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Ollo's luck seems to be turning as he deftly hits one if the giant bugs and sends it back to whatever plane it came from. Ai too hits her target and does significant damage, but the bug still stands. The rest of the party unfortunately failed to land a blow.
The left most beetle attack Aarion but very nearly ends up hurting itself.
The right beetle, though nearly crippled by Ai's attack attenmost to bite Talon buy fairs [i]exactly as well as the other.
Round 2 - The Whole Party is up!
Left Beetle - No Damage
Right Beetle - 3 damage
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Ai reloads, talking over the sudden din of battle in what was just a few short seconds ago a perfectly fine, if dusty, living room. "Y'know, Fimbrik, it'd be easier on your furniture if you just talked to us. We're with you, not the bugs!" As she takes another shot, she steps forward, nodding at Aarion in sad agreement at his words.
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As she surveys the aftermath of the battle, Ai breathes deeply a few times, struggling to regain her center. After a few moments, she relaxes and begins searching around the dusty, ill-maintained room. "If there was someone living here recently, he'd have to be a real slob. The bugs may have been doing their best to keep it clean, for all we know." She begins rifling through whatever papers happen to be lying out, looking for...
"Does anyone know what we're looking for if our friend Fimbrik isn't around? If we had some idea of what word we were here for, this'd be easier." She holds up an old book. "We could cart the whole library over and read to the monument for a while, perhaps?"
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As you move around Fimbriks house you don't see too all that much, it clearly has not been in use for too long. The basement is full of newspapers, and the second floor hasn't even been finished. In what looks to be a meeting room, however, on the table you find this note (link) and a second one in similar handwriting that just says "K. Clamp". You also discover two potions in the room, you recognize them as Cure Light Wounds and Lesser Restoration.
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"I think that covers it, Narika." Ai eyes the summoning trap underneath the couch meaningfully, one eyebrow raised. "I think we should leave. It's obvious Fimbrik doesn't want company, and neither do all these gnomes. Why, they've just been ignoring me!"
In response to Aarion's question, Ai pulls off her backpack. "I can carry those without too much trouble, if that's what you mean. If not...well, I don't have a pressing need for them, but if no-one else wants them, I have a notion to take a potion!"
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As the party heads once again to the Ascendant Court you suffer through increased foot traffic and streets crowded with people. In the distance you can hear a cheer as the next would-be god arrives to prepare to take the test of Starstone. The memorial is still locked, but you notice something you missed before, a set of stairs leading toward an unbarred basement. As you descend you see a monument chamber stretches eighty feet from end to end with a ceiling suspended thirty feet from the floor by great pillars. Seven arched passages lead to humble rooms each of which contains a polished stone alter dedicated to one of the failed aspirants who attempted the test of Starstone.
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Talon gives the heavy foot-traffic and massing crowds a long look before shaking his head and moving down the stairs. He stops to consider the statues, then consults his journal, specifically the notes he’d made on the three names they found on the wall.
”So we’re looking for Karina Clamp. And on the wall, it said ‘screaming fear’ under her name.” Putting his journal away, he draws out his massive sword and follows Narika, searching the statues for that name or that phrase.
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As the party moves among the shrines they notice that each one contains a nameplate with the name of the dedicated aspirant and their would-be divine portfolios. Talon and Narika stand at the shrine of Mellag, whose interests evidently were rot and decay. Probably best for the world that divinity escaped him.
Ai approaches her shrine after fruitlessly singing Fimbriks code word and discovers a nameplate dedicated to The Muted God, followed by the interests of Silence and Serenity.
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Aarion finds the pillars throughout to the hall to be sturdy if not a little worn from age.
Talon and Narika work their way around the room looking at each shrine in turn. Their investigation takes them nearly to the end of the other side where Ai waits, but just before they can join her they discover the nameplate they're looking for (E2f] it is the shrine of Zimpar, failed aspirant of the Starstone and would be god of Screaming Fear.
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Finishhing up in the house, Ollo follows the party over to the Starstone memorial and down into the basement. As the party spreads out, he quickly genuflects in homage to the failed aspirants before moving out himself.
Once Narika calls out her findings, Ollo hurries to her side and begins to check out the room.
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You can all see that this monument is much like the others, down to the nameplate with the aspirants name on it.
Please give me will saves, also Aarion you may replay the pathfinder coins message if you'd like.
The path and the chamber are complete, hidden behind the nameplate of the requested aspirant and guarded by the word you requested. Fimbrik will add more."
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"Hey, that sounds like a good idea if we can't find the intended way in. I'm going to look around carefully first."
Narika uses detect magic to see if she can find anything helpful to getting through the door. She also takes 20 on perception to look around, so a score of 21. If nothing turns up, she agrees to Talon trying to break down the door.
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As Narika finishes writing the codeword on the chalkboard, the stone door that Ai revealed slides to the right revealing a long cavernous hallway ending in a repository. Several desks are arranged along the northern and eastern edges of the small stone alvoce. Whereas the stonework leading into the chamber is rough, the walls of the alcove are polished. A single gem rests among the neatly filed papers on the dest, emitting a soft luminescence that brightens the room.
The paperwork on the desk is a collection of lore and information in Azlanti, you can tell by looking at it that it will take a few weeks to fully comprehend the weight of the cache you have found, but it looks as though your days long quest is finally at an end. After traveling to every corner of the city of Absalom, you have found Eylysia's hidden information.
Unfortunately it seems that despite your discretion, your investigation did not go unnoticed. As you reenter the main chamber, four individuals step from the shadows, you can tell from their dress that they are agents of the Aspis Consortium. As they unsheathe their weapons a robed agent in the back speaks.
"Looks like we arrived just in time. A cache of information from one of the earliest Pathfinders. You'd think they'd have sent their best to guard all the secrets it must provide!"
Turn Order- Round 1: Bold May Post
Talon
Ollo
Aspis Group 1
Tao
Ai
Aspis Group 2
Aarion
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Face twisting up in determination, Talon steps forward as he mutters a few power syllables, completing a spell. The energy pops from his outstretched palm and expand into a protective disk which hovers in front of him.
”This is Pathfinder information,” he grows as he holds his glowing sword in front of him. ”You will not get it.”
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Talon prepares himself for battle, bolstering his defenses as Ollo charges into battle and succesfully bludgeons one of the Aspis agents.
Seeing his partner take a hit, the robed figure who spoke earlier retaliates with what looks to be a spell.
The other rear agent casts a spell as well before moving forward and circling around one of the large pillars, weapon in hand.
Turn Order- Round 1: Bold May Post
Talon
Ollo
Purple Aspis
Blue Aspis
Tao
Ai
Red Aspis -3hp
Green Aspis
Aarion
Narika