And lo, I have dotted.
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I’m traveling for the weekend, but it’s officially Saturday in New Zealand, so I feel OK about posting this now. Please begin discussing and introducing yourselves, and I’ll be able to provide substantial responses soon.
You are Aspis Consortium operatives, hand-picked by your superiors for one of the most daring missions ever attempted against the hated Pathfinder Society. For centuries the Society has been the hyena of the archaeological world, descending upon legitimate Aspis operations to snatch whatever the Pathfinders want, kill hardworking contractors, and grow wealthy on the profits of their “historical preservation.” As they say, the victors write the history books, and the widely distributed Pathfinder Chronicles paint the Society’s piracy as heroism guided by a moral compass as true as the wayfinder each agent carries.
Despite the thick walls and heavy windows of the rented home that serves as your safe house, the passage of Pathfinders from across the Inner Sea region creates a muted rumble as they make their pilgrimage to the Society’s Grand Convocation, an annual gathering in which Pathfinders tell tales of their exploits, show off their discoveries, and celebrate another successful year. Every additional Pathfinder is another set of eyes to spot trouble and another blade ready to defend the Grand Lodge, yet every voice and footstep makes it even safer to discuss the impending attack.
Each of you received individual instructions prior to arriving here. You may decide to share any information contained within with the other agents, or retain secrets if you prefer.
Rataji,
Congratulations are in order, my friend! Three years in the Consortium, and you have already earned the silver badge! What’s more, you are in charge of a critical element of the upcoming mission. As the ranking agent on your team, this is your first shot at being in charge, but I warn you that this first team isn’t one you’ll want to boss around; this is a coalition force, and everyone seems to be the favorite of someone else a lot higher up in the food chain. Aim to coordinate, not command.
Look on the bright side, though: after all of those briefings that you had to sit through, now you are the hotshot who gets to lay out the plan. I’ve summarized the objectives below so that you don’t forget, but it’s up to you to make it interesting and inspire your team. You’ll do great.
—————
Hundreds of Aspis agents and sympathizers are assembling throughout Absalom in preparation for an attack on the Pathfinder Society’s Grand Lodge. Most of these teams are in position to sow chaos, lure the Pathfinders’ attention elsewhere, and keep the rest of Absalom from interceding.
You are the lynchpin of the assault. Infiltrate the Grand Lodge, using the festival and throngs of unfamiliar faces to cover your movements. Gather what additional information you need, meet with any informants your team knows about, and lay the groundwork for your assault—split into smaller groups if necessary. Your cue to enter Skyreach—the towering stronghold the Society thinks unassailable—is a speech given by Master of Swords Marcos Farabellus. Agents will start ushering Pathfinders toward one of the lawns and pouring drinks for a toast, giving you a fairly generous window to get inside.
Once inside Skyreach, you have two major objectives: open the Hao Jin Tapestry gateway, and secure the Sky Key in that order. I have included some notes about how to activate the tapestry, as well as the coordinates within the tapestry where our allies are gathered. However, the notes only address how to send one person inside, not how to bring anyone out. It seems Zey is paranoid about even keeping any notes about cracking the tapestry open, and he only stores them in one of the vaults beneath Skyreach—a section called the Antarnicus Wing, used for most of the tapestry’s treasures. Be prepared to break in. Once you have secured the notes, get to the tapestry chamber quickly. Handle any opposition, open the gateway, and welcome our allies from inside the demiplane. Make sure that they have some sense of where they’re going.
After that, ascend to the small museum where the Society is keeping the Sky Key. It’s the usual routine: take care of any guards, grab the target, get out, and keep the whole operation clean. A second team (listen for the code “Five fingers till Oathday“) should find you soon after; pass them the Sky Key, get out, and congratulate your team. Mission accomplished.
Make the Patrons proud,
Marnarius,
I promised you I would get you out, didn’t I? After three long years in captivity, cast away by the Pathfinders
who cared nothing for your humanity or the life you had left behind, you are finally back. I must accept some of the blame for your being stranded, for it was I who assigned you to that lucrative post; however, it was that fool Aglorn who failed to guard the gate and lost us not only our way into the tapestry but also several of our finest agents. This injustice shall not stand. I would not assign you a mission if I did not have the highest confidence in your abilities, and I consider securing you this particular venture a small step in reconciliation. The Pathfinder Society shall burn, and you shall have the revenge you seek.
There are several hundred of our agents throughout the Grand Lodge ready to inflict damage and provide you the distraction needed to reach high priority targets. Anything you can do to make their jobs easier by preparing a few distractions of your own would help you as much as it would them. I already have numerous arsonists ready, but nobody seems bold enough to do anything about the zoological garden the Pathfinders keep. That’s why we’re fortunate to have a resourceful agent like you, willing to aid these fellow wretched creatures also unjustly imprisoned by the Pathfinders. I am sure they, like yourself, would love a chance to extract some justice from their captors. In addition to the forces within the Grand Lodge, hundreds of people who, like you, wish to escape from the confines of the tapestry are massed by your old base camp. I am sure that if your fellow agents forget where your allies are stationed, you can steer them in the right direction.
Do you remember the weapon I sent you to recover in Hao Jin’s hellhole? After they secured the gate, they snatched it up, and it went right into one of the vaults beneath Skyreach. Find it, and it’s yours to keep and use
as you see fit. Wield it in the name of vengeance and the Consortium.
Regards, Tseka
While you slept last night, a familiar figure wearing a blue coat and mask visited you. She smiled as she stepped over the threshold of your childhood home, whose windows were all bound in chains.
“Oh my dear 322, how does freedom feel? Are you still staring at the sky in wonder and fear? Do you still dream of the doorway between the stars? Have you kept writing in your journal?” The masked woman paused as she looked at you, and then smiled again. “Had you stopped wondering if I would find you again? Hardly. You are as drawn to uncover your own secrets as I am.”
Shaking her head as if remembering some sweet memory, she continued. “Clinical experimentations ceased because you demonstrated increased capacity to channel the Lurker’s dark mysteries. I have guided you to Absalom in order to participate in a field study—a live test of your powers. Prepare yourself to work with members of the Aspis Consortium. Assist them to the best of your abilities.”
“You have two other responsibilities, both important to our studies and our allies. The first is this,” she said while conjuring a glassy, hexagonal pad out of dreamstuff. “It emits a resonance similar to the stars beyond, just as you do, so none of your allies will know how to operate it. I have used it to channel cosmic life energies into tiny homunculi, but I suspect that it could animate something far grander. Find a suitable host, attach it without drawing attention to yourself, and activate it when you see fit.”
“Your other task is even more important. At some point during your mission, you will find a simple lantern among your possessions. If opened, it captures the escaping essence of whoever dies near it, ensuring Pharasma never judges the unfortunate soul trapped within. Only one Pathfinder can repair the damage inflicted in the upcoming Aspis attack: Aram Zey. Ensure that the Society cannot call upon his expertise ever again, and I shall ensure his expertise helps you learn more about yourself.”
The masked figure raises her arm in a salute. “Godspeed, my curious disciple—whichever gods those may be.”[/b][/i] With that the dream ended.
Shohiraj,
After hearing the reports of lesser agents operating under lesser commanders, allow me to express how pleased I am to hear that you have accepted this job. What I have heard from my colleagues about your coworkers sounds equally reassuring; they are all competent in their respective fields. However, none of them can compare to your practical, on-the-job experience I am relying on you to ensure that this mission goes off without a hitch. Each bystander’s scream, nearby explosion, or track left behind is another complication that could jeopardize the operation.
My other agents have been watching the Grand Lodge closely. I have included the incomplete map that they created, noting the locations of your objectives in Skyreach. In addition, the agents report that the Master of Scrolls Kreighton Shaine—normally responsible for managing the keys to Grand Lodge’s vaults but concerned about his ability to keep them out of reach—has delegated several of the keys to one of his protégés, a halfling named Janira Gavix. My intelligence reports that she practically worships the Master of Scrolls, so there is no chance that she would take a bribe. Supposedly she is rather proud of her storytelling prowess, though, and can often be found near large crowds. If you can relieve her of the keys, your infiltration of Skyreach should be all the cleaner.
I have enclosed a sketch of the halfling to assist your efforts to locate her.
May silence hide your footfalls,
Kitio Aspenthi, gold agent
Joliryn,
It’s been several years in the making, but the coalition of some of the finest Aspis minds has finally manifested in this approaching assault—a fight to regain the Consortium’s glory and put the Society back in its place. I have not forgotten your earlier contributions, and I have pulled a few strings to secure you a key role in the upcoming operation. You won’t have the tiresome chore of leading the team; one of my colleagues has elected one of his cat’s paws to the role, and I trust you’ll let him parade about while letting you get the real work done.
In fact, everyone on your team has powerful connections and probably thinks highly of themselves. I am betting on this, actually, because those connections have been particularly cagey about their own reasons for participating in this raid. Just as a tracker can tell the health and drives of an animal by the spoor it leave behind, you can help me gaze into my colleagues’ minds by discerning what it is that their agents want to accomplish. Keep an eye on your comrades, and report what you can to me about their ulterior motives.
Of course, I would not demand information without sharing some in return. One of my many spies in the Society is a Chelish man named Arminaldi Charthagnion, a disciple of Nethys’ divine secrets. He is unhappy with the Society’s treatment of artifacts, and I have managed to keep him selling me secrets with the promise of helping him liberate a relic or two. I am expecting his latest report soon, but since you will be there anyway, perhaps you might meet him at the Wall of Names and use the intelligence as you see fit.
He won’t acknowledge you as my agent unless you tell him “The wall slithers like a snake through grass.” You’ll know you have the right man if he responds “None would step on so great a serpent.” He should give you what you need to know, and no more need be said. Just try not to spoil his cover or your own by making a scene about it.
I await news of your victory,
Suliji Peshar
We have reviewed your work over the past four years, and so far your performance has gone
beyond the expectations to which we typically hold our contractors. The Consortium is always on the lookout for resourceful, intelligent operatives who know how to do more than just bash heads together—useful a skill as that is. I have a key vacancy in my roster, but I need more than just a knee-breaker who will knock down what I point at. Consider your current mission a tryout of sorts. At least one of your teammates is taking notes on your performance. Impress them, and you’ll impress me. Do that, and I’ll have a bronze badge waiting for you.
The upcoming attack relies on chaos, and that same chaos can cover your team’s tracks. What could be more upsetting to the Pathfinders than discovering that someone in their midst was a traitor? Of course, you may have to make a traitor by making an upstanding but easily missed Pathfinder disappear. If he happens to be a traitor already, that’s even cleaner. A missing traitor means no alibi, and that means someone disguised as that traitor could pin any number of crimes on him. Whether you do that or not is up to you; after all, an agent able to delegate effectively is just as valuable to me as one who can do the job himself.
-Your Friend in Tamran
None of you have met before, so you may want to make introductions. One of you has been tasked with providing the mission briefing to the other five. Some of your character sheets have a fair amount of money left. Feel free to shop, or conduct any other preparations you think are appropriate at this time. Please detail any purchases in a GM Only spoiler so that I can review them.
Once her fellow agent delivers the briefing, Joliryn prepares to pick up a few useful items from town.
Rataji speaks up. "Killing Pathfinders isn't our goal. We have some very specific goals we need to reach. Please have a seat and I'll go over them."
"First, we are the tip of the spear for a massive attack on the Pathfinder Lodge, but the entire attack is merely a distraction for what this team is going to accomplish."
"We're going to steal an ancient artifact called the Sky Key. First, we're going to mingle with the Pathfinders who'll be having a party. Second, when their 'Master of Swords' starts his speech, we're going to infiltrate the supposedly most impregnable part of their fortress, called Skyreach."
"Third, we're going into a basement of part of Skyreach called the Antaricus Wing. There, we find notes on how to open the Hao Jin Tapestry. Fourth, we get to the Tapestry itsefl Our ritual will only let one person in, so that person has to get in, find our allies in the Tapestry and then release them."
"Fifth, once our allies are flooding into Skyreach, the real work begins. We go upstairs to a small museum where the Society is keeping the Sky Key. We secure that, get it to the Extraction Team and exit. In case something happens to me, you'll know the Extraction Team by the code phrase 'Five Fingers to Oathday'."
"Any questions? Too bad!" says Rataji with an easy laugh. "Because that's all I've got. Anything else will have to wait until we find it out together."
"Now, I'd like to introduce ourselves and discuss our capabilities. For one thing, we need to pick our Tapestry infiltrator. I myself am an enchanter. I'm good at making magically-cooperative friends, so let's try not to slaughter our way in or out if we don't have to. Our goal is the Sky Key, pure and simple."
"Who's next?"
The halfling pipes up. "Joliryn. Blade and spells."
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While none of you have personally set foot in the Grand Lodge, it is one of the most (in)famous locations on Golarion, so you might be somewhat familiar with it.
While Skyreach Tower is where the Decemvirate and many senior Pathfinders operate, there are dozens of buildings, monuments, and other interesting locations within the Lodge's walls.
Those of you with Knowledge (Local) can give me a whopping 18 rolls. I'll apply those in order to the list of locations, and see which ones you both understand the significance of and can locate with relative ease. I'll give you guys a detailed map once I know what you know.
"I am called 322, I am one with the dark tapestry. I can easily sneak into and out of places"
The burly Half-Orc in the group nods to the others. "Zurznal." he says. "I've got skill at stealth and disguise."
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Marnarius has learned much through interrogating captured Pathfinder scholars, but Rataji has an even more detailed map.
The Main Gate's massive steel doors are only ever closed in times of crisis, but security remains tight. However, during the Grand Convocation, the public are invited to tour, with minimal security. The five-towered fortress of Skyreach houses the offices of the Society’s most important figures as well as countless libraries and storage facilities. Many of its floors and hallways are off-limits, meaning few know the full extent of what lies within.
While the Society’s most precious artifacts are generally stored in Skyreach, other artifacts, libraries, and other resources are scattered about the grounds. The Water Palace, a manor styled like a Tien pagoda, serves as a place of quiet study and meditation, and stores many artifacts from Golarion’s farthest reaches. The Center House, built in the Gothic Ustalavic style has remained off-limits by order of the Decemvirate. Many resident Pathfinders inhabit modest flats in Arliss Hall, which is a maze of featureless corridors. There are many more halls and rooms than there are residents, and it is believed that none other than venture-captains are allowed into the central courtyard.
The stone-columned fortress known as The Mausoleum is dedicated to unlocking the greatest mystery of all— death. Scholars study everything from burial practices to the necromantic arts of long-faded civilizations. The guiding rule is that no innocents are harmed, and even the creation of undead is relatively rare. The Menagerie holds exotic creatures captured by Pathfinder expeditions, and displays them for both study and amusement.
She’s also learned about some of the grounds' monuments. The most famous is The Wall of Names, a curving wall of black glass that memorializes Pathfinders killed in the field. A thick copse of trees surrounds it, to provide privacy and a properly solemn atmosphere. The small shrine known as Seeker’s Plaza houses bronze statues of some of the Society’s most important members. Baphory’s Walk is a pathway through gardens of exotic plants. Waist-high carved heads taken from the Mwangi Expanse are scattered throughout the garden. Allegedly, their facial expressions change when no one is looking. A 20-foot-high stone statue depicts Durvin Gest, one of the founders of the Pathfinder Society and widely considered to be its greatest adventurer. Southgrove is an area of woodland intentionally left wild, to provide a refuge for druids and others closely attuned to nature, who often find life in Absalom challenging.
Other portions of the grounds fulfill more mundane roles. New and aspiring Pathfinders spend most of their time in The Quadrangle, a complex of dormitories and classrooms. An assortment of Outbuildings include residences for visiting Pathfinders, stables, smithies, bathhouses, warehouses, Pathfinder-only shops, and more. Martially inclined Pathfinders train extensively at their Training Arena, which is surrounded by wooden stands for spectators.
Joliryn contemplates her comrades, then gives her kukri a practice twirl. "I will defer to the others on this Tapestry, my talents run less subtle than that. Shall we be off?"
"Marnarius claimed it. It's his. Let's go."
We go!
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Once you've made your preparations, you can depart for the Grand Lodge. Reaching the building, in the heart of the Foreign Quarter, is easy, but the crush of people, both Pathfinders and common citizens of Absalom, means it takes some time to make your way through the gate. The congestion is made all the worse by carts and palanquins carrying VIPs which force others out of their way.
Before too long, though, you pass through the arching gates, and find yourselves on the grounds of the Grand Lodge. Skyreach Tower stands before you, its place in the city's skyline even more dominant from this distance.
The crowd begins fanning out. The largest share head towards the temporarily constructed food stands and exhibits, though virtually everywhere seems to be crowded.
You overhear a couple Pathfinders ahead of you.
"What time is Farabellus speaking?" a lightly-armored Tengu asks.
"About two hours from now." his companion, a Tien woman in traditional samurai armor, replies.
"Praise Cayden! We'll have plenty of time to hit the beer tents before then. No way I'm listening to him prattle on sober."
"You have fun there, I'll be going to the storytelling contests." she says before they split up.
Locations:
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Already carved in larger-than-life proportions, the stone statue of Durvin Gest towers over the surrounding lawn on a pedestal flanked by angelic figures and carved with elaborate friezes depicting some of his most famous voyages.
Several dozen Pathfinders are gathered around the statue, swapping stories and participating in improvised competitions of braggadocio. The nearest cluster listens with rapt attention to a halfling woman.
"...and then, momentarily forgetting about the race entirely, the efreeti hurled a ball of fire at the marid..."
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You can call me Profesional, as names are no needed for our work. I must agree with our enchanter in the necessity of leave no trails, especially no bloody trails, that can lead to us.
You can trust me in any business related with breaking and entering in places.
Shohiraj goes to the Quadrangle, but not before disguising herself as a scholar.
Shohiraj moves from one group of another, especially those groups who has halflings. Trying to hear about the scholar halfling she's been told to search.
To whoever tries to talk with her she asks about Janira, as she's been told of the vasts knowledge the halfling has about a topic. As Shoriraj is not very knowledgeable by herself, she tries to repeat some of the topics she heared in a previous group, preferably one far from her.
Rataji heads for Skyreach and tries to learn as much about the guard situation as possible.
Rataji cheerfully chats with the Skyreach guards about the festival.
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Current Locations:
"I'm glad we got good seats. It's so much busier than last year!" says bubbly gnome with brilliant blue hair and eyes. Her companion, a masked Hellknight whose eyeless gaze is fixated on her, responds in a flat tone,
"Indeed. More Venture-Captains from overseas are in attendance. Nobody is certain of why."
A soot-stained elf with a somewhat crazed expression brushes past the gnome, knocking her off balance. Regaining her composure, she comments,
"Yikes! I'm glad I'm not on Aram Zey's bad side. Guard duty for this doesn't seem like much fun."
Marnarius prowls the various fighting rings that have sprung up, looking for new and unusual methods of fighting.
In one circle, a Varisian man dressed in the robes of a Pharasmin priest faces off against a Vudrani woman in light armor, both apparently unarmored. The woman's right hand is wreathed in flames, which concentrate into the shape of a blade.
Her opponent reaches into the folds of his robes, retrieving a large, ironbound book with Pharasma's spiral etched into the cover. They rush at each other with their unusual weapons.
Several other fights occur simultaneously, but none are as odd as that particular pair.
Angling herself away from the most popular discussions, 322 takes advantage of the Statue's long shadow to maneuver into position, and begin securing the statue. She seems to have evaded notice for now.
Much of the quadrangle is quiet. Classrooms sit empty, and few remain in the dorms, except those sneaking off for covert dalliances with new acquaintances. Commotion does come from one building, though.
Following the noise, you find dozens of Pathfinders eating, drinking, and socializing in what would normally be a lecture hall. It seems this is an event intended to allow young Absalom-based Pathfinders to make connections with recent field commissions from overseas.
As the Professional enters, she notices one pair of eyes in particular focus on her. A man with a familiar face strides across the room.
"Hello, old friend! Nobody told me you were coming!" He approaches, arms open for an embrace. He leans in and whispers. "There are study rooms through that door. Not quite soundproof, but close enough if you need somewhere to work."
He then steps back, turning to grab a canapé.
Zurnzal, meanwhile, scans the crowd. He notices a dwarf sitting in one corner, quietly fiddling with a flawless, shiny wayfinder. It doesn't seem like he knows anyone here.
Trees surround the small hill that bears a curving wall of black glass, providing visitors some privacy as they read any of the thousands of Pathfinder names inscribed on the surface. More trees grow in tight formation to the west, where the copse abuts the Grand Lodge’s wall.
Even with the numerous trees that shield the monument, the dull roar of agents testing each other’s wits, theories, and strength invades this solemn space
Despite the huge number of visitors at the Grand Lodge, the Wall of Names has relatively few visitors.
A man in the black and white robes of Nethys' faith slowly walks up and down the length of the monument, reading names and nervously touching a leather portfolio.
When you say the phrase, he responds, he responds, “None would step on so great a serpent.”
After a moment’s hesitation, he then adds, “But perhaps it is a fool who invites the viper into his home.”
The portfolio remains in his arms.
As she can`t find what she's looking for Shoriraj decides to try luck in another location, but before that she whispers something toward Zurnzal.
Shoriraj enters in Arliss hall with the same disguise she was wearing so she can continue with the same lies as before, but this time she's going to ask around about the hlafling, saying that someone in the quadrangle sent her to talk with Janira as she's very knowledeable in one of the topics she heard before.
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Arminaldi runs a finger along the wall, quietly responding,
"There are so many names here already. Too many. How many more will be added if I give you what you seek?
As soon as Shohiraj mentions Janira, a tall woman in an elaborate blue dress tells you,
"Oh, those initiates never really know what's going on. Word is she's leading the storytelling competitions. They're gathered around the Statue of Durvin Gest, as I understand it."
Already carved in larger-than-life proportions, the stone statue of Durvin Gest towers over the surrounding lawn on a pedestal flanked by angelic figures and carved with elaborate friezes depicting some of his most famous voyages.
Several dozen Pathfinders are gathered around the statue, swapping stories and participating in improvised competitions of braggadocio. Among them is a small halfling dressed in blue, whom Shohiraj immediately recognizes. She is telling a story while standing atop a bench.
When Shohiraj gets close, however, fingers start pointing at the statue, calling attention to a shadowy, man-sized shape on its back side.
The halfling turns around, shouting.
"Get down from there right now, whoever you are! I will not allow anyone to deface our greatest hero today!"
Seeing an opportunity in the distraction her associate had involuntary created, Shoriraj moves near Janira as she vocalizes her indignation about seeing a man climbing at the statue of such a great hero. Once near she tries to realease Janira of whatever keys she is wearing.
[Spoiler=Wall of Names]Joliryn keeps silent and eyes the scholar for a moment. [I]What direction is best here? Would Mistress Peshar frown upon threats against her contact?[i]
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The shadowy shape flies away, but in the chaos of it all, Shohiraj is able to approach Janira and quickly unclip a ring of keys from her belt before getting away.
The columned arcades of Seeker's Plaza spread out in several directions, expanded repeatedly to make space for more "heroes" of the Society. Most visitors head towards the the central corridors, where Gregaro Voth, Selmius Foster, and other founding fathers are honored.
The courtyard where you enter celebrates more recent accomplishments. Statues sit in alcoves on all four walls, and two larger constructions, surrounded by velvet ropes, vie for space in the central area.
Closest to you, you find the following statues. While it's not very crowded, getting close enough install the device might take some explanation (Bluff or alternate solutions), and then installation without attracting suspicion requires three Disable Device or Sleight of Hand checks.
West Wall
A bony, hook-nosed woman in a plain dress glares down at the plaza, fiendish heritage evidenced by her two small horns and pointed tail. She stands as if beginning a spellcasting gesture, with the horned owl on her shoulder posed as if about to take flight. But the true focal point of the statue is the eyes, which seem to follow the viewer wherever they go, and those who stare back for too long find themselves strangely unnerved...
The plaque beneath the statue reads:
Vetis
Venture Captain
Distinguished Archivist
Ornelos Chair Professor of Metavancian Enchantment Theory, Acadamae
Savior of the Society, Ruby Phoenix Tournament Champion, Breacher of the Hall of Wards, Vanquisher of the Runelord Krune
East Wall
Nine fluffy tails somewhat obscure the heroic pose of a Kitsune riding a magic carpet. Though lifeless, his eyes seem sharp and knowing; one side of his mouth curves into a sly grin.
The plaque beneath reads:
Awe and be Inspired young Pathfinder by the likeness of Kayama Liong whose silver tongue and agile wit kept all of Golarion asking:
"What does the fox say?"
North Wall
A man sits astride a winged pig. Both are heavily armored, and covered in holy symbols of Iomedae.
His plaque reads:
Aster Fournisechs, Paladin of Iomedae
Slayed Kurshu the Undying, Herald of the wicked goddess Lissala.
South Wall
This statue is of a powerfully-built nagaji. He's sitting,
cross-legged, before a large lizard of some sort--perhaps a giant
chameleon.
The nagaji is holding up his left hand with his palm facing towards
him and his fingers spread out. With his right hand, he seems to
point at the index finger of his left hand as though counting or
perhaps enumerating something.
The large lizard is depicted covering his eyes with one foreleg and
shaking his head.
The plaque beneath the statue reads: "Ebdomo Ippotis, Paladin of
Sarenrae, with his Celestial Mount, Professor"
However, there's graffiti over the plaque that reads: "Stay in school, kids!"
Courtyard #1
The larger statue in the courtyard appears to be massive scorpion-like creature, with unusually angular and geometric features. One large eye dominates its face. At first glance, it might be easy to overlook its rider, if not for her dramatic draconic wings. Though scaly, clawed, and bearing a snout full of pointy teeth, the construct rider's childish glee betrays her gnomish origin.
The plaque reads:
Zapit and "Fluffy"
Delver of Rachikan, Charter of the Scar of the Spider, and Presser of Buttons of All Varieties"
Courtyard #2
The other central statue is only slightly smaller. An elf, bow drawn in a dramatic pose, sits astride a massive mammoth, armored in barding emblazoned with the Glyph of the Open Road. The remnants of a crushed babau are visible under one of the mammoth's massive feet.
The plaque reads:
Lari and Tiny
Veterans of the Tanglebriar, Defenders of Nerosyan, and Heroes of the Fifth Mendevian Crusade, and Openers of the Gates of Jormudun
The imposing gothic edifice of the Center House is quieter than the rest of the campus, with only a couple visitors gawking at it. While their are no guards posted, the front doors are barred by a series of chains and locks. Side doors ground-level windows have been sealed with rune-inscribed plates of cold iron.
The man's face seems inscrutable.
The man who had been whispering to the professional approaches you, a short while later. He leans in, whispering, "Not sure what your mission is, but the rooms through that door are soundproof, if that'll do you any good.
She will attempt to scare off any on lookers.
And installation of the item.
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After clearing out most of the visitors with some angry looks, 322 is able to secure the space she needs to install her device. Once it's fully in place, words in Aklo begin to inscribe themselves on the device's mirrored surface.
"The Stars command you, Zapit and Fluffy"
An alien voice in the back of your head gives you the impression that by saying that phrase anywhere within a mile of here, it will animate that statue with energies from between the stars.