Shin finds no traps on the door and lets himself in. This chamber was once the equal to the fake treasure chamber in true grandeur, but the marshy environment has done its work well—the tops of the treasure shelves are mere islands in the stagnant water. Most of the shelves are empty, with only a few treasures remaining. The grand, rune-covered sarcophagus of the Dog Pharaoh lies open on its dais.
This room is partially flooded, the water level reaching the tops of the treasure shelves and making the room into a series of islands surrounded by 5-footdeep swamp water.
Only a handful of items remain on the bare shelves sticking up through the murky water. Each remaining item is marked with a red chalk “X." The central dais features an ornate sarcophagus, laid open to reveal the mummified remains of the Dog Pharaoh, with his head torn off.
The eyes blink but otherwise remain motionless.
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"Not sure," says Ernest. "I'm more of a modern languages guy; can any of you speak Draconic?"
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The eyes blink again and look at each other. Slowly four figures emerge from the water; four humanoids with scaly skin, commonly referred to as lizardfolk.
The lizardfolk back away and look at each other, afraid.
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"Oh no, no my friends. Please, I have misspoken. As descendants of mighty lizards I assumed you referred to yourselves as snakes and since the mongoose hunts the snake...it would be impolite to imply that we are here to hunt you. However, in this case we are the mongoose. We have fought with the Aspis many times, they are our natural enemies. If the Aspis have taken your eggs, I will promise you that I will do everything in my power to return them to you and push those who have wronged you."
Diplomacy:
The lizardfolk stand out of the water a little straighter and begin to relax, one of them even smirking.
"You see, a week ago, a band of Aspis Consortium agents raided our village and took the eggs in the tribe’s hatchery hostage, forcing the warriors of the tribe to work for them collecting relics and resources from nearby ruins."
"They have forced us to come into the cursed location and steal from it. If your tribe will help free us from the snakes, the Muckmouths will be forever grateful. We will show you the underwater tunnel leading out of the tomb. We can tell you where the head snake is, Gerban Lanier. There are a few bits of uncursed treasure in this chamber you can have as well. But we must get our eggs back. Will the Pathfinder tribe help the Muckmouth tribe? Mongooses we will be together."
One of the lizardfolk steps forward and puts his hand out to Sahar.
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Sahar takes the hand of the lizardfolk.
Turning to her companions, Sahar explains "The lizardfolk have been forced into servitude by the Aspis Consortium. The snakes took the eggs from their tribe in exchange for slave labor. They are willing to share information with us so we can help return their eggs. I assume this is acceptable to you all? "
The only magical items left in the chamber have been marked as cursed by the Aspis Consortium and the lizardfolk help you avoid them. The mundane treasure they offer you is worth about 540 gp. They convey to Sahar (who can translate) that there is an underwater passage in the corner of this chamber that leads outside. It opens up into a swamp outside the tomb where the Aspis have taken over the lizardfolk camp. Their leader is a man named Gerban Lanier. They tell you he is lightly armored and has some magical abilities.
The lizardfolk say they have never seen the head snake fly. They point you in the direction of the underwater passage but tell you that they should stay here for their own safety. They can't seem to be in rebellion, lest the Aspis take it out on their eggs.
The dark and claustrophobic passage through the foundations of the tomb opens into the overcast swamp. The back of the tomb is much like the front, with gnarled swamp trees fighting for space on the dryer bits of ground and reeds, grass, and open stagnant water claiming the rest. To the east the ground raises slightly. Between two bone and leather fetishes lies a path that has seen recent use, the grass and marsh weeds broken down into a matted mush.
Arising from the water, you find yourselves face-to-face with a tall man shouting orders at four more lizardfolk.
Ernest does not see the eggs anywhere and feels that the lizardfolk are spread out enough and far enough away from the leader that his pit will not hit them.
Amiri puts an arrow into the leader before Ernest creates a pit beneath the Aspis agent. Unfortunately, Gerban is able to sidestep the pit.
Gerban wades through the water and then tries to feint Amiri with a stab of his short sword.
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"Ack! You sneaky bastard!" Amiri shouts, sending a light spray of spittle into Gerban's face.
Though she has been properly feinted, Amiri is undeterred in her quest to cause this man pain. She drops her bow and draws her bastard sword.
"You. Will. Pay!" She enters into a rage and swings with her sword.
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Ernest draws a fresh stick of butter, to which the Professor gets excited! At least, until the stick disappears and Ernest shoots it towards the leader's sword. Then Snouts is displeased.
Ernest casts Grease, on the leader's weapon, DC 19 to negate. If he fails, then he has to save each round of using it. Full text
Shin swings and misses. Amiri, although a bit off-put, swings hard and hits the agent. Sahar uses another hex on the man and brings doom down upon him. Ernest coats the man's sword in butter. He drops it, curses, then activates a fancy looking amulet around his neck, instantly morphing into a wolf!
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"Aah! I'm pretty much out of spells that help at this point!" Ernest adds, unhelpfully.
If the terrain is acceptable for it, I'd like to Grease the square he's under, but want to avoid friendly-inconveniencing-fire as always. If I can pull it off, a 10x10 area underneath him to get slick without dropping allies. If not, I'll Acid Arrow the area near him after I'd miss with my +2 to hit with no additional feats towards the act.
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Sahar raises her hands to the sky, looking directly at the fox as she mutters the arcane words. A bright blue ball of electricity begins to form between her hands and as she lowers them toward Gerban there is a earsplitting crack of thunder as the bolt streaks forward at the Aspis agent!
Lightning Bolt: DC 17 Ref save for half.
Ernest slips the wolf up in the water as Shin brings his sword down on the wolf. Sahar shocks him with lightning (giving Amiri a bit of a jolt up the trousers as well) and then Amiri brings her sword down to finish him off.
He slowly morphs back into his original shape after falling unconscious.
In addition to his gear, a thorough search of his person reveals an unsigned letter instructing him to loot the Dog Pharaoh's Tomb before the "reptiles revolt against our influence" and a map to the tomb from what appears to be a cave network several miles to the north labeled "Muckmouth."
The lizardfolk from inside come back out to join their brethren that were under Geran's leash, telling Sahar that "smooth-skins" invaded their tribe's hatchery in their cave network and took the entire generation of incubating eggs hostage, demanding their cooperation in exchange for the eggs' eventual return. They plead that you help them get their eggs back
Two hundred yards east of the confrontation site you discover a series of flat-bottomed skiffs loaded with sacks of gold, gems, and art objects, all taken from the Dog Pharaoh's Tomb, ready to be pushed or otherwise moved back to the Aspis Consortium base at the Muckmouth. The lizardfolk offer it to you in thanks.
Introduction to Part II to recap:
Winning the Hao Jin Tapestry at the Ruby Phoenix Tournament was supposed to grant the Pathfinder Society exclusive access to a museum demiplane where the Tian sorceress Hao Jin stored her most valuable and dangerous acquisitions. At first, the Pathfinder Society believed that the five-by-seven foot tapestry was the only entrance into a demiplane filled with countless ruins drawn from numerous cultures and regions of the world that would be theirs alone to explore. But they soon discovered evidence to the contrary.
The Decemvirate knows now that Aspis Consortium agents have found or forced their way into the allegedly secure demiplane, and they know where the interlopers’ base is. A tribe of lizardfolk native to the plane—called the Muckmouth tribe—are being coerced into serving as guides, porters, and laborers in the Aspis’s plundering, not for any love of Consortium, but because the Consortium is holding a generation of the tribe’s eggs hostage.
The Decemvirate is not interested in sharing its new prize with the Aspis Consortium, and wishes to drive it out and discover how the organization gained access to Hao Jin’s demiplane. The only lead so far is the Aspis base in the lizardfolk tribe’s ancestral breeding grounds within a cave called the Muckmouth, from which the tribe derives its name. Were agents able to infiltrate the caves and dispatch the Aspis agents there, perhaps the lizardfolk would even provide assistance to the Society in its efforts to explore the new realm. Regardless of this possibility, the primary goal is investigating how the Aspis Consortium gained access to the demiplane and determining the extent of their operations here.
Previously obtained details provide a trail through the wide, unmapped marshland from the Society’s point of entry into the demiplane to the Muckmouth, which now lies two hundred yards to the north—a twenty-foot wide cave mired with mud and swamp water. Inside are the Muckmouth tribe’s eggs and the Aspis agents holding them hostage—the only lead to a greater plot from the Society’s greatest rival.
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...later, they are likely stuck here until they complete their mission. It’s entirely possible to rest here, so allow PCs to heal or otherwise remove conditions from themselves as normal, but PCs within *REDACTED, BUT THE TAPESTRY* can’t attempt a Day Job check; purchase or sell equipment or spellcasting; or spend prestige points to acquire equipment, purchase spellcasting services, or receive vanities. If a PC remaining within *REDACTED, BUT THE TAPESTRY* has outstanding conditions or unhealed damage at the conclusion of the scenario, be sure to denote her condition on her Chronicle sheet.
I think everything carries, maybe? I know Rats has opportunities to sleep (if the party wants to try,) but this one's pretty rush-y (which I am totally cool with; PFS doesn't have a lot of stuff like this beyond the biggest Resource Marathon Tests, A.K.A. Specials.) The super weird thing is "What happens if you level?" It's not the case for me, but still. Really weird.