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Lionel looks at Numair, and says, "Ya know, I'd hate ta be a pain, but can ya clean me up as well? I know, usin' magic for such purpases and all, but that mud's startin' ta get where it shouldn't be, and I leave it at that.", he says, realizing he's been a bit too vague. "I meant in ma boots." Tapping his spear, the blade beginning to glow in a honey-coloured light, he begins moving forward in the cave. "Well, we're not gettin' anywhere when we stay here, is what I think. Can any of ya educated folk read tha writins on tha walls?", he says, scraping against a wall accidentally. "Whoops."
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Reed looks after Janira forlornly as she darts off to lead the minotaur away, but he is too respectful to not follow her orders. He follows the others into the caves, inspecting the contents of the sack with them. Once done, he notes, trying to keep the shame from his voice, "I suppose we should continue on and do as we were charged, as Lionel suggests."
The narrow tunnel twists and turns for several hundred feet before slowly opening to a wider passage. A large hole spans the cave’s width and stretches ten feet down the path. At the bottom of the pit lies a small bundle of cloth.
The tunnel here is 10 feet wide and 10 feet tall with a ceiling mostly devoid of stalactites. The pit is 10 feet long, 10 feet wide and 20 feet deep. It has its walls rounded eliminating any corners that a trapped creature might brace against while trying to escape.
You determine that the hole in the ground is artificial.
The pit is at least a year old.
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Numair shrugs.
"Well, I can do this..."
He ties-off a length of rope to a grappling hook, wedges the hook on this side, and then carefully climbs down to the bottom, where he has a look at the cloth bundle.
Then, he gestures for someone to unhook the grappling hook, and let it fall to the bottom, thereafter using it to hook on the other side, and climbs up.
Numair goes down the pit with ease thanks to his climbing gear. There he finds the cloak is some fine piece of equipment, a bit damaged by time, but still pretty functional. He can detect magic on it, but cannot tell anything else and will require someone more knowledgeable.
The cloak is a +1 resistance cloak.
Afterwards Numair has a hard time to place the hook up at the other side. He ends feeling he will not succeed on the deed, but finally after much trial the hook gets knocked to some corner and he is able to slowly climb up back.
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Reed follows Numair down into the pit to give him cover. The sorceror pulls out some old cloak that he seems to think is magical, but can't figure out what it is actually supposed to do.
The ranger waits patiently, letting Numair scramble up the other side before following the sorcerer up to the other side.
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Lionel begins climbing the rope, then slips and falls down, his many necklaces clanging around. "Whoops. Heh. Lemme just take off ma armor." Removing his breastplate from his purple shirt and tossing it to somebody, the cleric then quickly hops up the rope, and begins clasping back his armor. "So, it's an ol' trap, eh? A year? It coulda been made when the gillmen began comin' to this cave. It was about a year ago, I believe Janira said." I hope the lil' lady's alright.
After fastening the final strap, he then pings the spear's head with a finger, making it glow in honey colour once more. "Let's crack on, folk. Ain't no point sittin' around. Someone else should have tha cloak, I like livin' dangerously!", he remarks, beginning to slowly advance through the cave.
The fall is hard but Lionel manages to stand up and climb back up with just some intense pain in his right leg.
Syrak seems a bit too scared of the height and waves out letting you continue under the promise to guard the entrance.
The tunnels continue on, leading deeper beneath the Kortos Mounts until they eventually open into a large cavern. What must have once been beautifully carved reliefs and inscriptions have since weathered heavily, their features dulled and softened to the point that it is hard to distinguish what each once depicted. A wide tunnel exits the cavern on its far side, and blue-burning torches line the passageway’s walls.
The carvings here are different in style from the petroglyphs found elsewhere in the caves, and they seem to be very old.
The carvings here are different in style from the petroglyphs found elsewhere in the caves, and they date back to long before the gillmen explored this area. Scattered throughout the cave are inscriptions from
the History and Future of Humanity, the principle holy text of Aroden, and images that depict these passages.
The carvings focus on parables that feature Aroden’s 12 guises, meant to illustrate his hopes for humanity.
Currently the inscriptions are in very bad condition but you succeed to transleate...
You understand there is a strong religious value in the carvings and succeed at transcribing some parts that seem still in good enough conditions.
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"Let me have a look"
"These are definitely different than those of the gillmen from earlier in the cave. They appear to be inscriptions from the History and Future of Humanity, the holy text of Aroden. They deal primarily with the 12 guises, his hopes for humanity. I can't seem to translate the full text though. They appear to be Azlanti, or perhaps even Aquan."
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Lionel keeps a close eye on the round Keleshite, smiling widely. "Hells, man! Ya seem ta know a lotta stuff about a lotta stuff! And you too, Doodle!", he nods appreciatively at the sketching. "If there's somethin' I can give ya as an advice, there's always gonna be a thing or two ya don' know, but if ya can describe it proper, there's gonna be someone in the Society that knows somethin' 'bout it. Ya two gonna be fine additions to tha ranks, if ya don' mind me sayin'.", he grins at the two.
"Say, Bazim, I know a coupla things 'bout Aroden, being an Absalomite 'n all. Maybe I can give ya a hand with that translation. Jus don' make me do tha writin'.", mentions Lionel, turning back to look at the murals. Noticing the torches on the wall, he grunts and says, "Hm. Ya all think them could be some of tha Everburnin' torches? Heard them sell for a nice dime. Think we could grab a couple?" Upon seeing the gazes of some of the others, he raises his hands in the air, and says apologetically, "Alright, alright! Can't blame a man for tryin'! Even then though, we prolly can't jus shove 'em in a sack, can we..." He taps his longspear's blade again and continues down the tunnel.
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Eveline keeps close to Numair, a reliable source of light, a bow ready in her hands.
"Azlanti? Well then this place has a huge meaning to gillmen, I suppose. Don't they consider themselves to be some sort of descendants of the First Men?" Eveline ponders out loud, but remaining vigilant as she expects some dire fungi or rock-like ooze to jump at them at any minute.
Bazim carefully reads the carvings understanding one of them, still in good conditions.
The Fisherman is depicted hauling in an enormous catch of small fish to take back to Absalom, illustrating Aroden’s declaration that a great host of creatures could accomplish a great task, whether that be taming the wilds or feeding a nation.
Doodlevain and Numair observe another carving which they interpret as other figure of Aroden.
The Soldier is depicted bearing a lantern through the streets of a city, following the dead god’s prophecy that the vigilant shall carry light to the darkest corners of the world to banish the shadows.
As you decipher the sections, you also identify that the sections of the holy text depicted are slightly different than those that appear in the known version of the History and Future of Humanity, suggesting that these might represent an earlier version of the work.
Even though Aroden disappeared or died over a century ago, these caves seem store a hint of his divine magic (like a wand with a single charge left). You understand they can impart a minor blessing to those who perform a short series of rituals based on the parables.
Once finished inscribing your findings in your parchments, using those Janira offered for the ones of you without, you continue walking down the caves.
The soft light of the surrounding fungus mixes with the flickering glow of the nearby torches to reveal a grand chamber. A large pool of water along the chamber’s southern edge reflects the blue and green radiance to illuminate the massive stalactites that cling to the ceiling overhead. Two other tunnels branch off from this area, leading to the east and west.
Rising up from the pool is a column of rock with steeply sloped sides and a flat top, as if someone had sawn off the top of a massive stalagmite. A miniature city carved from this same stone occupies nearly the entire surface. Tiny trinkets such as ancient coins, polished semiprecious stones, and ornately braided loops of string are scattered throughout the diorama, and pale cave frogs clamber atop it.
The smooth cavern floor is covered in gravel and pebbles along the edge of the pool, and several foot-long centipedes prowl among the gravel in their search for prey.
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Lionel whistles in amazement.
"Ya're right, Eve. How's about them hunnardlegs, though! Look at the size of em! They're like cats! Think tha gillmen keep 'em as pets?", he says, eyeing the centipedes. "Man, nature's freaky." Lionel says, approaching a frog and looking at it with amazement. Spear in hand, he turns to the party and begins babbling. "I knew this grippli man, was workin' in tha 'hood. As a guard, no less. We was joking about him always leapin' in danger. Man, we was mean as kids. Don't know what happened to him.", Lionel chuckles at the memory.
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Reed continues along silently, making marks and drawings on his parchments as eagerly as a child in a classroom. Though he hasn't had much opportunity beforehand to do so, he finds that he likes the 'reporting' aspect of being a Pathfinder, and diligently tries to keep a good record of all he has seen and heard from his fellows.
As they approach the pool, he walks closer to the shoreline with Eve, watching her back with axe in hand as they near the water.
Ignoring the city model Eveline and Reed approaches to the waters, followed by the other team-mates.
As Eveline closes by to examine the waters, she suddenly discovers a humanoid figure, kneeling inside the water. He dresses as a pilgrim, and seems to be meditating, focused in the waters and has not realised of your approach. Even when Lionel's plate is producing a considerable amount of noise.
This person seems a gillman indeed!!!
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"Hmmm... Well, he is a man, and he has gills... presumably he is a Gillman?"
Numair moves around so the creature in the pool can see him, and then bows.
"Hello good sir! Am I right in thinking that you are a Gillman? My friends and I are representatives of the Pathfinder Society, tasked with exploring these caves, and finding out why Gillmen keep coming here. I don't suppose that you would be happy to tell us why?"
The gillman raises his head when Numair enters the water and places just in front of him. He reacts very calmly and does not answer Numair immediately.
He turns then his head and observes all the party silently. He then turns again and looks at Numair again. Yet saying nothing.
You feel the gillman is trying to read Numair's lips.
Uori finally breaks his silence "You have entered a site sacred to the gillmen in fact. It seems it once was sacred to Aroden, the dead god of humanity, as well, but the carvings in the nearby room have weathered and melted. I believe soon Aroden’s influence will have faded completely"
He turns around to look the whole party, yet calm continues "However, other creatures have invaded the caves and are not so polite as you seem. I have travelled to this site to "listen" to the holy waters. Whatever intentions brings you here, I pray your respect for this sacred area."
Bazim did not wait for the gillman to look at his lips before talking, so that might be the source of his lack of success
Uori turns towards Syrak as he arrives "I feel some force on you. Perhaps you can clear up the tunnels to the west and the east. They are full of undeads and other dungeon abominations. It would be a good service to maintain this sacred place out of undesired visitors"
It calls your attention Uori is looking at the cloak Numair found in the pit before with interest.
The gillman silently nods to Syrak, while touching his own cloak, barely exactly the same as the one obtained from the pit.
"You might find worst things" points to Doodlevain.
Uori turns to Numair, and yet not smiling he answers "I, like the many gillmen who have made this trip before, see the pure waters of the spring as a sacred sign and treat this cave reverently."
As the party moves to the east, the cave’s damp air becomes increasingly stale as you continue down through the tunnel, and as you approach this area, the stench of decay grows increasingly evident.
The passage turns to the east and opens into a small cavern littered with bits of broken glass, rotting pieces of paper, and other unusable detritus. The body of a male dhampir lies facedown toward the back of the cavern.
Four humanoid skeletons stand in the far end of the cavern after a narrow corridor. They turn as they see your light sources and listen your armor and weapons clanging.
These are advanced gillmen skeletons.
As any undead they are vulnerable to positive energy, and as any skeleton, they have resistance against not bludgeoning weapons.