Who reset it? Khayal asks ignorant of this type of magic.
It probably reset itself, a mechanism of the magic says Paige, but now that Khayal's intuition has made another suggestion, she's not so sure...Paige looks around the shadows. Who reset it? creepy.
Yeah, that's true. We could spare my summoned goodies and you can stab a Nethys snake!
Holy slitherin Nethy-snacks. Yazi are you okay?? What happened?
As if on cue, Yazi's proximity to the glowing altar causes one of the writhing serpentine forms to disappear off of the stonework, materializing in front of her on the stone floor. The prepared fighter sliced the asp in half before it even got a chance to hiss, the blade of her new weapon easily killing the snake. Her arm knotted with blistering pain as soon as she struck, however.
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"How was I supposed to know?!" he barked back, not quite defensive about the whole thing, but more so in a distinctive told-ya-so manner. "This is why we don't go around using magical doo-dads without knowing what they do first."
Sauntering over, Amir moves beside Yazi to investigate her newly- and strangely-procured injuries. Taking her arm, the Pathfinder looked the wounds over, eyeing them as an archaeologist might examine an ancient relief.
"It doesn't look so bad; guessing it does this every time someone uses it. Kind of makes you wonder how desperate the were-leopard had to be to keep using it..."
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"If I can find time," cedes Amir, momentarily transfixed on the katar itself before returning his focus to the group at-large. "I've only just arrived, and now that I've seen the Heroes of Kelmarane in action first-hand, I've something to write about. Between that and my own personal investigations, it'll be a stretch... but I'll see what I can do."
"Well, with another snake taken care of, let's head back around and see if we can explore that last unexplored passage."
Bartan heads back to room 4 and looks down the small passage to the left.
Paige follows. Also. I can't wait to get out of these dark tunnels though...
Ceramic lamps burning with cadaverous blue flame light this wide, high-ceiling chamber. To the southwest (the pillar/altar room), a baboon-headed figure crouches menacingly. A stern-looking pharaoh stares across at it from the northeast (the way up). Carved folds of well-sculpted cloth enshroud the northwest statue, and in the southeast niche, the pharaoh is again depicted, his face scarred and twisted with anger (the unexplored way).
The floor of this chamber is covered with centuries of untouched dust, with several paths going back and forth in the center. Along the walls, cobwebs cover gruesome fresco work depicting unworthy souls dismembered by demonic sphinxes. In the west wall, a pair of niches hold painted statues of gynosphinxes, glaring with wooden menace from beneath layers of ancient fith. A third niche stands empty to the south, while a fourth filed with rubble lies to the north.
The trails through the dust lead right into the south niche without stopping. The wall looks real enough...
Hajar follows the others, content to let them find whatever trouble lay in the ruins. He chafes at what he considers a "waste of time". He would rather be carrying the fight to the Carrion King or some other servant of the Rough Beast, not traipsing through a long forgotten temple of a half mad god of magic.
Paige follows Yazi, moving warily by the sphinxes. Although they are just statues she remembers the LAST time she met one of those riddle-loving female beasts...at a carnival in Umbria when she was a child.
Yeah, mundane traps, I miss those days. Paige makes a sad attempt at humor.
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Missing Paige's sarcasm Yazi tries and fails to hold back a chuckle. "I know right? There was this guy I was with for awhile back, and then I found out he bad been stealing my coins bit by bit," her laughter increasing in volume she takes a quick breather before resuming her story. "So the last time I was with him I laced his condoms with Habanero juices. That was a fun night!" Unable to hold back any more she breaks down into a cackling fit.
Paige joins in the chaotic laughter. Then she lets it dies down and gets very quiet. What are Habaneros? she asks innocently.
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Bartan involuntarily grabs for his family jewels, feeling phantom pain at the story that Yazi just told.
"That is... horrible, Yazi my sweet. Let me remember never to get on your bad side."
The wall is an illusion. A pretty good one, 'cause it even feels real if you don't concentrate, but the foot trails were a dead giveaway.
The northern end of Room #6 is actually collapsed. Maybe, with a lot of digging, you could re-open it, but it's pretty obvious nothing has disturbed the dust upon it for several years.
Bartan just sees a wall.
Now that Bartan saw Yazi walk through the wall:
Hajar fails to see through the illusion.
Everybody else sees Yazi whistle in surprise and step through a wall with no ill effects. Bartan follows a few seconds later.
Three spacious brass tubs dominate this room , with large terracotta braziers placed between them. Narrow vents lead into the ceiling above each brazier, evidently the source of the sand and grit covering the floor.
Warped and decrepit racks stand along the walls, fragments of parchments fallen amongst them. Sagging stone shelves hold dozens of small clay jars and bowls.
A rank stench emanates from a strange heap of debris in the room’s northwest corner, apparently made from broken bits of furniture and hundreds of torn papyrus pages.
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Following suit, Amir stepped beyond the illusory wall after Yazi and the others. Taking in the various jars, vases, and the moldering scent emanating from a pile of withered papyrus and other broken tidbits, the Pathfinder stood speechless for a moment.
"And I thought it smelled bad in the other room," groaned the explorer, waving his hand at his nose in an ineffectual attempt to ward away the stench.
Shifting his focus, he turned his gaze to the shelves lined with various pots, bowls, and urns whilst the others continued their investigation of the room. Amir's own curiosity had been piqued; maybe, just maybe, if these containers were used to hold something then that something might still be in-tact!
Paige will check the parchments. Mabe there is a clue as to what this room is for.
Khayal moves into the room to investigate the source of the nausxious scent. In his experience bad scents have led to bad things. He approaches the debris with a sense of caution, looking for any surprises.
SURPRISE ROUND
Init:
The rank pile of debris in one corner erupts into three small, rubbery-looking creatures, all snarling and quickly climbing the walls of the room. One stays behind, choosing to attack the source of their disruption instead.
GM roll:
A tentacle capped with five wide, spiny claws hits the bard's heavy wooden shield and bounces off. The small creature retracts its' overly-extended arm and growls at the humans in its' room.
Something like snarling animal sounds and your friends' exclamations of surprise are coming from beyond the southern wall made of stone. Oh, and Doc barking.
Bartan pulls out a card and casts a spell on it, hoping to take one of these creatures out before everyone closes to melee.
=> The Teamster (True Neutral, Constitution)
plus
Paige begins casting a full round spell. She doesn't care what it's AC is. She's gonna summon a swarm of bats right in that thingy's FACE.
They are going to be DRUID bats. Of great terror.