Looking through the crates you find nothing of real use. Mostly mundane items of no value. Before you disturb the body you find a book clenched within its hands. Pulling it free reveals a book titled; “The Birth of Light and Truth.” Moving the blanket off of the body you see that the man is wearing a finely crafted ephod. It is woven from silver thread and is decorated with a multitude of gems and precious metals. If you were to move the body for it to lay on its back, you would reveal that the chest piece of this ephod has an image of an Angelic Ankh.
Also when you roll him over you reveal that he has a finely crafted Scimitar at his waistband. His waterskin is bone dry and his ration bag is empty. It makes you wonder if you brought enough trail rations along with you on this journey. Considering the passageway you originally came through is blocked, you unconsciously feel your rations bag to make sure there is food within and water in your waterskin.
From the book you found, the scimitar, and the symbol on the chest piece of the ephod it is easy to tell that this was once a Priest of Sarenrae.
From the book you found, the scimitar, and the symbol on the chest piece of the ephod it is easy to tell that this was once a Priest of Sarenrae.
"Surely, he didn't come down here alone." After a moment, Lanliss adds, "I am glad we dealt with the necromancer before he made his way to this room."
Bozvrig scratches his head, "I'm a bit confused..." he admits, "You did chase someone into this maze, right? Who're we lookin' for down here?"
"Can someone check to see if the scimitar and possibly that robe thing of Sarenrae is magical?"
Scarlet flips through the book to see what it's contents look like.
"It's pretty obvious that this fellow never found a way out... so we have to think outside the box... or maze as it may be". Dell stalks about the room looking for anything unusual, and chuckling at his own pun.
"Can someone check to see if the scimitar and possibly that robe thing of Sarenrae is magical?"
Lanliss casts detect magic on the body's possessions.
"Should we say a little prayer over the dead or some nice words?"
Lanliss nods absently, lost in thought.
"It's pretty obvious that this fellow never found a way out... so we have to think outside the box... or maze as it may be".
"I wonder if we were to leave someone in this room, and others were to travel to other rooms and circle back around to this one, if the remaining person could see them and vice versa."
When Scarlet mentions looking for magical auras, Barnabus replies "Let me see those and I will take a look."
(+2 for metal and gemstones)
Barnabus casts Detect Magic and looks over the items.
"I wonder if we were to leave someone in this room, and others were to travel to other rooms and circle back around to this one, if the remaining person could see them and vice versa."
Scarlet flips through the book and you it seems that it is indeed a holy text. Prayers, rituals, creeds, etc...
Lanliss and Barnabus cast Detect Magic on the Scimitar and Ephod. Both detect as magical, the Ephod specifically shows an aura of transmutation.
Using the holy text of Sarenrae, Lanliss is easily able to find the ceremonial liturgy readings for a funeral. There is no real way to bury the dead here, so you either wrap him in his blanket and leave a minor marker or you can burn the remains.
"I can tell you the scimitar is magic, but that's about it. The ephod is enchanted to empower a good cleric's ability to channel energy." Barnabus tells the others.
While studying Evocation, you have also reasearched a vast number of items. Those that have been past down from generation to generation that hold great legacy within. This includes holy relics.
This items is specifically one that you have found in your studies. Thought ou do not recall exactly the full details, you do know that this items is called the Ephod of Authority. It is one part of of five holy relics that make up the Vestments of Divinity.
You remember studying that the Vestments of Divinity was created to allow you to deny sin, wage war against evil, and put an end to malevolence whereever it is found.
The Vestments of Divinity were revealed to a holy man named Reesh N’Faeren in a vision. He spent years tracking down each sacred relic until he gathered all of them.
When Reesh N’Faeren was a child, his village was terrorized by flail-wielding cultists calling themselves the Heralds of Hell. The cult was eventually driven off, but not enforce Reesh’s family was taken from him. Reesh was spared, but he grew into an adult with an unflinching hatred of all those unaligned with his own sense of righteousness. His purity of purpose was given expression in the temple where he began training as a cleric. One night, while still an acolyte, Reesh received a vision, imparting to him vague knowledge concerning the location of five sacred relics. He was given to understand that if he gathered all the items together, he could use them to destroy the Heralds of Hell.
Reesh spent years adventuring, following treasure maps, tracking leads, and following up clues, until he finally located all the items his vision had shown hm years before. With these vestments, Reesh set out to fulfill the penultimate quest of his life. Whether he succeeded or ultimately failed, history does not record.
"Dat's an interestin' story," Bozvrig remarks, looking down at the remains, "Wonder if dis is him. Wonder if dis means we're up against dis Hell cult."
Truffels gives the corpse a curious sniff.
Barnabus shares what he knows about the Ephod of Authority, pausing in the middle of his lecture to take a drink of whiskey from his flask.
Barnabus shares what he knows about the Ephod of Authority.
"Oh, neat!" Lanliss enthuses, carefully slipping the ephod off of the priest, noting how the symbol of Saranae disappears.
Once all of the items of value are removed from the priest, Lanliss will look for some sort of signet or other personal item from the man, explaining that he will try to let his church know the cleric's fate, even though he probably disappeared a long time ago.
Finally, he adds, "What do the rest of you think? It would be appropriate to perform a rite to lay his body to rest, but I don't think it's feasible to carry him with us. We could cremate him, but I don't know how much that would contaminate our air down here."
Bozvrig shrugs, "De earth will reclaim 'im in time."
"From my experience dead is dead usually, though I have heard they can walk again. Maybe we'd better do something with his body so he don't sneak up on us and stab us in our sleep". The burly Dwarf shivers at the thought.
"Have you tried going through the doors holding a rope, then seeing if that changes when you come back in? I'm not paid to think... it hurts my head... I need a drink".
"Cremating him might be alright. The smoke it causes possibly will stay in this room with the way we seem to be 'ported' to each room. If we start the cremation and leave right away, we should avoid inhaling any smoke."
"He's been fine laying here in this state for quite some time. I'd be in favor of laying him out and leaving him to rest in peace. It is a tomb after all." Barnabus says as Scarlet suggests starting a bonfire.
"We might have to come back through this room as we retrace our path, so a fire or smoke might be unpleasant."
"That's what I'm thinking. Let me say some rites to put any lingering bits of his soul at peace, and we leave him here. If we pass back through on our way out, we can cremate him."
Lanliss takes the Ephod of Authority and puts it on. As he does so, everyone can see that the gems and precious metals flip and turn to reveal a beautiful butterfly. The butterfly is made of a wide range of purple hues, which might seem odd because you don’t remember seeing all of these purples within the stones or metals before. Within the four wings you see images of the sky. The top two wings have shooting starts that seem to twinkle as the center gems are hit by the light. The bottom left wing is a bright shining sun, and the bottom right is a crescent moon.
Lanliss, these images remind you of the ring that you found with the transitions of the moon. But this is purely a coincidence. Once you have the Ephod on you look through the remaining items of the cleric. Nothing else that he is wearing is worth taking or salvaging, except for a simple silver ring on the clerics left hand. No markings or engravings, not even enough to take and sell. Possibly a wedding band.
Having decided to wrap up the body and leave it until you come back through to leave, what is the part going to do next? There are a total of four exits, one on each wall including the one you came through.
I would like everyone to give me a perception check please.
Lanliss takes the silver ring, hoping that it could be useful in identifying the corpse's identity at some point in the future.
Bozvrig shakes his head in answer to Dalron. He seems pretty satisfied with his axe.
"Aye girl, dere ain't no mud to waller in down here."
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"Bozvirg, Del ether of you guys have a need of a magic sword?"
"Why don't you hold onto it for now. I kind of like bigger heavier things".
Everyone in this rooms sees the manic markings that Del was talking about in the previous room. Makings stacked ontop of eachother, markings that were to help guide a lost person out of this labyrinth.
Dalron, Scarlet, Barnabus, and Bozvrig see something that the others don’t see. You all see markings on the floor heading down the western passageway. Dalron recognizes these markings as the tracks he was originally following.
"I fair better with lighter weapons. The scimitar is a little bit to heavy for me. I'll stick with this silver rapier for now."
Scarlet moves to the western passageway and pends down to look at the tracks. "They lead that way." Points to the western exit.
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Nodding to everyone's response.
Dalron being a little taken back that no one wanted such a fine blade, But he completely understands knowing he would not give up his bow for any blade, no matter how fancy.
Replacing his old scimitar with the magical (hopefully not cursed) scimitar in his sheath. And hands over his old blade to Scarlet.
"Well I might never use it, but I will hold on to it. Scarlet can you put my old one in the bag for sale."
Dalron nock an arrow and softly stepping after Scarlet through the western doorway.
With Lanliss and Barnabus working together with the sword, you come to know that this is a magical +1 Scimitar.
"Look's like we want to go west." Barnabus says as he notices the tracks on the floor.
"After you, pig." he says to his bovine companion.
Scarlet and Dalron make their way through the passaggeway and revealed is a 40 foot hallway that opens to the north. The air here is cold, very similar to previous rooms where the underwater channel was present.
You all make your way to down the path to reveal two openings. From the openings, you look down on a cavern that appears natural. Openings pierce the southern and northern walls, allowing ingress and egress from several points. A deep and dark pool fills most of the room, though a rough, pebbly floor is visible to the east, and three spires of rock with flat tops jut from the water, one of them not far from where you now stand.
Climbing down from either of the openings is a rocky almost vertical drop of 10-feet. The three pillars are the same, 10-feet above the water.
"Barnabus, would you mind doing your light-on-a-pebble trick to see how deep that water is?"
"Certainly!" Barnabus replies to Lanliss.
Barnabus casts Light on a pebble and tosses it into the drink.
Walking to the edge of the eastern opening, Barnabus cast Light on a small pebble and tosses into the dark pool of water below. You are able to follow the stone as it sinks into the murky water for about 5-10 feet before something rapidly swarms around it. You are not able to tell what it is because it is dark, but you have seen similar reactions like this when a school of fish swarm a sinking piece of bread.
Because of how the opening is, only Barnabus and one other person are able to see this.
"We should probably avoid the water."
Barnabus backs up and tells the others what he saw in the water.
"Some manner of creatures are in the water. What exactly, I cannot say."
You all make your way to down the path to reveal two openings.