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Hellebore regains her touch, sending red in to dreamland…
Meanwhile, seeing his allies all drop and his patron dead, purple tries to skedaddle…
COMBAT! Round 3 - The bold may post!
The Professor
Midley Blackburn (dead)
Piotr (-19; AoO)
Hellebore
Gnagnatsu (-16)
Thugs (blue asleep, red -23/asleep, purple running away)
Lanel
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The Professor nods approvingly as the final conscious thug chooses to flee. "Excellent." Brushing off her hands, she marches directly into the tavern to begin untying Elwyhir. "How do you do, Elwyhir. I am Professor Masaendri. The Pathfinder Society has pulled some strings to ensure your freedom. If you would be so kind as to join Talmar and Holianda in coming with us, we will escort you to safety."
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The rescuees express their profound gratitude to you at being saved from a life of slavery. The guards in the Coins District, infamous for their lazy leniency, eventually investigate...and they hold the two thugs overnight and give them a warning to be on their best behavior in the morning and let them go...
Ollysta is relieved to hear of your success, and she personally welcomes each of the freed heroes into the Grand Lodge to recover. Her joy gradually turns to sadness as she contemplates recent events, and she addresses you.
“I wish I could say today’s events were isolated, but I cannot. With recent victories to the north, I understand the Fifth Mendevian Crusade is drawing to a close. I now see that we have as much work to do at home helping people as we do on the frontier fighting demons. Fortunately, our efforts at the Worldwound have made the Pathfinder Society look as much like a guild of heroes as an association of archaeologists, and the positive response has not been lost on the Society’s leadership. I expect they will continue to support our efforts as we turn them homeward and attempt not to be crusaders, but soldiers of peace.
“Be prepared for missions of mercy and justice. Our work is not done.”
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You arrive back to your rooms for a well deserved rest after handling the Silver Crusade mission; you are also notified that the Grand Council still has not chosen a successor so you sigh and know that you're still on the Society's dime and settle in for a good night's rest...
After awakening the next morning, you find a message slid under the door; upon opening it, you read the following:
Pathfinders,
I have heard much of your prowess and superb performance while serving these past days at the Grand Council festivities...and your discretion in doing so. A matter has arisen that I would like to discuss with you concerning Osirian artifacts. I've arranged with Heryn Gale to whip up a hot brunch for us this morning at the Wounded Wisp; please meet me there at 10:00 AM, in the back room. I look forward to meeting with you...
Forever grateful,
Amenopheus, the Sapphire Sage
You find you have a couple of hours to get the cobwebs out, get dressed, and make your way there...
On the way to the Wounded Wisp, you pass by several peddlers, attracted here by the festivities, and one such enterprising individual, a beautiful woman with dark hair and bronze skin, sizes you up as adventurers who might appreciate an exotic trinket. She approaches carrying a silver amulet that depicts a scarab with feathered wings spread in flight...
"Nice piece, is it not?" she asks. "And because you travel with two such handsome young fellas, it's yours for a mere 25 pieces of gold. A fair price, is it not?" She winks at Lanel as she hands it you to examine for yourselves…
Each of you can easily identify the amulet as being old and Osirian in origin…some of you might know more…
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Piotr consults the Osirion section of his Heritage Book...
"You got yourself a deal. I'll take it."
Piotr whispers to his teammates,
"Can you each chip in, like, 5 gold? It is quite ironic that we get summoned about a matter with Osirion artefacts, and yet, here we're being sold one at a great discount."
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The Professor attempts to hide her interest. With a slightly bored drawl, she agrees: "All right. Now, if you're finished dawdling, we have an appointment, remember?" She resolves to ask Piotr to look at the scarab more closely later.
Suddenly a thought occurs to her. That was awfully convenient. It's a deal too good to be true. Hmm... Suspiciously, she glances around to see if there's an ambush incoming.
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After purchasing the amulet and checking that all is safe there, you make a beeline to the Wounded Wisp and your appointment with the Sapphire Sage...
Heryn Gale greets you from behind the bar. "Welcome to the Wisp, my friends; from your appearance, I assume you are here for brunch with old Amenopheus? Yes? Follow me then," he says as he leads you to the back room where no expense has been spared for this most elegant brunch. Eggs in several forms, crispy bacon, salmon, fruit, cheese, and flapsjacks, in addition to biscuits and gravy. There are also a couple of decanters of sparkling wine...
The Sapphire Sage smiles as he rises from his seat, giving a flamboyant, yet graceful, bow. "Welcome, my Pathfinder friends! Come, sit, eat and drink your fill, and tell me of the things you have seen the past several days; we can talk of our business afterwards..."
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"Well, here's something interesting that happened just minutes ago."
He pulls the newly purchased amulet from his pocket and shows it to Amenopheus.
"It belonged to an Osirian family that fled Osirion to Absalom to escape Qadiran occupying forces, but that family disappeared nearly two millennia ago."
"What do you make of it, sir? Could it be a key of some kind?"
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Upon seeing Piotr’s amulet, Amenopheus nods knowingly. "Ah, now we get down to business," he says, pulling a similar amulet out of his pocket and relating how he purchased it from a peddler earlier that day. He knows of the family and that only a few members of Absalom’s elite are believed to know where they were interred, so the reappearance of such jewelry is a good sign that someone has happened upon the tomb and begun looting it.
“It’s infuriating that others continually violate the sanctity of our dead and the treasures of our people, as if our ancestors were simply corpses with no rights.” Calming slightly he continues, “Someone has either found the hidden tomb or decided to make a clever forgery, but I suspect the former. The city has its hands full with current events, and this is a job better suited to trained explorers. I shall reimburse you for the amulet. I ask that you find the tomb, place the amulet back where it came from, and reseal the vault so that no one else disturbs it. So long as you do not take any of its contents, one might take this as an opportunity to study a rare form of Osirian burial.”
Amenopheus pauses as he takes a sip of wine from his sifter. "If you agree to this, you might want to start by tracking down the same peddler who was selling you that amulet. Perhaps she might have information about where it came from. But, excuse my manners, whatever you decide, help me finish up this fine food first…"
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The Professor sits ramrod straight, observing all the finer points of etiquette during the exquisite brunch. Recalling the team's manners yesterday, she makes a point to model the behavior she expects to see.
"I ask that you find the tomb, place the amulet back where it came from, and reseal the vault so that no one else disturbs it."
"Ah, wonderful! I prefer to be a student of culture and history to being a grave robber. This will be a most satisfying mission. What can you tell us about this family's tomb? What was their name?"
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After you accept the quest and you get your fill of brunch, you thank the Sapphire Sage. He thanks you in return and wishes you good luck…
When you return to the peddler who sold you the amulet, she approaches you with a cheerful smile. ”You come back to Iara for some more fine jewelry, eh? Here, look at these pieces…since you are returning customers, I can make you a fine deal on these,” she says, displaying several nice items out on display for you…
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The lady merchant arches an eyebrow and smirks, ”If I kowtowed and gave in to every pretty lad that batted his eyes at me, I’d be long out of business, always pregnant, with ten kids by now. I cannot divulge information on my suppliers, especially without knowing why…and I’d be out at least 250 gold if this supplier were suddenly cut off from me…you’ll have to better negotiate to compensate me…and have a much better damn reason than just a pretty face…”
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Professor Masaendri draws herself up to her full height, towering over the peddler like a slender obelisk. She glares down her nose, and with a voice as brittle and cold as Irrisen winter, she imperiously commands: "We asked nicely twice. Beware the cost of denying us again."
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The lady merchant does a double-take at being dressed down by the Professor...she starts to respond but then thinks better about it...her shoulders shrink, her face deflates, and she meekly murmurs, "OK, OK...don't get your panties in a wad...in the interest of better relations here in Absalom, I'll tell you what I know..."
Iara shares that her supplier is a man named Vonraig, whom she hired a few urchins to shadow after his most recent sale. According to their reports, Vonraig purchased bright green chalk and slipped into the sewers below the Petals District before emerging with a small bag that jingled like coins. Iara also provides directions and notes that those sewers have undergone repairs and expansion over the past month...
Following Iara’s directions, you are able to find and use the sewer entrance most likely used by the looter Vonraig. Within, you easily trace his path, which he marked with green chalk. You follow it till you come to a brick wall...
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After Piotr knocks over the bricks, you can see some stairs leading up to a chamber. Going up, you come to the entrance of the tomb itself. The tomb’s walls were carefully sealed and kept out most of the water from the sewers that eventually grew up around it, so its wall’s depictions of funerary rites and stylized illustrations of life in Absalom are still fairly well preserved. Over a dozen small, terra cotta statues of humans equipped to perform common chores line the north and south walls, and at least as many urns and coffers are scattered throughout the room...
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The Professor produces a stick of charcoal and sheets of parchment, intent on recording the illustrations and statues. "This is fascinating! What a rich culture. Watch your step, please. Tombs with riches often have traps, and those traps do not know that we are not here to rob the place." Before moving forward, she checks for traps.
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Gnagnatsu and Piotr spot the open sarcophagus…while the Professor is checking for traps (and finds none), Piotr moves towards the open sarcophagus and…
…apparently trips a triggers a trap that no one spotted…
…as a foul-sounding voice murmurs something imperceptible and Piotr stops in his tracks trying to resist the spell cast from seemingly nowhere…
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Piotr resists the spell and the trap goes dormant, at least for now…
As the rest of the party enters as well, the Professor starts recording the illustrations and statues as Piotr examines the sarcophagus. He notes that the skeleton within is dressed in such a fashion that he assumes the dead person was female; he can also tell that it looks like several pieces of jewelry were likely removed from the body…
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"I assure you, if the Society sanctioned removing that amulet, they wouldn't have assigned us the task of returning it. It was obviously stolen by unscrupulous people who only cared for the profit they could gain by its sale." The Professor lectures as she sketches, notates, and records the wealth of cultural information in the room.
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After returning the amulet and turning to leave, you see an undead looking human, whom you recognize as a dhampir, and three dwarven axemen…
The dhampir, whom you assume to be the Vonraig fellow mentioned by Itara, addresses you. ”Look what we have here, tomb raiders…but we were here first…and I called dibs…sorry, but you have to die…”
COMBAT! Round 1: The bold may post!
Lanel
Gnagnatsu
Vonraig
Hellebore
The Professor
Dwarves
Piotr