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One crouches as if preparing to ambush its prey.
Cunning
The second is roaring as it leaps at prey.
Bravery
The third wears a yoke that is chained to a large block that the lion strains to pull.
Perseverance
The fourth wears a tiny pair of spectacles and reads from an ornate scroll.
History
The fifth is draped in the flag of Taldor.
Loyalty
The sixth sits erect and wears a crown.
Nobility
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Niko knits his brows in concentration, before finally looking up, a hint of a smile on his face. "I think I have it. Remember the phrases, “Persevere, persevere, persevere!”, “In the end, loyalty is its own reward.”, “A cunning lie is never told twice.”, “To serve Taldor, I must first learn the history of Taldor.” Niko grabs the the statues of cunning, loyalty, history and perseverance. "You notice the words, first, twice, end and the persevere was written three times. I believe the order is History, Cunning, Perseverance, and lastly, Loyalty."
Niko places the lions and....... the door opens.
Chests of expert craftsmanship line the walls, and on the far side of the room stand two bookshelves burdened with yellow paged tomes and sundry ancient trinkets. Banners and tapestries cover nearly every inch of the walls, each representing long dead nations or depicting conflicts left not chronicled.
As part of the time spent searching for texts, you run across a heavy bronze shield decorated with a lion’s head in the same style as the Guardian’s. Maybe this would be proper receptacle for Guardian?
Grave Consequences
This is a thin journal that explores the origins of Tar-Baphon, studies the circumstance of his lichdom, and analyzes what the author
knew of his necromantic techniques from the perspective of a scholar
searching for a weak spot in the Whispering Tyrant’s defenses.
Lines of Succession
This long scroll details the rules of succession throughout the history of Taldor. It also highlights times when the nation chose an heir in a way that was an exception to the rules. This matches the description of what the Pathfinder Society is tasked to recover for Princess Eutropia.
You get the sense that the performance above is about to end in 4 minutes which means that you need to leave!
You all take the shield back to the Guardian. "I like your resourcefulness. This shield used to have an enchantment similar to own own, once. It will make for a fine receptacle. The name is Glorymane by the way."The Guardian gingerly grasps the shield in its mouth and concentrates for a minute. As it does so, the shield’s patina recedes leaving a bright and burnished surface. The inside of the shield also bears the inscription “Glorymane,”.
You make your way back just as Tobias comes in to check on you. He hurriedly escorts you out and you make your way to VC Muesello. He excitedly welcomes you back. "So what have you learned on your field trip today?"
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"Ser Muesello, we have notes of a number of things. We learned of their tactics."
Encarthan Maps
These maps depict Lake Encarthan, the Isle of Terror, and the nations that surround it. Of particular interest are the hundreds of hand-drawn notes and lines showing troop movements, preserving the changing plans of the brilliant generals who orchestrated the Shining Crusade.General Logbooks
These journals record the perspectives of Taldan generals that led various phases of the Shining Crusade. Collectively, they provide valuable insight into challenges the crusaders had to overcome.
~~~
Wadsworth saves the following bit for the faction leader, unless Musello is unhappy with a lack of info provided (or Tim anyone mentions the Horn.
"Additionally, we learned of something that may help with the combat."
A Silver Horn
This text describes in detail an enchanted silver horn capable of granting courage in times of need, which Taldor used for the fifth Army of Exploration and much later during the Shining Crusade, when it was shattered into several pieces. A priest of Aroden prophesied that even if re-forged, the instrument would never sound again, and it was given a hero’s burial. The text mentioned nothing of the horn’s present location.
"You have done well. I commend you on your work."
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Niko follows suit and removes the notes he has taken along the way. "I did find some interesting tomes and took notes." Niko steps a little closer to Musello. "Sir, I have found a few references to the cipher, but the message you gave me still eludes me. I believe it is a combination of cipher types, but did not have the time to study them further."
Failed Prophecies
This text gives a detailed analysis of hundreds of proclaimed “ironclad” prophecies that have failed since the disappearance of Aroden. The author speculates that any prophecy made by Arodenites should be viewed with considerable skepticism.Enemy Analysis
This tattered, leather-bound book describes the tactical considerations that the generals of the Shining Crusade had to consider when fighting supernatural foes. It includes many ways for the rank-and-file soldiers to mitigate the damage dealt by powerful spellcasters.
Taldan Cipher 2
According to this text, one common cipher involves changing each consonant into the letter that comes three places after it in the alphabet and changing each vowel into the letter that comes two places before. For example, D would become G, U would become S, and Z would become C. (Since the vowels rotate backward and the consonants rotate forward, it’s a particularly puzzling cipher to break).
Taldan Cipher 3
This text contains an example of an encoded message that
uses a common substitution cipher (in which each letter
represents a different letter). It claims that “DQFIZ KPIED
WZYWS QIVKO ZKXFW ZIMVT DQFXW CFPAF PDFZ VFTJF” translates to “The orcs of Tar-Baphon circle around the lake’s western edge.
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Dude, if this was RL, I'd probably wouldn't have got it before the store closed. I kept going at it the wrong way, trying to use the code on the cipher, rather than working backwards to arrive at the cipher. Sheesh!