|
Sidney was able to hit the shadow and deal a good deal of damage to it. As such, it moves onto him and attacks witha touch of insanity. which is able to hit and deal 2 points of wisdom damage.
The zombie in the 3rd alcove shambles forward to the nearest foe and slams into Sidney. but is unable to land a blow.
Round 1
Tyriel
Eldon
Sidney
GM's Pets
--Up Next--
Auriea
Sir
Yellow guys
|
|
Sidney swings at the zombie, cutting it down with one hit. The man you were speaking with, goes into a rage and moves forward and finishes off the shadow with one swing of his sword.
The man whips off his sword and holds out a hand to Sidney. ''I am glad that we didn't have to fight one another.'' He looks back at his mercenary and shakes his head. ''Who would have guessed that he would be shaken by some weird babbling.'' he spits on the zombies body that Sidney took down. ''If you ever need passage on a ship, look me up. Names Yjalk.'' As you look around, you find the sage jewel... unfortunately, it's been broken sometime ago. Yjalk and his men leave shortly after.
an hour later, Amenopheus shows up and is distraught to find that the jewel has been destroyed, but after examining it for a bit, he can tell that there are still some memories left in the jewel.
|
|
The growing light of predawn filters in through a window of the two-story building that Amenopheus has rented in Eto, and the aging Garundi man takes a seat on one of the cushions set out for this meeting. He produces a sealed letter from his robe, placing it in the middle of the floor before speaking. “Good morning, Pathfinders. As you know, we have had our share of setbacks recently. Not only have the emerald and topaz gems sacred to my order slipped through our fingers, but we also faced the frustration of finding nothing but fragments of the once great ruby. Thankfully, its power is not lost entirely, and through the Ruby Sage’s blessing, it lives on in you. I am thankful that you have agreed to act on her behalf and see this through to the end."
“As we speak, the scoundrels who seized the two gems cross the Pillars of the Sun to meet their employer, the cryptic Diamond Sage.” He sighs heavily. “What she intends to do with the gems is a mystery, but the sage jewels are too important for me to take risks with. If the power that you wield is representative of a shattered jewel’s potential, imagine what one might accomplish with three undamaged stones! Until we know what her plans are, it is paramount that we get to the jewels first.
“Kafar and Nefti have a rudimentary map of the Pillars of the Sun, and last night I found a bartender who spotted them poring over it between drinks. She recalled little of the map, and she could not make sense of the marks or annotations; however, the right spells have allowed me to probe her mind and determine Kafar and Nefti’s entry point into the mountains. We will follow them from there.” With a somewhat chagrined smile, Amenopheus adds, “It may be that they will lead us to the Sanctum of the Sages, a hidden complex I have long suspected might be in this area.” He stands and announces, “Prepare yourselves quickly. We shall leave momentarily.”
|
|
Aikio's eyes glitter at the talk of gems. She holds up her small gem and snaps her fingers to spark a flame and admires the way the fire makes the gem glitter. "Diamonds, topaz, emeralds," she almost scoffs, "are not as nice is the rubies red."
The arcane mental probe makes her a little squeamish and she makes notes (mental and in one of her notebooks) to make sure the information is worth the invasion. Recover jewels from Nefti and Jafar before Diamond Sage.... Pillars of the Sun... Sanctum of Sages... "Shiny," she says of the last.
|
|
You had several hours the previous evening to explore Eto and make inquiries.
Diplomacy (gather information) or Knowledge (local)
You may already know about the Pillars of the Sun.
Knowledge (Geography)
of its location and elevation, the region is extremely dry and hot during the day, with temperatures dropping drastically at night due to strong winds.
extraordinary power.
Also, if you have any questions. Now would be the time to ask the.
|
Sidney dresses in a lose fitting pirate shirt and some tight pants and goes to talk to the ladies in town. He spreads a little coin, breaks a few hearts and comes back with some information. Besides a hangover and some chafing, he has some things to relate to the others:
Witnesses report seeing a rather tipsy Nefti playing the flute in various taverns throughout Eto over the past several weeks. He hasn’t been seen for three days.
A man matching K afar’s description recently visited a local herbalist and apothecary.
Several caravan guards in the city overheard Kafar and Nefti complaining to one another about the Aspis Consortium.
Nefti tried to sell information about the Aspis Consortium to a foreigner, but the deal fell through.
|
Auriea, walking in to meet the group, waves at Sidney, while speaking quickly. "It seems that there are some newer members of our group. Hello you two, my name's Auriea!" The bard bows low, before giving a smile at the two newcomers. Dressed in white harem pants, a beige tunic, with a blue cloak with a butterfly motif hanging to the waist and a butterfly headband.
|
|
Amenopheus tisks, "Unfortunately, i can't tell you much about those two. I could not scry on Kafar and Nefti, and teleporting to an arbitrary point in the Pillars of the Sun would be a fool’s errand. Our best chance is to enter the mountains close to their starting point, and then follow their tracks. The Pillars of the Sun are a mountain range south of Eto inhabited by many terrible creatures. It is a dangerous area of harsh desert and barren, rocky terrain, full of cliffs and chasms." he thinks for a moment on the Diamond Sage, "She is the current bearer of her respective sage jewel, but I have only recently learned of her existence. All I know for sure is that she resides near Eto. It would not be surprising if she actually resides in the Sanctum of the Sages itself; if so, she must be extremely resourceful. If she gets her hands on the gems, it's hard to say what she'll do, since we know so little about her and her motives. I hope she shares my goals, but fear she may not. At this point, one can only guess.”
He got up from his cushion. "As for the Jewled Sages and their Sanctum, The Jeweled Sages were an order of scholars who took an oath to preserve the culture and arts of the golden age of Osirion. Their venture proved controversial, for the rulers that followed the Song Pharaoh were offended by the sages’ pretensions and deemed the order subversive. To escape persecution and safeguard the lore of our land, the sages built their headquarters in a hidden location. It makes sense that they should choose an isolated place like the Pillars of the Sun as grounds for their refuge. The conquest of Osirion by Kelishite forces during Osirion’s Second Age resulted in the death of most if not all of the sages.”
|
|
As we journey south to the Pillars of the sun. Aikio strikes up conversation with her fellows. "Care to discuss a bit of strategy while we journey? I will throw a bit of fire around," Aikio snaps her fingers and a spark of flame appears, to emphasis the favored action. "If you will be between me and the target, let me know if you would like some protection cast on you first. It will let some of the flames I throw at you be captured and you can channel them into your blows later."
|
|
"I'll keep that in mind Aikio. As for myself, I can heal a bit, when needed, but I mostly go in with my blades, and hope to not be hit with heavier hitters about. Personally, I don't do too much damage, but if I get a good cut in, then Desna can guide someone else to my Butterfly's Sting," Auriea nodded while patting the dual kukris. For the journey, the bard has changed his clothes to a mostly beige and white motif, including his cloak and hood.
|
|
The tengu liplessly smiles at the dwarf with a cock of her feathered head. "The magic will absorb some of the fire, then you can release flames through your fists or," looking at the ranger's waraxe, "through that excellent blade of yours."
"We encountered gnolls the last time we left Eto & they never let me get in word before their arrows started flying. Not that I could speak their language, but" Aikio takes a breath "what languages do you all speak?"
|
Oloch listens to his companions discussing their tactics and decides to join in.
"I like old and simple way: tear them with sword. If they too strong, I get stronger and attack, simple. But I do not like get burned... so careful!"
About the tengu’s question about the languages, he simply answers.
"I speak the languages of my blood."
|
|
Perception 1 DC 20
Perception 2 DC 21
Fort DC 15
Fort DC 16
As you start your journey, you travel takes you through some hot places, eventually wearing some of you down as Aikio, Auriea, Oloch and Sidney become fatigued. But luckily you were able to keep track of your foe, which lead you through some switchbacks that ascend the steep side of the gorge. About 1 hour after Amenopheu leaves, you reach an immense clif where the tracks end. But luckily Auriea was able to spot a crevice in the rock face that leads to a trap door that descends deep underground.
Enigmatic hieroglyphs cover just about every surface of this chamber excavated into the mountain. Bas-relief engravings stretch along the walls all the way from the lofty, tapered ceiling down to floor level, their eerie pictography suggesting an unnerving story. Toppled columns, crumbling shreds of cloth, and potsherds scattered throughout the chamber attest to the place’s abandonment and antiquity. Small holes in the vaulted ceiling let in thin beams of sunlight but do little to illuminate the chamber.
The Temple of the Beyond is a remnant of the Age of Darkness. The glyphs in the walls are extremely old, predating the creation of the Ancient Osiriani language, but the pictography is mostly representative rather than symbolic, which facilitates comprehension.
decipher the glyphs and learn about the history of the forgotten cult that built this place. The pictograms tell the story of two monsters fallen from the stars in the aftermath of Earthfall.
You are able to identify the creatures mentioned in the glyphs as akatas—bizarre two-tailed, lion-sized quadrupeds with tentacled manes encircling their necks. Eager to unravel the mysteries of the great beyond, an ancient cabal of wizards retrieved and hatched the akatas’ cocoons for study, imprisoning the creatures in a cage that has long since fallen to pieces. The cultists worshipped the outer gods and performed foul rites, summoning and dismissing the vilest types of otherworldly horrors with the intent of contacting an emissary of the Great Old Ones who would finally disclose the deepest secrets of the Dark Tapestry. These encounters are minutely documented in the Temple of the Beyond’s 20-foot-tall walls, which also predict when certain stars might align with the narrow holes in the ceiling above.
|
|
Auriea studies the columns and comes up with the same translation as Sidney. Looking about the area, the bard nods while placing his hands on his hips. "I think a rest would be good. This heat is really getting to me," the wispy man says, stretching out a bit. "I guess I should have used one of my potions from the last time I was out. Maybe after this rest I'll do that. It's way too hot without using them," he thought.
|
|
"The creatures mentioned in the glyphs arr akatas—bizarre two-tailed, lion-sized quadrupeds with tentacled manes encircling their necks." Aikio points to the murals on the twenty foot tall walls. "The murals also tell of an ancient cabal of wizards, eager to unravel the mysteries of the great beyond, retrieved and hatched the akatas’ cocoons for study, imprisoning the creatures in a cage that has long since fallen to pieces. The cultists worshipped the outer gods and performed foul rites, summoning and dismissing the vilest types of otherworldly horrors with the intent of contacting an emissary of the Great Old Ones who would finally disclose the deepest secrets of the Dark Tapestry."
The tengu tips her head in a curiously bird-like way. "They also predict when certain stars might align with the narrow holes in the ceiling above.
Aikio agrees to stopping for a rest, "as long as you don't think the trail will go cold."
|
|
Init
Stealth
Perception
You enter into a vast cavern and find yourselves facing facing a room full of death. Moving out from the sides, you see shambling forms raise up from the darkness.
Sidney is the only one among you who doesn't notice the form of creatures lurking behind the others. These are hairless blue lions with twin tentacular tails. Dozens more thick tentacles quiver and twich where its mane should be.
These aberrations are Akatas.
Round 1
Oloch
GM 4 Bones
Aikio
Sidney
Auriea
Belvic
GM 2 demons