Gordon investigates the crestures to see if they are wild or trained guards.
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Nathadriel rests his hand on the wall, struggling to shake off the venom. After a few moments, the pain begins to recede and he casts a healing spell on himself.
Gordon believes the animals to have been wild; this was probably their home during the day, and they would go out and hunt at night.
Examining the immediate vicinity, you see that this hallway extends only a little beyond where you could see from outside, terminating about 70 feet from the door; the darkstings must have been resting against the back wall.
Along the walls of the main hallway are several pictograms. An image of a single, winged humanoid presiding over several smaller winged humanoids appears in multiple places in the hall, each time with some kind of two-word inscription over it. The rest of the pictograms seem to be assortments of natural creatures of every variety, not clearly doing anything but standing there.
Other than where you came in, there are three clear exits to this hallway: one to the left (if you're at the door, looking in), one to the right, and one near the back end of the hallway. The left and right openings are short passages (no more than 10ft each) which then open into larger chambers. You have not yet investigated the back passage.
"How are you doing, elf? Can you continue on?"
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Nathadriel nods, casting one more cure wounds spell.
"I should be fine. Let's press on - I'm curious about these carvings and inscriptions."
Layali will first try to use the book to understand the two word inscription over the pictogram.
"Starting on the left is as good as any to me." she shrugs.
The two-word inscriptions are unlike anything Nathadriel has ever seen, suggesting they must indeed be written in ancient Hilvan. Layali then opens the lexicon and tries to find a translation.
Layali spends some time with the book, eager to put it to use finally!
After investigating the other hallways and translating: do we get a sense of what this place was used for by the Hilvans?
As Layali examines the writings, Gordon creeps down the side passages and sneaks a peek at the two nearer rooms.
Left room:
Right room:
Layali opens the book and begins work on translating the two-word inscriptions. Meanwhile, Gordon pokes his head into each of the two nearest chambers.
Gordon peeks into the chamber on the left, and sees that it's large, rectangular, and contains rows of stone panels on the floor, probably something like 30-40 in all. Each panel is about 5ft by 3ft, and not more than an inch or two thick. Large piles of bones, marred by tooth-marks, lie scattered throughout the room, along with shredded clothes and other remains of the darkstings' previous meals. The walls contain additional pictograms of seemingly random animals, all in reclining postures, underneath stylized pictograms of a night sky. At regular intervals along the walls are rectangular impressions, roughly 2ft by 3ft and positioned with their bottom edges about 4ft off the ground.
Moving over to the chamber on the right, Gordon finds the beginnings of a room, but is surprised to discover that the ground rises up to the ceiling not more than a couple of feet past the doorway. Solid barrier of earth, right where it looks like a room should be.
Meanwhile, Layali manages a translation after about 15 minutes. One word is included in all of the two-word inscriptions, and it's a word referring to a group of people, such as "crowd" or "group". Each inscription includes that word along with what appears to be a proper noun, different in each inscription, but each having a punctuation mark that denotes possession.
While Layali contines with the translation, Gordon goes into the left chamber, and examines the walls in closer detail. Do these impressions seem to be part of a mechanism of some kind? Are there any secret doors?
Try as he might, Gordon can find no secret doors or other hidden mechanisms in the left chamber. However, he does notice the following details:
First, the rectangles on the walls are recessed a bit with some detailing around the edges, almost like windows with frames, except they're made of stone and they don't actually open out to anywhere.
Second, the stone panels on the floor have bizarre contours—wrinkles, even—almost as though their surfaces were carved to look like fabric.
Third, among the piles of bones and shredded clothing, you notice a satchel that's still in relatively good condition. Investigating, you find it contains some now-rotten rations, 37 gold pieces, and a potion labeled "Healing" in common.
Fourth, just as you're about to leave the chamber, you notice a small spatter of dried blood, no more than a few days old, and a big red feather, somewhat damaged, nearly a foot long.
"Aha! A clue!"
Gordon examines the feather, hoping to identify it, and looks for other signs of recent violence.
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You examine the feather, and become increasingly certain that you've never seen (or even heard of) a creature that would have a feather of this particular size, shape and color. So certain, in fact, that you feel a slight twinge of excitement, wondering if you may be holding the first evidence of a previously undocumented species.
However, you find no further evidence of recent violence.
Layali explains what she finds in the book, adding, "So I would guess this place was used for some kind of gatherings maybe." She spends some time looking at the rectangular stone panels and wall pictograms.
While waiting for the others to investigate, Leifa will prepare a meal for the group-using whatever she finds on hand.
Layali begins pondering the area, and sees that although each type of animal is pictured more than once (there are so many pictures, it would be difficult not to repeat any), there does not appear to be any real pattern to them. The pictures are too abstract to depict the presence or absence of feathers, but the animals in both the main hall and the left chamber include what are obviously birds, and the humanoids depicted in the main hall all have wings.
Meanwhile, Leifa's keen outlander senses alert her to the presence of fresh meat, so she sets about preparing the felled darkstings for mealtime.
After hearing Gordon's description of the right chamber, Layali investigates it briefly herself to see if she can determine weather it is of natural or magical origins.
Layali spends a moment gazing at dirt, and comes away with no additional information.
Once the group is done investigating the back chamber, Leifa will announce lunch is ready.
Moving onward to the back chamber, you see an L-shaped room, rather large, with a high, buttressed ceiling. Several areas of the room contain rectangular (10ft by 15ft) arrangements of knee-high (to everyone but Gordon) walls, leaving a central aisle through the room and 10ft-wide spaces between each of these walled areas. Each walled-off area seems to be solid rather than hollow; that is, these are more like solid blocks than empty boxes.
Cracks in the ceiling allow recent rainwater to trickle in, and over time this has resulted in a musty smell and an assortment of cavern plants and fungi covering most of the surfaces of the room. At the far end, however, it looks like there's a bare patch of wall with some markings on it, possibly writing, but it's hard to tell from here.
Gordon approaches the wall to examine it more closely.
Nathadriel will examine the fungus and plants, in case he recognises any of them as a threat.
Waiting patiently for the all clear from Gordon, Layali will approach the writing once it is determined safe. Layali will then use the codex again to try and understand the writing.
Nathadriel scans the room as Gordon walks forward, and notices a patch of caustic slime-mold just before Gordon steps on it. Following Nathadriel's guidance along a safe path through the room, Gordon and Layali are able to get to the patch of writing, scrape off some moss, and have a look.
There are two pictograms of trees (too stylized to identify as any particular type) which flank a short inscription. It takes Layali nearly half an hour to manage a translation:
The inscription begins with a phrase meaning, roughly, "garden of serenity" or "place of plant harmony". Beneath that is a word with no direct translation but that is an expression of respectful mourning, and it references a proper noun (not the same as any of the proper nouns in the main hall). Following this is a number which seems like it might be a date, except using an entirely unfamiliar calendar.
By now, Leifa has finished preparing her roasted darksting, and you all discuss your findings over lunch.
"On to the northern buildings?"
"Sounds good."
"Onward to the North, I suppose."
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Leaving the mysterious structure the way you came, you trek back along the winding path to the oddly-placed staircase, go up, then begin a long, serpentine path along the occasionally-tiled and bizarrely-shaped hilltop toward the structure to the north of the arches.
A few minutes into your walk, with only a couple of hundred feet to go, three of the armored, winged statues that you've seen scattered throughout the area begin walking toward you, swords and shields at the ready!
Gordon and Leifa are the first to react!
Leifa will advance and attack the statue on the left, spending a ki point.
,
,
,
Gordon fires, but his arrow skips off the statue soldier's stone shield!
Leifa rushes in and unleashes all her fury, striking the statue three times!
The statue hits the ground, with cracks spreading all over it from the force of Leifa's blows. However, it seems difficult to break , and is still moving!
It gets back up, and swings its stone sword at Leifa!
,
It hit her, hard!
Another joins the attack against the monk, while the third advances on the rest of the party!
,
Leifa's second opponent misses!
The third statue makes a bee-line for the halfling archer! Flapping its stone wings once, it gains a logic-defying burst of speed and rams its shield into Gordon!
Gordon braces himself against the blow, managing to hold his ground!
Damage tally:
Statue1: 11
Nathadriel steps up to take Gordon's place fighting the statue nearest to the party. As he swings his sword, he also casts healing word on Leifa.
,
"Thanks Nathadriel"
Feeling pressured, Leifa will attack the statues using another ki point.
,
,
,
STR DC 13 or be pushed 15ft (towards hillside edge)
Gordon leads his pony backward, coming closer to the ledge, and the statue takes a swipe at him as he goes!
,
Gordon takes a solid wallop from a blunt, stone sword, then retaliates with an arrow that cracks his assailant!
Nathadriel interposes himself between Gordon and the statue, taking a swing and chipping out a bit of stone!
Leifa swings at the damaged statue before her, but only manages to connect once!
Damage tally:
Statue1: 14
Statue2: 0
Statue3: 11
Layali release a trio of fiery rays!
Layali sends magical flames every which way, striking two of the statues!
Leifa's opponents attack!
,
,
She ducks one blow, but leans right into the next, taking a dizzying blow to the head!
The third statue retaliates against Nathadriel!
,
The cleric takes a painful strike to the arm!
Damage tally:
Statue1: 18
Statue2: 0
Statue3: 16
Gordon's arrow strikes the nearest statue in the chest, its cracks deepen, and it crumbles to the ground! The two statues by Leifa remain!
"Good job taking that one down!" Layali cheers. Looking at the undamaged statue, Layali spreads her hands as bolts of electricity shoot forth to envelope the thing!
Layali's spell chips at the statue slightly!
Damage tally:
Statue1: 18
Statue2: 3
Nathadriel steps over the fallen statue and hurries to Leifa's side, attacking the most heavily damaged one.
,
Leifa will attack statue1.
,
,
Try as they might, both elves fail to land any blows on the statues!
The statues strike back!
,
,
They both miss!
Damage tally:
1: 18
2: 3