You decide to return to the Venture-Captain to report your findings. You are now just steps away from Dreng's last position. He looks at you with a smile at first and with some concern when he sees the marks of battle on your clothing.
"You are back. I hope you have my bottle ... and you can explain the shape that you are in." he says with a raised eyebrow.
Dreng looks confused first and then almost flabbergasted after hearing Tianna’s story and looking at the documents.
"I ... I cannot believe that I have been in this wine cellar so many times and have never noticed this secret door! You Pathfinders might have found something that gives us a taste of our roots." he says with genuine surprise in his voice.
"You had the luck of finding a long-lost trove of documents and by following my directions you will potentially earn some renown in Absolom. This is an important find and you will be the ones to investigate some potentially far-reaching discovery related to Eylysia because you were the ones to stumble upon it." he says with a sly smile.
Then he looks at the documents in more detail.
"The other documents you found that are not related to Eylysia will need to stay with me so that I can begin assigning other agents to decrypt and collate the contents for proper study and comparison to exploits published in the Pathfinder Chronicles."
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Keiko nods in solidarity. "Of course you need to give the documents to the Pathfinder Society for further research. Thank you for allowing up to follow up on the investigation. The first two leads are fairly obvious, but do you have any suggestion where we could start with the names from the Wall of Names?"
When Dreng says he "never noticed this secret door" Keiko will look doubtful.
"If you didn't know it was there, why did you pick that specific vintage?" she asks curiously. Maybe someone suggested it to him who DID know about it. What a mystery on all fronts.
Dreng seems to be in thoughts but then starts to speak.
"Well, this was the favorite wine of Fimbrik and it was recommended to me - he is a long-serving member of the Arcanamirium — Absalom’s largest and oldest magical institution. But Fimbrik never was a member of the Pathfinder Society although I heard that he had some connections to Pathfinders in the past. The Arcanamirium allows the gnome a sizable residence on its campus in Absalom’s Wise Quarter. He is one of the leads. What a coincidence. I do not know his exact address though. I have to be honest that I have not heard from the gnome in several years although I heard that he can be very dangerous and his illusions are often more real than reality. So ... be careful! And I have not memorized all the names on the wall. But I knew many whose names you’ll see there!" he says with some sadness in his eyes.
Suddenly, Dreng stands up, looks around and seems distracted.
"Ahhhh ... six people standing next to me with papers definitely has blown my cover!" he sighs.
"You find me in the Grand Lodge. Now go and solve this puzzle!" he says and walks away.
FIMBRIK's HOME
You all arrive at the Arcanamirium's campus in Absalom’s Wise Quarter.
Fimbrik's home itself is an impressive stone dwelling reminiscent of what one might expect from an eccentric wizard’s home.
A brick step leads to Fimbrik’s front entrance, which is locked with a rusty lock.
Numerous stacks of newspapers—roughly 2 years’ worth of monthly copies—are piled around the door and crammed into a thin slot at its base. Each rounded corner of the building has a large window, allowing creatures to look into the structure without difficulty.
You ring the bell and knock but receive no answer. In general the house does not look like it has seen many visitors recently.
You begin to walk to the first window on the left of the front entrance.
D3. Bedroom
A bed and desk occupy this room.
Then you walk to the window on the right of the front entrance.
D4. Study
This study contains a round table surrounded by chairs, and the walls are replete with tome-laden bookshelves.
An elderly gnome garbed in noble attire with a dapper rounded hat on his head and a can tipped with a brilliant glowing gem in his hand is standing in the room. It seems as if he is perusing his book collection.
Sharimus looks at the door and realizes that it is locked although the rust indicates that the lock needs maintenance.
When Sharimus walks to the window the gnome does not react at all.
He is either not noticing you or is ignoring you.
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Tianna wonders if the Gnome in the study is possibly an illusion. It is unlikely (though possible, Gnomes get obsessed easily) that the Gnome would still be standing around here and have that much mail left on the porch. Since the Gnome doesn't react to Sharimus' tapping she's going to be even more sure it's an illusion.
The gnome is realllllllyyyyyy there Tianna!
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Keiko is loath to attempt to break into a Wizards house, without at least checking alternatives. She likes Sophia's idea of looking for an open window, but short of that will suggest asking other people at the Arcanamirium when they saw the gnome last, and how best to get his attention.
She goes to the study window and yells "Hey, we found some really powerful unique scrolls that we thought you might be interested in?"
Sophia walks around the house and sees the last room of the house through the window.
D2. Meeting Room
This chamber contains enough chairs, pillows, and desk to accommodate at least six visitors.
Suddenly, you see a second person walking inside the room to the north-east (D2) ... and that person looks identical to the gnome you just saw reading!
And that second person is walking around and then sitting in a chair and reading a newspaper.
To your surprise Sophia, the gnome in the north-eastern room notices you and smiles.
He gives a tip of his hat before continuing to read.
-
The gnome does not react to Keiko.
The door breaks easily!
The door swings open.
Still standing outside you can glimpse into the gnome's mansion.
D1. Living Room
A large sofa sits 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 lead up and down.
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Keiko will loudly say "Hello Fimbrik, we are coming inside." and more quietly add "...if you're even here at all."
She quickly skims the inside to make sure there isn't any trigger wire or traps in the entryway...
She takes a deep breath Freakin' wizards, man, screws her eyes shut and steps inside. If nothing happens after a moment she will exhale, open her eyes, and wave her hand to encourage everyone else in.
As soon as Keiko opens the door, you suddenly see a magical circle sparkling and only a fraction of a second later three fiendish looking beetles appear next to the sofa and try to attack you.
* * *
Initiative
* * *
N Small fiendish vermin
Init +0; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +0
DEFENSES
AC 12, touch 11, flat-footed 12 (+1 natural, +1 size)
hp 4
OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft., fly 30 ft. (poor)
Melee bite +1 (1d4)
Fort +2 , Ref +0, Will +0
SR 5
Fiendish – Resist Cold and Fire 5
Immune mind-affecting effects
Special Attacks Smite good
Base Atk +0; CMB -1 ; CMD 9 (17 vs. trip)
Skills Fly +2
SQ luminescence
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Luminescence (Ex) A fire beetle’s glowing glands provide light in a 10-foot radius. A dead fire beetle’s luminescent glands continue to glow for 1d6 days after its death.
Smite evil 1/day as a swift action (adds CHA bonus (+0) to attack rolls and damage bonus equal to HD (+1) against good foes; smite persists until target is dead or the fiendish creature rests).
* * *
Round 1
1. All PCs -> GO!
2. Beetles
The yellow bug is completely annihilated!
The red beetle is immediately destroyed!
And the last beetle is gone before they even were able to react!
Everything is silent again ...
* *
D1. Living Room
While examining the room you note that despite the lack of dust on many surfaces, no one has been here for years. The carpet and sofa show virtually no wear.
You look to the right (D4) where the gnome was located and you still see him perusing his book collection.
Suddenly, you see a second person walking inside the room to the north-east (D2) ... and that person looks identical to the gnome you just saw reading!
And that second person is walking around and then sitting in a chair and reading a newspaper. To your surprise the gnome in the north-eastern room notices you and smiles. He gives a tip of his hat before continuing to read.
It also seems as if someone has tried to move newspapers dating to years back into the basement, but you realize that ever since the local printers changed the thickness of their publication, the newspapers are left on the doorstep. Maybe because the newspapers could not be pulled through the door slot somebody eventually settled for leaving the newer papers neatly piled beside the door?!
You of course check the room where the assumed inhabitant of the house is reading his books in the study. But the first sentences that you exchange with him reveals that this is merely an illusion.
Also the image of the same smiling gnome in the north-eastern room is only an illusion as it seems that an interaction beyond smiling is not possible.
During an examination of the table in the southwest corner you reveal a neatly penned letter.
PLAYER HANDOUT #5: FIMBRIK’S NOTE
Well, you got me!
I’m not here anymore, and my house is filled with an incredible array of illusions to discourage the curious. But you just had to break in. I respect your gumption and assume you’re either a petty burglar or someone looking into Eylysia’s affairs.
I’ve left Absalom to look for my friend, for she’s been missing for some time; however, I’ve attached the name of a particular Pathfinder you’ll want to investigate at the Wall of Names at the Society Grand Lodge. I assure you, it’s quite important, but I’ll leave you to figure out why.
Oh, and the password. It’s ‘Wiffle.’ You’ll find it important, should you learn where to use it.
—The Illustrious Fimbrik
You find two long-forgotten potions sitting on the northwest windowsill.
You check Fimbrik's home but find nothing else.
* * *
MAUSOLEUM
You depart to check the lead involving Arkath. Details left by Selmius Foster indicate the location of Arkath’s burial site: a plot of land in Eastgate operated by the faith of Asmodeus.
A fence surrounds the necropolis grounds, and although members of the faith of Asmodeus and city guards routinely patrol the property, you know that it is still legal to enter the grounds to respect the departed. You can see citiy guards patrolling the area.
Arkath’s crypt is the northernmost structure on the map that you found in Selmius documents.
While the gates into the necropolis are left open to those paying their respects, the doors of all the mausoleums are sealed with sturdy stone slabs.
You are in front of the gates to the necropolis when you suddenly see a man in robes and a large pendant with the holy symbol of Asmodeus approaching. The man is holding up his hands and it is visible that he has lost several fingers.
This seems to be a mid-ranking cleric of Asmodeus and based on your knowledge he has the responsibility to watch over the tombs of the honored remains of friends of the church. You also know that especially for clerics of Asmodeus guarding the sanctity of the tombs is the cleric’s primary responsibility, but each cleric has different motivations and sometimes evil goals.
You know this guy! Durward is his name you believe. A former street thug, Durward lost several fingers and toes — and almost his life — before finding refuge among Absalom’s Asmodean priests. He enjoys his position of privilege and the powers granted to him by his god.
The man approaching shouts out loud "Who goes there?!"