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Monterey smashes the elemental and it collapses into the fountain.
You spend a while, and eventually work out that the cartouches move and that by moving the cartouches around, you can trigger the secret door to open.
[ooc]Hitting the accelerate button due to time. You can investigate these areas a little more if you want to[, but I'm conscious of having only three days left./ooc]
The rich scent of palm wine, cinnamon, and myrrh fills this magically illuminated storehouse. Each wall has deep slots filled with papyrus scrolls. A white-and-black marble altar enveloped in faint wisps of faerie fire sits squarely in the center of the room. A ladder to the south leads up to a walkway, with more shelves and a golden sarcophagus.
A small shirne next to the sarcophagus holds notes in Ancient Osiriani.
The notes are question-and-answers. The questions concern the preservation of memory in magical jewels and the crafting and repair of such jewels.
The notes explain that the sarcophagus allows a creature touching it to commune with any corpse placed inside.
Searching the shelves reveals a collection of scrolls
The chest on the walkway contains five bottles of holy water, a stack of ancient platinum coins, five spell component pouches, and three scholar’s outfits in red, yellow, and green, cut in a style common millennia ago.
Heading back to the entry room, you check the door ahead, which leads to a storeroom. The walls, floor, and ceiling are charred, and the burnt remnants of a few splintered boxes and barrels and a handful of corpses are scattered to the edges of the room.
This leaves only the double doors to go through.
The ceiling of this natural cavern sparkles with thousands of tiny crystals, while the center of the cave is split by a chasm that wends deeper underground. A stone bridge stretches over the gap. At the center of the bridge rises a black granite obelisk, covered with gems and hieroglyphics. The obelisk is a masterpiece of sculpture, with flawless lines and beautifully rendered images of the past. Large double doors provide an exit to the north while an open archway to the south is covered with wall carvings and leads to a hallway.
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Monterey huffs after the battle. "Well, that's that."
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Monterey casts Read Magic on the collection of scrolls and lists them: "Bless; Magic Weapon; Ghostbane Dirge ; Resist Energy. Useful stuff."
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"Whoa, what's this obelisk?"
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If the user meets all the requirements noted above, and her caster level is at least equal to the spell's caster level, she can automatically activate the spell without a check. If she meets all three requirements but her own caster level is lower than the scroll spell's caster level, then she has to make a caster level check (DC = scroll's caster level + 1) to cast the spell successfully. If she fails, she must make a DC 5 Wisdom check to avoid a scroll mishap. A natural roll of 1 always fails, whatever the modifiers. Activating a scroll is a standard action (or the spell's casting time, whichever is longer) and it provokes attacks of opportunity exactly as casting a spell does. If the caster level check fails but no mishap occurs, the scroll is not expended.
- The spell must be of the correct type (arcane or divine). Arcane spellcasters (wizards, sorcerers, and bards) can only use scrolls containing arcane spells, and divine spellcasters (clerics, druids, paladins, and rangers) can only use scrolls containing divine spells. (The type of scroll a character creates is also determined by his class.)
- The user must have the spell on her class list.
- The user must have the requisite ability score.
Spell Completion: This is the activation method for scrolls. A scroll is a spell that is mostly finished. The preparation is done for the caster, so no preparation time is needed beforehand as with normal spellcasting. All that's left to do is perform the finishing parts of the spellcasting (the final gestures, words, and so on). To use a spell completion item safely, a character must be of high enough level in the right class to cast the spell already. If he can't already cast the spell, there's a chance he'll make a mistake. Activating a spell completion item is a standard action (or the spell's casting time, whichever is longer) and provokes attacks of opportunity exactly as casting a spell does.
Spell Trigger: Spell trigger activation is similar to spell completion, but it's even simpler. No gestures or spell finishing is needed, just a special knowledge of spellcasting that an appropriate character would know, and a single word that must be spoken. Spell trigger items can be used by anyone whose class can cast the corresponding spell. This is the case even for a character who can't actually cast spells, such as a 3rd-level paladin. The user must still determine what spell is stored in the item before she can activate it. Activating a spell trigger item is a standard action and does not provoke attacks of opportunity.
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Talan will take both scrolls unless someone protests, having finished shaking the water out of his boots by the time Monterey has returned to the damp room. He'll trail along to cavernous room and give the obelisk a glance. "Beats me, but let's keep moving. We haven't found what we came for yet."
And he'll move ahead to cross the bridge, with a bit of haste in his step.
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@Monterey..oopse, I stand corrected. Though I'd have thought you could make a caster level check at +0 if the spell is on your list. Not that is really matters in this case.
As Talan moves across the bridge spirits seem to pour from the obelisk and a wave of desert heat washes over the area. The spirits dive at Talan
But they miss him, and then vanish. As the others approach the spirits don't seem to come back.
While crossing the bridge, Silgil notices a faint glow from below.
Looking at the hallways that leads out of the odd room...
The arch around the north entrance to this hallway is covered with detailed carvings depicting the life and accomplishments of a female pharaoh. A charred corpse covered in flecks of glass is visible just inside the hallway.
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Talan doesn't really have time to avoid such an attack, but pent up spirits have a habit of being inaccurate, which is a boon to him. He spends a few moments staring at where they vanished and then inches more carefully past the obelisk.
When Urias keeps continuing foward he holds up a hand. "Be careful! If there's a burnt body in there it might be trapped, be ready to dodge, but I am entirely fine with you taking one for the team."
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Monthery has a go at the climb, but it is a little too tough for him to do without risk.
Looking down with your light you can see a body far below. Maybe 50'. If you had a long enough rope, you could make the climb without risk..
Looking through your gear, Zax remembers he has a rope and after securing it, Monterey climbs down.
At the bottom is a broken body, with a softly glowing wayfinder you look around and see a wand, and a gem. A quick check of magical auras shows them to be magical, along with a ring on her finger.
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With a bit of work you can drag the body out of the hallway without entering it yourself. Looking through his stuff you start with his pack.
The pack holds notes about the ruins and correspondence from the Pathfinder Society leadership. His notes record his suspicions about a trap in the hallway and that he had located a switch to bypass it.
The pack also has a broken wayfinder and a magical scroll.
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You bravely head into the next area...
This large columned chamber shows signs of past comforts, but an ancient battle scorched the walls and ceiling, and cracked and smashed the floor and columns. The remnants of furniture are scattered against the walls, and piles of bodies are stacked in the sleeping alcoves along the south and west walls. A dais crowned with a great, round table rises from the floor in the south part of the room. Three corpses sit around the table as if in conference, each dressed in fine silk robes. A slight breeze whistles through with a sound like a distant, murmuring voice, but there is no sense or meaning in it. An open hallway to the north leads to a natural cavern. Stairs lead downward in the northeast corner of the room, but were buried in stone when the wall collapsed.
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Zax steps forward and tries to address the newcomers calmly. Trying to keep his words as generalized as he can as to not tip the party's hand he says, No need for hostility here. Who are you and what claim do you have for whatever treasure you believe to be here? Perhaps we could help each other in some way?
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You start to settle down to discuss where such a weapon might be found... However it is not to be a quiet search. Within seconds of your truce being agreed the room trembles, the brazier in the centre of the table ingates with emerald fire, and a spectral form rises from the flames!
Status, bold may post
Electra
Talan
Urias
Monterey
Zax
Ghost
Allies
Silgil 2 damage