The moans of the dead set the hair on Skaar's neck on end but do not shake his resolve.
"I'm not your enemy", he calls out to the wailing spirits. "But if you stand aside I'll see what I can do to put your souls to rest. Who's condemned you to this tortured afterlife?"
Your words are completely ignored. In fact, it's unclear whether or not the spirits even understood you. As the moans continue to intensify, it becomes clear that, despite its apparent splendor, you're in the Pit of Screaming Ghosts.
Finding himself ignored by the wailing spirits, Skaar growls in frustration. He lines up with the next pillar and jumps across.
You safely make it to the next pillar. Only five more remain before you reach the South wall of this treasure chamber. Continuing to shriek, the spirits fly at you, reaching out with hands imbued with the chill of death itself.
Skaar sputters and curses as the unclean spirits swoop at him with their ghostly claws.
Recognizing that he wasn't crossing any further without a fight, the Unfailing Pillar turns his magic-imbued fists on his attackers.
Your punches don't do much damage against the spirits, but you're nontheless able to inflict some wounds. After multiple blows, you lay one of them to rest.
It takes another minute or so before the last of the spirits is brought down. They were able to land a few hits, but nothing too serious. Shortly thereafter, you finish jumping to the last of the pillars and are now standing within arms-reach of the South wall.
Suspicious of the room's layout, Skaar searches the wall for hidden doorways or catches.
You see nothing out of the ordinary.
You run your hand across exactly what you'd expect to find on the wall of a cavern - a rock wall. Then your hand passes through air where there should have been a protruding bit of rock. With clear proof that things aren't what they seem, the illusion fades from your view, and you're left staring at a large opening carved into the wall. There appears to be another chamber beyond.
After a brief cheer, Skaar steps into the 'wall' and the hidden passage within. The Unfailing Pillar inches forward, wary of more unquiet spirits or other guardians.
Once through the illusion, you follow a carved path to a chamber that appears to be a temple with a sand-covered floor. The room shows signs of damage, with cracks running across the floors, walls, and ceiling. In the center looms a huge and horrific many-tentacled creature apparently frozen in a shell of translucent minerals. A single line of Terran runes is carved into the northern face of a low stone pedestal on which this immense monster seems to have been frozen.
Although you cannot ever recall seeing one before, you believe that this creature is a Sand Kraken. These massive octopus-like aberrations are favored by Rovagug.
A guardian or some kind of trophy, Skaar muses as he studies the horrific Sand Kraken.
Expecting a trap or perhaps another illusion, he reaches out with his divine will to lift a chunk of debris and crack it against the immobile kraken statue.
Your rock bounces harmlessly off the statue, which remains unmoving.
Relatively certain that the monstrous statue was just a statue, the Unfailing Pillar enters the room.
As soon as you take your first few steps into the room, the statue comes to life - shards of its crystalline covering shattering and falling to the floor.
Skaar is slow to react when the huge sand-beast animates and lunges for him. Fortunately its snaking tentacle only grazes the big orc's thick hide.
Snarling in defiance, the Unfailing Pillar rears back with his meaty fists.
31, 27, 33 (unconfirmed crit), 28, 33 (crit, 31 to confirm)
Damage: 9, 9, 9, 8, 12 (47 damage in total)
You land two solid blows, but the Kraken's retaliation is swift. A veritable sea of tentacles lash out at you - too many to completely avoid.
Skaar groans in pain when the flurry of tentacles bludgeon him senseless. He strikes back with deific power but it's not enough to keep a rubbery appendage from wrapping itself around his powerful torso.
Finding himself held fast, Skaar gives a thunderous roar and his hulking frame tenses. A second later he explodes into violence, thrashing the kraken with his huge fists and threatening to tear the beast's tentacles from its body.
It's a close thing, but your final blow drops the Kraken into unconsciousness.
Lost to his primal rage, Skaar violently tears two of the kraken's fleshy tentacles from its immobile form before coming to his senses.
Breathing heavily and covered in blood (both his own and the kraken's), he drops the dismembered tentacle and retrieves the healing trinket Syl had purchased for him in town.
With his wounds mended, Skaar breaks a handful of the beast's teeth free from its corpse and exits out the southern side of the chamber.
This large crypt contains three vaulted alcoves that form a clover-shaped room centered upon a dais. Atop the dais rests a single massive block of deep black stone. Carvings in each alcove and on the sarcophagus itself depict the terrifying image of a nine-legged spider with a gaping maw.
After looking over the disturbing imagery, Skaar searches the room for signs of traps or wards. A trap or another trial? he thinks.
Finding little else of interest, he pries the lid to the sarcophagus open.
It takes a bit of effort to lift the lid , but you're able to do so.
You feel a cold chill as your body temperature drops. It seems this sarcophagus is cursed. Inside, you find the bones of a female Gnoll. She wears a glistening suit of chainmail and grasps the shaft of an enormous greataxe in her bony hands. Beneath its blade, you find a plain-looking bone scroll tube.
Skaar pauses briefly. Mortal magic didn't worry him but curses were something else. History was full of powerful figures brought low by vengeful curses.
After fishing out the armor and weapon he picks up the scroll. Is this what all these traps and trials have been left to guard?
There's only a single arcane rune written on the scroll, but you can sense the power in it. As you gaze at it, you're hit with a sudden memory: a secret demiplane, hidden away for millennia. Forged by the achwizard Nex, this is specifically created as give refuge to a few worthy individuals when an apocalypse-level event happens.
Skaar takes a moment to reflect on the treasure held in his hand. Perhaps this scroll was connected to the coming catastrophe he was warned about.
Content that this tomb held whatever treasures there were to hide, Skaar slides the lid back over the top of the sarcophagus and heads back the way he came.
Syl waits for you back in the throne room. "You're back! Did you find what you were looking for?"
"That and more", Skaar says remembering the sand kraken guardian. "But I'm thinkin' I found what that false priest was tryin' to get his damned hands on."
The hulking orc reveals his treasure from the dive: armor, axe, and ornate scroll tube. "You know anyone in town that can be trusted that'll be able to tell me more about this stuff?"
Syl furrows her brow in thought. "That stuff looks real old. Nice quality, too. Maybe Yussef'd know something about it."
"Good idea girl. Let's see if he's heard of this stuff."
Yussef examines the items with interest. The axe and armor are magical , but his eyes narrow when he sees the scroll. "The scroll of kakishon. It all becomes clear now. The writings you've been having me translate, that is. This thing has inspired great evil."
"According the the wall, the scroll is connected to the release of Rovagug. That's why it was hidden here - beneath his temple. It was with a gnoll priestess, correct? Shirak was once one of the Rough Beast's most faithful servants. From what I've translated thus far, many groups have searched for this artifact over the years. Some to use it; others to destroy it. But, as the writing says, only the might of a deity can put an end to the scroll."
"They were gnoll bones alright", Skaar explains.
Hearing the scholar's explanation, the Unfailing Pillar frowns.
"I'll keep that in mind. Thanks Yussef, I'll make sure Syl throws in a big tip for your work. Take whatever time you need and get all the information you can from the scribblings on these walls."
Taking Syl aside, Skaar goes on.
"I'm gunna try to learn more about this thing in the morning but if he's got the right of it, I'm gunna tear this thing to pieces. Did the gnolls tell him about me yet?"
Yussef nods and gets back to work.
In response to your question, Syl shakes her head. "I've made sure nobody's bothered him, so I don't think anyone's had the opportunity."
"If he spends 'nuff time down here he's bound to find out. I was just curious if he knew when he mentioned that the might of a god was what it'd take to destroy that scroll. Thanks for all your help. I'm gunna go for a tumble with the gnolls and get some rest. We'll talk about what's next tomorrow."
You may spend 2 spell points to divine for knowledge of the future. You gain useful advice in reply to one question regarding a specific goal, event, or activity to occur within 1 week. This advice could be a useful phrase or a cryptic omen or rhyme. If you do not act on the information, the conditions may change so that the information is no longer useful. The base chance for a correct divination is 70% + 1% per caster level, to a maximum of 90%. If the die roll fails, you receive no information and know the attempt failed, unless specific magic yielding false information is at work. Multiple divinations about the same topic by the same caster use the same dice result as the first attempt and yield the same answer each time.
You see a number of anthills - except they're full of deadly spiders. The 'Scroll of Kakishon' rises from one of the hills before being ripped apart by an Orcish hand. This destroys the hill, and many of the spiders flee. The rest continue on undisturbed as a full moon rises on the horizon.
As the spell's images fade from his mind, Skaar rumbles in thought. Destroying the scroll may be the best course. It won't end the danger but it might buy me more time to avert the coming catastrophe."
Knowing that powerful artifacts sometimes gave off dangerous feedback when they are destroyed, Skaar makes for the surface with the scroll gripped tightly in one huge fist.
"I want you behind cover when I do this", he explains to Syl. "I can't say for certain what's gunna happen."
Syl nods. "I'll keep Yussef and the gnolls inside until you get back."
With his followers clear from potential danger, Skaar faces the sun and holds the Scroll of Kakishon aloft. He takes a deep breath and, with a mighty tug, tries to tear the scroll apart.
Skaar roars as his mighty form surges with power.
You strain for a few moments before the scroll begins to rip. Once started, you're easily able to tear it to shreds. As the pieces scatter and blow away on the desert wind, Freedom's Bond glows brightly, and you feel a surge of power as a fragment of divinity is returned to you.
Skaar expected the surge of power when the artifact came to pieces in his mighty hands. He did not expect that power to be absorbed into Freedom's Bond and ultimately himself.
Relishing the feeling of another fragment of his power restored, the big orc laughs and grows to a size more befitting his might.