"They must have gotten here by magic, didn't they? To guard the door?" He lowers his voice then, reminding himself that Razmirans might be close. "They appeared just as Shirzon started working on the lock. What do you think, Shirzon? Was it something on the door, or lock, that brought those creatures here?"
Calden starts examining the room, checking behind the curtains, under pillows, behind the throne, methodically making his way through. "I think you'd better try the secret door again, Shirzon. With this much decadence, this must be a room for the heralds. Maybe even for the high priestess, with the throne here. If she wanted something hidden behind a well-guarded secret door, we have to get to it."
Shirzon nods to Calden, gingerly rubbing her bruises. "I think it was something on the door. Jimes told me about these before - magical, but you can get past them if you catch them in time. Sorry." Shirzon shrugs, a little chagrined. To avoid the embarrassment of her mistake, she sets to work on the lock.
Shirzon opens the lock after a few minutes of work. This allow his allies to heal their wound, should they wish so.
---
Once Shirzon has picked the lock, she opens the door, revealing a chamber containing two small chests on opposite walls and a large chest between them, sitting next to a table. Atop the wooden table lie three bags and a large ledger.
---
Though currently locked, all three chests can be opened with the proper tools, and Shirzon has just what is needed to do the job. She spends few minutes trying to picking the lock of the first chest, and when she finally succeeds, she discovers that the small chest along the west wall is filled with 14 sacks of copper (each sack holds 200 cp). The small chest along the east wall is filled with 9 bags of silver (each sack holds 200 sp). Then, there's the big chest. As soon as Shirzon tries to pick the large chest's lock, a poisoned needle pierces her finger, and the half-orc gets injected with a terrible poison. The poison quickly enters her bloodstream, making her suddenly clumsier and slower.
Thankfully, years of hardship and deprivation have made the half-orc organism strong enough to wear off the poison before it could paralyze her.
Eventually, the half-orc manages to pick this lock as well. The large chest contains 4 bags of gold (each holds 200 gp) and a small darkwood case inscribed with the symbol of Razmir (worth 40 gp) containing 5 moonstones (200 gp each), three vials, a set of horseshoes of speed, a single dose of sovereign glue, a +1 cold iron heavy mace, a potion of cure moderate wounds, a potion of gaseous form, and a single application of oil of invisibility.
---
Of the three bags lying on the table, the first is filled with four complete sets of city guard uniforms, matching those worn by the local watch exactly; the second contains 23 silver holy symbols, representing nearly every good and neutral deity, and the final bag appears to be empty. The latter is, in fact, a bag of holding (type I) containing the pieces of a broken, gold chain that looks to be about 100 years old. You recognize the links of this chain as being similar to the fragments you saw hanging from Asar’s and Kassen’s necks in the Crypt of the Everflame.
The ledger contains an accounting of all of the items in the room. The tome merely shows the items being checked in. It does not mention from where they came. Calden, who has spent several minutes looking through the ledger, discovers that this is only a fraction of what the temple has brought in over the past year. Every few months, a large deduction, listed as “tithe,” is recorded along with an additional charge for “transportation.” Although it might not be immediately apparent, this is a record of the treasure that is sent back to Razmiran to fill the coffers of the Living God. These tithes are not made with any regular frequency.
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Shirzon curses as quietly as she can manage when the trapped chest pricks her finger, which quickly swells and stiffens with injected poison. She sticks the wounded digit in her mouth and bites hard, sucking out the poison as she can and spitting it on the floor. She clenches and unclenches her fist, and although she tried her best to resist it, the poison leaves some damage that will take a while to heal. She doesn't worry about it too much, though, considering their significant haul of loot.
She quickly stuffs the coins and horseshoes into what turns out to be another bag of holding, grinning despite her wounds and the potential danger. "We hit the jackpot in here!" she whispers with barely restrained glee to the others. "This isn't the best evidence of any wrong doing, but it certainly says something. Why would they have all these holy symbols, otherwise? We should keep looking, though."
Once the group has sorted out who should carry what, Shirzon takes the advance position sneaking down the corridors of the cult's fortress. She approaches the closest door that they haven't explored yet, and listens at the door for any movement or activity.
"City watch clothes and symbols mean they pretend be people they not..." mutters Korech as he looks over the gear.
"I not need any of this. Maybe heal potion if nobody else need - anyone can use that."
After the loot is sorted out Korech follows Shirzon from a distance, his bow loosely held in his hands after the encounter with the elementals.
Merephel converts one of her 1st level spells (her choice) in a cure light wounds spell and casts the healing spell on Shirzon, in the attempt to close her friend’s wounds.
The Kassenite girl does her job very well, healing most of Shirzon’s wounds with a single, low-level spell.
Once you’ve stuffed everything you need from this chamber in your newfound bag of holding, Shirzon leads you to the last door of the lower level you haven’t explored yet. Surprisingly, the door opens without needing to be unlocked. The iron door opens with a screech to reveal a staircase that leads down, curving away to the east. There is a musky odor in the air, like that of a caged animal. Shirzon enters first, followed by Korech, then Merephel and Calden.
As you move down the staircase, Shirzon eyes catches something out of place on the floor. A series of pressure plates appear to trigger a trap here. She warns the group just in time to prevent everyone from sliding down the staircase suddenly turned into a ramp leading down.
Now it’s up to you to decide whether to turn around and ignore this staircase, or to try and disable the trap before moving on.
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Calden doesn't sound as happy as Shirzon did. "This is all nice and good, but we still don't have what we came for. We'll take the gold, of course. It should go back to the people."
He doesn't look convinced by the suggestion to stop for the night. "The chance to be discovered is too big. We have to push on now, and explore as much as we can. We need proof."
-Posted with Wayfinder
Shirzon nods to Merephel in thanks for the healing, before heading to the unexplored door. She winces as the door screeches on its hinges, and in their stealthy night mission it sounds like the loudest and longest sound in the world. She shudders and steps through, waving the rest of her friends on.
She wrinkles her nose at the musky stench in the air. Hm. I guess they don't force anyone down here to clean often. As she spots the pressure plate in the stairwell, she flings her arm out across the narrow stairwell to stop her comrades from advancing into the trap. Better to accidentally hit them than let them fall into the unknown. She frowns and squats down to look at the mechanism, unsure of where to go.
She whispers, "Judging by that door's squeak, the nasty smell, and the trapped stairs, I'm guessing this isn't the way to the high priest's quarters. We might find some sinister proof of their actions, though. I can try to disable this, but personally I vote that we go upstairs and snoop around. What do y'all think?"
Calden loads the bag of holding with the gold and silver, the box of moonstones, the vials, the horseshoes, one guard uniform and the pieces of broken gold chain. "Guys, you know what this means? They must have already found the third amulet! They've left the chain here, but the amulet isn't there..." He looks worried about what that might mean. Calden then distributes the magical potions. He keeps the magical potions and oils, keeping them on hand. "We'll sort this out later, but it's a waste to keep it here."
He follows Shirzon down, thinking about the three amulets, and barely stops before her sign.
"You're right. The evidence we're looking for is pretty recent, so it's probably not down here. Let's head upstairs, hopefully we can quickly find the high priestess room. Do you want the oil to scout ahead while invisible, Shirzon?"
The group decides not to push its luck and avoid the trapped staircase, at least for now. Shirzon leads his allies, following in a straight line, on the upper floor. You already know that when the stairs winding up will end, you’ll find yoursevels in the temple’s armory.
Before entering the armory, though, you hear a noise coming from above, and thus from the armory. Someone is yawning loudly. The yawn belongs to a single man. As you approach to peek at the chamber’s interior, you see a single white-robed cultist, thus an acolyte, with a hand on his masked mouth as though he was trying to hide his yawning. He hasn’t noticed you yet. You’re still on the stairs.
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Merephel points out the acolyte, and makes a questioning gesture to the team.
Shirzon frowns with thought, trying to figure out the best plan. She gestures to the others to retreat a bit, so they can whisper quietly out of earshot. "I think the best plan is to talk to the acolyte," Shirzon suggests quietly. "They're just a white robe, so it's not like they outrank us. If we could convince them to leave, it would be a lot less risky than trying to fight. Merephel, do you think you could talk him into helping us out? Otherwise I think I could convince him to keep his mouth shut with more... violent promises." She punctuates this last sentence by punching her fist into her slightly swollen hand's open palm.
Merephel nods.
"I'll give it a shot!"
Merephel adjusts her outfit to ensure she looks like she belongs. She walks to the acolyte, as nonchalantly as possible.
"Hail Brother! How is the evening finding you?"
Korech keeps up with the group, silent as per usual.
All I really want to do is punch Krant in his stupid face. Maybe I'll get that opportunity...
After the group decides to avoid the trapped staircase, Korech nods in agreement, not saying much else, preferring caution. He stays in the back of the group, keeping a watchful eye out and his heart leaps into his throat as he sees the alcolyte.
Listening to Shirzon, he nods once, and as Merephel speaks up, he simply remains in the back, trying to look ominous.
I have a bad feeling about this... We're up in the middle of the night when we shouldn't, and we're carrying way too much equipment. Keeping silent, Merephel follows Merephel, casually waving at the yawning acolyte as he gets closer.
On the first sign of trouble, I'll jab him in the neck.
As soon as Merephel steps in the room, the acolyte turns to her instantly. “Hey, you cannot stay here,” he says, his voice muffled by the mask, “Acolytes are not allowed to wander the first floor at night”. His hand slowly reaches for his sap, hanging from his leather belt, “You’d better turn back and return to the barracks, now!” warns you the acolyte.
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When it becomes clear that the acolyte won't raise the alarm immediately, Calden relaxes. A bit.
"I can understand that this seems odd, but we have a good reason to be here," Calden explains calmly. "Shirzon could probably explain it better that I could. Shirzon?" Calden carefully tucks into his belt pouch. "I 'found' some platinum coins the other day, if you know what I mean. If you're willing to listen, I could share some with you." He digs out three platinum coins and holds them in his palm while the others talk. It might sway him if he dithers, and it's a good excuse to stay close enough. If he won't budge, I might still stun him before he gets to shout.
-Posted with Wayfinder
Taking her cue from Calden, Shirzon steps up and affects an irritated and aggressive voice - not a hard thing to do considering the ordeal she's gone through in the last week. "Yeah, I can explain what we're doing here," she starts, fists placed defiantly on her hips. "We're making a patrol of our own, Krant's orders. And we came up because we heard what sounded like a choking swan, but it turns out it was just your lazy ass yawning. Go back to bed and let us handle security tonight before we have to let Krant know that you're an unreliable slacker."
Not wanting to confuse matters, Korech continues to remain ominous and silent in the back.
If he gets ready to raise the alarm, Calden can knock him out fast enough. I can put an arrow in him if he runs... we're okay.
As the exchange continues, Korech takes a step forwards, staring down at the white-robed acolyte imposingly. He clenches and unclenches his hands.
"My dear Brother, we are on official business. Just let us through. I appreciate your diligence, but trust me it isn't needed in this instance."
The acolyte doesn't seem to be convinced by your diplomatic approach. "You shouldn't be here. Go back to your quarters, or I'll raise the alarm" he says grimly. Even though he appears to be sure and confident, the acolyte is tense and nervous, and could easily shout the alarm at any time.
Solving the situation: Any other attempt to convince the acolyte with words will fail now. If you want to act against him, you gain the benefit of a surprise round.
"All right, you've made yourself clear. We'll go in silence," Calden says, giving Merephel a meaningful look on the last word.
He offers the acolyte the coins in his left hand, using the motion to get in close. When he's near, his right hand flexes like an axe and Calden aims a sharp blow to the man's throat.
-Posted with Wayfinder
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After standing ominously doesn't work (it never seems to for Korech) he whips out one of the blunted arrows from the Crypt of the Everflame, drawing and firing in one instant motion.
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Shirzon drops her annoyed affectation and quickly moves into action as the others also bring their weapons to bear. She runs at the acolyte, whipping out her mace and swinging it at the man's legs in one quick motion.
===============
===============
Merephel takes step back, muttering under her breath about doing things the hard way.
She pulls out her holy symbol, and calls down the Silence of the Thoughtful Artist. She centers the spell on her beloved holy symbol, and the area is plunged into silence.
Calden hits the acolyte with a punch, and although the Razmiran is hit quite violently, he doesn’t lose his consciousness as Calden expected. Right after, though, Merephel casts the entire area in silence, preventing any sound of battle to leave this room. Korech and Shirzon get in position as they draw their weapons.
--------------------------------
---- ----
--------------------------------
• Merephel
• Shirzon
• Korech
•
• Calden
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--- ---
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Merpehel draws her new mace, and keeps an eye on the way the party entered. She advances a few feet closer to the fight
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Picking his shots through the crowded stairway, Korech fires off two more blunted arrows.
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Drawing her dagger as well, Shirzon lashes out with her mace, trying to angle around a weapon rack. It silently flashes through the air, and she looks around confused when her quiet grunt of exertion is a completely noiseless one. She spots Merephel and flashes her a grin before turning her attention back to the acolyte.
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Calden silently thanks Merephel for keeping the acolyte from calling the alarm. He thinks of something and is about to ask Merephel a question, only to realize quickly that he can't make any sound as well. "..."
He shakes his head with a thin smile, then resume his attacks against the acolyte. One fist slams into his ribs, while the other is aimed at the acolyte's head.
Shirzon and Korech promptly knock the acolyte down before he can even try to raise the alarm. With the acolyte dealt with, you have some time to scan the room in search of something useful if you so desire. This chamber contains 20 spears, 8 longswords, 10 short swords, 20 daggers, 6 longbows, and 8 quivers of 20 arrows each. While the daggers and arrows can be easily removed from the racks, an iron bar secured with a good lock (Disable Device DC 25) keeps the other weapons in place. Twenty small steel shields and 8 large steel shields are mounted to the walls, and can be freely removed and taken down. The back side of the eastern rack also holds 8 wooden practice swords and some rather battered small wooden shields used by the acolytes during practice. Treat the swords as longswords that deal 1d4 nonlethal damage on a hit.
---
As soon as you leave the armory and step in the Vestibule, you see two more acolytes standing guard before the door leading to the Worship Chamber. Right after spotting you, they warn you firmly: “Acolytes cannot access the Worship Chamber unless accompanied by a higher-ranking priest. Return to your chambers in the basement newbies, you can’t stay here.”
---
_______________________
Shirzon crosses her arms and stands up a little straighter, shooting a shared contemptuous look to Calden next to her. "We were told by a gray robed priest to meet them in there. Do you want to explain how we were late because of your folly?" She asks. She ends her question with a scoff and taps her foot impatiently.
"We uh, think he not like having to wait!" says Korech lamely as he stands behind Shirzon.
I am so bad at this. Give me a deer to shoot any day.
Calden looks doubtful behind his mask. It didn't work last time, but who knows... "We don't want to get in trouble, so we'd really appreciate it if you didn't give us a hard time. There might even be something in it for you two." He carefully tucks into his belt pouch, this time keeping four platinum coins on his outstretched hand.
Merephel, thankfully, had the foresight to dispel her silence effect after the guard had collapsed. She waited for the other to say their piece, and then quietly spoke up.
"I think in this case, it behooves us to just continue on. Nobody wants to make a scene. Frankly, I think it is best for everyone Brother Krant not get upset about this situation."
The acolytes look to one another from behind their masks, neither of them able to find a suitable way to find the truth of your intentions. And, also, very interested in the coins offered by Calden. At once, they hunches their shoulders as one of them opens the door leading in the Worship Hall and the other one speaks to you: “Oh, we…We’re sorry. We didn’t know about that. Come in please, and may the glory of Razmir keep you safe and sound. All hail Razmir!” One of the acolythes takes the four platinum coins from Calden before allowing you to pass. As soon as you enter the Worship Hall, the acolytes respectfully close the door behind you.
---
You gain access to the Worship Hall. Rows of polished, black stone benches surround a vast staircase that ascends in the center of this grand worship chamber. The thirty-one white marble stairs, each carved with one of the tenets of Razmir, climb to the top of a pedestal that supports a gigantic golden mask, the symbol of the Living God. Murals depicting the life and ascension of the Living God decorate the walls of this chamber. These murals start on the north wall and go around the room, the first of them illustrating him as a young, ambitious man, garnering great riches and power while helping the poor and the weak and encouraging them to flock to his banner. The next set of murals shows him entering the Starstone Cathedral in Absalom to undertake the test to become a god, while those following show him emerging victorious, with a mask shrouding his face, so that all could worship him without fear of looking upon his ascended countenance. Finally, he is seen founding the nation of Razmiran and spreading his faith all around the world—this last sequence a hopeful plan for the future, as his dominance is far from certain.
---
The staircase leads up to the second floor, where the senior priests’ private chambers are, including those of the heralds and the high-priestess. During the whole week you’ve spent here, you’ve learned that only the senior priests may ascend the staircase. Transgressing this rule is harshly punished.
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--- ---
Calden is relieved that this conversation doesn't lead to a confrontation, like the last. Would Meph have been able to silence these as well? Oh, I forgot. I also have to ask here how long that effect last. It seemed to be over in a heartbeat. He lets the acolyte take the coins, and hurries through the double doors.
As they make their way up the stairs, a feeling of discomfort comes over Calden. This is stupid. We know this entire cult is a scam. Why should I feel guilty for ascending these steps, when it's forbidden by their silly rules?
Calden is as quiet as he can, keeping his eyes firmly on the doors and on any guards that might be here. Which door would be the high priestess'? We know that she is absent, while any of the other chambers might be occupied by one of the heralds.
Korech steps in, taking in the sights once more and secretly delighted that they can finally go up the stairs. The idea of not being allowed to enter certain places is still one that is difficult for half-orc, and his feral upbringing to understand.
He suddenly grabs Calden by the back of his tunic, yanking the monk back. Looking to the others, Korech holds up two fingers, pointing up the stairs.
"Two, in alcoves. Hiding. Grey robes. " he says in the barest of whispers.
He looks behind him at the double doors.
Shirzon nods at Korech's observation. Her eyes flicking to the upper floor with calculating intent, she decides on a plan. "Can't talk our way past up there," she whispers as quietly as she can to the group. "We move quietly, we move unseen. Be prepared to fight. Check the big mask, and the high priestess's room. Let's go." She gestures for the others to follow her lead, and starts to slink up the stairs with practiced subtlety.
Calden nods to Korech, appreciating the help. I would've stumbled right into them. He falls back to the Worship Hall to discuss their options.[/i]
"I agree, Shirzon. We'll have to sneak past them. I'd say we forget about the mask, though. It's bound to be heavy, and we're here for the evidence. The rest is secondary." He pulls from on of the bags at his belt a flask, that they found earlier. "Here, Meph. Coat yourself in this, and try to be as quiet as possible. The rest of us will have to rely on our training."
When their preparation is done, Calden ascends the stairs once more, letting Shirzon and Korech leads due to their better vision. He sticks to the shadows and walks as quietly as he can.
Korech blinks as Merephel vanishes, still not used to seeing displays of magic like that. Or not seeing them, as the case may be. Steeling himself, he slows to a crawl, and becomes silent as a mouse as he approaches.
The group decides to stealthily walk the stairs to the second floor, in an attempt to avoid being detected by the two priests standing guard in the alcoves. Unfortunately, one of the priests spots Calden as he stealthily moves upwards and quickly draws the attention of his peer with a nod. The two priest begin moving towards you.
---
You’re halfway through the stairway. Merephel is currently invisible, and Shirzon and Korech have not been detected yet. You can either decide to use a surprise round, getting Merephel, Shirzon and Korech to act before the priests can even react; or you can let the priests draw near and face the consequences of your transgression. There’s a chance they will simply warn you and deny you access to the second floor, expecting you to turn around and go back to the barracks.
_______________________
--- ---
Merephel watches the guards warily, unsure of how to proceed.
Shirzon notices the priests nod and start toward their group, and her heart races as the grey robed priests close in. She draws her dagger quickly, and holds it drawn up inside her robe's long sleeve. Adjusting her posture, she tries to adopt a confident but quiet step up the stairs (although her natural slouch impairs this a little bit), holding her blade out of sight. I think we're going to have a tough time talking our way past this one, but if they do the work of coming to us, it won't be our blood spilled first. She moves forward with Calden, staying low but trying not to appear too suspicious.
The moment he's been seen, Calden makes a rash decision. A rare thing, for him. He rushes the last few steps up to the second floor. They can't get too close, or they'll see the others.
"Please, you have to help." Calden breathes hard, trying to look out of breath, and he finds that he doesn't have to try hard for that. "It's Krant, and the others. They're..." He moves close to the priest to the right of the stairs, trying to get the man to focus on him.
Korech creeps silently up the stairs, quietly impressed with how he manages to remain silent despite the armour. He freezes as he hears Calden start to sputter excuses, and realizes that there's a guaranteed fight now. He draws his bow.