The group makes it out of the blighted woods, finally arriving at the Shrine.
The intermittent light of the roiling heavens briefly illuminates the shrine. The storm is centered directly above the grounds, but neither torch nor brazier illuminates the sacred site. A massive wooden arch stands in front of the steps leading up to the main shrine complex.
The main courtyard consists of a path lined with stones and flanked on either side by grass, trees, and small statues of celestial beings. Grass grows between paving stones, delicate paper doors show numerous holes, and rainwater has stained the once-white walls of the buildings a dingy gray.
"The shrine...it has not been maintained. How terrible."
The remaining adherents are ahead of you prostrated on the steps ahead of you. They stand and then head to a well.
"That is the purification well" Mitoko speaks up. "Visitors to the shrine must cleanse themselves here prior to entering the shrine"
The first adherent to reach the well, places his hand inside of the water. Then the next minute, he falls to the ground, not moving. A gelatinous mass then begins to emerge from the well.
Round 1-Bold May Act
Kambraxus
Goran
Mitoko
Cube
Galford
Erashava
Knowledge Dungeoneering
Mitoko begins to chant in a celestial voice, but the party feels themselves being protected by the holy presence.
ooze=21 hp
The ooze lurches after the other adherent..but is slowed by the walls of the well...
Pathfinders are up
ooze=10 hp
Mitoko hangs back and waits for an opening.
The ooze sensing something actively fighting it, returns with hostility.
Pathfinders are up
Kambraxus and Galford come together and finish the ooze off, it looses shape and falls fromlessly to the ground..
The adherents looks confused but are grateful the rescue. They then make their
In the well itself, you find many bones of the shrine keepers. 10 holy symbols of Hei Feng, a smattering of other holy symbols of various deity's. A potion of some sort. 30 loose gold pieces.
Getting a look at the surroundings, you see a couple buildings standing abandoned on the exterior of the shrine.
A small staircase leads up to a raised wooden stage. The platform is covered by the same style of roof as the other buildings, with eaves that sweep out over the top of the walls. At the back of the stage is a decorative ceremonial chest with a mundane lock.
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Erashava sees the prisoners free, then walks around the shrine. Seeing the bones of the shrine keepers in the well she frowns. "Such a desecration.
As the others meddle with the locks and gear, Erashava remarks "I need a minute to summon an ally. Our work is not yet done."
She finds an open space, and snaps her fingers, causing a spark to magically sprout from her hands. Then she places her hands in front of her and begins to speak in a crackling, hissing language.
The symbol on her outer right hand begins to glow with a red light. Simultaneously, the complicated rune on her forehead changes. Parts of it begin to glow red, revealing the same symbol that is marked upon her hand on her forehead.
Erashava thrusts out her hand, and begins to dance, chanting in the strange language the entire time.
After a minute she exclaims something that sounds oddly like a crackling flame,
There's sudden burst of flame. Then the flame forms a face and takes on the vague shape of a muscular humanoid.
Erashava smiles at the creature and speaks to it.
"Welcome to the Material Plane, my friend. Lives have been lost. I am in need of your strength and might."
The fire elemental rears up to its full height and lets out a crackling laugh.
It turns to look at the mortal Pathfinders examining the shrine. It scoffs then looks back at Erashava.
The fire monster crosses its bulging arms and looks down at the other Pathfinders with obvious disdain. It makes no move to speak with any of you.
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"Well now." a slightly ill looking tengu answers his companions as he retreats from looking down the well.
"I do believe we found the rest of the Hei Feng faithful."
Once Erashava summons her ally, Galford gives the creature a once over and based on his disdain for the others.
"Friend eh? I doubt your friend thinks the same."
The fire elemental snarls and throws up an arm between Erashava and the tengu, apparently understanding the common tongue just fine.
It looks at Erashava.
Then the fire man glares at Galford, if fire could be said to glare...
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Erashava smiles at Glaford, places a hand on the fire monster and pushes down its arm. "Yes. A dear friend. I apologize for his manners. He's rather protective of me."
Erashava approaches the chest and examines the lock. "I don't suppose anyone has found a key..?'
"Anything of interest in the well, Goran?"
This small, aged office building is where the residents of the shrine would conduct the day-to-day business of managing the compound. A pair of low writing desks as well as several shelves packed with books and scrolls cram the sparsely decorated space.
Additionally, you all find a number of lesser talismans and charms in this office. Together, the talismans and the silk and thread-of-gold charms. You also find a strange bottle.
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"I see he's protective indeed and he understands common. A pity I don't speak its language though, might have to spend some time in the archives to pick it up when we get back." Galford returns the glare in full, already not liking this creature.
Once at the building, the tengu is quick to notice texts with religious references and brings the out to allow his other companions to view it though he does take some time to look through them himself.
Kalsifer waits outside the small building, keeping watch for danger.
With nothing else to locate in the administrative building the PC's finally look towards the shrine.
The path leads to a short set of stairs ascending to the entrance of the main shrine. What must have once been a place that inspired reverence is now darkened and exudes menace. Faint light spills out from the torn and tattered window covers.
"I think it is best that I do not go inside. This place is overflowing with evil, where it was once filled with light." Mitoko explains as she clutches her kimono.
This simple, darkened entryway is used to store sandals and boots. Several pairs are scattered in front of the step up to the interior’s wooden floors. Though the shoes appear to be covered in dust, the wooden floor is strangely clean and waxy, given the state of disrepair evident throughout the rest of the grounds
Beyond the entry way is a room covered in straw mats and lit by a pair of hanging lanterns. A low table sits in the north of the room. To the south, a scroll hand-painted with mountain scenery hangs, flanked with bamboo vases that once held flowers. A sliding door leads north.
This room appears to be a place where the shrine’s attendants would take their meals. A large set of ornately decorated doors leading to the east are shut, while sliding doors lead to rooms in each other direction.
The pathfinders walk into the room and are hit with a wave of confusion.
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"I'm not sure if I know how to perform rituals. I was trained to exploit and guide in a battle. All this magical doodads is something I'm not sure. I may not even be reading this right." Galford shrugs.
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A wave of confusion hits the tengu and he wavers..........however luckily he managed to bend a feather and the sight brings him back though he looks at the offending feather...
"What was that?" he demands
Kabraxes stares off blankly before returning to his senses.
A row of beds are in this room, some of which appear to have been slept in recently.
Galford notices a secret door hidden in a false wall. Behind the door is a small storage room containing a large chest. Within are religious tools decorated with shining gold and silver inlays, as well as a collection of potions and scrolls. The most notable item is a teardrop shaped jade bead the size of a normal human’s palm. The collection also contains a silver holy symbol of Andoletta.
This smaller shrine is dedicated to Hei Feng himself, patron god of the tengu race. At the south end of the room is a 3-foot-tall offering box with a slatted cover over the top, behind which a huge statue of a tengu sitting cross-legged rises nearly to the ceiling. The statue holds the hilt of a sword in one hand, as if it had once held a sword across its knees.
The statue has been shockingly vandalized. White paint and what appears to be blood has been splattered over the god’s stern countenance, while the sword it once held in its right hand has been broken off at the hilt, and the blade of the nine-ring sword has been driven deep into the statue’s back.
Wary of letting Erashava out of his sight, Kalsifer returns to her side
Erashava pulls the sword out effortlessly and places the blade in its home and hears a click. A hidden drawer to slide out of the statue, presenting a beautiful ritual sword with a hilt and pommel styled in the shape of two celestial dragons entwined. In addition to its use in religious rituals, the blade is a masterwork silver short sword.
This room has an open and highly polished wooden floor. Hanging along all the walls are an assortment of weapons. On the southern wall hangs a portrait of an old tengu with silver-gray feathers. A deep gash has been cut across the painting, ruining it.
This small storage closet is full of ordinary living supplies, such as linens and plain clothing.
The floor this chamber is padded with several ornate carpets. The room is lit by only a few candles, which appear to have been changed recently.
This cold, cedar-paneled room is filled with barrels of preserved food and water. Additionally, a recently slain and clumsily butchered deer carcass hangs from hooks against the back wall, looking as though it has been gnawed upon.
The stairs ascend to a small, second-floor landing with ornate doors, which slide open to reveal a stout skybridge connecting the minor shrine to the elevated building behind it. Where the southern portion of the shrine might have once been tranquil and inviting, the main shrine was created as a work of praise to the celestials who once fought to protect this land from the qlippoth hordes. The structure itself is pure white with red accents. Unlike the rest of the compound, the walls of this building are unstained. Vibrant paintings of celestial dragons grace the outer walls. On closer inspection, the dragons appear to be in mourning, their heads bowed in grief.
This area is completely untouched by the storm, which appears to swirl directly above the apex of the building, creating a strange curtain of rain around the whole building. Two paper lanterns light the door to the main shrine. A pair of heavy wooden doors leads to the celestial shrine.