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Quang Chi watches as Lazarus tucks the seemingly friendly bunny back into his coat, but is surprised to see that the samsaran appears embarrassed by whatever transpired between them. Seeing that they have a little time until the Venture Captain is ready to proceed, he decides to indulge Frankie's curiousity about the great dragons of his homeland.
"I have indeed met a Dragon, and I have seen them flying over my home ever since I was a boy. They are every bit as magnificent and majestic as you can imagine," he says with awe in his tone. "But understand, the Dragons of my homeland, Xa Hoi, are not like those of Avistan at all. Our Dragons are a different, how do you say, a different species. They are neither colored nor of metallic hues. They are instead defined by their place in the world, such as the great sea dragons or the wingless forest dragons."
"My country is actually ruled by a family of Sovereign Dragons led by His Supreme Draconic Majesty, Dragon King Pham Duc Quan. Guardians of balance, it is said that the Sovereign Dragons were placed in the skies by the gods themselves to safeguard harmony in the world. In that role, our great Dragon Lords provide stability, strength, and wisdom to our nation as our rulers. Most of the time, our Dragons go about their business in human shapes. But when they travel the lands, they often fly in their natural form, both because it is faster and to inspire us with their presence. And of course, on the battlefield, they are an incredible asset."
"I myself met one of His Majesty's brothers, Lord Pham Sang Chinh himself, who serves as Minister of Internal Affairs. Just a few years ago there was an incident in western Xa Hoi...."
His voice trails off and it is clear that the memory of that incident, and speaking of it even today, is painful to him. The pause stretches out, and when he resumes, his voice is as neutral as ever.
"But that is not what you want to hear about. Lord Pham landed on the practice yard, his huge dragon wings beating the air as he alighted. Master Kae, the head of the Chính Xác Hơi Thở Monastery, greeted his Lordship as we witnessed his royal person shifting from his majestic Dragon form into his human guise. I was summoned to kneel before his Lordship, who gifted me with this wayfinder, and tasked me with my mission to Avistan."
"Lord Pham then surprised Master Kae by asking for a tour of the monastery and demonstration of skills by the monks. It was a supreme honor for us, and we did not disappoint our royal visitor. When he left, he again assumed his Sovereign Dragon form and took to the air, flying once around and then over the monastery before returning to the capital, Ngon Hoa."
He falls silent, a look of peace on his face at the memory of his last days in Tian Xia, the great honor accorded him, and the duty which he has undertaken on behalf of his nation.
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"The dragons of this Tian Xia place must be very different than those in the Land of the Linnorm Kings..." Leaning over and whispering to Frankie, "Sounds more like some kind of fanciful tale to me Frankie. I ain't saying he's lying, just don't go believing everything you hear from folks from strange and distant lands."
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Frankie sits and listens to Quang's tale, his pie stuffing slows as the strange new guy speaks of something a kid may hear in a bed time story. Not a bedtime story Frankie would have ever grown up with, those were always short and sweet: GO TO SLEEP!
"Woah, so you work for dragons? Dragon.. men? Nice." He frowns as Jan poo poos the story "Why can't there be different dragons in the two places? There are different people and animals in different places right? We've seen lots so far!" Frankie seems a bit confused on what to think.
"The boy's got a fine point" Besnik muses as he continues to flip pages, showing a surprising amount of awareness to be able to follow your conversations and scan the tome at the same time. "Each part of the world you visit, the people there...they're just a little bit different from the people of the other places you've been. Oh sure, there's common elements across all societies and cultures but the details, ah, the details are almost always different in one way or another. It takes all kinds to make a world, eh?"
As Besnik flips a page, those looking over his shoulder see a detailed and beautiful art piece next to one of the poems. It depicts what appear to be three female samurai in an art style that is distinctly Minkaian. At the sight of the piece, the Venture-Captain jolts upright.
"Minkai art! Let’s see, the Minkai Empire was founded in 3619, and the empire’s first explorers didn’t reach the west coast of the continent until at least 3691 AR, which leaves only sixty years before the beginning of the Shining Crusade itself. These women could have been among the first Minkai citizens to reach the Inner Sea! Let’s see, what secrets does the poem on this page hold?"
Rondeau of Righteous Retention
Once you’ve all had a chance to read the poem, Besnik smiles reassuringly. "We may not be able to read every word of this poem, but what we can read is more than enough to tell us that we need to investigate this site. What is clear to me is that the poem references some sort of protection against the Whispering Tyrant. The Knights of Ozem have always been secretive about the many and varied ways they keep that old lich locked away in Gallowspire, even among themselves. It’s possible that they have no idea this particular protection exists. Whatever Gydular is, it must be important."
Before this intriguing lead can be followed any further, it becomes apparent that you’ll need to try and puzzle out the location referenced in the poem. At least you have a name to go on - ‘Gydular’.
You recall that Gydular’s Point was once a famous peak in the Hungry Mountains of Ustalav, in the region known as Virlych, as the view it provided of the surrounding area was both majestic and militarily strategic. In 4187 AR, a powerful earthquake crumbled the peak, leaving massive slabs of jagged rock that locals renamed the Greyshards.
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"Whispering Tyrant, huh..." Meredith doesn't like the name.
"I... think I've heard of Gydular. Or at least it makes sense. Someone hand me a map of Virlych. The Hungry Mountains of Ustalav." She takes the map and looks around. "Here's Gydular's Point. Well, it was. An earthquake caused it to crumble, I think. Now it's called the Greyshards."
She pauses. "How did I remember that?"
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Frankie hops up for a better view of the book "Oh hey, those girls hats look like dragon horns! Think they worked for your Dragon Lords too?" Frankie surmises quickly, the idea now firmly locked in his brain.
"So you mean we're going to Ustalav? In the mountains? I've never been in the mountains before... should be fun!" Frankie wrings his sticky hands together, completely ignorant of what could be to come, but that's never stopped him before.
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Quang Chi smiles indulgently at Jan's aside to Frankie and Frankie's retort. The wisdom of children springs from their innocence.
"I doubt these Sisters worked for the Dragon Lords," he begins, planning to point out that they are clearly Tian-Min and thus very unlikely to have come from Xa Hoi. But he reconsiders giving a lesson in Tian Xia geography and ethnology, for as Frankie said, they've 'seen lots so far.' "But anything is possible for Dragons," he says instead.
"I have not been to Ustalav yet, either. Is there anything we should know?" he asks Lazarus, expecting the samsaran to fill them in.
"Well, that was fast," Besnik blinks, looking at Meredith. "Ustalav's Hungry Mountains, you say? Huh. I suppose I shouldn't be all that surprised, given the tome's subject matter..."
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Virlych is a desolate, mountainous county of Ustalav where nothing natural lives. The weather is punishing and the ground rocky. Travelers do sometimes pass through the accursed land, though.
Gallowspire is the Whispering Tyrant’s former fortress. When the Knights of Ozem imprisoned him there in 3827 AR, it marked the end of the Shining Crusade. They placed numerous secret wards and protections over his prison so that he could never escape.
The forces of Lastwall no longer have a direct presence there, having been expelled by cultists and the unholy presence of the Whispering Tyrant, even in dormancy.
To keep the Whispering Tyrant locked away, the Shining Crusade implemented a layered defense. Even if one line of defense fails, there are several others keeping his immortal powers at bay.
The Knights of Ozem have compartmentalized knowledge of the locks on Tar-Baphon’s magical prison. This removes the threat of any one Knight becoming compromised and allowing an enemy to gain knowledge of all the prison’s safeguards.
Compartmentalized protection comes at a cost; if secrets are not passed down, then future generations will not know how to keep the lich imprisoned. Multiple layers of protection have been lost during the centuries following the Shining Crusade.
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While Jan isn't the greatest scholar he did pay attention when the priest and bards of Hellerin when they spoke about the lands beyond his own and the great epics of the past.
Re: about Ustalav and Virlych-
Re: about the poem-
Jan offers the following, "What I know of this Virlych is that it is a desolate, mountainous county of Ustalav where nothing natural lives...meaning only 'unnatural creatures' reside there. The weather is punishing and the ground rocky. It is a land largely devoid of Gozreh's blessings... perhaps the Lord of Storms has chosen to curse it for some reason. It is said that Travelers do sometimes pass through the accursed land, though- not all of them return. I do recall a bard who once visited our village speaking about the Gallowspire and telling us that it was the Whispering Tyrant’s fortress. When the Knights of Ozem imprisoned him there in 3827 AR, it marked the end of the Shining Crusade. They placed numerous secret wards and protections over his prison so that he could never escape. We need to be careful and prepare ourselves accordingly."
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"Yes, I remember reports of the quake." Lazarus nods in agreement with Meredith's account. "It happened in 4187 AR."
With a meditation to Desna and after a few moments wandering about the vast halls of his memory palace, the samsaran recalls some useful bits of information about Ustalav in general and Virlych in particular.
"To what Jan has offered, I can add that the forces of Lastwall no longer have a direct presence there, having been expelled by cultists and the unholy presence of the Whispering Tyrant, even in dormancy."
The wizard-priest also recalls a bit more about the poem.
"The Rondeau of Righteous Retention references some manner of ward or defense against the Whispering Tyrant."
"To keep the Whispering Tyrant locked away, the Shining Crusade implemented a layered defense. Even if one line of defense fails, there are several others keeping his immortal powers at bay. The Knights of Ozem have compartmentalized knowledge of the locks on Tar-Baphon’s magical prison. This removes the threat of any one Knight becoming compromised and allowing an enemy to gain knowledge of all the prison’s safeguards. Compartmentalized protection comes at a cost; if secrets are not passed down, then future generations will not know how to keep the lich imprisoned. Multiple layers of protection have been lost during the centuries following the Shining Crusade."
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"It is encouraging to have such learned companions. Thank you for your insights," Quang Chi says with a bow of respect to Meredith, Jan and Lazarus. "These 'unnatural creatures' and servants of the Whispering Tyrant would be the risen dead?"
He stretches his right hand back to his quiver and thinks of what he wants. The two desired arrows, their fletching a dull bone white, quickly jump to his fingers ready to be drawn and nocked.
Good. But perhaps not enough. I recall turning in a few other special arrows to the Society Quartermaster that might be very useful.
"Apologies, Captain, but before we go, there is something I would like to get. Unless you have some special means to send us to Ustalav?"
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"Cold and rocky. Sounds like it could be fun. Maybe there'll be snow? We can throw snowballs!" He wrings his hands together at the thought of pelting Denair with an unrelenting assault of snowballs. A torrent of blinding white! Then he comes to as Lazarus and the others start talking about undead.
"Oh! Didn't we get lots of nice bottles of holy water when we fixed that clock? Can I get some of those?"
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"I wonder what the odds are, that enough of these 'protections' have failed such that this... lich... is now free," Serge grimly surmises. "Holy water would be a fine preparation, Frankie. I may also see if I might procure an oil that would help make my blade find purchase on those creatures that... aren't really there." He shudders.
"Oh yeah, you'll definitely want to pack and prepare now. Same as Old Mutton Chops, I'm afraid I don't have the means to get you to Ustalav quickly so you'll have to go it on foot," Besnik sighs regretfully. He begins rifling through the papers and maps on the desk until his eyes light up.
"Ah hah! Here we go!"
With a flourish, he unfurls a pair of maps.
"Okay, this is Vellumis here and the Hungry Mountains are up here, so...hmm. I'd say it'll take you at least 6 or 7 days of foot travel to get to where you need to go. The fortress of Hammer Rock - see it there right on the border - looks to be about the only other major settlement you'll pass near, so yes...while they may have some provisions available there I'd stock up here in Vellumis if I were you."
With a grin, he adds, "And since you were able to figure out the location referenced in the poem that saves me the trouble of hiring researchers to figure it out. Aaaaaaand since I don't have to spend gold on research, I can spend it on additional supplies for you. It all worked out quite nicely, don't you think?"
"Let's see...I've already got a Traveler's Any-Tool, a Wand of Cure Serious Wounds with 5 charges, and a Wand of Protection from Evil with 7 charges that you can use. On top of that, considering where you're going, hmm...hmm...yes, let's add these: 6 Holy Waters, 2 Potions of Lesser Restoration, 1 Scroll of Lesser Restoration, and a Soul Stimulant. I'll have everything ready for you by tomorrow morning, before you set off. Before I turn you loose to make the rest of your preparations, do you have any other questions for me?"
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"I have everything I need...what we don't have I can either find or kill."
"Spoken like a true Pathfinder," Besnik guffaws, reaching out to give Jan a slap on the shoulder. "Very well! Stock up, get plenty of rest, and I'll see you here bright and early tomorrow morning!"
______________And so after making your plans and gathering up everything you think you might possibly need, you all meet up with Venture-Captain Besnik the next morning to collect the supplies he has for you before setting off towards Ustalav. The first three days of the trip are blessedly uneventful and the weather holds fair, making the walking (or riding) much more pleasant. Near evening of the third day, just as Besnik had said, you pass near the border fortress of Hammer Rock; despite its whitewashed exterior, the fort looks squat and gloomy. However, being placed on a hill, the soldiers stationed here overlook the Path River and enjoy a clear view into the Hungry Mountains to the north. Lazarus recalls that the fortress was actually constructed atop an unfinished foundation of dwarven make and received its name from the inscription of 'Hammer Rock' on the foundation's cornerstones. And as you pass near, the ground occasionally makes loud cracking sounds...leaving little doubt that there are undiscovered dwarven tunnels running through the area as well.
Early in the morning on the fourth day of your journey you leave Hammer Rock in your wake, crossing the Path River and the border into Ustalav. The contrast between the Lastwall side of the river and the Ustalav side is akin to night and day; the greenery of Lastwall fades into a desolate, blighted landscape marked by the growth of twisted, unnatural plants. Polluted rivers carve deep valleys throughout the range, while fell magics continue to writhe and pulse across the dead wastes. Game is scarce, but mutated creatures seem to thrive here.
Despite the foul conditions, your passage through the mountains seems to go unnoticed and the fourth day passes without incident, and the fifth. On the sixth day a drizzle transforms into an ever more aggressive snowstorm, as if the weather itself were keeping you away, and strange whispers fill the air. As a small consolation, the tedious climb is shallow enough that you’re not exposed to the dangers of altitude sickness. Eventually, you finally spot a 'promising' sign just up ahead - a toppled obelisk. As you draw closer you can see, tucked away into the side of the mountain peak, a looming doorway that disappears down into darkness...
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He spends the week as he usually does on long (and short) trips through the countryside with the group: playing games with Denair and causing a general ruckus of lighthearted fun. He often asks Quang of the dragons, Jan of why he does such weird things on the trail, Lazarus of why he has blue skin, Serge how he likes his new armor, and of course if Denair and Meredith can play yet another game of marbles by campfire.
"Who knew the mountains would be so cold and windy!" Hollers Frankie as they hope along through twists and turns of the path. He clutches his warm waterskin filled of hot cocoa for warmth. He has the group stop frequently to heat more milk and refill his life giving beverage. When the group first left he was lugging a pony keg of milk just for the trip.
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"Its pretty dark down in there."Frankie says as he looks ahead into the darkness. Good thing I drank all that cocoa, Frankie the Flash will need all his strength for this. He takes another swig of his nearly cold cocoa-skin before pulling out his glowing ioun torch and sending it up over his head.
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As Quang Chi prepares to settle into his bed roll, Frankie asks him for yet another story about the great Dragon Lords. This being the umpteenth time that Frankie has called him 'Quang,' the monk patiently explains Tian names before beginning the story. "Quang is the name of my family, little one. My father was Quang Lin, and my eldest brother was Quang Nunh. You may continue to call me by that, but I sense that you think it is my given name."
He then goes on to tell Frankie the story of the battle of Cam Lung Valley, where the army of Xa Hoi stopped the advance of Lung Wa. The battle was decided when the Dragon Lord Generals, the brothers Pham Sho Min and Pham Tui Phi, took on their true Dragon forms and saved the day.
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When they arrive at the toppled obelisk and the looming doorway into darkness, Quang Chi follows Frankie's lead and also puts an ioun torch into orbit above his head. He hands a wand of mage armor to Lazarus, asking the samsaran to use it on him later when requested.
"The Knights likely did not welcome uninvited guests here," he muses aloud. With the thought of possible traps ahead, Quang Chi calls forth the image of a mouse in his mind. He concentrates on it for just a moment before releasing the aspect with a whooshing exhale.
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"I agree, Lazarus," Serge's eyes widen as he stares down the dark passageway. "Best to adopt a strategy and stick to it, and my sword and armor are more than prepared to lead us, though Frankie may have other plans as far as running through the place goes," he softly laughs.
Frankie looks at the heavily armored man and grins "When would I ever so such a thing!" Well that one time with the clock bot things... oh shut up brain! Hrmph.
"I best stay near the front, I'm way too good at finding stuff to be in the back. AND I can't see what's going on back there behind all you tall people!"
"And I'm gonna be with Frankie, too!." Denair speaks up. "Boss, unfetter me please! Thank you!"
Meredith also casts Mage Armor, using her wand.
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Jan passes the trip as his comrades would expect- looking to Meredith as the only other person who is near his equal in woodcraft. Finding good water and sheltered locations for camp Jan feels he has done more than his fair share... joining the group in comradeship but remaining vigilant against any possible dangers.
On the sixth day, as the weather turns sour, Jan will become rather serious and short in his already curt statements.
"Watch yourself."
"Be careful."
"Frankie don't touch that it's poisonous."
"Yes Frankie... ALL bears Sh@t in the woods... of course NOT the ones that you see at the circus."
Jan will attempt to determine if the change in the weather is natural or something else... (key ominous music here).
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"Frankie, I think the term your looking for is 'scat.'"
The samsaran wizard-priest rubs his hands together at the unexpected opportunity to impart a bit of knowledge to the young 'man.'
"I wouldn’t go so far as to say every sort of animal caca has a name, but a surprising number do. We have tath, cattle dung; spraints, otter dung; bodewash, cow dung; the familiar guano, seafowl excrement used as fertilizer; wormcast, a cylindrical mass of earth voided by an earthworm; and coprolite, fossil excrement — e.g., dinosaur poop. For completeness’ sake we ought to include cowpies and buffalo chips."
Lazarus isn't finished yet.
"A related word is jumentous, pertaining to the smell of horse urine. Nor can we forget ichthyomancy, fortune-telling with fish offal, or spatilomancy, fortune-telling by investigating animal droppings. Other milestones in the fecal vocabulary, as long as we’re on the subject, are shardborn, born in dung; stercoricolous, living in dung; and sterquilinian, pertaining to a dunghill. This last one has many obvious applications in interoffice memo writing within the Pathfinder Society, I'll wager."
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Meredith spends the trip paying attention to the farming techniques of the Irrisen region. She's used to temperate climates, so when do they harvest? How do plants survive the excessive snow and storms?
When Denair isn't playing games with Frankie, she's able to identify a lot of critters and species, but Meredith doesn't worry too much about the names. Lazarus's lectures bore her even more.
"Jan, this is your land. Your customs. Anything we should be aware of?" She notices his steely eyed glare. "You're on high alert. Can't blame ya with this Whispering Tyrant floating around here."
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Quang Chi listens to Lazarus' lecture with amazement.
"Your language has so very many words for phân. It is like the Irutaki's 15 words for different kinds of 'snow,' or the Tian-La of the Shaguang Desert that have dozens of words for formations of sand. But they live immersed in those things...." he finishes with a twinkle in his eye at the implication.
Immediately suspicious about the deterioration of the weather, Jan tries to determine if it's truly natural or if it comes as a result of magic or something more sinister. As skilled as he is, it doesn't take him long to determine that there's nothing natural about this type of snowstorm at this altitude. That said, there doesn't seem to be any cause for it that's immediately obvious.
You recall that the region you're in, Virlych, is known to be subject to unexplained and highly unnatural storms. Its proximity to Gallowspire may have something to do with it.
After bringing out light sources, conjuring magical protections, and generally girding your loins you carefully proceed two-by-two down the steps with sneaky Denair and Frankie taking the lead. Everyone is on high alert for traps and other shenanigans so the going is a bit slower than usual.
But as you move along, no traps, magical auras, or immediate signs of evil are found. The staircase proceeds steadily downward for 30 feet before opening up into a very long and large entrance hall. The walls and ceiling here are made of hewn stone, standing roughly 10 feet high. It's also very dark beyond the reach of your light sources and the far end of the hall remains shrouded in darkness.
Aside from the darkness, the other thing that immediately gets your attention is the maze of sprung traps that obstructs what you can see of the hall, with blades, spikes, blast marks, and bones littering the ground. No wonder there were no traps on the stairs - they were all down here, instead! You're all certain that attempting to move through here too quickly carries the risk of tripping and falling - and potentially doing so onto the exposed blades and spikes that cover the floor. Carved holy symbols of Aroden, Sarenrae, and Pharasma cover the walls, but many of them seem to have been subject to vandalism long ago.
From your position at the base of the stairs you can see what might be at least three different hallways that branch off from this end of the entrance hall - two leading to the north and one to the south.
All is quiet...
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Lazarus nods, when Jan observes this is no natural weather pattern. "Virlych is known to be subject to unexplained and highly unnatural storms. Its proximity to Gallowspire may have something to do with it."
Lazarus pulls up, just before entering the dungeon. "I'll cast message on our scouts." He casts the cantrip on Frankie and Denair.
"Shall we start by exploring the area to the east?" the samsaran suggests, when the party halts on the stone steps descending deeper into the mountain. He sends his dancing lights forward to illuminate the path ahead.
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"Wow, that's a lot of words for poop. I've heard some others though, but Mom yelled at me when I said them. Which isn't very fair since she got to say them all the time!" He grumbles a bit before stashing some of the new 'poop' words into his future vocabulary.
Frankie pokes and flicks at the spent traps, the sound of metal tinging as he does so. "I wonder how long ago all these tricks got sprung?" He bends in for a closer look to see if it was recent, and if they were disabled vs triggered.
Once they reach the bottom of the hall he pokes his head into the room sneakily, like a kid playing hide and seek, and he being the seeker. "Gotta not let them know you see them when you see them.. otherwise they run off and hide again!" He whispers, nodding at Laz's advice.
He creeps along to the east, following in the wake of the dancing lights.
Trap Spotter (Ex): Whenever a rogue with this talent comes within 10 feet of a trap, she can attempt an immediate Perception check to notice the trap. This check should be made in secret by the GM.
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As they discuss their plans prior to their descent into the darkness, the quiet archer extracts his bow from the extra-dimensional space within his quiver. Clearly of Minkain design, it is strangely asymmetrical and extremely long. He runs his hand along the surface carefully checking the laminated bamboo before stringing it. Even his grip is unusual, being offset from the center. When he has finished, he nods to Lazarus, and follows the lead of their child-scout.
In the minefield of sprung traps, he is careful and unhurried, yet moves with grace and confidence. "As I suspected, yet others were not so wary it would seem."
He waits on the stairs, as patient, calm, and still as a boulder on a hillside, for their scout to return or to signal the all clear....
Denair nods as Frankie gives advice. "I'll help you with the traps if you see them." She pulls out a box. "I got the Boss- Meredith's toolbox, too!"
After a very quick confab and the application of Message to both Frankie and Denair, the group agrees that the easiest thing to do would be to head east and perhaps investigate either the northern or southern passages. Before he moves further into the room the group scans the immediate vicinity for magical auras or signs of evil but as before, nothing is detected.
Frankie creeps into the entrance hall proper, carefully picking his way through the scattered debris on the floor. Whoever or whatever triggered the traps that once guarded this room clearly must have done so long ago, as many of the mechanisms and blades are either rusted over or largely crumbled away.
With the aid of light sources, the little scout can see down the two nearest passages. To the south it appears that the passage runs only a few feet before opening into what might be some sort of tomb. To the north, the passage runs only 10 feet before widening out and opening into what seems to be another long, narrow chamber dotted with racks designed to hold ranged weaponry such as bows and crossbows as well as their ammunition. From his current position he's not able to see all the way to the end of this northern room, not without moving forward or moving the Dancing Lights forward.
Denair runs up to Frankie and points north, before falling quiet and scurrying forward.
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Frankie removes his ioun torch for now, letting the light from the others light his way forward. Sure would be helpful if I could see in the dark.. like a ninja! Man, who wouldn't want to be a ninja!
"Move the lights towards us some!" He whispers back to Laz through his magic spell, then creeps up a bit more to get a look at the entire room. If he doesn't see anything awesome or creepy he goes down to check out the hallway to the south.
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Noticing Lazarus use a wand on himself, Quang Chi motions for the samsaran to please do the same to him.
I gave him the stupid thing, but never asked him to use it on me. Once Lazarus does, he silently mouths a 'Thank you.'
Then when Frankie asks for the lights to be brought forward, he nods once to Jan and moves into the entrance hall. He keeps his head on a swivel watching for anything that might emerge from the southern stairs or from out of the darkness at their backs.