Klarkosh will give some instructions to the creature in terran and then loop back past the bedroom to collect some personal things and head out of the spire with you along with 3 of his guardians.
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Alternatively, you allow the Splinters to do business and instead of Fort Inevitable, you remove yourself to spend some time with our patron Zatra Dralneen and the Pathfinder Society. I imagine either will will cost you some secrets and allowing the Splinter's to do their business, but it may be more pleasant in one situation than the other
Klarkosh doesn't seem to have any particular interesting in betraying you at the moment. He is worried about the hellknights at the fort, but finds the offer to work with Zarta back in Absalom.
The splinters aren't too fond of Klarkosh and might prefer his head on a pike but aren't going to attack the group of you, and Klarkosh and 3 automatons.
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My question is: will Klarkosh let them do their business without troubles? If yes, Tico will claim the map and the informations with Tarrin.
Tarrin will respond "Just make sure he doesn't come back."
He will however turn over the information.
It's a scattering of notes, an inventories and coins that paint a picture of Signifer Oritian Hast accepting bribes from Nimad Teravon in exchange for turning a blind eye to serious building code violations.
In addition they'll give you a partial map of the sewers with a path lined out to get in and out of the Fort. Along with a warning to not pass through any passages with blue circles or green moons. They are either trapped or belong to a gang local to the Fort.
Morale continues to improve at your tannery and surrounding farmland as your business prospers.
A quick foray into the sewers to check the map does reveal a secret way from outside the fort to an abandoned house on the inside.
There is a notice nailed to the front door that the Hell Knights will be seizing the abandoned property and auctioning it to the highest bidder.
The note seems faded as though it has been here for some time.
Things seem to be going well at the fort.
Klarkosh does not agree to enter but does agree to go meet Zarta.
Before heading off Klarkosh does recommend if you're going to go back down to do so soon before the lizards realize he's gone and start taking over his level. Also a reminder to stay out of the west side of his level if possible due to the traps there.
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After seeing Klarkosh sent off to Zarta, Nar will head back into town to check on the tannery and the budding farms. After Tico is able to take care of his curse, he cleans himself up and visits the dairy to buy more cheese, before heading into the town proper to perform a while.
Finally, before heading back to the spire he makes some new plantings and makes sure that they are being tended to, with a smile at the sight of new growth both in the plants and community he's makes himself ready to once again explore the spire.
After a very brief trip back to the Fort, the party once again heads back to the Spire to delve even deeper.
Your are easily able to descend the stairs to the level below Klarkosh's where you expect to find fiendish serpentfolk.
Unless otherwise mentioned...
Doors: The doors are good wooden doors
Ceilings: In hallways, the ceilings are 10 feet high; the ceilings in rooms are 20 feet high.
Illumination: The corridors are not illuminated. Large, oil-fed brass torches in wall sconces illuminate the rooms, shedding light as lanterns
There are signs of battle — most commonly dried blood, scorch marks, and smashed bones—appear along the stairway down.
The stairs end in the northeast corner of a small, brightly lit room with a door on the west wall. In the center of the room are two large iron racks holding numerous burning candles. The iron candleholders are crafted so that each candle appears to be held in the jaws of a serpent. A phrase is written on each rack in Undercommon.
Eventually somebody begins the trek across the room and the candles immediately flare up as the smell of sulfur wafts through the room.
What do you do?
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Sabi waves his hand in front of his nose at the smell of sulfur. "It wasn't me this time."
He grins mischievously, and allows his shield of ice to flow around him. Sabi briefly inspects the room to see if he can identify the source of the smell.
Sabi would like to check with the land authority about the owner of the "abandoned shack" and whether the building is available for purchase.
"Why should we permit such corruption to stand, especially when the impoverished are exploited. I don't know about you, but I remember my the small shacks of my fishing village at home. True justice was hard to come by. We have a chance to deliver some, and you say 'nay'? Can you truly face your god every morning, Tico, knowing your inaction leads to continued suffering?"
A few moments later the candles grow even brighter and gutter wildly for an instant. Then they suddenly flare into brilliant sheets of flame that sweep across the room!
From all around comes the tolling of a bell.
The candles seem significantly diminished, unlikely to burst into fire again in the near future. The bell also quickly quiets.
Tico begins healing as Nar rushes forward. The door easily swings open revealing a 10ft long passageway that ends in another door.
That door however seems to be locked.
No traps on the door, and a quick examination reveals that its bared from the backside rather than locked and looks rather difficult to bash down.
That said one of those candle racks looks like it would make a good battering ram...
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Valya ducks her head as the flames envelop the party.
Armor and shield slightly scorched, she scowls at the candles.
That wasn't very welcoming...
She examines the door alongside the others before shrugging.
If no-one has any better ideas...
Sheathing her sword and stowing her shield, she picks up one of the candle holders and grins
Payback! she growls before taking a large run up and slamming it as hard as she can against the barred door.
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Tico pulls off a scroll of communal resist energy energy among his belongings. "This may help us, while we can't put the door down."
The cleric uses the scroll to protect him and his friends.
Tico protects everybody from fire while Valya leads the charge and busts down the door...
As soon as the door opens, a rank odor, like a burned corpse was left out in the sun for a week, rushes out.
The room is an irregular octagon, and stone and wood barricades have been built in front of the doors on the south and west walls. It appears the walls were once covered with frescoes, but these have all been smashed, leaving rough walls and jagged debris.
The barricades are defended by 6 bipedal cave lizards with red eyes and long tails and crests on their heads and back. They have javelins at the ready and do not look friendly.
Initiative!
Nar
Tico
Valya
Sabi
Blue Lizards
Red Lizards
They clearly did not expect that door to go down so fast, everybody is up!
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Sabi gallantly assist Valya in her efforts to break down the door, and gasps slightly at the ugliness before him as he spies the lizards. These creatures would never be welcome on one of his village's fishing vessels, that's for sure.
Quiclky gathering elemental energy around him, Sabi imbues himself with the strength of water, before releasing it at the enemy directly in front of him.
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Nar will move into the room to get what he believes to be a good angle on everything, and fire off a single arrow at the topmost creature
Man it stinks in here
Doubt it matters for this shot, but Nar has now purchased durable adamantine arrows. My default will be to use them for the high BAB (including rapid shot) shot(s) and once I have iteratives those will be CI, unless otherwise noticed.
Though, it does bring up an interesting rules grey area. Durable arrows never break but can get lost, and the arrow retrieval rules don't split the percentage on missing arrows from breaking and getting lost, i.e. 50% chance to break or be lost. I know how I've ruled it in the past, but will play that part however you feel best.
Nar and Sabi seem to be coping with the stench, but Tico finds himself sickened.
Sabi's frothy blast knocks the far trog off his feet while Nar moves in hits a trog with an arrow.
Tico's fireball then finishes off the almost all of the remaining trogs.
Initiative!
Valya
Blue Lizard 13
Red Lizard 13
Nar
Tico
Sabi
Valya is up!
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Shaking her head at how foolish she has been in charging in to the room unarmed, Valya swiftly reaches around and straps her shield to her arm.
As she faces down the lizards she sees the uneven floor and realises it is going to be a hard fight in this environment, she murmurs a prayer to her god, to guide her feet as she unleashes her fury against the evil creatures.
The 2 remaining lizards look to each other and decide to fight to the death.
You're not even sure who they were aiming their javelins at, their aim was so bad.
You have no trouble making quick work of the remaining 2 wounded trogs.
Valya is also sickened by the stench.
There are 2 doors out of the room in addition the one you came through.
Also the trogs have unusually well made falchions
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Murmuring her thanks to Ragathiel, Valya turns to the others.
Well, if there is nothing further here, we should move on and get out of this fetid miasma as soon as is prudent...
Whilst maintaining an air of decorum, she moves to stand near one of the exits, ready to move through as soon as an accord is reached.