Poling against the slow moving river, you have little trouble navigating upstream. After a short distance, you reach the source of the water. A churning cascade of water pours from a circular hole in the highest part of the cavern wall. You can see a metal grate covering the hole and glowing runes mark the its rim. Along the south face of the watery tunnel, an oval stone platform protrudes from the wall, forming a s sort of balcony over the river. At the back of the platform's alcove stands a twelve-foot-tall stone statue of a beautiful woman (not Sorshen).
Spasi will hop off the boat to inspect the statue.
"Just hold here for a moment...lemme check this out."
Perception
Spasi eyes the woman up and down.
Well, she certainly is 'statuesque'.
"Whatcha got there Spasi?"
Bibic watches the nearby area, bow out, looking for anything that might try to jump the party while they're investigating, particularly from the magic grate.
Rhesus holds on to the boat and the platform, keeping it steady while Spasi examines the statue.
"Wonder if we can turn that water off? Block up the hole mebbe?"
Clement watches from his boat with Bibic.
"Or maybe there's a lever or some sort of switch."
Clement eyes the walls, the statue and the water looking for some way to interact with the statue, alcove or grate.
He also joins Bibic in scouring the area for magic auras.
Spasi's appraisal of the statue finds that its eyes are empty sockets and closer inspection reveals that the whole thing is empty and full of sloshing water.
Bibic and Clement can see that the both the grate and the statue are magical with the gate radiating an overwhelming magical aura, while the statue's is more morderate. Bibic can tell that the aura around the statue is some sort of enchantment and that the gate itself is some sort of magical item, but that is about it.
Bibic fills in the others on what he found, "...so maybe the grate is a gate to the elemental plane of water or something. Kinda cool."
"Feels like a dead end though, shall we see what's downstream?"
Spasi takes a good looksee at the empty woman, then shrugs and gets back in the boat.
"Yeah, mateys, sail ho!" Spasi ready to sail downstream.
Clement sighs as Spasi once again climbs into the ship from Rhesus, knowing his shield will not be as useful should some strange tentacled creature emerge from the waters.
He manages a meek smile at Bibic as begins rowing downstream.
Poling down stream, the passageway begins to widen, until an immense cavern opens before you. Dozens of tiny coloured motes of light flit and dance in the air, illuminating a vast, cathedral-like cavern. A forest of delicate stalactites hangs down from the ceiling 30 feet above a dark pool of water. To the east, the water foams as it cascades down into a lower cavern, while to the Southeast, a low beach of white sand slopes up from the shore to a single stone doors set in the wall.(K7) A seven-sided stone platform sits in the middle of the lake - an artificial ilsand whose surface sits a mere six inches above the water level/ A three-foot-tall stone mooring post protrudes from each of this island's seven points. A single glass statue of a beautiful woman stands atop this platform, one leg posed before the other as if she were preparing a running leap into the water. (k6)
"There!" Spasi points to the sandy shore. "Make for there, Rhesus."
Spasi poles for sand, willing to check out K6, aka the statue, at a distance if at all.
Spasi will beach his boat and go ashore.
Rhesus sets the boat moving to the side, muscling it through the water towards the statue and shore.
"Still ain't seen them armored ones came this way."
"Clement, what do you say we check out the dais in the middle of the lake first. Shouldn't take long, I just want to take a gander for magical auras."
Assuming Clement agrees, Bibic casts Detect Magic and looks around.
Clement, sensing his kindred bond with Bibic growing, readily agrees.
"Sure thing, Bibic. Just let me... "
Clement gives a push with the guide poles to set their vessel in the right direction.
"... there, that should set us that way."
To further his growing bond with the elf, Clement also detects for magic and scans the area.
Beaching the skiffs on the sandy shore, you explore the small beach. It rises at a gentle slope away from the shore towards a door placed in the cave wall. At the southern end of the strand, two seven-foot-long mounds of sand rise from the otherwise smooth contours of the beach. A long, oval shield painted with the sigil of lust sits atop each.
"Well, there's nothing magical on that island, and it's a little tricky to get to, so let's try the obvious doors shall we?"
Bibic moves up to the doors and, bow in one hand, opens the door with the other.
Rhesus unlimbers his earth breaker while Bibic moves to the door.
"Sure ya don't want me an' Clem ta get it?"
"Sure no problem Rhesus. Just figured I'd open and you'd rush through." He grins.
"But I'm quite happy to step back if you prefer." Bibic takes up his usual position and readies his bow for action.
Spasi waits on the sandy shore, examining the lusty sigil. He glances over at the strange 7' tall mounds of sand, wondering what might be buried beneath.
Huh huh...'mounds'...those are mounds.
Perception
While Spasi stares intently at the shield marked mounds, Rhesus eases open the door. The walls of the room beyond are covered with detailed murals depicting wanton acts involving otherworldly beings of every description. The murals cover every vertical surface, but stop abruptly after turning down the hallway to the south, as though abandoned by the artist.
A close inspection of the murals easily finds the artist's signature, Amivadeus Yasrin a name that means nothing to you, but the florid signature suggests that they definitively had a high opinion of themselves.
Clement eyes the wanton acts on the murals.
These are definitely Spasi's kind of people...
Clement takes a few steps into the room and gestures for Rhesus to follow.
"I think there's a passage that leads deeper in...."
"What are you thinking Spasi... burial mounds? Want to dig one up before we press on?"
While he waits for Spasi to confirm one way or another, he lingers over the murals. Purely for research of course.
Rhesus advances a short distance into the room, standing next to Clem.
"Why'd they stop in that direction?"
"What are you thinking Spasi... burial mounds? Want to dig one up before we press on?"
Spasi shrugs.
"I dunno...digging is work, Bibic. And besides, what is more likely to be there: a good thing or a bad thing? Since I'm pretty sure they ain't the right size for a shard and because there are two mounds, it isn't what we are seeking," Spasi logics.
"I bet the shard is further inside. Not sure I want to awake every danger in this place."
Spasi follows Rhesus and Clem, happy to have things back to order.
The hallway ends at a barred gate. Beyond it you can see that the stone walls, floor and ceiling of this hall are polished to an almost mirror-like sheen. The arching ceiling is supported by twin rows of columns, all of which have been carved to resemble the same beautiful woman dressed in revealing robes. (Sorshen).
A quick check finds the gate locked (Disable device DC30, break DC25, Hardness 10, 60hp) and draws the attention of the room's sole occupant. A deathly pale man with long, bone-white hair woven into a long braid, dark eyes and well-fitting and revealing clothes. Coming into sight, he says with an almost otherworldly calm, "Greetings friends or foes. Which be you? I'll open the gate for you mysled if you be the former, but I fear I must prevent your passage if you be the latter. Would you speak the pass phrase for me?"
"Er, can you give us a clue?"
Bibic takes out his shard and shows it to the old man, "We're just looking for another of these and mean you no harm. I think we'd rather not fight you if we can avoid it really."
I wonder how long he's been down here? I bet he's no longer alive...
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Pass phrase?
Spasi remembers all the lusty things they saw on the way in. Having been in places like this before, Spasi naturally thinks he knows what to do.
"Oh Bibic, let me handle this. I've had a bit more experience in establishments like this," Spasi explains with only a bit of condescension.
Spasi strolls up to the bars (well, 15' away) and tries to talk to the bouncer "confidentially".
"Hey...we don't know the password. But we heard that you had some amazing women in there and we just want a good time. My friends and I have good coin...we won't cause any problem with the ladies. I promise."
Spasi shakes his coin purse, indicating that they have money to pay.
Rhesus shakes his head and whispers to Clem.
"Be ready this don't work bud."
Clement comes as close to as facepalm as reasonable while holding a mace in one hand and a shield in the other.
He opens his mouth to interrupt Spasi, but just lets it hang open.
He gives the ancient guardian a shrug and a kind of innocent smile, as if to suggest I don't know this guy, but I actually do, and I'm very sorry...
The man just stare blankly at you, "No? Then I will have no choice, but to stop you. You will not pass through this room."
With that, he steps back out of sight.
Spasi grumps as the man leaves, coming closer to the bars.
"Hey man! We just want a taste of the ladies! We're lustful...and stuff! Ah c'mon!"
Spasi sulks back to the party.
"Alright, I tried. We can't get in this way. Maybe we should go around? Maybe there is another way."
"Well Spasi ya sure charmed him. Figure we ain't breaking that down with him standing there, let's look for another way."
Clement shakes his head, but then begins to nod and smile.
"Hey! Maybe that's it. Spasi, you should charm him."
Clement looks at Spasi.
"You know, charm-charm him..."
Nothing bad can come of this...
Spasi shrugs.
"I offered coin, not much more I can do," Spasi moves back. "Let's check out those mounds on the beach."
Spasi will go poke around the mounds, looking for another way in.
Bibic too moves back from the iron bars - now seemingly more like a prison than he'd care to admit.
He trudges back to the mounds and takes a closer look.
Spasi futzes around the mounds, occasionally glancing at the portcullis and thinking about things.
"Ain't a fan of them bars. We got a job and if we ain't gonna get paid without getting in there, let's get in there. Want me ta smash it?"
Clement nods his head and gestures at Rhesus's earthbreaker.
"Only going to take a couple swings from that.. I can spot ya."
"Want me ta smash it?"
Spasi rubs his chin, nods, then reaches into his pouch. He draws out a potion of invisibility and hands it to Rhesus.
"Might want to drink this before you go up there. That bouncer sounded pretty dickish about letting people in...he might even attack us or call in his buddies while you are around the bars. This will allow you to work in peace," Spasi says.
"Yeah, I think smashing it is our best option at this point. Who knows? Maybe he has a sense of fair play and will just wait for us to kill him?"
Bibic smirks and readies his bow for the impending combat.
Rhesus takes the potion with a doubting look in his eye before looking to Clem for confirmation. Assuming he gets the ok, he will quaff the potion and go to work on the gate.
"Here goes."
"Oh that tastes awful. What's the nut that grows on the trees Clem? Tastes like that."
As soon as the portcullis falls, Bibic begins to describe the fall of the gates, and the eventual fall of the old white man.* His bow is out and he is looking for the old man to make good on his story.
Spasi stands in the back, readying for trouble.
Clement considers which nut Rhesus would be most likely to talk about.
"Walnuts? Or chestnuts?"
Clement winces with each of Rhesus's swings, clearly not appreciating the cacophony but nodding a bit when Bibic begins his tale.
Clement bangs his shield with his mace and gives a nod to Rhesus before calling to the man inside the room.
"Okay, we're coming in. You don't have to try to kill us just because we're doing that though, alright?"
Combat round 1
18 Rhesus
14 Spasi
8 Baddie
8 Clement
4 Bibic
Round 1
Spasi delays, looking around.
"Maybe he's out back getting some action. Them bouncers always take a cut," Spasi notes.
Round 1
"You'd know Spasi. Nah Clem, them other ones."