The time flies as your small band walks back to the Pickled Imp to drop off the requested books, then on to the Temple to report in on 'Auntie' and your thoughts on her. While there the Ollystra Zadrian offers to have a lessor acolyte tend to your wound (a modest donation would be appreciated). Once that is completed the group continues north to The Wise Quarter of the city. You don't spot a tail during this trip, perhaps it was only the Grand Lodge keeping track of their own around the lodge grounds.
The rich estate of the Grand Councilmember Dremdhet Salhar is where the small band finds itself. The front gate of the lavish estate is manned by a guard who has been expecting a group of Pathfinders. He passes you through to the inside of the gate where a servant informs you that Salhar is not present, called away on important Council business, but his most trusted advisor is available to negotiate any business they may require.
The server explains this as he leads you past plush and opulent quarters toward an inner office. Inside an old, tan-skinned man can be seen behind a desk, flipping through pages in a large tome. He gestures you to come in as he marks his place and closes the tome. Smiling he addresses you "Good day to you, Pathfinders. I am Amenopheus, the Sapphire Sage, advisor to Master Salhar. I Understand you were sent here to discuss archaeological permissions. Knowing this was coming, I spoke with Master Salhar at length on the subject and have this to say.
"Since Osirion was reopened to exploration a decade ago, adventurers, historians, and treasure-seekers flock to my country by the hundreds, perhaps thousands. While most families with ancestral burial vaults maintain guards and keep their sites out of the hands of casual thieves, not all families have the wealth or power to restrict everyone, and as we all know, not every defense is perfectly secure. Unscrupulous tomb robbers and maligned merchant organizations cause Osirion to bleed relics into the Inner Sea - something the descendents of Ancient Osirion cannot afford. We Osiriani have thousands of years of rich history coursing through our veins, and while that power has been out of focus in recent years, we are content to wait, knowing our enemies will wear themselves down. As they fall into arrogance, folly or greed, we wait for our return to power, knowing we bear the riches of our ancestors at our feet.
"Master Salhar remains impressed by the Pathfinder Society, orating in their favor a handful of times in front of Absalom's Grand Council, in fact. Due to previous relationships between him and the Society, Master Salhar has agreed to grant permission to the Pathfinder Society to explore his family's vaults below Sothis. The only thing he requires is that you retrieve the map of the vaults from his own vault here. The servant will lead you to the basement and show you the room"
The Sapphire Sage's eyes twinkle as he smirks knowingly, then he turns back to reading his book as though he had never been disturbed.
After the Sage has finished the servant escorts you back through the estate, down the stairs into the basement before stopping at a plain wooden door. Opening the door he gestures for you to enter the room with a bow. He is silent to any and all questions, simply waiting for you to enter the room. After you have done so the door is close, and you hear the key turning in the lock...there does not appear to be a way to open it from this side. Written on the back of the door is this message: "Within these cases lies your quest and your way out."
The room you find yourself in is well lighted in preparation of your arriving. In it you see a plane stone room with three chests: A copper-banded chest of smooth, dark wood; a red lacquered chest; and what looks to be a cube of solid steel. Behind the chests sits a low table holding a clear glass jar half full of liquid(a jeweled brass key rests in the bottom of it) and a covered wicker basket.
Red Lacquered chest: appears to be locked
Cooper Banded Chest: appears to be locked
Cube of Solid Steel: appears to be locked
Glass Jar: Open, just reach your hand in
Wicker Basket: Covered by wicker basked lid
Lifting the jeweled key from the liquid and forcing it to wipe on a spare cloth causes the cloth to smoke and melt away from the acid that dripped from the key. Opening the basket does nothing, but its sitting so high on the table that you can't really see into it.
Looking into the basket you see a blue stone key resting on what appears to be a pile of dirty clothing.
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Harboth begins to sweat with tension and anticipation. His eyes bulge at the sight of the melting cloth.
Good night!
By the way, I'm not sure I trust those dirty clothes not to be trapped as well. Can you draw the key out of the basket with your mage hand? If so, maybe we could try those keys on the boxes...or the door!
Elwyn: One for each please and thank you.
- Red: Even with the angry read runes glowing near the keyhole, your sure it's not trapped. The runes on the key from the wicker basket match the runes on this box.
- Copper: Will save please DC 12
- Cube: You hear Admiral Akbar in your head yelling out 'It's a Trap!'(DC15 to beat it)
- Basket: Full of dirty clothes
Ok, for the will save: 1d20+0
And for the other (I assume you mean disable device, hopefully, instead of will?) 1d20+11
With careful precision Elwyn is able to disarm the devious little trap attached to the large cube chest.
OOC: OOOOOO, everyone give me a PERC check <insert evil laugh here>
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Looks like the copper chest is just an illusion, and I was able to find and disarm a trap in the cube. We have two chests, and two keys, and are still locked in this room. What next?
Elwyn thinks to himself for a minute and begins to inspect the room for an alternate exit or anything peculiar, like vents that someone might send gas into the room through.
Perception:
"Well look at that, another key near the ceiling. I got it guys.
Opening the lid of the red lacquered chest is what triggered the very thin line to release the key above, you can see it now that you know it was there. (sorry, Elwyn missed the perc check on the red chest).
Insde the chest you see a very elaborate gold key with a fairly large gem at the end of it.
Looking at the keys you now have there are:
Gold-jeweled key from Red Lacquered Chest
Blue Stone Key from wicker bascket (fit Red chest)
Jeweled key from Jar
Gold key from ceiling
Now, where to put what key?
1d20+8
Red, copper, cube, door...there must be keys in those other boxes, right? Where else would they be? Harboth tastes the air through his grimy, hairy nose as his eyes wander about the room, searching for anything else the party may have missed. 1d20+8
OOC: Sorry, just noticed the second check...you also notice a small key hold on the door...so there is a way out from the inside....must be one of those keys.
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The key from the basket fit the chest, opening the chest brought the key from the ceiling...my guess is that the key from the ceiling fits the door. Otherwise, the challenge is not as challenging.
Harboth spends another moment in quiet contemplation...
Have we tried doing anything with that cube, other than disarming its traps?
OOC: You guys are good to go ahead and open anything now, I'm gonna call this 'under the 30 minute mark' and as good for finishing in time. Just RP it out to your hearts content.
After several attempts at swapping keys around...and watching the the jeweled key from the jar disolve as soon as it is inserted in the Steel cube-like chests keyhole, the little mage hand eventually stumbles upon the correct order to open the locks.
With the small golden key from above fitting into the door, and the key from the Red Lacquered chest fitting into the steel cube.
Inside the cube you find a map, along with a wand.
You are turning the key in the lock and opening the door to leave as the Servant arrives in the hallway, persumably to open the door for you and let you out. As he sees the door opening he smiles. "Master Amenopheus will be most pleased to know that you have figured out his little puzzle. Please, keep the map to Master Salmar's Family Vault, and the wand as a gift. I will take any keys you have left and show you out now." With that he begins the journey to the estate gates, bidding you a good evening as he leaves you at the gate. The time is still early enough to get back to the Grand Lodge in time for a later supper, if you hurry...and Ambrus doesn't take to much of your time collecting the items you've gathered and talking to you about your day.
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The journey back from the Wise Quarter to the Foreign District is a fairly short one, unfortuantly as you get nearer to the Grand Lodge a throng of people blocks the street ahead. A performance art group commandeers the street, drawing graffiti to create a jolly hellscape complete with illusory devils comically dancing around in circles. A few citizens avoiding the crowd slip off-street through a nearby ally, the only egress past the gathering. Knowing the area well from your time in the Grand Lodge and its surrounds, you know that this same alley will get you back to your destination faster than waiting for the group to finish thier art show.
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Should be safe enough, since people from the crowd went that way. Hate to be paranoid but could it be a ruse, some kind of trap?
Elwyn examines the street activity, the crowd and the performers.
Perception on the crowd and performance:
If we go down the alley, before we enter it, Elwyn looks high and low to see what might be in front of them. Should they walk down it, he follows the walls darting in between spots that provide shadows. Let me know if you need a stealth check.
Perception:
OOC: Ok, one last post...
The alley that you find yourself in is barely large enough to go two abrest, as you and a small group of strangers cuts through the alley a hazy fog begins to fill the alley. a smaller group of strangers who were with you quickly flee, leaving the alley clear except for the four of you, and four strangers. the strangers are about 25' ahead of you, when thier leader pulls a short sword, and the rest of the group pulls weapons as well. This appears to be a stick up!
Group Init: All four members will use this Init check.
The Gang:
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P1, P2 Human1, Human2
P3, P4 Halfling1, Human3
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There is no cover where you stand, it's your standard close quarters fight. It's not going to show it, but there are 20 feet between P2 and Human1, and 25 between P4 and Halfling 1
You guys are P1 through P4, I'm going to assume that you position so that it's Harboth (P2) and Jubie (P4) in the front? and Elywn (P1) and Rachel (P3) in the back?
Init check
1d20+2
GO ahead and give me your Round 1 attack as well guys, I'll be making mine when I get home, we'll resolve at that time.
OOC: Rachel, how many level 1 castings do you have left? You have to be close to out of spells shortly, no?
Human 1:
Halfling 1:
Human 2:
Human 3
Human 1: Rushes into the mix, charging into the frey with a laugh as arrows appear in her flesh, nearly bringing an end to the mad woman, but not quite.
Attack on Jubie: to hit. and for damage?
Halfling 1: the tiny halfling grins like a mad man as he goes into a frenzy and rushes at Harboth, thinking to make a name for himself by attacking the largest foe he can find!
Attack on Harboth: to hit, for damage?
Human 2 and Human 3 both slump into a deep slumber....perhaps to never again awaken.