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"Fair treatment sounds very gracious; I surrender," the priest remarks, trying to defensively cast a spell.
He bites his tongue mid-spell, however. With a smugness in his voice that you can visualize under the mask, he continues, dropping his dagger at Kyra's feet.
"You win. But the Living God is less merciful than I."
Hakon stops next to the so called mayor and pulled his other axe as he dropped the dagger at Kyra's feet. He growls and glares at him before looking at Kyra. "Ya know we have no way to lock him up or anything like that, right? The town is under his control. And there are two people over there..." He points out the two guards with a axe. "Were willing to die for him. Why should we let a foul beguiler live another day?"
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"That reminds me... says Kyra as she moves over to check on the unconscious guards.
"If these men were befuddled by magic then i'd prefer them not to die for this man's crimes. I think we should tie this man up and question him. His magics should eventually run out. At that point the town should be the ones to judge him for his crimes against them."
"We should turn him over to the authorities, I agree," Mavaro says. "They will not deal with him kindly once his spells are gone. Though we may want to gag him...he is a spellcaster, after all."
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"This is fair treatment. You should be glad that you will get an opportunity to explain your actions and possibly repent for what you did. Kyra pauses as she tries to hold back her anger at this cowardly man's actions.
"The other option is for you to be struck down right now as someone beyond redemption. This is your choice now. You can go quietly and answer for your crimes or resist and leave us no option but to strike you down. Either way is a form of justice for the things you have done."
Poor, sweet, naive Yoon looks at the party and the mayor-priest and says, I guess that sounds fair to me. Bringing him to the guards should be easy enough, and maybe he'll say he's sorry about what he did. Oh! The staff! she shouts as she begins looking around for the staff.
"Heh... That is not going to happen." As Hakon growls a reply. He twirls one of his axes in his hand. "Why go all the way there. It is these people you have wronged, they should have a say why he was talking all of their valuables." Finding Mavaro's suggestion funny, he can't help but to laugh. "Yes. gagging him will do. Since he thinks he can dictate what will happen to him."
"Good luck with that, you Razmiran clown," Mavaro says as they tie the man up.
"How about we start with the local authorities, instead."
Enough of your lies and deceit, false priest! You have no intention of an honorable surrender!
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With Folloch Teeg defeated, the lingering magic on his mesmeric baton fades and the townspeople return to a grateful, if surprised, normalcy. (Although it is sometimes intermixed in with bouts of short-term amnesia).
The town of Allenstead, grateful for the return of their senses pool together 300 gp worth of coins of various denominations as a reward. They also encourage you to claim anything you'd like from the defeated Razmiri priest- -he'll be tried "without any of his trinkets and protections," the once and soon-to-be-current town constable insists. They are particularly grateful to Kyra for keeping Olson and Everett alive- -the two guards were hit hardest by Folloch's compulsions.
The rod in its current state is a curiosity- -maybe worth 20 silver to the Pickled Imp at best- -its magic fully drained. Folloch's dagger is masterwork, and his bracers radiate a bit of magic. He also has a potion of invisibility, 2 platinum, and 28 gold pieces.
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The trek back to Ulisha's hideout is uneventful.
Following the excerpt in Ulisha's notebook are several pages of crude maps, complex equations and further notes. By returning to the came mentioned in the previous entry, observing the angle of the ridgleine versus her current location, she was able to calculate a probable radius of the crash location.
The final page in this section includes a detailed map of the southern reaches of Numeria, complete with various landmarks and the destination marked. An addendum to the map (in significantly more recent ink) warns "Tread Lightly. Numeria remains a mystery to the rest of the world. Those who stay too long draw unwanted attention."
The crossing to Numeria is unguarded, and the trek to the supposed crash site is is an easy one. In the foothills, Ulisha's map leads up a series of switchbacks rising to a low summit with a phenomenal view. Vast plains extend to the north, where clouds gather on the horizon. To the south, the Sellen River cuts a definitive border between the River Kingdoms and Numeria.
As the group treks into Numeria, Oloch is fascinated by the landscape.
Yoon goes to gather her own information while Kyra is out talking...
...But is apparently brushed off as a mere child and sulks the whole way to the target location...
... But is too absorbed in a conversation with Gom-Gom about how mean grown ups can be, and how her feet hurt, and how she's hungry, and how...
On the way to the location, Hakon will relate all that he knows of Numeria. Be it from stories he has heard, or of local fact. After a while he finishes speaking. "And that is what I know of. I hope it helps." As he finishes with a shrug.
As they continue along as they make their way further into Numeria, Hakon can't help to look around.
Kicking the dirt, he raises an eyebrow. "Strange. It looks like there was a landslide recently... The dirt here is loose." Looking around, Hakon pulls out one of his hand axes and heads up the hill.
"I wonder what kind of unwanted attention she referred to," Mavaro muses as he assists in looking around.
Yes, we should check it out.
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A downhill trek and two minutes of light digging expose a silvery ellipsoid of dented, cracked metal, about 10 feet in length and 5 feet in diameter at it's widest point. A few more minutes can unearth it completely.
A 3 foot-by-5 foot rectangular section on one side appears to be hinged.
The inside of the wreck is cramped. A single chair made of the same metal faces the hatch, dozens of straps hang inside the device, and an array of levers and buttons lines one side of the interior. Several dozen palm-sized discs and an unadorned silvery bracer lie scattered across the floor.
When Hakon lays his eyes upon the wreckage, he places a hand on his head. "Ho boy. Looks like we got a bit of work to do." He begins to dig it out with the others and after a while he looks over the metallic object.
Hakon grins when he gazes on the object, but it quickly turns to a frown. "Ah... It's made from adamantine and iron. Worthless. Damn... Huh? There are hinges here. Come on, help me pry it open." He works his way over to the seam on the other side and pulls out an axe. He grins and glaces at the others. Well, can't wait to find out. He wonders as he grins wildly and slams the axe into the seam.
Hakon puts pressure against the axe and pushes it. After a bit, there is a loud squeak before a loud pop as it opens. "Hah... Whoa!" Hakon stumbles a bit to regain his footing before falling over himself.
Regaining himself, he peers into the wreckage and see the items inside. He looks at the disks first.
He picks one of them up. "Hey! These are Silverdisks! They are worth about 10 gold coins or a platinum each!... Hm, whats this?" He looks at the metallic bracer next.
It's a bracelet! Gimme gimme! Yoon shouts, jumping repeatedly and reaching for the bracer, It's so Pretty!
Mavaro looks around curiously. "This is...unlike anything I have ever seen," the occultist says. "And I have seen a lot of things," he adds.
With little to contribute below, Mavaro settles for keeping watch up top.
Hakon picks up the bracer and looks it over. He grins as he recognizes what it is able to do. "Ha! I heard of this bracer. Or at least others like it. It projects some sort of energy around you, kinda like a bubble. It absorbs damage from strikes from a sword or arrow." He flips it over and checks out the inside of it. "Hmm, it looks a bit... Crushed? If it does work, it might not work for long. I suggest we hold onto it for now..." He looks down at Yoon with a stern face. "Child, while it is pretty, it is very... Breakable. Since I don't truly know how much this is worth." He holds up the bracer. "It might be worth a lot as it is, and might be worth nothing when it doesn't work anymore. Anyway... I think Oloch or me could use it if we are desperate. Since I think that is what its purpose is?"
He rolls it over in his hand and sees a slight indent on the outside that looks a bit uniform with the bracer's construction. He ponders a bit before deciding against pressing that indent. "I think I found out how to activate it... But I worry that if it is activated, it will be useless afterwards. Hm, since you do that touch of history thing Mavaro, why don't you hold onto it. Maybe learn who might have had it last."
Yoon puffs out her cheeks and sticks her tongue out at Hakon, making a sort of Mmmnnnn! sound before continuing to pout. I have a name, you know... she mumbles to herself and then whispers something quietly to Gom-Gom. If you listen closely you think you could probably make out the word, "Meanie," somewhere in there.
Yoon looks up at Kyra expectantly, You promise?
Oloch looks around and says, So, was this the wreck we were supposed to find? This seems too easy.
Mavaro continues to provide overwatch for his companions as they look through the wreck.
Hakon shrugs as he walks out of the resting place of that metal coffin. "So where was the next place in the journal we are heading to?"
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Mostly satisfied with their discoveries (save for Yoon- -Hakon is a meanie!), your return trek to the River Kingdoms is interrupted before it even has a chance to begin. Mavaro, scanning the horizon, is the first to notice a group of local Kellids step out from the rocky outcroppings to speak with the intruders onto their territory.
“Stop there,” demands a Kellid woman who hefts a massive blade. “You’re are not from here, and those things are not yours. Give us the silverdisks, all the gold you have, and anything else you found there. Then you may live.” Her three companions echo in assent.
Hakon walks forward and draws an axe in his other hand. "So you claim we are not from here? Bah. Neither are you. You did not stop us coming here. Just raiders, and not proper ones worth to keep on a longship!" He twirls one one of the axes in his hand before pointing towards the woman with the large blade. "Well?"