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He says distinctly and quietly, but at a normal pace, "Hello, I am Jezakay, a Cleric of Desna. We are here peacefully. I and these others represent the Pathfinder Society, and we have been tasked by our Master there to explore this cave and the reasons you or others of your race visit here. Will you treat with us, our means are meager but I will share what I have if you are amicable. Do you know more of the fascinating depictions and petroglyphs? They seem to be of Aroden's book." He adds to Dissa's explanation of the parties actions.
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The man visibly relaxes as he stares intently at Dissa's and Jeza's lips nodding in indication that he can understand what you are saying.
"My name is Uori," he says pulling back his hood and gesturing towards his chest. You can easily see the gils along the side of his neck
"You have entered a site that is sacred to my people."
He smiles at Dissa as he gestures towards the diorama. "This is not from my people. These caverns, including this model city, used to be a holy site for your god called Aroden. While his power can still be felt here, the centuries have eroded his influence."
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Dissa keeps his hands both empty and clearly visible, attempting to maintain a friendly demeanor. He echoes the sentiments of his peers. "We would love to hear your tales of both future and past. Time is irelevant to Tsukiyo, and all our days exist in both isolation and in aggregate. I can relate to your worship of the past in our present."
Dissa continues, "Each morning when I wake, I have no idea when I am. My yesterday could be my tomorrow, so my prayers, and my sacred places are without time. My obedience is timeless as is yours. Please enlighten us!"
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Uori smiles as he seems to be even more at ease. "These caverns are sacred to my people because of the freshwater spring that created this pool before you. For generations, our priests and spiritual leaders have made the pilgrimage over the harsh land to seek enlightenment here."
"If you are truly here to seek enlightenment, I would be happy to step aside and give you an opportunity to pray to your human gods."
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Barid walks forward nervously and clears his throat before speaking. "Uori, right? My name is Barid. If you don't mind me saying, the style of your cloak is very similar to one we pulled out of a crevice or pit earlier in the cave system. Would this," Barid tugs on the cloak, "belong to yourself or someone close to you?"
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Bozmir releases the cloak. "Oh, I didn't even notice. I hope it was simply lost and not the result of a worse fate."
"I fear we do not have enough time to pray. We need to figure out what happened to a halfling friend of ours after mapping these caves. Perhaps some other time at another full moon? For now, would you mind telling us what we can expect in here?"
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Dissa watches the exchange, and sees an opportunity to capitalize on Bizmir's goodwill and Barid's conversation.
He steps forward slightly to gain Uori's attention and says, "Are there more individuals like yourself in these caves? If so, could you describe why you are living so far from a major body of water? Part of our exploration included learning about potential inhabitants. We would be eager to learn!"
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"Oh yes," says Uori. "My friend just went to rest a few hours ago."
He indicates toward area B4 on the map.
"Before you continue on your mission, have you figured out the rituals of Aroden yet? I've heard humans like you used to come perform these rituals right here by the water and model city."
He turns to step aside before stopping and reaching into his robes. Withdrawing a wand, he hands it to Barid and says, "Please take this as thanks for recovering my friend's cloak. It is a Wand of Shield of Faith with ten charges remaining. It should be of use to you I hope."
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Jeza looks at Uori and again speaks deliberately, "I do not personally worship Aroden, but knowledge of these caves will be valuable, I will attempt to understand the rituals of the city."
He then looks closely at the city, trying to understand if the petroglyphs and it are related. He digs out a silver and looks to see if there is an exchangeable amount of coppers or misc coinage to relate to the traders. Secondly Jeza tries his light orison on something small, like a pebble and lights up the various streets carved into the table, looking for something hidden a vigilant soldier may shine light upon. He thinks back on the final petroglyph he deciphered and asks the party if they can think of any rituals that might help here. Explaining the various parts of the book.
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Barid accepts the wand carefully. "Thank you Uori. I hope we will not have to use it too much."
Thinking about Jeza's question he responds, "The only thing I can think of is to take some colorful cloth or berries and 'paint' one of the buildings with it." He says in a quieter voice, "Blood may also work for its vibrant color."
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Jeza replies to Barid, "I like the idea with the berries, please give that a shot. As far as divine blood rites, I understand their existence, but we will not be attempting them for they are an abomination unto the senses of my Lady."
Jeza thinks there might be an opportunity for deep converstaion with Barid, but this is not the place and time for such, yet.
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Following the lead of his party, he unties the necklace of his holy symbol, and holds it over the miniature city. "Jeza, the light spell you cast on my holy symbol could easily represent a lantern. Let us see if our actions provoke a response."
Dissa follows Barid and Jeza to the pedestal, hoping the three actions in concert will accomplish any necessary 'trials'.
Once complete, Dissa will press on through the catacombs to continue documenting the caves.
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"Bozmir I fear you may be correct, however the exploration of this artifact seems to be part of the mission so I'm trying to understand it and its ritual significance." Jeza continues, "If we don't find anything quickly, we need to press on with our exploration."
Jeza casts upon the holy symbol of Dissa the spell of light.
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He digs out a silver and looks to see if there is an exchangeable amount of coppers or misc coinage to relate to the traders.
There are several coins on the diorama already. You find 10 copper. As you place your silver and take the 10 copper, a weird sensation spreads through everyone, almost like a little jolt of lightning running through the body. Somehow, all of you feel like you are little more gifted in determining the value of items.
Secondly Jeza tries his light orison on something small, like a pebble and lights up the various streets carved into the table, looking for something hidden a vigilant soldier may shine light upon.
As Jeza places the lighted pebble upon the city, everyone feels an overwhelming sense of calmness and clarity.
Barid was able to find some pigment stones on the ground and paints a picture on one of the buildings. Everyone feels their senses sharpen and a heightened awareness.
Uori, upon seeing you perform the rituals, smiles and says, "I see you were able to understand the inscriptions back there. My people have only been able to decipher four of them: The Artist, The Farmer, The Merchant, and The Soldier. Do you know the ritual for The Farmer?"
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"What the?" Bozmir is surprised by the almost unnoticeable changes. "That shouldn't be possible, unless it's a permanent magical effect..." To satisfy his curiosity he casts Detect Magic, trying to include the pool and city.
"Is the ritual of the Farmer explained in the image of the man hauling fish?" Bozmir guesses. "Do we place an animal offering by the city? Are there fish in this pool?"
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"Oh, sorry," Bozmir apologises and explains, "Only a harmless magic detection spell. And the null result is quite extraordinary. News of this place's function and history must reach the society so let's map this place quickly."
"But you were asking about the ritual of the Farmer. Did my guess sound right?"
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Dissa steps toward the corridor, leveling his pole arm toward cobwebs or threats. He stops briefly, and catches Uori's attention. He asks gently, "Does your friend have a name? Also, does he have any limitations we should know about now? I would much prefer our next conversation begins more smoothly than the last. Take care, my friend!"
He awaits Uori's response, then presses toward the other Gillman in the cave complex. Dissa keeps a wary eye for trouble along the route.
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Uori smiles and waves as he says, "My friend's name is Bolor. Unlike me, he hears perfectly fine so you should have an easier time with him."
The cave’s damp air becomes increasingly stale as you continue down through the tunnel, and as you approach the area of the map, the stench of decay grows increasingly evident. The passage turns to the east and opens into a small cavern littered with bits of broken glass, rotting pieces of paper, and other unusable detritus. A body lies face down toward the back of the cavern.
Barid
Bozmir
Dulomak
Bad Guys
Dissa
Jeza