Following the Convocation of Sages [~MAJOR SPOILERS~ for Scenario #5–16]


Osirion

Paizo Employee Developer

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Venture-Captain Norden Balentiir greets you at the gates of the Sandswept Hall, the Pathfinder lodge in Sothis. He quickly summons assistants to bring water and refreshments so that you might wash await the dust of the road and the weariness of travel before ushering you into his office. "Welcome back, Pathfinders," he says with a reserved smile. "I recently received word from Amenopheus that your travels in Osirion were most enlightening, though it was difficult to tell much more than that from his message. If I recall, his words were 'Triumphant, we depart the Pillars of the Sun. In their wisdom, the sages have divined the destiny of the sands.' I can tell that something important has happened, yet my friend has decided to be rather cagey about recent events."

His brow furrows in thought before he looks to you and asks, "What happened out there? What is it that you learned in the Pillars of the Sun?"

At the conclusion of Pathfinder Society Scenario #5–16: Destiny of the Sands, Part 3: Sanctum of the Sages, the PCs had an opportunity to decide the future of the Jeweled Sages—particularly its leadership. The PCs have the option to nominate and vote for a third candidate, and the scenario prompts the players to post any such winners on paizo.com; this is the place to do so.

As this is the Faction Talk sub-forum, writing in character is appreciated (but not mandatory—especially if your GMed the scenario).

Sovereign Court RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32, 2010 Top 8

GMing it...

The party voted for the Diamond sage, in large part because of dislike of Amenophis from past faction missions.

Silver Crusade

As the Pathfinder who was the liaison chronicler for the Grand Lodge it is my duty to inform you that that particular party, after much discussion and deliberation voted for Amenopheus, though one member of the party, a conjurer named Zander El, tossed his hat into the ring as it were. He was outvoted by the other members of the party.

GMed it, this is the character it was applied to.

Scarab Sages

A Osiriani man swathed in robes walks before Balentiir and gives a short bow and flourish.

"It seems that our group was forced to help decide the future of the Jeweled Sages. The storied Diamond Sage lived up to her subterfuge and sought to create leadership within the sages, with herself in charge. Our own, Amenopheus, sought to keep the sages as they were. Our group was asked to vote." The protector of ancient artifacts and lore takes a deep breath, "We could not see the flaws in the Diamond Sage's argument that there was a need for leadership, however, we did not feel that she had proven herself worthy of such a role. The best leaders are most often those who don't seek it. We clarified that we were voting for the need of a leader versus the desire to remain egalitarian. She confirmed this and we sided with her."

A smile crosses the man's bearded face, "At this point, the Pathfinders in attendance, acting in the stead of the Ruby Sage called for a vote for leadership, and voting last, after a reluctant Amenopheus and an excited Diamond Sage, we voted for the leader we know and trust, not the leader we know nothing of. As such, we put our own in as leader of the Jeweled Sages."

A broader grin crosses the man's face, "There is the added benefit that if Grandmaster Torch has become the Emerald Sage as we believe he is attempting to do, given our information from the defected Aspis agents, then that would mean that he is subservient to Amenopheus and as we don't know how strong the magic is that binds the sages, this could mean good things for us in the future." Kissing his finger, then pressing it to his forehead, he gives his salute to the Venture Captain and steps back for others to report.

Scarab Sages

Playing - Entire Party voted for the Time Dragon out of respect for the argument or awe of the power it wields.

GMing - Party voted 4-2 for Amenopheus. The Osirion party member was outraged that an interloper would show up and try and claim Osirion heritage as their own.

Grand Lodge

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Into the chamber comes a woman with long pitch black hair, a pair of small horns on her head, and the Mark of Lamashtu across her abdomen. A falchion hangs freely from her side, and she looks about as one would a battle field, sizing up everything in the room.

“Greetings Venture-Captain. I am Morgana Arak, Inquisitor of Lady Lamashtu, and for the time being Ruby Sage.” She says with a slight mocking undertone at the thought. “My companions and I have traveled the burning sands and found the fabled Diamond Sage. When she and Amenopheus began to argue over leadership of their order it became quite clear they both would not give in. A vote was called between the sages thought I personally didn’t like either of our choices.”

“Between The Sapphire and Diamond Sage I simply see two beings vying for power in an order of only two. There isn’t enough power to bother fighting over in those sands. Their focus should be in finding the rest of the gems related to the sages before they fight over who should rule. Our decision then was to follow in the ways of Mother Lamashtu. They should gather their power and then compete to see who would be the best leader of their ranks. Once a sufficient number of Sages have been elected there should be a trial made that they all must take part in. Each sage will create a trial, and then each sage will take part in these collective trials. He or she who has been proven the most competent in a test composed of their peers shall be named the head of the order. This system of trials will happen every five years to make sure the head of the order is still worthy of their position. That way the strongest will always rule, and the sages will not sit idly as they have for centuries. If they wish to influence their peers then they have a goal to grow stronger themselves. In this way the order will have a strong leader as well as continually improving members to make sure they can defend themselves from the inside, and out.”

“Now if you don’t mind I have three new children to attend to. Good day Venture-Captain.” She says with a nod and walks out without being dismissed.

Paizo Employee Developer

Question for Morgana Arak:
Am I to understand that your group chose "none of the above" and also to delay any such voting until there are more sages?

Grand Lodge

Sir Venture-Captain.

Our group also became put in a position of deciding the fate of the Sages. We listened to both options presented by Amenopheus, and the Diamond Sage. We reasoned that both sides had benefits, but also downfalls, and that a middle ground would be needed.

There was a similar system I read about once in a book when I was a hatchling. In essence the group does require some form of leadership. A figurehead if nothing else, but must still be run as a group in order to ensure that no one sage can gain power over the others.

We proposed a moderator. A single person who functions as a advocate for all parties present in voting on matters, but is not actually a sage, nor has the ability to become one. This position comes with very little in terms of power: the Moderator may speak first, and may cast a deciding vote if the matter at hand becomes a tie.

Explaining this issue to my fellow pathfinders, as well as Amenopheus and the Diamond Sage, the solution seemed the best of both worlds, and we all agreed it for the best. I'm not sure how things may work out, but we felt this provided us with the best chance of success.

Grand Lodge

Posting as Cindrana Longpath, "Lady of the Rods" and Wizard Seeker at large since we've not yet done this but I'm GMing it. I'm sure that my Warpriest Simon (though a Taldane) will post his own piece when I play it with him.. as will Nanny Ogg my Witch when I REPLAY it with her on my 4th star. :D

Cindrana slipped in, pausing to slip her familiar Rippywipple another stick of taffy to keep him quiet, while several platters of iced beverages and snacks floated into the room behind her courtesy of a trio of Unseen Servants. She took a discrete seat and poured herself a mixture of mulled wine and fruit juices into her mug and whispered a spell over it to keep it chilled.

She had been in Sandswept Hall a mere week before this event occurred but had been forced to leave for Thuvia on family business. Best for everyone, she reminded herself as she heard mention of Torch and her past affairs with him made her less than suitable for another 'favors' mission with him. That and the kidnappers of her niece and nephew had to be put in their place.

She was of two minds in the outcome in the conclave. This new sage WAS an outsider and a relative mystery, but she had dealt with the Sapphire Sage in the past. The last year alone had her kiting all over Varisia in search of this or that folk remedy for the Prince and more than once she was aghast at the reckless attitude that Amenopheus had taken with his allies within the faction. Swallow poison and HOPE that they survived? Snatch a feather from a Harpy in flight? The man did risk himself just as much though she reminded herself as she listened, recalling his 'betrayal' of the Society to bring out the enemies of the society lurking within. He was reckless when the situation merited it.

She mulled over the situation, hearing what those that had gone over the desert said. Listening and noting their actions. Considering the impact of the stories.

"I think, perhaps.. they should form a council. This Diamond Sage has some merit, a more new and modern look to how the Sages work. Amenopheus, though I have disagreed with his actions in the past both loudly and vocally, has his moments of wisdom and unparalleled insight. I think he should continue to lead but share leadership with the Diamond Sage.. she could temper his more.. impulsive moments." Cindrana said as she picked out a candy with her tail and fed another to her familiar to keep him quiet. "No matter who ultimately leads.. I hope we keep them both. I fear that we will need the Diamond Sage's wisdom and the Sapphire's..erratic sparks of genius and luck. After all.." Her face turned grim. "The Emerald Stone has been stolen and a Topaz has yet to be chosen."

Irregardless, I'm wanting to hear MORE stories of how it went before I GM it at our local game day. :D So, this is me metaphorically pulling up a chair and listening from the back corner. :D

Scarab Sages

Posting as Khalid Bahar, my Osirion Alchemist.

After relating what happened and the two sides proposed by Amenopheus and the Diamond Sage, Khalid pauses. He strokes his short, thick beard for a moment and he resumes, "While our other companions were split initially, myself and my fellow Osirion Pathfinder, Tipp, saw only one solution. This is not a time for divisiness. This is a time were both parties' ideas had equal value."

"Therefore, the our proposal is simple. We believe that for the sake of the Osirion nation, the sake of our faction, and for the sake of the Jeweled Sages, that we attempt to enact both their proposals to the fullest extent possible. While we want scholarly minds, wisened and thoughtful of the past, we need ones that can adapt with the times and not only learn from the past but act to prevent history from repeating itself. Both are two halves of the same whole. Neither proposal will succeed without the other."

"The other Pathfinders with us at the time ultimately saw the wisdom of this plan, and agreed with us. We believe that this is the best way forward."


Todays group went with the dragon. Anemopheus getting himself stuck in carbonit.. diamond didn't help his reputation much.

The Exchange

This past Saturday, Bárbara Inqvist the barbarian played the 3rd part of Destiny Sands. The snake was quite challenging, and almost killed her, however failing that, the rest of the adventure was quite simple. I should point out that Bárbara's group killed the thiefs of the gems, didn't even interrogate them.

When the sages meet, we make the vote: a leader for the council? Or same council they had before? There's a tie between the sages, they can't come to a consensus, and so they ask the representatives of the ruby (the group of pathfinders) to vote. Bárbara then starts becoming more ambitious than ever and she incites her group to vote for the council to have a leader.

The party however is divided, and as such the tie remains, which leads the GM to roll the die, which determines that there is going to be a leader. Without hesitation, Bárbara proposes herself as a fair ruler and defender of the interests of this council (at this point, I should note that there wasn't anyone from Osirion faction in the party). Every other member of the council votes for himself, of course, and again the group of pathfinders is divided. While some see in Bárbara the stalwart defender that pushed the giant snake away from their party to keep them safe, others saw themselves as more suited for the position, given their speech abilities. Being that the majority was for Bárbara, the GM considered her as a valid applicant, and roled to decide for the leader.

And as you have guessed, Bárbara Inqvist is henceforth the leader of the council.

I feel very tempted to retire the character. It's a pitty though, she's still only level 6...:)

Grand Lodge

Pathfinder Adventure, Rulebook Subscriber
BigNorseWolf wrote:
Todays group went with the dragon. Anemopheus getting himself stuck in carbonit.. diamond didn't help his reputation much.

This has been true of both tables I have been a part of, as player and GM. Walking right into the trap after the entire party warned him caused a loss of all credibility with them.

Dark Archive

My fellows were weak and allowed their varied alliances and preferences to sway their decisions, leading to a split decision and granting me the deciding vote. At the time, I commanded power over the forces of life and death themselves, and cared little for the petty squabblings of my fellows. My purpose then was clear, and I cast my vote with a singular focus. I cast the vote that would set into motion the greatest conflict, the vote that would most please the Prince of Pain.

I cast my vote for the Diamond Sage.


TriOmegaZero wrote:
BigNorseWolf wrote:
Todays group went with the dragon. Anemopheus getting himself stuck in carbonit.. diamond didn't help his reputation much.
This has been true of both tables I have been a part of, as player and GM. Walking right into the trap after the entire party warned him caused a loss of all credibility with them.

The dragon dropping the negative campaign "you're not exactly in a position to advise the Ruby prince since your boy toy is the one that got him cursed" didn't help either :)

Liberty's Edge

Well, my low level group went through Pt3 last Friday night... by the time they reached the final sanctum, they were tired of traps and getting hurt... They had taken both Aspis Consortium Agents alive and, thanks to being able to heal them (a little), had convinced them to join the Society... So the Topaz Jewel was safe.

Come the 'debate' between Sapphire and Diamond Sages, the team listened intently but didn't interject. They were more than a little surprised to be asked to vote and this generated a good debate.

After a bit of back and forward, they came down on the Diamond Sage's side and the Sapphire Sage took that with good grace... The new leader of the Sages took ownership of the Topaz jewel until a suitable bearer could be found... she also asked the Sapphire Sage to look into recovering the Emerald Jewel from Torch...

Dark Archive

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VC Ballentiir my group posed a diferent solution. We overall voted for the dragon, with a provision of a 5 year term of office. At that time a new convocation may reaffirm her leadership or remove her from office. It is not in the best interest of the sages to enjoin combat for leadership as history clearly shows. It is also not in the best interest for the sages to idly watch the world burn around them. If the sages can be constructive the world can benefit from Osiriani wisdom. That is clearly the role of the sages.

Scarab Sages

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We learned that the Diamond Sage was in fact a Dragon. A Time Dragon from what I recall. This was a shock to one of my companions, a simple orc by the name of Sir Lord Chieftan King VII, in his reverence Sir Lord Chieftan King instantly fell to his knees and bowed for the remainder of our conversation. Naturally in typical misguided fashion the Andoran, whom I suspect may be Galtan, wanted freedom for the sages so he sided with Amenopheus as well as this curious oracle, who mostly followed us around and held on to a variety of magical nicknacks we came across. That was until we decided to put them in the hands of people that would use them. As was expected when asked for his vote the orc stated, 'I vote dragon.' When I questioned him if he knew the topic we were discussing he stated 'Yep, dragon.'Honestly it must be so quiet in his mind. Sometimes I envy that. As for myself, as the self appointed Topaz Sage, I took elements of each choice we were offered and proposed a middle ground. That proposal was that if the sages were as knowledgeable and powerful as they claim to be, they could not idly sit by and simply observe. Not anymore, not in 4714. No, they need to take a more active role in the world and working with the Pathfinder Society I believe they could do just that. However, I did agree with Amenopheus that one person at the head of such a powerful organization would be no different that a tyrant. I swear that blasted Andoran is rubbing off on me. A council of sages deciding what the best course of action would ensure no one person was corrupted by power. After all, power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. So thus I cast my vote for balance. The oracle was confused that I didn't vote with my faction leader. I explained to him that I wasn't a mindless slave and I was free to make my own choice. Goren and Jan Harpsicord chose this option without a moments thought. Which naturally left us at an impass so the Diamond Sage called for the Topaz Sages vote. I tried to impress that as the bearer of the Topaz Sage gem I spoke to the Topaz Sage. This didn't seem to impress the Diamond Sage so I defered to the Time Dragon's wisdom, and massive jaws, to allow the gem to speak for itself. A simulacrum of the Topaz Sage appeared from the sand and cast her vote for balance. So I beleive that while neither side got everything they wanted each got a piece and they agreed to move forward.

In addition we managed to recruit a pair of Apsis agents. They wisely chose to join our cause and I feel the information they have, however little it may be, will be of use to our Society in defeating the Apsis Consortium.

Dark Archive

A very fiendish looking Tiefling with both her own pair of vestigial wings and a tail wanders around staring at the walls before recalling her attention to why she was here. "My name is Pinpi," she began in a high, almost gnomish voice. "The entire journey was amazing! First, we all messed wi...." she paused to clear her throat, "I mean, my friends traded favors with Grandmaster Torch to gain access to Seeker's Folly. On the way i named a lot of the dunes and rocks, like Boulder and Tom and my Fetchling friend found a really unique one he called 'annoying' but didn't seem to like it very much." She pauses as she realized she'd trailed from what the venture captain likely wanted to hear.

"Anyway! We actually got to speak to the Diamond sage with Amenopheus, and they got into an argument... personally, I've been yelled at a lot by him so i asked what anyone would! If i were to singe some ancient artifacts... or draw on them... or paint the tomb walls... you know, have fun, if they would get mad." She paused, "Not that i did-- er i mean would do any of that! But then both got angry at the suggestion." At the point she fumbles around to keep the obvious alchemical reagents from accidentally mixing with the painting tools poorly positioned and hidden under her cloak. "My friend though, suggested sir Ambrus Valsin for the position. He mentioned good points like how he's always in Absalom, he's knowledgeable, holds power without corruption, and down to an agent's level." She finishes, with a quiet whisper, "And he might be less angry about the 4th commandment of fun..."

Summary: Ambrus Valsin, because that was suggested and my Pinpi didn't want either of the other two!

Grand Lodge

As the judge, we finished part three on Wednesday. Since none of my players have said anything yet, I shall do so.

A short man wearing a hot-weather outfit, carrying a journal walks in and bows to Venture Captain Norden Balentiir. "Greetings Venture Captain. A group of Pathfinders just returned from Eto and I bring to you urgent news. Upon reaching the Sanctum of the Sages, the Pathfinders and Amenopheus found the Diamond Sage. The chronicler continues and explains the full discussion between both of the sages, which came down to a vote in which the Pathfinders were the deciding vote.

"The Pathfinders, representing the Ruby Sage, decided that the sages do need to have a leader over their organization, and that the sages should take a more active role in the future of Osirian, but didn't feel that either Amenopheus or Tahonikepsu held the proper qualifications for leadership of the group and recommended that the leader should be chosen from within the Pathfinder Society, specifically a Pathfinder with the best intentions of helping further Osirian Faction. The two Osirian Pathfinders in attendance, Sterling and A'sim did not have someone specifically in mind at the time, but should said they would provide their recommendation to Amenopheus as soon as possible."

With that, the chronicler bows to the Venture Captain."If you desire additional details, please let me know."

The Exchange

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Reporting as GM

Walking confidently into the room is Sokya Tenkiller, a very tall Kellid woman, dressed in tribal furs and leathers but sporting a suit of armor made from what appears to be scavenged bits of Numerian constructs. A battered and purposefully abused Razmiri cultist's mask sits atop her head, and still-fresh burn scars in the outline of a mask mar her face.

With her is a halfling, dressed in a light chain shirt and Osiriani silks, with a kusarigama wrapped around her waist. Her red hair has dyed green streaks in it, and she carries a pile of maps, journals, and papers. At her feet is a common house cat.

The tall woman nods. "Venture-Captain. I was assigned as senior Pathfinder for this series of missions, and have been keeping up with the group's reports. I have brought with me Whillowpelt, one of the Pathfinders who has first-hand knowledge of what occured within the Pillars of the Sun. Whillowpelt, if you will." She holds her gauntleted hand out to the halfling expectantly.

Whillowpelt jumps onto one of the chairs, her cat following suit. "I'm Whillowpelt, and this is the honorable Mistyfur. We killed a dragon once."

Sokya naps her fingers loudly in front of the halfling's face. "No one cares about your dragon-slaying prowess right now. Tell the Venture-Captain about the Pillars of the Sun and what went on in there," Sokya growls. Whillowpelt opens one of the journals she carries and begins reading.

"We showed up at the heart of the Pillars of the Sun. There was a lady. Then Amenopheus showed up. And they talked about boring things. Then they asked us to tell them who the boss was. So I looked for a place to take a nap. Then before I could take a nap we went home. Also the lady was a dragon. I wasn't scared because I have killed a dragon before, though the one I killed wasn't as big, or as purple."

Sokya closes her eyes and pinches the bridge of her nose in frustration. "Thank you, Whillowpelt, that was terrible." She sighs and grabs the pile of papers from the halfling. Flipping through one of the books, she says, "I wasn't there for the discussion, but I did get the gist from my fellow-Pathfinders' notes. Some of them could learn to use smaller words, but the basic idea got through. Ahem. After much debate, discussing the merits of the long view taken by dragons versus the call to action felt by shorter-lived races, it was determined that Amenopheus, the Sapphire Sage, should take the leadership position, with..." At this point, Sokya squints at a page of one of the journals, running a finger under one of the words. "Ta... Tahoni... Tahonikep... the Diamond Sage filling a more advisory role.

"The agents were concerned that the desires of a near-ageless dragon might lead to inaction when decisions must be made. Amenopheus has shown the ability to make decisions, albeit sometimes not the best ones, so with the wisdom and advice of such a potent draconic ally, the Jeweled Sages should be counted upon to do the right thing when needed." She set the reports upon Balentiir's desk. "It is also this Pathfinder's suggestion that the Osiriani people learn the value of short, easy-to-say names. Now if you'll excuse me, I am needed in Kaer Maga, to handle some... issues... of import to an ally of the Society. Good day, Venture-Captain." She turns to leave, noting that Whillowpelt and her feline friend are already almost to the door. She quickly bows to the Venture-Captain and stomps after the halfling.

Scarab Sages

As observer (GM for both teams) to the two teams of Pathfinders and bearing witness to the Convocation, I am pleased to report the following results:

The first team that participated in the Convocation sided with Amenopheus as they felt that the preservation of knowledge and the way that the Sages operated did not require change.

The second team, on the other hand, voted with Tahonikep as they saw that the order needed order and she would be a great leader.


Party picked Tahonikepsu in 15 seconds flat. She didn't even need to drop trough.

"I would like to lead the sages

"I would like to lead the sages

Hmmm.. hot bald chick or crazy guy stuck in carbonite...

They get into a detailed historical argument over ancient osirion history...

I fall asleep

We really pick her.

Liberty's Edge

With gracelessly disguised discomfort caused by a twisted, otherworldly body build a touch or two too large for the chair he is seated in, a tiefling wizard clears his throat. He has come to the debriefing alone, but with his mismatched horns, matted patches of tangly hair spattered irregularly all over his body, rat's tail and stunted and twitching wings tucked between his robes and an already hunched back, Medeilysis is easy to remember and hard to mistake.

The curse breaker is still wearing full field gear, impractical mage's robes, bandoliers, endure elements and all. Aside from weariness and his chronically strained posture, he appears little worse for the wear, courtesy of copious castings of prestidigitation upon entering the lodge. Only the persistent smells of magic components and the desert still cling to him.

His voice is the same hoarse whisper as before, and his words still enunciated with the same meticulous care of a spellcaster who has had to work hard to make his throat create any coherent sounds at all. Skipping the pleasantries as is his wont, he begins,

"I should say first that the other agents all survived. Since they all received more wounds than I did or had other matters to attend to, it was determined I would deliver the report alone. I made notes along the way in case I were to forget some crucial detail later. You will find the more detailed report here." Medeilysis digs out a neat sheaf of papers from his Handy Haversack and places it on the Venture Captain's table without so much as disturbing the dust ubiquitous to every level surface inside the desert city.

"As for the abridged version, the main narrative runs as follows: some portion of the Jeweled Sages' power abides in the five gemstones from which they get their title. The ruby was broken and its shards temporarily invested some of its abilities on our group. Its remnants were left with the Diamond and Sapphire Sages, along with the topaz. The emerald is in the possession of Grandmaster Torch. The two remaining Jeweled Sages are working to restore their order.

"Regarding the last, the course of the Sages' future came to a vote, in which I, Pêlakouél Malcha-Betharsism-hed-Beruah-Schehalim, Dien Weefiresoul, Kirimomi, Raket Willow and Ta-weret of the River Junira were included on account of the Ruby Sage's spirit residing in us. Because the two Sages did not agree, we held the deciding vote. The matter had boiled down to which of the two Sages would take a preeminent role in the new order, and with four against one with one abstaining, we voted in favor of Amenopheus. While this may work to the Society's favor in the near or far future, the more immediate concern is still Grandmaster Torch and his possession of the emerald."

After delivering his report and answering any questions the Venture Captain deems important enough pose then and there, Medeilysis shuffles out of the room to pursue his studies.

Grand Lodge

I secretly wanted to vote for Tahonikepsu. However, when I saw all my comrades choose Amenopheus, I had little choice but to agree with them. I'm not going to pick a fight with my friends over the ideology of things that I hope I don't have to deal with.


As a witness to the Convocation of Sages (the Game Master), I enjoyed a spirited debate between Amenopheous, Tahonikepsu, and the five brave Pathfinders who tracked down Kafar and Nefti before finishing their journey at the feet of the Diamond Sage. The Sages carried on, back and forth, for a bit before Quick Like Rock made them realize they would not agree on any course of action, and the decision should fall to the Pathfinders. After some debate over the finer points, and a brilliant moment when the magnificent Tahonikepsu revealed her true nature, a majority of the group decided to side with the time dragon, a new path for the Jeweled Sages. That said, there were some objections from Aritian Mubarak, a scion of the Osirion Faction and an Oracle of Life of particular skill. Despite her well crafted arguments, she was overruled and forced to console herself with a nomination to prove herself as a proper host for the Topaz Gem.

Perhaps I have witnessed the rebirth of the Topaz Sage as well?

Silver Crusade

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After a long debate about the merits and demerits of democracy, and the leader-like position of the Expert Sage on duty, we finally managed to reduce the discussion to the following core question:

Should the Jeweled Sages be lead by a single person, or should the Sages each have equal standing?

On this, we voted that the Sages should not have a leader among them. In a sense, you could say we voted for Amenopheus, but it would be more true to say we voted *with* him. It should be noted that among the 'council of the Ruby Sage', the votes were not unanimous: after briefly considering voting for her own mortal enemy Torch, one out of six voted for Tahonikepsu's suggestion of appointing leadership.

Nevertheless, on the issue of tradition versus innovation, we felt that preserving the traditions of old should not overshadow the need for innovation. As such, we did feel that certain changes needed to be made.

Most importantly, we agreed with Tahonikepsu that the knowledge safeguarded by the Sages should be spread with the outside world. However, Tahonikepsu's suggestion to do so by advising the rulers of Golarion was quickly met with objections: the Jeweled Sages should not be seen to have any political influence or agenda, save for an overall desire for peace, and their council should not be reserved only for the rich and the powerful.

On the issue of what type of recruits to fill out the final places among the Jeweled Sages, a compromise was reached between Amenopheus' wish for highly schooled scholards and Tahonikepsu's want of practical and enterprising individuals, in that a wide variety of individuals should be represented among the Jeweled Sages. In practice, this means that Tahonikepsu and Amenopheus both nominate a candidate to join their ranks, at which point the final candidate can be selected by the larger council as a group effort.

When the Jeweled Sages' numbers have grown once more, another meeting shall be called to discuss the exact structure of this reforged organisation. We, the Council of the Ruby Sage, shall not be a part of this discussion.

Personally, I see merit in a Jeweled Academy, which should encourage people from all walks of life to study the wisdom of the Jeweled Sages under their personal guidance. One of our group suggested such a structure. Whenever the Jeweled Sages come to an impasse or lack a certain appropriate expertise, they could gather knowledge and insight from the present student body, which should help resolve matters of indecision.

The formation of a Jeweled Academy would also ensure that the Way of the Jeweled Sages is a far larger movement than could be quelled by simply secluding five individuals in a distant tomb, as has happened in the past.

If the government of Osirion opposes such an institution, despite their agents being just as welcome to learn as any other, I am sure that a number of other nations would be glad to play host to a peaceful community of scholars. I, for one, would be more than happy to lend a hammer to help erect a Jeweled Cathedral wherever it might be welcome.

Signed,
Bilwin Tosslefritz
Carpenter of Erastil
Paladin of the Grand Lodge of the Pathfinder Society
Commendated Defender of Nerosyan
and One-time Member of the Ruby Sage Council

Scarab Sages

Amenopheus, chose to betray the sages and the pathfinders by trying to turn the sages into a cloistered order of book learned scholars, of the type we pathfinders have to pull out of the mess they leave behind when their naive foolishness leads them into hubris.

The diamond sage wants to chose the future sages from among knowledgable adventurers, battle scholars, in short, people like me. She felt that I was not yet ready to take up the burden, but I feel that once she and Amenopheus have finished repairing the ruby jewel, they will see that I am it's destined bearer.

Serkan may have enjoyed Mythic power a little too much.


As a Player:

Being a relatively dense barbarian/fighter from the cold lands of Golarion, little made sense to this poor fighter in the grasp of time and thousands of years both sages spoke of with what was to come. He proposed a simple solution to him, a(and one of the only ones he could relate to). "throwing fire on a fire elemental and hoping to eventually harm it is the strategy of a madman. To follow the path that led to a previous downfall would be equally mad. Also, 'putting all of ones eggs in one omelette' often leads to a stomach ache. So centralizing all of the leaders seems risky too."

We proposed that they take the best of both options. "None of the above" with the following approach:

Sages are distributed and act independently as they had previously. Additionally every 3 months, they come together at the capital or other equally center location for a convocation to serve two purposes, 1. to vote on any matters that would involve the attention of all the Sages and all lands under their watch, and 2. to collectively share any experiences and solutions that came up during the previous 3 month time period so that all sages could share in the collective wisdom of the other sages. After one year's time, the sages would meet for the final convocation and decide whether to continue the current organizational strategy, or to dissolve and then establish a new organizational structure that all of the sages could vote on that they felt would best benefit them given the year's worth of experiences and lessons learned.

The Barbarian then blacked out as the concept itself of a "good idea" was too much for his brain to handle. He was then plagued by nightmares.


A group of loyal Pathfinders gave careful consideration to the arguments put forth by Amenopheus and Tahonikepsu. They agreed with Tahonikepsu that the sages should involve themselves more directly with events in the world, but did not feel that installing her as the leader of this new order would be wise.

At first they liked Amenopheus' suggestion of all the sages having an equal say with no single leader. But, upon further thought and being such loyal pathfinders, they put forth that the order of the jeweled sages should follow the guidance of the Decemvirate.

Scarab Sages

The small winged fire elemental lands to the floor, its form warping into a gnome covered in soot, his hair singed and his broken armor still burning by the power bestowed from the Ruby Sage.

"Salutations esteemed Balentiir! I am Zaliex, high-priest of the great fire-chicken in the sky!" The gnome bows respectfully before continuing with a social grace that contradicts his appearance, "The Diamond Sage has been found, and our former enemies, Kafar and Nefti of the Aspis Consortium, wish to become allies and agents of the Society.

"Our friend Amenopheus' cryptic response is due to a delicate matter: Both he and Tahonikepsu, the Diamond Sage, would like to shape the future of the Jeweled Sages.

"On the matter of leadership, Amenopheus prefers the democratic route previously utilized by the Sages, but Tahonikepsu believes this a weakness and wants someone to directly lead the group - it was our conclusion that a council of sages was important but that Tahonikepsu should have power to break all votes that end in ties or lack a majority"

"We saw great wisdom in the Sapphire Sage's words regarding who to select as new sages: it takes a great mind to harness the sage jewels, otherwise there may be... consequences... But the Diamond Sage was not wrong either: the young are often innovative, are most invested in the future, and have the most to learn from the past. We proposed a compromise on this point, that the best and brightest of the current generation be sought out, and tutored by Amenopheus and Tahonikepsu until they are ready to accept a sage jewel."

Zaliex pauses, throws his head back and casts an orison to fill up his mouth with water. With a gulp he turns his attention back to the discussion.

"We trust in Amenopheus more than we do with Tahonikepsu because we have built a personal rapport with him, however the Diamond Sage's credentials are... impressive, to say the least. Again it was our conclusion to compromise between the two Sages. Tahonikepsu shall have direct influence over ties and lacks of majority, but day-to-day leadership shall be conducted via council. Amenopheus shall hand-pick candidates for Sagedom, though he should focus on finding young and malleable prodigal minds. Both will work together in shaping the future of the Jeweled Sages"

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