Craggark-bot feels the sound burst wash over him and almost staggers under the assault, but is able to shake off its more deleterious effects. He quickly moves up and uses his cestus to assault the cultist in the blue tunic. He easily strikes the flat-footed man, causing him to bleed.
Robyyn-bot and Myth-bot are not so lucky. The blast knocks the hood right off of Myth's head, and Robyyn's hair stands straight back off his head. Both of them are stunned by the spell.
The remaining cultists attack.
The green leader attempts to cast a spell defensively, but Jamir being in his grill has clearly distracted him, and the spell is fails to go off.
The one in the blue tunic seems to get a strange look in his eye, as he pulls out his morningstar and strikes at Craggark. Even though it's a glancing blow, it lands hard...much harder than one might expect from a human whose build does not appear to be quite so powerful.
. hasted
. hasted
|
Jamir laughs in surprise at the sudden arcane rush of speed he feels from Aroden's spell. His laughter cuts off as he sees his old friend suffer a blow that the blue-garbed cultist simply should not have been able to make. The halfling glares up at his own opponent, knowing he must make short work of the evil spellcaster if he is to help his friends.
"Your days of evil... chanting in dank tombs are over!" Jamir snarls. "No more rituals for summoning malevolent monsters for you, you malefactor!"
Jamir's rapier moves with blinding speed as he stabs twice at the green-garbed cultist.
Craggark nods his thanks to the oracle as his wounds all magically close.
Jamir is a bit over eager on his first attack and fails to penetrate the leader's defenses. After he settles down, his second attack finds purchase in the leader's ribs. He howls in pain.
The one in the red tunic casts a spell.
. hasted
When Craggark's second blow just misses, the enemy in the blue tunic grins...and Craggark delivers a roundhouse kick that drops him.
Robyyn-bot takes a 5' step and gives Green Leader the ol' Stinkeye, cackling like a madman the whole way.
Green leader snarls in anger at Robyyn, then again attempts to cast a spell defensively, and again fails miserably, failing to cast yet another spell.
Myth's second arrow puts the leader down.
|
|
"Nice shooting, Mythryndyr!"
Jamir darts around the pillars and lunges at the remaining cultist. Cold air wafts off of him as he runs, and his comrades (other than Katswiri) may hear him mutter, "Yes, yes, you evil hag. I'll get back to your mission soon enough. But I have to live through this one first."
Jamir lunges at the cultist in red, hoping to end him quickly.
Jamir manages to damage the one remaining enemy he can see.
Your foe in the red shirt swells in anger as his eyes become unfocused. Suddenly Robyyn call out, "Look, there's the Div! He's trying to get away."
Robyyn points to a spot in the air about 20'up, just below the overhanging ceiling of this front portico.
The rest of the party looks on in confusion, unable to see the invisible Div.
The human in the red shirt lashes out at the halfling. He swings wildly and Jamir easily dodges the attack.
|
Katswiri follows Robbyn's finger, stepping outside to get a clear view of the angle. "Your cultist isn't the only one who can cast Sound Burst. Let's see how you like it!"
With a gesture, an enormous blast of sound rips through the entire area near the ceiling in the approximate area where Robbyn is pointing.
Mythryndyr first arrow staggers the cultist, his second arrow drops him.
Myth turns and fires his last arrow where Aroden and Robyyn are pointing near the ceiling of the portico. But his final arrow misses the mark.
But even as Myth looses his final arrow, all of you hear a crescendo of frantic telepathic whispering spewing from the gem: “I am awake! I see you--all of you! My strength grows. Do not forget…do not forget...” before fading away. You shake the eerie voice from your heads and focus on the task at hand: stopping the Div.
Aroden casts a spell and the div shrieks in anger and frustration as it is blinded.
Unfortunately, its inherent resistance to magic is too much for Katswiri's spell to overcome.
Robyyn-bot unleashes a web spell to engulf the area where the Div is flying.... Its shrieks reach a fevered pitch, and Robyyn and Aroden can see the creature is trapped, caught in Robyyn's web and completely blind. It's harsh, raspy voice reaches into your minds telepathically: "Free me of these bindings, and I will spare your lives, foolish mortals!" It thrashes about for several rounds until finally realizing that the futility of its situation. Suddenly, its voice becomes a smooth as silk, "Well mortals, perhaps we can come to some sort of arrangement..."
“It's not my fault. It was the master! She trapped me when the last pharaoh seemed not long for the world, stealing from me! Now she’s trapped like I was, stirring and dreaming, living and not living. You are servants of the new pharaohs, yes? Servants of servants? We are alike, you and I, and we can help each other. What is it you want? What can Veshtahz offer, and what can you provide in return? If you agree to restore Veshtahz sight, and his freedom, I'm certain we can come to some sort of arrangement. In fact, I might even be willing to serve you, if you agree to help me seek out my former master, the necromancer Tahari. In fact, I know of her other experimental sites...my memories have been fragmented by the passage of millennia, but working together, I'm certain we could uncover them, and the power they could grant you is great...If you are worthy, we could make a great team."
|
|
Jamir leaves the room to join the party out in the hall.
"I have no interest in dealing with fiends, but if you were truly enslaved, you may not be culpable for the crimes you committed under the control of another. We know much of the people of this country, and if you tell us what you recall of your former mistress's other redoubts, I can promise that we will find her and she will face justice."
The doru div says ”While I seek a worthy partner to work with, someone who understands and appreciates secret knowledge, I would be willing to share what I know…if you agree to restore my sight and set me free.
On the cultists you find a few scrolls, wands, masterwork morningstars and other mundane gear.
The large onyx gemstone on the rune-carved pedestal is indeed the onyx sage jewel, a minor artifact and one of the foundational relics of the Jeweled Sages organization. Like other such jewels, it contains the memories and knowledge of generations of scholars, though the relic seems unresponsive to any of your inquiries or attempts to use it.
There is also a folded, faded, and threadbare banner that bears a charging leopard on a background of tan and black—the crest of one of the Tekritanin League city-states that occupied this region long before Thuvia’s unification. It is a knight’s pennon of battle, and once activated for the first time in ages, its magic restores its appearance and repairs its damage from age.
After making certain the blinded div is securely locked up in one of the empty guard rooms, you pathfinder the crap out of the rest of the complex.
Near the southern entrance, you find a corpse dressed similar to the other cultists. He is seated against one of the pillars, with a dagger of venom plunged into its chest.
Much of the rest of the complex is a series of sleeping quarters with simple pallets spread out on the floor. Most of the rooms have small idols and shrines that are dedicated to Ahriman, the Lord of All Divs and the patron deity of the hateful cultists known as the Usij.
In one of the sleeping quarters in the southern area, you find a corpse with his throat slit.
Among the quarters to the north, you find several areas where the structure has begun to collapse, revealing the cavern beyond. You also find the corpse of a male halfling cultist and a female human cultist, both having perished by violence.
To the east, you discover a larger common room.
Rugs and cushions lie on the floor of this large room; they are covered in overturned dishes and spoiled food. Several humanoid corpses lie about. Deep wounds and copious blood speak to their violent deaths.
In the cells to the east beyond their mess hall, you find the following:
- a wardrobe filled with a variety of mundane outfits, from religious garb to urchins’ rags. All of the clothing seems of the local style common to Merab.
- the cult’s armory, containing five maces, five cold iron morningstars, three spears, six sickles…and a +1 cold iron morningstar.
- a nicer bedroom, containing a simple bed, a chest with mundane clothes, and a thick book of vile prayers to Ahriman written in a variety of fiendish languages.
- a seriously injured cultist. He is delirious and weakened by wounds and starvation, and he obviously poses no threat. He constantly mutters to himself, repeating: “Yes, all else must wait. The Black Moon rises! She shall bring glorious ruin upon the world. I can hear her—
”
“Yes, all else must wait. The Black Moon rises…”
His eyes never come into focus, never even seem to see that you are there.
The larger room in the NE corner contains a long table and sturdy chair, each with thick manacles dangling to the side. A smaller table in the corner hosts several surgical tools, including a deep basin, saws, scalpels, and needles. Wooden shelves support an open ledger and variety of other objects, and large, empty stone basins stand in the room’s other corners.
The ledger has two lists, one under the heading Items Recovered and another listing Items Requested.
If the ledger is to be believed, on the shelf labeled “Items Recovered,” you find a circlet of persuasion and some fragmented notes.
See Handout#3
On the shelf labeled “Items Requested,” you find three flasks of alchemist’s fire and one potion of lesser restoration.
The ledger also lists under Items Requested
“spellbooks— unknown quantity and whereabouts,”
“Fading Light lab notes,”
“plague cloak,”
but these items are not checked off.
After one last check to make certain you missed nothing of value or note, you gather your prisoner(s), intel and loot and head back to the Twisting Garden Lodge.
When you return to the Twisting Garden Lodge, you find that Diya Akan has been joined by Amenopheus. He and Diya commend you for recovering the jewel, explaining this discovery is beyond what they had hoped.
You watch as Amenopheus attempts to communicate with his ancient colleague’s memories within the sage jewel. His breathing becomes more labored and his eyes widen until they look ready to pop out of his head. The Onyx Jewel flares angrily, and Amenopheus casts it across the room instinctively.
Amenopheus takes a moment to gather himself and catch his breath before walking over to wrap the thrown jewel in a thick cloth.
“Unfortunately, this confirms my earlier theory: the sages’ memories are not alone within these gems. The records you recovered and observations you made suggest that the first Jeweled Sages might not have create the sage jewels on their own, but rather modeled them off someone else’s design. Now it seems that prototype was the soul receptacle for an utterly depraved servant of the Pharaoh of Forgotten Plagues who inflicted countless atrocities upon northern Garund. If she is awakening, the whole order is at risk unless we can use your findings to deduce some way to purge this evil.”
He massages his forehead for a moment before noting,“Whatever lies ahead will be difficult, and the future of the Jeweled Sages relies on what we can do about this threat. Once we have a plan, you shall be the first to know.”
Amenopheus seems fairly unimpressed by Veshtahz, though he does ask a number of pointed questions about the missing spellbooks and plague cloak, as well as the location of the Fading Light Lab. But the Sapphire Sage and Diya are much more interested in hearing about your interactions with Zurnzal, who openly serves Grandmaster Torch. Diya once shared a professional camaraderie with Torch but has become rather bitterly disenchanted by the man following his dodgy antics over the past several years. Amenopheus notes that he is obliged to uphold the Pathfinders’ verbal contract. Although he expresses his concern about Torch’s past actions, the Sapphire Sage notes that Torch is a capable individual whose aid might ultimately play a key role in cleansing the sage jewels, regardless of his less-than-ultruistic motivations.
|
|
Jamir realizes that the div's rampage - and much of the evil he has seen in his time as a Pathfinder - has been due to the efforts of spellcasters to compel, dominate, or bind others for their own dark ends. Realizing that he must speak out against this evil, he finds a public square and a suitable wooden box to stand on.
"My friends, I come before you today to speak of a tyranny that is as great an evil as any slaveholding empire -- cough cough devil-worshipping Cheliaxian bastards cough cough -- and which grows among us like a fungus."
He takes a breath to calm the butterflies in his stomach. I should have had one more pint of liquid courage before coming out here.
"The evil I warn you of today is the tyranny of the will, of the mind, of the spirit, forced upon the unwilling by wicked wizards and sorcerers, priests of malevolent gods, mesmerists and other psychic mind-controllers. Enchanters who obtain their ends by clouding the minds of the people who might stand in their way, or dominating the will of others and using their bodies as puppets. Diabolists and other magical binders bring powerful beings from other worlds among us -- some of whom may drive a person mad simply by their presence! These beings -- as sapient and free by nature as you or I, whatever the morality of their home world may be -- are then forced to destroy anything and anyone that might obstruct their master's evil machinations. You have now had a taste of the consequences from this domination here in your own fair city!"
Fearing he may lose his audience if he goes on too long, he brings his speech to a close.
"I speak not of the God Callers of the wintry north, nor of those beneficent or at least not malicious magic wielders who bond with specific creatures who have chosen to ally with them. Nor am I concerned today with those who summon material echoes of beings from other worlds, who return to themselves in a matter of moments or minutes, unharmed and without knowledge of their summoning -- the morality of such a strange action is beyond my ken. What I urge you all to be aware of -- and to protect yourself from, if you can -- is that there are spellcasters out there who see you, me, all of the other conscious beings of this wide and wondrous universe we inhabit, as tools they may pick up, use, and discard at their whim. Our own wishes and desires and needs are no more than an inconvenience to them, and they pay no more attention than we do when we brush away a spider's web. Well I for one, intend to be as inconvenient as possible. I will not be brushed away on a wizard's whim!"
"Thank you for your time and attention. The Drunkard's blessing on you all! Now, who's up for a drink?"
Jamir hops down from his box.
The crowd (describing it generously) quickly disperses when they realize the halfling is just preaching at them instead of doing funny tricks or singing a silly song. By the time he finishes, the swashbuckler’s audience has shrunk down to a single pickpocket, who glares at him for driving away the marks, and a streetsweeper who used the speech as an excuse for a few minutes of rest.
Jamir shrugs and stalks off to a tavern alone.
|
|
Aroden will certainly dismiss the Blindness once the Div is safely in Amenopheus's custody, but not before.
Aroden listens to Amenopheus's concerns about Torch. "I STRONGLY objected to accepting help from that schemer and I am certain we would have solved the puzzle on our own. But no matter. Since the others decided to swear on the Society's behalf that the Sages would allow him to stand with them to deal with this threat, I tell you this - BE WARY. I am certain that he is not offering to help for altruistic motives but for his own advantage. Try to uncover his plot before it comes to fruition."
He makes sure to give Diya an extensive report of everything he saw, heard, smelled, and touched, including the psychic visions.
----
While Jamir is giving his speech, Aroden wanders off to find Obahar. [b]"I respect your skills and curiosity. You could be of great value to the Scarab Sages. Would you be open to working with Amenopheus in the future?"
|
|
Katswiri will be initially silent as the Div makes its offer, the thought of collaboration with an evil extraplanar entity warring internally with her desire for the knowledge and historical perspective it holds. Eventually, the scales tip, and her curiosity wins out. She enchants herself, fortifying her inner purpose before speaking. "I do not wish your service, Div, nor do I wish to serve. But I am a seer of no small power. I will grant you knowledge for knowledge, forgotten lore exchanged for forgotten lore, the service of my sight for the fragments of knowledge that still live in your mind. Tell me what you know of Tahari, and I shall tell what I can see."
Katswiri will summon the full power of her sight, bringing forth every thread of information of historical relevance regarding the Necromancer Tahari to share with the creature.
Katswiri will also take at least a rough painting of the Onyx Sage Jewel before leaving the area.
-----------------------------------------------------------
"Thank you, Amenopheus. I will, of course, continue to train my powers so that I can assist when the time comes. I must say, this was my first experience dealing with Grandmaster Torch or his accomplices. He was active, I believe, before my time in the Society." She casts a sidelong look at Aroden. "I hope that we have not erred greatly in placing our trust in him, but his help at least was of value here."
|
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Myth follows well behind Jamir on the way to the tavern. He orders a couple of pints from the bar and walks over to his friend, handing him one. He sits silently across from Jamir for a few minutes, nursing his ale, before saying, "Well, I thought it was a fine speech any way...hey, I know of a nearby Callistrian temple...or we could loot another mummy's tomb, perhaps?"
|
|
Robyyn listens as the div tries to threaten and then finally cajole the Pathfinders into lending their aid. Initially skeptical, his own inborn inquisitiveness has him listening more and more intently, until he inadvertently finds himself expounding on the history of Osirion and its relation to the Sage Jewels, filling in some gaps about the necromancer Tahari, and connecting the div's revelations to some tidbits he'd learned over the years.
Initially gruff over the pain and struggle they'd all been through to reach this point, Robyyn ends up almost enthusiastic about the potential of partnering with the div, making extensive notes about the necromancer so that he can research further before he leaves for Absalom. All of his concerns over partnering with Grandmaster Torch appear to have left him; his attention absorbed in new information from the div, he barely contributes to the conversation (and warnings) about the squirrelly 'friend' of the Society.
While the Div appreciates the knowledge Robyyn shares, it finds his words to be a little harsh and uncultured.
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Craggark watches the antics of the div impassively, waiting for a moment to smack it with his shield if need-be. When Jamir gives his speech to the Sages, the half-orc bellows approval somewhat inappropriately and claps loudly. He then makes off to the bar with Myth, grumbling about not getting Zurnzal’s trade agreement to anyone who will listen.
He toasts his colleagues with drinks and a ribald story involving a wood nymph and a blind man. The story is highly explicit.