|
At Heiliger's words, the little reptiles jump and turn around, staying in the opposite side of the river. They chirp at each other quietly, then lower their weapons and look around suspiciously. One of them steps forward, "I am Red Scale, descendant of the great dragons! We would normally roast trespassers, but luckily for you I feel nice. Leave now and you won't be harmed."
Heiliger, you sense no evil auras.
|
|
Avelbane searches her memory for any knowledge that may help their situation.
Hello, friends. she speaks softly. But with confidence and sincerity. we are merely here to gain knowledge of this place and to be of what service we can. Please help us with our endeavors and we will help you where we are able Draconic being a language that she had studied. She hoped they would listen.
|
Turning to his teammates, Heiliger lets them know in Common that the kobolds are not evil. "Perhaps we can negotiate a truce here?"
Switching back to Draconic, Heiliger tries to express to the kobolds what the team's goals are without provoking the little ones.
"Red Scale, we were sent here to map and explore these caverns. One thing we have found already is that there is an ancient holy site here still in use by peaceful pilgrims. While they would probably prefer that you abandon these tunnels, we understand that you are not here to spread evil. Perhaps if you were to remain only on that side of this underground river and promise on behalf of your tribe not to disrupt the holy site, that would relieve the pilgrims' fears and ensure that both they and you can continue to use these caverns peacefully."
|
|
"Gribbl, I doubt that I've convinced them. Talking to them first was your idea, so perhaps you can try, too. Please."
-Posted with Wayfinder
|
|
Red Scale hisses with laughter at the word "share", but he continues scratching at his chin scales and looking at each of you in turn, seemingly counting the six of you. "Pilgrims are boring anyways. They just sit in pool and aren't even here that often. Mighty kobolds have better things to do than waste time bothering them." The pair turn, apparently heading off into a different section of the tunnels.
There is a tunnel leading on that the kobolds were inspecting, or you can stop by Uori and give him the news.
|
|
"Aye, good Gribbl, I think we should let our pilgrim friend know what we've found. Perhaps he'll be more helpful now."
Heiliger puts his javelin away as he heads back into the tunnels towards the central pool.
Pausing, he looks back at his colleagues, "Um, someone knows the way back, yes?"
-Posted with Wayfinder
|
"That ended a lot more pleasant than I expected. I wonder how Uori is going to like the news of sharing the caves with our new little friends." Rook laughs while patting Gribbl on the back.
Rook checks his gear and sighs with relief when he isn't on the ground after this encounter. He points back the way they came when Heiliger asks.
|
|
Uori frowns upon hearing of the undead, but smiles as you tell him the news of the kobolds. "Thank you friends. You have done me and my people a service today, and we will remember this. In return, let me tell you some more of the carvings behind us."
"The model city represents Aroden's vision, and some of his power yet lingers from that. Before he died, pilgrims would come here to repeat his actions from history, in hopes of getting closer to his goals. Repeat the actions you see depicted, and his blessing will be yours."
To complete the Shepherd’s ritual, a PC must spook the frogs crawling about the miniature city and make them jump off into the water—this requires a successful DC 10 Handle Animal, Intimidate, or wild empathy check. Completing this ritual grants each of the PCs a +2 insight bonus on a single check made to perform the aid another action in the next 24 hours.
To complete the Craftsman’s ritual, a PC must fashion a very simple object with a successful DC 5 Craft check and place it in the miniature city; this area has a few stones and a small amount of clay that the PC might use in addition to anything he has with him. Completing this ritual grants all of the PCs a +1 competence bonus on Perception checks to find hidden doors and concealed objects.
To complete the Hunter’s ritual, a PC must kill one of the centipedes that hunt around the edge of the pool (AC 17, 4 hp) and place a piece of the centipede in the miniature city. Completing this ritual grants all of the PCs a +1 dodge bonus to AC against charge attacks.
To complete the Thief’s ritual, a PC must steal one of the colored stones in the miniature city without anyone else commenting on it for at least 1 minute. Completing this ritual grants each PC a +1 circumstance bonus to AC against a single attack made while that PC benefits from cover.
|
|
Rook takes some notes while looking around the city. "I usually make explosives so this isn't my forte." he mentions while going over the Craftsman's Ritual. While surveying the rocks he slips a colored one into his pocket.
He then goes over to Gribbl and comments on how easily he dispatched the mighty centipede before laughing.
|
|
"You are welcome to eat all the bugs we come across." Rook says while working one of the little stones into a polished disc with some alchemical reagents.
It comes out rather nicely. For not being a bomb.
"Not to worry, Uori. This one won't explode...unless you think I should rig it to? I mean that would scare away those little frogs." he bellows while placing the object down upon a structure in the city.
|
|
Once you finish, Uori approaches again. "I believe you may be able to make use of this, my friends." He hands over a thin wand. "Also, that tunnel you just came from does lead back to the surface, though I haven't explored it much myself."
As you pick your way through the tunnels, you hear a familiar shouting voice. "As the legendary Gregaro Voth successfully battled the wild beasts in the deepest reaches of the Mwangi Expanse, so shall I defeat you, foul servant of Lamashtu!” As you near the end of the tunnel, you see faint moonlight reflecting from the outside. The light of the surface world above provides a welcome reprieve from the blue and green fungus of the caverns below, and light illuminates a stream whose water is hastened by runoff from a recent storm further up the mountains. A ledge to the west rises up to the nearby forest canopy.
Out in the clearing, Janira is still locked in combat with the minotaur. Both of them are clearly the worse for wear, the minotaur's axe has a large crack in the blade and Janira is barely on her feet. Once she spots you emerge from the cave, she cries out. “You vile beast! I know not what drives your black heart, but I shall not fail in my duty. I shall see you driven from this forest, back to the hills from whence you came!” She steps back and snaps her whip around the minotaur's axe, but isn't able to pull it from the monster's grasp.
Bold may post
Gribbl
Khoda
Avelbane
Mhazruk
Heiliger
Janira
Lukas
Shef
Minotaur
|
|
Heiliger sprints forward as fast as he can in his bulky armor, hoping to assist little Janira. He draws one of his special javelins as he moves, and echoes Janira's words in a bellowed rallying cry, "VILE BEAST, INDEED, JANIRA! Hold fast, my friend, and Have Hope!"
He lets the spirit of Hope wash over himself, and shares its benefits as he does with his good friend Shef and his team leader Janira.
|
|
Khoda and Avelbane advance on the minotaur, along with Lukas and Shef. The minotaur snorts in anger as Janira dodges its attacks. The wounded halfling tosses a sack at the beast, gumming its feet up with sticky resin.
Bold may post
Gribbl
Khoda
Avelbane
Mhazruk
Heiliger
Janira
Lukas
Shef
Minotaur (5 damage, entangled)
|
|
Mhazruk gets close to the water and puts his full force into lobbing his bomb. Throwing farther than he is normally comfortable with but a Minotaur isn't something he wants to get close to.
Even with the distance the bomb hits the Minotaur with masterful precision. It smashes into his side engulfing him in a burst of flame.
"HAH, BULLSEYE. I could feel that one from over here!" Rook calls out mocking the charred enemy.
|
|
As Heiliger hustles forward, he passes Rook and claps him on the back. "Great shot, my friend!" Stopping just shy of the log, he throws his ammentum at the minotaur with all his might and a prayer to Smiad on his lips.
I'm not sure if I could hit the broad side of a bull with a throw like that. Maybe being entangled in those sticky strands will help.
-Posted with Wayfinder
|
|
Stepping onto the slick log in his heavy armor, Heiliger hesitates and momentarily loses his footing. He shifts his feet as carefully as he can, but finds he can't make any progress. Looking down at Khoda, he tries to hide his fear of falling in with a joke. "A little help, my friend?" he says, not really expecting that the wolf can understand him.
-Posted with Wayfinder
|
|
Gribbl does his best to recall... so much happened... "Well, we met a Gillman, who says his folk come to the cave to meditate... We found some shrine type areas to Aroden, and a miniature model of Absalom, and a dead necromancer and his minions, that we dispatched... His notes seemed to indicated he wanted to make an army of gillman undead." He turns to the rest... "WHat else did we find in there? It feels like I'm forgetting something."
|
|
"Damn cow, couldn't stand the heat." Rook laughs as it turns and flees.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
"Our other little friends setting up camp down the other tunnel! The kobolds...still don't know how we got out of that without a fight. That is something the Society may want to monitor. That and the odd tests for Aroden." Rook helps with their report as he looks through his terribly scrawled diagrams. Well I can understand them...
|
|
Heiliger gingerly steps off the log as gracefully as he can manage, which is to say, not at all. As his feet plop down in the mud alongside the stream, he heaves a sigh of relief and gives a silent prayer to Smiad that he didn't go swimming.
He steps up alongside the others and listens to their reports, doubting he'll have much to add.
"Janira, it is a great relief to see that you are well. We feared we would not get back to you in time. Hopefully the trip home will be less ... eventful."
-Posted with Wayfinder
"I do hope so Heiliger, it is good to have you around me once more."
You safely make your way back to town, where Janira brings you to the office of Kreighton Shane.
"Good to see you all! Especially you Janira, so glad you could make it. Did you remember to bring me that blueberry tart recipe that you promised me? Oh, another time is also fine. Now, new recruits, what did you find in that cave? I would also like to see your notes, it’s difficult enough to remember what one had for breakfast the day before. Do not even mention how tough it is to recall exactly what one was thinking while studying an inscription... I assume you did take notes, right?"
|
|
"Well, we met a Gillman, who said his folk come to the cave to meditate... We found some shrine type areas to Aroden, with tests to the worship of Aroden.. successful accomplishment of the tests yielded short-term benefits, so there was still power in the shrine. We found a miniature model of Absalom, and deeper in the caves was a dead necromancer and his undead minions, that we dispatched... His notes seemed to indicated he wanted to make an army of gillman undead." Gillii hands over the necromancer's notes, which have Gillii's personal notes, written up after reporting to Janira after the minotaur, in the margins. "Down another tunnel, we met some kobolds, who seemed to be setting up a camp of some kind... we didn't fight them, and perhaps the Society might want to go back and try to make some kind of further contact with them."
|
|
Heiliger approaches Kreighton Shane tentatively, his timid bearing here at distinct odds with how he acted out in the field. He hands over the few pages of notes he took, including the sketch of the mural of the Hunter slaying the serpent, which seems to bear more of a resemblance to a certain someone's grandfather slaying a dragon than perhaps it did in actuality.
This feels like turning in an assignment at school, which I wasn't very good at. I took notes; I just hope they're adequate.
"Sir, my friend Gribbl has touched on nearly everything we encountered. I would only add that there was a very large pit in the entrance to the caverns. If someone returns, they should be as prepared as our teammate was with his incredible folding bridge," he finishes, gesturing to Shef.
|
|
"Notes, sure! My style might be a little unorthodox." Rook laughs while handing over his note bundle. It is filled with diagrams of the siege weapons they passed, the shrine, and enemies they faced. A engineer's perspective.
After handing it over he claps his allies on the back.
"They pretty much covered the rest of the brief. That Minotaur probably has some pretty nasty burns though."
"A Heiliger, you won't get marks for style. The important bit is that all information is there. And it seems it is!"
Kreighton walks to a cupboard and takes six small boxes from it. "Congratulations, you are now pathfinder agents!"
He shakes each of your hands "Agent, I am honored to present you your wayfinder. I look forward to see your notes on the assignments that my collegues and me will give you!"
Janira then hugs every one of you "Congratulations! If there is anything I can help you with let me know! Now we need to go and celebrate!"
After a night of great celebrations you are ready for whatever mission the venture captains decide to send you on!