Sparky lobs two bombs at the surviving vermin, and the room goes quiet.
Sparky finds litraral tons of sand, but nothing else.
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"Interesting room... I suppose without the irritating 'voice in the dark' we have no idea of its purpose. Not that I am complaining, more than happy to have it destroyed." Lysaer states as they look through the Sand surrounding them, vainly trying to shakw it from his armoured boots.
Realising he his injured, the Hellknight draws forth his rune engraved wand and uses it to soother his injuries.
This room is decorated to resemble the interior of a massive tent. Canvas hangs from the ceiling giving the illusion of a bivouac set up in the wilderness. The interior of this false tent is opulent in the extreme. Lush carpets and plump cushions cover the floor. Intricately carven chairs and divans are strewn about the place. The air smells of orange blossoms. A large brazier, its coals banked and glowing, stands at the back wall. A table stands next to it, an open map covering its surface. Silken garments hang on stools or peek out of chests and wardrobes. A pair of ornate scimitars hangs from the central post in the middle of the room. A covered doorway stands across from the entryway. For all the wealth displayed here, it seems odd that several hyenas are snarling and fighting at the foot of the central post, yipping and biting and hurling froths of drool around the room.
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"Ah! The fabled Hall of the Hyenas! Surely this discovery will make us more famous even than Durvin Gest himself!" comments Rogar sarcastically as he takes out his sword and and prepares to put an end to the hideous creatures.
Looking at them and the enclose space they share Rogar adds:"Let's block this passage Lysaer. They'll come at us while being easy targets for our friends!"
Upon hearing Rogar's brash words, the hyenas turn their attention to you, and the smaller pair morph into ghuls, albeit lesser ones compared to the last one you faced.
The hyenas charge forward at Lysaer and Rogar.
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Eyes widening as the Hyena's morph into Ghuls, Lysaer keeps his sword up in time to bat aside the Hyena's gaping maw. Seeing that to step forwards would leave Rogar without a foe, Lysaer takes his time and waits for the Ghul's too approach before striking out at them with hasted finesse.
for
for
for
Zinkyudo hits a hyena with a single arrow, and Deaglan blesses his hammer.
One of the ghuls charges Lysaer, while the other maneuvers in to strike Rogar.
Lysaer then slashes the nearest ghul twice.
With Lysaer engaging one ghul, Rogar gets started on the other.
Struggling with the close quarters, the dire hyenas both try the same targets as before..
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Sparky
"Lucky that I no longer have to depend on fire."
Sparky will start tossing force bombs at yellow splashing red and blue but not his allies. Splash is 12 force dmg DC 21 Ref for half.
If yellow goes down he'll switch to red.
Including: Rapid Shot, PBS, Precise Shot, Haste, Heroism, Cover
With a veritable barrage of arrows, bombs and hammer blows you dispatch all four foes.
Among the many cushions and rugs strewn throughout this chamber is a large clay tablet with a number of hinged pieces of metal affixed to its surface. It appears to be a puzzle of some sort, and the you recognize it as the puzzle-map that you seek.
They keen-eyed among you spot a passage hidden behind one of the faux tent walls.
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Nodding in recognition of the ferocity of his travelling companions once again, Lysaer steps aside of the slashing and drooling foes ass they crash to the ground. Spending little time searching the place, the Hellknight allows himself a sly grin beneath his helm as they find their prize here.
"There is a hidden passage, let us hope it is a shortcut out and we can get the drop on the Aspis." he says assuredly.
Following the hidden passage, you descend into a large room, built entirely of silverflecked black basalt. On each of the five walls is carved an immense, golden rune. A dais stands in the middle of the room, and reclining at its ease on the dais is a tawny sphinx. Her eyes miss nothing and glint with hidden mysteries. A simple prayer rug lies in front of the dais.
Zinkyudo and Rogar feel very amicable towards her, and she gestures towards the prayer rug before her.
The sphinx gestures the rug once more, and Sparky spots a fine silver chain running from a shackle around one of her rear paws to a bolt affixed to the floor.
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"What do I look like? A Paladin? Not everything needs to be freed. Slave trading is very profitable in some locations."
"That being said, I think we pretty much slaughtered your master. And Pathfinder reputation could use the boost. How about we free you and you tell us a bit about this place and recent events of note."
Sparky will pull out some MW thieves tools and assuming the Sphinx agrees to the terms will begin freeing it.
He will of course hang on to the chain for now.
Upon closer inspection, Sparky sees that the thin chain does little to nothing to keep the sphinx here, and she gestures towards the rug for a third time.
The sphinx exhales sharply through her nose and settles down on the dias, ignoring your presence.
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Striding forwards, his eyes narrowed beneath his fearsome visor, Lysaer looks at the rune behind the sphinx with curiousity, trying to discern its purpose in this strange place. It was clear the Sphinx was only reacting to certain members of their band, which was strange and off putting.
"I doubt this is simply another test from the Ghul," Lysaer says as he ponders the conundrum. "But why ignore some of us?"
Lysaer can't identify the nature of the rune.
The sphinx nods gravely to Rogar and Zinkyudo, and then recites a riddle.
“What magnificent creature moves about in the morning on four legs, at midday uses two, and at evening stands on none. The more legs has she, the hungrier she be.”
She then settles back on the dais, licking her fur and watching with inscrutable eyes.
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"A riddle... I hate riddles, they are nonsensical and often play on words and... But wait! Where did I heard something similar to this recently?"
For once Rogar concentrates on something different than drinking, courting maids and smashing heads. After a moment he gives the sphinx a large, knowing smile:"Half past the new moon and twice the tides break, the sphinx feeds at the noon, and reclines in its wake" the Taldan says, quoting the creature who killed Agosa and foolishly warned them to keep this tidbit of information in mind.
"Seems like the answer to your riddle is pretty simple... a sphinx!"
The sphinx gives Rogar an appreciative nod and opens a secret compartment in the dias before finally speaking.
"I presume that Verdizaam Charad has been destroyed, as you have entered this inner most sanctum. I shall then consider myself beholden to you, who have beaten me in a battle of wits and defeated my previous captor."
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Zinkyudo gives Rogar a clap on the shoulder, pleased that the Taldan has managed to impress the noble sphinx with the answer to the riddle. "Well done, well done! It seems we've found the puzzle map, so have completed some of our mission - though we'll not be returning with Agosa."
Turning to the sphinx, Zink asks, "Have there been others here? We came seeking some associates of ours, and found one of them dead. Is it possible any of the others survived?"
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"As for being beholden to us, anyone worth their salt would have freed you. You are your own sphinx, not anyone's servant. Try to be the best you can be and give others an example. If you make an imprint on Golarion and, once your time comes, leave it a better place through your actions you have done well. That is all that I ask from you"
The sphinx gives Zinkyudo a disinterested look.
"You are the first creatures to set foot in this chamber, besides Verdizaam and myself, since I was bound to the ghul's service."
Upon being freed from service, she gives Deaglan a gracious bow.
"I shall not forget this favor, and trust me, my memory is superb."
With the Immolated Mirzah’s tome ind hand, you can easily use the information contained within to unlock the stone blocking your exit. By placing the map in a specific configuration and inserting it in the indentation in the stone, you release its magical lock and it slides silently away. The Pathfinder Society dispatches a new contingent of archaeologists to plumb the tomb for greater mysteries and treasures.
With Verdizaam Charad defeated and the source of the Night Plague eradicated, the remnants of the affliction soon pass, freeing Manaket from a growing threat. The deaths were not nearly as bad as they could have been had the plague spread further thanks to your efforts. You now possess a rare map that allegedly leads to a lost Jistkan citadel. Surely the Pathfinders will be interested in such an illustrious find.
As a token of her gratitude, the sphinx contributes considerable knowledge to the society in the your names.
Venture-Captain Obo holds a lit brass lamp over the table in his private study and peers closely at the odd clay and metal configuration that lies on the table-top: the Jistkan puzzlemap. Obo traces a finger across the ornate script that covers the map’s surface.
“Astounding,“ he says, a touch of wonder in his voice. “This artifact is thousands of years old. An impressive find to say the least. Our loremasters and linguistic experts had a difficult time uncovering its meaning, but their effort and perseverance paid off. The puzzle-map tells of a forbidden stronghold long hidden in the desert sands: the Citadel of the Weary Sky. A place accursed—or blessed, they are not quite certain—by Ahriman, the Lord of the Divs himself.
The citadel is called ‘an oasis of spite to pierce the barren heart’ where ‘stormfronts apprehend profoundest depths of fury.’ The map tells of a door that grants passage to this wondrous city: the Bleak Portal. It gives the location of this portal and the key whereby entry is granted.”
Before continuing, Obo glances around and pulls the curtain closed, blotting out the sounds of the city streets below.
“That’s not all, though, friends. There is darker news indeed. This seven-thousand-year-old buried citadel of the Jistka Imperium is exactly the secret that the Pathfinders stationed in Wadi al-Hesr gave their lives to discover. I don’t have to tell you about the dangers involved,” he says with a meaningful look.
“Texts on the Citadel of the Weary Sky speak of a powerful ring Jistkan mages used to bend elementals to their wills. I fear such a device falling into the wrong hands could mean the Society’s undoing. I’ve had word from Absalom this morning that a courier bearing a message from me was found knifed in an alley there. It seems that the Shadow Lodge is after this very citadel and the supposed secrets of omnipotent elemental power that it holds. We know they knew it’s what we were after because they tried to sabotage our mission to save the Wadi al-Hesr project, and we know they know we’ve found the citadel’s location with their interception of my message. So watch your backs at all times. We still don’t know who all is involved with the Shadow Lodge, but I believe we can trust you; the traitor in our midst did try to get you killed at Qassabah Heb Amar, after all. So good luck, Pathfinders. May the gods find their way to look down upon you in this gods-forsaken land and grant you good fortune.”
Unfortunately for the Jistkan mages, the raw destructive energy filling their citadel attracted the attentions of a foul enemy—Ahriman, Lord of the Divs. As the Osirian armies under the influence of sinister Usij cultists turned to the power of evil divs to battle Jistka’s genie troops, Ahriman himself directed his destructive rage at the Citadel of the Weary Sky, making an example of the most visible of his enemy’s extraplanar recruiting stations. With but a small nudge from his near-indescribable might, the rent in reality above the citadel became a tear,
and from there a gash. Elemental chaos broke loose, and the formerly weary sky over the citadel became a raging torrent of acidic banks of fog, crackling electrical storms, hurricane blasts of furnace winds, and sudden downpours of black rain and pomegranate-sized hail.
The citadel was pummeled and beaten beneath the onslaught, and the very land around it withered in protest against Ahriman’s fury. The remaining wizards and conjurers turned all of their magical might to defend against this unworldly destruction, but after a week of black fogs and strange flashes of magical lightning, the sky cleared and the citadel was gone. Only a crater of battered and broken earth remained where the fortress once stood.