|
Everybody begins to feel their bodies slow down back to normal as the haste wears off.
"Whatever anyone doesn't wish to carry can be loaded onto my wagon. Oh. I left Junia and Jeeves in the other room with Ulrich for company. I'll run and get them and check on Ulrich while I'm there."
Inga hurries off and returns moments later with the children and the little wagon in tow.
I'll grab this curative draught..the rest is not useful to me. Apologies, Klaus...sometimes the heat of battle gets to me. I must work on that... Rallas says as he pats the phantom on the shoulder.
"Haha! Don't worry about it, my friend of the living. I happen to get too worked up... myself..."
Klaus looks at Rallas' hand as the elf pulls it away from the phantom werewolf's shoulder. He notices the strands of gooey ectoplasmic slime seeping out of a wound and covering Rallas' hand."Wipe it off. Quick."
He says wide-eyed with worry, staring at Rallas' hand.
He quickly calls out to Inga.
"Inga! I'm hurt. Pretty bad."
|
|
Inga rushes over and assesses Klaus' wound.
She inhales through her teeth.
"Oof. Alright. Let's get you patched up. May we have a couple of those potions of cure moderate?"
Inga asks desperately as she holds out a hand.
"Klaus cannot heal naturally. Only magical healing will work. If we lose him, he'll be banished to the ethereal plane for a while. We don't want that to happen."
Inga pops the cork and takes a whiff. She scrunches her nose in disgust then hands it to Klaus.
"Eww. It's not peppermint chamomile, Klaus. I don't want to know what the orcs used to brew it. Ick. Luckily you can't taste it."
Klaus chugs two of the potions and smacks his lips.
"Nope. Don't taste a thing. I'll just imagine it tastes like sweet honey mead."
"Ahh. I feel much better."
He purrs.
|
Elby cares for her own wounds as the rest of the party relieves the orcs of their gear.
She then stands over the orcs, saying quietly, "Kwabo bahambileyo, ngamana uSarenrae angakwamkela ngaphandle kwezono zakho. Kwabo basalayo, ngamana ungakubona ukukhanya xa uvuka."
|
Leinad glances around once to make sure greater healing efforts aren't needed. "I wonder what all these books are about... why would the orcs be interested in them?" he ponders as he starts picking up the scattered statues on the floor, setting them on a shelf near the shrine at the far side of the room from the door.
|
|
Finishing up with Klaus, Inga turns a curious eye towards Elby as the half-orc speaks over the bodies of the fallen.
Inga steps up behind Elby and places a compassionate hand on her shoulder.
"That was very nice. Was that a prayer you were saying? I'm sorry they lost their lives, but, at least they died as warriors in battle."
Inga hopes she is correct about her knowledge of the Orcs' view of death. In no way does she want to offend her fellow adventurer and good friend.
Inga takes a step back and respectfully lowers her head. Closing her eyes, she offers a silent blessing of her own for the souls of the dead.
Klaus steps forward and looks down at the orc corpses. He nods with a stern brow at the fallen.
"Yes. They died as great warriors. May their souls find a safe journey to the afterlife they wished for."
Klaus then raises an eyebrow in thought. He was killed in a most horrific way and never found peace in an afterlife. His form is now monstrous, the same form as the creatures that murdered him -not the gentle and caring man he once was. The pain and terror of being a lost soul wandering the ethereal and fighting for his un-life was terrifyingly unbearable... until finding Inga, his true love, again.
You jointly investigate in the room you are in.
Rallas and Ajax find the orc’s stash as well. The orcs have pocketed a number of small relics of some interest.
Among them is a golden holy symbol of Sarenrae, seven sets of prayer beads, and a handful of rubies. The orcs also carry a small copper statue of a sword and another small alabaster statue of a lioness.
Rallas and Ajax also find an alabaster lioness near the shrine, and a wooden holy symbol of Sarenrae which currently lies on the floor among the decaying papers.
You believe that the room was once a library for the clerics and monks who lived and worked on the grounds of the Bastion of Light.
The books in this room contain histories and personal journals for many of the Bastion’s former residents, but much of the text is now useless due to years of decay and smoke or direct damage from the fire 11 years ago.
Built into the wall along the southern side of the room is a large pictorial shrine to Sarenrae. The shrine is carved in the shape of a large ankh, with a hollow in each extremity and another in the center. Scattered on the floor beside the shrine are several small statues and the remnants of a broken wood tray.
The statues are carved or cast from various materials and are no more than 6 inches tall. There are seven figurines in total, though only four of them are still nearby: a gold hound, an amber wheel of sunlight, a platinum four-armed angel, and a silver armor-clad soldier.
You believe that the shrine was put in place as a way to test new curates on their knowledge of Sarenrae and her servants. Maybe during the Shining Crusade, the shrine was turned into a ritual site for crusaders leaving the Bastion for the front lines. By placing the correct figurines in the correct order, a crusader would receive a blessing from Sarenrae, giving them a powerful tool to protect them in battle.
You estimate that when the Whispering Tyrant was imprisoned, the shrine became a place of quiet contemplation. Decades later, the room was probably converted into a library and remained so until the orc invasion.
|
|
"Oh my.. a copper sword, two alabaster lionesses, a gold hound, amber sunlight, platinum angel, and silver soldier. How evocative! And we have.. what, five niches in which we could place them for worship?" Leinad exclaims happily, though he doesn't appear particularly adept at puzzles. He hums to himself softly, then mutters, "This angel seems the most out of place to me, but.. I can't really tell.. perhaps there's some wisdom to be had from above."
He draws back out his teaching staff and intones a gentle prayer to Erastil, "Lord of Family, teach us the ways of your godly sister," and the staff gleams briefly with warm golden light.
|
|
Inga stares at the slots of the ankh then glances at the pile of statuettes.
"Oh my. Do we have anything to go on for clues? Where do we start? Obviously the material of each statue means something. But, what?"
Inga reaches down and picks up the amber sunlight wheel.
"I'm just taking a guess here, but, Sarenrae is known as the 'guiding light' or 'shining light' or something, right? The sun shines overhead during the day. Maybe this amber sun goes in the top or center niche to shine its light on the others... Maybe?"
She shrugs.
|
|
"Hey, wait a minute."
Inga says as she thinks for a moment. She turns and makes her way to the door leading to the main temple area and opens it. She looks at the large partially obscured great mosaic on the floor and then looks up at the circular stained-glass window depicting a golden rose blooming within a rising sun.
"Ah-ha! There has got to be clues in the mosaic or the window."
Aeabos: This is the silver soldier. “Sheathed in the scales of a thousand stars, Aeabos travels the nighttime sky to distant worlds, sharing the healing light of Sarenrae’s grace.”
Bryla: This is the amber wheel. “She is the burning wheel. Bryla of Sacred Fire has thrice answered our prayers, manifesting as a glowing halo to illuminate the way forward and burn away evil.”
Charlabu: This is the golden dog. “The golden-haired hound archon Charlabu often masquerades as a mortal dog, seeking ways to look after those in need without betraying his disguise. Small acts such as these are the foundation upon from which redemption arises.”
Myst Morning : This is the copper sword. “Mystmorning is simultaneously the shining blade and the crowned steed. Her rose-gold fur reflects the last rays of our goddess before night, reminding us that the Dawnflower’s light shall return to conquer darkness once more.”
Izorai: This is the alabaster lioness. “Where shadows pool, evil oft arises. The huntress Izorai sniffs out villainy, yet the same jaws that kill can gingerly recover the abused and carry them to safety.”
Sarenrae: This is the holy symbol. “She is the Dawnflower, the heart of light, hope, and redemption.”
Sunlord Thalachos: “The mighty herald of Sarenrae is her bodyguard and companion. Just as he appears at auspicious births, so too does Sunlord Thalachos welcome the sun as it is born anew each day.”
~
Once Ajax together with you all places the last figurine, radiance pours from each extremity of the shrine towards the center hollow and into the symbol of Sarenrae, which now radiates a soft, golden light.
|
Hmph...puzzles can be fun...not when things have so much riding on them though. A word puzzle and some wine is a good way to unwind. My uncle was incredibly fond of puzzle and games and such...hmm...perhaps that's why he was a bit odd, come to think of it... the elf says as he reflects on his thoughts.
You all can feel the power that the holy symbol now has!
The symbol of Sarenrae still radiates with a soft, golden light.
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
As the group gathers around the ankh and discusses the relics, Ajax spends his time looking for obvious signs of fitment.
"It appears that each relic has been placed in the shrine many times before and the wood has been worn out in a way that fits the proper relic."
Ajax places the relics appropriately.
When Lorian touches the holy symbol you see that his whole body starts to glow!
Again, Lorian feels the warmth of his deity wash over him!!
Lorian, you feel a connection and you feel a task ... you are now one of the guardians of this bastion! And more importantly, you feel the connection of the Red Reaver to this holy place is starting to decrease!
The charged holy symbol of Sarenrae sheds light as a torch.
"I will protect you Lorian. I am with you!"
|
|
"I agree. Seeing that Elby is a warrior of the Holy Light, it makes sense that she is the one to carry it."
Inga cocks a smile at the holy warrior.
"I have a good feeling about you, Elby. I believe you are destined to be a great influence on this temple once it is restored. Perhaps even becoming a high priestess here after retirement from the Pathfinder Society."
Inga nods gently at Elby in approval.
Elby takes the symbol, wondering how she was deemed worthy of anything that's happened since they entered the Bastion of Light.
Elby feels power surging through her veins. She feels the motherly comfort of Sarenrea embracing her and she starts to glow.
You hear an angelic voice in your mind Elby.
"I will protect you and will be with you!"
|
|
Leinad smiles all around at the communal feeling in the room. "I believe there is more above, per our other Orken friend. From what we saw, I think that other door may lead to a safer way up than running across the foyer. It could still be dangerous though." Leinad leads the way through the rooms to the door he thinks we need to head through.
You hear banging against the main door and then the noise moves to the ceiling!!
|
|
"We'll need to lure that reaver in. Excellent, Rallas. We'll lure it right into that big trap."
"Hold on a second..."
Inga thinks about Ajax's comment for a moment.
"You're right, Ajax. We did this relic in here and we got the helmet from the font. There was also that reliquary where Urich is. Urich did tell us to search the upstairs. We should hurry upstairs and, hopefully, there's another relic up there."
|
|
"I'm all for running up, but if the beast is above us, that might be very dangerous. I think I have just the distraction though!"
Leinad withdraws the long tube strapped to the top of his backpack. "A Skyrocket! I just need someone to make a crack in the door big enough to shoot through, I think the explosion will lure it away."
Elby feels a faint connection to the Reaver through the holy symbol and it is clear that you really cut off all the energies that were flowing through the bastion to the Reaver.
Rallas starts to make a small opening to fire the rocket.
|
|
While the group prepares to fire the skyrocket, Inga casts mage armor from her wand on Klaus. She then grants him with the power of ancient spirits with a magic fang.
"Be careful now, Klaus. That creature is quite formidable."
She then addresses the group.
"As soon as the beast attacks, I'll be sure to quicken us with a haste spell."
She watches Rallas dig a hole in the wood between the door and the jamb.
"I sure hope this works."
She nervously bites her lip.
|
|
Lorian examined the area, watching as the others got ready. Seeing that someone was missing he raised his hands "Hold on, I think Ulrich should be here to report what happened back to Mahja Firehair!" he said as he ran back to get him.
Once finished with his mission, Lorian returned, taking a swig of water from his waterskin. Stepping over so that he had a clear view of the room and so that the creature had to come past the trap to get to him, he got prepared as best as he could. Taking a breath, he got the group ready for battle. "We are here to avenge Grunsh and the others. Remember them as we deal with the Red Reaver. It is better to dispatch it here, so we can end its threat to others in the region, no matter their outlook in life. May your aim be straight and true!" he said, adjusting his shield and drawing a magical rapier.