I admire the artwork as I enter the building… it's magical, some form of abjuration. I pass through it easily, but Debbie pauses when she reaches it, and when I focus on why, the voice of Dan in my head tells me as I hear dice, "The area is warded against entry by 'spirits' by way of a module-specific lesser hallow spell, which includes summoned creatures of all kinds, similar to Protection From Evil. Your connection with your eidolon prevents it from affecting meatsuit, but Decoy isn't so warded."
Figuring that's an ID, I drop a quick Spell Immunity (lesser hallow) on my Diplomat, and she gets in just fine. Seems there's a good reason they use this old building.
… and I think it's clear enough that when the Dan in my head says something is "homebrew" or "module specific", that means it's from some other "tradition" and doesn't cleanly fit into the same mechanics I'm using. Seems I can push back well enough, though.
"Why'd you pause?"
Sarah is much too sharp. That might be why she's head of security at the casino.《I was examining the building. I haven't seen this type of craftsmanship up close before.》I hear dice in my head.
The inside is one giant room, with a freshly-kindled fire building up in the middle. This is also the building's only source of light. I don't see a single piece of modern tech in in this building that's not being carried by either myself or Sarah.
The folks that I presume are the council are dressed in what I presume is ceremonial garb. Eight men, old but fit, wearing leather breeches dyed with black and red designs, feathered headdress, armbands, the works.
Plus one young, beautiful woman, four feet tall, dressed in more intricate gear than the rest that is much too big for her, looking like she's uncomfortable in her own skin. She's sitting just like the men are, which leaves her ample chest exposed. She's slowly leaking milk, just sitting there. And she's fidgeting, shuffling her hips, and panting.
Which is confirmation enough that they're under a thumb… and that I should probably use "he" for all the elders here.
They're dead silent when they see Old Longtooth up and about. Which is fair. He was dead for like a week.
I does leave me starting, though,《I'd like to start by assuring you I bear you no ill will,》I have the Diplomat look around at those assembled,《and have restored the life that was taken while I was retrieving my friend from unjust captivity as a token of that. I am also hoping…》I have DD pull out one of the gold bars she's packing,《that this gift will help balance the scales if you think there is any remaining debt.》
The nine council members eye the gold with interest - it is worth approximately a million on today's market - but they run a casino, and probably make that much profit several times a year. Still, dropping some number of months' income on them catches their interest.
They're wary, though. Understandably so. Folks go nuts over gold. "Where is this from?" asks the man who caught a curse.
《It is a product of my craft. I cannot turn around and feed it back into my craft, but it is otherwise as real as anything, and will be fine for jewelry, electronics, or any other purposes for which gold will work. It won't vanish, it is not stolen, it is not cursed, and no one is looking for it. Feel free to run tests on it.》
Everyone looks at the now trans man, who sighs, and says, "I can sense no spirits on it… but that was also true of our 'benefactor' who had a problem she hoped we could solve for him. And look where that got me."
Yeah, Contagious Spell may not have been the best choice. I'm ambivalent about whether or not I should mention it. Eh, nothing ventured…
《Ah… the trapped curse. I may have gone a bit overboard with Kenneth Kolips the third. I was a bit miffed that he helped put a bullet through a friend of mine, and didn't want him getting help. The organization he's with has failed to take me down three times now, never even tried to contact me. I tried to talk to them after attempt two - but they just used it to lure me into attempt three.》
"They didn't exactly give me a choice. Can you remove it?"
I consider it. I cast Major Curse as a 6th level spell, so that DC to remove is.. 10 base, + 5 DC because of the specific spell, + 6 for the spell , and I have a +18 charisma modifier, so that's DC 39 to remove. Yeah, I can't make that caster level check on a 20. Remove Curse is a no go… but Resurgence… actually… buff him up with potions, he's looking at the original save DC of 'just' 34. But with buffs… doable. If nothing else, I can have him down potions - which makes him the effective caster, insulating me from backlash - until he rolls a 20. So… I have a plan, then. Still…
《I can, but are you sure? Keep in mind, if you obviously recover, they'll know about it. Also, it's actually a few separate curses: if we just get rid of the arousal component, you'd get some relief, but they'd think you're just risking it. Also… it turns your body into your own fantasy girl. This… may have a side effect of making you physically ageless. And it would fold into my own plans nicely that way. Your life, your call, though.》
"There is a way to get rid of this arousal?" the man I presume is a shaman asks.
Oh, right. I never actually told Kenneth. He must be desperate by now.《Yes. You just need to have a man go off in your new hole without any form of birth control. That will let you get relief that one time. To get relief again, you'll need to repeat it. And if we cure just that portion, you can tell Kenneth how to get relief, and watch his face, letting him assume that's what you're doing.》
One of the other elders says, "Oh, well then we don't need her, I've got your medicine right here…"
The shaman gives him a mean look, and tells my Diplomat, "Let’s clear just that one, then."
Curious at how readily he agreed, I focus on Sense Motive for a bit, and hear dice, followed by the Dan in my head: "The leader is under the effects of an Enchantment." So he caught the Suggestion, too. Handy for me, I guess.
So I have DD feed him various save boosting potions while I simultaneously drop reach, invisible, fell energy, fleeting buffs on him to improve his saves. When he's at the point where he'd need a natural 1 to fail, I have my summon hand him a Resurgence potion, which he drinks.
Clear liquid immediately soaks the man's pants from the inside, as milk fountains from his chest and he screams and moans, shaking. This goes on for a good five minutes. Given just how damp his pants are, I guess he has a squirter fetish to go with the milk. I take a bit to dismiss the buffs while he recovers.
After a while, I ask him,《Are you all right?》
"Better than all right," he responds, breathing heavily, "Are you sure this body is a curse?"
《You will never get used to it, and it will never match your self-image… but it does have some upsides, so I won't judge if you choose to keep it after the organization hunting me and keeping you under its thumb stops being a problem.》
《As for an alliance,》I continue,《I can provide funds, as well as restorative and utility potions. What I really want is information….》
After a bit of back and forth, I walk away from the encounter feeling pretty good about my day. I got names of some of the higher-ups in the organization, some insights into how "The Guardians of Free Will" operate, and a regular go-to for turning gold into money that'll look all above board on the books. And the tribe gets to keep the lights on at the casino for another year. Apparently they don't get as much take as I thought, and recently the online gambling industry has been choking them out.
As I leave, Sarah and Old Longtooth stay behind. My sky-high Perception skill lets me listen in.
"Can we trust her?" - one of the elders. Not the shaman, though.
"Every time she tells me something, I believe her utterly. Which is utterly nonsensical. Which means being believed is somehow part of her tradition, and we can't trust our judgment on that matter." - and that's Sarah. Definitely much too sharp.
"So we need to go by her actions. What has she done - with her crew, in case she's calling the shots?" - the elder who teased the shaman.
"Kidnapping, destruction of property, murder…" - not sure which elder, most of them didn't talk while I was there.
"Rescued a gal we'd imprisoned who hadn't done anything yet, broke the door to get out, and killed the guy who tried to stop her… and then came back, revived the dead guy, and left an apology." - Old Longtooth.
"Fixed the door, too." - that's Sarah.
"Well… let's sleep on it. If truth seeming is at play, it may have a time limit. Reconvene tomorrow?" - the Shaman. Interesting.
There's a chorus of 'yes' answers, and they break up as I leave range.
