"She drinks during the day? And the children take jobs to pay for their keep?"
"This is worse than I could have imagined. It seems the Silver Crusade's resources would be better invested elsewhere."
Ollysta stands and turns to each of you and offers her thanks.
"Please give my best to Venture Captain Valsin. And please remember the Silver Crusade in your prayers. It seems we could use the help."
Ollysta raises an eyebrow at Wren
"Oh? You are wounded. I thought it a joke I did not comprehend since your approach was so brusque. We of course would be happy to help."
She motions to member of the temple and the two talk in hushed tones. After a short trip to the storeroom the attendant returns and presents Wren with a potion of Cure Light Wounds.
The Wise Quarter lives up to its reputation. Opulent estates sprawl behind neatly kept gardens.
Arriving at Dremdhet Salhar's estate you are ushered past the tall wrought iron gate by a guard who nods at your stated business. Clearly you are expected.
A servant at the door greets you with a low bow and a few words.
"Master Salhar sends his deepest regrets as he has been called away on important council business. Master Amenopheus will receive you in his stead. Please follow me."
After a few turns down richly decorated corridors you are ushered into the presence of Amenopheus, the Saphire Sage.
He sits behind an ornate desk patterned with gold leaf and supported by four bronze legs molded to look like those of a Sphinx.
The tanned wizard motions for you to enter with one hand while finishing the page he was reading.
“Good day to you, Pathfinders. I am Amenopheus, the Sapphire Sage, advisor to Master Salhar. Knowing this was coming, I spoke with Master Salhar at length on the subject and have this to say."
“Since Osirion was reopened to exploration a decade ago, adventurers, historians, and treasure-seekers flock to my country by the hundreds, perhaps thousands. While most families with ancestral burial vaults maintain guards and keep their sites out of the hands of casual thieves, not all families have the wealth or power to restrict everyone, and as we all know, not every defense is perfectly secure. Unscrupulous tomb robbers and maligned merchant organizations cause Osirion to bleed relics into the Inner Sea—something the descendents of Ancient Osirion cannot afford.
We Osiriani have thousands of years of rich history coursing through our veins, and while that power has been out of focus in recent years, we are content to wait, knowing our enemies will wear themselves down. As they fall into arrogance, folly, or greed, we wait for our return to power, knowing we bear the riches of our ancestors at our feet.
Master Salhar remains impressed by the Pathfinder Society, orating in their favor a handful of times in front of Absalom’s Grand Council, in fact. Due to previous relationships between him and the Society, Master Salhar has agreed to grant permission to the Pathfinder Society to explore his family’s vaults below Sothis. The only thing he requires is that you retrieve the map of the vaults from his own vault here.
The servant will lead you to the basement and show you the room.”
Slipping back into the room the servant bows once again and motions for you to follow.
The servant leads you across the sprawling estate to a set of stone stairs leading down into a cool basement. The corridor of stone ends in a plain wooden door.
Opening the door the servant motions for you to enter.
Ticco saunters into the room.
Any true wise quarter would have caused the gnome to evaporate by now.
Karal sweeps his magic detecting beam across the room.
Your initial scan of the room shows several fields of magic.
The Copper Banded chest gives off a faint aura.
The Steel chest also gives off a faint aura.
You aren't sure what type of magic is present but that seems to be everything magical in the room.
As the party files into the room the servant closes the door behind you. A key turns from the outside and the door is locked. No doorknob or keyhole are visible on this side of the door.
Written on the back of the door is a message:
Within these cases lies your quest and your way out.
In the far corner of the room is another closed, and presumably locked, door. This one appears to have a keyhole and doorknob.
This gallon jar is about half full with a clear liquid. At the bottom of the jar is a jeweled brass key.
Ticco's curiosity is rewarded with a peck on the nose from the tiny red and black viper coiled at the bottom of the basket.
Ticco swings his head back in reaction but its too late. The viper bites Ticco's nose and cartwheels wildly through the air at the sudden motion. The snake turns end over end as it is flung from the gnome's face. When the snake lands it scurries through a small crack in the wall and is gone.
Ticco feels weak. He can feel the poison in his bones.
Ticco glares at the basket as a ball of fire appears floating above his palm.
Ticco shrugs off the poison and sets to work placing fire to the basket.
Casually rolling the ball of flame off the ends of his fingers the ball ignites the natural fibers of the basket.
Its smolders and fizzles when the majority is burned. Leaving a scorch mark on the desk as well as revealing a rune-etched key.
Satisfied Ticco turns his magic towards the items in the room.
Your initial scan of the room shows several fields of magic.
The Copper Banded chest gives off a faint aura.
The Steel chest gives off a faint aura.
The Rune Etched Key also gives off a faint aura.
The cooper chest emanates illusion magic. The other magic items in this room are a mystery to Ticco.
|
Ticco shakes his head as the poison clears. His eyes grow wide as all that remains of the basket is a magic key! "HIYACHA! he cries in excitement, Another key!
Foolishly he picks up the magic key and it's still hot, "Ooh ah ooh tsss" After a small juggling act he's able to hang on to it long enough to inspect it closer.
"Hey Wren! Didya see that snake!? It bit me and then just left!"
Ticco walks down towards the party holding up the key he's found. Haphazardly he walks through the copper chest.
The rest of the party watches as the gnome walks directly through the sturdy looking copper chest.
I ...have sinned more than I thought. Goddess, punish me as needed ...though I do hope it ends soon.