Samnell's Against the Necromancers (Inactive)

Game Master Samnell

Mmm possible. I suppose we could go back and examine them.

"It is a good thing that Barra marked the passage. When we go back, stay on your guard. The trogs are still around."

"Plus, no sign yet of the children. Good or bad."

You saw footprints that belong to the adventurers past where the heads were. There were also four adventurers and only three heads.

For things you've not looked into much, there's this. :)

Ari frowns at the lack of any sign of the adventurers or children. "Perhaps we missed something back in the room with the altar? Might be worth double-checking. I'd hate to go back to town empty-handed and almost as clueless as when we arrived."

Didn't one of the adventures get dissolved? So the heads could still be them.

Marcus nodded seeing the wisdom in Ariana's words, "In any event we'll want to investigate this dragon cult more, it could be the reason we came to this region in the first place. Our current mission is more pressing, but the tunnels we uncovered should be investigated and purged of evil lurking below.

Marcus then does his best to lead the company back to the altar room, keeping alert for Trogs and other dangers whilst retracing their steos
Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11
Survival to follow our own trail: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20

If they get there without incident.
Marcus carefully examines the wall carvings and the area where the broken glass was, perhaps they missed something important?
Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (4) + 6 = 10
Kn: Religion: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (15) + 7 = 22

Ranek joins the others in returning to the altar room. He begins to carefully examine the wall where the mirror had been, feeling for anything. "We should take as much time as needed to find anything."

Take 20 on Perception for a total of 20.

Didn't one of the adventures get dissolved? So the heads could still be them.

That's true; one did.

The carvings give way to a blank space directly opposite the dragon's face, the lone void in an otherwise thoroughly decorated wall. Elsewhere, they show the same dragon as a benevolent overlord, watching his miners work and rewarding them. They also show miners making offerings to him, all cast into a huge copper bowl. The carvings immediately to either side of the void depict two dragons in the same scene accepting offerings, rather than just the one.

Beneath them is the following inscription:

Worship and praise him, for he is a just and wise and true God. Touch him only with thine thoughts, for he shall not be sullied by thy earthly hand. View him only with thine eyes, if ye wish not to face him in judgment alone. His wratih is mighty, and while he descends from the mountaintop to praise, also does he punish the lazy and untrue.

Marcus is quite sure that having two dragons to accept offerings is very strange and not at all fitting with the other carvings. Everywhere else, the dragon is singular and hints at no duality, on any plane, that might explain such things. The two may mean to depict the dragon as the rewarder of the justice and castigator of the wicked, but if so they would not be so identical. Particularly not given what seems to have been a relatively unsophisticated, straightforward beast cult oriented around regular sacrifices. Such observances tend to be far more direct and concrete, nothing at all like the involved liturgies and theologies of more orderly faiths.

After examining the crude iconography for a while Marcus was certain the twin dragons was an anomaly. Catching the eye of the others he explains, "Take a look at this, elsewhere the dragon is exclusivly singular as is common with primitive beast worship cults, but here there are two dragons... That's pretty strange, I wonder if someone is trying to subvert the cult?"

He offered a short prayer to Lord Torm which would reveal any slumbering enchantments. He casts detect magic and concentrates for three rounds unless combat breaks out.
Spellcraraft if applicable: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20

Once he had learned all he could from any arcane auras, he opened his senses to see what if anything was tainted in the eyes of Lord Torm. Detect Evil, concentrating for 3 rounds unless combat breaks out.

Did my take 20 on Perception not work?

Ranek will again cast detect magic, although he did not recall having found any auras the last time.

Spellcraft: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (15) + 10 = 25

Being maybe a little more practically minded than the rest of them, Barra walks up (giving the goblin shaman's corpse a desultory kick as he does) and raps solidly on the blank space. "Also, a mirror in a mine? At least I assume it was a mirror." He bends over, picking up one of the shards and trying to catch his own reflection in it.

Marcus watches Barra and replies, "Hmm perhaps. There may be another explanation, we did find five enchanted crystal shards in that old beaten up desk. I wonder what happens if we put them in the offering bowl?"

If nobody objects, he'll try that.

"Give it a shot, lad", Thurvek concedes.

I missed Ranek's perc. It finds the same as before.

Divinations showed the Art that created the heatless flame in the bowl and a faint aura from the glinting sapphires, which seemed to be transmutation. When the crystal shards were cast into the bowl, and for a few breaths before as they came near, their aura and the sapphires' pulsed almost together, like kindred Art coming in close contact. But nothing else about the chamber or the auras changed.

The taint of evil was absent from the chamber.

Ari decides to take a look at the pair of dragons and the surrounding scenery. Perhaps she could notice something that Ranek missed.

Taking 20 on perception for a 30... maybe that will find something.

Ari decides to take a look at the pair of dragons and the surrounding scenery. Perhaps she could notice something that Ranek missed.

Taking 20 on perception for a 30... maybe that will find something.

Ari notices that the paired dragons to either side are not merely similar but rather face one another exactly, as though looking into a mirror and seeing their own reflections back.

Barra continues to twirl the fragment in his hand, catching the reflection of the dragon in it. Shrugging, he presses the piece into the void.

Do we see anything that looks like it could fit into the frame between the dragons? Have our perception checks including feeling the wall? Can one or both of the twin dragons be moved? What does concentrating on the dragons and praising them do, if anything?

Do we see anything that looks like it could fit into the frame between the dragons?

There's nothing about in quite that shape.

Have our perception checks including feeling the wall?

Yes. Other than it being fairly smooth, there's not a lot of novelty in the area without carvings.

Can one or both of the twin dragons be moved? [/ooc]

They're carved right into the rock. Pushing and prodding them doesn't budge anything.

What does concentrating on the dragons and praising them do, if anything?

No one's tried. Doing so might be complicated theologically for some of the party, though. Praising other divinities isn't necessarily an issue, provided those gods are aligned with or acceptable to one's own patron and the proper forms are followed. Priests of goodly nature gods can make prayers for Talos to turn his gaze away or things like that, but going "Stormlord rules!" would not be cool with the home office. No one's heard of this dragon before so it's hard to say if he'd pass the smell test.

Would Dragons generally be considered allied with Mystra?

Barra continues to twirl the fragment in his hand, catching the reflection of the dragon in it. Shrugging, he presses the piece into the void.

Sorry, missed this. Fragment from the horse heads or fragment of glass laying around when you came into the room?

Would Dragons generally be considered allied with Mystra?

Dragons can be associated with Mystra, in their role as powerful magical beings. Metallic and the rare gemstone dragons sometimes serve her. Sometimes scholars also connect her to the appearance of gemstones, the discovery or vanishing of which might mark her will. These are usually blue or clear, but certain other gems known for unique magical properties serve much the same role. Of these, the chief are rainbow tourmalines, amaranthas, rogue stones, and beljurils. Ranek isn't aware of topaz, which is what the shards from the horse heads are, ever being used as a Mystran sign or omen.

We should probably try adding both the horse head fragment as well as the fragment of glass individually, then together, if necessary. If anyone's willing to praise the dragon, that might work, too. Ari wouldn't do it herself based on what she knows of the dragon.

Ranek might consider it, but I think we should try the fragments first.

Barra had picked up a glass fragment.

I guess it's worth a shot. Marcus is pretty firmly in the Torm camp so somebody else will have to do the praising bit. I also wonder if this is a bit like one of those old computer game puzzles where you need to find the key but we're clicking on the wrong pixels or something ;)

I'm not mean enough for one pixel puzzles.

Barra had picked up a glass fragment.

Holding the shard of glass to the empty spot on the wall, opposite the great dragon idol's gaze, did nothing for a moment. Then Barra shifted slightly and the dragon's huge sapphire eyes glinted more brightly with inner fire for an instant before subsiding.

Ranek darts his eyes between the sapphire eyes of the dragon and the mirror. He moves over next to Barra to pick up other mirror shards, then tries to arrange them so they also reflect the dragon.

Seeing what Ranek was doing, Bolkvar wakled over. "Ye might be right. Good thinking. Here...let me see if I can help..."

Marcus notes the sapphires flare with inner radiance, it made the hairs on the back of his neck tingle.

"Well I never..." muttered Marcus, "I think that could be the key! Are all the pieces there? Could we use a mending charm to restore it?"

Ranek darts his eyes between the sapphire eyes of the dragon and the mirror. He moves over next to Barra to pick up other mirror shards, then tries to arrange them so they also reflect the dragon.

With Ranek, Barra, and Bolkvar all holding up glass shards, the inner fire waxes for a some breaths longer before subsiding.

Well, Samnell, are all the pieces of the mirror here, or do we need to go buy a new one?

It seems to me we need a non broken mirror for this to work :) If anyone has the mending cantrip that would be worth a go. If not I guess we need to find / buy one.

Bolkvar will use the mending cantrip then ;)

Well, Samnell, are all the pieces of the mirror here, or do we need to go buy a new one?

I took Marcus's question as a suggestion, not a declaration. :)

Bolkvar's Art swiftly restored the mirror, the glass melting and flowing back together, heating for just a breath as it did. He held it up for the idol to see and the glint within the sapphire eyes flared bright enough to eclipse the gems' facets. The dragon's reflection in the mirror grew still brighter and slow, cold blue streams of light flowed from sapphires and reflections of sapphires alike, drifting toward one another like smoke flowing skyward.

Is there an offering bowl too? Could put the crystals we found in there.

Is there an offering bowl too? Could put the crystals we found in there.

There's a giant basin. You can also let things keep playing out. I wanted to give you a chance to react to the fireworks really starting rather than just bull through. :)

Thurvek looks on in puzzlement.

"Oh, this is gonna be so very, very bad. Get ready." And while he's saying that, a second track is running concurrently through his head. Please be just a statue, please be just a statue...

Marcus offers a prayer to Lord Torm, "May The Hand of Righteousness Shield us from harm!" Marcus casts resistance on himself. If there's time he'll bless anyone else who wants it.

Ranek moves to clear himself from being in front of the statue, but he can't help himself from being curious. He casts a spell to observe the way the statue and the mirror are using the Art. Casting detect magic

Spellcraft: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (4) + 10 = 14

Ari's not sure if she's more excited or frightened that the repaired mirror seems to be having an effect on the statue.

Standing to the side with the others, Ari notches an arrow on her bow, uncertain as to what's going to happen.

"I would avoid standing in front of it," she says to everyone else. "Who knows what it's going to do."

Hopefully Ari's words of warning are obvious to the others, but she figures 'Better Safe Than Sorry' is a good motto.

Ranek detected whelmed transmutation Art, flowing up from deep within the statue in a steady stream. The stone must have shielded it from his divination before. It pulsed strongest just where it flowed from the eyes, ebbing along the streams of light. Faint echoes of the same aura rose from the mirror, perhaps a breath later.

The twin streams drifted toward each other, hastening a measure with each pulse of the auras until they brushed together. In half a breath, the streams sharpened into beams as true as an arrow and a dull drone filled the air. The glass shattered as the dragon idol came to life, folding its huge wings and stepping to one side to show a tunnel behind.

Already its sapphire eyes began to dim.

”Holy fook...good work all. Our way forward is before us.”

"I don't believe it", said the astounded cleric.

Hakon readiese himself and moves forward, ready to take point and the first strike to defend his fellows

"Well, then..." Ari mutters to herself.

Keeping an arrow notched on her bowstring, Ari follows after the others into the newly opened passageway.

"Let's be quick about it - I suspect that the passage closes again once the light fades from the dragon's eyes."

Ranek quickly moves into the passage behind Hakon.

"Let's be quick about it - I suspect that the passage closes again once the light fades from the dragon's eyes."

Ranek quickly moves into the passage behind Hakon.

At Ranek's words, Thurvek steps forward ushering the rest of the party into the passage, leaving himself for last.

Marcus raised one eyebrow eloquently, this was remarkable.

"Let's be quick about it - I suspect that the passage closes again once the light fades from the dragon's eyes."

Marcus nodded and quickly stepped forwards, anything could happen when magic was involved.

Taking point, Marcus cautiously scanned the way ahead for signs of danger or passage. Perhaps the adventures went or where taken this way...
Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (8) + 6 = 14
Survival: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (14) + 7 = 21