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Not having quite the same caution as Marta (despite dying once), Myrdon gleefully points at the plaque, or rather an area below it. "Look! There's a secret compartment." He looks at his party, before continuing, "But I'm not going near that." Looks like he did learn some caution after all.
Instead, he invokes a spell that grants him magical sight.
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Vladek isn't so keen to move on.
"Amazing...the way the plaque phrases it is a little funny, but that's almost certainly the fabled Black Blood of Orv, from deep, DEEP below our world's surface. It is dangerous, but not really that much so. It isn't inherently malign or anything...just unnaturally cold. Not something you want to get dunked or soaked in, but one can consume a little bit of it as a draught to briefly empower works of Necromancy."
"As long as we can make sure it doesn't splash all over us or anything, I say there's no reason not to take a closer look at the compartment AND take a vial of Black Blood or two for ourselves."
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Marta looks on with distaste, not liking anything that smells of necromancy. Even the sound of the words brings a bad taste to her mouth.
"I have no interest in practicing necromancy. Leave it be... First the angels and now this. What is going on in this place! Perhaps Hestram's actions are not so outrageous after all."
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"I agree with Fendahl about moving on. We can always come back later, Vlad. I doubt the 'black blood of Orv' is going anywhere."
"I suggest moving counter-clockwise around the tower edge to investigate the 'Faction Doors' that correspond with our own factions."
Luisila moves into the narrow corridor. "The first one is the old name for your faction, Marta. Perhaps it holds an item useful to its members?"
The priestess ✨detects magic and checks the door and surrounding area for traps and threats.
She then gestures to the door handle. "Marta, do you want to do the honors?"
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"Indeed."
Afraid of what surprise awaits her, yet unable to resist the temptation to see what is behind the Andoran door, she opens it with a grimace on her face. Sky Reach's secrets are not at all what she expected. Deep, very deep down inside her a slow burning has begun.
There had better be a good explanation for all this or there will be reckoning.
You check the doors with the symbols, and all appear the same. As you open the doors, you discover wards on them that prevent anyone from entering who does not have an appropriate affiliation. The door marked as Cheliax admits Myrdon, the one marked for Andoran admits Marta, and everyone else is able to enter the door marked for Osirion.
The interior of these sparsely furnished room is decorated according to the aesthetics of the represented nation, and contains a handful of resources. These include a small library containing general information as well as a dozen or so pre-published journals, rough drafts, and similar works in progress. Another shelf holds ledgers with an array of names and dates, presumably signed by visitors. Some of the names have numbers referencing journals or notes supposedly filed elsewhere within the chambers. Also within each room, one half of a small, rough-cut geode rests prominently on a brass stand.
Vladek quickly realizes that these geodes must each be half of a pair of "Sending Stones", which allow for a message to be sent from one geode to its matched pair. The message sits in its receiving stone and awaits someone to release it by touching the stone and concentrating; sending a message works the same way. The messages can be about a hundred words, and single message can be sent in each direction per day.
If a stone has a message waiting, its interior crystals will glow. None of the stones are currently glowing.
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“Assuming the match for this geode is in the Sapphire Sage’s office in the Osirion embassy I think it is worthwhile trying to message for help.”
Luisila directs a thought out loud Liane’s way, so the others can hear what she’s communicating.
“Liane, are you one of the deceased Pathfinders lying in the northern lounge of Skyreach Tower? If so, what happened to you? Is there anything you think we should include in the message?”
“Marta, do you want to send a similar message to the Andoran embassy to increase the chances that someone takes notice and responds?”
“Myrdon, if you really don’t want to communicate with the Paracountess, I suppose we can keep your geode as a backup in case we need to message out new information later.”
The priestess brushes a stray auburn tress out of her eyes as she exhales.
Noble Amenopheus and Tahonikepsu,
Greetings. Renegade Venture Captain attacking the Decemvirate in upper chambers of Skyreach tower STOP
Seekers Fendahl Silvermane, Luisila C Mountjoy, Myrdon Gharthrin, Telmar So-Melnop, Vladek Odradek and animal companions assisting VC Eliza Petulengro to protect VC Shemis and the Ten STOP
Number and type of enemies unknown but led by Adril Hestram REPEAT Adril Hestram STOP
Seek Osprey or divination spell if require confirmation Hestram is an enemy of the Ten and Pathfinder Society STOP
Send assistance urgently REGARDS Vladek Odradek MESSAGE ENDS
Several of you compose your thoughts and use the geodes to send messages concerning your situation. Those messages are received, and responses come back.
IN EITHER CASE, SHE POSSESSES SOMETHING I DESIRE—A GLASS EYE ETCHED WITH SOME MAPS. I ASK THAT YOU TAKE CARE EXTRACTING IT, FOR I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE SEEKING THIS RELIC AND LIKELY SHE HAS SOME SORT OF WARD PROTECTING IT. STILL, IT WOULD BE DELICIOUS TO SEE WHO AMONG MY FAITHFUL SERVANTS HAS THE COURAGE TO WALTZ INTO MY COURT WITH THE EYE SET INTO HER SKULL.
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Marta exits the room and announces abruptly, "My faction has informed me that the screaming angles are mostly illusions, but that there is one trapped soul that may be freed. They have given me general instructions how to do so. I must return to the pillar."
Which Marta hurries off and attempts. She touches it while trying to mentally invite the soul to join her in her body.
Aistor, are you there. come join Roin and me if you are able.
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“According to the worthies in the Osirion embassy, there’s a guardian called a ‘Copper Sphinx’ somewhere in the tower, which will almost certainly attack us. I’m guessing it’s a construct.”
So we ask for assistance in preventing the Society's leaders from getting murdered, and our inglorious faction heads send us … more work to do!
Luisila shakes her head as she follows Marta back to the angel-column. I don’t know why I still get surprised.
As she ruminates on leadership trends in the early 48th century, Luisila considers the group’s next step. “So, where to after Marta acquires her guardian angel?”
“The gaudy ballroom screams trap/ambush to me. The Mwangi exhibit in the south that Myrdon’s arcane eye found also suggests curse/trap/faction fetch mission.”
“What does everyone think about travelling clock-wise around the tower’s circumference and entering the double doors in the south-east?”
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"Huh, seems that your faction leaders each know something about this tower. Knowing Dralneen, she would know secrets of this place as well. Ah well, how bad can it bad."
Myrdon, with a rather dramatic great sigh, activates his gem. Shortly after, he comes out to share.
"Hmm, she might actually have been useful. There's this assassin, likely in service of Adril, inhabiting somewhere in the upper levels of this tower. Good to be prewarned, I guess."
Marta touches the pillar, and even through her normally stoic face you can see evident pain. After about a minute, she composes herself.
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"Marta, are you OK? Impaired or boosted by the spirit in any way? Let me know if you need any healing magic."
Did you forget my question?
"There's this assassin, likely in service of Adril, inhabiting somewhere in the upper levels of this tower."
“Hmm … possibly capable of invisibility if it took those three dead Pathfinders by surprise …”
Following Luisila's lead, you walk around the outer hall, passing by the "Mwangi" exhibit to the double doors. Marta opens them, and sees a wide hallway whose walls are hung with hundreds of exotic masterwork swords, daggers, and other bladed weapons from distant locations within and beyond the Inner Sea region. Small placards beneath each provide the weapon’s name and details on its use, history, and country of origin. To the west, the hallway ends at the foot of a massive, curving staircase. The only other door out leads back to the Mwangi room.
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"Chances are we will need to take those stairs, but we have an opportunity here, which we may never have again, to explore the rest of this level. I'm ready to move on, but I'd understand if you all wanted to peek into the remaining rooms. Or at least open the doors and allow that eye to go in - we can move on while it looks around. That won't take long, will it?"
In spite of her words, Marta is burning with curiosity. Not something she is usually afflicted with, but this is, after all, the home of the Pathfinder Society.
You open the door on the left side of the Mwangi exhibit. This room turns out to be a gallery displaying an impressive collection of Tian art. Upon shelves lining the room rest dozens of hand-blown glass baubles, each hiding a tiny etching of a bucolic scene within. Above the baubles, stylized brush and ink paintings hang upon the walls, depicting carp and dragons amid rolling waves and wind-whipped mountains. Wooden stands about the room display a menagerie of small ivory carvings, including a pair of foo dogs, several unusual dragons, a bear, a fisherman, a cluster of rats, and an osprey.
An arch to the north opens to a curved passage. To the east, a small antechamber houses a curved staircase rises up into darkness.
Marta casts a spell to look for magical auras. The figurine of an osprey is the only item that is magical in the room. On closer inspection, it appears to be a variant of a silver raven figurine, which is used to bear messages in the manner of an animal messenger spell.
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Marta picks up the figuring and handles it as if weighing it, which in a way she is.
"Interesting. Another means of sending a message via an animal. Shall we send one to Osprey? Though I dare say our druid could do the job as well or better. And by the time it arrives, this whole thing should be over. and since it seems to be part of an exhibit I suggest we leave it here."
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“I agree with you about leaving the osprey, Marta.”
“I’ve been thinking about some of the clues on this level, Pathfinders.”
"There's this assassin … inhabiting somewhere in the upper levels of this tower."
“Could that be the two-weapon fighting humanoid that Myrdon’s erinyes described to me in the shadow room? I hit it with a boneshatter spell.”
... with something mightier than the pen.
“I’ve been thinking about the Copper Sphinx guardian construct(?) the Scarab Sages warned us about.”
Luisila nods likes she’s made up her mind. “I think it might pay to have an adamantine melee weapon before heading upstairs.”
The priestess re-enters ‘sword hall’, casts ✨detect magic and searches for a masterwork adamantine dagger. “Marta you’re good for adamantine weaponry, right?”
“What’s left on this floor? Is the side room off the mauve ballroom and the Mwangi exhibit all that’s left?”
Luisila screws up the side of her mouth. “I’m inclined to leave them for now and save our resources for the upper level.”
“What does everyone think?”
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“Marta you’re good for adamantine weaponry, right?”
"I have some adamantine shuriken and Ragathiel's judgment to deal with that sort of thing. I should be good."
Luisila screws up the side of her mouth. [b] “I’m inclined to leave them for now and save our resources for the upper level.”
“What does everyone think?”
Marta glances longingly in the direction of the unexplored, but in the end says "Yes, I think we have spent enough time here. Vladek, can you send your eye ahead of us while it lasts?"
Luisila looks around the hall filled with weapons, and finds that though the weapons are skillfully made, none have magical auras.
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“It’s gonna take too long to find what I want.”
Luisila abandons the Absalom adamantine-rush of 4719 before she gets the fever.
“Marta, will your adamantine judgement affect Kirrah and Aegis too?”
The priestess’ eyes flip between the two staircases. “So, which staircase for your third eye, Myrdon?”
“East?”
You send the eye up the eastern set of stairs. It finds a hall displaying architectural artifacts recovered from the ruined islands of lost Azlant, far to the west. Renderings of strange designs hang as backdrops behind scale models of various structures. Excerpts from Pathfinder journals document the post-Starfall migration and cultural progression of the survivors of Azlant’s destruction. Two large constructs stand in the room, their heads rotating as they scan the area. They do not appear to notice the arcane eye.
Making use of the eye's remaining time, you send it through the opening to the north. The granite walls of this narrow chamber are mounted with metal plates supporting huge iron gears, all turning slowly, churning an array of chains, belts, cogs, and other devices. The west section of the chamber opens into a wider, clover-shaped chamber to the south, its walls armored in bronze and copper plates. Copper nozzles protrude from between the plates, dripping black grease. The grease stains the floor beneath in pools of scintillating rainbow.