After the overwhelming nausea and the pain of the burns fade, Sigrun looks over the things left by the ghostly creature's demise, picking up the superbly crafted longspear. Turning her head, she looks in the direction of what she thinks sounds like howling wind. "Does anyone else hear that?"
After taking a moment to get his bearing so he wouldn't lose his lunch, he found that to be worse than the burns, he looks around when Sigrun speaks up. "... da, another way out?"
"Let's go there, yes." Zses nods "Even it isn't a way out, maybe we'll see where we are in the statue now."
"Uh, Mestama. Nice. As if demon gorillas weren't enough, we even got Demon-Worshiping Hags." Crow groans, hovering around the ominous tapestries.
A long and winding stone staircase finally descends into a cavern whose walls support rough wooden shelves piled high with all manner of weird bric-a-brac. Tiny sculptures, fetishes, amulets of metal and clay, locks of hair, pin-riddled cornhusk dolls, and more than a few weathered tomes. Yellowed glass jars hold vile and suspect-looking samples suspended in unknown fluids, and small clay pots overflow with unknown dusts, powders, and sickly-colored unguents. Beneath the shelves, a couple of crude worktables, covered in mysterious stains and clumps of aged tallow, hold more items of a similar nature. A huge wooden mortar bound with iron bands stands near the tables, its club-sized pestle propped within. In the south side of the room, a ring of small stones surrounds a small fire that fills the entire room with the scent of pine. In the roof, a few small holes apparently lead outside the statue. The wind streaming in plays a melancholy (and somewhat ominous) tune.
Loot
+1 greatclub
broom of flying
cookbook of arcane augmentation
L chain shirt
L greataxe
Wand - cure moderate wounds (17 charges remaining)
-------------------------------------------------------
When you enter, you see an beautiful pregnant human woman busily 'entertaining' a Frost Giant. Neither is happy at being disturbed. Once hostilities inevitably ensue, the woman transforms into a Green Hag and attempts to sap Zses' strength.
Even if the group dispatch swiftly the hag and the giant, the Green Hag's spell lands a solid blow on the witch. Wobbling, the pale Varisian collapses on the closest chair.
"Oh...I think that I could use this stuff here to make...some healing potions..." Zses manages to say, more than a little fatigued.
Percy nods. I'm burning through spells pretty fast here, but I'm still ok. Maybe we should remember this room for when we need to rest.
"Yea, maybe we should take a break. " Hobbes will get to work using the new wand on people as needed.
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b"That sound, the song of the wind...its similar to an ancient fey lament may father sang for me once. The story of a captured Titan whose power was drained to fuel a ritual that devastated the First World eons ago. That can't be an accident" Sigrun says wondering about the significance of the song as they stumble upon the woman and giant. She almost felt sorry for interrupting them....well not really...but was definitely a crap way to die.
"Do you think Titan might be trapped here?" Neverhome only half-seriously asks as he drags the bodies out of the new safe room.
"Maybe, I mean' we're already well into the impossible so why not?" Sigrun answers with a shrug.
"True." Neverhome responds while nodding.
Percy quickly starts recording the lament. It could be useful. You never know with the fey.
With the break time being used with Friend Zsestrian brewing potions and the like the Felinerai moved off to the side with a clear path to the door they had just come from and removed a little crystal ball from his back.
Taking a moments to make sure his whiskers were on straight and his fur presentable he tapped on the glass orb and focused on Greta, his tail nervously slashing back and forth.
Greta's asleep. Based on what you can see of her surroundings, she's in the house of Martin the Forger, and there appear to be several resistance members with her. She's disheveled and dirty but looks to have avoided any serious injury.
A bit disapointed Silence merely watches her sleep quietly for a few minutes almost memorizing how peaceful she is in sleep before quietly putting the globe away and then focusing on watching the door.
"Since we're going to rest up here, we may as well look around." Sigrun says taking in the contents of the room.
While the other rests, Zses fiddles with the materials on the table, trying to make something useful...
"Done!" the witch proudly holds up four vials, before downing a couple.
"That's better."
As you travel down another corridor, the air suddenly turns cold, and the lights go out. You're now traveling in pitch darkness. After a few hundred yards, you see an enormous cavern. A forest of stalactites covers the high ceiling, and several stalagmites (many with their tops shorn off) rise from the floor as well. Huge webs fill the north end of the cavern, and a large cryptic rune about the length of a grown human is carved into the ground at the south end of the cave.
Five web-wrapped cocoons, each almost 10ft long, hang from the ceiling among the stalactites, and a sixth lies on the floor in the middle of the cavern. Each appears to hold the corpse of an andrazku demon.
"This is weird."
Silently and caustiously he rode forward on Mule looking at the dangling corpses.
Should we see if they are dead dead? Do you think disturbing them might awaken what made them in the webs? I do not like fighting giant spiders no no no.
He began at the moment but easily and quickly following the others.
"Yes it definitely is." Sigrun says looking around warily. "I wouldn't want to meet the spider capable of this." she says looking at the bound demon corpses.
As they walk down the corridor and it grows darker and darker, Zses feels something weird is going on. It takes some time to register, but then the witch realizes that everything turned black and white, but that he could see in the dark.
"Cool!" he says to himself as the group proceeds down the corridor.
"I can't say if the runes are somewhat connected to all the webs around here, but I agree to not poke around to wake some kind of giant-spider-thing."
Carved into the door are a series of Iobarian runes surrounding a waning crescent moon.
Beyond the doorway is a flight of stairs leading down for several hundred feet. There are more runes carved into the threshold.
There is a rune etched into five of the stairs. Zses immediately recognizes their meanings: "youth," "fertility," health," "strength," and "life." As you pass each one, it emits a faint glow.
--------------------------------------
Glyph 1: sands of time
Glyph 2: bestow curse (-6 CHA; Will DC 17 negates)
Glyph 3: greater contagion (bubonic plague; Fort DC 19 negates)
Glyph 4: bestow curse (-6 STR; Will DC 17 negates)
Glyph 5: slay living (12d6+20pts damage; Fort DC 20 reduces to 3d6+20pts damage)
There's another option, however, if the above spoilers are figured out.
As you backtrack, the ambient lighting abruptly returns in the middle of a passageway. After returning to the large many-branched chamber near the mausoleum, you take a corridor to an expansive natural cavern filled with a strange forest of dark and leafless trees. Upon closer inspection, you realize they've been sculpted out of some kind of dark, layered stone. Meditating in the lotus position in the center of the cavern is a six-armed woman with three fanged faces.
"Guessing she ain't friendly." Hobbes whispers.
I have fangs and meditate sometimes.. i am friendly yes yes... though you are probably right friend hobbes . . . I dont think their are freindly people in this statue....thing.
He whispered back tilting his head quietly watching the creature.
"That's an Upasunda Asura: they usually meditate to 'Achieve perfection of mind and body' " Crow makes a monk impression "Aaaand use that to murder and destroy everything they come across."
"So will she attack if we approach? Or only if we disturb her?"
Time to find out. Percy says and she nudges Lyosha forward.
Shrugging, Neverhome will lightly begin walking forward alongside the wall of the carved cavern.
Once you get within 30ft of the asura, she opens her eyes. "New challengers! Which three of you are ready to test your skill against me?"
Almost on reflex Neverhome nonchalantly points to himself, Sigrun, and Silence.
All three mouths grin as the asura rises to her feet and draws several exotic weapons. "Excellent. Let us begin the dance of death. The three of you may start when ready."
Totally on reflex as soon as the lady opens her eyes, Percy casts Bless.
Neverhome nods, then charges.
A shame you only see honor in death... so be it yes yes, we shall grant you that honor
He began charging forward to the right drawing his Katana at he last moment and slashing low.
Sigrun draws her hammer, gripping it firmly as she lets her battle fury flow through her veins, muscles hardening like marble, minow injuries sealing themselves as her body prepares to wage war.
Your opponent deflects both blades, and then casually knocks them out of your hands. She backs up a pace, allowing you to pick them up . "Your attacks are fast - recklessly so. And keep a firmer grip on your weapons. That was just embarrassing."
Your turns
"Sorry." Neverhome replies, not apologetically but also not sarcastically as he reaches down to pick up his sword.