Hagrym's swing knocks aside Yjalk's blade and slashes him deeply from shoulder to thigh. Yjalk drops to one knee, as his female companion begins to rush forward, drawing her blade. Yjalk holds up one hand, stopping her. Looking at Hagrym from a half-kneeling position, blood pouring from his wounds, he mutters "I yield. I apologize for impugning your honor. I take back my words and we will leave this place, without our treasures." At this, Yjalk's companions throw down a backpack they carry.
Yjalk staggers to his feet, leaning upon his sword. "In my vision, I saw the doors of this place, leaning in the desert like a mouth. I saw three stars above the door: one green, one red and one blue. Inside the mouth I saw a bright light, shining like the sun on the snow. A voice cried that 'a great weapon awaits' and I fell into the mouth. I saw myself in battle, wielding a weapon of light against the foul lizard, yet I could not see the weapon for the brightness. Then I awoke and gathered my crew. We sailed for this hot place, and sought the door. Now I am here and I am denied my treasure. The ancestors will turn their face from me and I shall die, unsung and forgotten. Good bye, Pathfinders. I return to my land."
Yjalk nods woodenly and turns around and stalks out, closely followed by his companions.
The bag they left still sits there. Inside there are five crossbow bolts and two jars of alchemical salts, sealed with wax.
As you look toward the room you haven't seen yet, you see an archway. The arch around the north entrance to this hallway is covered with detailed carvings depicting the life and accomplishments of a female pharaoh. A charred corpse covered in flecks of glass is visible just inside the hallway.
Hagrym steps forward to examine the body but before he can get there there is a sudden explosion of sand and heat and wind around him! Fortunately he is able to cover his face and prevents some of the damage!
As quickly as it starts, the whirlwind subsides. The corpse is a human male, wearing light armor and clearly killed by the same trap that damaged Hagrym. Searching him you discover a broken wayfinder and a scroll tube, as well as a note. The note reads:
"Thanien,
Our agents in Qadira unearthed documents that were taken out of Osirion during the interregnum. They speak of an ancient group of scholar revolutionaries that were suppressed by the pharaohs during the Second Age. We believe we’ve pinpointed the abandoned fortress where some of these sages hid from the purges with their treasures. The documents say these scholars held priceless histories of Ancient Osirion, which we need you to retrieve and return to Absalom.
Assemble a team of the Scarab Seekers and follow the instructions that arrived with this letter. We’ve set up a cover for you as merchants and prepared a caravan that should see you close to the fortress and provide transport for anything you recover. If the Osirians discover your purpose, we can’t have it traced back to the Society. Once you go in, you’re on your own. Burn this letter and the other documents once you’ve memorized them, and keep the information they conveyed to yourself."
Through the archway, beyond the hall is another large room. This large columned chamber shows signs of past comforts, but an ancient battle scorched the walls and ceiling, and cracked and smashed the floor and columns. The remnants of furniture are scattered against the walls, and piles of bodies are stacked in the sleeping alcoves along the south and west walls. A dais crowned with a great, round table rises from the floor in the south part of the room. Three corpses sit around the table as if
in conference, each dressed in fine silk robes. A slight breeze whistles through with a sound like a distant, murmuring voice, but there is no sense or meaning in it. An open hallway to the north leads to a natural cavern. Stairs lead downward in the northeast corner of the room, but were buried in stone when the wall collapsed.
In front of one of the three bodies at the table there are shards of a ruby, scattered as if smashed.
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Hagrym curses as he heals himself, repairing his scalded beard.
CLW
He shows the others the letter he recovered. He picks up the broken wayfarer, planning on returning it to the Society. He walks into the large room, and moves up to the corpses, looking at the ruby fragment. "I hope this isn't our gem," he grumbles, as he tries to collect the fragments.
"There are a lot of dead bodies in this place," he mutters to no one in particular.
This room appears to have been some sort of conference room. There are exits, but large stones block them. The three bodies are dressed in the rotted remains of fine robes. Two of the bodies' arms have been broken and pulled to the side. It looks like they were holding something in their hands that a thief wanted. The third body has the ruby shards that Hagrym is collecting. Its hands are shattered, as if the thief had to smash them (and the ruby) to get the jewel from them.
A cold wind suddenly blows through the room. Its whisper sounds almost like the babble of voices.
The vandalism of the corpses looks very recent. Very very recent.
As Quinton peers around, the babbling suddenly becomes stronger! It seems to pull at your attention as you can almost hear words in the nonsense...
Quinton and Rekgar are entranced by the effect, fascinated for rounds! The source of the babbling is revealed as one of the dead bodies at the table suddenly falls backward, as a horrible cloud of shadows emerges from its mouth! At the same time, one of the corpses in the alcoves on the edge of the room lurches to its feet and stumbles forward!
Initiative!
Round One:
14 Hagrym and Quinton
12 Gaius
10 Shadowy thing and zombie
7 Karos
2 Rekgar
Hagrym steps up and slashes at the gibbering shadow thing, but his aim is spoiled by the table. Gaius sends two arrows at the zombie, ending its miserable life in an explosion of gore and bile.
The shadowy thing reaches toward Hagrym and Hagrym feels the weight of its attentions upon him. . Its clawed hand brushes him and he takes wisdom damage! However, Hagrym's will is strong and he is able to deny the damage!
Karos lines up his shot and fires perfectly, his bullet parting the shadow creature's head. Except...
The bullet does absolutely no damage to the thing!
ROUND Two:
14 Hagrym and Quinton
12 Gaius
10 Shadowy thing and zombie
7 Karos
2 Rekgar
Hagrym slices through the shadowy thing, carving away some of its essence!
Gaius' second arrows finds its mark, hitting the shadowy thing and knocking away some of its essense. It gibbers madly, reaching for Hagrym again! It hits once more, causing Hagrym's will to try to fight it off!
This time Hagrym is unable to fight off the madness and takes Wisdom damage!
From the walls, another corpse lurches to its feet, staggering toward the party!
ROUND THREE:
14 Hagrym and Quinton
12 Gaius
10 Shadowy thing and zombie
7 Karos
2 Rekgar
While Quinton stares fixedly at the swirling shadow shape, Hagrym attacks! His sword seems to cut through something as it slashes through the shadowy figure. Gaius meanwhile shoots twice at the moaning figure which explodes with gore as another figure rises behind him.
The shadow figure once more reaches greedily for Hagrym! Once more Hagrym feels the cold touch chill him, but he steels his Will, now slightly diminished. Once more Hagrym's wisdom is drained for points, for a total of 6 points of drain.
However, something else seems to happen. From the pocket where he stowed the ruby shards, a sudden heat erupts and red lightning lashes toward the shadowy thing, dealing electrical damage to Hagrym and the shadowy thing! Hagrym's sudden twist saves him from full damage; he takes one 2 points of electrical damage!
The newly animated zombie lurches at Karos! , dealing damage!
HP 13/30
ROUND FOUR:
14 Hagrym and Quinton
12 Gaius
10 Shadowy thing and zombie
7 Karos
2 Rekgar
Hagrym's attack is slightly off from dodging the lightning and fails to land!
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Rather than take aim through his fellow Pathfinders at the zombie approaching from the east side of the room, Gaius shoots two arrows in rapid succession at the shadow. The creature's wavering form bleeds into the darkness, causing both arrows to sail through nothingness and hit the stone on the other side of the room. Gaius gruffly curses and draws another arrow.
Karos' positive rays hit the thing and seem to peel away at its shadowy essence, but it still reeks of madness and loss and persists!
The shadowy figure, now slightly diminished by weight of the damage done to it, seems to shimmer now, and wavers between the form of the shadow-madness and the form of a man wearing emerald robes, his mouth twisted into a silent scream of anguish and despair. Still he presses on, grasping at Hagrym!
Hagrym feels the touch of the shadowy thing deep in his soul now, and his Will seems to be fading! Again he feels the pain as his wisdom is leeched away, dealing Wisdom damage (total of 9!) and 1 permanent Wisdom drain!
The zombie continues to pound on Karos! , but Karos is able to sidestep the worst of it!
ROUND FIVE:
14 Hagrym and Quinton
12 Gaius
10 Shadowy thing and zombie
7 Karos
2 Rekgar
With a lurch, Quinton and Rekgar suddenly snap free of their fascination!
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Sir Quinton gulps nervously. This was all too familiar to him, and it was all he could do to not break and run. Still, he couldn't let what happened to him happen to another.
Pulling his sword from its sheath, he steps toward Hagrym and drives his blade through the shadowy creature's head with a mighty swing.
Quinton steps forward and swings mightily at the shadowy thing, now twitching between a shadow and a green-clad human with anguish plain on his features. Unfortunately his sword goes right through it, doing no damage at all!
Gaius' arrows fire as well, but something about the creepy horror-show makes his aim spoil. Hagrym slashes furiously, feeling his essence seep away. His sword cuts into the thing and its mouth opens in a silent scream. Still it refuses to die!
It reaches for Hagrym, clearly seeking to drag Hagrym down into madness with it! It hits and Hagrym tries desperately to fight against its pull! Fortunately desperation steels his will and prevents the thing from stealing any more will from him!
Karos reloads, then steps back and fires at the zombie! , dealing damage to it! The zombie explodes in a burst of gore and Karos just manages to avoid getting splashed by it!
From the northeast corner of the room, another zombie lurches to its feet!
Before anyone else can act, Gaius takes aim and lets fly two arrows. One misses, but the other splits the shadowy allip and causes it to explode in a burst of wailing babble that gives everyone a start.
For a moment the shadowy figure is gone, but the green-robed figure lingers. His face is full of regret and sadness as he slowly fades away. With this, the plague zombie collapses back to death and moves no more.
The air is still and calm and a heavy feeling that you didn't realize you felt has lifted. But one thing is for sure: the three corpses were Jeweled Sages and the shards in Hagrym's pocket are shards of the ruby.
Remembering the geode that Amenopheus gave you to contact him if evidence of the jewels should be found, you hold it to your mouths and whisper that you've found something. Nearly an hour later, there is a soft popping sound as Amenopheus appears.
Seeing the state of the sage jewel, Amenopheus moans. "I had hoped for so much more. So much lost.." But then his eyes brighten. "Perhaps..." he murmurs as he cups the shards to his mouth and speaks fluid words of magic to them. At the table, one of the dead bodies suddenly sits up, as if assuming its seat at a tea party. A swirl of light surrounds it and a woman, Osirian by the look of her, and clad in crimson robes sits where the corpse sat before.
"Hail, Bearer of the Sapphire. Hail heroes, who have my thanks for putting the tortured soul of my brother to rest." Amenopheus immediately begins asking the woman questions, which she answers quickly as the image of her begins to fade to grey. Through the gem, she has maintained a limited degree of awareness, and she also related that until only day before, the topaz and emerald jewels sat on this table alongside her. When the thief handled one of her shards, she was able to read his thoughts before he discarded the fragment and fled. She identifies the thief as a man named Kafar, who had intentions of delivering the jewels to the Diamond Sage in a region known as the Pillars of the Sun. It is there that the Jeweled Sages’ built their sanctum, but it strikes her as odd that the Diamond Sage would collect the gems there instead of finding new candidates to become sages elsewhere in Osirion.
Amenopheus gasps. "This is most distressing. I begin to fear that the Diamond sage jewel may be in the hands of an enemy of the Society."
The Ruby Sage is fading, but she turns to the PCs. "My power is lessened, but I would gladly spend it to grant you a chance to find out what the Diamond Sage plans and to retrieve the jewels. Will you take this charge?"
Assuming you say yes, the Ruby Sage smiles and fades back into the dessicated corpse she was before, but not before a rush of power flows into you, making you feel heady with the mythic power of the Sage.
Amenopheus smiles at you and offers to teleport you to Eto to supply for the next leg of your journey. He also offers to cast remove curse on anyone who needs it. Finally, he offers to accompany you on your mission to find the Diamond Sage. He tells you, with an enigmatic smile, that he would very much like to know how this all turns out!