Amenhep nods and turns away. He does his best to stifle a grin.
He had lost a valuable resource, and perhaps gained an enemy, but it was nothing he and his group could not overcome.
And, a little selfishly perhaps, he had kept his integrity. He did not bow to the whims of a corrupt and fickle noble he had come to loathe the advances of. He hoped that Ra would be proud.
Amenhep returns to the group. He does not elaborate deeply on what happened, saying, ”Muminofrah did not, in the end, enjoy the company I could give her. We have certainly lost an ally.”
"If she was so readily lost as an ally, then she may not have been an ally to begin with. Or perhaps in the future cooler heads will prevail."
Nevitash says.
Francis accepts the news with barely more than a shrug. "The Deka gave access to the Library grudgingly with the order of Muminofrah. I'm sure she would have done her best to refuse access to the Dark Depository, possibly even continuing her lies to the extent of the very existence of it. I think we should avoid the church of Nethys and ask any other resource we can find around the city. Any organization of Magi or a group that cares for history might have a reference to it."
Sorry, not really sure about the time-synch. Are we all together again, or are we still planning what to do while Amenhep is away? Did Amenhep come back right away? Is it still night then?
Francis discusses the various options with his companions. "Even if the other priests in the temple of Nethys have any information, the Deka certainly wouldn't let them speak of it. I'm going to go and discuss it with the brothers and sisters at the Temple of Pharasma. Amenhep could possibly check other temples in the city. Perhaps someone could try to locate representatives with the.... less reputable groups of the city? I'm sure a city of this size has a criminal organization. Be careful though. The Cult of the Forgotten Pharaoh probably worked with them, and are likely ahead of us. We don't want to give any of their agents any information. Remember, even if they don't know anything about the Dark Depositary, they might know someone that might know about it. A clue to another source of information might help."
Francis goes by himself to the Temple of Pharasma. He asks for a private meeting with any of the priests or priestesses that are available.
"Thank you for meeting with me. I'm working with a team from Wati. We're trying to stop an uprising of undead that could possibly destroy this entire city...."
Having just been attacked by assassins during the race, it’s quite obvious that the team has been identified and defined as a target for the cultists. Elliander therefore thinks it’s that unwise to separate and start searching on one’s own. If Francis insists on going alone, the duskblade will ask him to at least take Amenhep with him.
Devin and Nevitash might want to explore their shady contacts, so Elliander will try to hang on to Soumral and go looking for some sages or scribes that can give them any useful info where to look for the Dark Depository. Unless Soumral has other ideas, he will suggest going to the Academy of Scribes.
”Where and when do we meet again?” he asks the other team members before they separate.
Though Francis gains no further information on Deka An-Keret, he picks up a lead for the Dark Depository. The young priest he speaks with at the temple has a friend who works as a scribe at the Great Library. "He mentioned this place once, I remember the conversation well. Said it was quite dangerous, and hidden. Your exploits in Wati have reached us here, and I do believe you are seeking to do Pharasma's work here in Tephu. He alluded that the archive was somewhere in Wadjet's Walk on the south side of the city. I apologize that I cannot help you more, but it is possible that the presence of such a place might have caught the attention of the local residents. You might want to try speaking with some of them."
Alongside anyone who chooses to help him, Amenhep heads out. He seeks other worshippers of the old gods. They are rare in most places, but they often see and know more than others do.
Amenhep asks around and eventually finds an old man known as a devout worshipper of Thoth in a tiny building that is more a house than a temple - it should really be called a shrine. The old man that answers the clapper shaped like a crossed ankh and flail has sun-bronzed skin and is so wrinkled he resembles a tortoise. Wisps of long white hair fall from his scalp and he grins toothlessly at the paladin that stands at the door and invites him (and his guest) in. The wizened cleric of Thoth introduces himself as Kherit-Tefu, and he serves a warm, spicy tea as he makes idle chit-chat about the weather, his aching joints, the foolishness of youth these days, and the even greater folly exhibited by the nobility.
When Amenhep eventually asks about the Dark Depository, the old man's smile fades and he looks closely at the paladin. "You are a chosen of Ra." He states as fact, rather than observation. "A noble deity indeed, you must certainly be as brave and stout-hearted if you are not to be deterred in seeking that fell place. It lies at the bottom of a shaft some five hundred feet deep, a half-mile to the south of here. It is covered by an ancient grate that has likely never been moved in my lifetime, or so I believe - though I could be wrong. I will draw you a rough map that will lead you there, but take care to replace the grate immediately when you descend. If you meet your death there, I would not have an innocent man or woman fall or, worse yet, become curious enough to investigate."
Amenhep gives a respectful bow to the old man. Paladins of Ra rarely grew old, but Amenhep hoped if he did that he would end up like Kherit-Tefu. Amenhep heartily concurs with the man’s views on the foolishness of the nobility, the incident with Muminofrah still unfortunately fresh in his mind.
”Many thanks, wise one. Your generosity and piety are truly inspiring. You are a greater champion of the old gods than I, truly. I could not accept those less able than myself and my companions wandering too deep, so I will do as you say when we enter the Dark Depository.”
Amenhep reaches into his coin purse and produces ten gold pieces, setting them on the table, ”May Thoth and all the other gods make easy the rest of your days. I hope this token of my appreciation will help that. Be in peace, friend.”
When he returns to the party, any trace of the lingering funk that Mu
Devin disguises himself and Nevitash so as to hide their identities, and spends the day making quiet inquiries about what the local underworld knows about the dark depository - where it is, what are it's guardians and how to get in... In particular he looks for any tales of previous attempts to sneak in.
He will load Tap Inner Beauty into his ring and use his first level spells to augment his charisma checks. He will also judiciously use Heroism to supplement his diplomacy.
2 ranks +3 trained +3 cha +3 Buffoonery+2 tap inner beauty +2 heroism
7 ranks +3 Trained +3 Cha +2 tap inner beauty +2 heroism
Nevitash will go with Devin and try to aid him in finding information.
Nobody is set upon by assassins during the day, and no further information is gathered beyond that garnered by Amenhep. By the time the group gathers back at the tavern that evening, they have a destination - if the old priest is right. The only thing left to decide is when they go, and if they are to make any further preparations...
After looking around to make sure no one is position to overhear the party's conversation, Devin listens to what Amenhep and Francis have to report.
"Good job. My contacts have given no more information than what you provided. I say we visit the site tomorrow morning. I am not sure I want to approach the "Dark Depository" in the dark. But we should be careful overnight - if there were assassins targeting the race, there could be assassins here. Let us all sleep together in one room, and keep a watch."
Unlike everyone else apparently, Soumral is extremely pissed off that Amenhep ruined their chances to get further help from Muminofrah. She can't decide whether she's more upset because he screwed up so badly, or because she had told him so plainly and exactly that he would without doubt screw up and so plainly and exactly why, yet he would not listen to a word of it.
She curses at the man. She reminds him that she had more or less implicitly consented to shag a sphinx no less to get them out of a jam only days ago, even if it hadn't actually come to that. She describes him as a priggish martinet whose own self-importance matters more than other people's lives, prudish, vainglorious, and pretentiously interested in his own sanctimoniousness, and a whole bunch of probably similar stuff in elven and gnoll.
Soumral then retreats to her room where she locks herself in, refusing to cooperate with anyone on anything for a whole day.
On the day after the next she begrudgingly emerges, now calm enough to half-heartedly agree to check out the Dark Depository lead, while conceding nothing regarding her recent savage attacks on Amenhep.
Devin side-eyes at Eliander when Soumral is chewing out Amenhep. Afterwards, when Sourmal is safely inside her room, he quietly asks Eliander "You will have to tell me all the gossip behind that; I hadn't realized that Sourmal was that kind of lady, nor that this was that kind of party..."
"Well... If it's 500 feet down, we'll need some way to get down, and back up."
"Well... If it's 500 feet down, we'll need some way to get down, and back up."
"I would expect stairs built into the side of the shaft; presumably they need to get things into this place. If not, I could get us down by magic. Getting back up would be someone else's trick."
"If there are stairs built in to the side of the shaft I'm not sure that I'd want to trust them. I'm certain that the Deka would trap them. But let's go and find the shaft first."
Amenhep stays silent while Soumral chews him out. He was well aware of her temper. He did not fault her for it much, though, elves often had a shaky conception of how the shorter-lived races felt about their lives and passions.
He shrugs at Devin, "She can be...testy at times. My steadfast devotion to my heart and my god is somewhat grating to her more free-wheeling elven sensibilities. I must confess I have no clue what she means by the sphinx story. I was not there for it."
"If there are traps, I am skilled at finding and removing them. But if we can avoid having to deal with them in the first place that might be wiser. Magical traps often just require an unwary person to get to close though. And the rope would not likely prevent that." Nevitash says.
Elliander had sent Amenhep along with some encouragement, hoping the paladin would realize it might be necessary to ‘take one for the team’. Amenhep coming back so soon and apparently having angered the important noble, thus feels like an error. While Elliander did not say much as such then, he agrees somewhat with Soumral and does not defend Amenhep against her verbal onslaught. This needed to be vented out.
After his poor performance in the race and failed attempt to get leads on the Dark Depository himself, the duskblade is not proud of his own performance either though. Luckily, other team members have got some information he learns after meeting up again, and it seems worth checking out. He is ready to go exploring, but will they need to buy some means of protection first, if this place is much more dangerous than they thought?
"We should see the place firsthand before we get too far into any planning. As for myself, there are a couple of scrolls I might try to find, magics useful if the descent is dangerous."
"I think Sourmal is correct, after all, so far this is just a story told to us, we have not seen it with our own eyes. It may not even be there. If it is, it's only a half-mile trip from the city. Let us go out there and scout to see if it actually is there. Then we can figure out how to get into it. But when we do go scout, let us take precautions against being followed. Otherwise I suspect we will have assassins and worse dogging our heels."
Fireday, the 18th day of Desnus, 4714 AR
Weather is clear and a little hot (about 95 degrees) with very little wind.
One hour before sunset
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The day is a hot one, but after finding a merchant who can supply a length of silk rope measuring some 525 feet after being meticulously knotted for easy climbing by the young boys that work for the merchant, the party makes their way to the Dark Depository, following the map obtained by Amenhep. There is no sign of the assassins that stalked them throughout the race. Perhaps they've given up? Not likely...
With the day nearly done, the intent is simply to scout the entrance to the hidden archive, and as the afternoon light begins to wane they find the heavy grate that the priest had told them about - partially hidden behind a garden wall overgrown with thick vegetation. The grate is quite bulky and must certainly weigh about a hundred pounds - not to mention it's difficult to get a good grip on it - but after several minutes of work it is moved aside, and the deep shaft beneath revealed. Thick iron rungs are set into the wall, a ladder descending into the darkness, and they look sturdy enough despite the age. The shaft itself is about fifteen feet in diameter, and it's impossible to see how deep it goes without further exploration.
--------------------------------------------
It looks indeed like a long way to climb down. Elliander checks the entrance of the shaft for any magical traps with casting Detect Magic. If satisfied, he will lean over, cast Dancing Lights and send them downwards as far as he can control them (about 200 feet), to see what he can spot.
Thought there are rungs fasten to the wall of the shaft, he agrees that they shall probably not entirely trust them, but also use the rope. The duskblade is willing to take lead together with Devin and climb first. Elliander can help detect magic, fight and provide light. The rest of the team could come in pair a little behind to spread out.
Devin sets himself and volunteers: "I will take point. Sourmal, can you cast Invisibility on me? The rest of you will rope together, so if one slips, the others can catch them. But if invisibility is to protect me, a rope can't give me away, so I will not join myself to you... I am relying on Featherfall instead, if I fall. I would suggest Nev ins second spot - if a trap that I don't find gets me - well, he will be in position to deal with it, without having to climb around people on the ladder. Give me a 50 ft lead down the ladder so sneaking will do me some good. Don't climb fast coming down or you will catch up to me as I will be searching for traps. "
7 ranks+3 trained +5 eyes of the eagle+2 dimdweller +2 tears to wine +2 heroism +2 Heightened Awareness
1 ranks +3 trained +3 Buffoonery+2 heroism
+ ?invisibility?
7 ranks+3 trained +3 Dex +2 dimdweller +2 Heroism
"I should go with Devin and aid him." Nevitash says and will move to follow Devin, but he will give Devin the room he requests before heading down.
Taking numerous precautions, the party finds that the descent is uneventful - thankfully, for it's a looong way down. But the rungs are in very good shape and easily hold the weight of everyone as those in the vanguard descend into the depths. In the end, the shaft must measure somewhere around 450', which is still quite a long way and by the time the scouts reach the bottom, their arms and legs are a bit sore from the climb. The floor is covered with leaves and other debris that have rained down from above over decades or even centuries, and there are more than a few insects and spiders (of normal size, fortunately), with no other threats noted. Set into the east wall of the 15' diameter chamber is a set of bronze double doors.
Francis looks around carefully, but knows he doesn't have the skill to easily spot traps. He casts Detect Magic and checks for any auras.
Taking numerous precautions, the party finds that the descent is uneventful - thankfully, for it's a looong way down. But the rungs are in very good shape and easily hold the weight of everyone as those in the vanguard descend into the depths. In the end, the shaft must measure somewhere around 450', which is still quite a long way and by the time the scouts reach the bottom, their arms and legs are a bit sore from the climb. The floor is covered with leaves and other debris that have rained down from above over decades or even centuries, and there are more than a few insects and spiders (of normal size, fortunately), with no other threats noted. Set into the east wall of the 15' diameter chamber is a set of bronze double doors.
Upon reaching the bottom, Devin pauses besides the ladder. He uses message "Nev, you're good at tracking, before we all mess any prints up, has someone else been down here recently?"
As Nev descends (from 50' up the ladder), Devin mutters a cantrip and his eyes sweep the chamber, looking for anything odd...
7 ranks+3 trained +5 eyes of the eagle+2 dimdweller +2 tears to wine +2 heroism +2 Heightened Awareness
After Nev has searched for tracks, Devin turns his attention to the bronze doors, checking them for traps and looking for a way of opening them...
7 ranks+3 trained +5 eyes of the eagle+2 dimdweller +2 tears to wine +2 heroism +2 Heightened Awareness
Both Devin and Francis detect magic in the immediate area. Before they can even begin to narrow it down further, Devin spots the Blast Glyph trap set upon the door.
7 ranks +3 trained +2 int+2 tears to wine +2 heroism
Devin points and says "The door is trapped with a blast glyph."
Devin is able to determine it is a greater glyph of warding, which will blast the entire area at the bottom of the shaft with the icy cold power of a white dragon's breath weapon!
Nevitash looks around for traps.
Devin addresses the party "Ok, everybody but Nev and I climb back up the ladder, 15 feet or so, so you'll be out of the blast radius if Zyphus is being a b+&!+..." and then focuses on his partner in disarm: " Nev, you want to be primary on the disarm or me?"
Devin seems to trust Nevitash more, and Elliander just shrugs his shoulders and takes the rear instead while they climb down. He is prepared to hold the rope and keep the rest from falling if something happens. The first two reach the bottom without mishaps though, but there’s a trap there. When Devin calls out the warning for them to back up, the duskblade does so, so they get room to maneuver with the trap. He climbs up enough for the rest to get out of the danger zone too.
Elliander is willing to provide light using his Dancing Lights spell if needed.
Soumral pipes up.
"Before we try anything that involves activating the ward, let me try to dispel it. If my attempt fails, it won't activate the glyph, and we're no worse off."
Soumral gives it a shot, targeting the glyph with the spell.
As the party discusses how best to bypass the trap and precautions to take, Soumral pipes up with an idea and uses her magic with precise and powerful effect. The trap dissipates...
With little to no skill at traps Francis stays back and waits. Once the suggestion is made to ascend to a safe distance he does that. And waits.
Soumral places her hands on her hips as she looks at the door.
"That's that then" she says with satisfaction. "Let's just hope there's not another one. I'm not prepared for that."
Devin forms his Traveller's Anytool into a listening cone (complete with mesh screen for earworms), and asks "quiet everybody" while he tries to hear what he can through the bronze doors...
7 ranks+3 trained +2 dimdweller +2 MW Tool +2 tears to wine +2 heroism +2 Heightened Awareness