The gnome is too engrossed in the collection to hear Nonalwe's taps, but Moyen does manage to unlock the door. Carlin's divinations do pick up the presence of magical aura(s).
female aasimar sorceror 6 HP 32, AC/T/FF 12, 12, 10, F +5, R +5, W +6 Init +6, Perc +13
There is a source of magic just beyond the door....on the floor. I cannot discren the type...could be a trap...sorry...my training was not all encompassing at the abbey.
"Well," Nonalwe offers, approaching the front door again. "I wasn't able to get his attention from the window. We'll have to apologize for letting ourselves in, because we have to speak to him!"
As Moyen taps the ground there's a fuzzy crackling in the air, the smell of sulfur, and suddenly a cluster of glowing beetles the size of hounds appear around you!
Ragebred Skinwalker Brawler 2 AC17 (T12,FF15) CMD 18| HP 22/22| F +5 R +5 W +1 | Init +2, Perc +8, Sense Motive +1 |
Calling upon his high school sporting days, Wesley a second to remember his ability to run through the opposing line, and then tries to rush through the little beetles.
move action: use martial flexibility to get Improved Overrun, standard: overrun yellow to get into the position I put in red
The beetles swarm over the Pathfinders, trying to drag them down where they're most surrounded, strange glands glowing a dull, ugly red.
Carlin's armor keeps her safe from the beetle's scrabbling, but a particularly determined leap by one of the sulfurous creatures sees its pincers deeply embedded in Moyen's thigh!
Despite the difficulty of picking out a beetle amidst the hurly-burly of the frenetic melee, Nonalwe's blade flashes around her friends and skewers it! It twitches on the end of her sword for a second before vanishing in another puff of sulfur.
The Bold may Go! Moyen -5 (May go twice)
Koruda (May go twice)
Carlin
Wesley
Bugs!
Nonalwe
Gali
Between Wesley's might foot and Moyen's flashing blade, the remaining beetles are quickly dispatched!
Looking around the living room you see a large sofa sitting awkwardly near the entrance, facing toward the center of the room. Sets of chairs and tables are arranged throughout, and statues of grandiose gnomes occupy the corners of the room. A set of stairs at the northern edge of the chamber leads downstairs, presumably to a basement. A second set of stairs leads partway up to an unfinished second floor.
Perception or Survival DC 14:
Despite the lack of dust on many surfaces, you can't find any sign that anyone has been here for years. The carpet and sofa show virtually no wear, for example.
female aasimar sorceror 6 HP 32, AC/T/FF 12, 12, 10, F +5, R +5, W +6 Init +6, Perc +13
Ahh....well, it fooled me. I should learn to identify illusory magicks...another thing to learn back at the abbey. My lessons didn't cover those, needless to say...
Moyen doesn't find any sort of traps at the stairs, but you all do find a good amount of evidence to suggest that Fimbrik is an illusion. The elderly gnome you'd already seen continues not to respond to you, but you also find another instance of the elderly blue haired gnome in a bedroom, this one fast asleep in a lime-green paisley-patterned nightshirt, with a pair of muscle-bound bodyguards standing a stoic vigil over his slumber. There's a faint green glow emanating from near the head of the bed.
The other room is filled with sufficient chairs, pillows, desks, and other seats to accommodate visitors. There are some notes and letters on the desk, and a couple of vials on the sill which-
The gnome appears once more, entering from behind you, tipping his hat, and taking a seat in one of the chairs to read the paper.
Male CN Sylph Wizard 1 | HP 4/7 | AC 12 T 12 FF 10 | CMB +1, CMD 13 | F: +1, R: +2, W: +3 | Init: +2 | Perc: +4, SM: +4 | Speed 30ft | Feather Fall 1/day | Spells: 1st 1/1 2nd 1/1 3rd 1/1 | Active conditions: None.
Gali studies the green glow.
Not sure if it's applicable, but I'd like to use Spellcraft to determine the nature of the green glow. I don't have Detect Magic, so not sure if it'll do anything.
Spellcraft:1d20 + 7 ⇒ (1) + 7 = 8
Failing that, Gali walks into the other room and looks at the letters and notes on the desk.
The hat tip was directed at you, but the gnome has made no other responses to your presence.
The vials on the windowsill each bear magical auras, and among the notes and the papers in the desk you find a note from Fimbrik - to you! There's a name scribbled in the corner that seems to match what Fimbrik spoke of as well...
The Vials
Perception DC 17 (taste test) or Spellcraft & Detect Magic DC 18:
One of the vials contains a potion of cure moderate wounds
Perception DC 17 (taste test) or Spellcraft & Detect Magic DC 18:
One of the vials contains a potion of lesser restoration
Ragebred Skinwalker Brawler 2 AC17 (T12,FF15) CMD 18| HP 22/22| F +5 R +5 W +1 | Init +2, Perc +8, Sense Motive +1 |
"Can you summarize it for us, Gallago? I mean, all of us certainly can read, but too much reading is bad for your eyes and lungs so I try to do it as little as possible."
Nonalwe studies both potions with detect magic, but can only identify the second that way. "Oooh! Lesser restoration; this will help me with that poison from before! Anybody mind?" As she waits for a response, she sips at the potion that she wasn't able to identify with magic.
Perception DC 17:1d20 + 5 ⇒ (6) + 5 = 11
"I can't figure this one out; anybody want to take a guess?" She holds the unidentified potion out to the other Pathfinders.
Ragebred Skinwalker Brawler 2 AC17 (T12,FF15) CMD 18| HP 22/22| F +5 R +5 W +1 | Init +2, Perc +8, Sense Motive +1 |
"Fine, fine, I'll do the reading," Wesley snatches the note from Gali's hands.
"According to this note, they're all illusions... unless he wants us to think!" Wesley says, suddenly and violently swinging his fist into the Fimbrik in front of him.
"Something about Elysia's affect... There's a name here and it says that we should look at the Wall of names back at the Society Grand Loogie. What on earth could the grand loogie mean?"
The Wall of Names has stood for almost four hundred years as a reminder of the dangers that await even the greatest of Pathfinders. For every Pathfinder killed in the line of duty they are given an entry that shows their name, their year of death, and a short epitaph concerning their death or other achievements.
All things considered, it doesn't take long to find the three names from Adolphus's notes, and there's something about their epitaphs that niggles the back of your mind...
The entries are visible in Maps, the underlined portions are the ones that seem a bit off and are not literally underlined.
Knowledge (History, Local, or Religion) DC 15:
The particular wording is stylistically reminiscent of a god's portfolio and domains, but doesn't match any living god you're aware of... Perhaps they'd match up with some of those aspirants who have failed in the Test of the Starstone?
If you don't have the knowledge, you could possibly track someone down to ask them questions?
Or if there's anything else you'd like to examine at the wall?
Ragebred Skinwalker Brawler 2 AC17 (T12,FF15) CMD 18| HP 22/22| F +5 R +5 W +1 | Init +2, Perc +8, Sense Motive +1 |
Oo, sorry, thought Wesley had nothing, but no, he's got knowledge local
Kn Local:1d20 + 5 ⇒ (18) + 5 = 23
"It sounds like the god's domain from I what remember from my yeshiva days. Maybe they match up to some poor fool who failed the test of the Starstone?"
You can see a crowd gathering around the Cathedral of the Starstone as a knight trots around on his horse, his platemail gleaming in the first rays of the dawn as he speaks with friends, well-wishers and the curious.
With Sir Reinhard as a distraction, it is simplicity to sneak into the Shrine of the Failed, if you so wish.
If you do:
It's dark in the chamber, but once someone provides a little illumination, you can see the monumental chamber, though the corners and the high-vaulted ceiling remains shrouded in shadows.
Seven arched passages lead to humble rooms, each of which contains a polished stone altar dedicated to one of the failed aspirants who attempted the Test of the Starstone.
