Shadowborn |
Magnus detect no magical auras in the immediate area. This would most likely be what you came for. In fact, there are many such stones in towns and villages that sport seers and warders. They act as a sort of community spellbook that gets passed down from master to apprentice. On occasion, new spells are carved into them when an exceptional member of the arcane community invents something.
Magnus Thunderf00t |
casting read magic Magnus will begin work on the obelisk, attempting to take an accurate sketch using the tools he has been provided, and to make an educated guess of his own what this writing could mean.
Shadowborn |
Magnus sets to work using his tools to obtain clear rubbings of the markings on the obelisk after casting his spell and examining the carvings more closely.
Meanwhile, the lone crow continues to mutter atop the ruin of the tower, occasionally giving a stern croak at the intruders in its courtyard.
Perception checks from those not working on the obelisk.
Magnus Thunderf00t |
"That's it then. I've gotten everything sketched although I would love to get the top portion as well. Part of an incantation is missing, and basic logic suggests that it's the most powerful one at that. " Magnus searches the area specifically for the obelisk's missing tip. 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (12) + 6 = 18
Shadowborn |
Magnus, the top of the obelisk doesn't seem to be anywhere amongst the rubble in the courtyard.
Stilgar Fulgrum |
"That would be the favorable logic, yes," Stilgar says with mild amusement, before something catches his eye. "Hm. The doorway has been excavated," he comments as he approaches the tower, "Very deliberately. Someone must have gone in at some point... or might still be in there."
He looks to Magnus, frowning. "Should we investigate?"
Magnus Thunderf00t |
"Most likely the initial group who discovered the place. We have what we came for. I'd rather get on the road again. What about the rest of you?"
Magnus glances around at the remaining team, saddened at how they have dwindled over the winter.
Brodgar Gilthelm |
Brodgar keeps a stoic watch as Magnus completes his work, shifting his weight from foot to foot periodically. As the cleric notes the cleared path into the tower, Brodgar approaches it as well. He takes a closer look, unsure that there's anything else to be found regarding the excavator's passing but practicing caution nonetheless.
1d20 + 8 ⇒ (17) + 8 = 25
"I'm none too excited at either prospect," the dwarf mumbles, mostly to himself. After another moment's thought, he looks to the small party and adds, "It's not like there's much to investigate, though. It should not delay us long to check it out."
Magnus Thunderf00t |
"Alright then, but only a very quick exploration. If we find anything needing deeper research, we shall return at a later date."
Shadowborn |
Closer inspection shows quite a bit of excavation. It appears that the majority of debris from the top portion of the tower falling in was cleared out, a labor of many man-hours. You have to wonder who has taken the time to do this. A dwarven patrol would not likely divert the time from their march to do so without good reason.
Brodgar Gilthelm |
Brodgar grimaces as he steps in behind the cleric. "Aye, might be we'll find trouble down here." He looks to Magnus, his face conflicted. "There may be some danger that needs more'n a quick look-about to assess. Who knows what might use this place as a home?"
"Either way, best to see what's in here before we go decidin' much," he says as he steps to the trap door, wraps his fingers around the pull ring, and gives a quick look to each member of the party to make sure they're ready. Assuming there are no objections, he pulls upwards to open the trapdoor.
Brodgar Gilthelm |
Hmm. Trouble indeed.
Having discovered the hatch won't open without a fight, he gestures to the scattered flakes on its surface. "Likely someone's in there, or might be returnin' soon. Probably none too neighborly, either."
Observation made, he plants both feet and gives a clean, swift tug.
Strength Check
1d20 + 3 ⇒ (17) + 3 = 20
Shadowborn |
Brodgar gives a heave and the door comes free, releasing a waft of dank air into the tower. Below the door lies a set of steep, narrow steps descending into the earth, swathed in shadow. Peering into the gloom, Brodgar can make out a narrow landing below, but nothing else.
Magnus Thunderf00t |
"Opening a door is hardly exploration. Down we go!"
Magnus volunteers to drop down first with the light. He surveys the area below and calls up.
perception
1d20 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 6 = 7
Shadowborn |
Magnus descends the stairs, reaching the landing. At the edge of his light, he can see that the second flight ends in a doorway. The door, a portal of bronze gone green with verdigris, hangs partly open at an angle, sporting a large dent in the middle and apparently knocked off its top hinge.
Magnus Thunderf00t |
Magnus relays up. "Looks to be something that was strong enough to knock the bronze door off its hinges was down here at some point. I'll keep looking."
Magnus then sends his own eyes ahead to scout out the next room. He casts light on the doorway to provide illumination into the next room.
Stilgar Fulgrum |
Stilgar raises a bushy brow when he hears Magnus' report. "Only he would keep investigating after saying something like that..." he comments shakily, both apprehension and amusement in his tone. The cleric makes his way down the stairwell, drawing his warhammer as a precaution.
Shadowborn |
Magnus slips through the partly open portal as the Stilgar leads the others downstairs. As his light enters the room beyond, he sees it is an antechamber, about twenty feet wide and extending more than twice that into the gloom. Corroded bars are bolted to the walls near the ceiling, dark, moldy stains on the walls are all that is left of the tapestries that once hung from them. Small niches are carved into the walls between each bar, about six feet off the floor, each holding an old lamp. A cold draft wafts from somewhere ahead in the darkness.
Shadowborn |
The party advances across the chamber, noting that at its far end is a wide set of steps. The flight descends another fifteen feet to a landing, where a pair of rotten doors bound in green bronze sits open.
Beyond the double doors is a room that looks like some sort of chapel, perhaps accompanying a crypt. A strangely regular patch of mold, perhaps all that remains of a carpet, leads from the doorway to a raised stone bier at the far side of the room, some twenty feet away. The bier sits beneath a fresco too darkened with age and neglect to identify from the entrance. What looks to be old, yellowed bones lie atop the stone edifice. A pair of bronze doors sit at the far ends of the room, north and south some twenty feet from the bier, respectively. One has a large chunk of a fallen pillar leaning against it, as if bracing it closed.
Magnus Thunderf00t |
"Hmm, bones, chapel, perhaps this is where the dead were prepared for their final send-off?" Magnus approaches the yellowed bones for a closer inspection. perception, then knowledge (appropriate) 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (11) + 6 = 171d20 + 6 ⇒ (13) + 6 = 19
Seeing nothing particular interest, Magnus says "While I'm usually one to seek information in all things, I don't think there's much more to find here other than a place of ceremony decayed by time. Shall we move on? "
Stilgar Fulgrum |
Knowledge (religion): 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (18) + 4 = 22
Perception: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (18) + 2 = 20
"We have come this far already," the cleric remarks as he approaches the bier, looking about as he does so. "And if your master did not inform you of this place, then it is unlikely that the patrol is responsible for excavating it. There might be more to find here than mere bones and dust." Stilgar takes a closer look at the yellow bones, his curiosity piqued.
Shadowborn |
This place may have been some type of chapel, judging from the shape and layout, though it is notably lacking in any sort of religious symbols or icons. The grimy fresco on the wall beyond looks to have been a portrait, possibly of a human male, though it is difficult to get any more detail than that.
Examination of the bier shows that the bones lie on what look to be the remnants of a coffin. Fungus growing around the base of the bier is probably feeding off the remains of the sides that have rotted and fallen away to the floor. The old bones appear to be the mostly intact skeleton of a human, or at least humanoid, notably missing its skull. The bones lie in a thick bed of dust, and the rotting remnants of a wooden shaft appear to be lodged in the skeleton's ribcage.
Oddly, there are no signs of any sort of scavenging activity upon the remains. Exposed like this, one would expect that a body would have attracted vermin, but there are no signs of gnawing or disturbance, or any tracks in the dust.
Stilgar does that the dust beneath the skeleton is visibly disturbed in one place, as if someone recently scooped a handful of dust off the bier. There is no sign of dust spilled on the floor below, so it must have been put into a container of some kind.
Shadowborn |
Stilgar: The body has obviously lain here for quite some time, as the bones are clean, despite the lack of vermin feasting upon it. A close examination gives you two possible causes of death:
1) The stake, which is angled in such a way that it would have pierced the heart.
2) Beheading. The vertebrae in the neck show damage that indicates the head was removed violently, likely with an axe.
Stilgar Fulgrum |
"Stabbed in the heart and then beheaded, it seems. Or perhaps the other way around? Either way, someone really went out of their way to kill this poor soul..."
Frowning at the bier one last time, he then turns his gaze to the unblocked bronze door. Approaching it slowly, he moves to test whether it would open.
Magnus Thunderf00t |
I shall examine whatever draws my interest across the room from where Stilgar is working. I don't want to get in his way
Magnus Thunderf00t |
"How's it coming over there? You knock that door loose yet?" Magnus teases, knowing full well that he would be less than useless if asked to help.
Shadowborn |
Stilgar gives the door a solid tug, but it stays in place. the hinges appear to be stiff from corrosion and disuse.
Taking his time to peruse the room, Magnus finds a skull, presumably the one that belongs to the rest of the skeleton in the room, lying under an old, unlit brazier against the wall.
Magnus Thunderf00t |
"Right then. "
Magnus examines the skull a bit more closely.
1d20 + 6 ⇒ (13) + 6 = 19
He attempts to identify what type of humanoid was slain here.
1d20 + 6 ⇒ (14) + 6 = 20
Shadowborn |
Stilgar wrenches on the door handle again, this time there's a loud groan and the hinges give, the door creaking open slowly. Beyond lies a small room. In Stilgar's chapel, this would likely be the vestry, or a storage area for ceremonial items used in services. However, this room incongruously has the rusting remnants of iron cages lined against the far wall, about the size needed for a large dog. Along both the left and right walls are empty sets of shackles.
As he picks up the skull and examines it, there is a rattle, as of something caught inside it.
Magnus Thunderf00t |
Magnus hmms and haws over this. "Curiouser and curiouser." He bags the skull and joins Stilgar in the next room. "I'm beginning to suspect that the Gods worshipped here were none to pleasant. I think that we've explored enough for the moment. Let's leave a warning sign at the entrance and head out. "
Stilgar Fulgrum |
Entering the room, Stilgar sifts about for any other items of interest.
If allowed, I'll go ahead and take 20 for the time spent looking. If not...
Perception: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 2 = 21
Huh.
"Indeed, though I wonder if it is a place of worship at all," Stilgar says after looking, his tone grim, "Well at any rate, whoever was here before us clearly took something." With a sigh, the cleric shakes his head. "But you are right - let's get going."
Shadowborn |
The room at first appears to hold nothing of interest, but as he examines the manacles he notes something odd about the set furthest from the door. Giving them an experimental tug, they give, pulling out a bit from the wall. There's a loud click and a grinding noise as a section of back wall pivots, revealing a passage.
Magnus Thunderf00t |
"Well that's just baiting us. " Magnus says, peering down the passageway. "I still fail to see how this connects to our larger goals. A curious distraction at best. Although.... I am not one to leave a mystery unsolved... What say we come back here another time with a larger party?"
Stilgar Fulgrum |
A contemplative silence lingers as Stilgar gazes down the passage, before finally, the dwarf lets out a harrumph. "Simply plunging in unprepared poses too much danger... we already have what we came for. And I suppose the others might be getting restless waiting on us." Turning to Magnus, he offers a small smile. "I confess, I thought that gnomish curiosity was a tad more empowered. You have excellent restraint." With that said, the cleric moves to leave the room.
Are the others outside of the crypt?