Fall of the Valkyries

Fall of the Valkyries is the first entry in the Maid in Another Time quest series, in which Maximillion Maido seeks to recover a series of ancient maid outfits from across the Known World. It is the first quest to feature Newton Woodsmith and Ruh`tora'ka'Osmur.
The quest follows Woodsmith and Osmur, who join Maximillion Maido's expedition to the Tafos Motanis in the Frozen Wastes. There, they uncover the tragic history of the Valkyries, a religious warrior maiden order in the time of Ancient Argaiv, and retrieve a set of ancient Blue battle raiments. 
== Intro ==
The engimatic Clow Reed has requested membership to the Faruz institute, a Raqqosian colonial institute seeking to break free of stuffy, dogmatic academia. Many believe his membership would be an invaluable boon. However, the head of the institute, Osari'al'Qadil, is adamant that Reed must prove his worth and dedication. As a part of the requirements laid down by Osari, Reed has invited a member of the institute to join Maximillion Maido's planned expedition to the "Tafos Motanis", a well-known Argaivan temple in the Frozen Wastes. Maido is a well known honourary consul and trade magnate, and Reed claims to be his academic mentor, with the two allegedly persuing a number of academic endeavours.
To this end, the elderly Salah'al'Jafi, the Faruz institute's head researcher on Argaiv and renowned scholar on the history of ancient Mesoukeanissi, has sent his protege, Ruh`tora'ka'Osmur, to partake in the expedition. To this end, Ruh`tora has been directed to cross the Inland Sea, destined for the port-city of Rubellium. Meanwhile, Rubellium's great and glorious Guild of Heroes has recieved word that Maximillion Maido himself has requested an audience with the guildmaster. Recovering from a recent, notorious (and failed) drunken stage-crashing of "The Little Golem That Could", the guildmaster has entrusted a reliable lieutenant of the guild, Hero Newton Woodsmith, to meet with the Maid-Cafe-mogul in the hopes that he can restore the (temporarily) damaged reputation of the guild.
As Qidal's consulate ship pulls in to the calm waters of Rubellium bay, a dapperly dressed Maximillion Maido finishes a light cafe-lunch and begins a saunter down to the guild, where a nervous Woodsmith awaits his esteemed guest. 
As a part of the requirements laid down by Osari, Reed has offered a position in Maximillion Maido's planned expedition to the "Tafos Motanis", a well-known Argaivan temple in the Frozen Wastes. Maido is a well known honourary consul and trade magnate, and Reed claims to be his academic mentor, with the two allegedly pursuing a number of academic endeavours.
== Plot ==
On his arrival at Rubellium, Ruh`tora was escorted to the Heroes' guild where he joined Newton Woodsmith and Maximillion Maido. Maido explained that he needed Newton's assistance with an expedition to the Tafos Motanis, the ruins of an Argaivan temple in the Frozen Wastes. Maido is seeking a relic, a suit of blue battle armour from the Ancient Era and believes that it may be located at the ruins. He had heard that the Heroes' Guild was effective at locating such relics and thus sought their assistance. Furthermore, he explains that as a favour to his academic mentor Clow Reed, Ruh`tora will be assisting Newton in uncovering the history and secrets of the Tafos Motanis.
The party sets out north to the Frozen Wastes, where they meet up with the expedition at the base camp on the plains below the hilltop Tafos Motanis. Our heroes ascend and explore the temple, descending into a small tomb at the centre of the structure. Within, they locate a text indicating that a shunned individual is interred within:"We curse your name for eternity. Oh spiteful one. Your "visions" a lie, your "prophecies" a deceit. Belathona shall see you forever shunned, and you shall guard this realm in eternity for your punishment.We can never return what we have lost. You will never regain what you have desecrated."Unable to locate anything further of note in the temple, the party looks to the adjacent ruined fortress and scale the crumbling battlements in order to explore within its walls. Within the fortress ruins they find the diary of the leader of the Valkyries. It describes how the structure was once the headquarters of the Valkyries, a religious order of warrior maidens in Argaiv. It goes on to both lament her knowledge of an impending coup against the order by their political rivals, the Theokon (queen) of Argaiv and the Oraclates.
Returning from the fortress with this newly acquired knowledge, the party is nevertheless empty handed in respect of Maido's search for the relic. As they continue to explore, an expedition member calls them over the eastern base of the Tafos Motanis, highlighting a hitherto hidden passage leading under the temple. 
After navigating the narrow, ruined passage, the party finds itself in a large vault with walls interring numerous stone sarcophagi. At the end of the vault lay a small chamber, containing a large and elaborate stone sarcophagus, adorned with seemingly fresh flowers. Next to the sarcophagus, on a mounted display, was a brilliant blue suit of battle armour as described by Maido. Finally, the party found a note indicating that the leader of the Valkyries was honoured (although not interred) in this chamber, and that her fallen brethren lay in the adjacent vault. The note expresses profound regret at the fate of the order and asks for forgiveness for what has been done to the Valkyries:"How you did deserve a better resting place. Your body does not even lie in the cold ground. We pray for your forgiveness and your mercy. That we might be permitted this regret.We pray for your fallen sisters. For the fallen pride of our land. We hope we are never in need of your strength. For it is lost, by our hand."It becomes apparent from the platitudes and messages within the vault that the Tafos Motanis was constructed following the destruction of the order of Valkyries and that Argaivan
Category:Quest