Deep beneath the Pathfinder Society’s headquarters in Absalom’s Grand Lodge, an otherwise austere stone chamber now teems with activity, as Pathfinder scholars scamper across several levels of wooden scaffolding surrounding a large tapestry laid out in the center of the floor. Some examine the five-by-seven foot tapestry with magnifying glasses or magical lenses, while others work diligently at
small work desks, consulting ancient tomes and performing complex arcane mathematics.
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Varian watches the flurry of activity around the tapestry with intense curiosity. He ignores the itching feeling on his shoulderblades for now... so focused is he on the scene before him.
I wonder.. is this the famed Hao Jin tapestry that Lore was telling me about? She has traveled into it to another realm... I wonder what that would be like...My ventures so far for the Society have mostly been fairly mundane, except for maybe the realm of the Fellnight Queen, that was different. I almost wish... well, no good will come of wishing... I wonder what my next mission will be.
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A rough and tumble half-orc walks very quietly toward the gathering of busy Pathfinders. His black hood is pulled up over his head, obscuring most of his face. The greatsword on his back catches a bit of light, reflecting strangely on the walls around him. He takes a position where he can see most of what is going on. Pulls his hood back a little to get a better look at the strange tapestry.
So this is what all the fuss is about.
The expression on his face is unimpressed and pained, as if he really doesn't want to be there, as if the weight of the world pushes down upon him. He continues to look on as the rest of the team gathers.
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A bizarre monsterous looking Tiefling walks up to the group, cocks his head and simply says "Hello!". He has a scaley scalp sporting a pair of ridges that appear to be horns which never penetrated the skin, a long thin tail, clawed hands and feat, and a somewhat disturbing fanged smile. He wears a long chain shirt, torn leather overshirt, tattered loincloth, and a thick rawhide belt. His head sports a tarnished crown with a bladed pattern on it, and around his neck hangs an amulet with a clawed sigil. Three spears are carried on his back, hooked to his backpack. His odd proportions change what should be a frightening creature into a comically mismatched physique, and his awkward demeanor does little to help.
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A gnome scampers down the busy hallways of the Grand Lodge almost bowling people over as he rushes to the basements below. "Come on Amar! Hurry up! I won't have you making me late again!" the small figure calls back to an...off larger figure following him dutifully. Paying little heed to see if his companion reacted, the gnome continues on his way through the winding corridors and stairwells, stopping only to catch his hat when the ill-fitted accessory frequently tumbles off his skull.
The gnome finally turns the corner to find a doorway. Seeing it's number matches that of his summons, the man hurries inside and begins to speak. "I'm here, I'm here, the wait is over. So sorry to keep you all in anticipation: my associate needs to learn how to read a..." He quickly cuts short as his eyes look around the room and land on the tapestry in the floor's center. (sigh) This again? You would think they could have let me know just to stay put if they were sending us right back in.
The gnome is lost frowning at the tapestry for just a moment before he snaps back and begins prowling the room, offeirng his hand to each other Pathfinder and bubbling with energy. "Ah, haven't introduced myself yet have I? Elaqis Teletaire. Of those Teletaires, yes. Conjurer extraordinaire, but the family was a bit uncomfortable with me after the accident and the fix of it so here I am! Ah," he says as his delayed companion enters. "And this is Amar. Who can hopefully learn from this one here WHAT A MAP LOOKS LIKE!"
As Elaqis ran through the halls, Amar chased after him, pausing to apologize to each of the many agents the gnome barreled through without a care. The gesture seemed to have unerved them slightly, but Amar understood.
He struck an imposing figure, but was clearly not human. The broad shape seemed right enough, with his tall figure, tanned skin and shaved head, but at any close look it became apparant to a viewer that the details were wrong, as if the god that had molded him had had to fudge the number halfway through. Amar's skin looked hard and rigid and had a reddish tint to it, the coloring most noticeable along his arms. Each of those were themselves slightly longer than appeared natural, with fingertips ending in sharp, wide claws. Amar's two eyes were bright and alert, but also stood too far apart on his somewhat flat face. Of course the most noticeable feature of the manservant's was the pair of wings jutting from his back, but Amar thought that he hid that well enough under his cloak and the layers of fashionable Taldan clothing he wore.
Eventually catching up to Elaqis, Amar looked around warily as the gnome berated him. They appear to be strong. Armored, Geared. Dangerous - hopefully pointed outwards. He speaks in a low, grumbling voice to Elaqis, Master, I did note that the upscale market would feature heavy traffic at this hour. And advised we tarry less at brunch to ensure a prompt arrival." but seems unperturbed when the gnome appears to ignore his correction.
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A dwarf in full plate lumbers in as quickly as his legs will take him. Whew! I ain't late, am I? I just followed this here smart lookin' gnome fella since there was this other fella followin' him like he knew where he was goin'. I figured I'd do that so I wouldn't get lost or nothin'.
He looks at everybody and then asks, So... amirite?
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With a quizzical look and tilted head, Sarsczek takes a look at his new travelling companions. His nostrils flare and he furrows his brow, then ponders for a moment. After nearly a minute of his, a big dopey smile crosses his face.
"I'm Sarsczek!" He pronounces this name with odd emphasis on the first syllable, sounding more like an animalistic hiss and grunt, followed by a clicking sound for the last syllable. "My friends usually just say it like Sarz-Zek, or Sarz-Check, or somethin like dat. Easier. Who're alla-you?"
From the crowd steps the Master of Spells, Aram Zey, who motions to a relatively clear and quiet corner of the room. Arriving in the corner, he speaks in a hushed voice.
“I am very busy, Pathfinders, so I’ll keep this short. Before you lies the mythical Hao Jin Tapestry, the result of all our efforts to win the Ruby Phoenix Tournament in Goka this year. I know it looks like a ragged piece of abstractly woven cloth, but Pathfinders of your experience should know that looks can be deceiving. Within that rag lies an entire world, a demiplane created by the sorceress Hao Jin to hold the most massive and dangerous exhibits in her world-renowned collection of wonders. In addition to housing the extraplanar museum, the tapestry also acts as the sole portal into that wondrous world. And now it is ours to explore and research as much as we want with no risk of interference.
“My scholars have been hard at work analyzing the tapestry itself, and the Society’s diviners have located a number of treasures within the demiplane that we want investigated firsthand. Among them is the long-lost Dog Pharaoh’s Tomb, for which we’ve been searching for decades. It turns out the deserts of Osirion were the wrong place to look. Hao Jin moved it into the tapestry a thousand years ago!
“Your mission is to explore the tomb and recover any treasures you might find particularly valuable from the Dog Pharaoh’s doubtlessly substantial horde. Along the way, keep an eye out for any information on the Dog Pharaoh’s life, as details on him beyond his name are scarce. If you are successful, this could be among the most significant finds in recent Pathfinder history, so don’t disappoint me.
“Any questions before you go into the tapestry?”
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The last to arrive is a Varisian man in shining full plate armor made of a white silver with a large shield in the shape of a lion's head strapped to his back. Upon removing his helmet, you note that his eyes are golden in color. He adjusts his grey cloak and longsword as he listens intently to Master Zey's instructions.
"What sort of resistance will we meet inside? Surely someone of the Dog Pharaoh's caliber wont' have left his treasure trove unguarded."
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Sarsczek goes bug-eyed for a moment. "A world in a rag... I wonder if there is anything in my loincloth?"
He snaps back to attention. "Wait...tomb... Dog Pharoh's Tomb? I love searching tombs! There any oozes in there? Last tomb I went to had an ooze... I bit it till it stopped moving! Seems weird though... All da best tombs are in Osirion... why is this one in a tap-pest-tree?"
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Best? My experience is tombs are miserable places full of long lost sorrow; ever been in the Ruins of Bonekeep, Tiefling? The burly half-orc's expression never changes from its dourness. His question to Sarsczek sounding more like a warning than an actual question.
Looking to the others, In case you care, which you probably don't I'm Unnvar, I'll see to it we don't fail. As he says the last part he looks the Master of Spells directly in the eyes holding his gaze a long moment in an attempt to see if he can get the Master to avert his eyes from the discomfort of the stare. When Zey's gaze doesn't budge, Unnvar continues.
Master, What do you know about this dog pharoah? Before adding, I assume you want us to bring back any loo...artifacts we find there?
@Owyn: "We don't know what you'll find inside, but you're right, I don't imagine you'll find the his treasure unguarded. As with any tomb, I'd imagine you'd want to keep an eye out for traps and the like at the very least."
@Unnvar: “Little is known of the Dog Pharaoh, aside from his epithet and rumors of a tomb complex in the Sahure Waste. We now know that tomb wasn’t lost to the sands, but taken whole cloth by Hao Jin to add to her collection. The Dog Pharaoh was involved in a power struggle with a rival pharaoh, who eventually prevailed, and erased all records of his foe from the annals of history, replacing his chosen name with that of the “Dog Pharaoh.” Hopefully his tomb will present you more information about him than his victor’s slander.”
@Sarsczek: "The Hao Jin Tapestry is a centuries-old tapestry. The patterns of the tapestry are highly abstract with lines, shapes, and patterns in a variety of colors, none of which are attractive on their own or in conjunction with each other. Our scholars laboring to understand the tapestry have determined that the seemingly abstract features of the tapestry correspond with the actual features of the demiplane held within it. Those who enter the plane determine where they appear inside by which point on the tapestry they are touching when they speak the command words that activate it."
"Any more questions before moving on?"
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"A 'Dog' Pharoah, eh? I cannot say I've ever heard of such a figure. Still, name-changing is a strange punishment: dogs are perfectly fine aren't they?" Elaqis muses to himself.
The gnome turns to Sarsczek with a wide grin. "Don't worry friend. The Tapestry is perfectly fine. This will be the fourth time I've been there myself. Well, fine, not safe, there always does tend to be a surprising amount of things still kicking that want to kick you. But that iss what Amar's here for!"
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A fine example of a dwarf, his facial hair lustrous and well-kempt, with elaborate braids and clasps, strokes his brown beard as he considers the mission. The hair on the top of his head is swept back, while the sides are shaved and tattooed with elaborate blue runes.
Fantastic. Mair magic shenanigans. Let's go fur a wee magic carpit ride? How abit we keep our feet on th' grin!"
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There's a world in there? August looks closer as if trying to peer through a window. So, there's a word to get out too, right? August sees Owyn, who looks like a leader type to the dwarf, and quickly goes to him. So, you look like a smart fella. Whatcha want me to do? I'm pretty good at fightin' but not much else. I had a liege but he had to quit adventurin'. Are you hirin'?
The tapestry was meant to hang on a wall, but the scholars have it laid out on a low table just off the floor in the room for reasons having to do with preservation and stability. Exploration teams have set an elaborate scaffold over the table so that they can reach down and touch the tapestry in the correct place without accidentally brushing up against the edges.
Without another word Aram Zey escorts you one by one onto the scaffold and instructs you to place your finger just to the left of a beige chevron design in the tapestry’s weave. Upon uttering a trigger word provided by the Master of Spells, each you disappear from the Material Plane, whisked into the tapestry. You arrive in Hao Jin’s demiplane instantaneously upon uttering the command word while touching the tapestry, and finds yourself in a foot of cold, brackish, standing water. The air is oppressively humid and smells of decay and death. Behind each arriving creature floats a 2-foot-diameter sphere of pulsing blue light, each visible only by the creature whose journey to the tapestry created it.
You arrive about a quarter-mile from your target. There's no need to wonder which direction you need to go as the Dog Pharaoh's Tomb rises above the mire in the distance. As you approach . . .
A grimy sandstone building rises from the swampy water, hemmed in by mossy, drooping trees whose roots look to have been grinding away at its foundations for centuries. What must have been an impressive wooden door has rotted away to the point of nonexistence. Only giant rusted hinges show that it once covered the dark entrance to the tomb. Mere hints of intricately carved pillars and false arcades are barely visible underneath the moss, creepers, and mildew that now cover the structure. Two fetishes flank the tomb’s entrance, each the skin of a fox or small wolf stretched over the flayed fork of lashed bones and painted in strange pigments, topped off with reptilian skulls carved with illegible writing.
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There's a world in there? August looks closer as if trying to peer through a window. So, there's a word to get out too, right? August sees Owyn, who looks like a leader type to the dwarf, and quickly goes to him. So, you look like a smart fella. Whatcha want me to do? I'm pretty good at fightin' but not much else. I had a liege but he had to quit adventurin'. Are you hirin'?
Owyn smiles as he tells August "Master dwarf, you may do whatever you think you'd be best at. And as for hiring, I'm afraid not. However, your desire to help is commendable. I look forward to working with you."
Upon arriving at the entrance, Owyn lightly touches his wayfinder, activating the light spell within it for the darkness ahead. "Who wishes to lead," he asks the rest of the group. "I will take up the mantle if necessary, though I fear I may lead us blindly into whatever traps lay within."
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Uh...I was expecting sand not swamp! Unnvar sloshes through the brackish water.
As they approach the entrance, Unnvar surveys the site.
No, I'll take the lead, I'm somewhat good finding traps and such.
Unnvar draws forth a scroll and attempts to cast it.
Unnvar's face begins to contort becoming sleak with a pronounced beak.
He then examines around the entrance and fetishes for traps.
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"Amar can also walk beside you Unnvar. He's got keen enough eyes when the need arises." Elaqis says as he distastefully looks at the muck seeping into his shoes. "I must say, you'd think if a wizard could cherry pick landmarks for his summer home he could have found one without such grime."
He glances at the skinned fetishes. "Oh, and such lovely decor too. I'm sure that bodes well..." He sniffs. "You'd think they could have at least used canines for the dolls, to stay on theme."
As Amar dutifully moves to pass Elaqis and advance towards the half-orc, the summoner pulls out a wand and touches it to the eidolon. With a grunt of appreciation, Amar takes off his cloak and unfurl short red wings, flapping slowly to move ahead.
As far as Unvar can tell, the entrance is clear of traps, and I assume you proceed inside.
This cubic chamber is full of stagnant swamp water to a height of a foot and a half. The walls are shallowly carved with a complex Osirian motif, with hundreds of ancient pictograms overlapping in an intricate pattern, the outlines of which can barely be made out under the grime. A door in the north wall is decorated with a scene in bas-relief: a jackal-headed man holding two matching kukris, around whom a throng of bestial warriors bow. There is no obvious mechanism to open the door, but there is a gap between it and the wall as if it is being held partially open. Water sluggishly trickles through the gap, flowing deeper into the tomb. Empty doorways open into two rooms to the east and west.
Throughout the tomb, ceilings are 30 feet tall, with square doorways 10 feet tall and 10 feet wide. Where they aren’t covered in water, floors in the tomb are scummy and slick. The standing water and algae-covered stone floor make all squares in this room slippery, requiring 2 squares of movement to move through unless a creature succeeds at a DC 15 Acrobatics check to keep its balance as it moves at full speed. A creature failing its save by 5 or more falls prone; otherwise, a failed check simply restricts a creature to half movement.
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Sarsczek walks up next to Unnvar, then dips low to the ground, sniffing and searcing about.
"Ooh, ooh, I'll be with Oon..var? Oonvar! Yep! I can find traps too, and turn them off. Without biting them! And I can see in the dark... and I can read ancient oh-sire-eon. Yep, I can read!"
"Smells like muck."
"I haven't been to a tomb like this in a long time! The last few times the paffinder so-sigh-tee sent me out I went to nice parties. Oh, and Geb. Found a worm that walks there. And a mummy. I bit them."
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Unnvar carefully enters the room continuing to scan for traps and foes alike.
As they first begin to enter, in a whispered tone, Paladin do you sense evil in this place?
As Unnvar looks to his left down the passage, and motions for Sarsczek and August to look to the right.
The diligence of the slayers uncovers a pit trap in the center of the room.
As you're searching for traps and before Unnvar can get a good look down the passage, a mass of tangled vines and dripping slime rises on two trunk-like legs, reeking of rot and freshly turned earth making its way through the passage to the left.
Initiative:
Round 1
August
Clandelve
Amar
Unnvar
Owyn
Sarsczek
Elaqis
Creature
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Sarsczek perks up at the sounds of the disturbance and rushes in for a taste to help.
"Whas that? I'm coming!" He snarles, which should sound menacing, but given his stature sounds more like a child trying to be scary. The snarl is cut off abruptly as he ends up with a mouth full of muck. He stumbles, splashes in the murky water, and slows his advance, taking careful note of the creature and its potential weaknesses.
"Mmmm... tastes like muck too."
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"No no no, this won't do at all." Elaqis says as he reaches the tomb's entrance. Before he can even go further, he hears the sounds of combat break out.
"Oh for goodness sake, next time at least take measure until the place is properly lit!"
Exasperatedly, he fishes a torch from his side while also mumbling a few words. An invisible wave of magic washes over ever ally, as they feel their movements become much quicker.
"Well I suppose you might as well help them..." the gnome says to Amar.
The eidolon had not waited for Elaqis' instructions, instead surging forward after the dwarf. With a snap his clawed left hand launches past to strike out at the plant-thing and attempting to hold it back.
"Master, perhaps you should stay back. At least avoid the hole in the center."
for
Clandelve Double moves to the creature.
Unnvar activates his boots and swings 3 times at the Shambling mound, hitting only with his Hasted Attack, taking a good chunk of vegetation from its torso.
Amar reaches over Unnvar and claws the creature, tearing into it more.
Owyn attempts to attack around the corner, but it is unable to hit due to the awkward angle.
Sarsczek attempts to move in, but gets caught up in the water and can only make it so far.
Elaqis fishes out a torch (unlit) and casts Haste on the party.
Shambling Mound:
The mound goes, attacking the closest creature that hit it, Unnvar.
The leafy vines strike out at Unnvar, but neither is able to penetrate his spell-hardened skin .
Initiative:
Round 2:
August
Clandelve
Amar
Unnvar
Owyn
Sarsczek
Elaqis
Shambling Mound (-41)
August:
August moves into position and takes a swing at the creature around the corner of the wall. He strikes the creature hard as more of the swampy vine flies off the creature.
Initiative:
Round 2:
August
Clandelve
Amar
Unnvar
Owyn
Sarsczek
Elaqis
Shambling Mound (-65)
Candelve attacks with his Warhammer and Shield, but only seems to connect once with the first swing of his shield.
Unnvar swings his greatsword, missing with his first swing but tearing the plant creature to shreads with his next two swings. The Shambling Mound falls motionless.
End of Combat
Looking into the room past the mound:
Piles of slimy refuse fill the corners of this room, with a foot of swamp muck with stagnant water in between. A once-grand frieze dominates the west wall, its vibrant colors now faded. In it, a jackal-headed man rides a dark chariot pulled by horse-sized dogs, at the head of an army of gnolls and dire hyenas. Before him, a radiant ankh is engulfed in black flames.
This room and the one on the right hand side don't have water so don't need an acrobatics check to move through at full speed, though the refuse in this room is considered difficult terrain.
You see some movement within the refuse. It seems there are a handful of small creatures hiding in there that have made this area their home, but you can't make-out what they are. Your best guess is there's probably about 4 creatures.
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"An excellent showing!" Elaqis pipes out from the entrance as he lights his torch. "From the silence I take it that swamp thign is slain? Good, now if we could say the same about the rank conditions here."
The gnome wades through the stagnant water for only a moment, disgusted by the liquid coming up to his knees. "Unnvar! After you've talked to those critters you say there is a pit trap in here? Why not have it swing open, maybe clear out a bit of this muck?"
@Unnvar: As you shout into the room, the refuse stops moving completely, as a scared animal cowering in its hiding spot.
As Unnvar starts moving the rubbish aside a blast of electricity fills nearly the entire room as the lizards cowering in the North-West corner defend their home.
Unnvar is able to make out 3 more cowering in the other pile.
Initiative:
Round 1
North Lizards
South Lizards
Unnvar
Sarsczek
Amar
Elaqis
Clandelve
Owyn
August
End of Round
North Lizards:
All take a 5' step and attack Unnvar.
and all miss.
These are Shocker Lizards. They have a cooperative electricity burst and are immune to electricity.