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Darius examines all the parts lying around here and concludes that this is a trap crafting workshop of sorts. As soon as the area seems clear, you check the double doors to the north for traps (there aren't any) and you proceed to the last room.
A huge block of intricately sculpted stone dominates the center of this vast temple chamber. To the east, a flight of stairs leads up to a walkway, which connects to the stone block’s surface. Six pillars lie around the edges of the room, each decorated with carved patterns of scales and dragon heads. Several large paintings of dragons adorn the floor.
A group of kobolds is frantically praying to a massive golden statue as if they wanted it to wake up. The winged statue is standing atop a fifteen-foot-tall block of stone, its back against a wall decorated with many gold-leaf murals depicting historical scenes. Suddenly, the statue starts moving, flexing its wings, and roaring in a voice resembling a metallic hunting horn.
As soon as the kobolds notice you, they scream:
“There they are!”
The Golden Guardian roars in anger:
“You should not have come here!”
And starts moving menacingly toward you as the kobolds stare in awe.
Sharimus
Gunther
Darius
Maanyatha
Lilia
Lynn
GG
[url=https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1JbD_cJMqf10nGy5Fwse4rcEmd0DIJ6YMeYfqAwEip7Y/edit#slide=id.g1a270bee06_0_0[Map updated[/url]
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Standing ready at the door, but not overly aggressive, Gunther will simply look on in wonder as the statue comes to life. "This must be the so-called "Golden Guardian".
Turning to address the creature, first in Celestial, the holy tongue, "We are not here to fight. Nor to rob you or your followers. We come seeking an ally, and his trail has led us here. We believe he was trying to find the lost history of the Dwarves that built this place, and we would like to find him safe, or to continue his work. Nothing more."
"We have spoken to the Grippli. They said they Dwarves had entrusted them with an ancient secret. A weapon. We have it here. Perhaps we could offer it in trade for what you might know of our friend? He may have had one of these," as he holds aloft his Wayfinder, and Gunther tries to give a what description he has of the lost Venture-Captain.
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Lilia moves into the room and retrieves the relic from it. she raises the relic high above her head and declares, "It is as my ally says! We come in peace, and this proves you got to listen to us!"
Lilia's eyes move up to the ceiling and she frowns, wondering how she could've phrased that more diplomatically.
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I shall repeat the above in the barbaric Common tongue, and then in Shoanti, though it is doubtful anyone else in this place has even heard of it, much less understands it.
-Posted with Wayfinder
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Again speaking in the Common Tongue, a language that simply fails to grasp a true meaning and distinction in concepts and relies far to much on double meanings and innuendo, especially after so much Chelish influence has corrupted it even further, "I follow the hoofprints of the Stag Lord. Ol' Dead Eye. I know that the hardy folk paid him great respect for his insistence in actually doing work yourself and getting your hands dirty for the betterment of the community." as he displays his holy symbol for all to see.
After a short pause, "If you also hold those same values, we ask your help. We have a missing friend, and he is all we seek."
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Ignoring the others, the creature suddenly stops when it sees the talisman Lilia presented. He gestures for the kobolds to calm down.
"Welcome, friends of Ashkurhall."
The kobolds, however, are enraged by the sudden turn of events, and shout accusations at you while firmly clasping their weapons. Their blind leader makes accusations in halting common, interspersed with other indignant claims, punctuated by the distressed chorus of his kobold followers.
- “What is this? You put a curse on our Golden God with
that trinket!” - “The idiot human who collapsed the corridor was a
friend of yours, wasn’t he?” - “You attacked kobolds a few weeks ago just outside
these ruins, didn’t you?” - “How did you get past Stinkeye? Did you murder him?”
- “You have been stealing our stuff!”
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“What is this? You put a curse on our Golden God with that trinket!”"I don't believe so. If we did, it was not our intent, and as I said, we are willing to offer it in trade for your help."
As common as it is, the Kobold's eyes start to shine with greed.
"Yes! You gives Trinkit to uss and we sshall let you live!"
We did not kill your pet...we managed to get by him without hurting him.
"They let Stinky Eye live!! They must be dragonblood!"
Another one answers from the crows, yet more quiet:
"Lies! The softskins tell lies!"
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"The collapsing of your corridor was to happen inevitably, how are we to know for sure maybe the dwarves who built this place almost three Millenia ago knew that there would be kobolds nesting in their home and set it up to fail? Or it could simply be that the old ruins are finally succumbing to the wrath of nature."
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Darius looks around at his companions and listens as each on responds to a question. He wants a bit more to see how the kobolds react.
-Posted with Wayfinder
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“You have been stealing our stuff!” "We haven't stolen anything," Lilia comments.
When another answers from the crowd she replies, "No, we didn't lie. We just wish to find our friend, that's all."
The kobolds that were shouting before look at their brethren and shut up.
"The collapsing of your corridor was to happen inevitably, how are we to know for sure maybe the dwarves who built this place almost three Millenia ago knew that there would be kobolds nesting in their home and set it up to fail? Or it could simply be that the old ruins are finally succumbing to the wrath of nature."
Some of the kobolds look at eachother in surprise.
"Softskins force of nature? All Hail Softskins! They have pleased our god!"
The nagaji responds to accusation that they have been killing kobolds.
With a hiss in her voice she responds
Despite your attacks on us and your unwillingness to parlay, we have killed none of your kind.
If they had warm blood, their cheeks would have turned red as they nervously shuffle their feet while looking at the ground, not responding to Maanyatha's words.
Then the Golden Guardian yells;
"Enough! If they are what they say they are, then I shall put them to the test. You, Naktok and you, Nakpik, go fetch Stinkeye. We'll see if he is unharmed. The others check the traps. I want to speak to the pathfinders."
After sending the kobolds away, he turns to you with a suspicious glare.
"You said you were looking for a friend. But before I help you, prove to me that you are true allies of Ashkurhall! Identify the murals on the wall... The bearers of the dwarven talisman would know the meaning of the murals—unless bearers acquired the talisman through dishonest means!"
He makes a waving gesture and you see the following scenes engraved on the walls:
This mural depicts a dwarf in a cave gazing up and shielding her eyes with a hand:
This mural depicts a fireball with long, trailing streaks descending from the sky:
This mural depicts two dwarves locked in battle. One of them has long, braided hair while the other is bald.:
This mural depicts four complex symbols arranged on the four points of a compass rose slanted slightly to the right.:
This mural depicts rolling hills with dark gray, rocky soil, punctuated with veins of gold. A vine covered in lavender flowers crushes a giant lizard like a constricting serpent.:
This mural depicts a map with many rooms, some crude, others skillfully carved and rich in detail.:
This mural depicts a dwarf with his eyes cast to the ground and his hand held against his chest.:
This mural depicts a demonlike creature with horns and wings.:
This mural depicts a humanoid with bulbous eyes and bowed legs.:
This mural depicts a dwarf whose weapons and armor are made of wood and stone rather than metal. His skin bears numerous simple tattoos, and several bright feathers adorn his beard.:
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Lynn would go about to the walls examining each mural carefully. She thought herself close to understanding many of them but not quite enough to make the exact story out. A Few she was able to decipher quite well though. The entire time she was furiously scrawling in her journal about this discovery she's certainly going to have to purchase another tome after this journey.
She points out three in particular, "Well let's see, here we have a horned creature, I would immediately have guessed it was a dragon, however if you look at the humanoid and demonic visage It more closely resembles a Gargoyle." She casts an eye up to the Guardian, "I would ask if this was a depiction of yourself. Further on we see short large eyed creatures with legs similar to an animal or some might say frogs. These must be the Grippli that the dwarves gave the talisman, or at least their ancient ancestors."
She focused on the last bit with the dwarf in armor for a while taking into account the delicate and somewhat faded patterns of the mural. "And this, must be one of those ancient dwarves, however this one is clad in wood and stone unlike others such as hill and mountain dwarves who were vastly more dependent on the metals of their territory. This as well as the body brands and the difference in facial adornment suggests that it is a different variety of dwarf. Perhaps a low hill dwarf.. no let's see.. here it says.. Taralu?"
Lynn ponders on this for a few more moments, biting the end of her ink pen, before recalling something she read in one of the dusty books back at Fort Bandu "Ah yes, the Taralu are similar to hill dwarves however they inhabited the jungles and dense forests, it is said that they practice totemic worship to honor their ancestors as well as the world around them. They were not as widespread as the other kinds of dwarves but they still had a sizable presence in Kibwe I believe? I'm not sure if any of their descendants are still living though."
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Darius looks around a bit. He rubs his chin as he thinks on the few books and man rumors he's come across in his liftetime.
He points at the picture of two dwarves fighting.
"The bald dwarf in the mural is a duergar. According to legend, an outcast god turned their heads bald and their skin ashen gray. They are infamous slavers who believe that the surface dwarves are traitors of their race and that other creatures are fit only for service and torment."
Next, a look of recognition crosses his face as he looks at the picture of four symbols. He says this mostly to his party, though he doesn't neccesarily whisper:
"The symbol set on the south point of the compass rose looks like another version of the symbol engraved on the piece of metal that we found inside the talisman."
He then turns to a third engraving, the one with the dwarf looking downward.
"Thate dwarf looks worried and is much leaner than he should, as if he lost a lot of weight. It is likely that the dwarf has a terminal disease."
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"This first one is the most sacred of Ashkurhall. It shows a prophecy direct from Torag, instructing the dwarves to seek the world above. It refers to what we call the "Quest for Sky".
Moving on to another that the others have yet to cover, "and here, we have a representation of Ashkurhall itself, from before it fell into disuse. It acts as a 'istory of the site, showing what has been added since tha original construction."
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The Golden Guardian nods approvingly.
“You truly are the worthy bearers of the talisman, so I shall tell you a story that Sigrin of Ashkurhall, the founder of this place, once told me.
“Long ago, when Sigrin’s father ruled as king, the dwarves rose from the depths and built a citadel so mighty that even a titan would gaze upon it in awe. Centuries later, a shower of stars rained upon a land not far from the dwarven hold. The dwarves marched to investigate. They found many wonderful things, the greatest of which was the mysterious artifact they named the Sky Key.
“But dark times soon followed, for their cousins from the underworld fell upon the dwarven citadel. Caught unprepared, the dwarves knew they could not hold off against the siege. The king ordered all but his most trusted guards to leave, and stayed behind to buy his people timed to escape. Before Sigrin and her three siblings left to lead the dwarves to safety, the king gave each of them a piece of the Sky Key, and kept one for himself.
The dwarves traveled far and wide, but the dangerous journey across the unknown land caused rifts in their clan. One by one, the king’s children went their separate ways, each taking a piece of the key and a part of the clan. Sigrin’s dwarves made their way to this continent, and though they found it quite inhospitable, they pressed on. After much searching, they found gold and started building this place. Their prosperity grew with each passing decade.”
Grinning, the Guardian continues,
“That’s when I entered the picture. We didn’t get along at first, but I came to realize they were decent people, who appreciated stone and gold as much as I did. “Their luck did not last, however. A sickness came over the dwarves, and the survivors were too few in number to continue their lineage. Rather than slowly die out here, they chose to leave. However, they wanted someone to watch over this place. They chose me. Sigrin went to her grippli allies and gave them her piece of the key. Where the dwarves were going, they
couldn’t hold onto their memories and traditions. I think Sigrin made up a monstrous story about me—I probably deserved it,”
the Guardian says with a grin,
“but the story was to protect this place and the piece of the key.”
The Guardian stares at the last mural for a long time.
“The dwarves left to join their cousins who lived in the jungle to the
east. They never came back.”
Just as you finish speaking with the Golden Guardian, the group of kobolds returns, screaming:
“More intruders! They attacksed us! Grab you weapons while Stinkeye holds them at bay”
???#3
Lynn
Lilia
???#4
Sharimus
???#2
Gunther
Darius
Maanyatha
???#1
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Suddenly growing massively size, Gunther levels his spear as he steps to the door, etching a line in the stone while growling "Stattu fyrir aftan mig, og fá einhver sem gerir það í gegnum!", then growling a curse and repeating his words in the Taldan tongue that others can understand. It's less natural for him, but needs be "Stand behind me, and get anyone that makes it through."
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Lynn would pull her weapon free looking back to the guardian, "It is probably the Aspis, they've been right behind us up until recently and must have finally caught up thinking we once again did all the heavy lifting. They will stop at nothing to exploit this area and it's resources instead of trying to work with you and your followers."
She squared up and looked to Gunther, "May you stand strong against our foes like a stone wall!"