GM Sior's Temple of Empyreal Enlightenment (PFS #3-21, Table 1) (Inactive)

Game Master Sior

"Let us hope they are friendly bells," says Shungur.

Usually I'm more of a switch-hitter on melee/ranged, but since I'm the highest level it looks like I can take the front.

Insidion opens the door and enters.

"I feel like doing some good deeds already!" he smirks as he enters.

Henrick follows close behind, urgrosh ready even though there shouldn't be any trouble. You never know...

There is no magic coming from the door behind you. Opening it, you see what was once a stables. Some tack and blankets for horses lie discarded in the room. It appears to have not been used for centuries, and any straw that once covered the floor here has been long since cleared away. Over time, the smell of horses has dissipated, and only the empty stalls and remaining equestrian equipment reveal the room’s original purpose.

Shungur pokes around in the stables. "I wonder how large this demiplane is if there were once horses here," he says quietly.

Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (10) + 9 = 19

Nothing stands out in the stable (I literally just copied and pasted the whole description).

"Just the bells again," says the shaman. "Side door next? Insidion, your path to sainthood approaches," he says with a grin.

Insidion sneers and opens the next door. He does appear to appreciate the group's irreverence.

Acel prepares her bow. "Me and horses never got along. Half of them think I'm a goblin. No where as loyal as wolves."

As Insidion opens the other side door, there is a loud jingling followed by a relative silence as those within turn to see you entering. Two humans sit on mats with small glass orbs in their hands while the third, a Tian man with a white streak in his hair, is standing as he turns to you. "Ah, it appears we have visitors. Welcome to the Temple of Empyreal Enlightenment. May Korada shine upon you. How may we be of service?" As he speaks, he waves his hand in welcome and a jingling can be heard when he does so. It would seem there are small bells sewn into the hem and sleeves of the man's robes.

The meditation room is a lofty, open space. The stone walls are carved with several figures in various meditative poses. A few large mats cover the stone floor. The only other furnishing is a rack containing a few wooden staves and several stacked glass spheres, each no bigger than a plum.

"Meditation room... item number one located! And on top of that the locals don't seem outwardly agressive... Not a bad start unless they are just feigning and this is all an eleborate rouse to get us when we lower our defences, of course... At least we know where the jingling came from"

Vanya smiles warmyly at the men and bows slightly:"I'm Vanya and I'm here with my friends on behalf of the pathfinder's society, nice to meet you. We are here on a mission to study this temple in the interests of knowledge and wisdom through the ages. If you could help us with our research we would be extremely grateful! And we would love for you to introduce us to your traditions and beliefs... what is that you are doing right now for example, if I may ask?" as she finishes bowing her head again Vanya gives an intense glare to the others.

Insidion does his best to appear non-threatening, hiding his massive claws and keeping his mouth shut so that his fangs don't appear so large.

To the surprise of his companions, he hides his aggressive nature quite successfully.

diplomacy: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (17) + 3 = 20

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (14) + 2 = 16

Okay, okay. Smile. Not too much. Friendly without scary.
Oh, and put away the bow!

Acel puts away the bow, smiles and keeps her hand at her side. "We're just taking a look around. What do you guys study, anyway?"

Aeilín watches the others in relative silence, content to let them do the talking.

The man brightens with every word Vanya says. "Oh! This is splendid! Splendid indeed! In this room of the Temple, we attune our minds to the will of The Open Hand of Harmony. Please, join us!"

With that, the man sits on one of the mats, inviting anyone who is willing to do the same. Spare mats are nearby.

He points to the walls. "As you can see, the preparations for the body are laid out. We just sit here in the lotus position with three of these spheres in each hand, and close our eyes. From there, we rotate the orbs in our palms and speak the words passed down by our current leader, Dakang.

"Light combined,
My peace find;
Calm my soul,
To control;
Woes I sift,
Catching gifts.

"Ahhh, I'm feeling more in touch with Korada already."

You are welcome to join in on the meditation if you desire.
The only check required is a Dex or Sleight of Hand check to handle the glass orbs.

"Not really sure this is my cup of tea. But I'll give it a go."

Dex: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 2 = 11

"Sure, why not? I'll try anything once."

Acel squats down and balances the orbs.

Dexterity: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (18) + 2 = 20

Insidion watches his companions begin the meditations.

Hey tiefling...can you believe this garbage? No wonder the aasimar are so insufferable!

He appears uneasy to participate, and stands at the back observing.

Acel will try to speak the mantra.

Dex: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (11) + 2 = 13

Aeilín shrugs and joins in, doing her best to follow along.

Both position and mantra

I guess if I am going to commit, I should commit...

Henrick tries to recite the mantra as well as balance the orbs.

Shungur stands with Insidion and bows. "I regret that I am rather clumsy," he says to the man. "But I will recite the mantra alone if that is appropriate."

Sense motive check: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (9) + 6 = 15

Vanya eyes the apparently jovial man with more than a little suspicion:"Ok... try to get along with these nutcases... but to immediately join their mumbo jumbo seems a tad... unwise... yet the others did, so I suppose I should as well... but no way I'm repeating their silly rhyme... no way at all! Now... the question is: are you just a silly deluded man or something more devious?"

If Vanya is not allarmed by the man's actions she'll follow the man's instruction but she won't utter a word of the meditation mantra

sleight of hand check: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (19) + 7 = 26

All who participate feel a sense of divine presense settle upon them and arise refreshed.

It seems the man also feels this as he feels refreshed. "This is but one thing we learn here at the Temple. Dakang leads us in lessons and sermons and our library teaches everything we must learn, for the glory of the One in the Lotus. If you need anything, please seek me out. I would love to speak more to you about our god. Ah, my name is Zhuang."

"That was...less messy than I thought it would be." Acel stands up, relaxed. "So Zhang, there are other people here? This Dakang guy?"

"Hey, if they're all like you none of us will get our shoes dirty on this assignment."

Insidion shifts uncomfortably.

Doesn't that make you feel all...special inside, Insidion?

"Why yes, of course. There is myself and these two, Hamada and Ziya. Then there's Di Duang, a small family of halflings, Gastidem, Dakang, and our blessed protectors."

Aeilín awkwardly scribbles down a description of what they have done, and the mantra they spoke, as well as her experience. Looking up for her unpracticed scribble, she asks, "Zhuang, who is the one in the lotus?"

Acel scribbles down her observations, stifling a yawn.

That's our first goal!

"Honorable Zhuang, we would love to hear more of your god, and also visit your library, which teaches you so much," says Shungur. "It would help us to understand your ways."

"Who is the... why, Korada, of course! Yes, it seems there is much to learn. The library is just down the hall out this door. I do encourage you to see some of the texts within. Perhaps then you will see the power of the Empyreal Lord who has bestowed his gift upon you."

-Posted with Wayfinder

Henrick jots down notes of his experience, and then gets up to enter the library.

To the library!

This spacious room is crammed with narrow bookshelves and large tables. Many shelves are empty and the remaining scrolls and tomes seem tattered and sagging. A small open door looks into a tidy office. The room is clean and bright despite a general atmosphere of abandonment. Several windows look into a garden to the west.

Sitting alone is a young woman poring over a tome with great intent and interest.

"Hello, ma'am. Sorry to be disturbin' you. We are only here to catalog the tomes - may I ask, what is that book that has you so engrossed?"

Acel frowns as they enter the library.

"I thought there would be more here. What's the point of a library if you don't have any books?"

Acel casts Detect Magic and takes a look around, hoping there is something of value besides the single book.
Perception: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5

Insidion also enters the room, trailing along behind.

Something seems...off...

While not bursting at the seams with written works, there are still thousands of tomes and scrolls here which would take quite some time to go through and catalogue if one put their mind to it.

There is some magic in the room. Focusing, it seems there's a magical scroll hidden amongst the shelves as well as a book.

With Henrick's disturbance, the woman glares at you pointedly before returning to her reading.

Acel will take a look at the magic scroll and the magic book.
Spellcraft, Scroll: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (7) + 6 = 13
Spellcraft, Book: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (17) + 6 = 23

After this, Acel will start writing a quick summary of the types of tomes and scrolls in the area.

Shungur also searches, opening up books to see if they are written in Tien or other languages. If so, he will cast one of his Comprehend Language scroll spells.

Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (16) + 8 = 24

He also notes the woman's actions. Hmmm...unfriendly or just annoyed at Henrick? Or Acel?

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (7) + 8 = 15

Vanya follows Shungur's example and starts checking the tomes as well writing down a list of the titles

Perception check: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (12) + 6 = 18

What kind of tests should be involved for cataloguing the whole library? And more importantly... how long will it take?

Acel doesn't know the scroll, but the book appears to be a manual of calm reflection. It is not specific to Korada, but still seems of use. As the gnome starts, she quickly realizes that there is a LOT of work to be done in order to catalogue the whole library. If only there were some means of cross-checking it...

As Shungur looks about, he notices something in the office. It looks like a catalogue of the library's contents! Inside, it looks like there are quite a few tomes missing, so it's more a matter of just seeing what titles are still there. This should only take an hour with everyone helping.

Second, as you skim through the remaining books in detail and evaluate the lore they contain you learn a few things. The books here refer to Korada’s holy city of Vantian the Unshuttered, which continually crumbles into the sea of Ishiar while residents continually rebuild on the far side of the city. The books also describe the double-arrow symbol of “celestial silence and contemplation” to be drawn over the mouth and eyes of adherents of Korada.

Knowledge (planes)

Knowledge (religion)

Kn Planes: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (18) + 4 = 22
Kn Religion: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 5 = 6

"Friends, come and look at this in the office--a catalogue listing all of the contents of the library. Here, let me sketch out a few instructions for you. See, here's the wings of the library..."

Shungur borrows writing materials summarily from Acel's Magus Kit and quickly scratches the following in very light ink:

Say nothing. There is Abyssal writing in these books. It refers to Ishiar, the Abyssal ocean where the demon lord Dagon dwells. Our hosts are not what they seem. I cannot guess at the religious significance of the mouth and eyes ceremony but I presume it is malign. Keep searching. Be alert.

He then spills ink over what he has written and begins using a new page to sketch out the library.

At Shungur's speaking, the woman huffs, grabs her tome and moves to the other side of the shelves.

"NOW we're getting somewhere. Let's catalogue those books, now that we've got something interesting." Acel giggles. I knew it! No place could ever be this nice.

Ashara whispers back at Shungur:"That's worrysome news. I say we catalog the contents of the libray and quietly try to ascertain what these people are really up to... If the Society aquired a temple full of demon worshippers we should tell them..."

"Oh yeah, by the way. I've you have an hour to spare you should read this tome. It will help steel your mind against spells. Might come in handy today..."

It takes an hour to read this, but it's otherwise reusable.

If we have time, Acel will take the time to read this.

Insidion looks around with interest.

"Now this is getting exciting..." he whispers. Aasimar with a bad streak...just how I picture all of them...