"OK brother." Aldebert says casually, but meaningfully, though he's not sure what the scroll is or why it is so important. He trusts his brother.
"What does it say?"
"What does it say?"
Ami tries to read what it says. He shrugs and hands the scroll to others to read.
The scroll is a rectangular sheet of pale parchment, a rectangle of over one foot by nearly two feet in size. On one side, the parchment is blank and rough—bits of hair still cling to it. On the other side, the parchment is smooth as glass and depicts only a single huge and relatively complex rune.
Pent waits his turn as the scroll makes its way from hand to hand. When he gets it, he plucks any remaining bits of hair from it, before his attention firmly focuses on the rune. His eyes wander the lines, trying to fixate on swirls, the intersections, the threads, and the arcades.
"This is impressive."
Pent's face scrunches, his eyes almost disappearing behind a frustrated squint. He asks Sarah for further enlightenment. Should the rune's meaning become intelligible, he tries as hard as he can to understand it through his spellcrafting.
If nothing clicks, he hands it to Mahdi, with an audible harumph.
It takes Mahdi a moment to focus on the parchment, because his attention is thoroughly taken by the enormous, imposing axe, as he deciphers the auras on it.
"Ymeri's blazing breasts," he mutters to himself. "This thing is worth a fortune... This axe, here-- it has a powerful ensorcellment on it-- it can weaken foes as they are wounded, giving health to its wielder instead...! If we can but find a buyer for such a blade, we will have wealth to shape Kelmarene into the city it ought to be."
At Pent's nudging with the scroll, he turns, and blinks, to see such a large and singular parchment. "Eh? Oh... that's what Ami got out, eh..."
"What's this then? It's almost like it was written in a language before language even existed..." Mahdi says in fascination, gazing raptly at the scroll as he tries to puzzle out its secrets.
When others are done looking at the scroll, Ami backs it up tight again and secretes it on his person.
"Brother, we can go now," Ami says to Aldebert. "Let us go find the sun, and then maybe gnolls to slay under it."
Ami mounts Yeen and goes to find the sun again.
As he can see no other exits out of this room, and no other chambers down below, he prepares to surface.
"We owe the gnolls a portion of this treasure, as per our agreement. Not much we can really 'divvy' up though, so I suggest Otah take the new axe - seems better - and we give them Otah's old axe and call it even. Otah, you should take this chainmail too, it'll fit you - it's much too large for me. Pent, I think this is best in you hands." he points to the periapt.
"So let's give the gnolls the axe and send them on their way. We'll rest in the garden one more night, and then hunt any gnolls who remain - as per our agreement."
"We should then return to town and see what we can learn of this scroll. Seems awfully important somehow."
Otah taps his armor with a fist, producing a hollow metallic *thunk* sound.
"Hmm... I'll keep my solid shell here. The mail might be easier to move around in, but I like to keep my enemy surprised."
"I dunno about the axe, I dislike the idea of being some kind of vampiric dwarf. Besides, we don't even know what this axe is yet..." he says as he pulls out the great axe from earlier. "Perhaps we give up the mail if none of you small folk want it, instead of the axes."
Ami nods to his brother, confident in his brother's decisions.
Edit:
"Hey, hey, hey. There are northern and southern passages here, and you feel like leaving them behind here? Not the least bit curious about what lies beyond this very ominous tomb?" The gnome points to the passages, and waits expectantly for Aldebert to lead them beyond the sarcophagus. "I still have plenty of healing left in me, should we find deeper, darker terrors here."
"We owe the gnolls a portion of this treasure, as per our agreement."
"'Gnolls'? Wasn't it just one lippy gnoll? I suggest that the gnoll was rock stupid about this sarcophagus, and this sand squid, so anything we have here and now is not part of the agreement. I posit that the illusory treasure in the first chamber is the foundation of his knowledge, and as such, he's entitled to whatever share he wants from it, down to his acid-corroded boots. HOO! Actually, we can argue that he owes Odie a pair of boots for deceiving us into venturing forth. You give him anything, and I'll think you a dupe for the bargain. Just let him know that the coast is clear, and he can retrieve a pile of ghost gold for himself. Just wait long enough for the edimmus to re-form first."
"Pent, I think this is best in you hands."
Pent looks over the periapt, cleaning it off with a forearm. He takes it, holding it up to Mahdi for cursory inspection. "You think this is safe to wear, considering its previous owner?" If the fire mage reassures him, the gnome puts the periapt on.
"Hey, hey, hey. There are northern and southern passages here, and you feel like leaving them behind here? Not the least bit curious about what lies beyond this very ominous tomb?...I still have plenty of healing left in me, should we find deeper, darker terrors here."
Ami shakes his head at the gnome.
"I care little for treasure or darkness, gnome. True joy will come from seeing the sun again, scattering the gnolls before us, and hearing the lamentations of their women," Ami responds, making the whatfor gesture. "Save your healing for when if we need it as we strike down all the gnolls we face on surface."
* * *
Acrobatics (Yeen+Ami)
Acrobatics (Yeen+Ami)
Acrobatics (Yeen+Ami)
Ami and Yeen wait for the rest of the party on the other side of the tresure mold.
"I care little for treasure or darkness, gnome."
We just discovered... in the dark... what the f$++...?
Pent looks confusedly at Ami. "I'm not searching for more treasure, 'halfling'. I'm interested in making sure we haven't left anything behind us that can cause Kelmarane harm in our ignorance. We know what awaits us above, but are you convinced you've explored everything down here?" The gnome realizes he's speaking to the wrong halfling, so turns to Aldebert and gives him the 'what's with your brah, brah?' look.
Ami looks at the gnome, waggling the scrolltube in his hands before he hides it on his person.
"This is the *only* thing (see Ami spoiler) down here worth finding, gnome," Ami replies. "Those that would endanger it are above. So says Vardishal, so so says Sarenrae."
"There's nothing so-so about Sarah, halfling." Pent frownsmirks at Ami, before continuing. "Now, you do raise a good observation, validated by Vardi if your faith be true. You claim that the scroll be known, that engagers above endanger it? What, who? The gnolls? You think the gnolls know more of the scroll than we do?" Pent looks at Mahdi, who may shed more light on the nature of the scroll, as he so often does.
"If this is the only thing worth finding, what is it? Or is that knowledge withheld from us by Vardi and Sarah? No matter. What matters is we finish the chatter so we can scatter those who would try and take the scroll, since there appears to be grand value in it. Rokova is your threat then, since he's expressly pressed us to investigate." Pent wrings a phantom gnoll gneck in his hands.
"I've burned a goodly amount of Sarah's Grace. Healing the hurt from the edimmus, and the squid... how quickly do we want to ascend? And do we want to simply sneak back out through the geckomen lair? Striking down all the gnolls seems a HUGE risk when you have something of HUGE value..."
...
Pent bounds over to make his way back through the chamber of acid-charring. Not interested in damaging his boots like the dwarf, Pent climbs into the air, and makes his way effortlessly up the stairs.
Mahdi looks irritated at Amiamble's eagerness to return outside, as he takes the scroll for a more thorough inspection. "These chambers have considerable magical protections. You may care about nothing but this parchment, but I personally would like to see what else is down here. It is wonderful that you do not care for treasure, Amiamble: I can take your portion, then," he says drily.
"Your conviction telling you that the scroll is all that matters neglects to mention, say, that axe-- which will come in handy in the slaying of gnolls. Who knows what else down here you may not deem important?"
"Your conviction telling you that the scroll is all that matters neglects to mention, say, that axe-- which will come in handy in the slaying of gnolls. Who knows what else down here you may not deem important?"
Ami is ready to go, gives Mahdi a shrug. He doesn't know or care what else is down here.
He takes his brother aside, "Brother, two things. First, we must explore all there is here before surfacing. I agree this scroll is something special, but it might not be the only special thing down here. We need to be sure before we see the sun again. Just a little farther."
He takes a deep breath, "Remember we have a pact with those above, if only a brief one, to not slay all we see for a short while. We did it for our own self preservation which has enabled us to free this scroll from gnoll hands - so we must abide by our pact."
"So when we are done here, we will give them a small portion of what we find, and rest. After we rest, the gloves are off and the battle begins anew!"
vs DC 20.
The tunnels are lined with burial niches, some of which contain strange bodies that seem something more than human. Some bodies are twice as large as a man, some have additional arms and bestial features, or are strangely undecayed and remain beautiful or handsome even in death.
Pent wanders the tunnels, looking over his shoulder to see the others are still in range, should he run into more... difficulty.
"This is interesting, at least. Looks like we're facing down the corpses of Jhavhul's cult here. More interesting still, their bodies are... altered. Not sure if they were experimenters, or being experimented on..." He continues wandering, keeping an ear out for unwanted echoes.
Pent will move through the complex of tunnels, until it's fully fleshed out.
"Clearing the rest of this place seems like a good idea. Perhaps you may use it as a base of operations in the future?"
Otah picks at a rock between his toes with his horsechopper. "And if we could find some boots in my size, I'd be appreciative."
Mahdi is silent a moment studying the scroll, his brow furrowed in deep contemplation. "This pertains to Nex, one of the greatest wizards to ever live, a mighty archmage.... Hmn. This rune is some sort of concealing power, to hide the true meaning of the scroll. However, even if it is merely a mask over something more, in and of itself it refers to a realm called Kakishon-- a land about which little is known. A place of rumor."
He rolls the scroll up once more-- carefully-- and returns it to Ami's keeping, to be safely placed into the bone tube. "Here. It is right that it should stay with you."
Mahdi brushes himself off, then trails after Pent, poking curiously at the strange corpses as he goes. "Strange indeed. I suppose a third arm might be circumstantially useful... but more likely to brand you as freakish. In civilized company, at least."
Aldebert does his best to walk with Pent down every chamber. He's fascinated by the bodies and their various deformities.
"So you mean they did this on purpose? That's very strange..."
Ami waits. He's ready to return to the surface.
"This pertains to Nex, one of the greatest wizards to ever live, a mighty archmage.... Hmn. This rune is some sort of concealing power, to hide the true meaning of the scroll. However, even if it is merely a mask over something more, in and of itself it refers to a realm called Kakishon-- a land about which little is known. A place of rumor."
Pent spins on his heels as Mahdi brings to light more information regarding the strange rune. "You don't say? This gets more interesting as we go. You understand quite a lot, Maddie. That is an admirable trait. Where'd you study? I'll bet there were a lot of books, a lot of candles, a lot of late nights, a lot of cups of kahve..."
"So you mean they did this on purpose? That's very strange..."
The gnome studies the bodies a bit more as he wanders. "Look at their faces... some are calm, but some of them look almost... joyous. No pain-stricken last moments, for the ones I've seen."
Pent takes what paths are necessary to understand the catacombs, then returns to the sarcophagus room, then their return back upwards.
The caverns are lined here and there with more burial niches, some of which contain strange bodies, much as Pent has described. The range of variation in size and features is a statement to the imagination of whoever or whatever made use of these chambers and likely the structures above. None have anything of value buried with them.
Ami and Yeen easily navigate the stones, keeping dry and making quick progress to the stairway that leads to the upper chamber.
Pent huffs along until the rock-slime room comes up. He takes to the air, looking down on the others as they navigate the green goo.
"Are we resting with the almonds again? We need to regain our strength, and I have doled out a bit of restorations due to our first encounter with edimmus. If those above are searching for what we've found, then I don't want my pants 'round my ankles, don't want to be a monkey's uncle."
Pent turns his paranoia upwards, and starts to listen out for adventurous gnolls bid to go below and welcome them as they come up...
Aldebert hangs on as Gretiem stumbles on the last set of jumps.
They protect their crypts very well indeed!
Ami intends to stop to rest, but is also happy to continue on.
Otah splashes into the water, but beyond a bit of water the slime is no where near him. Perhaps its the dwarf's grin or his wet bare feet, he looses his footing again. This time he rises with slime clinging to his ( ) left arm. The puddles left behind by the clumsy dwarf are a bit to much for Gretiem to avoid, the reptile tries desperately to regain its footing. (Ref Save for Gretiem). Carefully Mahdi steps around the puddles, shaking his head in disbelief. As dry as the desert, the wizard waits with Ami, Yeen, and Pent for the other three to make it to the steps.
"Ugh. Get off me!" Otah mimics a chicken's flapping wing as he tries to fling the sludge off his arm.
Gretiem scrambles to get back on the rock and avoids Otah.
"Otah, get that stuff off you!"
After others are done playing in the slime, Ami will lead the party upstairs to the sleeping and resting area.
"You understand quite a lot, Maddie. That is an admirable trait. Where'd you study? I'll bet there were a lot of books, a lot of candles, a lot of late nights, a lot of cups of kahve..."
Mahdi buffs his nails a little on his robes at the compliment. "Well, like many aspiring mages, I was apprenticed to a wizard, in Katapesh. Very much the traditional crotchety old man, heavy on the 'you must study seven years before I teach you anything good' sort of philosophy. Also," Mahdi grimaces in remembrance, "a firm believer in the idea that menial housework somehow builds character in apprentices. All in all, a thoroughly unpleasant individual. I believe we're both glad to have parted company."
Further words are temporarily put on hold as Otah gets slimed again. "That's it," Mahdi exclaims irritably, "we have to get your boots fixed... I doubt you want me to light you on fire with one of my remaining spells, so quick, scrape it off with a dagger!"
The slime clings to Otah, the sound of the stuff eating away at his armor can be heard.
Otah stops his chicken wing dance and pulls out a dagger, scraping the goo away.
"Seems like your master's style rubbed off on you, fire mage."
"No," retorts Mahdi, "he would simply have let you bask in the slime and say afterwards, 'well, I suppose you learned something, didn't you'."
When they return to the garden room, Mahdi eyes the statues that spat out the fire guardians in a thoughtful fashion. "If we can find a way to permanently disable the rast-summoning... or take control of it... this would be a marvelous long-term base. As it is, we should still be able to use the magic of this place once more before the rasts re-spawn, I think. We didn't take that long down there, today.
"I'll take first watch," he says, digging out his spellbook. He has some spell or another for fixing things like boots...
Ami watches Yeen sniff and watch Otah and Mahdi play with the slime. Whereas Yeen seems intent on getting a closer inspection (or even taste of the green gook), Ami's sole intent to keep his cat away from it.
He tries to distract his cat with pets and promises that they would soon be running under the Sun soon, but not soon enough.
"Does anyone need anything before I prepare to sleep? I want to be ready to go at first light tomorrow! We have gnolls to pay off, then to chase down and kill. I'll not want to miss a moment!" Ami asks openly.