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Ironshanks loots the dead fish woman, showing only a lonely javelin as the prize. "Smells of dead fish. Ick." He tosses it onto the floor and heads over to peer up at the hole in the ceiling. "Rope's been here a while, but seems sturdy enough right?" He gives it a solid tug to check.
Seeing the rest of the gear he points out the wayfinder "Hey now, bring that over. Sometimes they're engraved with the name of their owner!" He squints to have a looky.
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Cazlin starts by looking over the merrow, searching for any signs of why the creature suddenly attacked them. When it turns out that there's little to no evidence on the merrow herself, he joins Ruvena in the northern chamber. "D-dead Pathfinders? B-but when?" He takes in the remains and then inspects the mural while the gnome looks through the skeletons.
"G-guys... m-mural looks weird." He tries to draw the attention of the more experienced members of the party to the mural/mosaic. While the others make their way over, he checks out the three items Ruvena retrieved.
He also checks the map case out for any hidden scrolls.
Examining the map case, Cazlin finds no hidden compartments, but he does find within it are several parchment sheets, many of which are covered in handwriting set forth in common.
The handwriting is an account describing the ill fortune and fates of a Pathfinder adventuring party identified within as “Daling’s Delvers” and Daling’s final notes.
The account describes how, over a year ago, the Daling’s Delvers entered the Tower of the Horn through a breach in the wall. After driving off some reefclaws near the entrance to the Tower, the unfortunates located a shaft, the remnants of a long-fallen staircase, which they used to get to the floor above.
Once there, they encountered a room full of statuary, but one of the statutes seemed to come alive, battering them. One member of the party was badly wounded and left to die in the room above, and the survivors fled back to the lower level, using a length of rope one of them had secured to an unanimated statue and repelling back down to apparent safety.
Instead of retreating from the tower, however, the adventurers bickered. There was fighting over faction politics. Likewise, Daling fought with Ejiekito, a Tian Pathfinder, over the purpose of an amulet that they had found. (An included sketch, though crude and somewhat inaccurate, resembles the amulet Ruvena attempted to appraise.
Unfortunately, as the party bickered, the rising tide cut off their exit. By the time the tide retreated again, the scent of blood in the water had drawn another reefclaw, and they lacked the energy to defeat it. The weakened party managed to crawl into a chamber, where blood loss, fatigue, and despair finished them off.
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Ironshanks shakes his head slowly as he reads through the note "Very sad that one. We should take what we can back to the Lodge." He unshoulders his pack and prepares to stow things away.
"So who wants to swim and check out the other rooms? Or we goin' straight up the rope to deal with that statue?" He cracks his knuckles, ready to go.
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Cazlin looks between Ironshanks and Ruvena and then nods hesitantly. "I'll t-try. P-please watch b-back"
He stows his longbow and pulls out a morningstar just in case there's something dangerous in the other rooms on this floor. He heads to the south first, swimming carefully in the dim light.
From the surface of the water he calls out "A-ah. L-lair! N-no d-danger." to those still on dry ground. He swims down and retrieves the satchel and a few of the coins, bringing them back to the rest of the team. He takes a look at the gold, trying to judge if its something recently left there (by the ghoul we're chasing for example) or from earlier on.
He shakes himself somewhat drier and then looks between the hole and the western room.
'Maybe the western one next? Seems like the rest of the team doesn't like water...'
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Cazlin peers skeptically to the west, then shrugs. "L-light p-please!" he calls to his allies, hoping one of them might be able to help with light while he swims. He grips his morningstar and swims into the western room, sticking to the shallower sections.
Cazlin looks around the seemingly empty western chamber, treading water.
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While Cazlin takes the watery side of the Western room, Ironshanks stows his axe and shield, draws his bow and arrow and stalks the dry half, keeping a close eye on Cazlin. "Come on now kid, get yer head under water if ya wanna find the good stuff!" He half jokes as he pokes through what he can get to while keeping his top half dry.
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Upon entering the west chamber Cazlin, Ironshanks, and Lem find that the stone shelves once crowded this chamber, but most have broken loose and lie in crumbled fragments on the floor.
Desks, easels, and ruined books litter the floor, and patches of algae grow on the walls and floor.
Those in the room spot three creatures submerged within the room, Blood-red spines run the length of the creatures, which resemble lobsters in the front and eels in the back.
Surprise Round
Barcher
Lem
Pruk
Cazlin
Ironshanks
Ruvena
Creatures
Seeing his campaigns get to dry ground and deciphering Cazlin's rhyme, Lem exits the water and moves next to his companions in the room.
The creatures swim swiftly towards the Pathfinders in the room, but then slow down significantly as their legs try to navigate the stone flooring.
First Full Round of Initiative
Barcher
Lem
Pruk
Cazlin
Ironshanks
Ruvena
Reefclaws
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Bow in hand and still scratching his beard over the riddles of Cazlin, Ironshanks lets an arrow loose at the red reefclaw. The arrow sinks in nicely.
He then keeps ahold of his bow for now, drawing out his shield and taking a step towards the others. "Don't lettum surround ya! Fight tagether boys and we'll get outta this with our limbs still attached!"
Although his initial shot went wide, Ironshanks' second shot struck true-skewering the "sea food" with a single shot.
First Full Round of Initiative Cont'd
Barcher
Lem
Pruk
Cazlin
Ironshanks
Ruvena
One fewer Reefclaws
The bard and barbarian move forward, their movement impeded somewhat by the high water. Pruk draws his weapon as he moves.
Whether out of revenge for their skewered comrade, an apparent taste for dwarves, or simply because he is the closest opponent, the two remaining reefclaws attack Ironshanks!
First one attacks!
Then, the other!
Despite their attempts, the creatures cannot pierce the dwarf's armor.
[Second Round of Initiative
Barcher
Lem
Pruk
Cazlin
Ironshanks
Ruvena
Reefclaws
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Ironshanks grins as the creature's claws scrape and grind uselessly against his full plate "Not used ta fightin' Dwarves are ya? Lemme give ya a taste. Them arrows are fer sissy Elves, axes do the real work!" He tosses his bow to the floor behind him and draws out his war axe and in one swift motion brings it down on the head of the green reefclaw.
Where there was once a reefclaw there are now two, with a curious bowl of steaming butter that came out of no where. "Lunch is served kids. Don't let 'r git cold!"
Being a ferocious foe, the two halves of the reefclaw cleft in twain by the dwarf's axe each spasm horrifically. Immediately upon dying, they each attack the dwarf.
First one attacks!
It is as unsuccessful in death as it was in life--yet far more delicious!
Second Round of Initiative Cont'd
Barcher
Lem
Pruk
Cazlin
Ironshanks
Ruvena
Reefclaws
With his first shot the halfling bowman pins the remaining reefclaw to the floor, with his second, he ends its life.
Yet, again being a ferocious foe, the dying reefclaw spasms and tries to take the closest Pathfinder into the netherworld with it!
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"Nice shootin' kid." Hollers Ironshanks as two more claws scratch feebly at his shield. He kicks the dead thing away and takes a quick look around before stowing his weapons and retrieving his bow.
"How 'bout you get back to checkin' the room out here. You get that wet part n I'll do this top part here... maybe we'll get lucky n the other stragglers will lend a hand." He throws an annoyed look in their general direction.
A search of the western room that once held the clutch of reefclaws reveals little else of interest. A crack in the northern wall appears , barely large enough for a person to squeeze through, but it seems that the narrow crack is now blocked on the other end by recently fallen stone.
Barcher examines the mosaic in the northernmost room where the party had earlier found, among other things:
1) human remains,
2) a wayfinder,
3) a golden amulet with small holes within it and engraved designs,
4) a scroll case detailing the expedition of a previous group of Pathfinders..
Barcher shares that the central figure of the mosaic in the northernmost room is Nethys, the god of magic. He notes the god in the mosaic wears a brooch recessed half an inch below the surface.
The recess in the brooch of the mosaic is a bit larger than the golden amulet that the party recovered.
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Cazlin squeezes water out of his clothing as he listens in to Barcher's conclusions about the mosaic. "N-nethys?"
'If I know my ancient trapped ruins, we'll probably need to put the amulet around the statue's neck or something. Everyone takes notes from the old Osirian tombs designers...'
But the more he thinks about it, the more it seems like the amulet the Pathfinders had is incomplete. Maybe like it needs some additional parts plugged into it before it matches the recess in the mural. Not sure what that means for now, he resolves to keep his eyes open for items that might match the amulet. He looks up at the rope, then says "I, c-can try..." and shimmies on up it to the second floor.
Taking his time, the halfling is able to make it up the rope.
Arriving at the next floor, Cazlin sees that this level, too, has no source of light within it.
Before you is a hallway that opens up into a larger chamber to the west, the statues in which appear slightly different than those in this hall.
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Taking his time, the halfling is able to make it up the rope.
Taking 10 on a check doesn't increase how long it takes to accomplish it, only taking 20 does. You can only take 10 when not in combat (or have some other fancy ability, or a climb speed). With a 20ft movement you climb at quarter speed so it would take him 2 rounds of double movement.
Ironshanks whistles "Color me impressed, kids these days sure are good climbers. Make sure you wait fer the rest of us, remember the notes on that living statue! And our ghoulish friend may be up there.." Ironshanks grabs a hold of the rope and looks up, before quickly nodding at Ruvena's knot tying suggestion.
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With the rope knotted by the halfling, the others have little difficulty climbing the rope.
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Once the knots have been set, even in his full plate armor and his slightly advanced age, Ironshanks has no trouble climbing the rope. One hand over the other and grasping the knots with his boots.. up he goes. Once he pulls himself to the top level he looks into the darkness, his Dwarven darkvision gives him a black and white view of the room. "Aigh, look at all them statues... wonder which one was givin' 'em all the problems?" He draws out his axe and shield, taking point as he eyes them all warily while the others climb.
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Cazlin lowers the now-knotted rope to help his allies up, grabbing a hold of Ironshanks' hand as the dwarf arrives at the top. While he waits for Ruvena to make her way up, he pulls out a torch and lights it to better illuminate the room.
"C-come up. L-looks... safe?" He doesn't seem to confident in that conclusion.
While the others make their way up, he joins Ironshanks in inspecting the room's statues.
