"Ahh, thank you. I always find it so hard to navigate the bazaar." The Mithral Scarab rolls up her map again, pushing it into her bag and gestures for you to lead on, keeping up a steady stream of inane banter until you are far away from the 'Auction House'. After a few twists and turns of following you she whispers the proper directions to you, sending you off another way.
After a long winding path through the chaotic collection of semi-permanent tents, you finally arrive at a tattered tent on the west side of the Malhitu Bazaar, stopping a short distance away.
"Before we continue I must warn you all. The man you are about to meet is known as Raegos, and he has a deathly fear of writing. You will find out why after speaking with him, but I must ask you, put away any paper or writing implements, if he hears a single rustle of paper I fear he will not share with you what you need to know."
"Good to know," replied Zanos, as he took his waterproof bag and somehow managed to fit it entirely inside his unassuming haversack.
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I have seen and heard of many fear upon the Desert Sands. The winds have bring to my ears the cries of fear from death, loneliness, hunger...these are things that my fire cannot cleanse..
Lanialiar gave a puzzled look.
But to fear writing? To fear things that will burn in my presence...why fear such trivial things...Lanialiar do not understand..
Algharud gives a puzzled look. Fear of writing? You mean like a goblin? Sounds crazy.
"He might BE a goblin. Stranger things have been true. In any case, avoiding the written word can be simple enough."
"I am not familiar with these Goblins, but I will admit his fear is irrational. Please though, it has been difficult to uncover this information for you, so I would ask you to respect his wishes." The Scarab waits to ensure you all comply, before crossing to the tent, and opening the flap, allowing it to fall behind her.
The sight that greets you upon following her inside is unusual to say the least. Inside this battered gray tent is a home of humble means, complete with a small cooking fire. The tent’s hominess is disturbed, however, by dozens of strands of string, intertwining in a complex web as they run from the various pieces of furniture to the bed at the back of the tent. At the sound of the tent flap being opened, the sole occupant, an old blindfolded man turns towards the sound.
"Raegos, these are the people I told you about, they wish to hear your story." the Mithral Scarab informs the blindfolded man who simply stares indiferently in your direction. The Scarab looks to the group encouragingly.
Zanos stood near the back, waiting for those more versed in interpersonal skills to start the conversation.
This should be interesting, he thought idly, examining the contents of the tent.
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The Desert welcomes you old man, we are honored to meet you in your domain and we will respect and listen to what you have to share with us. Lanialiar did a slight bow. Significant for someone so proud...
Lanialiar senses that the old man carries a wealth of knowledge and that even she a natural predator on the desert sands will do good to honor such a creature.
"Greetings to you this fine day, mr Raegos. Please acquiant us with your tale."
Halistar then whispers to Algharud "Perhaps you should take a good look around outside, to make sure that nobody is trying to spy on us.
Algharud, dutiful mercenary he is, sometimes likes being given orders. So he turns around, silently whispers No goblin. and goes outside.
Algharud will patrol around the tent, trying to be hidden.
The bow is unfortunately wasted on the blindfolded man, but he tilts his head in her directs as Lanialiar speaks to him, smiling faintly. She gets the sense that more than any knowledge he has a great burden upon him, one that has bowed him down for many years. Even so he seems healthy, especially for one as advanced in years, though she would guess he is quite a bit younger than herself...
His attention shifts to Halistar as he speaks, and after a moment Raegos just nods, reaching up to run a hands along several of the lengths of string, until he reaches a chair and seats himself with a sigh. "So you wish to hear about the Pyramid...Very well." he agrees taking a deep breath as if marshaling his energy.
"What he did tell us was that the pyramid of the Four Pharaohs of Ascension was hidden on another plane of existence. I don’t know where, I just knew enough from the scholar’s description to know that it was a horrible place. Imivus explained that the pharaohs thought they would live forever after they crossed into the afterlife, so they designed a funeral mask that would enable them to call the pyramid back to our world once again, in case they ever needed to return."
"I remember the mask well enough. It was inlayed with gold and adorned with a headdress of feathers, dyed both red and black. After Imivus brought us miles to the southeast, to the base of four pyramids exposed by a sandstorm, he put on the mask. There was a great shimmer of light and a gigantic pyramid suddenly materialized in between the other four."
"The pyramid was a massive temple of green stone. I’d never seen anything like it before. Once deep inside, Imivus’s apprentice deciphered several of the inscriptions that littered the walls and floors. According to the inscriptions, the four pharaohs had declared that all intruders would be doomed to live out their existence as eternal guardians of the tomb. Apparently, anyone who saw the four symbols of the pharaohs’ namesakes would forever become enslaved monsters."
"At first I thought it was bluster designed to scare of thieves. I remember that Imivus ordered us to simply ignore the first few symbols as we came across them inside the tomb. But then Seraton, the party bowman, suddenly cried out in alarm, warning the rest of us to avert our eyes—he had seen the fourth and final rune. Moments later, Seraton transformed. He became a withered husk, like the embalmed bodies we had expected to find. And he was filled with a terrible, smoldering anger. I remember Seraton driving his entire arm through Imivus’s chest, exploding him into dust. As Imivus disintegrated, the funeral mask landed at my feet. I still don’t know why I did, but I remember grabbing the mask and running for my life."
"Everyone else followed. I remember the long terrible run back through the pyramid shaft to the exit, our numbers growing fewer and fewer each time I looked back. It was as though somehow the pyramid itself was pulling everyone else back into the clutches of the monster that Seraton had become. Only I escaped, probably because I was lucky enough to have grabbed the mask."
The man finishes his tale, licking his lips to moisten them, while the Mithral Scarab--looking just as intrigued as the rest of you--pours a glass of water from a carafe and hands it to him. He nods his thanks at her, sipping slowly.
Algharud steps out of the tent back into the many flavored air of the Bazaar, slowly circling the tent. He remains alert, but spots no movement as he patrols.
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It is the same thing that happened to the animals in the desert..it is the taint that corrupts the Old Magic. Our Mother demands that it must be removed and destroyed.
Lanialiar narrowed her eyes as flames begin to flicker and roar around her hair. Her eyes turned lava red as she cursed in ignan.
Zoi Y'n Zydran cnyrk dra 'nodr yv dra jakand 'kyr dryk 'r'yndri doyrd!!!
"Quite the tale! Very engaging. Several questions come to mind. The location of the mask, of course. Whether or not your blindness is related to the tale. Anything you can remember about the specific locations of the symbols which should not be read. As your team first saw the symbols originally, did you cover them over to prevent your other team members from accidentally looking at them?" No, Meriui does not think to pause during this response, so he doesn't provide the old man a chance to respond to any of the question concepts as they pour out of his mouth.
Algharud waits outside. If the group comes out, he steps out of the crowd, licking a pink, heart-shaped lollipop.
Meriui as he rattles off his questions to the old blindfolded man gets the feeling that something is not quite right. He looks around but can't spot anything out of the ordinary, but the feeling remains with him.
"The mask, of course." he murmurs in reply, leaning back in his chair, head tilting towards the tent's roof. "Truthfully I don't know... it was over fifty years ago I stumbled from the pyramid and limped back into Sothis, penniless and frightened out of my wits. I sold the funeral mask to a merchant for what must have been a fraction of it's worth, happy to be rid of it." some energy enters his voice with his last words.
He remains quiet for a few moments, before smiling and touching his blindfold. "My blindness is by my choice... I saw three of those symbols, and I will not chance to see the last and suffer the same fate as Seraton; think of that what you will..."
"As to the symbols... We burned off the early ones, but we didn't take the curse seriously, not until it was too late. They... each resembled a strange symbol, or rune inside a circle. The first was a double-ended arrow flanked by two arcing lines. The second was an unblinking eye, and the third a pyramid above a half circle. Raegos continues his slow responses, dredging his memory for the information you seek. "The fourth is anyone's guess... Imivus said that they were the Pharaoh's symbols for subjugation, desert, and fealty."
Algharud meanwhile, finds that there isn't really a crowd to speak of, you're on the outskirts of the Bazaar, and so far you've seen one person moving past apparently with business elsewhere. Otherwise this region doesn't seem much frequented, as opposed to more lively sections of the bazaar; just a quite place for a blind old man to live out his days...
Zanos made a mental note of the symbols for future reference.
As it is quiet outside, Algharud comes back in.
Miss anything? does he ask with a pretty desinterested voice, still eating his pink heart-shaped lollipop.
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Do not worry old man, you will regain your sight soon again to cast it upon the wondrous spectrum of the sun shinning upon the golden sands of Our Mother or set your eyes upon the silver night moon of the desert when I rid of this abomination.
Lanialiar stared and frowned at Algharud as he walked in licking his pink heart-shaped lollipop.
She turned towards Meriui and Halistar and speaks
I trust you know how to find this place. Bring us there and I will be in your debt...
The flames from Lanialiar leaped out and melted the lollipop in Algharud's hand.
try good berries, they taste better.
"You don't perhaps happen to remember the merchants name?"
Raegos turns in Lanialiar's direction as she promises the he will regain his sight, confused by her flowery language. He glances towards Algharud as he enters before Lanialiar's heat startles him. The Mithral Scarab places a gentle hand on his should and look at Lanialiar warningly as Raegos calms, and turns towards Halistar.
"I can't remember his name now, if I ever knew it. I am certain the buyer had no idea of what he was getting. I only told him that it was a pyramid of green stone."
Meriui responds to the old man's answers. "Sold the mask more than 50 years ago? It could be nearly anywhere, including either the Crook Bearer's collection or Varisia! Finding it should prove quite a challenge." He doesn't really expect a response, nor does he push the old man to respond to any of the other questions more quickly.
"I can't say that trying to avoid the fate you saw befall your friend is wrong, by any means. I don't know that I would go as far, but I think I understand the desire."
As the old man describes the symbols, Meriui starts to reach for a quill, ink and paper, but catches himself. "I am sorry for your friends that you can describe the first three symbols so well after all this time. Your need to avoid the fourth becomes clearer."
Algharud doesn't pay much attention to the talk, enraged by Lanialars little magic.
Then, he tries to jump over to Lanialar, grip her by her throat and lift her of her feet, hot, molten candy still sizzling upon his hand.
"Whoa, whoa, calm down guys. She didn't mean any harm Algharud, she just hasn't been around other people very much."
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Muttering an incantation Lanialiar used her innate ability Efreeti Magic as Algharud lifted her up with one hand.
As the arms and legs of Lanialiar began to take on an accelerated growth growing doubling her height and increasing in her weight. Algharud taken aback and was lifted into the air.
How dare you touch me filthy animal!!! How dare you touch the Mistress of the Desert Moon!!
Lanialiar boomed in a loud voice as flames became to burst forth from her crown and horns.
Letting go of Lanialiars throat, Algharud jumps back to his feet.
Then let it begin, Monster! I have slain worse than a bloated desert-cow!
Even those with the tiniest scrap of empathy can clearly feel, that Algharud is about losing control. His muscles swell, his veins grow clearly visible as blood pumps through. His right hand is twitching towards his falchion.
Raegos simply nods at Meriui's observations as to the possible location of the mask. "Yes. I'm afraid that's all I know, I have no wish to locate that cursed item again, and if you are wise you will leave it alone as well." Meriui's response to his self-chosen blindness earns him a grateful smile.
He seems about to respond again when you are interrupted by the quickly escalating scuffle between Algharud and Lanialiar. He looks around first in confusion and then in horror as Lanialar's rapidly expanding form encounters first several of the various bits of string--which easily snap under the pressure--and then the roof of the tent, forcing her to hunch as the stitching strains against her growing bulk. "Stop! What are you doing!" he cries, stumbling to his feet, knocking the chair over in his confusion as he reaches for strings that are no longer there, the complicated knot swaying loosely to the side with a goodly portion of it's lines cut as the two pathfinders scuffle.
As she grows Algharud is forced to release her throat, quickly adjusting his grip to somewhat awkwardly grasp her waist, pinning an arm to her side as he does so, his deeply held anger and hate bubbling just beneath the surface.
the Mithral Scarab bellows, her powerful voice commanding attention. "Cease this foolish squabbling. I did not bring you here to destroy this man's home! You are Pathfinders, behave like it!" her scorn his obvious, and she appears unperturbed as the tent wobbles and shakes with the motions of the enlarged Lanialar.
"Peace Algharud, peace!" Zanos added, his hands open with palms facing up.
"Lanialiar is a child of the desert. Her abilities come from nature itself, and they are neither good nor evil."
"Besides, there is enough danger before us, you need not look for more!"
Meriui is flabergasted. He stands where he was, looking from Lanialiar to Algharud, and back, and then to Halistar. He looks more upset at Halistar than he does the other two, even gesturing at him with both hands open and partially turned up, before going back to looking at the other two without any sign of comprehension.
"I can not believe that these two have chosen to behave in this fashion while we are guests in your home, Raegos. I see that they have caused damage, including breaking your paths through your home. I know that we have some work ahead of us that will not suit their temperments. Would you like for them to help you repair this damage that they have caused? Maybe do some additional chores to display to you the depth of the sorrow they feel as a result of their behavior?"
Seems to be your lucky day, witch. You can thank your makers instead of meeting them. With these words, Algharud takes a sugar cane out of his pocket and starts eating it, maybe with a tiny scrap of provocation in it... or may be not.
Back to business.
Halistar wipes his brow in relief "Wow, that was unpleasant".
"Seriously unpleasant," Zanos agreed.
"No that's... just leave. Please." Raegos shakes his head at Meriui's offer, only slowly relaxing, his shoulders slumped as he stoops to right his chair.
The Mithral Scarab meanwhile looks at you with annoyance. "Go. I will contact you if I discover anything further." her words are clipped, and without a further word she turns to right the poles knocked askew, ignoring you all.
Algharud does as he is told, firmly believing that "unpleasant" is just the description of Lanialiars "evil magic". His body language shows not the slightest sign of guilt.
"Well, where to now?" asked Zanos, as they stepped out of the blind man's tent.
We could snoop around, where this mask went. Maybe the merchants' guild can help or some historian. I think, buying some drinks for the right persons in the right places can help...Maybe the temple of Nethys - blessed be thy name!- knows more.
"Asking around about the mask is probably the best place to start. I think Halistar should take the lead on this, as he's proven to be good at interpersonal skills."
Edit: Halistar casts Heroism on himself, as well. Should really have done that earlier.