarf's are turned faintly towards the right they both have a hint of a smile on their face.

There's more you could learn, but the smell of incense is getting... stronger, and your heads are beginning to swim...

Ursula notes that the clothing of the statues might be the key to their identities. The human is wearing a simple robe, suitable for hard work on a farm, the elf's clothing is typical of the Ilverani, a people hailing from the frozen north of Golarion, and the dwarf is wearing clothes and accessories typical for desert peoples, suggesting she might have been an Ergaksen surface dwarf, and upon closer inspection, her satchel might be one traditionally used by those people to store poultices.

Sajan is too distracted by the Donkey Statue to make much of it, but he does note that the elf seems to have no religious symbols at all. Perhaps she was a follower of the Green Faith, who venerate the natural world rather than a deity.

The donkey's head doesn't match the overall sculpting style or technique - so if this person was originally all scales, then he likely wouldn't be associated with the cold.

The human's equipment includes a set of lovingly detailed stoneworking tools, suggesting he may have been a sculptor or stonemason. His sickle is clearly not suited for combat, but herb gathering.

The dwarf's robe is practical, and its design is often seen on field medics.

Dawn easily recognizes the human as being an Erastil worshiper from his symbols and longbow, and since Erastil is a god of family, nature, farming, and hunting it would be very strange if this man had been known as a Traveler.

The dwarf's scimitar and amulet mark her out as a worshiper of Sarenrae, the goddess of fire, healing, honesty, and the sun - almost certainly she wouldn't be the Gardener.

Following Ursula's directions you come to a clearing where vines cover an ancient shrine built from stone. Four stone pedestals surrounding the temple stand empty, while four stone statues depicting humanoid creatures are lying in the grass and leaning against the temple’s pillars. Inside the temple is a large bell, and a text on the wall above it reads: "Sound the bell to greet the pilgrims standing tall and proud and be greeted by four echoes." A faint scent of incense emanates from the shrine.

The pedestals are angled such that they are clearly each facing towards the center of the temple. Each bears a different inscription:
Top-left: "Sunsear, the Healer"
Top-right: "Green Ghost, the Traveler"
Bottom-right: "Midwinter, the Hunter"
Bottom-left: "Stoneroot, the Gardener"

You can learn different information about each statue with Crafting, Nature, Perception, Religion, and Society checks. Each person can make 3 tests for now; you can't attempt a test that you've already failed for a given statue.

"Yup! Yup! You got it!" the gremlin nods so fast his ears get out of sync with his body. Not seeming overly troubled by the fate of his friends he gives their bodies a friendly wave goodbye and scampers away.

This part of the Maze remains tangled and overgrown, but starts to repair itself, even filling in the pits as the barricades are torn down and the gremlins chased off.

"Uhhhh..." the gremlin tugs down his ears in thought. "Well, we were in a forest. Then, there were yummy acorns. First just one acorn, then another, then another, then another, then another, then... Do you need to know how many acorns? We don't see a tree for them, but we followed the path here to where that beautiful statue was, and as long as we stay here, more acorns!"

"UH HUH!" the surviving fey not-quite shouts.

While he waits for Laszlo's questions or whoever's, Ursula and Sajan find some other items of interest. Shallowly buried together in a small cache, they find a a bronze chalice worth 15 gp, a truly hideous, but well made, statuette of a gremlin worth 20gp, a pile of acorn leavings, and a small heap of coins - a few copper pennies and silver weights common to Absalom, as well as ban liang coinage of brass and silver that is less commonly seen even in the Jewel of the Inner Sea. 78 silver/7.8 gold worth in various coinage

Dawn Concealment: 1d20 ⇒ 9
Nixoret Concealment: 1d20 ⇒ 8
Nixoret Concealment: 1d20 ⇒ 9

Dawn badly scorches the cowering pugwampi, and Nixoret's reflection drives all the spirit out of them - sending both of the gremlins toppling to the ground with quick chops of his hatchet!

The last fey drops its sword and flings itself to the ground. "I give up! I give up! Don't kill meeeeeeee!!"

Sajan -6
Dawn -3
Blue Meanie (Red) -1, Vengeful towards Ursula, Disarmed, Prone
Kalla - 11, Wounded 1
Bruit -8
Ursula -2

"I suppose you could go to Central Circuit Processing if you wanted to expedite the paperwork or check in on the start of the investigation or-" Eruco catches on to Vorza's ushering. "Oh, that's- that's fine too..."

***

Archive 404

Getting down to the appropriate level will require overriding or otherwise accessing an elevator to take you all the way down outside of public areas. It might also be a good idea to learn more about the defenses before you trigger them from either hacked databases or alternate intelligence...

Resolving Ursula's turn second since she wasn't up in the order yet and would have gone after Kalla's target
Concealment (Kalla): 1d20 ⇒ 61d20 ⇒ 20
Concealment (Ursula): 1d20 ⇒ 21d20 ⇒ 6

Kalla's force bolts once again find their mark and leave another fey broken on the ground, but unluckily Ursula isn't able to do much more than drive her foe deeper into the smoke...

The copses of trees are very tightly packed and are impassible.
The squares with little triangles are pockmarked with small hole and are difficult terrain.
Barricades provide cover, are 5' tall, and are a DC 12 Athletics to Climb
The pit is 20' deep
So is the new pit - DC 14 to climb
The Bold May Go!
Nixoret - Immune to Unluck
Sajan -6, Immune to Unluck
Dawn -3, Out of Aura
Pugwampi (Yellow) - Taking Cover
Pugwampi (Blue) -2
Blue Meanie (Red) -1, Vengeful towards Ursula, Need to Reload
Kalla - 11, Wounded 1, Prone, Disarmed, Out of Aura for now
Pugwampi (Red) -15,
Laszlo - Unlucky (Bruit -8, Out of Aura)
Ursula -2, Unlucky, Shield

Nixoret unlucky right before the jump?: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (15) + 6 = 21

"Ahhhhhh!" The fey scream in unison as Ursula and Sajan make it into their camp, Sajan's kick leaving one fey ragdoll still on the ground.

"Ahhhhhhhh!" They scream again as darkness and smoke fill the clearing. They loose arrows and swipe with swords at those who have intruded, but whether by smoke, steel or their lack of strength, they barely leave so much as a scratch!

Concealment (Yellow into Sajan): 1d20 ⇒ 2
Shortbow (Blue into Ursula): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (1) + 8 = 9
Shortbow (Blue into Ursula): 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4
Shortsword (Red into Ursula): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (13) + 8 = 21
Piercing: 1d6 - 1 + 2 ⇒ (1) - 1 + 2 = 2
Shortsword (Red into Ursula): 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10

The copses of trees are very tightly packed and are impassible.
The squares with little triangles are pockmarked with small hole and are difficult terrain.
Barricades provide cover, are 5' tall, and are a DC 12 Athletics to Climb
The pit is 20' deep
So is the new pit - DC 14 to climb
The Bold May Go!
Nixoret - Immune to Unluck
Sajan -6, Immune to Unluck
Dawn -3
Pugwampi (Yellow) - Taking Cover
Blue Meanie (Yellow) -4 (Vengeful towards Nix), Taking Cover
Pugwampi (Blue) -2
Blue Meanie (Red) -1, Vengeful towards Ursula, Need to Reload
Kalla - 11, Wounded 1, Prone, Disarmed, Unlucky!
Pugwampi (Red) -15,
Laszlo - Courageous, Unlucky (Bruit -8, unlucky)
Ursula -2 Courageous, Unlucky

Blue Meanie (Yellow) Reflex: 1d20 ⇒ 19 Pass
Wretched Cur (Red) Reflex: 1d20 ⇒ 8 Fail

Sajan scrambles up the wall of the pit, almost at the top! Dawn and Nixoret continue their barrage of spells, with Nixoret's electricity continuing to find greater success, but the gremlins keep firing back to drive you away from their warren, pelting Bruit with arrows, and somehow ricocheting an arrow off a tree trunk right into Kalla's neck!

The copses of trees are very tightly packed and are impassible.
The squares with little triangles are pockmarked with small hole and are difficult terrain.
Barricades provide cover, are 5' tall, and are a DC 12 Athletics to Climb
The pit is 20' deep
So is the new pit - DC 14 to climb
The Bold May Go!
Nixoret
Sajan -6, Immune to Aura
Dawn -3
Pugwampi (Yellow) - Taking Cover
Blue Meanie (Yellow) -4 (Vengeful towards Nix), Taking Cover
Pugwampi (Blue) -2, Taking Cover
Blue Meanie (Red) -1, Vengeful towards Ursula, Taking Cover, Need to Reload
Kalla - Dying 2, Prone, Disarmed, Unlucky!
Pugwampi (Red) -15,
Laszlo - Courageous, Unlucky (Bruit -8, unlucky)
Ursula - Courageous, Unlucky

Reflex (Red Meanie): 1d20 ⇒ 16
Wretched Cur: 1d20 ⇒ 3

Acid lightly spatter the southern fey, but Kalla's force barrage entirely circumvents the barricade and pummels one of the blue meanies to the ground!

The copses of trees are very tightly packed and are impassible.
The squares with little triangles are pockmarked with small hole and are difficult terrain.
Barricades provide cover, are 5' tall, and are a DC 12 Athletics to Climb
The pit is 20' deep
So is the new pit - DC 14 to climb
The Bold May Go!
Nixoret
Sajan -6, Immune to Aura
Dawn -3
Kalla -11, Unlucky!
Wretched Cur (Yellow) - Taking Cover
Blue Meanie (Blue) - Taking Cover
Blue Meanie (Yellow) -2 (Vengeful towards Nix), Taking Cover
Wretched Cur (Blue) -2, (needs to reload), Taking Cover
Blue Meanie (Red) -1, Taking Cover, Vengeful towards Ursula
Wretched Cur (Red) -10, Taking Cover
Laszlo - Courageous, Unlucky (Bruit unlucky)
Ursula - Courageous, Unlucky

Bolts of lighting and rays of light drive the fey deeper into hiding, but attempts at melee seem to be foundering...

Kalla Will Save: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (10) + 6 = 161d20 + 6 ⇒ (15) + 6 = 21
Blue Meanie Reflex: 1d20 ⇒ 10 Pass
Wretched Cur: 1d20 ⇒ 1 Crit fail

The copses of trees are very tightly packed and are impassible.
The squares with little triangles are pockmarked with small hole and are difficult terrain.
Barricades provide cover, are 5' tall, and are a DC 12 Athletics to Climb
The pit is 20' deep
So is the new pit - DC 14 to climb
The Bold May Go!
Nixoret
Sajan -6, Immune to Aura
Dawn -3
Kalla -11, Unlucky!
Wretched Cur (Yellow) - Taking Cover
Blue Meanie (Blue) - Taking Cover
Blue Meanie (Yellow) -2 (Vengeful towards Nix), Taking Cover
Wretched Cur (Blue) (needs to reload), Taking Cover
Blue Meanie (Red)
Wretched Cur (Red) -10
Laszlo - Courageous
Ursula - Courageous

Sajan's Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (6) + 6 = 12
Grab an Edge?: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (2) + 10 = 12
Heroically Grab an Edge?: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (3) + 10 = 13

As Sajan streaks forward, the reason that only one path wasn't visibly guarded becomes horribly clear. With a crack, a flimsy frame that could barely hold the weight of its camouflage gives way and the monk plummets into the pit!

The copses of trees are very tightly packed and are impassible.
The squares with little triangles are pockmarked with small hole and are difficult terrain.
Barricades provide cover, are 5' tall, and are a DC 12 Athletics to Climb
The pit is 20' deep
So is the new pit
The Bold May Go!
Nixoret Courageous
Sajan -5, Prone
Dawn Courageous
Kalla
Wretched Cur (Yellow)
Blue Meanie (Blue)
Blue Meanie (Yellow)
Wretched Cur (Blue)
Blue Meanie (Red)
Wretched Cur (Red)
Laszlo
Ursula

You head off to where Ursula's sources have warned of holes and barricades and ambushers. In this labyrinth of crisscrossing corridors, the air smells of damp earth and fresh foliage. Heaps of branches, rocks, and other junk block some of the corridors, and trinkets of leaves and small rocks woven together with hair hang from the hedge walls, swaying in the breeze.

The ways are much rougher here; barricades of wood have been thrown up across the twisting paths, and small clumps of divots create patches of difficult ground. The earthworks are still underway; you can see a deep pit with a cover of foliage netting still just lying next to it rather than providing any concealment.

Warned by her companions that what lurks here will be the fey, Dawn spies out several creatures lurking near the barricades: three squat humanoids that seem to be nearly all head — an unfortunate circumstance, considering how ugly their puffy blue faces are, and another trio of even smaller creatures slinking around as if the world's most revolting lapdogs had somehow learned to walk on their back legs.

As they realize that their ambush has failed they brandish blades, darts and bows, taking aim at you all!

The copses of trees are very tightly packed and are impassible.
The squares with little triangles are pockmarked with small hole and are difficult terrain.
Barricades provide cover, are 5' tall, and are a DC 12 Athletics to Climb
The pit is 20' deep
The Bold May Go!
Nixoret
Sajan*
Dawn
Kalla
Wretched Cur (Yellow)
Blue Meanie (Blue)
Blue Meanie (Yellow)
Wretched Cur (Blue)
Blue Meanie (Red)
Wretched Cur (Red)
Laszlo**
Ursula

As Ursula burns the last of the origami the overgrown walls and lawn revert to their usual, neatly trimmed appearance. Aside from the offending papercrafts, you also find two specially prepared strips of paper: one is black with silver ink that seems to hide except within the corners of your vision, the other is blue with dark ink that seems to be slowly swirling around the paper.

A Fulu of Fire Suppression and a Fulu of Flood Suppression

***

Back at the Central Courtyard, Forest King Narven's statue awaits you, still garlanded with vivid roses. You've tamed the Feyhenge and trimmed the troublesome topiaries - where to next?

The boar crashes into Ursula as she drops her guard, but her flames are quick, and as the origami burns, the boar's animation ceases!

Reactive: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (15) + 9 = 24
Piercing: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4

As the flames die down, you notice that the overgrown nature of this clearing has not yet reverted itself... But that not every strip of paper in the box is the same as the other origami figures.

Kalla -1
Ursula -4 (Sharlott -8)
Nixoret -4

Kalla makes a headlong charge back at the other topiary, and while Bruit distracts it from one side she slices through the fire damaged foliage with a single great chop!

Hedges and topiaries are impassible and grant cover.
The Bold May Go!
Kalla -11, Courageous (1), one action left
Topiary Ape
Dawn Courageous (1)
Ursula Courageous (1) (Sharlott -8, Courageous (1))
Laszlo Courageous (1) (Bruit Courageous (1))
Topiary Boar
Nixoret -4, Courageous (1), Take Cover
Sajan Courageous (1)

Kalla makes a headlong charge back at the other topiary, and while Bruit distracts it from one side she slices through the fire damaged foliage with a single great chop!

Hedges and topiaries are impassible and grant cover.
The Bold May Go!
Kalla -11, Courageous (1), one action left
Topiary Ape
Dawn Courageous (1)
Ursula Courageous (1) (Sharlott -8, Courageous (1))
Laszlo Courageous (1) (Bruit Courageous (1))
Topiary Boar
Nixoret -4, Courageous (1), Take Cover
Sajan Courageous (1)

Sajan hews huge chunks from the mantis while Nixoret takes cover and blasts both shambling shrubs with lightning! The gorilla staggers backwards, still smoking from Laszlo's incendiaries, but the mantis simply collapses!

Electricity: 2d4 + 1 ⇒ (2, 3) + 1 = 6 B. Ref DC 17

Mantis Reflex: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (10) + 9 = 19
Ape Reflex: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15

Hedges and topiaries are impassible and grant cover.
The Bold May Go!
Topiary Mantis -44
Kalla -11, Courageous (1)
Topiary Ape -16 (1 Fire)
Dawn Courageous (1)
Ursula Courageous (1) (Sharlott -8, Courageous (1))
Laszlo Courageous (1) (Bruit Courageous (1))
Topiary Boar
Nixoret -4, Courageous (1), Take Cover
Sajan Courageous (1)

With flame and talon, Dawn and Laszlo tear great chunks out of their leafy foes - though Laszlo's seems to be collapsing into fiery wreckage much faster!

Ursula instead focuses on uncovering another mystery of the maze, but before she can do more than open the box, the third topiary beast is upon her! Despite her distraction the well-schooled noble beats the beast's tusks back - for now...

Branch: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (8) + 9 = 17

Hedges and topiaries are impassible and grant cover.
The Bold May Go!
Topiary Mantis -22
Kalla -11, Courageous (1)
Topiary Ape -10 (1 Fire)
Dawn Courageous (1)
Ursula Courageous (1) (Sharlott -8, Courageous (1))
Laszlo Courageous (1) (Bruit Courageous (1))
Topiary Boar
Nixoret -4, Courageous (2)
Sajan Courageous (2)

Inside the box are three creations of folded paper: a monstrous mantis, a vicious boar, and a contemplative gorilla, all placed atop a stack of small sheets of brightly colored paper, some painted and some not.

You don't see anything about the paper structures to show that they were crafted with the intention of bringing the topiaries to animation, but the coincidence otherwise would be staggering.

Kalla's great blade makes a mess of the topiarists' work, carving a nice diagonal hunk off of the mantis's head!

But that's not the only topiary on the move; the contemplative ape lumbers forward, swatting diffidently at Nixoret and Sharlott and smashing them into the hedge!

Branch: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (13) + 9 = 22
Bludgeoning: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4
Branch: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (20) + 5 = 25
Bludgeoning: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4

Hedges and topiaries are impossible and grant cover.
The Bold May Go!
Topiary Mantis -14
Kalla -11, Courageous (1)
Topiary Ape
Dawn Courageous (2)
Ursula Courageous (2) (Sharlott -8, Courageous (2))
Laszlo Courageous (2) (Bruit Courageous (2))
Topiary Boar
Nixoret -4, Courageous (2)
Sajan Courageous (2)

"Oh well security chased whoever it was off, so they didn't get anything," Eruco explains. "Tierny insisted that the relic we were studying be moved to a higher security location anyways. It was a strange transistor, though I don't think they told me everything they suspected about it. Now it's in Archive 404 with some other First Ones pieces. If you want to learn more about that then you should start your application soon; it can take some time to get clearance," they warn.

As Ursula moves towards the center of the clearing she notices three things: More of those pawprints in the mud, a small ornate wooden box, and some of those topiaries are definitely moving!

The monstrous mantis surges into movement fast enough to catch you all Off Guard. And no reactions to it. It darts forward, flickering out to pierce Kalla and scrape Dawn's armor with its verdant claws!

Branch @ Kalla: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (7) + 12 = 19
Piercing: 1d10 + 5 ⇒ (6) + 5 = 11
Branch @ Dawn: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (3) + 8 = 11

Hedges and topiaries are impossible and grant cover.
The Bold May Go!
Topiary Mantis
Kalla -11
Topiary Ape
Dawn
Ursula
Laszlo
Topiary Boar
Nixoret
Sajan

Ursula can't see any signs of them from here, but further on there's supposedly a muddy patch that should be able to hold tracks better...

Trevor gets more than a few odd looks at how he refers to Tierny, particularly since by now rumors of their shutdown have begun to spread, but Vorza's more forthright approach bears fruit. "Tier-99 Professor's postgrad would know better than anyone what they were at work on. Erudite-Collaborator -Eruco for short- likes to spend time in the rock garden near the vending services. Not that they eat, of course."

***

Eruco greets you all with a respectful sorrow that can't quite breach into solemnity. "I was afraid misfortune was coming for them. They'd been acting erratically for the last few weeks, believed there was some sort of mysterious stalker following them." More regret fills the anacite's voice as they continue, "A part of me wondered if they were perhaps suffering from a faulty set of assumptions, but there was that attempted break-in..."

Once everyone is patched up and ready for action, you continue on towards the trouble in the topiaries.

Six painstakingly trimmed topiaries stand in two rows within a clearing in the maze. They’re shaped like fierce-looking beasts: a giant ape looming contemplatively, a stately unicorn, a giant mantis in mid-strike, a menacing cobra, a rearing owlbear, and a boar poised to charge. Though the topiaries are maintained with exacting precision, the walls and lawn are tangled and overgrown. According to Ursula's information, the attack that put the other agents to flight happened in a patch of mud between two dense clusters of trees - likely in between the owlbear and the cobra.

A gentle breeze makes the topiaries rustle and sway almost as though they were alive, but Laszlo notices that the movement isn't always just with the wind...