Silbeg's Slayers: #3-21: The Temple of Empyreal Enlightenment (Inactive)

Game Master Silbeg

Jaender moves into the room, still unable to shake the creepy feeling he has. He looks around at the shelves, keeping his eyes peeled for anything else out of place.

Not really sure what to do here... Will keep looking. I am sure at some point someone else will try to kill themselves or us.. :)

It appears that the majority of the books here are ones that Arturo has not seen in the libraries at Absalom. However, truth be told, he probably hasn't seen too many books there, either.

Although several of the shelves are empty, he would estimate that there are thousands of items that the Pathfinders will need to catalog. Note: I've added the list of goals to the campaign information page

"Oh, we have many tomes of very interesting things. It is a treasure trove about Korada, history, and the like. I am reading a quite engrossing tome about the creation of temples to the Empyreal Lords, and the symbology contained within."

The team does see into what appears to be the library's office, which has additional books, among other things.

Arturo sighs heavily as he determines that searching this library, and cataloging it appropriately, will probably take upwards of 40 man-hours.

"Well, eight hours each should about cover it," Arturo says dejectedly, "At least the food here isn't too bad. Let's just try to avoid being killed, losing fingers or killing ourselves. Always go about in pairs at least - best not to split up at all, really. Oh, that reminds me... tell me, Miriya, was the one who killed himself - Wei, was it? - a halfling? If not, I'm afraid there has been another incident..."

Arturo studies her face for a reaction. In particular for any signs of shock or alarm.

+8 sense motive if needed.

"Aye," the youth says, looking the shelves upon shelves of books. "Eight hours then, is it?"

"I feel like I'm studying for a test..." Vox sighs. "Let's get this over with." He is glad the group will not be splitting up, as the general vibe of this place is setting his teeth on edge. As he opens the first book, and flips through the pages, he continually looks over his shoulder as if he expects something terrible to happen at any moment.

FYI - I wasn't going to say anything at the time, but I messed up the sermon... I had it planned for you to find Wei first -- but screwed it up and left in too many references to his suicide... So, if you don't mind the retcon, pretend that the sermon happened after you found him, and perhaps made it known. I am going to go onward as if you made it known, if that's ok.

"Yes, it really is too bad about Wei. It is not really a surprise, though. He was particularly moody the last few weeks, ever since he lost the final finger on his left hand. He was downtrodden because his faith was not strong enough."

Arturo believes that her reaction is genuine, but Jaender, upon overhearing the conversation, thinks she is holding something back.

"I believe it is far worse about Wei than others might let on. I do not believe Wei had full control of his mind when he took his own life. I am curious, milady, what do you think? We have only been here for less than a day. You have been here for... how long have you been here again?"

Jaender lets his thoughts hang in the air, and looks at the fair lass with sympathy in his eyes.

I choose to believe she is unwilling, a pawn in whatever cultish power play this place has become. Surely she will see we can help...

"Where is the place where one loses fingers for lacking faith? We should investigate that, right?" Roudantaimi is burning to find out the cause of all this.

There is a mission, and then there is a mission. The gnome knows they should catalogue things for the grumpy master of spells, but there are also people who are in danger, even is they don't know it themselves. So spending good part of the day writing down what books a library holds feels like time wasted.

"Eh... Would you by any change happen to have a catalogue of all the books here?" he asks Mirya, crossing his fingers.

Ignoring the books for now, the large man steps closer to the woman as Jaender asks his pointed questions. He keeps his manner free of aggression for now, but this talk of people losing fingers and committing suicide has him eager to leave this hellish place.

"Oooh, books. I love reading. I love reading about things, and places, and people and stories with endings that make you cry, and good books that make you so angry that you throw then across the room. Mrs. Booklady, I appreciate you letting us look at books, and I promise not to put the book back in the wrong place. Like Mwangi before Mercenary League.

I once had a wife, and she would talk all the time and I would just listen."

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (7) + 8 = 15

To Jaender, she replies. "Why, it is the 'Kiss of Korada' ritual in the garden. If our faith is strong enough, then we will gain enlightenment. If not, we are given a reminder to strive harder." Those talking to her do notice that she's lost part of her pinky on her left hand. "I've only tried once... and my faith wasn't strong enough. And, I've been here my whole life, of course!"

She then turns to Roudantaimi, "A catalog? Why certainly! There is one in the office. You are welcome to use it."

Finally, she turns to Ophiuchus, "Thank you for your offer, but, I think, quite honestly, I would just like to read for a while, if you don't mind."

With that, she turns back to her book and starts reading.

"Well that catalog should save us all about 8 hours of work each... *ahem* Arturo, would you mind having the lady show you the catalog so we can see what might be gleaned from it? It sounds like that will save us a significant amount of time. While you two are in the office, I think we can go check out this garden, and possibly witness this kiss of korada ritual, though I already shudder to think of watching someone lose a body part."

Whether Jaender is trying to help the wily rogue out, or is completely oblivious to the undertones is unclear, as the little wayang starts moving out of the room to make his way to the garden with the rest of the troop.

waiting for it... waiting...

"Here? " Roudantaimi asks, and already enters the office without waiting for confirmation. While there, the gnome searches the place for any other items of interest, but the main treasure is the catalogue.

Having much less interest in the books, the brute follows Jaender towards the garden, giving his companions who are staying behind a concerned look.

"Crib notes!" cries Arturo, relieved, "Miriya, that piece of news is as beautiful as your good self. Hey, Roudantaimi! Out of the way, I called dibs on copying the notes. Copying is something I can definitely do. It's not exciting, but at least I don't need to read all those books."

Arturo looks nervously back to his potential paramour, "Erm, not that reading is bad or anything. I'd just rather be meditating..." True enough, but even that is well behind being attacked by the armies of the dead.

Arturo will scribble down as much of the catalog as he can, and split the work with Roudantaimi. Arturo can take A-L, Roudantaimi M-Z... unless someone else also wants a piece. If it looks like way too much work, let me know and Arturo will have a go at swiping it.

Arturo: Perception (with Aid from Roudi, and knowledge that it exists: 1d20 + 9 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (12) + 9 + 2 + 2 = 25
Roudantaimi: Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (8) + 5 = 13

Arturo immediately finds the referenced catalog. He quickly realizes that using the catalog would reduce their indexing time from about forty hours, to a mere six hours.

Does the team stay and search, or do they split up -- sounds like Jaender and Sven are already heading to the garden? Very cool.

Happy to split up, so long as we're in pairs and shouting distance.

"Okay everyone, if we're splitting up, make sure we can hear your blood curdling scream if you get into trouble," Arturo cautions, "And shall we report in here at the library every half hour if possible?"

"If there is still work to do, we should all stay and get this done, then we can move on. With all of us, we can be done quite quickly."

jaender will stay to help

-Posted with Wayfinder

Ophiuchus stays and helps look, so from 6 hours to 7 hours?

The brute sighs, having almost escaped the book work. He follows the wayang back into the room, assisting with the book research as best as he is able. He isn't illiterate, but it likely takes him far longer to read passages than the others. He will fetch books and put them back for the others, mainly.

After about an hour and a half, in part thanks to Ophiuchus getting side-tracked reading several times, the party is able to get the idea that the library now only contains half of the books that it did when the catalog was created. When Miriya is asked, all she says is that it has always been this way.

Ophiuchus was delayed by reading a book about Korada’s holy city of Vantian the Unshuttered, which continually crumbles into the sea of Ishiar while residents continually rebuild on the far side of the city. The books also describe the double-arrow symbol of “celestial silence and contemplation” to be drawn over the mouth and eyes of adherents of Korada.

On to the garden?

"Oooooh, some books missing, and other books altered. Look here, this symbol of "celestial silence and contemplation" is nonsense. It's not connected to Korada in any way, as none of the rituals described here. Something fishy is going on in here! To the garden!"

Roudantaimi feels a righteous fury growing up inside him. These people are being manipulated into self-mutilation and suicide in the name of a holy being. Sacrilege!

Keeping his guns still holstered, the gnome starts marching towards the Garden.

"Let's take that book with us, then," says Arturo, "It may be of some use in convincing the people here that all is not what it seems with their 'version' of Koroda." At that, Arturo checks he book out of the library.

"The gardens sound like a lovely place to be," sighs Arturo. He really relishes the thought of some action in the library, but if his companions see any action elsewhere, he wants to be there to help.

The brute nods in relief to Roudi's suggestion, glad to be done with the library. He didn't have much knowledge of what the paladin was referring, but of course trusted him implicitly. If he said the books were wrong, then they were wrong. It was time to put an end to whatever charade was being perpetuated at this evil place.

Collecting the books he was studying, brows cross in consternation, Ophiuchus raises from his seat.

"Friends, I think that something is off We know cutting off finger is off, and we know telling people to kill themselves is off, and we know that women hitting on Mr. Hairylips is off, but after reading I found out that 'Vantian and Ishiar are not locations connected with Korada. They are not locations in Nirvana at all. Ishiar is a great ocean in the Abyss. It is the realm of the demon lord Dagon and connects to several other Abyssal regions. These books have been altered. '.

I saw we check out the gardens, then it might be time to kill evil things."

In the searching of the room, the group finds two works that are actually magical.

Scroll
spellcraft: Ophiuchus: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (18) + 7 = 25
spellcraft: Jaender: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (14) + 7 = 21

Book
spellcraft: Ophiuchus: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (17) + 7 = 24
spellcraft: Jaender: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (3) + 7 = 10

The scroll contains the spell lesser restoration. While the wayang cannot determine what the book is, the nagaji realizes that it is a Manual of Calm Reflection

Question: do you take them?

The party then moves around to a sitting area, and sees two sets of double doors.

Upon hearing that the items are magical and valuable, Arturo decides to also 'check them out' of the library... a little more sneakily than before. I'll put these back if the monks here don't try to kill us.

Sleight of hand: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (13) + 9 = 22

After slipping the books subtly into his backpack, Arturo joins his friends on their trip to the garden.

Standard procedure for opening doors at the double doors.

arturo beat me to it but ophiuchs was going to take them too ]

Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (19) + 9 = 28

Jaender whistles and smiles, clapping his hands together as they finish up the paperwork.

"That could have been worse, thank goodness for this ledger!" Jaender winks at Arturo in agreement with his borrowing.

I wonder if this library charges a late fee for non-returned books... he chuckles to himself.

which set of doors do you open?

Might as well start with the double doors.

I moved us closer to the door, please feel free to adjust as you see fit.

"Come friend small man that burps fire. It is time this duck stretches his flappers. I would love to see a blooming garden, with nice smelling flowers, and pretty colors that remind me of the berries the small man that speaks many languages ate after the goblinmoot. Sadly, they probably cut off parts of the flower here if it 'grows wrong'. What crazy people we always seem to meet. Glad that we are all normal." Ophiuchus moves closer to the door to assist his small friend.

Sorry, forgot to say.. yeah, Arturo's going for the double doors. Thanks for the placement there, Ophiuchus! Perfect, except Strong Brute will be the one to open the doors for S.O.P (so he'll catapult forwards into the first square of the room).

The brute follows the others to the double doors, the large man feeling as though they are nearing the end of whatever hellish encounter this is. He sighs, relieved, this subtle mess of trying to act friendly with so much strangeness and evil going on around him had been taxing. He preferred straight-forward action. At a nod from the others, he opens the double doors, scythe at the ready.

Roudi uses his gloves to peer through the door (one round of use), but doesn't see anything out of the ordinary, just an overgrown garden, bu the looks of it. Arturo doesn't find anything suspicious at the door, so opens it, and the Strong Brute walks in.

The temple garden is badly overgrown with tangled vegetation. Vines and briars climb the temple walls on three sides, surrounding the large windows into the chapel and the smaller windows into the library. The garden itself is a profusion of flowering bushes and weeds. Except for a clear space in the center of the garden, the dense weeds grow taller than an adult human. At the center of the garden sits a crumbling fountain, long dry, with a statue of a noble turtle in the center. Heaps of foliage choke two similar fountains, each with a large stone orb resting in the fountain’s center.

Next to the turtle statue (unfortunately, not the truly noble duck, but what can you do?) sits a gnome, who wears a green tunic adorned with many bells. He sits there, smoking a pipe, humming merrily to himself.

As the youth follows the others into the garden, his eyes eventually see the statue of the noble turtle, and Vox's eye alight. He turns quickly and grasps Einhardt playfully by the scruff of the neck, as he gasps, "A statue!"

The wolf is not impressed.

After digging through his pack, Vox draws his journal and tries his best to sketch the statue and diligently note everything he can about it. As he scrawls quickly upon the page, he turns briefly to the gnome and speaks, "Just one second, kind sir. I just need to make sure we note everything we can about this statue..."

Again the excitement gets the better of him, "Strong Brute, it's a statue, at last!"

"So this is the place where the ritual happens? Seems a bit overgrown and in dis-repair for a place of perfect zen harmony if you ask me. Say there, you good gnome. Is this where the folk in this place try to reach enlightenment?"

I'm still missing something. Why is EVERYTHING here so old, overgrown, and dusty? Its as if no one has been here in ages, yet there are people everywhere, losing limbs to some fake zen ritual. Are these people even here? Is any of this real? Gah! Maybe I am just too gullible. Well, a couple ways to test it out...

Jaender discreetly pinches himself, the age old method for seeing if you were truly awake. He then approaches the gnome he just spoke with, and sticks his hand out for a handshake.

An illusion wouldn't feel solid, or real... I should know, being a wayang and all...

The gnome stands up, and with a cheery, friendly smile, returning the handshake. "Good day to you, my friend! Gastidem's the name. I am but a humble pilgrim, and have lived here, oh the last twelve years, I should guess. I do love it here, in the Temple, and the garden. Are you asking about the sacred ritual called the 'Kiss of Korada'?

"It is a simple test. All you need do is place your hand deep within the turtle's mouth, here, and you shall receive inspirational visions."

Jaender notices that the gnome has all of his fingers. He also recognizes the smell that surrounds the gnome as the same aroma he smelled in the small bedroom, the one with the leather pouch full of some pungent leaves.

"Say... What would an odd little wayang have to do to share that pipe weed with you, Gastidem? That is a lovely aroma. Why is the garden so unkempt, if you don't mind me asking?"

Jaender makes a mental note to keep his hands and arms clear of the turtle at all times.

The brute makes a mental note of the positioning of the turtle, it's posture, and anything else that might be of note, including the actual mechanics behind receiving the 'Kiss of Korada'. He smirks at the gnome, saying nothing and letting Jaender have the floor for the moment.

Vox is pretty sure that given the current condition of the gardens, there is no way that they'll be able to give a detailed description of they way it looks. They will need to clear the brush, and prune EVERYTHING before they can do that. He estimates about 12 man hours to get it done.

The "pipe weed" smells quite different than what Jaender would expect.

The gnome starts checking his pockets, and looks a little frazzled. "Well, hey, man, I don't know where my pouch is. I musta left it in my room.

"so, you gonna take the test? I'll bet you'll get your visions. You look quite devout."

"That's it!? Put the hand to the turtle's mouth, and it bites off a finger? What devout is there? Has anyone actually managed to get off without losing a finger?"

Roudantaimi is still furious of this all, and he needs to vent off his anger somewhere. He looks at the gnome, to see if he is evil. He really needs to smite someone now.

Detect Evil

"Gardening! Oh, this mission just keeps getting better and better!" complains Arturo, "Well, we'd best get to it. Unless you happen to know a better way to clear out these weeds, good sir?"

Arturo looks dubiously at the turtle. Part of him wants nothing to do with such foolishness... part of him is so, so, so very curious.

Unless a better way presents itself, 2 hours of gardening for the six of us isn't so bad... compared to losing a finger.

"Hello good friend Gastidem. I am Ophiuchus the Duck warrior. Tell me more about the Kissing the turtle. I kiss women, snuggle animals, but kissing amphibians in not what one would consider 'ordinary; if you know what I mean. After people take their hand out of the turtle, do they have all their fingers? Have you put your hand in there?"

Turning to Jaender, "Why don't you just burp fire and burn all these bad plants down."

Roudantaimi, the gnome does detect as evil.

I cannot remember Roudantaimi's patron. I am guessing Desna, but I am not sure. Also, it does not look like Roudi has a holy symbol?

To the paladin, Gastidem says, "Oh, it is true that there is risk for the spiritually impure, but I am sure one of strong faith, such as you, Roudantaimi, would be fine."

To Arturo, Gastidem says, "No, a few hours of backbreaking work would probably be the only way to do it. Not something that adventurers such as yourselves would be want to do, I would imagine. I wouldn't bother."

To Ophiuchus, he says, "Good nagaji, it isn't really kissing the turtle, it is Korada kissing your hand, through the turtle statue. It is true to that those how have doubt will pay a small price, but those of unwaivering faith will survive the test."

With this, Gastidem steps forward, and places his hand into the mouth of the turtle. He seems to be reaching far in, and says, "Light combined, My peace find; Calm my soul, To control; Woes I sift, Catching gifts"

He leaves his hand in the turtle's mouth for a few moments, and appears to be looking at something far in the distance. He then draws out his hand, showing the Pathfinders his still pristine fingers, wiggling them for all to see.

"See, a simple thing for those with faith"

Turning to Jaender, "Why don't you just burp fire and burn all these bad plants down."

"Oh, I wouldn't do that. You wouldn't want to burn down the monastery, now would you?"

"Would it really burn down the monastery? I'm not entirely sure I trust you. Are you the only one who has successfully completed the kiss of Korada ritual? Everyone else is missing parts of their body, except for you. What kind of scam are you running?"

Jaender comes right out and asks what everyone wants to know. Though a truthful answer, he is doubtful he will receive.

"Scam or not, where is the up side?" asks Arturo, exasperated, "What possible reason could someone have for risking their fingers just to prove what they should already know to be true."

With nothing else to do, Arturo sets about weeding the garden.

Damn, you're right. No holy symbol, I really thought Roudi had one. Maybe I thought I had bought the paladin's kit, but had of course the gunslinger kit. I can either buy it retrospectively or we can ignore the detect evil ability for this scenario... And Shelyn is his patron, Desna is bit too far in the chaos to accept paladins.

"That... is... the... most stupid thing I've ever heard! Putting one's hand into a finger-chopper to proves one's faith!" Roudantaimi finds himself almost out of words. The scam is so stupid, he cannot even understand why anyone could fall to it. His fingers are just twitching to grab his gun, but he closes eyes breathes deeply and silently recites Shelyn's Code.

I am peaceful. I come first with a rose rather than a weapon, and act to prevent conflict before it blossoms. I never strike first, unless it is the only way to protect the innocent.

I see beauty in others. As a rough stone hides a diamond, a drab face may hide the heart of a saint.

...

Feeling much better, Roudantaimi opens his eyes. Not quite the jovial himself, he observes Gastidem with wary eyes, whispering to others:
"Twelve years, eh? I just wonder when did this self-mutilation begin...

Ophiuchus walks up to the turtle, mesmerized by it. Like a small child who was told not to do something, he wants to do it really bad.

Just stick your hand in, so you lose part of a finger, you have lots of other parts of fingers that are ok. But what would you see? Merian?

I can see her anytime I close my eyes, I will never forget, never fade.

What about the future, will you be happy again?

I am happy. I have friends. Friends that care about me. Friends that look after me. Friends that take care of me.

Then do it show how brave you are.

Brave is not dumb. A duck does not put its head in the mouth of the crocodile to impress other ducks. We call that a dumb dead duck.

Ophiuchus casts Detect Magic on the turtle.

Shrugging, not really having anything to contribute to the back and forth with the gnome, the brute sets to work with Arturo, trying to work out a system where the large man makes short work of large areas of overgrowth with his scythe, then moves along as Arturo clears it away.