"Oh yeah? Really?! Lemme see," Spasi says, grabbing the goodies from Noya.
Spasi casts Read Magic and Detect Magic.
Spellcraft vs. Scroll #1
Spellcraft vs. Scroll #2
Spellcraft vs. 'googles'
"Hmm...these words don't mean much. Uh...but these goggles are pretty nice. Allow you to see better," Spasi says, offering them around if people want to try them on.
Bibic takes his own look at the scrolls, casting detect magic first.
(shard)
(shard)
"I'm not sure what this first one is, but they do look similar... The second is a scroll of water breathing though."
Bibic does try on the goggles, but passes them back to Spasi. "Not my thing really, but they are very nice. I think we should consider selling them when we get back."
"Goggles, what do they do?"
Rhesus tried on the goggles and proceeds to run into several walls.
"Ah, I can't see with these on. Not for me, thanks."
Having decided the goggles do nothing, Rhesus looks to move into the next area, still hoping to clear this place out and make some money.
Clement observes as Rhesus both dons and then removes the goggles, and tries to decide if his Shoanti friend looked more or less heroic with corrective lenses on his face.
"I agree. They aren't Rhesus's style. But they could protect your eyes from danger, like perhaps from a tiny cave goblin who likes to poke his finger in your eyes."
In case his comment was unclear, Clement points a finger at his own eye and employs a poking motion.
Pulling the goggles down over his own head, Clement beams.
"Hey! Look at me! I look like one of the Golemworks engineers. Now I just need a blowtorch and some iron to weld!"
"Nah Clem, I showed you how to keep them from poking your eyes. Plenty of guys tried that in the pit, ya just gotta stick your hand in front of your nose, like this."
Rhesus demonstrates the technique on himself, show how his eyes become invulnerable to harm with the simplest of tricks.
"I think we should get the goggles check when we enter town again to know what they are."
Clement nods at Rhesus's demonstration, and gives the others a look that suggests they should join in the appreciation of the Shoanti's "wisdom".
There's the briefest hint of concern in Clement's voice as he inspects his friend's head for lumps or lesions.
"Yep, good thinking Rhees. These goggles are pretty swell though, I can see every scar on your head."
Clement gestures to a couple but stops himself just short of touching Rhesus.
As he unstraps them, he holds them out again.
"They definitely help you see better, just like Spasi said. I think they're worth keeping if we ever need to inspect something for details."
Clement looks at the others.
"More than just Rhees's scalp, of course."
Spasi points Rhesus to C17.
Rhesus nods and moves towards the indicated room, hammer at the ready and vision mercifully unclouded by goggles of astigmatism.
"Let's do it boys. And Noya."
Bibic readies his bow and follows Rhesus to C17.
This chamber is bare save for a statue depicting the now familiar regal looking woman wielding a ranseur. She stands in a battle ready pose, with the tip of the ranseur aimed at the northern entrance to the room. The hallway continues to the south.
As soon as you enter the room the statue begins to smoke and sparks splutter around it.
Spasi looks at the statue and backs up a bit, casting Detect Magic.
"Get back, I'm not sure what is going on with that!"
Spasi moves back a few more paces, looking for an aura on the statue.
Bibic keeps his distance and waits for Spasi's analysis of the statue. He's had bad luck with statues recently so he definitely stays a good bit away from this one.
And Rhesus prepares to give the statue a proper smacking if it does anything else unstatuelike.
"Say the word and I'll smash it."
Bibic will be standing just inside the hallway past the north edge of the room. His bow is out, and he is ready for action, though he expects more of an explosion.
If everyone wants to stand there, then he's 5-10' back just behind the leaders.
Spasi will be about 2 squares up the hallway, looking in.
I should be safe here. No doubt.
Spasi will keep concentrating on the magic, identifying.
Noya takes the lead and is alert as she moves forward
Rhesus shrugs as Noya moves to the fore and follows her.
Clement stands ready next to Rhesus, his shield ready to protect his friend. He grits his teeth as if expecting something unexpected to happen and nods at his friend.
After hissing a sputtering for a few seconds, the tip of the statue's ranseurs flashes and explodes into an expanding ball of orange fire.
The fireball fills the statue's room and billows 10 feet down the connecting hallways.
Past the fireball room, the hallways connect to a long room. A line of pillars runs down the centre of this hall, between which lie the ruined remains of what was once an immense magical laboratory. Crumbled tables, broken stone urns, rusted cauldrons, and ancient fragments of broken glass lie scattered throughout. The northern wall depicts a vast mural of armies of deformed monsters and demons gathering on the shores of a mountainous island. Above, a woman's face has been carved into the mountaintop, and an immense bridge arches out from just below this woman's face. Below the mountain, at the end of a side view of a tangled network of caverns, lies a vast underground vault in which an immense monstrosity of tentacles surrounds a central fanged mouth; within the mouth glares an angry red eye.
"Ooww, that hurts.
And it looks like we have some choices of where to go next."
Clement's eyes bulge wide as the fire engulfs him along with Rhesus and Noya.
"NOOO! It's the Golemworks all over aga---"
As the flames dance across his face, Clement assumes an awkward pose, one arm twisted up into a claw, one leg raised, and crumbles to the ground.
Clement's eyes open and he frowns meekly.
"Fire... fire... bad..."
Shaking his head and coming to his senses, Clement quickly intones a prayer to Valani.
After stumbling about, Clement stands back on his feet and relates his feeling about fire once again.
"I hate fire."
Reflex
Spasi rolls out of the way, escaping much of the blast. While he's burnt, he's mostly angry for having missed whatever signs there were about the incoming blast.
"Well, that was pretty stupid wasn't it? We shoulda seen that coming," Spasi grumbles and looks for healing.
Spasi feeds Clem a potion of CLW (no wand activation, healing rolled above).
(curse)
Bibic is scorched by the blast, and healed handily by Clement afterward. "Thanks Clem. Mighty nice of you."
He turns to Spasi, "I'm keeping my distance from the next statue. I've had enough of these things."
Rhesus bravely dodges the fireball by hiding behind Clem, then looking in surprise as the smaller man falls to the ground.
"Huh, he's never done that before."
After his healing and channeling, he claps his oft suffering companion on the back.
"Good job Clem, taking it in the face like that. We'll make a hero of you yet."
Past the fireball room, the hallways connect to a long room. A line of pillars runs down the centre of this hall, between which lie the ruined remains of what was once an immense magical laboratory. Crumbled tables, broken stone urns, rusted cauldrons, and ancient fragments of broken glass lie scattered throughout. The northern wall depicts a vast mural of armies of deformed monsters and demons gathering on the shores of a mountainous island. Above, a woman's face has been carved into the mountaintop, and an immense bridge arches out from just below this woman's face. Below the mountain, at the end of a side view of a tangled network of caverns, lies a vast underground vault in which an immense monstrosity of tentacles surrounds a central fanged mouth; within the mouth glares an angry red eye.
Spasi follows the team into the room.
"What do we got here? More explosions? Oh...wait...that's just bad art. What is that?" Spasi asks.
Know (history)
Know (local)
Know (religion)
"Let's be cautious since that last room nearly roosted us like a holiday bird."
Bibic chuckles at the thought of the party strutting around like a bunch of turkeys through the complex, singed and frantic.
He studies the murals with Spasi, assisting him if he can, or giving a second opinion on the art if he cannot.
(shard)
(shard)
(shard)
"...and this could be Magnamar, see the bridge? That would make us..."
Spasi recognizes the tentacled monstrosity as the nascent demon lord Yamasoth and that the carved face of the woman is that of Runelord Alaznist (the woman depicted everywhere in here). From the presence of demonic effigy, you supose that this must have once been a fleshwarping laboratory, where many of the monstrosities of the elder age were created. Nothing else of interest can be found.
Two other exits leave this room with one looping back around (towards C4-5) and other leading away from the entrance (towards C20+)
Spasi will pause the team while he makes sketches for Venture Captain Heidmarch.
"Yeah, just one second. Let me get Analcyst's face just right."
When he finishes, he will point the team to C4, then to C5.
"Let's go this way. Something ain't right about this place."
Bibic joins Spasi from in the back as the group heads to C4 - fully expecting another explosion of some kind.
Clement frowns at the sight of the laboratory, moving slowly and methodically through its interior.
"Bad stuff was done here. Bad, creepy stuff."
Finding himself unable to resist, Clement handles a few of the experimental items on the tables, wondering exactly what they were used for.
"Probably more fire traps. Or fleshy golems."
"This room is disgusting, let's move on from this place."
This room is full of smashed equipment and glassware. At one point this must have been a fabulous alchemy lab, but now nothing of value remains.
The stone door to this room has shifted from its hinges and takes a strong arm to open. Fortunately, Rhesus proves up to the task. Inside, you find a storage room piled high with crumbling remnants of crates, barrels, urns, and casks of all sizes and descriptions. The highlight of this room is a strange contraption that resembles a three-legged, four armed humanoid made of iron and brass.
Know (Arcana)
"Hey Clem! Bibs! It's one-a thems clockwork dealies! You know the kind that you wind up and it does what yous done said? Ah, this is keen!" Spasi says while exploring the coolest find we've found so far.
"We gotta get this thing fixed up! We need to find the key to it! Oh man! This is much better than the stupid shard! This is the real treasure!"
Spasi dusts off the clockword dealie.
"Oh mean, VC Whatsherface is going to s**# her pants when we bring this back. It's the best thing ever."
"Mr Gaten, that was very un-gentleman like langauge.
Especially in reference to a 3rd party not here, a lady, and your employer."
"Stay back Spasi, it's probably just waiting for you. Me and Noya will check it out."
Rhesus approaches the contraption slowly, waiting for it to spring to life in a dervish of death and destruction.
Spasi dusts off the mindless automaton (no, not Rhesus...the clockwork thingy) and tunes out the negative vibes of others.
"This is going to be great. I'm going to train it to bring me beer. And it can substitute for me when it's 'cuddletime'. Just gotta figure out a way to make it warmer."
Noya and Rhesus poke at it, but the creature doesn't respond. They do stumble across a beutifully crafted, pearl inlaid brass crank handle (100gp), which doesn't appear to be for the automaton, and exceptional set of smithing tools (500gp). With nothing else to do, the party continues their circuit.
As you approach then room at the end of the hallway (C2), you notice that flicker of firelight. Poking your head in, you see a thirty-foot-diameter, softly glowing circle of runes shimmering on the floor. What appears to be a single flickering flame burns with no apparent source of fuel in the middle of the room.
Clement clasps Rhesus on the shoulder, holding the Shoanti back for just a moment before he can continue forward towards the rune circle and the firelight.
"Be careful. It might be more... "
Clement cringes at the thought.
"... fire."
Clement peers ahead.
"What the heck?" Spasi stares in the rune room.
With Detect Magic, he will try to make sense of it all.
Know (Arcana)
Spellcraft
"Oh yeah, that's strange."
"I don't like it. What do we do?"
Rhesus will edge into the room, avoiding the flame and runes and looking towards the other tunnel.
"Maybe we should leave it alone?"
"Let's be very cautious here, since we don't know what is going on in this room?"
Bibic tries to help Spasi make sense of the room.
Bibic casts Detect Magic and looks at the rune and flame.
(shard)
(shard) (Also +2 to ID magic items)
Spasi explains as best he can.
"Fire not bad. Ward against devils? I know that doesn't make sense, but neither really does this thingy. Unless you got something else to say, let's move on."
Spasi looks to others to lead on.
"Nah, whatever. Don't get involved with that stuff my pappy always said."
Rhesus moves around the room and to the other hallway.
Bibic, more or less unable to contain his curiosity (I hope it doesn't kill him) finds a piece of wood somewhere and lights it from the elemental flame.
Presuming it lights, he points to it and says, "Fire." Grinning like an idiot, he puts out the wooden flame, and follows the party into the next chamber. If it doesn't light, he tries a few times and shrugs in disappointment.
He suggests opening the door and visiting C3.