--
Shon'dar joins the others at the inn, a little tired from helping so many injured people. She tells them "The temple is full of wounded people, mostly unconscious. Some of them were in a Caravan going north. They were ambushed in the night and lost consciousness. They don't know what attacked them, but it sounded like they were not civilized humanoids." She sighs and sits down, massaging her temples for a moment before asking, "Did you learn anything?"
"We spoke to the *hic* Sheriff and he gave us a *hic* map, warned us about bandits, and gave us directions," Sum says, speaking far too loudly, after throwing back the rest of her wine, "do you want me to go and read their minds? Ooooh, wooh, hahaha! *hic*"
Roban moves forward scowling and hauls the catgirl over his shoulder, "We have secured rooms, I am going to put Miss Meritt to bed so I can go back home and stop listening to her drunken ramblings,"
"Woah! Show me the way to go home, I'm tired and I want to go to bed, I had a little drink for about an hour or two and my bums higher than my head!" Sum sings, her eyelids barely staying open, as the genie eidolon shakes his head and heads upstairs.
The next morning Sum emerges wearing a long floral silk dress and whistling, as she dumps her backpack, and Roba's falchion, on the ground "Everybody ready?" She asks as she rubs Roban's familiar amulet and green smoke pours forth from it coalescing into the sullen genie,
"Morning Ro, carry my pack would you, pretty please?"
Scowling the genie slings the backpack over his broad shoulders and takes up the falchion strapping it to his belt, then lowering his head so Sum can place his amulet around his neck.
Estela goes to the inn with Shon'dar. "It sounded like swarms of things attacked. I don't know if was an actual swarm, or just so many of whatever it was he called it a swarm. Poor thing. May Pharasma guide his way to live or to death."
She'll eat dinner drink some wine, and head to bed. She rises the next morning earlier than the others to pray for the day.
Shon'dar joins Estela for her meal. In the morning she acquires some various vials...
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Do you head straight for Rappan athuk?
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"We can certainly go straight there, but we've made no secret of our intent. We should be wary of ambushes on the way there, and especially on the way back when we may be diminished from what we encounter."
"Heading there sounds like an excellent plan. If we encounter bandits on the way.." she shrugs, "My Lady will be happy to greet them."
The trek is quite peaceful maybe even relaxing to some as you cross lush green hills.
You crest the last hill and finally the complex comes into view. In stark contrast to the lush greenery of the hills lies a large sunken graveyard laid out in the shape of a cross. Rather than towering above the ground, the graves have settled into depressions, and the main mausoleum, a building of strange green stone, rests in the deepest depression some 40 ft. below the ground on which you now stand. At the other end of the grave-filled hollow stands what appears to be a stone well. There are no gravestones near it. The normal sounds of wildlife are gone, and large carrion birds circle overhead. An ominous silence rests about the place. Each of you knows in your heart that you have found the legendary dungeon of Rappan Athuk. And though none dare speak it, you wonder if you will live to return to the warmth of hearth and home.
Good luck!
"Good for nothing bandits, this is why they cannot hold down a proper job, bloody unreliable goat fondlers," Summer mutters, changing her outfit to a long white dress covered in rhinestone skulls,
tail swishing she stalks over to Roban and Shon'dar in turn poking each with a mage armor spell.
"Where should we enter then, how about the structure on our right there?" She asks, starting off towards it.
A. An ornately-carved well is located on the other end of the sunken graveyard, opposite the mausoleum. The finely crafted artwork of the well is diminished only by the horrific images of demons, devils, and undead things that form the bas-relief carvings. Runes and scribbling adorn the spaces empty of these carvings. Anyone gazing down inside sees large, grooved scratches along the interior stones, as if something tried to claw its way up the sides.
B.There is a 3 ft. diameter hole leading down into darkness; bits of cloth and bone lie about the entrance to the hole.
C.Nine graves lie filled with fresh earth and makeshift markers. Some of you recognize a few of the famous names, those legends of your own time — a grim foreshadowing of things to come. A tenth grave is present as well, only it is empty and freshly dug. Towering over it, a marble gravestone bearing the name "Kwin Avassar"
D.This is a huge stone building, made of the same green stone that surrounds each building. Large iron doors seal this Mausoleum.
"An old man once told me to NOT go down a well shaft at Rappan Athuk. I don't know if THIS is the shaft, but I vote for the structure just in case."
Summer places her hands on her hips and scowls at Kwin, "Did you book ahead? Where's my grave? I want to see the Manager, this is unacceptable! Also marble is pretty valuable, maybe we can bring a team of horses and haul it back to town, I've always wanted a statue of me..."
Kwin scowls at the headstone bearing his name. "Perhaps someone or something was sensitive to my boast about making history. Regardless, it is just a parlor trick; nothing to be alarmed by." Yet when Kwin moves away from it, he glances back repeatedly, obviously affected by it.
At Estela's remark, Kwin answers "Well, as long as we have other choices, we'll save this for last. Let's keep looking for a way down that doesn't involve rappelling into a trap."
Muttering darkly under his breath Roban takes the lead heading for the structure on the right falchion in hand, and another set of arms emerging from beneath his cloak with a dark wooden shield.
Summer takes her accustomed place in the middle of the group.
Attempting to enter the mausoleum shows that the iron doors have been locked.
E. In the courtyard is a life-sized statue of a dwarf on a 4 ft. by 4 ft. stone block. He looks to have been a great warrior, and dwarven runes adorn the front of the pedestal. This rather large tombstone, crested with the statue of a dwarf, seems to have been visited frequently.
Triela seems rather unfazed by the terror tactic. She looks at the ground particularly around the well statue and buildings, watching for recent activity. She does look closely at the dwarf statue itself and the pedestal though.
The dwarven runes read “Blessed is he who spares these stones/And cursed be the man who moves my bones.”
Examination of the base of the statue reveals a small compartment that is easily opened. Inside is an iron key that has a faint aura of magic.
Summer casts detect magic and examines the key over Baldhus's shoulder, never backwards about coming forward.
"I'd leave it alone. I've heard of keys being referenced as bones before."
"Hmmm, anybody have any idea how to spare a stone, it cannot be as simple as just leaving it alone - can it?" Sum asks.
Constant perception 30
This key is made for something but Summer can not discern it's specific use.
F. This is a huge stone building, its outer side carved in a grisly bas-relief of demons, devils and other creatures of the underworld. Hundreds of skulls have been carved into the stone. The building extends fully 60 ft. long and is over 40 ft. wide. There is a set of carved stairs leading down to a set of huge iron doors. Ringing the top of the building are numerous demonic statues made of a strange green stone. They seem to stare at the PCs.
Those could be gargoyles. Gargoyles are statue-like creatures that like to live on grand architecture, concealing themselves as statues.
They usually make their homes in urban areas though, so it's a little wierd to find them hanging around here.
You've also never heard of green gargoyles before.
Knowledge (nature)
"I think we should take the key. This may just be a warning to ward off the timid. We can keep in mind the wording of it; it may be of some importance later, but meaningless to us now without more clues."
Looking at the huge mausoleum, Kwin focuses on some of the carvings before saying "Be on guard, my friends. Those carvings on the top of the mausoleum may just be intended to be intimidating, but they may also be gargoyles. I can't recall reading of any that were green, nor this far from a sizable city, but we've been warned to expect unexpected things here."
Kwin will cast Mage Armor on himself.
As Baldhus goes to grab the key Summer swears and sprints away hissing, "Gah, if you are going to take a risk at least let the rest of us get clear first! Haven't you been listening to the rumours about this place, we haven't even seen a lock yet have we?"
Tail swishing Summer eyes the statue suspiciously, smoothing down her bristling fur, before turning her scowl to the potential gargoyles, "I am not really interested in preserving statues why don't we shoot them from a nice long way away and see if they react?"
Shon'dar looks carefully around for anything that might be hidden or lurking.
When Baldhus takes the key, she reacts similarly to Summer, diving away.
At Summer's suggestion to shoot the gargoyles, Shon'dar says "I can do that."
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The iron key is now in Baldhus's hands.
Son'dar has finished studying the gargoyle, do you shoot?
She looks a little surprised that Baldhus grabbed the key before anyone could look at the runes. Estala looks at the runes on the statue closely. She is careful not to touch them.
She shrugs, "I have no idea what these runes may mean."
"You sure those may be gargoyles, Kwin?" says Baldhus "If yer right, we may be in a bad position if they jump on us while we get close."
Nothing having dreadful having occurred Summer takes a look at the runes to.
"Have some respect! Not everything is an enemy and we are not here to leave a path of utter destruction in our wake. Especially up here where still folks are buried with respect."
"Alright you walk up and give it a hug, we'll wait here," Sum replies sardonically, "who exactly is going to mind a dented gargoyle in a monster infested dungeon?"
Shon'dar pauses, bow held ready with a handful of arrows. "If there are no gargoyles near the entrance we choose, I will shoot no gargoyles unprovoked this day. I do not trust Gargoyles to leave us alone if we get close to them, though."
The inscription is the only thing Summer can discern.
"I would rather deal with potential threats now while we are healthy than wait until we are limping out of the dungeon having used up most of our spells. But if I have accidentally stumbled into the Unsightly Statue in Monsters Lairs Appreciation Society's annual excursion, rather than an adventuring party, then by all means let ignore the potential monsters. Why all manner of man eating monstrosities would be most distressed if their favourite statues were dinged," Sum says theatrically, tail swishing.
"The demonic statuary and skull motifs of that mausoleum are enough to make me comfortable desecrating it."
Triela looks to Summer, "We aren't in the dungeon yet."
Triela walks up to mausoleum and says loudly, "I am not here for the trinkets of the entombed. I seek those who have entered what lies below the tombs and what they took from me and mine. Feel free to tag along to witness that I steal nothing from the entombed if you so desire."
She is prepared for a response, hand on her whip, but it remains hanging at her side. If nothing happens she will enter the mausoleum.
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Baldhus, angry at the pointless debate turns to the rest "Look, lasses, I do believe nobody reveres stone and stonework more than I and my kind do. And I do understand this WAS a resting place for the dead and as such holy ground. But whatever it was, it isn't anymore. This is a den of evil, a foci of darkness and madness. If we shoot the statue and it doesn't try to kill us, I'll personally build the biggest gargoyle the world have ever seen as atonement, and place it here. But if it truly is a gargoyle, we would have evaded danger."
Summer snorts and turns to, Shon'dar, "You have the bow your choice. But I am with Baldhus on this may be the grave of a lot of good people, but none of them would begrudge us a hideous statue, and this is a place of evil."