Thurvek scowls at Ari with a 'how-dare-you-speak-our-language' look. The dwarven cleric returns to speak Illuskan.
"Perhaps, girl. Perhaps."
I must find a tongue only Bolkvar and I know!
Thurvek quickly looks away from Ari to his continued watch of the party's flank.
[dice=Perception]1d20 + 9
Thurvek spotted nothing lurking about.
Aldon also keeps watch his attention focused on potential doom in this dangerous place.
Ranek smiles at the Dwarves' conversation and Ariyana's interjection. The Dwarves were obviously unwilling to countenance the possibility that their people could have voluntarily chosen to worship a dragon - unsurprising, given Dwarves were as stubborn as the stone they worked. Still, it was a possibility.
Ranek casts a cantrip and scans the room for magical auras, just in case.
On close consideration, Ariyana believed that the motion indicated something large beneath the rubble stirring fitfully. Ranek found no Art save the company's own.
"Don't go any farther into the room," Ari says to her companions.
"There's something large beneath that rubble and it's... stirring."
Shouting at the pile of rubble, Ari says, "If you can understand what I'm saying, come out of there... slowly."
Ari will ready to fire an arrow at the pile should someone attack or decide not to respond.
Ranek takes a step back, sword out, waiting to see if anything emerged from the rubble.
Marcus opens his senses, if someone hiding beneath the rubble was tainted with the stench of evil, he would know.
Marcus opens his senses, if someone hiding beneath the rubble was tainted with the stench of evil, he would know.
Nothing answered Ariyana or appeared to Marcus's divine senses.
After thinking about it a moment longer, Ari releases her arrow, aiming it at where she thought the... thing... was most likely to be.
After thinking about it a moment longer, Ari releases her arrow, aiming it at where she thought the... thing... was most likely to be.
The rubble made no response to Aryana's arrow, except maybe shifting a little more.
Ari blinks several times in surprise. She had expected something to jump out at them, or at least a yelp of pain of some kind.
"Uh... I think we need to make sure there's nothing in that rubble that's going to follow us when we leave. But I'm not sure I'm the best suited for examining it up close."
The archer knows better than to think she can take the frontline in a combat situation. Still, she draws back another arrow and readies to fire it should anything decide to leap out when someone approached.
”Bah.” He grumbled as he walked over to move the rubble himself.
Ranek waited for Bolkvar to begin moving rubble - could this perhaps be some kind of elemental? That might explain the apparent lack of communication and the fact it ignored Ariyana's arrow. If so, had it been summoned? Or had it journeyed from the plane of earth on its own? Assuming it was an elemental, of course.
Ranek waited for Bolkvar to begin moving rubble - could this perhaps be some kind of elemental? That might explain the apparent lack of communication and the fact it ignored Ariyana's arrow. If so, had it been summoned? Or had it journeyed from the plane of earth on its own? Assuming it was an elemental, of course.
[dice=Knowledge (planes)]1d20+9
Ranek knows that some creatures of elemental earth would cause a stir beneath other earth, but many would move through it as easily as he does through air. For one to be restrained by rubble would probably mean that it was hampered by something beyond the fact of the rubble itself. Perhaps a partly-failed binding held it to the spot, or some ancient Art spread its essence about and the being was stuck in some agonizing state of not quite able to bring its scattered essence back together. His divination should have found a binding, unless its focus was deeply buried, but might not have noted a long-ago and semi-permanent alteration of the elemental, just as something burned in spell-flame would not carry the dweomer long in its ash.
Whatever it is doesn't need to breathe, probably, which does suggest an elemental. But it could be some form of undead, a demon, or even a golem like those bone collections the goblin controlled may have been. Golems are often, though not always, animated by elemental spirits so it might even be an elemental and a golem at once.
The lack of reaction to being shot could suggest a dull or mindless creature, like some sorts of elemental. Or it might be undead, or, again, a golem. Any manner of being might be bound by ancient oaths or instructions that proscribed it from acting in response to an attack, though such an order would be unlikely for anything meant to be a guardian. Of course there is a great deal of rubble and it might be that Ariyana's arrow didn't penetrate it at all.
"I'm beginning to doubt they came this way, unless they where in dire need. The partially collapsed area seemed like a death trap." said Marcus. He would venture past if needed, but it wouldn't do to recklessly get themselves killed when they where trying to rescue others.
"I'm beginning to doubt they came this way, unless they where in dire need. The partially collapsed area seemed like a death trap." said Marcus. He would venture past if needed, but it wouldn't do to recklessly get themselves killed when they where trying to rescue others.
[dice=Perception]1d20+6
[dice=Survival]1d20+7
Marcus couldn't see any way clear of the rubble, except for lengthy excavation. It might take hours, assuming anything of the mine remained past all this.
"If whatever it is underneath, is a sentient being, I could attempt to communicate with it."
Thurvek scrutinizes the rubbles.
"Bolkvar? Your thoughts?"
Ari stays near the back, but keep an arrow notched on her bow. If the thing intended to attack them, it had plenty of opportunities to do so. Perhaps they needed to risk leaving it behind. They had no way of knowing if the children were still alive. And, even if they were, how much time they might have left to live.
She decides to hold her tongue for now. She had been the one to suggest dealing with the thing, after all. Perhaps Aldon or Bolkvar could help resolve the situation.
"If whatever it is underneath, is a sentient being, I could attempt to communicate with it."
"Really? That's a useful ability, you might as well try it!" replied Marcus, his words encouraging. "Frankly I'm at a bit of a loss over what else we might do short of some divine inspiration."
"If whatever it is underneath, is a sentient being, I could attempt to communicate with it.""Really? That's a useful ability, you might as well try it!" replied Marcus, his words encouraging. "Frankly I'm at a bit of a loss over what else we might do short of some divine inspiration."
Thurvek scrutinizes the rubbles.
"Bolkvar? Your thoughts?"
Bolkvar shrugged. ”In this place, if it doesn’t try to kill us, and it can’t help us...then I don’t right care about it.”
"We should press on, to find the children," Ranek said. Whatever was under there hadn't bothered them, and he saw no reason to bother it.
"We should press on, to find the children," Ranek said. Whatever was under there hadn't bothered them, and he saw no reason to bother it.
"I agree. Let's go!" The dwarven cleric huffed.
Ari isn't happy. She doesn't want to leave behind whatever's underneath the pile of rubble. Yet, she knows she must. Some mysteries aren't meant to be solved. This seems to be one of them.
Ari collects her shot arrow. Then, begrudgingly, she nods at the others, "Alright, let's move forward."
"I think there was a path out of that room with the altar in it - we should look there."
Marcus ponders before noting, "Unless we missed something - for example down that well- I believe the only unexplored area is past the altar. It seems unlikely to me that they went that way. Perhaps we do need to try and cross this area?"
Ari nods at Marcus and says, "The less backtracking we do, the better. We should at least see if we can make it through here. We can still go back to the room with the altar in it, if it proves necessary."
Barra nods in assent. "After you then."
Barra nods in assent. "After you then."
Hakon looks at the rubble with a wary eye. "I can start to move some rocks, swee what's under there."
Tired with waiting, Bolkvar began chanting. Pebbles began to roll, followed by rocks. Before long, the fallen rocks had formed together, making a smooth road for the party to walk on.
”The way is clear. We move.”
Bolkvar's Art worked its way into the debris, lifting it up and shaping it to his liking. The earth lifted free to show a whip made of some ruddy hide and a copper hand as large as an ogre's, groping blindly toward it. The arm attached remained mostly buried in the debris beyond the reach of the dwarf's spell. As the arm, and whatever lay still buried, moved about the earth continued to shift as it had before.
Looking on in dissatisfaction, Bolkvar used the last of his magic to cast the spell again.
Bolkvar's second spell removes much more debris, showing a sagging ceiling which sags still deeper and revealing the full arms and torso of an ogre-sized, copper statue. Its arms now free, it pushes steadily to extricate itself with eyes fixed on the company.
Marcus regards the uncovered statue with surprise, "Uh... Oh my!"
He opens his senses once more to see if the taint of evil is present.
Wasting no time, Bolkvar leapt to the attack. He charged straight at the trapped golem, determined to tear it apart before it could free itself. ”Barra! Your magic is needed.”