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Tatsuo followed the others, rolling his eyes at Xango. "We're here to rescue him. He'd have to be pretty far gone for us to need to beat up the guy we're trying to free."
FWIW, Tatsuo was suggesting looking in all of the windows/would have suggested it in order to get in, rescue the guy, and get out. It avoids unnecessarily killing people we run into, and it's not like Tatsuo is there to rob the guy, so he's trying to minimize risk. I also hope we manage to work things out anyway, as I've enjoyed Tatsuo's interactions with Joanna.
"We are looking for a captive, are we not? If that is the case, why are we headed to the room that looks like an office? Joanna, did you not say you saw a bloody troll in one of the other rooms? I would have thought that that would likely be the captive we seek. And if not, perhaps we will yet have a chance to rescue some other innocent victim."
For both their sakes, Tatsuo did his best to ignore and move beyond the shared embarrassed awkwardness between himself and Joanna. He nodded at her but offered up a small smile to try to ease the situation. He then turned his attention to the problem at hand, watching silently as Joanna flew up with Xango before hauling Oster and himself up. "If possible, let us avoid those as you do not have a good track record with plants, Oster. Perhaps we should try to enter through a second-floor window?"
Given his reading of the magical aura, Tatsuo wasn't especially surprised to hear the archway talk. What did surprise him was the at least a hundred pounds of heavily armored woman that attempted to climb him as a result. He probably would have let out a matching cry of surprise had the air not already gotten knocked out of him. Instinctively he wrapped his arms around her, though it was unclear if it was a gesture meant to steady her or himself. Neither would have actually worked all that well given both were off balance, but luckily, the fates seemed to be smiling upon them as they did not wind up in a tangled pile of metal and limbs. He heaved a sigh of relief as he felt his unexpected momentum neutralize into a state of balance once more. Then quickly retrieved his hands when Halli's affectionate bump reminded him that he still had them around Joanna. Suddenly very aware of the lack of space between them, he took a step away, scratching his chin awkwardly as he mumbled something. Then of course, Joanna mentioned his offer to get them up to the platform above. Which meant that he would have to step back towards her again. "Ahh, right. Yes. I can. Here. Let me just..." He reached out to lightly place one hand on her pauldron, this time remembering to remove it in a timely fashion. As his arcane energy filled the warrior with the ability to fly, Tatuso started to pull out his own rope from his bag to hand it to her. For some reason he had imagined whomever he cast the spell on would simply pick them up and ferry them up and down. But given what had just transpired, rope was probably the safer option.
"Ah, my apologies Lady Joanna. It was not to you that that comment was directed." Now that he was once again wearing his hat, flicking his eyes meaningfully would not be noticeable. So instead he turned his head in the direction of Oster and held it there. If the rogue was insulted by the comment, so be it. This was what happened when you had a tendency to sneak into every room, move behind anyone in said room, and make a stabbing gesture at them behind their back as you asked if you should kill them. "As for reasoning with him, that would be nice, but I fear we do not have anything to bargain with. We have not the coin to throw around nor, to my knowledge, anything else of value equal to a seer. If he is willing to bribe the guards to turn a blind eye to his deeds, it is unlikely that he will listen to a plea of the emotional variety. As to how we might enter, I could cast a spell to give some of us the ability to simply fly up there. Admittedly, I do not know what safeguards Berkanin has up there other than his spell on the stairway, so we might yet be discovered, but it at least seems less likely to alert him to our presence."
As Joanna approached the entryway, Tatsuo called out a warning. "Be careful, the stairs have a spell cast upon them. It would not do to trigger it before we decide what our course of action is to be. Though we might not get arrested for doing so, I would prefer we avoid confrontation as much as we can. After all, we are here to rescue someone, not to...what is the term you Westerners use? 'Murder hobo' the inhabitants? If Berkanin relies largely on constructs, I suspect the golembane scarab will be of use in helping us avoid causing a commotion."
Sora let out a soft huff at Joanna's words, as if to say that she thought very little of the woman's ability to hurt her. Nevertheless, she gracious accepted the preferred morsel and in turn rewarded the human by letting her touch her glistening scales and generally admire her. After all, it wasn't every day someone got to interact with such a magnificent creature as herself. Tatsuo merely rolled his eyes and he felt the waves of smugness wash over him from his companion. ***** Tatsuo was...taken aback to hear of the guard's complete and utter dereliction of duty. He might expect such a thing from a small village, but from a place as large as Kaer Maga? Were these Westerners truly such barbarians? "Does this bribe include arresting people to trouble Berkanin? Or perhaps if they have been paid, will the guards attempt to secure this source of income by protecting the man? I wish to prepare myself for possible repercussions as it may affect how we approach this issue." If all signs point to this not resulting in the group getting arrested...: Tatsuo's first instinct was to simply cast fly and head up to the balcony; it seemed like the approach least likely to be guarded. He stopped himself though. He knew not what magical wardings this place might have.
As he studied the building, he pulled a few things out of his bag. "Joanna, perhaps these will see better use in your hands rather than mine."
Tatsuo paused at the question. "It...is not something someone other than I has tried." He turned to look at Sora, giving her a very clear 'be nice' look. Sora simply blinked slowly in response before turning her head meaningfully in the direction of his plate. ***** Tatsuo repressed a sigh as the augur explains the situation. As he suspected, it was nowhere near as straightforward as Joanna had believed. At least we have permission to be off-task. I suppose that is what matters. If these adventurers die while we are off on this tangent, it on the librarians, not us. He nodded as his companions speak. "Yes, why not simply ask the guard for their assistance? I cannot imagine a city as large as this would have their enforcers stand idly by as a citizen was taken against their will."
Tatsuo gave a slight shrug. "It could be worse. Animals seem to like me for some reason." Based on how he was continuing to feed bits of meat to his new friend, it wasn't that hard to guess what this 'some reason' might be. "And yes, this is Sora. We met shortly after I left my village and have been inseparable ever since. She does not come out all that often, but it seems she was getting restless and sensed an opportunity to make a friend." Sora blinked slowly before laying down and attempting to snuggle into Halli's warm fur. ***** "The missing adventurers were supposed to meet up with the caulborn, but did not make it to the appointed spot. It seems there is an accord that we should meet the augurs, but before we go, do you happen to have any idea of how big the complex below the library is or perhaps what creatures now seem to be living there? We came upon a large movable model of the planets that we were not sure what to think of." Tatsuo felt some of the tension leave his shoulders. He did not particularly enjoy conflict, so he was glad their mission would not come at odds with what their new companion wished to do. It made things...simpler.
Despite having just eaten, Tatsuo felt his stomach growl. Rolling his eyes, he took some meat off of his plate and offered some to both Sora and Halli. And then offered even more to Halli when Sora stole the morsel that had been meant for the wolf. ***** The next morning Tatsuo let Oster do the talking. After all, the man seemed to enjoy it. Instead he focused in his mind's eye on the dragon tattoo on his chest. It might be nice to add some background to the image. A blue sky to soar through. Maybe some trees to climb. Maybe that would calm the restlessness he was feeling.
"If this were a simple matter, why would they not simply be able to handle it themselves? Or why would they have not simply found others already to hire? As to the adventurers, I do not know exactly when they went missing, but when we got here, the one we talked to was near panic. I do not believe such a state can be maintained for long, and they are worried enough that they have kept a constant guard since the disappearance. We do not know how big the complex is, though I will admit, it is bigger and full of more creatures who actively wish us harm than I expected. Though we have given no offense, we have encountered three kytons who wished to lure us into what I assume was an ambush, a plant-creature who wished to eat Oster, and some voices hidden in the light who seemed to find it amusing to blind Oster." Tatsuo paused briefly, shifting slightly uncomfortable. "I suppose it would not hurt to ask the librarians if they possess any further information on this task they have set us or to explain the true urgency of the task." Oddly, now that Joanna seemed to be relenting, he felt a little...guilty. Who was to say that she wasn't right? They didn't have enough information. And rushing headlong into things was why they were here in the first place: they hadn't adequately adjusted for their loss when Memnosyne had taken her leave of them. It had just happened all too fast and he was eager to continue. Would it truly hurt to pause and get more information? Was he breaking his commitment if he didn't see to the adventurers first and as quickly as possible? They had not set a time frame, but there had been an undeniable sense of urgency to their demeanor. He could not bring shame to his family name among these foreigners. He wasn't even sure if they recognized the appropriate way one regained their honor once lost.
Tatsuo frowned, confused. "How will expending more resources towards a different goal help us find the adventurers any faster? If anything, is it not more likely that we will simply get hurt more helping the augurs and have to rest for longer before continuing? The eyes of Oster are already on the mend, and while I may feel weaker than normal, it is not enough to slow me down. Our injuries now simply mean that we have more incentive not to get into needless fights." He gives Oster a pointed look, briefly forgetting that in his current state the rogue would be oblivious to it.
"I was not suggesting that we ignore their plight. But is there any reason why their needs are any greater than others? One member of their group is missing while four of another are in a similar situation. Is there any reason to believe that one is in any more imminent danger than the other four? And unlike that one, we, or at least us three, have already committed to looking for the missing adventurers. What would that say about the kind of people we are if we were to let ourselves get sidetracked and more harm came to those we promised to find?" Tatsuo wasn't sure what this woman's connection to these augers was nor why she believed it so urgent they help immediately, but they were already in the middle of a task. If it were a task just for themselves, it could have likely been postponed, but he had no idea what kind of a time frame the librarians needed this to be handled in or what the ramifications of delay would be. More importantly, this was a task they had bound themselves to, and he refused to take such commitments lightly. Scratching his chin slightly awkwardly, he looked away before adding, "There is nothing silly about wanting to help people. And if you believe your priority is helping these Troll Augurs, you should do as you see fit."
Tatsuo neatly cuts his food into bite-sized chunks, chewing each bit thoroughly before swallowing. "I would not say that we are stumped. We have a general area that we are exploring for the missing adventurers. Unfortunately, one of the creatures we found below decided to blind Oster when we attempt to talk with them. Since I have no magic to deal with such things, we decided to head back and find a healer. Then since we were told his blindness would take several hours to heal, we decided to get food while we waited." He watched Oster closely, making sure that the blind man wasn't having too much difficulty with his task of eating and carefully prestidigitating away any mess he made. "While I am not opposed to seeking out these Troll Augurs, I do not expect them to be of much use. We know the ruins the adventures went into. It is simply a matter of exploring them thoroughly. Perhaps after some rest though."
Tatsuo sighed heavily as Xango remained silent. Now that he thought about it, he wasn't sure he had heard him utter a single word since they had arrived in the city. "Please excuse our companion. Getting blinded by a giant plant seems to have caused him to lose all his manners." If he even had any to begin with. "So Lady Heidmarch sent you? If we are to be working together, perhaps it would be best if we were better aware of each others abilities. For myself, I am a dabbler in the arcane arts. As all members of my clan, I focus on harnessing the power of the heavens." He holds up one tattoo'd hand and a few sparks dance between his fingers.
" 'Supposed to'? Were you send by Lady Heidmarch to aid us then?" Tatsuo politely ignored Joanna's embarrassment, instead continuing to focus his gaze on Xango, waiting for him to do the expected thing and at least greet the woman who it appeared they would be sharing a meal with. After all, they were no longer in the wilds or some ruins. They were in the city where common curtesy was expected.
"I prefer rice. Though potatoes are not bad. And we were looking for a set of missing adventurers." "In either case, it's a pleasure to meet Mr. Catus. I'm afraid I missed your friend's names, though. "I am called Tatsuo of the Arashi Clan. My companions are Oster Catus-" he nodded his head to the still-blind rogue at his side followed by his other companion. "- and Xango." He gave a half-bow from the waist in greeting. "If I might be of equal boldness, may I inquire as to your identity?" Assuming she was enquiring of their still silent companion, Tatsuo turned to look expectantly at Xango.
"I'm afraid that the food is about to see some carnage." "Hmm, I had rather hoped our meal would not have eyes with which to see. I suppose I will manage though. Have you managed to collect many tales thus far?"
Tatsuo entered the establishment, still leading the blind Oster around. His clothes clearly marked him as a foreigner: wooden sandals, loose pants, robed shirt held closed by a thick cloth belt, all topped with a strange, triangular, straw hat angled to hide most of the upper half of his clean-shaven face. Storm clouds peeked out from the sleeves of his top in the form of tattoos, life-like enough to almost appear as though they were moving across his tanned skin. Peaking out from the deep v of his robe was more ink, hinting at yet more tattoos hidden beneath. As Joanna made her offer, the hat tilted slightly to the side as he angled his head. "And how is it that you intend to provide us with rest? If it is by beating us into slumber, I think I might have to decline your offer." He spoke politely with no trace of an accent. He gave no outward sign of joking but nevertheless made his way towards her, guiding Oster to sit down in a nearby chair. He made sure, however, to pay for their meals himself. Once seated, he removed his hat, revealing neat, short-cut black hair and dark brown eyes. He appeared to be in either his late teens or early twenties, though his solemn demeanor often had people guessing on the older end of that spectrum. As they waited for their food to arrive, he folded his arms across his chest, tucking his hands into his sleeves as he did so. "I am called Tatsuo of the Arashi Clan. My companions are Oster Catus-" he nodded his head to the still-blind rogue at his side followed by his other companion. "- and Xango." He gave a half-bow from the waist in greeting. "If I might be of equal boldness, may I inquire as to your identity?"
"Ah, in that case, perhaps it is best that we take this chance to get a hot meal and unwind a little bit before heading back in. Is there perhaps a tavern or inn nearby that you could recommend?" Tatsuo loops Calvon's arm in his own, preparing to lead him out.
Welcome! Since we now have another spellcaster, I think our new paladin should take the
Mem's gear. Speak up if you want something. I'm guessing it probably makes sense to just keep everything except maybe the light fortification breastplate (if no one wants it).
Unless Calvon comes back, I guess I'm taking all the wands? Unless Oster wants one since he has a pretty decent UMD as well. I'd also like one of the silver daggers. Someone else should take the handy haversack since I already have one.
It'll cost Oster 150gp to be cured of his blindness. In addition to that, I would lean towards getting a wand of CLW (750gp) and a wand of lesser restoration (4,500gp) but I at least only have about 166gp. Though I guess we also never really talked about Mem leaving since I can't help but notice she had wands of both (and probably some share of the loot we've found thus far, including one of the shards). Also, has anybody heard from Calvon? It's been over a month since his last post.
"That makes sense to me. Though it pains me to turn back so early, we should have more adequately prepared now that our healer is gone. In addition to getting your eyesight cured, we should buy a few other items of a healing nature. Though I may be no good at it in a hurry, I should be able to make a wand function well enough."
"Just step back into the hallway, and we can close the door." Tatsuo answers, making sure it's clear exactly where he is/which direction Oster would need to head in to accomplish such a task.
"I see no point in this conflict." Tatsuo then leaves.
Tatsuo level up: +1 BAB +1 Will +1 Cha +1 Perception, Spellcraft, UMD +2 Craft(tattoo) Spells
Favored class bonus: +1 3rd level spell known
"I would guess that is a no. Shall we continue onwards?"
"Once again I say that healing magics were the domain of Lady Memnosyne. The arcane arts are not well known for their ability to heal."
Tatsuo didn't really have anything that would help Oster escape faster than simply attacking the creature. Or that would solve Xango's blindness. He let loose another bolt of electricity.
Tatsuo lets out a low whistle that slowly turns shrill until it crashes into the beast.
"Oh, so we are facing this creature then?" Tatsuo sighed. While the wall between him and the creature had protected him from the flash of light, he needed to enter the room once more to target it again.
If he was being honest, he wasn't surprised to see the vegetation come to life. He was a little surprised that Oster hadn't notice. He didn't really know what the creature was, but if it was a plant, surely it wouldn't like fire, right? He let a blast of fire out from his hands before leaving the room. "Well, I see no reason to fight this thing."
"Well, if I had to guess, moving the spheres into a designated pattern will result in something happening. Though whether that is similar to the room before where it will complete some kind of binding or other potentially harmful effect or simply show us some kind of hidden door, I do not know. What I do know is that those we seek do not appear to be in here. Perhaps we should continue our search and return to this room if we cannot find a way forward?"
"This is a rather odd location. Kytons and binding rituals and now this thing here. It is not quite what I expected when I heard we would be looking for a group of adventurers."
Just a heads up that I'll be traveling/preparing to travel Sunday and Monday and may not get a chance to post on those days.
"I do not know what kind of binding ritual this may be, but perhaps we should leave it be for now?" Tatsuo suggested.
"Let us simply try backing out and politely decline. Or if they insist upon fighting, simply run away. There is no reason we need to try to kill everyone."
As Oster talked, Tatsuo gave the women his best smile, bowing politely to them.
Tatsuo gives the chains a wary look as he murmurs to his companions. "Do you think they'll attack us like that blob if we try to talk to them?"
Tatsuo shook his head. "No, I am afraid such spells were more the domain of Lady Memnosyne. Besides, by the look on his face, I suspect Xango faired even worse than you."
Tatsuo grunted. "Let us not anger the strange blob creature. Perhaps we should simply continue on our way."
While it appeared such a thing would not be needed, Tatsuo took the scroll of tongues regardless. He was not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, as it were, and such a thing might yet be necessary for some other, unforeseen circumstance. "Thank you. I am sure this will be most useful as we seek to discover what became of this other adventuring group."
Wait, are we using background skills? Oster's level up suggests that we are, but I've been assuming we weren't. Level up summary: Spells Known: 1st: +1, Snowball 2nd: +1, Glitterdust 3rd: +1, Fireball +1 2nd level spell slot
Bloodline Spell: Fly Favored class bonus
Create spell tattoo
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