"That's the Haraday Theater. They have plays sometimes. But this evening is not it. I guess it's some kind of meeting. And some of those are actually customers of mine." the man answers.
Must be a lecture or something if they are meeting in a theater well thank you I will get out of your hair before the meeting gets out and more of your customers come in. He Shrugs then looks back at the map of shops.
Oh don't worry Mr. Stam, I'll stay here with you until you are done shopping, then we can decide where to go from there. I would like to check out some of these shops to see if I can find that ring, but it doesn't have to be right now if you have other things you want to do first.
Stam riases his eyebrow at the mention of a meeting, looking at Grergof and the rest.
"I have left something in my room back at the Inn, will you all go with me back there?"[b] Stam says, turning to the clerk [b]"I will be back for those spells.
"So they are meeting tonight, we should go and see if we can get in." stam says
Grergof follows Stam's lead acting as a good bodyguard.
Spugnoir follows
Stam moves to the front door of the Theater, knocking loudly on the door and waiting.
Well-dressed servants stand outside these doors, welcoming arriving carriages and turning away passersby who linger next to the glass windows of what appears to be a large meeting hall. As the group approaches the theater, one of the servants comes over. Not recognizing them he asks "Can I help you Sirs?"
Stam tries to remember any passcode or anything that will help get them inside.
"We were wondering if you knew or your fellows knew anything about the Murders that were happening along "The Way" Stam accentuates those last two words well.
"Please turn to the constabulary if you have issues with crimes. Please move along we're awaiting further guests." the servant tells.
Stam looks at the others and walks away from the building.
"So what do we do now?"
Well do any of you have a way to listen into what is being talked about in the meeting?
I have some extracts that can increase my senses and my invisibility extracts as well
Or perhaps offer some new information. Such as the notes I took on the brain restoration. It will have to be edited of course, but I suppose they might be interested.
"They could want the key as well." stam says heading back to the door.
"Good day again, I have some information that I would like to trade with the Order inside, I have knowledge that I wish to trade." stam says
"May I ask about what it is, before I disturb the master with your request?" the servant asks. It is written all over his face that he doesn't believe you.
"I have come in possession of a certain key, it is black and radiates an immense amount of power that is lets say not of the holy variety. I would like to discuss what to do with said key and what else your masters may know of it." Stam says
"Would you show it to me?" The servant asks, now more curious than suspicious.
"Inside, it is something that should not just be brought out in public. I promise that I will not try to rush past you I just fear that if seen with this item it might attract the wrong attention, the previous owner attacked us on the road into town " Stam says
"Yeah, no." the servant replies. "Would you please move on? There is the next carriage approaching."
Stam shurgs and shows the man the Key that they have, trying to hide it from general view.
The road is not that busy. The servant takes a look at the necklace and raises a brow. "Step aside please. I'll inform the master of your request after that coach."
Then he turns his attention to the approaching coach. Together with his colleague he opens the door and helps the passengers out, greeting them by name. A pudgy, aged gentleman, that wears a befuddled expression behind an expensive pair of silver spectacles he greets "Welcome Sir Chalest". and a rather unremarkable man greeted as "Mr. Winterbottom." They guide them to the entrance, where they open the doors for them.
The coach moves on and the one servant takes his place again, while the other goes inside. As he comes out again, he waves you in. "You may bring forth your requuest to Master Modd over there."
The tall, somewhat stocky aristocrat stands in the conservatory, preening under the adulation of his associates, who hang on his every word.
Large bookshelves and heavily draped windows line the walls of this room. The Order routinely rents out this space for private gatherings and social functions. A cigar box on one of the bookshelves contains rolled cigars from nearby Molthune.
A large piano dominates the southwest corner of this room, with twin crystal chandeliers hanging overhead. The Order often uses this chamber as an upscale viewing hall for funerals, weddings, recitals, or dancing.
"Thank you, sorry for the run around but you know that you can never be too careful these days." Stam says, stepping into the building Stam notes the mans garb. "Osirian, interesting, you must find it chilly so far north even on the hottest of days. We have a certain Key that we need to find out some more information on and discuss."
Grergof stands off the side, but clearly the armored man is a looming presence among all the scholars.
Our humble apologies for intruding Master Modd, what my associate is trying to say is we seek your esteemed opinion on not only the key you have seen, but also on another potentially more powerful item that has made its way into our possession.
Master Modd was taking in breath to berate Mr. Truthfinder for the rude interruption of his conversation, but Grergof's words calm him down and even elicit a smile from him. "You got my attention. What did you say is your name?" he inquires for a proper introduction.
"My name is Stam Truthfinder, I know a bit of an odd Surname but it was my fathers job and apparently he wished to be unique. I am from Cheliax as well, not a Devil worshiper myself so you have no fear from be of being bound to a hellish contract." Stam says with a smile, with that he will produce the Key.
Mater Modd gives Stam the 'I didn't talk to you'-look.
Stam puts the key away, standing up straight and looks the man in the eye
I am Grergof Varsk, Preceptor of the order of The Dawnflower, sir.
"I'm Edjureus Modd, master of the Esoteric Order of the Palatine Eye in Caliphas, as you already know." Modd replies. "But what is this even more powerful item you mentioned?" he inquires.
Do you trust all those present, Sir?
Assuming he gets a confirmation:
Grergof reaches into his pack and pulls out the mace with raven's heads on it.
I believe I know what this is, but I would like independent confirmation from your order. If it is what I think it is, then it has been spoken of in several of the Whispering Ways plans that we have obtained and would like your expert opinion on.
Mr. Stam I assume you still have the notes from the Necromancer and Rider?
"Yes, yes, very interesting. You can contact me in the morning about that." Modd replies. But it is clear that he is not too enthusiastic about it.
Of course sir. If you can direct us to your secretary to work out the details, we will take up no more of your valuable time.
Once they are out of earshot Grergof whispers to the others:
Well, if the way is looking for this mace as diligently as I believe they are, we just lit a bonfire to tell them who has it. I suggest we watch carefully the next few nights, as we may well get visitors trying to claim this from us.
Indeed. Hmm.. I suggest we make arrangements to stay at another inn and teleport to it once we get into our room at the first inn. Might help throw off the trail.
Modd points you in the rough direction of the office and continues to entertain the other people who were hanging on his lips before.
As you move on an interesting looking man approaches you. You remember him from that coach. "I couldn't help but hear your proposal. And I must tell I'm really curious. If you'd include me in the research I could help you." he tells, opening his jacket and pulling a key half out. "I'm dying to get to know strange artifacts."
"I'm Abraun Chalest." he offers as a late introduction.
Grergof being paranoid looks the man up and down before responding.
Possibly... What are your qualifications to help us?
As he listens he continues to look intently at the man.
"I'm a curator at the Quarterfaux Archives in Caliphas. I got the key to the archives, where all the written knowledge of the Order is stored."
"I'd take you there, if you share with me your story." Chalest tells.
Stam produces the papers that Grergof mentions.
"Right here, I even managed to keep them dry." Stam says, as they leave the building and the man confront them, "so you want to be in our research? Can you tell us what that key is?"
"No, I can't. But I can guide you to the archives and we can research it there." Chalest tells.
Chalest leads you through several rooms and opens a heavy door with his key. Bookshelves groaning beneath the weight of hundreds of tomes line these wooden stairs, which descend in a spiral along this chamber’s walls to the theater’s subbasement 30 feet below. Most of the books here are relatively common reference works, but a single archway at the bottom of the stairs leads to the Order’s more valuable collections.
Piles of statuary, pottery, paintings, and art fill these chambers, clustered around large wooden crates, barrels, and narrow bookshelves full of ancient, musty tomes, with only narrow, meandering pathways between them. In the final vault to the east, a large worktable lies half-buried under piles of scrolls, books, and clay tablets, illuminated by magical work lights overhead.
"Here within the vast knowledge of the Esoteric Order you can study the things you crave to know."
The Carrion Crown Poem: the poem is actually a formula for a magical elixir for creating a lich. It is keyed to a specific person, but you can't tell which one.
Stam looks from the book he is reading to the part that Spugnoir is reading. "I see now, the Carrion Crown isn't an item, it is a spell to turn someone specific into a Lich, it doesn't say who though." Stam says.
HP 71/71
Reservoir Points 13/13
Arcanist Spells Prepared (CL 11th; concentration +17)
5th (3/3)— teleport
4th (5/5)— black tentacles , summon monster IV
3rd (4/5)— fireball (DC 18), haste, lightning bolt (DC 18)
2nd (5/5)— acid arrow , glitterdust (DC 17), Gust of Wind , web (DC 17)
1st (5/6)— ear-piercing scream UM (DC 16), mage armor , magic missile , protection from evil , thunder stomp
0 (at will)— acid splash , arcane mark , detect magic , disrupt undead , light, mage hand , mending, prestidigitation, read magic
Counterspell (Su) Use 1 reservoir as an imm action, counter with spell 1 level higher or same spell at +5 bonus.
Dimensional Slide (100 feet) (Su) Use 1 reservoir as part of move/withdraw, move to spot in sight for
only 5 ft movement & no AoO.
Metamixing (Su) Use 1 reservoir while casting a spell, apply a known MM to spell without affect on
casting time.
Piercing Spell Affected spell treats creatures with SR as having an SR of 5 lower
Quick Study (Ex) Use 1 reservoir as a full rd action, consult spellbook to switch out mem spell (provokes AoO).
Sickening Spell You can cast a spell that sickens those injured by it (duration = spell's level in rounds,
Fort negates).
Scroll of Bull's Strength (5th)
Scroll Comprehend language x3
Scroll of Dark Vision x3
Scroll of Enlarge Person (3rd)
Scroll of False Life (4th)
Scroll of Knock
Scroll of Obscuring mist
Scroll of Shield (2nd)
Scroll of Summon Monster 1
Wand of Grease 5/14
Wand of Spider climb 40/15
Pearl of power 1/1
Lesser silent metamagic rod 3/3
Liquid Ice 2/2
Smoke pellet 4/4
Smoke stick 1/2
Spell Latice vanish 1/1
While the others look at the poem, Grergof a different tack of looking into what the order knows about the Whispering Way, and how it relates to Liches.
organization of necromancers that has been active in the
Inner Sea region for thousands of years.
DC 15 (100 XP): Agents of the Whispering Way often
seek alliances with undead creatures, or are themselves
undead. The Whispering Way’s most notorious member
was Tar-Baphon, the Whispering Tyrant, although the
society itself has existed much longer than even that
mighty necromancer.
DC 20 (200 XP): The Whispering Way itself is a series of
philosophies that can only be transferred via whispers—
the philosophies are never written or spoken of loudly,
making the exact goals and nature of the secretive
philosophy difficult for outsiders to learn much about.
DC 25 (400 XP): Exact details on the society are difficult
to discern, but chief among the Whispering Way’s goals are
discovering formulae for creating liches and engineering
the release of the Whispering Tyrant. Agents often travel
to remote sites or areas plagued by notorious haunts
or undead menaces to perform field research or even to
capture unique monsters. Their symbol is a gagged skull,
and those who learn too many of the Way’s secrets are
often murdered, and their mouths mutilated to prevent
their bodies from divulging secrets via speak with dead.
Greater agents of the Whispering Way use these silver
medallions as keys to their sanctuaries. Each moribund key
bears an engraved skull with two gray, burned-out ioun stones
for eyes. Small openings line the coin’s outer edge. By turning
the skull’s head, an inner plate marked with runic symbols
lines up with these openings to
establish different combinations.
Each setting matches symbols inscribed
on objects of great importance to the
cult, such as statues, paintings, and doors. The
proper arrangement of these runes activates
stored spell effects in such objects, including
powerful wards, programmed images, or
the release of arcane locks.
"This key will maybe unlock the door to a sanctuary, we just have to find that." Stam turns to their host. "So what do you want to know?"
Hmm..I am just not picking anything up.
Spugnoir is fascinated with a book on spores, mold, and fungi.[/b]
"What are you searching for?" Chalest asks to start a conversation, where he gets told what this is all about.
"Information on the whispering way, why they are doing what they are doing." Stam says