"No reason we can't tie him up after all. That way at least we'll have a head start before his friends free him."
Rain stomps over to the lizardfolk and looses his restraints, roughly forcing him to his feet. She points to the direction the lizardfolk had come from and angrily shouts, "Go! Run!" even though she knows he likely doesn't understand. She tosses in a few cracks of her whip to encourage his speedy departure as well before returning to the task of gathering up the useful supplies. "If that doesn't bite us in our zitvlakken, I'll buy you boys each a drink when we get off this island." She then trails off scowling and muttering more colorful halfling words as she roots through the items already collected.
Heledar smiles approvingly at Talarin's actions - "We will not regret it" - he nods his thanks to her, then prepares to move off - "Let us continue"
"We might regret it, but we'd be regretting being thugs more if we hadn't done it," Rythan said with a sickly grin and a salute to Rain. He followed the others off the battlefield, trying not to hold them up as he moved stiffly along with his walking stick.
He kept an eye on the surroundings as best he could, wary of the counterattack Rain had predicted.
Leaving the scene of the battle behind, you make good progress. Some twenty-one miles east of Fort Landing along the Iramine’s trail, you reach the entrance to Xin-Grafar, the City of Golden Death.
The entrance consists of two enormous stone doors, each thirty feet high and fifteen feet wide, covered in carved, vertical wavy lines.
The left-hand door stands open, a complex internal mechanism of worked stone and metal clockwork gears visible along the door’s side about halfway up. The doors are recessed about ten feet into the side of a large, grass-covered hill and tilt slightly inward.
A firepit smolders beside the right-hand door, tiny tendrils of smoke still curling skyward from its coals. This surely is where the Razmiri cultists rested before entering the city.
There can be no more than 12 remaining cultists — the island, it seems, has been hard on Razmir’s faithful.
"Kind of them to leave the welcome mat out for us."
"Well at least they're not too far ahead of us. Based on the camp, it looks like they've lost a good bit of their number too, so hopefully the island's done most of our work for us already."
"I wasn't expecting us to catch up to them so soon," Rythan wheezed as he gazed at the interlocking gears in the door. "Impressive craftsmanship. We should probably already be wary of traps as we go in."
Grobradon nods as Rain lets the fellow loose. "I suppose that's the right thing to do."
At the large doors, he whistles, "Ah, so should I take point?"
Once you enter the gates of Xin-Grafar, you descend hundreds of feet into the earth through smooth, winding tunnels – despite your caution, you encounter no traps or opposition. After a thousand feet of underground switchbacks, you reach the city itself, situated inside a vast underground cavern. The sight is truly awesome.
Breaking the silence, Dusan suddenly speaks. ”Formerly the great city of Kestrillon, a civilization of advanced magical knowledge and vast wealth, Xin-Grafar comprises three concentric, circular walls, known as the First Ring, Second Ring, and Third Ring, each smaller and higher than the last.”
“Legend has it that when Tar-Baphon’s armies conquered the island, he renamed the city Xin-Grafar in Thassilonian style (and as an insult to the city’s destroyed Grafar Citadel) and deposited an enormous amount of his own wealth here, securing it with magical traps, undead guardians, and a diabolical cyclical trap that unleashes a flood of molten gold in most of the First and Second rings of the city.” His voice is so matter of fact – and you have noticed he seems far less manic than when you first met him.
The entire city is lit with dim light from flickering, greenish phosphorescence on the cavern ceiling and from the glowing, molten gold canals that surround the First Ring and flow down and through the Second and Third rings. There is also a heat coming from the city – evident even from your current distance.
Xin-Grafar is carved out of the natural bedrock below the island, but the buildings are all constructed not from the native bedrock, but from quarried granite, finely carved and resplendent with frescoes and friezes. Gold plating covers all of the buildings in the First and Second Rings but ends in a straight, horizontal line at a certain height in each ring.
You notice ahead a bridge crossing the first moat – and it stands out because it is not golden. The bridge leads to a large doorway carved into the wall.
"Wow." Amazement robs Rain of any other words for several long moments as she gazes at the city before them. "When they said 'golden city', I was thinking it was a metaphor. I was not expecting... this." She falls silent again as she further surveys the area. The only verbal expression she can conjure after several more minutes is simply another "Wow. Just... wow."
"By Abadar's vault," Grobradon gapes at the gold EVERYWHERE, "That's...real, gold? Not that fool's gold stuff? I didn't think there was that much gold in...anywhere. Forget a house, I could buy my mother a castle," Then he shakes his head, "Of course, like you said, Dusan, traps. That, and...wealth isn't the reason we're here. Someone remind me the smart thing to do is resist temptation and focus on the mission, okay?"
As you consider your next move, Dusan speaks again. "Just to make it clear, this is as far as I go. I promised to show you the way - and I hope I've been of help - but I'm no warrior and would prefer to remain here for your return."
Heledar's eyes go immensely wide at the sight, his mind struggling to take in the enormity of wealth that must surely have been possessed by those that built this amazing place - "This is definitely a legacy from another time... Wealth and oppulence all stacked into a single bundle" he ponders.
"It will be as agreed Dusan - thank you for having brought us here, you have indeed been most helpful" - he shakes his hand - "Make the best effort to stay safe" - and then smiles broadly - "We will meet you back here"
Turning to the way ahead of them, he adds - "I guess that bridge and the door beyond it should be our immediate destination?"
Rythan tore his eyes away from the incredible wealth he had been gaping at to shake Dusan's hand as well. "Stay safe, and thank you for all you've done."
He nodded at Heledar's remark. "It appears to be the only way in, unless we've missed something?" His eyes kept drifting back to the gold.
Dusan thanks Heledar and nods. "I'll be here when you get back. You still have to get to the beach and take me off this island don't forget."
"You've got yourself a deal" - Heldar parts ways, giving Dusan a good natured clap on his shoulder, and motioning to move towards the bridge - "Talarin, will you be testing the area?" - he questions.
"For what? Traps? Ha ha! Ha-" Rain's laughter stalls as she realizes Heledar isn't joking. "Uhhhhh- What is it exactly you want me to do?"
"You take care of yourself, Dusan. We'll be back," Grobradon assures him, and tries to assure himself. Then he looks at the others, "Well, I could always lumber forward and hope whatever I trigger you guys can heal. It's a method, anyway."
"So long as we all keep our eyes open, we have a good chance of finding any traps before stepping into them," Rythan said optimistically. "And if none of you know how to disable them, I'm willing to give it a shot," he added with considerably less enthusiasm.
"For what? Traps? Ha ha! Ha-" Rain's laughter stalls as she realizes Heledar isn't joking. "Uhhhhh- What is it exactly you want me to do?"
Heledar's eyes go slightly wide as he realizes he had made a wrong assumption about his companion, then simply laughs - "My apologies Talarin, I assumed what I should not have. Please take no offense"
"So long as we all keep our eyes open, we have a good chance of finding any traps before stepping into them," Rythan said optimistically. "And if none of you know how to disable them, I'm willing to give it a shot," he added with considerably less enthusiasm.
"Rythanus is right. Let us keep our eyes open, and proceed carefully" - he adds, moving towards the bridge, stopping short of it to observe the area carefully.
Rain shrugs. "Oh, I am good with my hands, but most of my practice has been on Razmiran locks. Still, I guess if we do find a trap, errr- before it goes off, I could maybe try to keep it from filling us with poison needles or dropping a boulder on our heads."
You gingerly head down to the bridge and cross it.
Passing through an opening in the huge walls, you enter a large rectangular room. The floor here is sand and shows signs of recent foot traffic.
The walls are all painted in enormous murals that depict a city in its prime. The south wall shows hundreds of men and women in a marketplace, trading everything from fruit and livestock to construction materials such as brick and wood. The north wall depicts row upon row of unarmed, uniformed men standing large in the foreground and growing smaller as their ranks disappear over the horizon toward the far right of the painting — a horizon over which an enormous golden sun rises. The east wall is a huge map that portrays a city constructed of three concentric circles and divided by canals of pure, crystal-clear water that flows from the city’s innermost ring.
Below this map someone has scrawled numerous notes and mathematical calculations in charcoal. Finally, the west wall depicts a leader of some sort, crowned by a golden sun and speaking before a huge crowd of people wearing white shawls and golden togas.
"Well this place certainly doesn't disappoint at least. These murals are incredible!" Rain fings herself drawn to the southern wall, gazing up at the marketplace and all the various trade with a mixture of awe and longing.
"Indeed" - Heledar agrees with Talarin, his attention drawn to the eastern huge map, and the scribblings below, moving closer to inspect them further - "I wonder what these could be? Anyone has any ideia?" - he questions his companions.
Rumha puzzles over the frescoes.
Heledar looks positively boggled by the inscriptions...
On the plus side, you can tell from the footmarks that the previous party didn't even stop to look at the markings!
Heledar cannot make heads or tails from any of the drawings, so he decides to focus his attention on any possible footprints in the sandy terrain, and assess where the cultists may have headed to.
The Razmiri cultists tracks show that they walked right through the middle of the room and exited to the north - entering the city.
"This whole thing is a bit intimidating," He admits, a bit in awe.
Rain tears herself away from the southern mural and joins Heledar and Rumha at the eastern wall. "What'd you find? What are those- notes? Is this math?"
Rythan examined the map and markings more closely along with Heledar and Rumha. "Truly awe-inspiring," he agreed distractedly as he touched the frescoes.
The notes beneath the map are scrawled in Common, and although seem at first to be gibberish, with several phrases referring to the “Jewel of Everlasting Gold” and multiple descriptions of fire, floods, and molten gold.
After a few minutes you realise that they are mathematical calculations and they are adding up three things:
1. The volume of gold it would take to flood the entire city
2. The amount of time it takes for the event to occur, and
3. How often it occurs.
Careful study of this map reveals that 72 hours after the gates you entered a short while ago are opened, the jewel of everlasting gold will flood the city with molten gold to a height of 40 feet throughout the entire first two rings of the city (hence the fact that the walls and everything under 40 feet in height is covered in gold).
It also reveals that the molten flood takes a full 24 hours to drain, and notes scrawled beneath the calculations mention the jewel’s inability to stop the flood once it has commenced.
The cultists are obviously unaware of this fact
Rythan swallowed. "Talk about your traps. If these calculations are correct, the first two rings of the city will be filled with molten gold a few days after the gates are opened. How much of a head start do the Razmirans have, again? We don't have that much time. Of course, neither do they... and I don't think they know it." He looked at the golden walls wistfully. "I guess there's no point in hauling along souvenirs..."
Then he frowned and looked at the markings again. "If it wasn't the Razmirans, who wrote this?"
From the fires outside the gates, you estimate that the cultists are 6 hours ahead of you - and that the gates were therefore opened 6 hours ago.
You are also sure the cultists didn't write these notes.
"So the city's only gold-plated then. Hmpf. How chintzy."
"Oh yeah, now suddenly it's ugly, tawdry, and I've no temptation at all," Grobradon adds drily.
Heledar nods at the information, and his companion's words - "In that case, we should not dally any further. I don't feel like being encased in gold anytime soon... Let us proceed north, as the tracks of the cultists lead that way?" - he adds, beginning to move.
"Rythanus, Talarin, would you say that trap is still active after what must have been such a long time?" - he asks as he walks.
Rythan shrugged as he moved to follow Heledar. "I think we had best assume that it is. If it isn't, that will just be a nice surprise."
Rain glances to Heledar, "Well, the flooding is caused by something called "the jewel of everlasting gold" and that doesn't sound like something I'd want to bet against." She shrugs. "We've got two days to find our way through this maze of streets to the third ring. Let's not dilly dally."
Grobradon shrugs, "Lead on then, whoever. Unless you want me to take point."
A map of Xin-Grafaris here....
Try this link instead
"I confess, I wouldn't be overly upset if the cultists got stuck in either of the outer rings when this supposed jewel belches forth rivers of molten gold. On the other hand, I would be very displeased if that happened to us. I think we should find our way to inner most ring as soon as we can."
"You took the words right out of my mouth, Rain. If anyone deserves to have their greed end that way, it's the Razmirans. Let's go!"