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“There’s trouble at the Blakros Museum again,” Venture- Captain Adril Hestram growled when you first entered the meeting room in the Grand Lodge earlier this afternoon. “The museum’s curator, Nigel Aldain, came to me this morning asking for help. Apparently, a wayward daughter of his illustrious patrons, the powerful Blakros family, has disappeared, along with a few of the museum’s watchmen who went looking for her. The Society has helped him in the past, and he wants us to find her, before he loses his job, or worse. Now Nigel’s an old friend, and a former Pathfinder, but this kind of missing person case isn’t really our bailiwick. Normally I’d tell him to find the district guard and leave the Society out of it. “But then he made me an offer that was too good to pass up. Not only will he allow the Society access to the Blakros Museum’s extensive and very private library, but apparently this same missing daughter just returned to Absalom with a pack full of ancient relics collected throughout Osirion and northern Garund. And Nigel promised the Society first pick of any of those pieces that catch our fancy. I don’t need to tell you what those kinds of things might be worth, so it looks like you’re heading to the Blakros Museum tonight. The missing daughter is named Imrizade Blakros—half-Osirian herself and a pretty successful adventurer and fortunehunter by all accounts. She just arrived in Absalom out of the blue a few days ago, after a couple of years’ worth of tomb-raiding in the Osirian deserts, and carrying an odd metal cylinder covered in hieroglyphs, like nothing Nigel has ever seen before. Nigel says she went straight to the basement of the museum to do some research in the family’s library, muttering something about ‘whispers in the dark’ and ‘old tapestries,’ or something. He didn’t hear from her for a couple of days, which isn’t unusual when someone is deep into their research in the archives, but he got worried when strange noises started coming from the basement. He sent a watchman down there to investigate, and when he didn’t return, Nigel sent a few more. That was last night, and they haven’t come back up either. Go to the museum and find out what happened to Imrizade Blakros and the watchmen. Nigel would prefer them alive, of course, especially the Blakros woman, but the Society is more interested in what she brought back with her. I’ve got a hunch it wasn’t just grave goods and pretty jewelry. Whatever she found, the Society wants it, or at the very least some information about it.”
Knowledge(history) and either Knowledge(local) or diplomacy checks are welcome to see what you know or can find out.
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"When is there NOT trouble at the Blackros Museum" Kiri wonders aloud. The elf appears as a scholar-adventurer, protected in fine darkleaf lamellar, with a large tome etched with a symbolic eye slung at one hip more prominently than the rapier on the other.
"This situation does sound more serious than the normal museum accident. We should be careful, lest we become just another wave of lost watchmen. Osirian artifacts though... It may be a mission worth the risk."
She also introduces herself to the others. "Kirithiel is the name, though 'Kiri' will suffice."
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A tall, heavily armored human man with brown hair stands stiffly next to the entrance of the meeting room. You can see a large sword on his back and a dagger in his belt, but no shield. A heavy backpack sits next to him on the ground.
If you look closer, you can see that he has a holy symbol of Sarenrae hanging around his neck. As far as you can tell he's quite young, too. He has well defined muscles and looks ruggedly handsome - but at the same time also quite intimidating. Maybe it's his height...
The man introduces himself: "Kurik, paladin of Sarenrae, at your service."
He bows to his fellow pathfinders, then addresses the Venture-Captain.
"I am familiar with the Blakros museum. Not long ago Lady Hamaria Blakros had some trouble with the so called Onyx Alliance and I was one of the pathfinder agents that were sent to solve the problem. Is there anything else you can tell us? Every bit of information might be useful, no matter how insignificant it may seem at the moment..."
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A man who seems dressed to look like the illustration of a vampire in the sort of book used to scare children sits silently while awaiting information about this mission. As other Pathfinders arrive, he greets them coldly. "I am known as Egavreis, and I believe I have been summoned to ensure that no path before us is blocked.
"I do not react the way most do to healing spells, and I will thank everyone not to use traditional methods on me. I have my own supplies, the dhampir continues, pointing to a belt pouch.
After Hestram gives his speech, Egavreis states his concurrence with the other agents. "This museum is nothing but trouble."
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"I keep hearing stories about the Blakros museum. How it has not burned down yet is beyond me." A short Tengu enters the room. He has a katana at his waist and a bow on his back.
"This sounds dangerous, or stupidly simple. Osirian artifacts always seem to lead to someone getting kidnapped, killed, or turned into something with tentacles."
Kiri knows that In the early days of Absalom, the Blakros Museum was originally the stronghold of an eccentric wizard. Abandoned for centuries, it was later bought by the Blakros family, who turned it into a museum for their impressive collection of curiosities from across Golarion.
The rest of you use diplomacy to find out:
The wealthy and prominent Blakros family is a large, extended clan of eccentrics with trade contacts rivaling those of the Aspis Consortium who make most of their money selling valuable antiquities across the Taldor- Qadira border. Their daughters are known far and wide for their beauty, and marrying a Blakros woman is a sure path to power and riches. Rumored to be originally Taldan by blood, the Blakros have since intermingled with bloodlines from all over Golarion, by marrying daughters to a succession of Qadiran trade princes, Vudran rajahs, and even the occasional Tian noble and Mwangi chief. Gifts from these foreign potentates (and the sale of illicitly gained secrets) provide the foundation for the Blakros fortune and their famous collections. In reality, it is the many daughters who bear the Blakros name that are responsible for the family’s wealth. Although beautiful and amazingly fertile, wedding a Blakros daughter has significant conditions—the daughters always keep their maiden name, all children must be raised as Blakroses, and the husband’s family must offer a considerable dowry for the privilege of marriage. Once married, the Blakros daughters join an unparalleled spy network that keeps the family well supplied in secrets and priceless artifacts.
You proceed to the Blakros Museum, where you are greeted by a clearly
flustered Nigel Aldain, the curator of the museum. He ushers you straight away to the North Exhibit Hall and opens a secret door in the ziggurat there to reveal a ramp down into the library below. Although he tries to answer any questions you have, he doesn't know anything you haven't already been told.
Egavreis notices nothing.
The doors open onto a vast hall draped in shadowy cobwebs and filled with haphazardly placed statues. The air is heavy with dust. Any noise echoes hollowly among the figures, some swathed in thick coverings like misshapen beasts, others bare and uncovered, all coated in a thick layer of dust. Leering visages loom out of the darkness, fearsome wooden and stone faces carved in grimaces and scowls.
This room has a 20-foot-high ceiling and holds a dazzling collection of sculptures, effigies, and statues of different sizes, some draped in sheets, others coated with a thick layer of dust. Unlit oil lamps hang from brackets in the center of each wall. A wooden sign on a door in the southern wall reads “Scriptorium—Quiet Please.”
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Kiri enters the room near Kurik, and looks at the statues. She casts detect magic and scans along the right side of the room, continuing to scan around the rest of the room as time allows.
She also has a particular eye out for a small object like a tool or even a small statue that she can handle for Object Reading.
Detect evil turns up nothing.
A statue next to the door out of this room stirs, preparing to attack.
The entire party may act.
Kurik's attack misses, even against a flat footed enemy.
Kirithiel and Sssala discover that the statue is immune to magic. Kurik is not quite accurate enough to hit it.
Beleg's arrow does damage, but less than he expected.
Click-click is up.
Click click's attack does not do any actual damage to the statue.
Click click's weapon takes damage.
Click click, what is your weapon's hardness?
The statue swings its longsword at Click-click.
The party is up now.
Beleg's arrow strikes the statue, doing a little damage.
Egvareis's first attack hits, but not the second.
The statue is very badly damaged.
Sssala, you're up.
This time, the statue swings at Kurik.
The party is up again.