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To her companions Kiri quitely says "I believe he has the markings of a cleric of Asmodeus. The clerics can have many diverse agendas, but this one I assume is tasked with guarding the sanctity of the tombs. Asmodeus is a lawful deity, so perhaps we can appeal to that?"
"I am Kirithiel, and we are with the Pathfinder Society. We are investigating an old lead that connects Pathfinder secrets to Arkath, a stone mason we understand to be interred on these grounds. May we have access to his tomb? We do not mean to disrespect the dead, but we do wish to recover any information that rightfully belongs to the Pathfinders."
Durward looks at you. "Ha, ha, ha! So you are with the Pathfinder Society! Then a favor it is. Keep your money then!"
The man looks at all of you and his intonation changes to the better.
"This plot of land in Eastgate is dedicated to the faith of Asmodeus and used as the resting ground for those that have served the dark prince, the most powerful of the nine archdevils that inhabit Hell."
He specifically looks at the strong fighters in your group and continues "If you do not respect and obey me here then you are welcome to start a fight ..." and his view wanders to the east where you see two city guards routinely patrolling the area around the property.
"... but this is the favor I ask of you: Show respect to the lord of darkness and provide the church with a share of what is to gain. As Pathfinders usually are trustworthy I will grant you permission to access the mausoleum you seek." he says with a stern look.
"But the sooner you are gone the better." and then he turns around and walks away.
You start walking to the mausoleum.
Arkath must have paid a substantial sum to have his remains guarded here as the mausoleum houses only 24 sarcophagi and the names clearly mark many of the other deceased as nobility.
Arkath's sarcophagus is one of the first you see after entering the mausoleum. It is quite simple but very well made. His name is engraved in Taldan. There are no obvious religious symbols to be seen.
You believe that some strength is needed to open the sarcophagus but that you can jointly remove the upper section to peer into it.
Together you start to move the upper section of the sarcophagus and it is obvious that some of you are not really happy with this act ... disturbing the peace of the dead sometimes comes with harsh results.
But in this case you find darkness, dust and the skeleton of a humanoid being that is resting peacefully in his grave ... you see that the interior of Arkath’s sarcophagus is otherwise empty. You assume this to be the stonemason’s long-dead skeleton.
You something shiny behind the skeleton's teeth. You remove a coin from the skeletons mouth.
This apparently is a simple coin and resembles ancient currency. A little chip at the side of the coin shows intricate gold and platinum wires within.
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so look at the spoiler
"With all due respect to the dead, our quest is to find the information this man hid in his life."
Kiri pulls a coin from inside the skeleton's mouth. She will perform Object Reading on it to try and discern if it has historical significance.
And if she can roll a Knowledge Arcana, Engineering, History, or Religion about the strange wired coin as well, the skill bonus is the same:
She uses Detect Magic on it as well, and also asks the party for further input if they have more abilities for its investigation.
PATHFINDER’S COIN
PRICE 1,500 GP
SLOT none
CL 3rd
WEIGHT — lbs.
Aura faint divination
This apparently simple coin, usually styled to resemble ancient currency, hides intricate gold and platinum wires within. This matrix, carefully modeled after fragmentary Azlanti coins, causes the Pathfinder’s coin to rise an inch into the air and slowly spin in place if placed atop a wayfinder. In addition, when levitating above a wayfinder, the coin can be given a message of 25 words or fewer. This message repeats in the speaker’s voice the next time the coin is floated above a wayfinder. Only one message may be stored at a time, and once it is triggered, the message is expended and a new one may be recorded.
CONSTRUCTION COST 750 GP
Craft Wondrous Item, identify, levitate, magic mouth
You can see a gnome (see handouts) putting the coin in the mouth of the dead. He obviously created it and placed a message inside for a friend.
The message can be accessed you feel by placing it on top of a wayfinder!
Kiri uses his Wayfinder and places the coin above it. The coin levitates above the wayfinder, and you hear a message in a male voice.
"The path and chamber are complete, hidden behind the nameplate of the requested aspirant and guarded by the word you requested. Fimbrik will add more."
You all decide to go to Fimbrik's home first and his address was noted in the documents you found.
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 s 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.
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"Perhaps the gnome is hard of hearing."
Kiri will tap on the window or otherwise try and get his attention again, and if that fails she will cast mage hand to wave a book in front of his face or something like that.
"If this doesn't work, I can try to pick the lock. If we are questioned about it we can point out the pile-up of papers and claim a wellness check."
The gnome is the same gnome that you saw in your vision.
And the gnome completely ignores you!
You see that there are magical auras surrounding all the rooms you are looking at.
Moderate Illusion
The lock is easily picked and you could open the door.
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"Ha! No, you're good. Love working with spellcasters, especially a solid cleric. Can't beat having the blessings of the gods on your side, am I right?" Though he's responding, Vindex keeps his focus on the door, looking like he's ready to stab it if it comes to life or anything comes flying out of it.
As soon as you open 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.
Perception
Initiative
Some are utterly surprised when the beetles appear out of thin air.
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).
~
Initiative
Kiri
Daenerija
Mizzie
Vindex
Beetles
Tarka
Bold is up.
The bug immediately disappears after the telekinetic attack!
The red bug also disappears with a messy plop!
The last bug is gone!!
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 Kiri reveals 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 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
--
Underneath the letter is a hastily scrawled note in similar handwriting, which contains a name: Doulgonlir Caskmail
* * * * * * *
* * * * *
Additionally, you find two long-forgotten potions sitting on the
northwest windowsill.
Potion of cure moderate wounds
Potion of lesser restoration
********
After a further search of the house and the other levels, you are sure that no further information or clues can be found.
You align on the next steps and choose to visit the Wall of names. You arrive at the Grand Lodge shortly after that.
Wall of names
Created in 4330 ar, the Wall of names resides on the grounds of the Grand Lodge. The monument is a curving of black glass that stands atop a small hill at the western edge of the lodge’s grounds. Trees surround the hill, providing ample shade and privacy for those visiting to remember fallen comrades.
Carved into the are the name and date of death of every Pathfinder killed in the course of duty since the ’s construction, and most entries also include a sentence or two summarizing either the agent’s greatest accomplishments or how she died.
+++++
Ruslo and Fuzzy have unbelievably keen eyes as they are able to find the names you were looking for.
Doulgonlir Caskmail
Deceased 4332 ar
Sought the jade idol of ten thousand faces. Now but another sacrifice to the charau-ka of the Mwangi.
* * *
Hollis 'Evil Grin' Thorne
Deceased 4331 ar
Respectfully resigned after losing a friend. Lost to a life among the fish and bountiful sea.
* * *
Karina Clamp
Deceased 4330 ar
Survived the horrors of Nemret Noktoria. Returned to rot from the inside.
+++++++++++++++++++++++
You believe that portions of each inscription refer to failed aspirants.
You also know that the Shrine of the Failed could have a connection to these phrases.
The Shrine of the Failed is a hall of monuments in Absalom's Ascendant Court to those who have failed the Test of the Starstone. It was founded centuries ago, and routinely expanded since by the families of the fallen and other residents of Absalom.
The shrine consists of a series of stone rooms holding shrines that are as elaborate as the caretakers can manage, but are usually no more than a few personal items of the deceased. The shrine's caretakers wear black mourning robes, but claim no divine calling, holy texts, or philosophy.
Most visitors view it as a novelty and leave quickly, but there are occasionally devout worshipers who believe that one of the failed is a god who is merely quiescent.