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For ages untold, a gemstone monolith has pierced the heart of the Echo Wood. Now, as civilization intrudes upon this enigmatic splinter, a strange life once again stirs in the depths—one with ties to undying evils and a might beyond time itself. The promise of wealth and power calls to glory-seekers from across the Inner Sea region, tempting them into a labyrinth of monster-haunted vaults, defiled tombs, arcane laboratories, and worse, as they seek to unveil the secrets locked below the legendary Emerald Spire.
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Purchases all set?
Characters all leveled up?
Basically, after you finish exploring the first level of the Emerald Spire, you report your findings back to the Pathfinder Society. You take a few days to rest, re-equip, and train. You prepare for your next dungeon dive and pick up where you left off!
You head down the central stairs winding around the strangely glowing green spire...
The stairs deviate away from the glowing spire. You notice that, the further you go down, the bigger and wider the spire gets! (The glowy part, I mean.)
The steep stair descends through solid bedrock for fifty feet before ending in a stone-lined room. A large stone door stands directly south of the stair, a small alcove lies to the east, and another door to the southeast is slightly ajar. An extinguished torch rests on the floor of the alcove.
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Desh is quiet as usual as they descend back into the unending gloom of the Spire, his longspear leaning casually on his shoulder. He sports a few more doodads among his gear, but the most obvious change is the well-made falchion slung across his back.
Halfway down the steps, the tall, rangy half-orc in his well-worn and utilitarian clothes and gear looks back up over his shoulder at Garret, his black orcish eyes taking in the new halfling’s size and gear … a wolf sniffing out a new pack member.
”I’m Desh,” he grunts without preamble, and without stopping, ”I scout.” Then his gaze swings back to the gloom ahead, into which he marches with quiet caution.
When they finally reach the bottom of the stairs, Desh pauses to look into the room, then he makes his way first to the alcove, where he stoops to touch, sniff, then—if he doesn’t detect any threats or poisons on it—he holds it up to the group.
”Not a goblin.”
Then he spends a few long minutes sniffing about the room. First, he takes a few painstaking moments stooped low over the floor, apparently looking for any signs of what direction any foot traffic seems to go in this room. Then, he spends just as much time running eyes, ears, and hands over the walls of the alcove, then the two doors … looking for traps.
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The rooms and passages of the Cellars are stone-lined, with earth behind the blocks and bedrock behind the earth. There are no traps here (in room B1).
You will all be very happy to hear, there's light!!! :-D The area is dimly lit by irregular, luminescent patches of greenish-white, furry mold. Nope, that's not ominous. At all...
The door to the south is locked.
The door to the southeast is ajar.
Desh also finds a secret door! It leads to... another secret door!
(Map updated.)
You have three choices (1) south, (2) southeast, (3) east. Where to?
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Desh grins back at the group. He holds up a hand for them to stay put, then he points his fingers at his eyes then the room's other doors in a 'watch the doors' gesture.
Then the half-orc grips his trusty longspear in both hands and stalks through the secret door. His eyes and ears strain for signs of traps, and he runs the tip of his longspear along the secret passageway’s floor and walls in an attempt to find triggers before they … trigger. Once at the second door in the hidden passageway, he repeats his careful examination of the door itself before pressing his ear to it, hoping to detect anything on the other side before having to actually open it.
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Garrett chats away as the group descends down towards the next level of the spire. Given that he is the newest member of an established group, he spends time regaling them with his most recent adventure with the Society during which he single-handedly stopped an invasion of Absalom by an army of undead agents that once sought to invade the great city many, many years ago...
He stops talking when Desh introduces himself. "Well met, Desh! I'm Garrett, I talk!" He says happily, trying to imitate Desh's syntax. Once at the landing, he lets Desh go about his business while he examines the glowing mold.
"Fascinating! I have heard stories of glowing mold in the underground! In fact, I once heard about it from a duergar when I led an expedition into the Darklands with The Society..." He continues to expound upon a most ridiculous story about his "expedition" into the Darklands and being captured by some of "those rude and unhappy gray-dwarves". All the while looking intently at the glowing mold.
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A curving wall of glowing green crystal bulges out into this chamber from one corner. A stout wooden table stands along the wall opposite it. On the table lie three rotting human corpses and the remnants of a moon spider.
One of the human corpses has had all of its extremities severed, and its torso has been opened to reveal the internal organs. Another dismembered corpse has large spider legs sewn onto the stumps in place of the removed limbs, all of which are neatly arranged near the rest of the moon spider.
A bucket full of reeking, old blood sits on the floor under the table, and needles with lengths of silken thread attached are stuck in a hand-sized block of bloodstained wax atop the table.
Map updated. This is room B8.
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Desh nods at his friend’s observation, ”Gross.”
Then he bars the group’s progress with an upheld arm before indicating the trapped area on the floor with his longspear. ”Trap.” The scout circles the area, giving the room a closer inspection to look for clues as to who or what is mutilating the bodies … as well as any other useful information or items to be found.
Finally, he ends his search next to the southern door, checking it for locks and traps before pressing his ear to it.
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As Desh walks about the room, he finds no other traps. He presence does, however, cause some of the remains in the room to rise up! They "fly" together creating a bony creature that regards the party with obvious malevolent hatred.
It attacks first!
, Desh
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Desh takes 9 HP of damage, and the party is up.
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Desh barks a laugh across at Flyndal as he returns Longtooth to its resting place across his back. ”Nice.” Then he spits on the bones and pulls his healing wand from his pack. In a surprise move, he doesn’t immediately hand it to Kohinoor, but instead begins tinkering with it.
He looks just as surprised as you when it responds immediately, stopping most of the bleeding. "What?" he responds with a defensive shrug.
The wand goes back into his pack, his longspear is retrieved, and Desh stands ready ... once again looking down at the pile of bones and general grossness of the room, "So ... not goblins?"
He seems ready to try the southern door, at the group's word.
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Examining the body whilst praying to her deity, Kohinoor knows that this is was a skeleton. It reanimated (again) after being smashed because it was exposed to the corrupting influence of the strange, glowing, green crystal in this room. This is the same crystal you saw in the first level by the central stairs.
Who knows what effect it can have on anything, given enough time?
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Garrett stares in awe as the skeleton is smashed and then smashed again by a fellow halfling. "Amazing! This will make for a fantastic story; the halfling that smashes better than a half-Orc!" He walks over and clap Flyndal on the back. "Simply outstanding."
He then turns his attention towards the horror scene in the room with distaste. "What a terrible fate for these poor people. I have heard stories about such behaviors... What did I hear about that?"
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Realizing how rude she'd been being, Kohi takes a knee and holds out a hand to Garrett. "Hello, little one. I'm Kohinoor."
She stands, pointing toward the crystal. "It seems the skeleton revived because of that. I think we should keep our wits about us, and be ready for our foes to do strange things, as long as we're exploring here. If we do that, the Dawnflower will guide us to victory.
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"... the halfling that smashes better than a half-Orc!"Desh scowls, "Sure, buddy up to him. Maybe he'll start bumming drinks off you, now."
Flyn turns a glare toward the half-orc. "Quiet, you. If my new friend here wants to buy a few pints and be enthralled by tales of my daring adventures, that's his prerogative."
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Realizing how rude she'd been being, Kohi takes a knee and holds out a hand to Garrett. "Hello, little one. I'm Kohinoor."
Garrett huffs with feigned indignation. "Little one? I'll have you know, Madam. I am amongst one of the tallest halflings I know! Little one, indeed..." He takes her offered hand with a garish grin. "At least you have enough respect to come down to my height. I approve of you, Kohinoor! I think we shall have grand adventures together!"
Flyn turns a glare toward the half-orc. "Quiet, you. If my new friend here wants to buy a few pints and be enthralled by tales of my daring adventures, that's his prerogative.""... the halfling that smashes better than a half-Orc!"Desh scowls, "Sure, buddy up to him. Maybe he'll start bumming drinks off you, now."
Garrett grins at Flyn's enthusiasm in sharing stories of a pint of bitter. He releases Kohinoor's hand as he spins around. "Now that's the spirit! I hope to one day put to pen the greatest adventures of the Pathfinder Society. With all proper respects and courtesies and permissions, of course. Some people can be so touchy when it comes to telling their stories."
As they prepare to move onward, Garrett cannot help but be drawn back to the horribly mutated bodies behind them. "Sir Elf makes an excellent point. Perhaps we should burn these mutations so that they don't decide to rise and attack us?" He then looks at Cëanel with a very serious expression in response to his question regarding halflings drinking pints. "Oh yes." He nods as he speaks. "I will drink nearly anything you put before me, except that dwarvish stuff. Blech! It is far too heavy for me... In fact, that reminds me of a story I once heard..."
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" ...and halflings drink entire pints?"
"Them's with the gut for it, can... I could show you a thing or, two, elf."
"Why would you want to drink a pint of that filth, anyways? Wine is better."
Tsk, Koh, Tsk. You haven't tried the good stuff. Met this fellow once - priest of Cayden Cailean... or was it a cleric? Well, some religious sort – he and his brothers brew some of the best stuff you ever put to your lips! Filth, indeed!"