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Though you certainly *could* stick around and take care of this guy - who the heck is he, anyway? - most of you are ready to be well shut of Bloodcove at this point. So with a quick bit of planning you turn your attention back to your escape up the river. Grandfrogger is able to conjure some wind for extra speed and the rest of you take cover as best as you can as Malachi continues to guide the boat on its way.
The mysterious archer is clearly put out by this and with a cry of, "Hey! Hey, get back here!" actually gives chase, sprinting along across the water and continuing to take potshots with his bow until you finally outpace him and leave him behind. It's a bit disconcerting that someone was clearly waiting for you and was at least somewhat prepared for a fight - and upon further discussion you suspect that he must have been an Aspis agent or ally sent to keep you from fleeing the city. Something else to report when you rendezvous with Fola and the others.
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Once you are well and truly clear of Bloodcove and feel confident that you aren't being pursued further, you make your way to the prearranged meeting spot. Fola Barun is already there and waiting for you and Guaril arrives a short time later, having secured his own way out of the city. You share how to signal the start of the embargo with the pair and they promise to do just that once they’ve communicated these details with their own contacts and superiors.
Before long, Aspis ships begin struggling to make landfall in Bloodcove, and Pathfinder allies report that traffic to the Kaddodi mining operation quickly diminishes in the face of frequent raids. With the mine’s supply lines compromised, Fola and her agents begin planning ways to further cripple the excavation projects before it undermines Parveen’s prison. Fola makes a point of asking that you remain in the area in case further intervention is necessary. Malika Fenn, still recovering from her imprisonment, thanks you for releasing her and posits that it may be time for her to relocate now that Bloodcove has become so dangerous for her.
In addition, having convinced Erwyn Harvacus to form a long-term alliance with the Pathfinder Society prompts Guaril to grin broadly and assure the group that he plans to make the partnership worthwhile for the druid. He also remarks that he plans to keep you in mind if he needs to negotiate with the Saltroots again and guarantees that the Exchange's leadership will remember how they helped him get a foothold in Bloodcove. All in all, not bad for a day's work!
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And the last sight seen of the pathfinders for that Aspis Agent is an elven middle finger sticking up from over the edge of the boat.
”I chose that common hand signal because I figured it would be properly understood. Are you alright Doctor? Need your wounds tended?”
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Doc slumps down into the bottom of the boat and chuckles as Maria gives the Aspis agent a hand sign signifying fertility and masculinity in the ancient Jistkan Empire. His laughter makes him spit a little blood as he looks at the arrow wounds.
"I would not ... {cough} refuse treatment. ... But be forewarned, ... doctors are notoriously {cough} ... the worst patients."
He chuckles again at his own joke and spits a little more blood over the side.
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Tended to and the debrief concluded, Doc and Hogo look over the letter they've received from Zarta Dralneen. Seems he's to report back to Absalom for his shift in the Vaults sorting items and documents. It promises to be a nice respite from field work, and there are many tomes on those shelves about death and the repose at the end of life that he wishes to study.
When the time comes to catch his ship out, he bids farewell to everyone. He tries to say goodbye to Maria, but it comes out awkward and weird. Hoho, however, just winds around her neck, shivers in a sign of sadness at parting, and then returns to the Doc's scalp.
"Good luck, ... my friends. Perhaps we shall ... meet again ... someday."
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Maria, seeing enough specific reaction to her from the good Doctor, doesn't allow him to escape unscathed.
"Doc, no need for formalities. We have fought and bled together now. A hug in parting at the very least would be appropriate."
The elf moves in and captures the Samsaran before he can escape, holding him tight in a lovely embrace. She whispers into his ear, "Don't forget to write. I'll see you next time I stop in at the Archives."
Then giving Hogo a nice snuggle she waves goodbye.
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Following your last mission in Bloodcove, you’ve had some time to rest and recuperate. Until the day that a missive directs you to travel to Lastwall. Loud and raucous conversation filters through the door from the common room of the Uscalin Lodge, which doubles as the Ace of Dreams gambling house. “I know it’s here. I had it just a moment ago.” Venture-Captain Shevar Besnik lifts piles of papers and numerous boxes off of his desk, stacking them on various side tables and chairs in his clean but overly cluttered office. The tall, Varisian man’s face parts in a toothy grin as he lifts up a solid oak box. “Found it!” As if to punctuate his discovery, a crowd of players in the gambling hall erupts in cheers.
Distracted for a moment, Besnik stares at the closed office door that leads to the common room. “Desna laughs. Well, she laughs at me, but she smiles on them.” The venture- captain shrugs. “All they have is gold; what I have in here is far more valuable.” Besnik opens the box’s lid painstakingly slowly, careful to keep the contents out of sight. With reverence, he lifts a large tome from the box and gently sets it on the table. “Careful, the binding hasn’t held up well. This is one of the few Tomes of Righteous Repose left in the world. I’m pretty sure there’s one in the library of the Sancta Iomedaea in Vigil, but I’m—well, let’s just say I’m no longer welcome there. That’s a story for another time.
“Up until today, I’ve only skimmed the pages. I didn’t want to damage it, but now that you’re here, I can’t wait any longer. Care to plumb the depths of this most ancient and wonderful storybook?
Oh, the marvelous adventures we will soon read! This tome is a collection of tales describing how various crusaders died gloriously and honorably. I’m hoping to find some clues in the text that will lead us to an as-of-yet undiscovered site or relic. Maybe we can trade a bit of what we find with the Knights of Ozem and earn ourselves some goodwill. After what happened last time, we need it.
“Care to peruse the pages with me?”
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A soft whispering of leaves and the sound of something coarse scraping against wood is enough to draw one's attention to the funny little creature that currently sits in one of the chairs. It's about the size of a halfling that seems to be made entirely of vines and leaves, twisted into a humanoid shape. An especially large cluster of leaves forms a rudimentary face, with two round eyes, a small hole for a mouth, and no nose to speak of. Framing its face are several daisies, twisted into the vines and leaves of its body, bobbing gently with each of the creature's movements. It wears few clothes aside from a mithral chain shirt and a large floppy sunhat which rustles as it looks around.
"I like stories," the leshy nods, daisies bobbing in agreement. "Poffis says you can learn lots of things from stories and I want to learn as much as I can. Learning is very important, you know."
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Maria is fascinated by the leshy. Not because of the oddity of course, she has known or interviewed enough the novelty is passed. But she has never met one that wore a sun hat! Her mind races.
Why would a creature that absorbs the sun for energy wear such protection? It has to be a fashion choice. Should I ask?
The VC interrupts her thoughts and she intently begins her notes. When he cracks open the book and offers to let them help she literally springs to her feet and drags her chair around to his side of the desk, ”Yes, a thousand times yes! Ancient tomes hold so much value! Of course, that’s assuming it isn’t just a gnomish recipe book. Not that that doesn’t have value. But you would be surprised the number of ancient tomes that end up being those.”
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A tall elf enters.
Grinning from ear to ear to ear.
Yes, she wears an (hopefully fake) third ear on the left side of her head.
And she clutches a doll (which looks suspiciously like herself).
And she wears DEFINITIVLY too much make up. Under a veil, fortunatly.
Hi Maira. How are you?
Yes, she just misspelled Maria's name. WAs it on purpose or just an accident, who can say he TRULY KNOWS? Hahahhahahah!
Such is the power of the super-agent of Chaos, the Totally Awesome and Stupendous Lil"Hep. (yes, she added another adjective to her surname.Being Awesome wasn't enough)
Oh, by the way Maria, Hepsubia has manipulated her doll to wave hello to you.
She turns to the newcomer less-shy plant-people
Nice to meet you, if we haven't meet already in ancient times or yesterday. My name is Hepsubia, but you can call me TASLH. Or Herbert, if you like the sound of that name better.
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An old man wrapped in heavy winter cloaks leans against the wall of the office, his eyes closed. At his feet is a backpack, and clutched tightly in one ancient hand is a scabbarded katana.
"Zzzzz.... zzzzz" The old man snores - until VC Bossk lays the Tome upon the table. The elder's eyes flash open and he stands upright in an instant.
"Uh... Sleeping Sword! That's my style!"
"Uh? Knights of Ozzem? Whut? What happened?"
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The leshy nods at Hepsubia and sticks her hand out for a shake. "Hello! My name is Soddy Daisy. Tomorrow I might be someone else, but Soddy Daisy is who I am today." There's a slight pause and then she adds, "You change your name too? Most fleshys I meet just have one name that doesn't change. So we have something in common!"
The sudden movement of Sleeping Sword out of his seat causes Soddy to jump and she quickly turns to look at him. "Oh! Sleeping Sword is a sleeping style? Fleshys have sleeping styles? I learn more every day!"
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While each of you peruses the pages and ponders what you may or may not know of the Tome or the region of Lastwall, the Venture-Captain suddenly jolts upright. “Minkai art! ,” he exclaims upon seeing a depiction of three samurai women on a page facing a poem. He starts excitedly doing the math. ”Let’s see, the Minkai Empire was founded in 3619, and the empire’s first explorers didn’t reach the west coast of the continent until at least 3691 AR, which leaves only sixty years before the beginning of the Shining Crusade itself. These women could have been among the first Minkai citizens to reach the Inner Sea! Let’s see, what secrets does the poem on this page hold?”
He reads the poem aloud, only to generate more questions. “Mordesha? Is that the name of a place or a person? Are the samurai the heroes who the poem evokes? Wherever these terrible events took place holds the answers to our mystery. Once we can verify the location, we can share the information with the Knights of Ozem. If some dark force still haunts the place, remove it. I have a ritual that can unravel evil magic.” Besnik searches through his office, eventually producing a finger-length scroll case which he hands to one of you.
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"The Rivethun teaches that the flesh is transient and malleable, and that what matters is the being. But you suggest that your flesh is static while your being changes?" he asks the leshy.
"Hmm...maybe?" Soddy shrugs. "We leshys are nature spirits given physical form. But we're like fleshys, our being changes as we learn and grow and experience life here. And sometimes we change our names to reflect that. Or sometimes we just name ourselves after something we like about the natural world. Or after a physical trait we have, like my daisies. It varies from leshy to leshy."
"Really?" Soddy asks, looking at Zithembe. "I heard this person liked to fill their poems full of heroic acts and tragic deaths. Very melodramatic, very common. But if you can think of a thing, apparently there will be someone out there that enjoys it."
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Maria gets up from her study and notes as everyone returns from their gathering information expeditions. She agrees with some of what is being said, ”The important thing is that he based his poems on true events, so there is something to go on there. And this Mordesha thing, if we could somehow locate it. That could be an incredible archaeological find!”
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Venture Captain Besnik pores over the Tome, excitedly comparing notes with Maria and consulting the Grandfrogger for his insights and wisdom. Occasionally he looks up and attempts to follow the conversation about names and the essence of being but quickly loses interest in favor of the ancient book.
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Maria’s thorough analysis of the poem reveals the following information, which is sufficient to pinpoint the location. Though several old documents reference a town named Mordesha, it appears on no official maps, and certainly none in Besnik’s possession. Comparing references in different documents across several languages reveals a fire-blackened field 46 miles north of Vellumis with tall cairns called Yua’s Fingers. It’s possible that this is the site of what was once called Mordesha, but again, nothing says it is for sure. Locals believe it is an old druid site, fouled by evil magic. Other rumors report the area to be haunted. The roads in the area curve a mile around it, requiring visitors to hike through the forest to reach it.
Besnik is astonished at the clues and information you (well, Maria, mostly) has put together. Before sending his agents to the site, he digs through his office and finds a few items that may help you. He hands the Grandfrogger a traveler’s any-tool, along with two wands. One is for curing serious wounds, and the other provides protection from evil. He apologizes for not having new and fully charged wands, but it’s at least something.
He then opens a long box tucked high up on a shelf and carefully unwraps a matched pair of magical arrows which he gifts to Maria as he thanks her for her amazing insights into the lore and history.
Once you have completed any ”final” preparations , you can depart for the ruin. The journey takes 3 days, and you do not run into any significant danger en route.
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Maria thanks the venture captain for the arrows and opportunity to study the ancient tome. Then starts double checking her gear to make sure it is all in order. As they leave she starts going down her list of items to bring. It’s technically for her benefit, but she doesn’t do it quietly.
”Exploring a haunted crypt will require quite a bit of preparation. I should have most things already, exploding flasks of various types, holy water of course, defensive salves and potions, reactive salves and potions for conditions, arrows for all situations. Of course I will have to prepare my elixirs each day too, but will probably use my usual ones. Then of course I need my hat shaper and hair spray. Food probably too.”
She goes on for a bit longer listing things.
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"Before we set out, you must know this about me" the old man says, sadly.
"My birth was cursed. I am dhampir - half vampire. Energies that would heal you, such as that wand that the Venture Captain gifted, are deadly to me. Yet negative energies will mend my wounds."
"Should I fall in combat, I carry a number of items that may restore me." Sleeping Sword brings forth a bottle labelled clearly in both Common and Tien: Do Not Drink! Sleeping Sword Only! And a dark, crystal-tipped wand. "I can activate the wand myself, it bears an Inflict Wounds spell."
"May the Empress of Heaven bless our endeavour."
Before departure, Sleeping Sword prevails upon the Lodge to provide a scroll of Keen Edge
"Uh, have we a wizard or other arcanist amongst our number? This spell enhance my blade."
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Soddy Daisy considers the mission and then considers the weight of her personal coin pouch. "Hmm. I think I have enough shiny coins to become better prepared."
Preserving Flask (1st) - 1,000 gp
Cloak of Resistance +1 - 1,000 gp
Boro Bead (2nd) - 4,000 gp
1st - Adhesive Spittle, Cure Light Wounds, Heightened Awareness, Monkeyfish, True Strike
2nd - Alchemical Allocation, Barkskin, Blur, Lesser Restoration
*Since the trip takes three days, Soddy will use that time to prepare Comprehend Language in her 1st level preserving flask.
"I am now prepared!"
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You arrive during a thunderstorm to find a muddy field with pillars of blackened stone reaching to the sky like skeletal fingers. These forgotten chimneys appear to be all that remain of Mordesha. Near one of these is a long set of stairs leading 100 feet underground. The walls and ceilings are made of hewn stone, 10 feet high and though damp near the entrance they dry out as you descend in the utter and complete darkness.
At the bottom of the wide stairway, a cavernous chamber stretches east and west, and several smaller corridors branch outward from it. Dust and neglect mark this chamber, and darkness fills its corners. To the east lies a single stone sarcophagus. A long passage of text is carved into the wall behind the sarcophagus.
A plaque on the lid of the sarcophagus bears the words “General Dame Vheist” and Aroden’s holy symbol. The text on the wall behind the sarcophagus describes a mighty battle, in which the general charged at the point of a formation of cavalry into a valley full of undead.
+1 vs traps
As you approach the sarcophagus to read the plaque, the Grandfrogger and Maria hear a cackling laugh as if someone or something were preparing to speak. There’s no one in sight, so perhaps you’ve awakened a long-dormant undead spirit that’s “haunt”ing this particular room.
GF and Maria May Act
Map: BWAHAHA!
Active Conditions: None
Environmental Conditions: Darkness, spooky laughing
Sleeping Sword
Hepsubia
Soddy Daisy
Maria
Grandfrogger
Zithembe
That Which You Have Awakened
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Antitoxin: 1 hr boost vs. Poisons
Sooth Syrup: 1 hr boost vs. Nauseated and Sickened
Vermin Repellent: Will be avoided by swarms assuming a more tasty target is presented
Alchemical Allocation with Elixir of Vision: 1 hr of +10 to Perception
Heightened Awareness: 10 min of +4 on her initiative checks, functionally
The elf-vestigator heads downstairs with a small glowing ioun stone circling her head, providing light.
Maria starts to pull out her journal to scribble notes about the general when the cackling occurs. She spits out what she knows, "Important general. She died in 3825 AR at the decisive Battle of Crumblespine Ridge while leading her troops to victory. Anyway, HAUNT!"
She pulls out a Curative Wand, maybe she can bop the thing once it manifests.
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Being a thoroughly thorough and meticulous planner (unlike that other elf, the Avatar of Awesome Chaos), Maria did indeed chug down a handful of potions and elixirs. When the laughing starts, she realizes she doesn’t have just the right tool, but she knows what and where it is, and draws forth her wand. Grandfrogger casts a quick spell intending to bolster his allies.
The laughing transitions into the voice of a man, one filled with confidence and command authority. ”Go, go and find more to worship Absalom’s next god, TAR-BA…AAAGGHHHHH, it buuurrrrnnnnssss……” the voice cries out even as it fades away. It seems the Grandfrogger’s spell was exactly what was needed to destroy this particular malevolent spirit.
Silence returns to the crypt, and a quick search reveals nothing more of value in this room.
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The elf gives a thumbs up to Grandfrogger, ”Well done!”
She writes down that the spell ‘bless’ resolved a haunt in the first room, as well as the information recalled about the historical figure.
Stowing her current wand she pulls out the one she used earlier and reapplies it.
After everyone else’s prep is done she moves quietly toward a hallway nearby, ”Shall we check here next?”
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Maria peers down the dark length of this long wide hall . The walls are lined with niches, each holding a unique urn. A careful check reveals nothing out of the ordinary, and the team proceeds into the ossuary. Along the way, you notice that the shelves are sectioned off by country, but only countries in Tain-Xia. The names of some of the countries have changed since that time, but all reflect the names in use during the Shu Empire which ruled the continent from 3101 AR until its collapse in 4036. This jibes with the dates that Besnik deduced.
At the far end of the chamber is a raised platform with a red-painted symbol on the ground, an artistic combination of multiple Tien language forms and symbols that each mean “peaceful journey.” The art style reminds Maria in particular of the calligraphy done by a certain Doctor.
On the raised platform is a small shrine dedicated to the ancestors of the Yohanatotsu clan. A reference to the names Akina, Michiko, and Yua on the small dedication plaque appears to refer to the three samurai sisters in the image you found in the Tome The shrine is covered in cobwebs, dead insects, and other unidentifiable detritus.
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Maria looks for any protective traps and asks, ”Could someone scan the shrine for magic? I would like to at least clean it before we move on. Seems respectful to do so.”
+1 vs traps
If it seems safe after the magic scan and her looking, she will wipe the shrine clean with a cloth.
She tries to recall if there are specific ways to honor the dead from this ancient era and culture.
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Can do, will do, dop dop di dooo!
Hepsubia the Multitalented casts a minor spell to detect traces of magic, putting her hands on the side of her eyes so as to not be distracted by the multiple magical auras of her comrades
She isn't the most devout (probably more devious than devout) but if she knows anything about the local gods, she will tell "The OTHER elf".
And she knows nothing, that won't stop her from telling something out of her vast and deep imagination.
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Maria detects no traps and begins to carefully and respectfully remove the accumulation of centuries of grime from the ancient, intricate, and fragile shrine. Hep and Sleeping Sword discuss (likely in the Tien tongue to avoid confusion) what they know about grave shrines while Zithembe scans the area for magic and psychic resonance.
These types of shrines honor the ancestors of a particular family, town, or even nation. In this case, the shrine is dedicated to the Yohanatotsu clan, that of the three samurai women. Normally, a believer would approach the shrine, clap once to get the spirits’ attention, make an offering of a coin or food, and then make their prayer asking the ancestors for help or guidance. Clapping twice at the end of the prayer shows appreciation while bowing out before backing away at least 2 steps shows respect.
Neither Hep nor Zithembe find any magical auras in the room with their scans, but the jade medium notes a “ping” on his psychic consciousness. He thinks that the shrine itself certainly carries a history imprinted in it that someone with the right skills and abilities could “unlock.”