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Tarra shoots another arrow at the allip.
Suddenly you see a bolt of red lightning coming from pieces of a ruby shard on the table, hitting the allip and the silent image behind it.
While you are fighting the Sage of Plagues you suddenly hear movement between the rubble on the eastern side of the room. You see a plague zombie rising from the stones.
Matsu
Sage of Plagues -27HP
Rogar
Aimi
Tarra
Zombie
rfight
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Yjalk and his gang have left the building. Somewhere on the way out they dropped some of their stuff. The shards of a ruby are still on the table.
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You contact Amenopheus via the geode. He can hear you and answers "Stay where you are, I'll be there in one hour!"
As promised, Amenopheus arrives one hour after you contacted him. He has a look at the shards of the broken ruby gem and says "Although the jewel is broken, the shards hold a glimmer of magic and may still contain several of the Ruby Sage's memories." He mumbles a few words and you see one of the dead bodies at the table animating. Amenopheus contacted the Ruby Sage's spirit and she briefly animates her corpse and restores it to how she must have appeared in life. She thanks you for putting her colleague's spirit to rest and explains the events that led to her death and her sage jewel's near-destruction.
Through the gem, she has maintained a limited degree of awareness, and she also related that until only day before, the topaz and emerald jewels sat on this table alongside her. When the thief handled one of her shards, she was able to read his thoughts before he discarded the fragment and fled. She identifies the thief as a man named Kafar, who had intentions of delivering the jewels to the Diamond Sage in a region known as the Pillars of the Sun. is there that the Jeweled Sages’ built their sanctum, but it strikes both her and Amenopheus as odd that the Diamond Sage would collect the gems there instead of finding new candidates to become sages elsewhere in Osirion. Amenopheus voices his concern that the Diamond Sage’s actions are not typical for the order, and he is dismayed that the jewels may be in the hands of known enemies of the Pathfinder Society.
Sharing her fellow sage’s concern, the Ruby Sage offers her power — mythic power — to you if you are willing to chase down the thief Kafar, reclaim the stolen jewels, and find the Diamond Sage to learn what she intends. With that said, her corpse slumps and returns to its desiccated form.
With the thief Kafar headed to the Pillars of the Sun, Amenopheus teleports you back to Eto to resupply before you make the trek to the south. He warns you that the Pillars of the Sun is a very dangerous region of towering rocks, searing wind, and terrible beasts. With the fate of his order riding on your success, he announces that he will accompany you to Sanctum of the Sages.
Ven Lorovox, the man now known as Grandmaster Torch,
was the sole survivor of a mission to explore these ruins
years ago. As they explore Seeker’s Folly, the PCs can
discover the fate of his companions. The group’s leader
was Thanien Kiandal (LN male elf evoker), whom the
Decemvirate sent on a surreptitious mission into Osirion. In
addition to Ven Lorovox, the group included Kiras Lithron
(CN male half-elf fighter), Rosarra Springale (CG female
halfling bard), and Asha Sandwalker (NG female human
ranger). Most of the group believed they had stumbled on
the ruins by happenstance, but Thanien had deliberately led
them there to recover what the Society correctly believed
was an invaluable record of ancient Osirian history.
Thanien’s body is in area B11. He slipped away from the
group while they were gathering water, found the gems in
area B12, and was caught in an argument with Ven and
Asha when they came looking for him and found him trying
to hide his discovery. The Emerald Sage chose that moment
to attack, and Thanien triggered a lethal trap as he fled.
Kiras’s body is located in area B7. He was left to finish
refilling the group’s waterskins and then began tampering
with the carving on the east wall, prompting the water
elemental to attack. The elemental kept him there as a
companion until he eventually starved to death. He died
cursing his companions for abandoning him.
Rosarra fell to her death from the bridge in area B10.
She was examining the obelisk when the haunt activated.
Confused by the visions and terrified of the spirits, she
blindly stumbled into the chasm.
Asha was Ven Lorovox’s protégé. The two of them
discovered Thanien examining the bodies of the Jeweled
Sages and their gems and confronted him their mission’s
real goals. They were caught off guard when the spirit of
the Emerald Sage manifested, entrancing them with its
maddening babble. It struck Ven with a curse, which enabled
Asha to regain her senses and drag her companion back to
the entry hall. The allip pursued, and a stray spell shattered a
pillar that crushed Asha—but not before she could shove Ven
out of the way. He stumbled into area B9, and the last Asha
heard was the pained scream of her companion.
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The growing light of predawn filters in through a window of the two-story building that Amenopheus has rented in Eto, and the aging Garundi man takes a seat on one of the cushions set out for this meeting. He produces a sealed letter from his robe, placing it in the middle of the floor before speaking.
"Good morning, Pathfinders. As you know, we have had our share of setbacks recently. Not only have the emerald and topaz gems sacred to my order slipped through our fingers, but we also faced the frustration of finding nothing but fragments of the once great ruby. Thankfully, its power is not lost entirely, and through the Ruby Sage’s blessing, it lives on in you. I am thankful that you have agreed to act on her behalf and see this through to the end. As we speak, the scoundrels who seized the two gems cross the Pillars of the Sun to meet their employer, the cryptic Diamond Sage." He sighs heavily. "What she intends to do with the gems is a mystery, but the sage jewels are too important for me to take risks with. If the power that you wield is representative of a shattered jewel’s potential, imagine what one might accomplish with three undamaged stones! Until we know what her plans are, it is paramount that we get to the jewels first. Kafar and Nefti have a rudimentary map of the Pillars of the Sun, and last night I found a bartender who spotted them poring over it between drinks. She recalled little of the map, and she could not make sense of the marks or annotations; however, the right spells have allowed me to probe her mind and determine Kafar and Nefti’s entry point into the mountains. We will follow them from there."
With a somewhat chagrined smile, Amenopheus adds, "It may be that they will lead us to the Sanctum of the Sages, a hidden complex I have long suspected might be in this area." He stands and announces, "Prepare yourselves quickly. We shall leave momentarily."
Loyal Pathfinders,
The Sapphire Sage has requested our help once more as his hunt for the lost order of the Jeweled Sages and their iconic gemstones continues. Amenopheus tells us that Kafar and his pupil Nefti have snatched two of the gems: an emerald and a yellow topaz. It goes without saying that the Aspis Consortium’s involvement in this matter troubles me deeply; I will not have them outwit us as they did my colleague, Hestia. It saddens me that such a pair of brilliant operatives may die before your mission is over, but I would sleep better knowing that they were no longer a threat to the Society. Were that they had chosen to become Pathfinders rather than pawns of the Aspis Consortium!
I hereby deputize the Sapphire Sage Amenopheus to lead this expedition, and you shall assist him in his quest. Remember our tenets: explore, report, and cooperate. I look forward to receiving word of your success.
Godspeed,
Venture-Captain Norden Balentiir
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"I've taken the liberty of asking around and several people have seen Nefti and Kafar. Nefti was seen in some taverns and Kafar at an apothecary. Nefti seems to enjoy playing the flute, but he hasnt been seen in the past 3 days. Most recently some guards overheard them complaining about the Aspis Consortium. Perhaps this deal isn't turning out like they thought. If so, maybe they can be convinced to turn on them."
-Posted with Wayfinder
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As Teric relates the news Rogar gives an hearty laugh:"Ah! Chances are I rubbed shoulders with them once or twice last week. I wasn't exactly paying attention and I admit I might even have been a little tipsy, so I cannot be sure, but a funny notion nontheless!"
When Teric explains about the apparent disgruntlement of the two aspis agents with their employers the taldan grins pointing at his sword:"For their sake I hope so my friend. I doubt they would find the altrernative pleasant. I'm usually quite wary when the Aspis are involved, but who knows? Maybe these two will show better judgement than many of their brethen"
Then the fighter turns towards Amenopheus:"I'm glad we'll be travelling togheter this time. We could certainly use the help of one of the fabled Jeweled Sages. That said I'd like to hear more about your order: it seems odd to me you don't know this Diamond Sage who hired those two aspis scoundrels to steal the stones from under our noses. Who or what are the jeweled sages, exactly? What about this so called Diamond Sage? What does she want? And what is the sanctum you are talking about?"
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"The Jeweled Sages were an order of scholars who took an oath to preserve the culture and arts of the golden age of Osirion. Their venture proved controversial, for the rulers that followed the Song Pharaoh were offended by the sages’ pretensions and deemed the order subversive. To escape persecution and safeguard the lore of our land, the sages built their headquarters in a hidden location. It makes sense that they should choose an isolated place like the Pillars of the Sun as grounds for their refuge."
"The Diamond Sage is the current bearer of her respective sage jewel, but I have only recently learned of her existence. All I know for sure is that she resides near Eto. It would not be surprising if she actually resides in the Sanctum of the Sages itself; if so, she must be extremely resourceful."
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"Of course I know where we are going. The Pillars of the Sun are an isolated range of mountains named for their tall, wind-weathered spires. The mountains begin 15 miles south of Eto, and an experienced rider might reach them in half a day, but we will teleport. Because of its location and elevation, the region is extremely dry and hot during the day, with temperatures dropping drastically at night due to strong winds. Make sure you are prepared for both." Amenopheus answers.
After you return to Amenopheus with your purchases and once you are ready you are teleported to the Pillars of the Sun.
The Pillars of the Sun are a desert mountain range south of Eto. Its terrain is rocky and arid, cut by profound chasms and colossal precipices. Getting lost is as easy as it is deadly, as a few wrong turns can throw explorers completely off track — or worse, off a cliff — trapping them between the scorching noon sun and the freezing night winds. The harsh environment alone is enough to keep most adventurers away, and the beasts that live in the mountains only magnify the danger of this inhospitable place.
Amenopheus teleported you to the northern edge of the Pillars of the Sun. There, just as the sun is peaking over the horizon, he and you are able to find the path Kafar and Nefti used to enter the mountains. Temperatures continue to rise all through the morning, and after four hours of travel, you reach a place where the winding path through the spires splits. Foot prints continue in both directions.
"I think the best choice is to split up. I will remain in contact with you, you take this path while I take the other one." Amenopheus says.
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You follow the path Amenopheus told you and Amenopheus takes the other path. The path leads you to a series of switchbacks that ascend the steep side of a gorge, and approximately one hour after Amenopheus’s departure, they reach an immense cliff where the tracks simply end.
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Soon Rogar starts to show signs of fatigue but stubbornly refuses to rest and keep following the trail instead. With Lili's help the task proves fruitful as the group advances at a steady pace. As they reach the cliff the Taldan keen eyes spot the hidden trap door which he points out to his companions after catching his breath:"There! Damn heat almost made me miss it. I guess our friend used that door to escape the sun... and honestly I don't feel like I blame him!" exclaims Rogar while leading the others towards the trap door.
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After passing the trap door and descending down a roughly hewn tunnel, you reach a long underground gallery. Enigmatic hieroglyphs cover just about every surface of this chamber excavated into the mountain. Bas-relief engravings stretch along the walls all the way from the lofty, tapered ceiling down to floor level, their eerie pictography suggesting an unnerving story. Toppled columns, crumbling shreds of cloth, and potsherds scattered throughout the chamber attest to the place’s abandonment and antiquity. Small holes in the vaulted ceiling let in thin beams of sunlight but do little to illuminate the chamber.
Thanks to the thick layer of dust in this area, you have no difficulty following the tracks. Several skeletons are on the floor of in this temple room.
encircling their necks.