...best to enter through its front door, which hangs open and a pool of rainwater has collected in the front room of what once was a modest cobbler's shop. Shelves of shoes line the walls, and a small counter covered with shoemaking tools sits near a narrow flight of stairs to the south that leads up to a second floor.
You cannot find any tracks in this room.
"Johenric, I am going upstairs to investigate where this beast entered the shop."
Solaric proceeds upstairs slowly, being careful to make sure the floor feels secure under his feet. He has his longsword already in hand.
Johenric waits a moment at the stairs. As Solaric moves he casts detect magic and looks around.
Looking for Jendarne, Solaric approaches the Taldan and has a few words with him, "Hey Pitr, why did you have to give poor Tarrig such a hard time? The man was obviously embarrassed by his lack of employment. You didn't need to threaten him for failing to answer your questions! Don't try to tell me you've never been unemployed, because I won't believe it!"
"I think he was hiding something about his past. But hey, if he's out of money at least he'd get free bread and water in his cell. Anyway, I checked the shoes and there aren't any with curly toes and bells on them so I guess you're out of luck."
Pitr goes around to check the alley for tracks.
@ Pitr:
The side of the double-storey wooden house has collapsed outward into this ten-foot-wide alley, adding to the clutter and refuse. The roofs provide some shelter from the rain, leaving swaths of blood and gore on walls here and there. From this side a hideous, stomach-turning smell is wifting out of the ruined building. But perhaps the most strange thing here is the huge spiral-shaped smear of blood on the wall opposite the partially collapsed building - sheltered by the rain, this ominous rune rises high on the side of the building, as if something enomous had used a broken and bleeding body as a brush to paint its mark.
@ Solaric and Johenric:
There are no direct signs of magic, however, you sense there was some kind of aura here not long ago...a very very powerful aura, that remains as a magical echo.
As you follow the stairs to the first floor, you notice at once that most of it is destroyed, one wall, the one who faced the alley where Pitr now is, has exploded outward. The furniture in the room is in shambles and the rain falls through the roof, which rather consists of holes than of shingles. Everywhere is a thick black layer of slime that seems to coat every surface - slime that exudes a horrific stench something like an open grave, burnt decay the air before a thunderstorm, wet and diseased fur, and worse. Scattered amid the slime and rubble are body parts - too many to be from one victim and all strangely bloodless. At the far side of the room, another stairwell leads down again.
"Anyway, I checked the shoes and there aren't any with curly toes and bells on them so I guess you're out of luck."
"I am a Half Drow elven warrior, not a jolly circus gnome! Pitr, my friend, I don't know where you get your information about dark elves, but we certainly don't work for any shoemakers! Next thing that I am afraid to hear from you is that you also think we make wooden toys for little children!"
One wall, the one who faced the alley where Pitr now is, has exploded outward.
Solaric will pick up a discarded shoe and touch the slime with it.
No, it's not acidic.
Solaric searches carefully trying to determine how the creature got here. He looks for anything of note.
Perception
The devastation the monster left behind is utterly strange, there are signs that suggest the monster must be gigantic, yet other signs either suggest it is able to teleport or can change its size and shrink itself.
Solaric will carefully walk across the room, scratching his head as he looks around. He then proceeds down the other set of stairs.
You walk down the stairs and pause halfway, in front of you, at the foot of the staricase, is a pile of body parts! Heads, arms, legs, torsos etc. of several men and women lie in a gruesome heap.
Strange is the total lack of blood, it seems like all fluids have been sucked out of them. Partly they are also covered by black slime which stinks even more down here, where it is farther away from fresh air.
Fort Save
"Johenric, be careful if you try to follow me. There is a gruesome sight of body parts here! Strangely enough, however, there is no evidence of blood!"
You can't see much of the room by now. You have to follow the stairs to the body part pile to get a glimpse of the room. And yes, the room is on ground level, like the sale room.
Solaric proceeds carefully to the pile of body parts. With weapon drawn, he goes through the hideous task of is looking through the body parts for any evidence or crucial information. He also stays alert in case any creature is near.
Perception
"Gruesome body sightings, huh?" Kirk says, ducking his head and following Solaric downstairs.
Fort Save
Kirk coughs suddenly as he goes downstairs, bending over and grabbing his stomach as he leans on the wall. "Holy hell, it is pretty bad down here."
Kirk slowly crosses the room toward the bodies, hand covering his nose and mouth tightly. He bends over at the pile of body parts and inspects the slime there.
Craft (Alchemy)
Perception
Now that you are close to the pile you can glimpse into the room which once was a cluttered but cozy parlour, but now the couches, bookshelves tables and other comforts are in complete disarray. One wall is partially collapsed, including what once may have been a fireplace to the northwest and a door leading into a different room of the building. A hideous smell wafts through this hole.
As you focus your gaze back on the gruesome pile in front of you, you notice that several of the arms and legs must have belonged to the guards that died fighting the horrific monstrosity.
Never ever have you encountered something like that slime. It's not aggressive and in no way acidic, however, the stench is so nauseating that you think it can surely kill someone who becomes covered by it.
""Gruesome body sightings, huh?"
"This is certainly not a sight for the faint hearted! I am glad you are here, Kirk. This is no place for anybody to be wandering alone. I was wondering what your training taught you about this particular slime. I have never seen anything like it before! It's curious that despite all of the death here, there is little evidence of blood. The stench, however, is absolutely gut wrenching!"
Solaric approaches the fireplace and looks through the hole as best as he can bear it.
Solaric will rummage through the disarray and see if he can find some evidence of motive. He looks through the bookshelves and the clutter. I wonder why this creature chose a cobbler shop to start wrecking havoc?!
"As far as I can tell, the only special property of this slime is that smells bad. Real bad."
"Johenric, be careful if you try to follow me. There is a gruesome sight of body parts here! Strangely enough, however, there is no evidence of blood!"
Johenric shouts down to Solaric.
Ok...I try to find out want is around the house....Desna please be with us.
Johenric walks outside and investigates the facades of the building; in particular he is looking after slime outside the building.
Perception
Victoria simply follows along, guarding herself against the smellwith her handkerchief.
Pitr calls back to the others form the alley, "Hey, I got something here! Some kinda sign maybe. It's bloody and spirally."
Victoria moves to examine the spiral...
"Pharasma?"
@ Solaric:
The cobbler owned a large collection of books about history, especially of Carrion Hill, and astronomy. Nothing is outstanding or especially rare, but the collection is still impressive for a man with a cobbler's means.
@ All Outside:
Johenric, you find only very small patches of slime outside, the rain must have washed away nearly everything.
The strange sign is a sign for opening planar portals to the Dark Tapestry. A realm between the stars where ancient gods are said to dwell.
The strange sign is a sign for opening planar portals to the Dark Tapestry. A realm between the stars where ancient gods are said to dwell.
This sign is actually associated with Yog-Sothoth, a dark god of planes, time, gate, portals and space.
Moving in to look over the books on the shelf, Harl moves on when nothing seems out sorts to him in this country. Calling to Solaric, he moves tojoin him in the body pit.
Knowledge Religion
Mh interesting. Does anybody know something about this sign?
Johenric casts detect magic and observes the sign and the close area.
There is a very weak aura lingering around the sign. It's even too weak to determine its school.
There is a weak magical aura....
Johenric takes out his notebook and ink pen. Carefully he draws the symbol into his notebook and makes some notes.
"Watch your step, Harl. This is rather sickening down here. It appears that whatever we are facing, is a rather different sort of monster. It doesn't look like any of these people had a chance!"
Solaric continues through the door leading to the other room of the building.
What appears to have been a library and a bedroom is now in shambles. Furniture is splintered, shelves and books smashed and torn, and everything is coated with a thick, stinking layer of tar-like sludge. A door frame lies burst open to the southwest, beyond which is a flight of slime smeared stone steps which leads downward into the dark.
"That looks more promising"
Solaric looks around the room and then returns to others to tell him what he has seen. "We have some slime covered stone steps descending into the darkness, my friends. I suspect that is where we need to go to get to the bottom of this. How are you doing out here? Have you found anything interesting?"
"Well, if you are ready, let us descend into the depths darkness together and bring light to shadows!"
Once everybody is ready, Solaric will carefully lead Karcau's Chosen down the slime covered steps.
As Solaric approaches, Johenric finishes his draft.
Solaric, please give me one more minute, while I am....
He opens his backpack and takes out a small glass bottle. By using a stone, Johenric moves pieces of the slime into the glass bottle and put a cork on the bottle. Afterwards he turns to Solaric and shows him his notebook.
Solaric, before we go. Did you ever see such symbol? I believe it has a religious meaning, but it is unknown to me.
"Solaric, before we go. Did you ever see such symbol? I believe it has a religious meaning, but it is unknown to me."
"Hmm, let me see this sketch you've made."
Knowledge, Religion
"It looks vaguely familiar, but I can't quite place it."
"Just looks like a bloody doodle to me. Shall we get to the bottom of this?" Pitr asks as covers his nose and peers down the stairs.
Assuming Johenric casts light:
You follow the slimy, strewn with rubble, stairs down and
You notice that some of the rubble is very dusty...guess that a wall has recently been destroyed that walled the way downstairs.
enter a chamber. The chamber's brick-lined walls are supported by fifteen-foot-high stone arches. Between each arch, circular alcoves have been cut into the wall, each containing a stone sarcophagus. One sarcophagus on the southern wall has toppled over, spilling its long-dead occupant partially out on the brick floor. A dry swath of black sludge nearly ten feet wide runs down the centre of the room, connecting the west and northeast stairs. The far end of the hall seems to have collapsed long ago.
Survival
Pitr notices something on the way down. "I think these stairs were walled off for some time and recently uncovered."
Pitr scratches his jaw, "Weird, some kind of tomb. Well, at least the Thing won't be too hard to track."
From above you hear a nervous Joskul calling
Sirs?! Everything ok down there? You need support?
""I think these stairs were walled off for some time and recently uncovered."
Survival
Perception"I think you are right, my friend. I didn't know you knew so much about construction."
"Sirs?! Everything ok down there? You need support?"
Solaric calls back, "So far, we are fine down here. We are in a brig chamber with black sludge and a fallen sarcophagi. We are still investigating."
Solaric investigates the long dead occupant.
You spot some symbols on the sarcophagi which you can clearly name as being holy symbols of Aroden. The crypt must be really old then and you guess these people were important burghers of Carrion Hill in the past.
Joskul answers, still nervous, but a bit calmer
Is that good or bad - I mean the sarcophagi?!
"Well yeah, I aced battlements and seige structures. I didn't know you were into corpses, but I kinda suspected..."
Pitr ignores the stiff and heads over to the NE stairway.
Assuming Johenric casts light:
Johenric speaks some arcane words and throws a firefly on Solarics sword.
Perception DC 20
Perception
DC 15
Perception
Knowledge Religion
Johenric takes some time and studies the sarcophagi a longer time.
Mh...this is not known to me. I wonder how old they are and if this place has been forgotten...
"I didn't know you were into corpses, but I kinda suspected..."
What is it that you suspect? You don't think that I am in any way responsible for all of these deaths do you?"
Perception
Knowledge, Religion
"Johenric, do you know what these markings are on these sarcophagi? I wonder if this gives us some idea who this person was."
As Pitr walks over to the NE exit, he spots that there is a door you haven't noticed before on the southern wall of the room. A large grey rag has been affixed over it to hide it from view. As you take a closer look and try to open it, you see that it is barricaded from the other side.
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Johenric turns his head away from the head of the sarcophagi to the middle of the plate, where the surface a more rough, at least according to Johenrics perception.
Well Solaric, I do not think that this is a....hold on. Yes you are right. This line and this line....if you bear an invisible connection in your mind, this can be considered as a symbol.
He moves his right hand towards his chin.
Your elven eyes did not fool you. This is clearly a holy symbol of Aroden. Taking these times into consideration, these persons must be buried here a long time ago and most likely they have been important citizens.
Johenric grasp his notebook out of his pocket.
Solaric, could you please move your lighted sword to this position? I want to draft those symbols here.
Assuming Solaric holds his lighted sword to the position, Johenric starts to document the symbol and as well a draft of the sarcophagi.