Everyone ducks into the cave. Telandria grabs the backpack and the group makes its way into the cavern a bit before stopping and checking the contents.
In the backpack are: 5 Potions, 5 scrolls, 2 wands, acid flask, 2 alchemist fires, holy water, smoke stick, tanglefoot bag, thunderstone, antitoxin, and 2 sunrods.
Calypso successfully identifies:
Potions: Barkskin, Cure Light Wounds (2)
Scrolls: Entangle, Gust of Wind, Obscuring Mist
Wands: Burning Hands (CL 3, 4 Charges), Cure Light Wounds (CL 3, 8 charges)
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While the group sorts through the bag, Holly will keep watch deeper into the cave, alert to baddies. She will also examine the ground in front of her, looking for signs of any recent movement through the caves.
Much cooler in here but sure smells musty. How, oh how, did I end up here? 'It will make you stronger' said Aly, 'Oh the wonders you will see' said Aly. It hasn't been boring, that's for sure. And what a motly crew we make. I wonder if Calypso's hair can be braided. Might loose a finger if I tried.
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Telandria takes care to place the emptied rucksack against an obvious rock as Calypso does her best to sort through the gear. Shaking her head a touch at the strange witch's cackle, she separates out the unidentified items, and sorts the remaining by magical property.
Depositing both alchemist's fires and scrolls of Gust of Wind and Obscuring Mist into her many pockets, she passes the Potion of Barkskin and one of Cure Light Wounds to Nivla, taking care to make her own assessment of the surroundings.
"Here; you are most likely to be in the front. You would make best use of these. The amber one will make you tougher, and the one with the curled top will heal you."
She gives the remaining wand, vial of antitoxin, and healing potion to Holly. "I trust you to keep us alive."
Pointing to the remainder of the identified pile, she addresses the cavern company at-large; "Any of you able to throw, or can make use of that scroll, grab your choice; otherwise, they're going in my pack."
Finally, Telandria settles down next to the four unknown items, making her own attempts to identify their properties.
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Holly stows the vial and potion in her backpack and tucks the wand into her belt. "Your trust is well placed. Just don't go running off too far as I can only move so fast in this armor." and gives Telandria a smile. "Who is mapping? I think Alistair has paper and charcoal. I can go up front since I have the light and the smithy said this armor would protect me from just about anything. And everyone can shoot over my head. Just make sure you aim high, please."
Oh, boy, this is getting real. I hope this armor really is as good as they said it was.
Holly will recast Light on the front of her shield before they head out.
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Ooo, thanks I'll try not to waste them Nivla puts the potions in his bandoleer, making carefull note which is which.
Holly, hold up. looking around the cave, and then at his party members. this cave was well hidden, and those who hide things like secret caves, might do something like put traps in them as well... At least that's been my experience. is there one among us who can spot and remove such devices?
Telandria identifies the last of the magic items.
Potions: Feather Step and Vanish
Scrolls: Identify and Mage Armor (CL 6)
@Holly: As items are being identified, Holly points out the web-toed humanoid footprints on the cave floor. Holly does not detect any magic down the cave.
As you take inventory and distribute the contents of the backpack, Let me know who has what, you move on into the cavern. The cave system stretches deep below the foothills of the Kortos Mounts. The caves are damp, and water occasionally drips from the stalactites. Among the otherwise silent cave system is a distant rushing of underground streams. The caves' walls are patterned with blue-green luminescent fungi providing dim light. Petroglyphs, mostly depicting marine animals or spiral shapes, periodically decorate the tunnel walls.
The narrow tunnel twists and turns for several hundred feet before slowly opening to a wider passage. A large hole spans the cave's width and stretches ten feet down the path. At the bottom of the 20' pit lies a small bundle of cloth.
@Nivla: The cave tunnels vary in width from 3 and 10 feet wide, but most are a comfortable 7 feet.
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Alistair keeps the crossbow drawn and ready as he continues to mount a watch over the moving party's rear. Nothing yet, but if anyone is around they'll pick their time and place. Just hope we see 'em coming. Glancing at the cavern he grumbles, "Well that verifies the aquatic theme. Think the gillmen might be worshiping something here?"
@Alistair: You don't see anything outside the description.
@Boris: The bundle of cloth is magical, faint abjuration.
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Alistair sighs "I do. I'll climb down there, but isn't there some way we can determine if the hole isn't going to contain some horrible doom at the bottom?". He first pulls out his 10ft Chain and throws it to the bottom of the pit.
Alistair removes the 50ft of rope and starts spooling out about 15 ft of it. Any volunteers to hold this end? I'm not jumping in unless someone can pull me out in a flick.
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Sighing, Telandria sets down her pack, and grabs the other end of Alistair's rope. Suppose this is the price I pay for seeking adventure. Perhaps I should move to Egorian, where the Halflings'll be carrying me around...
"Come now, down you go. Be quick about it; I'm not wont to dangling dead weight."
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Calypso's hair reaches down and grabs Janira's wand from her hand, then stows it somewhere in the recesses of her writhing mane.
She joins Alistair in climbing down the rope.
"Of course there is terrible doom waiting everywhere for us, dear! You never know...it could be standing right beside you!" she says with another wink.
Alistair easily makes his way down the rope. The skittish halfling quickly stows his chain and carefully examines the cloth. Telandria makes her way down as Alistair picks it up, and finds it to be an extremely well-woven cloak.
That's what I said. :-)
Alistair and Calypso are in the pit. Telandria is holding the rope. Holly is illuminating the pit. Everyone else is watching at the moment.
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Looking further down the passage (60' dardvision) to determin if the passage turns or has side passages, or if anything is hiding.
Carefull, I don't think all of us should be in the pit at the same time.
Nivla will then check out the sides of the pit along the walls, to see if there is a path around.
Alistair climbs back up the rope and Boris casts Detect Magic and identifies the cloak as a Cloak of Resistance +1.
Nivla looks down the passage and can see about 30' past the pit before it bends around the corner. Taking a closer look at the pit, he notices there's only two ways around the pit, climbing down into it, then up the other side or jumping over it.
Currently only Calypso is still in the pit.
You can take 10 to climb down while someone holds the rope, but someone needs to be on the other side to hold the rope to climb up.
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"Well, I guess its not an evil man-eating pit and not a cursed cloak.", Alistair tsks, "We have 50 ft of this rope so I'll jump across and hold up one end of the rope of people to climb out and someone else can help them get down using the west of the rope.". He begrudgingly unlimbers his crossbow and hangs it across his back.
Alistair checks the distance, grabs one end of the rope and takes a running leap across the chasm...
He skids across the landing and braces the end of the rope.
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Grinning broadly, Telandria continues holding the rope, but looks between the rest of the party as she speaks.
"It seems the only way across this pit is to jump, or else climb up from the other side. I'm certain I can make it, but doubtful of some of the rest of you. Nivla, Boris, and you down there," she says, leaning forward slightly and raising her voice unnecessarily to address Calypso, "if you would like to make the climb, go down now, and I will lower rope when I cross. Alistair, Holly; would you like some help across?"
Her expression is almost giddy at the prospect of tossing one of the Halflings.
...she then pouts slightly as Alistair blatantly refutes her plan.
"Well, then...I can still help you, Holly, if you'd like."
Alistair easily jumps across and lowers a rope from the other side. I assume the others climb down Telandria's rope and climb up Alistair's rope.
This leaves only Telandria left to cross, unless you switch with someone else.
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Not liking either prospect, Holly decides to climb down the rope, taking 10 for a total of 5 Climb check, barely making it without killing herself. She then barely climbs up the other side, collapsing when she gets to the top. "I sure hope we don't have to make a hasty getaway." she murmurs as she catches her breath.
Everyone makes it across the pit safely. As you start making your way around the first bend, you see a 12 foot long 1 foot wide wooden plank hidden just out of sight of the area with the pit.
The tunnels continue on, leading deeper beneath the Kortos Mounts until they eventually open into a large cavern. What must have once been beautifully carved reliefs and inscriptions have since weathered heavily, their features dulled and softened to the point that it is hard to distinguish what each once depicted. A wide tunnel exits the cavern on its far side, and blue-burning torches line the passageway’s walls.
As you look at the carvings on the cave wall. Everyone can make one of the following skill checks:
Knowledge (History)
Knowledge (Religion)
Linguistics
Perception (at a -2)
Appraise (at a -2)
Anyone who speaks Auquan or Azlanti gains a +2 for each language.
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As we pass the area with the plank, Holly turns around and commits to memory where the plank is in case they need it in a hurry. If we come to any junctions, Holly will mark the entrance and exit passageways with chalk, using an arrow on passage way wall pointing their pathway into the junction and an arrow point outward of the exiting passageway. Of course, they are halfling waist height and may be overlooked by the tall folk.
Hmm, could these carvings be what I think they are?
Holly: With her Knowledge Religion Check realizes that the carvings scattered throughout the cave are inscriptions from the History and Future of Humanity, the principle holy text of Aroden, focusing on the parables that feature Aroden’s 12 guises, meant to illustrate his hopes for humanity.
She also is able to decipher one of these carvings as: The Artist: depicted painting murals on the walls of impressive buildings, associated with Aroden having painted the city of Absalom with beautiful colors so that it might awe all who visited.
Alistair: is able to to decipher a second carving as: The Farmer depicted plowing four lines in a field, retelling Aroden’s prophecy that humankind would prepare the rocky earth for planting and over generations wear the pebbles down into fertile soil.
Right next to Alistair he is also able to decipher another carving: The Merchant: depicted weighing and trading coins of different sizes, a reference to the holy text’s proverb that peace brings trade and prosperity to all people.
Boris: is able to spot a 4th carving: The Scholar: depicted writing on a piece of parchment and then reading from it to passersby, just as Aroden was said to smile on those who recorded history and other knowledge to share it with others.
As the party scans the rest of the cavern, the other carvings are undecipherable.
Moving to the passage to the south, The soft light of the surrounding fungus mixes with the flickering glow of the nearby torches to reveal a grand chamber. A large pool of water along the chamber’s southern edge reflects the blue and green radiance to illuminate the massive stalactites that cling to the ceiling overhead. Two other tunnels branch off from this area, leading to the east and west. Rising up from the pool is a column of rock with steeply sloped sides and a flat top, as if someone had sawn off the top of a massive stalagmite. A miniature city carved from this same stone occupies nearly the entire surface. Tiny trinkets such as ancient coins, polished semiprecious stones, and ornately braided loops of string are scattered throughout the diorama, and pale cave frogs clamber atop it. The smooth cavern floor is covered in gravel and pebbles along the edge of the pool, and several foot-long centipedes prowl among the gravel in their search for prey.
Kneeling in the water is a lone humanoid figure kneeling before the miniature city.
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Alistair taps Nivla on the shoulder and indicates himself and the western part of the chamber. He stealthily moves to the space between the two stalactites to the west () and takes a position. He keeps his hands clear of weapons, not wanting to appear threatening if seen, but ready to cut off an escape if need be.
I'm not much of a talker, but I can keep things covered from here he thinks.
As Boris begins walking forward, Alistair takes position to the west.
Boris calls out to the gillman. The gillman doesn't acknowledge Boris and keeps going about his business.
Boris continues forward, talking at the gillman, but the gillman just keeps to his business praying at the model of the city in the middle of the pond.