|
Newis takes the rope that Sparrow used to let Jeffrey down, tying it to something sturdy nearby so they can all use it to scale down. Before going down, he throws his heavy steel shield over the edge and hears it clang at the bottom, echoing a little through the pit as he goes over the edge, gripping tight over a knot to ease himself down.
Feeling himself climb with ease, he takes a second to look badass about 10 feet down, kicking himself off of the wall and letting the next 5 feet of rope slide through his hand, grabbing the end at the last second which allowed him to swing down and snatch his shield up with his free hand as he came to a stop right in the center of the pit. "WHOOOOOOO! That was fun! Who's next?" he shouts back up as he starts to look through his pack for some rope. "Whoops, it turns out my Pathfinder's Kit doesn't come with rope! I might be able to scale up the other side but I won't be able to throw a rope down for someone. Can anyone toss me some spare rope and I'll climb up this other side and throw it down for everyone?"
Newis gets the great idea to throw his shield up on to the other ledge, grabbing the heavy steel shield by the edge and throwing it like a giant frisbee with all his strength.
Newis' shield spins and lodges itself into the wall near the opposite edge, waiting for him to come retrieve it.
|
|
Newis watches as Nym starts to climb down, the entire rope struggling as he slipped many times on the way down, catching himself at the last second while Newis would repeatedly throw his arms out thinking he would have to catch Nym. "Whew! I was worried there a couple of times, GOOD JOB!" he laughs and slaps Nym on the back, waiting for the others to climb down.
|
|
Without hesitation, Newis grabbed the end of Deliyah's rope, tied it tight around his leg, and began to scale the opposite wall of the pit, all the while singing to himself.
Spider Skald, Spider Skald, I'm a singing, Spider Skald
It's a pit, but that's okay, Spider Skald, will save the day
Oh yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh; I threw my shield up toooooo the ledge.
Newis climbs with ease up the rocky wall and reaches the top, leaving his shield in the wall for a moment while he looked around for something to tie the rope to.
|
Seeing no one else claims the cloak, Jeffrey decides to wear it.
You never know when you need you need some extra protection against spells.
Once the rope to climb up the other side of the pit is in place, Jeffrey will climb up again on the other side.
When on the other side Jeffrey unties his armor from his backpack, and dons it again. He takes his shield in his off hand, and smiles brightly. "Phase one, complete!"
|
|
Newis continues to dangle the rope down for his non-physical teammates, offering to pull them up with their gear.
They conquered the pit, with just some rope,
but the casters had no spell;
So they gripped the rope tight, and one of them slipped,
and down the hole she fell.
Newis hummed to himself while he jiggled the rope, before catching himself at the end and nervously looked down to see Isobel staring up at him. "Um... need some help?" he gives a fake cough.
All of you climb up the knotted rope on the other side with the help of Newis and Jeffrey. Per Isobel's suggestion, you leave the rope behind on this side of the pit in case you may be returning this way in a hurry. Once all set, you continue farther down into the tunnels. Approximately 30 feet beyond the pit and out of sight around a corner is a long, 3-foot-wide wooden plank that rests against the cave’s wall.
Moving on past the plank, 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. The cave continues to wind it's way inwards. Petroglyphs—most depicting marine animals or spiral shapes—periodically decorate the tunnels’ walls, becoming increasingly frequent as the pathfinders follow the cave into the depths of the mountain.
|
|
Isobel thanks her companions for their concern about her fall, but continues pouting and looking down at her raw hands where the rope ran through them.
With some interest, she looks at the images on the wall. With no skill in deciphering ancient languages and little knowledge of non-fey, she does not know what they mean.
She settles for taking a piece of charcoal and paper from per belt and making a rubbing of the carving.
|
|
Newis has a big shield so he goes up to the front with Jeffrey, putting an arm around his shoulder and laughing as they walked side by side, "Looks like we get the pleasure of being wounded first!" he says as his eyes drift to the walls.....
....enjoying the pretty animal pictures but not caring for much else.
Deliyah and Sparrow analyze the information on the wall and determine that scattered throughout the cave are inscriptions from the History and Future of Humanity, the principle holy text of Aroden, and images that depict these passages. The carvings focus on parables that feature Aroden’s 12 guises, meant to illustrate his hopes for humanity: the artist, beggar, craftsman, farmer, fisherman, hunter, merchant, scholar, shepherd, soldier, tailor, and thief. Eight of the inscriptions are weathered beyond recognition but Deliyah works out three of the inscriptions and Sparrow a fourth:
The Farmer is 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.
The Fisherman is depicted hauling in an enormous catch of small fish to take back to Absalom, illustrating Aroden’s declaration that a great host of creatures could accomplish a great task, whether that be taming the wilds or feeding a nation.
The Hunter is depicted slaying a giant Serpentine creature and then parading a trophy through the city streets — a sign to all humanity that the wilds are safe to inhabit once the monsters are slain.
The Shepherd is depicted herding animals out of a crowded city to the pastures beyond, just as Aroden blessed leaders with the foresight to direct people to the tasks and places that best suit them.
Nym concurs with Sparrow and Deliyah and agrees with their assessments on the inscriptions.
After consulting with Sparrow and Deliyah, Nym points out that the sections of the holy text depicted are slightly different than those that appear in the known version of the History and Future of Humanity, suggesting that these might represent an earlier version of the work.
Sparrow detects magic coming from several sources. Each of the blue-burning torches that line the cavern have a faint aura. Also throughout the cave there appear to be various locations with faint auras as well. Breaking away from the group as he spins looking for magic, moves a few feet to the south down the tunnel . Down the tunnel, the warpriest can see another—even larger—cavern beyond and the reflection of water glimmering across the cave walls and glistening calcium stalagmites and columns. The sounds of running water are all Sparrow hears, that and his companions discussion at his back. There likewise does not seem to be any movement in the cave beyond, at least from his limited perspective. But, without going down the tunnel there's no telling what else could be lurking in such a spacious cave. There is magic though, Sparrow picks up another faint aura coming from what looks to be like water down at the southern end of the tunnel.
|
magical water? ooh. hey guys, lets check out whats over here.
he picks up a pebble and casts light on it, letting the light fade from his rapier, and tosses the pebble closer to the water so he can see a little better.
the water and the torches are magic, i'm shite at figuring out what kind though, if anyone else wants to look.
he tries to peer into the dim light with his half-elven vision to see if there's anything lurking.
As Jeffrey, Isobel and Sparrow move further down into the torchlit tunnel, they can see the cathedralesque cavern beyond the man-made lights. Notably, the torches do not seem to be emitting smoke or heat and no oil drips from their heads. With some of the luminous moss growing up their bases, it is clear that these torches are the byproduct of some sort of magic—more than likely everburning torches, a staple tool of many Pathfinders. As the group moves down the tunnel, a distant sound begins to be heard ringing softly off the cavern walls: a murmuring voice amid the sound of dripping water.
As the group emerges from the other side of the tunnel, 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 sawed 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.
The source of the murmuring comes from a tan-skinned man kneeling in the shallow end of the basin, his dark hair wet and slicked back away from his prominent brow. A cloak—one made of the same material as the one discovered in the pit—lays folded behind him, revealing his bare shoulders and large, fanned gills down the side of his neck. He leans forward, pressing his brow to the surface of the water, murmuring once more.
This must be the gillman that Janira spoke of. What makes this situation even stranger is the realization of exactly what the diorama is. At first it's hard to make out the structures, but rising up from the center of the model the Starstone Cathedral is unmistakable.
It's a model of Absalom.
|
|
Jeffrey approaches the water, and gives the gillman a friendly nod and big smile when the latter notices him. "I'm going to try fishing," he'll tell the gillman.
Taking a few steps into the water, Jeffrey continues his search for fish.
If Jeffrey spots a fish, he will try to cut it down with a swing from his sword.
|
|
"Wait!" Isobel says as she places a hand on Jeffrey's shoulder. "I don't think it can hear you. Aside from that, this is not the place for fishing! It is a sacred place for him! Let me try."
She moves serenely toward the gillman. If any failed to notice before, Isobel does not wear shoes; she enters the water up to her knees as if she were born there.
"Greetings," she says to the gillman. "We are Pathfinders tasked with exploration of this cave. We come peacefully, and loathe disturbing your worship; we will soon be on our way. Please...what can you tell us of this place?"
The gillman has his face in the water as Jeffrey approaches, unable to see him. When the fighter speaks to him, the gillman either doesn't notice or chooses not to respond. When the water ripples from Jeffrey's entrance, the gillman raises his head and begins to star at him.
When Isobel speaks he patiently stares at her lips while she talks. He issues a wry smile when she is done and is eyes flit back to Jeffrey.
|
|
he's here for a mating ritual. Jeffrey, I think you're wearing the appropriate cloak to signal your willingness to participate. You'll have to enter the waters, and keep your head below the water long enough to fertilize all the eggs.
does anyone have a scroll of comprehend languages ? He seems interested in Jeffrey's cloak, its similar to the robe he's wearing. maybe he dropped it in the pit and couldn't get it? It might be a nice show of faith to offer it to him, slowly and deliberately?
I go over to Jeffrey, while keeping my eyes on the gillman, and finger the cloak, and then make a gesture towards the gillman with both hands, as if presenting something, and then give a quizzical tilt to my head and arch my eyebrows.
Closing his eyes, the gillman exhales a watery breath, then looks up to Isobel. "Yes," he replies in a muffled Taldan, "and no. It is—the words do not translate well into land-tongues. I do not understand all Taldane tongue. Much confusion from mating ritual discussion."
The gillman looks away from the cloak to observe Sparrow during his gesture. He looks pleased and nods once, slowly. "I would be honored."