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Brivit takes the coins and asks the group to wait for a few minutes. When she returns, she advises them that it might take up to a couple of hours. She lets them know that they can peruse the public stacks at their leisure as long as they follow the rules of the library: be courteous to other patrons and treat the assembled works respectfully. After the ascribed time, Brivit returns with a fresh looking book and hands it to Anastasia. "And here is your own copy of Jackdaw's History of the True Art. Please note that this scribed document was completed with the use of magic, so it is an exact match to the original." History of the True Art: Reading through the tome provides the following information:
Absalom legend tells that Blakros Museum was once the mighty stronghold of an astrologer called Ralzeros the Overwatched. He watched the stars with his weird machines, and some say he was able to communicate with the otherworldly beings of the Dark Tapestry, the black spaces between the stars. Ralzeros’s rival was a prominent mage named Beldrin. After a significant feud between the two, Ralzeros disappeared. It is thought that this feud arose when Ralzeros accusing Beldrin of stealing a key to one of Ralzeros’s many chambers, which contained the wondrous magical tools he used to watch and be watched by the stars. If Beldrin did steal a key to Ralzeros’s magical chamber, he most likely hid it in one of his three towers, which once stood on a promontory near what is now the Precipice Quarter. Only one tower remains standing—the Tower of the Broken Shield, commonly called Beldrin’s Tower. The Tower of the Candelabra has sunk deep beneath the water. The Tower of the Horn fell to the base of the bluff; it remains half-flooded at all times and is only accessible during an extremely low tide. He most likely hid it in the Tower of the Horn, which is said to have held the keys to many of the chambers in his other spires.
"Like I mentioned, it is a nominal fee. 5 gold pieces will get a good quality copy that you can have for perpetuity. Speaking from experience, I can say that can't really be beat."
The lady sighs and gently rubs her eyes, "Well, ma'am, my name is Brivit Nae and I am the guildmaster of the Scrivener's Guild and head librarian here at Forae Logos. While I am sure being a Pathfinder relates to free services elsewhere, that is not the case here. Donation may not have been the appropriate word as the modest cost would be going to pay the scribe making the copy for you. I am sure you are familiar with the concept."
The woman nods upon hearing the request, "Ahh yes, Jackdaw's quintessential work. We do have a copy here. However, it is an original. We limit access to it for that reason. I might be able to get my scribes to make a copy however, for a small donation."
In short order, the group makes their way from the Blakros Museum to Forae Logos. The library, the largest in Absalom, counts itself as one of the most extensive on all of Golarion. Upon entering the towering gothic building, they are approached by a stern looking woman. She sees the group decked out for battle and one of the group even burned by what appears to be acid, "Please stop right there. I must ask you to leave your weaponry here and clean up before entering the library proper. I can guarantee your safety within these walls and the safety of your property, as well. Is there something you are looking for in particular?"
Nigel listens to the details as provided. "That certainly explains the change in demeanor of Anumet. I was really starting to like that boy. We need to figure out what that creature was hoping to find. I'll look around the museum to see if I can find any clues. I guess I might as well clean up that mess in the attic as well. In the meantime, you should look elsewhere to see what you can find. Maybe looking for another copy of Jackdaw's History of the True Art. Or perhaps even consulting with Maren Fuln of the Arcanamirium. She's become quite an expert on early Absalom history"
Judging by the destruction in the room, Gromdal figures that something evil may have once resided here, but he is unable to detect such an aura at this time. Likewise, Anastasia is unable to detect any current or lingering magic, however figures that something that could do this amount of damage must have been contained by more than mundane means.
With Meng cared for (for the time being), the group has the opportunity to look around a bit more. Making there way to the other open door, they peer in. Scattered scraps of parchment and torn bindings cover the floor of this small chamber. Scratched glyphs cover its stone walls and even span part of the ceiling. A foul reek hangs in the air, like the stench of something long dead. Aklo or Linguistics DC25:
The walls are scrawled with the name of the beast (The Devourer of Reason) as well as its desire to unleash untold horrors from the Dark Tapestry upon Golarion, with no specific details given.
Meng and Gromdal are able to cross without issue. Strange, organic-looking patterns wind across the walls and ceiling of this chamber, and the stone walls look as though they had grown winding tendrils that enshroud the area. At the chamber’s center stands a massive, rust-covered device of gears and arms about fifteen feet across. The end of each arm supports a different colored sphere. Strange projections and barbed arrows point through each of the globes, their directions seemingly random. Opposite from the chamber’s entrance, a naked and clearly dead body is impaled by a rust-red arrow. The corpse faces a gray, wooden door, which stands ajar. GM secrets:
All of a sudden, the body impaled on the machine starts to pulsate with green energy. The energy sizzles and bursts forth from the largest of his wounds, firing at Meng. acid damage and acid damage the second round. As the green energy dies down, the mind of each of those gathered in the room see a shared vision. In the vision, a withered humanoid figure with an elongated, pointed tongue bursts forth from the gray door and grabs the then-living person, that seems to be Anumet, subsequently tearing him apart with its jagged claws and teeth. As the terrifying vision fades, the monster hisses, “The gate shall soon open!” Looking more closely at the body, now thought to be Anumet, it is clear that the wounds could not have possibly been made by the machine he is pinned to. Heal DC10: Something has clearly feasted on the corpse, edvouring much of its skin and cracking the skull open to devour its contents. Heal DC20:
Anumet's body is partially frostbitten in places. Know (religion) DC12: The claw and bite marks covering the body are typical of a ghoul's victims.
Despite stubbing her toe trying to cross the compromised area, Anastasia is able to get through without issue.
Gromdal looks for supplies to build a makeshift bridge, but is only able to find more wood in the same condition: dry-rotted. As he is looking around, Umdar nimble passes by the others and, on tip toes, crosses the weakened floor. Despite a few labored groans, the floor seems to hold firm. Umdar believes, despite his excellent prowess, any of the others should be able to cross safely ass well, as long as they cross separately.
Anastasia seems to think that there might be a few things that can be done to cross these poor looking boards. It might be possible to rig something to cross , or perhaps gingerly cross the boards quickly . Also, it might be possible to land a jump within the doorframge, where it is very likely the boards are more stable. Alternatively, it appears as though the boards may be able to sustain a single person crossing them at a time.
Reeking of vermin droppings, sagging walkways and cramped stairwells connect the museum’s winding upper levels. Stifling heat fills the sealed-off rooms and crannies, and cracked and rotten boards pop and creak at the slightest touch. Dry-rotted debris lies heaped atop broken furniture and shattered crates in the long-disused chambers. Boot prints make an uncertain and winding trail through the thick dust on the attic’s floors. As Anastasia steps up towards the open door, she notices that the floorboards nearby look weak due to dry-rot. Judging by what she sees, she is afraid that something bad might occur if anyone was to stand on it.
Nigel nods to the lot of Pathfinders, "Let me show you to the attic Anumet was exploring." He takes the group through a few of the museum's many display rooms and to a storage room. In the back corner of the room is a rickety-looking ladder that leads up through the decorative ceiling. "I'm sorry to say that this is the only entrance we have into the attic. Unless you folks have anymore questions, I will leave you to it. I will head back to the lobby and await your report. Good luck."
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Nigel ignores the dwarf's comment and looks to Anastasia, "That was the only copy we had. Forae Logos is the only other place I can think that would have a copy. But before you run off looking for the book, is there a particular place in the museum you would like to look into first?”
Nigel nods to Anastasia, "I agree, we should walk and talk. No time to waste really." He walks through the front entrance and turns to address Umdar, "“Anumet was exploring the museum’s attics and towers looking for clues about the key to a newly discovered portal in the museum’s catacombs. This morning, he went up to the attic for a long time, and when he came down, he acted strangely, as I mentioned, as if he didn’t recognize anyone. His voice was hoarse and the words he used were bizarre and archaic. He kept
“He made for the catacombs and stared at the portal we’ve been trying to unlock for some time. I don’t think he realized I was still there, and I followed him around the other areas in the catacombs, where he seemed to be desperately searching for something. When he couldn’t find it, he was furious. Anumet avoided me after that, but I saw him look something up in our copy of Jackdaw’s History of the True Art, a book about famous wizards and astrologers. He took the book with him and ran out of the museum. I didn’t dare follow him, and haven’t seen him since. There was no table dancing, but it was certainly out of character from what I knew of the man." He then addresses Gromdal, "While we do have catacombs, as I mentioend, those are more well explored than the attics. They’re too rickety and awkward for any practical use these days, but they’ve been there since the Blakros family bought the place. Tales say that Ralzeros the Overwatched put machines there that he used to observe the stars and
The man shakes his head, and mutters under his breathe just loud enough to be heard, "Looks like the quality of new recruits has changed as of late." He sighs and addresses the group, "I am Nigel Aldain. I am curator of the Blakros Museum and sent for you...fine individuals. Thank the gods you’re finally here. It would appear something quite bizarre has happened to my new Pathfinder-turned-assistant, Anumet Akrostera, while we were researching the key to the newly discovered portal beneath the museum. I had warned Anumet that many corners of the museum hold mysteries that, as of yet, have never been looked into, but I’m afraid something got to him all the same, as the last time yesterday I saw him he was acting quite strangely, and he failed to return today. I fear something evil in the attics of the museum may have cursed him.”
After a few last pleasantries, the group heads out. As the museum is on the other side of the city, it takes awhile as they pass through the congested streets. They approach the museum to see a tall, well dressed elf standing outside, his face tightened in a way that clearly displays his current mood, "I'm going to have to stop you right there, folks. The Blakros Museum is currently closed due to... It really doesn't matter why. Please come back later. I apologize."
For a moment, a look of shame crossed Drandle's face, before going back to neutral, "Well, Anumet was rather new to the society. This might have been his first mission, but I didn't even think it was a mission really. I didn't recruit him directly and, unfortunately, don't really know much about him. I think he was human. He seemed capable to explore the museum's newly discovered catacombs. He was to return to us for reinforcements, if things seemed dangerous. Hopefully, he is safe and sound and we can learn more about him after you find him. I can only imagine what he saw or found that drove him off."
Drandle shrugs his shoulders at Umdar, "Honestly, I am unsure where Anumet was last seen. The Blakros Museum is the last location I personally know that he was planning to be. It seems like the best place to start, at least, if I were the one taking this on. I can't fault you if you have other ideas."
VC Dreng pipes in, "Yes, that is correct. Although, you might not want to share all of that information outside of these walls. No reason to upset the Blakros family, after all." He looks among the collected Pathfinders, "I forget myself. Is there anything else I might help you with before you head for the museum?"
Knowledge (history) DC10: In the early days of Absalom, the Blakros Museum was the stronghold of an eccentric wizard. After being abandoned for centuries, it was bought by the Blakros family, who turned it into a museum for their vast collection of curios. DC15: The mad astrologer Ralzeros the Overwatched built what is now the Blakros Museum thousands of years ago as an observatory to study distant worlds (and some say, to be studied by them). He later disappeared following a mage-duel with another of Absalom’s early wizards. DC25:
Ralzeros carved his stronghold from a single block of volcanic stone with the help of fell powers granted to him by otherworldly patrons, supposedly to hide the powerful artifacts secreted in the catacombs beneath the keep. In addition, some tales hint that Ralzeros was
actually abducted by alien monsters from the worlds he had studied so obsessively. Knowledge (local) or Diplomacy (gather information) DC10: Blakros Museum is owned by the esteemed House Blakros, an extensive clan whose family members have made their fortune by trading odd antiquities across the border of Taldor and Qadira, as well as by marrying off their beautiful daughters to wealthy nobles all around the world. They store many of their curious gifts and the findings of their more adventurous daughters in exhibits in the Blakros Museum, which they purchased for just this purpose. DC15: The Pathfinder Society is interested in forming an alliance with the Blakros family to gain access to their extensive collection of historical and arcane treasures. DC20: Many pieces in the Blakros’s collection are connected to the Dark Tapestry or other otherworldly horrors studied by Ralzeros.
Drandle Dreng’s entrance is as understated as always at the meeting with him this morning. He carries stacks of papers and tomes, and shedding stray pages as he makes his way toward a large, cushioned chair; once seated, he greets you warmly. “Welcome, welcome, glad to see you’ve made yourself at home. No point in beating around the bush, since I’m sure you’re all very curious why I called you here today, hm?" “As you may or may not know, the Society has been bolstering its influence with the esteemed Blakros family for some time now, and have assisted them and their famous museum with various incidents over the past few years—discovering several new levels of catacombs in the process." “Just recently, the Blakros Museum’s curator, Nigel Aldain, informed us that he’d discovered a mysterious portal within the building’s vast catacombs, and sought information regarding how to open it. We sent one of our agents, a man by the name of Anumet Akrostera, to help research the matter further, which involved delving into the various attics and crawlspaces of the Blakros Museum in search of clues that might lead to the whereabouts of the portal’s key." “Earlier today, Nigel showed up here, claiming that something was wrong with Anumet. It seems that the Pathfinder set off some sort of curse or trap while poking around in the place’s attics and was acting strangely, and now he can’t be found at all. I need you to head to Blakros Museum and get to the bottom of this. Find Anumet, and if he has gotten himself into irreparable trouble, you’ll also need to take up where he left off and find that key.”
Once the festivities in Highdelve come to a close, the so-called Heroes of Highdelve come to the realization that they must return to Absalom to report back to Venture-Captain Drandle Dreng. Before htey leave, however, Indalis informs the others that he has some business to handle in Ice Port and will meet the others in Absalom. They bid each other safe travels and make head out in opposite directions. After some time and much talk, they arrive in Absalom. Without much hesitance, they make for the Pathfinder lodge to meet with Venture-Captain Drandle Dreng. They find, however, that their presence is expected and others are waiting for them.
Once you are settled, please go and fill out the slides.
Discussion here.
It seems as though our game has stalled a bit. I want to ask everyone to try to post once per weekday and once per weekend, at the very least. I know that I haven't been doing this either, but I will be trying to stick to that from here on out. I will take some of the blame for the stall on my side. So I am going to try something different for the rest of the game. First of all, feel free to post for your round even if your character wouldn't act yet. I will resolve the actions in appropriate order in a recap post. If your action will no longer be valid, we can do a few things. You could post an alternative in your initial post that I will use or a new post to replace the initial one. Alternatively, I could semi-bot you by applying your roll (with appropriate modifiers to a more fitting action). Please let me know what you guys want to do. For Rig, at the end of each of my recap posts, I will roll the 'initiative roll' for both ships. I think this might help with some of the lag. Please let me know what you are thinking. We are closing on the end of this combat and I want to give someone else a chance to GM sooner rather than later.
Inside the Endless Threnody, the undead engineer pushes the struggling power core to divert power to the engines, to give them a boost in speed. As the ship lurches with the new found speed, the pilot attempts to push the ship further to allow them the get into a good spot to damage the Loreseeker. Endless Threnody rolls: +2 speed
-1 turn distance
Despite the maneuverability of the ship, the living crew is unable to hit the undead craft. Unfortunately, they once again have been flanked and are unable to fire back.
Miss
After the terrible blow from the Loreseeker, the undead engineer gets to work with trying to patch the glitching engines. Once he gets those repaired, the captain losses his cool as he starts threatening the pilot, trying to get him to do better. Fearing for her own safety, the pilot tries to initiate a flip and burn maneuver to put the living vessel within their sights again. Whether it is through fear or shear skill, she is able to completely the stunt with ease. Endless Threnody rolls: Success
Success; +4 to Piloting rolls Success
The hubris of the undead crew, they place themselves in such a situation that they are unable to avoid the shot from behind. The expert piloting skills of Rig prevent them front being able to fire a single shot. Endless Threnody rolls:
Engines glitching
Feeling as though they have the Loreseeker on the ropes, the undead engineer tries to divert what little power they have into the weapons. The undead pilot tries to help the pilot in an approach to the ship that gives them a defensive advantage. Endless Threnody rolls: Success. Any 1s on damage rolls treated as 2s.
Success.
The undead vessel fires its starboard thrusters, putting itself in line with the damaged portion on the Loreseeker. The crew of the living ship fires, and yet again the coilgun hits it's mark. In retaliation, the undead gunners fire back with the unaffected weapons. Despite the extended distances, both laser blast strike the ship, striking the forward and newly-boosted starboard shields. As the shields fail, the energy from the blasts ripple through the ship causing the life support systems and starboard weapons to starting glitching. Endless Threnody rolls:
Weapons array
Port array glitching
Life support
The engineer onboard the Enless Threnody sets to work trying to realign the power core. He barely is able to get the core back into proper working order. The captain of the undead ship tries to guide the pilot on how to slide into an advantageous position. Endless Threnody rolls:
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