Kito goes over and checks that none of the embers cause the papers to catch fire. "Glad that is done. I had a fire spell, but couldn't use it without risk of igniting everything around here!"
Thera flies back over to her perch on Kito's shoulder.
Feeding a treat to Thera, Kito looks to Deseri and asks "What did you want me to look at?"
"You know, that scroll was just burned... Can we feed the ashes to Thera and find out what it contained?" Harmose raises an eyebrow and asks Kito.
Turning her gaze to the ground now that the battle is over. I really need to work on the whole useful thing. Waving a hand towards the discarded scroll without looking up, "There was a scroll."
Kito laughs when Harmose suggests feeding the burned scroll to Thera. This laugh is joyous rather than the creepy one she had just used -- it sounds much better.
Still smiling, she says "Unfortunately, there is quite a bit more to it than that. This would not qualify as a quite, meditative location and I doubt that the proper herbs were used as it burned."
Going over to the scroll Deseri indicated, Kito carefully picks it up and quickly scans it.
"It seems to be about making Ahkhat's. This would have been nice to know before fighting that wall!"
Looking around, she asks the group "Can we spare a few minutes while I compare this against the remains of the one we fought?"
Harmose nods. "Go for it. The better educated we are, the better off we'll be going into the next fight. Um, can anyone use that scroll of Remove Curse on me? Or are we better off waiting until we hit town?"
Kito nods.
At the question about the scroll, she says "I think it would be better to wait. I don't think we have anyone who can be certain of success using the scroll. Hopefully we can find someone capable of casting the spell who would be willing to cast until it worked in exchange for the scroll."
Just before wandering off, she adds "I would hate to use the scroll and fail to remove the curse."
Turel nods as the others prepare themselves for continuing onward. Once everyone has given their assent he moves to the door and waits for Polux to unlock it.
Quietly falling into her spot in the back of the line Deseri follows the others.
Qari did much the same. The library was interesting for a bit, but most of the scrolls and tomes were already long since looted. Maybe there is still a room with more preserved knowledge, she thought to herself. She prepared herself for more trouble with the Hand as they proceeded to th next room.
|
Trap spotted.
This short, narrow corridor between two stone doors appears unremarkable. For all its innocuousness, this corridor is nevertheless trapped. A pressure plate halfway down the hallway triggers a scything blade that descends out of the corridor’s western wall before automatically retracting back into the wall and resetting itself. A hidden lock at each end of the corridor safely deactivates the trap.
Success.
Polux leads the group through the trapped corridor in D10, and you reach...
This octagonal chamber is empty save for a large metal chest against the eastern wall. A series of hieroglyphs are inscribed on the wall above it. Stone doors are set in both the northern and southern walls. The chest is unlocked and empty.
Running her fingers along the large chest with a far away look, "We are breaking the rules here. People had to leave their weapons behind to go any further."
Qari doesn't press her luck. "I'll leave my weapon behind. Maybe the gods will look favorably on me!" She knew she was cheating a bit, though as she still had her main weapon, her cold energy, with her.
Turel notes the chest is empty and remarks quietly, "It appears the Scorched Hand does not share the reverence of the Good Magister. It further cements their lack of honor for me. While I do not follow the church of Nethys, I will still abide by their rules." He states as he places his masterwork spear in the chest.
I have no need of such a weapon to deal with the Hand.
Shaking her head with a small smile at the mental image, "Temples are supposed to be a place of peace and that peace has already been broken."
Looking over at the angry man, "Ra-Khefer the Hand did not follow the rules so I feel no issue with doing the same so that we can stop them."
Harmose translates the Ancient Osiriani. “The righteous and the holy have no need of staff, rod, or ring. Place your faith in the Good Magister and walk without fear.”
"I have no weapons, so it's no sacrifice to me to honor the Nethys code.". He pauses. "How would the Good Magister enforce this? Think that he maybe set up a construct or a spell to enforce the rule?"
Fidgeting a little as an argument seems to be breaking out. "Ra-Khefer is right. We could die going in with out weapons. I am sorry I said anything!"
Scowling and crossing her arms but refusing to drop her occasionally used weapons in the chest. "I am sure the Gods would forgive us in this instance. What with stopping the Hand and all."
Slightly embarrassed, Kito asks "Who is the good magister?"
Oh, good! I'm not the only one who doesn't know! I'm glad it didn't turn out to be a foolish question!
Kito looks relieved at Aleris's words. She says "It may be a title or a nickname." Gesturing around, she says "Given where we are, I would expect it to be linked to Nethys but that is just a guess."
Qari was ready to go, leaving behind her weapons. "Let's move on with it. We are giving he Scorched Hand time to plan for us."
|
|
If anyone wants to do anything before leaving D11, feel free to note so.
You proceed through the north door out of D11, and then descend down the stairs going east single-file, with Polux leading the group.
A stone bench sits against the eastern wall of this octagonal chamber. Black tiles line the floor, walls, and ceiling. A short passage to the south ends at a gate of bronze bars. There is no dust on the floor here. The gate to the south is closed and locked.
Turel looks about him with a look of curiosity on his face. "Certainly the Hand passed through this way, but how were they able to lock the gate behind them?" Shrugging to himself, he decides to examine the room closer looking for any ways to bypass the gate.
Glaring at the door, "That is going to be a pain to get though. Can we put something in its way"
Seeing everyone's concern, Kito takes an empty flask out of her pack and wedges it in the doorway so it couldn't close completely. "That should hold as long as no one disturbs it.."
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Seeing that the door closes with much too much force, Kito sees if there is something she can do to prevent it from closing.
Qari tries to squeeze through the opened gate before it slams and locks her behind from the rest of the group. "That's a pretty good lock to have held up this long with no maintenance!"
"Excelllent work, Kito!" Harmose grins, encouragingly. "Now let's see what awaits us here!"
Smiling, she gestures to Polux. "He has shown me a few tricks since we've met."
|
|
Polux is momentarily preoccupied with his thoughts so that Turel passes the gate and enters the next chamber (D13) first.
In addition to the bronze gate to the north, pairs of stone doors exit this empty room to the east and west, each emblazoned with black-and-white mask symbol of Nethys. The doors to the west are locked. The eastern doors are unlocked. On the southern side of the room is a human-sized statue made out of rune-carved clay, with half its face white and half its face black.
When the first of you enters the room, it silently and mutely animates, raising its weapon.
Graven guardians are human-sized constructs of clay, stone, wood, or similar materials, crafted and painted to resemble a deity or a deity's favored servants. When not in motion, a graven guardian appears identical to a temple or crypt's statue, but while active, graven guardians look extremely lifelike.
Graven guardians are inexorably tied to a specific deity's faith. While unintelligent and thus lacking any real personality, a graven guardian has the ability to recognize fellow worshipers or minions of its deity and does not treat them as enemies unless they first attack. This recognition does not extend so far as to allow these worshipers (or those cunningly disguised as worshipers) to give a graven guardian new orders. As with all constructs, a graven guardian follows only the orders of its creator.
Combat begins. I have positioned you according to the marching order except for Polux since he's still not all here.
Aleris, Harmose and Polux may take actions.
"It seems our presence here has offended...the guardian here."