In the murky pool, Milo discovers an unholy idol. The idol itself is about the size of a human head and depicts the goddess of nightmares and mother of demons, Lamashtu, perched upon a throne of bones.
He hears no sounds coming from beyond the door. This door is locked.
Milo told the others,"There's an unholy idol of Lamashtu in the pool. Before I try picking it up, can anyone tell if it's magical?"
"This door is locked; I'm going to try to unlock it." He tool out his tools and set to work; his lockpick snapped on his first attempt.
"There are cruder methods of opening a door," Anasa says with a grin. "If you'd like me to try, then please stand aside."
Anybody detecting magic senses its presence in this chamber.
Elya casts detect magic into the room. "I don't want to touch the idol, but I'll check it for magic."
Milo stepped aside, telling Anasa, "Just don't hurt yourself!"
He took a closer look at the idol, without touching it. He wasn't sure it was something he wanted to touch.
Milo is unable to glean any more information about the idol of the demon goddess.
Milo tried to take the idol out of the pool by cradling it with a couple of hand crossbow bolts in one hand, and his mug in the other.
Milo is successful in removing the idol from the pool without touching it! He carefully places the ugly thing on the floor.
The brackish water is already beginning to look a bit cleaner. It may take some time, but it looks like the corrupted waters might soon be pure again.
Anasa smiles as Milo steps aside to give him access to the door. He places his feet in a wide stance and, with a deep backswing, brings his maul across to slam into the door right near the latch.
Anasa's maul smashes the door open, granting access to the hallway beyond.
A tall stone statue depicting a beautiful woman in ceremonial robes stands in an alcove here. The woman clutches a dagger with one hand and holds an hourglass in the other. Red sand swirls within the hourglass, moving of its own will.
Milo looked at the statue, to see if he recognized it.
He examined the hourglass more closely, trying to figure out why the sand was moving.
Colvet also studies the scene, trying to figure out any significance to the statue/hourglass.
While the identity of the figure escapes him, Milo notices a faint rune engraved on the hourglass, signifying the presence of a trap!
Colvet also is unable to figure out the significance of the statue. He could try to identify the magic on the rune, but it would take quite a while.
"I think there's a magical trap on the hourglass!", Milo warned the others, moving next to the statue. "Stand back, I'm going to try to disable it."
He took out his tools, and tried to gently erase a specific part of the rune without setting it off.
With deft hands, Milo disables the rune, defusing the trap without triggering it!
Talga told you the door to the south leads to Drakus the Taker's room. To the east is a crypt, while to the north is the main goblin warren.
Elya looks at the statue and the surrounding area. "I'd like to examine the crypt. I'd rather stay away from the warren, and the room ot the south is what we came for. Shall we check that out first?"
Elya recognizes the statue as a depiction of Pharasma, goddess of birth, death, and prophecy. Many crypts are sanctified in her name--the Ashen Ossuary is likely one of them.
"I'll check out the hallway," Milo told the others, and advanced slowly down the corridor past the statue, looking for more traps as he went.
Milo doesn't find any more traps in the hallway.
Elya follows Milo down the hall.
"I suggest left before heading down the stairs. What do you think?"
"Sure, why not?", Milo replied to Elya. After looking down the stair, he made his way to T intersection, check for traps as he went.
A narrow flight of stairs winds downward, descending into this circular chamber. Stone biers line the walls, but the bodies that may have once rested upon them now lie scattered across the floor.
Milo doesn't see any traps.
Milo moved carefully down the hallway, checking for traps, and looked into the circular chamber.
As Milo steps into the room, the piles of bones in the floor shudder and animate, assembling themselves into skeletons! They rise up and prepare to clatter forward!
Guy, having been following closely behind Milo, leading the way in his mind, is the first to notice the skeletons. His eyes widen with alarm, the skin on his arms and neck raising in anxiety and fear. Bravely, he surges forth with a scream, swinging his grandfather's trophy twice around.
Guy's first chop shatters a skeleton, but he misses with his followup swing.
Anasa moves past Guy and into the midst of the animated bones while readying his maul for a wide swing.
Anasa smashes another skeleton to bits, but that leaves him surrounded. The remaining four undead creatures tear st him with their claws, one scoring a critical hit! They savage the fighter, leaving him badly wounded.
Milo moved in to the right of Anasa and slashed at a skeleton, then retreated before the undead could react.
Milo's dagger grates against bone, not harming the skeleton at all!
Elya stands where she is, and Channels Positive Energy to hurt the skeletons.
As the bony claws rake into him, Anasa stifles the urge to scream. Instead, he laughs.
"Ha-ha!" he yells out. "You will not overcome me! My will is my own. You are nothing!"
He takes a stronger grip on his maul and swings wide around.
Guy rushes in behind Anasa, coming to rest on the opposite side of the skeletons from him. He whoops and hollers as he swings his massive blade in a circle around his head, hoping to knock out all three of the skeletons before him.
Elya channels the divine power of Irori, healing her allies while damaging the remaining skeletons. Anasa swings his maul in wide arcs, managing to shatter one of them. Guy rushes in behind Anasa and lops off the head of the one he's flanking, but misses his follow-up strike.
Colvet moves into the hallway until he can see one of the skeletons, and fires off a bolt of force at the closest one.
Colvet's force bolt blasts the nearest skeleton apart, leaving only one remaining. The undead creature claws at Guy, but the halfling dodges its attacks! Already badly damaged, it's a simple matter to finish off the final skeleton.
Searching through the pile of bodies reveals the corpse of a young man that seems rather fresh. A hole in his neck attests to the cause of his death. On his body, you find a scroll of shocking grasp, a wayfinder, 4 sp, and 31 cp.
Colvet looks over at their findings, "Poor man. Can anyone else use the scroll, or can I hold on to it?" he asks.
Colvet recognizes the man as a Pathfinder named Viroun Tamith. He was one of the newest recruits to the Society here in Magnimar, and the wizard recalls him talking about investigating a marauding gang in the sewer depths. The local Venture-Captain, Sheila Heidmarch, will likely want to know of his fate.
Milo replied to Colvet with a slight smile, "I could fold it into a hat, but maybe you have a better use for it."
He looked at Anasa, who seemed to be wounded. "I think we should heal our friend before continuing."
Elya touches Anasa on the arm and heals him.
Colvet nods in thanks and sticks the scroll in his bag, "Well? There's goblins to kill. Shall we move on?"
"Thank you, Miss Datras" Anasa says quietly with a nod of his head.
"Remember," he says in a louder voice. "The goal is not to kill the goblins; the goal is to defeat the goblins. If we can do so without the taking of life, the better."
Colvet shrugs, ”Okay, sure. Whatever.”
Milo replied, "Then let's go after Drakus. If we kill him, the goblins should disperse."
Guy stands with his fellow halfling, though standing straighter and taller. "I agree; as I see it, the taking of blood here is necessary. I am glad you appreciate the gravity of the lives you end, but if Talga's tale is to be believed, Drakus must be deposed, preferably violently."