You guys, go ahead and saddle up some horses and I will go next door to find out what I can about that thistle thingy. We can meet out front and be on our way to look at that thing in the ground.
Daviren Hosk looks up from his work as Cade enters.
"Goodbarrel!" he calls out with good cheer. "What brings you here today? Kill more Goblins did you? Hah!"
Suddenly something occurs to him and he gets very serious.
"Nothing happened to the dog, did it?" he asks gravely.
I've never actually been to the stables before, might be fun to meet some horses!
"Cade's dog is doing great!" she says with a warm smile, hopefully easing his worry. After some small pleasantries and introductions, she cuts to the chase.
"We have heard the main goblin contingent who attacked Sandpoint came from a place called "Thistletop." As a former goblin hunter in the area, have you ever heard of it? Better yet, have you found the place?" she inquires.
no,no...Bellum is fine. We are getting along nicely. My companions and I have uncovered a few things in regards to the Goblin attack and wanted to ask you some questions. If you do not mind that is...
Cade waits for an answer before proceeding.
something called thistle top came up and it some way or another involves the goblins. What do you know abut it?
Daviren grins.
"Thistletop! Well, if I recall correctly, that is the mane of one of the goblin tribes around here. They have their own god, apparently; most goblins worship one of the four 'Goblin Hero Gods' but these ones don't."
"I think Thistletop is the name of their hideout too. Never been there. I don't mind fighting goblins but it was never my strategy to take them head on, if you get my meaning. I'm not about to charge a goblin fort with fifty of the little buggers in there. If you do go there, expect to find some booby traps. Goblins aren't the most attentive guards so they like to place traps, even if they're not that good at making them."
He shakes his head.
"I don't think the Thistletops are the most dangerous tribe though. The Mosswoods have always been the biggest one around here, for quite a while now."
"You should ask Shalelu. She would know more about what is going on right now. I hear she should be back in town in the next few days."
Daviren grins.
"Thistletop! Well, if I recall correctly, that is the mane..."
"Would you be able to tell us anymore about Thistletop specifically? Perhaps mark it on a map for us? We shall make a point to speak with Shalelu, thank you for your help Daviren!"
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"Ooh, Shalelu, she is one of my favorites!" she squealed. "I didnt realize she would be back so soon after her last visit."
"Would you be able to tell us anymore about Thistletop specifically? Perhaps mark it on a map for us? We shall make a point to speak with Shalelu, thank you for your help Daviren!"
"Like I said, I never been there. I know it's on the coast though. Mostly in my day I tried to keep em out of human territory, and away from the road. Always tried to get the tribes fighting each other whenever possible, which usually wasn't too hard."
"Always wanted to get the Mosswoods to start some kind civil war too, or maybe break into more than one tribe. If the Mosswoods ever got a strong leader they could grind the other tribes under. Or absorb them, which would be even worse. But whenever the Mosswoods have ever gone up against the Thistletops, the Thistletops have used the Nettlewood to their advantage. They know the Nettlewood, and the Mosswoods don't. So they have a pretty good defense."
"Sounds like any sort of counter attack would have to be carefully planned. Thanks for your insight Daviren. If we have anymore questions or business, we will be sure to come find you!"
Flo takes her leave and waits for her companions to assemble before following the others out of town.
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"M' pleasure madam!" Daviren nods and grins.
"Come back any time."
Though the trail leads through the woods and the hills, in order to save time the group decides to go down the road and find the other end of the trail, rather than pushing through rough terrain all the way.
The group sets off down the road, looking to find the mysterious Disc that Cade, Colvyn, and Kargas discovered. Along the road they pass a group of Varisians and their wagons, heading to Sandpoint. The Varisians give a friendly wave, but clearly have no interest in stopping in the rain.
After about a half-hour the group finds the spot where Cade, Colvyn, and Kargas emerged from the hills and found the road. They cut back into the forested hills, and within another half-hour Floredana spots the flickering light coming from the hilltop.
The group reaches the mouth of the cave. The body of the ettercap has been chewed up and torn to pieces; very little actual flesh remains.
Judging by the tracks nearby, Kargas thinks the carcass might have been eaten by a cougar or wildcat of some kind, though whatever it is must have been pretty big.
Inside the cave, the group can see the strange disc up close. The Disc is made from some grey material, perhaps some kind of metallic ore. It has a hole in the center and is set on a light orange stone peg. It rotates slowly around the peg. Behind it is more orange stone (which spans the whole ceiling) and it looks like the stone has been carved, though it is unclear what the carving is; too little of the stone is visible (but some of the dirt could possibly be cleared away).
Laurana and Rig examine the crystals embedded in the disc.
Note: I will allow a casting of the identify spell to give you a reroll on the spellcraft check.
The stones could probably be pried out of the disc, though you risk damaging them. Likewise, if the end of the axle is broken off, the disc should come off the ceiling easily.
"Laurana, does this look like something Quink would know more about?" This is clearly the focal point of something. A work of art or some magic ritual perhaps. I don't want to callously break it, but at the same time it may be well worth learning more about it.
Flo cautiously circles the disc, trying to pick out any indications of it's use. She also puts a hand to her temple and waves the other before her, trying to locate any magic in the cavern. She does her best to sweep the area while excluding the disc.
________
After poking around a bit and making a few magical gestures, Rig says, "As much as I'm loathe to handle feverstone, it probably shouldn't be left here for someone to accidentally discover and take ill. I think we could probably break the axle and take the whole thing. And those ioun stones might come in handy."
Rig looks to Flo and Laurana. "Any idea who would have made this or why?"
Though Floredana doesn't know enough about spellcraft to identify magic, detect magic does reveal to her that the individual crystals embedded in the disc are magical, but that the disc itself is not.
Rig looks to Flo and Laurana. "Any idea who would have made this or why?"
Laurana can't tell why this thing is here, but she is pretty sure it dates back to the Thassilonian era. Clearly you can see only a small part of the stonework from where you are.
Kargas hovers at the elbows of the spellcasters, eagerly listening to their explanation. When Rig suggests they break the disk off he cracks his knuckles and gives the others a questioning look.
Cade looks at the item and tries very hard to understand what it is and how it may have worked. Then Rig mentions a word that brings him out of his thoughts....
Ioun.....Ioun?
Seeing Kargas cracking his knuckles
Wait...slow down now...give me a minute here.
Cade's hand rest on the hilt of his rapier as he looks at the device...
Let us try and understand what we have here before we start to break things.
Cade steps forward and starts to clear away some of the dirt the is covering the contraption.
Laurana carefully looked at the disc and the stones, she was fairly certain she knew what one of them was and told the group what she knew about it. She also readily explained about the history of who probably made the disc. "Master Quink will love to see this. Anything Thassilonian is his specialty!" she exuded with confidence.
The other stone puzzled her and she knew she would need some magical help. Dipping into the magic, when she opened her eyes, she felt the magical knowledge resting upon her. She examined the stones again.
Cade scrapes away the dirt from around the edges of the ceiling. It is clear that the stone is massive, and much larger than the dirt cave that has been dug underneath.
Eventually enough of the dirt is cleared away that a ridge in the stone is revealed on one side of the rotating disc. Then another on the other side. Following the ridges to the ends, you realize that the two ridges connect at either end, forming a sort of almond shape. Then you realize...
The ridges are part of a carving that represents an eye, with the disc as the iris and the axle as the pupil. This eye is perhaps four feet across from corner to corner.
Laurana examines another one of the stones.
There are still four stones that remain unidentified: one red, one pale amber, one green, and one blue.
Flo gasps at the realization of what this area is. "If this is an eye, it must be connected to the rest of the carving. A huge statue petals? Let's keep it attached and see if Quink will make a trip out here. Evidence of Thassilonian work might do the trick for him."
If this is an eye, where is the rest of the face? "Did you guys find any other structure out here? It might lead to another part of the carving! Digging would too, but I'm less partial to that option..."
________
"Didn't find anything but that doesn't mean something's not there," Kargas reasons. "I could look around, but I don't wanna miss any magic that happens."
Rig steps back to take in the whole of the eye. He scratches his chin thoughtfully.
"Well, if it is an eye, it could be part of a gigantic head, meaning there might be another one nearby, or near-ish given how big this thing is. How about a couple of us stay here and keep cleaning it off while someone else goes for Quink? If he comes, great; if not, we'll still see if we can find anything else. But I don't think we should leave it unprotected."
Colvyn had remained quiet the entire time, following the group, and listening to the conversation. When the giant eye gets revealed, he heads back outside and look more closely at what is covered room. "If some of us are going back to Sandpoint, should we get a shovel and see what the outside walls look like? It might give us some clues."
"Kargas and I can run back and fetch him, unless someone else has a better plan," Flo offers, looking questioningly at Kargas.
________
Cade keeps looking at the eye...
Sounds good to me....
Rig nods. "Sounds good. The rest of us will continue to see what we can uncover here."
Laurana was too lost in thought to answer, babbling random facts to herself about the old Thassilonian Empire.
Kargas and Floredana return to town; not having to slow down for the others means the trip takes them only about 45 minutes.
They report in to Master Quink to tell him about their findings.
Brodert Quink looks up from his work.
"What's this you say? A Thassilonian artifact of some kind?"
"Wonderful news! Just wonderful! Yes, you must take me there at once! It was in the hills east of the town, you say? Wonderful! Let's get going!"
He looks down at his feet; he has slippers on.
"Oh, wait one moment. Let me get my shoes. They're here somewhere."
After some rummaging...
"Ah here they are. Let's go then! What are we waiting for? Oh! Hang on a moment. I must bring my bag. Yes, where is it..."
And then...
"Okay, then, let's be off. Wait! My coat! It is a bit chilly out isn't it? I think it's in the closet..."
And then...
"All right, ready to... parchment! I may want to make some notes. I need some parchment. No, not those, blank parchment. Well, I suppose I could write on the back... nope, did that already. Maybe in this drawer..."
After about fifteen minutes of rummaging, Kargas and Floredana manage to get Brodert Quink out of the house and on the road to the site.
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It takes the trio about an hour and a half to return to the hilltop. The sun is now close to setting; you have now perhaps an hour and a half before actual sunset.
The whole way, Brodert Quink can't stop talking about his theories and discoveries.
"...your theory that it may be a statue may well be correct. The Thassilonians erected thousands of enormous monuments, and it's amazing how many of them are still standing. My colleagues in Magnimar think I'm off my head, but I am certain that the Thassilonian Empire predates Earthfall, which would make them over 10,000 years old. Think of it! Nothing we have built in Sandpoint would last even a fraction of that time. Oh! Is this it? It's rather steep, isn't it?"
Master Quink huffs and puffs but manages to ascent the slope up to the small cave.
"Ah, yes. Wonderful! Wonderful indeed! Yes, it does look like an eye. And those certainly are ioun stones all right! They were an Azlanti invention, you know! Still not fully understood by modern artificers. That explains the circular motion..."
He steps back for a moment.
"The angle is strange... the eye here is looking straight down. I suspect this piece of the original statue must have broken off and toppled over, landing sideways like this. It looks like these stones were damaged by the fall. Shame, that."
"Does this eye look... bird-like to you? Yes, I think it is... Which would mean that this could be a statue of the Peacock Spirit. That was a deity worshiped back in the Thassilonian era. We don't know much about the religion, sadly... The Peacock Spirit seems to be a dead god. May have died in Earthfall."
"The statue may be a border marker for Shalast. There are a few of those. The Shalasti liked ostentatious displays of wealth, and embedding ioun stones into a statue just to make it glow and spin would not be cheap."
"This could be an important site! We need to excavate the whole area. I hate to take time away from my study of the old light... perhaps I can delegate. I'm sure the town council would be happy to send people. Yes, that might work! They wouldn't let me start digging holes around Sandpoint because people live there, but out here should be no problem. Perhaps they can call up the militia. Not that the goblin threat is gone they can do something useful like digging up this statue. Yes, I must bring that to the council at once!"
"Rig & Laurana said the metal could be poisonous, should we, I dunno, not touch it with bare skin or something? Is there a chance we could trigger some sort of magicky backlash by messing with it? I'm just guessing here, I'm no mage."
"Master, I volunteer to oversee the excavation. It would be my honor and I think I am ready for more.' Laurana offered.
"Ah yes! Abysium! Good eye. When the Thassilonians made prisons they sometimes used this material in the bars and manacles, to weaken their prisoners and make escape harder. Strange that they would put it in a statue though."
Master Quink rubs his chin.
"Handling it with your bare hands and standing next to it should have about the same effect. You won't notice anything for a few hours, and you will recover after a while if you are no longer near it. Wash your hands after though. You don't want Abysium dust getting into your system."
"I've heard that powdered Abysium can be used to make poison, though I don't know how that's done."
"It may be that Abysium interacts with ioun stones somehow. Hmmm... they don't usually glow like that do they? It is also fairly expensive, so this could just be another needless ostentation. But making this disc out of gold would serve that purpose better. Or perhaps there is some connection between Abysium and the Peacock Spirit? Some religious significance? I've never heard of such a thing but it's worth looking into... yes, let's make a note of that, shall we?"
Quink starts scribbling on the note paper he has brought.
Flo watches on, happy that Quink is able to enjoy and learn more about his hobby. Not to mention that the risks her friends took were worth something. "Not to cut this party short, but it is getting late. If this stone can cause problems after a few hours, we should probably head back to Sandpoint and spend the night there. Not to mention the guard duty some of us have to perform," she suggests, clearly a little ashamed about being the wet blanket.
"Hmmm, you are correct. You do need to get back for your watch duties. I suggest that we take the disc with us, to better study back in town. We know where this place is, and obviously no one else does." Laurana suggests.
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"If we are leaving, then we should cover the entrance, just so that no one with ill intend can find the place." Walking outside, Colvyn starts looking for anything to make the entrance disappear so that anyone that pass by wouldn't notice it.
Once the work is done, he takes a final look, nods and then start heading back to town.
Clearly disappointed that he hasn't gotten to see a magic show, Kargas grumbles that they should break off the disk and bring it with them--but the protests from the more archeologically-inclined members of the group cause him to subside with only a little muttering.
It is difficult to completely block the light coming from the cave mouth but after some work the group does a satisfactory job.
By the time the group gets back to town the sun has gone down, and the gates are closed. But the guards quickly recognize the group and open the gate to admit them.
Those of the group who volunteered to stand watch during the nights are able to get to work more or less on time, though Sergeant Bartle gives them a disapproving frown.
After a night's sleep (or a night's work) the group is awakened by the arrival of Constable Hemlock.