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With Mo'butu's help Rheed easily climbs up to the ledge above the entrance. He is confronted by the grisly remains of some recently-slain jungle creature, maybe a large cat of some kind. He sees a leather strap with a buckle underneath some heavy vines, and after rummaging for a few moments is able to pull free a slightly damaged backpack and quiver of arrows. It seems heavy and the sound of coins and other objects knocking together emanates from the bag as he pulls it free.
Further inspection of the bag reveals that it contains:
120 platinum peices
5 arrows with runes etched on the arrowheads
3 arrows which are painted white with white fletching
2 small clay jars with tightly-plugged stoppers
1 vial of clear liquid
By spending a few minutes, Ku'ada is able to identify the items (all of them except the coins give off magical auras).
5 +1 arrows
3 sleep arrows
2 dust of tracelessness
1 potion of invisibility
Indicating the small clay jar, "Perhaps this dust of tracelessness is the reason we could find no trail from Kaeviel."
"Hopefuly," Rheed says to Ku'ada, "if that is the case, his tracks should be easier to find after this point."
"Well, it is a shame about the vine's victim", Ceer says, "but perhaps we can make better use of these things."
"Shall we go back inside?"
Looking to Ceer, "Yes, perhaps we may find more clues to Kaeviel and the dwarf's whereabouts within. After you..." Ku'ada motions with a grin.
Rheed moves back into the chamber with the others, and after a cursory rummage through the broken pottery for any further depictions of the Fire Spirits or Bersathon (), he strides between the two metallic statues and inspects the doorway out of the chamber ().
The bits of pottery are too small- chips, really- to yield any useful information. Rheed also does not discover anything at the door. The hall seems to continue as far as he is able to see.
The temple darkened as they strode further in. Mo'Butu spoke a quick word and his shield lit up with a bright light. "Can everyone see?" he asked the group.
Following behind, Ku'ada replies "Quite sufficient. Thank you Mo'butu."
Ceer checks his crossbow as he follows along beside Ku'ada.
Wishing to keep one hand free, Corvus sheaths her sword and holds her kukri in her right hand.
"I can see fine, thanks."
Flexing her left hand, she murmurs to herself. "I think I ought to get me some sort of shield for these confined spaces."
Rheed nods in thanks back at Mo'butu for the light, then moves onwards.
As the party continues down the next hall, almost in response to Corvus' comment, they see a large, red-painted wooden shield lying on the floor in the middle of the hall, about thirty feet into the hall.
"That's handy. Perhaps a little too handy?" Corvus looks around her cautiously.
"I presume nobody is expecting me to just go and pick it up!"
"Too handy indeed," Mo'butu nodded in agreement. "Better let Rheed check to see it is safe before we all run to it. I can check it for enchantments from here, though."
"Good idea, this does seem odd" Rheed says, drawing a dagger from his belt and crouching down to approach the shield. Looking carefully around the shield for threads or other tell-tale signs, he uses the polished blade in his hand to carefully look beneath the shield.
Mo'butu sense a strong transmutation aura emanating from the area around the shield: but it is not coming from the shield itself.
Rheed: You hear a faint noise coming from underneath the shield. It almost seems to echo a bit, as if the shield is covering some larger space. The noise sounds like a deep, rhythmic rumbling of some kind. Further inspection of the shield reveals that it is adhered to the floor with some sort of dried liquid. Try as you might, you can't seem to budge the shield even the tiniest fraction of an inch. You see signs of scratching around the edge of the shield, as if some clawed creature tried to move it, and you also see several coarse black hairs littered around this section of the hall.
"I'll wager that's Dardin's shield", Ceer says grimly.
He glances around the passageway. "I wonder what he was running from that would make him leave his shield..."
Ceer notices the same things that Rheed notices about the shield and the surrounding area. He can think of several animals which might have black hair but from the sparse samples he is unable to determine precisely which sort of creature might have left these particular hairs.
Know. Nature
"The shield's not magical, but the area around it is. Strange," Mobutu tells his friends.
Ku'ada steps closer to take a look and try to discern the spell affecting the shield.
The magic emanates from the solidified liquid which surrounds the rim of the shield where it touches the floor. It appears to be sovereign glue, which you know can only be removed by universal solvent.
"The ape men tried to remove this shield," Mo'butu said, holding up a strand of black hair and examining it closely.
"Most likely..." Rheed agrees, "there seems to be something beneath the shield, can you hear that sound?"
Anyone who takes a few moments to listen at the shield can hear the sound.
Ceer squats by the shield, so he can hear the sounds better.
It is very difficult to make out just what is making the noise.
"Unless someone has some universal solvent, I'm not sure we can remove this. It has been bonded with the ground with sovereign glue. We could always break or burn the shield, but that will leave Corvus bereft of its use."
"That, and I am loathe to remove it without knowing what is on the other side... it may well have been placed there with good reason."
When Rheed begins tampering with the shield using his tools, the noise from below abruptly stops, before he has even made any progress with the hole.
The immediacy with which the sound stops causes Rheed to freeze, listening for any sign as to what might be happening.
Rheed doesn't hear any more sounds coming from beneath the shield.
At the cessation of sound beneath the shield, Ceer takes a few steps back and raises his hand to cast a spell at anything that might break through the shield.
Noting Ceer and Rheed's worry, Ku'ada readies a blinding ray, in case anything pops out.
Everyone readies themselves for danger, and, straining his ears, Rheed hears a faint sound from beneath the shield. It sounds like a deep cough and something heavy shifting, but only very slightly.
"Hello?" Rheed calls through the shield, "Kaeviel? Dardin? Is that you down there?"
A gruff voice replies, clearly with some hesitation- it is barely audible- "Who's there?"
"Hah!" Rheed lets out at the voice's suspicion, "We've been asked by a certain dwarf back in Nantambu to look for a few missing Pathfinders... you wouldn't happen to have seen any around here would you?"
The voice replies, louder this time, "Would you believe me if I said scorpions can talk and it's just us bugs down here? What took you so long!?" While he may be talking tough, the speaker clearly sounds relieved. His words are followed by more deep coughing.
"How did you get yourself glued into a hole?" The normally serious druid was stifling a laugh at the predicament.
The dwarf calls out in response, "Never trust a halfling!"
"Dardin, it's Ceer!", Ceer shouts, "you are one lucky dwarf! You owe me quite a few pints for coming all the way out here for this!"
"Ceer?! You lazy stayabout! Set a price in pints and I'll take away one for every day I've been lying in this hole, waiting for you!"
"Consider yourself lucky...we were thinking of setting the shield on fire!"