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Mort winces a bit walking out with the scratch and nods at the old fella "Yup I do. You work a healing wand?" He holds out a thin, two foot long metal rod with a quartz tip.
"This magic healing stuff is a life saver. Back before I worked for the Society I had to just let things heal up on their own, so slow." He laments.
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Desperate to find Nessian, Yargos leads you into the sewer maze of the Puddles District, a waterlogged labyrinth of dangerously flooded tunnels known as the Siphons.
Eventually, Yargos Gill stops before a heavily armored door. He warns you, "Grandmaster Torch has powerful friends and bodyguards. You would be wise to keep your weapons sheathed."
He knocks, and a panel opens. A pair of pale, flat eyes looks you over. The scholar clears his throat, "Yargos Gill and a team of Pathfinders seek an audience with your employer. It's urgent."
The panel slams shut, but a few breaths later, the armored door swings open, and a beefy half-orc motions you inside. Another security guard ushers you into the receiving room of Grandmaster Torch, one of Absalom’s most notorious information brokers.
After a few agonizing minutes' wait, you're brought before the Grandmaster, a charming, soft-spoken man, but one whose entire body is covered in horrible burn scars.
Grandmaster Torch lounges in a shallow pool nursing his scars while two servants gently recycle the water over his charred form. A few seconds later, a third servant rises up from under the water, murmuring, "The Grandmaster is clean."
A pliable, yellow figurine of a small waterfowl bobs on the bubbly surface of the steamy bath.
His two heavily armed and armored half-orc bodyguards remain close at hand.
"Well, you know who I am." His voice is gravelly, but pleasant. He steps out of the pool, and his trio of servants pats him down with large, soft towels. "Who are you and what brings you to my place of business?"
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At the granary, Dawn can't help but joke when Yargos thanks them. "Who wants to eat poisoned grains? Not me, although I do know some Brownies who LOVE to eat that stuff."
Dawn's first instinct is to help Grandmaster Torch, but it looks like he is well taken care of. Poor guy, burns that deep need magical healing. Maybe it's even beyond the clerics he can find.
"Uhm... Right. Well, Absalom is in trouble. There's a band called the Black Echelon, they'd be spinning in their own graves if they weren't undead. They are trying to ruin this city from within and cause a large scale invasion of undead. Bad for tourism."
Dawn's jokes fall flat. She's not used to performing in front of scarred, mostly naked men.
"There's a book we can use to dispel them, but it's currently in possession of one Nessian, a crime lord. We were told you might know where he went." Pause. "Is this going to be a trade thing? This is the part where we barter, right?"
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At Dawn's quip, Yargos Gill gives a pained, haunted look, and he makes a gesture warding off evil. "Brownies. Evil creatures. Forever demanding you buy their thin mints."
Grandmaster Torch chuckles with girth-jiggling mirth. "Pathfinder, your material's good, but the delivery needs practice."
"So, then, straight to business. Still, I would like to know the names of my potential business associates. You are... ?"
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After brief introductions, Grandmaster Torch turns to the magus and concedes, "It so happens, I do have in my possession knowledge of the location where the upstart Nessian has carved out his new base of operations."
The servants spread generous handfuls of soothing oils over the Grandmaster's scarred body. He continues, "Though I am reluctant to sell the information."
After liberally moisturizing the information broker, they wrap him in a voluminous silk dressing gown. "The price to rat out a potential future underworld leader of Absalom is steep indeed."
He seems to think about it for a moment, then rubs his palms together. "I couldn't possibly part with such knowledge for less than 6,000gp."
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Damien's jimmies are thoroughly rustled, and he isn't shy about it. "Six THOUSAND gold pieces?!"
He paces the area with Ruby. "Where we possible gunna get that kinda money, guys? C'mon, oh great Grand Master, we gotta stop the Black ... Epilogue. Don't ya wanna help us? Like Dawn said, maybe a trade will work. Anything yer wantin' to get yer hands on?"
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Seems a bit familiar.. those scars are horrid, glad he put some clothes on... eh I can see through 'em...
Mort introduces himself "Mort Gloomhollow. No way we're coming up with that kinda coin. Maybe we can trade you this fine old historian here when he's done helping us?" Mort makes a head nod towards Gill.
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Yargos Gill interjects, "Grandmaster Torch, the matter is quite urgent. These Black Echelon operatives must be stopped. To do so, we need to find Nessian. He's, em, stolen a book of mine that contains the only means to end this menace to the city and its people."
Grandmaster Torch seems unperturbed and reaches for a tall glass of sparkling wine one of his servants holds out to him. The other two are busy setting up an elaborate hookah near a velvet beanbag chair.
"Young lady, a businessman finds only opportunity, not humor, in gold. But then, I wasn't always a businessman. You've got talent."
At the halfling's outburst and the slayer's forthright admission of their lack of funds, Grandmaster Torch pauses, considering something for a moment. "Perhaps, the rest of you have hidden skills as well."
"I’ve recently come into possession of a series of safes. Unfortunately, the safecracker I employed has turned out to be quite useless. If you can coax even three of the five safes open, I could be persuaded to disclose Nessian’s location and dispense with my regular fee entirely. These chests are remarkably unique and I have the foreboding suspicion that, in this case, the receptacles just might be worth more than their contents, so I’d rather you didn’t smash them open."
"Do you accept the terms?" Never doubting you would refuse, he snaps his fingers. An old man in formal dress enters the room and comes to attention. "Jeebs, here, is my majordomo. He will take you to the vault."
Grandmaster Torch adopts a casual tone, but his eyes are cold as ice. "Oh! One more thing: if my diviner warns me you have crossed me and stolen the contents, there will be repercussions."
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Jeebs leads you to the nearby vault and shows you the five safes, each on its own immaculate display table.
On top of the first table is the The Devil Dial.
The lock of this iron cask contains a laughing devil’s head.
scrolls of protection from evil and protection from good.
On top of the second table is The Box of Golden Faces.
This red box has been inset with a trio of golden faces: the first appears stern, the second angry, and the third fumes with hatred.
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Damien rides Ruby up to the first safe, hopping off the wolf to examine it. "'ey guys, it looks like this here devil's head kin be turned in both directions... Kinda like a one of 'em fancy combo locks. But with no numbers."
He happily walks over to the Box of Golden Faces, peering upon it with his brow raised. "Humm. This one's cooler. If ya get mad or sad, this box reacts. I bet I kin get it open!"
Damien lunges at the box with his lance. "I command ya, OPEN NOW!"
The box pops open, revealing a collection of ancient stone miniatures of a Viking army from the Land of the Linnorm Kings. Damien smiles brightly. "Haha, that's right, there's the treasure! Damien Marx the spot!"
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Mort takes a look at the first box after Damien finishes with it. "Quite the box, I've never been much for picking locks."
He listens closely as he turns the dials. "That's not too hard if you pay attention... one last thing to try."
"I think I got it, of course I got it." Mort says, his heavy armor impeding the fine detailed work of opening the lock.
"Ah, a bunch of scrolls and junk. Good thing we can't keep 'em anyhow."
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Mort opens the first safe, and Damien opens the second. Jeebs the Majordomo watches the two amateur rogues with serene dispassion.
On top of the third table is The Riddle Vault.
The lid of this stone chest is covered with a relief of carved ivy.
On top of the fourth table is The Smooth Stone Chest.
This sealed stone chest has no visible lock or hinges. No decoration or writing of any kind can be found.
On top of the fifth table is The Holed Safe.
A strange stylized writing wraps around the whole of this rectangular chest. Stranger still are the ten small pores that run along the box’s lid.
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Dawn glances at the The Riddle Vault.
"Oh hey. Look at the letters engraved... it's a riddle!"
"Oh hey. Dove! Er, Dove. Um, I feel like this answer is more obvious when you write it out in common. But the past tense of 'to dive', which we did plenty of today. Also, Dove is a kind of bird."
Dawn looks at the The Smooth Stone Chest.
"I don't get it... are you supposed to smash it open? I thought the Grandmaster guy said we shouldn't?" She decides to pass on it for now.
Dawn looks at the The Holed Safe.
"That's some cute writing."
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Dawn finds the concealed riddle, and as she speaks the answer aloud, The Riddle Vault pops open. Inside is a collection of over 40 rare incenses, along with a book of instruction. If burned in the proper combination, the incense collection can replicate a single use of incense of meditation.
The Smooth Stone Chest and The Holed Safe seem to be beyond her ken.
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Mort claps Dawn on the back as she solves the riddle and the third chest opens up "Great, that's three, that's all we needed. I guess I can take a quick look at these last two, but no promises."
He eyes up the secret panel Sejanus points out and starts to have a look at the odd writing. "Huh, that's an old tune written there. And those holes are like a flute, you gotta play it to get it open. Too bad I don't play."
He sets it back down and takes a look at the Smooth Stone Chest "I think this one is just a square rock, what the hell."
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Dawn solves The Riddle Vault, and the team has successfully opened three of the five safes.
Two safes remain unopened, The Smooth Stone Chest and The Holed Safe, though Sejanus found a secret panel on one side of The Holed Safe, and Mort figured out it must be some kind of wind instrument. The slayer's whistling and Ruby's howl didn't work.
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Dawn glares at the Smooth Stone Chest. She puts her hands on it, and tries to slide the top off. Maybe the lid is just reeeeeally hidden. "Open, says me!" She also tries to exert her will upon it.
Back at The Holed Safe, Dawn hears everyone's advice and simply tries to whistle through the holes.
It takes her back to her days of solitude, when she could barely control herself and couldn't stop giggling. Only the wind was her companion. It gave her something to concentrate on. It may have saved her life.
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Dawn runs her hands over The Smooth Stone Chest and tries a command word. It remains closed and sealed.
Then, she hefts The Holed Safe, places it to her lips, and plays the upbeat tune described in the strange lettering on the box, the notes to an ancient forgotten tune, causing the hidden panel on the box’s side to iris open.
Inside The Holed Safe is a scroll collection of a complete symphony written by a Taldan master, now lost to time.
Kari checks out the The Smooth Stone Chest, feeling its edges for any sign of a hinge or opening. The magus realizes a permanent glamer tricks anyone who just looks at the chest into thinking that it remains closed and sealed. The chest contains no lock.
With a dramatic flair, Kari simply lifts off the lid. Inside is a collection of 70 pounds of material components for a wealth of spells.
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Jeebs stifles a look of astonishment, masking it with a faux yawn. The majordomo invites you to follow him back to the reception room.
"M'lord, the Pathfinders opened all five of the containers. I saw them take none of the contents."
Grandmaster Torch brings his hands together in a resounding clap and rubs them together in glee. He motions to one of his servants, who hands him a soft leather pouch. Torch tosses it to you. "100gp each. Consider it a tip from a potential benefactor. Me."
The information broker reveals, "Nessian lairs in a new base of operations nicknamed the Pyramid of the Dog, which he's carved out of a ruin of half-collapsed siege towers, just outside of Absalom."
Yargos Gill nods, "I know the place. We should hurry."
Grandmaster Torch offers a leering smile. "Of course, your mission is urgent and your time is short. You can spend the gold here, if you'd like."
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Mort catches the pouch out of the air with practiced precision "If you've got a couple healing potions I'd prefer those..." He offers up the gold back.
Mort turns to Gill "These towers... they aren't off out in the water are they? I need to know if I'm gonna get stuck doing some more swimming today before we head outta here..."
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The sun begins to rise for Oathday, and you're headed for the Pyramid of the Dog outside of Absalom to stop Nessian before he can signal Black Echelon again.
Unfortunately, while you're on the way, Nessian’s minions light yet another lantern.
Keri's eyes look in the direction everyone else is pointing. The party spies an interchange of flashing green and orange lights coming from the cliffs in the distance.
Yargos Gill recognizes its significance instantly. "It's one of the final and most important signals!"
The historian explains, "The lights will send a team of Black Echelon operatives to attack the Metro-Cathedral, an old church of Abadar. Although worshipers of Abadar have traveled to new parishes ever since the earthquake that laid low the Puddles District, the Metro-Cathedral still has one use: every Oathday morning, the priests of Abadar still play the ritual tune on the Metro-Cathedral’s giant pipe organ to remind all of Absalom to honor its pacts."
He continues, "According to the codebook, when Black Echelon shuts down the giant organ in mid-tune, the sudden disruption becomes the signal for Silent Tide; the awaiting armada is to approach the city and begin its attack run."
Yargos Gill urges, "Change course, and race for the cathedral!"
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As you race toward the cathedral, a magnificent tune begins playing. As you get closer, the sound starts to break down and become patchy. Then a creepy moment ensues as the sound becomes a cacophony of off-key noise and then suddenly comes to an end.
Yargos Gill screams, "We have to hurry and continue the music, lest the attack ensue."
The scholar skids to a halt outside the Metro-Cathedral. Bent over and trying to catch his breath, Yargos Gill tells you, "Normally, there'd be a small group of initiate clerics of Abadar exercising their weekly duties of playing the morning hymns on the cathedral’s giant pipe organ."
The cathedral's great double doors are open. Inside you see only one lowly supplicant standing on the giant keyboard, surrounded by Black Echelon operatives trying to slay her.
Noticing you, she leaps off the keyboard as she cries out, "Help!" She lands hard, unconscious on the stone floor of the cathedral.
As the party stands in the cathedral's entry, Kari, Damien, and Sejanus feel Abadar's blessing upon him.
Four Black Echelon operatives are already atop the pipes, blocking the sound from exiting with their silent auras.
Three more Black Echelon operatives emerge from the sacristy in the northeast corner of the cathedral and move to prevent you from foiling their mission to stop the music and signal the Silent Tide.
The two undead on the great organ's keyboard plink the keys as they try but fail to climb the organ's massive pipes and lend their auras to silencing the organ.
See the Discussion thread for Encounter Mechanics.
Black Echelon Operatives
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Mort Gloomhollow
Dawn Verda
Kari Blackvine
Sejanus Ici
Damien Marx & Ruby
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Damien charges toward the three Black Echelon operatives rushing toward them. His lance obliterates the undead creature in the lead.
Dawn draws her sword and moves around the western side of the cathedral, planning to head to the giant organ.
Mort takes a more direct approach, moving up the middle aisle between the rows of pews. Sejanus follows him, wondering what to do next.
The altar is about three feet high. Beyond, you see the keys of the giant organ are 15 feet above the stone floor. The huge pipes rise 30 feet above the keys.
Though no priest can play the hymn, the two Black Echelon operatives trying to climb the pipes failed, and their floundering feet tap out a few discordant notes on the giant organ.
Kari, Damien, and Sejanus realize that as long as some kind of 'music' continues, they feel Abadar's blessing upon them.
Yargos Gill shouts from the church doors, "The signal for the Silent Tide is when the music stops! Don't let that happen!"
Black Echelon Operatives
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Mort Gloomhollow
Dawn Verda
Kari Blackvine
Sejanus Ici
Damien Marx & Ruby
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Kari follows Mort and Sejanus down the center aisle of the cathedral.
The four Black echelon operatives atop the organ's pipes remain where they are, silencing the pipes within their auras' reach. Their cloaks begin to emit separate shrouds of mist.
The two undead creatures on the massive keyboard try again to climb the tarnished pipes. Their claws screech against the corroded metal, but they can't find a hold. Their scrambling feet plink a tuneless melody on the giant keys.
The two Black Echelon operatives in the southeast climb over the body of their fallen comrade swiping at Damien with their sickles.
Kari, Damien, and Sejanus realize that as long as some kind of 'music' continues, they feel Abadar's blessing upon them.
Yargos Gill's shouted warning still rings in your ears.
Black Echelon Operatives
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Mort Gloomhollow
Dawn Verda
Kari Blackvine
Sejanus Ici
Damien Marx & Ruby