Karethas thinks it was most certainly a lycanthrope. Faelar is well acquainted with tales from the northern continent of the curse called lycanthropy that turns men into a ravening beasts on nights of the full moon. The Linnorm Kings have their werebears and werewolves range from Ustalav to Taldor. This is the first he has heard of a werelion, but it isn't too strange an idea that the southern continent would have its own vartieties of lycanthropes.
Karethas does indeed find magic present on the burned corpse. A bronze shortsword at the man's side has an aura of moderate transmutation and something is in a charred pouch.
Karethas shakes open the pouch and examines the item within. "I will try to identify these later, but Amir you should look inside the shrine and see if there is anything else."
Inside the pouch, Karethas finds a magical ring and potion which emit auras of faint universal magic and conjuration respectively. Amir would need some light to explore the darkness beyond the shrine's entrance.
Amir looks over at Karethas after offering Auri a scritch on the neck in errant thanks for the healing, You tried to light me on fire. I think you should check the shrine. Besides, its dark in there. We might as well all go together for all the sneaking I would be able to do in the dark...
Beyond the wide door lies a broad rectangular chamber filled with a forest of columns in orderly rows. In the center of the colonnaded hall, two shallow pools: one filled, one empty. Animal tracks around the pools reveals that the area is popular with local wildlife. Closer inspection shows that the water from the empty pool has drained through a crack as long as an arm and a foot's length in width at the bottom.
Karethas chuckles, I relied on your unerring instincts to keep you from the flames, and I thought you'd prefer the lycanthrope dead before it killed you. Now I suppose I will need to rely on your instincts again." He then walks over to Kzrira and casts light on her bow. "Now you will have light."
"If it is light you need, I could always start a fire..." Auri remarks cheekily.
"The darkness doesn't hide much from me, if you'd like me to stay out ahead"
As Kzira moves closer to the pools to survey the tracks, the light upon her bow suddenly condenses into a ball and flies into the pool, diffusing its glow into the water which in turn illuminates the entire room with beautiful rippling light.
"oooooh"
Auri creeps forward to see what is going on.
When the light jumps from the bow to pool, Kzrira jumps back, another silver arrow already nocked in her bow looking for whatever may be threatening.
Perception:
What was that? How did that steal the light from my bow?
Do any of you magic types know whether these pools are magical?
I look to the man on the floor more carefully, "Hmm, a Were-lion ... well I see no reason why they can't exist. It is actually quite beautiful, well he was while he was alive, if only we had been able to talk with him. I don't suppose anyone was bitten, I remember reading that you can become one of these beautiful creatures with a bite. Why people call it a curse I will never know."
Once I enter the room, I look to Auri, "Thank-you for your timely assistance; Oh great Aurichalcum. I fear it was almost time for me to perform with Shelyn herself, that would have hindered my goals to learn as much as possible and find this Tome. So thank-you aga..." I stop talking with I see the light get absorbed by the pool, I stand there for a few minutes admiring its beauty before realising what Kzrira has asked.
I hold my hand over to pool and concentrate.
Faelar studies the pool and finds the aura underlying the light spell too weak to identify. All around, traces of once powerful magics permeate the very stone of the place. Long centuries of decay however, have left only flickering visions of the wonders that once resided here.
Further exploration of the room finds three exits on the far side of the colonnaded hall: right, left and central. All three lead away from the entrance.
"So? Which way?"
Right is right? Since we do not have a better option.
Karethas studies the pool for a moment, fascinated. He casts a quick spell to see if it has an effect on the pool. "Regardless of which way we go, now we will need a torch or a lamp. Anyone have one? I can carry it if necessary."
Kzrira pulls out her bullseye lantern that has been hanging off her pack and collecting dust for the past month and hands it to Karethas.
If you all can make magical light, that would probably be easier, but if this pool is just going to steal the light, then this old fashioned lantern should do the job.
Right should be just fine....Ah a lantern! I had forgotten such a thing existed! Amir brushes his moustache nonchalantly.
A chilling laugh echoes through the chamber, but doesn't appear to affect or be affected by the pool. By lantern light you explore the right passage which ends in an alcove with a fire ring and a bedroll. There is some torn cloth and other debris. Nothing appears magical or of value.
Kzrira carefully surveys the end of the passage for any hidden doors or panels, or anything else.
Perception:
Seem strange that such a passage would end with no apparent purpose in a beautiful, if ancient, shrine like this.
Perhaps its intention is as a resting alcove? Meant as quarters for the keeper of the shrine?
I don't think so. Look, the fire ring and bedroll make it appear to be where the old werelion slept. But, other than being the werelion's bedroom, what was the purpose for this passage. Seems like a lot of work to build a big passage like this without any purpose.
Survival: <-- trying to determine whether there is any marks indicating something using this passage as a corridor, or anything indicating that wind might be blowing the dust on the ground which would indicate a passage beyond.
Similarly, Auri tries detecting magic and surveying the place for anything that might not be readily apparent to the naked eye.
I look at the fire ring and bedroll, "You mean to say that majestic creature slept here? Times must have been hard on him."
As to the purpose of the alcove, it is hard to say, but Kzrira does find a chipped brick at the back which conceals a bag containing 50 platinum coins of Osiriani mint.
Kzrira takes out the bag of coins and tosses it to Faelar for safe keeping.
Well, it will buy some more of those cold iron arrows perhaps, and probably a few spells for you Karethas. Not really enough to get much useful, especially when anything powerful must be ordered from Katapesh.
Unless you guys can detect something with you magical powers, I guess we return and check the next passage.
Unless someone else stops me, I return to the main room and start quietly examining the center passage.
Stealth: <-- -2 armor penalty
Perception:
Noisy and blind, Kzrira begins her way down the passage with her bow once again held at the ready.
Amir will share a look with anyone who looks at him at the amusement he has as Kzrira makes her way down the hall. I think we are beyond stealth girl, we are carrying bright lights in the dark.
Chuckling Amir follows the girl, That much coin is plenty for shrimp and tea...
Kzrira looks back over her shoulder at the old thief: It would buy some good grub and rounds at a fine establishment, except that the nearest establishment of any quality is a weeks travel from here across the desert.
I would walk a week to be back at the Net for a day or two...but I should not let my stomach overrule my senses. Now is for this shrine, later is for dreaming of a lightly roasted Tian blend with a dollop of honey.
Kzrira looks back again almost laughing this time: You can have your tea, I will take a dwarven stout and a medium rare camel steak seasoned with Qadira's finest spices.
Auri potters along, not sparking - for the moment.
Karethas shares a smile and a wink with Amir as he notes Kzrira wasted atempts at stealth. "Ahhh...a fine tea. I too miss such refined treats. Not that this trip has not had it's....pleasures, but I do miss the comforts of sweet Katapesh. When we are done helping clear Kelmarane I'm sure there will be time to visit the great city to spend some of our well earned gains."
The phantom scent of bitter incense wafts past as you exit the corridor into a domed sanctuary. The bipartite mask of Nethys is displayed prominently in bas-relief on the opposite wall. To the right of the image, his radiant aspect calms seas, reveals mysteries, and commands legions of genies and elementals to build cities. To the left, his shadowy aspect blasts palaces, drives blinding sand storms, and crushes enemies with fire and lightning. Identical images of a woman formed of storm clouds flank an entrance in the left wall. Beyond, you see a small chamber and a flagstone in the middle of the room that cants up into the air, obviously a trapdoor that is not longer hidden.
Interesting - a woman formed of clouds. Sort of like the water woman we found by the waterfall.
What do you think all this Nethys mask stuff is about?
"I don't know much about Nethians, but hey whats that over there?"
Auri moves towards the trapdoor area.
While everyone is talking about missing Katapesh and fine tea's I look to miss something else, "I would love to see Qilué again. But I will have to wait, but at least I can find some good books out here to read, that is a bonus" I smile broadly at the thought of books.
I look to Auri point out the trapdoor trying to work out if he is being serious, "... That would be a door leading downstairs. I suppose a great and powerful creature; like yourself, would have no need for doors such as this?"
"Magic is neither good nor evil, but it can be used for either purpose. Thus the dual nature of Nethys. We learned this much at the college. I am not familiar with the Lady though, would you know more Faelar?" Karethas looks uneasy as Auri moves into the room. "Ummm...this seems to be an area that the builders may have trapped to keep intruders from gaining the inner mysteries of the shrine. Perhaps we should proceed with some caution here."
Is there anything obviously apparent down the trapdoor?
[ooc]What do I know of the lady in the clouds?
Will Save
"HEY! What was that?"
"I remember reading about Nethys when I was still a child, the woman in the clouds is an Arcanotheign; a Herald of Nethys. She is a being formed of pure magical energy and upon the whim of the mad god she serves can be a force of weal or woe. Let us hope that Woe is not in our immediate future."
I quickly glance over to where Auri is: Hey what?
My bow is already drawn with a cold iron arrow nocked.
Perception:
As Aurichalcum passes into the room with the trapdoor he feels a tingle and pulling sensation in his sparky gut. Kzrira looks up at him sharply and imagines she sees her friend flickering as he passes between the Arcanotheign columns flanking the doorway.
I don't know much about magic or traps, but I thought I saw some type of a field between those two columns as Auri passed through. You magic guys might want to carefully inspect it before any of the rest of us pass between them. My guess is that Auri has mighty dragon resistance to magic. Whether the rest of us humans and elves would be so lucky I do not know.
Amir will check the threshold for traps,
"Yes, be wary of traps!"
Amir stands before the threshold brow furrowed in concentration. He can find no mechanical traps, but then again magical traps are much more difficult to spot.
From the other chamber, Aurichalcum finds a corridor back to the colonnaded room. Besides the oddly raised block in the floor, the chamber is otherwise not noteworthy.
Karethas crouches down and examines the lintel. He rubs his cheek, "I thought this was a good place for a trap. The problem is that I don't know if I can do anything to get us by this."
"I suppose I can go play with that oddly raised block and see if it does anything?"
Karethas finds that there does seem to be some kind of concentration of magic on the portal, but the background radiation that permeates the shrine makes it difficult to tell anything further.
Aurichalcum finds deep grooves on the edges of the displaced block as if made from a sizable claw; a lion's claw perhaps. However, the block seems quite stuck and even a mighty if somewhat tiny dragon would need some assistance in moving it.