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The hills ringing Almas, capital of Andoran, slope gently toward the harbor cradling the Hornet’s Nest, the red sun rising behind them. This morning the ship’s activity rivals its namesake as Pathfinders and their agents bustle here and there inside the ship’s hastily constructed command post.
After a short wait, Venture-Captain Dennel Hamshanks rolls into the ship’s galley, his face scowling and dark eyes bloodshot.
“You lot again? The Decemvirate promised better, but I suppose
we have no time to waste. You have likely heard the rumors— which, unfortunately, underestimate our danger.
“The Society’s lodge in the former Cathedral of Aroden here has thrived of late—they say thanks to Venture-Captain Brackett’s grand parties, which seduce the weak-willed leaders of this so-called ‘democracy’ into permitting the Pathfinder Society unfettered access to the resources in the nation’s interior. Not likely you lot were ever invited, though. Needed to be of the presentable sort, after all.
“Last night, Brackett threw one of his most extravagant fetes yet to celebrate the recent return of a team of Pathfinders up near Falcon’s Hollow on a diplomatic mission to the region’s fey. Fillian over there claims that all the sparkling light made the Cathedral’s windows a stunning sight. Everyone was having a grand time until the trouble started. At the stroke of midnight, a dozen guests drew their swords and methodically massacred the others—poor, drunk fools. A moment later the lights went out. Fillian had been admiring the windows from the dome’s walkway and ran upward, to the belfry. Says he hid there until daylight and then crawled out to my ship here. He heard many others flee underground, followed by screams of agony.
“Shortly before dawn, several bands of what looked to be hulking, cloaked hobgoblins left the Cathedral, taking off in different directions into the city. Not only do we need to retake our lodge and rescue any survivors, but whatever those monsters plan to do in Almas, it’s got something to do with the Cathedral. I imagine even you understand how that might look for the Society if something bad were to happen to the city at large, centered on our local headquarters.
“You can probably guess who’s behind this—the Shadow Lodge, source of endless trouble this past year. We need that Lodge back, and we need Brackett alive. Time is not on our side here, and I fear it may already be too late for whatever those monstrous brutes left the Cathedral to do.
“According to Fillian’s tale, the best way in is the belfry. So your job is to get in there, kick the Shadow Lodge out, and keep Brackett alive. And put a stop to whatever ongoing plot you manage to uncover.
“Good luck. You’ll need it.”
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A whispy pale skinned woman, or girl, one can not be sure, was absent mindedly playing with stray piece of paper that was swirling about her.White long hair, pale, almost opaque blue eyes. Just as light coloured and light looking clothing, except for a leather vest. She looks very frail and a bit out of place. Her eyes seem to finally focus on the person speaking
"I will be happy to go sort out this business, always fun to see new places and people..." she trailed off as she walked to where the paper fell last and started watching it again as it was swept up by an unknown gust of wind, once again spinning about the woman. Who was very much enjoying the scene
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Sora nods and looks on, listening intently. Her mane of fiery red hair accenting bronzed skin, and a pair of sun-colored golden eyes looking over the area and the situation. Her staff and robes are simple, as she tries to understand the situation to the best of her ability.
"Were there, or are there any defenses the lodge had in place that we may need to worry about contending with? Traps, golems..., things that don't consist of hobgoblins that need eliminating? Also, do we have any intelligence on their numbers inside of the lodge? Or even how many of our own may still be inside?"
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"The Cathedral is not a pathfinder's lodge, it's something the society has access to thanks to some political stuff..I am new here and I have no idea about any defenses that were in place before tonight. As Fillian here said..they massacred everyone inside..so I don't expect any of our own to still be alive inside."
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Ryuchi listens to the accounts with a sour mine. The young man from Tian-Xa does not speak much merely nods but you can see from the look in his dark eyes that he is shocked by the accounts. The man strokes his bald head as he looks to the Cathedral worifully and then eyes his fellow pathfinders.
It looks as if we have come together in dire times. So now is the time for us to act as one! he offers in heavily accented common tongue.
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Dennel nods at Ryuchi
At Jules question he shakes his head
" We do not have enough information about that..they might just have done the killing for the sake of killing..or they might be after something inside the cathedral..the latter seems to be the more logical assumption since they are still inside"
" If you have no more questions I suggest you get going. Here takes these, you might have some use for it"
At that point he hands you several hundred feet of rope and some climbing spikes
The Cathedral of Aroden is a massive stone structure overlooking central Almas. Two solid towers flanking a pair of enormous bronze doors dominate the facade. The doors, with their glittering bronze carvings of Aroden’s ascension to godhood, welcomed the faithful in times past, but they now lead into Telfyr’s massive library. Above the doors stands a roughly circular stained-glass window with delicate looping stonework, a style known as a rose window.
(The doors are closed).
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When they finally leave, Liriel follows them. Looking around at everything that moved. One would think its a nervouse twitch, but she was smiling all the time. As if expecting every movement or sound to be some sort of wonder
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Sora thinks for a moment before gathering her things together. She goes to prepare her spells and check her gear before she prepares to go with the others. Her eyes are always examining, and seem to hold a subtle fire behind them, almost like her entire body seems to be on the brink of erupting in flames.
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She bends down at the eidelon
"Arent you the cutest thing"
Obviously she hasnt heard it speak
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What it comes down to, there's a huge dome atop the central building (which has closed double doors) on top of the dome is a bellfry and there are 2 smaller towers on the sides.
As you look at the Cathedral to get a better idea on the situation you notice that there are numerous carvings peppering the wall making it a relatively easy climb.
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"Climb? Float? Up. Down. Not too bad with either..." she replies looking at the clouds
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Ryuchi making use of the carvings on the walls easily makes it up to the roof, he then is able to secure the knotted rope so the rest of you have an easy time climbing up (DC 5 climb check, you are allowed to take 10)
A flat gray stone ledge runs along the edge of the cathedral’s roof, crisscrossed with rain gutters feeding the leering grotesques that ring the building. Toward the south side, the ledge surrounds a gently peaked roof above the long rectangular nave. Two solid towers jut upward at the south end, their severe stone sides broken only occasionally by narrow, barred stained glass windows.
At the north end a lofty dome covered with deep red copper shingles dominates the structure. The graceful edifice peaks in a twisting stone tower with a golden turret, from which the Pathfinder Society’s Glyph of the Open Road banner hangs limply in the still air. The tower has four large windows arranged vertically on each side, all protected by corroded iron grates. Through the grates hang several bells, ranging in size from large to gigantic.
The circular dome (80 feet across at its base) sits atop the octagonal section of the cathedral, leaving a ledge only a few feet wide.
Each of the belfry’s windows covers roughly a 5-foot square. The iron grates (hardness 10, hp 15, Break DC 24) are bolted onto the stone.
The second grate from the top on the east side is missing two of its bolts, and the grate swings upward easily.
Now that you can get a better look at the Belry;
The belfry contains nine large bells hanging from a maze of wooden beams. Four relatively small bells hang from a beam at the tower’s top, with the others increasing in size toward the tower’s bottom. Weather and rust coat most of them, especially the seven-foot-wide behemoth of a bell at the tower’s base.
A complex network of scaffolding frames the bells, with each suspended from wooden sliders attached to a system of ropes and pulleys along the tower’s walls. These beams connect to scaffolding along the vertical chamber’s perimeter, allowing access to the bells above and a platform five feet below the giant bell’s bottom.
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Before going up the ladder Tywin asks Graxus' permission to dismiss him and after receiving it he starts to cast an intricate ritual. With a burst of fire Graxus dissappears and a smaller flame floats for a moment before zooming into the gem on Tywin's forehead. He yelps, taps his head and says "Ah hot hot hot. I so do not like that."
After a moment he goes up the knotted rope. Taking his time doing so.
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She does too. Slowly climbing up. She stops at top and takes a look across the open sky
"One day! Yes. One day"
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Just to repeat:
The belfry contains nine large bells hanging from a maze of wooden beams. Four relatively small bells hang from a beam at the tower’s top, with the others increasing in size toward the tower’s bottom. Weather and rust coat most of them, especially the seven-foot-wide behemoth of a bell at the tower’s base.
A complex network of scaffolding frames the bells, with each suspended from wooden sliders attached to a system of ropes and pulleys along the tower’s walls. These beams connect to scaffolding along the vertical chamber’s perimeter, allowing access to the bells above and a platform five feet below the giant bell’s bottom.
When you enter through the loose grate, you find yourselves 10 feet above the base of the lowermost bell and a further 5 feet above the solid platform below.
The scaffolding requires Climb checks (DC 5) to descend.
And although it's less then 30ft down to the platform, you can't just jump down right now since there's beams, scaffolding and bells in the way
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As soon as Ryuchi puts his full weight in the solid platform the bells starts to ring in an enormously loud cacophony of noise.
All four sections of bells peal for 1 minute. In addition, anyone in the belfry (which is everyone) when the bells ring must make a DC 15 Fortitude saving throw or be deafened for minutes.
After Sora can think again with the ringing in her head and takes a beter look around she notices a trapdoor in the floor. The lighting is decent, the grates let enough light into the Bellfry. You can go either back out, further up the bellfry or down through the trapdoor.