The master trackers in the party will easily note that a more easterly direction is the more well traveled route.
Ulfgard will check for a more discreet approach.
Haskyll packs up, and grabs a bite to eat as they discuss the route.
He looks at the mule that has been with him from the first day.
Damned lucky we have you.
He then starts loading the mule with the camping gear, and any extra gear that the party wants to load.
Well, ready here, which way are we going
Ulfgard will see other narrow valleys converging into this one. They too have tracks, but far fewer. As long as the party stays in the valleys, discretion will be difficult without magic due to the narrowness of the valleys.
the main path leads to the enemy, but also likely the most resistance. Perhaps these side valleys will lead to a work around. what do ye say?
"I can shred us with a sphere of invisibility. But we will only have 8 minutes" Leira offers "And.. I have no problem with scouting ahead either way"
Well, I don't have any means of hiding, so I guess following along a bit from the back while others scout works for me.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Along a gentle flowing stream from the south, Ulfgard will note only evidence of animals coming from this tributary. A little further to the east, there is an overgrown trail heading toward the north along another narrow stream. Evidence of Giants can be seen heading in this direction, but with far less disturbance in the underbrush than along the wider tributary heading east. The party, looking for an alternative route to Minderhal's Temple, heads along this northerly tributary.
Any tracks have long been covered in snow, but Ulfgard is able to follow the damage to underbrush and small trees. After about three miles of following the damage to the underbrush, Ulfgard will note that the damage comes to an end. Leira will notice a pile of animal innards nearby, likely from a black bear, evidence of the field stripping of game. The decay of the innards are several days old. Various insects and worms feed on the decaying mass. The party will determine that the giants must have come this way to hunt game and found the black bear then returned.
However, Leira will also notice further up ahead a vale. A broad wood of young aspens and birches sweeps through this vale. The trees sway softly, their pale branches glimmering in the light. Near the edge of the grove, a forgotten pathway of badly weathered dark stone pokes through the forest floor, leading to a clearing containing a large structure of timeworn stone. Leira can see through the trees of the vale that colorful lichens cling to the walls, and most of the slate roof of this building has collapsed inward. Jumbles of great granite blocks lie around the building, half buried beneath the soil and fallen leaves.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
As Leira cautiously approaches the structure, it was farther away than it originally appeared. The building is massive in size, literally giant-sized. The massive stone doors are ajar.
Through the front doors you see a row of five half-columns that splits this foyer, their crowns carved into small stone offering bowls. Beyond the foyer, a wide set of stairs descends to a recessed central chamber with three long prayer benches. The stone benches are cracked and covered with moss. Much of the ceiling has collapsed into piles of giant slate shingles. Shrubs and weeds grow through the floor, covering everything in verdant tangles. Along the west wall, two flights of stairs climb to raised balconies with cracked stone railings. The first staircase coils around a slender menhir topped with the crudely carved countenance of a heavy-browed fire giant.
To the north, a set of steps climbs to a broad dais facing the benches. A huge fire pit fashioned from sheets of hammered black iron, bent and riveted together, stands upon the dais atop an ornately forged cast iron frame. A wide stone altar stands behind the fire pit, engraved with a giant helm with huge fangs. The altar and dais are draped in a thick blanket of stringy greenish moss.
Haskyll whistles softly.
I am hoping the ones that built this are not home. Shall we look deeper in
The work here is good, but not to our standards. Mind you, there is a size difference ti be had.
"Wow... this is a massive work..." Leira approaches to the building "What god do you think the temple was devoted to?"
[spoiler=K. religion (untrained)]1d20+3[/dice]
"I do not think anyone is living here Kaos, look, it is in horrible state... we would rather enter before..." the girl glimpses the place inside "I think I will start by checking the dais, we can then see what this pool at the right door is about"
Haskyll shakes his head.
It might have been for a Giants god, so lets not annoy him to much.
But lets take a look around
Haskyll follows the group deeper into the ruin, being careful as to where he is placing his feet.
As the perceptive Leira moves through the vines and overgrown inner part of the abandoned temple, the Rogue Arcanist finds amongst the vegetation something that appears to be a limbless trunk with the branching roots of a miniature tree. Her keen eye notices that this is not a natural plant. It is about two feet long, too small to be a tree, too short to be a staff, and too long to be a wand. She will carefully pick it up and stow the unique object as she further explores the giant temple.
Leira works her way further through the ever thickening mass of vegetation and debris, mostly from the collapsed roof. She finds nothing in the front of the massive dais. But as she moves to check behind the dais, the tangle of vines and vegetation comes alive and quickly attacks the Rogue Arcanist as she approaches.
Surprise Round
This towering plant is a mass of vines and barbs. It strikes the flat-footed Rogue Arcanist with one of its toothy maws. The toothy maw wraps around Leira.
Round One
Droja will mumbles something like, "Oh great! The bushes are attacking now. This just keeps getting better."
Droja will begin to summon in her fiery friend.
By the gods
Haskyll is caught off guard by the lashing plant monster before he realizes that he can help.
Raising his little silver warhammer, Haskyll sends forth a little power of Torag onto Leira giving her a little more ajility giving her a chance to escape its tenticles.
"aaaaaaah!!!!" the young girl screams totally surprised by the plant "A carnivore plant!! Help!"
When Haskyll casts his spell, Leira suddenly feels she has a chance to slip away from the strange creature.
If successful, she retreats to the back of the group, otherwise she brings up the shortsword and tries to cut a piece of the tendrils holding her.
Anga quickly casts shield on herself.
A plant that eats people? Whut's next
As Leira barely manages to escape, the huge plant monster moves with ease amongst the overgrown vegetation. It then strikes Ulfgard.
Feeling grappeled Ulfgard does something simple. Using his shield he bashes into the mouth twice.
Round One
Haskyll seeks a little divine help to liberate Leira from one of the giant plant's trap-like jaws.
Leira becomes free and withdraws to back of the party.
Anga brings up a magic Shield.
Kaos follows suit, and also brings up a Shield.
Noticing that the route forward will be difficult, Ragnir asks for and received a little spiritual help. A shimmering waraxe appears behind the plant monster and attacks.
Droja begins to summon in her fiery friend.
The plant monster goes after new prey. It strike the Dwarf Ranger Barbarian, trapping Ulfgard in one of its powerful jaw-like appendages.
Ulfgard's first bash damages the plant monster. His second did no real harm to the plant.
Round Two
Seeing that Ulfgard has things well in hand, or shield anyways, Haskyll slides a bit to try and get a clear line of sight to the creature.
Then Taking shameless advantage of the length of Heartspit, he then drives it at the creature.
Anga sees the plant rampage, and decides to burn it out.
touch
touch
"A plant?! How to fight such a thing?" asks Leira frustrated. She draws her bow and tries with a temptative arrow attack.
Smilingly Ulfgard just spits the beast in the mouth and continues to bash it.
Well
Haskyll grins as he pokes at it with Heartspit
You could always axe it that question.
Haskyll chuckles slightly at the sad joke as he watches the others bring their might to bear on the plant.
Round Two
Haskyll steps up to drive Heartspit into the animated flora. But the plant's tough exterior resists the thrust.
Frustrated, Leira takes bow in hand and sticks the plant beast with an arrow.
Anga fires a pair of Scorching Rays at Seymour. One burns the plant, the other singes through it.
Kaos trims the hedges with two effective strikes.
Ragnir's Spiritual Weapon strikes.
Then the Dwarf Warpriest tries to pound on the appendage engulfing Ulfgard. His first blow glances off the plant, but his second one damages flora.
Droja's Fire Elemental slams into the plant's main stalk, but gets caught up in the vines. Droja waits to see what happens next.
The plant started attacking, but now is in defense. It moves up five feet, then three more appendages launch out at the party. The one engulfing Ulfgard continues to chomp on the Dwarf Ranger Barbarian.
A second appendage attempts to engulf Kaos, but was unable to get through his magic shield.
A third appendage strikes Ragnir, grappling the Dwarf Warpriest.
A fourth appendage lashes out and grabs Haskyll.
Ulfgard continues to bash the plant from within. The plant is clearly damaged.
Round Three
Kaos over trimmed the hedges killing the plant. Those grappled by the plant's vice-like appendages easily escape.
Leira notices a secret door to the right.
"I always hate when mother send me to cut the weeds outside the magic shop" the girl looks despised at the remains of the plant when she seems to notice something.
"Hey... look there is a secret there over there!" and quickly inspects it and clears it of any kind of danger opening it for the party.
Never ran into animated flora before, As for the gardening, all I ended up with was dead plants.
Haskyll dryly comments as he brushes the sticky residue from the plant tendrils off his armour.
Hold on a second Kaos, Liera, Ulfgard, and Ragnir
Haskyll pulls a wand out of his pack,
You need some healing don't you?
He inquires.
Haskyll then joins Kaos in checking over the remains of the plant, and ensuring that it will not wake up again to harass travelers.
Ulfgard enjoys the healing from their chaplain and nods.
"Many thanks, brother!"
Anga laughs. Green thumb! Ah think you would make a fine gardener, Kaos. Ye have the trimming down pat
As the party can take time to notice their surroundings:
Kaos will note only that the item Leira previously picked up radiates magic.
Leira will not find a trap on the secret door. When she opens the door she sees a narrow corridor. She follows it as it curves around the north end of the chapel. The corridor is covered with dust that has apparently lain here undisturbed for centuries. There is nothing in the corridor until she reaches the end. There sitting on the floor, she finds three large, spherical stones with a rough textured black surface. The stones are massive. Each weighing in at about 750 pounds (340kg).
Haskyll waves haphazardly towards the alter and then the Menhir.
These are for the Giants god of Steel Zursvaater, so lets be annoying them later, just not here alright.
He follows down to the room and then looks with interest at the big balls.
Leira suddenly realizes about Kaos presence while she studies the stones. The girl blushes by the warrior closeness while he tries to study her stick "We... well, ye-yes, take it Kaos" she hands the stick for he to study.
Meanwhile Leira studies the stones just discovered "What about this spheres. What might they serve to?"
She also casts detect magic and touches them for further examination.
"Whom do you think have place this here and why?"
Ulfgard shrugs and looks at Haskyll."Do you have any idea?"
Kaos determines that the strange small tree without branches is a powerful magic item. The device is known as a SAPLING ROD PRICE 16,650 GP AURA moderate conjuration and transmutation CL9th WEIGHT 5lbs.
This rod appears to be the limbless trunk and branching root of a miniature tree. It grants its wielder a +5 competence bonus on Survival checks to get along in the wild and to keep from getting lost. Additionally the wielder and any allies within a 20-foot radius of the wielder gain the benefits of the ranger’s woodland stride class feature. If thrust into any natural ground or earth and allowed to stand for 1 hour, the rod grows and blooms into a large tree bearing edible fruit. A sapling rod produces 2d4 pieces of fruit. A creature that consumes an entire piece of fruit gains the benefits of either a cure moderate wounds or lesser restoration spell ( recipient’s choice). Consuming a piece of fruit from a sapling rod is a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity, and no single creature can benefit from more than two piece of fruit from a single blooming. A sapling rod can bloom once per week and after doing so reverts to its original state after all the fruit is picked, or after 24 hours, whichever comes first. Fruit harvested from the tree lasts for 24 hours before shriveling into useless husks.
Leira will examine the spherical black objects. They are round and not egg-shaped. She will be unable to determine exactly what they are, but she will note that they radiate a powerful evocation aura.