Lecate steps forward, and takes a swipe at the green flame creature, the healing energy still buzzing on his hand. However, he misses.
The animated corpse stands and steps toward Lecate, drawn to the positive energy.
Husarq steps forward and attacks with Yjalk's greatsword.
(includes bless and magic weapon and bard song)
(includes magic weapon and bard song)
Husarq connects with the green flame creature, but only inflicts a little damage, due to its incorporeal nature.
Mareq, recalling that the party found several scrolls in the archives, pulls them out. "Aha, a ghostbane dirge!" he exclaims. "And a magic weapon"
He attempts to cast ghostbane dirge as if the spell were on his spell list.
He succeeds wildly! The green flame creature partially coalesces.
Kintampo strikes at the green flame creature and deftly plunges his quarterstaff into it. A small bit of ectoplasm sprays him and Lecate.
The green flame creature reaches into Lecate's mind.
It tears a large piece away.
Oronia is next. After her will come Signe, then Yjalk, then Lecate, then Kintampo, then Mareq, then Husarq, in that order. Maherpa may come out of delay at any time.
The half-elf bard stops singing. She grabs the scroll of magic weapon from Mareq and casts it on Maherpa's greatsword.
"You be killing it now!" she says.
The blind ulfen man holds back, waiting for the outcome of this battle and for his eyesight to return.
Lecate, then Kintampo, then Mareq, then Husarq, in that order. Maherpa may come out of delay at any time.
Desna reminds Lecate that luck is unreliable, and he misses yet again.
After Kintampo....
Husarq strikes at the partially-coalesced apparition.
Husarq misses.
Mareq casts guidance on Maherpa.
Before Kintampo...
The animated corpse attempts to attack Lecate again.
Luck has not completely abandoned Lecate, as the corpse misses yet again.
Maherpa's greatsword slices into the creature. With a howl, it transforms into a gout of pure green flame, stretching toward the high ceiling. Then, in an instant, it collapses in a pillar of ectoplasmic goo that drenches the party. Fortunately, the goo quickly evaporates.
The corpse, losing its animating force, collapses to the ground as well.
The Ruby shards in Oronia's pouches, which have been quivering violently, suddenly stop.
Yjalk fumbles for the wall and turns awkwardly in your direction. "You are being great warriors, too. If you are ever needing to come to the Land of the Linnorm Kings, be asking for Yjalk, and my long boat will carry you."
The half-elf bard introduces her self as Signe, then busies herself with healing Yjalk and the burned Taldan man. Yjalk's eyesight returns in after about a minute. They talk amongst themselves in their northern tongue and seem to be making preparations to leave.
Searching the room, you find nothing more. The stairs down were clearly blocked by rubble even before the Jeweled Sages took refuge here. Other than the door you entered, there are no other exits. You are certain that you have explored all accessible areas of the fortress.
The bodies stacked in the alcoves have been stripped. The clothes remaining on the Sages' corpses seated at the table are in tatters. There is nothing else in the Gathering Hall of note.
What would you like to do now?
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"We have one of the stones...well...what is left of it. And we have found a source of knowledge from when the stones were in use. Between those things...perhaps we should break the geode?"
As she is saying this, she reaches into her pouch, muttering a word to open it properly and then pulls out the geode, holding it above her head, ready to smash it.
A moment passes after Oronia breaks the stone, then she hears Amenopheus' voice:
"What? Are you all right? You didn't include a message. I will be there as soon as I can. Expect me within the hour!"
Yjalk, Signe, and their Taldan companion take their leave, inviting you to look them up in the Land of the Linnorm Kings if you ever travel there and offering you free passage on Yjalk's longboat should you ever need it.
After about an hour, Oronia gets the feeling that someone is looking over her shoulder, and realizes that someone is scrying on her. Immediately thereafter, Amenopheus teleports into the Gathering Hall, to a spot next to Oronia. He looks at each of the Pathfinders.
"I was worried when you broke the stone but did not send a message through it. I am glad to see that you are all well. Have you found out something about the Jeweled Sages and have you found any of the missing Jewels? He glances at the dias with the round table and the corpses of three of the Sages. Are these Sages? What happened to them? Where are their Jewels?"
You show Amenopheus the shards of the Ruby, tell him the story you heard from Sellana about the presence of others here yesterday, about the five dead Pathfinders you found, about Yjalk and Signe, and about the notes and other things you learned in the Archive.
Amenopheus bemoans the loss of the Ruby, the Topaz, and the Emerald, but is hopeful that he can use the notes to repair the Ruby.
Examining the shards, he declares that they hold a glimmer of magic and may still contain several of the Ruby Sage’s memories. Amenopheus uses
his magic to contact the spirit of the Ruby Sage, who briefly animates her nearby corpse and restores it to how she must have appeared in life.
She turns to address you "Thank you, Oronia, Maherpa, Kintampo, Lecate, Mareq, and Husarq. Thank you for putting the troubled spirit of the Emerald Sage to rest."
She turns to Amenopheus, "You are the current Sapphire Sage. We have much to discuss, but that can wait."
She turns back to the Pathfinders. She briefly confirms the story of how the Topaz, Emerald, and Ruby Sages fled Qadiran persecution and found refuge in this ancient, abandoned trade fortress, along with some of their followers. She explains that they repaired parts of the fortress and left clues for the other Sages or those who came later to restore the order. She explains how they bound Sellana and that she should now be free, since the spirit of the Emerald Sage has been put to rest.
The Ruby Sage tells the story of how, after many years in hiding, the Emerald Sage attacked her and the Topaz Sage. How he shattered her Jewel and killed both of them. And then how he took his own life in despair.
She explains that her memories are stored in the Ruby and that, even in its shattered state, she retains some ability to sense events that transpire around the shards.
She relates that her shards, the Topaz, and the Emerald stood on the table from the death of the Emerald Sage many years ago until yesterday, when two men entered the Gathering Hall.
As one of the men handled her shards, she briefly read his thoughts, then he discarded the shards, and he and the other man took the Topaz and Emerald and departed.
The Ruby Sage identifies the thief who handled her shards as a man named Kafar, who had intentions of delivering the Jewels to the Diamond Sage in a region known as the Pillars of the Sun.
The Ruby Sage explains that the Jeweled Sages built their sanctum in the Pillars of the Sun. However, she is troubled by the idea that the Diamond Sage would collect the gems there instead of finding new candidates to become Sages elsewhere in Osirion.
Amenopheus voices his concern that the Diamond Sage’s actions are not typical for the order, and he is dismayed that the Jewels may be in the hands of known enemies of the Pathfinder Society.
The Ruby Sage shares Amenopheus' concern. She turns to the Pathfinders and addresses you directly.
"Agents of the Sapphire Sage, even in this shattered state, I retain some considerable power that I can share with the living. If you will track down the thief Kafar, reclaim the stolen Jewels, find the Diamond Sage, and learn what her intentions are regarding the Jewels and the Order, I would share that power with you."
Ruby light springs from the shattered remains of the Jewel and infuses those who agree with powers of mythic proportions.
After she transfers her power, the Ruby Sage's corpse slumps to the table and returns to its desiccated form.
Amenopheus casts a spell on Mareq so that he can discard the stone of weight and he helps you identify the other cursed items, determining that the belt on the corpse in the Fountain Room (Sellana's "little fish") has become a belt of weakness and that the ring of maniacal devices you found on the corpse of the halfling has become a ring of truth.
"Time is of the essence, Pathfinders," he says to you. "Let us return to Eto, where Lecate's disease can be removed and where you can buy supplies for the trip to the Pillars of the Sun. I will return her later with others to give the Pathfinders and Sages proper burials, to use the sarcophagus to question the Sages and the Pathfinders, and to begin the work of repairing the Ruby. Leave your camels here. We will use them as transport when we leave. I will compensate you for them in Eto."
Once the Pathfinders are ready, he teleports with you back to Eto so that you can continue to search for the Jewels, Kafar, his accomplice, and the Diamond Sage, or so that you can go on your way.
He also makes a sizeable donation to a priest of Desna to remove the disease infecting Lecate.
THE END
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[ooc]In the interest of time, since we have to stop today so we can report tomorrow, I am going to narrate this encounter rather than to try to roleplay it out. I contacted the PbP Game Day administration, and this game will count for the purpose of boons and participation in the raffle. I suspect you all received emails about it today like I did.
I did not receive any email.