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Discussing the smoking gauntlet the group strolls into the much larger room beyond.
The walls and domed ceiling of this large circular chamber are elegantly carved in spiraling designs. To the north, a double door stands in the side of a squared-off column protruding from the wall, while to the south an open archway leads to a stairwell leading up that’s been blocked by rubble. In the center of the room stand six statues of elves, all facing outward and arrayed around a dry fountain. Empty benches sit in four alcoves to the east and west, nestled between six stone archways built into the wall. Each of these archways bears a different type of decor, but with the exception of the northeastern archway (which is partially collapsed and opens into a ruined chamber beyond), each archway leads nowhere—they are filled with plain, featureless walls of polished stone.
The opening to the south leads to a 5-foot-wide stairwell leading up to the west that’s been choked off by rubble. The remains of a charau-ka cultist lie crushed under some of the rubble, a victim of an ill-advised and poorly executed attempt to dig out the rubble while it was still unstable. It’ll take tools, time, and expertise to properly and safely clear these stairs and restore access to area above.
The six statues that surround the fountain depict six deities associated with the elven pantheon—they each look outward from the room toward the elf gate they’re associated with. Most of you can can readily identify them. Starting with the most northeastern statue and going clockwise, these statues are Alseta, goddess of doors and transitions , Yuelral, goddess of crystals and magic , Findeladlara, goddess of architecture and art , Ketephys, god of hunting and the moon , Calistria , and Desna .
Cuthberwyn and Raspar recognize the stone archways for what they are. The six archways these statues face are incredibly ancient aiudara! The pair also knows that to activate an aiudara, one need only touch that portal’s key to the stone within its arch—doing so will cause the archway to turn to swirling mist and allow passage to the far side of the magical gateway.
As you approach the aiudara sacred to Ketephys, the arrowhead that you took from Malarunk begins to glow faintly.
Cuthberwyn (38/48)
Kelvin (54/54)
Cabaguil (26/36)
Ðakaþos (42/54)
Dori (34/62; Steel Shield 23/30; Hardness 7)
Raspar (50/50)
Raspar pads over to the rubble filled stairwell, easily the most interesting part of the room. He examines the dead charau-ka, and the work they were doing.
Labor Lore
"Ah! This is very interesting. It appears there were trying to drift sift this rock rather than reinforced slope excavating it," Raspar puts his hands on his hips, thinking how he might clear the stairwell. "It's very interesting, don't you think? Did you want me to begin preparing some wall braces and maybe suggest we create a nice stope as well? Future inhabitants here, might appreciate the additional storage space. The adit can be over here, of course," Raspar smiles broadly, quite excited, and pointing to different ideas for how to manage the labor for clearing the stairwell.
During his tour he also looks about for any hidden treasures, both corporeal and intellectual
”Now there’s something you don’t see every day.” Cabaguil whistles as the next large chamber presents itself.
vs DC 20
As you approach the aiudara sacred to Ketephys, the arrowhead that you took from Malarunk begins to glow faintly.
Cabaguil very nearly yelps when it’s revealed that the arrowhead is glowing. ”That must be the key to that arch. Would you look at that. There are hidden portals under here! I mean I know we were told there were, but to actually see one. Wow.”
He’s impressed, and so it takes him a while to react. When he does, he gets busy, casting Detect Magic and carefully scanning the room.
Cuthberwyn whistles low as he examines the columns. Elven make, of course. You can tell by its elegance. The gnome nods appreciably. This style of carving dates back to the Age of Legend, a time before Earthfall. I'm sure of it. Look, see here: this references Azlant, and this one mentions Thassilon. Cuth wrinkles his nose as he reads further. Though admittedly, neither is spoken of in flattering terms...
As you approach the aiudara sacred to Ketephys, the arrowhead that you took from Malarunk begins to glow faintly.Cabaguil very nearly yelps when it’s revealed that the arrowhead is glowing. ”That must be the key to that arch. Would you look at that. There are hidden portals under here! I mean I know we were told there were, but to actually see one. Wow.”
Cuthberwyn is reverent. An elf gate. The stuff of legend. The gnome stares wide-eyed until Cabaguil casts his spell, when he sheepishly realizes he could have done the same.
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Raspar looks over his shoulder at the party, looking confused as to why no one else is excited about what was clearly the more interesting part of the room. He had *hoped* to have a thoughtful discussion about management of shifts to ensure everyone had adequate rest while clearing the stairwell, but it’s now clear that the statues (that he had all but ignored on the way in), might have some significance as well.
He looks over the statues in turn, smiling when he sees Desna among the elven gods. He goes to hold the Desna statue’s hand while he watches the others work.
”Guys? Guys? Does it weird that Desna’s statue is here? I would think...I would think that Desna, while she likes traveling, the destination *isn’t* the point. The journey, and the trip, and the friends you make along the way, and things you experience as explore is more important, yes? And so these gates? These gates that just take you someplace...with no true journey?” Raspar opines, uncertain, but wondering which aspect of the faith should take precedence even as he holds the hand of the statue. ”It’s not the destination, it’s the journey and these gates aren’t that.”
"You assume that the places the gates take you are ends. This is not the case Raspar, they are other places from which to start. It's okay to take a shortcut. Otherwise, you'd also eschew running and riding ponies too."
"An elf gate..." Cabaguil repeats impressed. "Such heavy magics. I wonder why it's so far underground? I thought the elves were big on glades and the like, not subterranean caves."
He shrugs, figuring the answer is likely unknowable, as he listens to Raspar and Ðakaþos chat about religion. He has nothing to add to that particular conversation.
"Should we try these doors? I think we could try them before turning in for the day. I'm running low on supplies, and spells, and don't want to head through one of these gates just yet. I think it'll keep a day, though I am eager to explore."
Kelvin shrugs when no one seems interested in the smoking gauntlet. He stows his morningstar in its hanger and puts the cinderclaw gauntlet on. He then follows cose behind Raspar as they move forward into the large chamber.
Wrinkling his nose at all the elf talk, Kelvin says, "Probably was in a glade. But if it's before Earthfall then what you're seeing is time. The earth grew around the gates is my guess."
He then focuses on the more concerning element to him. "Be careful with that gate to Ketephys. I think it's pretty clear that it's where the ape men are coming from, and we know they're not friendly. Given that they know what the key is, I worry that they'll have another and will find a way through. Though," he stops to look at the perpetually helpful Raspar. "We know that this will take Renali home. So we might need to go through ourselves and make sure it's safe. A thankless job, but maybe the mayor will think it's worth a few coins."
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Taking a look around the room you find little else of use. Raspar knows it will take some time to clear those stairs to make them usable again by any means. The aiudara certainly come up as strong magical auras. As Cabaguil closes with the arrowhead, the stone within the arch shimmers and wavers for a moment, but then flashes with fiery radiance before it returns to solid stone.
"I'm not sure what the situation is here. I agree we should be careful, but careful doing what?"
You don't suppose these statues will animate, do you...? Cuthberwyn asks, halfheartedly lending a hand to Raspar who has already started work on the stairs. That seems like it would be all manner of bad.
"You assume that the places the gates take you are ends. This is not the case Raspar, they are other places from which to start. It's okay to take a shortcut. Otherwise, you'd also eschew running and riding ponies too."
Raspar ponders that and shakes his head, speaking softly. ”That doesn’t make sense. You can run if you that’s how you want to travel. You can ride a pony. No one has said you must go as slowly as possible, but only that you experience it and share the trip and your encounters,” Raspar offers quietly.
He waits to see if the fiddlings of the team lead to any results. He’s happy to go first through the gates, as he would want to bleed for others.
”I can also go fetch Renali, though I have some questions about how she climbed out of that hole and up above now,” Raspar says, considering the climb they had to make.
vs DC 20
Cabaguil, hesitantly and with great care not to accidentally activate the arch, investigates the arch. He walks around it, and probes it with his magics, trying to ascertain how it works. He approaches it with the arrowhead from different directions, and backs away, always studying.
In the end, he shrugs, "I think it's broken. Might be why Malarunk and Renali were trapped here. Should be fixable, but I'm not immediately sure how. Might take further study."
He shakes his head, "Probably just as well as I'd like to rest before we tackle that one. But I am curious as to what's behind these doors." He glances at the tunnelers on the stairs, "How long do you think it'll take to clear that lot away?"
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Raspar looks over the stairs, this will likely take about 4-5 days to clear out, depending on the amount of hands that can get in here. Cabaguil attempts to corral the group into checking out the double doors to the north.
As the group approaches the double doors and tries to enter the room, the door seems to open as a towering iron construct steps forward to bar entry into the room. It wears a metal mask and wield a sword and shield. It immediately speaks in a sonorous voice in Elven, “The custodian of Alseta’s Ring dwells beyond. Only those who carry her blessed sign may pass.”
Cabaguil is somewhat surprised by the appearance of the stalwart knight, and has no interest in fighting such a creature. He gives the problem some thought…
What would the goddess of doorways consider her ‘blessed sign’?
Any relevant local knowledge on this?
Religion - Alseta, her sign
Raspar doesn't immediately react to the construct, neither to move to greet it nor worry about bloodshed. He's not being unfriendly, it's just that it's a machine and probably not into long walks across Golarion.
He waits to see what others do unless he has things to add.
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Raspar and Cabaguil both seem to have a similar thought as Alseta's Ring is mentioned. Back in the Citadel when Alak found his familie's ring there was a silver religious symbol depicting two faces in profile sits atop these scrolls that seemed much like a paperweight at the time.
It dawns on the pair that this was a religious symbol of the Goddess Alseta. While it has already been sold into town you believe you may be able to draw the image from memory.
Holy Desna’s shooting stars! Raspar’s eyes widen in slow realization, his mind slowly putting pieces together. His left hand covers his heart, his right hand still holds Desna’s.
”Well, we sold the ring, but maybe, but maybe one of you could draw the image?” Raspar looks to the more talented artists in the group. He’s happy to do a full rock-garden sculpture of the symbol, but that may take too long, but also, he would have a lot of fun doing it.
Cabaguil takes out his scrimshaw scribe and scratches out the holy symbol in a handy bit of bone, tooth, or even wood. He does the best he can to make it large, though he's more accustomed to working in smaller sizes.
He holds up the symbol to the handsomely voiced construct, "Will this do? It's a bit rough I know, I can do better if you require it."
Dak secretly hopes that Cab's skill is enough to prevent the iron guardian from wiping everyone out...
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Presenting the symbol of Alseta causes the doorwarden to step aside, allowing you access to the room. This plain rectangular room contains several empty chests, old wooden tables, and mostly barren shelves. It may have once been used as a vault or records room, but today, only a few scraps of paper remain.
Searching the room reveals one important document left behind: the deed to Citadel Alterein!
"I must admit, this was not a turn of events I foresaw. Given some time, I think we can do something impressive."
Well! Unless I'm very much mistaken, this deed makes the possessor ownership of the Citadel! He thinks a moment, then turns to Cabaguil. Do you think this belongs to us, or does it truly belong to Sir Alak?
Raspar blurts out excitedly as if he had just dibbed the best position in the entire keep once he realizes what is going on. He knows exactly why he said it: in that if there was going to be work to be done, *HE* was going to be a part of it. And that was important.
”We can make it into another nice place for travelers to visit and stop and explore as they travel to and fro! This is very exciting!” Raspar beams and holds Desna’s hand even tighter. ”This is very good!” He looks around excitedly, and threatens to start dancing, but does not let go with his hand.
vs DC 15
"Well, apparently holding the deed is sufficient to own the property outright." Cabaguil begins slowly as he reads through the deed carefully after Cuthberwyn - wholly agreeing with his reading. "I think it's ours."
His thoughts are scattered briefly as Raspar's pronouncement rings through the chamber. He laughs, "Yeah, uh, OK. But I think there's a lot of work to be done here before there's any sort of residing going on. Lots of maintenance. This place is going to be a real money pit."
He sighs at the thought of all the resources it's going to take to get this place running again. "But it is ours, and quite an impressive bit of masonry some of it. If we do manage to restore it to its former glory, that would be something."
"We should set aside some of our haul for construction and maintenance - maybe 20% to start? We'll need to hire some folks, and bring in supplies." He looks over the loot they've accumulated, considers the costs, and shakes his head. "I really don't know where we're going to find the money. I've a little gold socked away, but it'll go quickly here."
"Let's take this slowly, and see where we are after a week or two. I think having a seneschal is critical to our success, and should be our first hire, though at 5sp a day in wages it might be our only hire. I also think that can wait until we clean it out."
Kelvin grins. "A destination that people come to, and where we can make some money, is a good thing. Sure, we'll have to hire folks but the sooner we profit, the better. I'm fine playing the long game. I'll outlive most of you anyhow!" He says this last bit with a loud guffaw.
Dak looks at Kelvin. He inhales to rebut the dwarf's conclusion on life span, but then just raises an eyebrow instead.
He turns to look around and find a job, but then comes back, "You know that I'll out live you by nearly twice your lifespan, right? That is, if we're not eaten by dragons."
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Prerequisites: trained in Crafting or Thievery
Requirement: You have the Huntergate portal key
You use the hunter’s arrowhead to guide the misaligned magic of Huntergate back into the proper pathways through the stone’s intricate carvings and decorations. You must attempt either a Crafting check to Repair (in which case the hunter’s arrowhead serves as the repair kit needed for this activity) or a Thievery check to Pick a Lock (in which case the hunter’s arrowhead serves as the thieves’ tools needed for this activity). Regardless of the skill used, the activity takes an hour to perform, and the DC of the check is 24, with the following effects.
Critical Success: Huntergate is repaired, and any hazards that might lie beyond are reduced in power.
Success: Huntergate is repaired.
Failure: Huntergate is not repaired, and the character who attempted the repair becomes clumsy 2 for 1 hour as an orange arc of magical energy lances painfully through their body. A new attempt to repair the portal cannot be made again for 24 hours.
Critical Failure: As failure, but the magical backlash also deals 6d6 fire damage to the character attempting the repairs.
Dak looks about. He's not much for leading, nor organizing labor.
He knows he could scare some workers into progress, but that's not a great policy and he know it.
He looks about at the property and decides it's time for some sweat equity.
Dak sets to task, gathering supplies and setting a general plan.
Kelvin's grin widens, and he slaps Dak on the back. "I did say 'most', hah! And anyhow, I don't plan on getting eaten by a dragon."
Does anyone ever truly plan on getting eaten by a dragon...? Cuthberwyn ponders aloud.
"Yeah, uh, OK. But I think there's a lot of work to be done here before there's any sort of residing going on. Lots of maintenance. This place is going to be a real money pit. But it is ours, and quite an impressive bit of masonry some of it. If we do manage to restore it to its former glory, that would be something. We should set aside some of our haul for construction and maintenance - maybe 20% to start? We'll need to hire some folks, and bring in supplies."
Raspar’s jaw drops, looking confused, then excited, then worried, then confused again.
”Yes, I’m happy to contribute to fix the place up, but I...we...I also get to work on things too, right? It’s important to do work and show thanks,” Raspar replies resolutely. ”And don’t forget that we need to create a separate entrance and exit for the goblins and their pet dogs. It’s important that they live nicely too.”
”Maybe my gnome friend from my other job would want to be Seneschal. He might be good at it. And I know he likes to work. He might be a good fit.”
* * *
Sadly, Raspar doesn’t have the technical skill or training to be able to help repair the statue. He’s not a skilled laborer, but a manual one.
* * *
”We’ve got quite a bit of cleaning to do before we can properly get started.” Cabaguil begins, trying to organize a bit.
”I’m happy to administer things to start at least. I’ve got some contacts in the government which might help… and might hinder… but it’s worth a shot. Then I’ll help clean with the rest. Raspar, you should be in charge of the cleaning party, tell us what to do.” he grins, knowing full well that Raspar will excel at the role.
”Raspar, you should be in charge of the cleaning party, tell us what to do.” he grins.
"Right," Raspar says as the group is assembled back at the Rainbow DreamCastle Citadel, smashing his tiny but strong hand into his tiny palm. He paces back and forth not out of any sense of authority, but he's just anxious to get to work. He was wasting daylight here, after all, and there was many chores to be done.
"Let's be clear. You're going to have to get dirty here. I know you don't mind getting dirty on the field of battle, but here, we're going to need mud on your knees and under your fingernails. Yes, you're going to get dirty, really dirty," Raspar smiles pleasantly as he *really* likes that kind of dirt. It's the good dirt of hard work and service that takes an equally hard scrubbing to get clean.
"The first thing we're going to do is get this place clean. We're going to have to clear out all the old stuff, clear away the stuff we're not going to keep, and scrub them goblins and goblin dawgs until they are good and clean...and I know you all are up for the challenge. You're very good at things," Raspar extols the party. "I figure, if we all work a good 8 to 10 hours per day, we'll have this place cleant in about 8 days...so let's get work..."
Raspar will assign teams and work buddies and organize what he hopes will be efficient and fun days of hard, grueling, manual labor.
Yes, er, um... Cuthberwyn says with some hesitation, we should get to work. The gnome does so slowly, not at all excited about the prospect of clearing the rubble.
When it comes to the actual cleaning rather than the moving, though, Cuth proves much more willing, humming softly to himself as he sweeps and scrubs. Clearly this suits him better than toting heavy objects.
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Recently, a new group has come to the Citadel's dungeons: A cult of Dahak worshippers called the Cinderclaws. Based far to the south in the Mwangi Expanse, this group of Cinderclaws became stranded in the dungeons below Hellknight Hill when its leaders managed to temporarily activate Huntergate. The Dahak cultists became separated from one another, and are divided between the keeps two basement levels, each of which was cut off from one another by a recent collapse in the fortress' main staircase. A leaderless group of these evildoers lurks in the shallowest dungeon level, while its truly dangerous sub-commander Malarunk and several of his minions remain trapped near Alseta's Ring itself, impatiently waiting for their allies far to the south to reactivate Huntergate so he can return home.
Meanwhile, a secretive Norgorber cultist in Breachill names Voz Lirayne has discovered the existence of Alseta's Ring, and now plots to find a way to reactivate it to earn support from a group she has allied with: The Scarlet Triad. As tight lipped as the half-elf has remained about the discovery, however she's let too much slip to her apprentice, a greasy halfling man named Calmont. Himself a ne'er-do-well and an opportunist, Calmont sought a way to activate the portals for his own gain by ending any heroes setting off towards the Hill by setting a catastrophic blaze to the Town Hall.
Having stopped Voz's machinations, eliminated Malarunk and the immediate Cinderclaws threat, and even recovered the deed to the citadel itself, you find yourself victorious. However there is much to be done with Citadel Altaerein. What lies beyond Huntergate? Why were the Dahak cultists coming through the auidaras?
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With Raspar's clear instructions the halfling begins assigning teams and work areas. It is hard, grueling work to remove a lot of the broken furniture and heavier debris, but this allows for Raspar to get a decent base cleaning down as he dumps water across the walls and floor to get the inches of dust and dirt that seems to have formed.
This entire process takes two days as a large pile of broken items is formed just outside the citadel, lining the edges are the several cultist bodies as well as the Grauladon that took nearly all of you to lift.
Not heading into town much during the first two days, folks begin to get curious as well as the Huntergate sticking to the back of your minds. Renali watches with curiosity as you pass by her lair and begin cleaning the structure. "Any luck with the portal?" Her head moves in a jerky motion.
Before getting underway Dak pays to transfer the Striking Rune to his bastard sword.
Once identified, Cabaguil gravitates toward the Healer’s Gloves, though he’ll first offer them around to others, ”I’d love to have these if no one minds. I could certainly make good use of them, though if one of you would rather?” If no one takes them, he puts them on and admires the fit.
The next morning, he tries to identify the Arrowhead, though they already have a good sense of the thing.
vs DC 24 Hunters Arrowhead
"Can someone else take a look at this? It really is quite beyond me!" he shrugs and hands it off.
Cabaguil, knowing that others might be more skilled at other things, focuses on administration.
Day 1: Administer (Society DC 20)
He's frustrated by how hard it is to gain traction in the town to what they are doing. He resolves to redouble his efforts the following day.
Day 2: Administer (Society DC 20)
vs DC 24 to ID Hunters Arrowhead (if no one gets it on day one)
Late in the evenings, exhausted from all his negotiating on behalf of the party, he returns to his small home in town, such as it is. Certainly not as grand as the citadel, but delightful in its own way. He marks, in his head, the items he wants to transport to the citadel when it’s more livable.
At some point in the first couple days he’ll poke around town for a Crafter's Eyepiece (60gp). If he finds one, he buys it with little haggling. He’s amazed by how the magics work within the simple lens, and looks forward to the enhanced scrimshaw it will provide, though he first uses it on his citadel work.
”We should have a cemetery and bury the cultists there to start. Might not be an auspicious start, but I’d hate for them to rise up to greet us one night.”
When they meet up with Renali, he says, ”It’s on the agenda by the end of the week, but we wanted to clear out the detritus first for better access, and in case something went wrong and we had to, you know, fall back.” he winks with a smile, promising to get to it quickly.
"Oh, good sweeping, Cuth!" Raspar lugs a load of broken furniture on his back, making his way to the woodpile. "Nice scrubbing there, Cabauil," he offers a tiny thumbed thumbs up to the man on his knees scrubbing the back steps. Moving quickly forward he nearly runs into Dori and Kelvin moving a heavy fallen stone out of the way. "Good lugging you two! That's it, use your knees to lift, not your backs!" Raspar whistles away, moving on down. "Hey Dak! I think I saw more dog poop back by the side entrance. I think it's beginning to larvae up! Might want to get on that, Dak!"
* * *
Raspar works hard, then works hard more because it's good. It's important to build and dig and lift and haul and scrub and make things nice. Because it's important to show thanks. And so Raspar works and is grateful to be alive.
”We should have a cemetery and bury the cultists there to start. Might not be an auspicious start, but I’d hate for them to rise up to greet us one night.”
Raspar shakes his head, a thought coming to him. "No, maybe we should go to see Morta Valaskin, you know of Morta's Mortuary in town," he suggests, hoping Cabaguil knows the place. "I mean, I *could* cordon off our own cemetery and all, but mostly, I don't think we need one so close to the Rainbow DreamCastle Citadel." Raspar rubs some dirt off his hands. "Besides, if we dig one so close to the Rainbow DreamCastle Citadel, then we might be tempted to fill it more. We should keep it away, let alone trying to consecrate the grounds." Raspar dusts off his knees, more dirts from his efforts on the day. "I can go speak to her...or take the bodies into town on my next trip in for supplies."
When he hears Raspar refer to the citadel he grimaces. "I know you're excited and all. A fixer upper is just what you were looking for, right Raspar? But just know this: we are not renaming it to 'Rainbow DreamCastle'. You can build a shrine and name it whatever you want. But history is important, and a name is part of that."
" As for the corpses... I say cremate them. Feels right for any worshipper of Dahak, and it's probably the best way to prevent ghosties."
Having said his piece he goes back to lifting things. With his legs, because of course the halfling is right about that.
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The next morning Kelvin goes hunting for some workers. He speaks to his new friend Brynne, looking for references.
Finding a few handy folks he tells them to be ready to work the next day. He wraps up the day, acquiring supplies to get the courtyard cleared. Mostly winches, wheelbarrows, picks, and shovels.
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Dori gives Kelvin a side glace while they work to clear the fortress of all the collected crap of several years. "Did the halfling really call this place Rainbow DreamCastle?" He shakes his head with a half smile and continues to work
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Dori inspects the courtyard and the repairs seem within his ability. He takes a few notes of some of the most important tasks and what tasks need to done first. He's about done with his task when Kelvin arrives with the days workforce. "Good morning folks! We have a bit of work today."You three. work with Kelvin to drain the muck and fill the low spots. You four will be with me as we try to repair the wall without it falling over and causing more damage to the attached structures." As the two groups separate two small hands shoot up into the air. The pair of hands are attached to two young human boys no older than 13. Their heads are topped by tufts of blond hair in a bowl cut. They look exactly the same and must be twins. "What should we do?" The slightly taller one asks."We aren't afraid of hard work and we will do our share." Dori gives Kelvin a look that asks 'Why?' but all Kelvin does it shrugs and begins to organize his work crew.
Dori sighs and looks around the courtyard. "You see all the weeds between the flagstones? They all need to be cleared and hauled away. You two will be perfect for that." The two Flaxen Twins nod and set to work with just a slight bit of sadness they don't get to work with the dwarves, but maybe someday...