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Radagast moves on until he reaches a intersection with a fountain in the center. At the center of the large fountain, a white marble statue of a dwarf in scholarly robes faces east in a defiant posture. In one hand, the dwarf holds a staff, and in the other an open book. While most of the statue’s elaborate details are still intact, its face has crumbled away, and water pours down from two holes where the statue’s eyes had once been.
The dwarves built this statue as a memorial to all those who perished or split off from the main group during the exodus from Jormurdun.
You notice pickaxe marks, suggesting that the statue has been vandalized.
The ancient, weathered writing in the book says: Home is far behind, our kin scattered to the four winds, but we endure.
You hear the noise of small feet and claws scratching on the stone floor, and a tail dragged along, coming from the west.
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"I concur. Someone is obviously not happy with such work and put pickaxe to it. A tragedy. The writings upon it speak well about my race. We are indeed scattered but we endure despite the loss of our homes."
He begins to take notes.
"I hear something like the rest of you, may I assume it's our stony friend mentioned by the kobolds?"
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While Beorin takes notes Radagast opens the door to another room and Cathryn has a quick glance around the corner.
Many bits and pieces of metal lie on stone shelves carved into the walls. Several ornaments made from animal bones hang from the ceiling. A crude, one-foot-tall statue of a horned and winged creature stands on a stone table set next to a wall.
The bits of metal are trap parts.
The creature depicted is a gargoyle.
Cathryn sees a young basilisk clumsily scapmering her way but stops 10 feet away from her.
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"There's nothing in this room except junk and a crude statue of a gargoyle..."
When Cathryn confirms that there *is* a basilisk, Radagast thinks quickly.
"Hang on... Let me try something."
Blindly shaking the 'toy' in front of him, he shouts out to the basilisk:
"Come on boy! Fetch!"
He then slowly starts backing off to the room the party first acquired the toy in.
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Cathryn retreas towards the group and the basilisk follows. Once around the corner the animal sees Radagast carrying the toy. Immediately the basilisk rushes forward to fetch it. Radagast moves back to the basilisk's playing room and throws the toy inside. The basilisk jumps after the toy bag into the room and Radagast closes the door behind the animal.
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Radagast opens the door to the remaining room in this area. Behind the door is a room with a stone pillar bearing numerous lines of runic text which stands amid pieces of stone furniture and heaps of miscellaneous junk. The kobolds have decorated the stone surfaces with paintings of dragons, but the original inscriptions on the stone pillar are still partially legible.
You realize that this house used to be an infirmary.
Each line of the original inscriptions consists of the name of a dwarf followed by a number.
You can deduce that the numbers are dates, but the notation is completely different from that used in Absalom Reckoning dates. Halfway through the list, the intervals between the dates suddenly become shorter and shorter.
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Irisus looks at the inscriptions and write something in his journal.
Let's wait if Beorin deciphers it before telling them what i understand. This is his race after all.
-Posted with Wayfinder
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"Strange." Beorin muses.
"This appears to be a house of healing and the names of dwarves followed by what seems to be dates. However the dates are different from what is normally used now. Furthermore the intervals between the dates are geting shorter as they go by. I can only hazard a guess that these could be of great significance like perhaps the deaths of dwarves listed here." Turning to his companions, Beorin points out each inscription bearing the dwarves names and dates.
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in return to Absolom, i will need to talk with.... But i have!
Irisus returns to the room with the strange liquid.
Aram Zey have give me a lecture about alchemy. How neglecful i am!
Irisus returns to the group as fast he has goes.
"The kobold haves a blood extract of the basilic! It is useful if we had been turned into stone! Should we take it?"
[b]"
-Posted with Wayfinder
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Radagast looks at the vial with interest, then glances doubtfully a Cathryn.
"Perhaps we should ask the kobolds first? Technically, they could view it as theft if we just take it, and we are trying to *not* antagonise them. The Basilisk is also safely corralled at present, so (hopefully) we won't need it."
He then moves on to the double doors, and, after thoroughly checking them for traps, opens them.
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After discussing the usage of Basilisk blood Radagast searches the door for traps. He does not find any and opens the door.
A huge block of intricately sculpted stone dominates the center of this vast temple chamber. To the east, a flight of stairs leads up to a walkway, which connects to the stone block’s surface. Six pillars lie around the edges of the room, each decorated with carved patterns of scales and dragon heads. Several large paintings of dragons adorn the floor.
The ceiling rises to a uniform height of 25 feet here. The centerpiece of the temple is a huge block of stone, the top of which is connected to a stairway by a walkway with a curiously round cross-section. The kobolds have added some details of their own to make the interior cozier.
A group of kobolds is frantically praying to a massive golden statue as if they wanted it to wake up. The winged statue is standing atop a fifteen-foot-tall block of stone, its back against a wall decorated with many gold-leaf murals depicting historical scenes.
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While Tariq sneaks up the stairs and Beorin and Irisus wait hidden around the corner Cathryn and Radagast approach the group of kobolds to talk to them. As soon as they notice Radagast and Cathryn they scream "There they are!" and to your surprise the statue starts to move. It roars in anger: "You should not have come here!" It moves menacingly toward you as the kobolds stare in awe.
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Irisus and Beorin are hiding more, getting smaller and smaller behind the corner. "You attacked kobolds a few weeks ago just outside these ruins, didn’t you? And now you entered their home to kill more!" the living statue answers.
The creature is a rare type of gargoyle that is especially large and robust, and is made partly of gold. It also has scales on its skin, and a relatively narrow head and broad snout that give it a draconic appearance. Its posture is more regal than that of the usual, crouching gargoyles. It is a giant metal-clad gargoyle.
Radagast searches his pockes for the artefact and takes it out. He remembers Mother Bogwyn's words "The talisman’s power is hidden within, and it must be unsealed in the beast’s presence." The hull of the artifact is made of dry clay.
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"I dont know what it is.... It the first time. It happen to me."
Irisus turns his attention to the golden guardian.
"We are just looking for a missing person. We have not killed anyone since our arrival here!"
-Posted with Wayfinder
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Cathryn tells the kobolds about your search for Sharrowsmith, the need to defeat a kobold tribe to rescue several miners which were supposed to be sacrificed, the dangerous hunt for dinosaur eggs to retrieve the artifact Radagst is currently revealing, how they helped the kobolds rearm the trap in the entrance hallway and much more.
After the story Radagast finally removed the dried clay from the artifact and reveals a piece of metal with an ancient symbol engraved on it.
Upon seeing it, the Golden Guardian immediately calms down and utters, "Welcome, friends of Ashkurhall."
The kobolds get in rage. "What is this? You put a curse on our Golden God with that trinket!" one of them shouts. "How did you get past Stinkeye? Did you murder him too?" another one shouts. "You are looking for that bastard who collapsed the corridor, right? Look! They have been stealing our stuff!" one says and points at the leather blindfolds some of you are carrying. The kobolds prepare to attack.
Naktok
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Tariq
Radagast
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Sniper pink
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Cathryn
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Kobold green
Kobold red
Bomber blue
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Irisus
Beorin
Crumbling Pillars: The six pillars are badly corroded, a feature that a PC can notice with a successful DC 12 Knowledge (dungeoneering) or Knowledge (engineering) check, or a DC 17 Perception check. Any of the pillars can be collapsed (hardness 6, hp 20, Break DC 18) to deal 2d6 points of bludgeoning damage to all creatures in a 25-foot line. The affected squares also turn into difficult terrain.
Walkway: Moving faster than half speed along the uneven shaft of the massive stone hammer requires a DC 12 Acrobatics check. Any creature that fails the check by 5 or more falls 15 feet to the temple floor.