"But you are always suspicious. Though in this case I share your suspicions"
"It is possible that this is why we are both still alive, while Mr Zal currently resides in Bahamut's claws."
Neither Rowan nor Akahale divine anything pertaining to magical power or energy within or pertaining to the statue. Rowan intuits that like the ones in the shrine it is just supposed to depict a sea serpent rather than any particular deific or demonic figure.
"Which direction would you wish for us to clear Akahale. Were does your sences guide us too? I sence we are close to something gaurded perhaps. We must stay on high alert and keep close together."
"We should proceed in a southerly direction, bypassing this abominable artwork."
Akahale snuffles the air cautiously.
"We should be wary. In the absence of Mr Zal, Father Rowan is the best equipped of us to identify traps and snares."
The elderly mage stumbles after the last foe falls, his large, magical icy hand fading with a small wisp of steam.
"Stoopid,... no respect,..." He grumbles faintly.
:)
After catching his breath, the elderly mage struggles back to his feet and shuffles after the others, leaning on his staff. He peers intently at the statue of the serpent and gives a disdainful sniff.
"An absolutely atrocious attempt at pre-Azextian artwork! Appalling! I've seen better work by blind toddlers! And really, anyone with any taste knows that post-Xenophobian is vastly superior! Right It? It?? IT! Wait for me you confounded bucket of bolts! I'm going to have a VERY close look at your personality matrix when we're done with this business!,..." The mage mutters as he follows the others.
The elderly mage catches his breath, but as he regains his feet it becomes clear that while he is whole and hardy, he is exhausted.
The group can see that there is an exit to this cavern in the northern wall as well as a lower level of the cavern reachable by ladder.
Manny groans, and you swear you hear him creaking.
"Ladders,... WHY did it have to be ladders?!?" He whines.
"Hmm I have rope if we cant find a ladder."
perception check
"We could also go back to the area with the trap, disarm it and proceede down the passage way there. But first does anybody else see a ladder? We may have a tacticle advantage if we can move North from here."
"Let us explore the northern exit, which requires no ladders."
"IT believes that a decision is needed."
"North."
Manny gives IT a suspicious glance.
"There. North. Happy?!?" He asks the implacable bodyguard. The mage raises a bushy eyebrow at the mechanical man, but huffs in frustration when the steel faceplate fails to give any indication of IT's inner thoughts.
"Reminds me not tah play poker with you,..." The mage mutters as he follows the others towards the North,...
"Hmm, oh that ladder there. Thank Bahamut it was not a snake..."
Grafire approaches the ladder and makes his attempt to decend.
Athletics check -
The heroes descend to the lower level...
Something is very wrong with this cave. The walls, the floor, and the ceiling are all coated in a reflective sheen, as though a great slug had left a trail across them. Even stranger is the stone. Although every other surface within these caverns appears to be water-carved stone, these surfaces boast strange patterns, unusually marred features, and even twisted curves and protrusions. It less resembles stone, and more a hollow in a large lump of clay, formed into random patterns by a
child’s eager fingers.
With the benefit of his sunrod, Akahale can see a much larger chamber to the north...
You can see a sequence of monstrous idols, a great basalt altar like that
beneath the church, and a shallow lagoon, roughly 2 feet deep, that runs beneath the distant wall. From here, you can see an older woman, clad in black robes, moving around behind the altar.
This chamber of horrors becomes clearer as you progressinward. The two smaller idols are statues of the fish-men you’ve encountered, and their dark stone forms drip with a thin sheen of oily water. The three larger images are great serpents, emerging from the earth or the water, and foul
ichor oozes from their needlelike teeth. The basalt idol, slightly larger than that beneath the church, boasts a rising serpent as well, turned toward the right. It radiates an intense cold. The entire chamber smells horribly of rotting fish.
Akahale's eyes whirl and he hurls the sunrod into the centre of the room, sending it hissing against the forces of chaotic abomination confronting his friends.
"Your vile activities will cease. Your demonic lord's reign ends today," he intones sepulchrally.
Akahale chucks the sunrod at the woman. She looks startled and cowers behind the large statue on the shoreline.
The dragonborn marches into the room and glares, rod raised high.
The woman continues to cower as Akahale advances bravely into the cavern.
Grafire follows into the room with defenses up and readies his trusty battle axe.
"Looks like more fish is on the menu tonight fellas."
Manny trudges along behind, more preoccupied with the room itself and its walls than the statuary or the occupant.
"Ech! Really, you'd think they'd clean up after them selves! Hmmm,... That's odd. This stone doesn't look worked, at least not by masons,..."
Manny surmises the strange patterns on the corridor's walls were created by the mouther.
"Hmmph! Can't say I care much for the slobbering slimeball's decorative choices." The mage grumbles with a derisive sniff. "It's like it took punk and Baroque and mixed them together. With acid. Blecch!" He gags, sticking out his tongue.
The barmy wizard then turns his attention to the rest of the room.
"Now, what have we got here?!? IT! Hold your chest lamp still you fidgeting bucket of bolts, I'm trying to see! Honestly, how many times do I have to tighten that bolt?!? AH. That's better! Thank you."
"This alter is an abomination! It must be destroyed!"
Grafire will move in far enough to see west into the unknown part of the map. Weapons readied for action but moving with defences up.
perception check -
Akahale realises that snapping the serpent off the top of the altar will destroy its magical properties, which he is unable to determine at this time.
As Akahale cries shrilly into the cavern, a trio of horrific beasts—amalgams of deep-sea creature and insect, somewhat but not like that of the horror you fought at the cave entrance—step toward you from behind statues in the cave. They each clutch tridents.
Manny slaps his hand over his face and pulls down, stretching his long face even longer.
"Not again! Don't they EVER learn?!? IT! Educate them please."