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It is leaking out powerful necromancy magic.
You see a flash of light and a transparent form appears in the room.
It's the guardian of this place projecting his image.
I see you defeated them...But at a great cost. Use the key to activate the archway and bring me his body and the index. I can use it's power to revive him. Leave the seal for now, once you are safely away I will use my remaining powers to fix it and collapse this entire structure to bury it. The defense can no longer keep out intruders so this is my only option remaining.
Bleyz nods and reverently and gently lifts Devhyn's body, carrying it with great care cradled in his arms. He lets others use the key to activate the archway....
Erik watches Bleyz in silence.
Achren takes the key and holds it up to the empty archway and a portal opens. He steps inside entering a pocket dimension. Inside there is a single room with a pedestal in the center and on it is a cube about 10 inches in diameter.
You head back and as he promised the keeper uses the power of the index to cast Resurrection on Devyhn.
Be warned that the cube when used emits a powerful energy it will have been noticed by those who know what to look for. They will know it was used. Now go take the Index and bring it to Sazed. I will collapse this place once you are gone. I have raised the stairway for you.
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Devyhn gasps as his lungs suddenly fill. His eyes fly open, and his back arches for a moment before he collapses back onto the floor.
He takes a few cautious breaths, and slowly pushes himself up into a seated position.
"I stood before Her, in the Bone Yard, atop the Spire...it was...beautiful...She said that Her Judgment depended on the actions of my friends..."
Devyhn looks around at his companions, and a look of comprehension forms in his blank expression.
"She let me return. The Lady of Graves still has need of me in this world."
Devyhn slowly stands and looks to his companions. "Thank you all, for saving me. It seems I need to make more sensible choices in the heat of battle...like standing behind the ones who are best at it." He looks apologetically at Erik, knowing that his brief death had probably shamed the man for failing in his oathbound duty.
Bleyz isn't feeling much better, but doesn't ask for aid, hoping such might come from Sazed. So much had been asked of the guardian already.
"The Index is not to be used lightly and I have already called on much of it's power under normal circumstances I would never have done so. Go to Sazed he will heal you."
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As the party makes its way to the surface, Devyhn says, "One of Pharasma's Black Seraph spoke to me while it carried my soul back to this world. It revealed to me that the Cult of Razmir is creating a new horror: living people whose souls have been removed. It described these soulless as being nearly invulnerable, as they cannot be slain. Only utter destruction or dismemberment can stop them. The Lady charged me to stop the Razmiran heretics from creating any more of these foul things, and to destroy all copies of the magical formula."
He looks to the others, trying to guage their reactions.
"Once the Index has been returned to Sazed, this is the path I must follow."
"You've got my assistance. Soulless unkillable beings shouldn't be running around... they need to be stopped before more are made."
"I have failed my oath once. I will travel with you until I allay that shame."
You make your way out of the underground structure and as promised the guardian collapses everything behind you.
With nothing else to do here you begin making your way back to town. The trip back is thankfully uneventful. [you get a days rest along the way]
You are approaching the ship were Sazed is waiting for you when you notice a man in a white robe approaching openly holding an axe made of obsidian and wearing the mask of a follower of Rasmir also made of obsidian.
The axe is dripping blood and his robe is stained. A group of town guards are moving to surround him even now but they are being cautious and keeping their distance.
"I have a bad feeling about this... That blood better not be Sazed's." Bleyz narrows his eyes as he observes the Rasmiran.
"I have a bad feeling about this..."
Erik draws his sword and moves towards the man, putting himself in front of the others.
The mask man charges forward and engages with frightening speed not saying a word and seemingly only intent on killing you.
You fight back but he ignores your attacks apparently feeling no pain and his wounds heal almost instantly.
You definitely in trouble but then Sazed arrives on the scene coming from the boat. As he gets closer he seems to grow in size and he towers over all of you when he gets close. He punches the mask man and sends him flying across town. Almost instantly after delivering the punch Sazed return to normal sized and seems unwell. He nearly collapses and is barely able to walk.
"Quickly get on-board the ship we must leave before it recovers."
You quickly head to the ship and they raise anchor and leave.
"it?" Bleyz asks, but doesn't wait for an answer, just boards the ship.
"You have heard of them?" says Sazed still weakened from his transformation. "They are creations of Razmir. He calls them his inquisitors. I don't know much about them but they are very fast, very strong and so far nobody has been able to kill one."
"A difficult task...but one we can work together to achieve...I am sworn to stop Razmir a traitor to the order of the keepers. Me and him are now the last two surviving members of the old order...Unfortunately my oaths prevent me from directly harming any living being."
"They are..not quite alive not quite dead...in between you could say. So I can attack them without breaking my oath. A loophole is you will...I must rest the ability I used to attack the inquisitor is going to leave me out of commission for a day or so as I overused it. Still I felt is necessary to not hold back anything just to be sure."
"Perhaps when you have recovered your strength, a little bit of restoration would be appreciated. Do not strain yourself further right now though, I will of course gladly wait until your strength returns."
"I will see to your healing as soon as I am able but first give me the index I must secure it." He takes the index and places it in a red box and seals it shut. "That should make it impossible to find using magic...Lets get some rest. You have earned and explanation of everything I will do so tomorrow."
You all get some rest and gather the next day you meet Sazed who is still in a weakened state but looking better. Sazed heals you of any ability loss at this point.
"As you no doubt know I am a member of a ancient order known as the keepers. The keepers are the descendants of a people known as the Terris. We all possess a powerful magical energy that is genetic to only our people. This magic is the ability to store something in metal in order to reclaim it later in order to surpass your normal limits. Such as strength, speed, memories, health, age, magic and more.
Long ago our people had many enemies who wanted to control our power or who feared us and so the order of the keepers was formed in order to save us from extinction. The keepers had magical oaths placed on them that they normally cannot betray and they agreed to act as safekeepers for everyone. Acting as a neutral party that would take anything of great importance and store it somewhere safe until it was needed again. The oaths were to never knowingly lie and to never harm another living being.
Long ago we were betrayed by one of our own that felt that the oaths were too restricting and he found a way to free himself of them. He stole some powerful artifacts and destroyed the order of the keepers. Using his powers as a keeper he wont on to call himself Razmir the living god and he means to conquer and rule as he feels it is his birthright as he was born superior to most humans.
He has already fooled many into thinking he is a god and if he ever got his hands on the index you retrieved from the vault he might really become one. It contains a massive amount of divine energy and religious knowledge stored whitin.
My goal is to stop him. I feel as the last remaining keeper it is my duty to see it trough. This alliance he has formed with the cult of the whispering way is strange to me and I feel it does not bode well. I need to visit my allies in Absalom to see if we have any more information to go on."
"Should we accompany you there to protect you? Or would we be more burden than shield?"
Erik listens solemnly to Sazed's tale.
"You're of course welcomed to come with me. Once we reach Absalom I will give you your wages for retrieving the index as we agreed on. From then on If you wish to continue working with me it will be as allies and not as my subordinates. You have already seen several good souls die at the hands of his followers and things will only get more difficult from here. Now that he knows that I have the Divine Index Razmir will be sending his very best to hunt me down."
The ship sails for a few days and Sazed makes a quick recovery. You reach Absalom in two days and the ship docks.
Sazed gives each of you 1500 gold and tells you to meet him at the grand pathfinder lodge when you are ready, or if you wish you can come with him.
You do you shopping and sell some the goods you acquired on your last expedition. You inquired about getting Erik's new sword enchanted and when your ready you go to the lodge with Sazed to go meet his contact there.
Sazed introduces you to his friend Reginar a venture captain of the pathfinder society who has some interesting news.
"You asked me to keep you informed on any movements the church of Razmir does and I have some interesting information for you. First of all Razmir continues to expand into the river kingdoms.
Just a month ago a herald of Razmir went to Riverton and demanded the rulers swear allegiance to Razmir and that their lands become part of Razmiran. They refused and that very night Razmir himself went out there and killed everyone in the town with a single spell. His men then marched in and took over and everyone in the surrounding lands had no choice but to acknowledge him as their ruler. The death toll was somewhere between two and three thousand.
He also made a move to expand his territory into the town of Kassen, on the Nirmathas-Lastwall border. This time not by force but buy trying to trick, coerce or bribe people into converting to their faith. I was able to put a stop to their plans there using two agents who infiltrated the Razmiran church in Kassen and uncovered enough evidence of their wrongdoings that the Tamran destroyed the church and exiled all Razmirans from the country.
During their undercover work my agents also uncovered documents relating to an expedition to the the Isle of Terror to look for the city of Xin-Grafar the former capital of the Tar-Baphon the whispering Tyrant. It is said to be the site of Tar-Baphon's wealth as well as the place were he was slain by Aroden. Of course the city has been sealed by then and the whole Island is a death trap. A group of experience pathfinder agents went on an expedition to find the city two years ago and never returned.
Still the notes we found included directions to the city and mentioned that they have the means to unseal it. We believe they are after an artifact called the staff of overflowing wealth. A creation of Tar-Baphon which is said to be able to turn anything it touches to gold.
The pathfinder society is willing to send another expidition to the island and the two agents who infiltrated the church have volunteered to join expedition it as well." he explains once your are seated and introductions are done.
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A fierce looking Kellid enters the room, he has furs draped over his shoulders and various shamanistic totems attached to his clothing, belt, boots.. You can also see what appears to be black dragon scale armour under his furs.
He looks around the room taking a quick appraisal of all.
"I am Arkon, Shaman of the Thunder Lizard People. Reginar here tells me that you can help us to stop the Agents of Razmiran gain untold wealth to fuel his mad schemes. If that is so, I say Welcome, it will be good to have others to fight by my side".
Arkon then takes a seat
"'Lo Arkon... says the dour monk...
"Volunteered, such a heroic word. Hah." Lyall, a tall, instantly recognizable as arrogant elf in a fine pale green cloak entered as well, letting Arkon take center stage as he slipped through with just his derisive comment.
Taking a seat and setting his dirty boots upon the table, he paid little attention to the others, plopping open a book.
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Remembering his etiquette lessons from his youth, Achren bows in welcome, the soft whisper of fine chains rattling as he does so. Not knowing quite what to do with an extra pair of arms and wings slightly spoils the effect, as does the thin rasping voice, but something about his presence is arresting and deceptively draws the eye.
"Welcome. Any friend of Sazed is a friend of our's."