Milo went back to the statue, and then went down the stairs, searching for traps as he went.
Milo doesn't find any more traps. The stairs end at the stuck door that Talga told you leads to Darius's chambers.
Milo had a go at opening the portal, lowering his shoulder and giving the door a shove.
Anasa reaches over the top of Milo to give a push to the door.
Elya tries to assist the hafling and the fighter. She is unable to assist.
"Maybe I should step out of the way," Milo said, moving back from the door. He knew he wasn't the strongest one here.
Guy laughs at everyone's inability, motioning for all to move aside as he alone would move the stone door.
He, like the rest, fails.
The door yields as Milo shoves his weight against it. While this room may have been used as a shrine long ago, its contents are now a ghastly mockery of its former purpose. To the south, an altar upon a raised dais is surrounded by mosaics depicting a stern woman with long, flowing white hair, all of which has been slathered in filth and gore. The whole area reeks of decay and cloying, clotted blood.
A hobgoblin is hunched over the altar, feeding on the corpse of a goblin. Blood drips from his strange three-pronged tongue. When he spots you, he snarls, abandoning his meal.
Before you can react, Drakus strides across the room towards Milo. His features suddenly seem to melt inwards, flesh sloughing away in a gruesome display to reveal a blank, whorled visage! The faceless creature rakes Milo with a claw!
Milo grunted in pain as the creature clawed him. He stabbed at the creature with his dagger, before retreating.
Milo stabs twice at the creature to no avail. As Milo tries to retreat, Drakus takes the opportunity to slice open his throat with a claw! The halfling falls, blood pouring from the wound.
"What is that thing?" Colvet wonders in horror, but still does his best to contribute to the fight, casting a decently lengthy spell, sending a trio of force missiles at the undead.
Elya sees Milo fall, and channels at the thirty foot range level. Then she takes a step up and gets out of the way for others to move forward.
Milo regained consciousness as Elya's healing washed over him. He had a terrible headache.
"Abominations cannot be reasoned with," Anasa snaps with clinched teeth as he steps forward to swing his maul at the creature.
The sight of Drakus' true form sends Guy into a fervor. Terrified, he bravely rushes forth with his grandfather's blade, swinging it around his head wildly.
Anasa bashes Drakus with his maul, but the creature's rubbery flesh seems resilient against bludgeoning damage, and the fighter does no harm.
Guy rushes past the monster and scores a critical hit, his oversized sword tearing deep into its body! Colvet fires a barrage of magic missiles into it, leaving Drakus terribly wounded.
Shrieking in rage, Drakus draws a long sword and hacks at Guy, delivering a critical hit of his own!
Seeing how effective his previous attack was, Colvet pulls magical energy from his staff and releases it in another blast of force.
Colvet's second barrage tears bloody holes in Drakus's body. The faceless monster staggers backwards and falls, sword clattering to the floor.
Colvet steps over the fallen monster, ”That wasn’t too bad. You alright, Milo?” he asks, venturing into the room and looking for other things of note.
Milo got to his feet. "I just about met the Lady of Graves for real."
After resting for a moment, he searched the alter.
Guy kicks the dead body and laughs a short single bark. His eyes glaze over with fatigue after the combat, but he soon shakes it off. Bending down, the halfling cleans the sword on Drakus' garb. "All this and he wasn't even a bugbear. But what was he? I have never seen such a creature."
Milo doesn't find anything on the altar besides the dead goblin and the layer of gore and filth slathered all over it.
Milo checked the rest of the room, and examined the door on the east side of the chamber. "We need to find where Drakus stashed the Star of Desna."
Elya moves into the room with the others. "Use one of the potions Milo. I"m running low on healing channels for today."
"OK Elya," Milo said, drinking one of the potions they had found.
A natural passage continues to the north here into another cavern. The door to the east is locked, but Drakus's key opens it.
Beyond the door is a short hallway that leads to a flight of stairs, ascending into a small chapel. This space is perfectly still and spotlessly clean, a stark departure from the grime and filth that has marred the rest of this complex. This small shrine remains a sacred place of Pharasma. Her imagery appears again here, in a simple mosaic on the wall above a stone altar. Atop the altar is a book, a dagger, and a silver bowl.
The book on the altar is a copy of The Bones Land in a Spiral, one of Pharasma’s sacred texts. The book is open to a passage discussing the proper litany to be spoken when sanctifying a creature’s passage into Pharasma’s realm.
The silver bowl is filled with a dose of holy water, but as long as the bowl remains on the altar, a glance into the waters within reveals to the viewer an image of their future. In this case, it shows whoever looks into the bowl an image of a much older version of themself, trudging through a vast desert at night, while the stars wheel at a dizzying speed overhead before blinking out into darkness, one by one. This vision remains the same for each of you.
The dagger upon the altar is called Final Rest, and is a +1 ghost touch dagger.
In the chamber to the north, you find a filthy straw bed and a pair of chests. One is open and filled to the top with an assortment of clothes, while the other is locked. Drakus's key opens it, also disarming the poison needle trap on it. Inside this chest all of the treasure stolen over the last several months by Drakus and his goblins. A large amount of loot can be found within. This treasure is, of course, all stolen property from various Magnimarian citizens--you are certain you will be rewarded for returning it.
Two items of note are inside the chest. The first is the Star of Desna, the heirloom Keleri Deverin sent you to retrieve. The second is a thick journal with title Notes of the Last Theorem scratched into its cover. The contents are written in Aklo in a careful hand.
The cavern to the north contains the five remaining goblins of the Mudchewer tribe. With Drakus's death, however, Guy is able to coerce them into surrender. None of the goblins wish to tangle with the mighty longshanks who slew their chieftain! They will either scurry off into the sewers or surrender themselves to your custody at your discretion.
With the Ashen Ossuary secure and the Star of Desna in hand, you return to the surface of the city and meet with Keleri. Keleri is thoroughly relieved to have the family heirloom back, but when she gets a chance to see the other things you have recovered, she is even more surprised by Notes on the Last Theorem. The book once belonged to the Chelish diplomat Necerion, a man who recently abandoned his duties in Magnimar and went missing. Milo recalls rumors that Necerion traveled to Osirion to chase legends of hidden treasures in the desert sands.
Keleri can read Aklo, and after studying the book for a while, she informs you of its contents. The book focuses on cataloging information about the supposed contents and location of a rare tome called The Last Theorem—a book said to contain exhaustive information on the sinister aliens of the Dominion of the Black, and in particular a number of hints toward an upcoming invasion of Golarion by these horrific monsters!
In addition, the book notes that The Last Theorem is said to contain magical formulas, equations, and incantations capable of affecting the physical world and "making ready the world for its new Dominion rulers." Much of the book seems to be concerned with an upcoming doomsday, yet no clues in Notes on the Last Theorem indicate what date this doom is to occur.
The mysterious book also clarifies that Necerion was much more than merely a Chelish diplomat and irrefutably proves that Necerion had ties to a nefarious secret society of Dominion cultists known as the Night Heralds. The book doesn't go into further details about the Night Heralds.
At this point, Keleri tells you she has a secret to share—she is a member of a secret society whose interests lie in the hidden nature of reality: the Esoteric Order of the Palatine Eye. Among other goals, the Esoteric Order seeks to find and control dangerous lore and secrets so that cults like the Night Heralds cannot use them for ill intent. While the Esoteric Order has other primary enemies (such as the death cultists known as the Whispering Way), they have of recent years grown more and more concerned with the machinations of the Night Heralds, and the hints provided in the pages of Notes on the Last Theorem are truly worrying to Keleri, who fears that Necerion may be seeking some ancient doomsday weapon or other potent artifact. She cautions that the group is dangerous and must be stopped.
Keleri needs time to study Notes on the Last Theorem and to report back to the Esoteric Order about this lucky find. She invites you to help her in studying the text and even offers to sponsor them if they wish to seek membership in the Esoteric Order.
"I would be honored to join. My family has a long history of membership." Elya responds to Keleri.
"I am also happy to work on the text with you."
"The Order will be happy to have you, Sister Elya," Keleri says. "I am sure your insights will prove a welcome boon to our organizaton."
Guy is eager to be part of anything a Deverin invites him to, viewing them truly as family. "As ever, my lady, my grandfather's sword is dedicated to your family. I will gladly join this Order."
"Excellent!" Keleri says, shaking Guy's head. "There's a lot of work to do. We'd better get started..."
Two Years Later...
Chapter 2: In Pale Mountain's Shaow
4709 AR
You have been summoned to a meeting in the trade town of Kelmarane in the nation of Katapesh. Overrun years ago by bandits, gnolls, and slavers, the town spent most of its recent history in ruins. Within the last year, the town was reclaimed by adventurers and is now well on its way to seizing its original mantle as a prosperous trading post. While several buildings in town remain in ruins, numerous work crews toil at repairing the major structures, while canvas roofs on smaller buildings provide temporary lodgings.
It's in one of the larger buildings, an ancient church to Sarenrae, that you've been hired to meet with a representative of the Esoteric Order of the Palatine Eye: Lady Kamisora Vord. Lady Vord offered an enticing sum of 45 gp for each of you, along with the promise of great treasures to be found on the journey.
The five of you have been an adventuring group for some time, and your previous exploits have brought you to Lady Vord's attention. When you reach the church, a young man stops you at the door. "What is your business here?" he asks, eyeing you warily--especially Anklebiter.
The first to speak is a tall, half-elven woman with a pair of swords at her back We've been hired by..." she looks at her companions for a moment, before remembering the rest of her sentence, Lady.. Kamisora? Vord- pretty sure that's her name- to carry out an expedition of some sort. We're here to find out details," she explains.
"And it would be very rude to keep us waiting," Sercha adds.
The sorceress looks around the temple nervously. She doesn't seem entirely comfortable to be entering the house of the Everlight.
The young man steps aside and gestures toward the descending stairwell in the center of the room. Clearing his throat, he loudly proclaims, "You enter the distinguished presence of Lady Kamisora Vord, First Throne of the Esoteric Order of the Palatine Eye. My lady, your mercenaries have arrived."
A bemused voice echoes out from the stairwell. "Camadus, I might remind you we are meant to be a secret society. Perhaps next time you might refrain from speaking our name in front of every common laborer. Send my new arrivals down to meet me, if you please."
The man grimaces but maintains his composure as he waves you ahead.
Lady Vord is sitting on a small stool, her posture refined despite her surroundings. Her features are stern and she keeps her black hair, streaked with strands of gray, pulled back into a long braid. Despite the heat, she wears an embroidered black gown. An expensive lantern rests on the floor near her, illuminating a door that appears to have once been barred. A metal plate in the center of the door is covered with etched lines in strange patterns. Lady Vord is in the process of copying those runes into a journal emblazoned with a golden scarab beetle with a single eye on its back. As you arrive, she sets the journal down and rises to meet her guests, speaking in a heavy Ustalavic accent.
"The Order appreciates your presence here today. I trust the figure in my summons was sufficient to secure your services. I have been studying with great interest a report from one of our agents, a Magnimarian named Keleri Deverin, regarding an object of interest. We have reason to believe a treasure of particular import lies under Pale Mountain, in an ancient complex called the Tomb of Tular Seft. I had been planning an attempt to retrieve it for some time, but I've received word that dangerous cultists called the Night Heralds seek this treasure as well and have sent forces to retrieve it. Hence, I secured your services rather than waiting for agents of the Order to arrive.
"Fortunately, we have an advantage they do not. The majority of the Tomb of Tular Seft is a labyrinth that, while compact, is difficult to navigate and is rumored to be filled with traps and beasts. Keleri's research, though, reveals a back entrance to the tomb hidden in the lower slopes of Pale Mountain. This entrance is said to appear as a blank stone within a 'scar' across the mountain. With luck, you can reach the tomb and secure the treasure before the Night Heralds can even enter the complex. Camadus has prepared a map of the route.
"The object I require is a large gemstone with a series of shifting hieroglyphs glowing within it. If you can read the hieroglyphs, you will note they represent a number that appears to be counting down. Keleri's text refers to this gemstone as a 'countdown clock,' but other than the rumors of it being hidden in Tular Seft's tomb, we know little about its specific location within. All other treasures you find in the tomb are yours to keep, though the Order may wish to purchase any items vital to our efforts at an especially fair price.
"Any questions?"
"Is there any special care we need to exercise in handling this gem?" Sercha asks, continuing to look around nervously. "And what's it counting down to?"
"You shouldn't need to take any special precautions," Lady Vord says. "As for what the clock is counting down to, we're not entirely sure, but we doubt it's anything good. That's why we need you to secure the item, so that we might study it and divine its secrets."
"Fair enough. Sounds simple to me. Follow the map, kill the monsters, find a treasure, and make it back alive?" she shrugs, "I think we can do it."
A heavily armored, muscular half-orc spoke with an assured voice, "Pleased to meet you, Lady Vord; I am Shadrach."
He listened closely to her description of the mission; after she finished he asked, "How far is the tomb from here? What can you tell us about the lands in between?"
"The tomb is roughly 80 miles away. The terrain is mostly flat plains, low hills, and old roads. Once you reach the foothills of the Brazen Peaks, though, travel will become more difficult for the last 8 miles. The path will take you through scrubby vegetation to a wet, sandy area at the mouth of a small river. You'll then follow the river and have to climb several cliffs and steep inclines up the side of Pale Mountain to reach the trial to the tomb itself.
"If you'd like, I can arrange camels for you to use on your journey."
Shadrach nodded, "Camels would be most appreciated; that's a long way to walk in heavy armor.
"Camels? I've never ridden on a camel before." A very small female gnome wearing no armor, and fancy robes with lots of embroidery clambers out from behind some boxes. "Just checking things out. You know how it is. Elly at your service."
"So a couple of days to get there even with camels, correct? Do we have food? I'm not sure if I brought enough food." She wanders off to poke at more things in the room.
Entirely unaware of any suspicious eyes, Anklebiter smells their foot in the carriage. Gross. Following that, they hop on down to the ground, rolling from their heels to their toes, anxious to get moving. They stay quiet, until after being talked to for a long time. Sister Caroline said that patience was a virus or something and that Anklebiter would do very well to practice it. So they practiced, and listened very hard.
We are going to a tomb? On camels? Anklebiter realizes they may have not quite paid enough attention. After clearing their throat loudly and dramatically, preparing themselves for a speech, they launch right into it. "Excuse me, but wot's a camel?"
Shadrach replied to the goblin, "It's like a horse, only a bit bigger and with a worse temper! They can go longer without drinking, so they're good when the water's scarce."
He turned to Lady Vord. "In addition to riding camels, we'll want some pack camels to carry food, water and camping gear."
Lady Vord nods. "Of course. We can provide you with tents and provisions. Camadus also has a few other items to assist you with your quest. Good luck--I look forward to your successful return."
She sends you upstairs, where Camadus hands you a carefully drawn map showing the direction to the tomb's back entrance. He also gives you an ivory scroll tube containing a scroll of fly and a +1 bastard sword. "You'll probably be able to put this to good use," he says to Shadrach.
"May you find speed and insight on your course. For performing this service, you will earn a good name within the Order—a reward greater than the coin, whether you believe it so or not."
Camadus then speaks a short phrase of farewell in another tongue.
"What he say? I don't speak that one. I need to learn new stuff. I might learn this language." She gives him a bright farewell in Sylvan.
"It is an honor to wield such a fine weapon," Shadrach replied.
He sat down and studied the map.
Lilata nods in response to the farewell, responding in kind,
"Seek and you will find. It's a typical farewell for knowledge-seekers." she clarifies, "Anyway, we have treasures to find!"
Once you are all squared away, you mount your camels and ride out of Kelmarane. The journey northwest takes you through low hills and old roads as you travel towards the distant Brazen Peaks.
Before they departed, Shadrach looked for a deal on a healing staff.
Once they were on their way, he tried to help find the best rout to travel.