Sior's PFS Destiny of the Sands Part II : Race to Seeker's Folly (High-tier) (Inactive)

Game Master Sior

Ouroboreia is inspecting the room where the elemental is.

Oh! Okay.

Looking around the room, Ouroboreia sees that there are small plates on the wall by the half-burned visage on the wall. These cartouches seem to be removable. See here for the images.

Ouroboreia speaks/reads Osiriani and Ancient Osiriani, among other languages. Any chance she could decipher those hieroglyphs or make some sense out of them? I'll also roll a Linguistics check just in case.
Linguistics, Take 10: 10 + 11 = 21

Please hold while the GM fixes the link at the top.

Please hold.

Please hold.

Please hold.

New file found. Accessing...

k..they seem to be removable..how are they positioned now?

They are positioned as shows in the image, three on the burnt side of the figure, three on the whole side of the figure. For more information on Nethys (spoilered by the handout *sigh*), please roll a Knowledge (religion).

Also, I completely forgot to mention...
In addition to the cartouches, Ouroboreia makes note that the eastern wall has a seam indicating a hidden passage behind the carving, though there is no obvious latch or handle for opening the door.

"Interesting, there seem to be a hidden passage. Do the plates allow access to it perchance? It seems that these plates could be ordained in a particular fashion not unlike the ambivalent deity himself. The positive values would then go to his whole side, whereas the negative or destructive ones would go to his burnt side."

After pondering the puzzle for a while, she comes up with a proposition: "The first and fifth plates clearly belong to his burnt side, whereas the second, third and fourth would go to his whole side. The eye on the water would be a more neutral sign - knowledge of the world. To me, knowledge can destroy, so I would keep it on the burnt side. My insight is this one: we could invert the staff with the sun - the destruction theme - with the scepter and the sun - the preservation symbols."

Knowledge (Religion): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (16) + 5 = 21

I have no better suggestion (Unless my knowledge roll gives additional information?) , so go ahead and try

"Very well." With these words, Ouroboreia switches the two plates.

Roland keeps bow at the ready.

"Zhis ought to be interesting. "

As soon as Ouroboreia switches the two plates around, the seam pops and the hidden door opens to reveal a hidden library. The rich scent of palm wine, cinnamon, and myrrh filters in from this magically illuminated storehouse. Each wall has deep slots filled with papyrus scrolls. A white-and-black marble altar enveloped in faint wisps of faerie fire sits squarely in the center of the room. A ladder to the south leads up to a walkway, with more shelves and a golden sarcophagus.

Through all of this, the water elemental watches on with curiosity, saddened that it has not found new playmates.

Ouroboreia's void eyes widen with awe, then she immediately rushes towards the scrolls to start studying them.
Is any roll in particular necessary?

Not yet.

Most of the scrolls pertain to the history of Ancient Osirion. Some, however, prove to be magical in nature! Seven, to be exact.
Now some rolls for them scrolls.

While all this fancy-schmancy scholarly stuff is going on, Mikhaere decides to play with the water elemental (a much more interesting thing than tonnes of musty old parchments). He starts by using create water to create big splashes in her pool, and making funny faces at her.

Awww, the tengu's making friends.

Water elementals wouldn't care that he's stinky! And he can't understand her, so she won't piss him off over some stupid reason or another. It's a perfect match.

The elemental splashes back, possibly trying to remove some of the smell and grime from the bird. It takes great enjoyment at seeing the water dripping from Mikhaere's feathers.

Had to make an alias so I can post as GM from Wayfinder. Annoying, but ah well.

Elena will try to assist with the scrolls (and cast guidance on whom ever will be looking at the scrolls)

Assist spellcraft: 1d20 + 5 + 1 ⇒ (16) + 5 + 1 = 22
Assist spellcraft: 1d20 + 5 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 5 + 1 = 10
Assist spellcraft: 1d20 + 5 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 5 + 1 = 10
Assist spellcraft: 1d20 + 5 + 1 ⇒ (9) + 5 + 1 = 15
Assist spellcraft: 1d20 + 5 + 1 ⇒ (13) + 5 + 1 = 19
Assist spellcraft: 1d20 + 5 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 5 + 1 = 9
Assist spellcraft: 1d20 + 5 + 1 ⇒ (9) + 5 + 1 = 15

Ouroboreia attempts to decipher the magic writings, empowering her sight with a spell, then studying them carefully.
Spellcraft (identify), take 10, guidance: 10 + 12 + 1 = 23 Taking 10 for each scroll.

Looking through the scrolls, you able to identify them all. They are a scroll of bless, a scroll of magic weapon, a scroll of ghostbane dirge, a scroll of resist energy, a scroll of remove disease, a scroll of speak
with dead, and a scroll of elemental speech.

"Hey some of those seem like they'd come in handy...." Ryster muses.

"This scroll could allow us to converse with the water elemental, in fact."

Ouroboreia pockets the arcane scrolls for now, and keeps searching the room, taking abundant notes.

"Are we going to use that scroll now and talk to the water elemental..or are we going to explore that room over there first?"

Elena points south

"Or see what's behind this door"

Elena points east

"For now I'm interested in those non-magical scrolls. Maybe they can reveal something about the history of this place or the jeweled sages?"

Most of the scrolls deal with the history of Ancient Osirion. The interesting thing comes from the point that it seems to be written as the result of an interview as opposed to any other form of data collection such as archaeology or manuscripts.

"Since we are close, we should talk to zhe water creature as we may not come back zhis way.."

Is the interview with an extraplanar creature, like an elemental? Or is it with a more "normal" creature?

Ouroboreia takes the time to study the scrolls, deciphering the writing to gain more insight on the nature of the information contained within.
Ouro reads/writes/speaks Ancient Osiriani, do you need any kind of check to decipher?

No, but do need to know how long you intend to study a whole library and/or where yiu mainly look. There are two levels: the lower with the altar and the higher with a sarcophagus.

-Posted with Wayfinder

Oh, and it is unknown. Simply there is a name. The records show as if someone asked questions and this other person answered.

-Posted with Wayfinder

"There appears to be precious information contained within these scrolls, but it will probably take time to unearth them. Shall we take the time to do so?"

Also, Ouro would like to take the time to scribe the scroll of elemental speech before it's used and gone - unless PFS rules allow to scribe it regardless of whether you used it or not? I'm not sure anymore.

"Since we were in a hurry to get here before someone else got here before us, I think it might be wise to explore the rest of the area first...then come back here for all the information we can get out of this. It would be a shame to find out someone else past us to some other room and found everything we could have found while we were in here reading through ancients tomes. Let's see if we can close the door behind us and explore the rest first...unless off course everything we are looking for is in here.....decisions, decisions.."

Mikhaere jumps out of the pool and shakes his tail feathers a little bit (and the rest of them, at that), splattering muddy water droplets that fly this way and that all over the water elemental's chamber. "Let's come back and do that. Don't wanna lose our time advantage here. The books ain't gonna go anywhere."

I'm not 100% sure, but I was under the impression that scribing a scroll into your spellbook used up its magic...

You're right, but then I'd be able to memorize it and cast it.

"Very well, but the same reasoning is true if we abandon these priceless scrolls. I shall put them to safety within my magical haversack and then we'll continue our exploration."

She does exactly as she said, putting the scrolls carefully in her extradimensional bag.

The magical AND mundane scrolls? There truly is a library of them...

-Posted with Wayfinder

Yes, I have a handy haversack with lots of room inside!

Guilford, content to simply watch the others in action again, offers to help Ouroboreia with the scrolls.

Handy haversack here too! I just bought it at the start of the adventure. Not a bag of holding, but maybe a second one will help.

Between the two sacks, you are able to retrieve much of the information contained within the archive.

Did anyone ever say they were going to the second level?

No..all though Ouroboraeia did mention she kept searing the room. So I sort of assumed that meant we looked everywhere in there ..if not Elena will search the rest of the room - going up to the second level taking 10 on perception (with detect magic up) for 27 perception

As she heads up the ladder to the second level as Guilford and Ouroboreia stuff as many scrolls as they can into their bags, Elena sees even more tomes and the sarcophagus which radiates as magical. Beside the sarcophagus is a smaller book.

Elena takes a closer look at the smaller book and the sarcophagus (while making sure she's wielding her weapon in case a mummy walks out of it)

Spellcraft for the sarcophagus: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (12) + 5 = 17

"People, I've found a sarcophagus that's radiating magic..as well as another book"

You are unable to make heads or tails of it.

"And it might be a good idea if someone with more skill then me takes a look at it as I am unable to make heads or tails of it's magical purpose"

Roland will move up to offer any assistance but is not the scholarly type.

"Zhis is an interesting find. I am not sure which is to be feared more...zhe book or zhe coffin . "

Once she and Baldwin are finished with packing the scrolls, Ouroboreia goes up the ladder to attempt to make sense out of these discoveries. She empowers her vision with sight of magical auras and studies the book carefully, then the sarcophagus.

Spellcraft, w/ guidance: 1d20 + 12 + 1 ⇒ (19) + 12 + 1 = 32

It seems to be under an effect similar to speak with dead. The book seems to be the most recent entry of interview. Contained appear to be various instructions on how to repair magical gems, much like the gems the sages use(d).

Having seen Amenopheus on several occasions, is Ouroboreia able to determine if the Sapphire sage's jewel was damaged or not?

After a short study of the sarcophagus and the book, Ouroboreia explains their use to her companions. "The sarcophagus appears to be capable of communicating with the dead... maybe the mummy inside? As for the book, it contains instructions on how to repair the jewels of the sages and the like. I propose that we take the book, leave the sarcophagus and the elemental alone for now and return when we know what to ask. Onwards?"

Ryster shrugs, "Aye, sounds a good a plan as any."

Elena nods

"Seems like a sound enough course of action"

Elena casts guidance and detect magic and takes a look at the east door (take 10 on perception for 10+17+1 - using guidance = 28 perception) and then after everyone is ready opens it (assuming she didn't find a trap on it)

Inspecting the door to the east reveals nothing sinister. Opening the door, however, does. The walls, floor, and ceiling of this small storage chamber are charred, and the burnt remnants of a few splintered boxes and barrels and a handful of corpses are scattered to the edges of the room.