With Criscius making a withdraw, the snake swarm's up again.
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Snake swarm (-9) is now all over Doran.
, and they bite his ankles, legs and hand, as he tries to swat a few from his knees.
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Doran (fort pending), Zorahas
Gunthur, Janira
That means the swarm disperses at the last acid flask, and Doran is spared 5 hurt.
Combat over.
Janira has her hands in her sides.
"Well done, your first battle of the mission, and against a tricky opponent. Do you guys have your healing items with you? If not, i can lend you a charge of my own wand for this time."
Zorahas shows a fine display of survival skills, as the trail you had been following, is being obscured by overgrowth and fallen vegetation, from a previous storm.
The dense forest opens to a wide clearing at the base of a sheer cliff. Thick vines cover the surface of the cliff stretching 30 feet overhead.
"Here! The cave entrance is behind those vines," Janira says with a broad smile as she walks to the cliff’s face.
She pulls back several layers of vegetation to reveal a narrow crack in the cliff’s surface.
"This is where I saw the gillman enter."
As she motions toward the aperture, the surrounding woods come alive with the sound of small animals fleeing some unseen danger and a large creature crashing through the undergrowth.
The halfling worriedly remarks, "Quick, take cover before whatever it is spots us!"
As if she’d summoned the creature with her words, a massive horned monstrosity emerges from the trees. Standing eight feet tall on a pair of cloven hooves and wielding a tremendous axe, the bull-headed creature roars with unbridled anger when it spots the group.
Wisely assessing that a minotaur is beyond her charges’ capabilities, Janira screams, "A minotaur! There’s little chance we can stand against it.
Take this bag," she continues, pulling off her backpack, "and head deeper into the caves. Finish your mission. I’ll lead it away from the caves, lose it in the forest, and join you as soon as I can. Now go! GO!"
She heaves her backpack into the cave, casts a spell, and darts off toward the minotaur before turning to lure it away.
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After excusing himself after being sick from their encounter with the snakes the young fighter will ask for healing.
Upon feeling better and giving his thanks he is happy to be on his way to the caves. As the minotaur erupts from the foliage he states It would not be honorable to leave Lady Janira to this fate of fighting the beast man. However, the mission to uncover the secrets we have come to seek is pressing.
2 charges used from Doran's wand, and Criscius is feeling fine again.
That leaves Doran at 11/6, Orin at 7/9, and Zorahas at 5/7.
Potion of barkskin
Potions of cure light wounds (2)
Potion of feather step
Potion of vanish
Scroll of entangle
Scroll of gust of wind
Scroll of identify
Scroll of mage armor (CL 6)
Scroll of obscuring mist
Wand of burning hands (CL 3rd, 4 charges)
Wand of cure light wounds (CL 3rd, 8 charges)
Flask of Acid
Alchemist’s fire (2)
Holy water
Smokestick
Tanglefoot bag
Thunderstone
Entering the caves, you see the minotaur chasing after Janira through the trees, fighting its way through the dense undergrowth. Soon the cacophony of the chase fades and the sounds of the forest slowly return to normal. The caves are damp, and water drips from stalactites.
After a short while...
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 pit lies a small bundle of cloth.
Something magical pings from the cloth below.
Jumping across will be an acro DC 12, from the damp slippery condition of the ground.
Partially filled with water, nothing dangerous within it.
Gunthur has to take a breath of air, and needs some lighting.
After which he can clearly pick up the cloth from beneath the water.
I don't want to get my claws wet."
Gunthur swims to the other side, and while treading water, tosses his hook onto the other side. It firmly lodged, he climbs out on the other side.
In the distance, he sees a plank, approx 12 feet long.
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Gunther walks over to the plank and grabs it. He looks around carefully to see if anything pops out of the shadows to attack him.
If nothing does, he'll bring it back and lay it across the watery pit. As the other party members make their way over, he can take the cloth out of his belt pouch, wring it dry, and examine it closer.
Gunthur finds the cloth to be a cloak, a well tailored one at that.
Still, Zorahas found a magical ping on the cloth earlier.
Cloak of resistance +1.
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As you continue afterwards....
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.
Scattered throughout the cave are inscriptions.
All but 4 scenes accompanying them are illegible. Those that are, are difficult to decipher due to their eroded state.
Of all, Orin is doing pretty well in identifying the scenes, all of them, matter of fact. Though everyone identifies at least 1.
The scenes depicted, are four professions.
With a little study, the team deduces the way it is described, is slightly different from what the tale is told as in the common city nowadays. Perhaps it is even older than current time version?
The scenes depict:
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 Tailor is depicted 'sewing together a long cloth of featuring many patterns that wraps around a city like a moat', referencing Aroden’s proclamation that when the fate of all peoples is woven together, it shall be humanity’s greatest strength.
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.
The Scholar is 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.
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As the team advances, after exchanging discoveries (no doubt RP ensues on this ^^), they arrive in a greater cavern.
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.
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"All of these relief carvings seem to be dedicated to Aroden and his virtues and teachings... Interesting... We are most definitely in a site holy to Aroden and his worshipers. Even if we don't share that faith, we should be respectful of the historical and religious significance of the site.... And what is this?" He approaches the edge of the pool to get a better look at the diorama. "A tiny carved city! Festooned with what look like offerings ... and frogs living on it as well."
DC 10 Knowledge (engineering, geography, history, local, or religion)
The miniature city is a model of Absalom, easily identifiable by its Starstone Cathedral.
Orin's observation about it a place for offerings isn't far off, by the looks of it.
Doran peeks down the western tunnel, but isn't seeing anything.
In a large pool, with his back towards you, sits a man kneeled down.
The man doesn't respond, and merely sits there.
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Orin scowls, then shrugs... He must be deep in prayer or contemplation... Be patient. He waits a little longer, a few minutes at least, if his companions comply. He will whisper to them, pointing to the man in the water... "He seems too deeply in prayer to respond."
Then he tries again... "Hello? Can you spare a moment to talk?"
No response again.
If Orin moves slightly further towards the side, he notices the man is looking at the wall ahead, and his lips are making motions, as if in silent prayer.
Is this guy even noticing you??
Zorahas is trying to spook the frogs..