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Round 1
Effects inspire courage +1
- Red -
- Green -
- Janira -
- Forvenniel -
- Norril -
- Sejiri -
- Kembe -
- -----Round 1-----
- Iuni -
- Arthur -
Forvenniel evokes a bright light in front of one swarm, hoping to gain even a few seconds for her allies to respond. Norril steps to a position of safety, at least a relative one, and begins cheering on his allies. Sejiri also backs away, drawing an alchemical flask along the way. With little to do, Kembe also runs away from the dangerous nuisance.
Iuni finally attacks the creatures, burning several to a crisp.
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Without knowing how to contribute to the party against swarms, and recalling from his past experiences the inefficacy of normal weapons against them, Arthur shakes his head. He clearly does not like the feeling one has when he knows he can't be useful.
The young Lord looks around himself, the time suddenly growing slower and slower as he analyzes the battlefield.
Since I cannot attack our enemies, I should focus my efforts on defending my companions...
With those thoughts in mind, Arthur moves away from his fellow Pathfinders, placing himself between Norril and Kembe. "Spread out! You don't want those things to catch more than once at a time! And you,
vile spiders come at me, come here!" cries out Arthur as he bangs his sap against the nearby tree.
"That's the only thing I can do...I'll try to distract them!"
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Round 1-2
Effects inspire courage +1
- Red -
- Green -
- Janira -
- Forvenniel -
- Norril -
- Sejiri -
- Kembe -
- -----Round 2-----
- Iuni -
- Arthur -
Arthur successfully attracts the spiders' attention, but the second group goes for Iuni. Janira runs over to Norril and hands him an alchemist's fire, "Here, throw this at them!"
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Arthur grumbles something through gritted teeth as the spiders swarm on him, but he's able to hold his nerve. I must not cry in pain, I must not cry in pain, I must not cry in pain... he repeats to himself as he endures hundreds of tiny bites on his body.
The Pathfinder makes a few steps back, withdrawing behind a bottleneck between two trees. "" shouts out the aspiring field agent, making sure to make as noise as possible in order to attract the spiders toward him once again as the others work on killing the swarm.
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- Arthur - 2 damage, 2 (4?) Strength damage
- Sejiri - 1 damage
Forvenniel keeps trying to distract the tiny critters, while Norril scatters one of the swarms in a burning river of chemicals--and Sejiri promptly burns the other group of spiders to a crisp!
”Congratulations! You all worked together well. Although I see we have some wounds to heal up.” Janira cures Iuni's bites, but can only frown at Arthur's situation, "I'm so sorry, I don't have anything to help you recover your strength."
Several hours pass uneventfully, but then you start running into problems: first a recent landslide that blocks the trail, then a shortcut overgrown since a month ago. ”I’m afraid we’ll need to find a different path. If we don’t get there by dusk, we may have to wait a whole month for another chance! Is anybody well trained at tracking or navigating the wilderness?”
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Seeing Arthur's sickly looking bite marks and the demise of the spider swarms, Kembe stops what he was doing with the torch and rushes over to help deal with the poison. "You did well Arthur, you are a very brave man. Let me help you stave off this poison if I can."
He applies pressure above the wounds to slow the spread of the poison before applying salves from his healing kit to draw it out. "Keep the body healthy and the mind will be as well."
While Kembe doesn't have any formal training in the wilderness, he does have good instincts and is incredibly helpful for anyone that can point out what to look for. However today isn't his day.
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Thank you Janira. My, Arthur you don't look so good, the goddess has yet to grant me power enough to heal conditions like yours.
As they move along, Iuni like Kembe, is no expert on travelling in this terrain, but tries to find the quickest way to there destination anyway.
As Kembe points out a way that takes them to the north, Iuni is sure the southern route would be easier going.
No, see her how it will likely wind back onto our course. She points out.
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"Let me have a look at those stings for you.." says the young half elf. She quickly cuts some nearby herbs and tries to make a poultice to draw out the poison.
Once the poison has run its course she looks up through the thick trees, and suggests a short cut. "Yes.. I think you are right Iuni.. That way over there is better and faster. Let us hope there are no more insects to bother us."
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"Thank you, Mr. Kembe. I appreciate your help and accept it gladly", says Arthur with a little smile as Kembe tends to his poisoning. "Good work, everyone", comments the Pathfinder while his body fights against the poison and eventually wins.
"My wounds were not critical, fortunately. I'm ready to go!"
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- Arthur - 2 damage, 2 Strength damage
- Sejiri - 1 damage
Kembe quickly ties a rough tourniquet around the bite, buying time to mix a poultice and draw out the remaining poison. As soon as everyone is ready to go, Iuni finds an old, dried out stream bed that quickly takes you higher into the mounts, and from there it is an easy task to backtrack downhill.
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If you roll 24 or higher, you may ask for more information.
The dense forest opens to a wide clearing at the base of a sheer cliff. Thick vines cover the surface of the cliff stretching 30 feet overhead. “Here! The cave entrance is behind those vines,” Janira says with a broad smile as she walks to the cliff’s face. She pulls back several layers of vegetation to reveal a narrow crack in the cliff’s surface. “This is where I saw the gillmen enter.”
As she motions toward the aperture, the surrounding woods come alive with the sound of small animals fleeing some unseen danger and a large creature crashing through the undergrowth. The halfling worriedly remarks, “Quick, take cover before whatever it is spots us!” As if she’d summoned the creature with her words, a massive horned monstrosity emerges from the trees. Standing eight feet tall on a pair of cloven hooves and wielding a tremendous axe, the bull-headed creature roars with unbridled anger when it spots you.
Wisely assessing that a minotaur is beyond her charges’ capabilities, Janira screams, “A minotaur! There’s little chance we can stand against it. Take this bag,” she continues, pulling off her backpack, “and head deeper into the caves. Finish your mission. I’ll lead it away from the caves, lose it in the forest, and join you as soon as I can. Now go! GO!” She heaves her backpack into the cave, casts a spell, and darts off toward the minotaur before turning to lure it away.
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Kembe hears the forest come alive, his attention quickly drawn to the thrashing brush and the extremely large beast and similarly large axe. "I don't like the look of that. We should make haste Sejiri before its too late!" He puts his hand on the Halfling's shoulder and gestures towards the cave entrance.
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- potion of barkskin
- potion of cure light wounds (2)
- 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 3, 4 charges)
- wand of cure light wounds (CL 3, 8 charges)
- acid flask
- alchemist’s fire (2)
- holy water
- smokestick
- tanglefoot bag
- thunderstone
- antitoxin
- sunrod (2)
The caves are damp and slippery, and usually about 7 feet wide and high. Some tunnels are tighter or more spacious though. The walls are covered with patches of blue-green luminescent fungi that provide dim light.
Petroglyphs periodically decorate the walls, mostly with marine animals and spiraling shapes. The deeper you travel, the more of these wall paintings that you find.
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Forvenniel looks at various items. "I can use a couple of those scrolls.." she says, pointing to the scrolls of entangle, gust of wind and obscuring mist.
"And also that curing wand, if anyone is injured."
She takes out her notebook. "Look at these glyphs. Why would anyone make glyphs of sea creatures up here in the mountains." she notes, making a rubbing of a few of them.
She sighs sadly.
"While pretty, the moon will never see these."
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Explore. Report. Cooperate.
Arthur's heart bounces in his chest despite his bravado when his eyes see the minotaur. At first, he decides to quickly prepare himself for an attack, but when Janira voices her solution, the Pathfinder quickly agrees. I guess that's what cooperate stands for. Good, let's do as she wishes.
Arthur nods to their halfling guide and looks at the others, to see if they're ready. Then, waiting for the others to run first, he follows them.
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"It's like...Woah!" Arthur comments while he analyzes the contents of Janira's backpacks with his colleagues. "I mean, it's a pretty good selection of resources, don't you think? It's a good thing we have them at our disposal now". Then he sighs. "I hope she will be alright..."
Turning to his companions again, Arthur kneels down close to the backpack. "I will take this flask of acid and one of the alchemist's fire. Did you know that in Cheliax, they call it Devil's Blood? I've learned it when..." Arthur looks around himself, then shrugs. "Oh, I guess it doesn't matter now". He smirks. "I would also like to take the smokestick and the thunderstone. If no one else wants it, I'm against taking the tanglefoot bag as well. As for the scrolls, I can't use them, but in case of need, you have my permission to use them on me, although I guess you would have done so even without my permission so...Uhm, the potions. What do they do?"
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Kembe will indeed take the backpack from Norril if he offers it, although his own pack is quite full with climbing and camping gear at the moment as well as the large sword across his back. "So much equipment here. Pathfinders look like they must be well prepared for anything, and so much magic! If someone is able to use it on me, I've been told 'mage armor' is quite helpful and does not break my code for wearing typical armor. I also really should carry some sort of bottled acid or fire if we find more of those spiders."
Once this is all set, Kembe will tuck the remaining pack and its contents into his, it is a Halfling pack and all, and draws out a torch and lights it to help study the walls with Forvenniel "I wonder how long these have been painted here? From the gillmen maybe?" He says, bending close to the woman with the flickering torch light.
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Iuni is ready to fight the minotaur and takes a step to follow Janira, but then sees all the rest retreating into the cave and reluctantly follows them in. We could have taken that down together! Iuni exclaims.
Sarenrae protect our sister as she flees from that terrible beast, make her feet fleet and shine your light to guide her path. Iuni stops to offer prayers to the Dawnflower. As she concludes her prayers the others are inspecting Janira's gear. Forvenniel having already laid claim to the healing wand, I could use that too, but I can heal from the Dawnflower's power! So best to spread it around. When someone mentions a Wand of Burning Hands, a smile crosses her face.
Did someone say there's a fire stick! She picks it up and studies it, forgetting about all the rest of the gear at that point.
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The narrow tunnel twists and turns for several hundred feet before slowly opening to a wider passage. A large hole spans the cave’s width and stretches ten feet down the path. At the bottom of the pit lies a small bundle of cloth. The corners of the pit are rounded, and the tunnel walls don’t look easy to climb either.
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Kembe stops and looks down into the pit and down the hallway as does everyone else. He unshoulders his pack and starts hauling out the hemp rope "Time for some climbing. Are you all able climbers?" He adds in a hopeful tone, looking at the group filled with skinny arms. "We could try jumping across if that is easier for you?"
"I've got some anchor spikes and a grappling hook too but I didn't think to buy a hammer to pound them in with." Once the rope is out he ties the grappling hook to it and lowers it down into the pit to try to catch the cloth.
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Sejiri steps a few feet back, then leaps across the pit with practiced grace. "This should make it easier for the rest of you, if someone has a rope or a pole they can hand over," the halfling grins. "I'll stick around here until you guys come over, unless you want me to scout. I've been told it's better not to split up except when necessary."
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"Mmh...That is very interesting, Forvenniel. Perhaps the gillmen Janira told us about? Anyway, I'm going to try an jump across the pit", declares Arthur with a confident smile. "Just let me stretch my muscles, get a running start and..."
"Here we go!" Arthur leaps into a long jump and lands safely on the other side of the pit. "That was easy, wasn't it?" he says with a smirk to his friends as he wipes some dust off his coat. "Shall we proceed?"
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Kembe glares at the others for leaping across the pit, especially Sejiri. "Do NOT wander off with out the rest of us. I'll help the ladies in crossing the pit. I've got plenty of rope, just hold the other end on that side so we can climb up."
Kembe holds the rope at the near side of the pit while the ladies climb down, while Sejiri and Arthur hold it for the climb up and out.
He makes sure someone grabs the bundle while they're down there.
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These parables are slightly different than those that appear in the known version of the History and Future of Humanity, suggesting that these might represent an earlier version of the work.
Even though Aroden disappeared over a century ago, these caves store a hint of his divine magic (like a wand with a single charge left) that can impart a minor blessing to those who perform a short series of rituals based on the parables.
Everyone eventually makes it across safely, with Kembe grabbing the dirty cloak along the way. About 50 ft. after the pit, the tunnel curves and you find a plank big enough to span the pit. 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.
The carvings here are different in style from the petroglyphs found elsewhere. It seems like there might have been a dozen carvings at some point, but only four are still decipherable. As best you can tell, they are images from the History and Future of Humanity, the principle holy text of Aroden.
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Iuni stands and stares at the pit, not until Kembe secures the rope does the disciple of the Dawnflower eventually cross. Look a plank, wonder if someone has come this way and left the plank on this side. Let's be on the look out.
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Once in the larger cavern, Iuni turns in circles,
She begins to understand some of it and starts to describe what she sees.
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.
She looks a little longer, Hum, I'm no expert on Ardon but these parables are slightly different than those that appear in the known version of the History and Future of Humanity, suggesting that these might represent an earlier version of the work or may an altered one?
I think that even though Aroden disappeared over a century ago, these caves might store a hint of his divine magic (like a wand with a single charge left) that can impart a minor blessing to those who perform a short series of rituals based on the parables described here.
For example, look here everybody, the Thief is depicted stealing a gem from a shop while whispering a prayer, an allusion to a passage saying that larceny--though illegal--is a from of praise, for anything worth stealing is also worthy of praise for its craftsmanship. Isn't that interesting. In Casmaron, if you are caught stealing you probably get your hand cut off.
Iuni sits down cross-legged and pulls out her piece of paper and inkpen, Ooh the floor is cool. Hey can I borrow some ink, I want to write this all down.
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"Oh look. Guises of Aroden. The Artist and the thief."
She listens to Norril, nodding as he speaks.
"The moon looks down on the night, and sees Aroden as the theif.
Here he is depicted stealing a gem from a shop while whispering a prayer, an allusion to a passage saying that larceny--though illegal--is a from of praise, for anything worth stealing is also worthy of praise for its craftsmanship."
She smiles slowly.
"Nobody steals the moon, though the clouds do steal its light on some nights."
She looks at the others. "Maybe the Gillmen come here to worship Aroden?"
She takes out her notes and copies down sketches of the two guises.
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Kembe makes his way out of the pit after Iuni, he shakes out the bundle of cloth from the hole before stowing it into his backpack with the rope.
On the way down the tunnel he looks at the plank and nods Well played Gillmen.... The tunnel opens up and wall art is all around. He takes his torch and goes around inspecting the paintings with great interest, not seeing anything so old and interesting since his time at the Monastery. He apparently doesn't recognize anything.
"What you say is interesting. These gillmen must be quite smart then? I know nothing about what a gillman is to be honest. Their artwork is very beautiful though." He sits down beside Iuni and helps her draw out the pictures on the walls, helping to fill in details and get up and check on things so they have the details correct.
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Iuni slowly dips her inkpen into Norrill's ink, letting it coat the pen tip entirely. Thanks Norrill
She begins writing in very tiny script on the page.
When Forvenniel comments about the thief, You see that too! Now I just wish I could make out this section over here. Iuni points to a part she couldn't figure out from her seated position in the center of the room. Anyone got a thought about it?
Setting her pen down she stretches, bending her back until she can see the writing upside down and tries to study it from a different perspective, not gaining any new insights, she turn over onto her side propping herself up on her elbow and butting up against Kembe for support, she watches the others as they study the writings.
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"Wow, that is impressive..." Arthur's eyes wander on the carvings on the walls. "I could have sworn that these were made by humans..." The Pathfinder listens intently to his companions' discussion about the carvings but does not say anything personal. He has been taught to listen and keep his mouth shut when he has nothing trully interesting to say. And this is one of those cases. Anyway, the whole discussion causes Arthur to get back to the old tomes on which he studied and repeat the history of Golarion once more. Sooner or later, I will be able to contribute to such discussion, you'll see.
Focusing on practical matters, Arthur looks to the tunnel leading away from the cavern. "I've taken some notes about the carving and your hypotesis, my friends. Now, shall we go?"
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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.
This cavern is not unoccupied though. A lone gillmen kneels in the water, seeming thoughtful and unaware of your presence.