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as the sun sets and the evening draws around you all make your way to the temple. as you arrive you are greeted by some accolytes and shown to your seats.
High Priestess al-Sahba makes her home in the city’s imposing
temple, whose vast, gilded dome and soaring minarets
are visible for miles around. Each is capped with a
stylized holy symbol of Sarenrae, holding aloft a
brass and turquoise sunburst. The communal dining
quarters are more modest. The great extravagance
of the room is found in its stained-glass windows,
whose arches depict the triumphs and trials of
Sarenrae. Dinner with the High Priestess takes
place beneath a vast window depicting Sarenrae’s
flaming sword piercing the heart of Rovagug
himself. Al-Sahba holds the letter of introduction from
Venture-Captain Esmayl ibn Qaradi in front of her, and
speaks, “It seems our interests are aligned. Tell me: what
do you really know of the Roidirans?”
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Anibal offers a polite nod to greet the hosts, and merely shakes his head when questioned on his knowledge of teh Roidirans: "No, only what the letter told us. I'm not sure about others, but my interest is piqued."
He realises what Mercutio is talking about. "I'm sure she doesn't mind as long as you don't go down the "parasytic lord of the night" route. Being what you are, I mean."
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The cult is
little-known outside of Qadira but
it clearly vexes al-Sahba, as she oversees
a temple of Sarenrae in a region that
the Roidirans claim. She confirms that
the Roidirans have become more aggressive lately, and that
it seems to be connected to strange pilgrimages they make
from Qaharid to the wilderness.
“What can I say about those who believe in nothing?” she says
with sternness. “A void is not silent; it screams with its utter
pointlessness until it is the only sound your very soul can hear. To
listen to these Roidirans talk, that is what they seek. They begin
every incantation, every prayer, with the mantra ‘There is no
presence; there is absence. There is no meaning; only knowledge.’
To reach this terrible state of grace, they abjure everything we’ve
ever known. They reject the knowledge of our libraries and
universities, the collected wisdom of centuries of Sarenite faith,and the stacks of debate about our laws and politics. To them,
these are the playthings of lesser minds, and only the secrets that
Roidira keeps are true knowledge.”
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"Come now, is nihilism so bad? Truth cares not for mere mortals, and fears not their doubts. Contrariwise, if something is NOT true, then the blade of doubt is perhaps the surest means to pierce its heart. Besides..." Mercutio pauses, and chuckles enigmatically. "The tried and true path is soooo dull - life's most exquisite moments belong to those who dance in the dark!"
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"People only dance in the dark when they don't want to be seen for the fools that they are. You are right that truth cares not for us mortals. It also doesn't care for those that only look for knowledge that affirms their incorrect beliefs. The tried and tested path may be dull, but it is not full of lies or alternative facts."
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"People only dance in the dark when they don't want to be seen for the fools that they are."
Mercutio tries to suppress laughing out loud at this, and fails. "Truly, spoken like someone who never learned to see in the dark!"
"As for the tried and tested path, *of course* it's full of lies. Once you're certain something is true, you cease to question it, and institutions that base themselves on such over-comfortable truths inevitably attract lazy-minded sheep, ill-meaning shepherds, and devious wolves, and from there the whole thing goes the way of Ancient Tian terra-cotta: crumbling from the inside, held together only by a thinly-lacquered veneer. Doubt is simply...hygiene."
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"Fair enough, I will concede a bit. I have seen enough sheep in my lifetime. But questioning something for the sake of questioning it, which is what these cultists seem to be doing, is ludicrous. The reason we know these things to be true is because it has been proven and tested, by facts and logic. For the record, the truth is rarely comfortable, often the opposite. As far as hygiene goes, too much scrubbing damages the skin. Especially when it is already thin."
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"As far as hygiene goes, too much scrubbing damages the skin. Especially when it is already thin."
"HA! Tell me about it. I recommend the salt scrub they import from the shores of Vudra."
"Anything can be made comfortable, you know. ANYTHING at all, so long as people are willing to settle and adapt - or are made to. Ask any Kuthite."
"Getting back to the Roidirans, they seem like...gamblers, shall we say. Given how many people never question, is it such a bad thing that there are a few out there who choose the opposite extreme? If something is true, it remains so just as much in darkness as in light."
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"Good point on the Kuthites. Yes, it is such a bad thing if it causes undue harm and suffering to innocent and law abiding people. These Roidirans have been increasingly aggressive as late and stirring up trouble. They are more like bad gamblers who lose and get upset at the casino. Extremes in any direction are bad. The enemy being evil does not make one good."
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Anibal doesn't seem to be sold on participating in a phisolophical debate, and turns to al-Sahba, leaving Benedict and Mercutio to talk it out.
"Madam, to be perfectly frank, their motives and intentions are not of much concern to me. I was hired for a job, and I will do said job. If the target group's worldview is something that can be exploited to fulfill the contract, I will look into it. But first, I have to ask - What exactly is it, that you need of us?"
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"Agreed. Denial of hard facts and knowledge is foolhardy at best and catastrophically dangerous at worst. They seem to be the definition of nihilism. "
*Looks to right*
"Come now, is nihilism so bad? Truth cares not for mere mortals, and fears not their doubts. Contrariwise, if something is NOT true, then the blade of doubt is perhaps the surest means to pierce its heart. Besides..." Mercutio pauses, and chuckles enigmatically. "The tried and true path is soooo dull - life's most exquisite moments belong to those who dance in the dark!"
*Looks to left*
"People only dance in the dark when they don't want to be seen for the fools that they are. You are right that truth cares not for us mortals. It also doesn't care for those that only look for knowledge that affirms their incorrect beliefs. The tried and tested path may be dull, but it is not full of lies or alternative facts."
*Looks to right*
Mercutio tries to suppress laughing out loud at this, and fails. "Truly, spoken like someone who never learned to see in the dark!"
"As for the tried and tested path, *of course* it's full of lies. Once you're certain something is true, you cease to question it, and institutions that base themselves on such over-comfortable truths inevitably attract lazy-minded sheep, ill-meaning shepherds, and devious wolves, and from there the whole thing goes the way of Ancient Tian terra-cotta: crumbling from the inside, held together only by a thinly-lacquered veneer. Doubt is simply...hygiene."
*Looks to left*
"Fair enough, I will concede a bit. I have seen enough sheep in my lifetime. But questioning something for the sake of questioning it, which is what these cultists seem to be doing, is ludicrous. The reason we know these things to be true is because it has been proven and tested, by facts and logic. For the record, the truth is rarely comfortable, often the opposite. As far as hygiene goes, too much scrubbing damages the skin. Especially when it is already thin."
*Looks to right*
"HA! Tell me about it. I recommend the salt scrub they import from the shores of Vudra."
"Anything can be made comfortable, you know. ANYTHING at all, so long as people are willing to settle and adapt - or are made to. Ask any Kuthite."
"Getting back to the Roidirans, they seem like...gamblers, shall we say. Given how many people never question, is it such a bad thing that there are a few out there who choose the opposite extreme? If something is true, it remains so just as much in darkness as in light."
*Looks to left*
"Good point on the Kuthites. Yes, it is such a bad thing if it causes undue harm and suffering to innocent and law abiding people. These Roidirans have been increasingly aggressive as late and stirring up trouble. They are more like bad gamblers who lose and get upset at the casino. Extremes in any direction are bad. The enemy being evil does not make one good."
*Looks to right*
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"The enemy being evil does not make one good."
"Indeed! Have you ever seen devils fight demons? Now THERE'S a floor show for you!
"Other than that: Not wholly unreasonable, but perhaps you're misidentifying my meaning. 'Extreme,' after all, is a relative concept to start with. Abstracta is one matter, immediate concerns another. Obviously, we're here to settle a problem, or at least discover its cause." Mercutio pauses, considering. "How do we know that when we find the answer, we won't become wailing lunatics ourselves? These are seekers of answers, after all. Perhaps, as you suggest, they've strayed into a trap...or perhaps they know something we don't." He takes a sip of wine, and smiles.
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“Sarenrae is not an evangelist, and she condemns faith imposed by
the sword. As in her heaven, so on Qadira’s earth. Our laws enforce
religious pluralism, and this protects even Roidira’s devotees. But
as of late, they have not returned the gesture of goodwill. You
were fortunate to arrive on a day free of disruption from them.
Yesterday they flooded the Temple Square holding signs and
haranguing festivalgoers, even children! Telling them that there is
‘only darkness’ and that ‘even breathing is pointless.’ This incensed
citizens, some of whom started fights. I myself had to intervene in
a scuffle—on my temple’s doorstep! It’s all gone too far.”
Al-Sahba explains that under such conditions she cannot
leave the city, especially not at the apex of the Sunwrought
Festival, which practically doubles the city’s population. But
clearly something must be done, and if the Pathfinders can
do it, and act on her behalf, then so much the better. “I even
hesitate to send my own paladins into the wilderness with
matters so tense in Qaharid.”
She suggests two places,
each representing
very different sectors
of Qaharidi society, to
investigate as a way to
find more information
about the Roidiran
cult. The first is a local
tavern and gambling hall
frequented by mine workers, and
the second is an elite club for the city’s
great and good. For the latter, she gives the name Vashti
al-Amiyyah, the White Feather
"To formalize this patronage please will each on of you accept this brass ring."
“There is another matter. As your venture-captain most certainly
told you, I serve the satrap as one of his Peerless advisors. While I
am not at liberty to discuss the satrap’s precise wishes, know that
he has taken an interest in this matter as well. Powerful forces
indeed are watching your moves from here on out. My shade to
you tomorrow, Pathfinders. Go with Sarenrae.”
As you all are leaving the temple you each receive 2 potions of endure elements and a potion of CLW. Then as a group you get 1 want of lesser restoration with 14 charges, a pyxes of redirect focus, and a pair of healers gloves.
The shops are closing but you have time to get any supplies that you need to be able to leave out in the morning.
-Posted with Wayfinder
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"Much appreciated, and thank you for the information."
Anibal takes the trinket and puts it on a leather band to hang from his neck. As he does so, he responds to Benedict's note: "I disagree. The common folk usually have much more juicy gossip flying around. Most of it based on truth, if you filter out the usual noise. We should probably check in both anyway, but there's the question of which first."
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It is not hard to find the elite club in town. As you walk to the door the guard looks you up and down then opens the door and lets you in.
Merchant princes and princesses, along with high-ranking officers
and public officials, gather here for fine drinks in finer glasses,
beneath a ceiling painted elegantly in gold leaf with stars. The
stars are connected in fanciful depictions of the constellations of
the summer sky. In one corner, a woman in a red dress croons to
tipsy onlookers, and in another, an unusually ascetic woman in
white holds court around people whose dress is far more elegantly
ornamented than hers.
-Posted with Wayfinder
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Stark the locals in the club dont really say much but they all point to the lady dressed in white.
-Posted with Wayfinder
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"Look at this stuff. Fascinating and incredibly useful, I imagine.", Anibal boasts after purchasing a pair of cloth tubes and puts them on his arms. His clothes immediately change to a more appropriate attire.
Later in the venue, he approaches the woman in white: "Good day! I don't think we've been introduced. Name's Anibal. Everyone seems to be pointing in your direction when asked about some juicy gossip or recent events."
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Having grabbed a hat of disguise, Tesson's appearance changes as one could imagine he was... before Cayden touched him.
He's a tall and mannered gentleman with a disdainful stare. He wears simple but fine silk cloth. He joins Anibal, approaching the woman and clears his throat, nodding at her slightly.
"Hmm. Yes. I'm Baron Von Tesson. I'd be delighted to hear more about what you could tell us, madam."
There's a still an odor that lingers around Tesson. Where could it come from?
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She looks over at tesson and pays him no minf as she continues with her speech.
“To the
members of this establishment,” she says, “I am a conversation
piece. Most see me as an object of curiosity they can keep
around and ogle, for how could I be any more different from
them? But there’s always one or two who really listen, and that
is why I come back.” She also notes that the satrap himself
had reached a quiet agreement with her fellow travelers to
prohibit the White Feathers from proselytizing in public,
but as the club is technically a private affair, it provides a
convenient loophole for her to preach to a sizeable audience.
-Posted with Wayfinder