With an angry roar, the minotaur turns its attentions to the retreating Janira and lumbers off into the forest after her even as the rest of you heed her instructions and scramble into the cave opening. The goat that Zithembe released darts away into the forest as well, in a panic. The minotaur is apparently too stupid or too prideful to capitalize on what would be an easy meal though as it continues after the little halfling.
As you all pause for a moment to gather your wits, you turn your attention to your immediate surroundings. The tunnel that the party finds themselves in is narrow and stretches well out of the sight of Zithembe's light. A slight dampness hangs in the air as well and the walls of the tunnel are cool to the touch and slightly wet - a little extra caution will be in order lest someone slip and fall. Upon closer inspection you can also see that the walls of the tunnel are spotted here and there with some sort of fungi that gives off a faint blue-green light.
You also have a peek inside Janira's pack that Kiango had the presence of mind to grab before fleeing. Inside you find a variety of useful items, a few even magical! With a little time, you suss out that you have access to the following supplies:
Potion of Barkskin
Potion of Cure Light Wounds
Potion of Feather Step
Potion of Vanish
Scroll of Entangle
Scroll of Gust of Wind
Scroll of Identify
Scroll of Mage Armor (CL 6)
Scroll of Obscuring Mist
Wand of Burning Hands (CL 3rd, 4 charges)
Wand of Cure Light Wounds (CL 3rd, 8 charges)
Acid
Alchemist’s Fire (2)
Holy Water
Smokestick
Tanglefoot Bag
Thunderstone
______
|
"Why wouldn't you?" Tupp says as he sidles up next to Hepsubla and a few other initiates. "'Things' is a very useful word... So, umm, what things are in there? Anything important we need to complete the mission?" Overall, he doesn't see anything that he feels he should take. His chicken, however, has waddled up while Tupp wasn't looking and seems taken with the potion of feather step.
Sori knocks the vial from the young halfling's hand and chases after it as it rolls along the ground. "Hey, Sori! That's not yours. Leave... LEAVE... Good girl." Tupp says sternly when he catches up and manages to retrieve the glass bottle from Sori's clutches. He looks apologetically at the rest of the group. "She probably thought it was a glow worm or something. Maybe I should keep it safe for now?" He stuffs the vial up his sleeve and out of view of the watchful eye of the quietly clucking chicken.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Feeling that her short legged ward needs all the help he can get in swamps and long grass, Sori does her best to get Tupp to keep the handy potion in case of emergency. The ruse is carried off without a hitch, and she clucks quietly as she watches the young halfling tuck the potion away. "Bok Bok Buh-gawk..."
Well, it worked, but honestly Tupp, do I look like a dog to you?
|
Zithembe removes an alchemical rod from the pack and hands it towards Ylva. "You may find this more effective than the meager illumination my meditation crystal generates when I hold it."
He removes the potion labeled 'barkskin'. "This would bolster my defenses if we encounter another minotaur, but you might find it useful as well, Tupp," the jade man says. "I could make any of the scrolls or wands work but not reliably so. If there are others more adept at their use, they will be better in your hands."
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
After taking the precaution of dividing up most of what you found in Janira's pack and shedding a little additional light on the subject, you all fall into formation and begin to make your way along the narrow tunnel. You're all well aware that the relative quiet you find yourself in could change at any time and resolve to keep your eyes peeled for trouble or intrigue as you move.
You proceed onward through the narrow tunnel which continues for several hundred feet, twisting and turning as it descends deeper into the earth. As you make your way along, you occasionally spot what look to be old markings on the tunnel walls - petroglyphs that depict various marine animals or spiral shapes. Eventually you reach a point where the tunnel widens into a larger passage - now easily wide enough for the group to walk two by two if need be. However, you all quickly realize that your path is barred by what appears to be a pool of water that stretches the width of the tunnel and roughly the same distance in length.
After looking at the hole a little more closely you realize that it's not actually a naturally-occurring hole at all but an artificial one - likely an old pit trap that became flooded with time.
Try as you might to look for another way to proceed, it would appear that the only way forward is past the pool of water.
As the light from Zithembe's magics and Ylva's sunrod hits the water, you notice what looks to be some sort of object floating just a foot or two underneath the surface.
____________
|
|
Tupp tries to stay up front when possible, his bare feet squelching on the cave floor as he goes. "We're on the right track!" He exclaims, pointing out the occasional marine animal petroglyph by the light of Ylva's sunrod. Several 'Ooh's and 'Ah's follow as he sees more and more of the patterns on the wall amongst, in the young halfling's opinion, the really cool glow of the blue-green fungus.
When they come upon the pool, Tupp surprises even himself when he notices that this is no natural hole. "Look! The edges are far too straight to be natural... I think this is an old pit trap or something, and it got flooded over time." His wide smile fades a little, however, when he realises he might have to swim if the initiates are to continue on their mission. "Umm... Hands up if you can swim."
|
Ylva takes the staff, then looks at Hepsubia as she strips out of her gear.
"Is it the men wanting to see or you wanting to show," Ylva asks with a smirk before turning back to the pool, "you may wish to wait before boiling their blood with lust and passion. What if the thing you and Kiango see in the water finds you a delicious elven snack?"
She moves to the edge of the pool and leans out as far as she can to poke the thing Kiango pointed out to her in the water.
|
|
Tupp is just about to offer Kiango assistance with the swim, but sees that Hepsubia is way ahead of him. However, his jaw pretty much hits the floor, and his face turns bright red as she goes a little further than expected in shedding weight for the swim. He pointedly stares at the ceiling, pretending to admire the stalactites above as Ylva pokes around with the stick. "Umm... See anything interesting, guys? Or dangerous? " He has a hand on the hilt of his katana, just in case.
|
|
"We could have fished that out without sending Hepsubia into it," Zithembe says as the woman makes her dive. "However, should anyone else not desire to swim, climb, or leap, I will cross and Tupp can toss me the rope."
He takes a running leap off of the slick ground, stretching for the other side.
|
|
Hearing the dive, then having to scramble to the side as Zithembe charges for a flying leap, Ylva just shakes her head at the recklessness of at least two of her companions.
"You could have asked me to move first," Ylva laughs as she fishes out her rope and tosses one end to Zithembe. She finds a good place to anchor herself and sets her feet. "Would someone carry Hepsubia's things across? I hope she would rather not go prancing about without her clothes."
Using Kiango's walking stick Ylva reaches out and down into the water as far as she dares and after a couple of tries manages to hook the object. As she pulls the stick out of the water, the object on the end is revealed to be a soggy clump of cloth that further inspection reveals to be a cloak of some sort; dark blue and flecked with bits of silver. In spite of having been left in the water for who-knows-how-long, the cloak is in remarkable condition.
Meanwhile, Hepsubia - not one to be concerned with such things as modesty - strips down to her birthday suit and slips into the pool. She quickly makes her way across without incident and pulls herself out on the other side. Soaking wet and still in her birthday suit, she can't help but shiver just a little - that water was cold. Deciding to take a more direct approach, Zithembe gets a running start and handily leaps the distance across the pool to land next to the naked Hepsubia on the other side.
While all of this is going on, Kiango and Tupp have a riveting conversation about the stalactites on the ceiling and the nature of their formation. Geology is good for something after all - who knew?
____________
|
|
Ylva waits until everyone else and their gear is across before sending her pack across on the rope. She moves back from the pool before sprinting as fast as she can before jumping to clear the pool. Her flying leap takes her well clear of the pool and skidding to a stop on the wet stone after landing. She turns to the others and gives a laugh.
"Perhaps I should be called Ylva the leaper! I was half-expecting to find myself swimming the rest of the way."
Sylvak, deigning to not comment on Hepsubia's impromptu skinny-dipping session, frowns as he considers his options. Deciding that he'd have a better chance of making the jump than swimming across, he too backs up and gets a running start...
...and sails effortlessly across the pool almost as though he were flying instead of leaping!
Ylva, too, demonstrates a surprising grace as she makes the leap to the other side of the pool and joins Zithembe, Hepsubia, and Sylvak. Looks like Kiango, Tupp, and Theodric are the only ones yet to cross...but surely it can't be that hard, right? Everyone else has made this look like child's play!
|
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
"Life beyond our plane are the only beings I know who have the privilege of watching the earth shape itself."
Whoa, those planner beings need to get out more. Tupp smiles warmly at his new knowledgeable friend, but decides he has wasted enough time staring at rocks and must get back to work. "Okay, so I guess we should get moving." Tupp slips off his pack and armour, but unlike some, opts to keep his clothes on as he prepares himself for a swim. He then bundles his and Hepsubia's gear up with his own rope, and passes the tangled parcels to Ylva (before she earns her new nickname) for her and Zithembe to transport across the pond. The whole time, pointedly looking anywhere but the other side where he knows Hepsubia waits for her gear. Turning back to Kiango and Theodric with a reassuring smile. "I know you don't like the water, Kiango, but if you don't think you can jump it, then it looks like we'll have to swim..." He then jumps into the water, but the cold almost takes his breath away, and he struggles for a moment, just about keeping his head above the surface as he acclimatises. "Come on in, the waters fine!" He lies, "Don't worry, I won't let you sink. Just grab the rope and we'll get to the other side together, okay?"
His chicken watches Tupp jump into the water and she takes a running leap, brushing the struggling halfling as she clumsily flies by and belly flops at the feet of those on the other side. "Bok bok." She clucks as she gets back on her feet a starts setting her feathers right again.
|
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Theo waits for his companions to cross over, remaining on this side to offer any aid to those who have trouble. He watches while Kiango psychs himself up for dealing with what's obviously an innate fear of water.
"That's it, Kiango! You're doing fine!"
Once his fellow Pathfinder is safely across, Theo rubs his hands together, then backs several paces away from the pit.
"Well, here goes nothing!"
He then bolts toward the pit and leaps over it...
...landing with remarkable grace for a man of his size.
"Ha! I haven't jumped over chasms since I was a lad!"
Once on the other side, he asks to take a look at the cloak that was dredged up from the bottom of the pit.
"Hmmm..."
He mutters arcane words and then his eyes glow blue for a moment.
"زهرة الفجر المباركة ، اسمحوا لي أن أرى الهالات السحرية."
With everyone now across the pool - even Kiango, who barely managed to paddle along with some assistance from the rope and his fellow companions - you all take a minute to dry off a bit. As Hepsubia dons her gear, Theodric offers a few arcane words and studies the cloak - and after his eyes adjust, he can see that it does indeed radiate an aura of magic!
You've got yourself a Cloak of Resistance +1!
Ever ready to move onward, Ylva takes a moment to move a short distance up the tunnel which appears to stretch ahead for about 30' or so before curving away to the left. Not wanting to get ahead of everyone else, she turns back to wait until they're ready to go. Curiosity gets the better of her and she kneels down to dip her fingers into the water of the pool - and it's pretty cold! Not as cold as what might be found under the northern ice but plenty cold enough.
While the rest of you study the cloak, wring the water out of your clothes, and catch your breath, Hepsubia gestures towards the tunnel that stretches away into darkness. "I will go ahead - just a short distance - to see what lies beyond. And then I will return."
The elven woman smiles mysteriously and then steps forward, seeming to blend into the shadows themselves...
____________
Perhaps a bit nervously you wait as Hepsubia scouts ahead up the tunnel; she didn't say but you hope that she doesn't risk going beyond the reach of Zithembe and Ylva's lights. A short time passes and then the slight sound of shuffling against the stone floor heralds Hepsubia's return as she steps out of the shadows. For some reason the corners of her mouth are twitching slightly as if in....amusement?
"I didn't go far, just a small distance around the curve," she explains. "And there's something ahead that Janira might want to know about - you'll see what I mean." Hepsubia beckons for the rest of you to follow - or proceed, in Ylva's case.
____________
Curious about Hepsubia's discovery, you all eagerly set off down the tunnel once more. After 30 feet you reach the point where the tunnel curves away to the left and there, just around the bend and out of sight from the pool, you come across a 3 foot wide plank of wood resting up against one the tunnel walls. As if to add insult to injury, one side of the plank is damp and it seems likely that someone used it to walk across the pool of water - and quite recently at that. Now you understand what had Hepsubia so amused when she returned from scouting!
With little to do but continue forward, you continue to make your way further and further beneath the Kortos Mountains until the tunnel opens up into a large cavern. Along the walls you see what look to be carved reliefs and paintings, likely beautiful once but now so faded that it's difficult - but not impossible - to tell what each one might have depicted. Of what appear to be twelve once-prominent carvings, roughly three or four are still legible enough that they might be deciphered with the right skills.
______
This carving depicts a woman creating shoes, pots, jewelry, and other moveable goods, referencing Aroden’s delight at seeing his people express their ingenuity in creating new products from raw materials.
This carving depicts a man herding animals out of a crowded city to the pastures beyond, just as Aroden blessed leaders with the foresight to direct people to the tasks and places that best suit them.
This carving depicts a man bearing a lantern through the streets of a city, following Aroden's prophecy that the vigilant shall carry light to the darkest corners of the world to banish the shadows.
This carving depicts a man stealing a gem from a shop while whispering a prayer, an allusion to a passage saying that larceny - while illegal - is a form of praise, for anything worth stealing is also worthy of praise for its craftsmanship.
You realize that each of the twelve prominent carvings was meant to represent one of Aroden's Twelve Guises, which were meant to represent his hopes for humanity. However, you also note that the depictions you see here are slightly different from the ones found in the known version of History and Future of Humanity. This suggests that these carvings represent an earlier version of the work.
Other than yourselves and the carvings, the cavern is quiet and empty. On the opposite side of the cavern another wide tunnel can be seen leading to the south, lined with blue-burning torches.
|
|
Tupp shakes off the excess water and brushes his long, damp, curly hair out of his eyes. "Well, that was bracing!" He says with a huge smile, and he reaches up to give Kiango a friendly pat on the hip. "That couldn't have been easy for you. Well done!" He then slips his armour and backpack back on over his soggy clothes and waits for Hepsubia to return, glad he doesn't have to worry about uncomfortable, squelchy shoes as he wiggles his bare toes and twiddles his thumbs impatiently.
"Oh, oh! Does that mean Janira was right about the timing?" Tupp asks excitedly when the damp plank, and it's recent use, is pointed out to him, "Speaking of... Can somebody help me lay it over the pool, please?" He asks as he goes to grab one end of the giant piece of wood. "If Janira's anything like me, she will never be able to jump the water. This will hopefully keep her dry and help her catch up to us all the quicker..."
Later on, in the large cavern, Tupp just stares blankly at the walls of carved reliefs and paintings, with absolutely no idea what they might depict. He does notice the pretty blue-burning torches, however, and with the knowledge that a gillman may have passed through recently, the young halfling finds himself looking towards other tunnel more and more.
|
|
Examining the cloak...
"Hmmm... This cloak is enchanted with spells that can protect the wearer from harm. Not from weapons, exactly, but from misfortune."
Examining the carvings w/ Know (religion)...
Theo studies the carvings a long moment. "I can't quite make out all of them, but these seem to relate to the Twelve Guises of Aroden... but their representation is a bit off... as if these were reflections on an earlier version of the stories than were collected in the canonical texts."
|
|
"Leaving the caves will prove easier, then," Zithembe says as the plank is revealed. He pauses when Tupp grabs the plank. "Ah, I had not thought about that. You are a very considerate halfling," he adds as he grabs the other end of the plank to assist Tupp and then lays it across the pit.
Once in the ancient, painted cave, Zithembe stops to admire the craftsmanship. "Fascinating."
He removes his pack and pulls out two books--one large, the other small--and a quill and ink set. He scans through the larger text, reading passages from it as he compares their descriptions to the carvings in the room. In the other, he makes several notes and sketches on blank journal pages in order to remember for his report.
Unable to find any clues within the text, he quickly jots down the other's assessments, nodding in appreciation.
|
|
"Thanks, Kiango! That's the one I couldn't figure out. Of these three," he gestures to them in turn, "This one alludes to The Shepherd, Aroden's guise of leadership, where the sheep are symbolic of people. This one shows The Soldier, shining his light to banish the shadows of the world; and this one depicts The Thief, who steals objects of value and beauty as a form of praise to the objects' creators." He looks at the other eight panels and adds, "I'd guess that these others that are too faded to read were depictions of the rest of Aroden's Twelve Guises."
He shakes his head slightly. "While I've I've read The History and Future of Humanity, I've never been all that fond of Arodenite philosophy. Too much emphasis on formality, tradition, and order; and not enough about morality for my taste."
|
|
"Was," is all Ylva says to explain herself. She stands with her shoulders slumped and her head bowed. Her back is to the chamber with the carvings, so no one could see the pain in her eyes as she remembered those awful days and how they had begun.
"I was not asking for an answer. I was being... what is the word? When you say things and mean what you are not saying?"
Hepsubia seems content to keep watch on the path that leads further into the cavern while the rest of the group sets about examining the strange carvings. Though a few of you, such as Tupp, are able to make little sense of them or whatever meaning they hold, between Theodric and Kiango you're able to divine that the carvings are representative of the Twelve Guises of Aroden - albeit earlier versions than what you would see in most texts.
As Ylva and Tupp consider the blue-burning torches on the far wall, Ylva voices the suggestion that they're likely magical in some way. And a cursory examination with Detect Magic proves her hypothesis correct.
These are Everburning Torches, regular torches enchanted with Continual Flame. The blue flames must've been a personal touch added by whoever wove the enchantments.
____________
After undertaking the important task of documenting your finds for Janira and for the Society in general, you continue your explorations of the tunnel system. How this discovery might relate to the mystery of the gillmen or whether it does at all is unclear but nevertheless you're each certain that you've made an important find!
The tunnel ahead is a short one, opening up into a grand chamber illuminated in a soft blue and green light thanks to the torches and the fungus that covers much of the cavern's walls. Clinging to a ceiling that is easily 20 feet high you can see several massive stalactites and here and there you can hear the occasional drip of the water that falls from them. Two other passageways leading out of this chamber can be seen, one to the southwest and the other to the southeast.
Despite the grandeur of the natural rock formations there are two things in this chamber that immediately draw your eye. The first is a large pool of water that sits along the chamber's southern edge and from this pool rises a column of rock with steeply sloped sides and a flat top - as if someone had simply taken a stalagmite and sawn off its top. A miniature city carved from this same piece of stone covers nearly the entire surface and you can see that the little city is covered with various trinkets such as ancient coins, semiprecious stones, and braided loops of string. Pale cave frogs clamber about the diorama and along the floor you can see several foot-long centipedes prowling about in search of prey.
The second thing to catch your eye is what looks to be a solitary man kneeling in the pool of water, perhaps in prayer or some sort of meditation. His back is to you and he gives no indication that he's noticed your presence.
|
|
The colors of the cave cheer Ylva up some. The blues and greens remind her of the auroras she'd seen in the sky some nights as a little girl, bringing a small smile to her face as she looks about in wonder. Her eyes fall on the man kneeling in the water, and before anyone can stop her, she walks over to him, sitting on her heels to the side of the man at the edge of the pool. She waits patiently for him to finish whatever it is that he's doing before announcing herself.
|
|
All the talk of Aroden and his twelve guises goes right over Tupp's head and he's not entirely sure why someone who treats people like sheep, deceives them with disguises, and then steals their stuff can be worshipped. "If you steal something beautiful or valuable, it's just stealing, not a form of praise to its creators..." He says to Theodric with a little frown of his freckled brow. "If you find something beautiful, though, something discarded like that nice cloak you said was full of protective magic. Well, then it is a form of praise to recover, restore, and love it as it deserves to be." He wonders if someone should actually try it on for size, especially if it enchanted against misfortune, but holds off on the suggestion since everyone is so engrossed in their research.
Not being particularly fond of homework, Tupp leaves the others to their books and writing and follows Ylva to inspect the pleasantly glowing torches - only venturing further through the passageway once everyone has packed away their journals and writing tools. The chamber beyond is enough to take his breath away, the beauty of the glowing fungus, mighty stalactites and stalagmites, and the strange wildlife is nothing short of awe inspiring. He doesn't have too much time to take it all in, however, and his eyes go wide as Ylva just walks over to the mysterious man in the pool, "Wha... Ylva, wait up..." He whispers urgently, but the young woman is already too far away. With nothing else he can do, Tupp lays a cautious hand on the hilt of his katana and scurries after her, his chicken following at his heels.
|
|
Earlier...
After his short lecture on morality, Theo realizes he's preaching to the chior and that he upset his comrade. "Ylva, I'm sorry... I didn't mean to upset you. I had no idea. I didn't realize you were being sarcastic... and I shouldn't be lecturing anyone, anyway."
At Tupp's estimation of the Arodenite legends, Theo nods in agreement. "Exactly my point!"
"Everburning torches! The blue flame is a nice touch, don't you think? "
Now...
"Ylva!" whispers Theo, but he doesn't try to stop her, and warily watches in silence.