You pass the books around, gleaning all the information from them. Mercival is thoroughly impressed by your understanding, especially since you picked up several bits of information that he and his team hadn't.
You discover:
1. Details of certain sites described in Helven Leroung’s published accounts differ from recent maps and surveys, suggesting she was never at those locations.
2. The word choice and syntax in Helven’s accounts are atypical of Chelish authorship, though suggestive of tales arising from oral traditions.
3. Depictions on some Shoanti reliefs predating the arrival of Chelish settlers bear striking parallels and similarities to Helven’s accounts.
4. Helven provided intelligence to Chelish forces regarding the location of a Shoanti tribe known to be plundering sites around the region.
5. Witnesses told Montlarion of a Chelish woman aiding a Shoanti tribe during the war before those Shoanti were slain.
6. Montlarion had an altercation with Helven regarding Shoanti artifacts, which turned violent.
Mercival shows the group to a side room, where ongoing restoration is being made on a fresh shipment of artifacts.
Two work tables occupy this room. One holds a variety of Tian objects, including a wooden washboard, some bamboo flutes, and a pair of intricately-painted fans. The other is arrayed with aged curiosities, including a totem of a Shoanti man dressed in riding leathers as well as stacks of yellowing papers. Crates and sturdy racks, holding bits of fragile-looking sculpture and pottery, press against otherwise bare walls.
You are all astounded by the sheer number of priceless artifacts in this crowded room, and much more astounded when one of them flies off the shelf and straight for your heads!
A piece of clay pottery ricochets off of Vangrals head.
Weapons are drawn, but Mercival jumps out in front of you all.
"No!" he shouts. "We cannot afford any more violence. We must appease it! Put your weapons away and-"
*BAM* the next shard of pottery smacks Mercival in the back of the head, knocking him to the floor. Behind him, holding another piece of pottery, is a tiny, crudely carved statue of a robed man with glowing runes running across its surface.
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"All very interesting, isn't it? Though it leaves more questions than answers. Was Helven Chelish at all? Was she perhaps adopted by Shoanti?" Vangral says thoughtfully.
His mouth fairly waters when they are shown to the artifact chamber. At least until he gets knocked in the head by a vase. He looks around for the source and his eyes narrow as he spots the culprit.
He is readying to assault the thing when Mercival asks him not to. But then the museum caretaker gets knocked out, too.
He grits his teeth and then decides the man is right.
As he's rubbing the back of his head he recognizes what his assailant is and bows.
"Honorable shikigami, please accept our humblest apologies. We meant no offense and, should you explain how we have caused harm, we will be all too pleased to make amends," he says.
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"Oh yes. I understand," Vangral says. He holds up a finger to forestall the little figure then leaves the room.
He returns with a handful of the semi-fried, semi-liquefied shrew flies. He shows them to his assailant then smashes them between his palms and grinds them with a determined, vengeful look on his face.
Brushing his hands clean he then goes and gives Phytus an uncomfortably long hug, laying his head on the plant creature's shoulder.
"This creature is from the distant land of Tian Xia, my friends. If anyone can speak Tien, we should be able to communicate with it properly."
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After emitting a thin, cold sigh - the first non-hoof noise you've heard out of him in several minutes - Ekanta steps forward, bowing deeply to the shikigami before tilting his head in Vangral's direction.
"I am from Wanshou. What do you wish me to tell it?"
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"Oh, how delightful!" Vangral actually claps his hands together repeatedly.
"Just tell him that we took care of the flies and that his washboard will be safe now and that we won't hurt it either. And that we're friends who can use his help, if he's so inclined," the elf continues, tapping his pointy chin thoughtfully as he figures out all the things that need to be said.
The shikigami, although he does not speak, is clearly pacified. He gently puts the pottery shard on the ground, and then bows deeply. A smile almost crosses his face as he fades from view, stepping into the washboard and merging his physical essence with it.
Mercival rises from the ground, cradling his head in his hands. He thanks you all profusely, and shows you around the room. The totem of the man in riding leathers is of particular interest.
As you pass the totem around, almost every one of you notices a hidden compartment attached to the bottom of the totem. Within the compartment is a sketch of a man wearing a triple-flanged helm without eyeholes (a depiction of Helven drawn by Montlarion following their last confrontation), a black ring, and a scrawled note that says simply, “Helven took the base of this totem for some purpose I cannot ascertain. Perhaps he has taken it to Absalom?”
Kreighton Shane listens as you report all of this back to the Grand Lodge. He thanks you for your successful investigation, but uncharacteristically says little more. He suggests you get some rest after your long journey back from Korvosa, as he has additional assignments from you.
The next morning, you all awaken with a note slipped under your doors.
"Pathfinders,
Zaul Blystone was one of the more famous early Pathfinders operating around the time of the Decemvirates founding. Tales of his deeds and exploits gave him a kind of folk-hero status during that time. He purportedly recovered many magnificent relics for the Society, each tied to a grand tale, but the items themselves were occasionally less ‘magnificent’ then the stories seemed to indicate.
According to her notes, Eylysia distrusted Blystone; she suspected many of his treasures were forgeries. She further postulates that he may have kept the genuine items for himself. She was particularly interested in Autumn’s Cowl, a headpiece allegedly discovered in the Arthfell Forest. Shortly before she disappeared, Eylysia traveled to Arthfell Forest to investigate Zaul’s claims.
Eylysia’s only remaining note about her time in Arthfell is simply ‘A wayfinder will provide the path.’ As such, I have included a wayfinder with this letter in the event that such is necessary to find whatever clues she may have left behind. I entrust you with the task of determing the truth behind the relic known as Autumn’s Cowl. In addition, keep your eyes wide open for any further clues Eylysia may have concealed within the Arthfell Forest. Tread with care Pathfinders.
Sincerely,
Kreighton Shaine"
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"Very interesting. I wonder what the significance of the base is," Vangral says.
He holds the ring up to the light and studies it.
"Oh, how delightful!" he says and slips the ring on his finger before holding his hand out to examine the effect.
"Only a little protection from dark energies. Surely nothing we're going to run into," he explains.
Vangral slips out of his meditation not long after the note is slipped under his door. He's still in his silken pants and slippers and smoking jacket when he reads it.
"How curious. I wonder if 'Autumn' refers to a person or the season," he says as he gets dressed.
"Hmmm? Yes, yes, Vaultkeeper, I know I need to learn to focus," he says to the macabre doll which sat on the pillow next to him, staring at him through the night.
With everything gathered together, he goes to find his fellow agents and set out for the forest.
The Arthfell Forest is in southeastern Andoran. You'll need to travel there, but it should be uneventful.
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Ekanta rejoins the others looking little different when last you saw him, save for a fuller, and more colorfully-stocked, bandolier.
He does indeed have his own Wayfinder: An ornate alternative number made partly of Tian jade, rather in contrast with the either-stark-or-frightful aesthetic dichotomy that rules everything else about or on him.
The natural splendor of Arthfell forest falls away to a barrier of dried-out thorns that does little to obscure the lifeless trees beyond. Frigid winds whisper through branches that claw at the sky as a mist rises out from deep within the wood.
The road that lazily meandered through the dense forest abruptly ends at the wall. A humanoid with orange feathers in her long, green hair is making repairs at the wall as you approach.
"It is forbidden to enter," she states matter-of-factly. "There's nothing inside but destruction."
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"Oh, this part of the forest is so much nicer that the rest with all those disorderly leaves everywhere," Vangral says as they reach the more austere areas of the woods.
"Destruction, eh? We're not afraid of destruction, are we?" he asks, turning to his companions.
"So what's going on in there, anyway? A faerie gone wrong?" he asks the woman.
"Maybe we can help."
"The faeries were victims, not perpetrators. This sacred land was sacred to them, and desecrated by those who did not respect nature. They massacred the druids who lived here, and the land has responded in its own way.
How do I know you mean to help?"
The woman nods appreciatively, and steps forward to embrace Aurk.
The woman parts the thorns, revealing a foreboding woodland that fills the space beyond. Tall, naked trees are interspersed with the occasional needle-covered fir, and the ground is barren with no signs of fauna.
As you enter, the wall of thorns closes behind you. You see a grove of relatively healthy trees in the distance, the only landmark in this barren landscape.
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"I knew she'd see reason, eventually. I did not expect it to be Aurk who made her do so. No offense, kind sir, but you do not strike me as the most eloquent, chatty of individuals," Vangral says when they have passed through the thorns.
He doesn't seem the least unsettled by the thorns closing behind him or the barren nature of the foliage where they are.
In fact, he trudges begrudgingly toward the green, more because he's sure that's where the source of the problem is than because he would prefer to be surrounded by such verdure.
Indeed, as soon as you look away from the thicket, it seems to change locations. And when you are looking at the thicket, you can see the path shifting out of the corner of your eyes.
The area is covered with illusions.
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Ekanta offers his Wayfinder for navigation.
As he refers to Ekanta's Wayfinder himself, Aurk notices that it seems to be giving him guidance on more than one level....
The wayfinder points to the center of the thicket within the thorn wall.
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"Ah...so the advice to bring a wayfinder was not idle," Vangral says.
He provides his limited assistance in finding the path as well as guidance.
He seems horrified when he sees that Phytus is touching everything. In fact, he starts to mutter "Don't touch that!" just before his plant friend reaches for something.
Aurk tosses the wayfinder aside and leads the group through the illusions using solely his sense of smell. Vangral and Phytus do help him by pointing out rocks and other objects that don't smell.
Thick undergrowth chokes the ground in this open thicket, and clutching ivy climbs the posts and eves of an abandoned lumber mill on the thicket’s far side. Though the light of the sun reaches all but the darkest corners of this vine-covered garden, the air still bears an oppressive quality, as though neither light nor humanoid life is truly welcome.
The area is covered with thick bushes, and movement is restricted.
Round 1, the bolded may move.
Aurk
Ekanta
Vangral
Taicho
Phytus
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Taicho looks through a pouch and pulls out a small skull. He chants and over time energy flows from the skull, forming muscle and sinew around it. Over time, a body of flesh appears, flesh and bristles, in the form of a small hedgehog ... or, perhaps, a mockery (though a somewhat cute mockery) of a small hedgehog.
As they near the location, he casts heightened awareness.
As Aurk moves through the field with ease, he hears his companions cry out a warning. One of the pumpkins in the field has started to grow a face, as well as leathery vines for limbs.
The pumpkin's fiery eyes flash as flames erupt from its mouth in a 20' cone, engulfing Aurk.
*rolleyes*
Aurk looks up at the snarling face, and a wave of fear hits him.
Round 1, the bolded may act.
Aurk
Jack o' Lantern
Ekanta
Vangral
Taicho
Phytus
Phytus, please make a Will save.
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Though his face remains cryptically, stoically serene as ever, inwardly a controlled flame of excitement is sparked by this development. This is what he is here for.
With bestial speed, he charges the mocking monster mockup!
With unnatural grace, deadly skill, unholy strength, and fearsome will, Ekanta all but lances the garish gourd with his staff, causing it to