The growing light of predawn filters in through a window of the two-story building that Amenopheus has rented in Eto, and the aging Garundi man takes a seat on one of the cushions set out for this meeting. He produces a sealed letter from his robe, placing it in the middle of the floor before speaking. “Good morning, Pathfinders. As you know, we have had our share of setbacks recently. Not only have the emerald and topaz gems sacred to my order slipped through our fingers, but we also faced the frustration of finding nothing but fragments of the once great ruby. Thankfully, its power is not lost entirely, and through the Ruby Sage’s blessing, it lives on in you. I am thankful that you have agreed to act on her behalf and see this through to the end. As we speak, the scoundrels who seized the two gems cross the Pillars of the Sun to meet their employer, the cryptic Diamond Sage.” He sighs heavily. “What she intends to do with the gems is a mystery, but the sage jewels are too important for me to take risks with. If the power that you wield is representative of a shattered jewel’s potential, imagine what one might accomplish with three undamaged stones! Until we know what her plans are, it is paramount that we get to the jewels first. Kafar and Nefti have a rudimentary map of the Pillars of the Sun, and last night I found a bartender who spotted them poring over it between drinks. She recalled little of the map, and she could not make sense of the marks or annotations; however, the right spells have allowed me to probe her mind and determine Kafar and Nefti’s entry point into the mountains. We will follow them from there.” With a somewhat chagrined smile, Amenopheus adds, “It may be that they will lead us to the Sanctum of the Sages, a hidden complex I have long suspected might be in this area.”
He stands and announces, “Prepare yourselves quickly. We shall leave momentarily.”
The Sapphire Sage has requested our help once more as his hunt for the lost order of the Jeweled Sages and their iconic gemstones continues. Amenopheus tells us that Kafar and his pupil Nefti have snatched two of the gems: an emerald and a yellow topaz. It goes without saying that the Aspis Consortium’s involvement in this matter troubles me deeply; I will not have them outwit us as they did my colleague, Hestia. It saddens me that such a pair of brilliant operatives may die before your mission is over, but I would sleep better knowing that they were no longer a threat to the Society. Were that they had chosen to become Pathfinders rather than pawns of the Aspis Consortium!
I hereby deputize the Sapphire Sage Amenopheus to lead this expedition, and you shall assist him in his quest. Remember our tenets: explore, report, and cooperate. I look forward to receiving word of your success.
Godspeed,
Venture-Captain Norden Balentiir
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Why were they here? Who were these people? When will he get food? It was boring. And not at all what he was use too. It is the first time he is allowed out with his dad, but now it was getting boring. the excitement gone. He hoped they were not going to stand here all day listening to the other two legs
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"Hello, I am Motaz," says a young man with fair skin and shoulder-length, sandy blonde hair, beneath which he conceals unusually large ears. He has unusually large pupils. His eyes flash with red power and the fine pelt of blonde hairs on his skin stand up as if electrified. Although Motaz spoke in Common with the heavy accent of an Osirian native, he looks more like a northerner.
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Motaz is dressed relatively simply, even raggedly, and he is rather unkempt.
However, he wears several items that indicate he is no street urchin. He has a fine sand-colored cloak, a broad leather belt bearing symbols of Lythertida, a golden headband, crystal lenses, a gold holy symbol of Lythertida, and a golden ring. He also has a cracked blue sphere ioun stone circling his head. There are three fine pouches on his belt. He has wrist sheaths containing wands on his bare wrists, and a number of scroll tubes and alchemical flasks, as well as a jade wayfinder poking out of his various pockets. Motaz does not wield a weapon, but carries himself like he knows how to throw a punch.
"Fellow Pathfinders, I am primarily a tomb raider. I have some skill in finding and removing traps, as well as picking locks. I worked as a lookout in a street gang in Sothis for many years, so not much escapes my attention, and I can see in the dark. I am somewhat of a spellcaster. My spells focus on doing elemental damage to single foes at range. However," he says, raising his left hand and showing off his new ring, "I just acquired the ability to disturb casters' abilities to use spells."
"I have a great number of scrolls, elixirs, and wands that I have found in my work. I am happy to use them for our collective benefit. They cover a wide variety of contingencies. One of my wands even provides healing, slow and uncomfortable healing, but healing nonetheless."
"I am humbled by the fact that the Ruby Sage has recently and temporarily lent me some of her power. It seems I am acting more quickly these days. I am also a bit wiser and definitely harder to kill. I've learned that if I take a cat nap in the middle of the day, I can heal a great deal, and I can cast extra spells afterwards. The Ruby Sage has lent me additional spells as well."
"Do any of you know anything about this region called the Pillars of the Sun? I have heard of it, but I grew up on the streets, so my education was more criminal than academic."
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The door to the room is opened abruptly. Outside is a medium-sized efreeti, redskinned and horned, holding the door open for a man in a diplomat's robes. The polished man enters the room without a glance at the efreeti and effusively bows to the Sapphire Sage. His bow is flavored with a particularly odd gesticulation, as if he learned the art of the courtier... far away.
"Lord Amenopheus, it is certainly pleasant to stand in your presence yet again," says the man. His eyes flash with an odd red glint and his hair is like fire. From out of the corner of the eye, it truly appears flaming, floating red and orange.
"There is no excuse for my tardiness, of course, so I shall give you none. I shall simply say, 'I'm sorry' and bore you no further."
He barely turns to the efreeti, as if the genie isn't worth the respect of eye contact, and snaps his fingers.
"Husarq. There," he says, pointing to the corner of the room.
Without waiting for a response, the man turns back to Motaz, a smile on his face.
"So, Motaz, son of Dakhil, we shall adventure again, I see. I hope we can exchange tales and happenings. I have always found your news of the utmost interest!"
He pats Motaz upon the forearm in a gesture of friendly familiarity and turns to the tiefling and Osiriani man in the room.
"I have not had the honor of your acquaintances, sirs. I regret this deeply, as any person worthy of journeying with the Sapphire Sage is somebody I would deeply wish to know and learn from."
He steps forward and dips his head towards the two. "I am Mareq ibn Bolthune al-Shamiri, Ambassador Percipient to Golarion from his Grace, the Grand Vizier of Fommok Mahdinat, the City of Brass. I am a diplomat by trade, but have some small expertise in sorcery learned in my youth."
Then the fire-red-haired man gestures in the corner of the room where the efreeti has retreated and says, "This wretch is my bodyguard and thrall, Husarq. Beware his tongue, for it shall so bore you with insipid words and pathetic complaints that you shall cast your soul to Pharasma's Spire before listening another minute."
The man's eyes, in contrast to earlier, are very guarded as he speaks of Husarq. Beneath the surface is anger, hate, despite.
"Husarq. There," he says, pointing to the corner of the room.
Husarq bows his head and immediately walks to the corner of the room indicated by his master. The efreeti bears none of the arrogance of his fellow fire-genies. He is wilted from the normal greatness of geniekind, crushed beneath something, whether supernatural, emotional, temporal, or other, it is difficult to tell.
Do not speak. No words. If I speak, he will notice me.
Husarq stands perfectly still, not a muscle moving, not a finger out of place. The handle of a great curved blade juts from behind his shoulder, shining in the light of the room. The efreeti is so motionless that the reflected light from his blade's pommel does not even flicker.
Not a word. Not a single movement.
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Motaz grins broadly. "Ambassador, I am so glad that the Sapphire Sage called upon you for this task! Your wit, charm, and skills, and Husarq's brawn, will ensure that we thwart the plans of the Aspis Consortium!"
Motaz turns to Elliot, "Ambassador, may I present Elliot, a skilled dwarven fighter? I am sorry, but I have only just arrived from making last minute purchases myself, and I have not been introduced to the the other formidable gentlemen or their fearsome scorpion companion!" Motaz warily eyeballs the scorpion as he mentions it, assuming that it is allied and not a monster wandered in from the wastes, given its presence here.
Motaz turns to Sutekh, surmising from the bow over his shoulder that he must be a druid or ranger, and thus that the scorpion is his animal companion. "It is an honor to meet you, sir. I am guessing you are skilled in the ways of the wastes. If so, I am glad you will be along to help us find these Pillars of the Sun. I have a little skill in such matters myself and am eager to learn more and, if you will allow, perhaps to lend some aid."[/b]
Motaz addresses Farg as well. "And you, sir, would you be the archaeologist Farg about whom I've heard so much? I hope so. Any tomb in which the Sages are interested is likely going to be a deathtrap. I have skills, but I would be relieved to know that our safety is not in my hands alone." Motaz pulls two elixirs of vision out of one of his many pouches, considers them for a moment to make sure they are the correct ones, and then passes them to Farg and Sutekh. [b]"I packed along several of these elixirs just in case. Please, take these one and use them as you see fit. They will greatly augment your ability to find traps when the time comes."
Turning to Motaz Amenopheus responds, "the final aim would be to find the Sanctum of the Sages, but for now our only clue is to go to the Pillars of the Sun - a mountain range south of Eto inhabited by many terrible creatures. It is a dangerous area of harsh desert and barren, rocky terrain, full of cliffs and chasms.”
Sutekh remembers that the Pillars of the Sun are an isolated range of mountains named for their tall, wind-weathered spires.
The mountains begin 15 miles south of Eto, and an experienced rider might reach them in half a day. Because of its location and elevation, the region is extremely dry and hot during the day, with temperatures dropping drastically at night due to strong winds.
In past eras, attempts to settle in the region were frustrated by the mountains’ harsh conditions and aggressive fauna. To this day, many ruins stand as reminders of these ill-fated enterprises.
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Lecate walks in shortly after Mareck.
"Well met fellow pathfinders."
Lecate stands about 6 feet tall with a wiry frame and rugged good looks. By the way he carries himself you can tell he relies on Desna's luck to get him out of tight spots and into good places.
"My name is Lecate, and I am a devout follower of Desna. May her luck shine on us while we pursue our mission."
He says with a slight bow.
"My knowledge of pillars is limited and I don't believe I can add much more that what has already been stated by Sutekh."
It's takes a moment for lecate's eye to adjust to the interior lighting, as soon as he realizes Mareck and Motaz are in the room he greets them both warmly.
"Mareck it is good to see you again, and in such good spirits."
Lecate attempts to embrace Mareck.
"Motaz I see you are prepared as ever for these missions, truely I am glad to be part of this expedition."
Lecate will also attempt to embrace
Lecate turns his attention to Sutekh and his scorpion companion.
"That is an amazing companion you have there Sutekh. May Hold him? Or provide him a snack?"
If Sutekh will allow, Lecate will allow the scorpion to crawl upon him and provide him with a live spider from his spell component pouch.
"Does the scorpion have a name?"
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"Ah, well, then... nice meeting you," says Mareq when the dwarf, tiefling and Osiriani man don't respond. He turns to the Desnan cleric who has followed him in.
"Lecate, yes, a wonder to see you again. I would enjoy hearing of your most recent adventures, if you have time. But first, I believe we must discover more about our destination, if we are to be properly prepared for our mission. Come, Motaz, I shall seek information and you can assist me."
Mareq and Motaz briefly leave to gather information in the suq of Eto.
Asking around Mareck finds out the following:
Witnesses report seeing a rather tipsy Nefti playing the flute in various taverns throughout Eto over the past several weeks. He hasn’t been seen for three days. A m an matching Kafar’s description recently visited a local herbalist and apothecary. Several caravan g uards in the city overheard Kafar and Nefti complaining to one another about the Aspis Consortium. Nefti tried to sell information about the Aspis Consortium to a foreigner, but the deal fell through.
"Are you ready to leave then?" Amenopheus asks.
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"The two of us are ready" the osirian man nodded. Followed by an excited clicking noise
-Posted with Wayfinder
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Mareq considers the situation. His thrall, while despicable and abhorrent to him, is valuable as a bodyguard...
Mareq pulls forth two wands, one of salamander horn etched with silver runes, the other a slender steel shaft.
"Come here, dung-face!" he calls to Husarq. When the genie is close, Mareq STABS him in the face with the sharpened salamander horn! The silver runes swirl about the wand and pour into the genie's face, leaving a small silver speck. Mareq grins with almost orgiastic glee at the minor pain he causes his thrall as he stabs him. He then, as an afterthought, touches himself gently with the wand. He then taps both himself and Husarq with the steel wand. Weird, otherplanar theurgies suffuse the room, making the hair stand up on the bodies of those nearby.
"There. Do not make me regret my merciful preventatives, Putrid One," he says, looking upon the hated face of his efreeti slave. He turns to the Sapphire Sage.
"We are ready. Let us go."
As you are prepared to leave Eto, Amenopheus teleports you to the northern edge of the Pillars of the Sun. There, just as the sun is peaking over the horizon, you are able to find the path Kafar and Nefti used to enter the mountains. Temperatures continue to rise all through the morning, and after four hours of travel, you reach a place where the winding path through the spires splits.
Without knowing which of the two agents has the sage jewels or whether they too have been split up, Amenopheus decides that the best choice is to split up. Assuring you that he will remain in contact, he sends you down the left path, and he travels in the other direction after the simulacrum.
Your path leads you to a series of switchbacks that ascend the steep side of a gorge, and approximately one hour after Amenopheus’s departure, you reach an immense cliff where the tracks simply end.
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"I have rope, it's a hundred feet of knotted rope. But I admit I am not a good climber."
" Maybe we have missed something, let me look around.."
Lecate shades his eyes and actively peers around. Picks up some dirt/sand sniffs it, lets it fall through his hands after he tastes it...
Lecate makes an active perception to see if the is another way around the cliff, i.e. a secret trail, hidden staircase etc.
Lecate asks for Densa luck (Guidance + 1 on skill checks)
Failing that Lecate will try to use his survival skills to see if there is an easy was to pass the cliff in front of the party. First asking for desna's grace (Guidance)
"Ahh yes, why don't we try..."
Lecate discovers a crevice in the rock face that leads to a trap door that descends deep underground. And it seems the tracks go down there.
Descending down a roughly hewn tunnel, you reach a long underground gallery.
Enigmatic hieroglyphs cover just about every surface of this chamber excavated into the mountain. Bas-relief engravings stretch along the walls all the way from the lofty, tapered ceiling down to floor level, their eerie pictography suggesting an unnerving story. Toppled columns, crumbling shreds of cloth, and potsherds scattered throughout the chamber attest to the place’s abandonment and antiquity. Small holes in the vaulted ceiling let in thin beams of sunlight but do little to illuminate the chamber.
Perception
Elliot
Farg
Lecate
Mareck
Husarq
Motaz
Serket
Suketh
Akata1
Akata2
Initiative
Elliot
Farg
Lecate
Mareck
Husarq
Motaz
Suketh
Akatas
S
H
Motaz and Suketh can have a surprise round action, then the Akatas then into normal initiative
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As combat starts and his dad fires arrows, he looks at the target, he bigins to click both his mouth and his claws eager to attack
-Posted with Wayfinder
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Motaz is an experienced tomb raider, well-stocked with items to prepare to enter. Before entering the trapdoor, Motaz did five things.
1) He drank his elixir of vision, granting him a +10 bonus on perception checks for the next hour.
2) He reminded the others to whom he provided elixirs to drink them.
3) He checked for traps on the trapdoor, taking 20.
4) He pulled an alchemist's fire from his bag of holding.
5) He pulled a scroll of fireball from a scroll case.
As Motaz progresses through the underground area, he takes 10 looking for traps and signs of passage.
Perception Check = 10+16+10=36 or 37 vs. traps
When Motaz notices the creatures, he calls out, "Each side, about 40' up." He then casts fireball from the scroll, using the alchemist's fire as an arcane power component to cause one of the creatures to catch on fire.
fire damage DC 14 for half. If they both fail their saving throws, the one on our right (the lower part of the map) catches fire. If only one fails its save, that one catches on fire.
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Assuring you that he will remain in contact, he sends you down the left path, and he travels in the other direction after the simulacrum.
Is the bit about the simulacrum an error, or did the Sapphire Sage really tell us he was going to chase a simulacrum? If he did, we would have asked him about that. Motaz does not know what a simulacrum is.
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If both creatures survived the fireball without taking any damage, or if the fireball caused an immediately obvious adverse affect (e.g a cave in). Motaz casts daylight on his ioun torch so that everyone can see the creatures and attack them without a miss chance due to the dim illumination.
Either way, if either creature took damage from the fireball, and one is on fire, that creature takes fire damage as it burns.
fire damage.
If either creature took fire damage and either one appears to be alive after the first fireball, and if there were no other immediately obvious adverse effects from the fireball (e.g., a cave-in), Motaz pulls out a second alchemist's fire from his bag of holding and casts a second fireball.
fire damage
Whether he casts daylight or fireball, if either of the creatures still appears to be alive and if it appears the creatures take fire damage, Motaz steps forward one square and uses his legendary surge ability to cast scorching ray, emitting two rays. He targets both rays at one, if only one appears to be alive. Otherwise he targets one ray at each.
+1 for point blank shot against the one on the right (lower half of the map)
fire +1 for point blank shot against the one on the right (lower half of the map)
+1 for point blank shot against the one on the right (lower half of the map)
fire +1 for point blank shot against the one on the right (lower half of the map)
If neither creature took fire damage, Motaz casts acid arrow instead. Use the first ranged attack roll. Here is the damage:
acid +2 for brimstone and black powder, +1 for point blank shot if against the one on the right.
If a miss chance is necessary for these attacks, here are the rolls. Low is a miss.
Whatever happens, Motaz calls out "Thank you, Ruby Sage!"