Romon glances at his comrades one more time, then lifts the latch and pulls the door open, peeking around around, but keeping it between his body and the room beyond.
Ali had been looking back and forth between her new pack members. He wolven face had a look of, quite amazingly, complete bafflement on it. One got the impression it involved why her new free-ends were so nervous about going through a door.
Once the strong sweet scented new man opened the door, Ali nosed between his legs, looked into the next room, and padded into it.
Undeniably eager to see what lay beyond the door, Kallie was still surprised to see Ali simply go forth without any preparation. Oh gods oh gods what if there are more of those things!
She hurriedly summoned her lights again and sent them out just above the shapeshifted gnome to light her way and to see what lay beyond the door, not taking the time to think on whether a wolf even needed light to tell what lay ahead.
Muchorak opens the door the rest of the way and enters behind Wolf Spirit, his weapon at the ready.
Romon shrugs. That was it? He resumes his place at the end of the line, checking the group's back-trail.
The door opens into a corridor of the same worked stone as the room you are in. Ali pads off down it to a far corner where she can see that a second passage branches off to the right. Ahead there is wat seems to be a chamber.
Ali
The door opens into a corridor of the same worked stone as the room you are in. Ali pads off down it to a far corner where she can see that a second passage branches off to the right. Ahead there is wat seems to be a chamber.
Seeing the worked stone, Muchorak wishes to himself wondering the age of such work. As the corner turns and reveals more corriders and possible a larger chamber, "I would think it wise to take each path as we come across them to leave little unchecked behind us."
"Yes it is best that we not leave foes to come upon us unawares."
|
From the junction you see an obvious chamber ten feet ahead and a tunnel stretching beyond your light.
"Which way should we go?" Kallie whispered. "To the chamber up ahead?" There was no telling what was in there, but after the attack by the monsters earlier, the idea of leaving a darkened room unchecked behind them made her skin crawl more than it was already.
"Let us continue down this new corridor." Muchorak looks to Wolf Spirit to lead on.
Ali looks back to Big Bear then heads down the passage to the right
Kallie tried not to keep taking nervous glances behind her as they went down the branching corridor. "Watch your back." she suggested unnecessarily to Romon.
you make your way down the corridor evewntually emerging into another chamber.
The tunnel widens here into what appears to have once been a small shrine,for to the northeast steps lead up to a platform of gray stone. Sitting atop the platform is an ancient altar, little more than a jagged block of black marble with a shallow concavity on top of it. This basin is filled with what appears to be filthy water.
A heavy double door sits across the room from you.
It seemed to me that both ways could end up leaving something behind us...but the passage way just came first. And we would have had to pass an unexplored corridor to get to the room...at least this way the room is not technically 'behind' us...?
Kallie drew in her breath like a hiss at the sight of the altar and basin. "Is this that 'rulewell'?", she whispered to Marak. She held her hand palm-outward a bit, whispering softly. The sight of the thing that had been under her town for so long bothered her greatly, and she kept her distance as much as she could.
|
Peering at the altar and the dish of impure water, Marak muses aloud, "I see no sign of runes, Thassilonian or otherwise, nor does it seem like the sort of container from which a man-sized creature could emerge. I would suspect that this is not a 'runewell,' although I must confess that my viewing provided me with no description of such a thing."
Marak looks for signs of holy markings anywhere, particularly symbols or patterns that would suggest a holy place to Rovagug or Gorum (the two most 'wrathful' dieties who come to mind). The presence of long-dried blood or gore around the altar, or scoring in the ground, as if much struggling occured here, might also provide some clues.
After peering at the altar (but not touching it), he will equally dubiously peer at the double doors, looking for signs of warning runes or signs of fingers clawing at it. Which side the door is barred upon and which way it opens might also be an interesting thing to note... If the door is meant to hold something *in,* he will caution against rushing to open it!
Romon waits for an amused moment to see if Inikai will search for secret doors, then anticipating a repeat of Muchorak's request at the last door, he glides over to the double doors for an examination. Sliding his tools out of their pouch, he again begins with a visual examination followed by gentle probing.
"If the door is secure, we can proceed back and check the remaining path ways."
|
|
Marak
Inikai
Romon
"That altar is dedicated to Lamashtu. Perhaps this Nualia and Tsuto had made preparations in these tunnels before the assault."
Looking at Marak, "Very well, let us return to the other area." Turning at Inikai's words, "What is this lamashtu you speak of?"
Kallie shuddered at the mention of Lamashtu. Oh Desna, a shrine to her has been underneath us all this time?!
When Muchorak asked what she was, Kallie answered in a deadened tone, "The mother of monsters and madness. She is my goddess' most hated enemy." She made sure she was as far away from the altar as possible and continued to concentrate on her spell to detect whatever magic may have lingered over it.
"So this demon that dwells here is one of her creations? Let us move on then and send this creation back to her embrace and away from this land!"
With Ali leading once more you return to the junction of the passages and turn north
A red marble statue of a strikingly beautiful but, at the same time, monstrously enraged human woman stands in the middle of this room, her stony expression twisted in fury. The woman wears flowing robes, and her long hair is held back from her face by an intricate headdress of hooks and blades. In her left hand she carries a large book, the face of which is inscribed with a seven-pointed star. Her right hand holds a glittering metal and ivory ranseur.
A tunnel stretches away into the darkness to your east dropping downwards in short flights of stairs. A sturdy door is set in the north wall
The ranseur is a real weapon it is pushed through a hole in one carved fist..the book is part of the statue
"Nice weapon, perhaps before we leave this area and return to the town we should take the weapon. The ivory alone must be worth a small fortune."
Kallie went speechless and her eyes went wide as they entered the chamber. She stared up at the statue's face with what looked like a mix of wonder, admiration, and envy. Wow, now that's an image people probably respected...
She suddenly felt a bit homely.
A red marble statue of a strikingly beautiful but, at the same time, monstrously enraged human woman stands in the middle of this room.... In her left hand she carries a large book, the face of which is inscribed with a seven-pointed star. ....
Romon whistles low. Sotto voce "That's one stony cold looking b~%+%." Catching sight of the book, he comments, "Same symbol on the books as on the doors in the altar room. Maybe it's some kind of religious sign?"
Romon whistles low. Sotto voce "That's one stony cold looking b@#@!." Catching sight of the book, he comments, "Same symbol on the books as on the doors in the altar room. Maybe it's some kind of religious sign?"
A red marble statue of a strikingly beautiful but, at the same time, monstrously enraged human woman stands in the middle of this room.... In her left hand she carries a large book, the face of which is inscribed with a seven-pointed star. ....
"Yeah..." Kallie agreed under her breath, a faint smile forming as she continued to stare. That's the point after all. I wonder who she was.
She dug around in her memories to see if she recalled ever reading about anyone that the statue could possibly represent during her meager studies.
Ali sniffs around the base of the statue, trying to see if she can detect any lingering scent of Evil
"Can you tell if the weapon is magical?" he asks Kaliciel and Marak.
Ali
Inikai
Marak
Kalie
I may have said this before..if I haven't I apologise..but I do not allow take 20 on knowledge checks, it makes things too easy
"The seven pointed star is a Thassilonian symbol, representing what we call today the seven vices."
Romon misunderstands Marak, "So, the Thassilonians worshipped vice?"
|
|
"As I understand it, they considered the vices of wrath, greed, etc. to be virtues." Marak clarifies. "But I do not believe that they regarded these 'virtues' as dieties, so perhaps this statue is of a particular mortal champion who embodied one of these traits. Given her demeanor, I would suspect wrath..."
"There is a sage in town who studies Thassilonian works, if I understood him. When we return to the surface we should consult him on what we found here. Maybe he can enlighten us on this matter." If we return, he thinks.
"As I understand it, they considered the vices of wrath, greed, etc. to be virtues." Marak clarifies. "But I do not believe that they regarded these 'virtues' as dieties, so perhaps this statue is of a particular mortal champion who embodied one of these traits. Given her demeanor, I would suspect wrath..."
"I would say it's certain." Kallie quickly added, latching onto Marak's actual knowledge in order to appear at least somewhat knowledgable on the matter. "I wonder how such a civilization could thrive though..."
When Inikai mentioned the sage she went silent. No need to say anything that might appear foolish later, after all.
Her eyes never left the statue; she took mental notes on the clothing and poise, wondering what she could take from that image and make her own.
The Ransuer does not detect as Magical for anyone who tries it but it is very finely made...definitely Masterwork
|
|
Listening to Kallie's commentary, Marak agrees, "Certainly a society that considers 'sloth' a virtue wouldn't seem likely to get much accomplished..."
He then looks to his priestly companion, "My apologies, Inikai, I lost track of your question. No, the polearm is not magical, although it does appear to be of fine quality, and no doubt would be worth several hundred gold sovereigns."
As an afterthought, he adds, "The statue itself would probably be fairly valuable, if it could be transported out of here, particularly to a collector or sage in a larger city. I doubt it would be worth the time and effort on our part, however, as we likely lack the contacts or resources to profit handsomely on such a venture."
Ali, becoming bored with all the talk of some woman made of stone, starts nosing and padding further down the passage with the steps...
Muchorak will remove the ranseur, secure it to his pack and follow Wolf Spirit...the conversation going into things he is not willing yet to grasp.