Hugo gives the box a sniff and gets a little shock causing him to jump and drop the box. Roshan comes over and grabs the box shaking her head at the scruffy dwarf and argues with Faeria about her illusion.
Kagar and Fellstone deliver the misbehaving Imp to its master the Countess in the other room.
"Thank, that was very quick. Yes, our business is done but you could always stay and "Enjoy" yourselves it you would like." Waving her hand at the bedroom and its many unusual items and giving the dwarf a sly grin.
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Kagar halts quickly to address the suggestion. "Pickled Imp is in The Docks. Across the city. Wise Quarter is much closer. Less backtracking. Less time." He again starts off towards the Wise Quarter.
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Fellstone gave a long pause at the Paracountess' offer, his gaze slowly shifting back towards the room that they had just left. "Hmm...well..." he mused, scratching at a bald spot on his head. After a long moments consideration, he turns to the Paracountess. "Duty comes first, I suppose, but thank you for the offer."
Catching up to the rest of the group, Fellstone offers his opinion on their next task. "We should try to be efficient in the execution of our quests. I think that Kagar has the way of it. Wise Quarter is my vote."
The group bids the Paracountess goodbye and make their way northeast thru the city to the Wise Quarter where they are to visit the offices of Osirian nobleman Dremdhet Salhar and obtain permission to delve the Salhar ancestral vaults beneath Sothis.
The Wise Quarter is the home of several prominent schools and libraries but none are so prestigious as the Arcanamirium, one of Golarion's most well-known magical schools. Scholars and philosophers from all over the world over congregate in the Wise Quarter to teach, research, and debate any topic known to mortals on Golarion. Many of the cities governmental buildings can be found here including the Hall of the Grand Council.
The Pathfinders find the rich estate of Grand Council member Dremdhet Salhar, and are greeted by a guard who is expecting them as they reach the tall, wrought-iron gate. The guard escorts them thru the estate grounds and into the house where a servant greets them as the guard returns to his post.
The servant tells the group Salhar is not present, called away on important Council business, but his most trusted advisor is available to negotiate any business they may require. The servant explains this while leading the group down well decorated hallways, past expansive rooms. After a few minutes, the group arrives at a simple study near the end of a long hallway.
A tan-skinned old man sits behind a desk flipping through pages in a large tome. Scraps of paper jut from the book marking over two dozen different places. As the group approaches the open door, the wise sage silently gestures the Pathfinders into the study with one thin hand, while closing the tome with the other after finishing what he was reading. Once they are all inside the study, he addresses the group.
“Good day to you, Pathfinders. I am Amenopheus, the Sapphire
Sage, advisor to Master Salhar. I understand you were sent
here to discuss archaeological permissions. Knowing this was
coming, I spoke with Master Salhar at length on the subject
and have this to say.
Since Osirion was reopened to exploration a decade ago,
adventurers, historians, and treasure-seekers flock to my
country by the hundreds, perhaps thousands. While most
families with ancestral burial vaults maintain guards and keep
their sites out of the hands of casual thieves, not all families
have the wealth or power to restrict everyone, and as we all
know, not every defense is perfectly secure. Unscrupulous
tomb robbers and maligned merchant organizations cause
Osirion to bleed relics into the Inner Sea—something the
descendents of Ancient Osirion cannot afford. We Osiriani
have thousands of years of rich history coursing through our
veins, and while that power has been out of focus in recent
years, we are content to wait, knowing our enemies will wear
themselves down. As they fall into arrogance, folly, or greed,
we wait for our return to power, knowing we bear the riches of
our ancestors at our feet.
Master Salhar remains impressed by the Pathfinder
Society, orating in their favor a handful of times in front
of Absalom’s Grand Council, in fact. Due to previous
relationships between him and the Society, Master Salhar
has agreed to grant permission to the Pathfinder Society to
explore his family’s vaults below Sothis. The only thing he
requires is that you retrieve the map of the vaults from his
own vault here. The servant will lead you to the basement
and show you the room.” The Sapphire Sage’s eyes twinkle
as he smirks knowingly, then he turns back to reading his
book as though he had never been disturbed.
Leaving Amenopheus’ study, the servant brings the group back through the spacious estate, leading them down sturdy stone steps into the cool basement. Down a hallway, after a couple turns, the party ends up at a plain wooden door. The servant opens the door, gesturing to the room with a bow, and waits silently for the Pathfinders to enter.
Once all of the Pathfinders enter the room, the servant shuts the door and locks it behind them. Written on the back of the door is the message: “Within these cases lies your quest and your way out.”
A plain stone room contains three chests: a copper-banded chest of smooth, dark wood; a red lacquered chest; and what looks to be a cube of solid steel. Behind the chests sits a low table holding a clear glass jar half full of liquid and a covered wicker basket.
Both monks move into the room wasting no time and begin to inspect the chests sitting in the center of the room.
The chest is a copper-banded chest of smooth, dark wood and has a simple copper key hole.
This smooth, red lacquered chest looks devious. The
solid metal plate surrounding the gaping keyhole pulses
with glowing amber runes.
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Roshan seems less bothered by the whole locking-in thing. "This is a test," she says serenely. "Picking the lock to exit would show we understand how to pick locks, but not how to solve whatever riddle awaits here."
She leaves the boxes aside and leads Bagheera over to the chair-with-jar and the basket. "What is in these, I wonder..."
Roshan casts Detect Poison on the jar and its liquid, trying to identify it.
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"Not pick the lock on the door. I suspect that it's been barred more effectively from the other side." Fellstone said to Roshan. "I was meaning to open these here boxes without damaging them. Maybe part of the puzzle is in the opening of them but little I know about opening things without generous application of my fists."
He looks at the glowing runes around the keyhole "Faeria. Might you know anything about these glowing runes?"
This gallon-sized clear glass jar is about half full with clear liquid. At the bottom of the vessel sits a jeweled brass key.
With Roshan's Knownledge and Hugo's nose you figure out that while the liquid in this jar appears to be water, it’s actually a mildly corrosive cleaning agent.
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"Glowing runes? Oh? Is that the menu? Or is it the main course? These ethnic eateries can be so confusing. One never knows if one is ordering a repast or asking for the privy. I hope the chef doesn't yell at me again... Heheheh." She says dreamily, and then laughs devilishly.
She bites down upon a corner of the cube.
The markings on the red lacquered chest is a simple arcane mark.
The chest is a copper-banded chest of smooth, dark wood and has a simple copper key hole. As your inspecting the chest you graze the corner with your knee and you see the chest fade into a faint outline as they realize it to be an illusion.
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Fellstone watches Faeria work and at first his face has an expression of focussed interest, but as soon as she says that the arcane marks are arcane marks, the Dwarf slowly turns to look at her. His expression changes to one of mild annoyance at what the rambling woman had told him.
"I don't ken magic. What's an arcane mark? Can you get rid of it so that we can open this thing?"
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"It," She begins with all the air of a person of great knowledge explaining complex magical theory to a rambunctious and perhaps slightly slow toddler. "is a mark that is arcane. Imagine a box with a lock clasp on it. The box is painted blue... You could sand the paint off, or paint it plum or put it in a closet but it would still be locked."
As the other discuss the chests Hugo fishes a jeweled brass key from the bottom of the glass jar with a pair of daggers.
[dice=Ref Save]1d20+1
"Agh!"
After teaching Fellstone about Arcane Marks Faeria steps over to the steel chest kneels down and bites the corner.
The steel chest is solid steel and your bite has no affect.