"I just hadn't explored far enough." Toxim laments. Then, when he sees the crew's reaction, Perhaps we should send the crew back to the ruins while we investigate further."
"I'll not be going back to those accursed ruins!" Yells Deven, the unease strong in his voice. "Aye, best off taking our chance in the jungle then that place" Spats Morpere.
"Ya do realise that the entire area Jungle included is cursed right? Karkalla points out attempting to calm the crew "Remeber it was also in the Jungle were those giant apes jumped us in the first place. Least with the ruins ya can secure the area somewhat."
Diplomacy
Add an action point to the roll
Ardanto clips Deven round the back of the head and jokes, "of course you are not going into the ruins, I've seen you fight and you'll only get in my way, while I try and look all heroic and impressive for any nubile succubi that might lair with in." He turns to the Amela "You have the ship, so to speak, keep our crew and passengers as safe as you can while we are gone, we will return with this monkey demons head on a spike."
Diplomacy +12 (+1 Cha,+8 Rank, +3 Class Skill)
"Can we just go save Thomas and get out of here now?"
Daurros ignores the rest, studying the strange carvings.
knowledge planes
"aye." Amella says "If we not be seeing ye by daybreak, well I's see bout makin te Farshore." She Closes near finn, "Ya be careful 'n thar." She says as she makes her way toward the crew.
"You be sure to comeback to." Lirith says to toxim with a fast peck on the cheek. "It would be dreadfully boring without you" She calls as she runs to join the crew.
Karkalla will stick at the front or close to it to keep an eye out
Percetion (+4 to detect traps)
Toxim will stay towards the rear where he can make good use of his ranged abilities.
Perception
Don't forget
- they can become invisible
- able to teleport
- have dr cold iron
- immune to electric and poison
- res to cold, fire, and acid
This is not going to be easy.
You head into the right side maw, Finn and Guard take the front, with Ardanto and karkalla behind andDuarros and Toxim taking up the rear. Not far from the entry way both Finn and Karkalla spot a bloody print upon the rocky wall, and prints that look human sized as well. Those look like someone tried to cling to the wall as they were pulled deeper into the Shrine.
Deciding to fallow those you come to another split in the path, but Karkalla spots a deadly trap in one tunnel making the choice of tunnels easy. Not long after that you come upon torn clothing, boots, pants tunics, everything it seems the two missing men had is now a ruined mess, discarded in a cubbyhole.
You push forward and the caves give way to worked stone and a small hallway. At the end of the Hall stands two tarnished bronze doors. These are engraved with all many of foul sense displaying demonic beasts and human sacrifice. The handles seem almost organic.
Two statures flank the doors, each in a small niche craved into the wall.These statures depict, monkey-like demonic things, with their tongues dripping a red liquid that evaporates before it hits the ground.
Perception
Disable device
+ 4 if a trap is involved +2 if it is a lock
"Wait here while I have a look" Karkalla looks over the doors and statues and if they are untrapped attempts to open the door
Guard looks around as nervous as many of the crew did two days ago. This place is clearly getting in on his nerves.
Waiting for Karkalla to check the statures, he fires up a detect evil hoping to not find any traces here or near them.
He grips his incarnate warhammer, his mouth shut smoothly, awaiting anything and hoping for nothing.
Fully expecting to get a strong result, Daurro uses detect magic over the doors and statues.
Seeing no traps or obvious locks Karkalla attepts to open the door.
Ardanto shivers as a chill passes down his spine, he loosens the grip on his sword and flexes his fingers, suddenly aware that he had been gripping the blade far too tightly. No jest or witty words come to his mind, so he stands in silence watching the others perform their tasks.
Grabbing a single handle does not seem to work, but when Karkalla grabs both at once and turns barbs from the handles dig deep and painfully into her flesh. But as she yelps in pain the doors swing aside and they open into another chamber that is stained with blood.
A throne sets in an alcove on both sides of the chamber, leaving it with two thrones. On the far end of the chamber stands a blood-caked altar of greasy green stone, topped by a pair od black tallow candles. Iron framed mirrors stand on either side of the altar, their reflections warped and indistinct. This chamber seems to have no other exits.
Karkalla mutters a string of profanities as she heads into the room and begins to look around
Perception
+ 4 If there is a trap (possibly +2 from guards light?)
Finn examines the candles and mirrors for any clues or traps.
Perception:
"I don't know about you, but I'd rather not light the candles.
And I don't think I want to try detecting evil in here. Pro'lly would be overwhelming, I guess.
But say so, and I will try." Guard speaks, following Finn into the 'throne room'.
Before entering the room, Daurros uses a charge from his wand of mage armor. He then walks in, and responds to Guard, "No need, I think. We can safely assume that this place is the epicenter of all that is evil in this region. However, I will look for magic."
cast detect magic
Finn also garbs himself in magical force armor, naturally.
The evil of the room is strong, while not overwhelming, it is very intense. The thrones, the mirrors, the altar and the candles are all magical, very strong magic at that. They are also strongly evil.
Karkalla having picked up a few tricks in her travels thinks this set up look familer and upon a closer look sees the scrolling runes of the mirrors edges and thinks it is some type of magical trap.
We'll probably have to light them and it will probably not be pleasant when we do."[/b] In the tighter confines, Toxim switches to his sword.
"Wait let me try something."
Karkalla attempts to disable the trap
Disable device
Use an action point
"They should sack their interior designer," Ardanto mutters as he stands in the entrance way watching the others do their "things" and feeling useless.
Kakalla thinks she has disable any magical traps placed upon the mirrors.
"Okay I think Ive disabled whatever trap was on em and if there trapped that means there must be something important about em although I have na bloody idea how or what."
"It's probably best we don't know. Don't forget you saw no obvious traps on the other doors and it still hurt to open them."
Daurros looks over the room. "No other exits. I will examine these items, but I think we should search carefully for hidden doors."
He begins looking over all of the items in the room (candles, thrones, etc.) and tries to see what he can ascertain about them.
knowledge arcana
Daurros would guess that all three items may be connected in some manor. Just how he is not totally sure, but seeing as the mirror was trapped, they may also play a role.
Finn also notes the blood on the alter is just a few hours old.
Now that the trap has been disabled, Guard looks at the mirror(s?) and candles in detail too. Is the mirror afixed to a certain position?
"Maybe we should not light the candles in a normal way? Anyone got a fire-spell handy?"
"Where do they get candles from way out here in the jungle?" Ardanto muses. He wanders over to the throne and looks it over, not sure what he is looking for. He briefly considers sitting on it, but decides that might get him chided and so stands with his hands on his hips.
"It looks like someone needs to bleed on the altar and presumably the candles should be lit. And maybe someone needs to sit on the thrones or look in the mirrors as well?"
"Well, I'm not good at bleeding, and I'm bright like some candles right now, so ... not it."
Can Daurros figure anything out by examining them further.
Intelligence check
Daurros really does not know. But all the objects he thinks are connected in some mystic manner.
Ardanto raises a hand as a volunteer, "I can bleed and sit if you need me to."
"Why don't we try it without the blood first. It is possible, though admittedly unlikely, that blood isn't required. We could just light the candle and have a seat. If that doesn't work, we can still try the blood."
"Aye, but it feels wrong without our Captain bleeding, doesn't it?" Guard chuckles uncertainly.
"I'll keep an eye on the mirrors, then."
"And there are two mirrors and two chairs, maybe we should try this in pairs. We'll see what happens with Ardanto. If nothing happens, I'll take the other seat."
Ardanto sits down on the nearest throne and waits.
Nothing seems to happen when the thrones are set upon. With a bit of experimentation you light a candle, a pool of blood flows across the alter. But nothing else happens, A bit more of experimentation you light a candle then sit upon a throne, once that happens the Mirror upon that side image swirls into a vortex. Nothing seems to come from it and if left alone it simply stops in a few moments.
However with Daurros knowing just whose Temple this is, he thinks having both mirrors going at once may be a key. This demon has a thing for the number 2.
Toxim will sit opposite Ardanto.
If the candles are lit, one by one and both thrones sit upon both mirrors have the rippling vortex effect. But if left alone they simply clear up in a few moments and go back to normal.
Let's have Ardanto and I try it again with me and Karkalla in the chairs. We have Guard and Finn try to step through the mirrors. We wait maybe 2 rounds before Ardanto and Daurros go through. Finally, Karkalla and myself go.
If we do this and it works, make sure you're ready for anything on the other side.
Unsure what to expect, Guard makes himself ready, warhammer and shield in hand, waiting for a sign to step up and (possibly) through one of the mirrors.
Finn gets ready to touch and/or move through the mirror at the appointed time, with "Vanderboren's Justice" at the ready.