Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
Playing the Game
Story Hour
Company of Chaos - All Around Golarion
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Lwaxy" data-source="post: 5763204" data-attributes="member: 53286"><p>"We've been through the whole area now, and have found nothing. We need to get to the next floor." The bard's voice was slightly angry, but he managed to keep his voice low enough while the two of them stared at the murals in the worship hall, supposedly in prayer and worship. The murals, of course, described the past and hopeful future – world dominance, what else – of the Living God. By now, they both had noticed that the artist had had some fun with depicting some of the god's supposed worshipers in a state of fear and terror rather than admiration and worship. </p><p></p><p>"Or we could first explore the half of the basement off limits to us," the halfling mused. "Or wait even longer to get out of acolyte status." </p><p></p><p>"Supposedly, that is soon," Teltz sighed. "But knowing those folks, soon may be next year."</p><p></p><p>"You said you had a way to sneak into the basement's closed off area," Edawon said. "And that you could not take me along. How, and why only you?"</p><p></p><p>"I can turn invisible, through a magic not transferable," Hest mumbled, obviously not quite comfortable about it. "Never mind the details, but it likely means I can mingle through, even the upper areas, without being noticed. I dislike undertaking such a search alone, though. At least for the second floor."</p><p></p><p>Hest nodded. "You will probably be fine in the basement. Not too much traffic there, from what I could see. At least not at night."</p><p></p><p>"Which means, I take it, we should pretend to retire for the night. Very well, then. We have done enough... worshiping... for the day, I'd say."</p><p></p><p>"I'd say," replied the grinning halfling and turned away from the mural. No one had paid them any attention, the few others present were also busy to get the required praying and worshiping time in before they went to bed. </p><p></p><p>In their chambers, which were also in the basement, Teltz locked the door, not wanting to be observed by the halfling, who he trusted only to a certain point. Not even his son knew all that there was about him – or their family history – so the bard would not tell a new acquaintance so early in their friendship.</p><p></p><p>The halfling waited outside; none of their roommates – a dwarf, the half-elf Evlar and two human sisters who would make any evil god proud in Teltz' opinion – were in yet. They had seen the dwarf in the worship room and knew the sisters out with one of the priests on whatever errand. So Teltz thought they should be safe enough. With one last hesitation, he lifted his shirt up to his navel, revealing a barely visible tattoo of silvery ink forming a leaf-like pattern around it. </p><p></p><p>As he traced the pattern with his right index finger, the world around him seemed to change, becoming more transparent and appearing to be illuminated by a colorless light from within. In truth, it was him changing; his body and mind partially slipping into another realm of existence, becoming invisible and, as he had not yet told anyone, mostly insubstantial. He would be able to walk right through doors and walls now, although he didn't like the sensation going along with it. At first, he had had to do this naked, but after long years, he was able to keep his possessions with him lest they be too big and heavy. But he had not yet learned how to bring things with him by turning them into his current state. All in all, Teltz did not understand the process very much, which is why he usually didn't use the tattoo, which in turn meant he didn't get more experience with it. </p><p></p><p>The door opened just then and the dwarf entered, Hest behind him with a worried expression. The halfling relaxed when he noticed that the bard was already invisible. Teltz used that moment to slip out of the door; he had not thought about how to open the door once he was invisible, and simply walking through it would have meant more explanations later. </p><p></p><p>He would need explanations as to how he had managed to go through the permanently locked door to the restricted area in the basement, too. Maybe he would claim someone had gone in and out, but that would be a very convenient coincidence to believe. Teltz would worry about that later, though. Right now, he was content to make it through the iron door, ignoring the sickly feeling associated with passing through solid material. </p><p></p><p>A single everburning torch in a sconce on the eastern wall provided light for this area, revealing a dusty, cobweb-ridden corridor. The stench of sweat and worse was in the air, but in his transformed form, it didn't bother him. He knew that to the left of the T-section at the eastern wall would lead to the cells they had awoken in a few days ago, so Teltz took the left turn and passed through another door at the end of the short corridor. </p><p></p><p>He emerged in front of a staircase leading down, curving to the east. Some musky smell was in the air, but as all sensations were somewhat different in his current state, he had no idea what it could be. An animal, maybe? Some residue from a ritual?</p><p></p><p>The pressure trap on the stairs was clear to the human as he descended, but he could ignore it, of course. At the end of the stairs were no doors and so he could see the next room clearly. It had the look of a second half to the sliding trap he had just walked over. The tall chamber was broken into two levels. Loose gravel, dirt, and bones covered the bottom level, while a walkway traversed the upper level from east to west, leading from this room. At opposite ends of the room on the lower level stood a pair of gigantic stone statues, roughly carved in the image of Razmir, his hands held high to support the room’s ceiling. Each statue sat upon a pedestal with a large hole in its base that sloped down and out of sight.</p><p></p><p>"Something nasty hiding in those holes, no doubt," he muttered and twitched at the strange sound his voice made in his momentary form. There were bones and remains of possessions all over the floor. He could make out a wand and a purse, and several gems. He crouched down and separated useful stuff from junk, putting a golden ring, a pearl and the wand into the large purse. Anyone watching would have seen those items levitating. He held on to the purse and had a better look at the room. </p><p></p><p>Looking for a way to climb up, the bard noticed a door at the west end of the walkway. A secret door he had failed to notice when he was upstairs. It had to be right under the everburning flame. </p><p>The bard tossed his bundle of loot up on the walkway. Hopefully, he would find a way to take it through the secret door later. Then he turned and walked up the stairs again. No need to climb – which was more difficult in this half solid form – when he could just walk through the wall upstairs. Which he did a few minutes later to pick up his bundle. He hid it as best as he could just behind the secret door, so at least no one coming from that side would fall over it right away. Then he proceeded to the east and passed through the next closed door. </p><p></p><p>The stale scent of perfume and incense was heavy in this opulent chamber with pillows, carpets, and other fineries covering the floor. Silk curtains were hanging over the walls, and flicking light emanated from a hidden source on the ceiling, which was also draped in curtains. On the north side of the room, a gilded throne, bedecked with tiny gemstones, was sitting upon a raised dais. Half-empty bottles of various spirits were lying about the room, and an exotic water pipe was set up in the middle, filled tobacco. Golden censers, currently unlit, were hanging from the columns.</p><p></p><p>One by one, the bard checked the curtains. Behind the southern one, he found another door. With a shudder, he reluctantly passed through this one as well. By now, he felt quite sick to the stomach. </p><p></p><p>This chamber contained two small chests on opposite walls and a large chest between them, sitting next to a table. Atop the wooden table were three bags and a large ledger. A treasury, as it seemed. </p><p></p><p>The chests proved to be locked. Teltz made one of his hands go through the wood and felt around, feeling a lot of coins in sacks, the middle one also containing a wooden case. Teltz ignored the chests and turned to the bags on the table. The first was filled with four complete sets of city guard uniforms, matching those worn by the local watch exactly; the second contained 23 silver holy symbols, representing nearly every good and neutral deity, and the final bag appeared to be empty. But Teltz knew a bag of holding when he saw one. Reaching inside, he thought of getting everything out and retrieved pieces of a broken gold chain looking rather old. He recognized them immediately as fragments from the chains hanging around Ara's and Kassen's necks in the Crypt of the Everflame. Here was the final proof that they had been right coming to the temple. </p><p></p><p>The ledger held check in information for all the items, although it didn't list where they came from. 'There were also mentions of transportation of tithes – to Razmiran, Teltz suspected, filling the purses of the Masked God's nation. </p><p></p><p>For a long moment, the bard contemplated his discoveries. The bag of holding meant he had a way bringing all of the treasures out of here and the temple if he so decided. There was no weight limit for such bags in his current state, he had tried that before. It held the risk of being discovered though, because it meant he would have to dispel the tattoo's magic and then invoke it again. </p><p></p><p>Discovery, he realized, wasn't his real fear. There was but a slim chance of anyone stumbling in here at this time of night. But the repercussions of using the tattoo's powers in quick succession and the thus needed ritual of restoration – which he could probably not do in their inn – were not something he looked forward to. Additionally, he had a bit of a moral problem taking these riches. Not because he thought the temple should keep them, but because there was a slim chance the city officials could use it for the poor once the temple had been exposed. He was not the thieving type; yet their group would need a lot of resources, knowing they would not be likely to return to their former home anytime soon. Only Teltz knew the true nature of the hunters trying to find him and his son ever since he had adopted the boy. The quiet years in Kessen were now at an end. And then, who said the city would use the money to aid those who needed it, anyway? </p><p></p><p>Tracing his left index finger over the tattoo, he dispelled the tattoo's strange magic. As usual, he could not breathe for a moment, much as if his body needed to readjust to being solid. When he could focus again, he put the chain parts back into the bag of holding and then lifted his shirt again, retracing the tattoo with his right index finger to become invisible again. This time, he felt even sicker than before. But there was no other way. Only when holding the bag while invoking the magic did the bag become like him, and only then it could be used to gather up and transport normal, solid things through solid matter. He had done that before, although with a lot less loot that he would be doing now. </p><p></p><p>Teltz set about in a hurry. First he went through the chests one by one, gathering up the sacks and the box of wood and emptying them on the table again. He would not take what he couldn't use later. While the bag had no weight and space limit in the state it was in now, everything in it would put a burden on his soul. The effect was hard to describe, but it was not pleasant at all. </p><p></p><p>The 9 bags of silver and the 4 bags of gold he returned to the magical storage right away. The wooden case, made of darkwood and valuable in itself, held 5 moonstones, several potions, a portion of oil, a dose of what he thought was sovereign glue and a set of horseshoes which he thought to be magical. He returned it to the bag of holding as well. The weapon, a mace, he had also discovered he left out. It was likely some sort of magical weapon, but for him to add it to the pack would cause his soul to be burdened more than by normal weight. His insubstantial form was not very compatible with weapons beyond simple knives. </p><p></p><p>There were 14 bags of copper coins from the last chest. He contemplated over them, and finally his greed, born of worry for his son and the others from the group, made him pack those as well. By now he became increasingly nervous, an effect part of the soul burden. </p><p></p><p>In the room with the throne-like chair, he stopped to free it of its gems. His hate for this cult he was pretending to be a part of grew with every moment, and he wanted nothing more than harm them in any way he could. This effect was, as he would have noticed had he been his normal self, also an effect of the soul burden he now carried. </p><p></p><p>In a hurry he rushed all the way back to where he had hidden his first loot. Adding it to the bag, he went out through the secret door. He felt the need to vomit, but his job was far from done, and now that he had committed to it, he would see his plan through. </p><p></p><p>Getting to the second floor was no problem being invisible. The guards chatted with themselves and didn't suspect anything; as long as he wouldn't walk right though them that was. Teltz stared at the jewels in the grand mask fitted between the guard alcoves longingly, but his need to damage was not that great yet to be so foolish and alert the guards after all. </p><p></p><p>He went around the balcony overlooking the lower area and stood in front of a pair of double doors made of silver. The symbol of Razmir and several of his followers offering him treasures was engraved into it. Again, he went right through, feeling a slight pain now in addition to the sickness. </p><p></p><p>This new room had many doors, three on each side and a pair of double doors opposite the entrance. In the center of the chamber, a twostep dais served as a base for a sculpture made up of dozens of masks, carefully forged into a humanoid shape. Teltz thought it looked like a golem of sorts and was relieved not to be seen. </p><p></p><p>Those were clearly the quarters of the high ups, and for a moment, Teltz thought of investigating them, but then, he was here for the things stolen from the crypt of Kassen. He was looking for the high priest's quarters, knowing she had left last week. So he picked the double doors to pass through. </p><p></p><p>A large plush bed on the south wall, facing a carved oak desk on the north side, furnished the large and opulently decorated chamber. In the center of the room, a large carpet, woven with the mask of the Razmir at its center, spread across the floor. A small table positioned next to it bears a small whip, a pair of manacles, two bottles of Andoran brandy and four vials of exotic perfumes. Teltz ignored those. </p><p></p><p>The bard set about searching the room carefully, more and more nervous and ready to attack someone or destroy something. In the bookcase, carefully disguised behind a false book face, he found 3 more ledgers dealing with the temple's business. One held the income with all the details about how it was obtained – few of it legally – and one other the expenses, which weren't always legal either. Both those volumes, Teltz threw into his magical bag. There was no time to waste here. The third, however, dealt with the Kassen expedition. For a moment he thought of reading it right away, but then he felt more irrational thoughts creeping up due to his burden, and he threw it into the bag as well. </p><p></p><p>The only other thing of mild interest was a locked drawer in the table. After confirming what he was looking for was not in there, he added the contents without any further thought to his bag. Disappointed but still eager to do damage, he left through the doors again. The hate was building up to rage, somewhat fueled by the disappointment. Against all reason, Teltz began to invade the other rooms. </p><p></p><p>Only one of the rooms was occupied; loud snoring drove the bard out again before he was fully through the door. The others, he quietly but thoroughly ransacked. One of them was clearly the chamber of Egarthis. A map detailing the cult's progress in the city was on the wall. It looked as if they made astonishing progress, which in turn was quite shocking to Teltz. </p><p></p><p>Egarthis was a man of little possessions, or so it seemed. The only thing the bard found worth taking was a Vudrani dagger – or so it looked – set with a variety of colored gems. There was dried blood on it, which only pushed the human's emotion up even more. Ina fit of uncontrolled rage, he hacked at the map on the wall with the dagger, again and again, shouting curses in a voice only he could hear. </p><p></p><p>The thumping on the map was obviously heard, though, as a moment later a sleepy voice in front of the door called out asking if everything was alright. With a surprised hiss, Teltz added the dagger to his prizes and went out of the room, not only through the door but also through the priest Rennec who had been standing right outside. A startled gasp came from the other man's mouth before he dropped in a convulsion. </p><p></p><p>The guards came towards them already as Teltz moved out on the balcony. But that was another opportunity. Namely, to loot the mask. It was a foolish thing to do, but he could not help it. The six emeralds could be removed easily, but the bard struggled with the green quartz. When he finally got it out without damaging it, the guards were already calling for reinforcements, and alarm bells rang out. Taking two steps at once, the bard ran downwards and toward the temple gates, barely avoiding passing through more people.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lwaxy, post: 5763204, member: 53286"] "We've been through the whole area now, and have found nothing. We need to get to the next floor." The bard's voice was slightly angry, but he managed to keep his voice low enough while the two of them stared at the murals in the worship hall, supposedly in prayer and worship. The murals, of course, described the past and hopeful future – world dominance, what else – of the Living God. By now, they both had noticed that the artist had had some fun with depicting some of the god's supposed worshipers in a state of fear and terror rather than admiration and worship. "Or we could first explore the half of the basement off limits to us," the halfling mused. "Or wait even longer to get out of acolyte status." "Supposedly, that is soon," Teltz sighed. "But knowing those folks, soon may be next year." "You said you had a way to sneak into the basement's closed off area," Edawon said. "And that you could not take me along. How, and why only you?" "I can turn invisible, through a magic not transferable," Hest mumbled, obviously not quite comfortable about it. "Never mind the details, but it likely means I can mingle through, even the upper areas, without being noticed. I dislike undertaking such a search alone, though. At least for the second floor." Hest nodded. "You will probably be fine in the basement. Not too much traffic there, from what I could see. At least not at night." "Which means, I take it, we should pretend to retire for the night. Very well, then. We have done enough... worshiping... for the day, I'd say." "I'd say," replied the grinning halfling and turned away from the mural. No one had paid them any attention, the few others present were also busy to get the required praying and worshiping time in before they went to bed. In their chambers, which were also in the basement, Teltz locked the door, not wanting to be observed by the halfling, who he trusted only to a certain point. Not even his son knew all that there was about him – or their family history – so the bard would not tell a new acquaintance so early in their friendship. The halfling waited outside; none of their roommates – a dwarf, the half-elf Evlar and two human sisters who would make any evil god proud in Teltz' opinion – were in yet. They had seen the dwarf in the worship room and knew the sisters out with one of the priests on whatever errand. So Teltz thought they should be safe enough. With one last hesitation, he lifted his shirt up to his navel, revealing a barely visible tattoo of silvery ink forming a leaf-like pattern around it. As he traced the pattern with his right index finger, the world around him seemed to change, becoming more transparent and appearing to be illuminated by a colorless light from within. In truth, it was him changing; his body and mind partially slipping into another realm of existence, becoming invisible and, as he had not yet told anyone, mostly insubstantial. He would be able to walk right through doors and walls now, although he didn't like the sensation going along with it. At first, he had had to do this naked, but after long years, he was able to keep his possessions with him lest they be too big and heavy. But he had not yet learned how to bring things with him by turning them into his current state. All in all, Teltz did not understand the process very much, which is why he usually didn't use the tattoo, which in turn meant he didn't get more experience with it. The door opened just then and the dwarf entered, Hest behind him with a worried expression. The halfling relaxed when he noticed that the bard was already invisible. Teltz used that moment to slip out of the door; he had not thought about how to open the door once he was invisible, and simply walking through it would have meant more explanations later. He would need explanations as to how he had managed to go through the permanently locked door to the restricted area in the basement, too. Maybe he would claim someone had gone in and out, but that would be a very convenient coincidence to believe. Teltz would worry about that later, though. Right now, he was content to make it through the iron door, ignoring the sickly feeling associated with passing through solid material. A single everburning torch in a sconce on the eastern wall provided light for this area, revealing a dusty, cobweb-ridden corridor. The stench of sweat and worse was in the air, but in his transformed form, it didn't bother him. He knew that to the left of the T-section at the eastern wall would lead to the cells they had awoken in a few days ago, so Teltz took the left turn and passed through another door at the end of the short corridor. He emerged in front of a staircase leading down, curving to the east. Some musky smell was in the air, but as all sensations were somewhat different in his current state, he had no idea what it could be. An animal, maybe? Some residue from a ritual? The pressure trap on the stairs was clear to the human as he descended, but he could ignore it, of course. At the end of the stairs were no doors and so he could see the next room clearly. It had the look of a second half to the sliding trap he had just walked over. The tall chamber was broken into two levels. Loose gravel, dirt, and bones covered the bottom level, while a walkway traversed the upper level from east to west, leading from this room. At opposite ends of the room on the lower level stood a pair of gigantic stone statues, roughly carved in the image of Razmir, his hands held high to support the room’s ceiling. Each statue sat upon a pedestal with a large hole in its base that sloped down and out of sight. "Something nasty hiding in those holes, no doubt," he muttered and twitched at the strange sound his voice made in his momentary form. There were bones and remains of possessions all over the floor. He could make out a wand and a purse, and several gems. He crouched down and separated useful stuff from junk, putting a golden ring, a pearl and the wand into the large purse. Anyone watching would have seen those items levitating. He held on to the purse and had a better look at the room. Looking for a way to climb up, the bard noticed a door at the west end of the walkway. A secret door he had failed to notice when he was upstairs. It had to be right under the everburning flame. The bard tossed his bundle of loot up on the walkway. Hopefully, he would find a way to take it through the secret door later. Then he turned and walked up the stairs again. No need to climb – which was more difficult in this half solid form – when he could just walk through the wall upstairs. Which he did a few minutes later to pick up his bundle. He hid it as best as he could just behind the secret door, so at least no one coming from that side would fall over it right away. Then he proceeded to the east and passed through the next closed door. The stale scent of perfume and incense was heavy in this opulent chamber with pillows, carpets, and other fineries covering the floor. Silk curtains were hanging over the walls, and flicking light emanated from a hidden source on the ceiling, which was also draped in curtains. On the north side of the room, a gilded throne, bedecked with tiny gemstones, was sitting upon a raised dais. Half-empty bottles of various spirits were lying about the room, and an exotic water pipe was set up in the middle, filled tobacco. Golden censers, currently unlit, were hanging from the columns. One by one, the bard checked the curtains. Behind the southern one, he found another door. With a shudder, he reluctantly passed through this one as well. By now, he felt quite sick to the stomach. This chamber contained two small chests on opposite walls and a large chest between them, sitting next to a table. Atop the wooden table were three bags and a large ledger. A treasury, as it seemed. The chests proved to be locked. Teltz made one of his hands go through the wood and felt around, feeling a lot of coins in sacks, the middle one also containing a wooden case. Teltz ignored the chests and turned to the bags on the table. The first was filled with four complete sets of city guard uniforms, matching those worn by the local watch exactly; the second contained 23 silver holy symbols, representing nearly every good and neutral deity, and the final bag appeared to be empty. But Teltz knew a bag of holding when he saw one. Reaching inside, he thought of getting everything out and retrieved pieces of a broken gold chain looking rather old. He recognized them immediately as fragments from the chains hanging around Ara's and Kassen's necks in the Crypt of the Everflame. Here was the final proof that they had been right coming to the temple. The ledger held check in information for all the items, although it didn't list where they came from. 'There were also mentions of transportation of tithes – to Razmiran, Teltz suspected, filling the purses of the Masked God's nation. For a long moment, the bard contemplated his discoveries. The bag of holding meant he had a way bringing all of the treasures out of here and the temple if he so decided. There was no weight limit for such bags in his current state, he had tried that before. It held the risk of being discovered though, because it meant he would have to dispel the tattoo's magic and then invoke it again. Discovery, he realized, wasn't his real fear. There was but a slim chance of anyone stumbling in here at this time of night. But the repercussions of using the tattoo's powers in quick succession and the thus needed ritual of restoration – which he could probably not do in their inn – were not something he looked forward to. Additionally, he had a bit of a moral problem taking these riches. Not because he thought the temple should keep them, but because there was a slim chance the city officials could use it for the poor once the temple had been exposed. He was not the thieving type; yet their group would need a lot of resources, knowing they would not be likely to return to their former home anytime soon. Only Teltz knew the true nature of the hunters trying to find him and his son ever since he had adopted the boy. The quiet years in Kessen were now at an end. And then, who said the city would use the money to aid those who needed it, anyway? Tracing his left index finger over the tattoo, he dispelled the tattoo's strange magic. As usual, he could not breathe for a moment, much as if his body needed to readjust to being solid. When he could focus again, he put the chain parts back into the bag of holding and then lifted his shirt again, retracing the tattoo with his right index finger to become invisible again. This time, he felt even sicker than before. But there was no other way. Only when holding the bag while invoking the magic did the bag become like him, and only then it could be used to gather up and transport normal, solid things through solid matter. He had done that before, although with a lot less loot that he would be doing now. Teltz set about in a hurry. First he went through the chests one by one, gathering up the sacks and the box of wood and emptying them on the table again. He would not take what he couldn't use later. While the bag had no weight and space limit in the state it was in now, everything in it would put a burden on his soul. The effect was hard to describe, but it was not pleasant at all. The 9 bags of silver and the 4 bags of gold he returned to the magical storage right away. The wooden case, made of darkwood and valuable in itself, held 5 moonstones, several potions, a portion of oil, a dose of what he thought was sovereign glue and a set of horseshoes which he thought to be magical. He returned it to the bag of holding as well. The weapon, a mace, he had also discovered he left out. It was likely some sort of magical weapon, but for him to add it to the pack would cause his soul to be burdened more than by normal weight. His insubstantial form was not very compatible with weapons beyond simple knives. There were 14 bags of copper coins from the last chest. He contemplated over them, and finally his greed, born of worry for his son and the others from the group, made him pack those as well. By now he became increasingly nervous, an effect part of the soul burden. In the room with the throne-like chair, he stopped to free it of its gems. His hate for this cult he was pretending to be a part of grew with every moment, and he wanted nothing more than harm them in any way he could. This effect was, as he would have noticed had he been his normal self, also an effect of the soul burden he now carried. In a hurry he rushed all the way back to where he had hidden his first loot. Adding it to the bag, he went out through the secret door. He felt the need to vomit, but his job was far from done, and now that he had committed to it, he would see his plan through. Getting to the second floor was no problem being invisible. The guards chatted with themselves and didn't suspect anything; as long as he wouldn't walk right though them that was. Teltz stared at the jewels in the grand mask fitted between the guard alcoves longingly, but his need to damage was not that great yet to be so foolish and alert the guards after all. He went around the balcony overlooking the lower area and stood in front of a pair of double doors made of silver. The symbol of Razmir and several of his followers offering him treasures was engraved into it. Again, he went right through, feeling a slight pain now in addition to the sickness. This new room had many doors, three on each side and a pair of double doors opposite the entrance. In the center of the chamber, a twostep dais served as a base for a sculpture made up of dozens of masks, carefully forged into a humanoid shape. Teltz thought it looked like a golem of sorts and was relieved not to be seen. Those were clearly the quarters of the high ups, and for a moment, Teltz thought of investigating them, but then, he was here for the things stolen from the crypt of Kassen. He was looking for the high priest's quarters, knowing she had left last week. So he picked the double doors to pass through. A large plush bed on the south wall, facing a carved oak desk on the north side, furnished the large and opulently decorated chamber. In the center of the room, a large carpet, woven with the mask of the Razmir at its center, spread across the floor. A small table positioned next to it bears a small whip, a pair of manacles, two bottles of Andoran brandy and four vials of exotic perfumes. Teltz ignored those. The bard set about searching the room carefully, more and more nervous and ready to attack someone or destroy something. In the bookcase, carefully disguised behind a false book face, he found 3 more ledgers dealing with the temple's business. One held the income with all the details about how it was obtained – few of it legally – and one other the expenses, which weren't always legal either. Both those volumes, Teltz threw into his magical bag. There was no time to waste here. The third, however, dealt with the Kassen expedition. For a moment he thought of reading it right away, but then he felt more irrational thoughts creeping up due to his burden, and he threw it into the bag as well. The only other thing of mild interest was a locked drawer in the table. After confirming what he was looking for was not in there, he added the contents without any further thought to his bag. Disappointed but still eager to do damage, he left through the doors again. The hate was building up to rage, somewhat fueled by the disappointment. Against all reason, Teltz began to invade the other rooms. Only one of the rooms was occupied; loud snoring drove the bard out again before he was fully through the door. The others, he quietly but thoroughly ransacked. One of them was clearly the chamber of Egarthis. A map detailing the cult's progress in the city was on the wall. It looked as if they made astonishing progress, which in turn was quite shocking to Teltz. Egarthis was a man of little possessions, or so it seemed. The only thing the bard found worth taking was a Vudrani dagger – or so it looked – set with a variety of colored gems. There was dried blood on it, which only pushed the human's emotion up even more. Ina fit of uncontrolled rage, he hacked at the map on the wall with the dagger, again and again, shouting curses in a voice only he could hear. The thumping on the map was obviously heard, though, as a moment later a sleepy voice in front of the door called out asking if everything was alright. With a surprised hiss, Teltz added the dagger to his prizes and went out of the room, not only through the door but also through the priest Rennec who had been standing right outside. A startled gasp came from the other man's mouth before he dropped in a convulsion. The guards came towards them already as Teltz moved out on the balcony. But that was another opportunity. Namely, to loot the mask. It was a foolish thing to do, but he could not help it. The six emeralds could be removed easily, but the bard struggled with the green quartz. When he finally got it out without damaging it, the guards were already calling for reinforcements, and alarm bells rang out. Taking two steps at once, the bard ran downwards and toward the temple gates, barely avoiding passing through more people. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
Playing the Game
Story Hour
Company of Chaos - All Around Golarion
Top