The cabinet carries a small block of incense carefully wrapped in wax paper - you are curious as to why the incense is so carefully put away compared to the rest of the chapel, where you found somewhat similar blocks incense in the main chapel, put away near the cup.
The scrolls in the back appear to be a diary of the history of the chapel, going back to its construction in 4598 who founded the chapel in the small frontier valley community because he foresaw a mighty city being built nearby. The priest anticipated leaving the chapel for the city to create a theocratic heirarchy within the city as a local. The diary seems normal as you scan it until you start to reach 4603 when you see that the priest writing turns to a heretofore
The Pahvalian family arrived in the valley today, fleeing the Butcher of Korvosa. The creature or man has terrorized the city for months now with his sudden seemingly mindless killings. The Pahvalians have founded a large farm and mill after the death of their friend, the well-loved noble lord Ryl Marcuso.
Several weeks of normal entries, mostly taken up by notes on collections and the weather, before it turns back to the topic of the Butcher.
More refugees arrived fleeing the Butcher - his murders have gotten more public. The stories speak of a hooded man wielding a terrifying blade made of frozen yellow flame flashing in the markets. His murder of an Abadaran Judge in Korvosa apparently made quite a stir.
The next entry continues.
The Pahvalians continue to receive letters from their friends in Korvosa thanks to traders arriving seeking the unusually colored corn growing here in the valley. The murders have briefly stopped but now tales speak of hauntings throughout the city.
After several more weeks you find another cryptic entry on the Butcher.
The whole valley is in shock from the revelations of our latest news from Korvosa. To think that the Butcher was as deluded as he was is an obscene joke. What will they do with the body?
Finally you see a note scrawled hastily.
The Cathedral contacted the Pahvalians for help to bury the Butcher here, far from Korvosa lest the body be dug up and the city learn the truth. I have agreed to seal the tomb in return for a donation for my own temple to be built in the coming city. The temple will return to renew the Seal every decade lest the Butcher's madness attract the Forces of Chaos. Already he has become a story to tell children to frighten them into good behavior...and children's stories have a curious power over time.
Later in the priest's narratives in 4606 AR you see him descend into confusion and despair on the day of Aroden's death. He notes that he will sealed the chapel and will travel to Korvosa to see what the Church has discovered over "the Disappearance" of the Last Azlanti.
It would appear that this Butcher might be our master. Know anything about him?
local on the butcher
You do indeed know of the Butcher - a murderous assassin rumored to believe he could enslave the souls of his victims.
His reign of terror in Korvosa ended almost a century ago and he was used as a long-standing staple of children's bedtime stories to frighten them into good behavior - similar to the Scarecrow in modern Magnimar.
Mesdoram shakes his head.
I don't even speak Varisian - I certainly don't know about any crazy kid's story.
Yea well this one began with a truth, of some sort. Let's see if we can't find this butchers tomb shall we?
Rameth fills a couple flasks with the water, assuming it is holy
Then he makes his way out to the graves in back, or the crypts beneath.
The Pahvalians were a minor Korvosan noble house who left the city at the same time as the Butcher murdered people there - there is still some speculation the Pahvalians sheltered the Butcher or a member of the family was the Butcher - before they faded into obscurity.
Their farm was the first one you passed.
There are no graves or crypts here, as you recall from your "Knowledge (Local)" roll earlier farmers preferred to be buried in graves on their own land.
[b] Let's head back to that first farm and see if we can't find some graves.
Sounds good/
Mesdoram spends some time collecting the water into glass flasks as well.
Then he heads back out to the farm with Rameth.
Once there he spends time prowling around the land.
After a bit of time he calls Rameth out to a small patch of land where he points at a ring of bear earth that looks like it had stones set on it at one point, hidden from the road behind the corn stalks.
Does that look like a mill to you?
He then grabs a broom out of his haversack and busies himself sweeping the loose dirt around - revealing a large stone hatch with a heavy, rusted iron ring set into the top.
The Eye of Aroden is carved, well faded, into the stone.
Whelp, ready to get attacked by beasts and monsters? He sets his ioun torch, and busies himself with extracts and mutagen, then pops in some barbarian chew
false life
traps check
disable
Appropriately buffed up he pulls open the hatch
The hatch is untrapped but as you lift it you descend into an unlighted stone room of rough-hewn stone.
The ioun torch sheds light across a standing stone that has iron chains on it that have been shattered and have stained the stone with rust.
A much nicer doorway is cut into the back of the room behind the bier where darkness stretches into the distance.
You shocked? I'm not.
He moves up and checks out the other door.
traps
All good
As you move down the hallway you find a relief carved into the walls. Crude at first it grows more elaborate.
At first a small child walks through a crowd of faceless adults but as he grows older he finds a shining piece of the sun -he uses this piece of the sun to slay the faceless adults and now ghostly figures follow the growing child.
Soon the child is an adult and the procession behind him has grown immense. Finally a demon finds the grown man and manages to bury him inside the earth.
The man is chained but at the end you see the chains fall away and the man walk away from the tomb back into the land of the faceless.
At the end of the hallway you find two passages branching away from each other - one has the demon's face carved in the ceiling and the other has a sun.
religion
Getting the deets on who represents who.
You recognize no iconography from the carving - not even that from your knowledge of extremely obscure cults.
Mesdoram studies the carvings and shudders.
Shit, shit, shit. You ever meet someone disconnected from their emotions before?
He ponders
A couple of women of comfort I suppose. What do you mean? Thats what this means you think? And do you think this has to do with the Butcher or Aroden?
Mesdoram scowls.
Yeah, my guess is the boy is the Butcher of Korvosa and the demon is Aroden. Notice how the tunnel's different from that cave back there with the plinth? And see how he's the only one with any detail early on? This is how he views the world.
He looks at the long mural.
Gods only know what the hells that sun thing is though - or how he got out of the chains but couldn't leave the cave.
Had I have help right?
He ponders
Maybe a relative or something. But it was the family farm we were at first. Think there is a hall of records or something similar. Or a shack if records as te case may be
Well, maybe. The question we have now is which hallway do we take? I vote demon.
Mesdoram points down the hallway running to the left.
Rameth pulls out a coin
Nah, fate says the other way. Let's do it.
Why do I only get to take the lead half the time? Shouldn't we agree on a head partner?
Wait, is that a contradiction?
+2 traps
Wouldn't want the power to go to your head
He says as he gives his club a couple practice swings
You hear the fast-moving shuffle of feet on the stone floor and turn to see multiple zombies move into view - they're moving much faster than normal zombies.
You and Mesdoram are able to stand athwart the 10 foot wide corridor leading into further into the dark labyrinth.
Mesdoram waits for you to move.
Rameth roars and charges swinging his club
for
AC 19 this round
Rameth clubs one of the zombies into the ground while Mesdoram dodges the gore splatter.
Mesdoram dodges to the side and tries to skewer one of the zombies himself.
It falls on the ground, the animating force driven from its body.
I hope none of the farmers see us covered with dead friends and relatives.
Yea well, they don't like me anyway. So only you have something to lose.
Rameth says, feeling very good about himself with that first hit
Meanwhile the zombies move - quite quickly for zombies - and try to club Mesdoram to death with their limbs.
They miss the supernaturally fast investigator.
Mesdoram ripostes!
The zombie he's attacking seems to explode under a flurry of blows.
for
+2 to Mesdorams attack
Rameth knocks the head off another zombie
Rameth huffs and puffs a bit
Rameth slaps the last zombie - apparently a farm wife based on the clothing - in the head with his greatclub and sends it flying.
Well that was less complicated than it could have been. At least the minions in here should be harmless.
A rumbling comes down the hallway after Mesdoram says that.
If we get eaten, this is on you and your big mouth.
Rameth turns and prepares.
That's ridiculous - clearly if we get eaten it's because you brought a stick to a sword fight.
And you brought a toothpick
This is a traditional basket-hilted sword from the highlands of Andorian! My grandfather gave me this sword!