brodert quink

As you approach broderts house you see the remains of the old light, an ancient lighthouse built into the side of the cliff that overlooks the varisian gulf, that has been reduced to ruins. The remaining stone structure still stands roughly 50ft up. But you get the sense that when it functioned it was massive and rose probably another 120ft

Across the street You also see an old man with thick round glasses, a thick white beard, thick white eyebrows, and white hair along the sides and back,  bald on top tending to a small garden. 

He sees you all looking at the old light.

Impressive isn't it? The old light. If that was truly its purpose. 

Brodert quink is the name. Most people believe the old light was a lighthouse, and it does appear to be just that. On the surface. However my research into ancient thassilon has led me to believe that it was more than that, an ancient weapon of unfathomable power perhaps, but that's merely a hypothesis that would require more empirical evidence you see. 

My name is brodert quink and I've assembled a group of researchers and truth seekers here in town called the rune watchers. Ever since the the rise of runelord karzoug and the discovery of the ancient thassilonian empire some time ago, our little town has been a hotbed for adventurers seeking ruins and ancient artifacts of  thassilon. 

You see, I am a scholar of varisian history and engineering. I spent 2 decades of my youth studying with Dwarven engineers at janderhoff and 3 decades as a cataloger at the founders archive in magnimar. 

You see, long before the common era.... 

Thassilon was founded by the benevolent emperor Xin, who first harnessed the power of rune magic. Xin was exiled by the mystics who ruled the nation of Azlant for promoting the belief that the Azlanti could learn something from and should cooperate with the other races of Golarion. He and his followers left the distant continent and traveled to northwestern Avistan to establish a new nation in the area now known as Varisia. In doing so, they brought advanced civilization to the people who lived there, known today as the Shoanti and the Varisians. Though exact dates from the Age of Legend are hard to gauge exactly, it is believed that Xin began the formation of the Thassilonian empire around -6530 AR. As the size of his nation grew, Xin divided Thassilon into seven fiefdoms and entrusted his advisors to rule them in his stead. Each of them specialized in a different school of magic, and was guided by one of the Azlanti seven virtues of rule; generosity, zeal, charity, love, humility,  kindness, and temperance,  they became known as the runelords. As Xin's personal influence over the nation waned, his ideals were also pushed to the wayside, making way for the villainy of the sinful runelords, who gained even more power than Xin, by embracing the very sins they sought to eradicate. Karzoug turned generosity to greed. Krune turned zeal to sloth. Belimarius turned charity to envy. Sorshen turned love to lust. Xanderghul turned humility to pride. Alaznist turned kindness to wrath. And zutha turned temperance to gluttony. 

You pull out the map you found and he starts studying it meticulously. He grabs a couple books and starts cross referencing notes he's made in the books with the map. He says "hm, interesting. Very interesting indeed. You see right here, the coast line on this map is much farther out than it is now. This map is most assuredly pre earthfall. You see this label here says "the rasp"  and where we are, here in sandpoint, here's a label that says Hellstorm Flume compound, hellstorm flume, I remember reading that somewhere and he starts thumbing through books and pages and voila 

After some time and checks he tells you that it appeared the seven runelords were constantly at odds, particularly alaznist and karzoug. Karzoug had built sentinels, enormously huge statues that he could then see through their eyes to keep watch of alaznists nation of bakrakhan. Alaznist had built the hellstorm flume, towers that could launch devastating fireballs great distances to keep karzougs forces at bay. The old light was never a lighthouse, the old light is what's left of the collapsed hellstorm flume. And look here on this map you found there's mention of karzougs nation of shalast, right here where the pit is now. Its circled with a note that says "captured spies whisper of a sizable Shalast cohort stationed here, led by someone names Liralarue-- must secure authorization from mistress for a raid" 

Liralarue; has this name come up in anything else you've found?