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At the top of the stairs, the sentry post stands before you. The door, at the slightest nudge, falls off its rusted hinges and clatters to the floor. Within this respite from the storming sands, a rotten table and bench lay awaiting their next occupants. A door on the far side hangs awkwardly off one hinge.
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Even from this vantage point, there is not much you can see towards the courtyard. The blowing dust enshrouds everything beyond. Out over the desert from whence you came, however, you find a commanding view of a vast empty desert.
The door on the other side of the room appears to lead to another empty room, though there is a stone chest contained within. Seeing no dangers, Prothero nudges the door, causing it to also fall from its precarious perch and fall with a clatter. The chest is slightly open showing there to be some crossbow bolts contained within.
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The western door is silent, as is the room beyond it. The stone building which it leads into once provided housing for a caravan’s beasts when the fortress was active. Only the stone has survived intact, with empty sockets for lanterns at even intervals. Ancient tools for leatherworking sit on a table to the south, next to an empty stone trough. Barren stalls line the north wall. Another door stands (barely) to the eastern side of the stables.
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"Glad you also think we should check the outbuildings first, Defah," says Prothero, as he eyes the door at the eastern end of the stables. With a tip of his head to Darvik, he moves over to the door and takes a quick look and listen. If it's possible to peek through or around the door as before, he'll do that also, and if if sees no causes for concern, he'll open the door.
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Seeing nothing dangerous, Prothero gently nudges the door off its hinges and it falls to the floor with a crash.
This room served at times as a smithy and at other times as a storage facility over the course of the fortress’s occupation. The chimney that rises from the small forge in the southwest corner is clogged with grit from centuries of storms, and the smith’s tools lie nearby under a thick layer of dust. The south door is cracked in places, and scattered crates are all that remain of a barricade.
Most of the contents of this room are spoiled and worthless, though you find two sealed vessels full of salt crystals.
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Prothero studies the south door a moment, then tosses out a question, "I wonder what they were barricading the door against? Maybe those zombies have been out there a looong time?"
He turns to watch his companions search the room and its contents a bit, then says, "I agree, Teric, now that we've taken a look out here, we need to go through the main doors."
Once Defah and Borax have completed their search, Prothero walks back through the stables and out into the courtyard before walking up to the double doors and inspecting them.
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As the party questions the value of salts, Borax completes his analysis. He realizes that only one is a vial of ghost salt. The other is a silver weapon blanch.
Defah, meanwhile, looks in the cluttered chimney. He sees nothing but rubble.
Upon the completion of the search, Prothero leads the way to the large double doors. He sees no traps nor wards.
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"That's a good idea, Borax, thank you for suggesting it," says Prothero, as he slips one of his twin quivers off his back and works with Borax to coat their points with the alchemical mixtures. As he works, he can't help but inspect each arrow, running a finger along the goose-feather fletching and sighting down the length of the shaft to be sure it is straight and true. This ritual seems to give him a quiet pleasure, and he relaxes visibly, looking quite the opposite of the awkward sod he can be in social situations.
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The large doors scrape along the floor as they are opened. Once they have silenced, a profound quiet settles over this timeworn hall. Elegant stone columns line the passage, and hieroglyphics and colorful art depict scenes from a distant age. A small wooden door stands at the east end of the hallway, while a larger door leads south. The sound of steady splashing water is audible through an open passageway to the north, and large stone doors lead outside. One of the pillars has collapsed, and a crushed human corpse lies pinned underneath. The distinctive shape of a wayfinder peers out from under the body’s hand.
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Prothero walks carefully forward, senses alert and wary of any surprises laid in wait for visitors focused on the fallen Pathfinder in the middle of the room. As he gets closer to the body, he studies it carefully for any further key to its identity, and to try to gauge how long ago the pillar fell on the poor soul.
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The body is that of a young woman. The sole piece of identification is the wayfinder in her outstretched hand. The inside of the wayfinder is engraved with a scarab and an inscription that reads “Congratulations, Asha. —V.L.” Most of her backpack is crushed, but a steel canister containing an oil and a stone has survived.
Will save some time and say that the oil and the stone both detect as magical. The wayfinder, however, has lost all magic.
Let me know who is picking what up.
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Prothero speaks slowly and awkwardly, saying, "V.L.! Didn't we have a map signed by V.L.? Wait, it was the sketch that showed the picture of the gates here!"
He realizes he sounds peculiar, even to his own ears, and every movement feels as if he's swimming in molasses. He drops the stone to the ground, in the hope that will help.
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Defah is gawking at the architecture of the chamber when Prothero first picks up the stone.
Huh? Stone? Can't put it down? How interesting. I'm not nearly as much the theoretical magician as many of brethren, but let's see if I can discern anything about your new rock.
Defah casts detect magic and tries to identify the stone.
Should that not prove helpful, he retrieves the steel canister that the stone once occupied, to see if it provides any insight.
Prothero, try putting the stone back in this canister. Perhaps Asha here was able to safely transport it inside the container.
It certainly seems that this place is well-named. We should avoid touching anything else without careful consideration while we're here.
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Teric looks at Prothero and his stone. "Not something you would expect. If it's cursed, I think you need a priest to help you. It's beyond my abilities. Or perhaps something here can help. Why would she be carrying such a thing if she wasn't cursed herself. Maybe she was hoping to find something here to cure it."
The Varasian picks up the Wayfinder to examine the inscription. "V.L. is indeed who signed the map. Perhaps Torch knows who this is." He wanders over to the open northern door and peeks his head outside.
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Borax recognizes some sort of magic in play but there is no spell affecting Prothero. The oil, however, he does get some information on. It is an oil of magic weapon.
Defah, trying to help his friend, sees that the rock is but a stone of alarm. But... this isn't what those do... What sorcery is this? With the steel tube being offered, Prothero drops the stone into it with a satisfying *plink*, only to find the stone is in his other hand. Trying to hand it to Defah results in the stone being fumbled to the earth. Before any one bends to recover it, it is somehow back in Prothero's possession.
Meanwhile, Teric ventures forward into the cave. Beyond the door to the north, the sound of water grows. The relaxing splash echoes throughout this tiled room. A large, pristine pool occupies much of the chamber, and a statue of a warrior-maiden serves as the centerpiece, endlessly pouring water from an ornate jar. A large carving on the east wall depicts a frightening man who stares at the viewer, with half his body burnt and ruined and the other half young and healthy. A withered corpse lies in the northwest corner.
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Darvik can't help but give a sympathetic chuckle to the plight of his new friend concerning the stone. I'm at a loss. See if you can at least stow it on your person so you do not have to carry it all day.
Seeing Teric venture forward Darvik will move with the man so as to not leave anyone on their own. So who is that suppose to be, in the carving on the east wall? Not Torch I take it? The fighter makes reference to the condition that the man in question has to this day. And what of this fella in the corner?
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Feel free to give a Knowledge (religion) or Linguistics to decipher these. If you know Ancient Osiriani, add a +10 bonus to it.
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Prothero studies the cursed stone in his hand, rolling his eyes in frustration at how it weighs him down. His glance moves over to the crushed form under the pillar and he says, "I hope there's a way to get rid of this thing other than the path she took."
He slips the stone into his beltpouch and moves laboriously into the cave, sweating and grunting quietly with each step. Hearing Darvik's question, he studies the images of the god and says, "I know who it is, but the damn name isn't coming to mind. Not my day, I guess. Perhaps I can puzzle out what the cartouches say."
He then moves over to the withered corpse on the floor and takes a careful look at it, though he takes great pains not to touch it after his recent experience with the stone.
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Borax has no explanation for the archer, but explains what the oil is.
"I fear we will need that oil at some point. The strongest fighter among us should coat their weapon with the oil if we face a foe truly fearsome, but not before. Let me carry the oil and I can spread it when the time is right."
Borax then turns his attention the cartouches invoking the power of his wayfinder.
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