PFS 3-21 Temple of Empyreal Enlightenment (Inactive)

Game Master Aeshuura

Osric attempts to determine if Miriya is being honest. He also searches around the library area for any more clues about the books.

Quietly, to his friends: "Several books have been altered. They refer to rituals that are not at all part of Korada's worship."

Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (20) + 8 = 28
Sense Motive: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (11) + 3 = 14

Sutekh will aid Osric by pointing out tell tales and body language

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (17) + 4 = 21 +2 For fav enemy human

As you talk with Miriya, she patiently answers your questions, all the while tapping her finger on the edge of her book.

Sutekh finally interrupts Osric

Come on, i think we bothered her enough

He then inform Osric, once they are out of earshot, that she seems very honest in her beliefs,she seems to be a victim of his lies

"Fair enough, Sutekh. I'd rather not spend all day cataloging books just yet, though. Should we try to find the garden and map it out?"

He nods. Libraries that were already owned were boring anyway. Their secrets and mysteries already discovered

Lead the way

I'd rather not spend all day cataloging books just yet, though.

We already did that, i believe. The catalog we found made the task lasts 6 hours. Unless you're trying to move to a more desert place to discuss.

Almost in a whisper Falksat debate with his fellows:
We're not sure what is happening in this temple. We need someone who's been here for a long time to help us to figure out what in which way these people are being manipulated. She can help us, if you trust her. So, should we share our knowledge with her?

i just believe she has been manipulated, now imagine someone comes and tells you everything you believed is a lie... her actions i can not predict

Well, technically that information was only available to certain characters who, as far as I can see, did not share it. No-one decided that we should, but if if only takes 6 person-hours, then I'm definitely fine with spending an hour to complete the mission objective.

ditto

Nuntio and Sutekh, remember what you found in the office, it will cut your cataloging down to a mere hour if everyone is helping.

hence we say we will delay one hour to help finish :-)

I'm a barbarian...if you need secrecy to complete your mission you'll likely be able to talk me into helping without realizing what's going on...

Sense Motive: 1d20 ⇒ 1

Edit: Hilarious!

D'oh, took so long to finish that post that you guys had already said go ahead... ;p

Amongst the mundane works, you also find a magic scroll, and a magical manual as well.

rekkr, the moon is really made of cheese, we only tell people it isn't to keep it safe

Detect: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (3) + 9 = 12

Okay, last part of your mission leads you to the Gardens.

--

The Gardens The temple garden is badly overgrown with tangled vegetation. Vines and briars climb the temple walls on three sides, surrounding the large windows into the chapel and the smaller windows into the library. The garden itself is a profusion of flowering bushes and weeds. Except for a clear space in the center of the garden, the dense weeds grow taller than an adult human. At the center of the garden sits a crumbling fountain, long dry, with a statue of a noble turtle in the center. Heaps of foliage choke two similar fountains, each with a large stone orb resting in the fountain’s center. Here at the center is a gnome who stands, apparently meditating in front of the crumbling fountain. He seems to notice you as you enter, but just regards you curiously.

Are you here to test yourself against the Kiss of Korada?

To complete your task of accurately sketching the original plan of the garden, you must significantly prune back the overgrowth to see how the original beds were designed. This task takes 12 person-hours of labor.

With a Knowledge (nature) or Profession (gardener) check you can reduce this time.

Nuntio, you think that you may need a little more time to identify these items.

Kn(Nature): 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7
May we take 10 on this check?

Is the gnome missing any fingers?

Yes you may take 10, and no, the Gnome is not missing fingers.

ok, then my check is 14

Sutekh shakes his head

Not this human, I'm simply here to look at the temple and the wonders it holds. Pure curiosity

He gives the Gnome a smile

If anyone else has the skill, they may assist you, but as it stands you are short by 1.

Ah, no worries. It takes a wise man to know when he is not ready...

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (10) + 2 = 12

Test?? No thanks I'll keep my fingers.

Osric will assist Sutekh with his own knowledge of plants and the natural world.

Know. Nature, take 10 for 17.

"I too am merely an observer and would not think myself nearly ready for such a test of devotion, even to my own god. But we would know more about you, friend gnome. What is your story?"

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 2 = 15

Oh, I came here about... he ponders almost as if counting in his head, Wow, it would be twelve years now. I came to find this place of worship. Originally, I was just looking for someplace to fight off the bleaching, but this Korada really impacted me...

With Osric and Sutekh's help, you are able to cut the time required to clean up the garden in half. While cleaning up the garden you find an interesting wiry shrub with red-brown leaves.

Nature = 17

Sense Motive: 1d20 ⇒ 18

What, exactly, does this ritual entail?

See spoiler for Osric above.

The sacred ritual is called the “Kiss of Korada.” The supplicant places his hand deep into the mouth of the celestial turtle statue to receive inspirational visions, the gnome gestures toward the statue at the fountain as he explains the ritual.

"What do you know about this shrub over here? I believe it's called flayleaf. It doesn't seem to quite fit in with the rest of the garden."

I don't know, is there something special about it?

Why are you guys talking about a plant?
Anyway, we don't know your name. Mine is Falksat, and this are Osric, Donkey Teeth, Sutekh, Nuntio and Rekkr.
So, what is the purpose of the Kiss of Korada?
I'll make another question once he answer the previous, it's not that I asked them all at once:
What are the requirements to take it? What would the visions show you? Did you take it? Are you here to inspect those who are gonna take the test? We saw someone that lost a finger, is that supposed to happen? So, has the bleaching gotten its hands on you? I hear that gnomes are supposed to do different things all the time to avoid that, 12 years should be too much, right? Dakang seems to have this place on tight control, doesn't he? Since when does he is the leader here?

My name is Gastidem! Welcome! the gnome bows reverently, The Kiss of Korada is a ritual that those who believe they are ready will attempt. If they are successful, Korada will enlighten them with visions of truth...

Answers:

The only requirement to attempt it is the will to try. But to be rewarded with the visions, the Kiss of Korada, you must be spiritually pure.

The visions vary from person to person. Often they are truths individual to self.

Lead the faithful through the process, I am merely a shepherd.

Sadly, the ritual does carry some risk for the spiritually impure...

True enough, I have not found enough to fight off the bleaching completely, but I have found enough to slow its creep...

Dakang is our spiritual leader, we merely follow.

Dakang has been here for generations, long before I have arrived. The others say that he is immortal.

After the last answer I interpose:
Well, since you're the shepherd you might know, how many people have passed the test since you came here? Can you point any to us?

Aside from myself, only Dakang has been able to pass.

Oh you passed! You must be very wise indeed! Throw me a bone here, did you like your vision?

It should be fairly obvious to a few of you that made your Sense Motive checks that there are many red flags, several more are picked up in Falksat's conversation with Gastidem. What do you plan to do about it?

I would find an ally to confirm our points and maybe give us some more backstage information about Dakang, but i'm not very good at finding people i could trust. I was hoping that the vision the gnome received (if he ever received one and is not lying) could be better interpreted by us and we could bring him to our side by showing the contradictions, but since he has passed the exam he is probably our worst choice when looking for a Dakang's enemy. What say you?

You have a few options. You can try to intimidate this little guy into admitting the truth as he knows it. With enough proof, you can approach any of the worshipers, though you don't know if any of them have enough influence to make a difference. Though it may be difficult, perhaps if you could convince his aasimar bodyguards, it would give you a tremendous advantage. You may need to have to get solid evidence to even have a chance... The other possible way, which is much more difficult, is to get Dakang to cast aside his subterfuge in front of everyone, but in doing so, you may need to fend off his bodyguards until you can force him reveal himself as the manipulator that he is. Even then, there is nothing to indicate that he is evil, unless you can find out more information.

Well, even tough i see many things wrong in his answers I am not 100% sure those are lies. Perhaps confront him with the plant thing to begin with Osric? I'll follow right up

I have no idea which route to take, but Nuntio is all for intimidating the gnome.

Donkeyteeth will evil eye skills on whoever is attempting a lie.

"All right you little liar, I've had enough of your games! I can see your footprints all around the plant, and I know exactly what the leaves do. It's the sort of thing nice people tend to frown upon. Maybe I should just tell the others about it? Or maybe root it out and burn it myself?"

Oh gods no! Please, I will do anything, tell you all I know, just please don't destroy my plant! I'll leave and never come back! Whatever you want! The gnome falls upon the shrub, attempting to protect it from any harm.

Sutekh looks on shaking his head. People and their substances, there were better things to waste money and time on

The magus looked on silently. Disappointing. At least now we have a source of information.

In the next 15 minutes or so you find that Gastidem is a gregarious gnome who professes devotion to Korada and Dakang, but uses false devotion as a façade to maim the devout in an ersatz ritual for his own wicked amusement.

He does not know anything about the arrow designs or the religion itself, but he does reveal that Dakang has full knowledge of what Gastidem is doing, and supports it.

Sutekh grins

Got you now, you fat man of ogre spawn

"Right Sutekh, our 'friend' Dakang has wickedness in him, eh? We know some of the library books were altered to deviate from Korada's true teachings. We found undead in the crypt, and those symbols the monks marked each other with looked like stitching. All of this, taken together, means that something is not right here. Shall we confront this Dakang directly, or approach his followers first?"