Some time ago you received the following note:
Honorable Pathfinders,
Action and intent comprise the scales of karma. Join me in my final place of study, the Sanctuary of the Unbound Knot in New Oppara, to ascertain how past intent and future action may collude to raise the veil of ignorance. The lore and wisdom of two thousand years shall stand as your reward.
Venture-Captain Bakten Shengrah
You have now completed the long journey to Tian Xia with your companions and are making the final stages towards the Santuary of the Unbound Knot.
|
First off the coach is accomplished illusionist Sihir Aneh Yang Mengembara Alam Semesta ("Sihir Aneh" to those who find the Wayang language too formidable). His ultraviolet eyes, and a platinum ring in the shape of an ourobouros on his finger, glimmer strangely in the sun, which he promptly shields himself from by prestidigitating a small cloud over his head.
|
Lore hops out of the party conveyance, her mithril shirt chinging softly under her cassock with the blazing sun embroidered into it. She looks up at the sun, squinting but smiling happily... "Now THAT was a long journey... How exciting, I've never been here before... this should be quite fascinating."
|
|
This was probably the furthest Ru had ever traveled for a mission. As he entered the gathering for the briefing, the long, slender elf checked himself. His vials, potions, and magical items were all strapped down tightly, so as they would not clink together while he moved. He nodded toward the others, pouring himself a cup of hot tea from the usual pots provided for mission briefings. "This was quite a journey, no doubt. I can only imagine what they have in store for us today."
|
|
"It's been a while, Lore! I thought I recognized you but wasn't sure. Have you had any interesting adventures recently? I just had a battle with the damndest demon I've ever run across. It literally was down to my last flask of acid before it dropped. Stupid cultists for summoning the beast they couldn't control."
|
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
"Well, I was with Eadie and we fought some chain demons and then cultists... it was dicey there for a few because we all got separated by being at different levels in a well... but we prevailed in the end... Eadie was awesome as usual! But the interesting thing is we were kind of inside this tapestry at the time... very strange doings. To be honest, I'm kinda tired of all these cultists and their summoned beasties.. you must be too... I hope this task doesn't involve those... and even if it does, they should be quite different from what we're used to... I just wish I'd taken the time to study their language on the way here, the locals, not the demons, I mean."
O
A flurry of cherry blossoms paints the air above the Sanctuary of the Unbound Knot. A chill wind brings the last gasps of winter down from the Zi Ha Mountains, which legends claim to be the cradle of samsaran civilization. Now, in New Oppara, one of their living legends lies dying within his sanctuary. Soon, the sages say, Bakten Shengrah is to transcend to the Great Beyond, taking with him all the wisdom of twelve lifetimes and two millennia of lore beheld firsthand. For Pathfinders, an audience with the reclusive Bakten is a privilege indeed. As the gust of wind subsides, a gray rabbit quietly lopes down the sanctuary steps and across the courtyard.
When the rabbit reaches you, its face elongates to a human girl’s. “Walk-lookers! You! Now! Come! Bakten, friend, good news, dying soon. But woe! Worry and fear. A veiled life. Come!”
The assembled Pathfinders have noticed that one of their fellows...seems off. He appears a ferocious, possibly mentally unhinged tiefling with bestial eyes. Though he exhibits the infernal characteristics typical of his kind, he also has draconic features.
The tiefling occasionally thrashes or has his face contort strangely. His erratic behavior is unnerving, and his shifty eyes stare at the others for a moment, though he does not appear to see them.
Despite his apparent difficulties, he looks at the girl.
Mmmmm...rabbit!
The tiefling, Insidion, follows the others.
|
The dwarf Deaglan had introduced himself when the pathfinders first met
"Greetings to you all, I am Deaglan son of Donagh. I am a priest of Trudd, the strongest Dwarf and son of Torag. I have recently worked in the hamlet of Thornkeep, where we have been investigating the local keep."
The dwarf pats his dwarven longhammer "If it ever comes to combat I can be found in the front ranks, but I prefer to solve matters without resorting to violence". He seems troubled "unfortunately it is my experience in the Society that a lot of our opponents won't give us or themselves the opportunity to solve matters without violence."
- - -
Deaglan follows the rabbit / girl, raising his eyebrows slightly
"What manner of creature are you?"
Perhaps misunderstanding the question, the rabbit woman simply answers, "I am Twig! Follow!"
Following the creature, you come to the Sanctuary proper. The tranquil place's architecture shows a strong influence of Minkaian styles. A prominent, gently curved, moss-covered roof soars over 30 feet into the sky above the single-story building. At the front of the sanctuary, wide stone steps ascend to the outer courtyard, which features a pristine copper bell decorated with intricate knotwork and several pieces of statuary.
As you pass through the double doors, you see the earthen floor is flat and clear of debris. A 20-foot-diameter circle occupies the center of the courtyard, filled with a sand painting depicting intricate, endless knotwork. To the southeast, four fir trees grow in an orderly row, and to the southwest, a small rock garden peeks out from behind a layer of tall bushes.
(+2 traps)
As you step into the courtyard, Bakten looks up at you but does not smile or extend greeting. Perhaps this is because he is already aware of what only Deaglan and "Insidion" notice: two green-clad elves lie in wait behind the bushes to the left and two more crouch above on the roof looking down.
Insidion sniffs at the air. "Elf flesh!"
He casts a quick protective spell to conjure additional images of himself. The images weave around him, making it difficult to see where he is.
Bakten nods at your abilities to sense the immediate danger and is quick to react. He casts a spell and sends a wave of energy at the two elven ninjas on the roof. They lose their grip and tumble down, falling unconscious as they hit the ground.
The other two leap out of the bushes and hurl shuriken at Bakten.
One of the shuriken strikes Bakten in the chest but he seems able to bear this injury.
Insidion, along with his multiple images, roars in defiance and charges the nearest elf. He lifts his earthbreaker and swings in a wild but powerful arc.
Insidion and Deaglan nearly bring down one of the ninjas as Ru moves in and Sihir tries to play tricks on them. "Ignore it!" one of them commands the other. They both draw naginatas and slide forward to attack.
Venture-Captain Bakten casts another spell and levitates 20 feet above the courtyard to avoid the battle.
red: 40 dmg
The elven warrior falls to the attacks of the party!
Once you defeat the ninjas, Bakten descends to greet you, seemingly indifferent to the attack upon his life. At 250 years old, Bakten is an emaciated, hairless man with translucent blue-white skin. His legs have withered from years of meditation. Despite his frailty, Bakten is a forceful personality and sizes you up as he draws a scroll from his dark blue robes.
Before explaining why he summoned you, he hands you the scroll and says, "This is a single soul's journey whose history puts your Pathfinder Chronicles to shame."
"My veiled life; my only failing. For decades, I have communed with my own past lies, in preparation for my passage to the Great Beyond, for only a soul in perfect balance with karma may transcend. Yet this shadow incarnation is silent, and it vexes me. I wonder now, did these assassins know of some slight of which I, myself, am ignorant? Friends-indulge an old man's curiosity. If you can travel to the loci of my lives before and after, then two relics there may point toward the mystery and lift the veil. I am too frail to travel, but I have an item here that may allow you to show me those relics from afar."
The item is a candle of conveyance, which allows him to form a bond with you so that you can transmit occult information to each other.
As long as one of the linked creatures carries the candle, others may perceive general impressions of their surroundings through the candle. Once per day, each linked creature may perform one of the following occult skill unlocks through the candle: prognostication (pyromancy only), psychometry, or read aura (Pathfinder RPG: Occult Adventures 194). These checks can occur over any distance, and any person or object within 10 feet of the candle can be the subject of the skill. The candle’s flame glows blue when a creature is using one of these skill unlocks. The candle otherwise does not transmit detailed sensory information, nor does it provide any means of communicating with other participants over long distances.
A candle of conveyance is sensitive to the presence of ley lines and exhibits a white halo when brought within 100 feet of one. While the candle exhibits this halo, a creature performing occult skill unlocks through the candle gains information more quickly—the prognostication and read aura skill unlocks take only 1 minute, and the psychometry skill unlock takes 1 round per piece of information gained.
|
|
Nixkamich nods.
"I can appreciate the desire to understand what has gone before; such a desire is close to my heart, as well. What/where specifically are these loci, and do you know what the specific relics are, or do we need to cast a wide net in terms of our search?"
Once he has an answer, he searches the bodies of the ninjas for clues .
"Yes, you seem to understand. One of the relics is the skull of an elven daimyo, Haraka Sorin. He died alongside Malash, he who was reborn as my veiled self. The skull now rests in the Haraka family shrine, in the Court of the Ancestral Sky in Ayajinbo. The other is a cradle that once held Malikeen, my most recent incarnation. It is on display in the village of Dallo, in western Wanshou."
"You need not retrieve the items. Merely hold the candle close and call my name. If you have found the true relic, the flame will turn blue to show that I have examined it psychometrically."
"When I die, the Lantern Lodge will inherit my biographies. Should you help me in this, I will allow you to examine them first."
Insidion looks intrigued as the old samsaran speaks.
"Clues to eternal life revealed...count me in," he says with a hungry look in his eyes.
"It sounds as if our first stop is the Court of the Ancestral Sky."
"I will remain observant so you should not have to wait long. If the flame does not turn blue within a moment or so, you can assume it is not legitimate."
The mission to Ayajinbo requires you to cross into Jinin and travel approximately 300 miles through dense forest. This journey takes about 16 days on foot. Fortunately, Jinin is a peaceful land, and the journey proceeds without incident. When you arrive in the silver-spun city of Ayajinbo, streamers and flags proclaim that a major festival is in progress.
Having done your research, you head towards the Court of the Ancestral Sky. You arrive at a silver pagoda to behold a procession of elven nobles descending a gilded stone ramp into a cave. Four guards at the entrance demand your business before letting you pass further.
|
|
"We are here, good fellows, to look into the life of Malash of Hongal, his great works and lesser ones too, and into the manner of his passing. To do so, we seek access to the Court of the Ancestral Sky where the skull the elven daimyo, Haraka Sorin resides. Master Haraka Sorin died alongside Malash, so their lives were interwined. We have learned that the skull now rests in the Haraka family shrine. Truly we only need a momentary access to this great relic and the skull will not be damaged or moved from its emplacement. Will you allow us to pass please?"