Silverback's skill with locks proves true as with all the finesse of a bull in a china shop, he mashes open the door, revealing a comfortable looking sitting room. A large sofa sits awkwardly at the entrance, facing the center of the room. Sets of chairs and tables are arranged throughout and grandiose statues of famous gnomes occupy the corners of the room. A set of stairs at the northern end of the chamber leads down, while a second set leads up to an unfinished second floor.
As Willem enters the house, a brief flare of light appears, and three large beetles, the size of housecats, with glowing green-yellow spots appear in the room in front of the couch. The beetles appear ready for a fight.
Fimbrik's House - Round 1
17 Silverback
17 Fire Beetle 3
17 Fire Beetle 1
12 Ruinor
9 Orovan
7 Willem
6 Maximilian
2 Fire Beetle 2
Fimbrik's House - Round 1 - continued
The initial attack by Silverback ends badly, as he slips and his strike misses completely.
The beetles move towards the nearest targets to attack. Beetle 3 makes a run at Willem, but misses with its chomp. Fire Beetle 1 sidesteps to take on Silverback head on, but its mandibles are parried by the industrious druid.
Fimbrik's House - Round 1 - concluded
Ruinor's magically created globule of acid hits the last beetle, scarring it marginally.
Willem swings his torch again, missing the closest beetle.
While Maximilian's attack misses, it does create a flanking opportunity for Orovan, and the half-orc crushes the beetle in front of him.
The last beetle moves towards the nearest target, Silverback, and tries to make a meal of him, but cannot quite nab the druid.
End of Round 1
Fimbrik's House - Round 2
17 Silverback
17 Fire Beetle 1
12 Ruinor
9 Orovan
7 Willem
6 Maximilian
2 Fire Beetle 2 (1hp dmg)
Silverback's scimitar slashes through the air, chopping through one of the beetles near him, leaving only one foe left.
Fimbrik's House - Round 2 - concluded
Having squished one bug already, Orovan races over to assist Silverback and delivers another smashing kick, ending the fight.
End of Combat
A motion activated summoning circle trap explains the sudden appearance of the beetles near the couch. The rest of this room looks disused, but not abandoned. There is little else of interest here but a set of double doors on the east wall and a pair of single doors in the west wall hold the promise of other rooms.
The doors open into a large, gnome-sized bedroom. A large bed and desk occupy most of the room. You see two large muscle-bound men standing guard on either side of the headboard of the bed, while a blue-haired gnome gentleman sleeps peacefully under the covers.
The two men, who look quite imposing, don't seem to react or respond in any way as the door opens and the room fill sup with strangers. They continue to stare off into space, as they have since the door was first opened.
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"Probably trained guards. Better not to make them angry." Orovan says to his companions.
"Ho there! Pardon our intrusion, but we need a word with the master of the house."
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Calling to the guards does no good. They fail to acknowledge your presence, still standing lurking over the sleeping gnome.
Ruinor detects a magical aura in the room, and as he's trying to divine more information, Maximilian walks up to one of the guards, trying to tap him on the shoulder.
"I think they are illusory," says the elven wizard, just as Max's hand passes right through the phantasmal guard. This confirms what Silverback is starting to perceive.
Looking more closely, not only are both the guards just complex illusions, but the sleeping gnome is, as well.
Besides the illusions, this room has little more of interest or value.
The north room appears to be a meeting room of some kind with chairs, pillows, desks enough to accommodate up to six visitors. Bottles, plates, writing instruments, notes, and books are scattered throughout this room.
The blue-haired gnome who was sleeping in the last room, sits in an easy chair in this room reading the paper. When you enter, he looks your way, smiles, and gives a tip of his cap.
Silverback's instincts are correct, the cap-tipping gnome is merely another illusion.
Leaving the image behind, the druid goes on to carefully search the room. On the table in the southwest corner, he finds this neatly penned letter:
"Well, you got me!
I’m not here anymore, and my house is filled with an incredible array of illusions to discourage the curious. But you just had to break in. I respect your gumption and assume you’re either a petty burglar or someone looking into Eylysia's affairs.
I've left Absalom to look for my friend, for she’s been missing for some time; however, I've attached the name of a particular Pathfinder you’ll want to investigate at the Wall of Names at the Society Grand Lodge. I assure you, it’s quite important, but I’ll leave you to figure out why.
Oh, and the password. It’s 'Wiffle'. You’ll find it important, should you learn where to use it.
—The Illustrious Fimbrik
Father down in the stack of papers, penned in the same hand is just one name on a sheet of paper - Hollis "Evil Grin' Thorne
Additionally, the druid turns up two full bottles which look like they could be magical potions.
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"Well, this stinks. Yeah, let's check out the thing." Orovan shrugs. "Why not?"
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Ruinor listens to Silverback read the letter and then the name he found on the other sheet of paper. "That sounds familiar. Wasn't that on one of the papers from the inn? Let's finish searching the rest of the house before we go to the wall. He may have some scrolls that he no longer has need of." Ruinor says with a grin as he moves to the southeast room to search.
The remaining room in the house turns out to be the library. Another programmed image, this time of the blue-haired gnome perusing books in the library, activates as you enter, but you know enough to ignore and avoid the illusion by now.
No magical scrolls or other treasures are found in the library, and the search of the house is complete.
Created in 4330 AR, the Wall of Names resides on the grounds of the Grand Lodge in Absalom. The monument is a curving wall of thick black glass that stands atop a small hill at the western edge of the grounds. Trees surround the hill, providing ample shade and privacy for those visiting the wall to remember fallen comrades. Carved into the wall are the names and dates of death of every Pathfinder agent who has fallen in the line of duty. Most entries also include a sentence or two summarizing the agent's accomplishments or how they died.
It is only a matter of time before the three false names mentioned by Adolphus are found on the wall. Here is what each entry says:
1) Doulgonlir Caskmail - Deceased 4332 AR - Wrote in solitude for 101 days. Lived a long life of silence and serenity.
2) Hollis "Evil Grin" Thorne - Deceased 4331 AR - Fought up all but one step of the Storval Stairs. Blade shattered at an inopportune moment.
3) Karina Clamp - Deceased 4330 AR - Respectfully resigned after losing a friend. Lost to a life among the fish and the bountiful sea.