Session 48 - In the Hole, Bruh-Cheesi

With the Loan Snakes demanding Diamond's return, Aiaoue goes bird and runs Diamond over to Vendetta, giving him orders to run far, far away. Arkyn quickly learns that (a) all Yuan-Ti seem to be resistant to magic (dang you Yenush) and that head honcho is immune to being charmed. Afterwards, the Loan Snakes line up for a good, trip, suplex, and punch you in the face combo. One manages to shove Aiaoue away from Diamond and Vendetta while another grabs Diamond off of Vendetta. Teagan, pinned and prone on the ground, decides to get big mad and begins hitting the guy pinning him down with a hammer. The Favored of Faust emanates a charming presence and for a moment... Arkyn believes that his arguments are valid. It is the lawful thing to do to return what's his. He then turns to attack Yenush who returns fire immediately on his turn. Annoyed with the amount of damage, the Favored incapacitates Yenush.

Diamond bats her lashes and calls out for a hero... and Arkyn and Teagan feel compelled to run to her aid. Fear not, Aiaoue has a plan... one that does not consider that two of her companions are now charmed by Diamond. With her burrowing speed, Aiaoue digs a 40 foot drop (and 5 foot nook) directly underneath Diamond and the Loan Snake grappling her. Vendetta stares down at the mass of Aiaoue, a confused Loan Snake, and Diamond reaching up towards the sky for the heroes she is still summoning. Arkyn gets out of grapple, stands, gets shoved back down again, hits his face and is no longer charmed by the Favored, remembers he has a fun little brooch, and moves... to the edge of the hole. If he wasn't charmed by another woman he sure as hell would be running to help Sayah!

One of the Loan Snakes decides Arkyn needs some assistance getting to the damsel in distress and shoves him down the hole. Aiaoue cushions his landing the best she can before Teagan comes hurdling down the hole right afterwards. Yenush, left alone on the surface, is downed by the Favored who looms over him with a grin. In good news, Diamond is now feeling very fortunate! Following Aiaoue's instruction, Vendetta moves to shield and protect Yenush, obscuring his body from potential attackers. Aiaoue bids adieu to everyone in the hole as she climbs out with Woodland Beings up and kicking. She manages to damage every single enemy before the Favored determines those spectral flopping fish are a serious threat and Dispels them. 

Arkyn vortext warps out of the hole as Sayah gets Yenush back up. Aiaoue touches base: Are you going to cast Spirit Guardians? Yenush, from beneath Vendetta respons: "No, imma fucking kill him." ...Almost. Meanwhile, in the hole, the Loan Snake chooses to target Diamond rather than Teagan, who immediate responds with "You'll regret that". He did, in fact, regret that. Teagan lands 2 crits (one natural and the other from Diamond) and crushes the Loan Snake with a giant book. Back up top, the Favored has turned on Sayah as Yenush nearly downs him. Fret not, Aiaoue has WOODLAND BEINGS back up and that is enough to kill the Favored of Faust. As he falls, the rest of the Loan Snakes suddenly drop dead, a whisper on the wind brings the faint laughter of the most serpentine asshole, amused as he simply says: "Failures".

As Teagan helps Diamond out of the hole, the miasma returns. Huh. Guess there was a 40 foot well there in the past. Recovered, the group climbs aboard Vendetta once more and sets off towards the Pride Halls.

A few hours into the morning travel, the miasma begins to thin and drift with intent. As the miasma retracts, the sounds of waves gets stronger. Whoops and hollers from a nearby field echo on the wind. Fisherman prepare their vessels to set out over crystalline water. And a community nestled in an inverted ziggurat-like structure comes to life. Milo and Teagan note the approach of three silhouettes. While their armor clearly marks them as Menseya, their armor is devoid of the embellishment that Tiaret's had. The leader of the smaller group introduces herself as Mehit. She's aware of Tiaret's message, has been tasked with taking Diamond to her holding cell before the Trial, and recommends the group speak with Nandi in the "Fairmane Estate". Aiaoue notes that perhaps she should come along... and Mehit welcomes her to come visit after she's spoken to Nandi. Mehit notes that they have holding cells set up in the Converted Ruins. 

The streets are clearly marked through the Core of the Pride Halls and the group is easily able to find the "Fairmane" Estate. Although most buildings lack doors, Yenush still knocks before entering. Nandi is a Consort of Pyrus and seems to be working while watching her young son, Enzi. She welcomes the group in and happily walks them through the details of the "Trial" and what she knows. Nandi will preside over the Trial and will be assisted by Zmarak, though she suspects he will mostly be there for appearances and tradition due to his current state of mind. The Trial will end when unanimous voting (1 vote from the public, 4 Panel votes) is achieved on 2 core issues:

1. Diamond – Should Diamond receive the punishment (execution) dictated by Geryon?
2. Tiaret – Should Tiaret's legacy be one of a disloyal, dishonorable traitor?

Nandi notes that while talking about the Trial is not technically permitted, they can speak to the Panel to gauge their character or willingness to change their opinions. The Panel is composed of:

1. Mehit Fairmane – Nandi notes that she particularly seemed affected by the news about Tiaret.
2. Eshu of Yor – Nandi knows little about him, but he hails from the Coalition of Yor, which is known for their speedy messaging services.
3. Hati Vitra – Nandi notes that he either underestimes his abilities or is very humble.
4. Pawston – Nandi notes that while he was hard to read, he hails from the Eastern Pridelands, an area most dramatically impacted by Faust's influence.

  Yenush, Milo, and Aiaoue head to the Converted Ruins, where they find Mehit and a few other Menseya serving as guards. Aiaoue slides Diamond some food and verifies she's generally fine before heading off to find Eshu. Mehit is happy to engage in a back and forth tit-for-tat question exchange. From the exchange, Mehit states that others are entitled to their opinions and hers seem very firmly formed. Mehit values loyalty and her disdain for Tiaret seems to stem from Tiaret's betrayal. When Milo offers condolences for this form of loss, Mehit is appreciative, though dismisses it. She merely wants to see justice dealt. Yenush can tell that when she speaks of justice, she has a very specific image of what that is in her mind. Of course, if Pyrus himself showed up and stood against Geryon (unimaginable), things would be different. Besides justice, Mehit seems to feel strongly about only one other topic: stopping Faust's influence. Arkyn polls the public. It doesn't seem feasible to pitch putting Faust on trial. How does one bring a god to trial? Especially a god like Faust? However, he is able to gather that the public have far less information on the upcoming trial (beyond that there will be one) and seem perfectly neutral at the moment. Teagan finds his way to the Market and notes a very small, compact tabaxi lurking in the shadows and avoiding Menseya. Calling out, Teagan and Pawston share an equally strong, firm handshake. Pawston had no issues traveling to the Pride halls; have you heard of my Coalition? Pawston hails from the Coalition with the highest kill rate – not humanoids. Teagan asks about the Eastern Pridelands. Is it common for Faust's people to masquerade as tabaxi and Leonin? Pawston notes that it's a common tactic from them, but they will occasionally get more violent. Pawston, perhaps forgetting himself a bit, angrily notes that perhaps if Pyrus didn't insist on adding fuel to this feud, there would be far less collateral. Eh... don't repeat that, will you?  Teagan promises he already forgot what Pawston said. They exchange another firm hand shake as Teagan mentions that Pawston simply MUST take him on one of his hunts sometime. Aiaoue roams the Top Side, passing by the sporting field before she is knocked off balance and spun around by a very fast moving cheetah Tabaxi. He looks over his should and shouts a fast: "Sorry about that Cuz" before speeding off. Aiaoue is able to keep up, falling in stride beside him. Eshu seems happy to ahve a running partner. When he eventually stops for breaks (water, picking some dates), Aiaoue makes some small talk. Eshu has things to be, places to do. He hates standing still. He clearly seems to move to fast for himself when he speaks sometimes. Have you ever opened a message you had to deliver? Eshu stops, hand over his heart: Never. He seems to take his messaging service duties very seriously. Regarding gossip, Eshu notes there was this one guy he had to deliver a message to. Wouldn't shut up about "un-fiance" or something. Anyway, guess the Triton folk are irritable. You know the Tritons? The ones who ride the Sharks?