When the daring half-orc scholar Ulisha enrages a noble family in the River Kingdoms, she contacts the Pathfinder Society with a special deal: she will sell them a unique and ancient druidic relic at a steep discount to secure the gold she needs to pay off her bounty. By the time the Pathfinders arrive to meet her, she has gone into hiding. However, she has left behind a journal full of profitable leads as a sign of good faith. Can the Pathfinders recover this hidden wealth and claim the powerful Silverhex before an assassin finds their friend?
Part 1: Mausoleum
Journal entry
After a long journey, the party makes it to Gralton, a small city in the River Kingdom, which is full of refugees from Galt. Galt, where eternal revolution churns and froths.
It doesn't take too much of asking around to learn of Laban Tullivor, a corrupt and cruel man. Before dying, he boasted about the treasure to be entombed with him as well as about a magical trap that could be bypassed by “one who earns Tullivors’ thanks.”
For a small city, Gralton boasts an ostentatious cemetery, with the tombs of wealthy Galtan refugees evoking their lost glories. When the party arrives, the gates to the cemetery are ajar, not a soul is around.
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"It seems Ulisha has gotten in over her head. Lucky for us these gates are open wide, as if expecting us." Turning to the others. "I am Hakon from Broken Bay to the north. More importantly this is Hagrum’s Keel" he says brandishing a new looking axe, "and this is Limbrender" he continues holding up if possible, a newer looking axe. "What be your names so I may add them to my ballads as we plunder the fat, soft southern lands?"
After introductions,"Shall we continue to Laban's mausoleum. I wish to leave this place of the dead soon rather than become a resident here."
My name's Enora. Glad to meet all of you. The halfling nods to her companions, then looks around the gates to the cemetary. Why are these gates open? And where are the guards?
Enora follows Oloch through the gate.
The mausoleum of Tullivor is just to the south (A2). Strangely, there is a limp corpse out in the open, draped over some marble statue. It's a young, human male dressed in a noble's outfit. His belt buckle resembles a badger. He's lying, dead, on top of a bust of a man, whose facial features are somewhat similar to his.
An inscription reads: When the last sun falls upon this spot, receive my thanks
The man has scratches on his face, and a wound that was likely caused by a short sword.
"I am Zadim." The shadowy human man introduces himself simply, apparently not one for small talk, "I assume this task can only be performed with the edge of a blade or I would have not been called upon."
Upon entering the mausoleum, his keen eyes search the area for any hidden dangers, seemingly completely unconcerned by the dead man laying on the bust.
Wow. Dead guy. Enora notes as she keeps her eyes peeled for danger. Maybe there are more assassins nearby.
The corpse still has some heat left in it, he hasn't been dead for very long. The scratches on his face resemble those made by a bird of prey...like a hawk or a falcon.
As you aproach the Tullivor tomb. (Area A2) This baroque marble tomb clamors for attention like a gaudy flag waving for a once noble house. Its most audacious feature is a sculpted badger that looms, gargoyle-like, above the door. The iron door is decorated not only with the Tullivor name and crest, but also with an elaborate arcane rune.
The runes appear to be some sort of magical trap.
"Have you come to honour the memory of my noble family?" A female voice suddenly speaks from behind the monument. A woman clad in a noble's outfit emerges.
Enora sees the arcane rune and casts detect magic upon it.
"Huh, it's some kind of trap..."
Upon hearing the woman, Enora turns to her and starts blabbing.
"Ma'am, you OK? Have you seen any guards recently? We need to report a murder."
"I believe the proper question is why are you here at this time with a dead body nearby?" The slayer asks, his fingers resting near his weapon, and his head briefly nodding to the warpriest in acknowledgement of his magical assistance.
"Well met, I am Rhiannon Sarvio. I was here, praying at my own family’s tomb. I believe I heard something unpleasant just as you showed up. I heard sounds from where you came from while I was praying here. Rhiannon Sarvio i my name. Have you heard of Tullivor?" she says, then waiting for the correct timing to say "Graverobbers be damned, but that Tullivor robbed before he went into the grave. The mausoleum contains an object rightly belonging to us. If you help me retrieve it, you may earn the Sarvios’ gratitude."
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"Please describe this object and claim you have to it. I am Lini and my feline friend is Droogami."
A female gnome steps out of the shadows wearing leather and a sickle tucked into a belt near a bag of stones and sling. A snow leopard follows her without making a sound except for the occasional pur or growl.
"So you say you had no role in the man's demise?" Zadim asks plainly, closely examining the woman for falsehood.
"No…I had no part. I heard sounds from where you came from while I was praying here. Rhiannon Sarvio i my name. Have you heard of Tullivor?"
"Graverobbers be damned, but that Tullivor robbed me before he went into the grave. The mausoleum contains an object rightly belonging to my family. If you help me retrieve it, you may earn the Sarvios’ gratitude."
"Yes, where is this object located?"
[b"The cup that he stole now rests with him, but victory would be sweet if someone were to claim it for me."[/b]
"That mausoleum there, is his. Every night at sunset it stands in the shade of this... she points at the Sarvios mausoleum with the obelisk-like structure "splendid monument. Quite fitting, don't you think?"
Indeed, with dusk approaching, the shadow of the obelisk on the Sarvios monument will cover a large portion of the Tullivor mausoleum.
There's a hawk hidden among the statuary on the roof of the Servos monument.
"Hmpf. Graverobbing isn't really my forte...but I do wonder what this magic trap is doing here. Probably has to do with the 'last sun' inscription or somethin'."
"B%&$&##s…you probably wouldn't have been much help anyway." A horse gallops from behind the monument and Lady Sarvios climbs into the saddle as the hawk flies in to distract you from the Lady's escape.
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Round 1
Horse
Hawk
Lady Sarvios
Enora
Oloch
Bob
JLW
Lini
"Oh! Some of you humans are insufferable. I'll get in that monument just to spite you now!"
Enora casts Color Spray at Enora and her horse.
DC 14 Will Save. Effects rely on target's HD.
Zamid tries to tumble closer to the woman without leaving himself open to attack from the hawk. Once he closes range, the slayer attempts to slash the woman with his blade.
The hawk is nothing more than a pile of bones and feathers after Droogamy is finished with with him. Lady Sarvios easily fights off Enora's magic…but one can't say the same for her mount. The noblewoman falls off of her horse at is succombs to the arcanist's mojo.
Zamid does nothing to prevent Oloch from finishing off the lying woman.
With the...distraction taken care of you can turn your attention back to the riddle. As the sun begins to set the spire on the Sarvios monument draws a long shadow in the evening sun, slowly turning toward the bust of Tullivor. It looks like the shadow of the Sarvios monument will cover the bust exactly at sundown.
While the others deal with the riddle, Zamid takes a moment to search the woman's body for any item of note.
Aside from a short sword a few mundane items the noblewoman has no belongings with her to speak of...she travels light.
"Hmpf. A bloody shortsword, too. No wonder I didn't like her attitude." Enora shakes her head in disappointment and turns to the monument.
"The last sun, huh? I bet that Lady Savrios thought it meant the last son...that feller we saw at the entrance. Such a fool. Anyway we can get the sunset on that monument?"
The Riddle: When the last sun falls upon this spot, receive my thanks.
The Situation: The spire on top of the monument is stopping the last sun from falling on that spot.
The Solution: ???