Rohan swings and misses. Nic let's forth a bolt of cold that drops the wobbly goblin to the ground. As it lay there twitching, you have a moment to look around. It finally strikes you, the reason for the faint moans earlier. In some of the pits are what appears to be human zombies, trapped beneath the grates. They are no threat at the moment and could be killed effortlessly.
Nic crosses himself with Desna's Wings. I am to be thinking we should be to dispatching these wretches. It is they will only breed the filth and disease if they are remaining in their filthy cages.
Looking down into the cage, Nic mutters Desna weeps for your former self.
At range, Nic will aim a Ray of Frost through the bars at the closest zombie.
Natalia helps Nic by combining jolt as Nic aims.
-Posted with Wayfinder
After the deed is done, Nic will cast Detect Magic and Light as needed to investigate each cell for possible items of value.
Should we be to opening them, be to taking closer looks? These may be victims from Sandpoint, ja. Missing persons who have met an unfortunate end by these fiends, da. Were there the persons missing after the arracks?
Eloviel nudges Natalia "Anyone who looks familiar Nat?"
Not wanting to spend ammunition on undead that could not fight back, Rohan will sit back and think. As bad as he was feeling for himself, he missed his friend. While the others finished off the zombies that could be townsfolk, he sat and went through the ritual to summon his best friend back. After a minute a small golden scaled reptilian creature looked up back at him.
"Hey guys! I'm baaaaccck!"
Blue uses the ranseur to destroy zombies. As his favored enemy, they go rather quickly. After Nic's comment, he makes an effort to spare the faces so loved ones in Sandpoint can recognize them later. Are their clothes modern, he asks himself.
Copperscale! A breath of fresh air. What's it like wherever you went?
"Same old, same old. Food's terrible. Are we done here? I'd like to get back and have Ameiko cook something awesome."
They are in fact naked, and appear to be long dead.
"This creep seems to be unknowingly rich! Now that the zombies are dead dead, it looks like are more places to go down here. Should I lead the way?"
"I can lead! Or we can lead together." Copper pipes in. He will be on the look out for traps and ambushes.
"I'm thinkin' Vanea's faith calls for 'er to give these fellas cavity searches. I'll just stand outta the way." Blue injerjects in a rare moment of levity.
Eloviel goes nearer to Blue and whispers "I think she only deals with living things. Y'know, things that still have their blood pumping or else some bodily functions don't work... like blushing other stuff." she winks at him and follows Copper.
Natalia snickers softly at Eloviel's teasing.
"Too much of a shock and that fails to function you know."
Nic will move up with the others, ready to continue and with luck finish off the complex and head back to Sandpoint.
Desna smileing little CU, we will be to Sandpoint and tasting of Rani Ameiko's hospitality soon enough, ja.
Nic has his staff at ready, refreshing the light spell on his armband, feeling the strength a touch stronger than it was. He covers it somewhat, casting dim light, and checks the staircase while the warrior and drake check the doorway.
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"I can't wait. I'm so hungry."
"You are always hungry Copper."
"Doesn't make it any less true." Copper grins.
"Do you see anything Copper?"
I see with my little eye something beginning with a N...P....A
Says Vanea right behind Natalia, her green eyes locked at mid height.
"Hmm? I'm not the greatest riddler, so something with NPA for a start sounds odd."
"Let's don't set off a trap in these close quarters, ya know?"
As the group ventures down the hall, Nic finds a set of stairs, though the way down was blocked by a cave in an undetermined amount of time ago.
Ahead a bit further is the door to another room-
This strange room is a fifteen -foot-diameter sphere. Several objects float in the room, spinning lazily in space- a ragged book, a scroll, a bottle of wine, a dead raven surrounded by a halo of floating and writhing maggots, and a twisted iron wand with a forked tip. Yet perhaps the most unnerving aspect of the room is the walls, for they are plated in sheets of strange red metal that ripple every once in a while with silent black electricity that seems to coalesce into strange runes or even words far too often for the effect to be chance.
Nic will caution against entering the room, at least until if can be examined by the efforts of the casters. This is being something strange, ja. These items are held in a field, most likely being of magicks. We should be cautious, I am thinking this bird did not willingly be staying unto death and the maggots are not probably interested in being a squirmy "halo" for their former meal, da.
Nic knows Common, Draconic, Halfling, Infernal, Thassilonian, and Varisian if it aids in deciphering the shifting runes. His Shoanti is too rusty at this time; the caravans only rarely traded with the people, and then only a few migratory bands.
Studying the room, Nic perceives
Nic will cast Detect Magic and if given the chance will scan the room with the spell.
"Don't forget gross." Copper will also look around the room along with Nico.
"Yuck...that's disgusting. Not so much the dead bird, that's natural, but the setup. Can't imagine anybody sensible liking this."
"They're just grubs. 'ealthy for ya." Blue demonstrates by picking one out of the air, checking that it's actually a maggot, and popping it into his mouth. He chews it unnecessarily demonstratively and swallows, then pretends to die with a very poor bluff. "Jess kiddin'. Besides, if'n it weren't for them, we'd all be 'ip deep in undecomposed corpses. I'm feeling a little crowded 'ere. I'll just wait in the big room, weapon at the ready. Call me if you need any 'elp sorting through things." He pops another maggot into his mouth before he leaves them.
"Dude. Gross."
The entire room radiates a faint transmutation aura. As you examine, you notice in the ripples of electricity, the word "Revenge" form in Thassilonian.
LOL! Blue has a +5 modifier in Knowledge (nature) and a +6 in Knowledge (geography), which tells him that maggots are edible and that some cultures actually leave meat or fish out to breed them, because a diet of lean meat will actually kill you after a while and maggots convert lean protein into fatty protein, as well as being a rich source of amino acids.
Of course, that doesn't mean maggots marinaded in Thassilonian magic are edible!
Blu, be careful in the picking of your snacks, ja. The walls, they seem to be the spelling out the word Revenge over and over. I fear that maggot may come back up on you, da. The room itself has a faint aura, though I am not able to tell for sure to what ends, yet.
It will be to taking some time to understand how the magic works, to float the things, to change the walls, and then to what ends does the magic purpose over the all.
Feeling around, thinking, Nic then asks, Does anyone have a net, bag, rope, something to combine to snare the floating objects?
Nic suggests using a bag, backpack or cloak tied to the ranseur to form a crude catchpole.
Before Max proves himself to be thirstier than caution would dictate, ja, and he gulps down the vinegar of ages old wine to become a replacement for the crow, da.
"Hey... this place is curious. What are they?"
"Will I float as well if I step inside...?" Eloviel says wonderingly.
Nic takes a moment to pull out his journal, intending to sketch the room while the group decides how to proceed. He tries to capture both the shifting patterns of the walls with the floating, swirling movements of the suspended objects. Without glancing up, he mutters a comment, lost in his thoughts.
If you are wishing to step into the room to see if you were to be floating, I would think you should allow Vanea to secure a line about your waist, that we would be to retrieving you if you are stuck numb or enter a field of stasis which would be to freezing you in time. I would be to thinking a lady of Calistria has a very good understanding of the ropes and bindings, ja.
Nic continues his quick sketch, eyes darting from the scene to the page and back.