"Well, we're not exactly having a day at the public baths today, are we?" he replies, dusting off his hands. "Just some help with the grosser bits would be nice, we don't need to smell like lavender and roses."
Looking towards the room, Philacris spots something peculiar in the dust... Some strange tracks seem to lead towards the walls...ending at two of the strange abominations. Just as Crady begins to treck into the room...they twitch! Shrieking a word of warning, Titus rushes to aid the sage.
Sendi:
Metronicus Crady:
Titus Enfeld:
Philacris:
========================
Two skeletal...things turn to look at Crady, eyeing his clothing intently. They let out a guttural, instinctive roar and rush the poor man. The charred beast's momentum carries his club hard across Crady's face, while the other stumbles on it's stiff joints and swings wide.
??
Crady
Sendi
Titus
Pakuzzo
Philacris
These are Skunk Ape Skeletons
Undead Template
DR 5/Bludgeoning
Immune to Cold Damage
”These are...skunk ape skeletons? Why would...?” Sendi shook her head in disbelief as she ran towards them.
The urban druid too slow to react, receives a club across his face, sending stars throughout his vision.
Reeling from the attack, Crady sputters, "..blunt..Blunt attacks..not..sharp.."
Luckily Metronicus's club was still in hand to attempt to beat the undead back.
Phila draws out her light crossbow once more as she moves around to try to get a clearer shot on the skeletons. Despite Crady's warning, she doesn't have any better options than to fire away at them and hope for the best. She loads the crossbow and aims it at the closest of the two skeletons.
Coming up from the rear of the party, Pakuzzo manages to overhear Crady's sputtered advice.
"....Blunt? Right, because bones. Vinz, c'mere--"
He mutters something unintelligible as a shimmer appears around his hand, which he then lays upon the top of the giant raven's beak. The shimmer ripples across the great bird's face, then disappears.
He points at the skeleton on the right as he starts stowing his shortbow.
"That one! I'm right behind you!"
At Pakuzzo's instruction, Vinz caws and takes to the air. The dwarf-sized bird swoops past Crady and gets right in the face of the beast on the right, attempting to crack bone with a thrust of his beak.
Titus grits his teeth at Sendi's pronouncement, and he views the abominations with the same hatred he had shown the distorted remains in the previous room. With a roar, he calls out to his goddess for her grace to banish these things from the realm to which they don't belong.
Swinging back at the foes instinctively, Crady cracks the beasts radial bone, though it seems fully intent on eating him.
Rushing to the sage's aid, Sendi readily identifies the foes as Titus lumbers forward and displays his holy symbol.
In a burst of light, both creatures dissolve before you.
Searching the remaining rooms, you walk through a box office, stopping in front of a closed door. From it's appearance, you can easily assume it's the locked front door.
Behind the podium where the ticket holder would stand, you find a copper ring, 1 platinum, 4 gold, 2 silver and a dagger.
Philacris steps over the skeletal remains and makes her way around the front rooms of the museum, eventually coming back with her findings. "Well then! This place was far more infested with undead than I could have imagined."
She casts a detect magic spell and inspects the objects she found.
"Very strange that something like this would be left in a derelict building..." She turns the ring over in her hand, looking for any unusual writing or signs of make. "It is a magical ring of swimming. Fairly weak magic, all things considered, but a valuable trinket to leave behind."
Phila heads back to the main entrance chamber, peering up at the dusty artifacts. "So. Little Rex asked us to take a look at this place and find evidence of his parents, along with anything their clandestine operation left behind. But unfortunately, our visit came too late for them. Not too late to get some revenge, but too late to help them." She rubs at her nose. "I'm not sure about the rest of you, but I have one last thing that I think is worth investigating: That statue that's serving as a giant lock... It has to be hiding something interesting. Maybe something that the Redactors missed."
"While I'd like to spend some more time on it, we're rather worn out. Is it time to go back to your little hideout and rest? I might be able to pull together some magic to help with the statue as well."
Pakuzzo rubs the back of his neck with a clawed hand, uncertain.
"I won't lie, I could use some down time after today, but I'm also loathe to leave any part of this place unexamined before we leave. We've got no guarantee that these Thrune lackeys aren't going to have any backup come and check on then by tomorrow.
"Still, if you say you need time to get your magic in order so we can examine the statue, then I suppose we're not going to make much headway today anyway."
”As much as I hate to leave this area unfinished, it would be foolhardy to press forward. None of us have any power left within us. Our wounds will go unhealed, and without Philacris‘ magic wounds we will have. We are little use to anyone dead.”
Slipping through the front doors of the coffee shop, you are pleased to see a lull in the afternoon crowd. You quickly make your way back downstairs where you find Rexus, yet again, pouring over the notes you recovered earlier.
At the sound of the door closing, he glances up. Seeing you all, he quickly puts down the documents and stands. "You...you're back! That was rather quick! Any news? Did you find them?" he asks, looking behind you.
With a solemn expression, Crady steps forward.
"My friend..", the urban druid pauses, wishing to continue, but can only look into Rexus's eyes, and shake his head 'no'.
Sendi though has less qualms. ”We found their remains. We didn’t have a way to transport them through the city unnoticed, but we will return for them. I am sorry. It was the Thrunes, who in turn we put down.”
Phila sighs at Sendi's frankness, then walks over to Rexus and raises a hand to lay it reassuringly on his back. "I'm very sorry to say that Sendi is right. A group of Redactors has managed to find the hideout, and both of your parents were not lucky enough to escape."
As Rex takes the news in, Philacris guides him to a seat. "Here, little one, take a seat. Deep breaths. Let me make you some tea." She makes her way back upstairs to put on water using Ms. Longroad's kitchen before returning back downstairs to make sure Rexus is handling things somehow.
Pakuzzo puts a sympathetic hand on Rexus' shoulder and tries to force a smile.
"We're sorry, Rexus. If it's any consolation, Sendi is right; the Thrune agents we encountered payed in blood. And we've got no intention of stopping with them. Justice will be served, for your parents, and for all of Kintargo."
"No? You didn't find them?" he asks Crady hopefully. Spinning his head so fast, for a moment you fear it may pop off, he shrieks as Sendi shares their fate. "NO! NO! NOOOOOOOOOOo!"
Nearly collapses into Philacris' arms as the torrent begins to steam down his face, he allows her to lead him with ease.
**Sniff**"They...mommy...daddy....I..."**Sniff*Gasp**"I'm all that...I'm alone!**Gasp*Gasp*Sniff**"What...I..." as the emotions take hold again, the man becomes incapable of intelligible speech.
Several minutes pass before he looks up to Pakuzzo, "Th-Tha-Thank you. Thank you all...I would appreciate the retrieval."
Pausing a moment, he glances towards Philacris "Did you find the entrance to the hidden place? Rumors state it's under the building..."
Titus felt for the poor man, though he couldn't relate. The people of Kintargo had been through so much, and Rex was just one of the many stories of woe. Though Titus still had his family, his devotion to his goddess, her cause, and thus these people, made the tragedy particularly hard to bear.
I'm so sorry Rex. You are not alone, my friend, not even close. Please, have faith in us, we will bring those responsible for this madness to justice. Their reign of terror will soon be at an end.
He hangs his head a bit at having to bring even more ill news. Alas, no...we have not as of yet. We returned here to give you this news and to rest. Our talented Philacris has some ideas for where we may go next, but we need to rest first and gain our strength.
Crady, despite his unkempt appearance, offers a brotherly embrace for the grieving nobleman.
Philacris, well accustomed to acting as an unusual sort of "grandaunt", holds onto Rex's shoulders and offers him some chamomile as soon as he's stable enough to hold onto a cup.
"We didn't find an entrance. But we did find a very unusual statue... one that has a very elaborate and very secret lock built into it. The puzzle of unlocking it looks solvable, though I'll need to get my hands on some scrolls to aid with the process. Don't you worry, Aunt Phila is going to manage it." She gives the young man a reassuring smile that strikes a bizarre contrast with her childish face.
Soon though, she frowns slightly as something crosses her mind. "You didn't mention this hidden entrance before, what exactly do you know about it? Are you expecting for us to find something there?"
"Hidden entrance...?" Pakuzzo says, raising both of his eyebrows. While he didn't want to detract from the man's grieving period, this sort of derailed his previous train of thought.
"Rexus, what hidden entrance?"
Between the emotional displays and rapid conversation occurring between his master and the other humanoids, Vinz is currently bored. He attempts to amuse himself by seeing if he can pry the cushion out of one of the nearby chairs with his beak.
"Um..I'm thirsty. I'm gonna head up to get something to drink", the urban druid said, voice still full of emotion for the loss of his friend and ally.
Turning to Titus, his emotions vanishing with such speed it almost gives you whiplash. Taking a final ragged breath, he sets his eyes dead ahead. "Thrune. Thrune is responsible." states the man, monotone and matter of fact. "We will end Thrune."
Turning back to the rest, he graciously accepts the sage's embrace and the tea.
"I'm sorry...I don't know much to be honest. I just know the rumors and my parents let it slip once they held meetings for the Archivists there...Something called the...uh...Many-Steps Monastery' or somthing?" he mumbles between sips of the tea.
"What scrolls would you need? Perhaps I could help you open it? What can you tell me about this statue of yours?"
Rousing herself from a reverie, Phila keeps a hand on Rexus' shoulder. "The Many-Steps Monastery? There's a secret, hidden entrance to a monastery from Hocum's?"
"I can't imagine where they managed to hide a monastery in the middle of Kintargo... unless the whole thing is in some kind of pocket plane, or obscured by a powerful illusion. Or maybe that was simply a code name for another place entirely." She purses her lips as she thinks about the puzzling mystery. "Regardless, if you say you heard them talk about holding meetings there, it must exist in some form or other."
"There's a statue in Hocum's, a rather competent rendition of Aroden. The winged eye on the chest of his robe has what looks like a code dial in place of a pupil, one with characters along the edges. We found a book that the Redactors possessed that mentioned 'turning the eye to spell the Master of Masters', Irori, that is. Following where I'm going with this?" Phila raises an eyebrow at Rex, hoping the boy is bright enough to catch on immediately.
"Unfortunately, the characters on the dial are in some kind of ancient language, and not one simple to decode. I'm in need of a scroll of Comprehend Languages, if we're to enter the code the Redactors found. A second scroll of the same spell wouldn't hurt either."
You've heard mention of this 'so called' monastery. You believe, though the memory is fuzzy, it was named this jokingly due to the number of stairs residents needed to traverse.
Rumor is the Orderof Archivists used it as a library, sciptorium, laboratory, and residence. It is rumored to be buried deep underground below the Fantasmagorium
Nodding slowly as the woman talks, his eyes light up at the mention of the scroll. "Oh! I may be able to help out with that...that is I can cast the spell. I'm not exactly skilled in scribing them though."
"Would it be safe for me to go with you? At least, you know, to the entrance?"
"It should be safe. While there were a surprising number of strange creatures and other dangers in Hocum's, we've dealt with all of them we came across." Philacris nods encouragingly at Rex. "And Titus, Sendi, all of us, we'll cover you if some agent of Thrune has already come to investigate. Don't you worry."
She steps back from Rexus and looks up at the rest of the party. "We need rest though. What do you all think, should we try to decode the statue's dial tomorrow? If we're unlucky, some other group of redactors might find the mess we left, and the place will be crawling with Thrune's folks." She wrinkles her nose in distaste. "But if we go now, it'd have to be just to investigate the lock, and then come right back. I don't think we can fight much more as we are right now."
Phila suddenly blinks in realization. "Oh wait, the Many Steps Monastery! There was a rumor about a place by that name, years back. Buried underneath the town! So it was real then!"
”Well, I don’t know about this monestary but we do need rest. It has been quite a day.” Sendi said, wearily. ”We can investigate more once we have licked our wounds, so to speak. Plus, it will ensure that we won’t have Thrune agents finding us. Hopefully it will be the other way around.”
"I don't want to let Thrune get find our mess just yet, but I'm nearly spent for the day,"[b] Pakuzzo adds. [b]"I suggest we take the minimum amount of time needed to rest and recuperate, then run back there as soon as we can. We check what we were forced to skip the first time around and get out of there before we test Desna's patience."
Titus nods in agreement. Agreed, it would help for me to be able to channel the Everbloom's divine energies once again, but if take a quick rest instead, I will be fine to continue.
Phila nods, relieved that no-one seems too eager to jump back into the fray. "Then a rest it is. I'll go talk to Ms. Longroad about making myself comfortable here."
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The evening passes uneventfully. The next morning you make your way back to the Fantasmagorium without incident, Rexus in tow. Upon arrival, you quickly look over the building and find no signs that reinforcements have arrived...it still appears abandoned. Glancing towards the lock on the front door, Rexus eyes light up.
"Hey! That key of my moms....I think it fits that. The symbols are the same." he remarks. Trying it, the lock snaps open and you cautions proceed inside. Making your way to the statue, he frowns a moment. Quickly casting a spell, he smiles. "Oh...ok. I see now. You said it was Irori?"
After affirmations made, he spins the dial this way and that a few times before a fairly loud *CLUNK* rings out. The Statue swings to the side, revealing a spiral staircase leading down...down....down into the darkness. With a singular glance at the dark, spiral to hell...Rexus turns back to you. "Uh....You've got it from here, right? I uh....I think I hear some documents on my desk calling me...." The researcher quickly makes his exit
A wrought-iron spiral stairway descends from the ceiling into a massive library. Bookshelves, both freestanding and wall-mounted, rise up to a ceiling forty feet above. Ladders on tracks allow access to the higher shelves, yet few books and scrolls remain here. Bloodstains mar the floor here and there, and some of the shelves bear what appears to be recent battle damage. A strange rune inscribed in a circle decorates the floor.
You recognize it as the 'Follower's Rebus' a sacred rune of Irori
On the far side of the room, hovering near a grouping of shelves stands a strange humanoid-shaped figure of folded paper and silken ribbons. It wears the open cover of some great tome like a metal and leather-bound mask.
Glancing up at the intrusion, it holds up a singular strand of ribbon. "Halt! You are intruders and can't proceed any further. Turn around and leave." calls the entity. Continuing to read a document, it makes no move towards you. Slowly closing the book, it looks towards you expectantly....awaiting your response.
This is a scrivinite. Outsider (Extraplanor, Lawful)
They function as historians, cartographers, and archivists. They crave knowledge, having a deep seeded need to record everything around them in excruciating detail.
Special Defenses: DR 5/chaotic; Immune poison; Resist cold 10, sonic 10; SR 15
Phila shoos the young scholar back towards the direction of the hideout. "Please do go back to those documents Rex. No wandering on the street, OK? Stay safe. We will be back in no time at all." From her tone and body language, she takes the role of doting aunt very naturally.
Before descending further, Philacris takes a moment to focus and invoke a series of protective wards.
Phila enters the underground library with eyes wide open, drinking in the stacks of old tomes. She breathes out audibly in appreciation. "Not only does the Many Steps Monastery exist, but it hid a library like this! Amazing." Though her breath catches when she spots more and more signs of a struggle.
"Blood... signs of a battle? What does this mean? Did Thrune's agents already make their way into this place? I thought-" She notices the humanoid ribbon creature, interrupting her train of thought.
With a half-bow towards the ribbon creature, she answers its statement with a confident "We are here with the full approval of the Archivists. Please explain to us what has transpired here." She presents the signet ring retrieved from Rex's parents (or indicates for whoever is currently carrying it to present it).
”I would not be surprised.” Sendi said sadly. ”My order fared little better at the hands of the Thrune. Why they hate the cause of self-perfection so is beyond my comprehension.”
Walking through the remnants of such a holy place was a bittersweet experience. On one hand it was a reminder of what had been lost. On the other hand it was proof that something yet remained.
When the creature appeared, and Phila made her claim, Sendi also offered a bow of respect.
”As you can see I am a follower of the path of perfection. Please, listen to my companion and tell us what you know.”
With a grim smile, the creature replies "Then you are definitely trespassing. The archivists were already dealt with." pausing, he motions to the bloodstained floor. "As to your request of information? Well..."
Stopping again, the sounds of pages turning emits from within in as it stands idle for a moment. "Ok, so several creatures were summoned from another plane, myself included and bargained with as part of their setup. Personally, I was shafted on the bargain...and...well, I don't approve of how they've handled the literature OR the archivists that were here. Barbarians if you ask me!"
"With a horde of Asmodeus' finest warriors, we made our way here and they slaughtered every last archivist in the place. Most of the zealots have returned to the church, though some remain. Since then, they've been ransacking the place and 'redacting'" the creature visibly convulses at the thought of their redactions before continuing. "...anything they find useful."
"Oh, and they know you are here. Sorry, but it is part of my contract. There is still time to leave, but I cannot allow you past this room."
"What other information could be useful to you? I am quite knowledgable and would happily fill your years with recitation."
'They already know we're here? So our work yesterday didn't go without them noticing. But they still didn't prepare any kind of defenses? Are Thrune's soldiers truly that full of themselves?'
Philacris clears her throat. "Redacting... they really are terrible, aren't they? Why did they choose you to guard this place if destroying all this knowledge is against your nature?" She lets the open question hang for a moment as she pauses to think. "You know, contracts aren't always iron clad. Is there anything we can do to get you out of working for these barbarians?"
Pakuzzo is visibility uncomfortable with this being, but he holds his tongue for now, as Philacris seems to be in control of the conversation. But the news that the Thrune agents know that they're here has him scanning the entrance and exit for any signs of movement, and his hand almost involuntarily moves toward his quiver.
Vinz cocks his head to one side to stare at the curious creature, but he makes no move toward it.
Crady listens very intently at the scrivinite, hungrily trying to absorb as much information as possible.
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Considering his previous words a moment, he clarifies "I apologize dear, I may have given you the wrong impression. What I meant by they are aware you are here was simply referring to the fact I telepathically alerted the one I'm to report to of your presence. I suspect there are less important subjects down here that don't know."
"As for my contract? I suspect I'm even better than you at finding loopholes in literary works. With my current situation, though detestable as it may be, was well written. My discussing this situation with you is allowed since it wasn't expressly written into the contract. However, if you were to try and move beyond this room, I will have to kill you." it adds.
"At this point in time, I have another eighty-eight days, twenty-two hours, fifty-two minutes, and thirty-six seconds until my contractural obligation is released.
Philacris pauses to think. She'd been hoping this thing might be easy to trick, but it seemed quite intelligent . Perhaps that meant a different tactic was in order.
"Alright then. I guess we won't go forwards." She looks at her allies, trying to catch their eyes to see if they're inclined to to bandy words with this creature longer. "Since you can discuss with us, would you be able to tell us the exact numbers of Thrune's followers who continued onwards past this point, along with their capabilities, equipment, number of spellcasters, and maybe any names you managed to catch?"
"Do you know if this is the only way in and out of the Monastery? And do you have any idea of the layout or structure of the rest of the place?"
Pakuzzo sidles up to Philacris and whispers something into her ear:
Sendi looked at the outsider thoughtfully. On one hand she would loved to sat down with it and discussed the tome unbinding the fetters. She had questions that had went unanswered every since House Thrune killed the learned monks of her order. But time was ticking.
”A most precarious situation. I wonder, when those you alert come, will you join them in attacking us?”
"Hmmm..." mumbles the creature, the sound of rustling pages again permeates the air. "Total of the Thrune followers that went through?" it asks with a raised eye. "Young one, you should be more careful with your words."
Smiling, he adds "I predict you are wanting to know how many Thrune followers are still within these walls? There are currently ten Thrune followers here. Mostly they are scholarly redactors; you should have seen a few of them upstairs. Nox is here as well and she is...she is complicated."
"The woman fanatically follows Thrune and has bound her soul with a devil for him. Records indicate some of you saw her at the Opera House Riot."
A few more pages turns, it announces "No other ways in or out on record for those of your capabilities and those alerted to your presence won't be come here. They'll be awaiting you further in."
"I cannot supply a map of the complex for you, but you cannot proceed without defeating myself. I don't have high hopes for you in that situation." Indicating the more recent looking blood stain, he adds "The last soul didn't fair well."
Sendi walked up to the outsider, her gloved hands raised. ”Come now, certainly there is something we can do. To break your bindings...”