So, uh, guys, whaddaya think? I, for one, say: screw these rocks, let's get outta here!
"Tha is not tha way unner ground that yah want tah goes good dwarf!"
"I'm all for leaving things well enough alone, but this is unnatural. I am not sure we should let it intrude on the surroundings."
"I too fear for those that cannot stand against whatever this may hold. I too smell trouble, but do we stand against it, or let it stand to possibly harm many? I say, let's deal with this now!"
"Yeah but we err tha only ones who appears tah be comin tah harms!"
casts detect magic....
What in the name of Old Mother Tree are you blathering about? It's rocks. On fire. It's not going to hurt anyone. It happens all the time, here, in Aviona. Geez, you guys, are you brave adventurers born, or a bunch of old maiden aunts? (Not that we have those in the Tuelvi.) Now, let's get the hell out of here before it attacks!
Caspian: You're going to touch the rocks??!
What? No! no touching the rocks!
just looking at the magical auras (all visual no touching)
Caspian squints and mutters, but just can't seem to get his eyes to register what his hands sense to easily.
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I should have known......
Damn Kirthfinder S.H.I.T (or whatever acronym you use)
So, just to be sure I understand -- no one is particularly interested in these rocks in terms of whether there are old legends about similar monuments (Knowledge: lore); or what religious significance, if any, they might have (Knowledge: the planes); or what sort of arcane significance they might have (Spellcraft)?
I am very interested in all of that, Jaegr unfortunately has none of those helpful things :)
So, just to be sure I understand -- no one is particularly interested in these rocks in terms of whether there are old legends about similar monuments (Knowledge: lore); or what religious significance, if any, they might have (Knowledge: the planes); or what sort of arcane significance they might have (Spellcraft)?
Knowledge lore
Caspian seems to recall that, among humans from Northwind especially, piles of stones are associated with cairns for the dead -- sometimes to commemmorate them, but sometimes to keep their restless spirits trapped so they don't come out and wreack havoc on the living.
"Seems tah be a burial Cairn, keeps spirits trapped I heard tell."
"Never heard they have any type o lights to em though."
Yes, yes, yes, dead restless spirits. Seen one, you seen 'em all. Let's get the frack out o' here!
"Maybe Dwarf spirits restless cuz they are not underground."
"Any idea who this might be? I think we ought to better mark this cairn if we can to avoid someone less knowledgeable than Caspian from doing something he may regret."
Wyvurn sees nothing resembling a headstone, but realizes that one of the rocks has rolled away from the pile and isn't on fire. It has one wide, dark surface perfect for writing on with chalk or chiseling words into. There are also some trees nearby with wide trunks that might be carved into.
Can we see where the rock rolled from? In case it is no longer covering something?
Oooh!
[Cricket is intrigued and begins searching in a perimeter around the flaming rocks--making sure to keep an eye on the rocks. He also whistles for Wolvie.]
Take 20 +8 = 28
Wyvurn will carve a warning into the rock in the common tongue and make marks for powerful magic in goblin, elven, and common on the trees surrounding the pile.
"Here lies powerful spirits. Do not disturb." or some such. Eloquence is not the hobgoblins strong suit, so any ideas from his companions is appreciated.
When he is finished, he'll drop the rock back where it look like it fits, careful not to touch the glowing rocks around it.
"First he makes a bunch o warnins an then he ignores all o them!"
[Sticks fingers in ears and closes eyes.]
Noticing Cricket in his hunched position approaches him from behind...
"What do yah think he is waitin fer?"
points at crickets keester.
The rock that Wyvurn wrote on pretty clearly rolled off from the rest of the pile at some point. The flames subside a bit when he puts that rock back, and you can hear a bird chirp interrogatively in the background, the first animal sound you're heard since the flames sprang up.
Cricket:
I won't translate what the halfling said.
Cricket warbles back: Fear not, Cock Robin, we are friends. From where do you sense danger?
EDIT: Uh-oh. I think I might have to roll another d20 under Kirthfinder rules, but I don't recall. Just to be safe:
The bird, on an angry, shrill note, divebombs the startled goblin!
Cricket:
Aaargh! It's a trap!
Stupid homophobic birds.
"Bird-brained antics!"
With a faint smile on his lips, Vanya observes what is happening with the goblin.
"So is that it problem solved?"
Cricket kills the bigoted bird.
"I think its time we keep heading towards our destination."
Cricket nearly manages to trip over his own weapon attacking the bird, but quickly recovers. The rest of you aren't certain, being largely unfamiliar with the facial nuances of goblins, but you suspect he's trying to look as if he meant to do that. With a shrug, the group moves on, with Cricket occasionally darting nervous glances over his shoulder, looking for angry robins.
Another half-day's walk brings a gleam ahead to Wyvurn's sharp eyes; he says, "Water -- a big lake." Eventually, the towers of a tall palace appear over the horizon, and by nightfall the next day you reach the shore of Estren Lake, rumored to have been formed by the impact of meteorites (and thus sometimes called the "Lake of Fallen Stars"). It is so huge you can't see the opposite shore (and actually has measurable tides). On the rocky southeastern shore, amidst strange glamors, sits Quinexxos, the palace of Käcia, Sorceress-Queen of the Southeast, who (it is whispered) is now imprisoned in a pore 45 miles beneath the surface of the earth. Sprawling along the shore of the lake north of the palace are the walls of Kaisersburg, largest city east of the Estren River, and former capital of an attempted colonial empire that largely collapsed after Käcia's imprisonment.
"By tha lakes tide an fallen stars, here I wonder what you are....."
Plays his bagpipes listening to the sound travel over the rippling waters of this vast lake.
"A new place for new beginnings. Hopefully a city as big as this will have bigger concerns than burning us at the stake."
I can't wait to find the bathhouses!
"Yes, let's go somewhere with a roof on over head! We can get a good night sleep then get on with our business here"
To the bathhouses!
The main city gates are easy to find -- indeed, there's a whole gatehouse complex there -- and a couple of guys on duty -- humans, with maybe some elvish ancestry, wearing heavy armor decorated with brass wire in vertical patterns. Their cloaks have black-and-gold vertical stripes. They lower halberds in a slightly disinterested way, see Cricket, and look at each other. One says, "Jails are full; just go ahead and kill that one" -- the other chuckles.
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"No he is a pet. If you could point me in the correct direction I shall axquire the proper permit and all shall be well!"
Secondary skill administration
Cricket capers about with a slackjawed smile, doing dancesteps, somersaults and a poor attempt at a cartwheel.
Caspian the Clever has guessed how things really work, so he doesn't even bother with a Bluff. He knows that it doesn't really matter in this instance whether the guards believe him; what matters is that all the formalities are observed.
The head guard looks at the little hobbit more shrewdly, nods, and says, "I might be able to expedite the permitting process, but there is an administrative fee involved." The other guard tries for a cunning look, but it's clear that the big words like "expedite" have lost him.
Meanwhile, Cricket has been attempting to use pure muscle performance to substitute for acrobatic ability. As a result, he jumps really high (for a goblin, anyway -- not so high for a human), but he unfortunately lands flat on his back when he attempts a somersault.
"Sure sure I assume the proper document is how much? With an administrative fee of expeditiousness so the total cost would be about 10 gold I surmise, payable half now and half upon delivery of papers."
"We shall await papers at the tavern then, as mah dwarf friend is thirsty."
Ponies up 5 gold......and shows the other 5 in reserve....
"Someone help him up."