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Evariel breaks the surface of the water with a gasp for breath. "Thanks." He finds the knotted rope and climbs out.
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Zaratina grins underneath her now sodden and disheveled dark hair, pausing only long enough to note the rope dangling from the edge of the pit and ensuring the wizard grabs hold. Despite the very real danger to her companions, she was enjoying the thrill of the physical challenge. These were the challenges for which she had trained.
With a quick gulp of air, she dives back down into the water to find her other companion.
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Noranti will try to help pull the rope up, if someone else takes the lead, and any of the swimmers look like they're having trouble climbing out.
"As long as one of you are down there, can you grab that cloth floating on the surface? It might be a clue about our mystery gillmen. And if you're good at swimming, you might want to feel around to see how deep it is, and if there's anything else down there worth recovering.
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It takes a while before he seemingly emerges, sputtering and coughing up water. Slowly he reaches for the rope and then starts to pull himself up the knotted rope. The climb seems to go a bit quicker. Once he is on the top of the pit he grumbles a bit and looks aghast at his clothing. In other words... here is a drenched cleric, not in a good mood...
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The surface of the pool ripples due to the activity underneath, but it is nearly half a minute until Zaratina reappears with a splash and a loud gasp for air. She assists the cleric out of the water by holding onto the back of his collar. Once the man finishes coughing, she sets him onward to the rope and the solid ground above.
"Right! Anyone else wan--" she pauses, treading water, as Carlotta falls off of the wall and into the pool beside her. "Oh, you're a swimmer," she comments as the other woman rises from below and swims to the rope on her own. Zaratina grins approvingly and wipes a wet rope of hair out of her face.
She grabs the cloak while she waits for Carlotta to climb out of the pit.
"So. Vorden?"
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"I didn't prepare it today," Evariel complains. "Should've known, I suppose, that exploring like this would mean getting dirty." Even for minor spells he could pluck and use as often as needed, he only had power enough to weave a few of them, and he hadn't thought that one necessary. How was he to know the cave would be so conveniently pre-lit? "We'll just have to--"
He stops mid-sentence when he notices that the old woman's water spell used neither words nor gestures. He knows that powerful spellcasters can use spells in a nonverbal, nonsomatic way-- but it makes each spell more complex. That's... idiotic. "You're using nonverbal magic to-- create water?"
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"It requires some thought and emotion, and I need to use my Wayfinder to channel the magic, but why would I need to make noise to do it? Here, let me clean you off, too."
Noranti goes around showering clean water from her Create Water knack (cantrip) all over the people who got dirty falling into the pit.
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Carlotta swims to the rope and pulls herself to the top.
"Thanks," she says with a bit of a sardonic chuckle. "Janira didn't see that, right? Lovely start, that was. Let's press on and pretend this never happened?"
Carlotta takes a quick peek to make sure her gear is still in order, then pulls out Janira's sheet of parchment to let it air-dry for a bit.
"Shall we?" she asks the group pointing further into the cavern.
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Vorden looks at the party on the other side and says, "Please toss back the rope, but leave it anchored. You there! Hold this end while I cross." Vorden steps up and attempts to anchor his feet along the wall and use the knotted rope.
Before he actually crosses the pit, he casts Guidance on his eidolon and says, "Join us when I've made it safely across."
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Evariel accepts the water-bath. "Well, 'making noise' is how you release a spell. I get the object focus, I do the same thing. But even the pray-ers have to know the right words for a spell. So... you have spells that care about your feelings?" He tries to suppress a snigger.
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Artist, Farmer, Scholar, Soldier
You decide to carry on. As you turn the corner, you find a long plank resting against the wall. Edges dirty of mud on one side, and muddy footprints on the opposite side.
The tunnels continue on, leading deeper beneath the Kortos Mounts until they eventually open into a large cavern. What must have once been beautifully carved reliefs and inscriptions have since weathered heavily, their features dulled and softened to the point that it is hard to distinguish what each once depicted. A wide tunnel exits the cavern on its far side, and blue-burning torches line the passageway’s walls.
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"The spells don't care about my feelings, young one. I just have to be in the right emotional space to cast them."
Noranti would want to examine the cloth from the pit.
"I wonder if this has any special significance. Can anyone here cast Detect Magic? I can cast it, but only once per day, and this doesn't seem like the time to waste it."
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Zaratina watches from below as Vorden and his celestial climb across the wall to the other side. With a quick side stroke, she moves to the side of the pit and climbs out, drops of water plopping into the pool as it drains from her armor and clothes.
She pulls herself over the edge and stands. "Who wants to--" she begins to unwrap the cloth from her arm before being doused with a magical bath. "Pfft! Kfft! Ah, as I was asking, who wants to take a look at this?" She hands it over to Noranti when the woman shows interest.
The Varisian wrings the water from her hair, throwing the length over her shoulder with a wet smack. She collects her rope, pack, and shield before heading deeper into the cave with the others. "I suppose we've found our way out," she comments with an amused smile as they find the plank.
Arriving at the torch-lit chamber, Zaratina's eyes widen at the worn carvings. "Oh! The Lodge is going to want to hear about these." She removes a bundle of paper and a writing stick from her pack and begins to describe the room.
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Spluttering as more water was poured over him he grumbled for a brief moment before he regarded the piece of cloth, whispering a small prayer he checked to see if there was any magic on the cloth [Cast Detect Magic]. "This looks like an interesting place, no idea what is here, or who is keeping these lanterns turned on, we have to be careful!"
After some careful studying, Noranti and Jean-Robur have a revelation!
The carvings on the wall are different passages from the History and Future of Humanity - the holy text of the dead god Aroden. There is something different about this version, however. It doesn't match the one you heard of and/or read. Perhaps, this is an older version? More true to the original?
In any case, you two recognise four aspects of humanity depicted in the carvings. Unfortunately, the other eight are ruined beyond usefulness. You manage to recognise the Artist, Farmer, Scholar, and Soldier aspects.
The Artist is depicted painting murals on the walls of impressive buildings, associated with Aroden having painted the city of Absalom with beautiful colors so that it might awe all who visited.
The Farmer is depicted plowing four lines in a field, retelling Aroden’s prophecy that humankind would prepare the rocky earth for planting and over generations wear the pebbles down into fertile soil.
The Scholar is depicted writing on a piece of parchment and then reading from it to passersby, just as Aroden was said to smile on those who recorded history and other knowledge to share it with others.
The Soldier is depicted bearing a lantern through the streets of a city, following the dead god’s prophecy that the vigilant shall carry light to the darkest corners of the world to banish the shadows.
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Seeing the carvings he frowns for a moment while going through his notes, scribbeling down certain markings before looking up in amazement once more. "These carvings from certain passages... it seems like, History and future of humanity. They aren't what I remember about them but here, an Artist, and there a Farmer... Over here is the Scholar and right there, in the top left there is a soldier... This is amazing!"
Both Zaratina and Carlotta feel something emerging from the back of their heads when they look at the petroglyphs, but can't quite bring it to surface.
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Noranti expands on Jean-Robur's explanation, going into a detailed explanation about Aroden's holy book, and the place of these images in the story. She goes on long enough to be truly boring.
When Vorden speaks, she stops her ranting. "Do you want me to take Janira's cure wand to use on the rest of you if you're wounded? Maybe some of you warrior types should take the cure potions, in case I can't get to you fast enough if we're attacked by something down here."
After making notes on the petroglyphs in the area, you continue southwards, to the only other tunnel leading into this room. A short tunnel connects the carving room with another large section of the cave. The soft light of the surrounding fungus mixes with the flickering glow of the nearby torches to reveal a grand chamber. A large pool of water along the chamber’s southern edge reflects the blue and green radiance to illuminate the massive stalactites that cling to the ceiling overhead. Two other tunnels branch off from this area, leading to the east and west. Rising up from the pool is a column of rock with steeply sloped sides and a flat top, as if someone had sawn off the top of a massive stalagmite. A miniature city carved from this same stone occupies nearly the entire surface. Tiny trinkets such as ancient coins, polished semiprecious stones, and ornately braided loops of string are scattered throughout the diorama, and pale cave frogs clamber atop it. The smooth cavern floor is covered in gravel and pebbles along the edge of the pool, and several foot-long centipedes prowl among the gravel in their search for prey. Kneeling nearby, a lone gillman is in prayer. facing you with his back, he didn't seem to have noticed your presence for now. The colour of the cloak on his back is similar to the cloth bundle you have located earlier. If a bit less muddy.
You recognise Absalom's Starsone Cathedral in the pool's diorama. Even if bit different from how you know it today, you know this is a model of Absalom. For it's size, it is quite rich in detail. Surprisingly so. While it lacks figures representing citizens, you can even see some cracks in bricks on some buildings.
Zaratina decides to announce her presence verbally. but to no avail. If the gillman heard you, he does not show it.
The ripples in the water finally cause the gillman to turn around. As he does, you see that he is a bit surprised to see you.
He stands up, and for a moment, his eyes dash back and forth a few times between you and his belongings resting on a nearby rock.
He manages to get a slow "Hello..." out, clearly being mindful of your actions and careful with his own movements, as if to not provoke anything.
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Following the rest of the group until they stumbled upon the lone gilmen. A look of surprise crossed his face when he saw him. Seeing the reaction of the rest and the time the creature took to respond to him was something he didn't expect. "Hi..." He pondered on how to continue for a moment when he spoke up once more "I am Jean-Robur, and you are?"
The man slowly stands up and politely looks at any agent currently speaking.
"Apologies, but you have startled me. My name is Uori."
Responding to Noranti's question, he looks over his shoulder at the model, and responds with a "It is beautiful, indeed, but I do not know who is the author."
A few seconds of awkward silence pass, and he continues in the conversation: "You are no gillmen. Why are you here?"
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"That's Absalom," Evariel says to no one in particular, "for a certainty. I wonder why it's here?"
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"Yes, we're just explorers. The real question is why are you here?"
Noranti walks right up to the water to examine the miniature Absalom in more detail.
"The craftsmanship on this is really quite excellent. It seems very old. The Society would certainly want to know about this."
She pulls out some paper and pen and starts taking notes, and draws crude pictures of both the miniature city and the gillman.
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He took a step forward at the mentioning of the absalom reference from Evariel and then gave a quick shrug. "If you think it is, I cannot see it Evariel..." He then turned towards the gilmen and pondered a moment. "We mean you no harm, my friends and I are here to learn more about this cavern and what is inside of it... You able to share more information in regards of that? Also, do you know more about the drawings earlier in the cave?"
Uori's posture changes. While his eyes race across the pathfinders' faces as they speak, he seems more relaxed after Jean-Robur's and Vorden's words.
He looks at Noranti. "I am here on a pilgrimage. It's simlpe as that. It's a gillman tradition, since these waters are sacred due to their purity."
He continues, looking at Jean-Robur first, then alternating between other agents. "From what I understand, this used to be a shrine to Aroden. The magic in the glyphs and the model behind me", he points over his shoulder, "is fading, however. I assume it the place will be completely devoid of its divine magic in a few decades. your god is dead, anyway, so I suppose that would be the reason."
"My ancestors have been heard saying that humans used to come here more often, and performed their little rituals tied to the model behind me. They mostly stopped after Aroden's disappearance. The place became secluded and...", he pauses - "... someone else decided to move in. A hideous creature. He must have moved in recently, too. He wasn't here during my last visit. Well - recently is a very loose term, since my last visit was a few years ago. It lives in the tunnel to the east."
He points to his right, with a disgusted look on his face.
"And it smells foul. I'm afraid a few gillmen fell prey to him. As a matter of fact, I am sure of it."
He shakes his head, lost in thought, then seems to have a revelation.
"You seem capable - and numerous. perhaps you can force him out?"
"Not at all, just try to not soil the water too much." With that said, he returns to prayer.
You take a turn down the tunnel to the east, as indicated by Uori. Progressing through, the air becomes more and more stale. There are no more torches here, but luminescent fungi grows conveniently and the lighting gives you little to no problems. After a short while, the air in the tunnel fills with the smell of rot and decay. Random articles of clothing can appear on the ground, and more and more footmarks appear in the shallow damp mud on the floor. You seem to be hearing some sort of buzzing from beyond a corner as well. Following through, as you walk around the bent cave wall, you stumble upon a pile of what seem to be exclusively gillman corpses. Only now, you realise that the buzzing are flies - feasting on the rotting meat along side other small critters. While some of the bodies are already in an advanced state of decay, the top ones don't seem to be more than a few days old, however. You count at least two dozen bodies on the pile. Combined with the humid air, the stench is almost overwhelming.
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The cleric was about to say something about the rituals and the likes but seeing the rest of the party dash off towards the inevitable fighting he shrugged and followed them, muttering to himself "knowledge is power, not brute force, it will get them killed..." Grabbing a handkerchief to hold infront of his nose due to the stench he looked around, missing the obvious in front of him but seemingly disgusted at the corpses
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"Thank you." The Varisian smiles at the gillman as he turns away. She removes her boots and carefully wades into the pool, heading to the carving of Absalom. Once there she makes a few notes about the altar and does her best to sketch the Star-Stone Cathedral. After completing her documentation, she tries to catch one of the little frogs on the small island. The sight surely makes for mild entertainment in the least as Zaratina splashes around barefoot, trying to snatch the hoping ghost frogs.
Snagging a frog by its leg as it jumps, she tosses the poor thing into the miniature city and waits. She frowns in puzzlement. What was it Noranti said?
"Ah!" she exclaims. "A soldier carrying a light through the city." She pulls out a candle, lights it, and then sets it near the center of the city. She waits again. She pulls out her parchments and makes a short note.
Zaratina joins the others and leads the way down the cave. Her nose wrinkles as the smell of decay grows stronger. "Something foul."