Realising her oversight, Sister Nerissia almost blushes...but that would be an untoward display of emotion for a high ranking priestess of Pharasma..."I apologise Aston - we do have such supplies but, as you might imagine, we keep them very secure. I shall return in thirty minutes with something more aligned with your...condition". True to her word, she takes slightly less than the allotted hour and exchanges out the vial for a stoneware tube, "Don't mix them up..."
Once she is satisfied that you are ready..."This way please", Sister Nerissia directs, leading you out of a rear chapel within the cathedral to the edge of the great chasm overlooking the lands of Varisia below. From the high position on the Storval Rise, you can see the twinkling lights of farming settlements and villages many miles south of Kaer Maga. "Watch your step" she cautions as she leads you down the narrow, twisting cliffside path that passes directly into the mouth of the massive carved face known as the Unnamed King.
As she leads you down the path, Sister Nerissia turns and talks in a low voice to the Dhampir.
Aston Dabroque:
“Aston, what I must say to you is a delicate matter and, were it to be repeated in the wrong place, could prove to be severely embarrassing to our Church. I would ask that you keep this information to yourself until you are absolutely sure that you may trust your companions”
The priestess continues, “A number of years ago one of our priests, a Chelish man who went by the name of Svilennius Tripe somehow found ancient tomes from an ancient heretical sect of Pharasma known as the Chymists of Life in Death. These tomes dealt with the creation of undead through alchemical rather than magical means; providing the sect a supposed loophole around Pharasma's prohibition against the creation and use of undead creatures."
"When his superiors discovered one of the banned books in his quarters, Svilennius was brought before an ecclesiastical tribunal. There he presented his newfound heretical views; that the church could use the undead to support its works, increasing its manpower and solving the problems of space within the ossuary at the same time. Needless to say, Svilennius' ideas fell on deaf ears. The shocked church elders stripped Svilennius of his ecclesiastical rank and excommunicated him, branding him a heretic."
“Svilennius disappeared from view and we thought him long dead…yet some of the undead that have been reported within the Undercity are, from the accounts we have received, different to those who have been raised by magical necromancy. If this is true, there is a chance that Svilennius yet lives and has managed to use his heretical knowledge to raise the dead.”
“If indeed you do find Svilennius somewhere within the ossuary he must be stopped and, Aston, I must insist any evidence linking him to our Church must be destroyed”
Her piece said, Sister Nerissia is silent awaiting affirmation from the churches strange ally.
As you enter the ossuary proper, you see that it is well lit with everburning torches, richly decorated, and amazingly clean. Several Pharasmin priests, robed and hooded, silently tend to the deceased. Sister Nerissia leads you through luxuriously appointed catacombs packed with bodies wrapped in the finest linens and reverently placed in countless stone niches lining the walls. You descend several stairways before coming to an area that obviously sees little use – most of the burial niches are empty and dusty, the air is musty and close, and silence reigns supreme.
In this unused portion of the crypts, Sister Nerissia stops before a wooden door, bound with steel bands. "This is the only known entrance to the sealed lower portions of the ossuary, once you enter, the door will be locked behind you. Do not be mistaken, you MUST save one use of the chime of opening to get back through this door when you are ready to leave." she points at the door as she says this. "The priests will not open the door for you. They have no way of seeing through the locked door to recognize you or determine whether something...else is trying to get through. If you lose the chime or use up its magic, you must find your own way out of the ossuary."
Sister Nerissia then goes to each one of you and touches you lightly on the left side of your face as she whispers, "The Lady of Graves bless and keep you safe." She then draws a large iron key from beneath her robes and inserts it into the door. She turns the key and the lock clicks loudly in the silence.
The door grinds open despite long years of disuse. Within, a stone spiral staircase descends into the earth...
Her message delivered, Sister Nerissia smiles at the assembled group. The smile, whilst not cold, makes it clear that the Priestess has uncertainty in her mind...
Were this Magnimar or elsewhere, I would only call on the faithful of Pharasma...but this is Kaer Maga...I will have to work with the tools we have...
Responding to Taicho's echoing words, "Yours to keep indeed...unless it is of Pharasmin origin...any relics of our faith should be returned to us"
After agreeing that death and Pharasma shall be the final arbiter in this instance, Sister Nerissia continues, "It has been forbidden for many centuries for even the clergy to enter the lower crypts...if there ever were maps, they have long since passed from record. This much I can tell you from what we were able to deduce from the last unfortunate grave robber whom we discovered escaping from the lower crypts...there are many levels below the hallowed places where we inter the vessels of the departed...not all are inhabited but those which are, are not friendly places, the man told us stories of undead, of demons and worse. I wish I could be more specific but the poor fellow was not lucid for long before his wounds overcame him"
"I am prepared to escort you to the entrance to the Ossuary now however if you need time to prepare, I am willing to wait for no more than one day..." the cold, business like manner has certainly returned to Sister Nerissia's demeanour.
If you did have any further shopping / equipping to do, feel free - you can do it as a housekeeping exercise (and either Retcon to before this meeting or do it afterwards)
Sister Nerissia sighs, a degree of frustration at the mystery that has confronted her these last months, "The only common feature is that they were dead Graham...we have lost those who were freshly interred and those who we have watched over for up to a century...we have lost the rich...we have lost paupers whose internment has been paid for by the city...the lack of any common thread, forces me to think that necromancy may be at work here..."
A side door in the Chapel opens silently and a tall woman dressed in the simple garb of a Pharasmin Priestess enters. She nods curtly at you before standing at the front of the shrine, facing the effigy of an armoured lady who you assume must be Saint Joan. The Priestess holds a rectangular chest, the contents tinkling like glass against glass as she walks.
After a short prayer to the Saint, the Priestess turns towards the assembled group and begins in a low voice that nonetheless carries in the quiet chapel, "Allow me to introduce myself to those who I have not met before, I am Sister Nerissia of the Church of Pharasma. You must be wondering why you have been called here at this late hour and I will not keep you in suspense as to the reasons. For generations, Kaer Maga's wealthy and powerful have been laid to rest in the Godsmouth Ossuary, and thus far, their rest seemed to be peaceful. The ossuary has existed for thousands of years, long before the founding of the city itself. There seems to be no limit to the number of bodies that can be stored here and yet..."
Sister Nerissia looks pained as she continues, "Bodies are missing from the Godsmouth Ossuary. You may or may not know that the ossuary is forbidden to all but the clergy and honored dead; even mourners are restricted to the ossuary's entrance or the cathedral; not even the Duskwardens, who safely lead visitors through the Undercity via the Halflight Path are allowed to enter the sacred vaults. But now...there have been increased reports of undead roaming the Undercity and this has led us to believe that the source of the problem lies in the sealed levels below the main crypts.”
“The vessels of the departed are being stolen from the Ossuary and, I fear, are being subject to Necromancy. This cannot be allowed. It stands to reason that none of the clergy here are above suspicion, so I have assembled a capable group of outside help.”
Looking at each of you, “You are that help…you are known to this Church through prior dealings or through your reputation.”
“There is a sealed door in the Ossuary leading further beneath Kaer Maga, it is my belief that whoever or whatever is stealing the remains has come from there. It will be your job to enter that door and to discover the source of the thefts."
"I will stress one last time, your silence about this matter after tonight is of the utmost importance. If you need incentive, we are offering a generous fee: 500 gold coins to divide amongst yourselves. In addition, any valuables you find therein will be yours to keep, so long as they are not sacred to the church. Should word escape of this matter... well, it won't will it?"
She sets down the chest and begins removing vials of liquid, each stoppered and labeled. She pairs them off, one vial of clear liquid to one vial of blue liquid. "To ensure your success, we are prepared to give each of you a vial of holy water blessed by the goddess and a potion to heal wounds.", she says before pulling out a long chime of silvery metal and hands it to Aston, "Mr Sabroque, I shall entrust you with the chime of opening- this chime may be sounded five times and five times only to open sealed doors in the complex below the Ossuary. Be advised that you should keep one in reserve in order to return to the Cathedral- we will not open the doors again, no matter how insistently it is knocked upon."
She looks at the assembled group, "Are these terms agreeable?"
Sister Nerissia has given you each a vial of Cure Light Wounds and a vial of Holy Water
The Cathedral to Pharasma in Kaer Maga is an imposing gothic structure and dominates the skyline in the Bottoms District. It looms over a large square where, during the day, residents of the city set up impromptu markets selling supposedly divine trinkets to bereaved families. The Pharasmin Church ignores this trade so long as marketeers remain respectful to the worshippers, the clergy and the clientele of the Cathedral; of course, there are also the persistent rumours that the Church demands a slice of any profit made within the market.
During the night however, this square is typically bereft of activity for this is not an area of the Botttoms where one would choose to carouse or socialise…anyone approaching the Cathedral could easily be observed by someone looking through any one of the multitude of Cathedral windows overlooking the square. Tonight, such a person is sat quietly at a high arched window, anticipating the arrival of three invited guests to the Cathedral. Sipping at a wine, Sister Nerissia watches and waits…
Aston and Graham were obvious choices and, if I know them well enough, should be waiting at the Chapel already.
Noting the arrival of her third guest…a distracted shamble of exotic armour and clothing scurrying across the square, Sister Nerissia, not for the first time, has a moment of doubt.
Are things truly that perilous that we should allow outsiders into our most sacred places? Desperate times, desperate measures...and to only be able to reach out to three...
Placing her goblet on a table, Sister Nerissia stands, straightens her robes, gathers her thoughts and makes her way from her rooms to the Chapel of Saint Joan.
The Cathedral of Pharasma is a place of worship that truly never sleeps…for death itself does not sleep. Yet whilst the acolytes and lower clergy of the Church work tirelessly through the long night, it is unusual for the higher priestesses to be awake at a later hour. Tonight, in a small side chapel dedicated to a long dead saint, the severity of a certain situation mandates that the higher clergy meet in secret.
“Sister Nerissia, it is a late hour, pray tell us why you would have us here, in this somewhat cold crypt, rather than resting for tomorrow’s ceremonies”
Standing and turning to greet the two robed priestesses who have quietly entered the chapel, the waiting priestess smiles a thin smile and gestures at a nearby table, “Sister Thorn, Sister Rashael, thank you for coming…please take a seat”. Pouring a small goblet of wine for each of them, “I will get straight to the point…this concerns the matter of the missing bodies in the Ossuary…”
Sister Nerissia pauses, looking for a reaction from her fellow priestesses and when none is forthcoming, she continues, “There are some who say that this matter is no bad thing, that it may indeed be a solution to our overcrowding problem…I say to those people that you have lost your way…that our role is to aid our wards passage into the next life and to safeguard the vessels of their souls”, Sipping from her wine, “There is enough evidence to suggest that the bodies are being taken to the lower levels…for what purposes I could not say although I have my fears…as should you, my Sisters”.
The taller of the two other priestesses ventures a question, “What would you have us do Sister Nerissia? We do not enter the lower crypts and would, I fear, be poorly prepared for anything that may be down there…I have read accounts of attempts to chart the lower levels”, she winces, “they have never gone well”.
“Sister Thorn”, Sister Nerissia looks pointedly at her fellow Priestess, “I believe it is time that we relaxed our restrictions on entry into the Ossuary…and believe me, I do not suggest this lightly”.
The third priestess nods in agreement, “It is a sad day when we need to consider this, but I am compelled to agree…But who?”
“This is a matter that I have thought on for the last few weeks and I have, I believe, identified a group that can be trusted…and more importantly if it goes poorly, will not be missed”, reaching into her robes, Sister Nerissia brings forth three wrapped scrolls, “these are the summons to be sent to this group, please see to it that they arrive safely in the appropriate hands”.
“There is nothing more to be said on this matter, please ensure these messages are delivered and, my Sisters?”, Sister Nerissia smiles coldly, “Need I remind you of the implications of the City hearing that we are ‘losing’ their beloved forbearers?”. The two lower priestesses nod in acknowledgment of the severity of the situation and depart the chapel as quietly and as reverentially as when they had entered.
"This way please", Sister Nerissia directs, leading you out of a rear chapel within the cathedral to the edge of the great chasm overlooking the lands of Varisia below. From the high position on the Storval Rise, you can see the twinkling lights of farming settlements and villages many miles south of Kaer Maga. "Watch your step" she cautions as she leads you down the narrow, twisting cliffside path that passes directly into the mouth of the massive carved face known as the Unnamed King.
As she leads you down the path, Sister Nerissia talks in a low voice to the somewhat unusual looking cleric of Pharasma
Balin Katona:
“Balin, what I must say to you is a delicate matter and, were it to be repeated in the wrong place, could prove to be severely embarrassing to our Church. I would ask that you keep this information to yourself until you are absolutely sure that you may trust your companions”
The priestess continues, “A number of years ago one of our priests, a Chelish man who went by the name of Svilennius Tripe somehow found ancient tomes from an ancient heretical sect of Pharasma known as the Chymists of Life in Death. These tomes dealt with the creation of undead through alchemical rather than magical means; providing the sect a supposed loophole around Pharasma's prohibition against the creation and use of undead creatures."
"When his superiors discovered one of the banned books in his quarters, Svilennius was brought before an ecclesiastical tribunal. There he presented his newfound heretical views; that the church could use the undead to support its works, increasing its manpower and solving the problems of space within the ossuary at the same time. Needless to say, Svilennius' ideas fell on deaf ears. The shocked church elders stripped Svilennius of his ecclesiastical rank and excommunicated him, branding him a heretic."
“Svilennius disappeared from view and we thought him long dead…yet some of the undead that have been reported within the Undercity are, from the accounts we have received, different to those who have been raised by magical necromancy. If this is true, there is a chance that Svilennius yet lives and has managed to use his heretical knowledge to raise the dead.”
“If indeed you do find Svilennius somewhere within the ossuary he must be stopped and, Balin, I must insist any evidence linking him to our Church must be destroyed”
Her piece said, Sister Nerissia is silent awaiting affirmation from the cleric.
As you enter the ossuary proper, you see that it is well lit with everburning torches, richly decorated, and amazingly clean. Several Pharasmin priests, robed and hooded, silently tend to the deceased. Sister Nerissia leads you through luxuriously appointed catacombs packed with bodies wrapped in the finest linens and reverently placed in countless stone niches lining the walls. You descend several stairways before coming to an area that obviously sees little use – most of the burial niches are empty and dusty, the air is musty and close, and silence reigns supreme.
In this unused portion of the crypts, Sister Nerissia stops before a wooden door, bound with steel bands. "This is the only known entrance to the sealed lower portions of the ossuary, once you enter, the door will be locked behind you. Do not be mistaken, you MUST save one use of the chime of opening to get back through this door when you are ready to leave." she points at the door as she says this. "The priests will not open the door for you. They have no way of seeing through the locked door to recognize you or determine whether something...else is trying to get through. If you lose the chime or use up its magic, you must find your own way out of the ossuary."
Sister Nerissia then goes to each one of you and touches you lightly on the left side of your face as she whispers, "The Lady of Graves bless and keep you safe."She then draws a large iron key from beneath her robes and inserts it into the door. She turns the key and the lock clicks loudly in the silence.
The door grinds open despite long years of disuse. Within, a stone spiral staircase descends into the earth...
Her message delivered, Sister Nerissia smiles at the assembled group. The smile, whilst not cold, makes it clear that the Priestess has uncertainty in her mind...
Were this Magnimar or elsewhere, I would call on the faithful of Pharasma...but this is Kaer Maga...I will have to work with the tools I have
Responding to Balin's query, "It has been forbidden for many centuries for even the clergy to enter the lower crypts...if there ever were maps, they have long since passed from record. This much I can tell you from what we were able to deduce from the last unfortunate grave robber whom we discovered escaping from the lower crypts...there are many levels below the hallowed places where we inter the vessels of the departed...not all are inhabited but those which are, are not friendly places, the man told us stories of undead, of demons and worse. I wish I could be more specific but the poor fellow was not lucid for long before his wounds overcame him"
"I am prepared to escort you to the entrance to the Ossuary now, however if you need time to prepare, I am willing to wait for no more than one day...". The cold, business like manner of Sister Nerissia conveys, with no ambiguity, that she does not relish the prospect of protracted discussions...
A side door in the Chapel opens silently and a tall woman dressed in the simple garb of a Pharasmin Priestess enters. She nods curtly at you before standing at the front of the shrine, facing the effigy of an armoured lady who you assume must be Saint Joan. The Priestess holds a rectangular chest, the contents tinkling like glass against glass as she walks.
After a short prayer to the Saint, the Priestess turns towards the assembled group and begins in a low voice that nonetheless carries in the quiet chapel, "Allow me to introduce myself to those who I have not met before, I am Sister Nerissia of the Church of Pharasma. You must be wondering why you have been called here at this late hour and I will not keep you in suspense as to the reasons. For generations, Kaer Maga's wealthy and powerful have been laid to rest in the Godsmouth Ossuary, and thus far, their rest seemed to be peaceful. The ossuary has existed for thousands of years, long before the founding of the city itself. There seems to be no limit to the number of bodies that can be stored here and yet..."
Sister Nerissia looks pained as she continues, "Bodies are missing from the Godsmouth Ossuary. You may or may not know that the ossuary is forbidden to all but the clergy and honored dead; even mourners are restricted to the ossuary's entrance or the cathedral; not even the Duskwardens, who safely lead visitors through the Undercity via the Halflight Path are allowed to enter the sacred vaults. But now...there have been increased reports of undead roaming the Undercity and this has led us to believe that the source of the problem lies in the sealed levels below the main crypts.”
"The vessels of the departed are being stolen from the Ossuary and, I fear, are being subject to Necromancy. This cannot be allowed. It stands to reason that none of the clergy here are above suspicion, so I have assembled a capable group of outside help.”
Looking at each of you, "You are that help…you are known to this Church through prior dealings or through your reputation.”
"There is a sealed door in the Ossuary leading further beneath Kaer Maga, it is my belief that whoever or whatever is stealing the remains has come from there. It will be your job to enter that door and to discover the source of the thefts."
"I will stress one last time, your silence about this matter after tonight is of the utmost importance. If you need incentive, we are offering a generous fee: 500 gold coins to divide amongst yourselves. In addition, any valuables you find therein will be yours to keep, so long as they are not sacred to the church", with an icy demeanour, Sister Nerissia issues a thinly veiled warning, "Should word escape of this matter... well, it won't will it?"
She sets down the chest and begins removing vials of liquid, each stoppered and labeled. She pairs them off, one vial of clear liquid to one vial of blue liquid. "To ensure your success, we are prepared to give each of you a vial of holy water blessed by the goddess and a potion to heal wounds.", she says before pulling out a long chime of silvery metal and hands it to the unsettling man with the bodyguard, "Balin, I shall entrust you with the chime of opening - this chime may be sounded five times and five times only to open sealed doors in the complex below the Ossuary. Be advised that you should keep one in reserve in order to return to the Cathedral - we will not open the doors again, no matter how insistently it is knocked upon."
She looks at the assembled group, "Are these terms agreeable?"
Sister Nerissia has given you each a vial of Cure Light Wounds and a vial of Holy Water
The Cathedral of Pharasma is a place of worship that truly never sleeps…for death itself does not sleep. Yet whilst the acolytes and lower clergy of the Church work tirelessly through the long night, it is unusual for the higher priestesses to be awake at a later hour. Tonight, in a small side chapel dedicated to a long dead saint, the severity of a certain situation mandates that the higher clergy meet in secret.
“Sister Nerissia, it is a late hour, pray tell us why you would have us here, in this somewhat cold crypt, rather than resting for tomorrow’s ceremonies”
Standing and turning to greet the two robed priestesses who have quietly entered the chapel, the waiting priestess smiles a thin smile and gestures at a nearby table, “Sister Thorn, Sister Rashael, thank you for coming…please take a seat”. Pouring a small goblet of wine for each of them, “I will get straight to the point…this concerns the matter of the missing bodies in the Ossuary…”
Sister Nerissia pauses, looking for a reaction from her fellow priestesses and when none is forthcoming, she continues, “There are some who say that this matter is no bad thing, that it may indeed be a solution to our overcrowding problem…I say to those people that you have lost your way…that our role is to aid our wards passage into the next life and to safeguard the vessels of their souls”, Sipping from her wine, “There is enough evidence to suggest that the bodies are being taken to the lower levels…for what purposes I could not say although I have my fears…as should you, my Sisters”.
The taller of the two other priestesses ventures a question, “What would you have us do Sister Nerissia? We do not enter the lower crypts and would, I fear, be poorly prepared for anything that may be down there…I have read accounts of attempts to chart the lower levels”, she winces, “they have never gone well”.
“Sister Thorn”, Sister Nerissia looks pointedly at her fellow Priestess, “I believe it is time that we relaxed our restrictions on entry into the Ossuary…and believe me, I do not suggest this lightly”.
The third priestess nods in agreement, “It is a sad day when we need to consider this, but I am compelled to agree…But who?”
“This is a matter that I have thought on for the last few weeks and I have, I believe, identified a group that can be trusted…and more importantly if it goes poorly, will not be missed”, reaching into her robes, Sister Nerissia brings forth five wrapped scrolls, “these are the summons to be sent to this group, please see to it that they arrive safely in the appropriate hands”.
“There is nothing more to be said on this matter, please ensure these messages are delivered and, my Sisters?”, Sister Nerissia smiles coldly, “Need I remind you of the implications of the City hearing that we are ‘losing’ their beloved forebearers?”. The two lower priestesses nod in acknowledgment of the severity of the situation and depart the chapel as quietly and as reverentially as when they had entered.
"This way please", Sister Nerissia directs, leading you out of a rear chapel within the cathedral to the edge of the great chasm overlooking the lands of Varisia below. From the high position on the Storval Rise, you can see the twinkling lights of farming settlements and villages many miles south of Kaer Maga. "Watch your step" she cautions as she leads you down the narrow, twisting cliffside path that passes directly into the mouth of the massive carved face known as the Unnamed King.
As she leads you down the path, Sister Nerissia talks in a low voice to the Paladin of Pharasma.
Sara Evergreen:
“Sara, what I must say to you is a delicate matter and, were it to be repeated in the wrong place, could prove to be severely embarrassing to our Church. I would ask that you keep this information to yourself until you are absolutely sure that you may trust your companions”
The priestess continues, “A number of years ago one of our priests, a Chelish man who went by the name of Svilennius Tripe somehow found ancient tomes from an ancient heretical sect of Pharasma known as the Chymists of Life in Death. These tomes dealt with the creation of undead through alchemical rather than magical means; providing the sect a supposed loophole around Pharasma's prohibition against the creation and use of undead creatures."
"When his superiors discovered one of the banned books in his quarters, Svilennius was brought before an ecclesiastical tribunal. There he presented his newfound heretical views; that the church could use the undead to support its works, increasing its manpower and solving the problems of space within the ossuary at the same time. Needless to say, Svilennius' ideas fell on deaf ears. The shocked church elders stripped Svilennius of his ecclesiastical rank and excommunicated him, branding him a heretic."
“Svilennius disappeared from view and we thought him long dead…yet some of the undead that have been reported within the Undercity are, from the accounts we have received, different to those who have been raised by magical necromancy. If this is true, there is a chance that Svilennius yet lives and has managed to use his heretical knowledge to raise the dead.”
“If indeed you do find Svilennius somewhere within the ossuary he must be stopped and, Sara, I must insist any evidence linking him to our Church must be destroyed”
Her piece said, Sister Nerissia is silent awaiting affirmation from the paladin.
As you enter the ossuary proper, you see that it is well lit with everburning torches, richly decorated, and amazingly clean. Several Pharasmin priests, robed and hooded, silently tend to the deceased. Sister Nerissia leads you through luxuriously appointed catacombs packed with bodies wrapped in the finest linens and reverently placed in countless stone niches lining the walls. You descend several stairways before coming to an area that obviously sees little use – most of the burial niches are empty and dusty, the air is musty and close, and silence reigns supreme.
In this unused portion of the crypts, Sister Nerissia stops before a wooden door, bound with steel bands. "This is the only known entrance to the sealed lower portions of the ossuary, once you enter, the door will be locked behind you. Do not be mistaken, you MUST save one use of the chime of opening to get back through this door when you are ready to leave." she points at the door as she says this. "The priests will not open the door for you. They have no way of seeing through the locked door to recognize you or determine whether something...else is trying to get through. If you lose the chime or use up its magic, you must find your own way out of the ossuary."
Sister Nerissia then goes to each one of you and touches you lightly on the left side of your face as she whispers, "The Lady of Graves bless and keep you safe." She then draws a large iron key from beneath her robes and inserts it into the door. She turns the key and the lock clicks loudly in the silence.
The door grinds open despite long years of disuse. Within, a stone spiral staircase descends into the earth.
Marta's child is still just that....a child....I pray she is ready for this task
"Elee, we do not know for sure whether the stolen bodies are being used to create undead however there is talk of increased numbers of zombies roaming the tunnels beneath our city...it would seem unlikely that the grave robbing and the rise in undead activity are not related. Our church is violently opposed to all forms of necromancy...if you do uncover evidence of such practices, they must be stopped...permanently"
Her message delivered, Sister Nerissia smiles at the assembled group. The smile, whilst not cold, makes it clear that the Priestess has uncertainty in her mind...
"I am prepared to escort you to the entrance to the Ossuary now however if you need time to prepare, I am willing to wait for no more than one day..."
So, the young man wants to bargain does he? He should think himself lucky to be a free man...how many times have we turned a blind eye to his roaming on our sacred ground? Still, it matters little how the gold is spent and, if it will guarantee his compliance...
"Very well young man", Sister Nerissia replies, with a little too much emphasis on the word 'young', "The church will negotiate the purchase of slaves on your behalf...yet it will be done discreetly and not in the name of our Church. What you do with those slaves is of no concern to us and, when they are delivered into your care, the matter will not be spoken of again"
Those eyes...I have had them described to me but seeing them now, in the 'flesh'...they truly are unique
A side door in the Chapel opens silently and a tall woman dressed in the simple garb of a Pharasmin Priestess enters. She nods curtly at you before standing at the front of the shrine, facing the effigy of an armoured lady who you assume must be Saint Joan. The Priestess holds a rectangular chest, the contents tinkling like glass against glass as she walks.
After a short prayer to the Saint, the Priestess turns towards the assembled group and begins in a low voice that nonetheless carries in the quiet chapel, "Allow me to introduce myself to those who I have not met before, I am Sister Nerissia of the Church of Pharasma. You must be wondering why you have been called here at this late hour and I will not keep you in suspense as to the reasons. For generations, Kaer Maga's wealthy and powerful have been laid to rest in the Godsmouth Ossuary, and thus far, their rest seemed to be peaceful. The ossuary has existed for thousands of years, long before the founding of the city itself. There seems to be no limit to the number of bodies that can be stored here and yet..."
Sister Nerissia looks pained as she continues,"Bodies are missing from the Godsmouth Ossuary. You may or may not know that the ossuary is forbidden to all but the clergy and honored dead; even mourners are restricted to the ossuary's entrance or the cathedral; not even the Duskwardens, who safely lead visitors through the Undercity via the Halflight Path are allowed to enter the sacred vaults. But now...there have been increased reports of undead roaming the Undercity and this has led us to believe that the source of the problem lies in the sealed levels below the main crypts.”
“The vessels of the departed are being stolen from the Ossuary and, I fear, are being subject to Necromancy. This cannot be allowed. It stands to reason that none of the clergy here are above suspicion, so I have assembled a capable group of outside help.”
Looking at each of you, “You are that help…you are known to this Church through prior dealings or through your reputation.”
“There is a sealed door in the Ossuary leading further beneath Kaer Maga, it is my belief that whoever or whatever is stealing the remains has come from there. It will be your job to enter that door and to discover the source of the thefts."
"If you need incentive, we are offering a generous fee: 500 gold coins to divide amongst yourselves. In addition, any valuables you find therein will be yours to keep, so long as they are not sacred to the church. I will stress one last time, your silence about this matter after tonight is of the utmost importance. Should word escape of this matter... well, it won't will it?"
She sets down the chest and begins removing vials of liquid, each stoppered and labeled. She pairs them off, one vial of clear liquid to one vial of blue liquid."To ensure your success, we are prepared to give each of you a vial of holy water blessed by the goddess and a potion to heal wounds.", she says before pulling out a long chime of silvery metal and handing it to the armoured Pharasmin warrior,"Sara Evergreen, I shall entrust you with the chime of opening - this chime may be sounded five times and five times only to open sealed doors in the complex below the Ossuary. Be advised that you should keep one in reserve in order to return to the Cathedral- we will not open the doors again, no matter how insistently it is knocked upon."
She looks at the assembled group, "Are these terms agreeable?"
Sister Nerissia has given you each a vial of Cure Light Wounds and a vial of Holy Water
Shortly before the strike of midnight, another figure arrives in the square. From the figures' stature and their manner of arrival, Sister Nerissia was able to determine who had arrived...
So, Marta has entrusted us with her daughter...
As the young druid disappears into the Cathedral, the priestess gathers her thoughts and makes her way from her rooms to the Chapel of Saint Joan.
The Cathedral to Pharasma in Kaer Maga is an imposing gothic structure and dominates the skyline in the Bottoms District. It looms over a large square where, during the day, residents of the city set up impromptu markets selling supposedly divine trinkets to bereaved families. The Pharasmin Church ignores this trade so long as marketeers remain respectful to the worshippers, the clergy and the clientele of the Cathedral; of course, there are also the persistent rumours that the Church demands a slice of any profit made within the market.
During the night however, this square is typically bereft of activity for this is not an area of the Botttoms where one would choose to carouse or socialise…anyone approaching the Cathedral could easily be observed by someone looking through any one of the multitude of Cathedral windows overlooking the square.
Tonight, such a person is sat quietly at a high arched window, anticipating the arrival of four visitors to the Cathedral. Sipping at a wine, Sister Nerissia watches and waits…
Sara Evergreen will, of course, be waiting at the Chapel already. I am gladdened to finally be able to give her a task that is suited towards her skills…I just hope that the others will be able to see past her apparent youth and recognise her importance as the sole representative of Pharasma in this endeavour…
Sister Nerissia's first guest crosses the square some time before the hour of midnight. Dressed in the clerical garb of Iomedae, the Half-Elf has clearly been on the road for a while and, from his gait and pace, looks close to the point of exhaustion.
Is this all the Church of Iomedae can spare? A travelling preacher blown in from the wilderness? I would have expected better...more goodwill...but no matter...
Noting the arrival of her second guest…a giant of a man striding with purpose across the square, Sister Nerissia, not for the first time, has a moment of very real doubt.
Are things truly that perilous that we should allow outsiders into our most sacred places? This 'Madok' is well regarded by those who have been watching on my behalf, yet he is not a believer…indeed, I wonder whether he truly knows what he believes in…
As she observes the man loudly announce his presence, to no-one in particular, in front of the cathedral, she takes a large draught of wine…
Not long after Madok-Bone Cruncher passes through the large entrance to the Cathedral, Sister Nerissia observes her third guest sitting at a bench across the square. It is dark and Relnan is a fair distance away, yet Sister Nerissia recognises the sorcerer on sight.
I wonder whether this one knows that we have been watching him for a while now? I wish that I could have waited longer...to see how his powers manifest...to see whether he can be controlled...before demanding service, but needs must...needs must
Placing her goblet on a table, Sister Nerissia stands, straightens her robes and watches for her final guest…
The Cathedral of Pharasma is a place of worship that truly never sleeps…for death itself does not sleep. Yet whilst the acolytes and lower clergy of the Church work tirelessly through the long night, it is unusual for the higher priestesses to be awake at a later hour. Tonight, in a small side chapel dedicated to a long dead saint, the severity of a certain situation mandates that the higher clergy meet in secret.
“Sister Nerissia, it is a late hour, pray tell us why you would have us here, in this somewhat cold crypt, rather than resting for tomorrow’s ceremonies”
Standing and turning to greet the two robed priestesses who have quietly entered the chapel, the waiting priestess smiles a thin smile and gestures at a nearby table, “Sister Thorn, Sister Rashael, thank you for coming…please take a seat”. Pouring a small goblet of wine for each of them, “I will get straight to the point…this concerns the matter of the missing bodies in the Ossuary…”
Sister Nerissia pauses, looking for a reaction from her fellow priestesses and when none is forthcoming, she continues, “There are some who say that this matter is no bad thing, that it may indeed be a solution to our overcrowding problem…I say to those people that you have lost your way…that our role is to aid our wards passage into the next life and to safeguard the vessels of their souls”, Sipping from her wine, “There is enough evidence to suggest that the bodies are being taken to the lower levels…for what purposes I could not say although I have my fears…as should you, my Sisters”.
The taller of the two other priestesses ventures a question, “What would you have us do Sister Nerissia? We do not enter the lower crypts and would, I fear, be poorly prepared for anything that may be down there…I have read accounts of attempts to chart the lower levels”, she winces, “they have never gone well”.
“Sister Thorn”, Sister Nerissia looks pointedly at her fellow Priestess, “I believe it is time that we relaxed our restrictions on entry into the Ossuary…and believe me, I do not suggest this lightly”.
The third priestess nods in agreement, “It is a sad day when we need to consider this, but I am compelled to agree…But who?”
“This is a matter that I have thought on for the last few weeks and I have, I believe, identified a group that can be trusted…and more importantly if it goes poorly, will not be missed”, reaching into her robes, Sister Nerissia brings forth five wrapped scrolls, “these are the summons to be sent to this group, please see to it that they arrive safely in the appropriate hands”.
“There is nothing more to be said on this matter, please ensure these messages are delivered and, my Sisters?”, Sister Nerissia smiles coldly, “Need I remind you of the implications of the City hearing that we are ‘losing’ their beloved forebearers?”. The two lower priestesses nod in acknowledgment of the severity of the situation and depart the chapel as quietly and as reverentially as when they had entered.
"This way please", Sister Nerissia directs, leading you out of a rear chapel within the cathedral to the edge of the great chasm overlooking the lands of Varisia below. From the high position on the Storval Rise, you can see the twinkling lights of farming settlements and villages many miles south of Kaer Maga. "Watch your step" she cautions as she leads you down the narrow, twisting cliffside path that passes directly into the mouth of the massive carved face known as the Unnamed King.
As she leads you down the path, Sister Nerissia talks in a low voice to the hooded Paladin of Pharasma.
Sir Kane Ravencourt:
“Sir Ravencourt, what I must say to you is a delicate matter and, were it to be repeated in the wrong place, could prove to be severely embarrassing to our Church. I would ask that you keep this information to yourself until you are absolutely sure that you may trust your companions”
The priestess continues, “A number of years ago one of our priests, a Chelish man who went by the name of Svilennius Tripe somehow found ancient tomes from an ancient heretical sect of Pharasma known as the Chymists of Life in Death. These tomes dealt with the creation of undead through alchemical rather than magical means; providing the sect a supposed loophole around Pharasma's prohibition against the creation and use of undead creatures."
"When his superiors discovered one of the banned books in his quarters, Svilennius was brought before an ecclesiastical tribunal. There he presented his newfound heretical views; that the church could use the undead to support its works, increasing its manpower and solving the problems of space within the ossuary at the same time. Needless to say, Svilennius' ideas fell on deaf ears. The shocked church elders stripped Svilennius of his ecclesiastical rank and excommunicated him, branding him a heretic."
“Svilennius disappeared from view and we thought him long dead…yet some of the undead that have been reported within the Undercity are, from the accounts we have received, different to those who have been raised by magical necromancy. If this is true, there is a chance that Svilennius yet lives and has managed to use his heretical knowledge to raise the dead.”
“If indeed you do find Svilennius somewhere within the ossuary he must be stopped and, Sir Ravencourt, I must insist any evidence linking him to our Church must be destroyed”
Her piece said, Sister Nerissia is silent awaiting affirmation from the accursed paladin beneath the cassock.
As you enter the ossuary proper, you see that it is well lit with everburning torches, richly decorated, and amazingly clean. Several Pharasmin priests, robed and hooded, silently tend to the deceased. Sister Nerissia leads you through luxuriously appointed catacombs packed with bodies wrapped in the finest linens and reverently placed in countless stone niches lining the walls. You descend several stairways before coming to an area that obviously sees little use – most of the burial niches are empty and dusty, the air is musty and close, and silence reigns supreme.
In this unused portion of the crypts, Sister Nerissia stops before a wooden door, bound with steel bands. "This is the only known entrance to the sealed lower portions of the ossuary, once you enter, the door will be locked behind you. Do not be mistaken, you MUST save one use of the chime of opening to get back through this door when you are ready to leave." she points at the door as she says this. "The priests will not open the door for you. They have no way of seeing through the locked door to recognize you or determine whether something...else is trying to get through. If you lose the chime or use up its magic, you must find your own way out of the ossuary."
Sister Nerissia then goes to each one of you and touches you lightly on the left side of your face as she whispers, "The Lady of Graves bless and keep you safe." She then draws a large iron key from beneath her robes and inserts it into the door. She turns the key and the lock clicks loudly in the silence.
The door grinds open despite long years of disuse. Within, a stone spiral staircase descends into the earth...
Whilst waiting for the group to decide whether they require further time to prepare, Sister Nerissia moves towards the cassocked figure..."Sir Ravencourt...a word if I may?"
Her message delivered, Sister Nerissia smiles at the assembled group. The smile, whilst not cold, makes it clear that the Priestess has uncertainty in her mind...
Were this Magnimar or elsewhere, I would call on the faithful of Pharasma...but this is Kaer Maga...I will have to work with the tools we have...
Bending forwards to take the battered junk from the Tengu, a look of warmth finally crosses the face of the Priestess, "Thankyou, my dear Yggdra...it is indeed good to see you so 'Well'...we are grateful that you have answered our Churches call"
Standing again, she responds to Horatio, "It has been forbidden for many centuries for even the clergy to enter the lower crypts...if there ever were maps, they have long since passed from record. This much I can tell you from what we were able to deduce from the last unfortunate grave robber whom we discovered escaping from the lower crypts...there are many levels below the hallowed places where we inter the vessels of the departed...not all are inhabited but those which are, are not friendly places, the man told us stories of undead, of demons and worse. I wish I could be more specific but the poor fellow was not lucid for long before his wounds overcame him"
"I am prepared to escort you to the entrance to the Ossuary now however if you need time to prepare, I am willing to wait for no more than one day..." the cold, business like manner has certainly returned to Sister Nerissia's demeanour.
A side door in the Chapel opens silently and a tall woman dressed in the simple garb of a Pharasmin Priestess enters. She nods curtly at you before standing at the front of the shrine, facing the effigy of an armoured lady who you assume must be Saint Joan. The Priestess holds a rectangular chest, the contents tinkling like glass against glass as she walks.
After a short prayer to the Saint, the Priestess turns towards the assembled group and begins in a low voice that nonetheless carries in the quiet chapel, "Allow me to introduce myself to those who I have not met before, I am Sister Nerissia of the Church of Pharasma. You must be wondering why you have been called here at this late hour and I will not keep you in suspense as to the reasons. For generations, Kaer Maga's wealthy and powerful have been laid to rest in the Godsmouth Ossuary, and thus far, their rest seemed to be peaceful. The ossuary has existed for thousands of years, long before the founding of the city itself. There seems to be no limit to the number of bodies that can be stored here and yet..."
Sister Nerissia looks pained as she continues, "Bodies are missing from the Godsmouth Ossuary. You may or may not know that the ossuary is forbidden to all but the clergy and honored dead; even mourners are restricted to the ossuary's entrance or the cathedral; not even the Duskwardens, who safely lead visitors through the Undercity via the Halflight Path are allowed to enter the sacred vaults. But now...there have been increased reports of undead roaming the Undercity and this has led us to believe that the source of the problem lies in the sealed levels below the main crypts.”
“The vessels of the departed are being stolen from the Ossuary and, I fear, are being subject to Necromancy. This cannot be allowed. It stands to reason that none of the clergy here are above suspicion, so I have assembled a capable group of outside help.”
Looking at each of you, “You are that help…you are known to this Church through prior dealings or through your reputation.”
“There is a sealed door in the Ossuary leading further beneath Kaer Maga, it is my belief that whoever or whatever is stealing the remains has come from there. It will be your job to enter that door and to discover the source of the thefts."
"I will stress one last time, your silence about this matter after tonight is of the utmost importance. If you need incentive, we are offering a generous fee: 500 gold coins to divide amongst yourselves. In addition, any valuables you find therein will be yours to keep, so long as they are not sacred to the church. Should word escape of this matter... well, it won't will it?"
She sets down the chest and begins removing vials of liquid, each stoppered and labeled. She pairs them off, one vial of clear liquid to one vial of blue liquid. "To ensure your success, we are prepared to give each of you a vial of holy water blessed by the goddess and a potion to heal wounds.", she says before pulling out a long chime of silvery metal and hands it to the armoured Pharasmin warrior, "Sir Ravencourt, I shall entrust you with the chime of opening- this chime may be sounded five times and five times only to open sealed doors in the complex below the Ossuary. Be advised that you should keep one in reserve in order to return to the Cathedral- we will not open the doors again, no matter how insistently it is knocked upon."
She looks at the assembled group, "Are these terms agreeable?"
Sister Nerissia has given you each a vial of Cure Light Wounds and a vial of Holy Water
Shortly before the strike of midnight, another figure hurriedly makes their way across the square. From the figures' stature and their demeanour, Sister Nerissia was able to determine who had arrived...
So, the promise of uncharted tombs has piqued the interest of the gnome then...I just hope her reputation as an archaeologist of note is well deserved...
As the gnome disappears into the Cathedral, the priestess resumes her watch at the window. The square remains quiet and empty for the remaining minutes until the hour of midnight. Unaware of Horatio's earlier arrival and sadly concluding that only four had answered the call for assistance, Sister Nerissia sighs , gathers her thoughts and makes her way from her rooms to the Chapel of Saint Joan.
The Cathedral to Pharasma in Kaer Maga is an imposing gothic structure and dominates the skyline in the Bottoms District. It looms over a large square where, during the day, residents of the city set up impromptu markets selling supposedly divine trinkets to bereaved families. The Pharasmin Church ignores this trade so long as marketeers remain respectful to the worshippers, the clergy and the clientele of the Cathedral; of course, there are also the persistent rumours that the Church demands a slice of any profit made within the market.
During the night however, this square is typically bereft of activity for this is not an area of the Botttoms where one would choose to carouse or socialise…anyone approaching the Cathedral could easily be observed by someone looking through any one of the multitude of Cathedral windows overlooking the square.
Tonight, such a person is sat quietly at a high arched window, anticipating the arrival of four visitors to the Cathedral. Sipping at a wine, Sister Nerissia watches and waits…
Sir Kane Ravencourt will, of course, be waiting at the Chapel already. I am gladdened to finally be able to give him a task that is suited towards his gifts…I just hope that the others will be able to see past his visage and recognise his inner qualities…
Noting the arrival of her first guest…a shuffling, jerking, shamble of rags scurrying across the square, Sister Nerissia, not for the first time, has a moment of doubt.
Are things truly that perilous that we should allow outsiders into our most sacred places? This poor wretch is a friend to our Church yet he is not a believer…indeed, I wonder whether he truly knows what he believes in…
As she observes the Tengu suddenly duck as if being assailed by flying beasts, she takes a large draught of wine…
Desparate times, desparate measures
Not long after the Beggar Prophet passes through the large entrance to the Cathedral, Sister Nerissia observes her second guest strolling across the square. It is dark and Ifka is a fair distance away yet Sister Nerissia is sure that the Ifrit appears to be deep in conversation with someone…yet there is surely no one there.
Placing her goblet on a table, Sister Nerissia stands, straightens her robes and watches for her final guests…
The Cathedral of Pharasma is a place of worship that truly never sleeps…for death itself does not sleep. Yet whilst the acolytes and lower clergy of the Church work tirelessly through the long night, it is unusual for the higher priestesses to be awake at a later hour. Tonight, in a small side chapel dedicated to a long dead saint, the severity of a certain situation mandates that the higher clergy meet in secret.
“Sister Nerissia, it is a late hour, pray tell us why you would have us here, in this somewhat cold crypt, rather than resting for tomorrow’s ceremonies”
Standing and turning to greet the two robed priestesses who have quietly entered the chapel, the waiting priestess smiles a thin smile and gestures at a nearby table, “Sister Thorn, Sister Rashael, thank you for coming…please take a seat”. Pouring a small goblet of wine for each of them, “I will get straight to the point…this concerns the matter of the missing bodies in the Ossuary…”
Sister Nerissia pauses, looking for a reaction from her fellow priestesses and when none is forthcoming, she continues, “There are some who say that this matter is no bad thing, that it may indeed be a solution to our overcrowding problem…I say to those people that you have lost your way…that our role is to aid our wards passage into the next life and to safeguard the vessels of their souls”, Sipping from her wine, “There is enough evidence to suggest that the bodies are being taken to the lower levels…for what purposes I could not say although I have my fears…as should you, my Sisters”.
The taller of the two other priestesses ventures a question, “What would you have us do Sister Nerissia? We do not enter the lower crypts and would, I fear, be poorly prepared for anything that may be down there…I have read accounts of attempts to chart the lower levels”, she winces, “they have never gone well”.
“Sister Thorn”, Sister Nerissia looks pointedly at her fellow Priestess, “I believe it is time that we relaxed our restrictions on entry into the Ossuary…and believe me, I do not suggest this lightly”.
The third priestess nods in agreement, “It is a sad day when we need to consider this, but I am compelled to agree…But who?”
“This is a matter that I have thought on for the last few weeks and I have, I believe, identified a group that can be trusted…and more importantly if it goes poorly, will not be missed”, reaching into her robes, Sister Nerissia brings forth five wrapped scrolls, “these are the summons to be sent to this group, please see to it that they arrive safely in the appropriate hands”.
“There is nothing more to be said on this matter, please ensure these messages are delivered and, my Sisters?”, Sister Nerissia smiles coldly, “Need I remind you of the implications of the City hearing that we are ‘losing’ their beloved forebearers?”. The two lower priestesses nod in acknowledgment of the severity of the situation and depart the chapel as quietly and as reverentially as when they had entered.
