While passing through the city of Kaer Maga, you receive a knock on your door at the inn. A cloaked stranger wordlessly hands you a tightly rolled missive bound with ribbon and sealed with wax before melting away from your door and disappearing before you are able to question him. Examining the scroll only begs for more questions, as the ribbons are in the colors of Pharasma, and the wax bears the Seal of the Church. Curiously, you break the seal and read the message.
”Pathfinder;
You have been chosen to aid the Church if you are willing. Please meet me in the southern courtyard, at the rear of the Godsmouth Cathedral at midnight tomorrow to discuss this mission. Your discretion in this matter is expected.
Valanthe Nerissia
Priest of Pharasma”
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The young and rather unimpressed-looking elven woman absently waves a strand of blonde hair out of her face as she looks over the note.
"Really? The high-and-mighty church comes crawling to the Society for help? Don't they have their own people for this sort of thing? I have a backlog of books that need cataloging and several experiments in progress that require close supervision!"
Despite her grumbling, she gathers her unused travel gear and departs for the cathedral. Once there, she says nothing. She merely scowls at the clergy with her arms crossed, annoyed at being taken away from her research.
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Levin opens the door and takes the small scroll. "Oh, what's this now?" Getting no response from the courier, he closes the door, unfurls the message, and reads. "Hm, a Society mission for the Church of Pharasma. And we're meeting at midnight, how secretive! I wonder if this is one of those under-the-table gigs..."
At midnight, Levin gathers his things and meets in the courtyard. The flamboyant halfling has the hood of his traveler's cloak pulled up over his head, but glittering jewelry can still be seen on his ears and fingers. "Hey gorgeous," he whispers loudly to Myantha. "Are you here for the super-secret meeting?"
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A half-elf of obvious Garundi descent walks into the courtyard, clearly comfortable in her surroundings, though her flowing silk robes seem out of place for the local climate. Before approaching the others, she takes a moment to kneel and pray silently.
As she turns to the others, a silver pendant in the shape of a spiral is on display around her neck, matching the glowing one on her forehead.
"I do hope I'm in the right place. I did not expect the church to summon me to a romantic mixer event. In any case, I am Suheyla, and this is Síoraí.", gesturing to her companion.
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The half-elf is accompanied by a figure in similar grey and black silk robes. They are tall and gaunt, with wiry muscles taut over elongated bones. They have a large sack on their back and a glowing spiral rune on their forehead. They stand silently beside her as she prays, and stays in step with her as she draws closer to the others.
Featureless grey eyes begin panning over the assembled party as Suheyla makes introductions, and they nod slightly when introduced.
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Levin waves dismissively. His hand glitters with jewelry (which, upon proper inspection, is revealed as false and of little real value). Strapped to his wrist is a metal buckler, slightly concave, like a small plate facing up. "Mister nothing, dear, no need for all that. Just Levin, please. Levin Hessel."
After the party arrives, they wait in the dark for a few minutes before a door next to them cracks open, and the same messenger from last night waves you forward and down a hall to an open door. Sitting behind a desk is a stern looking woman. She smiles at you as you enter, but the smile does not reach through the worry wrinkles around her eyes. ”Please, be seated. I am Valanthe Nerissia, a priest of Pharasma. Thank you for coming tonight. Our contacts with the Society suggested that you would be willing and trusted associates that would be willing to help us with a.. slight problem.” she says.
Sitting back down behind the desk, she crosses her arms on the desktop and pauses before continuing. ”We at the Godsmouth Cathedral have a problem, but we are unable to take care of it ourselves at this time. This is an extremely sensitive subject, and it was decided at the highest levels to bring you in from the outside to help us. As you should know, we care for a grand ossuary beneath the Godsmouth, and many very influential families have loved ones interred there. It is strictly forbidden that any outsiders enter the ossuary, so hiring you took quite a bit of convincing. We have noticed a problem of late regarding missing bodies. Our death tenders report that over the last few months, there have been a number of our charges disappearing with no trace. To our knowledge, there is only one way in, and the sanctity of our temple has not been disparaged upon. If you are willing to find the culprit, I will pay you 500 gold. In addition, for completely cleansing the ossuary of any.. unwanted visitors.. I will pay you an additional 250 gold. Should you find things of your fancy, and they are not of Pharasmic origin, you may dispose of these items at your discretion. If you do find any Pharasmic relics down there, we would greatly appreciate their return. I do not need an answer at this time, but it would be best if you started tomorrow at the latest. Should you desire to set any affairs in order or to make purchases, you may.. provided that our confidence is maintained. The Church is imperative that news of this blasphemy not leave the Cathedral, and I would hate for anyone to find out exactly how far our reach may be..” She lets the last of her words trail off with a very pointed look around the room.
”Once you begin your quest, there will be no backing out of it until you are completed. We will allow you to enter the ossuary through the cathedral, and will provide you with a way to open the door from inside the ossuary once. Do you have any questions?”
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"May She judge you fairly." Rex greets Valanthe Nerissia with a traditional Pharasman greeting.
"We are happy to help those who serve The Lady of the Graves." Rex manipulates the prismatic crystal in his hand absent-mindedly.
"We may need some supplies if we are to complete our task without returning to the surface."
In answer to Levin, Valanthe shakes her head. "Only senior clergy are allowed in, so there is no need for an entry log. They enter and leave the upper levels daily, but it is a small group whose dedication is not to be questioned."
Turning to Rex, she smiles and replies "As she judges us all. To aid you in your quest, the Church has allowed me to give each of you both a single potion to cure your wounds , and a single flask of holy water. In addition, I will loan you a Chime of Opening. It only has five charges left, so use them wisely if you wish to exit the catacombs once your mission is complete. If you have need of any other resources, you may purchase them before I escort you to the entrance. In your shopping, though, be sure that your discretion is infallible."
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"I assure you we shall be discreet. Similar issues have plagued the great necropolis of Wati in the past. Are there any particular relics you'd be concerned about recovering? Or any idea about who or what might be causing these problems?"
With a gesture, a slender ebon wand slides out of Jane's sleeve and into her hand. She offers it to Levin.
"It seems we might need this. Feel free to use it on whoever might need it."
"The Ossuary has been in use by the Church of Pharasma for centuries, and there are stories that the actual tombs within may be much older than we realize. The giant sculptures and figures that adorn the cliff face below our city have been there for so long that no one remembers who they depict. Forgotten kings? Ancient Rune Lords? There is no record. All that we know are that some of them, such as the entrance I will lead you to, decend into the vast Undercity. The cliff is rife with ancient tunnels, both man made and natural, and within these tunnels is where the Ossuary lies."
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"The Undercity? Hmm, lots of dangerous things and people down there. Who knows what they might want corpses for."
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A female elf with long, black hair strides into the room. She wears a chain shirt and a cold expression, and carries a cold-iron scimitar with a bluish-black blade.
When she speaks, her voice sounds irritated, and her expression is frigid.
"What are you doing here?" she asks. "I was told to muster at the eastern entrance, not here." She scans each of the assembled Pathfinders as if to gauge their individual competence.
"I am Kiri Frostbrand, and a student of both swordplay and magic. Know that I will fulfill all of my duties competently. Please ensure that you do likewise."
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"Did you hear--."
"What are you doing here?"
" By all the obscene, blasphemies in the Nameless City don't do that woman!" Scolds Abaal after his sudden start. "And where have you been? You do not look like the inquisitor we were expecting."
"I am Kiri Frostbrand, and a student of both swordplay and magic. Know that I will fulfill all of my duties competently. Please ensure that you do likewise."
Hrmph. Know you not to whom you speak elf? I am Abaal the heroic sword of Katapesh. Competence (and discretion) is (or are) my middle name(s).
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Kiri raises an eyebrow at Abaal, the most her cold mask of a face has moved since she entered the room.
"Please refrain from further outbursts," she says icily. "Such behavior could get us killed. And I said nothing blasphemous, or anything that would be considered blasphemous in the Nameless City or elsewhere," she adds, apparently taking Abaal's expression as a serious accusation.
"As I already told you, my instructions were to muster at the east entrance, which is where I have been stationed. Nevertheless, I am here now. We may proceed."
Ah, excuse me, but the position for unfriendly female elven magic-user has already been filled, thank you. Lol, this is going to be fun!
Valanthe gives a disapproving glare at the back and forth and the exclamations "This is supposed to be a secret mission, and your ruckus is not lending very much support to your claims of discretion!" she chides. "Now, if you have any further questions, now is the time to ask them.. if not, you may set your affairs in order and come see me when you are ready to enter the ossuary."
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Kiri folds her arms across her chest and steps back.
"Very well," she says to Valanthe. "I will have my new allies brief me on what they have already found so as not to require duplicative instructions. I am ready to proceed."
As the others finish up and move toward the door, she glances down at the blade at her waist. She whispers, though not quietly enough not to be overheard.
"What do you mean, 'look what I did'? They are the ones that had the outburst, not me. I didn't even raise my voice. I never raise my voice. And I don't care if you think I should be more friendly. Why don't you be more friendly? Oh, that's right...you can't talk!"
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Levin grins as the surly elf woman enters. "Ah good, I thought we might be one short. How very predictable the Society and its assignments are." He hurries over to her and reaches up to pat her on the hip. "So glad you found us, lovely. You can blame me for the mix-up, I suggested we meet in here so as not to raise too much suspicion. And we'll all do our very best to, ah, accompany you." He gives the others a wink.
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The party meets with Valanthe later in the morning to be led down to the catacombs. She leads you down narrow, twisting paths along the cliff side leading down to the Godsmouth Ossuary. The trail eventually leads along the face of one of the many gigantic Unnamed Kings to the Ossuary proper where robed and hooded Pharasmin priests silently tend to the deceased. As you continue, you pass through luxuriously appointed catacombs packed with bodies and then down several stairways before coming to an area that obviously sees little use. Most of the burial niches here are empty and dusty, the air is musty and close, and silence reigns supreme through this area.
Eventually, you come before a locked door, and Valanthe stops and turns to face you before she opens the door. "This is the only known entrance to the sealed lower portions of the Ossuary, and once you enter here, this door will be locked behind you. You may only exit once.. at the end of your mission. As sensitive as this subject is, we can not risk multiple trips in and out. Here are the potions that I promised, as well as a Chime of Opening. This chime only has 5 charges left, so make sure to leave one charge so that you may exit the tombs. Our priest will not open this door under any circumstances once it is sealed.. they will have no way of knowing if you are mindless undead or gods only know what!" With these words, she hands you a sack with the potions and vials, as well as a hollow mithral tube about a foot long before pulling a large iron key from beneath her robes and unlocks the door, holding it open for the party to pass through.
Once you enter the door, you are confronted with a circular stair leading down. Following the stairs and gathering at the bottom, you are within a square room, with large and heavy wooden doors in front you you and to either side. The room is dusty, dank and dirty, but well lit with everburning torches spaced around the walls. You can see no evidence of disturbance of the dust and dirt.
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Kiri quickly sends an approving look at Myantha, but then turns her attention to the doors.
"I suppose now is the point in our adventure where the superstitious one steps forward to speculate that it is always best to take the right hand path or some such nonsense. Well, go ahead. Now is your opportunity to spew idiocies," the elf offers.
She turns her back on the group and begins examining the doors to see if one has greater indications of use.
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Abaal opens the monogrammed wayfinder tethered round his neck illuminating the area. He then unsheathes his great falchion.
"Miss Frostbrand, you you said you were a student of magic and swordplay yes? Would that be in primary school? While you may well be decades older than I, you are hardly an adult. You look all of eleven to my eyes. Tell me child how old are you?"
"And you, Levinpleez. Why are you hitting upon a prepubescent girl?"
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Levin laughs. "Just leave the thinking to me, handsome. Even a young elf is older than both of us. And being polite doesn't have to mean I've got anything less than the absolute best of intentions."
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Kiri's face remains a cold mask as she observes Abaal.
"I assure you that although elves mature at a different rate than humans, I have long ago reached the age of maturity," she says, apparently mistaking the fighter's clear put-downs for a misconception about elves.
"Further, then halfling did not hit me. He merely explained the reason for the mistaken meeting location, which I found entirely acceptable. You are quite difficult for me to understand, warrior; perhaps this is a cultural issue. Nevertheless, we should continue on."
Responding to Myantha, Kiri adds "I have no objection to the right-hand door, only to superstitious beliefs that there is always a correct door to select. The right-hand door has a thirty-three and a third percent chance of leading us to the correct destination; though if we are carefully exploring, we should eventually explore everything. Thus, I have no preference."