Open it up!
You find several sticks of incense in the box.
religion
I assume I light them while they are in the sand?
You do recall, dimly, that incense can be an important part of the ritual in Irori ceremonies, and Irori is a Vudrani god.
Rameth sticks them in haphazardly and lights them on up
You just watch. I am in the process of summoning a cult. An undead cult. An undeead cult that worships a slumbering dragon.
Rameth studies the alter, taps his forehead to the ground three times, claps three times, taps his forehead tot he ground and holds out his hands for reward!
Make a Fortitude Save.
[ooc] well Mesdoram is hardly helping here! [/ooc[
definitely using inspiration on this!...I think you can right? add 4 if it is poison somewhere
Rameth wavers for a moment in the incense and then his vision darkens. He blinks, and when he comes to he sees a silver key sitting on the floor of the chamber.
He picks up the key and heads back to the main room, then heads down the third tunnel.
The third tunnel descends in a straight slope and your light sputters for a moment until you come around a bend - and into an open field.
Golden leaves and grasses wave in a breeze, and you can hear more than one bell ring in the distance. The sky is the pink and orange of dawn, and lavender clouds float through the sky. The field ascends towards a massive temple of blood-red stone - three prangs leap towards the sky near it and water drips off the elaborate carvings in the stone surfaces, looking almost like blood flowing from wounds in the building.
When you turn around the tunnel has gone - the field ends abruptly in a drop and you see the sky extending below you as well.
Hello cult! Here we come! Rameth makes sure his hand crossbow is loaded, takes a hit of his booze and marches on towards the temple
percep.
Dor, you have been strangely quiet of late. Whats going on?
You don't see Mesdoram near you.
Friggin pirates
Rameth takes a moment to attempt to disbelieve everything he sees
will
Everything seems to be real.
Continuing on then
As you approach you see three entrances in the wall surrounding the ground to the temple interior - they seem to line up with the three prangs. The central prang is the largest in the center.
Rameth wanders to the one to the left and takes a look.
percep Assuming it is easy to get in he will enter it slowly
stealth
You head down a long, pillared corridor - your footsteps echo through the temple, making you feel like you're the only one there - and quite conspicuous at the same time. The ceiling is carved with depictions of demons and angels battling along its length
You can't tell, but it feels like the eyes of the demons are following you.
You eventually come to a place where you have the opportunity to continue in the direction you've gone or left into a grassy corridor.
Rameth will continue on, completely irritated with Mesdoram for bailing on him
You come to a large hallway - alcoves on either side have golden candles that burn with a flame the same color as the walls in stands and tables. At the end of the hall you see a status - it is of a man with six arms and six eyes that burn in the candlelight. A series of spears rotate behind the statue, seemingly suspended by magic as the slowly move through the still air.
percep around the room for traps
You don't see any traps in the room or the alcove. As you approach the statue its hands begin to move jerkily - almost mechanically, in a movement you recognize from your worship of Brigh. The spheres begin to move much more quickly.
Sorry super busy day haven't even been on my phone all day
engineering
It appears to be a highly advanced mechanism
As you approach the statue it begins to hover in the air - it becomes more active the closer you approach it.
Soon it begins to hover in the air and sway left and right.
Rameth steps back and slams down a shield extract and a Bull Strength and steps forward again spear at the ready
Fighting a statue, my life is stupid.
The statue raises its hands and two of the balls comes whizzing at you from the halo.
They slam into your alchemical shield and veer off.
Arcana to learn about DR
for Rameth plunges his spear into the statues chest
The spear strikes home and cracks into the statue, bringing Rameth in reach of the flailing arms of the statue.
One of the limbs hit
Rameth slams down his CLW extract from his belt gadget,
for
Rameth slams his spear, attempting to widen the cracks in the statue
Dor, where the hell are you!
The crack does in fact widen and the statue floats backward a few feet, letting the stone halo behind it fire more stone balls at you.
One cracks into you and then fades back into the halo, but the creature is wavering.
Rameth advances and attacks
for
Hoping to smash the thing
The spear blow slams hard into the statue and a webwork of cracks appears throughout the statue. Eventually it crumbles into pieces of stone that scatter across the floor and a gold key drops onto the temple floor as well.
The halo of stones falls to, but when they strike the floor they vanish into clouds of red smoke that fills the room.
And then you wake up back in the central tunnel, with Mesdoram looking down at you.
You back? You sort of passed out after you got hit by the needle Rameth.
So I have no keys then but do I have my extracts still?
Rameth searches his pockets and finds three keys - iron, gold and silver - his extracts have vanished, leaving empty vials however.
Thanks for the help. I'm surprised you didn't loot me and run. Rameth grumbles And he offers some of his best booze to Mesdoram.
After they drink he uses the three keys
How long was I out?
Holy s!%*. Where'd you get the keys?
Mesdoram stands back as the door unlocks and descends into the floor. It reveals a lever sitting on a ledge.
About four hours. I left you down here when I was exploring the tunnels - there isn't much around and your, uh, dog looked like he was keeping you safe just fine.
Trip barks with all three heads as he wages his tail when Rameth starts moving around.
Rameth fishes out a treat for Trip
I am more powerful than you can imagine! he replies to the key query [/b]Find anything useful?[/b]
He pulls the lever after checking for traps
The ground quakes when you pull the lever and you hear the sound of stone grinding against stone from below you. You're able to keep your balance and Trip barks as a result of the moving cave.
Mesdoram leads you back up the ropes, through the temple and out onto the cliff - where the suspension bridge still hangs in the canyon, but a smooth stone arc extends across the gap next to it.
Meanwhile, the Gurkhals are in disarray, along with Smiley.
Rameth takes a bow to the warriors that laughed at the taunting.
Lets move out, At least one of us is useful.
He and trip then go visit the priestess and recount the religious iconography they saw to see what she has to say about it. Either way he does not go to her tent.
As you approach the camp and try to find the priestess, you find she's missing from the camp.
The Gurkhals are busy tending one of their number who has a vicious claw mark across his chest.
Mesdoram talks to Yaduraya and is quite annoyed, then he turns to talk to you.
Let me guess, your new friend the tiger and my bunk mate got together and ran off, over the new bridge that you and I just made?
Gods, what a mess. Apparently when the bridge appears the Gurkhals were pretty please but Mohini went berserk. The Gurkhals tried to stop her, but she grew claws and mauled one of them, then ran across the bridge and into the jungle.
The Gurkhal's screams increase to bellows as you see the others treating his wounds with arrack and bandages.
What in the Nine Hells are the damned Pathfinders thinking, sending a crazy woman with us?
See why I stopped working for them?
Rameth will help take stock of the camp, and will hit the wounded man with a charge from his wand to help
Once the camp is packed and ready to go, they will head across the bridge