The unerring missiles pummel the elemental, before Bon Jon's flurry assails it. Unfortunately, the creature shakes free of the glitter before the monk can strike, allowing the stalker to dodge aside.
16 Mun
19 Daratar (Damage: 11)
19 Radiarch
18 Elby
17 Red (Damage: 46, 30NL)
13 Patrick (Damage: 14)
8 Bon Jon
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Spotting that their glittery assailant appears to have regained its vision, Daratar flashes it a mischievous grin, before stepping back, staring at the elemental and then pointing at his eye. As he begins to chant small wisps shadow begin to detach themselves from the surrounding darkness and cling to the parties formally invisible foe slowing its movement.
With another hammer blow, the stalker sinks to the floor, the sparkling outline unmoving.
Mun
Daratar (Damage: 11)
Radiarch
Elby
Patrick (Damage: 14)
Bon Jon
Patting at the invisible creatures body, Bon Jon feels no garments or items, the insubstantial body appearing to have nowhere to carry anything.
Mun sweeps the room with his divination, sensing a plethora of auras across the entire room.
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"Well, that was certainly unexpected." observes Daratar. "I would hope that if this creature was supposed to be here Nigel would have warned us about it, so I'm guessing it must be an uninvited guest."
"I wonder how it got in here and what it was up to?"
Daratar has a search around to see if he can find any clues as to how the Invisible Stalker found its way in and what it was doing.
"We should probably also throw one of those dust sheets over it, it's going to be a trip hazard just lying there all invisible and unconscious once the Glitterdust wears off."
Daratar's keen sight allows him to move through the collection with alacrity. The Collection Esoterica contains a substantial number of unusual supernatural objects from around the Inner Sea region and beyond. Some even come from unidentified lands described only in fanciful language.
A water-damaged journal contains a sketch of a metal-framed lantern of exquisite (though infernal) design. The writing indicates that the lantern was gifted to the Blakros Museum, but with no legible indication of when or from whom.
Digging further, you find the buyer of an auction lot in Kintargo 47 years ago donated many of those items to the museum. However, the reference numbers in the auction lot receipt do not correspond to the entries in the Blakros Museum’s codices of acquisition. In fact, it is clear someone altered the codices and replaced the original pages with forgeries to conceal the truth.
After about four hours of work, Patrick notices the shape under the blanket slide out from underneath it!
The Pathfinders put down their work to deal with the resurgent foe!
23 Red (Damage: 46, 27NL)
19 Patrick
19 Mun
17 Daratar
14 Radiarch
13 Bon Jon
4 Elby
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"That thing got free!" Mun calls as he notices some movement from the blanket that had been thrown over the stalker. "We should have put it down for good in the first place; it's not like it's even truly alive--it's just some wizard's toy..."
He focuses himself and begins a low and slow chant, repeating Ashava's name over repeatedly and in multiple languages, with minor incantations interweaved.
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Seeing the Stalker seems to be moving again Daratar attempts to hit it with another Glitterdust, positioned to avoid any allies.
Mun casts a prayer over the party as Daratar readies another glitterdust to reveal the foe!
23 Red (Damage: 46, 27NL)
19 Patrick
19 Mun
17 Daratar
14 Radiarch (Perception needed to determine surprise)
13 Bon Jon
4 Elby
Patrick restores his ability to spot the stalker, allowing Daratar to cast glitter over it once more.
23 Red (Damage: 46, 27NL, Blinded)
19 Patrick
19 Mun
17 Daratar
14 Radiarch (Perception needed to determine surprise)
13 Bon Jon
4 Elby
The stalker misses Bon Jon's approach, attempting to fly up and out of the way, only to catch a fist from the unguarded moment! The glittery outline slides down the wall, once again unmoving.
Patrick (Damage: 14)
Mun
Daratar (Damage: 11)
Radiarch
13 Bon Jon
Elby
Having secured the unconscious elemental, the party returns to their research successfully.
When Radiarch makes the long ride up the lift, he is quickly able to find Nigel in the museum offices. The elf's face turns incredulous at the report of the hostile outsider. "An invisible stalker in the archive? As if we don't have enough problems..." He rubs at his eyes before nodding. "I believe I have some resources to send it back to the elemental planes. I apologize for another danger encounter within the museum and assure you I had no idea such a thing had been summoned here." With Nigel's assuarances, Radiarch is able to secure Tian takeout and return to the collection as Daratar leads the investigation forward.
After another grueling session digging through the boxes of the archive, a battered journal makes passing reference to “duplicate copies” of all Blakros Museum codices involving magical items registered with Forae Logos, per the Founding Law of Absalom. Unaltered copies of the codices detailing the lantern are likely still kept within Forae Logos, Absalom’s largest library.
As you gather your things to depart, the lift begins making its slow rise back to the ground floor of the museum. Another slow descent finally reveals Nigel within. "Ah, you've completed your investigation?" he surmises as he steps out into the room. "Well, regardless, I would like to thank you for dealing with this intruder. I have some supplies to offer you as a token of the museum's gratitude." He hands over a vial, a wand carved from the wood of a treant, a set of blood red crystal lenses, and a small hand pipe.
"Now, to deal with our uninvited guest." Producing a scroll, he reads the arcane incantation aloud while gesturing empahtically. The rope binding falls to the floor, the captive apparently banished. "And with that, the museum is closed. I'll see you out. Immediately. Before those pipes cause more incidents."
After a good nights rest at the lodge, the next morning you find the Forae Logos is a tremendous building, as much a cathedral as it is a library. Beyond its imposing entry arch stands the grand foyer, an immense chamber of tiered balconies decorated with ancient marble statues, creeping ivy, and an overhead skylight decorated with astrological designs.
In spite of the structure’s serene grandeur, a palpable sense of tension hangs in the air. Dozens of heavily armored guards brandishing halberds observe the foyer from the balconies, and few visitors grace this spacious hall, making it feel unwelcomingly empty.
“Excuse me!” calls an immaculately groomed man with a thick Kelish accent, dull orange skin, faintly incandescent tattoos along his neck, and golden eyes that seem to flicker like candlelight. Accompanied by two of the Learned Guard, he swiftly moved to intercept the visitors. “I am Second Archivist Qilaus Sandaril of Forae Logos. I regret to inform you that we are in a state of heightened security at present and can only admit visitors on a case-by-case basis for the foreseeable future.”
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"Ah, I see." says Daratar. "My name is Daratar. We are here on urgent business for the Pathfinder Society. Specifically, we believe you may have copies of the Blakros Museum's codices of acquisition and were hoping we could have access to them to assist in some investigations we are currently pursuing?"
He pauses and casts a quizzical glance around the room. "If you don't mind me asking, what has happened to cause of this heightened state of security? It looks quite serious. Is there anything we can help with?"
"My apologies for the situation, Pathfinder Daratar, this is a highly unusual occurrence. An unknown party broke into a sealed records wing several days ago. An altercation of some nature occurred, whereby dangerous magic was unleashed. We have contained this effect but have yet to discover the nature of the intrusion or undo the damage. I can’t allow you to enter that wing without the permission of Head Librarian Brivit Nae, and I fear with the circumstances she has little time to approve your offer of assistance." Qilaus considers for a moment before continuing. "Archival codices are located on the ground floor, records retention, stack six. I can permit you to research it yourself, as it is seperate from the sealed records, or I can send someone to retrieve a copy of the desired indices for you."
"Your offer is appreciated, but I simply do not have the authority to allow you entry to the sealed area. Would you like me to escort you to the records retention stacks?"
"Of course. If you would follow me." With a nod, the archivist leads the way towards a shallow flight of stairs. One of the two guards falls in line behind the party as escort. The short walk leads to long rows of shelves filled with oversized bound ledgers. "I believe Blakros records take up this stack here. If you will excuse me, I shall communicate your offer to the Head Librarian."
It takes some diligent reviewing of the tomes in the stacks for perhaps a quarter of an hour, but you finally locate an unwieldy ledger that describes a lantern with an intricate metal frame included as part of an estate auction in the Chelish city Kintargo. An anonymous buyer purchased a sizeable lot that included the lantern, and that person in turn donated much of the objects to the Blakros Museum in 4668 AR.
The documentation details the lantern’s legendary ability to absorb the soul of a dying man, and anyone holding the lantern could demand that the imprisoned spirit answer her questions. The stories suggest that it could hold but one soul, and the curator speculated that capturing another might set the current captive free. However, the lantern’s inactive state suggested the powers were either fictional or dormant.
As you are finishing your review of the documents, twenty minutes after the archivist left, he returns. "I regret to inform you that the Head Librarian has rejected your offer of assistance, thus I cannot authorize you to enter the sealed wing. Have you found what you were looking for? If I can assist in any other way, please speak it."
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Daratar pauses for a while, his brow furrowed in thought, before looking up at the archivist.
"I do have one more question."
"While we were reviewing the codices I was thinking about the recent incident here. It seams to me that there have been a number of incidents around Absalom in recent days involving dangerous magic. We're investigating one such event related to the trouble we had at our Grand Lodge recently, which it seams is linked to the theft of a powerful magic item from the Blakros Museum. It may just be a coincidence, but with the timing of all of these events, it got me thinking if they may in some way be linked. So I was wondering, if it's to much of an intrusion, is there any further information you would be able to share with us on the recent incident here, or if there was anyone else we could speak to who may be able to provide further information about it?"
"The incident was caused by a number of intruders. Members of the Learned Guard spotted an elf, a woman bearing a strange lantern, engaged in combat with other cloaked and masked figures. Those escaped the library using teleportation magic soon after being discovered, but the elf fled deeper into the restricted wing. We are unsure if she is still within, as the entrance was sealed and the area was dimensionally locked to prevent the spread of the unleashed magic to other parts of the Forae Logos."
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A strange lantern you say. As it happens, the item stolen from the Blakros Museum, the item we are researching, is a powerful magic lantern. A lantern that is capable of storing souls. It seems to be no co-incidence that a fe..... someone .... bearing a lantern, is here, and I strongly suspect is the same lantern.
If Patrick has a picture of the lantern, he will show it to the Archivist.