Rameth alls out to those going in the info about the various bodies.
almost forgot about those. What kind of things? We found lots of stuff.
sm using last inspiration
Ibrahim seems like he's fishing for something in particular that may have been in the Sanctum, but you can't tell what.
He's definitely interested in first bid for something, but he doesn't seem to be intent on cheating you.
Well if there is something you are looking for speak up, I have too many new bruises to play games. Rameth grumps in his usual way
I mussst confessss I have an...inordinate fondness for funerary masssksss. Tell me, did you...find any unusual onesss?
Sure, I got 6 golden ones and 1 Onyx one. A bargain at 650 gold.
His crooked smile appears and you see an unfamiliar gleam in his eye.
A bargain, perhapsss but...a bargain for whom?
He claps his hands and a functionary comes forward with a chest. He opens the chest and counts out 65 gold bars worth 10 gp each.
Here you are my...friend, 650 measssuresss of gold.
He takes the masky and bundles them together to be placed on a cart.
Would you...like a ride back to town? No charge I...assssure you.
[ooc] bah should've asked for more lol! This is an interesting but with him. Did you add this yourself or isnhenspelled out like this in the books?/ooc]
works for me. As long as we are both honest with each other I foresee a profitable future for us.
No ride back for now we have to go to the temple and report.. Rameth trudges off to the temple.
"Rameth, if you pass me the pearl, I can heal you up a bit."
The temple bustles with activity as the sun is setting and the regular worshipers coming for the sunset service mingle with more adventures coming with reports for the priests and bringing wounded to the healing tents in the courtyard.
As you approach you notice that Azubah has been speaking to the air for a while and ignoring your progress.
As you approach you see the bald clerk from yesterday scribbling on a long papyrus roll.
Ah, more intrepid adventurers. How can I assist?
Rameth tosses it to him.
Just here to report our findings. Blah blah blah, skeleton, blah blah blah bandits, blah blah blah traps, blah blah blah.
The clerk looks at Rameth squarely and sighs.
Sir, are you drunk?
Calin deftly catches the pearl and begins to cast.
"As it seems to have lost it's luster for now, I think I will.
Nope, but I am working on it. Rameth says as he takes a huge swig of whisky. Come on you know what all happened in there.
We do not know what happened in...
He consults another papyrus role, mumbling something about "obnoxious Varisian barbarian" as he finds the appropriate line.
The Sanctum of the Erudite Eye. That is precisely what we sent you to discover. Did you find any undead? Were the tombs disturbed in any fashion? Did the Sanctum shed any light on the Plague of Madness?
Rameth sighs theatrically. He recounts everything that happenned with detail on all the creatures encountered.
Which is exactly what I said the first time.
The acolyte's eyes sharpen at the mention of another group of adventurers in the ruins.
That woman! A terrible nuisance and interfering in the holy work of Pharasma and Khemet III's royal decree. It's good that she's dead, although I shudder to think of how she'll be judged at the gates to the Boneyard.
He watches as a scarab flies by and lands briefly on Dwalindor's shoulder and then flies off.
Thank you for your reports, you have the thanks of the Temple of Pharasma and His Royal Highness Khemet III.
He pulls a third papyrus scroll to him and pulls a quill from an ink well as he starts righting intricate hieroglyphs in front of you.
As a sign of your great labor, aside from the treasures that you have gathered you may ask a reasonable boon from the Temple. Is there anything that we can do for you or your fellows?
A reasonable boon, huh. How about...
The church of Pharasma's reach is extremely extensive, although diminished due to the death of Aroden and its impact on prophecies in the last 100 years considering her portfolio.
A reasonable request could be healing a disease or removing a curse, communicating with the dead, storing wealth and issuing a coded letter of credit to be redeemed in another city, holding a special service in honor of an ancestor or any other standard temple service.
Raising the dead or a miracle are outside your reach.
Sir Howard? You still around? Rameth mutters under his breath
Indeed! I was just considering the events of the past few hours. Most extraordinary, most extraordinary indeed!
Whatta ya say, want me to secure your release to the whereeverafter you wanna go? I got a boon from the temple on loan right now.
Oh, well! That's extraordinarily kind of you, of course, but to be honest I think I'll continue to follow friend Azubah around. He's deciding on a new direction and it sounds jolly exciting.
He looks around a bit furtively.
Plus, I've been a ghost so long I'm not sure I'd be all that welcome in the hereafter. Pharasma frowns on ghosts, you see.
You sure? You could also follow us if you want.
Oh, I say, that's quite flattering. Are you sure you'd want me along? I do tend to natter on a bit and you seem to be the only one of your fellows besides Azubah who can see me at the moment?
I dunno. Trip probably can. We gotta hire a few more folks as well, so maybe one of them can as well.
Howard waves his hand in front of Trip's heads that are sticking out of your pack, Trip remains blissfully unaware of Sir Howard.
Bah. Rameth shrugs.
Alright. We are down some folks. We need some folks gifted in the healing arts, in return we have a friend, who is a great fighter who is looking for work. Not the type of woman to put behind a desk, but I am sure she would have a value. Offer her a job at good pay, with some adventure in it, and send someone to work with us. I am sure you have some clerics who would be interested. And if you can't do that then give us an IOU, I am sure that we will face more curses and the like.
Rameth takes a hit of whiskey Sounds good?
The priest puts a finger in his ear and jiggles it around.
I'm sorry, I think I had something crazy stuck in my ear. For a second it sounded like you wanted me to give some random woman a role in the temple of the goddess Pharasma in exchange for a priest. Like trading horses, or slaves.
How is that any crazier than. "I know! Let's hire a bunch of greedy mercenaries to go into tombs and trust them to report exactly what happenned, and not embellish or destroy things that you need."
I should've been a politician
The priest sighs and holds up his fist.
Well, there's three problems with that comparison.
He extends a finger as he counts things off for you.
One, you're assuming that we won't be able to verify what happened through other means or tell when people are lying.
He then extends a second finger. Two, in that scenario we aren't giving greedy mercenaries a cleric in trade for someone they picked up in a tomb.
Ticking off a third finger he concludes And three, you're assuming the greedy mercenaries would be willing to risk the wrath of the Osiriani pharaoh and the most powerful church in Osirion over a shabby deception while they're hundreds of miles from any land border or the seas to escape the immediate reach of these powerful forces.
Oh fine. Ignore a chance to get rid of a problem child that you might have in the temple. We all know you have one. Send them off for good employment, meanwhile gain a hard worker for a good job. No slavery, fair contracts. Rameth takes another hit, starting to slur.
Just give us an IOU then for a service from the temple, so next time we roll into one for you and get cursed we can get it taken care of.
The acolyte rolls his eyes at having to deal with such an ignorant lout and takes a small parchment scroll from the side of the table he sits at.
He proceeds to write out a sequence of words in Osiriani, Common, and Kelish, then takes a block of blue wax out and holds it over the flame from an oil lamp providing illumination in the dim light. He places a small ribbon with a bronze pendant at the bottom and drips the wax over the top of the ribbon affixing it to the parchment and finally presses a seal into the wax in the shape of the Pharasman spiral with hieroglyphs identifying the Grand Mausoleum.
The parchment, in all languages, reads: "Be it so known that the bearer of this parchment is granted a boon by the Church of Pharasma, not to exceed the limits of the Natural Law, in gratitude of service performed at the direction of the Grand Mausoleum of Wati."
The Natural Law is a concept of Pharasman religion relating to the cycle of life. The limits of the Natural Law would exclude resurrections, miracles, the animation of undead or the imbuement of magical items altering the property of physical matter from your grasp.
The language does allow for the removal of wounds, magical influences including charms and curses or other natural maladies and diseases at your request without paying the donation typically required for said services.
I got your natural law... Rameth drinks more, then heads back to the pub to find his lady friend, and share some booze and perhaps a wrestling match with her.
"Well, now that's settled, where to now? I'm thinking that it might be a good idea to sell whatever we can so that we can gear up for our next task."
No shellings...we haff to waith for the auctionses.
Rameth is well into his drinking by now, he is not falling over drunk or anything, but he enunciation is not exactly a lesson in elocution.
Idorii is indeed at the tavern and she winks at you as she's talking to a number of different group leaders about escorting their caravans full of treasure out to the sea or to the auction house - many of the adventuring parties have become rich enough, or at least have the appearance of obtaining enough wealth, to retire happily from whence they came. Azaz is gathering his own belongings and gives you a brief farewell before leaving the tavern. He is journeying to Sothis in hopes of starting over after Khelru's death.
The braggart, Fusto, you met the last two nights in the Tooth and Hookah waves cheerily after seeing you. His team is likewise intact and though they have a few nicks and scrapes they seem fine. A huge number of bottles are sitting on their table, mostly containing palm wine or Osiriani beer.
Albus separates from you and makes a beeline to Sigrun Firehair, the redheaded bard he met your first night in the tavern. Her group has the healthy glow that comes from magical healing, and their gear has some hastily applied patches over their arms, torsos and fresh nicks in their weapons.
Sumak is talking with Marrn, who is excitedly gesturing to the giant schnauzer sitting next to him at a table, panting in the dry heat and then drinking deeply from a bowl of water that's displaced the hookah in the middle of the group of halflings. Sumak is apparently regaling the Dog Soldiers with a story of Indiana Baggins once riding in front of pack of dogs to turn back an orc invasion.
Azubah has collected his belongings, and, after a brief farewell to the various companions, departs the tavern after explaining that Aroden has called him West. A crew of pirates under the infamous brawler Balthe Synder, apparently claimed to have found the ruins of a cathedral filled with rare scriptures from The History and Future of Humanity that Azubah believes may have clues as to the location where Aroden has been, in his words, imprisoned.