Jeslara "Jessa" Eventide |
"Oh, this is very much the pinnacle of Thassilon!" Jessa gushes, "To find a ruin with such prominent displays of one of the very ruling runelords is...well, it's...it's just so tremendous I don't have the words to describe it! Such a discovery could almost guarantee my publication in the Pathfinder Chronicles..."
Then the wizardess frowns.
"Assuming, of course, we live to tell the tale of this place."
Mitnal |
"Assuming, of course, we live to tell the tale of this place."
"Does that seem likely?" asks Mitnal, feigning a serious expression.
"Oh, I certainly hope so!"
"Well, we're not going to find it standing here. Who's first? I vote the goblin."
Mitnal tries once again to shove the goblin into the room.
1d20 + 5 ⇒ (7) + 5 = 12
"Slippery bugger. Stop squirming."
Jeslara "Jessa" Eventide |
Jessa leads everyone in following after Kenzo. When she sees the opposite door slightly ajar, she motions for the monk to check it out. Blackwing, too, seems to take his direction from her as he silently flaps forward to alight on Kenzo's shoulder and peer beyond the portal.
DM Wicht |
Peeking through the door, Kenzo sees a short hallway which rises in a slope to the east. Five feet from the western door (where Kenzo is), the floor is polished and shiny, unlike the dusty floor elsewhere. North and south of the clean floor are what appear to be dark alcoves. At the eastern end of the hall, there is some light shining from the north, allowing Kenzo to make out a third alcove on the far east end of the hall. In this alcove sits a partially collapsed statue. The top half of the statue is missing, leaving behind a ragged stump of a torso.
Without more light in the hall, Kenzo cannot see more.
Jeslara "Jessa" Eventide |
Jessa moves up beside Kenzo when she doesn't see him overly-worried about anything beyond the door. She reaches out her hand so Blackwing can hop back over to her shoulder. And then she intones a simple cantrip and waves her hand at the hallway beyond the door.
"Ludanz."
Four glowing lights wink into existence and then depart, moving outward and among the various alcoves and hallway to illuminate the way ahead.
Casting dancing lights and sending them forward. Duration = 1 minute. Range = 120 feet. Total illumination by keeping each light within 10 feet of one another = 50-foot circle of bright light equivalent to a torch or lantern.
DM Wicht |
The light illuminates enough to determine the floor five feet past the door is incredibly clean, there are two alcoves to either side of the clean floor that might have statues in them, but one would need to enter the hall to tell for sure, and there is indeed a broken statue at the end of the hall in a third alcove.
Jeslara "Jessa" Eventide |
The light illuminates enough to determine the floor five feet past the door is incredibly clean, there are two alcoves to either side of the clean floor that might have statues in them, but one would need to enter the hall to tell for sure, and there is indeed a broken statue at the end of the hall in a third alcove.
"Looks perfectly fine," Jessa whispers, but then pauses as she considers the floor ahead.
"Does that look a little...ummm, out of place?" she says, "For such an ancient ruin, it has an awfully clean patch of flooring there. Especially considering the alcoves and the rest of the hall look so dirty. Could it be a trapdoor to a lower level? Or a pit trap of some kind? I don't recall the specific wards Thassilonians used in their architecture, but I would have thought they'd rely more on magic than mechanical engineering."
"Perhaps we should send the goblin through first?" she suggests in a low tone so their captive won't overhear.
Then, just for good measure, she casts another spell to discern more about the way ahead.
"Havaita sorcere..."
Casting detect magic and focusing on the hallway.
Mitnal |
"Aack!" screams the goblin and attempts to retreat back the way he came. He most certainly does not want in the hallway and it seems likely that nothing short of bodily throwing him in or pushing right behind him is going to work.
Mitnal tries, once again, to manhandle the squirming creature ...
grapple check: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 5 = 6EDIT: And then, Mitnal hangs his head in shame.
Jeslara "Jessa" Eventide |
Jessa rolls her eyes at the ensuing antics. "Boys! Stop!" she tells them, "Perhaps the goblin would assist us if we simply asked him to...?"
She weaves her hands and chants, "Encantoami!"
Casting charm person (DC 15) on the goblin to try and make him more pliable.
DM Wicht |
"Don't throw me in there!" shouts the goblin and dodging from Mitnal and Eugen, "It's trapped!"
The goblin leaps for Jessa, hugging her tightly. From this close up the young mage cannot help but realize the little guy has a very strong personal odor all his own.
The goblin's word's ring in Kenzo's ear as he begins to put another foot forward, going deeper into the hall. Kenzo realizes what the goblin says as he stands about three feet into the hall. Kenzo is standing right in front of the dust free zone and can now see there are two alcoves to either side of the clean floor, both holding statues: statues holding sharp looking weapons.
Jeslara "Jessa" Eventide |
The goblin leaps for Jessa, hugging her tightly. From this close up the young mage cannot help but realize the little guy has a very strong personal odor all his own.
"Ugh! Like...ewww..." Jessa turns her head and tries extricate herself from the goblin's grasp without actually having to touch him...which proves difficult, of course.
"Somebody stop Kenzo before he sets it off!" she coughs and then holds her nose.
Blackwing, Jessa's Familiar |
"RAAWWWK! Let go! Let go!" Blackwing crows at the goblin in an attempt to defend his mistress. The bird flaps his wings excitedly to try and intimidate the foul creature into backing away.
Blackwing's pitiful Intimidate check... 1d20 - 2 ⇒ (17) - 2 = 15
EDIT: Huh! Maybe not so pitiful after all. Pretty decent for Raven-Father...
Gyorgy Elberion |
"It's a trap! Kenzo! Get back!"
I cry out, excitedly, to my comrade.
Then I give the goblin a hard look: "You need to speak up a bit more quickly. You're on our side now."
Kenzo |
Post monster ate my post from last night.
Kenzo, edging into the hallway, stops short upon hearing talk of a trap. Standing frozen, he briefly contemplates if the statues are the trap, and whether it would be worth it to try and spring them intentionally. Gyorgy's yell, however, snaps him back the reality of the situation. "Any thoughts?" he yells out to his friends.
Jeslara "Jessa" Eventide |
"Hold on," Jessa replies, "Let me find out something."
She looks down at the now-friendly goblin. "You there," she asks, "Is this the only way to Nualia? The longshanks woman who runs everything..."
"And, if so..." she adds, "Do you know how bypass the trap?"