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Hanabi looks over the waylang's head and into the house.
"There be magic afoot 'ere. Me kind knows an illusion when we sees it."
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As you glance in through one of the first windows, you observe as a blue-haired gnome wearing a green hat enters the room and sits in a chair and begins reading a newspaper. He responds to you by simply smiling and tipping his hat.
Glancing through another window, you note a room full of books and chairs - presumably a study. After a moment, a blue-haired gnome wearing a green hat enters the room and begins looking at the various books on the shelves before smiling and tipping his hat at the window and exiting the room.
Perception:
As you enter Fimbrik's home, you realize the central room is the gnome's living room. A large sofa sits awkwardly near the entrance, facing toward the center of the room. Sets of chairs and tables are arranged throughout, and statues of grandiose gnomes occupy the corners of the room. A set of stairs at the northern edge of the chamber leads to an unused basement filled with stacked newspapers. A second set of stairs leads up to an unfinished second floor.
Tne entirety of the home is immaculate, showing no signs of dust or debris. The rug appears as if it has never been stepped on. The sofa appears to have never been sat upon.
Just before you begin to cautiously file into the home, both Ebonfeather and Zandu notice something strange on the wood floor near the sofa... like runes drawn onto the wood.
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Tynat hurries excitedly into the house, and nearly runs straight into the middle of the room until Ebon's warning brings him up short. He stops in place with one foot still raised, then looks around, slowly lowers his foot, and couches.
"Note gnome has a tricksy home. Tynat can be tricksy too."
He whispers.
Moving slowly and quietly, he moves into the house, sidling along the wall and steering clear of the sofa. He closely examines the statue in the south eastern corner as he goes.
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Tynat evades the general sofa area and skirts his way into Fimbrik's home, finding nothing else of note in the central living area.
Heading first to the west, he quickly scours Fimbrik's bedroom and also finds nothing of import. Then, checking the southeastern room, he finds the study equally uninteresting.
Finally, upon checking the northeastern, the shadow gnome finally turns up something interesting - a note apparently written by Fimbrik... to Tynat... sort of.
Dear Pathfinder,
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, you’ll want to investigate at the Wall of Names at the Society Grand Lodge paying close attention to Karina Clamp.
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
In addition, Tynat turns up a pair of long-forgotten potions on the windowsill.
The crafty wayang is able to exit the home , giving the sofa wide berth.
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Tynat grabs all three items, note and both potions, and abandoning all pretense of Stealth he gleefully skips back to the main room, again giving the sofa a wide berth.
"Tynat found another note in the no-gnome home!"
He'll pass the note off to his companions, while he uses his alchemical abilities to discern the nature of the potions he found.
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You all recall your earlier trip to the Wall of Names outside the Grand Lodge.
All three names were written on that wall, despite nobody recalling them being Pathfinders.
Hamasaki pointed out that the three were all failed aspirants, who after failing the Test of the Starstone, would have likely been buried at the Shrine of the Failed.
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"Let's we all head off ta' the Wall once more. Seems be to me the best course ta' navigate ta'."
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"Not go to wall. Read note. Read note close. "Password is whiffle should you learn where to use it." Not use it at wall. Too simple. Simple not for Pathfinders! Simple not for secrets! We go to Shrine of the Failed! The names of the not-pathfinders on the wall point us there."
-Posted with Wayfinder
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"Fine by me, but let's do so smartly."
When they get to the Shrine of the Failed, Hanabi searches for any indication of the names Clamp, Thorne, or Caskmail.
-Posted with Wayfinder
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Tynat does the same, dashing to and fro around the memorial with a frantic energy.
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Crowds have formed to witness Reinhart of Kenabres attempt the Test of the Starstone, so the usual guards that would monitor entrance to the Shrine of the Failed have wandered over to observe the crowds gathered there.
As you all begin descending into the shrine, you can hear the ooohs, ahhhs, and ohhhhs of the crowd as the Mendevian Crusader works the crowd and begins his test.
**
This monumental chamber stretches eighty feet from end to end, with a ceiling suspended thirty feet from the floor by great pillars. Seven arched passages lead to humble rooms, each of which contains a polished stone altar dedicated to one of the failed aspirants who attempted the Test of the Starstone.
Each of the seven side chambers contains a small stone altar to one of the failed aspirants. Each altar stands upon a raised dais and bears a small brass nameplate identifying the aspirant and the would-be-god’s areas of interest.
One of these bears a name you all find of particular interest, Karina Clamp.
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Remembering the trap he just barely avoided thanks to Ebon's warning at the gnome's house, Tynat restrains his natural impulse to run straight to the altar.
He proceeds cautiously forward instead, keeping a wary eye out as he goes.
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Tynat identifies the second potion as lesser restoration but is uncertain of the first's properties, only knowing it is different than the one he successfully identified.
As he sneaks about the room towards Karina's altar, he doesn't discover anything particular of note.
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Unable to use his crafting expertise to figure out what the first potion is, Tynat tries tasting an single drop to see if he can perceive its properties.
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Tynat doesn't discover anything of note doing a quick search of Karina's altar specifically.
Hamasaki calls out "Wiffle" from behind him, but his words seem to do nothing as well.
With nothing evident upon how to proceed, Ebonfeather and Zandu both take their time and give the room an extremely thorough search. Their efforts are rewarded when both are barely able to determine something is amiss with the room's western wall
As they examine it even more closely, they discovers some sort of illusion obscures a door on the western wall which fades away as they attempt to interact with it.
As they work through the room trying to determine how to open the door, they soon realize the nameplate on the altar slides to one side, revealing a small compartment behind it.
Within lies a miniature chalkboard and a single piece of chalk.
Cesare detects the illusion concealing the western door and some form of abjuration magic that seems to link the chalkboard with the actual sealed door beyond the illusion, perhaps acting like a key of a sort.
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Hanabi brushes past all the curious studying casters to pick the board and write Wiffle. He immediately pulls out his pistol after placing the board back down.
-Posted with Wayfinder
=Asp
=Neo
=Bru
=Sli
=Evo
As Hamasaki writes the word on the chalkboard, the stone door rumbles and exposes a cavern beyond.
As you all gather up and proceed into the cavern, it twists to the right and you can make out a flickering light from the distance.
Continuing deeper, you enter a small alcove where several desks are arranged along the northern and eastern edges. Whereas the stonework leading to this chamber is rough, the walls in the alcove are polished.
A single gem rests among the neatly filed papers on the desk, emitting a soft luminescence that brightens the small room.
It will take the Society weeks of hard work at the Grand Lodge, but this seems to be Eylysia's hidden trove of lore!
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Tynat, unimpressed by the glowing gem, instead shuffles through the collected papers on the desk.
"Tynat thinks he has found the lost chronicles of note - gnome's friend. Tynat thinks THIS is what Dreng was up to all along."
-Posted with Wayfinder
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Tynat scowls at Zandu's retreating back, disgusted at his lack of intellectual curiosity. Having stuffed the papers into his pack, he decides he does like the shiny gem after all, abs grabs that too.
-Posted with Wayfinder
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Hanabi mutters a spell under his breath and a Humanoid figure of light appears. It walks briskly leading the way straight back to the passage entrance, and Hanabi follows about 20 feet behind.
-Posted with Wayfinder
6+2+3-1=8/4=+2
Initiative:
After packing up Eylysia's works, you return back through the passage and emerge into the main area of the Shrine of the Fallen.
However, you are not alone.
Two men, a dwarf and halfling stand in your way, weapons drawn. Displayed proudly on their belts is the vile symbol of the Aspis Consortium.
The scarred dwarf in the back speaks.
"Ach, lookee what we found 'ere lads, a convenient group o' Pathfinders to murder n' take their findings... again! HAR HAR!"
His three allies take their cue, and begin to advance with weapons drawn, but not before Tynat and Ebonfeather, even faster on their feet, react to the threat at hand.
N = Dwarf with an unholy symbol of Norgorber, studded leather, shield, shortsword
B = Human with greatclub and chain shirt
S = Halfling with leather armor and rapier
E = Half-elf in robes
Round 1:
25 Ebonfeather :
19 Tynat :
18 Vile Aspis Agents :
11 Zandu :
8 Hamasaki :
5 Cesare :
Now Up: Ebonfeather, Tynat
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Tynat steps forward to the space vacated by Ebonfeather.
"Aspis will pay for rejecting Tynat's applicati- err... Tynat means for daring to interfere with Pathfinders on a mission.!"
Tynat quickly mixes up a vial of hissing chemicals and hurls it at B.
As it explodes in a burst of flame and smoke, he draws his longspear.
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for
for
for
Evoker target (1=C,2=E):
Magic missile vs Cesare:
Ebonfeather advances and shows his spell-casting prowess to the Aspis, but unfortunely misses his strike. Tynat proves luckier as his bomb detonates on the brutish thug and the half-elf wizard nearby.
The brute begins to foam at the mouth and charges straight ahead, ignoring of any damage he's sustained and tries to take Cesare unaware. As his greatclub impacts with the top of Cesare's skull, a sickening breaking sound can be heard .
The dwarf and halfling give each other a nod, showing they're some sort of well-organized Aspis unit that has been dispatched to deal with Pathfinders before.
"Kill th' Tengu!"
The halfling deftly tumbles past Ebonfeather, but holds his blades until his dwarven ally steps up and stabs with his own shortsword. As Ebonfeather finds himself flanked by the two Aspis agents, the halfling's rapier finds Ebonfeather's back and vitals . As the dwarf observes the tengu's blood spilling on stone, he almost cackles with glee.
"Ach! Tis red just like th' rest o' us! HAR! I win th' bet!"
The half-elven wizard, appearing annoyed, sneers at his companions, and with an outstretched hand, tries to determine who he will "finish off" and decides upon Cesare .
Through gritted teeth, he advices his fellow agents, "Stay focused, we have them..."
Round 1:
25 Ebonfeather : Moves up to S, misses with touch spell
19 Tynat : Throws bomb, hitting B for 8hp, E for 2hp
18 Aspis Brute (B) (-8hp): Rages, charges, hits Cesare for 17hp
17 Aspis Slicer (S) : Tumbles past Ebon, readies
16 Aspis Dwarf Neophyte (N) : Creates copy cat, 5ft up to Ebon, attacks and misses
15 Aspis Slicer (S) : Ready goes off, attacks Ebon, hits for 8hp
18 Aspis Evoker (E) (-2hp) : Magic missiles Cesare for 3hp
11 Zandu :
8 Hamasaki :
5 Cesare :
Round 2
25 Ebonfeather :
19 Tynat :
Now Up: Everyone!