GM Elberion's Unseen Inclusion [PFS 1E] (Inactive)

Game Master GeraintElberion

I don't believe you purposefully poisoned anyone. Open the door. We can help.

Auto aid diplomacy.

Teks waits. He knows that should it become necessary, doors are flimsy.

Diplomacy, aid another: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (19) + 9 = 28

"We're investigating this 'demon-mask,' actually. We know it wasn't you, but we just have some questions for you so that we can get to the bottom of this."

Surprised by your sympathy and desperate for support, the young man pushes the door open and lets you in, "The voice, voice in my head, it promised me power. Power if i let it in. Eternal life... but then... it controlled me, made me do things, poison!"
Sokari shudders, "I was a fool."

Knowledge (arcana): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (4) + 8 = 12

Lara frowns, trying to think of what that could mean. She looks to Luli, and nods, catching what he is driving at. "Maybe a place or a name?"

Diplomacy, aid another: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (17) + 9 = 26

1d20 + 5 ⇒ (13) + 5 = 18

”So it was controlling you directly, or giving you ideas that you were powerless to resist?” Luli asks gently. ”Did it only speak of alchemical things, or did it mention anything else?”

Craft Alchemy: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (8) + 6 = 14

What did you call it? Ahriman, by chance?

"It didn't have a name, it just..." he glances back into the back room, "Well, it just..."
Sokari stands up suddenly. He walks, stumbling slightly, to the back room and returns with a worn snake-skin bound book. He holds it out at arms length, as if it might turn and bite him. "It, it left this for me."

The book is handwritten in Ancient Osiriani, as you look at it he sputters, "There are things in there - lessons, ideas - that could make a man live forever."

Sokari knows some Ancient Osiriani but is not really qualified to understand the text. You must find a translator if you are to delve further into the text.

linguistics: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (17) + 7 = 24

Giovanni spends a little time with the text to try and glean information from it. Thank you, this may be helpful in our search.

Siegfried frowns at the Ancient Osiriani writing. "Hokey Smokes! We solve mystery an age ago if persons just used good language!"

Giovanni is confident that the text is Ancient Osiriani and an arcane text, beyond that he cannot decipher.

Giovanni stores the text. We'll have to get this in front of a scholar or someone who can translate it.

What now, pathfinders?

Let's take the book to Obahar. He may be able to help. Giovanni strikes out to find the scholar.

Obahar is no longer at the dig site, it seems he packed up his bags and headed home to consult his books not long after you left.

Following directions to his home, you find it is not far from the Twisting Garden Lodge.

Obahar’s home is a dilapidated, ancient stone structure that seems out of place among the more modern dwellings surrounding it. While originally three stories tall, most of the top story fell away long ago. The front door hangs slightly ajar.

Giovanni approaches slowly, I'd keep the door closed normally, wouldn't you? Giovanni tucks his glasses into a pocket and draws his rapier. He moves to open the door.

”I mean, it certainly is fitting for a scholar of ancient ruins,” Luli offers with a smile. ”Maybe it’s nicer on the inside.”

Pushing open the door, Giovanni finds only silence. The door opens into a sitting room with just a small table and a few battered chairs. A pile of books sits haphazardly atop the table.
Two doors and a staircase lead out of the room.

Obahar, you in here?! Giovanni calls out as he pushes further into the house. He attempts to clear the lower floor first.

Obahar lives simply, you find a small kitchen with a washtub hanging on the outside wall, a bedroom and a the sitting room on the first floor.

Heading up, you see that the stairs keep going to the third floor, but they are choked with rubble.

The second floor is one large study, with a huge table and piles of esoteric material and books.

Obahar is crouched on top of the desk, only wearing one shoe and chewing on the corner of a scroll case. His eyes are blank and do not register you as you enter.

Giovanni sheathes his rapier. Can you hear me? Come down now, everything is ok.

Obahar's head jerks up at your voice. He peers at you and grins. The scroll case is damp with slobber, "Garroughba! Yeurgh."

The man's splutters are incomprehensible. He remains crouched on the desk. Drawing closer, you see partially-healed bites scars on his neck and shoulder.

As you all crowd around to get a look at the man, you hear the front door open and footsteps on the stairs. A gravelly voice calls out, "You can thank me later. I'm a real hero."

A heavily armoured half-orc with a face mask see slide 6 appears at the door to the study, "“Good thing I was around, or the old man would be long dead. Those wounds were a lot uglier before I showed up.”

"The name's Zurnzal, I work for Grandmaster Torch. He's been following this situation with the Scarab Sages. He'd like to give you a chance to accept his help."

"How is Grandfather of Torches going to do the helping?"

Grandmaster. And there's always helping with a cost. Giovanni looks over at Zurnzal. What do you know about all this?

Indeed, what is the Grandmaster's interest, and what does he want from us? Elrus thinks over each chronicle he's read mentioning the grandmaster's deeds.

Zurnzal explains, “My employer has been watching recent events in Merab with keen interest. The doru attacks seemed to draw the eyes of Amenopheus’ agents, and Grandmaster Torch shares mutual concerns with the Sapphire Sage; both of them think there is more to the sage jewels than anyone dares to believe. I am here to offer information to aid in your search for the Dungeons of the Ever-Dying” — the half-orc smiles knowingly — “if you give the Society’s guarantee that when it comes time to act on the threat to the Jeweled Sages — whatever it may be — Torch will be welcome to stand alongside his, ah, colleagues, in the Society.”

Siegfried whispers to his companions. "Sounds hokey dokey to me. We wash his hands, he washes ours!"

"But we can't speak for the Society," Luli protests, "especially about something that big! I mean, I don't think they'd be upset at the offer of more help, but why doesn't Torch make the offer himself then instead of sending a known assassin?"

I've also got some player knowledge on Torch, so I'll take a back seat on this decision.

I've played/gmed almost everything with Torch, so similarly prefer to take a back seat...

"But we can't speak for the Society," Luli protests, "especially about something that big! I mean, I don't think they'd be upset at the offer of more help, but why doesn't Torch make the offer himself then instead of sending a known assassin?"

I've also got some player knowledge on Torch, so I'll take a back seat on this decision.

Zurnzal is taken aback for a moment but then shakes it off with a shrug, "I've been called worse... I'm not doing that anymore. I mostly work for Torch now, I've no love for the Snakes."

Giovanni looks at Zurnzal up and down, We'll have to take that deal. We'll take that back to the Venture Captains but I can't guarantee anything. Where is it?

"Very well," Zurnzal pricks his thumb with the end of his blade and draws a dagger in blood on his neck. Then he gestures at Giovanni to do the same.

Once someone has repeated the gesture or made a similar oath, Zurnzal explains what he has learned.
"The Dungeons lie 'beneath the Red Canals,' they're waterways that have existed since ancient times — though possibly under different names. They fell under the domain of General Menetashtor, an infamously cruel general who served the Pharaoh of Forgotten Plagues. See this," he offers an ancient tablet showing the general’s troops being assigned “permanent duty” at the Dungeons. "The Dungeons were once cleansed by Sarenite priests, who recorded the cleansing but later tampered with their own records to obfuscate knowledge of the Dungeons." Zurnzal then produces the altered document and shows where it has been changed.

He shrugs, "That's what I've got. Obahar could have figured it out from here," he looks at Obahar and raises an eyebrow, "Or you can finish the job for him." Zurnzal gestures toward the piles of documents around the room.

Then he sweeps out of the room, "See you when this all shakes out."

kn local: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (16) + 9 = 25

Fine, then. Giovanni slips is rapier out of its scabbard an inch or two and cuts his palm. He draws a dagger just the same on his neck.

Tell Torch we'll be in touch.

Presuming we know where the red canals are.

No, you don't, but...

You have two options: try to restore Obahar's sanity (he currently has quite a lot of wisdom drain) or use his papers to do the research yourself.

If it's ability damage, Luli knows lesser restoration. If it's ability drain, we're going to need restoration. If that's the case, we might be able to find a scroll somewhere in town. I know Luli would hate to leave the poor man like this, whatever we decide to do.

Luli, look the man over. I don't have anything to help, unfortunately. Let me look through his papers. Giovanni will start sorting out Obahar's papers to find reference to the Red Canals.

Lucky, or anyone, make a heal check.

Heal, Natural Divination, Take 10: 10 + 5 + 10 = 25

Using Natural Divination revelation for +10 bonus on single skill check.

lesser restoration will work but he has 9 points of wisdom damage and he currently sitting on one point of wisdom.

Knowledge (history): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (19) + 8 = 27

Lara ponders, ruing the fact that she could not be of more help here. "There's got to be somewhere we could look. Maybe a temple?"

Is there a knowledge check that might help with the location of the Red Canals? Bardic Knowledge (geography), maybe?

While Luli looks over Obahar, Lara gets to work on his notes.

Fortunately, Obahar must have been preparing for your arrival. A fresh pile of papers and books on his desk, along with a few sheets knocked onto the floor, provide a highly-focussed set of research materials and Lara is soon making her own notes.

After about an hour, Lara determines that the Dungeons lie beneath an abandoned shrine in the middle of the city’s western market and temple district.

It is currently late afternoon and you should be able to get there in about an hour.

Lesser Restoration x3: 3d4 ⇒ (3, 2, 1) = 6

"Obahar?" Luli asks after a minute or so. "Can you hear me?"

Obahar spits a piece of leather out of his mouth then looks at Luli, "I'm so eurgh, you know. Oh..." He blinks and shakes his head, "I need water. Who was the half-orc? What day is it? A doru." His eyes grow wide, "There was a doru! I was bitten by a doru!"

He winces and looks down at his scars, "A doru..."

"Right, well, let's get it. Has anyone got a sword I can borrow?"
His wisdom is still low :D

”Easy there,” Luli says gently. ”I’m glad you’re back with us, but we need to get you to a healer. You’re in no condition to fight a div.” He turns to Lara. ”Any chance there’s a temple between here and our destination?”

Lara can see that a temple of Nethys lies on your path to the dungeon.

Agreed that you need a healer, but glad to see you have spirit!

Lara nods. "There's a temple of Nethys on the way. We could stop there--it's less than an hour to the old shrine. So the temple of Nethys will be maybe half that."

Sounds like a plan then! And if the priests don’t get your mind back to where it was, we’ll finish the job when we come back to pick you up. Sound like a plan, Obahar?”

Obahar nods absent-mindedly, "Yes, yes, and maybe a snack? I could take you all out for a drink, yes? Excellent. Do let me know."

After leaving Obahar with the priests, you head to the site.

An abandoned shrine to an unknown deity sits where the Dungeons of the Ever-Dying are supposedly located. The people of Merab go about their business in the surrounding area — a relatively unremarkable market and temple district. None of the citizens come close to this shrine, and a few make warding gestures as they hurriedly pass by.
Refuse fills the spaces between the shrine and neighbouring buildings. The shrine is a single room building with a narrow doorway. Sinuous, twisting pillars support the roof and walls, although all seems on the verge of collapse. At the rear, the floor is slightly elevated and a blocky altar takes up the centre of the platform.