Since intimidation tactics did not bear fruit and staking out the house would take up too much time, the group decided that they had discovered all they are likely to find. Believing the children to be in reasonable care, the group returned to the Temple of the Shining Star, and informed Ollysta Zadrian of the successful delivery. They also informed her of Auntie Baltwin’s drinking and the stashed curatives found within the house.
Zadrian thanks the characters for their service and states that she will look further into the matter.
The characters next make their way to the rich estate of Grand Councilmember Dremdhet Salhar. They are greeted by a guard who is expecting them as they reach the tall, wrought-iron gate of the estate. He lets them inside and points them toward the door of the manor where a servant greets them and informed them that Salhar was not present, called away on important Council business, but his most trusted advisor was available to negotiate any business they required. The servant explained this while leading the group through the manor, down well decorated hallways and past expansive rooms.
After a few minutes, the group arrived at a simple study near the end of a long hallway. Inside Amenopheus, the Sapphire Sage, a tan-skinned old man sat behind a desk flipping through pages in a large tome. Scraps of paper jutted from the book marking over two dozen different places. As the characters approached the open door, the wise sage silently gestured them to enter the study with one thin hand, while closing the tome with the other after finishing what he was reading. Once all are were inside the study, he addressed the group.
“Good day to you, Pathfinders. I am Amenopheus, the Sapphire Sage, advisor to Master Salhar. I understand you were sent here to discuss archaeological permissions. Knowing this was coming, I spoke with Master Salhar at length on the subject and have this to say.”
“Since Osirion was reopened to exploration a decade ago, adventurers, historians, and treasure-seekers flock to my country by the hundreds, perhaps thousands. While most families with ancestral burial vaults maintain guards and keep their sites out of the hands of casual thieves, not all families have the wealth or power to restrict everyone, and as we all know, not every defense is perfectly secure. Unscrupulous tomb robbers and maligned merchant organizations cause Osirion to bleed relics into the Inner Sea—something the descendents of Ancient Osirion cannot afford. We Osiriani have thousands of years of rich history coursing through our veins, and while that power has been out of focus in recent years, we are content to wait, knowing our enemies will wear themselves down. As they fall into arrogance, folly, or greed, we wait for our return to power, knowing we bear the riches of our ancestors at our feet.”
“Master Salhar remains impressed by the Pathfinder Society, orating in their favor a handful of times in front of Absalom’s Grand Council, in fact. Due to previous relationships between him and the Society, Master Salhar has agreed to grant permission to the Pathfinder Society to explore his family’s vaults below Sothis. The only thing he requires is that you retrieve the map of the vaults from his own vault here. The servant will lead you to the basement and show you the room.”
The Sapphire Sage’s eyes twinkled as he smirked knowingly, then he turned back to reading his book as though he had never been disturbed.
After leaving Amenopheus’ study, the servant escorted the characters back through the spacious estate, leading them down sturdy stone steps into the cool basement. Down a hallway, after a couple turns, the party ended up at a plain wooden door. The servant opened the door, gesturing to the room with a bow, and waited silently for the characters to enter. Once all were inside, he locked the door behind them.
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