Qioté lashes forward while riding his wolf and grabs the tarp, pulling it taut against the whipping wind. Berato is able to tie it down and prevent any more sand from coming in and potentially destroying the artifacts.
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Vindler sighs with relief as the group finally manages to wrangle the tarp into place. "That was rough, eh lads? That sandstorm really made our arrival an interestin' one." He tries to rub some of the sand out of his eyes, but is unable to get rid of the blurring at the edges of his vision. Nonetheless, he has a look around the room, trying his best to examine some of the artifacts.
A brief search of the tents turns up a useful potion and a length of strange rope that he and the others quickly find worth keeping on hand.
This cold, dark stone chamber has walls covered in ancient markings that the ages have worn to the point of illegibility. The higher portion holds a dried-up well, a ladder leading up, and descending stairs to the north. The lower portion to the south has two ancient buildings and a collapsed passageway. The floor has fallen near the east wall, exposing another chamber below. A robed corpse lies at the bottom of the ladder. A satchel lies next to the broken body. Inside of the satchel is a tightly bound scroll.
Looking back over the report from the Athenaeum it mentions two things authenticating this was a Taldan colony in this particular chamber, broken clay Taldan pots, and a well-preserved ancient Taldan home.
The Taldan pottery is indeed ancient enough to have been from the correct time period.
While the pottery is the proper age it is not made from any clay local to the region. These pots could denote long-distance trade, but they are relatively plain and were unlikely valuable enough to serve as mercantile goods.
The Taldan house is indeed the correct style of architecture from the proper time period.
The building has an underlying sub-structure that is not Taldan at all. In fact it appears that someone has added stucco to this house and painted it to appear weathered and ancient.
While investigating the room you happen to notice a gleam coming from the bottom of the well shaft. It is 30 feet down and bone dry with a Climb DC of 14. Investigating the well you find a cold-iron dagger at the bottom. A DC 15 Appraise or Kn. (history) check reveals this dagger to be Jistkan in nature, and casting detect magic reveals it has a faint abjuration aura.
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Anthys looks around the site. While he is not an archaeologist, he is reasonably bright and has picked up a few things in his training and experience.
He shares his observations (so feel free to read the 1,3 and 5 spoilers).
"I have a feeling that all is not as it seems here... I don't believe this is an ancient Taldan site, though someone has recently tried to make it appear that way."
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"This collapse is fresh... by Torag, this will take us at least a week to clear this... where is the proverbial bard with the Lyre of Building when you need him?"
Berato reveals his findings to the others, and casts detect magic while looking down the well, "Lads there's something shiny and magical at the bottom of that well..."
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Berato uncoils the iron rope, unstraps his buckler, and starts removing his chain shirt, "Gentlemen, if you could be so kind to hold the other end?"
[Berato takes 10 for a total Climb of 11 vs. DC 5 'rope with wall to brace against']
At the bottom of the dry well, he takes the dagger and examines it with the above-mentioned Spellcraft check of 24, then takes 20 on Perception to see if there's a secret passage or other relevant objects.
[Take 20 on Perception with detect magic active: Perception 29]
The dagger is a beautifully made raven pommeled dagger that has a faint abjuration aura. It seems the magic inherent within the dagger allows it to interact with something else as well, though there is no indication of what at this time.
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"What makes you think this isn't Taldan, Anthys? The pottery is ancient and from the correct time period, and the house itself is the correct Taldan architectural style popular during that time as well. Is there something amiss?"
Marcus will give a small start as Berato weilds the found dagger. "That is a Jistkan design! If that isn't a replica, it must be thousands of years old! The enchantment must have preserved it, and normal blade would have eroded given so much time."
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"While ancient, these pots are not made from local clay, and they're too plain to be trade goods. These came from someplace else and were planted here.
I can't believe I remembered that. Some of the Iomedae clergy in Lastwall had odd ideas about what a well-rounded soldier needed to know.
Also, Vindlér would know better, but it looks to me like somebody intentionally collapsed that passage within the past month.
Finally, that Taldan house is just a recent old-looking facade over a non-Taldan structure.
We should excavate the passage, though it would take about a week. I only have a week's worth of food. But of course there are the camels..."
To the north, a winding stairway descends to the dim chamber below. Four alcoves hold marble statues of grim soldiers from ages past, two on either side of a faintly glowing statue of a regally appointed man who towers in front of the southern wall. Two golden lion statues stand at guard in front of the god. The roof has collapsed at the northwest corner, where a large stone slab lies on the floor below the opening.
The features mentioned in the Athenaeum report here are the quartet of Taldan statues, the pair of golden lion statues, and the large statue of Abadar.
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Anthys takes a look at the soldier statues.
He has no idea who the statues are.
"These aren't ancient statues. Within the past century, I think, so again planted here to give the illusion of it being an old Taldan site."
"These lions were something else originally, plastered and gilded. Whatever is underneath is...not a lion."
He avoids the glowing statue for now.
"Vindlér, your god is glowing."
He takes a look around.
But doesn't notice anything else.
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"The Jistkans were an ancient empire, from thousands and thousands of years ago, before the time of earthfall. I am not quite certain what finding one of their relics here means, but that piece is most definitely either a replica or very, very old."
Marcus follows the group down, examining the statues first, before turning to the lions.
"Are you sure? It looks a great deal like a lion to me." Marcus pokes the lion statue with his dagger. "I recognize the statues here, they're all military leaders from ancient Taldor. The time period is odd, however; they were part of the third army of exploration, but predated the founding of Corentyn, and thus the supposed date of this colony. It is somewhat strange that they would erect statues to old, dead leaders in a new land."
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"Not if you're trying to bring them back from the dead and please them, I suppose..." shrugs Berato. "Although their choice of divine association leaves much to be desired... perhaps this was built with Chelish funding in anticipation of colonization or maybe these Taldan heroes were really amongst the firsts to dip their toe in the hellish influency which led to the breaking off of Cheliax from Taldor, and this is some kind of homage or memento to this early cabal. I know. This made more sense in my head."
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Vindlér carefully paces around the room, checking out all of the statues in turn and looking for all of the inconsistencies that Anthys has been pointing out, as well as any others that might appear to him. He does notice the unusual aspect of the leaders depicted in the statues, though his own people would not find it too unusual to memorialize the long-parted in newer halls of their tunnels.
He also notices, along with Qioté, that there seems to be the form of some long-dead person beneath the stone slab, and he moves over to help the halfling move the rock.
He struggles to lift it, however, and also calls for aid.
After taking care of the slab, Vindlér approaches the statue of his god and kneels before it, laying a hand on its pedestal in reverence to the Keeper of the Scales.
As Vindlér's hand reaches out to touch the pedestal, it somehow falls right through, and the dwarf looks up in alarm. "By the scales," he exclaims, "It's a fake! Is there anything in these blasted ruins that isn't...a...ruse..." His voice trails off at the end as his sight goes beyond the statue to a pair of metal double doors with a serpent's head etched into them. He describes the scene to the others and shows them that the statue is, in fact, just an illusion. Then turns his attention to the door and the symbol upon it once again, now calling upon Abadar's guidance to keep his memory clear.
Vindlér's dark eyes widen in disbelief and his mouth hangs agape as he recalls the nature of the symbol. "By my ancestors' beards," he says, nearly in a whisper, "That symbol belongs to the Archdevil Gerson. Well lads, if we still had any doubts that these ruins were a ruse, I think we've got our proof now." He approaches the door and carefully examines the lock. "Any o' you lads any good with locks? Or did we find a key of some sort anywhere?"
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"A shrine to an Archdevil?"
Anthys is oddly relieved at the thought.
"So instead of trying to navigate the mud of Chelish politics, we may have a clearer evil to deal with? This mission is looking better and better. Unless... Is this Gerson one of the patrons of Cheliax?"
Anthys lends a hand to Qioté's attempt.
But he just gets in the way.
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"This is a surprisingly stubborn slab." Marcus pants slightly with effort as he attempts to help pry the slab free with his knife blade, but it slips out of the gap without moving it at all.
"I can work on the lock, if we wish to open it, although it may take some time. Anthys, can you hold a light to help me see as I work?" Marcus takes out his tools, and sets to work methodically probing the lock's workings.
Shadows cast by a blazing brazier behind a metal lattice to the south flitter across the wall paintings here, granting the images the illusion of haunted animation. A seven-foot-tall statue of a hunched, robed figure with three eyes and a mouth ringed with tentacles stands before the lattice.
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"More Jistkan art..." Marcus muses briefly, looking over the paintings. "Scenes of war between the Jistka Imperium and the Ancient Osiriani. Look, you can see the constructs that the histories say were one of their common weapons of war. Hm....that dagger, these paintings. I feel like it is most likely that these ruins are far, far older than Taldor itself."
Marcus returns back with Anthys and Vindler as then move the lattice aside.
A fiery brazier at the east end of the chamber makes the air uncomfortably hot and acrid. An eight-foot-tall statue of a devil with large, curved horns stands at the west end. Across from the metal lattice is a collapsed, descending staircase. An ancient skeleton is partially buried under the rubble.
The brazier holds a fist-sized chunk of rock salt, burning with a green flame.
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"Hmm? Let me see that, lad." Vindlér takes the rod from Berato and begins to look it over. His keen dwarven eyes are bloodshot from the assault of the sand, but he still manages to find something unusual. "Aha! It's not a rod. It's part of a baton. A broken baton, made of ivory I'd say. Wait, Marcus, didn't ya say something about Jistkans a minute ago? I think the Jistkans used ivory batons to control their constructs. This is quite a find! But what's the connection to all of these devils, eh? This is getting truly odd."
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"I did. The Jistkan's weren't known for having much to do with the infernal realms, at least as far as I'm aware. My best guess is that the infernal traces here are modern Chelaxian influence. I suspect that someone is attempting to lay the foundation for a Chelaxian territorial claim here, while the Jistkan artifacts are evidence of the true, ancient origins of this site."
Marcus straightens slightly, drawing himself up to his full height. "This is only a supposition, of course. I cannot tell for certain. I dearly hope we do not step into anything too entangling in the politics of the situation."
The echoing, lightless hall has a dark pool that extends most of its length. A walkway runs above the pool, but much of it has collapsed, leaving only the support pillars below. In the south, upon a platform at the end of the hall, stands a seven-foot-tall statue of a horned humanoid with a large, cryptic disc mounted upon its back. The hall turns to the west before the platform.
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Vindlér is sure this statue must be some other devilish commander, but his memory continues to fail him, and he is unable to summon up a name to go along with the statue. He steps near the edge of the first platform and looks over the edge. "Well, looks like there's only one way forward, lads." He backs up a few paces, runs forward, and tries to hop to the first pillar...
...and promptly stumbles and flops into the water below.
The water is...sticky? Slimy? Whatever it is it clings to Vindlér's skin, clothing, and hair. Luckily the chamber is not so long that you can't just walk along the bottom until you reach the end then climb up the other side. You might be able to get the gross feeling water off, but it will likely require soap.