With the way now lit, your party descends the stairway into the underground as Garver stays behind to report back to VC Themis on your find. The steps carry on for a short distance and then sharply turn and turn again as you climb step after step. The temperature falls rapidly with your decent, until your breath fogs the dank air before you.
Finally you arrive at a chamber where an ancient fountain decorates this open tunnel intersection. Many chipped sculptures provide spouts through which drizzles of water splash into the basin below. The fountain’s cold concrete edges have carved symbols that adorn its sides in three distinct bands. A set of stairs leading down from above empties into the room from the south, while two 5-foot-wide tunnels exit the room to the east and west.
1)
2)
3)
4)
You note (with the exception of Marco) something odd about the symbols on the bands, but have little time to consider the implications of this observation as you hear noises echoing from one of the passages. A mournful wail and sharp crack, followed by a cry of pain. The sounds draw nearer swiftly and you realize you only have seconds to prepare before their sources are upon you!
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Initiative Order - Round 1
-------------------------------------
Enemies:
Derro - casts
Jorag
Marco
Mujenbai and Unapp
Selter and Sithiss
The Pathfinders take up position and wait for the slavers to enter, but as they had seen the light, their quarry was aware of their presence. Darts fly into the room, but miss their mark badly and then a terrible high-pitched shriek hits Mujenbai, Unapp and Selter, hurting their ears. The druids shake off the secondary effects of the spell easily enough, but Unapp is stunned into weaving stillness.
.
Sss...
Sithiss strikes at the creature in front.
Jorag peers down the hall and sees that no one has a whip, the crack likely having come the derro's strange club. He casts his spell and manages to penetrate the derro's spell resistance, but the creatures will proves too strong to succumb.
Marco's bolt finds it's mark, but does not seem to have done any damage to the mite.
Unapp stands stunned as Mujenbai cracks the mite over the head, sending it sprawling to the floor. It's fellow behind it throws a dart in return but it is badly aimed.
The derro casts at Mujenbai and the big druid stands dazed for a moment.
Initiative Order - Round 1
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Enemies: attacked
Jorag - casts command
Marco - hits mite
Mujenbai and Unapp - downs mite, Unapp stunned
Selter and Sithiss - draws alchemists fire
-------------------------------------Round 2
Enemies:
Derro - casts
Jorag
Marco
Mujenbai and Unapp -
Selter and Sithiss
.
Sss...
Sithiss strikes ineffectively at the creature in front.
The second mite goes down under Marco's spell and the Derro throws his strange hooked club at the dazed druid, but the blow bounces off his armor.
Initiative Order - Round 1
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Enemies: attacked
Jorag - delays
Marco - hits mite
Mujenbai and Unapp - downs mite, Unapp stunned
Selter and Sithiss - draws alchemists fire
-------------------------------------Round 2
Enemies: attacked
Jorag - delays
Marco - downs mite
Mujenbai and Unapp -
Selter and Sithiss - toss alchemist fire and misses
-------------------------------------Round 3
Jorag
Marco
Mujenbai and Unapp - Mujenbai is dazed.
Selter and Sithiss
Initiative Order - Round 1
-------------------------------------
Enemies: attacked
Jorag - delays
Marco - hits mite
Mujenbai and Unapp - downs mite, Unapp stunned
Selter and Sithiss - draws alchemists fire
-------------------------------------Round 2
Enemies: attacked
Jorag - delays
Marco - downs mite
Mujenbai and Unapp -
Selter and Sithiss - toss alchemist fire and misses
-------------------------------------Round 3
Derro - throws club, pulls it back
Jorag - delays
Marco - fires crossbow, misses
Mujenbai and Unapp - swings club and misses
Selter and Sithiss - fires ray and misses
-------------------------------------Round 4
Jorag
Marco
Mujenbai and Unapp
Selter and Sithiss
The derro jerks a cord attached to his wrist and retrieves his thrown club and swings at the Mwangi druid, but he is distracted by movement above him and leaps up, striking at the climbing constrictor.
Climbing the ceiling is a DC 30 climb check, but if she uses the corner we can reduce that to DC 25, which I think she can make easily by taking 10. If she double moves in round 3, she can be in position to strike for round 4. Or you can make an accelerated check (have to roll and make DC 30) and she can make an attack in round 3 as well.
Climbing the ceiling is a DC 30 climb check, but if she uses the corner we can reduce that to DC 25, which I think she can make easily by taking 10. If she double moves in round 3, she can be in position to strike for round 4. Or you can make an accelerated check (have to roll and make DC 30) and she can make an attack in round 3 as well.
Mujenbai strikes the derro so hard it rebounds off the cavern wall and crumples in a heap. Secured to it's wrist is a length of chain that trails off into the darkness. As he investigates, his light falls on frightened human faces peering at you from the darkness. Five Cassomirites are bound in chains having been pulled along by the Derro.
Combat Over!
These people look too weak to have been recently kidnapped, more likely they are some of the Cassomir citizens that you were unable to locate some weeks ago. An emaciated woman clings to Mujenbai, overcome and says through sobs of relief. "Oh thank you for finding us, I'm so sorry but we've been drug about in the darkness for weeks. We've been walking so long... I really have no idea what to tell you about which way to go!"
Once you take the time to re-examine the room and symbols on circular bands at the base of the fountain, you realize that the whole thing is some sort of massive tumbler with symbols that can be aligned in three positions. You try moving the first band and find that the mechanism is stiff from sitting long unused. It will likely take substantial strength or finesse to move them, though the task would be easier perhaps if you had some manner of lubricant.
The symbols are all different, but similar to those odd the circles and lines that you used to triangulate the location. The symbols on the clues you found are found among those on the tumblers. The paintings that led you to those locations give you the order needed.
"A legend among engineers tells of a series of hidden clues within three Cassomir monuments. These clues yield three locations which, when triangulated, give the location of the surface entrance to the Crypt of Fools; Look for old buildings built by the Ismacco family, whom we’ve long suspected used the Crypt of Fools as the base of their heinous operations after it fell from use.”
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Rushing past his companions, Jorag was a whirlwind of bandages, rations and soothing words, tending the disheveled people with a calm voice but plain worried look. "You boys see to that contraption." Padding himself down he added. "And hand me some waterskins and rations if you please, I do not have enough."
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Ssself agreesss. Jorag, asssume you wisssh to take thessse topsssside? Sithiss ssshall accompany you while we hold thisss ssspot and sssee what this doessss.
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Selter orders Sithisss to guard Jorag.
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He then begins to rumage in his pack for a bit. Thisss ssshould asssissst usss. He says while pouring some oil over the mechanism.
The Pathfinders lead the freed captives to the surface and Garver oversees the process of returning them safely to their respective homes.
With a final audible click the tumblers lock into place. Suddenly, the fountain begins to rotate and its stale waters drain rapidly. The grinding of the gears echoes off the stone walls, causing the ground to shake. As the fountain rotates, a spiral staircase appears where the fountain’s solid basin once sat. A slick staircase slopes down into Cassomir’s bowels, twisting its way down and around a deep cistern.
At the bottom of the winding stairs is a door that opens onto an enormous room, filled with dozens of family crypts decorated with family names, heraldic crests, and a variety of death-themed statuary. The walls, floor, and ceiling are made of smooth, polished stone, and the crypts are made of thick, square blocks of granite. A handful of statues stand throughout the room, though they don’t seem to be placed with any plan—some face the wall, some lie on their sides, and others are damaged beyond repair.
The northwest quarter of the room is dominated almost entirely by a single large crypt. The name “Ismacco” is displayed across the front of the crypt.
A grand crypt stretches toward the room’s ceiling and two large, copper braziers flank its impressive floor-to-ceiling doors. At the building’s base, a faceless statue holds a gibbous moon aloft.
Three stairs ascend to the crypt’s entrance, which is not locked. The inside of the crypt is well lit. Ornate carvings decorate the walls inside the Ismacco crypt, creating several stylized burial niches. Tall, marbled pillars stretch to the 20-foot-high ceiling, creating three alcoves that hold massive oak sarcophagi. At the rear of the chamber, stairs ascend into a basilica-like dome. A musty smell permeates the chamber, and several dozen torches burn brightly in wall sconces throughout the crypt.
In the northwest-most alcove, two Cassomirite slaves are bound inside a small cage. A grand altar rests in the open basilica in the northernmost portion of the room; stairs nearby lead up to a second level of burial niches. An impressive two-story wall mural in the basilica depicts a stern figure glaring down on the sepulcher.