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Angoldir sighs heavily. "Perhaps this is one of the fellows the venture-captain mentioned. New to the area, recently minted coins, and now dead."
As he leans heavily on his cane and stands up, the sadness on his face is replaced with a look of concentration. He turns and addresses his comrades.
"We might still learn what the weaver of fate decreed for this soul. Kevin, I know it has been a long time since whatever killed this man passed through here, but if it still lives in the area we might find traces. Bhenqai, perhaps your keen eyes can assist him. Ja'ali, Jack, if you would be so kind as to assist me, I might be able to isolate the agent keeping scavengers from touching his corpse. Then we can lay his body to rest." The aged elf heads for the cart to collect his kit, then pauses and calls back, "Though magic might identify the poison quicker than I."
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Kevin is sad to see the body in such a sorry state, but believes that he wouldn't get anything done if he mourned for every lost soul he finds on his travels.
"I'll see what I can find out, don't get your hopes up too high though."
Kevin takes 10 on his survival check for an 18, attempting to discern the scene for any signs of where the killer may have gone.
Kevin notices a faint trail along the lakeshore. When you follow where it leads you come upon a campsite that looks like it hasn’t been used for months. You find nothing of interest; just a fire ring overgrown with weeds.
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Kit in tow, Angoldir returns to the corpse's side and carefully trims a small sample of flesh from near the puncture wounds. Hopefully, if there was poison it's still strongest here, he rationalizes. He gets to work, dropping the sample first in one flask and smelling it, then into another and watching for any color changes. Turning his attention back to the first flask, he swirls it gently looking for any precipitate.
Qadar watches from his customary place on Angoldir's shoulder, chirping encouragement and flashing magic occasionally.
Angoldir’s tests confirm what his knowledge of nature made him suspect: it was the venom of a large aquatic serpent.
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Angoldir whistles slowly, turns to look at the lake for several seconds, then rises to his feet and begins packing up his kit. "Gentlemen, we should keep an eye on the water. It is likely this fellow died from the bite of a serpent living there," he calls out to the rest of the party. Qadar takes to the air again, circling slowly over the elf as he returns his belongings to the cart and gathers his comrades.
All seems relatively quiet. Qadar doesn’t spot anything interesting.
Leaving the Gray Lake behind, you continue your trek to the Crypt of the Everflame. The trail leads ever deeper into the Fangwood, through a twisting maze of trees and confusing ravines. As it tops a small rise, a broad valley spreads out before it, the opposite side of which looks like a writhing serpent. Yet between the two lies a steep hill sloping down into the valley. A cold rain starts to fall, making the ground slick and treacherous. This part of the Fangwood is particularly dense, making it a thorn-covered maze of bushes, treacherous roots, and uneven rocks. The map you were given leads to this valley (called Serpent Gorge), marking the crypt at its bottom. Getting there, however, proves to be a challenge.
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"Well," Angoldir says, hands on his hips, "Doesn't look like we'll be taking the cart down that slope." He begins pulling his belongings off the cart, uncovering two wands in the process and pocketing them.
Once he's finished, a coiled rope lies neatly on his backpack. "Shall we begin?" he asks his companions. "I have a wand of Ant Haul, a wand of Monkey Fish, and 50 ft of rope."
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Angoldir nods. "First off, if you could help carry some of my equipment I would be most grateful. If the load is too much, I might be able to help - if this thing will cooperate," he gestures with one of the wands. "Second, if you can take a look at the hillside and plot us out a route down, we can prepare the rope. Did anyone else bring some?" He addresses the question to the whole group.
Continuing on, he holds up one of the wands and explains, "I can try to make the trip easier with this. It should let us climb like monkeys. Or swim like fish, should there be water at the bottom." Angoldir laughs dryly and starts tapping the wand. "So, who's up first?"
When you suggest using the wand, you get a feeling of hesitation/doubt from Qadar. Further investigation shows 1 minute of having a 10’ climb speed isn’t going to get you very far. It looks like it’ll take at least 30 minutes to reach the bottom; longer if you’re careful. Tying off ropes would indeed be helpful though.
Jack and Bhenqai went down the hill without incident, as did Angoldir. Kevin and Ja'ali, on the other hand, had some trouble.
Ja'ali catches himself before he slides too far and is able to avoid any real harm. Kevin slides through a thicket and over some large rocks, taking a bit of damage.
Handouts updated with an image.
An archway of stone is set into the side of a small hill at the bottom of the valley. Moss has overgrown many of the details, but one is still quite clear. The keystone of the arch is carved with a flame symbol with a stylized rune in the middle. Beyond the archway is a darkened tunnel that leads to a pair of massive wooden doors, one of which is slightly ajar.
A pair of horses and a trio of ponies lie slaughtered next to the archway, each corpse still tied to a post set into the ground nearby. A swarm of flies hangs lazily in the air above them.
The horses and ponies bear saddlebags, but most are empty.
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Ja’ali kneels next to the rotting corpses, swatting away flys as he does so; unaffected by the overwhelming stench of decomposition.
”The poor horses were killed by horrible blades—or maybe claws, I can’t quite tell—about a day or two ago. They weren’t the only ones, there are some Humanoid bones here as well,”
Sorrow washes over the face of the half-elf as he slightly rubs the ring on his left hand between the thumb and middle finger of his right—more as a coping mechanism than anything else.
”Ukuntwela kokusa kuletha ukukhanya okusha, imiphefumulo enganelisekile.”
Bhenqai unceremoniously removes the saddlebag off of one of the ponies, which earns an angered glare from Ja’ali.
”Could you please show some respect? These souls have only recently passed. Now what did you find?”
Bhenqai hands Ja’ali the saddlebag and the half-elf looks inside, the contents bringing a look of satisfaction mixed with surprise.
”Not everything was used, gentlemen, there are still a few supplies remaining.”
Ja’ali carefully lays out the contents of the saddlebag on the ground in order to better show his compatriots.
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A woman, dressed in some of the most ornate armor you've ever seen approaches the camp during set up. She whispers something into Kevin's ears and the half-orc's eyes light up as he charges away in a gleeful rage.
She then turns to you, dark skin clearly visible. Her eyes almost seem to glow with an eerie intelligence. "Greetings, peers. You may call me Psamtic (Pronounced Psam-TEEK). I've been sent by the superiors to replace this man before you enter these ruins. I can assure you I have the same aptitude with my weapons as that man did. Only, there's one difference." She puts on a sly smile before continuing, "I'm not an incompetent idiot."
As dawn breaks, two new Pathfinders have reached the entrance to the Crypt of the Everflame.
An archway of stone is set into the side of a small hill at the bottom of the valley. Moss has overgrown many of the details, but one is still quite clear. The keystone of the arch is carved with a flame symbol with a stylized rune in the middle. Beyond the archway is a darkened tunnel that leads to a pair of massive wooden doors, one of which is slightly ajar.
After introductions with the replacement Pathfinders the group decides they’re ready to enter the Crypt. Angoldir looks over the massive wooden doors thoroughly and decides they’re not trapped. Psamtic and Bhenqai each grab one of the door handles and pull hard, struggling with the weight despite their strength.
As the heavy doors swing open, the faint light from outside reveals a long chamber with risen platforms on either side. A faded painting of Kassen is on the far wall. The room appears to be the site of a gruesome battle, with two bodies piled in the center and a number of skeletons scattered around. An echoing wail can be heard somewhere in the distance, beyond this foul chamber.
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"Wow, I've never seen such a [insert adjective] [insert noun] like that before. Does [insert pronoun] have a [insert noun]?" the quizzical cleric asks Ja'ali of his [insert noun]. "And what do you call those [insert adjective] [insert color] [insert noun] attached to [insert possessive pronoun] [insert body part]?"
Zoot lights her grail-shaped bullseye lantern and readies her battle aspergillum before proceeding into the dark of the ruin.
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Handouts updated with an image.
An archway of stone is set into the side of a small hill at the bottom of the valley. Moss has overgrown many of the details, but one is still quite clear. The keystone of the arch is carved with a flame symbol with a stylized rune in the middle. Beyond the archway is a darkened tunnel that leads to a pair of massive wooden doors, one of which is slightly ajar.A pair of horses and a trio of ponies lie slaughtered next to the archway, each corpse still tied to a post set into the ground nearby. A swarm of flies hangs lazily in the air above them.
The horses and ponies bear saddlebags, but most are empty.
"Oh, did you have a battle here? It must be so exciting being an adventurer!" Zoot says as gaily as one might speak about a beautiful patch of flowers.
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Angoldir looks around the room cautiously before approaching the bodies. "Does the time of their deaths match the horses outside?" he mutters to himself. "And if not, who passed first?" From his shoulder, Qadar fluffs his feathers and looks around suspiciously.
"Oh you have a pet too? What sort of [insert species of bird or dinosaur] is [insert pronoun]?"
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"My family owns several villages within Osirion, commoner. Watch your tongue or you'll make enemies among allies." Psamtic says, anger obviously getting the best of her as she jerks herself away from Ja'ali.
She approaches the first set of skeletons within the room after the above checks are resolved. She carelessly attempts to rip the skeleton's arm off (by brushing it with her chakram), proclaiming, "Let's see whether or not this body is actually deceased."
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She approaches the first set of skeletons within the room after the above checks are resolved. She carelessly attempts to rip the skeleton's arm off (by brushing it with her chakram), proclaiming, "Let's see whether or not this body is actually deceased."
Ja’ali blinks wildly in confusion. ”You...can’t tell?”
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"Wow, I've never seen such a [insert adjective] [insert noun] like that before. Does [insert pronoun] have a [insert noun]?" the quizzical cleric asks Ja'ali of his [insert noun]. "And what do you call those [insert adjective] [insert color] [insert noun] attached to [insert possessive pronoun] [insert body part]?"
Is she talking about me?
As the Pathfinders, um, get to know each other a bit, they cautiously enter the Crypt of the Everflame. Angoldir crouches at the bodies in an attempt to determine when they died, and Psamtic swats at a skeleton with her chakram.
Suddenly, several of the skeletons rise up and attack!
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Round 1: the bold may act!
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Skeletons
Angoldir
Ja’ali/Bhenqai
Psamtic
Zoot
Ja’ali magically armors the Djinn who then throws a punch at a skeleton, but fails to connect. Zoot calls upon Arshea to use her holy light on the undead creatures...
...and Arshea delivers! Only a single skeleton remains animate as the others crumble to the cold crypt floor. Angoldir draws his sword cane and uses it to distract the remaining skeleton, aiding his allies’ attacks against it.
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Round 1: the bold may act!
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Skeletons
Angoldir
Ja’ali/Bhenqai
Psamtic
Zoot
Psamtic uses her knife-edged frisbee weapon to attack the skeleton, but it’s not very effective. The skeleton, in turn, takes two claw attacks right back at her.
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Round 2: the bold may act!
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Skeleton
Angoldir
Ja’ali/Bhenqai
Psamtic
Zoot
Bhenqai swings at the skeleton but misses. Zoot’s attack is also unsuccessful. Psamtic, however, connects with another blow from her frisbee, and the skeleton collapses.
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Psamtic quietly unstraps her shield and places it on her back again. She also replaces her chakram, and instead draws her greataxe. "Looks like we may be fighting in tight quarters. Probably won't have a need for throwing weapons. And here I was, hoping this crypt was more like my grandfather's. What a pity."
Psamtic begins to move towards the southern door. "If skeletons are going to be a regular thing here, I may consider retrieving a great stick at the nearest town before continuing deeper."