The crowds thin out as you once again enter the more residential district of the Wise Quarter. The buildings here are much larger and more lavish than any you've seen yet today. Many have sentries posted at the front door or dogs left loose to wander yards that are walled in by stone, brick, or iron. Indeed, the Grand Councilmember's estate is set well back from the street from which you approach; a single guard, clearly of Osirian decent, is standing attentively at the wrought-iron. A keen-looking falcion hangs from his belt in plain sight and within easy reach.
The guard eyes the lot of you as it becomes clear that he stands before your intended destination.
The guard nods and, in a thick Osirian accent, says, "I understand. You are expected." Without further fanfare, he unlatches the gate and pushes it aside. A flagstone path leads up to a pair of grand double doors. You spy one or two servants, also of Osirian pursuation, tending to the yard. None of them seem to pay you any mind as you approach the estate.
As Andrazi reaches for the door, it begins to open. On the otherside, a thin man with leathery skin stands before you. "You are the Pathfinders sent to do business with Grand Councilmember Salhar," it's more of a statement rather than a question. The servant recedes into the estate, not bothering to check if you are following him. "Grand Councilmember Salhar is not present today, I'm afraid. He was called away on Council business. However, his trusted advisor is available to negotiate any business you may require." As he talks, he leads you down well-decorated halls and past expansive rooms. After a few minutes, you arrive at a simple study near the end of a long hallway. Inside a tan-skinned old man sits behind a desk flipping though pages in a large tome. Scraps of paper jut from the book marking over two dozen different pages. As your group approaches the open door, the wise sage silently gestures for you into the study as he continues to read.
The man before you closes the tome after finishing what he was reading.
“Good day to you, Pathfinders. I am Amenopheus, the Sapphire Sage, advisor to Master Salhar. I understand you were sent here to discuss archaeological permissions. Knowing this was coming, I spoke with Master Salhar at length on the subject and have this to say.
“Since Osirion was reopened to exploration a decade ago, adventurers, historians, and treasure-seekers flock to my country by the hundreds, perhaps thousands. While most families with ancestral burial vaults maintain guards and keep their sites out of the hands of casual thieves, not all families have the wealth or power to restrict everyone, and as we all know, not every defense is perfectly secure. Unscrupulous tomb robbers and maligned merchant organizations cause
Osirion to bleed relics into the Inner Sea—something the descendents of Ancient Osirion cannot afford. We Osiriani have thousands of years of rich history coursing through our veins, and while that power has been out of focus in recent years, we are content to wait, knowing our enemies will wear themselves down. As they fall into arrogance, folly, or greed, we wait for our return to power, knowing we bear the riches of our ancestors at our feet.
“Master Salhar remains impressed by the Pathfinder Society, orating in their favor a handful of times in front of Absalom’s Grand Council, in fact. Due to previous relationships between him and the Society, Master Salhar has agreed to grant permission to the Pathfinder Society to explore his family’s vaults below Sothis. The only thing he requires is that you retrieve the map of the vaults from his own vault here. The servant will lead you to the basement and show you the room.”
The Sapphire Sage’s eyes twinkle as he smirks knowingly, then he turns back to reading his book as though he had never been disturbed.
|
Tanrov, still puzzled by the ninja's humor, quickly forgets the jest with Srina and Andrazi's words.
"Okay 'Rina", Tanrov says with grin. "I won't disappoint you. I know all about swinging this thing", Tanrov says indicating his hammer.
"You really think so Andrazi? You've seen a minotaur before!?", the barbarian youth asks in excited disbelief. "My brothers would be very jealous if they heard I wrestled with one on my first Pathfinder mission".
Once again, without giving you a second look, the servant starts off down the hall. He leads you back through the spacious estate, eventually taking you down study stone steps into the cool basement. Down a hallway, after a couple turns, the party ends up at a plain wooden door. The servant opens the door, gesturing to the room with a bow, and waits silently for you to enter.
A plain stone room contains three chests: a copper-banded chest of smooth, dark wood; a red lacquered chest; and what looks to be a cube of solid steel. Behind the chests sits a low table holding a clear glass jar half full of liquid and a covered wicker basket.
Once you have all entered the room, the servant shuts the door and you hear the sound of him locking it behind you. Written on the back of the door is the message: “Within these cases lies your quest and your way out.”
|
|
Tanrov immediately becomes crestfallen when he sees the room does not, in fact, contain a minotaur.
When the servant locks the party in the room the burly youth's mood brightens again, "So this is some kind of test?"
Following Ghost's instructions, Tanrov examines the room's contents carefully without touching anything.
"What do we do?"
The wicker basket is about two feet round and appears to need no key to open.
The gallon-sized clear glass jar is about half full with a clear liquid. At the bottom of the vessel sits a jeweled brass key.
The copper-banded chest is relatively unremarkable. A simple keyhole is built into the front of it.
The smooth, red lacquered chest looks devious. The solid metal plate surrounding the gaping keyhole pulses with glowing amber runes.
The steel cube has only the faintest crack where its lid meets the base, and would be completely featureless save for its narrow keyhole. The
Testing his theory, Tanrov suspends the tip of his dagger in the clear liquid. After a moment, there appears to be no reaction from either the liquid or the blade.
Srina begins searching the floor and perimeter of the room as Thoradin offers a prayer to his deity.
The hulking young fishes for the jeweled key, pressing it against the side of the jar with the point of his dagger. With surprising finesse for a man his size, Tanrov manages to work the key up the inside of the glass jar far enough to remove it from the liquid. Unfortunately, the curve of glass, the opening of jar's mouth, and the size of his dagger conspire to make it virtually impossible to fully extract the key from its container in this method.