The PCs each receive a letter from Venture-Captain Obo, inviting them to a joint meeting with him and the Sapphire Sage, Amenopheus. The meeting occurs in a secluded area of the gardens outside the Swordmeet Lodge in Manaket, a port city in Rahadoum.
|
Standing silently off to the side, you see a tall, dark human man with a dark weathered cloak and a longbow and quiver on his back. He has a habit of observing conversations, studying the comments made as if unaccustomed to civilized gatherings. If he speaks at all, he speaks with a thick Varisian accent. He wears a holy symbol of Desna around his neck.
"So zhis is zhe place? Zhe name is Roland.."
He nods to Sarczek.
I was expecting to be zhe last one here. Are we zhe entire team zhen?
“Welcome Pathfinders, please sit and be comfortable.” Venture Captain Obo motions to various benches. A gentle breeze of sea air carries with it fragrances from the lush gardens surrounding Swordmeet Lodge. In the distance, the low rumble of the ocean surf echoes throughout the port city of Manaket on Rahadoum’s northern coast.
“Millennia ago, when Ahriman, the Lord of the Divs, attacked the famed Jaizun Citadel, a few of the resident artificers and elementalists of the Jistka Imperium made their escape. Their whereabouts, and the secrets they took with them, were lost to the desert sands and the ages. Soon after, the Citadel of the Weary Sky, as the Jaizun Citadel became known, was demolished by a fierce elemental storm.” Obo glances over to the thin man standing to his side, “The Sapphire Sage, Amenopheus, is lending a hand in the nascent partnership between the Pathfinder Society and the Concordance of Elements. This new alliance is already beginning to bear fruit. The Concordance was particularly interested in the information we had about the Citadel of the Weary Sky. Recently, they detected an unusual elemental energy to the south, in the Napsune Mountains, and asked us to investigate this disturbance.”
Amenopheus clasps his robes tightly about himself, “We have long suspected that the Jistkan refugees from the citadel may have made their way into the mountains and constructed a hidden stronghold there. There appears to be some connection between this refuge and the elemental storms that battered the Citadel of the Weary Sky. This connection made our new friends in the Concordance of Elements nervous; they do not wish a resurgence of violent elemental storms any more than we do. Now that we’ve identified this lingering elemental imbalance, it must be corrected.”
Obo steels his gaze, “If we’ve truly discovered the ancient elementalists’ retreat, then it may well pose a very real danger. Our alliance with the Concordance is tentative at best and I wish to show our goodwill, but I cannot in good conscience order you to investigate. Instead, I offer you the right of first refusal—more an invitation—to explore.”
Obo withdraws a map from a scroll tube. “The Concordance gave us this map to the location of the disturbance. An ancient Jistkan mechanism blocks the entrance. The Concordance was unable to gain passage, but described it as some kind of sealed portal. From my collection of Jistkan puzzle-boxes, I’d wager it will take keen minds, such as you possess, to unlock this portal and gain entry.”
Venture-Captain Obo holds out the map. “If you are all in agreement, then good luck, Pathfinders. May the gods look down upon you and grant you good fortune.”
The map provides detailed directions leading through the Rahadoumi landscape into the Napsune Mountains. The trail leads up a hidden mountain pass to a small plateau. The map explains that the entrance to the Jistkan outpost can be found here. Neither the Pathfinder Society nor the Concordance of Elements knows the secret to unlocking the entrance into the outpost, and no description of the sealed portal is provided on the map.
Amenopheus secures camels for the PCs if they do not have transportation. He marks on their map good places to stop and secure shelter and watering holes. Before the PCs leave, he provides them with a piece of advice, “I likely don’t have to remind explorers as experienced as yourselves that understanding the situation in Deep Sky and chronicling your discoveries appropriately will almost certainly require fluency in the Jistka language. If none of you speaks the language, I highly recommend acquiring appropriate magical assistance before you depart.”
Knowledge(History) or Knowledge(Planes): to know more about Jistkan
history and its dealings with elemental energies
|
Another lone figure ventures into the garden meeting place; it is a nondescript Elven male wearing some Varisian scarves on his neck and a darkwood longbow upon his back.
Glancing at both Venture Captain Obo and Sage Amenopheus then to the assembled Pathfinders Roland and Sarsczek, the elf gives an apologetic nod while saying, "Pardon my tardiness, it seems my recovery sabbatical from Bonekeep was not as thorough as I had hoped.". The elf gives a brief cough as he continues, "While my actual name is somewhat difficult to pronounce in the Elven tongue for non-elvish speakers, I've found that Elfmask will be sufficient as a suitable moniker for this occasion."
"So what did I miss?"
The journey through Rahadoum to the location provided on the Concordance’s map is uneventful. The entrance to Deep Sky is high in the Napsune Mountains.
The narrow, stony mountain path broadens as it ascends to a narrow ledge. The rock face to the south towers hundreds of feet in height. Two massive doors made of green marble loom within. They lack any hinges or handles but are carved with enormous, stern, scowling faces. Next to the doors is a shallow indentation containing a tiny stone door with a weathered metal handle.
The marble doors are the entrance to Deep Sky. They are magically reinforced and prove difficult to open.
The tiny stone door opens freely. Within, five thin metal strips are attached to the rock face, with large rivets set at the top and bottom. Above the metal strips, a phrase is carved into the wall in Jistka.
Each metal strip bears faded images of hands with raised fingers. A
delicate wooden mallet hangs from a hook, the head barely still attached.
|
|
"Good thing I can speak Jiskan. Unlike some peeps who spend their time doin' nuthin'" proclaims the half-breed as he strides towards the double doors, his wild hair flapping in the desert wind. "Illuthion Cinderrain for any of you chooches who care" he adds bellicosely, looking at the scrawlings in Jiskan.
""The spaces between the notes are as important as the notes themselves." Yeah, no f#$+in' s&~@ Dead Jiskan Dude, but what's the f$@&in' password chooch? You can make golems with elemental stones, but you got f%%$-all for passwords?" he comments after having read the words on the door.
|
"Hrmmm.... It says dat da spaces between da notes are juss as important as da notes demselves... is dis like a song to sing? Or like sheet mew-zack? Like dos bardy people read?"
Sarsczek looks back at the newcomer. "Hi Loothy! My name is -"
He utters a strange animal sound that sounds like a his, a short growl cut off abruptly, then a clicking sound from the back of his throat. "Buh mah friends call me Sarsczek... or Sarz-Check... or Sarz-ek... or whatever dey wanna. Whassa Chooch?"
|
|
Sarsczek will take a careful look at the strips of metal to see if an incorrect guess will set off some sort of trap.
"Hrmm... dees might be butt-ins or sumfin... And da scratch marks here look like sum'n arredy tried ta fig'er it out. Hopefully dey dinnit guess wrong and blow up. But lookie here! Iff dat Jistka note is a..." He struggles to pronounce the next word. "... cah... loo..." He pauses, then gives up. "hint! Yeah... iff dat Jistka note is a hint den it makes senns!"
"So... like dere are hands! Ann dere are fingers... ann gaps between da fingers like space between notes. Da first bar has free, free, one, one fingers. Da spaces between free fingers are two space. Dere are no spaces between one finger... so two ann two ann nuffin ann nuffin is four! Ann the lass person here put four scratches onnit! Da next one has one, two, two, one, so no space, one space, one space, no space. One ann one is two! Two scratches!"
He looks over at the third bar. "Free, one, one, two... Two space, nuffin, nuffin, one space... so Free!" He points to the bar and holds up 3 claws. He grins, nods, then moves onto the next bar.
Looking at the 4th bar he happily chants, "One, two, one, one... only da two has a space, so one!" He holds up one claw with a dopey smile.
Looking at the 5th and final bar he continues, "Fife, one, one, two..." He looks at his clawed hand with 5 fingers extended, and with his other hand counts the spaces between claws. "Das four space, nuffin, nuffin, one... four ann one is fife!" He holds up all 5 fingers again.
"So... Four, Two, Free, One, Fife!"
"Sorry Loothy... but I dun think the password is 'f~&%-all' but mebbe the next one will be? Now... uh... how we put in da code?"
Despite Sarsczek's stupid sounding speech and bizarre mannerisms, he seems fairly smart. It also seems as though he learned his 'people skills' from a book. Probably a book about books about people skills. At the very least, he has already learned that sniffing someone's butt is not how you greet them.
|
|
After patiently listening to Illuthion's rantings and Sarsczek lengthy, convoluted explanation, Lerocnel/Elfmask will examine the metal strips and hammer in question and remark out-loud (for the benefit of his fellow Pathfinders), "Fascinating. A remarkable example of ancient Jistikan culture- perhaps it may have something to do with pertaining to their past musical tastes, as this old, worn musical instrument-like object may well undoubtedly require. It may behoove us to treat this, along with the sum of its' time-faded components, with care."
.
When you try to detect magic, you see that the door is magically reinforced, making it stronger than usual.
Illuthion taps out the correct number on each key. The doors begin to shake and slide open. Revealing a wide open chamber.
This chamber has a stone staircase leading to a platform of blue stone, polished to a mirror-like finish. At the platform’s center is an inlaid gold rune five feet in diameter. The walls are covered in small, tight fitting ceramic tiles creating an intricate mosaic. The wall around the platform is an exception, bearing three large, clear, triangular quartz tiles. Large, clear windows to the south and east provide a view of a large cavern that appears open to the sky.
As the first two pathfinders enter the cavern, the golem at the other side of the cavern reacts and to the wind coming in and reanimates.
Round 1
Pathfinders are up.
Sarsczek moves in on the goblin, but finds no where to place his tools. Seeing as it is constructed of dull grey minerals.
Sarszek notices the rune seems to be inoperable at this time.
Gronk's axe tears an impressive gash into the lead body of the golem. Unleashing a cloud of gas.
|
|
When you try to detect magic, you see that the door is magically reinforced, making it stronger than usual.
Before Illuthion gets the chimes rung, Lerocnel/Elfmask would've informed the group of his Detect Magic findings. Lerocnel/Elfmask would have about 7 minutes duration on his Detect Magic, which he'll maintain by concentration as he enters inside with the party.
When the group is confronted by the golem, Lerocnel/Elfmask will say aloud, "As we are here only by the invitation of the Concordance, it would stand to reason that we should seek towards minimizing any damages done to this location- and by extension, this acting guardian."
Lerocnel/Elfmask will make his way next to the blue platform with the golden rune, by sticking close by the walls of the chamber as is humanly possible to manage.
|
"Once more into the fray I suppose..."
Channeling power into his blade, Seltyiel moves to atatck the golem while spaking arcane words as glowing green ooze begins to pour out of the weapon. He slashes at the creature, ready to release the enrgy.
School conjuration (creation) [acid]; Level magus 1, sorcerer/wizard 1, summoner 1
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S
Range touch
Target creature or object touched
Duration instantaneous
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance yes
Your successful melee touch attack deals 1d4 points of acid damage per caster level (maximum 5d4).
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Roland lands a vicious it himself, the adamantine slicing through like a knife like butter.
Seltyiel's attack misses. As he begins to cough.
The golem targets the one with the adamantine weapon. Both of its lead fist making contact, crushing in to him.
Pathfinders are up
Roland(48 damage and fort save)
Gronk(fort save)
Illuthion(fort save)
Seltyeil(poisoned, round 2 of 6, need 2 fort saves, 3 wisdom dam, 1 con dam)
Sarczeck(fort save)