[Outpost IX] PF1 #9-07: Salvation of the Sages

Game Master Aldizog

"That's incredible! I wonder if it is charged, is usable a certain number of times per time period, or can be used indefinitely."

Relying on Sinuhotep's advice that it won't trigger, Katswiri will go into the room and attempt to identify the exact properties of the trap. She gets ready to Dimension Door herself out if it appears to be triggering the purging sequence.

Take 10 for 33 Spellcraft check to ID the item.

She will then do a quick search of the niches looking to see if anything of value might remain.

Take 10 for 31 Perception.

After doing a quick search of the room, she'll go check the lower corridor. "Lets clear the areas closest to the entrance before going deeper into the complex."

"Ah yes, the Cleansing Room."

"I see her constructing it. And testing it. Two villagers, wracked with plague. One with a carefully-chosen and nearly incurable strain.
The trigger works! It detects the presence of disease in a subject." Divination

"The Walls of Force seal the room, as planned." Evocation

"The trap attempts to purge the disease with curative magic. The villager with the lesser strain is healed."Conjuration

"Sensing that disease remains in the chamber, the trap then incinerates the afflicted with a magnificent amount of fire. The healed villager is unharmed." Evocation

"The room remains sealed for a few moments while vents remove any remaining contaminants, as well as the ashes of one of the subjects. The Walls of Force then vanish. The surviving villager is graciously granted the opportunity to contribute to further research."

"A most thorough decontamination sequence. But as you are not diseased, you will not trigger it. If you should find yourself diseased, this location might offer a cure."

Or might offer a quick and painless death Lunnette remarks It is curious she has the means to cure it, I doubt she had any fear of contagion herself, so I wonder, why? perhaps the trail of thought of a mad woman is beyond my comprehension

Or not... she thought, she already had a pretty good idea of how such a contramption could have been useful to the lich plaguebringer

"Perhaps she was testing the limits of her wicked research. Finding a way that no magic cure could lift the strains of her own cursed disease. All while in the face of such insane experimentations..."

He takes a moment of silence for the uncountable numbers of victims that might have falled under her dark investigations.

"Lead ahead, Katswiri. Right beside thee."

Sinuhotep smiles at Eskar.
It is a chilling sight.

"Indeed! If you want to create an incurable disease, you must test it against magical cures."

Katswiri suspects that the trap resets automatically after a period of time.
===
The way that Katswiri goes first leads to a dead end; the wall has a window into the southwest room, but no door. Looping around, she finds the door enters the room from the north.

Three tables laden with alchemical equipment, glassware, and other arcane tools occupy this chamber. A thick liquid drips from a broken glass jar that never empties. Numerous marked vials that appear intact are enclosed within glass-fronted cabinets along the southern wall. A sealed metal canister sits in the southwest corner.

The room is in disarray, but sufficient equipment remains to use as a functional alchemy lab.

Searching the room, you find Tahani's notes.

"The Plague Laboratory," says Sinuhotep. "Blinding Sickness, Bubonic Plague, Cackle Fever, Leprosy, Mindfire, Red Ache, Shakes, Slimy Doom, and of course Fading Light. You will need a sample of the disease to develop the cure you seek."

There are 40 numbered vials and canisters.

Katswiri becomes increasingly concerned as she looks over the notes. "Eskar...she managed to breach a paladin's immunity. It must have come at the end; the Sarenite uprising she mentions may have been her undoing, as they come at the end of her notes. We must be extra cautious, as we can't assume that you're immune if there is a sample here."

Katswiri will examine the samples and look at Tahari's notes. "It seems likely based on her notes that sample 14 is an earlier version of Fading Light. Perhaps all of these are, and 40 is the most powerful and recent creation? Or it may be a mix of diseases. Hmm..."

Katswiri will examine the numbered vials and see if there are any other clues as to what is in them.

We found notes on creating the cure, and that we would need Crystalline Aether. Did it indicate what else is needed in terms of materials and facilities to make the cure or the Blood of Nethys?

The Plague Laboratory She looks concerned, They really know how to make tenebfous names

Listening to the notes she frowns a bit, That is terrible, Why would someone do something like this? She knew there was evil in the world, but couldn't help to sound as inocent at this.

Katswiri finds that one vial in a cabinet is not numbered for some reason.

To create a cure for Fading Light, you will need:
1) A supply of crystalline aether. You have some.
2) Tahari's notes on the refinement process. You have these.
3) A sample of Fading Light. It is likely in one of these canisters. To examine or handle the disease safely, you need either the Poison Use ability, or one of the following skill checks: Profession (Herbalist) is the easiest, Heal is somewhat harder, and Knowledge (nature) has the highest DC.
4) Then you can manufacture the cure here, in this room.

Additionally, you can use the equipment here to manufacture Blood of Nethys from crystalline aether. This is a Craft (Alchemy) check or a harder Spellcraft check.

"I feel confident that I can use my seer abilities to safely handle the materials and create the cure, or manufacture the Blood of Nethys. I will simply forsee every mistake I make and choose not to make them. I should create the cure, I think, while Sihir or I could craft the blood."

How long are the two processes expected to take, and can they be done at the same time or must they be done in sequence?

As to how long it takes, first you will need to find the sample of Fading Light. The scenario does not specify how long it takes to examine a vial and determine which disease is in it, so I will say 2 minutes. If you guess right with the first vial you pick, that's less time spent. Again, there are 40 numbered vials and 1 unnumbered one.

Anybody opening vials to inspect them (to perhaps speed the process along) should make the check of their choice to avoid exposing themselves to disease. Again, Profession (Herbalist) is the easiest, Heal is somewhat harder, and Knowledge (nature) has the highest DC.

Once you find the disease sample, it should take about 5 minutes per dose of cure, or 15 minutes to make Blood of Nethys. These two different processes could be done concurrently if two different PCs are doing them.

You do not need to make the Blood of Nethys; it uses up more of your limited Crystalline Aether (of which there could be more in this complex). But, it has other uses such as disrupting an Antimagic Field (or, if drunk, it will not only cure Fading Light but also provide 24-hour immunity).

Is there one check needed per vial handled, or one for the handling process to deal with multiple vials?

"Sihir, can you make the Blood of Nethys while I investigate creating the cure?"

Katswiri will draw on her seer powers, falling into a focused trance where she forsees all her mistakes in handling the vials and avoids them. Then she begins with the unlabeled vial, on the theory that perhaps the last version of Fading Light was tested but Tahari did not have time to document it properly before being called to court.

Trance Round: 1d6 ⇒ 1

Knowledge Nature, Heightened Awareness, Heroism, Focused Trance: 1d20 + 14 + 2 + 2 + 20 ⇒ (1) + 14 + 2 + 2 + 20 = 39

Katswiri notices that she would have made several substantial errors in handling the substance that would have led to catastrophe if she had not used her abilities to avoid the mistakes.

Whew! Its a good thing 1s don't autofail skill checks.

Lets reach our the best efford wt can do, we need to figure out a cure, so the moment

She prepares to cast gallant inspiration in the case any of this checks fails

Is there one check needed per vial handled, or one for the handling process to deal with multiple vials?

One check per vial. Hopefully you don't have to mess with too many of them.

The unnumbered vial contains a clear viscous fluid that spontaneously crystallizes into fractally complex formations before melting back to a liquid state.

Another 3 doses of Crystalline Aether, meaning you now have 7 doses total. A dose of cure requires 1 dose of Crystalline Aether; a dose of Blood of Nethys requires 2.

Which vial next?

Knowledge: Nature, Heightened Awareness, Heroism, Focused Trance: 1d20 + 14 + 2 + 2 + 20 ⇒ (19) + 14 + 2 + 2 + 20 = 57

Trance Rounds: 1d6 ⇒ 5

Katswiri falls into another trance, checking to ensure she won't make any mistakes handling the next vial. This time, it appears everything would have been fine.

She examines vial 40, under the theory that the last thing Tahari would have been working on would be the strongest version of Fading Light.

Katswiri's logic seems sound, but it was not the logic that Tahani was using. That vial is, oddly, Cackle Fever.
Katswiri avoids exposure.

Pretty sure you'll get it with the next guess. If not, Sinuhotep can help move things along.

Knowledge:Nature, Heightened Awareness, Heroism, Focused Trance: 1d20 + 14 + 2 + 2 + 20 ⇒ (6) + 14 + 2 + 2 + 20 = 44

Trance Rounds: 1d6 ⇒ 2

Katswiri summons her vision one last time, beginning to get a mild headache from the use of her powers. This time the visions assist her in sidestepping severl substantial errors.

She selects vial 14, since Tahari's notes indicated that she was making a resistant plague in that trial. Though it might not be the latest strain, it seems more likely to be some form of Fading Light.

Katswiri finds the sample of Fading Light.

No further checks are needed to produce the cure.
A check would be required to produce Blood of Nethys (Craft-Alchemy or, at a higher DC, Spellcraft).

How many doses of cure do you wish to make, and how many doses of Blood of Nethys?

"Here it is. I would suggest I make 2 sample cures while Sihir completes a sample of the Blood of Nethys. Both seem like valuable items to have here, but we also do not want to be delayed too long. We could also consider having Sihir stay and create a second Blood of Nethys, with perhaps Setare standing guard while we move on to examine one of the adjacent rooms."

Katswiri spent about 7 minutes looking over vials, so if Sihir makes a sample of Blood of Nethys while she's doing this, we would have 2 cures + 1 blood at the 17 minute point. If people are ok with it, we could possibly slightly split the party and continue investigating the complex while getting another Blood of Nethys created. Its probably bad to get too far away from each other, but a little bit of separation probably wouldn't be too dangerous.

"Sihir, can you make the Blood of Nethys while I investigate creating the cure?"

Wayang do not gulp audibly, but if Sihir were most any other biped, he might be right now. This plague is actually starting to worry him.

"Damn it, Katswiri, I'm a toymaker, not a physician! I suppose I can try, though...how hard can curing an ancient weapon-plague be...?"

Spellcaft: 1d20 + 24 ⇒ (19) + 24 = 43

I'm not sure about splitting up, but if you really want me to make another one...:
Spellcaft: 1d20 + 24 ⇒ (19) + 24 = 43 Well, s%~$!

Katswiri makes three doses of the cure using the remaining Crystalline Aether. "I hope we don't need to use this...but its better to be prepared. Come, gather. The Life Bubble is beginning to wear off. It will be more efficient if I enchant half of us at a time with two castings."

Katswiri will use two Anointing Oil to boost her CL to 12, so that she can do 3 hours of duration on 4 targets, the cover everyone including Oasis and El Yama with 3 hours of Life Bubble.

I think the time on the buff sheet is up to the point Katswiri finished IDing the plague bottle, so she'll cast the life bubbles +15 minutes from that point. Sihir will finish the second Blood of Nethys 8 minutes later, I think. I updated the buff sheet for that timing.

Once Sihir finishes the second Blood of Nethys, Katswiri examines the vials. "Excellent work Sihir. You hold on to one of these; based on what we've learned, it should act as a cure and temporary immunity." Katswiri will also hand out the two extra vials of cure she made to Lunnette and Saya. "In case something happens to one of us, best to have this spread around."

Once the cures and blood of nethys are done, Katswiri will drink another Antiplague and use her wand of Heightened Awareness before heading north to investigate the next area.

Sihir gingerly swirls his creation in its vial while inspecting it with uneven eyes.

"I amaze even myself sometimes...." He responds to Katswiri's praise with a note of bemusement.

Wall alcoves hold rust-covered stone pits into which the soupy liquid covering the floor spills.
As in the Cleansing Room, this liquid was a watery growth medium used for cultivating disease-bearing organisms
Along the north wall stands a complex gold and bone framework linking dozens of crystals set into the stone. Ancient, rusty blood covers bronze shackles bolted to plates in the floor near the mechanism.

Finally, a room big enough for the party!
Map is updated. The mechanism is along the north wall. The nearest of the PCs are 15' away.
===
Approach the mechanism?
Examine the shackles?
Ask Sinuhotep what he can divine from his sage jewel?
Cast spells?
Run away?

Katswiri will start by casting Detect Magic and examining the nearby floor for any signs of traps before approching the shackles. "Sinuhotep, does your Sage Jewel tell you anything about this room? It looks like it might have been used to hold a prisoner for infection, or perhaps magically manipulate them in some way."

Sometimes, people amaze at the simplest things she chuckles before continuing on the way to the next room.

The room they are now in is large, she wonders what could have been held in here, and she was about to ask the undead sage, but Katswiri took the lead again and did so, so she just waited for the answer from the lich, it was too dangerous to wander around the room without any insight

Sinuhotep concentrates.
"Tahari performed tests here. Memory and personality preservation. Interesting. Branching out, I see.
She bound subjects near the device in those manacles. She then drained their minds, taking notes and recording the changes in their personas with each lost piece. This, I suspect, would give her a potential way to control captives, bending them to her will. And she could explore their memories to see what they knew. Not as elegant as my power, but she made do with ingenuity where she had to."
Remember that Sinuhotep is a Psychic Lich.
"The impressions of their suffering still echo in the chamber. I feel them."

When Katswiri approaches the device, a distortion of the air manifests.
Her Take 10 Arcana is a 35, looks like? To a 39 with Heroism and Heightened Awareness? DC here is only a 27.
Katswiri recognizes this as the entrance to an immersive mindscape that can remove or retrieve memories.

"Careful, Rose-child," Sinuhotep calls to Katswiri. "The device can be set in one of two modes. To remove memories or to view them."

You can:
Enter the mindscape;
Examine which way the mechanism is set;
Possibly try to modify the mechanism; or,
Explore another room.

Yes, her buffed take 10 Knowledge:Arcana is currently 39.

"This must have been where she did the research to gather the knowledge to create the Sage Jewels. I have encountered her memory preservation techinques before; there was Div she tortured and cut off its horns, which she enchanted to preserve certain extremely unpleasant memories. I recovered those as part of a different mission."

Katswiri inspects the mechanism, trying to determine if it is set to view or remove memories. "Those memories, while of dispicable acts, did give insight into her actions. They are also the only memories I have of hearing, which made them unique in an unexpected way. If I can insure the machine is set to view, I would wish to see what is stored here."

With some examination, Katswiri determines that the mechanism seems currently set to Memory Removal mode.

To change it to Memory Retrieval mode (so you can see/hear/experience the memories of those who were subjected to it before), it requires a Disable Device or Spellcraft check (DC 27) or else 30 minutes of work. With such a check, only 2.

To enter the mindscape is a fairly involved mini-adventure. Yes, it can provide information. Yes, there are risks.
I can post frequently to move it along, but anybody not involved will be sitting this part out. I may cut an unnecessary piece of content to speed things along, but even so, there's quite a bit.

So please state if you wish to go into the mindscape with Katswiri or not. I'll need an answer from everyone before moving on with the next part, and I'll look to keep a fast pace in this mini-adventure.

I guess that is one ingenous way to research, usung a what was that a ... mindscape to store memories, would that allow an endless resource space, and well i guess you seem to be very knoweldgable on this already Katswiri, If looking at this would help to understand a bit more on it, its worth the shoot, just be careful, this place gives me the creeps

She sighs But it is not like me to leave you do this on your own, if its possible we ma need to do this together,

She will go to the mindscape, if that is not obvious.

"To walk amid the dreams of ages past?! A wondrous opportunity many times over!"

I guess that is one ingenous way to research, usung a what was that a ... mindscape to store memories, would that allow an endless resource space, and well i guess you seem to be very knoweldgable on this already Katswiri, If looking at this would help to understand a bit more on it, its worth the shoot, just be careful, this place gives me the creeps

She sighs But it is not like me to leave you do this on your own, if its possible we ma need to do this together,

She will go to the mindscape, if that is not obvious.

I would never understand why you jump to danger like its something enjoyable... but I am not letting you go in without me, nor I am willing to leave Katswiri go in alone, so lets see what's in there

Saya of Eledir wrote:

I guess that is one ingenous way to research, usung a what was that a ... mindscape to store memories, would that allow an endless resource space, and well i guess you seem to be very knoweldgable on this already Katswiri, If looking at this would help to understand a bit more on it, its worth the shoot, just be careful, this place gives me the creeps

She sighs But it is not like me to leave you do this on your own, if its possible we ma need to do this together,

She will go to the mindscape, if that is not obvious.

I would never understand why you jump to danger like its something enjoyable... but I am not letting you go in without me, nor I am willing to leave Katswiri go in alone, so lets see what's in there

She beams a smile

"Then let us be off. We shall walk together through this mindscape. And let us not stray away.. not in body, nor in mind. For If this device seeketh to take precious memories from us, then it shall find resistance."

He will go into the mindscape as well

Great. Just waiting to hear from Setare now.

Setare beams!

"Of course, I want to be part of these dreams of the past! I am a Scarab Sage after all!"

Finally something that is not so academic or magic related where she might be able to provide some benefit to the group.

Sihir is able to manipulate the device into Memory Retrieval mode.

The mindscape is of a town in an arid though not quite desert landscape. It appears to be Resa as it was thousands of years ago.

Villagers walk among the buildings, but they do not notice you.

The sky is clear, and the sun is bright; you feel its heat. Perhaps entering some of these buildings might provide some relief.

And one thing in the mindscape does perceive you.

A monstrous warrior, thirteen feet tall and carrying a massive scimitar, approaches.

"Travelers! I am Marouf, a Shaitain trapped in this place. I offer to guide you through this place."
He points to the various buildings of the town.
"I will show you the safest memories while keeping you safe from the dangerous ones. If I do, will you free me?"

Saya has a sneaking suspicion that this creature is trying to mislead you somehow.

Katswiri takes a closer look and confirms that this is not a shaitan, but a div; specifically, a Sepid Div. His kind are rather predictable, compelled to do and mean the opposite of what they claim.

"Greetings, warrior. I am Katswiri, a Seer, and I foresaw your presence here. My companions and are explorers, and seek to learn all there is to know in this place. If you tell us which are the most dangerous places we should avoid and which are the safest, and we will discuss how freedom could be obtained."

Katswiri doesn't want to just call him out on being a Div, but the party may remember that one of her divinations revealed there was at least one bound Div in the sanctum.

A map is not really crucial for the mindscape; I started to make one but it probably won't be needed. Theater of the mind is entirely appropriate in this case.

The Div seems pleased to be consulted.

"You ask for my help and so you shall have it!
Many of the buildings in this place contain memories. This one here? The feast-hall? That should be a very safe memory. Much useful information, little risk.

The temple? Dangerous."

Those doors do look a bit different than the others in the mindscape. Those three are the closest of the distinctive ones. What do you do?

Oh don't remind of that fella... but yea, you are right, there is hardly a thing you can fail with that cheerful attitude you have, except of course choosing men... you are terrible at that she looks at Eskar He is the best by far and he is pretty bad...

Once on the mindscape and with the information provided beforehand, she does wonder about this creature true nature So... big fella, why is the temple dangerous?

Sense motive: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (2) + 8 = 10

Setare nods and bows in Tien fashion.

”Thank you for these information! I believe that my goddess has blessed me with the strength to withstand much so I will follow the dangerous path … “ she says and moves to the temple to open the door.

Once on the mindscape and with the information provided beforehand, she does wonder about this creature true nature So... big fella, why is the temple dangerous?

"A great terror lurks in there. It will consume your soul!"

Lunnette senses that the creature is telling the truth (or, at least, what it believes to be the truth).

As Setare opens the temple door, nothing jumps out to attack her, but some vision appears to be playing out inside, as faint figures move about. Does Setare go into the temple to experience the vision?

Is everyone else going into the same building as Setare, or others? Or waiting until she emerges with information?

There are 9 buildings in all that have memories. Of these, the Div says that three are safe (feast-hall, house by the well, and palace) and six are dangerous (bakery, temple, hall of elders, healer's hut, library, cemetery).

Katswiri will join Setare in the temple to start.

Does there seem to be an obvious way to leave the mindscape, and if not is Katswiri aware of how that would usually be accomplished?

Saya follows along, Spreading is not a wise course of action.

Trusting a Div's words is almost as foolish as falling for Lunnette's teasers.
So we'll have a better chance if we trust our instincts and stick together in these “oh-so-dangerous” places the fiend speaks of.

He'll follow the rest of the team along the temple.

Trusting a Div's words is almost as foolish as falling for Lunnette's teasers.

So we'll have a better chance if we trust our instincts and stick together in these “oh-so-dangerous” places the fiend speaks of.

He'll follow the rest of the team along the temple.

She elbows Eskar at that and give him that knowing smile

Does there seem to be an obvious way to leave the mindscape, and if not is Katswiri aware of how that would usually be accomplished?

The scenario doesn't cover that at all, so I'll just say you can leave whenever you want.

A woman from Resa remembers begging a paladin of Osiris, clad in gleaming dragonhide armor, to free a village from an evil sorceress. The paladin looks to the horizon and then nods solemnly, motioning for the woman to enter a nearby shelter so that they can discuss strategy.

The vision ends.

Nothing disturbs you.

You exit the temple.

The giant 'Shaitan' (actually Div) greets you. "You are alive! You made it my friends! The demon must have moved on. I am so grateful that you are safe!"

Which building next?

"Indeed, it was a fascinating experience, but we are safe. I would like to examine the Hall of Elders next; I trust Setare's goddess to keep us safe, and wish to learn all we can in this place."

Will head for the Hall of Elders, I think. I'm thinking we hit up all the "dangerous visions" and maybe try one of "safe ones" (not the feast hall though, since he indicated it was "full of useful information". Katswiri can accept danger, but not unless there's likely something interesting to go with it. She might be willing to risk the Palace though, that seems like it could be important.

Setare nods and follows Katswiri.

”Well, let us go and see what awaits us!“

Sihir has been struggling to get his bearings (and his umbrella) in this regrettably-sunny dreamscape; he squints at their would-be host....

Knowledge (Planes); do I recognize Marouf for what he is?: 1d20 + 24 ⇒ (10) + 24 = 34

Trusting a Div's words is almost as foolish as falling for Lunnette's teasers.

So we'll have a better chance if we trust our instincts and stick together in these “oh-so-dangerous” places the fiend speaks of.

He'll follow the rest of the team along the temple.

Oh such a flaterer my dear Eskar, is good to know I still have my touch with you she smiles maliciously

Yea, lets go to the greatest danger in the mindscape xD, vote for the hall as well

@Sihir - yes, you recognize Marouf as a Sepid Div. Always a liar. It's not necessarily the case that every single part of every single statement is a lie (he isn't using Bizarro-speak), but in general, he means the opposite of what he says.

An ill woman remembers a plague ravaging her village. Aryana Tahari arrives, and several villagers plead with her for aid while pointing to a pile of plague-stricken corpses awaiting burial. She agrees to help, but the villagers’ relief turns to horror when she animates the corpses as zombies and laughs as they march away with her.

"Oh, my friends! You are most fortunate to have escaped unharmed. I beseech you, try a safer one next time."

Where to next?

Setare is clearly affected by the scene she just witnessed.

”Let us try something lighter now. Undead horrors are not the best memories!“

She opens the door to the feast-hall and enters the mindscape.