GM Abraham: 8-17 Refugees of the Weary Sky CORE [PFS Gameday VII]
A letter arrives, addressed to you, from one Venture-Captain Obo:
Greetings Pathfinder!
Please make your way to Manaket, a port city in Rahadoum, where I would like to meet with you and a few other Pathfinders to discuss a mission of great importance. I shall be awaiting you at the Swordmeet Lodge.
Until soon, VC Obo
Your travel to Rahadoum is uneventful and when you arrive at the Swordmeet Lodge you are ushered by servants into a secluded area of the lodge gardens. The servants provide you with refreshments after your long journey; one of them grins slyly at you and comments, "Must be quite a mission you've got ahead of you for the Sapphire Sage, Amenopheus himself, to be taking an interest. He and the Captain are inside talking but I'm sure they'll be out to greet you soon enough. Please entertain yourselves until then."
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Lady Electra Firemind is a medium sized young woman of elven slimness, about 5`6`` with maybe 96 pounds. She has long, wavy platinum blond hairs with silver eyes.
Usually she wears a soft white robe of fine osirion linen, embroided at the hem with cloth of gold over a brown velvet doublet over a simple double slit green linen skirt.
Only a simple dagger at her hip seems to be her only weapons, but in her garters there are are a few wands ready for use.
Always with her friend, the familiar Riddywipple, a fearie dragon.
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Jaïr is a petite human woman in simple black robes who highlights her silhouette. She has pale complexion but her charming smile and her simple green make-up make her immediately friendly.
At her side, a short sword in a scabar that don't seem to be use often and several wands.
Hi! I'm Jair, follower of Knowledge. It's an honor and a pleasure to meet you all.
“Welcome Pathfinders, please sit and be comfortable.” Venture- Captain Obo motions to various benches. A gentle breeze of sea air carries with it fragrances from the lush gardens surrounding Swordmeet Lodge. In the distance, the low rumble of the ocean surf echoes throughout the port city of Manaket on Rahadoum’s northern coast.
“Millennia ago, when Ahriman, the Lord of the Divs, attacked the famed Jaizun Citadel, a few of the resident artificers and elementalists of the Jistka Imperium made their escape. Their whereabouts, and the secrets they took with them, were lost to the desert sands and the ages. Soon after, the Citadel of the Weary Sky, as the Jaizun Citadel became known, was demolished by a fierce elemental storm.” Obo glances over to the thin man standing to his side, “The Sapphire Sage, Amenopheus, is lending a hand in the nascent partnership between the Pathfinder Society and the Concordance of Elements. This new alliance is already beginning to bear fruit. The Concordance was particularly interested in the information we had about the Citadel of the Weary Sky. Recently, they detected an unusual elemental energy to the south, in the Napsune Mountains, and asked us to investigate this disturbance.”
Amenopheus clasps his robes tightly about himself, “We have long suspected that the Jistkan refugees from the citadel may have made their way into the mountains and constructed a hidden stronghold there. There appears to be some connection between this refuge and the elemental storms that battered the Citadel of the Weary Sky. This connection made our new friends in the Concordance of Elements nervous; they do not wish a resurgence of violent elemental storms any more than we do. Now that we’ve identified this lingering elemental imbalance, it must be corrected.”
Obo steels his gaze, “If we’ve truly discovered the ancient elementalists’ retreat, then it may well pose a very real danger. Our alliance with the Concordance is tentative at best and I wish to show our goodwill, but I cannot in good conscience order you to investigate. Instead, I offer you the right of first refusal—more an invitation—to explore.”
Obo withdraws a map from a scroll tube. “The Concordance gave us this map to the location of the disturbance. An ancient Jistkan mechanism blocks the entrance. The Concordance was unable to gain passage, but described it as some kind of sealed portal. From my collection of Jistkan puzzle-boxes, I’d wager it will take keen minds, such as you possess, to unlock this portal and gain entry.”
Venture-Captain Obo holds out the map. “If you are all in agreement, then good luck, Pathfinders. May the gods look down upon you and grant you good fortune. Do you have any questions?”
There are several ruins in northern Garund left behind by long-lost human civilizations, most famously the Jistka Imperium. The Jistkans were famous for building golems and other mighty constructs.
Turmoil led the Jistkan magistrates to build Jaizun Citadel to focus the power of their elementalists and extraplanar allies.
The Jistkan elementalists bound the spirits of elementals into golems and constructs during their crafting. They used these golems as guards and soldiers.
The ancient people of the emerging nation of Osirion made peaceful pacts with genies and similar outsiders. Many genies bound by the Jistka Imperium betrayed their masters. After the genies proved unreliable, Jistkan artificers powered their golems with the spirits of daemons, devils, and demons, and they developed notorious behemoth golems that could stand against Osirion’s allied divs and elemental outsiders.
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Nice meeting you again Saphire Sage, I hope this mission will be as fruitful as the other we've done together.
Says Jair with a smile while trying to remember what she learns in the Dark Archives and with Master Shaine.
After some thinking, she remembers a lots of thing she shares with her comrades.
After sharing her knowledge she adds Better be ready to fight Golems.
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A small blue haired gnome trots into the room. ”Apologies for being late! Had a run in with some cult of Lissala worshippers. They were such meanies, but we made it through all right in the end. It sounds like this will be so fun as well!”. The gnome talked at a rapid pace.
She didn’t carry much in the way of weaponry, but she had a certain air about her that made it seem as if she had been in a few scrums in her day. She had eavesdropped on the advice that the one known as Jair rendered, absorbing it silently. ”Oooo, I don’t have any weapons that can do damage versus a golem, I don’t think! I’ve always heard it takes a strong warrior to just hack one of those to death. Can you hand,e that part, Tonkk?”
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Another female comes running after the gnome, obviously out of breath.
Doodle! Oh for heaven's sake, I thought I lost you at that last turn. If I didn't know better, I would have thought you were running faster when I called out to you to wait.
Having reached the other ladies, the red-headed half-elf stops to catch her breath before continuing.
I am so sorry, what did I miss? I am sure I look a sight after running to get here. I have an adamantine blade, which may be helpful. Provided I can keep my strength to wield it this time.
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Wow, Jair, that is a tremendous amount of information. Golems? Really?
How do you remember all of it? I totally cannot remember what I did after morning prayers! she marvels at the shared info from Jair.
She smiles back at Tonkk with a look of concern.
Um, yes. That is a nice weapon. Could you possibly point it in the other direction? Or even straight up, if there are no hanging lights?
“The Concordance of Elements is an extraplanar organization of elementals and genie-kin who seek to bring balance to elemental energies by any means necessary.”
“An ancient empire that collapsed 8,000 years ago. Jistka was home to powerful wizards who made pacts with outsiders, mainly genies, to guard the Imperium’s borders. They were also peerless artificers who crafted elaborate mechanisms and golem guardians, using summoning magic to call forth elementals and bind elemental spirits into their constructs.”
“At the grand Jaizun Citadel, Jistkan elementalists and conjurers summoned a multitude of genies and elementals to bolster their armies. The magic expended in drawing these creatures from the elemental planes fractured reality around the citadel. The sky above the Jaizun Citadel constantly roiled with unfettered elemental energy and eventually attracted the Lord of Divs, Ahriman. He added to the elemental energy and directed it into a massive storm to destroy the citadel. The storm abated thereafter, but our research indicates that it never fully dissipated.”
Amenopheus answers. “If the outpost is truly secret, then it’s unlikely that you will encounter many people. I imagine there might be ancient Jistkan guardians, puzzles, or traps, so be careful and resourceful.”
“We are unsure of the answer to this, as we do not exactly know what the disturbance is. All we know is where it is, and that it is likely a remnant of the ancient elemental storm’s energy still bound in some manner.”
Amenopheus asks you to remain in his company after Venture-Captain Obo dismisses the meeting. ”I’d like you to carry my sage jewel with you into Deep Sky - take good care of it! I believe that the sage jewels have some deeper connection to elemental forces—potentially malign forces. I’d like you to carefully evaluate how the sage jewel reacts to the energies within the Jistkan ruin and report back to me.”
The Concordance’s map provides detailed directions leading through the Rahadoumi landscape into the Napsune Mountains. The trail leads up a hidden mountain pass to a small plateau. The map explains that the entrance to the Jistkan outpost can be found here. However, neither the Pathfinder Society nor the Concordance of Elements knows the secret to unlocking the entrance into the outpost, and no description of the sealed portal is provided on the map.
Before you depart, Amenopheus provides you with a piece of advice, “I likely don’t have to remind explorers as experienced as yourselves that understanding the situation in Deep Sky and chronicling your discoveries appropriately will almost certainly require fluency in the Jistka language. If none of you speaks the language, I highly recommend acquiring appropriate magical assistance before you depart.”
After you complete any necessary purchases or other preparations, Amenopheus secures camels for your journey. He also marks on the map good places to stop and secure shelter and watering holes. The journey through Rahadoum to the location provided on the Concordance’s map is uneventful.
The entrance to Deep Sky is high in the Napsune Mountains. The narrow, stony mountain path broadens as it ascends to a narrow ledge. The rock face to the south towers hundreds of feet in height. Two massive doors made of green marble loom within. They lack any hinges or handles but are carved with enormous, stern, scowling faces. Next to the doors is a shallow indentation containing a tiny stone door with a weathered metal handle.
You have an eerie sense of being watched.
You notice that the faces on the doors subtly shift, as if they are following your movements.
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Jaïr not knowing Jiskan, decides to prepare several spell of comprehend languages and encourages her comrades to buy something to be able to understand it.
After her travel under endure elements Jair is nevertheless happy to find the door of the hidden temple.
She casts guidance on herself asking Ancient Knowledge to guide her in her search.
Strange, the faces on the doors subtly shift, as if they are following our movements!
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Lasaraleen thanks the Sage for the advice.
I have a spell to comprehend most languages, but thanks for the splendid advice and markings on the map.
***
Upon reaching the entrance to Deep Sky after the long trek...
She looks around the doors and entry way
I feel so dreadful. Something seems to be watching us...from these doors.
Gather around ladies and Tonkk, if you wish the protection of the Dawnflower.
She will cast an extended (rod) protection vs evil circle on herself and any 10' near her.
I would suspect traps could be plentiful here, Merisel.
Electra does not detect magic and Merisel does not not detect traps.
Electra does not detect any magic at all. Interestingly, she does not even perceive the magical auras of the various items that the PCs are carrying.
Merisiel detects no traps.
When you look at the tiny stone door, you see that it opens freely. Within, five thin metal strips are attached to the rock face, with large rivets set at the top and bottom. Above the metal strips, a phrase is carved into the wall
“The spaces between notes are just as important as the notes themselves.”
Each metal strip bears faded images of hands with raised fingers.
Jistkan Harmonic Key
Chimes Handout
The metal strips here can be played like a xylophone.
A delicate wooden mallet hangs from a hook. It looks very fragile.
When Jair strikes the strips in the proper sequence, the doors grind open, revealing a room.
This chamber is 20’ high . Large, clear windows to the south and east provide a view of a large cavern that appears open to the sky, illuminating the room. A stone staircase leads to a platform of blue stone, polished to a mirror-like finish. At the platform’s center is an inlaid gold rune five feet in diameter.
However, you do not yet have the opportunity to examine this more closely, as you are immediately charged by a large creature. Resembling an unearthed vein of dull gray minerals, this crude, hunchbacked humanoid figure uses its arms to support itself.
Tonkk - dmg;
Doodle - dmg;
Red - dmg; charging
Electra - dmg;
Meriseil - dmg;
Jair - 16 dmg;
Lasaraleen - dmg;
Tonkk and Doodle are up!