"Ancient Pharasmite symbology or something... This is not the traditional Pharasman usage and style." Thomas says, cautiously approaching the door at the end of the hallway with Midnight Lord at his heels and Hell's Teeth in his hands.
As Thomas strides forth down the hall a sudden clattering comes from the alcoves as the skulls of a few of the bodies entombed there pop off their corpses and skitter toward the halflings on spiderlike legs! Thomas's sharp eyes notice them before they've gotten too close, and the group has a chance to react before they are upon them.
Eidolon : HP 13/13 | AC 16 (20) T 12 FF 14 (18) | F +4 R +5 W +0 | CMB +4 CMD 16 (FF 14) (can't be tripped) | Init +2 | Perc +5 | Stealth +7 | EA +3 Halfling Summoner [2] | HP 15 | AC 14 (18) T 14 FF 11 (15) | F +3 R +5 W +6 (+2 vs fear) | CMB -1 CMD 12 ( FF 9) | Init +5 | Perc +8 | Spellcraft +5
Dammit, I know I had a post made. Sorry, it didn't take I guess. That's what you get if you post during lunch and depend on the wifi at McDonald's. However, it looks crowded up there...
Culsar will wait to see if anyone needs to pull back before sending his eidolon to battle.
Eidolon : HP 13/13 | AC 16 (20) T 12 FF 14 (18) | F +4 R +5 W +0 | CMB +4 CMD 16 (FF 14) (can't be tripped) | Init +2 | Perc +5 | Stealth +7 | EA +3 Halfling Summoner [2] | HP 15 | AC 14 (18) T 14 FF 11 (15) | F +3 R +5 W +6 (+2 vs fear) | CMB -1 CMD 12 ( FF 9) | Init +5 | Perc +8 | Spellcraft +5
Eidolon : HP 13/13 | AC 16 (20) T 12 FF 14 (18) | F +4 R +5 W +0 | CMB +4 CMD 16 (FF 14) (can't be tripped) | Init +2 | Perc +5 | Stealth +7 | EA +3 Halfling Summoner [2] | HP 15 | AC 14 (18) T 14 FF 11 (15) | F +3 R +5 W +6 (+2 vs fear) | CMB -1 CMD 12 ( FF 9) | Init +5 | Perc +8 | Spellcraft +5
Pressing boldly forward, Thomas and Cade find the next doors unlocked. Beyond is a cavernous chamber with a ceiling that vaults to a height of sixty feet, forming an architectural wonder unsupported by any visible columns or buttresses. A wide stone bridge with an elaborately carved railing arches over the chamber from north to south, joining two sets of massive bronze doors at either end. The central portion of the chamber contains an inlaid spiral symbol and is recessed into the floor, with eight staircases leading up to a wide ledge that encircles the room ten feet above. On this ledge stand bronze doors to the east and west. Eight larger-than-life statues stand upon the ledge as well, evenly spaced around the room’s circumference—seven carved from white stone, and the eighth carved from black stone.
Clockwise around the cathedral, starting to the southwest, these statues depict : a tall man with gems set in his forehead, wielding a flaming glaive; a beautiful woman with wild hair, holding a ranseur; a voluptuous, nude woman wielding a two-headed guisarme; a short, smiling man holding a longspear; an obese man with rotting flesh, wielding a scythe; a handsome, bearded man in extravagant clothes, wielding a lucerne hammer; and an imperious, heavyset woman holding a mirror and a halberd.
The eighth statue (in the south-southeast part of the room) is carved from dark diorite and is threefold in form, portraying a tall woman with three faces looking in three different directions. One side has a kind face and cradles a baby in its arms, while a second side displays a more stern expression and holds an hourglass. The third face has a crazed look; its hands are empty, but thornless roses twine up both arms.
DC 15 Knowledge (religion):
This chamber is dedicated to Pharasma, though in an architectural style much different from the gothic Pharasmin cathedrals of the modern day. Though not a major god in the Thassilonian pantheon, Pharasma was still worshiped primarily as the goddess of death (though also in her other aspects as goddess of birth, fate, and prophecy).
DC 15 Knowledge (history):
Of course, the runelords would not build such a grand temple to a single god without representations of their own nearly godlike power, so the temple and its crypts are also dedicated to the seven rewards of rule and the seven runelords themselves.
DC 20 Knowledge (history):
You recognize each Runelord.
The tall man with gems set in his forehead, wielding a flaming glaive (Karzoug, Runelord of Greed); a beautiful woman with wild hair, holding a ranseur (Alaznist, Runelord of Wrath); a voluptuous, nude woman wielding a two-headed guisarme (Sorshen, Runelord of Lust); a short, smiling man holding a longspear (Krune, Runelord of Sloth); an obese man with rotting flesh, wielding a scythe (Zutha, Runelord of Gluttony); a handsome, bearded man in extravagant clothes, wielding a lucerne hammer (Xanderghul, Runelord of Pride); and an imperious, heavyset woman holding a mirror and a halberd (Belimarius, Runelord of Envy).
DC 20 Knowledge (religion):
The eighth statue as an archaic representation of Pharasma in her three aspects: the midwife, the reaper, and the prophet.
"The Thassilonians appear to have built this. Seven of the statues are the runelords and their seven rewards of rule. I'd guess the last one is Pharasma herself. However, it is very much a Pharasmin temple."
"Yes, you are right, Kryspi. That's actually an archaic representation of Pharasma's three aspects: the midwife, the reaper, and the prophet."
"Furthermore, each of these other statues represents different runelord: the tall man with gems set in his forehead wielding a flaming glaive is Karzoug, Runelord of Greed; the beautiful woman with wild hair, holding a ranseur is Alaznist, Runelord of Wrath; the voluptuous, nude woman wielding a two-headed guisarme is Sorshen, Runelord of Lust; the short, smiling man holding a longspear is Krune, Runelord of Sloth; the obese man with rotting flesh wielding a scythe is Zutha, Runelord of Gluttony; the handsome, bearded man in extravagant clothes wielding a lucerne hammer is Xanderghul, Runelord of Pride; and an imperious, heavyset woman holding a mirror and a halberd is Belimarius, Runelord of Envy."
Eidolon : HP 13/13 | AC 16 (20) T 12 FF 14 (18) | F +4 R +5 W +0 | CMB +4 CMD 16 (FF 14) (can't be tripped) | Init +2 | Perc +5 | Stealth +7 | EA +3 Halfling Summoner [2] | HP 15 | AC 14 (18) T 14 FF 11 (15) | F +3 R +5 W +6 (+2 vs fear) | CMB -1 CMD 12 ( FF 9) | Init +5 | Perc +8 | Spellcraft +5
So its a bunch of guys called Runelords? Interesting, but does it matter to us? They're just statues. So where do we go now? Through here?
Forgot to reveal the large chamber on the map. There are three exits from it. I'll assume Cade crosses an opens the doors to the north. I have edited the map, but not moved PC tokens. Please place yourselves.
The northern doors open into a hallway that goes about 40 feet further before coming to a T that goes east-west. Multiple doors are seen in this area.
Heading south you come to an intersection heading east and west.
The western hallway quickly turns south and continues to a set of steps headed down.
To the east is a hexagonal chamber. There you see a suit of elaborate lacquered armor standing against the far eastern wall of this octagonal chamber. Silver chains attached to the armor’s neck and chest run across the floor of the room, their ends clutched in the bony hand of a skeleton sprawled on the floor ten feet away.
DC 15 Knowledge (local):
The intricate armor is in a style favored by the mysterious men of the Iridian Fold. Enigmatic foreigners, the men of the Iridian Fold are believed to hail from the continent of Casmaron, and always travel in pairs—one in the strange armor, and the other swathed in veils.
"I'm not sure what to think of this. Was the armor for a slave or prisoner? Does someone want to check for magic before we move on?" Cade asks, after throwing a rock at the skeleton to make sure it doesn't decide to move.
Eidolon : HP 13/13 | AC 16 (20) T 12 FF 14 (18) | F +4 R +5 W +0 | CMB +4 CMD 16 (FF 14) (can't be tripped) | Init +2 | Perc +5 | Stealth +7 | EA +3 Halfling Summoner [2] | HP 15 | AC 14 (18) T 14 FF 11 (15) | F +3 R +5 W +6 (+2 vs fear) | CMB -1 CMD 12 ( FF 9) | Init +5 | Perc +8 | Spellcraft +5
Culsar will detect for magic as suggested. Yeah, lets move this way. It doesn't look so bad.
Culsar is about to detect for magic when Cade's rock bounces off the armor and rattles something loose. Actually, about a thousand somethings as a swarm of flesh eating cockroaches pour forth from the armor!
Eidolon : HP 13/13 | AC 16 (20) T 12 FF 14 (18) | F +4 R +5 W +0 | CMB +4 CMD 16 (FF 14) (can't be tripped) | Init +2 | Perc +5 | Stealth +7 | EA +3 Halfling Summoner [2] | HP 15 | AC 14 (18) T 14 FF 11 (15) | F +3 R +5 W +6 (+2 vs fear) | CMB -1 CMD 12 ( FF 9) | Init +5 | Perc +8 | Spellcraft +5
Culsar and the eidolon also fall back as they have nothing to combat swarms. I always forget about it, too.
