Uriel uses the last of his daily healing surges on the group.
channel2d6 ⇒ (1, 1) = 2
@ Caelash, I wasn't sure if you were able to dump your damage on Sprocket in which case him having more could help you. Uriel has a level but I am not very familiar with the rules.
Caelash searches anyone and anything Uriel and Ian overlook.
ulgulanoth(male wraith biomedical scientist lv5/ film director lv3)
Caelash
Spoiler:
Ok, most of the cultists don't have much of notice, a few silver coins, a well crafted dagger, and some jewelery is the norm, all in all about 400gp worth of items from all the cultists, except for the last one, now he had a strange looking pendant, the shape of a small shrunken head, with more eyes, noses, ears and mouths than it should, also they are all jumbled up with no relation to a humanoid face. the pendant is bright red in colour. he also has a dull rusted ring and finally he was carrying a few scrolls of planar binding and planar ally.
The stone altar is hollow, as Caelash examins it the lid flips open to reveal a mass of magots crawling on what looks to be a dead pig there is something larger moving under the mass of magots but you can't tell what it is yet
"We've got masterfully crafted daggers for each of the cultists, good for throwing if nothing else, each has some nice jewelry with a decent resale value, likely, a few silver each... about 400 gold worth of items we can liquidate later."
Caelash smiles, "But this last bustard had this strange looking pendant!"
Caelash holds up a strange looking pendant, the shape of a small, red, shrunken head, with more eyes, noses, ears and mouths than it should, also they are all jumbled up with no relation to a humanoid face.
"He also had this rusted ring... check it for magic... and a few scrolls of planar binding and planar ally."
How many scrolls of each? I have wizard levels, and they could come in handy for us...
"Let's shut this lid back before we have another fight on our hands that we're not prepared for!"
Did Uriel have time to detect evil on the moving object under the maggots?
Uriel casts a spell to concentrate on and determine the presence of magical items.
ulgulanoth(male wraith biomedical scientist lv5/ film director lv3)
Uriel
Spoiler:
well you probably have time to cast detect evil on whats inside the alter, it is evil. As for the items, both are magical, the pendant has a strange aura that is like nothing you've ever seen and its use is completely unknown. The ring on the other hand is also magical of a more normal nature, it seems to be able to communicate to something, maybe telepathically
I am glad we reclosed the lid at this time as I am not quite prepared to deal with something of its nature at this time.
Then, after a pause, he continues...
The ring is magical and appears to have the power to communicate to something, telepathically perhaps. I certainly wouldn't want to bet on putting it on my finger and being able to choose whom I was contacting. The pendant is also magical but I am at a loss to determine its nature.
"I live through experience. Sprocket was obviously able to rid himself of it, with no visible side effects aside from fear and revulsion. I want to know what he experienced. I want some insight into this blasted thing." As Caelash explains himself, he finally slips the pendant on.
If you guys want to try to physically stop him, feel free if your characters would do so in-character. Caelash is an elf of action and observation. It doesn't make sense to him that we can tell it is magical, but unlike anything we have ever seen. That Sprocket can put it on and freak out (without a Save...), but obviously be otherwise unharmed. Caelash is willing to take that risk upon himself. He took no physical damage the last fight, and is only out some arrows, spells, and scrolls. This is his way of contributing. He is too curious to be cautious at this point. (And on a parallel note, as a player, I really dislike hand-waived mystery mechanics, so I want to see if there's any effect at all. We don't even get an aura with a known school of magic, or the strength of the aura. I cannot find any rules saying artifacts are immune to detect magic + Spellcraft.)
People have always argued to me in a condescending manner that elves are the smart race. I think I can show them evidence to the contrary Uriel states with a laugh as he eyes Caelash with caution.
ulgulanoth(male wraith biomedical scientist lv5/ film director lv3)
Caelash
Spoiler:
you don't feel anything coming from the item, but you get the horrible feeling that something ancient and evil is now looking at you
"Feels like... " Caelash shudders at a horrible sensation, "Feels like something ancient and evil is looking at me..."
Caelash calmly takes it off. "This could come in handy if we need to get noticed by, or get in contact with whatever they were in contact with."
Caelash holds up the amulet, "Either of you want to try it out? It's an amulet of being watched by some creepy ancient evil presence." He smiles, trying to make light of the unpleasant situation.
The rounds before we open the box, I want to cast some buff spells, just in case.
ulgulanoth(male wraith biomedical scientist lv5/ film director lv3)
Caelash
Spoiler:
the altar isn't magical, but what ever is inside it is. It seems to be spells cast on what ever is inside it, though you'll need spellcraft check to identify the spells
ulgulanoth(male wraith biomedical scientist lv5/ film director lv3)
Caelash
Spoiler:
the following spells are cast on something inside the spell: magic circle against evil, magic circle against chaos (both focused inwards), dimensional anchor, 2 different versions of the spell binding (bound slumber, minimus containment) and quest
"Huh. Looks like these spells are cast on something inside the box: magic circle against evil focused inward, magic circle against chaos focused inward, dimensional anchor, 2 different versions of the spell binding (bound slumber, minimus containment), and quest."
Caelash looks to the others. "Looks like something powerful trapped within, by an unimaginably powerful spellcaster beyond our ability to deal with safely..."
Ian says to Uriel "Yes that will lead us back to them but the problem is what if someone comes to the alter and accidently unleashes the evil trapped inside of it."
ulgulanoth(male wraith biomedical scientist lv5/ film director lv3)
Ian agrees "Yeah why did I assumed they dragged it that far..."
survivial check 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (9) + 12 = 21
ulgulanoth(male wraith biomedical scientist lv5/ film director lv3)
Actually the altar was dragged from quite a while away (quarter of a mile), you end up at the origin of the drag marks to be a large pit where you assume the altar was burried under,
Perhaps we should rest and heal, then attempt to question the trapped creature? Or, perhaps questioning such a creature would be risky to our souls and we should just kill it to prevent another from freeing it? Your thought, my companions?
We use a watch. If need be, we use our companions, Sprocket and Sekhet, to watch our backs. Are we not still expecting more cultists to arrive or do we these last were the ones we were waiting on?
"Clues as to its nature. What we're dealing with. Whether we could just finish it off with a precision strike while it is bound instead of having to combat it and risk our lives."
