The Blakros Museum rises into the night sky, its single black spire severing the full moon in twain. The black iron gates surrounding the exhibition hall grind in protest against the wind. Beyond, the museum’s large oaken doors stand wide open, a silver-gray mist belching forth from the cavernous darkness within. You wonder how you ended up here, standing at the precipice of unknown terrors, and instantly Venture-Captain Adril Hestram’s wide looming face is conjured into your minds’ eye. His booming words ring out from memory as clearly as he spoke them only one hour ago:
“The Blakros Museum is cursed. Some darkness has descended upon the place and those who enter are blasted with evil and left raving through its halls, more beast than men. The curator, Nigel Aldain, is an old associate of the Society, though he chose to leave our organization some years back after a disagreement.” Adril looked sheepish then, as if remembering some distasteful incident from his youth.
“Nigel has long denied the Society access to the Blakros Museum’s considerable collection of relics and scrolls, using his extensive contacts to nab several excellent finds right out from under us... he always had a nose for the hunt. Whatever is past between Nigel and the Society, he needs our help now. Perhaps if we can come to his aid, he may think on rejoining the Pathfinder Society, or at least offering to share his discoveries with us.”
“Apparently the trouble at Blakros Museum began this morning, shortly after a wayward Pathfinder named Lugizar Trantos returned to Absalom after months spent in the Mwangi Expanse. Supposedly, instead of coming straight to the Lodge to report in, he went to Blakros, sold his finds to Nigel, and then disappeared with a hefty sum of gold. The few who glimpsed Lugizar claimed he was much changed by his time in the Mwangi... gaunt, his eyes yellowed and unfocused, a strange rasping cough that seemed to wrack his now wasted frame. Whatever he brought back with him, we believe it is the cause of the Blakros Museum’s ills. Root it out.”
At that point Adril gave you a map of the museum , "I suggest you head to the offices first to find Nigel as he may have some insight into whatever foul curse vexes the place. Please, be fast and do not lose time on heavy research or buys -I know you pathfinders-, our friend might be in extreme trouble and every second is of high value"
That said, your memories come back to the present, and you are just standing in front of the museum doors, surrounded by a bunch of fellow pathfinders the Venture-Captain succeeded to desperately gather, a map and the little knowledge you might have prior today.
Much of the Mwangi’s darkest interior worships a demon lord named Angazhan, who is described in the
Book of the Damned as a thing of primordial darkness, a foul-breathed demon who grunts prophecies of
blood to apes and madmen. The jungle is his beating heart.
Lugizar Trantos spent the better part of a year in the Mwangi Expanse. At first he wrote letters to his brother and wife, but after a few months these stopped coming and most gave him up for dead.
Xoricon seems to be not very successful taking the attention of people today. Most he get to know is he is exactly in front of the main doors of the Blackros Museum.
|
(max 10)
The halfling glides forward to join the group before the museum. She bobs a curtsy to the group. "A pleasure to be working with you all. I am Etiana, faithful servant of Calistria. I hope you don't mind, but I took the time to speak with some locals before arriving. According to those who were close to him, it appears Lugizar Trantos spent the better part of a year in the Mwangi Expanse. At first he wrote letters to his brother and wife, but after a few months these stopped coming and most gave him up for dead. A sad story, really."
In his way out of the lodge Etiana asks to other Pathfinders about the Blackros Museum and Lugizar Trantos. This is what she got:
"Lugizar Trantos spent the better part of a year in the
Mwangi Expanse. At first he wrote letters to his brother
and wife, but after a few months these stopped coming
and most gave him up for dead.
His letters spoke of a lucrative find at one point,
three idols of dark wood carved in the shape of bearded
monkeys.
The last of his letters evidenced an unhinged
mind, and was covered in strange sketches of monkey
paws. He described dark eyes glaring out from the mists.
Shortly after his return to Absalom, many of the monkeys
and apes in the city’s menageries attacked their keepers
and fled into greater Absalom.
If anyone opens the entrance door, this is what the party see:
An unnatural cold permeates this chamber and the tendrils
of silver-gray mist flowing out the front archway into the
courtyard beyond seem to effortlessly pierce the flesh
and gently caress the bone in a cold embrace. The grand
entranceway’s vaulted ceiling is supported by six great
pillars of hewn black stone. Braziers mounted on the pillars
cast white radiance from balls of continual light. The light
glimmers eerily in the silvery haze that fills the atrium,
giving the impression of something alien watching from the
glowing fog.
Now, you are all in front of the Museum entrance. What will the party do next?
|
|
Despite her warm outfit designed for traveling, Etiana shivers from the unnatural cold's caress. Intinctively, she steps behind to follow the men and looks about her, wondering what the glowing fog may be hiding within its smokey veil.
"I do not like the feel of this place. It gives me the chills. I hope we find dear Nigel, and fast."
As the party enters the museum the mist surrounds you. It is quite clear this is not part of the museum entertainments and something weird is going on.
The mists you are breathing starts affecting your mind and Ragnar suddenly becomes a brutish ape-like proto-creature and attacks you.
An afflicted creature’s Intelligence and Charisma scores
are both reduced to 6, and the creature gains a +2 bonus to
its Strength and Dexterity scores. Additionally, the creature
becomes immune to fear, gains a +10 bonus on Climb checks
(and a climb speed of 20 feet), and gains a +5 bonus on
Acrobatics and Stealth checks. The creature also gains a slam
attack (1d4 damage for Medium creatures). This template adds
+1 CR to the base creature.
Charisma- and Intelligence-based spellcasters (such as
bards and wizards) under the effects of the mist are rendered
incapable of casting spells due to the ability loss (see page 17
of the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook).
The brutish ape-like creature slams Xoricon hitting him in the stomach as he is astonished by the sudden change.
The brute turns to Eisen and hits him in the breast with a big punch.
Eissen slashes over the ape bruttish shoulder causing a considerable slash.
The brute gets total out of himself and tries to finish up Eissen but a ray coming forth out of Etiana's hand impacts the ape-like that stops in place open and closing his eyes trying to react without success.
Etiana's ray dazes Ragnar but he is still able to dodge the frost ray jumping to one side. Even dazed by the ray he still looks at you in a fury not recognising the party members.
A half-orc appears within the Mist stating he can be of help.
Xoricon arrow hits the brute ape in one shoulder. The wounds are just too much for him and the beast-like man hits the floor with a resounding "Plaf!".
You see then how a mist smoke-like gets out from his mouth and the fighter body returns to normality. Ragnar is unconscious but seems free of whatever affliction has came to him.
|
|
As Ragnar falls, Etiana rushes forward and cradles his head in her lap as she checks over their ally. After watching the mist leave the body, Etiana calls forth Calistria's divine energy, and waves of healing power wash over the allies.
She watches the fallen fighter carefully as he comes to, ready to daze him in case he shows further signs of aggression against her and the party. "Poor Ragnar...are you ok?"
Ragnar seems almost fully restored and totally under his own control.
The other members of the party are fully healed by Etiana channel energy.
The party protects their mouths with some scarfs and other cloths, avoiding the mist to go inside their bodies.
They slowly advance through the entrance hall and approaches the museum corridor. Three different options appear in front of them, follow the corridor to the Grand Exhibits hall, take the southern door to the Beasts of Legend hall or the northern door to the Honored Dead Exhibits.
|
"Hi people I'm sorry for don't present myself before. I'm Shagruk a druid half orc that comes of kingdom of the lord of mammoths. I would like to find valuable relics. I'm sure will be in this place!"
Shagruk takes out a dice from his pocket saying. "If you wanna choose a path. My dice can be useful to our first destiny."
You open the door to the Beasts hall and observe the new room.
A large placard above the entryway to this hall reads “Hunting
the Beasts of Legend” in great block letters. This gigantic
chamber is relatively free of mist, and darkness is held at bay by
braziers of radiant light. Behemoths occupy these halls, great
taxidermy nightmares such as a two-headed bear easily taller
than an ogre; a great desiccated beetle, its carapace larger than
the face of the clock tower of Absalom’s Clockwork Cathedral;
a massive specimen of chimera, its jaws open in a mock roar;
and an assembled skeleton of a tyrant lizard. The walls here
are studded with strange masks, staves, spears, and other
implements of long forgotten cultures, most likely used in ritual hunts of the beasts preserved here. The room has 50' height.
A pair of helm-like masks mounted on the southern wall.
As you move into the center of the room, the “helms” begin to crack and slough their stony outer layer.
No one seems to realize and on the following round, the masks burst free in a shower of dust and stone shards and attack.
Both masks start flying close to the top of the room and shouting with a terrible shriek!