Quest Line · Original Adventure · Pathfinder 2e
Level 1 · One-shot
A desperate priest begs the party to recover the Reliquary of the Amber Sun, a sacred artifact stolen by cultists who worship a forgotten star-god. The trail leads to an abandoned hilltop observatory where the cultists plan a ritual to crack open the reliquary and release the divine spark contained within. The party must navigate crumbling architecture, confront fanatical believers, and decide the fate of a powerful religious artifact.
Players should create characters with some reason to help a dying priest—whether compassion, religious duty, or promise of reward. The adventure features themes of religious extremism and includes combat encounters with humanoid cultists. The observatory contains environmental hazards like unstable floors and heights. This adventure assumes the party has at least one character capable of healing and one who can handle social interactions or knowledge checks about religion.
Deathbed Plea: Father Merricus, an elderly priest of the sun goddess Aurellia, staggers into a tavern or temple where the party rests. Bleeding from a head wound, he collapses and begs them to recover the Reliquary of the Amber Sun from the thieves who attacked his shrine. He offers his life savings (50 gold pieces) and the blessing of his goddess. He dies within the hour, but not before describing the thieves' leader: a woman with a brand of a three-pointed star on her neck.
Witness Account: The party witnesses the theft firsthand while visiting Merricus's roadside shrine. Three robed figures overpower the old priest and flee toward the hills with a golden box. Merricus survives long enough to explain the reliquary's importance and point toward the old Stargazer's Observatory where he saw the thieves camp the previous night.
Hired Help: A local magistrate or temple authority hires the party to investigate the theft and murder of Father Merricus. Evidence points to the abandoned observatory, and the authorities want the reliquary recovered before the thieves can sell it or worse—use it for some dark purpose.
The Stargazer's Observatory sits atop a windswept hill an hour's walk from town. Once a place of astronomical study, it was abandoned decades ago after its founder disappeared under mysterious circumstances. The stone structure consists of a circular main building topped with a tarnished copper dome, flanked by a smaller equipment house.
As the party approaches, they spot two robed sentries on the observatory's front steps. These cultists wear dark robes marked with silver three-pointed stars and carry simple weapons. They're alert but not expecting trouble.
Stealth Approach: Characters can attempt to sneak closer using available cover (rocky outcroppings, scrub brush). A DC 15 Stealth check gets them within 20 feet undetected. The sentries have a Perception DC of 15.
Social Approach: Bold characters might walk up openly. The cultists are suspicious but can be deceived with a DC 17 Deception check (claiming to be fellow believers, delivery people, etc.) or intimidated with a DC 16 Intimidation check.
Direct Assault: If the party attacks or fails their approach, the sentries fight while one shouts to alert those inside (giving a +2 circumstance bonus to the enemies' initiative in Scene 2).
Cultist Sentries (2): AC 15, HP 16 each, club +5 (1d6+2 bludgeoning). They surrender if reduced below 5 HP or if both their allies inside are defeated.
Behind the main entrance, the equipment house has a rusted lock that can be opened with a DC 14 Thievery check or smashed (Hardness 5, HP 20), providing an alternate entrance to the main building's lower level.
The main chamber is a circular room forty feet across with a domed ceiling. Dusty astronomical instruments lie scattered about: an armillary sphere, star charts, and a broken telescope. A spiral staircase leads up to the dome observation deck. Four more cultists are here, led by a zealot named Brother Calthas, preparing ritual components around a makeshift altar where the golden reliquary sits, gleaming in candlelight.
The reliquary is a hand-sized golden box set with amber gems, secured with both a physical lock and holy wards. Calthas is attempting to break the wards with a dark ritual, but hasn't succeeded yet.
Negotiation Opportunity: If the party parleyed or snuck past the sentries, they might talk to Calthas before combat begins. He's a fanatic but not unintelligent. A DC 18 Diplomacy check reveals his motivation: he believes the divine spark inside the reliquary will grant him visions of the "True Stars Beyond." A DC 20 Religion check allows a character to argue theological points that give him pause, potentially getting him to agree to a contest or trial rather than immediate violence.
The Choice: Calthas offers a deal—if one party member can pass a "trial of faith" (climbing to the observation deck and touching a sacred meteorite kept there without divine assistance), he'll surrender the reliquary. This is genuine; Calthas believes in signs and portents. The climb is a DC 16 Athletics check with a 30-foot fall risk (3d6 damage) if failed by 10 or more.
If combat ensues, Calthas and three cultists fight while a fourth tries to grab the reliquary and flee up the stairs.
Brother Calthas: AC 17, HP 24, dagger +6 (1d4+2 piercing plus 1d4 mental damage from fanatical zeal). He can cast fear once per combat. If reduced to 10 HP or less, he attempts to smash the reliquary open as a final act.
Cultists (3): AC 15, HP 12 each, dagger +5 (1d4+2 piercing).
Environmental Hazard: Several floor sections are unstable. Characters moving more than 20 feet in a single action must succeed at a DC 13 Reflex save or crash through rotted boards, becoming grabbed by debris (DC 15 Athletics or Acrobatics to escape).
Whether through combat, negotiation, or pursuit, the climax occurs in the observatory dome. The copper panels are corroded with gaps showing the sky. In the center rests the Founder's Meteorite, a person-sized chunk of star-iron covered in strange symbols that pulse with faint light.
If Calthas Lives: He makes a final stand here, attempting to crack the reliquary against the meteorite. The party must stop him within three rounds or the reliquary shatters, releasing a brilliant pulse of divine energy that grants everyone present a powerful vision of Aurellia's domain—fields of golden wheat under eternal dawn. The vision is not harmful, but the reliquary is destroyed. Calthas weeps at the beauty he's witnessed and surrenders.
If Pursuing a Fleeing Cultist: The cultist reaches the meteorite and, in desperation, places the reliquary against it. The meteorite's alien energy reacts with the divine wards, creating a dangerous resonance. A DC 15 Arcana or Religion check identifies the danger. The party has two rounds to either grab the reliquary (DC 17 Athletics to wrestle it away) or disrupt the resonance (DC 16 Occultism to recite counter-prayers). Failure means the reliquary explodes in harmless light (as above) but also cracks the meteorite, releasing strange spores that cause hallucinations (DC 14 Fortitude save or become confused for 1 round).
Peaceful Resolution: If the party convinced Calthas through the trial or persuasion, he ceremonially returns the reliquary, asking only that they tell him what the priests say is truly inside. This ending allows the party to return the artifact intact and potentially recruit Calthas as an ally for future adventures.
Outcomes:
Father Merricus: Elderly priest of Aurellia, sun goddess of mercy and harvest. Murdered defending his shrine. Motivation: Protect the reliquary at any cost.
Brother Calthas: Former astronomer turned star-cult zealot, branded with a three-pointed star on his neck. Thin, intense, mid-30s with wild eyes. Motivation: Unlock forbidden knowledge by cracking open divine relics.
Sister Maren: High priestess of Aurellia in the nearby town, stern but fair, will reward the party for the reliquary's return. Motivation: Preserve her goddess's sacred artifacts and honor Merricus's memory.
Vex: Young cultist (the potential fleeing character), barely twenty, joined the cult seeking purpose. Easily frightened. Motivation: Prove worth to Calthas and escape poverty.
The Magistrate Yorren: Local authority who wants the cult cleared out but doesn't understand the religious significance. Practical, gruff. Motivation: Maintain order and prevent dangerous groups from operating in his jurisdiction.
Experience: Award 80 XP per character for completing the adventure, with an additional 40 XP bonus if they recovered the reliquary intact or redeemed Calthas.
Treasure: Father Merricus's promised 50 gp, plus the cultists carry a total of 23 gp, 45 sp, and a silver star-pendant worth 15 gp. In the observatory, characters find a functioning telescope worth 25 gp and three doses of antiplague (lesser) among the ritual supplies.
Special Rewards: Sister Maren grants each party member a blessed ampoule—a vial of holy water that functions as a standard holy water but also grants a +1 status bonus to the next saving throw against a divine effect. If Calthas is redeemed, he gifts them his star charts, which grant a +1 item bonus to Astronomy Lore checks and may become relevant in future adventures involving star-cults or celestial events.
Story Rewards: The temple of Aurellia becomes a friendly faction. The Magistrate spreads word of the party's competence, potentially leading to future employment opportunities.
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