Site 102

## History & Description

Site 102 is an ancient city known as Serothium or Seroth. City in the 9th age. Not much is known about it, actually, and it was recently discovered. It’s design is reminiscent of the 8th age, so it's probably from the early 9th age. It was an expanding metropolis during its time; now it’s roughly two miles of ruins. The archaeologists there have two merchant scrolls referencing Seroth and scorch pepper. Professor Van Holt thinks the flat spots beyond the trees are the foundations of the city. There is likely stone buried just below the ground, which is why trees don’t grow there.

## Places of Interest

### **The Tomb of the Soaring Tigers [secured]**

* There's a front portion with rubble leading to the back of the house. Through the rubble, there's a back door and to the right is an archway. To the left is a husk of a scorpion. There are bones of a leg and there is writing: "Don’t attract too many scorpions. The King will come.” And “Beware of the stone shifters, they are strong, but a dimetrium solution can stop their transformation." (Dimetrium is something used by monster hunters that hunt things that shift their outer density.)
* There were two confirmed bodies, a female tiefling and a male half-orc. The half-orc has a scorpion-stinger in his sternum and is missing his leg below the knee. The tiefling has broken ribs. There’s a journal near the tiefling revealing there were six people, originally and they were called the Soaring Tigers.
* Within the house was also writing in Infernal that said: Here lies Kalem and Serenity. My best friends and teammates. I hope you find peace on the other side. 5-3-27. Soaring Tigers will live on.
* **Found**
	+ 2 bedrolls
	+ 1 journal
	+ 1 golden rapier that looks completely untouched by time (Poison Ivy)
	+ A bag filled with 7 small stones with glyphs on them
	+ 3 tennis-ball sized orbs in a box, there's sloshing and metal bits inside of them.
		- 2 contain dimetrium
		- 1 is a bomb

### **Alchemist's House [secured]**

* There's a main room and hallway, leading back to two doors. One leads to a bedroom. The other leads to a kitchen area and then out to an enclosed yard.
* **Found**
	+ Bracelet and pendant in the bedroom
	+ Rusted tin box
	+ Mysterious potion: a very old version of an Enlarge/Reduce

### **Restaurant of Rats [secured]**

* Downstairs is a large dining area and a kitchen. There is clear evidence of a chase between a scorpion and one of the former adventurers.
* Upstairs is a room filled with rats nests and a cabinet containing a body. On the back of the door was written, in Infernal: To whoever finds me. I couldn’t find my party. The scorpions have found me. I hide in here and hope they go away. I have been stung. – Mazim.
* **Found**
	+ Body of Mazim
	+ Mazim's staff
	+ Circlet of blasting

### **Town Square**

* There's a trail of holes and jutting earth that lead here. It’s a defensive battlefield, trying to avoid being flanked, and in the center lays a mangled metal humanoid. Beneath the metal man is a tiny skeleton. He was curled over her in a clearly protective fashion.
* **Found**
	+ A gray bag, the size of a softball.
	+ A weird leather bag with arcane sigils (Bag of Tricks)
	+ Within are three scrolls
		- Puppet
		- Elemental Bane
		- Earth Bind
	+ a silver Horn of Blasting (evocation)
	+ A purple mouse-sized Bag of Beans
	+ A View Sphere/Vision Sphere held in a gold-ringed base within the head of the metal man that shows he is Edgar and he was trying to protect his young creator.

### **Jeweler's Shop [secured]**

* There's a main long room with a workshop in back and a bedroom with a bed. The main room is covered in glass and the remains of the displays. Something seismic happened and messed this shop up quite badly.
* **Found**
	+ Amethyst
	+ Coral
	+ Amber
	+ Box of 6 turquoise animal figures
	+ 2 ruby pendants
	+ Bronze chalice with jade cat's head inlay
	+ 1 golden birdcage filigreed with platinum or silver
	+ 3 pears, 2 garnets, 1 carved jade piece

### **Brothel [secured]**

* It's a once fancy house, formerly three stories tall. It has a large empty room on the main floor and several bedrooms.
* **Found**
	+ Small tin box with 5 bone dice inside. Very nicely carved and probably ivory. [Downstairs Bedroom]
	+ A locket with a pristine portrait [1st Large Bedroom]
	+ A cracked bone/ivory hand mirror that used to have a wooden handle [1st Large Bedroom]
	+ A pristine gold and black masquerade mask on the headboard [2nd Large Bedroom]

### **The Temple**

* There are pews around an altar with the golden tulip on it. Broken and corroded cages surround the room with lots of bars lying on their side. Anthos recognizes that the altar was a sacrificial one, and it's roughly people-sized. The symbol is in between god and … not. This one is for an entity that is either a demi-god or Empyrean. Maybe an Arch Fey.

### **Nice two-story house**

* First floor has nothing, but it's pretty stable.
* Second floor has half of the roof fallen in and only two rooms are accessible. There's a study of some sort with maybe a desk and shelves. And a bedroom with nothing of interest.
* **Found**
	+ A scroll in a hidden compartment of the study. It's a scroll of storage. It will hold anything in a 5x5x5 ft square. It's consumable and there's nothing in it.

### **Center Building (of three that are leaning and destroyed)**

* There's a hole in the corner and lots of dirt on the floor. Pretty sure this is an entrance to the giant scorpion nest. There's definite signs of a fight as well, with the same magic we saw from the Soaring Tigers. There’s evidence of a battle. Like they went into the building, went down into the hole, aggravated something, ran back up and tried to collapse the building, only managed two beams.
* **Found**
	+ A Scroll of Blades: 15 ft cone in front of you will be pierced with blades. It’s from the Tigers.

### **Large, Sketchy Building**

* It has explosion divots, traces of magic, and scorpion bits. There's also another burrowed entrance that's semi-blocked. We could probably bring the building down on the tunnel with a little effort.

## People of Interest

* **Professor Von Holt** - he's in charge of the dig site, and can be found in the biggest tent.
* **Baz** - A blue dragonborn that is the professor's personal assistant. He has three horns and one at the front of his nose and was wearing a monocle, inspecting a gold piece, when we met him.

## Quests

* Search and Secure [Third Qualification Quest]
	+ Task 1: Check at least five buildings for structural integrity. Clear them of threats.
	+ Task 2: Secure the temple, and spend a night within the temple to verify it is clear of threats.
	+ Task 3: Any items found are to be given to the Professor or marked for the field crew.
	+ Preserve as much of the site as possible.