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"We'd need some sort of list of aspirants, to see which one would have been associated with 'blade.' I'm sure that such a list can be found somewhere in the Grand Lodge. Or at any number of gambling parlors near the Cathedral; it sounded as though betting on whether an aspirant succeeds is quite the thing."
Would it be Know (Local) or (History) to see if there's an appropriate place?[/ooc]
The wall does not detect as magical as Chortles examines it.
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"Or we could investigate the Shrine of the Failed. That's where aspirants who didn't pass the Test are buried...or remembered, in the case of the ones whose bodies weren't able to be recovered. The people at the Shrine are probably getting a place ready for Sir Ride-Hard, or whatever his name was. The fellow they were talking about back in the bar." The witch glances sidelong up at the sky. "If you pass, Sir Ride-Hard, I'm sorry for forgetting your name."
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Ísvindur shrugs as they head towards the Shrine of the Failed. "Maybe we'll see this man attempt the test." His tone is surprisingly excited, more excited than you've heard so far.
"FAIL! FAIL!" the raven cries.
"Verður þú að vera hvíldarlaust?" the tall northman responds, shaking his head.
The Pathfinders discuss Sir Reinhardt's attempt to attain godhood as the walk toward the Shrine of the Failed. Indeed, as the valiant knight prepares to charge his steed across the chasm outside Starstone Cathedral, it seems the group has unrestricted access to the Shrine of the Failed. The city guard or any few caretakers the shrine may have
appear to have left to watch Sir Reinhart’s attempt.
Shrine of the Failed is a dour complex that pays homage to those who failed in their attempts to overcome the Test of the Starstone.
Down a few steps and inside, a monumental chamber stretches eighty feet from end to end, with a ceiling suspended thirty feet from the floor by great pillars. Seven arched passages lead to humble rooms, each of which contains a polished stone altar dedicated to one of the failed aspirants who attempted the Test of the Starstone.
Trhough each of the seven arched passages are chambers containing a small stone altar to one of the failed aspirants. Each altar stands upon a raised dais and bears a small brass nameplate identifying the aspirant and the
would-be-god’s areas of interest.
The last chamber on the left seems to have the correct portfolio, and the Pathfinders are able to find the name "Hollis 'Evil Grin' Thorne."
Sara finds that the nameplate seems to move, revealing a miniature chalkboard and a thin piece of chalk.
door hidden by an illusion against the room’s west wall,
though you can’t see any means to unseal the door.
Upon Isvindur's writing on the chalkboard, suddenly an illusion is dispelled, which had concealed a stone portal, which opens with a grinding sounds.
The cavern beyond the secret door is made of stone. This cavern is dark but for dim illumination.
Although the cavern has the aesthetic of a natural cave,
you can recognize the walls are not natural;
rather, someone cleared this area using stone shape spells.
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Ansha gestures expansively at the cave entrance as she half-turns to look at Ilarien. "This cavern isn't natural; a fairly powerful spell-caster crafted it using spells that shape stone," she explains, taking a step closer to look inside the cavern's mouth. "I doubt they're still here, but it's something to be aware of."
The Pathfinders venture into the unnatural passage. It meanders a bit to the west, then the north. Finally, it opens into an alcove.
Several desks are arranged along the northern and eastern edges of this small stone alcove. Whereas the stonework leading to this chamber is rough, the walls in the alcove are polished. A single gem rests among the neatly filed papers on the desk, emitting a soft luminescence that brightens the small room.
Ansha finds that a contnual flame spell has been cast on the alexandrite, and the gem itself appears quite valuable.
The paperwork on the desk seems to be a priceless collection of Pathfinder Society lore and information describing dozens of unexplored sites.
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Ilarien extinguishes the glow on her staff and inspects the papers, scratching her head. "I have no idea what language this is, but the drawings suggest something that absolutely must be conveyed to the Ar--to the Grand Lodge for careful analysis. Svin, I think we should leave everything here--I don't think anyone else will be able to get through Fimbrik's door--and get back to the Lodge quickly." I'll have to inform the Paracountess immediately.
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Sara stands next to Ilarien and goes through the papers "Hmm... Most are these seem to be written in an Azlanti dialect...that seems to be further encrypted using an old cipher employed by the Society centuries ago." Her eyes go wide. "This is a great discovery for the Society! It will likely take several weeks to fully uncover what we have here, but we should definitely bring it all back to the Grand Lodge immediately."
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Svin shrugs noncommittally as he begins carefully stacking papers, then arranging them carefully in his pack. He gives the bird, who is now CAW-ing loudly as it picks at the northman's hair with its beak, a long-suffering look.
"I'm accustomed to traveling with loud annoyances."
Once his pack is full, he reslings and resettles it on his shoulders and picks back up is axe. He seems ready once again to travel.
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"But these are old documents, and unless you have some skill at handling them you may destroy something irreplaceable. Were you just going to stuff these papers into a sack? And their location may also be important, showing what Eylysia thought might be related. I beg you to leave these for someone more skilled. Chortles, what have we done to remove the security on this place? A password on a piece of paper that only we have, a list of names that only we have, and a location that we only found after getting a message on an item that we have that can't even be used again? Unless someone followed us through all of that, where are they going to find the information they need to get into this place in the few hours it will take us to get someone here from the Grand Lodge?"
The group collectively decides to report back on their amazing find, and head for the exit. As they make their way past the secret door, several of the Pathfinders spot some concealed enemies, attempting to hide but not very skillfully. The enemies lurch from the shadows and attack!
Surprise Round - Initiative (bold may act)
Isvindur
Stonetree
Brute 2
Chortles - Surprised
Ilarien
Sara
Ansha - Surprised
Brute 1
Debilitator
Touched
All but Chortles and Ansha see the ambush! Isvindur and Stonetree are up in a surprise round! Remember a single action only.