Petroglyphs—most depicting marine animals or spiral shapes—periodically decorate the tunnels’ wall. The rough surface of the carvings provides a natural platform for the fungi, causing it to grow thicker and making the carvings glow slightly brighter than their surroundings.
The narrow tunnel twists and turns for several hundred feet before slowly opening to a wider passage. A large hole spans the cave’s width and stretches ten feet down the path. At the bottom of the pit lies a small bundle of cloth.
The tunnel here is 10 feet wide and 10 feet tall with a ceiling mostly devoid of stalactites.
The pit appears to be 20 ft deep and can hurt someone if they fell in it. 10-ft square area. There are no ledges to allow you to go around.
How would you like to proceed?
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Alric points at the square edges of the pit. "Somebody made this pit. About a year ago, I think, since the edges are slightly worn by time." He looks at the bundle of cloth at the bottom. "I wonder what that is." He looks around at the others. "Anybody good at jumping? They could help us bad jumpers climb up the other side."
Shashi flies down very slowly, picks up the item and flies back up. The rabbit is holding what looks to be a cloak of the color blue with silver trims. It seems to be in a perfectly fine condition.
Umbaraki jumps past the pit.
Umbaraki sees a 3 foot wide wooden plank resting against the caves wall 30 feet down past the pit.
Umbaraki finds a plank and brings it back and sets it across the pit with the help of Alric on the other side.
Ramachandra waits for the others to cross.
Everyone crosses.
The tunnels continue on, leading deeper beneath the Kortos Mounts until they eventually open into a large cavern. What must have once been beautifully carved reliefs and inscriptions have since weathered heavily, their features dulled and softened to the point that it is hard to distinguish what each once depicted. A wide tunnel exits the cavern on its far side, and blue-burning torches line the passageway’s walls.
The carvings here are different in style from the petroglyphs found elsewhere in the caves.
Deciphering the images and writing is difficult because of their eroded state; Ramachandra, Kyra & Qiroyo are able to determine what four of these petroglyphs mean or say.
The Merchant is depicted weighing and trading coins of different sizes, a reference to the holy text’s proverb that peace brings trade and prosperity to all people.
The Artist is depicted painting murals on the walls of impressive buildings, associated with Aroden having painted the city of Absalom with beautiful colors so that it might awe all who visited.
The Soldier is depicted bearing a lantern through the streets of a city, following the dead god’s prophecy that the vigilant shall carry light to the darkest corners of the world to banish the shadows.
The Scholar is depicted writing on a piece of parchment and then reading from it to passersby, just as Aroden was said to smile on those who recorded history and other knowledge to share it with others.
The three of you believe that these inscriptions are the part of the History of Future of Humanity, the principle holy text of Aroden. You also identify that the sections of the holy text depicted are slightly different than those that appear in the known version of the History and Future of Humanity, suggesting that these might represent an earlier version of the work.
The soft light of the surrounding fungus mixes with the flickering glow of the nearby torches to reveal a grand chamber. A large pool of water along the chamber’s southern edge reflects the blue and green radiance to illuminate the massive stalactites that cling to the ceiling overhead. Two other tunnels branch off from this area, leading to the east and west.
Rising up from the pool is a column of rock with steeply sloped sides and a flat top, as if someone had sawn off the top of a massive stalagmite. A miniature city carved from this same stone occupies nearly the entire surface. Tiny trinkets such as ancient coins, polished semiprecious stones, and ornately braided loops of string are scattered throughout the diorama, and pale cave frogs clamber atop it. The smooth cavern floor is covered in gravel and pebbles along the edge of the pool, and several foot-long centipedes prowl among the gravel in their search for prey.
Here the cavern’s ceiling stretches 20 feet overhead and is crowded by dozens of stalactites, some measuring 10 feet long from base to tip. Despite the impressive geology, the cave’s focus is the sloping, 15-foot-deep pool and its tiny city.
You all also see, what appears to be a lone gillmen kneeling low in the water watching you.
What would you like to do?
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Kyra is truly flabbergasted!
She turns to the gillman who is watching them and approaches. She starts speaking to no one in particular.
”I am very fascinated by the beauty and age of these carvings and what they represent. The Society will be very pleasantly surprised!!“ Kyra says in awe.
She turns to the gillman again.
”What do you do here? We came to find you during the full moon. Do you know what all these ancient carvings are about?“ she asks.
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"Fascinating! This early work of Aroden's holy text. I need to record this finding immediately!" Qiroyo takes out his ink and papers and trys to draw rough copies of the petroglyphs. When he was finished he addresses the group: "In a dark place we find ourselves, and a little more knowledge lights our way."
Only after he was finished painting and explaining both the meaning and the importance of these images to the rest of the group he moved on to study the tiny model of Absalom. After Alric and Kyra he also addresses the gillman, however in a much more neutral tone than the cleric's eager friendlyness.
"My name is Qiroyo Darudo and I work for the Pathfinder Society's archives. We've been looking for your kind in order to establish contact. You have some explaining to do, why you have this historical art hidden in these caves. You must know about their importance."
The gillmen watches you as you all approach. Each of you asks questions but the gillmen doesn't seem to respond. When Alric moves up, the gillmen starts watching you intently, not speaking or responding to everyone's inquiries.
Alric can tell that the gillmen is not hostile and seems to be curious over anything. Judging by it's reactions, you're not sure it can even hear any of you.
He starts to rise out of the water and points at the cloak. You notice that he is wearing a similar cloak in color and style. He stops and waits, still pointing at the cloak Alric is wearing.
Everyone else may believe as they wish and was not able to properly sense the gillmen's motive.
The gillmen shakes it's head as if he doesn't understand you. But he comes a little closer and points more at your cloak and at his. He shifts his head to the side as if curious.