[Gameplay] 8. Vault of Hidden Wisdom

Your research in the Dark Depository points toward the Vault of Hidden Wisdom, the most secret archive of the Great Library. Once again, you will need to gain permission to get inside, but even with your patrons permission, Deka An-Keret refuses to tell you where the entrance to the vault is located, claiming that knowledge of the entrance’s location has been lost. Likewise, the curators in the Outer Sanctum have heard of the Vault of Hidden Wisdom, but they have no idea where it is. Even with permission, you will need to find your own way into the vault.

How do you go about finding the Vault of Hidden Wisdom?

"We should learn what we can of it, of anyone that knew of it's location in the past. Perhaps memory of it's location can be found with the dead, or passed down to an ancestor?"

You search for stories or rumours of the Vault of Hidden Wisdom, and find the following: "The long shadow of the Tower of Ra's Glory in the dawn of midsummer is said to point toward the door."

Unfortunately, the Tower of Ra's Glory collapsed decades ago, and it is not midsummer.

How do you use this information to find the entrance to the vault?

"Seems the first thing we should determine is where, exactly, this Tower of Ra's Glory stood. Then, while we may not have the luxury of waiting for Midsummer, perhaps someone learned enough may be able to tell us where the sun would be in the sky during that time."

"Do we have a means of generating artificial light? Perhaps we could fool it into thinking it is Midsummer."

'If my Dad was here, he would be able to help. He may even have heard of it. He's a builder...' She thinks. 'I can probably ask Khepri for light but I do not know if it will be bright enough.

The Tower of Ra’s Glory collapsed years ago. It lay as a ruin for decades, but after you ask your contacts you find that in recent months the tower’s location has become a building site, as the tower’s fallen stone and marble blocks are being removed or incorporated into the foundations of a new building under construction.

You could make a DC 25 Knowledge (Nature) check to work out the sun position at midsummer as compared to now, but you'd also need to know the tower's height to determine where the shadow would point.

Tabat scratches his head. "Perhaps if there is an builder's guild in the city, we might seek them for assistance? They may have archival information on the tower."

'Sounds like a good start.'

Finding the ruins of the Tower of Ra’s Glory is easy. Many locals remember the tower, but few can recall its height. None know anything about the Vault of Hidden Wisdom. You learn of a trio of old locals named Adull, Hamask, and Toothless Mhetek, who sip mint tea at a nearby hostelry. These old-timers played in the tower as children and know it very well, and tell you it was 125 feet high.

Tabat thanks the old-timers before turning to his companions. "Well, that's one mark down. Now we just need a way to approximate the direction that shadow would fall. A farmer, I think, may know the seasonal sunlight. Or a scholar of some sort."

Your inquiries find you a man, Ab-Holl, who knows a little something about such matters. A natural philosopher, he maintains a small diorama of the sun and stars.

He scratches at the dirt a little, and then tells you that he will need a day to do the research, and 50 gold pieces for his time and materials. He's confident that he can determine the shadow, and prove to you it's correct as well.

Do you pay?

Tabat listens and nods along to the man as he explains what he'll need, and the promises he makes. He considers while reaching for his coin purse.

Tabat is certain that he's a binafide sage, an expert that you're hiring with particular and valuable skills.

The next day, he shows you his results. It's mostly a series of circles and lines and gibberish, but Ab-Holl is confident in his calculations. The determination of where the shadow would point reveals the actual entrance to the Vault of Hidden Wisdom is located in an otherwise nondescript wall of a bathhouse in the Wadjet’s Walk district. Once you know where to look, you find the door with little difficulty, although searching blindly would have been a very difficult task.

You wait until you cannot be seen and pass through.

Two deep alcoves open on either side of this dusty chamber. A small, battered bronze chest sits on the floor at the far end of the room. Beyond the chest, a passage continues to the south.

Iseret detects a pressure plate in the floor that looks to open a pit.

Iseret attempts to disarm the trap.

Tabat begins to walk forward but halts when Iseret signals danger. He watches the halfling do her work, nodding in appreciation at the display of skill.

Iseret fails to disarm it, but does not set it off. You can try again (failure by 5+ will set it off), or mark it and go around.

Iseret contemplates for a moment. "Let me try again, I think I've just about got it!"

Hearing the click, Iseret knows that she has messed up and quickly attempts a backward roll.

By her fingernails, Iseret scrambles from the pit trap. 50' deep and spiked at the bottom, she avoids a prickly fate.

It's the width of the room, and ten feet across, so getting over it will be a challenge, especially for Andromeda!

Some time later...

Having been drawn back from the pit to consult in meditation, Khadi and Jaware take leave of your company. Perhaps it will be only for a short time, but Kepri calls her away to some urgent work and Jaware is convinced to protect her as long as he can.

Tabat and Iseret seal up the hidden library and seek additional adventurers to assist them in exploring this next tomb of tomes.

This leads them to the inn called The Beggars Oasis. It's a teahouse and hookah, ostensibly, but is a known hang out and gathering place for adventurers of a certain nature - that is, those with scruples rather than without. The hostess Tahirah is said to have a nose for such things.

This leads us to a fine one evening, with Tabat paladin of Horus and Iseret the halfling archaeologist meeting: Kyra, priestess of Saranae; Selquet Ashem, an agile man at arms; and Callum Blackstar, a half-elf warrior with a more mystical air about him.

The air of the Beggars Oasis is lightly scented with a sweet smell of aromatic incense being smoked at other tables. Several pitchers of beer have just been delivered by Tahirah herself, water condensing on their chilled sides. She gives Tabat a light nod, signaling that she had no objections to the company that have just sat at this table.

Iseret smiles broadly at the newcomers. "Welcome to our little company," she offers with a hand.

"A pleasure to make your acquaintences," Tabat says to Callum and Selqet. "Kyra, good to see you again. It's been years since that ordeal up in Sothis. I was glad to have you by my side then, as I will be now. Welcome to you all."

Given some time to get to know each other, eventually you return to the Vault of Hidden Wisdom. With the additional resources, expertises and abilities you are better equipped to tackle the no doubt forbidable defenses of this library.

Iseret has last uncovered a pit trap. 50' deep and spiked at the bottom. It's the width of the room, and ten feet across, so getting over it will be a challenge, especially for Tabat's camel Andromeda.

It's an open pit, having been triggered earlier and it hasn't been reset since.

Iseret easily jumps across and with a rope secured around the bronze chest, the others have a way to cross with support. Taking your time, you make it across. The chest is empty.

You see a few ways to go but after checking the corridors, you see the following:



In the central location (marked E2) you see desks piled with scrolls and codices.

Beyond that, at the farthest extent of darkvision (for those that have it; location E3), you see the ends of racks that hold more scrolls.

To the east, at the end of a passage in a small chamber (location E4), two clockwork soldiers have just animated and are coming toward you. Faintly over the din of their clanking, you think you hear a few more coming, but those are out of sight.

Let's say that you're at the intersection just below E1. They are medium sized and moving at normal speed so they'll be upon you in a round or two. What do you do?

Iseret raises her crossbow, aims, and fires at one of the clockwork creations.

The fireball does horrific damage to the clockwork soldiers. They're still upright, but the damage is nearly catastrophic.

Those of you with ranged instruments quickly take them down, and they clank to the floor. When the gears stop turning, you hear the matched clanking footsteps of two more coming toward you from the southeastern passageway.

When he looks around the corner, they're about 30' south of the intersection, and he lays the spell below them. It fails to deter them meaningfully.

Both clockwork are still up after those attacks.

Tabat pats Andromeda gently, asking her to remain behind while they delve further into the darkness beyond. She lets out a snort and stamps a hoof, but otherwise lays down to watch as they move inward.

At the sight of the clockwork attackers, Tabat pulls free his adamantine heavy flail and prepares to attack.