At first it doesn't seem The Hobo has the confidence to pull of the braggadocio of a Chelish opera but with some support from the others, he is able to pull off a fairly respectable recitation of Stamp, stamp, where did I put my stamp?
After the song, Mavius’s attention turns to the Pathfinders and their exploits. “Tell me about this expedition you are embarking upon. I have heard a little about it here and there—enough to get me intrigued. I’d love to know more.”
Mavius clearly doesn't find our explanatinos very interesting or convincing; he idly waves a hand and makes another suggestion: "I have heard some wild tales about the exploits of Pathfinders. I’d like to hear more of your adventures, or perhaps you’d like to showcase your considerable skills!"
|
"My confirmation, the final initiation test to become a Pathfinder, involved a deadly duel with a minotaur! I had to use my lightning-fast whip skills to disarm the beast of its massive axe and tie the creature down while my allies peppered it with arrow and spear!", Dandy ending his soliloquy with a flourish of his whip.
|
|
Unfortunately this is one of my first missions. Atanxi says. [b]Though i have been hired for a very specific skill he says as he pulls out his dagger.
Motioning everyone to back up a little bit Atanxi grits his teeth with a determined look in his eyes. Within moments a vicious wing begins to whip about him. Small stone and board game pieces begin to hover and circle about his body. The wind and small arcs of lightning shift and coalesce, concentrating into pure energy down his arm as it merges into a single beam of white light, cutting a large hole in the Siege board.
Expelling the beam the Siege pieces and small rocks fall harmlessly back to the ground.
"Haha! Well done!" Mavius says as he claps for both The Dandy Hobo and Atanxi. "You may not have been entirely clear about your expedition, but I have no doubt that you possess the skills for any such an adventure! Yes, yes, I will support your efforts and get you the travel permit you require. Do not worry about the fees, either. It will be available tomorrow morning."
The night concludes with Mavius happy that you provided him with such entertainment and you are secure in the knowledge that you not only procured the appropriate permits but also made a valuable ally in Khari.
---
The next morning, you overland journey is safe and uneventful, thanks to the carefully notated map provided by the Athenaeum. However, as the last rays of the setting sun light up a bluff to the southeast that towers over the desert, ruined buildings and leaning towers jut up from the plateau on its top as ominous clouds loom to the south of Ibhir—a sandstorm roars across the desert toward the ruins.
|
|
"I am glad your eyes see promise in our skills. We shall make good use of them in our venture!"
As the party travels...
Dandy doesn't notice a thing.
When the storm hits, he tries his best to hurry his mount.
But the horse will only go as fast as it wants to go.
He then tries to gently push his steed along the path.
Successfully, he gets his mount, Maximus, through the cliffside.
Finally, can he find the camp through the winds?
His hat keeps enough sand out of his eyes that he succeeds!
|
|
Atanxi remains oblivious to the raging storm until it is too late. Seeing how quickly it is moving across the land he kicks the camel into moving faster.
Atanxi looks down the side of the bluff and pats the side of the camel. Leaning down he whispers in it's ear. You kill me here and I am taking you with me beast.
Holding his hand over his face he squints his eyes. He only ends up just getting more sand in them than anything else.
|
Neither Zahaz or Samaeon notice the incoming weather in time to do anything about it.
Mostly because Zahaz is sitting atop a wide-eyes horse completely confused by the armored humanoid's untrained commands. Samaeon eventually reminds him that horses are stupid animals that do not understand verbal threats, in the common, or infernal, tongue.
Zahaz has better success when pushing (intimidating) his animal, but Sameon is too timid to influence his.
Forging ahead, Zahaz spots the camp!
|
|
The familial pair slowly clops along as the storms rage unnoticed.
The horses lazily move along, not heeding their rider's kicks and shouts once they notice the impending weather anomaly.
The Mother is able to coax her beast along the treacherous path but the Son has trouble.
Conversely, the Son is the only one of the pair able to see through the stinging sand as the Mother shields her eyes.
The party is a bit slow in making it to the camp and the sand starts to sting your eyes. Sand gusts into the building through the open door to the west and the southwest corner of the canvas roof, where the broad tarpaulin has broken free at one end. The canvas strains violently in the wind as the rest of the bindings begin to pull loose. Only half of the building’s original oor still exists to the south. A ladder descends ten feet to a ledge below, and another ladder descends further into a jagged crack in the ground. A campsite sprawls across both ledges, and several bloodied corpses are scattered throughout.
|
|
The Mother sees the flighty man attempt it as the small creature with the half-orc tries to help. She deigns to help as she waves with her hand to the wall.
The Son moves quickly, deftly grabbing handholds before he is perched at the top. The Son is a bit surprised to see that the half-orc Zahaz is quickly behind him. He moves over to allow room for the half-orc at the top.
Zahaz reaches out to grab a rope as the Son snatches another and the pair gives a quick tug, using their immense strength to secure the tarpaulin.
"Not bad, Zahaz." says the son as his body dematerializes and sinks through the stone before emerging at the base of the wall.
The Son strides to the Mother and bows. "It is done." she pats him on the head idly as she looks out into the sandstorm.
Luckily Zahaz and the Son have things under control and are able to get the canvas back in place before the storm worsens any more. As the place begins to darken, however, you hear a distinct clinking of bones as some of the bodies discarded about the site begin to rise....
Before you can react, two of the skeletons nearby stand up and swing at Crysalis and Atanxi:
A other from the lower ledge rises and climbs to the top of the ladder!
|
|
Aanxi screams in pain as the jagged blade tears him open. His eyes show fear. More undead?! Out here?
He lets the fear lead him to anger as small bits of sand begin to rise around him and whip in a miniature controlled storm. The energy manifests into his dagger as the bright beam of white energy erupts from the blade striking at the skeleton.
Atanxi's beam of energy slides past the skelton as The Dandy Hobo puts one of them back on the ground!
Zahaz's claws prove quite effective and swatting away some of the bones!
The Mother hits the skeleton and knocks a few bones loose as the Son obliterates the other! The prone skeleton mindlessly tries to stand and tries to swing at her again
The skeleton is able to stand but then Atanxi and the Mother quickly take it down!
Now protected from the storm and free of harassing undead, you can get a better look around. A discarded potion of cure moderate wounds and a coil of iron rope lie in the eastern tent.
"although I was expecting to see some of the other archaeologists here..."
The only way forward seems to be down:
This cold, dark stone chamber has walls covered in ancient markings that the ages have worn to the point of illegibility. The higher portion holds a dried-up well, a ladder leading up, and descending stairs to the north. The lower portion to the south has two ancient buildings and a collapsed passageway. The floor has fallen near the east wall, exposing another chamber below. A robed corpse lies at the bottom of the ladder. The Athenaeum archaeologist’s bag contains a scroll of resist energy.
You have two archaeological finds to inspect here. The first archaeological item mentioned in the report consists of broken pots.
The second archaeological item from the report is a well-preserved ancient home.
|
|
"The collapse here. It was no accident." Samaeon says, staying just behind his master.
"Hmm." Zahaz replies as he toes some clay pots, clearly annoyed that the mysteries of the site haven't stepped forth to reveal themselves.
Quickly bored with the first area, he moves to inspect the house.
"This is tedious." His voice echoes from within. "Let us move on. Hopefully there are more deaders lurking about further on."
The Son bows and quickly moves to the well and descends to the bottom.
At the bottom of the 30-foot-deep well is a masterwork cold iron dagger with a raven-headed pommel.
---
To the north, a winding stairway descends to the dim chamber below. Four alcoves hold marble statues of grim soldiers from ages past, two on either side of a faintly glowing statue of a regally appointed man who towers in front of the southern wall. Two golden lion statues stand at guard in front of the god. The roof has collapsed at the northwest corner, where a large stone slab lies on the floor below the opening.
The first thing of note in this room is of course the quartet of Taldan statues occupying the alcoves. Each statue represents a noteworthy figure in Taldan history.
The next archaeological item from the report is the pair of golden lion statues.
The final archaeological item of note is a large, ancient statue of the god Abadar.
---
|
|
The pair of familial Pathfinders surveys the new room as the Son climbs out of the well with his elaborate dagger.
"You took your time. Go fetch that ring from the corpse over there." the Mother says as she points to the fallen Chelish soldier.
To the rest of the party, she scans the room. "This appears to be the end of the exploration."
|
|
"Interesting, the dagger is of Jistkan design."
Dandy looks over the rest of the room, his head cocked as he looks over the lion statues. "These have been modified; they weren't lions originally, but someone covered them in plaster and a thin layer of gold paint to try and make them look as such. I wonder what they originally were..."
|
|
Atanxi points to the set of four statues. These were the military leaders who served in Taldor’s Third Army of Exploration under General Coren. Unfortunately, all four died before the founding of Corentyn, which supposedly served as a launching point for the group that founded this colony.
Atanxi looks under the collapsed roof. Hey, Over here. He waves. Help me lift this off. There is a body under here. The broken skeleton wears a platinum ring adorned with the head of a hound. He grabs the ring and pulls it from the finger to show everyone.
|
|
"Get to work." Zahaz orders his minion. Samaeon bobs his head and helps examine the room and the artifacts within using magic to guide himself.
"Strange..." Samaeon murmurs as he inspects the lions. "Originally these depicted something else, but someone augmented the original sculptures with plaster to resemble lions and covered them with a thin gold coating that was tarnished with paint to appear aged."
Zahaz looks at them. "What are you talking about. I don't see it."
Samaeon takes some time to point out his observations clearly to his master.
"Hmmm.. These were hell hounds in their original form. Someone clearly failed to see the beauty in such noble creatures."
In a final examination of the room with a spell to detect for magic, Samaeon points excitedly at the statue of Abadar. "That is a false image master! It is an illusion that conceals a door!"
"Is that so." Zahaz steps forward to test the words of his minion...
... And passes through the statue!
Behind the illusory statue and hidden doors, shadows cast by a blazing brazier behind a metal lattice to the south flitter across the wall paintings, which grants the images the illusion of haunted animation. A seven-foot-tall statue of a hunched, robed figure with three eyes and a mouth ringed with tentacles stands before the lattice.
The metal lattice is no longer properly attached and you can easily move it aside and let yourselves past into the short hall beyond. The fiery brazier at the end of the chamber makes the air uncomfortably hot and acrid. An eight-foot-tall statue of a devil with large, curved horns stands at the west end. Across from the metal lattice is a collapsed, descending staircase. An ancient skeleton is partially buried under the rubble.
Around the curving staircase, you come to another chamber. The echoing, lightless hall has a dark pol that extends most of its length. A walkway runs above the pool, bu much of it has collapsed, leaving only the support pillars below. In the south, upon a platform at the end of the hall, stands a seven-foot-tall statue of a horned humanoid with a large, cryptic disk mounted upon its back. The hall turns to the west before the platform.
|
|
Atanxi passes the statue. Well, that is creepy. What sort of dig site did he saythis was again?
Atanxi begins to dig through the rubble and finds a carved, broken rod and holds it up for everyone to see.
At the large pool of water Atanxi takes his time and leaps from pillar to pillar as he follows it along to the west.
|
|
"Strange! What lurks behind those doors?", a curious Dandy pipes up before following the others inside.
"Ahh, I have heard of those!", Dandy pointing to the broken rod. "It's called an ivory baton and the ancient Jistkan artificers used them to control their constructs.", the foppish man grabbing it for the historical interest. "But this makes two Jistkan relics in this Taldan colony... and the way this was tucked behind what was the site is peculiar indeed, won't you agree dear fellows?"