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Venture-Captain Norden Balentiir inclines his head in welcome as he opens the door and welcomes everyone into a modest office. I’m glad you are on time—and with little to spare, he says as he checks outside and then closes the door. Your ship leaves soon, and I’ve taken care of the details. He places a neat stack of travel papers on the small desk and sits down.
I’m pleased that you volunteered to visit the remote monastery of Tar Kuata on the Society’s behalf. As you may already know, the Society seeks pieces of the Sky Key, a strange relic broken into multiple pieces by dwarves long ago. It seems one of the descendants may have found her way to Tar Kuata, and we believe the Ouat monks that also reside there still have a piece of the key. Travel there, meet with them, confirm our intelligence, and barter for the relic as needed. Do aim to be respectful; few Pathfinders have traveled to Tar Kuata, so you’ll need to earn the monks’ goodwill—and perhaps even pave the way for future collaboration.
To that end, I am sending you with this. Balentiir lifts a heavy bag and adds it to the desk. You may be familiar with bags able to hold more than seems possible, and this one is filled with grain. I understand Tar Kuata has had a poor harvest this year, and this should help you get off on the right foot in negotiations. Any questions?
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"I was raised in Tien lands before leaving to join the pathfinders. It will be good to see my old homelands again. I wonder how close I will get to that small fishing village that helped raise me." a regal looking 'human' male says to the others in attendance. "I am Subotai, a follower of Korada The Open Hand of Harmony, I bid you good tidings as we prepare for the journey. The grain will be most welcomed I believe."
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Thank you very much for entrusting us this important mission, Venture-Captain. We will not let you down.
The one that speaks is a man dressed in the habits of Sarenrae, but wearing a shiny breastplate and with a sharp scimitar sheathed on one side.
My name is Sadrid, he introduces himself to his mission companions.
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"Sirlicks Alot here, famous Grippli bard from some backwater spot you have never heard of. Perhaps you have heard of some of my songs? Here is a little one popular back home.
I like big bugs and I cannot lie,
Those other Grippli can't deny,
When a fly comes in and sits on my face, I gots to get a taste,
It gets TONGUE!
I can sign autographs later. I am here because I was told my skills might be needed for this trip, I hear there is some negotiation to be done and that is one of my specialties!
You see a grippli in Mithral chain shirt and a brand new rapier by his side. A slightly used net, and various gear across his back.
"Speaking of big bugs, Shimmerz here is my familiar and my mount.
you see a medium sized dragonfly with an exotic saddle.
"Grain and keys interest me little, but on such quests for the mundane, epic tales may arise! My gleaming blade stands ready, Venture-Captain!"
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...where another, very different-looking Gnome appears to have already made herself at home!
"'A true student of the Eye lives seconds ahead of others'!" She declares upon seeing the rest of you. "Sometimes so much moreso that she may appear to be behind! What was that riddle I'd heard about the Young Initiate from Bright...?"
She cuts a strange figure, to be honest: Short even by Gnomish standards, yet whose thin, somewhat statuesque features and the manner in which she carries herself nonetheless makes her seem more stately. Her faintly-lilac skin and auburn hair are rather drab by Gnomish standards, but her eyes make up for it with an intense, opalescent gleam that seems to be more than just reflective.
She wears aristocratic finery that bears evidence of both Ustalavic and Osirian fashion, and into which numerous tiny trinkets, tassels, and charms of unguessable significance have been sewn, stuffed, precariously balanced, and otherwise attached, and amid her luggage can be spotted a breastplate studded in semiprecious stones and a fine black wooden shield etched with esoteric symbols in gold, silver, and pearl, which are rather unusual things to be seen alongside what she is presently poring over, namely a heavy, dark, carefully-bound book of fine and exotic materials, like that of a rather seasoned wizard.
Towering over it all is her hat: A sort of deep-purple fez that is nearly as tall as the rest of her put together, bearing the image of scarab beetle inset with a stylized eye, intricately constructed from a combination of precious metals and stones, like a modern foreigner's amateurly-informed-but-technically-skilled attempt to replicate certain Ancient Osirian symbols of power. She also wears a heavy amulet similar in appearance to the image on her hat, but more realistic than stylized.
You suddenly realize she has at no point ceased talking since you laid eyes on her.
"...but OF COURSE the Rite was performed over improperly-sequenced aliquots, and the syzygy was long-past, so Uncle Oswald knew he'd have to consult Cousin Chaim before the Dark Tapestry..."
She suddenly interrupts herself before she sees a familiar face in the crowd.
"...Oh. Mr. Knight. Are we...doing well today? Have the damsels been all they seem recently?"
Ah! Boon companions reunited despite the forces of evil trying to keep us apart! Well met, my gnomish companion! Together, the forces of destiny itself must give way before our heroic valour!"
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You know the following:
15+ Merchants are refusing to travel into the Footprints of Rovagug. The most recent two caravans to return from there were both attacked by bandits.
20+ Weeks ago, a priest gave a passionate sermon praising the church of Sarenrae for dismantling an illegal cult of Rovagug. Despite this sermon being old news, many people still talk about it.
30+ The cult referred to itself as the Doomsday Knights, a force of heavily armored warriors wielding divine power. Although Sarenrae’s faithful destroyed much of the cult, some survivors escaped.
15+ A Sothan priest of Irori named Narmek Tar Kuata founded the monastery more than 3,000 years ago. It is among the oldest continuously used schools in Osirion.
20+ Most people in Tar Kuata are humans of Garundi ancestry, but the monastery also houses the Ouat monks, an order of dwarves that shave their heads and beards and eschew dwarven traditions in favor of discovering their own path to perfection.
25+ Not all citizens of Tar Kuata are monks; pilgrims who fail admission to the monastery often settle in the village and take up everyday occupations.
30+ The monks are experts in the scriptures of Irori.
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After a tiring, days-long journey, you reach Tar Kuata in the morning.
At the base of a high mountain valley, the monastery of Tar Kuata perches atop a rocky outcropping that overlooks a tiny village and terraced fields. The steep cliffs to either side shelter the small structures from the wind, and a tall, thin spire towers over the settlement.
As you approach, Menkha Helg, leader of the Ouat monks, assumes that they are the expected Pathfinders and welcomes them into the Hall of Aspirants. She is cordial and asks about the Pathfinders’ journey, insinuating that the region has been unsafe for travel.
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Suddenly, Alexis's heavy amulet leaps off her chest, onto one of her comrades' packs, and begins digging through them with a furious metallic clicking noise, one after another until it finally roots out the stout Bag given to them by Captain Balentiir, which it catapults in the abbess's direction where it lands at her feet and begins spilling out what is already obviously more grain than a bag that size should carry, before concluding its fury of activity by leaping back in Alexis's direction and snapping itself back around her neck, once again a seemingly-inert piece of jewelery.
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Menkha is a bit taken aback by the amulet's actions but accepts the bag of grain with a smile.
To pass the time, she invites you to explore the village and join her for a modest lunch in the Pahmet Heights with several other dwarven monks. During these several hours, Menkha observes your behavior.
Please roll either Bluff, Diplomacy, Knowledge (nobility), or Knowledge (religion) check to maintain your composure and measure up to the dwarf ’s tough standards of character.
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Having herself earned membership in not one, but two of the world's most distinguished clubs, Alexis has a rather good idea that this invitation is about more than just lunch; she consults both Abu-Thoneph's Invocation of the Soul Spark, and her copy of Orlok's Peerage - which to her mild surprise, does contain a section on monastic orders and their ways - before setting out.
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Botting the Shining Knight
The meeting with Itephta takes place right after lunch, where you can state your business in Tar Kuata. Itephta is a young, mild-mannered Garundi man who listens attentively to you and then asks Menkha about the relic sought by the Pathfinder Society. The Ouat leader confirms the relic’s presence within the monastery vaults, and says the Ouat monks are willing to part with it if Itephta so decides.
Itephta openly asks Menkha her opinion of the PCs. She offers humble praise. Itephta weighs her feedback and then addresses you.
You seek something we would give freely, but the relic is one heavy with the weight of history. Just as I would not ask a neophyte to lift a boulder before he can lift a stone, I cannot in good conscience burden you with this bauble without knowing your capabilities.
When our students request greater responsibilities or greater challenges, we first ensure that they have mastered what they have learned before. I propose you experience the same courtesy I would extend to a student by undergoing a small portion of our training. It shall strengthen your body for the return journey and prepare your mind to weather your future trials.
Itephta requires you demonstrate their abilities over the course of six trials before rendering a decision and giving them the Sky Key component they seek. With other business to attend to, he calls upon an aging monk named Aeotsep to serve as the guests’ guide, instructor, and evaluator. Aeotsep is a Garundi man whose sun-weathered features and kind face are traced with a network of wrinkles.
Aeotsep leads you to one of the study rooms, which contains several bookshelves, a small table, and a lectern on which there is an open copy of Unbinding the Fetters, the principle holy text of the Iroran faith. The elderly monk requests the PCs wait here while he prepares the other trials.
overlong absence) that there is more to this delay than he claims.
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"Obviously another test...but of what?"
Alexis looks around the room.
"The obvious thing to do would be to read the Scriptures open before us...but that seems too easy. Perhaps a true Iroran ought not be content with knowledge easily offered, but look about herself and seek knowledge that takes effort! On the other hand, perhaps an Iroran is expected to prize the simple route...? Bah, I am not Iroran, but I know what I shall do!"
With that, she heads not toward the lectern, but toward the bookshelves in search of something interesting.
The Shining Knight paces, whistling a jaunty tune.
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Sirlicks Alot interprets the meaning of the passage. It elaborates on
complex and subtle metaphors that compare stages of self-perfection to the creation of the world, implying that mortal knowledge is a spark of divinity that spins order out of chaos.
When Aeotsep returns, he casually chats about the pages’ contents and pays close attention to who has read and understood the excerpt.
Aeotsep next leads you into the Hall of the Inward Gaze, which currently contains several broad reed mats, racks holding wooden weapons, and a pile of small wooden boards. The old monk reminds his students that physical might is often mistaken for brute force, emphasizing that strength without control accomplishes little. To illustrate the point, Aeotsep takes a wooden board from the pile and outstretches his arm, holding the board in front of his face. With a swift movement,
he releases the plank and strikes it in mid-air, breaking the board into two symmetrical halves. He invites you to repeat the feat.
Could each of you please roll a Dexterity check, followed by a Strength check. Anyone with Improved Unarmed Strike, gets a +2 on both rolls.
"Fisticuffs? A heroic, valorous warrior wields a blade, my friend! But I must yield as a guest to my host's decorous requests." The Shining Knight tries to replicate the monk's feat.
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Well at least one of you managed to do it. (+1 Trial Point for 4)
Aeotsep puts away the wooden boards and takes a quarterstaff and a blindfold from the weapon racks. He then requests that everyone in the room close their eyes and be silent. As he walks around you, he tells youm to pay attention to the sound of his footsteps and the aroma of incense in his robes. The monk exhorts that consciousness is achieved through the sum of senses, and relying on only one of them creates a false perception of the world. He tells you to open your eyes and asks for a volunteer to demonstrate what they have learned.