You have all been summoned to Karcau. At current, you are in a tavern or inn, waiting for night to fall when you were told to meet Venture-Captain Basia Kalistoff in the lobby of the famed Cloisoi Theater. Your group has assembled in preparation, and in the event you have not done so on your travels you may make such introductions as are necessary currently.
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The doorway to the tavern is visibly darkened as Hamarabi Ali enters. You see a tall pale man dressed in black and red with a spiked chain wrapped across his torso.His face bears a prominent tattoo of the holy symbol of Zon-Kuthon. He has a dour expression on his face as he takes a seat at a table near the door.
He flags down a barmaid and places his drink order while he awaits the arrive of the rest of the Society's agents assigned to the up coming task.
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A comely woman with pale blue skin and dark blue ombre hair swept up into a neat bun wanders in and greets Harambi with the pleasant but slightly distant smile of a well-coached diplomat. She wears stylish yet functional silk clothing in the reds and blacks of Cheliax, but in the modest cut and style typical of an ambassador. Her cloak is secured by a brooch pin bearing the insignia of an infernal eye looking out of a swirling portal.
She looks across to Harambi - "Svetlana, or Hellion if you ever visit the fighting pits of Magnimar and are fond of a wager"
She sits down and makes herself comfortable reading book with a well-worn leather cover, the gold leaf lettering on the front of the volume has mostly faded and flaked away but the title can still be made out - 'The Measure and the Chain'. She toys with a shining wayfinder emblazoned with an emblem of a silver dragon absentmindedly as she reads.
You each received a letter from Venture-Captain Obo, inviting you to a joint meeting with him and the Sapphire Sage, Amenopheus. The meeting will occur in a secluded area of the gardens outside the Swordmeet Lodge in Manaket, a port city in Rahadoum. You're awaiting THAT meeting in the inn / tavern.
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”The House of Thrune continues the enlightened stewardship of Cheliax, and we enjoy the gifts, safety, and security of a well ordered society as a result. Long May Her Infernal Majestrix reign”, the woman stops to sip at her wine as well ”I do hope that Queen Abrogail continues to allow the slow fostering of a relationship with the Society grow, that terrible misunderstanding towards Zarta Dralneen notwithstanding”
”it appears we will be taking a stroll through a garden shortly, I suppose it is a lovely evening for it. I presume it isn’t just the two of us going?”
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"Gardens are tranquil spots sure enough, but their exotic flora and expansive designs often give the illusion of seclusion. Never really a good place to talk business if you need to be really discreet about it... at least not without some magical assistance, proclaims the thin, middle-aged Taldan swordsman who enters the room. He's dressed well enough that with a few accessories we would fit in in the Opparan social circles, but something about the way he comports himself says he probably doesn't.
Atop his shoulders is a monkey dressed in a colorful outfit who spends most of his time digging through a small satchel filled with dried fruit and nuts.
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”So true. No doubt the cells of Nidal and Cheliax are full of people who found their tongues wagging poorly in what they thought was a secluded place - only to find it wasn’t just the birds listening - and even if you do spy only a songbird you never know who it might be singing to next. Affairs conducted in public are indeed public. I’m sure our host knows that, so perhaps just the meeting being held itself is part of a message”
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Hamarabi gets a dour look on his face at the mention of the songbird. "A songbird is always a spy of the so called sister. Remain always wary of them." Hamarabi leans forward and rests his forearms on the table. "I am sure that the the Sapphire Sage, Amenopheus knows what he is doing and as a fellow Sage I am sure that he would not choose to willfully put us in peril."
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"It would seem so. I must admit I am curious as to who else will be joining us. Perhaps they shall add a bit more of a twist to our eclectic ensemble." Hamarabi takes another sip from his cup and seems to ponder for a moment. I am sure this group will already turn heads where ever we may tread.
Hamarabi flags down the barmaid once more. "Excuse me miss but would this establishment happen to have a cheese board, meat tray, or other type of variety finger snack sampler available? If so, please get one for us." After the barmaid leaves. "It would do us well to eat a little something to absorb a bit of the alcohol before we go to the meeting."
Enora enters and looks at your table with slight surprise. She walks over and quietly sais "Hello, my name is Enora. I assume we are all waiting to meet with Venture-Captain Obo." She sits down, orders water and silently listens.
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A half orc entered the tavern, covered in trail dust. Pausing for a moment, he waved a hand and the dust was quickly swept off of him. Wearing a long sword strapped to his side, four scars are on his forehead in various stages of healing, one quite recently. "Greetings everyone. I am Rognak, Rognak of the Quadruple deaths. Pleased to meet you." he said.
Enora greets you with a waving hand and says: “hello, you seem to fit very well into this group. please sit down and enjoy the drinks and ... ehhh ... the company. light seems to have left this location anyway.”
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Rognak smiled a toothy half orc grin as he pointed from the most faded scar to the freshest one. "I have been killed four times. The first occurrence happened when I took two arrows to the chest from a devil as I had walked up to check out a book on an altar. The second death happened as I laid on the ground bleeding. The foe grew tired of the healer patching me up so he he walked over and slew me. he said. "My third death and the point where I began referring to myself as Rognak "The thrice dead" happened when I got hit with a spell that caused my heart to stop from pure fear and the latest was due to a cave in." he added, shaking his head.
“I was just waiting for such a discussion to begin.” she whispers to herself.
The appointed time comes and you are ushered in to the gardens near the Swordmeet lodge. “Welcome Pathfinders, please sit and be comfortable.” Venture-Captain Obo motions to various benches. A gentle breeze of sea air carries with it fragrances from the lush gardens surrounding Swordmeet Lodge. In the distance, the low rumble of the ocean surf echoes throughout the port city of Manaket on Rahadoum’s northern coast.
“Millennia ago, when Ahriman, the Lord of the Divs, attacked the famed Jaizun Citadel, a few of the resident artificers and elementalists of the Jistka Imperium made their escape. Their whereabouts, and the secrets they took with them, were lost to the desert sands and the ages. Soon after, the Citadel of the Weary Sky, as the Jaizun Citadel became known, was demolished by a fierce elemental storm.” Obo glances over to the thin man standing to his side, “The Sapphire Sage, Amenopheus, is lending a hand in the nascent partnership between the Pathfinder Society and the Concordance of Elements. This new alliance is already beginning to bear fruit. The Concordance was particularly interested in the information we had about the Citadel of the Weary Sky. Recently, they detected an unusual elemental energy to the south, in the Napsune Mountains, and asked us to investigate this disturbance.”
Amenopheus clasps his robes tightly about himself, “We have long suspected that the Jistkan refugees from the citadel may have made their way into the mountains and constructed a hidden stronghold there. There appears to be some connection between this refuge and the elemental storms that battered the Citadel of the Weary Sky. This connection made our new friends in the Concordance of Elements nervous; they do not wish a resurgence of violent elemental storms any more than we do. Now that we’ve identified this lingering elemental imbalance, it must be corrected.”
Obo steels his gaze, “If we’ve truly discovered the ancient elementalists’ retreat, then it may well pose a very real danger. Our alliance with the Concordance is tentative at best and I wish to show our goodwill, but I cannot in good conscience order you to investigate. Instead, I offer you the right of first refusal—more an invitation—to explore.”
Obo withdraws a map from a scroll tube. “The Concordance gave us this map to the location of the disturbance. An ancient Jistkan mechanism blocks the entrance. The Concordance was unable to gain passage, but described it as some kind of sealed portal. From my collection of Jistkan puzzle-boxes, I’d wager it will take keen minds, such as you possess, to unlock this portal and gain entry.” Venture-Captain Obo holds out the map. “If you are all in agreement, then good luck, Pathfinders. May the gods look down upon you and grant you good fortune.”
Enora stands up and says: "Oh this is so exciting! We are looking forward to understanding how the mechanism works. We would of course also study any maps or sketches that the concordance can provide. And please do not worry we are experts in these matters." She looks around and then notes: "And be assured that my colleagues and I understood that this needs to be done."
I am trying to understand some of the facts you provided ... hmmm.
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"Well, well...that is rather fascinating. Tell me how did it feel, physically that is, to die so often. Was there much suffering or pain involved?"
"The first three were rather quick and as a matter of fact, the second one I did not feel anything. I would have to say that the last one was the most painful, what with betting buried alive under all that rock." Rognak said.
Rognak listened to the briefing and tried to recall what he knew about the area of the planes.
"So it sounds like we have the option to turn down this mission as it is more to get into the good graces with the Concordance rather than anything that directly benefits the Society. However, you would not mind if we checked it out just to be on the safe side. Does that sound about right?" The half-orc said.
"It sounds like there might be some concerns as to what side the Citadel of the Weary Sky might be on for it to appear after all these years. What do you know about them?" he asked.
Enora sees all the pondering faces and says: "Team, let us put our heads together and see what we can learn - maybe I can assist you to fill in some details!?"
most famously the Jistka Imperium. The Jistkans were famous for building golems and other mighty constructs.
“At the grand Jaizun Citadel, Jistkan elementalists and conjurers summoned a multitude of genies and elementals to bolster their armies. The magic expended in drawing these creatures from the elemental planes fractured reality around the citadel. The sky above the Jaizun Citadel constantly roiled with unfettered elemental energy and eventually attracted the Lord of Divs, Ahriman. He added to the elemental energy and directed it into a massive storm to destroy the citadel. The storm abated thereafter, but our research indicates that it never fully dissipated.” He continues, "Jistka was an ancient empire that collapsed 8,000 years ago. Jistka was home to powerful wizards who made pacts with outsiders, mainly genies, to guard the Imperium’s borders. They were also peerless artificers who crafted elaborate mechanisms and golem guardians, using summoning magic to call forth elementals and bind elemental spirits into their constructs.”
“Well, what do you guys know of elemental golems or constructs with bound spirits? If I can prepare the right spells that would be helpful. “ She then starts thinking about her teachings and tries to remember what she knows of elementals and golems.
kn(planes)
kn(arcana)
While you possess the jewel, you gain a +3 insight bonus on Knowledge (history) and Linguistics checks. Additionally, you gain a +5 insight bonus on Knowledge (planes) checks to identify creatures with the air, earth, fire, or water subtype. You may attempt Knowledge (history), Knowledge (planes), and Linguistics checks untrained. While you carry this jewel, you are fluent in Jistka and Ancient Osiriani. Additionally, as the bearer of the jewel, you may cast each of the following spells as a spell-like ability once per day, using the listed DC and with a caster level equal to your character level: comprehend languages, lightning bolt (DC 18), heroism, and enervation.
The journey through Rahadoum to the location provided on the Concordance’s map is uneventful. The entrance to Deep Sky is high in the Napsune Mountains.
The narrow, stony mountain path broadens as it ascends to a narrow ledge. The rock face to the south towers hundreds of feet in height. Two massive doors made of green marble loom within. They lack any hinges or handles but are carved with enormous, stern, scowling faces. Next to the doors is a shallow indentation containing a tiny stone door with a weathered metal handle.
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During the trip, Rognak listened to the group as they traveled, taking about each of his deaths and what it was like in the after life. At one point during the travels, he pulled out a tile made of black glass from the Wall of Names that had his name and date of death entered and chiseled out three times.
"After the third time I was brought back to life, the glass cutters at the wall gave me my tile and told me to hang on to it. When I am fully and totally dead, if I die serving the Society, it will teleport to the wall and and join all the others." he said "However, some of the members of the Dark Archive suggested that I might want to use it as my phylactery. Not too sure of that just yet." he added with a grin and a twinkle in his eye.
Taking a look for spells, Rognak scanned the doors to see if there was any magic that might be dangerous or noteworthy.
Enora stays back and uses her wand to cast mage armor (1hr dur.) and false life (7 hr dur.) on herself.