Loose threads
Decipher the Saqqaran glyphs in the dome structure basement
Identify the goal of the Serpentfolk in the area: The underling mentioned the "Observatory will be [their leader's] place of ascension"
Explore the crumbled tower north of the Observatory
Unearth the lower levels of the Observatory (will require specialized equipment)
Defeat Rydess to save the settlement she likely subjugates
Repair relations with the Watcher Tribe
Defeat the Serpentfolk threat in the north-east
Participants Besh, Milktoast, Namiri, Sandnex, Toma
Locations Desert of Rydess, Saqqaran Observatory
Short summary:
Saved some people, Killed Serpentfolk for Rydess in a dome with murals
Full Report
(OOC, anyone solely interested in the ancient stuff discovered in the quest, skip to the last section titled: Toma's notes)
Toma mentions that with First Landing's damaged relations with The Watchers' Tribe, and the serpentfolk threat in the north-east, direct land travel into the desert would have been extremely difficult. Instead, we travelled by foot to First Landing Port. From there, we travelled by ship to the north-west corner of the Desert.
After an hour of walking South-South-East, Besh and I pick up the sound of distant voices carried by the wind past some rocks about 200 ft. ahead. A serpentfolk, who seems to have a giant beetle and two smaller beetles are attacking two humans and a kobold caught in quicksand. After rescuing the humans and kobold, One of the humans informs us they where tracking the group before getting caught. They were paid a mediocre salary by the Guild to try to monitor the desert after establishing travel by sea. Apparently it's preferable to risk being noticed by the Queen of the Desert, than getting jumped by the Snakefolk.
Searching the Snekhandler, Toma finds a handful of metal-pointed arrows, a small wavy knife with intricate motiffs, and a dented medallion. The medallion, Toma noted, did not match the rest of the items, both in style and state of repair. It looked ancient, with the depiction on it worn by time. It shows a triangle; an eye in each of its points, and a barely anthropomorphic figure in the center. Toma mentions it's likely not Serpentfolk made.
(Written along the margin in a different handwriting) Later, we managed to confirm the medallion being of Saqqaran origin.
We press on South-East with our new travelers while the sun is still up for two hours and then set up camp. I brought nothing with me and relied on the others. I will try not to burden comrades like that in the future.
The kobold mentions the snakepeople gathering in the southeast near some ruins. These serpentfolk were looking for more in this area but we didn't search it ourselves.
Everyone in the extended party except me seems to speak a common language. I'm guessing it's Dragonic because they speak it to Rydess as well.
After camping for the night We part ways with the comrades we rescued and head for the ruins. My suggestion for negotiations was a bad one and looking back I'm glad we didn't go with it.
When we arrive near the ruins we notice the desert has flattened the verticality of what in ancient times was erected as several towers, aimed at the sky, with some particular purpose or merely artistic choice. The marble or clay is engraved geometric shapes. We only spot a handful, more complex designs, like suns and stars; and a collection of incomprehensible wedge-shaped characters used in an ancient writing language. Meaning lost after time and erosion.
Our attention shifts towards the ground of these desert streets. There is a collection of 'shards', translucent and of varying size, that seem to grow out from the ground. Mineral formations that resemble petrified worms or thorny vines. Numerous and covering huge stretches of sand in between the buildings.
We also see a couple of locations of interest:
A huge dome in the middle of this ruined labyrinth.
An opening where a tower cracked and fell, revealing the interior. To the north.
A piece of textile, caught under some debris and flapping in the wind. To the south.
(At this point, the handwriting changes to extremely fancy cursive.)
The party, Besh in lead, approached the rubble in the south. Thanks to Sandnex and Sir Oldie's combined strength we were able to uncover the remains of one (or maybe several) Serpentfolk. Their bodies lay in pieces: scales charred, limbs strewn about. The sand under the debris had been glazed over due to some instant and intense heat. We didn't have to wait long to figure out what was the source of this chaos before us. Circling some 300 feet above us was a long sleek figure. Sandnex's sharp eyes picked out blue scales, on a draconic form. We were due for a visit from the Queen herself. Her Majesty, Rydess, was upon us.
In hindsight, all our actions at this point were meaningless. We were mere playthings to her. Yet, the body wants to continue living against all odds, and each of us instinctively entered a flight-or-fight mode. Milktoast rushed in to confront the Dragon while the rest of us tried our best to avoid detection, and, failing that, dodging her lethal swoops. However, we were still in her domain with no hope of escape. Rydess whipped up a sandstorm and then swept the dunes with brilliant lightning, forming the petrified "worms" that littered the area. Some of us got severely injured by the onslaught, and survival was appearing less and less likely.
Besh, with his acute presence of mind, attempted to bargain with the Queen instead. Following Besh's lead, I addressed her Majesty in her native tongue, describing the Serpentfolk's most recent crime against draconids. At last, our words managed to phase her! The sandstorm subsided and she stood before us in all her great and terrible glory. We were alive on her whim alone, and she knew it. She seemed willing to hear us out, though her patience was running thin. Besh offered to take out the Serpentfolk in her stead, while I begged her to consider us worthy enough to serve her. Rydess laughed at our pathetic attempts at negotiation, but that seemed to have cooled her murderous rage. Satisfied with the display of "insects" pleading for their lives, she let us venture into the ruins. Letting one group of parasites destroy another was quite convenient for her. Our task was simple: Exterminate the Serpentfolk in the ruins in a day, or die trying. Cowardice was not an option, neither was tardiness.
We ventured into the cracked dome and discovered a 40-foot drop down to the lower level. What lay beyond was shrouded in pitch black darkness. Besh and Sandnex made arrangements for our safe descent, while I took a look at the severe burns that Milktoast and Namiri had suffered. Soon enough, it was time to make the plunge. The ruins were ancient and crumbling, meaning our climbing equipment wasn't nearly as secure as we had wanted. Still, we were able to reach the dome's base; albeit with some injuries. Besh illuminated his shield and took the lead.
Walking through the circular walkway around the dome, we saw several murals and hieroglyphs adorning the walls. Though I was unable to decipher the symbols, they seemed to tell the tale of the rise and fall of the Saqqaran civilization. The last two murals were of particular interest. They seemed to mirror each other in time. On one wall, a huge celestial orb in the sky surrounded by flying creatures above a ruined society: Scenes from an apocalypse. On the opposite wall, the same sphere, now destroyed and crumbling. A single eye surrounded by three concentric circles floats in the void in its center. Beneath this sky stood eight figures, five humanoids, three of whom were big folk, a winged creature, a quadruped and a scorpion: A haunting parallel of our adventuring party. This place still had ancient magic coursing through it. That much was certain.
We soon arrived at a set of large metal doors. I sat myself against the wall and began writing down all I had seen in the past two days. My mind raced ahead of myself as I failed to answer Milktoast's questions about this place. This, along with the sense of defeat against Rydess, made them impatient. Before we could each prepare for the fight ahead, Milktoast pushed the gates open, revealing an Observatory infested with Snakes. Besh and I quickly enchanted our allies' weapons, while Milktoast and Glaumus rushed in first.
There were three Serpentfolk total. The squad leader and a lackey on the Observatory platform, and another one on the lower level. Creating a set of illusory doubles, they quickly fired a round of arrows and bolts at us, to mixed success. The Orrery came to life! Due to some hidden mechanism, the model planets began whirring around the Observatory, one of them nearly crushing Spook and I. Amidst all this chaos, we pushed on. Through a dance of torchlight and darkness, the rest of the party found their way in the Observatory. Glaumus and Roxanne hounded the lone Serpent on the ground, while Milktoast and my Summon, Hilde, beset the Boss. Feeling surrounded the crafty Snake used a series of fluid motions to make their escape, but not before landing a near fatal bite on Milktoast's shoulder. The enraged Berserker gave chase trying to avenge the hit, only to fall victim to another critical strike. Their body lay convulsing on the floor, frothing at the mouth. They needed support, and fast!
Namiri and Besh to the rescue! Namiri channeled primal forces to resuscitate our dying ally from the brink of oblivion while Besh's approach was more in-line with modern medicine. Their combined efforts brought Milktoast back into the fray. Meanwhile, the attack squad wasn't slacking either. Sandnex let loose a flurry of arrows at the Boss, one of them catching them right in the throat. Feeling the end approach and surrounded by enemies on all sides, the Boss was unable to react in time to the arcane lightning attempting to engulf them. The room was filled with the scent of burnt scales, while the Boss flailed at all who surrounded them. Victory was within reach, all I had to do was grab it. Evoking a storm of force bolts, I ended the Boss's misery. The lackeys lost all hope of survival after their leader's death. The mook downstairs was savagely mauled by Glaumus while the other one was seized by Milktoast. We had won.
To all my friends and companions, I deeply apologize for my actions. However, I believe I did what had to be done. With Sandnex as interpreter, we attempted to interrogate the captured grunt, yet despite staring potential death in the face, they held their tongue. The problem here was the "potential" death, as opposed to its certainty. With a heavy heart, I walked to the railing and electrocuted the dying Serpent, their scream echoing through the chamber. This seemed to have earned me our prisoner's twisted respect, not something to be proud of. Using this we managed to loosen their tongue, which only seemed to hold insults for us "lesser beings". After a dance of words with sharp back-and-forths, I managed to rile them up just enough to get a confession. The Serpent admitted to some great scheme beyond our understanding. This Observatory was supposed to be their leader's ascension. Unfortunately, I couldn't get anything more concrete out of them. Despite that, l believe securing the Observatory should be one of the Guild's top priorities.
(The next paragraph is written with a rather shaky hand)
I offered the Serpent a choice. Death by arcane lightning: or a chance to run away, directly into her Majesty's jaws. The poor creature lost all sense of self as it kept repeating something in some unknown language. My lightning was a mercy to it.
Finishing up, we scanned the place for objects of interest. We discovered four levers with ceramic symbols, possibly Saqqaran, under three of them. We chose to leave them alone for the time being. Now came the big question, do we warp back now, or do we meet up with Rydess once again. Despite my protests, Milktoast and Besh insisted we report our exploits to Rydess before leaving for First Landing. Much to our surprise, the Desert Queen was far amicable now than before. (Although, she still managed to fit in a backhanded compliment and a veiled threat in a span of ten seconds.) With Rydess gone, the party decided it'd be wise to recall before she changed her mind about us.
(A few notes have been attached to the bottom of the main report)
Toma's Notes
1) Saqqaran Medallion
A detailed diagram of the medallion is drawn here:
The medallion features the shape of a triangle; an eye in each of its points, and a barely anthropomorphic figure in the center.
2) Murals on the Observatory Walls
The last two murals have been faithfully reproduced:
The first one, titled "Past", features a huge celestial body surrounded by winged creatures. Underneath lie the remains of a ruined society; an apocalyptic scene of massive destruction.
The second one, titled "Present", shows the same celestial sphere, now partially destroyed and broken in pieces. Three concentric circles and the shape of an eye float in the void in its center. No winged beasts nor stars depicted around it this time. Carved lines fall down from it towards the ground, where eight figures stand. Five humanoids: one with several tails and pointy ears, and two of smaller stature than the rest. And three beasts: a winged one, a quadruped, and one with pincers and a stinger. There are arrows pointing to each creature, identifying each of them with each of the party members.
3) The Orrery
The Orrery's planets have been sketched:
(See the image on Saqqaran Observatory wiki page)
The Blue one has a time period of 24 seconds. The Yellow one has a period of 12 seconds. The third one has an irregular period between 12 and 18 seconds.
4) Saqqaran symbols on the plates beneath the Observatory levers
Faithful representations of each of the three symbols are drawn here, along with the four levers. Someone with knowledge of Saqqaran hieroglyphs might be able to tell what they mean.