Yeah, but the individual items aren't listed in your alias. XD I remember a lot of stuff for the game, but the exact breakdown of every kit is a bit much. Adding its contents in parentheses would probably be wise.
The shrine itself is a building with several rooms across two floors - not huge, but kept up reasonably well, and decorated with iconography without being ostentatious about it. They're not hiding what it is, but they're not deliberately drawing attention, either - though the front of the building faces the road, and it's almost certain that they're keeping a pointed eye on the slaves moving in and out of the area. The area you were directed to seemed to be accessed through a small, little-used alleyway off to the left - though you could also make a stop inside the shrine if you wanted to.
The inside of the shrine was well-tended... and a bit empty, really. The place seemed almost deliberately subdued, with the minimum necessary components to function as an authentic place of worship. Sitting in the back was a middle-aged man dressed as one of Sarenrae's priests, and he looked up from a thick book as you entered. One look made it clear that he, at least, had plenty of faith - as he probably had to, considering where he was. "Welcome, friend." he said. "How can our church help you today?"
Astoroth smiles at the man. "Greetings, sir. You're just about the only friendly face I've seen in this city, so far. I'm a scholar of knowledge and am currently visiting the various religious centers here to see how the various faiths interact - especially with a country as Asmodeus-focused as Cheliax. Would you mind if I asked you a few questions?"
"Not at all. After all, answering questions about faith is one of the reasons I'm here! The Everlight is patient and kind, but would be justly upset at me if I failed to do my job. What would you like to know?" He asked, clearly happy to have the opportunity to share Sarenrae's views on the world.
"Thank you very much. Your helpfulness is greatly appreciated. I should start with the most obvious question first: You're located right outside a large slave market in a city where Hell's legions patrol the streets. How do you and your flock keep from going mad?"
Other questions "Approximately how large is you flock? Are you permitted to evangelize to the slave population?"
"I understand that this area has a large concentration of shadow beasts. Do they give you any trouble? Have you had any run-ins with them?"
"The smallest light of goodness is enough to keep evil at bay. We have an agreement with Asmodeus' kind, and while I will not speak good of devils, I will acknowledge that they keep their word. Their exact, literal word." he smiled slightly. "The agreement for our presence here was written with the supervision of some of the brightest minds in Axis, clearly detailing each side's rights and responsibilities. The devils do not threaten us - we fear for neither our bodies nor our souls despite their presence, so it's much easier to tolerate than many expect. Also..." he pointed upwards, towards where a golden bell hung. "This place is protected. The Everlight's flock here has several hundred outright worshipers, and many more who believe but do not publicly display their faith because of the local laws. We are not permitted to minister to the slaves, but they see our church as they walk by - as do the slavers themselves, several of whom have even converted after the realization that the heavens were watching became too much for them to bear. I have seen the Shadow Beasts - after thirty years of plaguing this town, there are few who haven't. However, I do not fear them - they dare not cross these premises, and indeed, we often shelter those who were caught out late and give them succor until morning. It is a protection the devils have not offered."
Astoroth nods in interest. "I see. So you have a noninterference contract with the devils. That makes sense. Still, isn't it difficult to see atrocities committed outside your doors and be unable to help? Or do the local slavers give you consideration by keeping such deeds out of sight?"
"It does not matter how close they are - troubles are troubles, and they would be no less awful if they were further away... nor are they worse simply because they are closer. As for those who go too far... we report them." the priest smiled again. "It's one of my favorite parts of our treaty, actually. We retain the right to petition for justice if any of Sarenrae's followers are unduly punished. Such as, say, being beaten just because their owner wanted to hit them. There are actually a number of devils who occupy the hall, and in addition to their other duties, they make sure the Everlight's followers are treated well and report to us when there are problems. As you might imagine, the Everlight's faith is very popular amongst the slaves. It's not always easy to properly manage things in this city, but few worthwhile things are."
"It sounds as though you almost have a cordial relationship with the Asmodeans - at least as much as you could be given your differing ideologies. Fascinating." Astoroth gives a genuine smile. He'd learned something new. "You've been very enlightening, and I appreciate your helpfulness. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to be on my way. Are there any other religious sites such as yours in the city? I plan to visit the Qatada Nessudidia, but I was hoping to save that for later. I've had enough interactions with devil-worshipers for a while."
Once he's made his leave, Astoroth will make sure he isn't being observed and then head to the back alley.
"Not many, I'm afraid. There is a temple to Pharasma - even the devils are wary of crossing her, and Asmodeus has no reason to oppose her work here - but that's the only other major church in the city."
With that, you were able to slip around to the back - and as promised, there's a shrine there with a lot of symbols... and one look tells you that you're going to have to focus hard in order to spot the differences in the dozens of symbols that fill this shrine. Most of them look like unusually ornate versions of a normal symbol, so complicated that their normal meaning is all but totally obscured by the overlapping symbols etched onto them.
There are two ways of solving this puzzle. The first is making a DC 20 Intelligence check - each attempt takes 5 minutes. The second method is actually solving this symbol puzzle - feel free to use any image-editing program you like, or even print and scan it if you prefer - which represents the process of finding the patterns and discovering what you're looking for. Given the added effort required for the second method, completing it will get you an additional reward.
Astoroth spends approximately 20 minutes studying the multitude of symbols before he's able to figure out the pattern and pick out the sole outlier.
That was a lot of funl :-) I'm assuming #18 represents the correct holy symbol as it's the only entry that doesn't have a perfect match in the puzzle. The $ is the wrong color.
As your hands move through the puzzle, a pattern slowly emerges in your mind. All of the symbols within the case have multiple layers of meaning. Some seem to be dedicated to one deity when they actually represent another, while others seem to be meaningless at first but are actually sacred when examined closely. It's only when you're able to interpret all of the meanings on all of the symbols that you find the odd one out - a symbol whose first and second layers both seem holy, but with a third meaning in its design that's actually mundane and meaningless. Removing it from the case causes all of the other symbols to briefly flash.
You've gained 1 temporary bonus use of mythic energy. You can expend this energy to activate any of your abilities that cost mythic power without paying their normal cost. This energy lasts until expended, but can only be used once.
When the light dies down, the entire shrine starts rotating, revealing a set of spiral stairs that descend deep into the ground.
Cool! By the way, I love puzzles and am am avid Scrabble and Sudoku player IRL. :-)
Astoroth stands still as the shrine rotates, then cautiously heads down the stairs as soon as the movement ceased. This location was becoming more interesting by the minute.
As you move down the stairs, they eventually open up to reveal a massive cavern. The roof is transparent - you can see up through the stone to the streets above, though no buildings can be seen into - and whatever effect was used has allowed light to reach down to this place, and there appears to be some connection to the ocean as well.
Whatever the building in front of you was like before, though, it's now a weed-choked mess. Nevertheless, there are still telltale signs that these grounds were once lovingly tended and beautiful. Huge Shoanti totems (some of them still standing) line the western border of the yard, while here and there stand algae-choked fountains adorned with authentic Osirian hieroglyphs. The inside of the front gate is flanked by a pair of statues of warrior women too detailed to be anything but genuine imports from Geb’s legendary field of maidens. The entire compound is surrounded by a 12-foot-tall stone wall, its face encrusted with bird droppings, salt deposits from the sea, and other signs of neglect.
Moving forward, you find a sagging veranda, its columns thick and mildew spotted with age, adorning the building's facade. Two huge oaken doors stand in the center of the veranda, a carving of a road receding into the horizon inscribed within a circle decorating each portal. A wooden placard above the doors hangs precariously from rotting joints, its face bearing an inscription that reads 'To liberate the Past for the knowledge of Today; to live the maxim that fortune is earned by the bold; to prove there are no boundaries.'
Most intriguing... An ancient ruin protected by a complicated religious puzzle. Relics from multiple civilizations. Is that inscription familiar, by any chance? Astoroth couldn't remember, so he pulled out Book for a quick consultation. Perhaps it had some knowledge about this place. Once his perusal was complete, Astoroth took a few minutes to scan for any traps and magic auras before approaching the door.
The pages in the Book of Truths flipped back and forwards for a few moments, as if a little confused, before finally settling on one particular page. On that particular page was listed a brief overview of a massive organization dedicated to uncovering lost treasures and cataloging them as part of a massive ongoing research effort. A few notes at the bottom suggested this organization was still active - but this place had clearly not been used in a long time, and seemed to be an abandoned base. Places this big didn't get built on a whim, though - whatever else it had been, it had once been important. The Book seemed a little vaguer on the topic than usual, though - and generally seemed to be that way on recent topics until you'd had the chance to study them elsewhere. Its ability to gather information hadn't functioned quite as well when you were sleeping.
There didn't seem to be any sign of magical auras in this area, and careful examination during the process of checking for auras revealed that the door itself was unlocked and cracked slightly open.
Possibly, but it would have been far smaller and weaker then - no more than a small club of like-minded individuals, as opposed to its eventual status as what's reportedly the most powerful organization in the world. XD
Wide wooden stairs curl around the outer walls of this large vestibule, leading to the floor above. Several cushioned chairs line the east and west walls, all facing a large but empty display platform in the center of the room. A bronze plaque bearing an inscription sits on the north edge of the platform, while several huge paintings, each six feet tall, hang on the walls. Most of the paintings have been defaced and damaged beyond repair, but one seems untouched — a depiction of a pair of hunters overlooking the recently slain body of a horned beast. The way ahead is wide and open, allowing you to see into what looks like a library of some sort. There doesn't seem to be anyone else in either of the rooms.
Forgoing the chairs, Astoroth approaches the display platform and attempts to read the plaque before studying the paintings. While this room appeared to simply be an art gallery, the sole surviving painting could also be another test.
Knowledge(nature):1d20 + 12 ⇒ (4) + 12 = 16(what kind of animal?) Knowledge(religion):1d20 + 12 ⇒ (15) + 12 = 27(any apparent religious significance?) Linguistics:1d20 + 12 ⇒ (8) + 12 = 20(for the plaque, if necessary)
The plaque is a simple one, written in Common, and reads 'Triceratops slain by Donatalus Bisby — 4599 AR'. It clearly held something once upon a time, but whatever was once here is long gone, and a fair bit of dust coats the platform. There don't seem to be any items of particularly religious significance here - none that have survived the years, at least.
Before moving on, Astoroth takes a moment to divine for any remaining magic auras. If none are found in the room, he then cautiously enters the library.
Perception (traps):1d20 + 7 ⇒ (20) + 7 = 27
Spending one sphere point to divine as a standard action.
There don't seem to be any magical auras within the display chamber - nor any traps. The next room, on the other hand, is far more interesting. After all, books!
An airy hall separates two repositories lined with shelves of books. Once a welcoming library, the twin chambers are now covered with a film of dust. Looking over the titles, it seems that most of these books relate to the activities of the Pathfinder Society. The north wall of the western side contains a significant number of books in a series of chronicles - quite a few numbers are missing, but on average, at least three in every four volumes are present.
Of somewhat more interest is the top shelf on the top wall of the east wing. Five books here radiate latent magical energies, and are titled as follows:
The Shipwreck of Hoakrem Krin Scorin Kastel and the Siege of Moenspire The Lycanthropy of Evran Townsend Memoirs of a Hatchling Nursemaiden The Imprisonment of Marcos Trom
Books! And a multitude of them! If he hadn't had a job to do, Astoroth would spend days in here reading the chronicles. If the sheer number of volumes was any indication, the Pathfinder Society was definitely an organization worth looking into. If his memory was accurate, there was a small group of explorers using that name when he was still a full deity. If these chronicles were written by members, this forgotten library held the potential to fill in many knowledge gaps.
At the moment, however, there was someone who needed rescuing.... The Endless Fount attempted to identify the auras surrounding the magical books while searching through the shelves for any related material.
Spellcraft:1d20 + 12 ⇒ (2) + 12 = 14Surge:1d6 ⇒ 3
Do any of the magic books seem related to the other chronicles? Especially the series with missing volumes.
The books seem somewhat less important than the long series of Chronicles - something like a series of lesser, independent volumes that probably weren't considered important enough to go into the main collection, but were still valuable enough to be printed. Either that or the writers were just well-liked by the organization. The magical aura within them seems to be universal, rather than specifically aligned with one of the schools - unusual, though not completely unheard of, especially for effects that weren't created by spells. Unfortunately, that also makes their effects rather unpredictable - you'd have to risk reading them to find out what happens.
The phantom had spoken of being trapped somewhere, and these volumes radiated magic. Astoroth sighed. The fool had gotten himself stuck inside a cursed book, more than likely. Hopefully he'd be able to free him without trapping himself in the process. As much as Astorth loved books, he had no desire to be imprisoned in one.
With a flick of his finger, he called The Imprisonment of Marcos Trom from its place on the shelf and attempted to open it.
Using the telekinesis sphere to retrieve and open the book. If nothing happens, he'll maintain telekinesis and start reading. He's going to avoid touching it for as long as possible.
The moment you look at the page, a barrage of feelings and emotions assaults your mind.
Will DC 15:1d20 + 9 ⇒ (5) + 9 = 14
Even your formidable mind wasn't quite strong enough to withstand the barrage of memories that began to flow into your mind. Though you could cut them off right now - through a surge of willpower - you could also choose to willingly experience whatever was going on. The memories seem somewhat desperate, but not actually hostile to you. Are you willing to risk unknown dangers in order to learn what power this book contains...?
The book imparts to you the sorrowful tale of an Ustalavic nobleman named Marcos Trom, who was wrongfully accused of murdering an administrative official and hurled into the bowels of a massive prison. There, Marcos languished for 8 years, surviving frequent lashings without any chance to see the sun. Only careful planning followed by ingenious tunneling made his escape possible, yet as he emerged into the hills south of the prison after a grueling crawl through ghoul-infested warrens, he discovered that during his stay in prison he had actually died and transformed into an undead mockery of his former life — he enjoyed only a few moments of sun and freedom before burning to ashes.
The desperate and cruel memories imparted by this book impart both a longing for freedom and a powerful focus of the mind, granting a +1 bonus on Escape Artist checks and a +2 bonus on concentration checks, both untyped bonuses. Be sure to make a notation on your profile sheet about their source so you don't forget and accidentally delete it later.
As the memories finish flowing into you, the book falls inert, and the magic within seemed to have left it.
A tragic story, but not that of his petitioner. While it was possible that he wasn't even housed in one of these books, the possibility had to be eliminated before Astoroth could move on. Truth be told, only the promise of great knowledge was keeping Astoroth from staying in the library until all the Chronicles were read.
Unless something happens to interrupt him, Astoroth will read the magic books in the following order. As long as the magic doesn't appear malignant, he'll voluntarily fail any saving throws.
2. The Shipwreck of Hoakrem Krin
1. Scorin Kastel and the Siege of Moenspire
3. The Lycanthropy of Evran Townsend
4. Memoirs of a Hatchling Nursemaiden
The Shipwreck of Hoakrem Krin has an effect much like the first, and recalls his time as a passenger on a voyage across the Arcadian ocean. Captain Krin’s ship was destroyed by a kraken, but he survived alone by escaping on a makeshift raft. For 118 days Krin drifted, surviving on rainwater and fish caught with an improvised spear, eventually landing well south of Sargava. He trekked overland for 37 days through the jungle to finally reach civilization, after enduring all manner of peril.
It, too, seems to fall inert after you read it.
These memories of torment and horror grant a +1 bonus on Knowledge (geography) and Survival checks and on all Fortitude saves. The memories here seem to push out the effects of the previous tome, replacing them with something new. Are you sure you wish to keep reading, and risk losing these new benefits for something else?
Are these trapped memories that are being put to rest, or are they simply magic books that give power? If it's the former, Astoroth will read them all in the stated order. If it's the latter, he'll (reluctantly) stop now but hold onto the remaining books.
You stop reading. There doesn't seem to be any trace of souls or spirits here, merely a strangely powerful force calling up memories and empowering the reader. The remaining books promptly go into your backpack.
If you're done here, though, you'll have to decide where to go next. There's a door up ahead, leading further into the building. The previous chamber also had a pair of ramps heading up to the second floor - to say nothing of the two doors just inside the entrance, both of which look like they lead to halls of some kind.
Hmmm... So these books didn't seem to hold actual trapped souls but were merely repositories of memories. While this was interesting, it wasn't his main objective, so he stowed the remaining books away for later study. After pondering the various available options, Astoroth decided to to head further into the building. He currently had no idea how large it was, and determining the area he needed to search was important. In addition, he'd seen no signs of life thus far and wasn't too worried about something sneaking up on him from one of the unexplored area near the front of the complex.
The door opened into a hallway - and the hallway itself immediately opened up into a much larger room.
Once an exotic feasting hall, this central chamber is now covered in dust and grime. Many square tables and chairs sit throughout this room, although quite a few are partially collapsed or fallen over. A gigantic fifteen-foot-tall tank half filled with a cloud of murky brown water stands in the hall’s center, its wings of glass stretching in the four directions of the compass. A jumble of strange, bony shapes are just visible lying strewn on the bottom of the tank. Twenty feet above, the ceiling is draped in cobwebs.
Standing near the fountain, however, you could see a huge skeleton - one of an undead triceratops that looked up at you as you entered. Though massive, its bones looked brittle and old, and many of them had cracks - it was clearly not in the best of shape*, but that didn't stop it from crouching down slightly and preparing to charge at you.
So, the saurian from the painting somehow managed to reanimate. Wonderful. Top priority: get behind cover. The massive fountain tank should serve nicely. With a surge of power, Astoroth created a small rip in the fabric of space and stepped through it, launching a quick blast of force as it closed.
Mechanics:
Move Action: Spend 1 Mythic Power for Wild Arcana to teleport (Quick Teleport) 30ft to the square by the northernmost fountain wing.
Warp Sphere wrote:
You can spend a move action to teleport yourself and up to a heavy load to any place within Close range. You must have line of sight to your destination.
Standard Action: Spend 1 Spell Point to double the damage dice of my destructive blast.
The bolt of power made a cracking noise as it slammed into the massive skeleton, and you noticed a fair bit of bone get blasted away. The creature was big... but as far as touch powers went, that just made it a bigger target. The massive beast squeezed slightly as it began moving forward, its bones easily contracting as it moved through the gaps in the area - though that did seem to slow it a little, as well, and it only just managed to get into range to snap out with its teeth. Big as it was, it didn't need to be directly next to you to do that.
Astoroth jumps back, but not quite fast enough. He winces as teeth take a bite out of his arm. Backing up still further, he fires another bolt at the beast.
5ft step, then spending a sphere point to augment my destructive blast. Ranged Touch:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (7) + 6 = 13Bludgeoning Damage:2d6 ⇒ (2, 6) = 8
This time, a noticeably larger piece of the skeleton was blasted apart, though this failed to stop the massive skeleton from continuing to squeeze forward and snap out at you.
Melee:1d20 + 9 ⇒ (8) + 9 = 17
Its ancient, bony jaws closed only on empty air, though, as you were able to nimbly avoid its attempt to rip into you. Given the creature's size, it would likely take quite a few more attacks to bring it down - but at least you were easily capable of harming it.
Bolts of power continue to slam into the skeleton as it advances upon you, its old bones trembling slightly and losing small fragments each time they hit the ground.
This time, however, the beast's jaws bit straight into your arm as it lunged out in an unusually fast attack and shook your body up and down slightly to tear open the wound. Observing the damage you'd already done, you'd been able to do about half of what was necessary to blast out the creature's critical joints and stop it from getting up again - but just as clearly, it was important to avoid being overconfident when facing such a massive foe.
If you plan to focus on just unleashing those blasts, feel free to roll several rounds worth. ^^
Two shots later, the massive skeleton finally collapsed to the ground, its ancient bones groaning as they collapsed and the undead creature lay still. With it gone, you could now examine the rest of the chamber - or start heading through the other doors.
Wiping bone dust off himself, Astoroth began to examine the chamber. He takes special note of the contents of the massive fountain. He also makes sure to scan for any magical auras.
If the thing in the fountain is an animal, undead, or magical beast, I have a +12 to the relevant Knowledge check. I'm also taking 10min to divine for magic auras. And taking 20 on Perception for a 27.
The walls of the fountain seem faintly magical, but there doesn't seem to be anything living (or undead) inside of it. More interestingly, there are several magical auras of evocation within the tank, all of which seem weak but stable despite what's almost certainly been a long immersion in the water.
A few minutes of careful levitating later, seven small gems lay on the ground in front of you. Each of them was colored in a different hue of the rainbow, and contained what looked to be a continual flame spell within, allowing a certain degree of colored light to shine from each. Of course, the effect was somewhat marred by how dirty they were. The gems seemed mainly decorative, but would likely fetch a decent price if sold. Alternatively, they could be kept and actually used for illumination.
The gems were pretty, and the varying light colors could be useful later. Tucking them into a pocket, Astoroth proceeded to open the door leading further into this mysterious building.
That would be the left door on the map. Ignoring the side passages for now.
