Akahale sniffs disapprovingly at the squalid linen and prepares to move on.
Akahale makes a mental note to keep his dagger in his pyjama pocket from now on.
Grafire moves to the first door to the east in S6, checks the knob and tries to open the door.
Grafire recognises this large room as a makeshift barracks. Like the smaller bedrooms, bedrolls and foot lockers are present.
Snout wrinkling disgustedly, Akahale follows his egg-brother and pokes unenthusiastically through the lockers.
Poking as he does, the smaller dragonborn finds the money of the room's occupants.
Akahale takes the coins for future distribution.
Grafire then moves to the door on the south wall.
MAnny examines the bedrolls with a look of disappointment.
"What, No mint?"
Grafire finds that this room has served as an armoury. A few nearly empty weapon racks stand near the door. A stool and a crate are being used as a workstation for fletching arrows. A bag of feathers, some arrowheads, and arrow shafts lie near it on the floor, along with a couple of half-completed arrows.
The back half of the room is a tangled mess of materials; busted bed frames, rotting tapestries, mouldy mattresses, sodden rugs, and other detritus.
Notebook and staff at the ready and pen held in his teeth, Akahale investigates the mess at the back of the room.
A thorough search of the heap reveals no valuables, but you do find dusty bones and skulls that show signs of a violent end.
Grafire seeks a sharpening stone if one is avaiable while Akahale takes his notes.
perception
Grafire doesn't spot anything that could be useful in that regard in the pile of junk, but finds one in a foot locker.
Flanges rising, Akahale heads towards the doors in the north wall and opens the southernmost of them.
Akahale finds another individual bedroom, with a chair, a bedroll, and a slim journal on top of the bedroll.
"Aha!"
He prods the journal with his staff, checking for tentacles. If none appear, he will pick it up using a clean hankie and start to read it.
No tentacles appear.
Reading the book, it seems to be a diary. It begins with the writer recording his delight in finding something that gives his life meaning. More entries follow, each growing more feverish than the last. The journal descends further and further, until it is a demented scrawl.
There is nothing of value in the writing.
"A deluded cultist has recorded his own downfall. If there are no objections, I shall keep this to add to my records."
"That is fine by me, Akahale. On to the next room." Grafire moves on to the next room to the east and opens the door.
Akahale joins his egg-brother in the doorway, eyes whirling with suspicion.
The two dragonborn find that this too holds the belongings of its resident. A bag lies on the floor, as does a bedroll.
One door remains...
Akahale prods the bag experimentally with his staff and awaits rodents with tentacles. If none appear he will open the bag, extract the contents and make for the last door. Which he will open. Twitchily.
The bag is utterly empty of tentacles, rodents or indeed anything except some stale pastries.
Grafire moves to the last door and flings it open.
The two dragonborn both try to open the door, prompting much comedic goings on.
Stepping politely aside, Akahale allows Grafire to do the honours.
The last room is yet another bedroom with the expected belongings. Spiders scuttle.
Rootling ensues. At a distance, using a staff.
Nothing unearthly is uncovered.
"Let us abandon this squalid environment and pursue our investigations elsewhere."
The dragonborn warlock leads the group to investigate the southern doors. They too are unlocked. Upon opening them you can see that the short hallway beyond these doors leads to a chamber within which you spy the base of a large statue made of dimly luminescent black stone. Each wall of the hall has a thick chain running through rings set in the stone every 10 feet or so. The chains are slack between the rings and at the midpoint of the slack areas large metal balls replace several chain links. From the ends of the chain near the door, it appears that each of these balls represents a lidless eye. The chains continue around the corners of the wall into the room.
"Looks like we've found their dark idol..." Otto stares into the room beyond.
"An abomination indeed." Akahale sounds satisfied and not a little smug, as though he alone was responsible for the idol.
"I shall endeavour to fathom the significance. The eyeballs are quite disturbing."
"It indeed looks that way." Grafire stays alert and looks for movement.
Perception
Grafire spots no movement.
A tall statue looms in the center of this hexagonal room. It’s
made of a semitransparent black stone and gloomily glowing veins run through its entirety. The statue at first appears to depict a cloaked and hooded figure holding a rusting sickle aloft in each hand, but a second glance reveals that it holds another sickle in a third arm. Between each pairing of arms is the deeply hooded visage, so that the statue effectively has three faces. Peering up into the hood, you see that no true face lies within; it’s just a hollow space.
The sight of the abomination makes Akahale less able than usual in his recall.
The wary dragonborn recalls nothing that mentions or describes anything like this statue. In fact, none of you have seen anything like it.
Another set of double doors lies on the far side of the room. Akahale notices that the chain comes out of the walls near that door.
Shae walks into this room and she examines the statue as well.
Shaeryyn also notices that the chain comes out of the walls near the opposite door. Like Akahale, this statue reminds her of nothing she has ever heard of.
"Well I suppose we shall tempt fate and follow the chains through that door. Unless there are any better ideas?"
Akahale pads cautiously after Grafire, followed closely by Hadarai.
Otto follows suit, halbred at the ready.
Grafire attempts to open the door, via the door knob if present.