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Vanya opens the door to a simple sparsely decorated room with a stoic portrait of Grand Prince Stavian III. An elderly woman wearing a blindfold turns towards the opening door,
"Can I help you? I am surprised to meet anyonhe down here when there is a performance in progress?"
The brass plaque upon the portrait reads, "In the end loyalty is its own reward."
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"Another motto? You could almost fool someone into thinking you are all wise by placing portraits of yourself bearing didascalic affirmations everywhere... unfortunately action will always put the lie to propaganda, my dear Sativan..."
Vanya approaches the woman cautiously:"Hello... I'm Vanya. Am I mistaken or are you the caretaker of this library? You are right about the performance... unfortunately duty calls when it calls and one can't do but to obblige...
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Boderus moves over to Saera and places his hand on her shoulder.
"You alright? That looks really painful. Shall we move on with the search or do you want to recover a bit first? I'll go and help Vanya, call out if you need any help."
He moves over to Vanya and notices the woman, he tries to sneak in the room to stay unnoticed.
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"I'm... somewhat fine," Saera replies, "thanks."
Saera lets go of the desk and rubs her temples, then moves out of the room with Boderus. "I'd hoped the lever would at least open a secret door. Not pulling any levers anymore without you guys inspecting them first..."
"Oh, hello? Are you the caretaker?" Saera asks Iliyanna, "My name's Saera. I was told you'd be somewhere around here. Nice to meet you!"
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Bevek will hang back in the room with the desk, letting Vanya and the others negotiate with the caretaker. He doesn't want to crowd her, but he will stay within earshot, just in case he's needed. He's not going to start down the secret passage until the entire group is together. Nasty things hang out in secret passages.
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Starlene moves to join Bevek, much as she believes she could mollify the blind caretaker's suspicions, too many people down here could make her concerned, and there was no need to worry the lady.
Hmm, so why would you have a blind caretaker looking after a library? Wouldn;t that make it difficult to sort the books...? she wonders to herself.
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Vanya studies the supposedly blind caretaker, choosing her words carefully:"Vanya's the name... I'm here with other fellow new recruits. To study the history of Taldor. We were supposed to take part in the commemoration... but to quote our superior:"In the end duty is its own reward"... And now I know who said that..."
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"Oh joy, just what the world needs more little Lion Blades," Ilyanna says, setting down a book damage book she was carefully rebinding, "I suppose duty is another weapon for such as you."
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"We were just sent to alert you about our presence, but please feel free to tell us about your personal story. Seems rather odd to have a blind caretaker in a place so full of books!"
While she talks Vanya starts moving near the caretaker, not really interessed in her personal story, yet signaling Saera to try to distract the old woman while she pickpockets her for the keys:
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Vanya spies a ring bearing four keys upon Iliyana's waist and is able to pluck it without the blind woman noticing,
"It is not so much of a coincidence when I was blinded for the role. But if you wish my help you must have your master sanction it. Was there anything else?"
Searching in the room with the desk and secret door Starlene and Bevek find some kind of cypher, and a text called "Failed Prophecies" which gives a detailed analysis of various "Ironclad" prophecies of Arodenites that failed and comes to the clear conclusion that any Arodenite prophecy should be viewed with a healthy does of scepticism.
While they are still searching the music from above swells dramatically.
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"What?! they blinded you for this job?!" Saera exclaims as the others sneak around and pickpocket the blind woman, "Why the heck did they do that?!"
That's... crazy...
Saera signals the others to get out of the room if they're done. For now Saera continues to listen to the woman's story. She's shocked by what the woman said, but her main reason to continue talking remains to distract the old caretaker Boderus and Vanya are in the room.
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Vanya signals she has the keys and moves away from the caretaker:"No, I guess there's nothing else to be said. We announced ourselves to you, as required. Now, if you don't mind we shall spend the next hours scanning dusty old tomes for some nonsensical notion or the other... Have a nice day, my lady"
When out of the room and sure the caretaker is not following them Vanya moves to the next closed door and scans it for traps before trying to open it with the key.
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The next room, containing cabinets with two tall drawers, each line the east and west walls of this room. A relief carving of a lion’s head dominates the south wall, hanging imperiously over a low stone step.
Six freestanding statuettes of lions in various poses stand atop the furniture.
Starlene looks around and quickly realizes that this room contains dossiers on Lion Blade agents past and present. Examining the documents in their entirety would take weeks, but even a cursory search of the papers shows that Taldor’s most infamous spies maintain a presence in nearly every nation of the Inner Sea region and in numerous nations that lie beyond. The rest of the documents pertain to known artifacts, holy sites, and cursed properties.
Moving beyond the files, Bevek notices that the large lion carving is stylistically similar to the Guardian, but it conceals an unlocked secret door.
The stone step below the door has four shallow, cylindrical recesses that are the same size as the base on each of the six freestanding statuettes scattered about the room. Bevek discerns that the step acts as a combination lock — though rather than locking the door, it seems ready to trigger some other device should someone open the door without disarming it.
Each miniature lion is portrayed in a different way to symbolize a particular virtue.
One crouches as if preparing to ambush its prey.
The second is roaring as it leaps at prey.
The third wears a yoke that is chained to a large block that the lion strains to pull.
The fourth wears a tiny pair of spectacles and reads from an ornate scroll.
The fifth is draped in the flag of Taldor.
The sixth sits erect and wears a crown.
Respectively, they represent Cunning, Bravery, Perseverance, History, Loyalty, and Nobility....
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Ah! We've run in to sayings whilst we've been down here, I recall 'persevere, persevere, persevere!' being one of them! Now what were the others?
In the end loyalty is its own reward
A cunning lie is never told twice
Our Monarch's Virtues are our Own
To serve Taldor, I must first learn the history of Taldor
The keenest eyes cannot see everything. Always remember to see the big picture
So that's six sayings for six miniature lions, now what order!?
The rooms don't have numbers on their doors, and we haven't read anything listing the virtues in order of importance, which just leaves us with the sayings themselves, hmmm
There's a first, a twice and an end, but nothing about 'three', 'third', 'triad' or the like. Perseverance is however iterated three times!
Starlene places the lions in order: history, cunning, perseverance then loyalty.
If possible she'll be on alert to dodge away in case she's wrong and she sets something off!
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Saera quietly moves away from the blind woman while the lady starts answering her questions. As fast as she can without making noise, Saera joins the others.
"Wow, that's some quick thinking, Starlene!" Saera waits for something to happen. She keeps a safe distance, but she doesn't feel like being hit by darts again.
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Boderus steps into the new room with the others and takes a quick glance around.
"Didn't we have a puzzle at the entrance of the library also? Although this might work too."
As he said the last thing Starlene moves the lions, boderus steps back quickly to dodge anything that might cross the room.
"Anything?"
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Vanya, having followed the others nods at Starlene's reasoning:"Mmmh... good thinking... I suspect the sayings indicate the "taldan virtues we are supposed to share with our monarch" and the lions do the same after a fashion... so, well... we need to figure loyalty is the last one... obviously. As the history of Taldor is first, of course. Then we need to figure what goes between the first and the last virtue, I suppose cunning could be second due to the "never spoken twice" phrase but then? Do we need to use all of the statues?" as she talks Vanya prudently steps away from the lions
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Starlene deftly places the statues in the order he thinks best. A tense moment of silence falls on the room, then the sound of a click as the trap is disabled. Opening the secret door, the party sees a rectangular room. Chests of expert craftsmanship line the walls, and on the far side of the room stand two bookshelves burdened with yellow-paged tomes and sundry ancient trinkets. Banners and tapestries cover nearly every inch of the walls, each representing long-dead nations or depicting conflicts left not chronicled.
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Starlene is impressed with herself, evidently she'd stayed awake that day in bard college when they were going over abstract linguistic problem solving. No-one is more surprised than her!
She has an ear to ear grin as she starts searching through the documents and shelves looking for something of use.
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Much of the relics and historical artifacts here are valuable by nature of their origins
and age, not their condition or material. As part of the time spent searching for texts, you run across a heavy bronze shield decorated with a lion’s head in the same style as the Guardian’s.
Saera is able to find a thin journal that explores the origins of Tar-Baphon,
studies the circumstance of his lichdom, and analyses what the author knew of his necromantic techniques from the perspective of a scholar searching for a weak spot in the Whispering Tyrant’s defences.
You also uncover the following missive:
Lines of Succession
This long scroll details the rules of succession throughout the history of Taldor. It also highlights times when the nation chose an heir in a way that was an exception to the rules. This matches the description of what the Pathfinder Society is tasked to recover for Princess Eutropia.
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Boderus moves forward and picks up the shield as the others are searching the room.
"Guys, I think we might have found the key to release our big friend. Are we going to try? Or are we leaving him here, which I think will cause less ruckus. Although the prospect of a giant statue running about is quite fun."
The last he added with an evil grin.
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Boderus determines that by carefully reading between the lines of the journal, one might be able to use the author’s notes to recreate several of the Whispering Tyrant’s techniques; these include novel ways to command undead, methods for empowering necromancy spells, and even a few details about how to become a lich.
You know that recording a few notes isn’t enough; you must smuggle the journal out of the library to deliver to Zarta Dralneen.
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Doubling back through the last room and its records reveals...
Cryptic References
This text is a mess of esoteric poetry and obscure riddles. One of these entries describes a silver horn once used by Taldor, which seems
to be hidden somewhere in southern Brevoy. Spending considerably more time analyzing the poem may reveal additional hints about this horn and its location.
A quick side search of the last missed room finds five broad desks lining the walls of this study room. Each work surface is covered with stacked volumes brimming with page markers as well as numerous open books.
Bevek finds Encarthan Maps
These maps depict Lake Encarthan, the Isle of Terror, and the nations that surround it. Of particular interest are the hundreds of hand-drawn
notes and lines showing troop movements, preserving the changing plans of the brilliant generals who orchestrated the Shining Crusade
Perception Bevek
Bevek manages to lift the notes, and is certain he has not disturbed the rest of the records...
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"I'm taking this. I know of someone who can use it." Saera puts the journal on the origins of Tar-Baphon in her backpack.
Zarta will like this.
Saera takes a look at the shield Boderus found. "You think this is the key to freeing mister lion?"
She studies the shield, figuring if it's a magic item she may be able to activate it.
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Let's go and show the lion, maybe he can animate himself and walk out of the wall and on to it and go adventuring with us? Who wouldn't want a talking lion on their shield!?
Starlene grins =D
But I'm not carrying him, all that stone would weigh a ton!
As long as they have everything they came for, Starlene leads everyone back to Glorymane's room.
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Weeelllll...we solved a puzzle with little lion statues and found what we were after, and we also found this shield with a lion on it! It's not a banner but would it do to help you?
She asks genuinely, really wanting to help the entity, she can't think of anything worse than being trapped in one place forever...
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Let's see. We've got a bunch of information on the Shining Crusade. And we've this scroll on the Taldor lines of succession. So I think we've got what we were sent for. I think getting this guardian out would be the icing on the crumpet, so to speak. Considering the shield has a lion similar to one on the wall back there, I bet this would be a suitable vessel. I say we take it in there and see if it knows how to transfer itself.