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Indeed Jiro, but it makes me wonder why it is still here. This place looks completely abandoned but for some ghost like creatures. Surely someone should have found these before. Either that or this stash is more recent and there are other sentient creatures about that we have not discovered yet.
Variel catalogs the items as well for what he could use but looks at the other first. Any of this stuff that you guys could use or are interested in?
"Just some of the shinies for selenia. But depends on what others want. Those sapphires look like rain's eyes, perhaps you might want to claim those"
Horatio waits to see what the results of Jiro's spell will reveal, but he glances at Variel, listening thoughtfully.
Amen-set watches the gear as well, but she turns to the Man and the Elf.
"In my homeland it is said that the tombs of ancient kings were often havens to the Undead - and surely they placed many curses upon the wealth which was buried there."
"Mayhap this treasure is equally cursed? If so, we should be wary of it," she says slowly.
Then she turns to watch Jiro as well, curious to know what the results of his spell will reveal.
"If anyone would have happened upon this trove of treasure before, good Captain, then they shouldn't have been so foolish to leave them," he says with a smile. "And I say take your shinies, Seijiro, for this lady Selenia of yours. And as far as curses or undead, there is no need to fear such things, milady, we shall overcome!" he states with a gleam in his eye and a big smile. He then aids in gathering the items up.
"..And as far as curses or undead, there is no need to fear such things, milady, we shall overcome!" he states with a gleam in his eye and a big smile. He then aids in gathering the items up.
Amen-set smiles brightly at Rajah and bows her head in a gracious thanks to his response.
Horatio looks at the others for a moment, then ponders the Bag of Holding.
"Jiro-san - is there something in the bag already?" he asks, curious to know what - if anything - is in it.
"If not, maybe we could take the loot and put it in the sack? It doesn't seem like there's much use for most of it now, unless anyone wants the armor?"
He thinks for a moment.
"I know the scrolls might be useful later for selling, but they might also be equally useful for sprucing this place up - once we get things taken care of, that is," he adds, then lets the others decide what they want to do.
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Once we get back to the ship with this we can divide it all equally with what we still have in the hold. However if anyone can make use of hte items themselves then please speak up and claim them now. The armor looks particularly fine for those unaccustomed to heavier armors.
AMen I am likewise not worried about curses but those that placed them if they are still here.
Following Rajah's thought Variel moves in and grabs some shinies not worried about any curse at the moment and throws them to Jiro. [b]Hear you go my good man. Make your woman happy. I will likewise follow your advice and take some of the sapphires for Rain.
Seijiro happily pockets the fire opals, though in time he won't want or need them all, just a few... "Thankee, Variel... I'm sure I can have something pretty made for her from these. Those three matched sapphires should make a pretty ring and pair of earrings, or just one large ring." He grins at VAriel... and makes no other claims on any of the treasure.
Seijiro looks inside the bag, tries to discover if there's anything already inside... He'll feel around if he can't see anything.
Examining the bag, you see something strange. It seems to have three flaps that each lay over the other. Opening the largest strap shows you a normal bag of holding, opening the middle strap reveals a magical compartment that seems quite cold within, , the third space opens to a ladder that descends into darkness. Should you go down, it opens into a large tent-like area of the same color and pattern as the bag material. it looks somewhat like this.
Seijiro looks in each of the sections of the bag, and chuckles when he discovers the middle cold section. "That could come in handy if we have anything that needs to be preserved. Fish that isn't salted .. yum!" Then he discovers the ladder and climbs down... he wanders about in the open space and explores it all before climbing out again... "You've all got to see this! it's amazing!"
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Variel approaches the bag and looks down at Jiro in the bottom. When Jiro climbs out Variel nods his appreciation. That is some trick but I might wait a bit till we get back to the ship before I explore it a bit more. I don't want to be down there should those animate dreams come back. We can dump everything though down there in the meantime as we keep searching this place.
Seijiro recovers his haversack, which he did NOT take inside the bag with him, and lifts the bag, hefting it on his other shoulder... "I guess I'll carry both unless someone else wants to carry the new bag."
AMen I am likewise not worried about curses but those that placed them if they are still here.
Amen-set bows her head respectfully, and says no more on the matter.
When they examine the bag, Horatio is surprised as the others, assuming only that it might have some strange oddments in it, if anything.
"That could come in handy if we have anything that needs to be preserved. Fish that isn't salted .. yum!"
Horatio's eyes widen appreciatively.
"I'm with you on that, Jiro-san, though I wouldn't mind a good, fresh cheese, or butter," he says with a grin.
Then he discovers the ladder and climbs down... he wanders about in the open space and explores it all before climbing out again... "You've all got to see this! it's amazing!"
Horatio waits for the others to go below and explore. When they return, he listens to what they discover.
That is some trick but I might wait a bit till we get back to the ship before I explore it a bit more. I don't want to be down there should those animate dreams come back. We can dump everything though down there in the meantime as we keep searching this place.
Horatio's eyes widen at that, then he pulls on his lip thoughtfully.
"Is that possible?" he says, suddenly thinking about what Variel said.
"What I mean is - that's a private place to live in comfort, with a place to store food for some time without spoiling. But - as you said - it's a place of another Plane or dimension..."
"As those Dreams haunt the beings in this Plane, if we were to go into that space - into that other dimension - wouldn't that mean that the dreams couldn't effect us, unless they also entered that Plane? I mean - it's a whole different Plane of existence, I'm just not sure what harm they could do to us if we were in there, other than harming the bag itself..."
Amen-set looks at him quizzically and Horatio continues.
"It's just that - if I were here, being pursued by monsters or these evil dreams - maybe I'd load up the cold area with fresh food, then go down there and hide from them? It would be fairly dull, I guess, but it would be safer for a person if they were alone - impervious to any attack, unless someone found the bag itself and knew what it was and tried to damage it... But if those Dreams didn't know it, then I'd say it would be a perfect place for a lone person to hide from those Dreams..."
"Is that possible?" he asks the others.
As he waits for an answer, something else occurs to him.
The symbols were for Gluttony - surely the cold part of the bag would hold dainties for a glutton - it indicated Vanity, and the room was sumptuous indeed - the symbols were also for Lust and Sloth and others... that room would afford the opportunity for those elements as well. Indeed, that space may be a fine place to hide, yet it may also be linked to the symbols we saw...
"While I'm at it, did anyone else recognize the language that those symbols were written in?" he asks the group, curious to their nature.
Shaking his head, "Not me, my good man. But this helm and gloves might come in quite the handy," he nods as he examines them.
wow just barely enough to aid.
"not really sure, maybe something too foreign or ancient to know?"
Seijiro admires the elven chain for a moment, then shakes his head. "Light and supple, but still too much for me, I think."
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Variel turns to Horatio and expounds on what he meant earlier. I believe you are correct Horatio. What I meant is that I don't want t be down there if thy come back up here to attack you. We had enough of a fight already and I don't want to get separated again.
Turning to Rajah, As far as I am concerned if no one else is claiming them then they are all yours.
Horatio ponders the mystery of the language, and with Jiro's mentioning of its antiquity, something clicks in his thinking...
"Banzai, Jiro-san," he says with a grin, then turns to the others.
"The language is an ancient version of Thassilonian," he says.
"The Thassilonian's worshiped a goddess named Lissala - a goddess of runes and magic... A lawful goddess, but very evil," he adds, thinking of the runes they saw and their meaning.
He rubs his hand on his chin absently.
"From what I remember from my history, Lissala was an Azlanti goddess, too... But the Alzant were destroyed ages ago after something to do with the Starstone..." he adds.
At that, Amen-set's eyes widen, though she says nothing and waits for the others to speak.
Variel turns to Horatio and expounds on what he meant earlier. I believe you are correct Horatio. What I meant is that I don't want t be down there if thy come back up here to attack you. We had enough of a fight already and I don't want to get separated again.
Horatio nods his head.
"I understand completely... But I guess what I was also wondering - could it be that this was used for someone living here for that very purpose? Damned if I didn't look for any tracks in the dust getting down here, but if that's possible - maybe we'll find someone coming back to this piece soon... or maybe not," he adds, then shrugs.
"Either way, it sounds pretty handy!"
"From what I remember from my history, Lissala was an Azlanti goddess, too... But the Alzant were destroyed ages ago after something to do with the Starstone..." he adds.
Starstone...
Amen-set continues to listen to the others - but suddenly her mind turns to the mysterious box which they had discovered earlier - and its contents...
Horatio glances around the room at the others, but says nothing, curious to know what they had to say.
After a moment he shrugs.
"Well, at this point I feel like we're not getting much done now... You guys want to go back to the ship and crash out for the night?"
Despite his comment, it's still mid-afternoon, yet he seems eager to return to the ship for some reason.
Amen-set glances at Horatio and her lips purse as she continues to consider what Horatio had said earlier about the history of the runes... and the history of those who made them.
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Variel pauses and looks at Horatio quizzically. You know that is a thought. But how long could someone stay in there? We ran into that assassin that needed the bottle of air to survive. Would the same be needed for this space? I do not know.
Considering the other topic that Horatio is debating, I would think we could continue exploring before we head back to the ship. If you think in we need to check in on the ship though quickly we can. Let them know what we found and give them a heads up that ghosts and giant squids are around.
Variel pauses and looks at Horatio quizzically. You know that is a thought. But how long could someone stay in there? We ran into that assassin that needed the bottle of air to survive. Would the same be needed for this space? I do not know.
Horatio nods slowly at that.
"The air thing is a good point - I forgot about that... But I'm not really an expert on Planes... but here's another question - Planes of existence are separate from ours, that said - what about time?"
"What I mean is; if we spent an hour in that realm would we come back to find an hour has passed here, or a day - or maybe no time at all?" he asks.
Considering the other topic that Horatio is debating, I would think we could continue exploring before we head back to the ship. If you think in we need to check in on the ship though quickly we can. Let them know what we found and give them a heads up that ghosts and giant squids are around.
He shrugs helplessly.
"I honestly don't know... I mean, the fact is between me shooting this thing," he says, patting his hand on the butt of his pistol "and the roars of that 'thunder lizard' thing outside crashing about, and all the fighting we've already done here - I don't know; I figure that any living creature in a two mile radius that could be a threat to us might be coming in to check things out and see who we are and what we've been doing..."
"At this point it's like we're wandering from room to room, trying to make enough noise so that we manage to tempt whatever's crawling around to poke it's head up so we can either befriend it or kill it."
"Hell, why do you think I kept running off? I was just trying to get whatever may still be hiding in this joint to pop up so we could deal with it, one way or the other..."
He frowns and shakes his head.
"I don't know... If this fort is still dangerous then it's sure as hell taking it's time doing anything. I mean, what are we supposed to do; keep pushing from room to room in this fort until every single place is judge "clear" and we can then get the rest of the lads? Ah, who the hell knows?" he adds.
He glances around the room, his thoughts tacking to more pragmatic options.
"I do know one thing - we're on a tight time schedule. If we have the chance, I'd like to get a survey team down those ruined docks and check the fathoms to see how shallow it is... Also, if we've got the ability I'd not mind sending some sort of aerial scout, or spell, and figure out what those ruins we saw on the north side of the island were, among other stuff."
"Point is - if we're supposed to keep searching this fort; then let's get it done, you know? And if not, we can at least go back to the ship and let the lads know how we're doing so far. But if there's other options, I guess I'm open to them - I just can't think of any..."
As Horatio studies the others, he glances the bag and tries to piece things together about this mystery...
"I'm not sure but this seems more akin to a tiny demiplane rather than just a regular extradimensional space... I could be wrong, and I think it might take some exploring or experimentation, but I suspect it is more than just a fancy bag of holding... In other words; that there is a constant state of atmosphere within it's confines..." he says to the others.
He rubs his chin thoughtfully as he stares at the bag, thinking of similar stories relating to these sorts of things, of course - such stories were always more akin to tall tales or legends - and now it seems that they are all experiencing such tales and legends in real life!
Well, this is just another fine myth we've gotten ourselves into...
"I wonder if it's possible to pull the bag in on itself so you don't have to worry about someone walking off with it while you're inside, but contemplating the whole idea of it and how that might work is making my brain hurt. I will leave it to the more knowledgeable among you to figure that one out."
"I wonder if it's possible to pull the bag in on itself so you don't have to worry about someone walking off with it while you're inside, but contemplating the whole idea of it and how that might work is making my brain hurt. I will leave it to the more knowledgeable among you to figure that one out."
Horatio gives Jiro a grin and nods.
"Yeah, I know what you mean."
Glancing around he scratches his chin absently.
"Well, if we're not going to rest, maybe we should continue to just move room to room until we've discovered everything there is to discover."
"Even if we wiped this place clean of threats - and I'm not saying we have - the fact is that there's a lot of things that are worth exploring if we're going to make this place our own," he adds.
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Variel adjusts back to the conversation at hand. I think we should just put the rest of these items in the pack and keep exploring. There is a lot of area left in the fort in explored and who knows how many other areas with treasure we might find. However if it is a demiplane like you are thinking then anything or anyone that can plane shift would be able to go in and out. I wonder if those dreams can do that?
As for someone living in this bag...well once we take it with us we are sure to find that person once they come after us to claim it back.
Variel adjusts back to the conversation at hand. I think we should just put the rest of these items in the pack and keep exploring. There is a lot of area left in the fort in explored and who knows how many other areas with treasure we might find. However if it is a demiplane like you are thinking then anything or anyone that can plane shift would be able to go in and out. I wonder if those dreams can do that?
As for someone living in this bag...well once we take it with us we are sure to find that person once they come after us to claim it back.
Horatio nods in agreement about Variel's recommendation to continue, also eager to make sure the fort has been cleared of threats and they can move to the next step.
As for the comments about the Dream creatures, he is equally unsure of their powers. For now, it seems that they shall deal with that issue when it comes up.
As for the bag, at this point he feels like it could have many practical uses, but though discussing the nuances of various planes seems - at least to him personally - a fun activity, it is clear that sort of thing would be best done when they had some actual leisure time.
Horatio glances at the rooms.
"These chambers seem to be pretty much cleaned out of threats."
"I'd recommend we go back upstairs and hit the two rooms in this building we had not yet explored - - then move to the building near the western wall and continue building to building."
"I'd recommend we go back upstairs and hit the two rooms in this building we had not yet explored - (they're still covered with gray boxes on the map) - then move to the building near the eastern wall and continue building to building."
Inside the treasure room you find another hidden door on the opposite side from where you entered. This door leads to another hallway that leads to a blank masonry wall like the kind used in the foundations of large buildings. Arcane sigils line the stone of an unknown origin. They look similar to the symbols you saw at the top of the tower near the strange crystal. You think you may actually be at the base of the tower.
Inside the treasure room you find another hidden door on the opposite side from where you entered. This door leads to another hallway that leads to a blank masonry wall like the kind used in the foundations of large buildings. Arcane sigils line the stone of an unknown origin. They look similar to the symbols you saw at the top of the tower near the strange crystal. You think you may actually be at the base of the tower.
Horatio will cast "Detect Magic" to determine if there is any aura.
He will also use all his standard Knowledge Checks to learn more -
Taking 10 On Knowledge Skills
Arcana: 19
Dungeoneering: 19
Engineering: 27
Geography: 23
History: 19
Local: 21
Nature: 19
Nobility: 19
Planes: 19
Religion: 19
Rajah also looks upon the symbols and tries out his new 'hat' to see if he can understand them.
Seijiro searches the area for traps and secret doors, sigils and such being a little out of wheelhouse.
Rain and Neko move up behind Variel and Rain casting Detect Magic begins looking upon the sigils, hoping to aid Variel, as best as she can, in his endeavour. Neko casts her gaze about the area, lifting her nose and sniffing the air as she does.
Given what Variel and Horatio have discovered, and given that the others are also searching, Amen-set seems generally confident that there is not much more to discover with searching. Therefore, she decides to try to "Aid" Horatio with the few Knowledge Checks she currently has...
The language is Ancient Cyclopsean. They are magical runes of strength, fortitude and protection for the foundation of the tower.
Seijiro and Horatio also sees that there is no trap but has detected a concealed door.
Seijiro inspects the door and shows it to Variel... "Maybe we should check this out, Variel-sama."
Horatio and Amen-set will continue their place in the marching order as Jiro leads Variel into the next room.
Horatio and Amen-set will continue their place in the marching order as Jiro leads Variel into the next room.
Horatio glances at the Runes thoughtfully.
"These runes are of the Cyclopsean language - they stand for Strength, Fortitude and Protection."
"I would guess that they were etched into the stonework by whatever race created the original structure... I would further guess this is good news to us, given that if we manage to clean out the hash walking around this place then these runes may give this place extra advantages from any attack..."
He doesn't mention the pirate lord Harrigan, but it is clear by his tone that this threat is on his mind. It is no secret that they now "own" the island formally, and have been charged with cleaning up the place, but once they've done the "heavy lifting" of getting the place presentable, it would be unwise to neglect defenses from those who would try to take it from them.
As Jiro takes Variel with him, Horatio will pause and use "Detect Magic" on the runes...
Seijiro will cautiously open the concealed door and try to shed some light on what is beyond it...
Flynn you would guess that the runes are used to increase the natural strength of the stone foundations and to provide a means of magical energy to the crystal at the top of the tower. The power is quite potent, well above any of your magical levels.
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Opening the door, you see a circular room, dimly lit from the light from the hall you are in. Collapsed rubble fills this dusty cellar, spilling from the east and northwest walls. Dozens of pale quartz crystals lie scattered among the rocks, and several more decorate the perimeter of the room. A single carved column supports the twenty-foot high ceiling overhead. The secret door swings open the rest of the way on it's own as a voice echos from around the room.
"THE LIVING?! ... The living?! ... The Living?! ..."
From another direction the voice issues,
"WHY HAVE THEY COME?! ... Why have they come?! ... Why have they come?! ..."
From still another direction, the voice issues again, THEY MUST GET IT! ... They must get it! ... They must get it! ..."
living? aye, that we are... and.... um.. what must we get?"
Seijiro casts detect magic and scans the room.