You arrive after a long journey to the Greenforest Inn of Thornkeep, summoned by a terse magical message delivered by Master of Spells Aram Zey. He and Venture Captain Ambrus Valsin await you in a private room of the inn. The Master of Spells sits at the head of the table studying a weathered tome, ignoring those that enter. Ambrus stands nearby with a mug resting comfortably in hand.
"Welcome, Pathfinder." Ambrus nods as you enter. "Make yourself at home." He gestures to a tray of food and drink on the table.
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About 10 minutes after the agreed-upon meeting time as everyone else is waiting for the last agent to show, the door suddenly and dramatically flies open and a pathetically thin puff of smoke* tries desperately to conceal a man in gaudy robes rushing into the cloud of smoke as it quickly dissipates.
He calls out from the ever-thinning cloud, "Behold! You are about to be graced by the Grandest Magician of All Time, the master of the arcane and wielder of Ultimate Power whose blood flows with the power of the jinn! Prepare yourselves for: THE AMAZING ALI!"
The man leaps out of what is left of the cloud of smoke, his broad smile glittering as his fingers quickly work and sparkly words are drawn in the air above him: THE AMAZING ALI*
Sparks shoot from the man's fingers* as he spreads his arms wide and takes an exaggerated bow, seemingly unconcerned or unaware that his spells are setting Aram Zey's book on fire.
"So," the suli-jann says less dramatically as he takes his seat with the fellow Pathfinders, "did I miss anything?"
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Hah! Hah! Good show! The Ulfen man with the giant maul over his shoulder seems impressed by the magicks. Hope that's good stuff against whatever is down in that Thornkeep place. Heard it's quite the residence for terrible things.
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A Tengu armored in what looks to be the hide of a red dragon starts stuffing his beak with the food and drink offered. "This is very tasty, Thank you master Valsin" he says between bites. He stops eating as the poof of smoke appears and catches his attention.
He continues to watch with a beak full of food as the words appear in the air.
He claps at the performance as he was unable to figure out the Amazing Ali's tricks. "It is good to meet you Master Ali, I think this mission will go well now that we have a master wizard with us.
Aram Zey covers his face with the palm of his hand at the clueless Tengu's comments.
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Ali takes a bow at Kawrock's words. "A master wizard, indeed! The Greatest Magician in all of Qadira, in fact! Aram here will tell you all about my skills, eh? If it's worth doing, it's worth doing with a bit of showmanship!" At these words sparks shoot out of Ali's hands again*, this time a few embers catching in Thorgrim's beard and once again setting Aram Zey's book to smoldering.
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the iron-clad half-orc announces as he sits down in whatever chair is closest to the food that is provided. He largely ignores all others in the room.
As he sits, the half-orc sets down a large symbol of Gorum on the table with a loud thud and the sound of wood splintering. The brute pays no mind. The fact that his mouth is full of food does not prevent Oloch from making his proclamations.
He finally looks up and points a finger at Aram Zey. He gives The Great Ali a sidelong glance.
Oloch leans back in his chair, testing it's ability to support his armor-clad form, leans his head forward and shuts his eyes. Almost immediately, a phlegmy snore resonates from the half-orc's gaping maw, accompanied by the occasional trumpet of passing gas.
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A small halfling armed with a bow and clad in plate armor enters the inn silently and joins the group. After taking a few moments to appraise his companions he speaks to Aram Zey.
So... Thornkepp... again... He does not seem happy at all by the perspective of returning to that place.
Rufus cant help to smile when the magician enters the room.
Hello master Ali, it will be good to travel with you one more time. Funny guy, he always put up a good show. We are going to need to keep morale up on this one .
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Long ago in the Goka region of Tien, an Andoran caravan traveling through a small village, left behind a child. Found at the dam down by the river by a fisherman, he was raised as the village’s own.
Twenty-five years later,...
Quickened footstep brings a portly barrelled chest young man dressed in ceremonial silks to the inn. He is obviously not of the same stock as the normal Tien men; heavy build with light blonde hair and bright blue eyes. With a joyous and humble bellow, he introduces himself, "Hello - I am Barley, of clan Sokaei. My master, Pinché, has allowed me to assist you upon this quest."
Barley greets everyone with undisguised excitement, while dutifully arranging his gear, chattering on to anyone who'd listen about his steps out of security and seclusion, "My master feels that I should return to the world, see further explorer what's out there and find my place."
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Oloch continues to snooze in his chair - snoring away to wake the dead. He leans over on his side a bit, and a low rumble is heard from from the depths of his bowels. Almost instantaneously, - a silverware-rattling sound blasts from the half-orc's posterior area.
The sound is enough to wake the enormous half-orc. The warpriest stands up and stretches out his arms and twists his torso enough to cause a series of soft cracks to run up his spine.
There is a sharp slap as Aram Zey shuts the tome he was perusing. Standing, he looks to Ambrus. "Now that everyone has arrived, I suppose I should reveal my discoveries?"
Ambrus begins to protest that not all those summoned have arrived, but Zey presses on without waiting. "Very well." Turning to the group he begins.
"When the mad wizard Nhur Athemon wasn’t tinkering with his subjects on Golarion, he found his way to even stranger worlds, be they other planets, other planes, or even other dimensions. The myriad relics and strange mementos he returned with held great power, and in his hands they proved potent tools that he used to further explore the universe as well as solidify his earthly domain. The dread magician even managed to capture creatures from the impossibly distant locales he visited thanks in part to his stolen technology. His most prized findings inevitably found their way into his personal collection, a museum-like complex cryptically referred to in Krenar's journal as the Enigma Vaults. Apparently, he wasn't brave, or foolhardy, enough to venture down himself, though he did hire some tomb-robbers from Daggermark that were. These thieves were led by a woman named Iklavni Korlesh, and according to Krenar's notes she nor her men ever returned."
Zey looks to Ambrus, who grins at the group. "My contacts, however, tell me that Iklavni has been seen occasionally around the town, buying supplies. That leads me to believe that she might have found another way in and out of the Vaults. If you find her below, try to get that information from her if possible."
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Kawrock moves away from Oloch. This one eats all the food then emits a foul odor afterwards. Perhaps it is best if I keep my distance and hide my food. "Sounds like fun. Unless someone has some questions I am ready to head out." Kawrock picks up his Nodachi and his quarter staff and sling them over his back. "My name is Kawrock and I am a member of the Phoenix clan." He says with a short bow. "My blade and fire magics are at the groups disposal."
"Please inform Gorum that the inn is not on the menu today." Aram Zey brushes away some debris slain by Oloch's weapon. After a sigh and a heroic effort not to roll his eyes, he waves away Barley's question. "Do not concern yourself with Krenar - he was a previous inhabitant of the ruins. If you want to know more, I'm sure Ali can tell that tale, complete with flashy lights and puffs of smoke. As for Iklavni, handle her however you think best. Converse, capture, it makes little difference as long as you learn something useful."
Having told you all he knows, or wishes to explain, Aram Zey dismisses the meeting and promptly teleports away. Ambrus shrugs, almost apologetically, and wishes you good luck on the expedition.
***
Following detailed directions given by Aram Zey you delve into the ruins beneath Thornkeep, retracing the steps of previous Pathfinders through the Accursed Halls and the Forgotten Laboratory to a marked door that leads to a spiraling set of stairs. At the bottom, a ten-foot-wide hallway curves north, where another flight of stairs takes you to a corridor leading to a octagonal central chamber. Iron bars separate this room from the eastern and southern hallways, and the floor of the chamber is painted with what appears to be a night sky filled with stars. A quick search and scan for magical auras reveals none in the area.
The northern section of the hall surrounding the central chamber features a single shelf that runs along the north and west walls. Dozens of ancient books sit on these shelves, but time has caused the words to fade from their pages, and any attempt to handle the tomes causes them to crumble to dust. Simply scanning the spines reveals many intriguing titles written in Azlanti, such as Dreams in Liavara’s Womb, Whispers from the Red Star, and A Myriad Mirrored.
The stars painted on the central floor constitute a map of the night sky—a star chart that places Golarion’s solar system at the center and dozens of other smaller stars in the outlying reaches.
A phrase is carved in Azlanti over the western doors:
Without even considering the possibility that it might be trapped, or unlocked, Thorgrim bashes the door down.
Beyond is a thirty-foot-diameter room that seems something like a silo—the domed ceiling rises twenty feet above, and the floor drops away into darkness below. A ten-foot-wide stone bridge with no railings crosses the shaft to a hall and door in the opposite side, yet a onefoot-wide gap separates the bridge from either hall. Below, two additional archways lie in the north and south walls of the shaft, thirty feet below the level of the upper entrances.
Suddenly a being materializes at the center of the bridge. It appears as a vaguely humanoid monster with the deformed head of a fanged bird and two coiling serpents for legs. Looking your direction, it speaks in a language no one comprehends, then seems to be waiting for something.
The image speaks again, this time in a language a little more familiar, but still one no one comprehends.
After another few seconds it speaks a third time in harsh syllables.
The image responds in the same harsh language.
The image does not respond to Kawrock's questions.
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Oloch crosses over the bridge, right through the projected image of the weird serpent creature. He waits at the closed door on the other side.
Suddenly, Oloch's eyes widen.
Oloch grips the chain with his 20-lb symbol of Gorum at the end, he swings it up and over his shoulder, bringing it down against the door, hoping to smash it open.