Thrown off by the minotaur's change of tactics you miss badly and are lucky to hold on to your hammer.
The creature desperately tries to head but you once more:
With a resounding thump you lay out the beast, ending its life.
Search the beast. Check out the axe.
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The beast has a strange metal key hanging from an electrum chain (worth 200 GP) around its neck. Also a pouch with 500 GP worth of gems. The axe is later revealed to be +1.
There are several nasty looking scars/tatoos on the minotaur's body. They appear to show a azure coin stamped with the face of a devil.
Is the axe a great axe?
Does the azure coin with a devil face mean anything to Ang?
Any more knowledges I can try, my knowledge rolls seem to be trending upward?
Go back to the locked door.
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The axe is indeed a greataxe.
You recognize the coin as a symbol of the arch-devil Mammon. There were stories at the Halls of this cult gaining power in Isger during the Goblinblood Wars. With the infernal monarchy of Cheliax being the true power behind Steward Hedvend VI and the government of Isger Mammon worship would come as no surprise even if it is not openly recognized and accepted.
You return to the door and find the key to be a match to the lock.
The axe is indeed a greataxe.
You recognize the coin as a symbol of the arch-devil Mammon. There were stories at the Halls of this cult gaining power in Isger during the Goblinblood Wars. With the infernal monarchy of Cheliax being the true power behind Steward Hedvend VI and the government of Isger Mammon worship would come as no surprise even if it is not openly recognized and accepted.
You return to the door and find the key to be an exact match to the lock.
Detect evil beyond the door if possible.
Open the door.
The door blocks your ability to detect evil but you do sense quite a bit of general evil in the area.
The door opens to reveal a room (10'x10') that has three stone pedestals-one white, one black, and one grey. Atop each of the pedestals is a brass urn with the stamp of a coin with a devil face. At the foot of each pedestal is a censer. As the door opens the censers begin to smoke and the smoke rises up into each urn.
Detect evil within the room starting with each of the urns.
Each of the urns detects as evil and grow more so as you check them out. The smoke from the censers increases in volume and turns color from blackish grey to azure blue and the stamped coins begin to glow and pulse.
Does Ang have any clue what is happening?
Your best guess is that a summoning is occurring. The symbols clearly represent the arch-devil Mammon-The archdevil Mammon (pronounced mam-MONN, and sometimes spelt 'Mamon') is Hell's accountant and treasurer. He rules over the lightless realm of Erebus, the third plane of Hell, metaphorically located beneath the Iron City of Dis. His unholy symbol is a azure coin with the head of Mammon stamped on it
You can hear something(s) rattling in the brass urns. Unless you do something, you will soon be alone no longer....
Kick over the urns, black first, then grey and white.
The stone pedestals are anchored into the ground; each urn deals you a specific type of damage:
DC 16 FORT save for 1/2
grey/poison 2CON/round 4 rounds DC 16 FORT save to nullify
DC 16 FORT save for 1/2
As the urns clatter to the ground, the smoke ceases to spew from each censer. A door appears in the wall behind the pedestals. The door is carved to look like a devil opening its mouth to swallow whomever enters.
-13hp
Use wand to cure damage.
-4hp
Detect evil into the new room and try to see what I can spot inside.
Ang will move inside the room if he doesn't identify anything immediately threatening.
As you pass through the door you feel a surge of negative energy blast out from the door and if hit take temporary negative energy levels (as enervation spell).
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/e/enervation/
Within the room you see a massive canine beast padding about on all fours; its slender front limbs look more like hands than a wolf's paws. It detects as incredibly evil and you notice that there are several large intricately crafted circles of powdered silver surrounding it that take up most of the room.
In the back of the room is a large platinum statue of a four-armed humanoid, with multiple legs, and a horned head that indicates a diabolic nature. The hand at the end of each arm holds a silver candle whose wax has dripped down into the four silver circles surrounding the wolf-like creature. There is a stack of gold coins in front of the statue.
The enervation attack just misses, touch AC 12.
Ang will stand still and just observe for a bit, he will definitely not disturb the silver.
Does Ang know anything about what the statue depicts and about the canine?
Randtam style knowledge roll:
-4hp
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The statue is very clearly a finely crafted statue of Mammon, so finely crafted that you spend a few moments looking at the eyes because you swear that you feel it watching you. The silver circles seem to feed into the candles of the statue and your guess is that the candles are somehow powering the circles and that they contain the beast within. You know that divine and arcane magics can be used to make circles of power that will keep creatures in (or out) although you have never heard about anything specifically like this.
You are not quite sure what the canine creature is but the face of it has some goblinesque features.
After a few moments of you studying it, the creature stops pacing and looks directly at you-Well creature? Have you just come here to gloat or do you have some other purpose?
“My purpose here? What would you have me do?”
The massive wolf-like creature sniffs the air and peers intently at you again-You do not smell like the others and you bear the sigil of Torag. What mischief is this? I can see you, I can smell you, but I can not sense you. Curse these infernal wards!
What would I have you do? Release me and let me take my vengeance upon my captors; BAH!
The creature paces about the inner circle furiously, clearly quite upset at its predicament.
"Who are your captors? What manner of being are you?"
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The creature's eyes narrow and it looks at you a little differently than before-You have really just stumbled here by Desna's grace then? How strange.
My captors serve Mammon and are trying to subjugate the goblin tribes to their own bidding once more. As to what I am, I am a barghest and former and rightful ruler of the Eyegrease goblin tribes of this area.
Is the enemy of my enemy my ally? Why do I only seem to encounter evil creatures that might be of aid to me against those trying to use the goblins? Will letting this evil creature go free do good or will it ultimately result in more harm? I must make a decision.
"How do your captors intend to use the goblin tribes? Should I free you, what would you do once you avenged yourself?"
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The minions of Mammon intend to unite the tribes and then use them to swarm out of the Chitterwood and attack Isger. They hope to create a new kingdom out of the shattered remains. A new Cheliax that will serve Mammon. Their first stop will be the nearby village of Umok and then from there they will spread up to the Conerica Straits and size control of the trade that flows through them.
If you free me, I will do my best to destroy the wizards that are the agents of control over my goblin tribes. Now that I know their tricks I will not so easily be caught unawares. I'll slate my hunger on their souls and then ensure that my goblins are never again brought under the domain of such foul magics.
I wonder how long this thing has been kept here. Even though it is evil, I think that keeping it trapped here longer serves an even more evil purpose.
"I believe I will free you creature. Go destroy the servants of Mammon. But do not bother the good folk of Umok or any other good folk for that matter or you may find that we meet again and I will be ill disposed towards you."
Ang will cast Pro from Evil on himself. Then he will take his hammer and snuff out the candles with the it. If the creature is still not free, he will use the hammer to drag an opening through the lines of silver powder.
Your hammer snuffs out the candles, but that is not enough to reduce the power of the bonds that hold the barghest, so you disrupt the silver powder circles and with a yelp of joy the creature bounds out of the room racing away from you.
You reflect for a moment on what you have just done and wonder if it will make things better or somehow worse.
While you are pondering such deep thoughts the statue of Mammon animates and attacks!
A noxious gas blows out of its head filling the room.
DC 15 FORT or be sickened.
-10hp
Caught off guard, your hammer misses. The statue continues its assault:
(it's evil)
-10hp
Your hammer smashes into it causing much more damage than you would have expected.
It claws at you in response:
-10hp
This time your hammer misses and you swear that you almost see the statue flinch away from your swing.
A bolt of lightning blasts from the head of the statue DC 17 REF for 1/2 !
-3hp
Your move to avoid the bolt of lightning spoils your hammer strike.
-3hp
The statue rushes at you and tries to slam you with its head.
-11hp
Your hammer finally strikes true and the metal automaton shudders to what appears to be its end. A crack in the breastplate slowly releases a foul ichor that sizzles and spits as it hits the ground. The room begins to smell of brimstone.
Does Ang think something else is going on now? Trap? Summoning?
Is the platinum of value? How much gold?
Detect evil on the area again.
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There is strong evil coming from the ichor. You think it may once have been a devil trapped inside the statue to power both it and the candles/circles that bound the barghest to the area. It appears to be trying to reform into whatever original devil it may have once been, but too much of its power has been leached out in keeping the barriers active, and now fighting you. After several moments of struggle the foul looking goo gives up and melts into the rock.
The platinum on the statue, the silver candles, and the sack of gold coins are worth 7,500 GP in total.
Your hammer has gained the 'bane' power against constructs and you have achieved level 5.
Gather up the loot and head back to the area with the pool of water with all the different passages.
It takes you a bit of time to gather up the valuables and they are cumbersome but you manage to find your way back to the small pond.
"The larger cavern is punctuated on the far side by five passages, two leading down, two leading up, and on leading straight and level. There are several sets of runes and carvings scattered throughout the cavern. A small pond of water lies along the left hand wall."
Any evidence of which way the barghest went? If so, will follow, otherwise head up and take the passage to the left.
You are unable to pick up any trail from the barghest.
You take the passage on the left and head up. After maybe an hour of travel through various passages you see an area ahead that looks like it might be used as a guardpost. If it's manned it will impossible to get through without a tough fight due to the way the stonework is set up to force you through a narrow area.
Study the area, try to determine if it’s manned.
Use detect evil as well.
Your natural senses don't turn anything up, but you do divine ones do reveal several evil beings up ahead. You think maybe four guards.
Go back to the intersection and take the passage going up and to the right.
The passage takes you up, and eventually to the surface. You don't know exactly where you are but you are still in the forest and somewhere West of Umok.