Nazza lets herself in!
A large sofa sits awkwardly near the entrance, facing toward the center of the room. Sets of chairs and tables are arranged throughout, and statues of grandiose gnomes occupy the corners of the room. A set of stairs at the northern edge of the chamber leads to an unused basement filled with stacked newspapers. A second set of stairs leads up to an unfinished second floor.
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Nazza's eyes narrow at the awkwardly placed sofa. She holds up a hand toward the other Pathfinders to stop them from moving forward too quickly. "Hey, see that? Some sort of weird circle underneath the couch. Probably some wizard trick. Give it a wide berth. Also, does it seem like no one has actually been in here lately? The furniture and carpet are pristine. Could be more tricks... Let's go see if those muscle-heads are guards or captors. And again, mind the circle..."
Nazza shuffles along the outside of the room toward the bedroom where they saw the sleeping Fimbrik.
Going into the bedroom, neither Fimbrik nor the guards react to your entrance.
After a thorough search you conclude that there is nothing of interest in the bedroom.
The stairs up lead nowhere, as if Fimbrik meant to add a second story but never got around to completing it. The basement is full of old newspapers.
The illusion in the study also does not react to your entrance and you are able to scour the room but find nothing interesting.
The room in the northeast corner is a small meeting room with enough chairs, pillows, and desks to accommodate at least six visitors. The table in the southwest corner reveals a neatly penned letter.
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After the contents of Frimbrik's letter are disclosed, Nazza rolls her eyes and quietly mutters something impolite about gnome wizards. She rereads the letter, turning it over to check the back as well.
"Aside from this silly password, he says he's attached some Pathfinder's name. But I don't see it anywhere here. Where is it? Maybe it's some other damn illusion?" Nazza asks, letting out a low growl of frustration. "Maybe someone else (with a little more finesse) got here first? In any case, I think we should check the basement before we leave. Could have some more info--or at least a drink."
Beneath is a fragment of paper with the name Doulgonlir Caskmail scribbled on it.
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"So is this Doulgonlir Caskmail supposed to be a Pathfinder? Pretty unusual name, so it should be easy to track this person down. I'm with Nazza though. Never a big fan or wizard's and their tricks...prefer to smash things with my hammer."
Markas takes up the letter in his hand and looks it over, hoping maybe something was missed but ultimately finding their wasn't. "Nazza, go check the basement. Maybe you can get some more information, but it seems unlikely."
"The big question now looming, where to next? I would give a suggestion but I think the only person I'm more useful than in terms of solving puzzles or riddles is our muscly buddy Saitama here," Markas says as he pats the bald paladin on the shoulder.
The basement is only full of old newspapers.
Created in 4330 ar, the Wall of Names resides on the grounds of the Grand Lodge in Absalom. The monument is a curving wall of black glass that stands atop a small hill at the western edge of the lodge’s grounds. Trees surround the hill, providing ample shade and privacy for those visiting the wall to remember fallen comrades. Carved into the wall are the name and date of death of every Pathfinder killed in the course of duty since the wall’s construction, and most entries also include a sentence or two summarizing either the agent’s greatest accomplishments or how she died.
Three inscriptions stand out to you:
Doulgonlir Caskmail
Deceased 4332 ar
Survived the horrors of Nemret Noktoria. Returned to rot from the inside.
Hollis “Evil Grin” Thorne
Deceased 4331 ar
Wrote in solitude for 101 days. Lived a long life of silence and serenity.
Karina Clamp
Deceased 4330 ar
Enjoyed the many excesses of Katapesh. Ended by a drug-induced hallucination.
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Nazza is uncharacteristically quiet on the way to the Wall of Names, and once they arrive she wanders off to sit in front of a particular section of the wall. She touches a particular name on the name with one finger: "Dr." Gunter, deceased 4714 AR. She frowns at the black glass--not her usual half-annoyed scowl, but something sadder.
The Wall is not magical.
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"Hard to believe so many people have been in the Society throughout its history. Sometimes we forget how many have come before us." Markas says as he looks over the long list of names.
Though Markas was born in Absalom and is familiar with some of its local history, nothing aside from the names he's reading comes to mind as important. "Henrick, I agree they have to be of some importance, but was is the likelihood they have anything to do with our mission now? Many people have visited this wall, there is no telling who underlined these words or why."
As Markas speaks to Henrick, one of the names catches his attention even more than the others. "Doulgonlir Caskmail" he says, "This was the name we found with the letter. Anybody got any ideas? It would appear we are in the right place at least based on that information."
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Nazza eventually gets up and investigates the names with the strange underlining. At Caskmail's name, she leans in close and says, "Wiffle?"
Nazza jots down the names, dates, and inscriptions of the three curious names on the wall. As she finishes scribbling, she suggests "Let's take this back to the Wounded Wisp. Janira or someone will be able to tell us more, I'm sure."
Nothing happens when Nazza whispers the password to the wall.
Heading back to the Wounded Wisp, Janira takes a look at the inscriptions you copied down. "Oh! Yes, this is very clever! You see, the underlined portions of each inscription refer to failed aspirants of the Starstone Test. Each epitaph refers to one of the failed aspirants honored in the Shrine of the Failed, and the underlined part of each inscription refers to that aspirant’s area of interest."
She explains further, "For example, the god of silence and serenity would have been The Muted God, except that he failed the Test. Now The Muted God is honored only in the Shrine of the Failed. Likewise the god of rot would have been Mellag and the god of hallucinogens would have been Spuchasta."
She hands you back the copy of the inscriptions. "I hope that helps!"
You happen to visit the Shrine at the exact moment Sir Reinhart, a Mendevian crusader intent on becoming a god, attempts the Test of the Starstone. As the valiant—and utterly doomed—knight prepares to charge his steed across the chasm outside Starstone Cathedral, you have unrestricted access to the Shrine of the Failed. The city guard and what few caretakers the shrine has have left to watch Sir Reinhart’s ill-fated attempt.
Erected centuries ago by an unknown organization, the Shrine of the Failed is a dour complex that pays homage to those who failed in their attempts to overcome the Test of the Starstone. The building houses numerous altars, each dedicated to a specific failed aspirant. Black-robed acolytes protect, clean, and maintain the halls as well as the few trinkets left behind by the aspirants.
The monumental chamber stretches eighty feet from end to end, with a ceiling suspended thirty feet from the floor by great pillars. Seven arched passages lead to humble rooms, each of which contains a polished stone altar dedicated to one of the failed aspirants who attempted the Test of the Starstone.
You easily enough locate the alcove dedicated to the would-be god of rot Mellag. The alcove contains a short stone altar with a small brass nameplate.
Whispering the name has no effect but in your search of the room you find that the small brass nameplate slides over to reveal a small chalkboard and a broken piece of chalk.
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Saitama grabs the chalk. "Let's do a battle of wits: tic tac toe!"
Upon the suggestion, he pauses. "Business before fun!", scrawling the word on the board.
-Posted with Wayfinder
The door opens when Saitama writes down the password! The cavern beyond the secret door is made of stone. Several desks are arranged along the northern and eastern edges of this small stone alcove. Whereas the stonework leading to this chamber is rough, the walls in the alcove are polished. A single gem rests among the neatly filed papers on the desk, emitting a soft luminescence that brightens the small room.
The paperwork on the desk is a priceless collection of Pathfinder Society lore and information describing dozens of unexplored sites. Most are written in an Azlanti dialect further encrypted using an old cipher employed by the Society centuries ago.
You look over the notes but quickly realize that it will take several weeks of study to crack all of the codes and truly understand the significance of this find.
Confident that you have found some forgotten and likely significant piece of Pathfinder history, though, you exit the secret cave and head back out to the main part of the shrine.
Unfortunately, it seems your sleuthing and investigating has attracted another party interested in acquiring your findings: three men openly wearing bronze sigils signifying them as members of the Aspis Consortium stand at the entrance to the now-empty shrine and block your way!
Neophyte, Swordsman, Debilitator
The Aspis agent raises his longsword and advances to the center of the temple. "You ruddy Pathfinders won't be making it out of here with those!"
The agent moves up and casts a spell at Markas!
The agent also advances and then with a quick word creates a double of himself!
The Aspis agents resist Victoria's spell! Nazza moves around behind to prevent their retreat!
Saitama moves up to the sword-wielding agent and punches him (for justice)!
The swordsman swings at Saitama!
The agent steps away from Nazza and casts another spell!
The agent also backs away from Nazza and casts a spell on himself. He also again creates another image of himself.
Nazza takes down her rival half-orc. Henrick then takes out the one who appeared to be the leader, leaving only the dwarf! The dwarf resists Victoria's spell.
As Markas continues to cower in the tunnel, Saitama moves up against the dwarf but the dwarf ducks beneath the monk's kick.
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The dwarf calls out to Norgorber and a foul energy washes over the room!