The half-orc' great axe crushes the skull if the last wolf. Somewhere the worms rejoice for their bountious gift.
"Well done!" Janira notes. "Though almost taken by surprise, you were able to work well as a team. That is one reason why few Pathfinders venture alone."
Seeing the party is essentially unscathed, the halfling urges you on through the wilderness. As she leads you, Janira notes that some of the forest features seem to have changed. She leads you off the path to avoid a copse of fallen trees and a few freshly opened sink holes.
However, finding the path again is proving to be difficult and require some skillful observations.
"One never knows, Ada." Janira responds. "Best to remain alert."
The group continues to travel through the wilderness and though the trail was blocked by fallen objects and shortcuts were overgrown, the skillful Ada is able to discern a path that does not significantly slow the adventurers. Following the gnome’s insightful lead, the party makes its way out of the dense forest into a wide clearing at the base of a sheer cliff. Thick vines cover the surface of the cliff stretching 30 feet overhead.
“Here! The cave entrance is behind those vines,” Janira says with a broad smile as she walks to the cliff’s face. She pulls back several layers of vegetation to reveal a narrow crack in the cliff’s surface. “This is where I saw the gillmen enter.”
As she motions toward the aperture, the surrounding woods come alive with the sound of small animals fleeing some unseen danger. "What was that you were saying earlier, Ada?" Janira begins to say with amusement. However, her bemused look turns to determination once she hears a large creature crashing through the undergrowth, undoubtedly the cause of the commotion. The halfling worriedly remarks, “Quick, take cover before whatever it is spots us!”
As if she’d summoned the creature with her words, a massive horned monstrosity emerges from the trees. Standing eight feet tall on a pair of cloven hooves and wielding a tremendous axe, the bull-headed creature roars with unbridled anger when it spots the group.
“A minotaur!” Janira screams. Wisely assessing that an injured minotaur is beyond the capabilities of you, her charges, the halfling informs the party. “There’s little chance we can stand against it. Take this bag,” Pulling off her backpack, she continues, “and head deeper into the caves. Finish your mission. I’ll lead it away from the caves, lose it in the forest, and join you as soon as I can. Now go! GO!” She heaves her backpack into the cave, casts a spell, and darts off toward the minotaur before turning to lure it away.
The cave entrance ahead of you is is only 5 feet wide.
potion of barkskin
potions of cure light wounds
potion of feather step
potion of vanish
scroll of entangle
scroll of gust of wind
scroll of identify
scroll of mage armor
scroll of obscuring mist
wand of burning hands
[i]wand of cure light wounds
acid
alchemist’s fire
holy water
smokestick,
tanglefoot bags
thunderstone
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Nahko hesistates momentarily. If six of us together aren't equipped to handle this thing, how can Janira do it alone?!? But Janira was in charge here, this was Nahko's confirmation. Cooperate. The motto says cooperate. It's not my place to go against her wishes here! He grudgingly takes Janira's backpack and pushes through the cave opening with Kuti in tow.
Hey, look... webbed prints!
"She's right; the gillmen are here now!" Nahko exclaims, waving absently at something he sees in the mud as he goes in.
Once inside, he investigates the backpack's contents. Wow, she wasn't kidding about being prepared!
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"So, that's it? We're just gonna let her run off 'n face that thing by herself? Doesn't seem to "team-y" ta me." Seven ta one is bettin' odds in our favor. Good thing Shay ain't here ta see this. He watches Janira run toward danger. Damn! "This's gunna sound crazy, but I say we go help her. Somethin' in that bag is bound to slow 'im down or let one of us get close."
As the others heed the halfling's urgings and head into the cave, the horned head of the minotaur begins heading toward the lingering half-orc. Korum begins to catch a whiff of the smell accompanying the bovine beast and the odor of its hot breath as it approaches. When it is nearly within striking range of the half-orc, there is a high pitched cry.
The cry comes from Janira and it is followed by a quick arrow that flies by the minotaur's ear. Angered, the creature turns in the halfling's direction.
"Run!" Janira calls to Korum as she tries to stay ahead of the approaching beast. "Go into the caves with the others!"
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"I guess not everyone is brought up to follow orders." He then catches himself. "I hope she can get away unharmed as well. Not all orders are easy ones to follow. But her mission was to get us to the caves and complete our confirmation. By her, leading the minotaur away, she is completing her mission. Now it is time for us to complete ours."
Sticking together, the entire party enters the cave, following the tracks that indicate the presence of one or more gillmen and leaving the skillful bard to occupy the minotaur on her own.
As you venture further into the narrow cave, you find that the cave system appears to stretch deep below the foothills of the Kortos Mounts, though most of it seems accessible only through the narrow, keyhole tunnel where you currently find yourselves. A dull, almost-hissing sound seems to echo off the walls around you, indicating the distant rushing of underground streams somewhere in the blackness ahead. The 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, seemingly caught on a series of sharpened, wooden spikes that line the pit floor. By torchlight, the spikes appear to glisten from liquid winding its way down the spikes. Though the liquid appears to be dark at first, you realize that it is a trick of the light and that the liquid is simply water that has dripped down onto the spikes form the stalactites above.
The pit is 10 feet wide and 10 feet deep. The pit bears rounded walls that eliminate any corners that a trapped creature might brace against while trying to escape (seemingly intentionally so).
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Nahko approaches the edge of the pit, and peers down into its depths.
"Hmm. I've got a rope; we can get down there handily, I think, but I'm not sure that I want to cross those spikes. And the climb out doesn't look fun at all." He continues looking, though, as if trying to find another solution. He points to the cloth. "I'd like to see what that thing is, too, if we can."
"Anybody have an idea?"
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"I do! hand me your rope and Janira's backpack please!" says Sarzuket. Stretching Nahko's rope out, Sarzuket brings one end near the pit, puts it on the ground, and drops one of Janira's tanglefoot bag on it. He then securely ties the other end of the rope to the second tanglefoot bag to a near perfect miller's knot, and then flings the bag far to the other side of the pit!
Hearing the satisfying sucking sound of the exploding tanglefoot back out in the darkness past the pit, Sarzuket smiles and asks Korum, "Yarr! you're a big lad! would you mind holding the rope tight until we're all through? then we'll all put our backs into it from our side to hold it tight for ya? it's securely anchored at both ends now, but there's some slack in the middle you see?"
On the other side, the small gnomish sailor waves to everyone. "Looks like the coast is clear here. Come on over quick while the tanglefoot bags are still stuck!"
Despite the gnome's urging, it is evident that the tanglefoot bags won't hold long enough for each member of the party to get down into the pit. Indeed, the sticky goo from the first bag begins turning brittle just seconds after Sarzuket gets to the other side of the pit.
However, once on the other side, Sarzuket locates a 3-foot-wide, sturdy wooden plank, that had been resting against the cave’s wall just out of sight around a corner in the tunnel approximately 30 feet beyond the pit.
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"That was quite clever my little friend, but I think that is a little risky for one as heavily armored such as myself."
"I have a climbing kit. That should help some."
Bacleive takes out his climbing kit, drives 2 pitons into the ground 5' from the pit, belays some rope, then climbs down the side into the pit.
After grabbing the cloth, he climbs up the other side...
...and secures the rope with 2 more pitons.
"Careful, this pit looks like it was made within the last year. It's creator may be nearby."
Bacleive will help move the plank into position when he arrives on the other side, then collect his equipment.
Continuing on through the tunnel beneath the Kortos Mounts, the pitter patter of droplets from the stalactites overhead intensifies into periodical trickles. Standing pools and rivulets form along the cave floor, leaving your boots and travel gear feeling damp and less pleasant.
There is some benefit that comes with the increased moisture, however, and it manifests in the form of a dim light that patterns the walls—the result of blue-green luminescent fungi that seem to prosper in the moist cave environment.
Petroglyphs—most depicting marine animals or spiral shapes—also periodically decorate the tunnels’ walls. The features become increasing frequent as you venture further inward. 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.
Eventually, the tunnel opens up into a large cavern, one that must once have housed beautifully carved reliefs and inscriptions that have since weathered heavily, though these carvings appear to be in a different in style from the petroglyphs found elsewhere in the caves. Nevertheless, what remains now are partial and distorted images with 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.
You conclude that what you see scattered about the cave are inscriptions from the History and Future of Humanity, the principle holy text of Aroden, as well as images that depict these passages. The weathered carvings focus on parables that feature at least some of Aroden’s guises, meant to illustrate his hopes for humanity, including "The Farmer". However, the sections of the holy text depicted appear to be slightly different than those that appear in the known version of the History and Future of Humanity. This might suggest that these images could possibly represent an earlier version of the work. Until the disappearance of the god, Aroden, portions of these parables were often imitated in rituals believed to impose divine blessing upon those who engaged in them.
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Nahko will cast detect magic and examine both the petroglyphs and the cloth that was found in the pit.
[b]"Wow, this is pretty interesting! This is basically some Arodenite carvings of The Farmer, but this has to pre-date most of what we consider to be those parables." He takes out the paper and pencil that Janira gave him, and begins to take notes on the carvings.
An increase in radiance and the movement of the light coming from the short tunnel ahead suggests a larger chamber beyond and likely the presence of a large pool of water.
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"The second one is the fisherman, meant to illustrate his hopes of humanity. The third is of the artist, who in this guise has painted the city of Absalom. He ponders on the fourth and final. "I believe this one is the scholar. It is known that Aroden would smile on those who recorded history and other knowledge to shar with others."
As you head toward the pool, the soft light of the surrounding fungus mixes with the flickering glow of the nearby torches to reveal a grand chamber. The large pool of water sits along the chamber’s southern edge and 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 omeone 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.
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.
detailed model of Absalom, easily identifiable by its Starstone Cathedral. This representation of the City at the Center of the World and the Inner Sea also acts as an altar to the dead god Aroden that, you believe may retain enough power to bless a few more pilgrims.
Kneeling in the water of the pool is a lone gillman.
Nahko will cast detect magic and examine both the petroglyphs and the cloth that was found in the pit.
Nahko realized that the cloth was magical, but that the petroglyphs were not. No one else in the party was able to provide him with a definitive clue as to the cloak's magical properties.
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Sarzuket approaches and bows to the gillman.
The gillman seems somewhat surprised to see a gnome appear before him, as if he had, despite the party's discussions and sloshing through the watery cave, been quite unaware of the party's presence until the very moment that the gnome approached.
Looking around and spying the rest of the party, the gillman rises to his feet, offers a bow similar to that he had received from the gnome, and then stares intently at Sarzuket's face as if in anticipation.
"C-cloak?" the gillman says in response, still staring intently at Sarzuket's face as he repeats the word.
"Cloak." he repeats, more warmly. "You have found one that belongs to another of my people? In a hole?" He holds open his arms with apparent expectation.
"Um, yes we found a cloak. Is this yours?" speaking on common Ada responds.
The gillman seems to follow Sarzuket's eyes to the other gnome, who looks first at Ada's face then to the cloak she produced in her hands.
"I recognize the cloth." the gillman says, his tone growing more somber, as he reaches for the cloak. "It belonged to Nuolo."
Clearly appreciative, the gillman notes, "I am Uori. I have come to listen to the holy waters at this place, which is sacred to my people. You appear to be neither vandals nor zealots. Why is it that you have come to this place?"
nce and informs the Pathfinders that they have entered a site sacred to the gillmen. It was once sacred to Aroden, the dead god of humanity, as well, but over the past century, the carvings in the nearby room have weathered and melted, and he speculates that soon Aroden’s influence will have faded completely. However, other creatures have invaded the caves and are not so polite as the PCs. If the PCs defeat the creatures in area B4 and B5, Uori’s attitude improves to helpful. If the PCs improve his attitude to helpful, he is willing to explain what he knows about the carvings in area B2, aiding the PCs on any checks they make to decipher the reliefs. In addition, he offers them his wand of shield of faith as a sign of good will.