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Smiley begins to play, but can't quite get the hang of the rules. He asks many questions, and quickly loses.
Har! Guess that's not my game. I prefer double-rocks. Y'ever play? Yer take these two rocks, y'see,...not too big, mind you, just the size that'll fit in yer fist, but not so small ya's can hide them completely. Oh! And one of 'em's got to be roundish and the other jagged. But it doesn't matter which is which, cause...
Smiley continues to explain the game as he is gently led away from the table to make room for the next player.
Oh! And if ye can give yer blessing to our mission that'd be real great. Thanksee!
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Fine clothes, Fine food, and fine wine, in a lavish setting: All things that Nali is horribly unfamiliar with. Still, she tries her best to at least ape the most cultured of the group, and not make a total fool of herself at the table. As the after dinner entertainment begins, she watches with some curiosity as the others play the board game with the magistrate. Nali is somewhat grateful when Smiley is led away from the table before sitting down to attempt to entertain their host herself...
... However, while she caught the basic rules from watch Korlis and Jacques play, the more esoteric rules are completely lost on her.
"I am sorry," She finally says after violating the rules for the third time. "A game like this is not something I am used too."
Once done making a fool of herself, Nali slips back into the group hoping that Korlis, Zhatara and Jacques can cover any cultural mistakes that she made.
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With some dumb, and not so dumb, luck you manage to procure the travel permit, which is available the next day. Most of your overland journey is safe and uneventful thanks to the carefully noted map provided by the Athenaeum. However, during the final stretch....
You notice the signs of a rising storm well in advance.
If anyone succeeds at this check, add +2 to all checks below for all players.
The last rays of the setting sun light up a bluff to the southeast that towers over the desert. Ruined buildings and leaning towers jut up from the plateau on its top as ominous clouds loom to the south of Ibhir—a sandstorm roars across the desert toward the ruins.
When completed, you need to post your icon on SLIDE 14 in the upper LEFT corner, in the building that you will be hiding out in.
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Ho! Lookee them clouds! My brother Durgo always said, "Smiley, clouds bring storms sometimes". He sure is smart!
Smiley did not think riding a mule would be so difficult, and is stung by the biting winds while trying in vain to keep it under control.
After fighting with the sandstorm and cursing it loudly and vehemently, Smiley remembers that he can squint his eyes to avoid the worst of the storm, and manages to find the Chelish camp.
Ho! Thar she blows!
Smiley does not know why he said that, he just heard it somewhere and liked the way it sounds.
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Coming to Mavius' place with a freshly purchased fox pelt and some other new clothes, he looks... semi-presentable. He discusses the bazaars and that one time he almost wrecked havoc on a slave trader's shop. After the introductions, he leaves others to do the talking - he is fully aware of his own incompetence in such situations with common folks, not even speaking of figures of high standing such as Mavius. After the gathering, he leaves as quietly as he came in earlier.
(if endurance applies, +4 to that)
While Malik is an outdoor fellow, he is not familiar with the desert, and definitely not familiar with the local beasts of burden. He instead decides to walk along the group, contemplating the sweet cold of the north just to not suffer from heatstroke. Once Smiley points out the gathering storm, he throws a freshly purchased scarf over his face and runs for the ruins. Over the strengthening winds, he hears Jacques' questions and runs up to the man, waving for him to follow.
Once inside, he strips most of his clothing to dust them off, and produces several litres of water to cool off from the journey and the final last minutes. "Anyone else needs a quick shower?", he asks jokingly once done. "We didn't lose anyone, did we?"
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Kolris accepts the offered mule, happy to have something to ease the long miles out to the dig site. He just hoped the beast would be responsive if a sandstorm did worry their trip.
Kolris keeps up with the others, easily guiding his mule to the bluff and then up the winding path to the Chelish camp, arriving without trouble.
Kolris had no mount of his own, and didn't have--or want to spend--the funds to hire out one of his own for this trip. If we get hit with a sandstorm, I'll be better if I don't have to worry about the safety of some dumb beast, too. I'll be better off on my own.
When the storm does eventually hit, Kolris does his best to keep up as everyone else rushes to the Chelish camp. He makes it to the bluff okay, but--despite his considerable panache and keen mind, he slips while trying to pick out a safe path to the top, betting beaten by an early arm of the storm that batters him before he finally slips into the safety of the camp.
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Nali listens to Smiley's rambles half-heartedly, until he mentions the clouds and storms. With a look in the direction that Smiley notes, she widens her eyes for a moment before goading herself into a hurry.
Riding a beast that she wasn't trying to kill is a somewhat novel experience for Nali, so pushing the mount forward is a challenge for her. Still, she notes the dig camp, and drives the mount toward it.
Deserts are very much not for Nali. The sand wears her down much faster then she was expecting. Even with the warning that she was given about the storm, she's not very successful at pushing herself forward, significantly wearing herself out, and even keeping her lost in the dunes for a bit.
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Sand gusts into the building through the open door to the west and the southwest corner of the canvas roof, where the broad tarpaulin has broken free at one end. The canvas strains violently in the wind as the rest of the bindings begin to pull loose. Only half of the building’s original floor still exists to the south. A ladder descends ten feet to a ledge below, and another ladder descends further into a jagged crack in the ground. A campsite sprawls across both ledges, and several bloodied corpses are scattered throughout.
You discover a small shart of Taldan pottery in the hay under a crate. This is an initial clue that somebody might have imported pottery to place in the excavation.
You notice three skeletons around the room, apparently dead.
The tattered uniforms they wear date back to the Everwar.
The hole in the floor drops off to the room below (20' fall) as indicated by the arrow. You have about a minute or so before the Sun is completely blocked off by the Sandstorm.
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Kolris points to the three skeletons. "These are all wearing livery that dates back to the Everway. Been here a while, I'd guess."
"But that shouldn't be our focus right now. This tarp won't hold, and we've only a minute or so until we lose the sun. We should climb down, quickly." Korlis will take his own advice and climb down the ladder into the room below.
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Malik tries to stop Kolris before he descends. "I can see in the dark. Let me go first. If something wants to jump us, at least I don't need to shine like a lighthouse to announce myself."
Before he goes down, he stops and pulls something out of his pocket. "Oh yeah - found this when dusting off, if it interests anyone.", he hands the next person a piece of pottery with Taldan motifs and goes down the rabbit hole...
... semi-sneakishly.
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The group searches around the room. Malik is very keen on dropping down to the level below to get out of the storm. But... The sun is finally blocked out by the raging storm outside, and the three Skeletons arise and attack!!!
++++++COMBAT ROUND 1++++++++++++
Smiley
Nali
RED
BLUE
BLACK
Jacques
Malik
Kolris
Zhatara
BOLD MAY ACT
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Smiley used Bull Rush to push the skeleton 5' towards the edge to down below.
Nali, with her uncanny ability to place her arrows, shoots the perfect shot and kills the undead skeleton.
++++++COMBAT ROUND 1++++++++++++
Smiley
Nali
RED
BLUE
Jacques
Malik
Kolris
Zhatara
Blue, with Malik right in front of him, swings with his longsword.
...But misses badly
Red takes a 5' step to Smiley, who tried to push him off the ledge, and attacks him!
...And he misses just as bad as the first!
BOLD MAY ACT
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Jacques smiles as he watches Nali's arrow shatter the head of one of the skeletons.
"Yes, of course, now I remember. Pointy arrows just slide right between their rib cages. Blunt it is."
He quickly lets two blunt arrows fly and pauses to inspect his handiwork.
As the arrows clatter off the walls, he looks around sheepishly.
"What? The Ioun Torch was shining in my eyes."
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This cold, dark stone chamber has walls covered in ancient markings that the ages have worn to the point of illegibility. The higher portion holds a dried-up well, a ladder leading up, and descending stairs to the north. The lower portion to the south has two ancient buildings and a collapsed passageway. The floor has fallen near the east wall, exposing another chamber below. A robed corpse lies at the bottom of the ladder. A satchel lies next to the broken body.
The collapse was recent and does not appear to have been an accident.
The clay pots and shards found here are authentically ancient, but the clay is of a wrong type for this region.
You confirm that the architecture is correct for this period.
The Chelish archaeologists modified the original Jistkan building with stucco that has been painted to appear aged and weathered.
You notice something gleaming at the bottom of the dried well.
Climb DC 14 to retrieve the item.
The archaeologists bag contains a scroll of resist energy.
Remember, each spoiler is its own test.
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Upon reaching the bottom of the ladder, Kolris' interest is immediately divided between the corpse and the inscriptions on the wall. He sets to work examing both as best as he can.
He immediately notices that the collapse is recent. "That passageway collapsed recently... and not by accident."
Studying the pottery shards in the area, he notices an interesting anomaly. "These shards... the pottery is ancient, but it's not the style that you'd expect to find here." He gives this a bit of thought. "I think somebody planted these here, probably to sell the story that this was an ancient Taldan site...."
"The architecture, on the other hand, is all correct for the period. So yes, the site is ancient, but probably belonged to a different culture than we're being told."
"..."
He is unable to make out anything more of interest in the space.