With a great sigh Chi wipes the sweat and fear from her brow, "Are we all still well, now we'd best find Tun'ada he can't be far away." With the undead fallen, she quietly chants and uses her magical eyes to look for magical auras, half expecting Tun'ada will show up as evil magics transform him into a servant of the undead.
Chi is able to detect several magical auras. One is a faint lingering aura of the Evocation school upon Nylithati's remains that Chi fails to identify further. Another is tied to the altar itself in a 20 feet radius that she is able to identify as a Desecrate spell. A third aura upon Nylithati is determined as a Shield of Faith spell, and a fourth aura is identified as a Bless spell cast before the battle. Among Nylithati's remains, you identify an Amulet of Natural Armour +1 and a Ring of Swimming. Her scale mail also possesses an protective enchantment- +1.
"Whew! That was quite a battle! I thought we were goners there for a moment. Gelik should be able to make quite the epic out of that one!"
" But we need to hurry and find Tun'ada! Where do we start?"
At the demise of the evil lacedon, Gwen collapses to her knees, allowing herself a single harsh sob. She kneels silently for a few seconds, finally startled out of her reverie by the movements of those around her.
Tun'ada and Savarend - have we found them yet? They must be properly buried. Is anyone hurt? Mawj, you look to have taken grevious wounds on our behalf. Will you accept healing?
After the ghoul falls Marcus strips her body of the items Chi detected. Then he gathers the pieces, douses them in oil and lights the whole thing. He walks away without another glance.
Shall we try the opening the b$%#! came from originally. She might have stashed him in her lair?
Mawj alights from Uli and walks toward the fallen form of Nylithati. Drawing his knife, he bends down and begins hacking and sawing at the lacedon's mouth, cutting away the gum tissue and extracting teeth. After removing all of the available teeth and depositing them into a belt pouch, he stands and wipes the blade on his leggings. "Mawj keeps his promises, death-hag."
He turns to the rest of the group. "Now where is the clumsy hunter who was captured? Mawj does not like keeping Lady Aycenia waiting."
Would that we knew, brave Mawj, would that we knew.
Gwen sighs wearily and trudges after Marcus, pausing briefly to lay a gentle touch upon the newcomer, whispering a few words of thanks to the gods as she does so.
Cure Light Wounds:
Distressed by her failure to locate Tun'ada by using magical means, Chi looks around repeatedly, she makes sure Ambroze and Gwen know the things she has seen with her magical sight. "That thing spoke of one of our friends drowning in this pool, instead of being made immortal." Chi takes a ring from Nylithati's finger and places it on her own, before plunging into the cold waters of the pool "I must go and find Tun'ada, surely it is him who must be down here drowning."
A thorough search of the small pool reveals nothing except the small altar. Moving through the room where you first battled Nylithati, the blood and gore stricken throughout the room makes it clear the Ghouls have fed at least once. Moving through into the smaller chamber Nylithati emerged from...
The walls of this small cave are covered with carvings of snakes and skeletons. A hideous mound of bones and dripping seaweed forms what can only be a nest in the middle of the room- a nest containing the pale and sickly form of a barely concious Tun'ada, kept tied up with rope.
Startled to see her friend, and even more startled to see him alive, Gwen springs into action.
Marcus, Mawj, would you be so kind as to carry him into the next room? It'll do him no good at all to see where he's been sleeping. Please let's not mention it if we don't need to. There, thank you. Now, please give him some air.
Cure Light Wounds:
Ambroze fishes around in his pack and removes a flask of liquid.
"Here, Gwen. Give this to Tun'ada. It's a flask of antiplague - hopefully it will rid him of the ghoul fever."
Tun'ada comes to, and slowly looks around...
In a weary, dry, raspy voice, the tribemans says, "Thank you for coming after me. You have all risked meeting a fate such as Savarend's or what the priestess had in mind for me.....I don't know what else to say..."
Tun'ada hangs his head, equal parts thankful for his rescue and ashamed that his friends had to risk so much to retrieve him.
Heal:
Gwen carefully inspects Tun'ada's condition, attempting to determine when the optimal time to administer the antitoxin would be.
"It is good to have you back with us, Tun'ada. We are stronger with you, I'm sure you would have helped to rescue one of us, had the boot been on the other foot. If you are feeling steady and strong enough to continue, I suggest we rid these caves of any remnants of this foul cleric Nylithati and her minions. Let us seek out our revenge upon any that remain, for Savarend's sake, though he be taken from us and to celebrate Tun'ada's return. We should cleanse this place of its disgusting worship and sanctuaries. Let us search out the caverns and make it all safe." Chi, her eyes ablaze looks intently around the nest of the evil cleric.
Marcus hops to Gwem's suggestion, carrying Tun'ada outside to be healed.
He just scratches his half- beard at Tun'ada's words, saying nothing, but he is clearly delighted to find the tribesmen alive.
[I]He seconds Chi's plan. Yes let's ensure we've cleared out all the ghouls if we are going to leave the lighthouse.
"It would be ill advised to spend much time looking for Savarend....I was awakened solely to see the final fate of our dwarven friend."
Mawj rides Uli up to Tun'ada, then wrinkles his nose as he sniffs the air. "Ech! You smell foul, human hunter. And Mawj is a goblin! It is good that we did not have to destroy you as a shambling, soulless monster. Good, indeed. If there is no more business, Mawj will escort you to Lady Aycenia now."
Tun'ada growls at the mouthy little goblin...then turns his attention to the others.
"And just exactly how long have I been out? Where did the goblin come from.....and why?
Tun'ada, meet Mawj gro-Bolmog. He hails from somewhere on the island or thereabouts. He claims to be a messenger or a servant of a wood spirit who would offer us counsel. I have agreed that we will travel forth to meet his mistress, Lady Aycenia. Although small, Mawj is a fearless ally in combat, if what I just witnessed is any indication. He was instrumental in our triumph over your captor.
As they search, Chi says "Gwen, that altar below the waves, is there anything we can do to stop it's evil seeping back into the caves? Let us cleanse the caverns, and return tomorrow to rid ourselves of that thing, but first to rid ourselves of anymore evil creatures resting here."
You meet no further resistance in the caves- it seemed Nylithati had gathered all her remaining forces for the ambush. The south-west exit of the room with the pool leads to a simple cavern with gnawed bones scattered around it. The south-east exit leads to another small cave, with a single sentence scrawled upon the wall. The writing looks ancient, clearly centuries old-
“All glory to Great Ydersius.”
The final and eastern exit from the pool room that you explore leads through a narrow cavern tunnel into a large room. This room has been well carved and is no natural cavern- the walls are smooth stone and black marble. This long chamber evokes the feel of an ancient, hideous cathedral. The walls are carved with images of serpents walking upright like humans, snakes coiling around and eating hapless women and children, and stranger scenes. Four stone pillars carved like coiling snakes support the vaulted ceiling 30 feet above. Four small cells blocked by rusted bars sit in the walls to the east and west. To the north, an immense carving of a snake’s head looms, an ash-caked, broken door clenched in its jaws, while to the south rises a horrific mound of bones and partially decayed bodies in an eight foot-tall heap arranged almost as if to evoke the imagery of a coiled snake made of corpses. At the north end of the room near the door, a large stone table is clearly missing its altar...
This temple is clearly devoted to Ydersius, the ancient and headless snake God. (More information is available on the Knowledge (Religion) check I asked for during the first combat with Nylithati, please read that spoiler too if you haven't already done so.).
You identify the ash and damage around the door as damage done by a Greater Glyph of Warding, a powerful defensive spell tied to the door.
You notice several empty potion vials in a dark cornerof the room near the blasted door. You note they look very similar to vials they saw the Varisian scholar Ieana carrying once or twice during the Jenivere’s final voyage...
Perception:
"This temple is clearly devoted to Ydersius, the ancient and headless snake God," Ambroze says, gazing around the room in horror.
"Ydersius was the patron of the serpentfolk that battled for domination with the Azlant in times before the Age of Darkness," Ambroze continues, his voice taking on a lecturing tone as he strides around the room. "The deity was extremely evil - and is noted for being beheaded by Savith, an Azlant champion. It is rumoured his head is buried somewhere in the Mwangi Expanse, while his tortured body wanders the Darklands."
"Both parts of Ydersius are believed to still be alive, although no one is sure. One thing is certain however - unlike clergy of Aroden, his clerics still have access to divine power. Indeed, there is even an entire organisation devoted to his return, known as the Coils of Ydersius."
With the adrenalin subsiding after the fight, Chi walks lethargically around the next cavern, hardly bothering to look up and take in the ancient writings.
Mawj looks sideways at Ambroze. "Mawj is suspicious of those who know so much about a secret society..."
Ambroze knows a lot about many things, and he seems to know at least a little about even more than that, good Mawj. Don't worry overmuch. I'm reasonably sure he merely recalls what he mentioned from some book or another, like as not nearly as big as you are. Just as you mustn't be judged by your cover, nor should we let Ambroze's thorough knowledge of such an eccentric topic concern us.
Much more importantly, though, look there...see those vials resting in the corner? I very distinctly remember Ieana carrying them aboard the Jenavere. I recall wondering what they were, and if they might have any medicinal properties...
Chi wanders aimlessly around the temple, "There's nothing here, we going back yet? To see the sun and sky again would make me happy after all this darkness." She stays away from the pile of bones, which she suggests they burn to let their souls depart this place and be at peace.
Jask carefully examines the dust, damage and ash around the northern door before concluding-
A defence upon this door was very recently triggered, likely wounding whoever was opening it severely. The defence was a greater glyph of warding, powerful abjuration magic...
Jask goes on to explain how the Glyph destroyed the door as well in its potent blast, and is happy to tell you all about the spell.
Mawj looks sideways at Ambroze. "Mawj is suspicious of those who know so much about a secret society..."
Oh, I'm a bit of a scholar regarding the ancient ruins and varied cultures of the Mwangi Expanse - particularly the ancient Azlanti Empire. Why just recently I finally figured out how to read and understand the ancient Azlanti tongue. Did you know that the various dialects of the Polyglot language of the tribes of the Mwangi Expanse can trace their roots to the ancient Azlanti language, as does the language of the Varisians far to the north? Imagine, two such diverse modern cultures as the Mwangi and the Varisians can trace their history back to a common ancestral culture! It's very exciting!"
"But - just so we're clear, here - what are your views on reading and writing...?" Ambroze asks Mawj, a bit of concern creeping into his voice.
Much more importantly, though, look there...see those vials resting in the corner? I very distinctly remember Ieana carrying them aboard the Jenavere. I recall wondering what they were, and if they might have any medicinal properties...
"Wait... What?! Ieana was here?!" Ambroze asks in surprise at Gwen's observation. "That means she must have been looking for something here... Probably behind that blasted doorway to the north..." Ambroze's voice trails off as he mutters the words of a spell and moves to investigate the ash-caked, broken door clenched in the jaws of the carved snake's head.
Jask carefully examines the dust, damage and ash around the northern door before concluding-
A defence upon this door was very recently triggered, likely wounding whoever was opening it severely. The defence was a greater glyph of warding, powerful abjuration magic...
Jask goes on to explain how the Glyph destroyed the door as well in its potent blast, and is happy to tell you all about the spell.
"A Glyph of Warding, you say?" Ambroze asks Jask, examining the doorway with even more interest. "They don't reset once they're discharged, correct?"
No, unless there are further wards we should be safe... Jask replies.
Careful searching and detection of magical auras reveals nothing, so Ambroze cautiously leads the way into the small chamber through the doorway. A low stone altar, its sides carved like coiling snakes and its top carved to resemble a yawning viper’s maw, sits in the center of this room. The walls of the chamber are carved with images of anthropomorphic serpents using strange, pointed megaliths of stone to work great feats of magic—transforming an army of humans into zombies, calling down flaming bolts of lightning from the stars, or parting the waters of the sea to dash human ships upon the exposed rocks of the seabed below. This final image seems to have been very recently cleaned of dust, and several lines of text have been made more legible via the application of inks and perhaps blood...
The images depicted are all clearly on Smugglers Shiv itself.
The carvings are indeed ancient, likely contemporary with the ancient Azlant and in that same time period.
The creatures depicted are ancient serpentfolk...
Smaller carvings nearby depict serpentfolk splashing blood on curved runes carved on upright stones before a red mountain, and then holding venomous snakes against the blood that they might lick the stones, pouring water onto a pyramid-shaped block of red stone from a bowl, and standing before the pyramid of stone with arms upraised and mouths agape as if shouting to the heavens as a bolt of lightning arcs up from the stones into the sky.
You recognize the mountain in the carvings as Red Mountain, on the island’s southeast shore- you fought the cannibal tribe at the base of it. You surmise that the strange rock jutting out of the earth you spotted near the bridge would be about the right location for the scene depicted in the smaller carvings...
Mawj raises an eyebrow to Ambroze's question. "Mawj may be a goblin, but he understands the usefulness of writing, gnome."
"So this snake god, Ydersius, is he the cause of these destructions carved in the stone?"
Knowledge (Nature):
Knowledge (Geography):
"All of these images, are from here on the Shiv."
Knowledge (Geography):
Marcus looks queasy when Savarend's ultimate fate is revealed. Damn we can't even bury him..
He is of no assistance in the temple, spending the time gazing with distaste at the snake carvings. Snakes... Gods I hate snakes.
After the further revelations. So this Ieana set the glyph thing off and then healed herself? The bolts of lightning seem familiar. What was so important here to risk blowing herself up and how did she get past the ghouls? From what you've said charm magic wouldn't work on the undead?
After initially taking in the carvings, some writing in Aklo catches Ambroze's eye, close to the smaller carvings. This writing is much less dusty then most of the rest of the room and someone clearly took the time to uncover it to read it recently.
Chi eyes with distaste the altar, glancing casually at the surroundings, but finds nothing to interest her. "At least we know we are on the tail of that woman, who placed us in this mess. The least we can do is seek revenge, if she so loves this snake god, then she should meet it in death." Looking at the smaller picture, her eyes open wide a look of shock comes over her face. "So these are pictures of this island you say Ambroze, so this one of the red mountain here, could it be the red mountain we saw, the one the night before last that was lit up by lightening bursting up into the sky. The one we think Ieana went to, the one that we thought Jask was being taken to and to be sacrif......And you don't think those words, well they might refer to what might have been, 'the blood of a thinking creature'...oooh..Jask..." Her voice trails off as she realizes what she says, and doesn't want to bring it back to Jask's mind, he suffered enough recently.
So she came here to get the instructions to the lightning, ground shaking thingy she did yesterday? Ambroze does that sound right? I don't like the cast down your enemies part.
Well, this isn't making much sense to me, other than as follows: Ieana probably aims to raise at least the head of this ancient god, Ydersius. I know naught of him, but I suspect that allowing her to succeed would be a very bad thing indeed. To accomplish this aim, she visited this...hole, allied herself - or was already allied with - the dearly departed ghoul we just faced down, and entered this room we are in, taking some injuries in the process from a guardian spell. She probably used the potions contained in those vials over there to heal herself. She then did...something...here. Did she complete a part of the riddle, perhaps? Or merely uncover it?
Does anyone see anything here like the things described in yon writing? Runes, or a Tide Stone? It seems certain that at least one of those items is probably on the Red Mountain... where Jask was to serve as the thinking man whose blood was to be shed.
And now I fear that the captain may have served that purpose instead.
Edit: "...curved runes carved on upright stones before a red mountain..."
Edit 2:
After burning the bodies of the savages and taking anything you want from the cannibals, you are forced to make your way up the peak of red mountain. This low mountain is the highest point on the entire island. Barren of vegetation, the jagged rise of rust-red stones juts from the earth like an immense scar, providing a vertiginous view of the surrounding blue of the seemingly endless ocean. You can see how Red Mountain got its name- the rocks that crown the summit have a strange scarlet hue about them, and here and there splatters of blood from previous sacrifices speak of the dark things the cannibal tribe did in this place.From your vantage point you can make out several things-
1. You can see all the shipwrecks of Smuggler's Shiv, including a few nearby that could serve as shelter.
2. The footpath leading to the north-west from the bridge leads to a strange rock formation.
3. You can make out Klorax and his band- they are heading west back along the game trail and have made significant progress towards..
4. The lighthouse, sticking out over the jungle like a mighty beacon of hope- on the southwest tip of the island . Straining your eyes a little, you can see smaller buildings dotted around the lighthouse itself- this must be the savage camp.
5. To the west of the abandoned campsite found at the northern end of the game trail, north of the abandoned hut- you can make out some kind of motionless crustacean- at least twice as large as the crab you fought and killed.
6. Directly west of Red Mountain near the west coast, you can make out a truly massive tree atop a hill- it must be sixty feet or higher. The tree is surrounded by smaller but still impressive trees in some kind of grove
7. Standing out from the lush vegetation that dots Smuggler's Shiv, the island to the far northwest is a grey, bleak scar- seemingly devoid of flora and fauna. A tidal causeway leads over to the island from the previous island.
I think most of your theory is sound Gwenyth... Jask muses, scratching his chin as he concentrates on the images and text. But Kovack's message implied he was to be made into a Ghoul, you already slew his shell I expect. Ieana likely came here for these instructions Ambroze translated- it seems like some kind of ritual instructions does it not...
Success
Success
Failure
Running his hands slowly over the walls, Jask speaks up once more.
These carvings are ancient history, and are all clearly on Smuggler's Shiv itself. They must date from the Azlant period, thousands of years ago... Serpentfolk were said to have battled the Azlant for domination many, many centuries ago- and Ydersius is indeed an ancient deity...
Jask suddenly claps his hands together, struck by a thought-
The bridge where you rescued me! There was a rock jutting from the land somewhere nearby no? These smaller carvings place it perfectly, on the edge of a cliff with Red Mountain rising in the background!
The Aspis Consortium sometimes had us explore ancient ruins, ahead of the Pathfinders. Sometimes, a ritual or an ancient puzzle would require the blood of a thinking creature; but this does not necessarily mean a death. My palm was often cut to provide the means to gain access; and I gladly volunteer my blood for whatever you deem necessary...
"Which you can explore to your heart's content as soon as you speak with Lady Aycenia. Come, dead snake gods can wait."
"Which you can explore to your heart's content as soon as you speak with Lady Aycenia. Come, dead snake gods can wait."
"The powers shown by the ghoul priestess proves that the reports of the god's death are greatly exaggerated. That being said, I do not know what sort of deal my companions have struck with you, so if we are meet this Lady Aycenia, so be it."
Tiredness seems to be on Chi, yet she smiles at Mawj "You know Majw could right, let us at least talk with an erstwhile ally, before we head to off to take on the serpent god and its followers. At least, if we have an ally, we might find respite from the troubles of this island. If we've finished here, lets away to the blue sky and golden sunshine above, it will refresh us from the doom and gloom of these caves. You never know we might get inspiration to understand more the complexity of events that fate has placed before us."
Marcus scowls at the goblin but nods his head. Let's be off then. Abadar's oath this place gives me a chill.