Chapter 1 - No Silent Secret

Kalistios - You turn over the shard of pottery in your hand, and realize there is a message written on the back: Silence the heretic Varyas. His secrets must remain dead. You then examine the golden mask, when something remarkable begins to happen.

Everyone - As the five of you gather together, for a moment, all sounds turn to whispers, and color drains from the world, turning everything shades of gray—everything except for the gleaming golden mask of the pursued rider. Looking at each other, then the mask, it is clear (unless you try to hide it from each other) that you each are seeing the same thing happen. The etching on the inside glistens and glows with a golden light. Seconds later, things return to normal.

Scylax - Indeed, you do have a flash of insight. The leonin despised the gods, in general, declaring them chaotic and unworthy of worship. None of those was more despised as Phenax, masked god of deception. The story goes that Phenax was once a mortal who was trapped in the Underworld, but managed to deceive Erebos, God of Death, and became a god all his own. You recognize what just happened as an omen of Phenax, although can't discern why the god would send an omen.

Sarlyn - You are familiar with the story above, and also come to the same conclusion.

Kalistios - In looking over the mask again, a single word stands out. "Khea." Other than that, you cannot decipher the etchings inside the mask.

Sure. The design is a bit on the creepy side (dark stained wood and frayed rotting leather), but other than that it’s in good working order. There’s a little hip quiver as well, with a few arrows. You can probably pick up more in Meletis. (I’m not all that worried about tracking arrows, unless you’re looking for something special.