Ilvan would hoot angrily if he could.
Rolan managed to land one shot on Blue, who hisses angrily.
Blue is scorched to dust, but Yellow remains!
With the Cursed King dead, Swaayah and Serpent Shogun are up!
Round 2:
Mohrgs!
Undy, Rufeo, Naalij, Rolan, Zartan, Swaayah, Serpent Shogun
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With the cursed king banished, Serpent Shogun begins his usual berating, inspiring his allies to do better just to spite him. He then spurs Zartan forward to bring his master into the fray, charging himself with arcane energy once more along the way.
Serpent Shogun then takes a swing at the mohrg, Zartan attempting a bit of his own.
Shogun's well placed strike cuts the remaining mohrg down!
COMBAT OVER!
As soon as the undead are down, your guides rush forward and point toward the ziggurat. Several lizardfolk bodies lie here. The lizardfolk guides cry out, proclaiming that Oosthic sent these lizardfolk to retrieve whatever lies beyond the door. Clearly the wards must be disabled or bad things will happen to you!
These red runes read, “warm blood feeds the cold god.”
These white runes read, “pure minds speak in silence.”
These green runes read, “false skin emboldens the true.”
Go ahead and roll. Feel free to share what you learn.
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”There is no need for your petty fleshy tricks, human. I can read these runes perfectly. Stand aside!”
He pushes forward and reads the runes aloud to everyone.
He stares blankly for a few moments at the runes, then swivels back to his companions.
”Well I did my part. You can expect me to do everything for you. You can figure out what they say as a, uh, test. Yes, a test! Prove you are good enough at this sort of thing to be let in. And before you say something, of course I know what it means, but as a scaly person, I don’t need to prove anything.”
He is full of s$~*
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"Goodness gracious! These serpentfolk often sacrificed “lesser” creatures to their cruel gods." Undy shakes his head in dismay. "To deactivate this ward, a creature must touch blood taken from a warmblooded creature to the ziggurat. Any volunteers?"
"I seem to recall that serpentfolk are masters of telepathy and view creatures lacking telepathy as beings fit only for servitude. Silence is sacred to them, and they prefer magical forms of communication. I think this might do the trick to deactivate this ward... " Undy casts Message on himself and the rest of the party and then begins to magically communicate in whispers between them. While he's doing that, Riddy telepathically laughs in his mind, and reminds him that he, too, is a telepathic communicator.
Undy looks around himself nervously and suspiciously before telling the others: "Serpentfolk are masters of disguise, even using rituals to permanently alter their appearance. They could be among us right now!"
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"Bah! All I did was smash a rock." Swayaah frowns and then stows her weapon. "Come on Ilvan... Ilvan? You're still breathing, at least. It will wear off in a few minutes, buddy."
Swayaah observes the room while everyone scans the runes.
"Sure thing, boss." Swayaah shrugs when the Shogun refuses to help tests his allies. Luckily Undiana gives some useful information. "Alright. A blood sacrifice? Ugh, I'll do it."
With the touch of blood, the red runes fade. With Riddy and Undy's mental conversation, the white runes fade. The green runes remain.
With Rufeo and Serpent Shogun aiding, the runes fade, and the doors open! The door opens onto a chamber containing ancient tomes of magical knowledge. Oosthic shares some of these items with the Pathfinder Society, unlocking the special boost option for the Provide Spellcasting Aid Token.
To Boost: Cast one of the following spells: lesser restoration, neutralize poison, remove curse, or remove disease. Only these spells may be granted. Expending resources that produce the effects of these spells, such as a paladin’s mercy class feature, can also grant these benefits. Write Provide Spellcasting on the Aid Token, along with the spell granted, the caster level, and the name of the casting PC.
Special Boost: Once during the adventure, a table that has completed Mission 1 (What Lurks Beneath the Muckmouth) can increase the spell’s caster level by 4 when boosting this Aid Token.
SUCCESS! I'm tossing you to the Aspis mission next. Because, well, I want to.
Leaving the Lizardfolk in the hands of Pathfinder representatives, you head toward the area where the allies of the Aspis Consortium have agreed to meet with you.
This area of the tapestry is a strange patchwork of several environments: sand dunes abut jagged hills, and massive evergreen trees rise from a dry riverbed. Tense silence permeates the area, filling the space between three groups of humanoids: a group of stoic soldiers enshrouded in strips of cloth, a group of winged people with draconic features, and a group of lanky, owlheaded scholars.
Which group would you like to meet with first?
The owl-headed scholars all seem very calm and composed as you approach them. One of the individuals, a female with mostly white feathers, clears her throat. "Greetings and salutations. I am given to understand that you are here to speak with us about the Pathfinder Society. We have been informed by our allies in the Aspis.."
"Are you really from the outside?!" A brown-feathered young male blurts out, to a withering glare from the white-feathered female. He shrinks down and slumps back.
"As I was saying, our allies in the Aspis Consortium have informed us of the frankly checkered past of the Society and we are reluctant to get involved with such.."
"What is the sky like on the outside? Are there ... stars?" Another individual blurts out.
"INDIVIDUALS with such a record as yours." The white-feathered owl finishes. "Why should we work with you rather than facing this crisis on our own?"
"How many star cycles does it take to get from your world to here?' Another asks in an awed voice. "Can you take us home?" Another asks in a barely audible whisper, to a scathing glare from the white-feathered female.
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Serpent Shogun clutches his sword so tight that he would have cracked the handle, were it not magic. "THE ASPIS? THEY SAID THAT HAVE A CHECKERED PAST?!?!?!"
Serpent Shogun cuts himself off and begins doing a breathing exercise he learned from a therapist in the Grand Lodge to help him manage his Aspis-related outbursts.
"Allow me to explain to you in great, great detail just how much the Aspis have fooled you. Where would you like me to start? The time they invaded the Pathfinder Society from the tapestry? Or the time they teamed up with a murder-god-tyranny cult?"
Serpent Shogun calls upon his days as a used-wagon salesman in Nagajor to patiently describe the faults of the Aspis in-detail and how they manipulate and use people for their ends, just like how he would tell customers about how horrible Hanzo's Used Wagons was so they would trust him. Except this time, he's telling the truth.
The owl-woman seems taken aback. "Shocking! I cannot believe we were hoodwinked by such hooligans! But, still, why should we engage with you? Are you any better than them?"
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”The Aspis are evil and we fight the Aspis! Seems pretty simple to me. We also have all those Silver Crusade people who are all about being nice and doing good and whatever. Oh and those Liberty’s Edge people freeing slaves and giving tyrants wedgies and whatever. The choice is a natural, wouldn’t you say?”
The owl-woman listens and nods. "Your argument has weight and validity. But the question that most troubles us: can your Society help us to get home? Our ancestors were brought here from Arcadia and we would dearly like to return there to fly the skies of our ancestors."
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You struck a terrible blow to the Aspis Consortium. You can include a copy of this
Chronicle sheet among the records of as many of your PCs as you like, though those PCs gain no access to the other
boons, equipment, or wealth from this Chronicle sheet. This boon imposes a –1 penalty on the attack rolls, damage
rolls, skill checks, and saving throws of all Aspis Consortium agents and hirelings she encounters (this penalty is
not cumulative with other copies of the boon).
Undy and Riddy both have a lot to tell the Owl-headed creatures about the best ways to use the stars to navigate, explaining "When you're in the sushi business, as we are, you have to know how to find your way to the best breeding grounds by starlight. By the way, I don't suppose you've tried any of our samples? May I interest you in a small snack?"
The owl-people are happy to sample the sushi, but even happier to learn that you know how to navigate to Arcadia! Through full mouths they agree to help the Society!
The mummies turn out to be garbed in Tien military outfits and all members stand at attention until a high ranking officer steps forward and bows to you. "I am General ..." he seems confused for a moment, then continues, " of the Faithful of Xiwu. We have been informed of your desire to parlay, however I must note that the Faithful of Xiwu will not abide DISHONOR OR TREACHERY, DOGS!" He seems to compose himself, as his outburst seemed to occur against his will. "Apologies for the outburst. We understand from the Aspis Consortium that you are enemies. We will not abide TREACHERY, DOGS!" He visibly composes himself and continues. "What do you wish to discuss?"
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"Giving tyrants wedgies? Sounds cool. Maybe I should have joined up with 'em." Swayaah laughs as the Syrinxes chow down on sushi.
When the wrapped up guys approach, Swayaah tries to identify what's going on with them.
"Dishonor and treachery? Yeah, Aspis is full of that. You'd hate to team up with them. Luckily the Pathfinder Society has stuck their neck out plenty of times to stop Aspis. Er, right, Shogun?" She points at Serpent Shogun.
Riddy and Undiana can tell that the soldiers' wrappings state of decay seems to be contributing to their mental decay. They believe they can help them repair them in such a way as to stabilize their minds.
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Serpent Shogun shifts into commanding mode and begins having Zartan pace back-and-forth in front of the soldiers.
"Indeed, Swayaah! STAND AT ATTENTION WHEN I SPEAK TO YOU, FOOLS, FOR I AM THE GREAT SERPENT SHOGUN. Now, as I was saying the Aspis Consortium has a long vile history of betraying their allies when they stopped being useful. They are vile, descpicable traitors without honor or discipline! I know this because I, Serpent Shogun, completely understand both of those things! And they don't! I will show you the way forward, not these Aspis chumps. Who is with me?"
Before attempting a skill check, you can check one of the boxes preceding this boon in order to roll the check twice and take the better result. If the skill check is attempted during an encounter in which you are directly opposing a member of the Aspis Consortium or someone in their employ, you gain a bonus to the check equal to half your character level (minimum 1). Once you check the last box, cross this entire boon off your chronicle sheet.
The soldiers immediately snap to attention just as Undiana finishes preparing their wrappings. In one voice, they shout back, "WE ARE SIR! DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR, SIR!"
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"Bah, I should have scared them into submission." Swayaah shrugs. "What about the Temple of Empyrean Enlightenment or whatever? According to the mission list, they need our help, too!"
The Temple of Empyreal Enlightenment, crafted of white marble, rests atop a forested hill. Three aasimars stand guard before ornate double doors that bear an image of four spheres resting inside a lotus flower. Recognizing agents of the Pathfinder Society, the aasimars open the doors and lead the way to the temple’s garden courtyard.
The garden’s plants are brown and withered. A Tian man sits at the edge of a dried-up fountain, staring forlornly at the noble turtle in its center. The man has hazel eyes and a streak of white in his hair. Several temple acolytes are busy preparing incense, meditating, and inscribing symbols on the fountain. One of the aasimar speaks. “This is Zhuang, our leader. After you Pathfinders defeated the demon, Dakang, and purged the temple of corruption, Zhuang was determined to set us on a better path. We now aid wayward travelers in the tapestry and spread Korada’s teachings. However, Dakang’s deceptions have always plagued Zhuang, and he is on the verge of abandoning the temple. He has been sitting like this for many days, and neither speaks nor eats. Will you help us with a ritual to bring peace to his mind?”
"He is locked in his own mind. He cannot reply. The ritual allows you to see his thoughts as he sees them."
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Serpent Shogun folds his arms. ”Not this touchy-feely Desnan crap.”
He rouses and stands up straight. ”Ahem. As I was saying, let’s do it. We can—oh for the love of Pete I can’t even fake interest in this.” He sighs. ”Gotta pay the bills, though. Point me at ritual boy and let’s get this over with.”
The aasimar nods and bids you to form a circle around the monk, sitting and holding hands. He begins to chant, a long string of syllables that blurs together in some fluid way and soon has you nodding as you drift off to sleep...
And awaken in the crypt of the Temple! (C1 on Slide 6!)
Room C1: The Crypts!
Dozens of skeletal figures claw at one another, trying to crawl their way out of overflowing sarcophagi.
Options: Beat Them Back with a melee attack roll OR Quick, Shut the Lids! with an Initiative check!