Ruins of Azlant (Inactive)

Game Master Nathan Goodrich

Aurelian Fache thought getting to spend time with him was the reward I see no reason to turn back yet unless we think Alba wanted/needed the herbs immediately.

Ashlyn points off into the distance. "Look at that! It's a big monument or something! ...wow!"

Ashlyn looks at the others. "We should see where those goblins have gotten to. But after, can we head that way? It looks important."

I think the goblins were a ways away. We moved on to find the herbs after the illusion.

"Yes, this is much more interesting than goblins," Aurelian agrees, not really concerned with the little creatures that ran from him earlier. "If they become a problem, tell Aurelian Fache and he will deal with them."

Put a hold on that argument, I guess? That said, I think there's no reason not to retcon that Alba wanted/needed the herbs immediately. We're not on any time crunch I don't think, so we could easily have gone back with plans to go out again the next day. Whatever's easiest for you, GM, is fine with me.

Sorry, guys, work upped my hours and I was adjusting poorly to the longer days. Will try and be more regular.

"Don't like the notion of letting gobbers walk free-- they may not be a match for us-- I mean, a match for Master Fache-- but there's less skilled folk back in the colony that could get ambushed. Now, that silver thing and the white monument DO look very important, but unless they appeared overnight, let's make sure the little green scummers are done for first, then track down the thing that looks like quicksilver?"

OOCly I'm also fine with whatever is easiest for GM, Jenner just dislikes goblins

"Ashlyn, are you alright," Jenner tries to ask when Elizar isn't TOO close. "You seemed a bit, er.... horribly devastated back there."

"Hmmm?" Ashlyn asks Jenner. "Oh!" she smiles and shakes her head. "Sorry. Sometimes events trigger memories in Elizar, and we don't handle it well. I'm not sure what he went through when he was alive, but it was traumatizing." She shrugs. "There's no need to worry. It always passes quick."

Then she looks over at Elizar sadly, "Poor guy."

Yeah, if continuing on is a major derail from the scenario I'd rather see the action flow. If it isn't, let's press on.

Heading onwards down the hill towards the distant ruins the party travels through the rest of the afternoon, it is evening by the time they reach their destination, a grassy field pockmarked by ruins. A path of broken white marble leads to a monument, relatively free from damage ad the grass around it is carefully cut and edged.

The monument itself is a smooth marble disk, about thirty feet in diameter, and marked with representations of the phases of the moon. A semicircular row of thirteen columns surrounds the northern side on a curved marble base, the ends of which have broken off and subsided into the ground. Two adjacent columns near the center are broken and the lintel between them is sundered. Two curved stone benches sit before the semicircle on either side of the path, and two stone buildings lie further to the north.

Aurelian looks nunplussed at the discovery and, assuming he's not barred by his companions speaking up, moves toward it to get a closer look, sword out just in case it is needed.

"It is a place to sit," he says. "But there does not appear to be any colonists here."

Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8

"Oh, it's beautiful!" Ashlyn exclaims. "But, you're right. I don't see any colonists around."

After looking around a bit she suggests, "Let's go check out those two buildings over there."

Elizar stares at the monument for a long while with a frustrated look on his face. Eventually, he lets out a sob and begins to moan and cry as he follows Ashlyn around.

"This place is well-maintained for its age...either some magic is at work here to keep it so or someone is here. Be watchful," she says as she moves up to the monument to take a closer look.

Sarine is fine with going to check the other buildings Ashlyn mentioned if nothing comes up in the area we're in. I think all of our primary knowledges & spellcraft type stuff were being handled by our bards. Can we get Evie to make checks? How is she doing?

Still snowed under by work. End of this academic year she might be able to manage it.

Regarding Evie, she's not here - but you could easily bring her out on a subsequent trip.

As the group approaches two of the columns, carved as voluminous humanoids stir. They speak in a melodious tongue that some of you recognise.

"Hold on. It doesn't seem hostile." Sarine states in Taldane quickly before replying in Azlanti.

Ashlyn nods along.

Aurelian smiles at the idea a building could ever be hostile. Everything welcomes Aurelian Fache inside, after all.

He waits as Ashlyn and Sarine jabber at it.

Aurelian should probably learn Azlanti at some point. Doesn't mean he will, but he probably should. :)

"...do you know what they're going on about," Jenner asks Fache with a nudge to the other man's ribs.

The columns wait a few moments and then launch into their lecture. It is fascinating, a duologe on cosmology and all of the understanding that the Azlanti civilisation gained over centuries of observation - intermixed with the doctrine of Acavna. However there are a few drawbacks.

1. The lecture is entirely in Azlanti.
2. The lecturers are animated constructs and never seem to pause for breath, water or rest.
3. As night draws on, they show absolutely no sign of stopping...

"These statues are trying to teach us something," Sarine tells the others after a few minutes of the lecture. "It is complex and interesting, but...it doesn't seem like they are going to stop."

What is the doctrine of Acavna? Was Acavna a deity in Azlant?

Ashlyn smiles pleasantly. "Oh, of course!"

She finds a place to sit and settles in to listen.

"This is... fascinating!"

Elizar stands beside Ashlyn protectively, angry at the constructs for drawing her attention. But, as they drone on, his wails quiet. He listens with blank, glazed over eyes, as if in a daze or a dream...

Yes, Sarine. But we should probably make Know (religon) checks for our characters to know that.

Aurelian's eyes glaze over as the statues keep going and going.

"They need more action," he says.

"Come, friend dwarf. Let us see if there's anything else of interest around here..."

He begins exploring the region not going far, as he's certain he'll be called to rescue someone soon enough, but maybe wandering around in growing concentric circles, never leaving eyesight/hearing range of the group.

Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7

I didn't intend to say that Sarine was going to listen to the statues for more than a few minutes. She is interested in what they have to say, but this isn't the point of their expedition. And it's not clear that the instructors will ever stop.

"Come on, Ashlyn," she says. "We need to keep moving. We have colonists to find."

Assuming that Ashlyn agrees, she will address the statues.

"Oh... Are we leaving? But, they only just started talking!"

Ashlyn gets up to follow the others, although clearly she would have preferred to stay and listen for a while.

"We can come back, Ashlyn. With paper to write down all they say, too." Jenner pats Ashlyn on the shoulder, and scans the landscape around. "So are we trackin' goblins?"

Aurelian is allowed to move off unhindered, but when Sarine rises and tries to move Ashlyn the statues stop speaking and approach.

They block Sarine and Ashlyn's way.

"Er.... what's going on there, Sarine?"

"The statues won't let us leave, it seems," she says. "Give us a second."

Arcana: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (13) + 4 = 17 - What do we know about these things?

"They want us to sit down and listen to their lesson." Ashlyn explains to Jenner. "Oh... Sarine is asking how long they want us to stay."

"Interesting. The statues say that someone else, a woman, didn't stay to listen to them. There's no telling how many years ago that might have been, but she could have been one of the first wave colonists," Sarine says in Taldane. "What do you think? Should we listen to them? Their knowledge is likely valuable, though it isn't what we came here for. I'll ask how long it takes."

Aurelian perks up at Sarine's question.

"A woman? Yes, you should ask them about her. Maybe she's someone we are looking for," he calls back. "You should stay and listen, while Aurelian Fache and his good friend Jenner continue to look around."

We have time for boring lessons, especially if they can get us somewhere!

Fundamentally this is a diplomatic encounter. They have something you want (information about the woman and where she went) and you have something they want (your attention so that they can teach you). How you resolve this is up to you, but will likely require either Diplomacy, Intimidate or Violence. (And no Aurelian, they do not have any particular sexual inclinations - no seduction here I'm afraid ;))

Hm..I peeked at Ashlyn's character sheet and mine. Those who can speak Azlanti here aren't equipped for Diplomacy. I could try Intimidate, though that wouldn't be my preferred route. We do want their help longer-term, but we can't stay for a year right now.

If no one has any better ideas, I'll just try Intimidate, though.

Or we try Diplomacy even if that's not our best skill. If we're stuck here for a day, I don't think that's really a problem. Happily, we don't seem to be in a time crunch at this point.

Also, everyone loves Aurelian. He will teach them sexual inclinations and they will thank him.

Or we could see if we can use some aid another actions; perhaps Aurelian tells you what to say and you repeat it in Azlanti.

"A year?" Ashlyn remarks. "Oh, that's much too long!"

She smiles at the statues pleasantly and tries to reason with them.

Ashlyn smiles up at the statues hopefully.

Diplomacy: 1d20 ⇒ 1

Hahaha. She's a natural diplomat...

The two statues look at each other for a moment, semeingly communicating, then one shakes its head.

The columns didn't seem to care when Aurelian and Jenner were wandering around, or even moving away, as long as they had an audience. (Perhaps bringing Evie along from Talmandor's Bounty and sacrificing her to their lecture would work? :))

Sarine steps in front of Evie, attempting to look imposing and drawing on her aristocratic background.

Intimidate: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (18) + 6 = 24 - Yay lucky!

With a look at Sarine, Ashlyn lets out an impressed whisper, "Oh, my... She's terribly forceful." She seems to mean this as a compliment.

Then she says to Socks, "No wonder you've died so much..."

Despite being coonstructs and therefore presumably not in tune with their emotions, both statues fall back at Sarine's withering tone.

Heading away from the celadons in the direction they indicated your predecessor went leads the group into a small wood for some time until eventually the forest gives way to shattered fragments of rock and stone, the barest recognisable remnants of a lost civilisation. Jutting from the grass and shrubs is a stone promenade, ten feet wide with intermittent flights of short steps that climb up a gentle slope - miraculously unchanged despite the titanic upheavals of the past. Walkways extend briefly east and west before terminating into hills of wind-eroded stone rubble. A solitary, seemingly intact tower is visible on the northern horizon, approximately a mile away.

As the group approaches a loud clattering noise can be heard and popping out of the ground at the top of the slope comes a carpet of tiny balls with spikes emerging and retracting with loud *snick* sounds.

The party has one round before initiative triggers, the swarm is about 70 ft away at the top of the hill.

"Well, that looks... painful." Ashlyn remarks as the spiked balls roll towards them. She pulls out a vial of acid.

"Anyone know what those are?"

Snapped out of his trance by Ashlyn walking away from him, Elizar suddenly flies off after her, wailing loudly.

As the balls appear, Elizar narrows his eyes and places himself between Ashlyn and the 'enemy.'

Knowledge Arcana: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (10) + 3 = 13

"Aurelian likes balls as much as the next person, but these do not look very friendly," he observes. "And unfortunately, some things are too numerous even for Aurelian's blade. These look like that, though does anyone know what they are?"

He pulls out a vial of alchemist's fire in one hand and prepares to throw when they can.

That said, someone else could suggest we retreat; maybe it won't leave a certain area?

"No, they're definitely not friendly balls." Ashlyn agrees. "And playing with them doesn't look very fun."

"Damn, Sarine-- I don't even know what yeh said there, but you said it with.... authority," Jenner chuckles, before joining the rest in hiking away from the statues.

***

When the balls appear, Jenner shares the less-than-positive opinion of them. "Oh gods, now what," the dwarf grouses. "Fallin' back might not be a bad idea... but if we want to figure out what they're guarding let's spread out!"

Move action to move on map, move action to draw acid flask

"What a good idea!" Ashlyn remarks.

She'll use her remaining action to move as well.

"I simply reminded them not to act above their station," Sarine replies to Jenner's musings.

***

Sarine moves forward and pulls out an alchemist's fire. "We're going to need more of these things..." she says.

Just to confirm, these things are small enough to be immune to weapon damage, right? Is there a knowledge check to know more about them? Just in case Arcana works...

Knowledge (Arcana): 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (16) + 4 = 20

Yes they are too small for normal weapon damage. As to the knowledge check... these are malfunctioning Azlanti constructs the DC is considerable.

Sarine assesses the swarm and realises that normal weapons will be completely ineffective against these objects.

As the group does not attempt to flee the swarm begins moving, rolling down the hill in a smooth silver stream, parting for roll around the stairs and the larger rocks. Crossing the terrain with remarkable speed they swarm around Sarine, their smooth silver bodies threatening to topple her!

Swarm Damage: 1d6 ⇒ 4 DC12 reflex or fall prone Sarine.

Party Up. Feel free to roll any readied actions as the swarm approaches.

Jenner grimaces as the things swarm Sarine. "Hang on, there!"

He invokes the blessing of Abadar himself. "Vault-lord, guide our throws!"

Bless on the party, +1 to attacks

"Get out of there, Sarine!" Ashlyn exclaims. She holds onto her acid vial and circles around to get a better view of her enemy... waiting for Sarine to get to safety before she tosses the acid at the swarm.

Ranged Touch Attack: 1d20 + 3 + 1 ⇒ (19) + 3 + 1 = 23
Acid Damage: 1d6 ⇒ 4

As soon as Ashlyn lobs her acid vial, Elizar howls in anger and throws himself at the swarm, slamming into the little balls. His attacks seems completely ineffective.

He's attacking in the hopes of keeping their attention off of Ashlyn.