Two more clues are found in the hidden vault.
This text is a mess of esoteric poetry and obscure riddles. One of these entries describes a silver horn once used by Taldor, which seems to be hidden somewhere in southern Brevoy. Spending considerably more time analyzing the poem may reveal additional hints about this horn and its location.
This tattered, leather-bound book describes the tactical considerations that the generals of the Shining Crusade had to consider when fighting supernatural foes. It includes many ways for the rank-and-file soldiers to mitigate the damage dealt by powerful spellcasters.
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"Interesting...I know someone who might find that poem useful. And that other book sounds like part of what we're after." The bard contemplates the "lock" with interest.
"I'm guessing that this has to to do with the mottoes in the other rooms, and that hidden sign when we came in. Royal virtues, and all--'loyalty is its own reward,' 'a cunning lie is never told twice,' 'learn the history of Taldor....' Were there any others?"
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Despite the bard's slouch and general lax attitude, he's definitely taking an interest in the puzzle. He unconsciously taps out a series of complex rhythms on a hand drum as he mumbles to himself, thinking out loud. "So, crouching lion is probably the cunning lie, the scroll lion is history, the flag lion is probably loyalty, and the king is, well, the king. Question is, where to put them?" He flips one of his note pages over and sketches the Library layout. "Let's see...king at the entrance? History was in the classroom, lie in the study, loyalty in the caretaker's room...so if the holes are arranged in a square...." He draws a rough square on his map, joining the four locations. "Like this? Any of the rest of you have any ideas?"
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"Hmmm..." Nazza says, rubbing her chin quizzically as she recalls the portraits of the prince that she scorned earlier...
To serve Taldor, I must first learn the history of Taldor"
In the end, loyalty is its own reward
A cunning lie is never told twice
"I think you're right about what the statuettes mean, Drummer B--er, Chamius," Nazza suggests, impressed with the bard's analysis. "It sounds like it's got to do with what the portraits say on 'em. First is the lion with the glasses and scroll, second is the ambushing 'liar,' last is the flag one--'loyalty in the end.' Not sure what goes third... Could it be the crown lion? He is Prince Stavian the Third.
"I dunno if that makes sense. We could go ask ol' Glorymane for a hint. Might be able to bribe him if we can find a neat shield or something to help him get off the wall."
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"Heh, thanks. It wasn't easy remeberin' it with all that racket your fingers are makin', Drummer Boy," Nazza says with a wink. "Does anyone else have a different idea? If not, I'll go ahead and try the combination. Hold up," Nazza interrupts herself, pulling the wand of cure light wounds stored in her belt loop and handing it to Chamius. "Here ya go. That's for usin' on me if I got it wrong and the big lion face shoots, I dunno, acid darts out of its nose at me or something like that."
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"You can't learn everything from a book, Seb!" Nazza chides. "I think this is worth a try, at least. All right, stand back..."
Nazza gathers up the statuettes she thinks she needs and places them in the step: first the bespectacled lion, then the one poised to pounce, third she places the crowned lion, and lastly the one draped with the flag.
Nazza's solution seems very logical, though it obviously lacks one piece of information. As the statues are being moved into position Chamius suddenly recalls another plaque back in the Recital Hall. Affixed to the frame of the portrait of Grand Prince Stavian, it read:
“Persevere, persevere, persevere!”
After swapping out the third statue and placing them in order on the steps there is a distinctive *click* as the trap is disabled. Opening the secret door, the party sees a rectangular room. Chests of expert craftsmanship line the walls, and on the far side of the room stand two bookshelves burdened with yellow-paged tomes and sundry ancient trinkets. Banners and tapestries cover nearly every inch of the walls, each representing long-dead nations or depicting conflicts left not chronicled.
Taldor keeps some of its most dangerous texts here, including primary, unmodified accounts of events from millennia ago, original versions of laws since replaced, records of foreign policy debacles quickly silenced in the interest of decorum, and remarkably objective (and sometime empathetic) biographies of enemies of the state. Titles like "An Accounting of the Trade Prince Aaqir", "False Genealogy of the Bearded", "Jean Coremont - A Lion of Taldor", "Dark Secrets of the Porthmos Militia", and "Blood of the Azlanti" stand out, but there is little time to go through any of them.
Sebastian leads the group in a quick, organized search of the hidden archive and turns up two final clues that seem to be exactly what the Society (and a certain someone else) desires.
Meanwhile, Chamius and Nazza find a heavy bronze shield decorated with a lion’s head in the same style as the Guardian’s. The shield has little intrinsic value, but might serve as a receptacle for the Guardian’s essence.
This is a thin journal that explores the origins of Tar-Baphon, studies the circumstance of his lichdom, and analyzes what the author knew of his necromantic techniques from the perspective of a scholar searching for a weak spot in the Whispering Tyrant’s defenses.
This long scroll details the rules of succession throughout the history of Taldor. It also highlights times when the nation chose an heir in a way that was an exception to the rules. This matches the description of what the Pathfinder Society is tasked to recover for Princess Eutropia.
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"Ah, it appears I was making it difficult, ha!" Sebastian announces after taking a few minutes to decipher the message given to the members of the Grand Lodge, "I tried to apply all three ciphers at once, but that only resulted in gibberish. Reversing the process of the second cipher, and doing a little bit of mental legwork on the vowels, results in a message that says, 'has the bell of obecience.' I'm quite sure my work is sound, perhaps the writer intended the last word to be obedience and made a mistake in encoding."
As Sebastian works out the Taldan Cipher, Nazza takes the found shield to Glorymane.
"This looks perfect! Please, place it within my mouth." The Guardian gingerly grasps the shield in its mouth and concentrates for a minute. As it does so, the shield’s patina recedes leaving a bright and burnished surface. The inside of the shield also now bears the inscription “Glorymane,” and the Guardian jovially informs you that the shield now contains a portion of its awareness!
As the group reunites in the Main Library and beholds Glorymane's shield the sounds of another crescendo of music can be heard echoing down from above. By Garry's estimation you have about 20 minutes left before the librarian Tobias returns to the study where your illusionary doubles have been covering for you.
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Tuskgar scratches his head as he looks at Sebastian's answer. He knew there was no way he was ever going to crack that complex puzzle and is glad to have a member as smart as Sebastian on the team.
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Once back in the room he dismisses his image as he sits down to read the book set before him.
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"Thank you, thank you. I must admit, however, the decoding was quite simple." Sebastian says with perhaps false modesty, "But yes, we need to obfuscate our visit. Could someone perhaps speak to the blind caretaker and ask her not to mention our presence down here? Oh, and we must put those statues back where we found them."
The party removes as much evidence of their presence in the secret library as possible and soon returns to the private study room. There you dismiss the illusion cards and sit down to await the return of the librarian.
About fifteen minutes later there is a polite knock on the door and a moment later, right after Sebastian uses the potion to become invisible with Glorymane, Tobias pokes his head in. "Hallo there! I hope you studies were fruitful! I'm afraid two hours is up and it is now time for you to leave. Enjoy your day and I'm sorry you had to miss the performance, it sounded grand from my desk! What I could hear of it at least!" He then shows you out of the library, and seemingly doesn't notice that one of your party is missing.
Upon arriving at Musello's bait shop you find the Venture Captain eager to hear your findings. "Well, how'd it go?" Musello asks, rubbing his hands in anticipation.
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Chamius will recommend a roundabout route back to the bait shop, in case the party is being followed. "Seb, keep an eye on our backtrail." Once to the bait shop, the bard will set Glorymane's shield out in the front of the store, facing the window. "More to see here, hey?"
After everyone is out of earshot of the shield, Chamius will add, "We found details of a study of weak spots in the Whispering Tyrant's defenses, battle plans and notes showing troop movements around Lake Encarthan and the Isle of Terror, some of the generals' logbooks, and tactical considerations for line soldiers when fighting spellcasters and other supernatural enemies. Is Lady Morilla about?"