"Excuse my friend. He is not accustomed to speaking to others outside dwarfdom."
Seeing Sveinki flub the diplomacy, Oloch keeps his mouth shut, knowing he will just make it worse.
What do you mean there are no keleshite authorities? We made a contract with them and of course follow it. They are the rightful owners of this land since they conquered it. The sage i search is alive and although he is not here, i will find him! He is a criminal who has broken a universal law. The judgment is death.
It seems you are working with him and therefore criminals too, so your fate will be the same. I never heard of this Pathfinder Society before, is it a new organisation of the Jeweled Sages?
Also i´m not a prisoner here, i could leave whenever i wish mortal.
His tone is severe and he rustles his chains.
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"Just saying that a few things have changed since you signed your contract. You can't deny that we have been on the surface more recently than you. Since the Keleshite authorities have now ceded control of the lands above back to Osirion, it appears you might now be beholden to new commanders. I guess since you can leave whenever you wish, perhaps you should go find out. We'll go with you. But we'd better fix things here first."
Oloch waits and listens.
Oloch, still trying to stay out of the spotlight, adds:
"You really should listen to the dwarf. A lot has changed since you were imprisoned down here."
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The two Zelekuths, who have now surrounded you, look at each other.
You have a point there. A lot of time has passed. But can you prove it somehow?
Oloch will pull out all the coins in his purse holding them out for inspection, he will then cast enhanced diplomacy, clear his throat, and try to explain.
"These are recent coins. Look at the making mark. Do they look familiar to you? I doubt I would carry false coins to deceive you."
Crowe says "Yes, look at the coins! They are the proof!"
And Enora throws her hat in as well.
The zelekuths hesitate for a moment.
Show me the coins! One of the demands.
As you hand some over, they inspect them closely.
Indeed. It seems the men we made our contract with have no more authority over this land. Therefore the contract is forfeit. Let´s go.
With this words, the zelekuths march off into the corner and vanish through some sort of conjured portal that wasn´t there a moment ago.
You note the marut in the far off corner teleporting away too.
Still, the artifical sun continues to race towards the beacon in slow motion.
What do you do?
Enora will take a round to cast detect magic and look around the room for possible magical controls for the big sun. Crowe will just use good 'ol Perception for the same.
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"Quick thinking Oloch. I am glad we do not have to fight them. They seemed to be creatures of law, but deceived by time and it is better that we did not have to resort to violence. Let's check out that big crystal beacon. That has to have something to do with things." Sveinki will head towards those three statues with the immense crystal.
Oloch will join the rest of them and inspect the crystal.
The Zelekuths returned the coins of course...
You close in on the crystal beacon, now that the outsiders all have left and you are alone under the artificial sun.
Three statues with outstretched arms surround a giant crystal shard, seeming to hold it aloft without actually touching it. Below the softly glowing crystal swirls a pool of sand, whose particles coalesce to form tiny, short-lived images of people and cities. A set of wide, tinted lenses are mounted on adjustable arms around the luminous gem, reminiscent of an armillary, each lens focusing the crystal’s light in a faint beam toward one of the eleven columns arrayed to the north.
Each column contains niches sized for scrolls, though most are empty. A shimmering sphere of dark purple energy surrounds the statues, sand, and floating gem.
A 15-foot-diameter, semi-transparent sphere surrounds the beacon, blocking any access.
You feel that there isn´t a lot of time left before the artificial sun will crash into the sphere.
Crowe and Enora were looking around in the earlier post as well, using detect magic.
You see the magic shimmer of the sphere surrounding that beacon and can determine that it´s similar to a resilient sphere.
It´s approximately 15 feet in diameter and prevents you getting closer to the beacon.
What do you do, how do you move, any actions?
Map.
Enora focuses on the sphere for the first time, as she's been distracted by other things. Realizing that she may be able to dispel it, she pulls out her spellbook and quickly memorizes a new spell
Next round, she attempts to dispel the sphere.
Oloch keeps guard for any threats that are a bit more...substantial.
Crowe´s third attempt to dispel the barrier succeeds
As you close in on the statues, you can make out more details.
Two of them wear Pharao masks with different emblems, the third´s face is colored half white, half black.
You suddenly hear a voice in your head:
Hello, i am the Beacon.
By adjusting the lenses around the crystal and focusing their light on different columns, one can access the Sky Vault, either storing an object in the immediate area within the vault or withdrawing a known,
stored object. The scrolls stored within the columns cataloged the Sky Vault’s contents as well as the precise lens configurations needed to withdraw each relic.
I have a second use triggered only by the command of a Jeweled Sage: it can sense the general location and condition of other sage jewels. The beacon illustrates their geographic location by dimming the Sky Vault’s light slightly, causing stars and constellations to begin glowing across the cavern’s ceiling, and sweeping the sand below into a coarse image of the gem’s immediate surroundings. The orientations and positions of these stars reflects those visible from the named sage jewel’s location.
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Sveinki repeats what the Beacon said to everyone else, "I hear a voice telling me, 'By adjusting the lenses around the crystal and focusing their light on different columns, one can access the Sky Vault, either storing an object in the immediate area within the vault or withdrawing a known, stored object. The scrolls stored within the columns cataloged the Sky Vault’s contents as well as the precise lens configurations needed to withdraw each relic. I have a second use triggered only by the command of a Jeweled Sage: it can sense the general location and condition of other sage jewels. The beacon illustrates their geographic location by dimming the Sky Vault’s light slightly, causing stars and constellations to begin glowing across the cavern’s ceiling, and sweeping the sand below into a coarse image of the gem’s immediate surroundings. The orientations and positions of these stars reflects those visible from the named sage jewel’s location.'"
Sveinki thinks for a moment and asks the Beacon, "Is there a way for me to stop that artificial sun that is about to collide with you?"
Yes there is. You need only command me to do so. The voice in Sveinkis head answers.
Crowe just stares a Sveinki, wondering who he's talking to. Enora understands a bit more, and says "Yes, we would like to know more about the sage jewels, please!"
As you wish, i stop the "sun"
At first nothing seems to happen, but then slowly the sun becomes even more slower, halting not too far away from the beacon. Just in time.
On inspection, you realize that the altar lenses function as goggles of minute seeing and there are some beads of force set in the floor to power the barrier that protected the beacon.
The beacon further explains to you, that the artifical sun is in fact not only a means of light in here, but also an extradimensional space, the Sky Vault of Ra, where many relics and ancient scrolls are kept. There´s not much more to be found though. It seems you saved the day here by preventing the crash.
Quite a number of artifacts are missing in the sky vault, obviously been carried away somehow by the amethyst sage, but for some reasons that stopped now. Perhaps because you activated the beacon.
Crowe tries to search for any relics and artifacts that the society might be interested in inside the Sky Vault.
Otherwise, the group heads out, ready to report back to their venture captain.
You find nothing else of particular worth and leave the complex.
Outside, you find Tahonikepsu greeting the inevitables as unexpected foreign dignitaries trespassing in her home. In a short discussion you dare not disturb, she politely agrees to collaborate in finding the Amethyst Sage, but insists on revisiting the sage’s alleged crimes in light of more recent events. After that the inevitables wander off with unknown goals.
Tahonikepsu turns to you:
Well done Pathfinders! You were able to save a lot of the hidden knowledge down there it seems. And you also brought someone? Would you like to give me some reports?
She looks at you and the sphinx, who is waiting at the entrance, outside of the merciless desert sunlight.
Half an hour later you shared everything you experienced.
Rediscovering the hidden library, the Crystal Beacon, and the Sky Vault of Ra not only secures a significant repository of ancient knowledge but also prevents the Amethyst Sage from spiriting away more relics. With time and care, i might be able to repair the beacon and use it to locate the other wayward sage jewels.
You proofed to be especialy resourceful, particularly with regards to the flawed sage jewel, a nifty trick!
The actions of the Amethyst Sage trouble me greatly though.
She seems to be more thinking aloud.
There might be other sages who have also survived the Qadiran attacks and either passed their knowledge on to proteges or secured exceptional longevity...
Either way, your efforts may have drawn the attention of the current bearer of the amethyst, and that sage might contact me and return to the order.
Saruna demands Tahonikepsu lift her geas and grant her freedom, once they conversed. Tahonikepsu allows the sphinx to depart, albeit with some reservations about losing an ally from a past age. Saruna thanks you while plotting revenge against the Amethyst Sage.
Venture-Captain Norden Balentiir is pleased to hear of the your success, and he is delighted to receive any maps of the Pillars of the Sun that you have made. He spends several days comparing your notes to other records before drawing out a more accurate map of the region, promising you that he can create a copy for them the next time they explore the region.