As Team Lucky heads upstairs in search of the elusive Room 8A, a number of Auntie’s patrons give you a knowing *wink* and smile.
A knock at Phelerosa’s door elicits a cheerful/time-stressed. “Come in!”
As you enter the rather untidy bedsit you find your hostess is decent but still fussing with her hair and makeup. The woman closes the unlocked door behind you before heading for a back room out of sight.
“Sorry about the mess. Just park yourselves wherever there’s an empty space.”
An enormous unmade bed dominates the room, strewn with an assortment of women's clothing and care products. It features a stuffed Red Devil stitched with the words HOT STUFF ♨
While Kala wrestles with her conscience, an unruly mob of drunks — perhaps 20 strong — wielding billy clubs, and chanting uncomplimentary slogans about Queen Abrogail in Galtan, turn the corner heading north directly towards Agirran, who is currently striding south past the Hellknight Shopfront.
Bonnifer Zoot barely has time to cast a disappointed look Kala’s way before she turns tail and RUNS northward away from the mob.
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"Listen kid, if you're just going to make a runnin' commentary of the obvious, do it somewhere else. It ain't helping." He says sharply. "We've been seen, so running ain't gonna help either. It would just be an incentive for them to chase us."
♫ Asmodée save the queen
She's not a human being
And there's no future
And Pezzack's dreaming ♫
♫ Don't be told what you want
Don't be told what you need
There's no future
No future
No future for you ♫
Now less than 100 feet from Team Stinky, the mob calls out to you raising billy clubs, along with empty cups and goblets.
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"Listen kid, if you're just going to make a runnin' commentary of the obvious, do it somewhere else. It ain't helping." He says sharply. "We've been seen, so running ain't gonna help either. It would just be an incentive for them to chase us."
Kala feels like she's been slapped in the face. She stops in her tracks and stares at him with an indignant and deeply hurt expression flashing across her face before it settles into a stony mask with smoldering, sullen eyes. How dare he dress her down like Grandmother or Father? He's almost a complete stranger! Fine. If he thinks he's so wise and smart, let him deal with the angry mob. She doesn't respond to the mob's shouts, instead silently trailing Agirran by about 10 feet. "Stinky, heel."
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Despite her storm of emotions, Kala can't help but be slightly heartened by the sight of her small wolverine trying to protect her from the mob. Or maybe from Agirran. A small part inside her warms and smiles at Stinky, while another part immediately starts worrying that he's going to get beaten to a bloody pulp soon. She keeps her eyes up, assessing the situation's development and keeping 10 feet back from Agirran.
The mob clearly interprets the Pathfinder disagreement as a lover’s tiff.
“Forget grand-père, Monsieur Wolvie. Tu est too bon pour him, n’est ce pas?”
They laugh and call to Kala. “Mademoiselle Barbare!”
“Is votre brave Beast too heart-broken to do some tricks pour us?”
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Uhh what...the heck? The Galtans' accent is thick enough that Kala has a hard time understanding them. As in, she gets about two words in three. They want Stinky to do a trick maybe? Ooookaaaaay... "Uhh, sure." She digs a torch out of her pack and shows it to Stinky, backing up as she speaks.
"Here boy! Do you want the stick? Huh? Do you? Do you want it? Yeah! You want the stick!" She tosses it just hard enough to thump annoyingly on Agirran's backside. "Fetch!"
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Hearing Kala say his name in a forced playful tone, Stinky is confused. Wasn't she upset a moment ago? He turns to look at her, and spots...The Stick! Oh boy! A stick! Yes! I do want the stick! I so want the stick!
As soon as Kala lets it fly he's off like an ugly racehorse. He careens into Agirran in the effort to catch the torch before it touches the ground, almost succeeding. Nabbing the end of it in his jaws, he shakes dirt from the street off his coat (and onto Agirran) and trots back to Kala triumphantly, his head tilting to one side with the weight of the unbalanced torch. Ha ha! I got it! I got the stick! Throw it again, Kala! Throw it again!
Kala gets the impression she and Stinky have got off to a fine start with the mob, but as they crowd around Team Stinky, it’s clear they want more …
“Que voulons-nous? What do we want?”
“TELL US A STORY!”
“LE RÉCIT!”
“TELL US A STORY!”
“LE RÉCIT!”
♫ LE CHANT!
SING US A SONG!
LE CHANT!
SING US A SONG! ♫
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Well, I don't have any alcohol on me, and even if I did it wouldn't be enough.
Thinking frantically, Kala remembers a song she heard in a bar once. She takes a solid pose and a deep breath, then belts out in a rough voice:
"High atop a lonely moor, a Widow lived alone.
An Inn she kept, and as she slept,
her pillow heard her moan:
“Oh, many’s the lonely traveler
has spent the night with me,
but there’s no a man in all creation
gives content to me!
“Well, some can manage once or twice,
and some make three or four;
but it seems to me a rarity
is the man who can do more.
I’d do anything to find him,
in Heaven or in Hell.”
And as she spoke these words,
sure, she heard her front door bell.
* And the wind blew cold and lonely
across that Widow’s moor,
and she never, ever turned away
a traveller from the door.
So boldly ran the Widow,
and the door did open wide,
and as she did, a tall and handsome
stranger stepped inside.
Well, she gave him bread and brandy,
and when that he was fed,
he said, “My dear, now have no fear;
it’s time to come to bed.
“For I’ve heard your plea
right down below,
and I’ve come to see you right.
But you must come to Hell with me
if I can last the night.”
She said, “You randy Devil!
To this bargain I’ll agree,
for Hell on Earth, or Hell in Hell,
it’s all the same to me!”
Now, as they tumbled in the bed,
the Devil, he proved well…
and he thought before the night would end
that she’d be in his Hell.
Ah, but when they came to number nine,
the Widow cried out, “More!”
And when the twelfth time came around,
the Widow cried, “Encore!”
At twenty-five the Devil
felt compelled to take a rest,
but the Widow cried,
“Come raise your head,
and put me to the test!”
At sixty-nine, the Widow laughed.
“Again! Again!” she cried,
and the Devil said,
“Well, I can see just how your husband died!”
At ninety-nine, the Devil
he began to wail and weep.
He said, “I’ll give you anything,
if you’ll let me go to sleep!”
But before the morning light was up,
the Devil hobbled home,
and the Widow, still not satisfied,
once more was left alone.
She lay there on her pillow
and she thought on ninety-nine.
“It’s a pity that poor old Devil
couldn’t manage one more time!
I’ll call him up again tonight
to see what can be done –
with a little more application,
we could make it to the ton!”
But when she called to him that night,
no Devil did appear.
For the first time in Eternity,
the Devil, he shook with fear.
He said, “Of all the torments
I’ve witnessed here in Hell,
I never knew what pain was,
’til I rang your front door bell!”"
THAT oughta entertain them! The whole time, she pointedly avoids looking at Agirran the Grouch. Once she finishes, she takes a sweeping bow, and notices that Stinky has been chewing on the end of her torch the entire time. She debates giving it up for a loss, but instead takes the other end of it and begins a game of tug of war with him.
"Come on now. Give it back. Let go, boy!" Of course, he doesn't listen. Suddenly, her face lights up with a mischievous grin. She looks off to the side and shouts: "Squirrel!"
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Where? Where is it? Stinky jerks his head around to look where Kala's looking. He doesn't see anything right away, but is so intent on finding that gosh darned squirrel that he doesn't realize he's lost his grip on the torch. I don't see it. Or smell it. Did it get away, Kala? Shucks. What a bummer. I wanted to shake a squirrel.
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As soon as Stinky drops the torch, Kala holds it up triumphantly. "Aha! ...Eewww." There's way too much slobber on it to put it back in her pack, but if she keeps it out, Stinky'll see it and want to play again. With a disgusted grunt, she shoves the slobbery mess into her pack just in time.
“That’s Lil’ Nicky, Ms Rowena. Here … CATCH!”
Phelerosa tosses the red plushy to the vigilante, like a pick-pocket unloading a fake baby on a mark.
“Grimy Rick might have given him to me … But I really don’t recall.”
“Anyway, at least Lil’ Nicky keeps all the secrets I give him.”
Phelerosa moves to take Conig’s right arm and Luli’s left. “I’m ready to go when you are, gang. If we leave now we should be on time.”
Initially, there is little change to the mob’s behavior. Wine is sculled, fists fly and the shuttered Hellknight Shopfront is broken into and set alight.
However, by the third stanza, an eerie silence blankets the revellers. Kala can see them leaning forward to hear her better, as the fire *crackles* in the background.
By the fifth, they are belting clubs against gates, cups, noggins … whatever is handy … in time with the hunter’s cadence.
At the conclusion, with the shop fire burning merrily there is a spontaneous eruption of CHEERING and ♫ WHISTLING ♫
"Squirrel!"
“Qu'est-ce qu'un ‘squir-rel?’”
“C'est un écureuil.”
“Aaaaah.”
After they see Stinky’s reaction to the word squirrel, a few wags in the crowd try to copy Kala:
“Monsieur Stink-ee, SQUIR-REL!”
“Lapin!”
“Chat!”
“Loy-al-eest!”
As the crowd enjoys these and their regular amusements, a muscular Galtan wearing a kerchief across his face approaches Kala and bows.
“Mademoiselle, je suis the Gray Gardener, Habar Curl. Es-tu attending Monsieur Winner’s performance à midi?”
“It would be my enchanté to escort votre groupe au concert. Répondez 'oui' s'il vous plaît.”
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This time Kala tracks the words and phrases she understands: "Gray Gardener, Habar Curl, attending Winner's performance, It would be my, escort, group, concert." Um... Her mind spins frantically as she figures out how to respond. She knows that Agirran would want to ditch these guys, but he clearly doesn't know where this thing is happening, and these guys do. Plus he's a jerk. A sullen, stubborn rebelliousness rises within her. She gives Habar Curl a cocky half-grin as she extends her hand to shake his. (She almost crushes his hand without realizing it.) "Great! Hope you don't mind, but I gotta bring along 'Old Uncle' over there. We're planning on meeting up with some folks at the performance. Hey, before we go, whaddya think of dousing that fire? It'd be a pain if it spreads."
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"Nice riot you got here, guy. Say you wouldn't know where [insert name of place we are supposed to be at here], would you?"
"Great! Hope you don't mind, but I gotta bring along 'Old Uncle' over there. We're planning on meeting up with some folks at the performance.”
“Oui, bien sûr mademoiselle.”
Habar gives a low ♫ whistle ♫ and waves his arm to his followers. “It would be my pleasure to deliver vous de tes amis.”
“Hey, before we go, whaddya think of dousing that fire?”
“I would not worry, mademoiselle. It is not like vous ou votre oncle will get the blame.”
“Say you wouldn't know where the Manukirt Trading Co. Warehouse is would you?”
The wiry, pock-marked Galtan wrings his Fury-shaken hand. “Oui monsieur.”
The thug gives Agirran a look to suggest the viking would be unwise to turn his back to him. “Nous shall follow the Gray Gardener et votre ‘nièce.’”
“So where did you all come from originally? And why choose Pezzack?”
The thirty-something brunette clinging to Conig and Luli’s arms chats amiably as she leads you through the gathering stream of fans heading for the concert.
She stops you before a small stage set directly outside the unmarked warehouse where you all enjoyed a belated noodle breakfast with Old Madge just hours ago.
“WHOA! Check it out! The Galtans are coming.”
She points to a rabid mob closing in on the stage, led by a tall, muscular Mammoth Realms huntress, accompanied by a tired wolverine.
Emmy Winner shows up in front of the warehouse on time and begins a solo performance of Tybalt’s part in Gnomeo and Juliet.
The crowd soon gets bored with the single character’s lines, which are incomprehensible outside the context of the entire play.
The broad-shouldered Galtan who escorted Kala and Stinky to the concert, nudges Korum. “I detested the Bard à l'école. Let’s kick that fool’s derrière, mon amie.”
As the crowd BOOS him, Olandil raises a eucalypt rod carved to look like a human arm clutching a dark crystal. Light flashes out from the gemstone in all directions as the actor declares, “A plague on all your Houses!”
"Today, I shed light upon one of Pezzack’s greatest secrets. Emmy Winner, Grimy Rick and the Guv’nor, men you trust as members of your own faction are one man – Amalia Wraxton’s lover - the Printsmith! All your secrets are laid bare to Pezzack’s greatest journalist, soon for the entire city to see!"
"PANIC! PANIC AND REGROUP! Pay no attention to outside affairs!"
He gestures emphatically as he speaks, but his gestures do not match his words. Instead, they are a series of Pathfinder hand signs.
✋ Follow me … into building ... secret passage … underground ✊
Pandemonium erupts and opposing factions take the opportunity to settle a few scores with their rivals, allowing the Pathfinders time to grab a stunned Phelerosa and decide their course of action.
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Leaving the fire going is definitely NOT what Kala wants to do, but she believes there's no way for her (HER, mind you) to convince this mob to douse the flames they set. She shrugs noncommittally and turns to follow Habar, hoping none of the men see the conflicted expression she is trying to banish from her face.
Kala doesn't know whether to be disgusted or amused by Agirran's expression. What'd he do and why'd he do it? ... Whatever. She spots some of her team mates across the way, and waves to get their attention.
Then she settles in to see the performance, but cannot follow what the heck is going on. She's never been a theater type, and this is not convincing her to change that in the least. But the rod with the crystal and the dramatic shouting associated with it catch her attention. Finally! Recognizing the hand signals, Kala beckons to Stinky: "Stinky, heel!" and bolts in random directions for a bit, narrowly avoiding various pockets of (potentially violent) chaos, before dashing into the building indicated by Olandil. Hope no one follows me!
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Pandemonium erupts and opposing factions take the opportunity to settle a few scores with their rivals, allowing the Pathfinders time to grab a stunned Phelerosa and decide their course of action.
"And this is why I wanted to get here 5 hours ago...." Growls Agirran through grinding, gritted teeth.
Cursing like the sailor he is, he forces his way through the crowd in an attempt to grab hold, or at least get and keep eyes on Olandil. He'll have some rat hole around here to scurry into. Where's that halfling with the dog when you need him?
The dank tunnels reek of putrid seawater that oozes from the stone ceiling and leaves the walls coated with a wet sheen. A few fresh torches suggest the derelict tunnel is still in use.
You can hear a rapid clomp-clomp sound coming from somewhere to the west.
Phelerosa still seems dazed and it’s simple enough to lead her through the ... “Are we in the guts?” She *groans* “Where are you taking me?”
You cannot immediately see Olandil or the route he took through the tunnels.
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As soon as she enters the tunnel, Kala whips out Orc Brains, her warhammer, and casts Light on it. A sound catches her ear...
"Someone in boots is running off that way. Hurry or we'll lose them!" Kala points to the west, pushing past everyone impatiently to hustle after who she assumes is Olandil. Too bad Stinky didn't get a good whiff of Olandil earlier so we could follow him down here. Once at the fork, she pauses to listen for sounds of footsteps down either path, looking at the floor and walls as she does so for any signs of recent passage.
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Korum winces at the light. Well, at least they know we're down here. Seeing no one else is around at the moment, he leans in close and quietly asks, "Don't suppose you saw the folio of music or legendary poems by the Wraxton lady on your journey? Not certain we're gonna get the chance now." He stops to take a good look at Kala, "How are you holdin' up? Everything go okay with Captain Smiles and his shiny disposition?"
The paladin also takes a moment to scan for the presence of unlife.
“Who’s the old guy ..? And the tall girl with the bitey critter?”
Phelerosa sounds delirious. “Have they put you up to kidnapping me? WELL? Have they, Conig?”
There are signs of massed rat, humanoid and even tentacled traffic using this section of the Guts. Even a tracker as experienced as Kala cannot distinguish individual passage through the dank riversand.
Orc Brains’ light illuminates a splash of ancient duotone graffiti on the salt encrusted wall beside Korum.
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Like a much smaller kid from a humorous drawing, Agirran hauls (great) axe through the warren.
"Gangway, Tin Can." he says clomping by the slower paladin.
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Kala is about to answer Korum when the aforementioned Captain Smiles shoves past. She presses her lips thin and grunts: "No. Tell ya' more later..." before squinting at the graffiti and sounding out the words. Thank goodness they were easy ones, or that might've taken a while. "Get ready for a fight, guys. There might be undead here. Let's move!"
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”Hopefully it’s safer down here than whatever’s happening in the streets above,” Luli explains cheerfully as Karma stands still to let Phelerosa balance herself while she climbs onto the disk with Conig. ”I must say, that was certainly not the kind of performance I was expecting. But we’ll get you through this - don’t worry. I’d never leave someone behind.”
”Also, what happened while you were away?” he asks Kala and Agirran innocently.
Worry not. Here, step on to this plateau with me.
“Why? I’m not an invalid or a child.”
Phelerosa refuses to get have anything to do with the floating disc. “I can stand on my own two feet, thank-you very much!”
Seeing Agirran head south, Rowena ✨casts a spell and continues west, looking to garner a tactical advantage.
“Hopefully it’s safer down here than whatever’s happening in the streets above.”
The halfling’s comments about relative safety stick with Agirran as he pushes past the Grand Lodgers, allowing him to note the shadow of a pale maggot the size of Madame Karma, as he rounds a second right hand corner heading west.
Conig
Kala + Stinky
Luli
Rowena expeditious retreat
Korum
Agirran
--
Maggot
--
, do something awesome!
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Pathfinders push past Kala right and left, and she is left to figure out which ones to follow on her own. Two went right and one went left. Groan! Why am I stuck with him again?! Knowing how guilty she'd feel if she abandons Agirran and he gets hurt, she hustles after him, cursing him in her mind for being jerk with a bigger chip on his shoulder than her own. "Stinky, heel!"
She sees him stop short at the corner, looking at something. Hoping it's trouble she can hit to resolve (because that's what she's good at, darnit!), she readies her shield and activates her Animal Focus ability, giving herself Aspect of the Bull and Stinky Aspect of the Tiger.
"Move, Agirran." She growls as she shoves past him around the corner and comes face-to-face with a big, grubby monster. Whoa. Ugly. Squishy? Thoughts flash through her mind as she winds up and swings, the light from her warhammer flinging itself wildly around the tight confines of the tunnel.
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Coming, Kala! Hey, what's that smell? I mean, there are a ton of smells down here. It's great! But there's a really weird one up ahead. What is that? It smells like trouble. Hey, dude, get out of the way! I gotta stay by Kala. You're in my way. Scoot! Stinky noses at the back of Agirran's knee, trying to get the man to move so he can be closer to his Kala.
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"You hear that Karma? Let's go!" Luli holds on tight to his companion as the wolf bounds down the tunnel after the other Pathfinders.
"Bwoof."
"Yeah, looks pretty full up that way. Let's try the other passage - maybe they connect!"
The halfling is proven correct as the two slip past Rowena and Korum. From their vantage point in the corner, Luli watches both groups of Pathfinders. "Feel the strength of the earth all around you!" he cries, and a ripple passes through the ground to fill the Pathfinders with fortitude!
With a teamwork-themed prayer, Korum heads west to support Rowena. Madame Karma blows past both of them, giving Luli the opportunity to bless most of the party.
Finally! Kala gets the opportunity to one-up Agirran and take out her frustration on something. Unfortunately, this time her hammer misses.
Stinky’s loyalty faces an unexpected hurdle –– the back of Agirran’s knees.
Conig
Kala + Stinky
Luli
Rowena expeditious retreat
Korum
Agirran
--
Maggot
--
, bring the pain!
Conig shows some smooth moves to get closer to the action.
Rowena ✨casts shield and continues heading west.
Because we’re in combat you may not Take 10 or 20.
Round #1:
Conig
Kala + Stinky
Luli
Rowena
Korum
Agirran
--
Maggot
--
The back-spray from Agirran’s ✨hydraulic push, mixed with river gravel and maggot slime *squirts* over Kala.
But the grub remains unmoved.
The mindless ick strikes out with mouth-parts in the direction of the water-stream, but finds Kala in the way!
You hear tentative footsteps from Phelerosa's direction, but she doesn't come into view.
Please roll a sense motive check as an immediate action, spoilered under a label marked “GM”.
Because we’re in combat you may not Take 10 or 20.
Round #2:
Conig
Kala + Stinky
Luli
Rowena
Korum
Agirran
--
Maggot
--
, do something cool!