Calden listens to the translated words, and thinks for a moment. "Korech, maybe you can ask him where their territory is, precisely? Maybe we can avoid it, if we know where they consider the boundaries are. Maybe he can show it on this map, if you show it to him."
"That's a great idea Calden!"
She pats him on the back enthusiastically.
She ponders for a moment, then her face lights up.
"Oh! And maybe ask him if he knows where the Razmirans are going? Might be worth a little more intelligence on our destination, if possible, right?"
Shirzon, with Dremlock Dusan's help, hauls the useful equipment over into a pile for their expedition to make use of. She sifts through the pile and takes a few things, putting supplies in her bag and hooking weapons on her belt. She addresses the long lost Pathfinder, keeping her voice soft to hopefully avoid upsetting his fragile mind. "Hey Dusan, you should probably take some of this. Maybe put some armor on, pick up a sturdier weapon. You'll be safer that way."
Once everything is secure, she nods at her companions. "We'll go around their territory if we can, but I think we should get to that 'city of death' or whatever as soon as we can. The sooner we leave, the fewer lizards we rile up and the faster we reach those Razmiri jerks."
---
"No, no, no, no!" Dusan states firmly as Shirzon offers him to take some weapons and armor from the cultists' body. "C'mon, we need to follow them. This way, this way."
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Shirzon raises a skeptical eyebrow at Dremlock, but shrugs and returns her attention to the pile of gear. "Whatever you say, Dusan. Lead on, fellow Pathfinder..."
Casting an eye over the subdued lizard, Shirzon's brow creases and her mouth pulls to the side in thought. "What do we want to do with the lizardfolk? They attacked us, but we don't really have any dispute with them. Think we can just...let 'em go? They're probably not foolish enough to attack us if we undo those ropes. Might as well let 'em run off into the swamp. We should just follow our new friend here and get to the ruins as soon as possible."
Korech frowns as he looks over the bound lizardfolk.
"We let go, tell to run away. They maybe track, but that happen anyways. Find other folk like them first. Keep hands tied. They get out quick enough. Sharp claws, good teeth."
Calden nods at Korech once again. "That sounds fair enough. I just hope they won't feel compelled to take revenge on us, for killing their chieftain. Remember, we have to get back to the boat once we're done dealing with the cultists. We may have to head through these lands once more..."
--
After the lizardfolk has been let go, Calden joins Shirzon to help with storing the valuable equipment she retrieved. "Most of this can go in the bags of holding, I suppose. Either mine or Korech's." He doesn't see anything yet that he would need to keep on hand.
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— Sunday, Kuthona the 12th, 4609 AR
— Morning to Evening
— Lingerlost Swamp, Isle of Terror
— Negative Energy Storm
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After releasing your lizardfolk prisoner, you hurry up, put all the useful items found on the battlefield in your bag of holding and hit the road quickly, following you guide Dusan. The madman leads you through an arduous journey as you keep heading northeast. As you walk, Korech spots several evidences that the trail you’re following is the right one: the half-orc’s eyes are able to discern some track left behind by the cultist who managed to survive the deadly battle with the lizardfolk. You travel until the already poor lighting of the Isle of Terror disappears, at which point you stop and find a shelter to rest for the night amid some old ruins. “We’re not too far away from The City of Golden Death” nervously announces Dusan as you take your time to set your bedrolls and blankets for the night and organize guard shifts.
As always on the island, the weather has been weird. Another bolt of pure negative energy almost hit Merephel as the girl was walking behind Korech and Calden, and Shirzon could swear to have seen a black hurricane forming behind the mountains on the horizon. Fortunately, though, it seems like you’ve been lucky enough not to come across any danger other than the lizardfolk hunters during your journey today, and although scary, the weather has not harmed you in any way, apart from lowering your courage and morale.
---
It’s night and it’s Korech’s guard shift. The half-orc carefully looks around for any approaching danger as his trusted friends sleep after a whole day of troubles and hard travel. Suddenly, Korech hears the sound of claws scratching against something. The sound comes from somewhere near. At first, Korech just listens without moving, hoping that the sounds will just go away as quickly as they came. This isn’t the case, though. The noise of scratching continues and grows stronger. It’s only now that Korech realizes that the sounds are coming from a weathered trap door not far from the ruins in which his companions are sleeping.
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Upon finding the trapdoor, Korech scowls, pulling out hos axe. Cautious in all things, he heads over to wake his companions, keeping an eye on the trapdoor.
"Claws under trapdoor, not too far from here. Maybe fight, be ready."
Once the party is up and functioning, Korech creeps over to the trapdoor. He grins at Shirzon.
"Gotowy? What that mean?"
He then yanks the trapdoor open, or at least tries to.
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— Sunday, Kuthona the 12th, 4609 AR
— Night
— Lingerlost Swamp, Isle of Terror
— Negative Energy Storm
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As soon as Korech wakes up his allies, the trapdoor opens, throwing up three strange skeletons. Armed of broken scimitars, these skeletons are similar to those you already encountered in the Crypt of the Everflame, except for the fact that they are completely covered in gold. They are surrounded by a burning aura, and their eyes shimmers with a fiery light.
« | | | | »
The entire area is cast in dim-light when the golden skeletons emerges from the trapdoor.
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Shirzon
Calden
Korech
Merephel
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Merephel stands up quickly, and grabs her holy symbol. She doesn't speak, moving in eerie silence.
She raises it aloft, and uses her holy power to Turn Undead.
She has a grim look on her face, and obviously is ready to fight.
=========
=========
Calden is awake in a flash. He finds that sleep comes hard on the island, with its strange weather and haunting atmosphere. "Claws? Trapdoor?" The sight of skeletons has him upright in a heartbeat, and he scrambles forward, ready for battle. "Ready to smash them. Meph, can you provide some light?"
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Groggily, Shirzon stirs. "Gotowy? Ready for what?" she mumbles to Korech as the golden skeletons emerge from the trapdoor. She scrambles up and snatches her mace from her belt and holds it defensively. Wiping some sleep crust from her eyes, she blinks a few times at the menacing bones.
"Are they... covered in gold?"
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Snarling as he spies undead, even strange glowing ones, Korech yanks out his mace as he runs before attacking with it.
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While Shirzon and Calden stand up and ready themselves for the imminent battle, Korech closes in on the nearest golden skeleton and destroys it with a single hit of his trusty mace: his prowess in fighting undead has not decreased with time. As soon as the skeleton crumbles into dust, however, it explodes in a burst of flames.
The two remaining skeletons move to attack. One of them moves between Korech and Shirzon and tries to attack the half-orc archer with both its broken scimitar and claw, but Korech easily dodges both strikes. The other skeleton closes in on Calden and tries to attack him with his broken scimitar, but the Kassenite guy is too fast for the skeleton and easily avoids the attack as well. Merephel channels the power of her goddess to drive the skeletons away and prays silently that her ability will be enough to make them flee.
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Shirzon
Calden
Korech
Merephel
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Merephel looks shocked as the skeleton erupts into flames, and rubs her eyes at the unexpected flash of fire in the darkness.
She bends down and picks up her mace, wielding it with her left hand.
Merephel backs up a few steps, and casts another spell.
Light begins emanating from her tunic, illuminating the campsite in a faint white light.
"Watch out! They explode!" Merephel says, stating the obvious.
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Shirzon scowls as the skeleton's heat hits her face, wincing as small tongues of flame lick at her skin. She pushes past the discomfort, though, bringing her mace down toward the undead menace.
Pulling out her other weapon, Shirzon calls out, "Where did these things even come from? Are they from that city?"
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Calden tries to shelter his face from the blistering heat. Kicking these could turn out to be a bad idea. Instead, he grabs for his quarterstaff and takes a single swing at the skeleton in front of him.
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Shirzon brings her mace down toward the golden skeleton in front of her with ferocity. Her strike hits the target and causes the skeleton’s skull to crack instantly. In a matter of instant, however, also this skeleton explodes in a burst of flames.
Calden’s strike is precise as well, and his quarterstaff easily smashes the skeleton’s golden bones. The skeleton then explodes in a burst of flames.
---
---
With the skeletons quickly dealt with by the party, the group members decide to examine the place from where the skeletons emerged. As soon as the party climbs down the stairs, you find yourselves in a small crypt delved in the underground. Four alcoves line the east and west wall of the crypt, and a sarcophagus lays in the center of the room, its lid partially ajar. The sarcophagus is decorated with strange symbols depicting battle and heroism.
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⇒ Wand
⇒ 1st level
⇒ divine favor
⇒ Ring
⇒ ring of mind shielding
Korech staggers back as he's damaged by the skeleton, avoiding the worst of the fire damage. However, before he can re-engage they're all blown up. He snarls, quickly healing himself with his wand.
He glances around, offering up his wand to anyone who wants it.
Once in the crypt, Korech frowns, looking around the area. His instincts from years as a scavenger kick in, and he quickly opens the sarcophagus to check within.
He then pauses, looking a little unsure of himself without saying much, he steps back to let the others look at the gear while he pulls out his copy of the Parables.
Did I just commit a sin?
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As Shirzon pulls her mace back from the skeleton, her eyes widen as cracks in the bone fill with heat and light, rapidly expanding. In a moment, Shirzon drops into a crouch and turns away, the explosion blowing over above her. She stands as the heat fades, unscathed.
---
In the crypt, Shirzon keeps her weapons raised, on guard and wary. She cautiously examines the alcoves before moving to the sarcophagus. She tries to get a glimpse of what's inside through the gap made with the lid, and not seeing any movement, says, "I think we're alright with this one. Help me move the lid?"
Once the lid is moved, she examines the skeletal form inside. Since he doesn't seem to immediately rise up and attack, Shirzon shrugs and carefully removes the silver wand and golden ring. She looks them over, turning them in the light of Merephel's glowing tunic, before turning to her cleric friend. "Any idea what these are?"
Merephel examines the wand and ring with Detect Magic.
"Everyone okay? If there are a lot of undead in there, it might be worth me saving my divine power. I think we take Korech's suggestion, and use the wand, just to be safe."
Calden is barely quick enough, but drops himself flat on the ground and evades the explosion. "Wew, that was close. Well done, everyone. Good thinking all around."
--
In the light of Merephel's magic, Calden follows the others down the stairs, holding his staff at the ready, wary of any more attackers.
"I recognize that," he blurts out when he spots the crypt. "That's the symbol of Aroden. He must have been his follower, which means this grave must be ancient. I think we'll be fine with checking the crypt. It's been so long ago, and if there's a spirit still here, it's not in a good resting place anyway, with the entire Isle in this state."
He leaves the items for Merephel, but their angelic looks confirm for him the right-ness of their choice. "I'm good, the skeletons only scorched me a bit."
"Poor Aroden...."
Merephel looks sad at the mention of the fallen God.
"Why do you think those skeletons were covered in gold?"
Calden shrugs at Merephel's assessment of Aroden. "Well, he was victorious here, remember? He thwarted Tar-Baphon's plot to imprison him and slew the wizard-king. It's described quite vividly in the Chronicle we got. Well, and he vanished afterwards, but maybe it was his own choice, like a sacrifice for the benefit of Humankind. Who knows..."
The mention of the golden skeletons produces a snorting laugh. "Well, with the risk of stating the obvious, we're approaching the City of Golden Death. They seem to fit the description." He laughs again, trying hard to find some mirth in the desolate environment.
Merephel smiles.
"I know that silly, I just always wondered what happened to him. What could have been so bad as to kill a GOD?"
She shivers at the thought.
"Well, if it was really that bad, and we - humans - are still here and doing all tight to this day, then he must have done something right in the end, isn't it? Even if it caused his own demise..."
-Posted with Wayfinder
Merephel identifies both the wand and the ring, and it seems like they’re both very precious! The silver wand is indeed a wand of divine favor containing 32 charges, while the ring is an expensive but useful ring of mind shielding. It’s your choice whether you want to keep these items for you or just put them back to where they were before.
The rest of the crypt doesn’t hold many secrets. It’s clear that the crypt itself was built in a hurry long ago, so apart from the ornated sarcophagus, everything else appears to be quite ordinary, with several portions of the wall still revealing the hasty excavation. As a result, there’s not anything else interesting down here, and the party returns upstairs, where the rest of the night passes by eneventfully.
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— Moonday, Kuthona the 13th, 4609 AR
— Morning to Evening
— Lingerlost Swamp, Isle of Terror
— Negative Energy Storm
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It’s another day on the Isle of Terror, but the weather is still the same. Were it not for the tenuous light filtering through the black, heavy clouds above your head, you could have sworn that it was still night. Fortunately, though, you managed to get some sleep and rest for a while, and when you get up you’re ready to resume your journey. After a quick breakfast, Dusan once again takes the lead. “D-Dis Way!” he says with his usual, strange voice as he proceeds.
---
The whole morning of travel is unusually quiet as you follow the Whispering River and the cultists’ tracks. After a quick launch, you hit the road as soon as possible, but in the afternoon, a bolt of sheer negative energy hits Merephel. In the last days, Calden was almost hit by one of those bolts, but now it’s Merephel’s turn!
---
After the negative energy bolt accident, your journey continues and, just when you’re about to stop and find a shelter for the night, Dusan exclaims, “Here we are! The City of Go-Golden Death!”. The entrance to Xin-Grafar stands ahead—two enormous stone doors, each thirty feet high and fifteen feet wide, covered in carved, vertical wavy lines. The left-hand door stands open, a complex internal mechanism of worked stone and metal clockwork gears visible along the door’s side about halfway up. The doors are recessed about ten feet into the side of a large, grass-covered hill and tilt slightly inward. A firepit smolders beside the right-hand door, tiny tendrils of smoke still curling skyward from its coals.
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Korech yelps as Merephel is struck by the bolt, and he rushes to her side.
"You save prayers for when we need most, I heal with wand. Okay?"
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Korech crouches, carefully examining the camp and the depressions made in the ground.
"I think...twelve. Not more. This island kill many cultists."
Nocking an arrow, Korech stands at the doors, briefly looking over the mechanism before he peers into the hillside.
Merephel is struck full force by Negative Energy. It isn't that it hurts so much, as it truly does, but what she remembers most is how it made her feel. The bolt of energy was like concentrated anger, mixed with sadness, and tempered by hate.
She knows in that moment she would never forget the sensation.
She was right.
At the camp, Merephel says a quick prayer to Shelyn for all the foolish Razmirans who died on this foolish quest.
"I hate to say it, but the Razmirans, the more likely we are to succeed...It pains me to even say that."
Shirzon keeps her eye on the sky as they trudge across the island. She finches at the black sky above with every moment, feeling more paranoid the longer they stay outside. She glances at Dusan as they progress. What a hellish place to live. She also yells when Merephel is struck, jumping to one side and futilely holding her maces in front of her as if the weapons would protect her from the storm.
---
After the day's travel, Shirzon feels the weight of her pack as a dull pain in her shoulders where the backpack sits. As they reach the entrance to The City of Golden Death, its massive stone doors towering over them, Shirzon lets out a low whistle of appreciation.
After admiring the structure for a while, Shirzon sits near the extinguished campfire. "Good to hear that the Razmiri have thinned our, but they were still tough when we fought them. We survived the island, but I don't imagine it's going to get any easier from here. We traveled all day, and we've made good progress to have reached the city. Let's make camp and in the morning... Well, I guess we investigate a lost city. Find some paths, I guess. Dusan, have you ever been in this city?"
Calden votes for keeping the items, considering they've been here for so long.
--
When Merephel is hit by the bolt of negative lightning, Calden is at her side in a flash. "Meph! Are you ok? Can you still move? That's not normal lightning, and I was pretty scared the other day when one of them nearly hit me..."
--
Calden can't help but feel intimidated by the entrance to Xin-Grafar, by the huge doors and the knowledge - or lack of knowledge - of what might await them within. Hi sighs at the mention of the number of cultists. "They've lost a lot to the island, but they still outnumber us three to one." He's about to enter, when Shirzon suggests they make camp. "Maybe you're right. We've been walking all day, and who knows what we'll find in the city. Still, look at the campfire. It's still smoldering. We've almost caught up to them. And maybe they won't be so easy to track within the city..."
Thinking about their exploration in the city, he tries to form a plan. "How will we proceed? Go as a group, or let Shirzon and Korech scout ahead for a bit, so we won't be caught unaware?"
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— Moonday, Kuthona the 13th, 4609 AR
— Evening
— Entrance of Xin-Grafar
— Negative Energy Storm
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The group decides to use the Razmir’s faithful’s camp to rest for another night before entering the fabled City of Golden Death. As you eat around the campfire, consuming the rations you brought with you from Tamran, you notice that Dusan is even more taciturn that usual. He mumbles nonsensical babbles to himself, scratching his wild beard and hairs too often, even for him. He’s clearly nervous. Shirzon’s question brings him back to reality, tearing him away from the horrific images being projected in his feeble mind.
“I was there and they were there. We see lot of things, then they died and I died. They died and I survived. I was alive and they were molten. Molten by gold. The golden death awaits everyone who…I cannot remember. I can remember and I don’t want to remember. I was there and they were there. But they died, and I died too. But I lived, and I escaped. They were golden, I was flesh. They were dead, and I was alive.” Dusan’s expression is clearly crazed as he tells his incoherent story.
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— Toilday, Kuthona the 14th, 4609 AR
— Morning
— Entrance of Xin-Grafar
— Negative Energy Storm
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After having rested for the whole night without interruptions, the Heroes of Kassen and Tamran have had the chance to recharge their pools of inner power and are finally ready to enter the city. The final destination of their journey on the Island of Terror lies just ahead of them. Xin-Grafar. The City of Golden Death.
As soon as you prepare to enter the lost city, Dusan looks at you nervously. “I won’t go in again. Not again. They died and I lived. If you live and I live, I wait here. If you don’t die and I live, you take me away when you come back. But you must hurry.” This is farewell. Dusan will wait for you outside of the city, in the case you will ever emerge from it, hoping that you will take him home once everything’s over.
Once you enter the gates of Xin-Grafar, you must descend hundreds of feet into the earth through smooth, winding tunnels. After a thousand feet of underground switchbacks, you reach the city itself, situated inside a vast underground cavern. Formerly the great city of Kestrillon, a civilization of advanced magical knowledge and vast wealth (as Calden points out thanks to his reading of the Pathfinder Chronicle, Xin-Grafar comprises three concentric, circular walls, known as the First Ring, Second Ring, and Third Ring, each smaller and higher than the last. When Tar-Baphon’s armies conquered the island, he renamed the city Xin-Grafar in Thassilonian style (and as an insult to the city’s destroyed Grafar Citadel) and deposited an enormous amount of his own wealth here.
Unless otherwise mentioned, the entire city is lit with dim light from flickering, greenish phosphorescence on the cavern ceiling and from the glowing, moltengold canals that surround the First Ring and flow down and through the Second and Third rings. Xin-Grafar is carved out of the natural bedrock below the island, but the buildings are all constructed not from the native bedrock, but from quarried granite, finely carved and resplendent with frescoes and friezes. Gold plating covers all of the buildings in the First and Second Rings but ends in a straight, horizontal line at a certain height in each ring. Each ring is separated from the others by 50-foot-thick walls of bedrock that stretch from floor to ceiling.
Once through the gates of Xin-Grafar and the subterranean tunnels leading to the city, you enter a large, high-ceilinged room. The long, sloped tunnel leading down to the city suddenly opens into a large rectangular room. The floor here is sand and shows signs of recent foot traffic. The walls are all painted in enormous murals that depict a city in its prime. The south wall shows hundreds of men and women in a marketplace, trading everything from fruit and livestock to construction materials such as brick and wood. The north wall depicts row upon row of unarmed, uniformed men standing large in the foreground and growing smaller as their ranks disappear over the horizon toward the far right of the painting—a horizon over which an enormous golden sun rises. The east wall is a huge map that portrays a city constructed of three concentric circles and divided by canals of pure, crystal-clear water that flows from the city’s innermost ring. Below this map someone has scrawled numerous notes and mathematical calculations in charcoal. Finally, the west wall depicts a leader of some sort, crowned by a golden sun and speaking before a huge crowd of people wearing white shawls and golden togas.
The notes beneath the map are scrawled in Common, and seem at first to be gibberish, with several phrases referring to the “Jewel of Everlasting Gold” and multiple descriptions of fire, floods, and molten gold.
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Korech stalks along with his bow in hand, following the obvious trail set by the cultists as the group heads into the vast city.
Stopping, Korech takes a long while to take in the murals, and puzzle out the language. He eventually grunts, shaking his head.
"Something say here. Fire, flood, gold that is melt. I dunno. Cultists seem not to care; tracks keep moving, not stop. Not sure if there is danger or not."
Merephel rests through the night, in a deep sleep.
Upon examination of the notes, Merephel realizes she has no idea what they mean.
"Is the gold still liquid? Doesn't that mean it has to be hot...like really hot?"
She looks perplexed.
Calden puts a hand on Dusan's shoulder, breathing in through his mouth against the stench. "All will be well, Dusan. We will be careful, and we'll take you out of here when we leave."
Once the man is out of earshot, Calden speaks his thoughts. "He said that the others - the other Pathfinders, I think - were golden, and he was flesh. I read about canals of molten gold in the city. Could it be that they fell into them? That might also explain about the golden skeletons we encountered." He swallows at the realization.
--
Calden stares in amazement at the city and the amount of gold coating the buildings. "It's... I don't know if there are words for it. Do you think they started coating the buildings, to show how much gold they had here? Started at the bottom, and worked their way up?" Why wouldn't they start in the center of the town, where the most important buildings must be?
The Razmiran footsteps, that move straight through the room, make him look at the murals. "We're already behind them, and we could use any advantage we get." He quickly realizes that the notes and calculations are way too advanced for him. However, he does gain understanding of what happens. "That weren't coating the buildings, the entire city was flooded with molten gold! Here," he points, "the canals were originally meant for water. But somehow they now flow with molten gold. This "Jewel of Everlasting gold" must be responsible. Maybe Tar-Baphon brought it when he took over the city?" He shakes his head. "Anyway, there must have been some apocalyptic event where have the city was flooded with gold."
Calden walks to the end of the room and peeks around the corner. "We'd best be ready for anything." He drinks one of his potions and has his quarterstaff at the ready. "We'd best stay together, I think."
Shirzon crouches down to study the scribbles, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. After a moment of concentration, she shrugs and stands up. She listens to Calden's explanation, but seems set on their course. "So they coated the city in molten gold. That's weird, but that's in the past. The sooner we find those cultists the sooner we stop them. Let's get out of here and find them."
With that, Shirzon starts to walk out of the room, entering the city proper and looking at the gold-plated buildings. She takes a breath to brace herself before starting toward the nearest bridge to try to get closer to the center, as shown on the carved map.
As soon as you leave behind the map room, you enter the city proper. A large doorway passes from the room of murals into the city proper. A lightly glowing green fluorescence emanates from the cavern roof above, illuminating a once-great city now reduced to ash and rubble—but whose ruins are coated entirely in gold. A large, covered bridge across a canal glows white-hot and emits a searing, golden light. In the center of the bridge stands a man-shaped statue covered in fine gold plating, its carved face eerily human-like.
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Korech follows the trail carefully, keeping the others a couple paces behind him so that he can check for any irregularities. He looks very uncertain about the gold-covered city.
"Looks like city was ruined by gold. Killed by own wealth. What's word for that?"
He stops as he notices irregularities in the footprints.
"Cultists have fight here, then go north. I do not think anyone die. Watch the statue. We have fight enough scary statues by now."
"I was going to say 'ironic', but I don't think that's what you were going to say..."
Calden follows behind Korech, leaving the tracking to the expert. "The Razmirans went north. If we want to follow them, we'll have to go through that guard. Trying to find another way might take too long, and we'll lose the trail. Seems like there's nothing for it but to face that thing. It doesn't look like it will just let us pass..."
-Posted with Wayfinder
Merephel looks concerned.
"Maybe we try to sneak past it, and if it animates, we just run around it? It certainly looks like the Razmirans didn't have to destroy it, so who knows?"
She bites her lip, and begins making a mental list of her prepared spells.
Shirzon eyes the statue warily, taking in the scene and listening to her friends. "Maybe it can't leave the bridge... In any case, we should be ready for a fight. Calden, if you can get behind it, I think I see some joints where I could get some good hits in. The inside of that bridge looks relatively gold-free. Maybe it's a bit safer than the rest of this place?"
With that, Shirzon looks at the other Kassenite heroes, nods, then adopts her crouching, defensive stance in preparation for a fight.
"Well, the Razmirans did fight something here. My guess is there two puddles here. Maybe the other guard came over to defend the bridge, after the other two guard had perished?"
Calden cautiously steps forward onto the bridge, careful not to step into the two pools of molten metal. At the first sign of aggression from from guard, he's ready to hustle forward and around it.
Merephel follows Calden onto the bridge, and has her shield and mace at the ready. She wears her holy symbol openly around her neck, and is wary. Her eyes light up with an idea, and she stops looking at the statue. While everyone else's eyes are fixed on the statue, she scans the room, watching for an ambush.
As soon as Calden steps on the bridge, the golden statue animates! This gilded statue appears to be crafted of solid gold plates, its shining visage carved with exquisite detail into an eerie replica of a human face. From behind the statue’s helm, a eerie light caused by burning fire is shed on the gold details of its armor.
As soon as he notices the statue animating, Calden quickly hustles forward and around it.
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The statue has suddenly come to life. Will the party manage to destroy it and push forward?
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Shirzon
Merephel
Korech
Calden
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Shirzon hesitates for a moment, wary of the statue come to life. She swallows her apprehension and moves up to the golden statue, put off by it's eerie face. "Let's see what we can do to this creepy thing," she calls over to Calden, raising her maces at the ready. She eyes the golden armor for exposed joints and cracks, preparing to strike once Calden distracts it.
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Merephel sighs, as this turn of events wasn't unexpected.
She raises her holy symbol aloft, and Blesses the party. She advances 30 feet, and eyes the statute warily.
"We can get this thing team, just like always!"
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Korech groans as he realizes what a pain statues are to fight. He rushes up, testing this one with a shot fro his bow.
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Seeing that Shirzon can take full advantage of the statue's sluggish response, Calden nods at her to indicate he's understood. He repositions and start spinning his quarterstaff, smashing first one end of his weapon at the statue, then the other. "Go!"