GM Hawkeye |
The DC to climb a rope while bracing against a wall is 5, so I'm going to assume that everyone just takes 10 and climbs out the other side.
With a little time and effort, the party is able to climb out onto the the other side and continue. The tunnels continue on, leading deeper beneath the Kortos Mounts until they eventually open into a large cavern. What must have once been beautifully carved reliefs and inscriptions have since weathered heavily, their features dulled and softened to the point that it is hard to distinguish what each once depicted. A wide tunnel exits the cavern on its far side, and blue-burning torches line the passageway’s walls.
Gralmin Arrway |
Religion: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 4 = 11
"Never seen this before. Strange that the torches in here still burn. Reminds me of this one temple..." Gralmin continues on with his story that is both rambling and distracting.
Adeah Silversong |
She looks at the inscriptions, having no knowledge of what they depict. "These things must be really old. I mean, we're in a cave. How much weathering would a cave painting get?"
GM Hawkeye |
Helena is not only able to identify the first carving on the wall, she also identifies two other carvings as well.
GM Hawkeye |
As Gralmin move through the wide tunnel, the soft light of the surrounding fungus mixes with the flickering glow of the nearby torches to reveal a grand chamber. A large pool of water along the chamber’s southern edge reflects the blue and green radiance to illuminate the massive stalactites that cling to the ceiling overhead. Two other tunnels branch off from this area, leading to the east and west.
Rising up from the pool is a column of rock with steeply sloped sides and a flat top, as if someone had sawn off the top of a massive stalagmite. A miniature city carved from this same stone occupies nearly the entire surface. Tiny trinkets such as ancient coins, polished semiprecious stones, and ornately braided loops of string are scattered throughout the diorama, and pale cave frogs clamber atop it. The smooth cavern floor is covered in gravel and pebbles along the edge of the pool, and several foot-long centipedes prowl among the gravel in their search for prey.
Inside the pool, you see a lone gillman sitting with his back to you. He seems deep in meditation and hasn't noticed you yet.
Mikail the Nimble |
Mkiail goes ahead and puts on the cloak as he runs after the party. Coming upon the group and seeing the gillman, he slides off into the shadows where he wont be immediately seen.
Adeah Silversong |
Adeah unslings her musket, holding it at the ready. "Didn't the halfling girl say these things were unfriendly?" she whispers to Gralmin.
Mikail the Nimble |
Well, as no one else is going to... lol Mikail readies his sling beneath the cover of his cloak and keeps it concealed as he calls out to the creature "Eh, Excuse me! Hi! We would like to have a few words with you if we may, kind sir.." and steps forward to the edge of the lake.
Diplomacy: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (11) + 6 = 17
Gralmin Arrway |
"Yep she did say they were unfriendly but, since there is just one of them maybe we can talk to it. Hopefully we can speak it's language. Keep that gun ready though." he grunts while winking to Adeah.
Gralmin will step up next to the halfling. Hand on his mace still on his belt."Do you know other languages as well" he whispers to Mikail.
Mikail the Nimble |
"It's O.K. Gralmin.. I think Jan era said that the Gillman are ok as long as we don't provoke them. I only speak Common, Halfling, and Goblin, but something tells me Common will be fine."
GM Hawkeye |
Upon noticing you, the gillman becomes startled and stands as he turns around to face you. However, he calms down as Mikail convinces the others to lower their weapons. As Mikail speaks to the gillman, you notice that he doesn't seem to understand you when you speak too quickly, causing you to repeat yourself often. Over time, you realize that he isn't listening to you so much as he's reading your lips. You think he might be deaf.
The gillman bows to you as he offers a slightly mumbled reply "Greetings, strangers. My name is Uori, and I am here to meditate and pray, for this site is sacred to my people. Why is it that you have chosen to enter our temple on this day and disturb my meditation?"
Helena Hathaway |
diplomacy: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9
Helena steps forward, showing her empty hands, and speaks slowly to Uori.
"We are sorry to disturb you, sir Uori, but we were led here by a halfling woman named Janira. She was curious as to who or what was coming into this cave. She was dealing with a minotaur as we ran in here for safety. We did not realize that this was a sacred temple."
Adeah Silversong |
Adeah says nothing to the gillman, preferring to let her allies do the talking. Talking wasn't really her forte. Fighting, now, that she could do. She holds her musket pointed at the floor, but still ready to be used quickly should things go sour. She's had to suppress much of the elven pride her father instilled in her, spending so much time around members of other races; but since she has reason to suspect this one of being hostile, and no reason yet to suspect otherwise, she keeps her weapon drawn.
Mikail the Nimble |
Speaking clearly and enunciating to make sure that he is understood, Mikail says "We mean no disrespect to your sacred site, and are dreadfully sorry to inturrupt your meditation. You have such beautiful stone work here! Could you tell us why this place is so sacred to your people?"
Diplomacy: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 6 = 7
GM Hawkeye |
With an indifferent tone, Uori replies "The purity of the water in these caverns is unlike any we have encountered before. Therefore, this sight is sacred to us. My people and I make many a pilgrimage here to listen to these holy waters and meditate upon what we hear. The carvings, however, are not ours. Your kind used this cavern as a temple of Aroden long ago, though they abandoned it almost 1,000 years ago."
Mikail the Nimble |
Knowledge Local: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (10) + 5 = 15
Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20
trying to see if I recognize anything about the model, and perception looking around the cave for anything that might give me a clue about what information we need from this character. Anyone else have any ideas???
Mikail the Nimble |
Mikail takes off the cloak that he picked up at the bottom of the hole "I notice that this is very similar to the cloak that you are wearing. Does it belong to you or to your people? You may have it back if it does."
Adeah Silversong |
Knowledge (local): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (14) + 5 = 19
"Wait..." She speaks up for the first time, after letting her eyes wander to the stalagmite diorama. "That's Absalom!"
Do the coins and little buildings and stuff appear rusted/worn? Like, do they appear newer than the paintings we saw earlier?
Gralmin Arrway |
"Well we don't wanna get in your way... we are just mapping out these caves for the pathfinders. Keep praying or whatever you are doing. We are going to explore deeper into these caves." Turning his back to the gillman and, looking back to the rest of the group "I guess we can go east or west. Any thoughts?"
Trying to play up the lack of charisma with a complete lack of social grace in this situation
GM Hawkeye |
The coins are definitely old, though they're miraculously well preserved.
As he takes the cloak and looks it over, Uori smiles as he looks back to the Halfling and says "This belonged to one of my brothers. Thank you for returning it to me." After fastening it around his neck, Uori says to the group "I almost forgot, but I do remember hearing something from my tribesmen that the miniature city and the murals in the cavern are somehow connected. There was some mention that if one were to perform various types of rituals, then the blessing of Aroden would be granted upon the faithful. At any rate though, if you wish to explore the other caverns, you're more than welcome to do so but beware, for not everything that dwells down here is as polite as I am."
Mikail the Nimble |
"My deepest thanks for your assistance sir." As Mikail walks past the monolith, he reverently takes a coin from his pouch and places it among the rest of the tokens in the miniture city. A little extra help never hurts.. he thinks to himself. Arriving back with the rest of the party, he asks "So what now, companions? Should the paladin try to take another look and figure out what Uori was talking about with the rituals, or should we press on?"
Adeah Silversong |
"I say we keep going. Trial-and-error rituals could take awhile, if there's even anything to be had and not just an old superstition, and we have a job to do." Feeling safer around this particular gillman, she slings her musket back over her shoulder.
GM Hawkeye |
Bowing to you, Uori says "Very well then, as you wish. But please heed my warning about the caves." And with that, he turns away from you and continues his meditation.
Looking down both tunnels, you note the one to the west is dimly lit by the bioluminescent fungi and continues on for quite a ways. The tunnel to the east is black as night as has a faintly stale smell to it.
Mikail the Nimble |
Mikail prepares the last of the tinder that he gathered at the cave entrance for another makeshift torch in case the party decides to go east and looks expectantly at the rest of the group
Adeah Silversong |
She shrugs. "West sounds fine to me."
GM Hawkeye |
The persistent glow of the bluish fungi dimly lights the way deeper below the Kortos Mounts. The tunnels broaden to reveal a shallow river that bisects an immense tunnel stretching to the north and south. To the east a small passage exits the chamber at a steep incline.
Map will be updated shorlty.
Mikail the Nimble |
Mikail whispers back "Does anyone else speak this language? I havent the foggiest. Gralmin, I dont know.. Uori said that we should be carefull approaching anything else down here. Do we have anything Janera's bag that might help? We havent had a chance to look through it yet..."
Gralmin Arrway |
"There are some things we could throw at them but, if they aren't angry that might be a bad thing. I can try to talk to 'em but, that stupid language they are speaking... Let's give it a try."
Gralmin steps out from the shadows (and tries his best to make it look like he is alone), "You fellas know how to speak common?" His hand is on his mace but, doesn't have it drawn yet.