[Outpost] GM Chie's 9-07 Salvation of the Sages (Inactive)

Game Master Korolan

A Missive from Venture Captain Diya Akan, requests your presence at the Twisting Garden lodge in Merab. Upon arrival, Diya has a spread of local delicacies upon a large shaded table. "Welcome! Please, wait here for the arrival of your Compatriots, and a little bit of a respite from the Desert Sun."

Here is a good place to introduce yourselves! In addition, I will need a little bit of Information that is listed in the Discussion Thread!

Kan-Jeh struts on in, all five feet of him moving unerringly towards the table of food. "Tank ya Ventcha-Captain Akan, Kan-Jeh hasn't eaten propah since he came back from da Tian Xia. All dey have is rice!"

A supernaturally large and muscular rat snake hisses from below the table, keeping the area free of vermin.

A brightly and fashionably dressed Vudrani man steps off a magically flying carpet while clapping and stomping his feet in the direction of the table.

"Oh! Goodness gracious! Pratvah! You're going to scare the daylights out of our friends hiding down there like that! Why can't you just," he waves his hands up in the air, "climb up into the rafters or some such thing? Oh! Miss Diya, I would highly recommend that you keep that little scruffy dog of yours away for the time being! Pratvah has gotten so FAT she'd probably think it was a rat or something!"

Kan-Jeh turns his head to look back at the Vudrani man and his snake. "Are ya callin' me a dog mon? Kan-Jeh expects his Pathfindah friends ta not be insultin'" he says, grabbing a peeled pineapple and taking a huge bite from it.

VC Diya is blind, and has a seeing eye dog at her feet.

"What what what is this nonsense? Of course I am talking about the four legged friend of Miss Diya! But you are correct, my hasty warning has precluded my greetings. My name is Jaswinder, savior of Niswan, and this is Pratvah, the very much obese. Many pleasantries upon you," he exclaims with a bow and a flourish.

A Varisian man, bedecked in full plate, with an extraordinary looking rapier at his side, staggers into the room. Strapped to his belt are several tankards in a variety of metals, all looking well used. On his shoulder is a small monkey, with his own little tankard.

"Good day, my friends!" says the man with a grin. "Gunari Maximoff, Priest of the Drunken Hero!"

He looks around the room, and gets a shocked look on his face. "Sweet Barleybrew! We need a toast to start off our adventure!" With this, he starts setting the tankards on the table and fills them with a magical flair. "May the Accidental God smile upon our venture!"

The monkey jumps of the Varisian's shoulder, and starts running down the table, checking out the delicacies contained upon it.

"Be careful around that snake, little buddy, you don't want to become a delicacy yourself!" Gunari exclaims!

"EEEP!!!" shrieks the monkey, as he jumps Kan-Jeh shoulder, being the largest and nearest Pathfinder to him. He tries to hide from the snake by putting the Mwangi man between himself and it.

*tongue flick, tongue flick*

Looks like my post saying "whoops, she has a dog?" got eaten.
Anyway, moving on.

Kan-Jeh slowly masticates on his mouthful of fruit, eyes narrowed, before passing the rest of the pineapple to the monkey on his shoulder. "Da Ventcha-Captain does have a dog and Kan-Jeh is quick ta angah. Kan-Jeh apologizes" says the short Zenj in a way that doesn't seem to express a whole lot of contrition. In fact, being at least a head shorter than anyone here, his upturned face would almost appear defiant. "Kan-Jeh is Kan-Jeh Far-Seeing, of the Okume Zenj." Sensing perhaps that he might need to work a little more to smooth thing over, he continues: "Kan-Jeh isn't familiah wid all da food here. He spend too much time in da Rivah Kingdoms. Maybe you or da snake can tell me what some of dis is; me and da little buddy need ta eat propah" he finishes, looking to the monkey with a wicked, conspiratorial smile, and offering him a fist-bump.

Darn! I have a Paladin of Rowdrosh that's Zenj, but he's only 6th level =(

Jaswinder picks over the table meticulously.

"This is Garundi cuisine, yes? You must have spent many years away to not recognize it. Oh! Goodness me! The River Kingdoms?? Did you explore that great big green Spire of glass? Terrible place. I was sent to dismantle this simply atrocious forge that broke every one of my tools. Pratvah nearly got ground up into snake curry!"

"Garundi cuisine ain't da same as Mwangi cuisine mon, at least not my people's food. And Ah did see da Spire. From a ways away. Da Ventcha-Captains, dey send Kan-Jeh ta clear out da dungeon beneath Torn-Keep so da brains can do dere explorashun in peace. But dey sent a Zenj to help explore an Azlanti ruin in da Rivah Kingdoms. Makes ya wondah, how many Shoanti dey send to Tian Xia tah check out Elven ruins."

A young woman with extremely fair skin, long red flowing hair and piercing green eyes is the next to arrive. Dressed in a long robe with the hood currently draped down over her back, she seems to radiate a dark energy despite her youthful and attractive appearance. To add to the growing menagerie of creatures that have descended upon the lodge, a large raven sits perched on her shoulder. While the girl herself looks to be less than fully at ease, arriving in the midst of such a boisterous scene, the bird immediately seems to get quite excited.

"CAAAAAAWW! This could be fun! CAAAAAAWWW!" Lonan flaps his wings and flies straight across to the table where he grabs a grape in one talon, flicks it up in the air and then kicks it through the air towards where the monkey is perched on the Mwangi man's shoulder. "Heads up! CAAAAWWW!" He then picks up another one and flicks it up and into his beak.

"Lonan!" Seldanna grumbles with arms crossed as she gives her bird a death stare that looks as if it should have fried him to a crisp on the spot. "Stop your nonsense at once! This mission is supposed to be of the utmost importance to the Scarab Sages. We don't have time for you to be fooling around with these other wild beasts!"

Suddenly realising that she is probably causing a scene, or at least adding to one already in progress, the girl's cheeks suddenly go bright red and she stomps over to the side of the room in a huff.

She impatiently waits for the VC to arrive and pass on the details of what she expected could be the most momentous mission she'd ever been on...a significant feat given she'd previously been cursed by visions of some horrific creature from beyond the stars on another major mission for the Sages and had died and been raised from the dead after being struck down by a flying gnome in her most recent adventure.

*tongue flick, tongue flick*

Diya, her ears pricking up at the sound of each new voice adds, "Well, it sounds like quite the menagerie here! I believe we are still waiting on a few more... a Holy Warrior, and a Dervish if my reports are correct. When everyone has arrived, Horus and I shall take you to your... benefactors for this mission. Please! Relax and eat your fill. I do not imagine that your expedition will be without complication, and you would be hard pressed to find delicacies as such as you travel!"

Reaching forward toward a small tray of candied meats, she feels around before grabbing a larger treat, before holding it just below the table, where it is quickly snapped up by a sandy brown colored dog. "Stay here by me Horus, we don't need you getting snapped up by... Pratvah was it?"

"Mmm yes, indeed! 'Pratvah' in Vudrani translates to Common as... 'Rat Snake', which is what I thought she was when I found her on the streets of Niswan! It is a bit of a humorous name, now."

Jaswinder pulls out a masterly crafted darkwood flute with a bulbous end. "She responded well to my pungi," to which he blows a couple notes, "so she and I made marvelous street performers. But that was before I joined the Society, and before she outgrew her basket. She doesn't even sway any more, but at least she understands what I tell her... Most of the time. Such a simple life that was back then."

Sunlight glints of off polished armor as another figure approaches the table. Heedless of the heat beating down on his pale blonde hair, he bears a heavy shield and longsword, armor and shield both marked with sword and sunburst. Feathered wings of purest white rise from his back, and as he reaches the shade his eyes are seen to match the color of his wings.

"Paladin Ardelaneu Zakath, reporting." he greets the venture captain with a formal discipline before turning to the gathered agents. "A pleasure to travel with all of you. I am a shield against the darkness and I hope to protect you all with my life."

"And he's not that stuffy once you get to know him." A metallic ring suffuses the voice that issues from near his waist. "But he and I are a pretty good pair. Gamin the Reforged at your service!" Ardelaneu pats one hand at his scabbard, shaking his head.

"Well I hope ya don't need to use ya life fer us, mistah paladin. Kan-Jeh puts da notion of stayin' alive to tha test very much every time he adventchas!" says the small Mwangi, surreptitiously offering the monkey what might be wine.

Seeing what the Mwangi is offering him, the monkey quickly downs the glass of wine. He then spends the next few minutes searching for more. He jumps off the shoulder of his latest benefactor and quickly starts sampling the variety of treats on the table.

"CAAAAWW! That's my bowl of nuts! CAAAAAW!" Lonan pecks at the searching hand of the monkey as he tries to sample from the Raven's bowl of mixed nuts and dried fruits.

Smelling the aroma of wine on the primate's breath, the bird then shakes his head in disgust and flutters off to perch on the edge of a big jug of ale before partaking of the much manlier drink.

Meanwhile, Seldanna sits in the corner, having grabbed only an apple, a piece of dried bread, some cheese, and a small glass of white wine. Munching absent-mindedly on the fruit, she buries her head in a book, looking up occasionally to glare at Lonan and motion him impatiently to come back and sit on her shoulder.

Let's get this Box Text underway, yes?

Standing up from the table, Diya Akan looks down by where Horus was nuzzling her leg and smiles. "Horus, get your lead so we can head to the meeting area!" The sand colored dog heads over to a wall, where a leather lead is hung carefully on a small hook, before gripping it gently in his teeth, and setting it in Diya's hand. "That's a good boy Horus. Now, let's get these lovely travelers to where they will get their Proper introduction." Horus leads her through a gap in the garden walls, into a series of twists and turns until arriving at a table underneath a wooden structure built to shade the area, and a large wooden table.

Sitting at a large table, Amenopheus looks over a book with a bemused smile as a blindfolded Tahonikepsu cautiously sniffs at several metal vials bearing the marks of local alchemists. She confidently names each alchemist by the scent of the vial before adding with a smile, “The scent of blood, oil, and old books could only be our Pathfinder friends.”

Amenopheus closes his book and pushes an ancient Azlanti coin over to the Diamond Sage. "I should know better than to wager with dragons. Especially one with memories as vast as yours." he adds, to an oddly truthy grin. Tahonikepsu sighs, and adds "These games are merely distractions to relieve the tension until our agents arrive. But now that you are here..." Tahonikepsu rises, draws forth a small metal box, and opens it to reveal an onyx gem in the cushioned interior.

“Our situation is actually quite fascinating, though I agree it presents some difficulties. Each of our order’s sage jewels houses the personality and knowledge of its creator. Through field tests and research, Amenopheus has made a remarkable discovery: each of the jewels contains a second and unidentified persona. Your comrades recovered this jewel, and its former bearer knew the source of this anomaly. He can best explain the situation.”

Tahonikepsu intones a rite, and the morning light dims as the spectral image of a bronze-skinned dwarf manifests above the gem. He wears the simple garb of a warrior-monk, but his amulet bearing the ureaus over staff and scepter marks him as an advisor or guardian of the pharaohs. “Greetings, stewards of knowledge. I am Padrym of Erekrus. I served the pharaohs of old and witnessed with sorrow the decline of a land of wonders. The Diamond Sage has asked me about a shadow within my sage jewel. I know this shadow as Aryana Tahari, an Usij necromancer who served at the court of the Pharaoh of Forgotten Plagues with me. Known to some as the Black Moon, her skill and wisdom were a dark reflection of the virtues of holy Thoth. She knew more of life and death than any living scholar of the time, and her enemies died horribly of exotic afflictions. She vanished from court for a time to her sanctuary beneath the village of Resa, set on a task the pharaoh personally assigned. I can sense her within the gemstone now, and casting back through memory, I feel her presence upon my every thought—perhaps even to my first acceptance into the order of Jeweled Sages.”

Amenopheus worriedly joins in. “The necromancer’s spirit has stirred recently. It may be that as more sages take up the sage jewels she grows in strength. The Usij are working to speed her awakening. With every passing year there is a growing chance she could seize control of us. While certain desperate measures—” Tahonikepsu frowns and appears to almost SNAP at him, before Amenopheus hurriedly continues, “— may not be necessary yet, I have a plan to assemble the sage jewels in this necromancer’s sanctuary. There, in a place tied to her life, we can draw forth these fragments of her mind and safely destroy them with a ritual I have devised.” Tahonikepsu nods excitedly. “We can safely remove this annoyance and perhaps discover some wonders this Tahari hid away. Regardless of her flaws, she seems a remarkable scholar. However, our numbers are too few to safely mount such an expedition. The Pathfinders have provided exemplary aid before; please assist us once more in preserving our legacy.”

Also, let's see what things you can remember about the area as you walk through the Twisting Gardens!

---------------

"What desperate measures ya be talkin' about?" asks a curious Kan-Jeh.

Gunari just gives a blank look, as he remembers nothing about the area. "Are we the desperate measures? I mean, it wouldn't be the first time we were, right?"

Hoping our arcanists can pull off the checks!

"Necromancers." The word is spat out like a curse. "Gamin and I will deal with her restless spirit."

Knowledge Planes: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (12) + 1 = 13
Knowledge Nobility: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (8) + 4 = 12

Ardelaneu sadly has not heard of any of this. :P

Seldanna will take 10 on the Knowledge (planes) for a 28 and will assume that Ardelaneu's roll was an aid or that someone else can at least get a 10 on another aid, even if only untrained.

Knowledge (History): 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (13) + 16 = 29 + another 3 if considered Osirion related.

Seldanna, having spent their time waiting tucked away in the corner, now seems fully engaged with the briefing. Having adopted Time as her personal patron, she feels a strong affinity with the Time Dragon and steps forward eager to please. "I'm sure it won't come to these 'desperate measures'. Thank you for your faith in us and yes, we'll definitely do all that we can to help the Sages deal with this threat...oh, and of course learn all that we can in the process." She then flicks through the pages of the book she was reading and clears her throat before continuing.

"It just so happens I've been a reading a little bit about these Usij. I'd...er, heard a few rumours about our next mission. From what I've learnt so far, they are a scattered group of cultists who worship Ahriman and the divs. They don't really function as a unified organization though, and their members can range from maniacs seeking destruction to the wicked and power-hungry. It appears they were once much more widepread that they are now and once acted quite openly, serving in the courts of kings and pharoahs until the Sarenite faith drove them into hiding." She flicks another couple of pages and then looks back up again.

"Oh, and it is said they often use their div-granted knowledge and power to infiltrate the halls of power as advisors and sages, earning sufficient trust to then undermine leaders from within, all to bring about death, misery, and destruction. In order to keep their spirits at rest, the Sarenites sanctified the remains of the Ujij cultists they slew!" Seldanna shuts the book and looks up with a bashful smile. "There's probably more but that's all I've had time to research so far."

"CAAAAAWWW! Is that all?" Lonan interjects rudely.

Seldanna glares at the bird before reaching back into her pack for a notebook covered in scribbled writings. "Well no, actually! I noted down here that the Pharaoh of Forgotten Plagues unleashed a terrible disease during his war with the Jistka Imperium that ravaged the Imperium’s leadership and that the Usij captured a Jistkan efreeti commander, transformed him into a ghul infected with the plague, and sent him back to his homeland. The disease specifically targeted the Imperium’s royal bloodline, causing a breakdown in society from which the Imperium never recovered."

Given this is talking about the Pharoah's I'll assume she gets the +3 and can remember all of the information for the History check.

Seldanna pauses for a moment, trying to read her last line of notes. "Oh yes, this was perhaps a little bit troubling. One old tome mentioned some unconfirmed reports of immunities to the Night Plague, and the pharaoh commanded the Usij to craft a second, more deadly disease!"

"CAAAAAWWW! Bet you catch that one!" Lonan helpfully adds.

Jaswinder will Aid Another on both Knowledges, particularly regarding one of his hated enemies: Divs.

Kn.(History or Planes): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (16) + 8 = 24
Kn.(History or Nobility): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (10) + 8 = 18

"You mentioned something or somesuch about drawing out 'fragments of her mind'... What exactly do you mean by that? Are we talking about 'Psychic' magic?? Are we to take part in this ritual you have devised?"

The Varisian looks up from his beer, with a startled look. "What? Another ritual? Been a lot of those, lately, it seems!"

The paladin raises a hand politely. "Speaking of rituals, what is our timeframe for this mission, Amenopheus? I have a fellow member of the Shadow Lodge that could provide us with magical support before we depart. A heroes feast and bubble of air, that will last most of the day."

Kan-Jeh looks at the paladin with an air of confusion. "What is da Shadow Lodge? Kan-Jeh has nevah heard of it." His gaze tracks on over to Gurani, a flabbergasted expression forming on his face. "What da Hells be happenin' near da Innah Sea while I leave?"

"Don't look at me, friend. I've been spending most of my time at the bar. Worshipping, as it were." says the warpriest. "Some of it has been at Lucius's Love Laboratory, sure, but I tend to try and hit all of the locales in town. Only seems right, you know? Spreading around the worship?"

The end result of this is a pair of puzzled faces.

As Seldanna nonchalantly recalls the information about the Usij and Divs, Amenopheous seems to smile proudly for just an instant, before his calculated demeanor returns to his face. "I see that we have at least one of our studious members in attendance for this mission." Glancing back over to Tehonikepsu with a sly grin, she sighs and begins to hand him back the Azlanti Coin.

When Ken-Yah and Gunari bring up Desperate Measures, Amenopheous opens his mouth to speak, and Tahonikepsu powerfully slaps the coin into his chest. "Amenopheus suggested Tahari’s influence could be intrinsic to the sage jewels and that we should consider destroying them if the ritual fails. We are nowhere near considering such an option."

A Tien woman in a white summer kimono Pipes up from the edge of the pavilion, "I might be able to help with some of those additional requests!" Her summery kimono with a motif of Foxes playing in a field along the bottom edge covers a silver glint underneath. Her eyes are mostly white, but her smile is warm and inviting. "My name is Chie Fujioka! I'm here to help, it's what I do! I run the Clever Fox Caravan, and have some spell casting services that I can provide if need be! I hear you were looking for a hearty breakfast before heading out into the desert?"

Chie is more than willing to provide buffs for you that you need! At a price, of course!

As Chie gets to work preparing breakfast for the expedition, Amenopheous looks back at Ardelaneu. "How interesting that you bring up the Shadow Lodge... before producing a scroll sealed with purple wax stamped with a stylized swirl of smoke flame—one of the symbols associated with the Shadow Lodge.
“Grandmaster Torch, through disreputable means, now bears the emerald sage jewel. Torch requests the opportunity to contribute to our expedition in person and purify his jewel. He is untrustworthy, but allowing the gem to corrupt him holds its own dangers. He was an ally once; perhaps he could be again. As Pathfinders, you may know him best. Should we invite him to join our expedition?”

What do you think guys? Do you wanna bring Torch along?

Additionally, I'm going to do the odd questions in groups of two! The first two are up in the discussion thread!

Although I have a couple characters that would all out attack Torch on sight, Jaswinder is not one of them.

"But of course we should absolutely help him indeed! Purification and whatnot, if it benefits the Society or benefits our allies or benefits... Well really anyone, it must be beneficial to trade, yes? I am in favor of all of these things."

"I am of a mind to separate his head from his shoulders with my axe. Again."

Kan-Jeh shrugs. "Ah only heard of da man. I dunno why he be so fascinated with ya Amenopheous, but Ah'd be checkin' ta make sure Ah don't have any scrying sensors in mah bathroom mon."

He puts up a hand as he rummages through his coin pouch for some money to pool for some spellcasting services. As the process begins to take longer than it should, he continues, hand halfway in the cracked leather: "If he no dangah to us, Ah ain't opposed tah him comin' along. No?"

I feel I only have one character who might have a grudge against him, and even then it seemed to be more of the "let's hate Torch cause that's cool". Also, obviously, not this character.

GM Chie, did you not get the opportunity to post your questions, or did I fail another Perception check?

”Is there profit in it?” asks the Varisian. To be honest, I would wager if we don’t invite him along, he will be a bigger nuisance than if we don’t. If he is bo7nd to our cause, then he may be of use.

“In any case, is it not said to always keep your friends close and your enemies closer? ”

Gunari looks pleased at himself, then hiccups, surprising himself.

"Maybe den we separate da head from the rest lahtah. Whatcha tink mistah Paladin mon?"

"I suppose he has already paid for that crime." The admission comes with a sigh. "I would advise you not trust him to do anything but what benefits himself. For now, that means we are aligned in purpose."

"Oh, but of course we must ask Pratvah what she thinks of the matter!" Jaswinder grins before clicking his cheeks together to get the snake's attention.

"आपको क्या लगता है, हम्म? क्या हम मर्द के नाम पर इस आदमी के साथ लाना चाहिए? वह कभी-कभी एक परेशानी निर्माता का थोड़ा सा हो सकता है"