"A pleasant surprise that an observation turned out true after all."
With a smile on his face, he will follow the others around the rooms.
"And you have my hands for use, though I must say strength is far from my best asset.
The walk through the rooms reveals nothing new for now. But it reminds you that you're moving into a ruin. Strategically it is probably better than a caravan camp, but it doesn't necessarily offer more comfort.
As it turns out the group does not find wooden planks Ohrmizd suggest "We will have to risk crawling in the rafters to explore them"
Ohrmizd crawls the rafters checking the last pugwampi stronghold in the monastery.
Ohrmizd crawls into the areas where Manuun saw the pugwampis.
The floor bears the weight on the way to the lair, but the lair itsef is more sackcloth, than floor.
Sticking the head in Ohrmizd sees the “chamber” within. It is redolent of body sweat and liquid waste. A crude throne fashioned from the ruined
choir seats near the east wall stands in the midst.
There is some magic aura under the throne.
Ohrmizd moves the throne and looks where Manuun points the aura is.
Ohrmizd enters the area of the nest and takes everything down with him. The sackcloth floor rips apart, and when Ohrmizd tries to grab hold to avoid falling he rips it off at the endges and the whole lair falls down with him.
Manoon now stares into a large hole. On the plus side every valueable that might be interesing are now easily reachable, without breaking through, on the chapel floor. Manuun can point Ohrmizd to where the magical auras are.
Ohrmizd patches himself with magic.
Once they have the pugwampis treasures Ohrmizd is back to his former self "Let's head back to the camp and inform the princess her new lair is 'clean'"
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When Manuun Examines the ring carefully he erupts in fullhearted laughter. "I think this is meant for you Ohrmizd. Unless you decide never ever to climb again after this day."
"One last thing" After telling the others that this is a ring of Feather Falling Manuun puts the ring on, and carefully crawls towards Hole where the Pugwampis were always disappearing.
Manuun carefuly navigates the upper level of the chapel. An ornate window (no glass) opens in the northern wall here. From this point, the ruined village of Kelmarane is visible a mile and a half to the north over the rugged hilltops.
"Great" gathering the donkey Ohrmizd leads everyone back to the camp.
Once there he asks permission to go in the tent "Hi Garavel. We are happy to tell you the monastery is ready for the princess to pass the night"
Heshan gave Ohrmizd a hearty slap on the back.
"Worry not my friend. Better you than any of us less fortuitous people.
Access to the tent is denied by the Guards.
Garavel, who hears Ohrmizd calling comes out of the tent. "Greetings Ohrmizd. That is good news."
"Please tell Father Zastoran, the camel drivers Hadrod and Hadrah, and the mercenaries to pack up. If we make haste we'll make it in time to move in before darkness falls."
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The whole camp knows the drill. The mercenaries are first to pack up their little belongings in backpacks and bury the campfire. The camel drivers prepare the camels for Princess Almah and Garavel. Garavel packs the important papers and valueables from the tent and the personal guards of Almah carry them to the wagon.
Father Zastoran is independant of that and only packs into his wagon what he took out for his convenience. Like some chair and a table, to sit there in the mornings or the evenings, and to have more room in his wagon.
Princess Almah then comes out of the tent and mounts her camel, using a special ladder, that is put there by her guards. Two of those personal guards stay with Almah, while the other two instruct the mercenaries to dismantle the tent and pack everything on the wagon.
Last, Hadrod collects the cooled down wood from the fire and Hadrah pulls out the sticks, that create the fence for the goats.
The caravan lines up in traveling order. Princess Almah, accompanied by Garavel surrounded by her guards first. Then Father Zastoran and his wagon, the princess' wagon, the mercenaries, and last Hadrah and Hadrod with their wagon and the animals. Ohrmizd and the gang are assigned as rearguards.
Garavel rides his camel once around the whole caravan and checks the camp site once more to ensure nothing got lost. As he arrives at the side of Almah again he gives the order to move.
Dashki walks in some distance besides the caravan.
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An uneventful trip of an hour or two later, the caravan arrives at the monastery. Garavel lifts his hand to make all stop some 30 yards from the ruin. He calls for Ohrmizd and his group to give him a tour through the building. Garavel is not the emotional type, so it's hard to read him.
But as the tour ends, after visiting the basement, at the statue of Sarenrae, he voices his disappointment. "I must tell, that you and I have very different perception of what counts as 'ready for the princess to pass the night'" He looks around at the dead pugwampis and baboons.
"Be so kind to get rid of the bodies and clear out the library, for the princess. I'll tell Princess Almah that it will take some more time before she can move in."
Princess Almah is not amused as Garavel tells her that there is a delay. She and her guards move to the side beneath a tree to wait.
Father Zastoran steers his wagon into the nave. Finally the wagon gets even ground under the wheels again, where all four of them touch the ground. He gets off to check for a place to call dibs on.
One walk around the place later he proclaims "I'll move into the basement laboratory!" and starts carrying his belongings down there.
Ohrmizd is not particularly amused by the coldness and lack of empathy on Garavel's attitude. The Keleshite looks at the other mercenaries pristine and well rested, and looks at his bruises, cloth full of bleed and shattered shield, then at the lack of interest or thankfulness from Garavel and the others in the caravan. He coldly answers "Ok"
Working out the corpses out to a pile behind the monastery he comes back to Garavel and informs him "The bodies have been removed"
Later, Ohrmizd spots Father Zastoran efforts to move up his belongings. He approaches and offers himself to help "Does Garavel always pay as little attention to the people that work with him, or is just with us?"
Down into the lab, Ohrmizd removes the crashed glass pots shatters "Take care with all this stuff, it almost got me killed. I don't want you to get hurt"
"You're not from aroudn here are you?" Father Zastoran inquires curiously.
"Garavel cares a lot about Princess Almah. He cares also a lot about the business they have here. And depending on your impartance to that business he might care about you or not."
"As a paid mercenary you're a means to an end for him. Why are you asking? Surprised by what you signed up for? Is that your first job as a mercenary?"
Father Zastoran takes the broom and starts cleaning the laboratory of all the broken glass and dust.
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Manuun grudgingly helps the others removing all the dead Bodies. "I should have insisted on that earlier."
When they later clear out the library Manuun cannot stop thinking about that book in his pack. When they are finally finished and are allowed to settle in, he immediately gets it out and starts reading the next few pages.
Hadrah and Hadrod herd the goats into the garden at the center of the monastery, where they immediately start fighting the undergrowth. Hadrah and Hadrod themself make camp in the kitchen. They take up cleaning and unpacking the provisions they carry for the group.
Harah lights a fire in the hearth and soon it starts to smell tasty from that room.
"Not exactly from here" Ohrmizd helps Zastoran to sort of his stuff, making room in the shelves for them "I was a slave, or sort of, for most of my life. Only in recent years I was shown a different life, by Sarenrae's mercy. After time shared with my mentor, I thought working with other free people would be a similar thing. One of companionship and good will"
Seeing the father grooming, Ohrmizd conjures some water to help remove the rests of goo, still trying to forget the moment it was all over his body "It seems there are so many things that elude me still at my age... What is your story? Why did you join Garavel and the Princess?"
The Keleshite sniffs the air, starting to feel the recent hearth.
Going into buildings to find treasure and defeating gnolls? That he can handle. Hauling bodies want an entirely new endeavor for him, one he was not fond of. By the time he was finished, he was completely filthy.
The first order of business after that was to take a bath. The second order of business was to flop onto a chair next to Manuun.
"When I joined you on this quest, hauling bodies wasn't exactly what I had in mind," he grumbled.
"I joined the princess years ago, as her personal physician and spiritual advisor" Zastoran tells.
Ohrmizd takes sit on a chair on the lab workbench and absentmindedly tilts one of the glass containers "Lofna said you are a priest of Nethys, is that true? Does that mean the Princess is also a follower of Nethys?"
"I'm a follower of Nethys. Which is rather a curiosity in these lands. But Nethys has no special agenda beyond magic. I guess that qualifies me as a neutral advisor."
"Her personal spiritual affairs are not for me to tell."
Dashki moves his belongings into the Shrine to Vardishal.
Ohrmizd nods at the Father "In that case you should be very knowledgeable about magic creations. There are some treasures we found but we have no idea what are them. Could you tell us what are them and how to use them?"
As the conversation progresses and the two get to know better each other Ohrmizd explains "In fact I am no mercenary. I only accepted the job because I was travelling to Kelmarane and I feared to do it alone. An old friend of mine disappeared from Katapesh and all the trace she left was that she was going to Kelmarane. Her name is Haleen, would have you seen her in the road by any chance?"
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The magic stuff piques Father Zastoran's interest. He takes the time to assess what they do. "This is a chime of opening. It opens doors, no matter what way was used to lock and secure them." he tells weighing the chime in his hands.
"This here is a phylactery of the faithfulness. That's a restraint for initiates in the faith, who don't know the dos and don'ts of the faith yet."
"The other item won't reveal their secret to me!" he adds in a bothered tone.
About Haleen he has forgotten over the excitement of the magic. Inquired about it again he replies "Haleen? No. Never heard that name."
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Zastoran gets a glass of wine and a feather and inspects the remaining items again, using another spell.
"Ha, got you! This is a simple magical dagger. It is enhanced, but has no special properties beyond that. And this is a brooch of shielding. It protects from the damage of one specific spell - magic missile - until it breaks."
Any character who spends more than a day studying the book learns the names of all five of the Templars of the Five Winds, their associated weapons, and the aspect of wind with which they are associated. The book also contains a brief entry on Jhavhul, who is listed as a shamed member of the efreet nobility of the City of Brass, a famed location on the Plane of Fire. The entry suggests that he ventured to the Material Plane in search of an army and a legacy to raise his standing, during which time he and his armies warred against the Templars of the Five Winds, but that he was never seen in the City of Brass again.
Davashuum
Wields a powerful quarterstaff.
He represents the fury of winds from all directions
Kardswann
Wields an elaborate greataxe.
He represents the south wind, the most well-traveled and worldly of the winds.
Pazhvann
Wields a tremendous burning flail.
He represents the east wind, upon which the whispers of the gods and the advice of elders is carried.
Vardishal
Wields an chilling scimitar.
He represents the north wind, a wind said to carry the battle cries of all armies.
Zayifid.
Wields a delicate but razor-sharp scimitar.
He represents the west wind, upon which secrets thought hidden were carried.
The book maybe worth 300gp to a collector.
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Later that evening Manuun sits again with the book when he his face suddenly lights up. He immediately storms to the others shouting
When he reaches Heshan he tries to catch his breath before babbling "I have found hin, Kardswan! The guy with the big axe. He is in the book!" Manuun clearly has problems containing his exitment. "As I said he was one of the Templars of the Five Winds, actually the south wind. He was far travelled and represented the wordly knowledge of the group."
In open excitement Ohrmizd gives Zastoran a great hub "Oh, look at that! You are a real master. Thanks a lot Zastoran. I will make sure to bring a good bottle of fine wine next time we stop near a town of sorts. Of course if you are interested on any of the items we can come to a good deal"
Wrapping up the conversation with the priest Ohrmizd will leave the lab "I have to let the other ones know about your findings. It was nice to share a good talk and drink with you" after that the man goes up the stairs and opens the molded door, not without effort "I have to come back and fix this door for you. It's horribly jammed"
At the main floor, Ohrmizd is dragged by the smell of food and his bowels roaring, but he is too excited to explain the magical findings he looks for Manuun and Heshan "What is it you have found?"
Listening the whole story the Keleshite nods "That sounds like an interesting story. I probably should read that book too. All those things about efreetis and wind templars"
Reflecting on the discoveries Ohrmizd states back "Did Soraya not say something about the monastery being called St. Vardishal? I wonder if the book tells something about the reason the monastery was built. And this Jhavhul... it is strange, if a war like you describe ever existed, why we do not know anything about it at our days?"
At that point, Ohrmizd smiles wide "I have some good news. Father Zarostan identified the items we found. Probably you or Heshan shall use the magical dagger and this brooch, it will protect you from magic missile. Unless one of you want it, I can use the phylactery until we find someone interested to buy it, it gives faithful guidance"
Finally he delivers the magical chime of opening to Heshan "Take the chime of opening, we don't want you to be closed up behind a statue again while we explore" Ohrmizd breaks in a relaxed and well intended laugh.
Heshan looked back amused. "Sounds a lot like you. If I knew any better, you two would be related."
With a chuckle, his head popped up to see Ohrimizd. "If you have beings that can literally wish away any damage and memory of such an event, anything is possible. Genies are powerful beings and their influence has been felt throughout this land. Case in point."
He pointed a finger at both himself and Manuun if their origins weren't obvious by now. As for the quip, he laughed mockingly. "I assure you I will not have any days worse than that... but yes thank you." He quickly took the item out of the inquisitor's hand.
"I am quite hungry. It has been a long and... bumpy day. Shall we look for something to eat?" Ohrmizd does not wait for more, he moves to the kitchen where he joins Harah and Hadrod.
"Mmmm... what do we have here? It smells like ambrosia" the Keleshite licks his lips and sits nearby the fire after securing a good bowl "So how is our favorite goat? Has Rombard recovered from his little adventure?"
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Ohrmizd talks about visiting the kitchen and Manuun notices that his stomach is hurting for some time already. "Splendid idea., Ohrmizd"
By the time The Inquisitor reaches Harahs kitchen Manuun is already wolfing down his first plate. "Delicious Harah. Just what we needed after this day." Manuun looks around and is amazed what the two made of this derelict place in such a short time.
Enjoying the meal Ohrmizd comments "Talking about fixing rooms, what do you think if we take the same room? I am not much about sleeping with the guards or alone, and I doubt Garavel will let me sleep with the Princess" the man chuckles and takes another spoon of soup.
"Maybe we can accommodate this room north of the kitchen, just in front of Sarenrae's statue. The goddess will guard us and there are even 5 beds there."
"Rombard is fine, thanks to you. I hope you enjoy the food. It's nothing as fancy as that, but it fills your belly." Hadrah replies.
While Ohrmizd chats with the camel drivers and Manuun in the kitchen, the mercenaries pass several times carrying heaps of ruined books or empty shelves. Two of Almah's personal guards also come past, and occupy Ohrmizd's preferred room. They throw the ruined beds out and tell the mercenaries to get rid of them.
Some of the mercenaries give Ohrmizd and Manuun a not so friendly stare for slacking off, while they have to toil.
All the stuff ends up in the corner of the nave as future fuel for the fire.
"Can they be more of a jerk?" Ohrmizd looks back at the mercenaries menacingly.
"We made all of the work, literally broke our faces exploring the monastery and now they dare look at us like that?" Ohrmizd grumbles and takes another sip from the soup "As if they have not been eating and lazily sunbathing the whole day..."
The Keleshite nods politely and smiles back at Harah "Thanks for the fine words. I will have a look at Rombard after securing a room for us. If we are not fast to find our space this gang of ingrates is going to make us sleep at the shitted rafters."
"What about the one of the evil pillow you slayed Manuun?" Ohrmizd chuckles remembering the deed and points the large room at the other side of the corridor "We would be close to the library and the kitchen, and Zorastan lab will be nearby too"