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Bidding Kefilwe a temporary farewell (as opposed to a goodbye, he firmly reminds you to bring the coin back when you're done) the team returns to the Wisp. There they find both Janira and Aram bin Kaleel engaged in a conversation about Rovagug, or some such bleak topic. "Ah, you've returned!" The former exclaims and jumps up, obviously not at ease with the grim discussion. "Do you need help with anything? Don't be shy, now."
When presented with the coin, both seem to recognize it. "A Pathfinder's Coin!" Aram notes, a glint of curiosity in his eye. "You know, they look very ordinary, but on the inside is a similar sort to Azlanti wiring as a Wayfinder." At this, both pull out the same trademark compass of the Society. Janira continues. " When put above one, the coin can record a message. Or, play back one already made. Shall we take a listen?"
Regardless of which Wayfinder you choose , the coin hovers over the compass and begins to spin. From out of nowhere, a voice begins to speak. "The path and chamber are complete, hidden behind the nameplate of the requested aspirant and guarded by the word you requested. Fimbrik will add more."
Janira, ever the studious halfling, has already transcribed the message just in case. She looks back up to the coin in interest. "All this, just today...what have you been up to? Sounds like quite the adventure!"
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Raibert grins Afraid you're just gonna have to read the chronicle on that one flatfoot! Anyway this is valuable intel! Amazing that something so simple could be the key to this.
The dwarf thinks on it a moment Ah yes, Fimbrik is the name of the gnome at the magic college, I guess we should go pay him a visit and put this whole mystery to bed
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Janira and Aram look a bit nonplussed as the team leaves, but the former recovers quickly. "No idea what they're up to, but I'm sure it'll be interesting," you hear her say with conviction.
Fimbrik's house is located in the Wise Quarter of Absalom, perhaps a mile or two away. The given address leads to a relatively isolated neighborhood, and a large stone building fitting for the home of an old wizard. Windows are located at each rounded side of the house, the closest one giving a view of a living room. In it are a few massive sofas and grandiose statues of gnomes. As you watch, an elderly gnome in noble attire walks leisurely past into another room through this one, not taking any notice of people at his windows and door.
Talking of his door, that and his front step are wrecks. The latter is piled with newspapers, about two years' worth of monthly editions, while the former bears a lock rendered almost nonfunctional by rust. Can the old gnome not be bothered to maintain his house, much less pick up his papers?
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The gnome inside seems to take no notice of the hard rapping on his door, merely walking into a room beyond the team's sight without reacting in any way.
The door is weathered, and looks as if it could be broken down. For a less destructive approach, that goes for the lock as well, which appears rather simple even before rust and time take their toll on its function. The windows could also provide a point of ingress, although you'd have to smash them.
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"He is there but does not even react? Might be senile, or charmed or something?"
Pa'qha goes through the pile of mail, not opening letters, but trying to see if anything special comes to her attention.
"So, who can open the door?" P'aqha rattles the lock, putting some strength in it to see if it snaps.
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Raibert bashes in the door, a feat made easy by its age and the dwarf's massive strength. The team steps in cautiously, but try as they might to be quiet (plus the door just got rammed off its hinges), a circle under the couch glows and from underneath appear three massive beetles! Each glows with a strange light, and all of them gnash their pincers as they prepare to attack.
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P'aqha looks at these big beetles, about the size of a halfling.
"Fire beetles! They glow, but they also bight. But they seem to have been Summoned, and are Fiendish: they will resist fire and cold attacks somewhat..."
P'aqha, protected by the door from attacks brought on by her casting, calls upon the powers of nature and life, and touches Raibert, to help guide his arm.
Her arctic fox, Atuq, remains hiding between her legs.
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P'aqha empowers Raibert, and as Amaron moves in, his dino makes room for him, darting nimbly to another side of the couch. The former takes a swing at the nearest beetle...
...leaving a neat yet powerful cut that brings it down. The two remaining look to bite Raibert, one set of fangs bouncing off his armor but the other finding a weak point, dealing a small wound. The dwarf becomes understandably furious and lashes back, turning the offending bug to paste with the power of his strike.
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At about the same moment, both Raibert's axe and Sirius's bardiche connect with the last beetle, swiftly dispatching it in a small spray of blood. The circle ceases to glow and vanishes a second later, showing the threat has been eliminated.
Looking around, the team finds yet another oddity. Despite the almost complete lack of dust, no one seems to have lived here for some time. The furniture looks especially pristine, seeming to have seen little to no use. A staircase leads to an unfinished upper floor, but the real curiosities here are the three doors leading out of this room, all of which are unlocked.
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Taizen is suprised at how quickly the bugs are splatted but his curiosty switches quickly to the surroundings.
The gnome is a magical one isn't he?
He casts Detect Magic around the house looking for anything interesting. While doing so he overhears P'aqha and replies, "Taizen has no wands but can heal his wounds."
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Raibert opens the door to the left, revealing a large bedroom. It features a handsome four-poster and a desk that take up most of the space, but there is little else to found.
The bedroom, while sharing this aura, also contains one of illusion magic. The spell is much stronger than you are used to, and its exact nature cannot be discerned. But it seems to be an apparition that only appears at certain, predetermined times.
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The tengu seems excited as his spell reveals magic all around. He however spends a lot of his time in the bedroom due to a stronger spell being there.
"Oh my new friends. These are illusions! He is a tricky one and I think there must be something special in this room. I will check his desk!" he says very quickly while looking through the desk for information or a trigger.
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None of the team, great sense of smell or otherwise, is able to find anything more in the bedroom. Despite the size of the desk, it is quite bare, with but a few spare quills and sheets of parchment lying on and in it.
Raibert checks the next door, the one closest to the entrance , which opens into a little study. Several chairs are sat around a round table in this room, and the walls are lined with tome-laden shelves. As the team enters, the gnome pops into existence, walks to the table, sits down, and begins to read. He pays no notice to the goings-on around him and proves to be an illusion.
Once you move on to the next room , your confusion likely boils to a head when the door opens on another illusion of Fimbrik, even though the other one is still in the study. This one is perusing a newspaper, but is at least slightly more advanced than its counterpart; as you enter, it tips its hat and smiles before returning to "reading." Those among you who understand the magical arts know these spells have likely degraded with time. This is a meeting room stocked with another chairs, pillows, and desks to accommodate six visitors, but the one at which "Fimbrik" sits has several objects on it. The first are notes, the first a longer one in a neat hand, the second a hasty scrawl bearing only a name: Doulgonlir Caskmail. The others are small vials, both radiating magic and labeled by function.
I'm not here anymore, and my house is filled with an incredible array of illusions to discourage the curious. But you just had to break in. I respect your gumption and assume you're either a petty burglar or someone looking into Eylysia's affairs.
I've left Absalom to look for my friend, she's been missing for some time; however, I've attached the name of a particular Pathfinder you'll want to investigate at the Wall of Names at the Society Grand Lodge. I assure you, it's quite important, but I'll leave you to figure out why.
Oh, and the password. It's 'Wiffle.' You'll find it important, should you learn where to use it."
-The Illustrious Fimbrik
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Heading back to the shrine, the team finds an even larger crowd gathered around the Starstone Cathedral. The brave Mendevian crusader, Sir Reinhart, has finally made his appearance, it seems. A relatively handsome young man in armor, he slowly pushes his way towards the chasm on horseback through adoring throngs of people. You also see the man curating the Shrine of the Failed earlier, now ushering people into a temporary semblance of order. He rolls his eyes at the knight, beckons you to the door and lets you in.
Inside, a monumental chamber stretches eighty feet from end to end, with a ceiling suspended thirty feet from the floor by great pillars. Seven arched passages lead to humble rooms, each of which contains a polished stone altar dedicated to one of the failed aspirants who attempted the Test of the Starstone. Each of these is on a raised dais in an alcove, and has a brass plate bearing the aspirant's name, interests, and speculations as to their demise.
After a bit of searching, the team notices one bearing the name of their fake Pathfinder: Doulgonlir Caskmail. It even sports the same legend as his inscription on the Wall of Names! You crowd into the alcove to search for further clues. One that quickly becomes evident is that this altar's nameplate can be slide aside to reveal a tiny chalkboard.