”T'be honest, you lot don't look much like historians."
’And we do?’ Thrym thought, amused despite himself as he considered the two groups. True, they had been charged by the Society to secure artifacts from the ruins, but the shaman didn’t see how they had any greater right to the items than these three did. And since they were looting out in the open, they likely hadn’t been here long enough to venture further inside. Thus, there was likely artifacts left for both parties, and the Pathfinders would likely be just as happy with purely historical finds than with gold and jewels.
Still, could be these three would not be in the mood to share. Thrym kept his eyes open, a slight smile of anticipation on his lips.
Fain moved diagonally, squeezing past Thrym.
"I sell to whoever offers the highest price." The woman said assuredly, "If that ends up being the Pathfinder Society...so be it. But historically that is not the case." To Vard she simply raised an eyebrow. "Hmm...What was the phrase? You know, the one even children know? Oh yeah! Finders keepers, losers weepers." She shrugged, "If your so concerned with cursed items, there's something evil deeper in this temple. Gave us the heeby jeebies. Deal with that and I'm sure you can still bag something nice for your your precious society. We're going to leave now, so if you'd all kindly step out of the way." She made a shooing motion.
Luk-Luk sighed at her failed diplomacy and upon the realization that they were guaranteed to be heading for the evil in the temple. Because that just made sense.
"Does any of your loot have writing upon it? I shant threaten to take aught from ye but I would if they do I would be willing to pay ye in gold sails," that was Andoran gold coins, "to let us take recordings. Ye would be paid twice for the loot if aught of them has writing. Just an offer." When diplomacy failed bribery could work.
Fain un-shouldered his pack and placed it against the wall. He smiled his broad smile while pretending not to watch looters for secretly drawn weapons.
"We're not exactly in it for the literature..." She replied to Luk Luk with a scoff. "It a pain in the ass finding a buyer for that specific stuff. Gems. Goblets. Coins. That's the easy stuff. Now, if you'll excuse us..."
Luk-Luk sees no reason to stop them unless her comrades do so, she lets them leave unmolested.
Vard eyed the looters suspiciously. True, he had no authority to stop others exploring the temple themselves, but he did find it a bit suspicious that they were seeking to leave so soon after being discovered.
Fain eyed them as they walked by as his little stirs So what do we do boy-oh? Slap'em on the back fer living free or serve up some down home justice ... let's watch Vard. See which way he turns
Alenka watched the equipment and plunder being carried by the three people and tries to assess roughly how much they may have taken.
"You mentioned you didn't go far into the Temple because it felt evil. Care to elaborate? I request a little more of an explanation than 'heeby jeebies.' How far did you explore?"
It was difficult to ascertain the value of their loot. But since they only had one sack between the group of them, it would seem they hadn't taken more than coin and a handful of trinkets.
The woman shrugged in response to Alenka. "I don't know what to tell you. We went straight for the back of the temple when we got here...you know, straight for the good stuff. But when we got to back. Something spooked us..." she looked as if she couldn't even put it into words. "I don't know, we just booked it out of there and all agreed to stick to this room. It's hard to explain. Guess you'll just have to find out for yourself." Hoisting the sack over her shoulder, she gave them sideways smile and said, "Good luck!" Before pushing through the doorway and disappearing into the jungle.
"Something spooky in an old ruin she said?" Luk-Luk's tone didn't drip sarcasm. It oozed it out enough to fill a tub, "How unexpected that would be." The elf looks to Vard as she walks into the room, "I can cast to find magic, such as traps. But not for that which is spooky. I do not suppose thine powers divine can detect aught that is spooky?"
Luk-Luk casts Detect Magic and sweeps the room as she does so.
She then looks to Thrym and the rest in turn. Sarcasm remains the main tone, "Can anyone here find the spooky? Friends Thrym, Alenka, or Fain? We would nary want to run into something spoo-oo-ooky." The elf shakes her head as she focuses upon scanning the room, "Spooky? How informative that was. Spooky." Luk-Luk clearly doesn't appreciate the concept and is being highly derisive of the human woman that had just left.
"Spooky isn't quantifiable and often misinterpreted. For example, I myself have been referred to as spooky which is preposterous."
Alenka peers further into the Temple. "However, finding mechanical and magical traps is strictly empirical and I can help with that. You tell me where to look and I'll see what I can do."
"I see and hear the spirits of my ancestors, but that doesn’t translate to seeing other spirits,” *Thrym grunted, keeping his axe and shield ready as they ventured further. ”I suppose if there truly are resident haunts, we shall find them and defeat them the hard way. But as you said, the warning was vague enough there could be anything out there, including those people’s own fears. Abandoned holy place of a lost tribe, jungle with all its strange sights and sounds and scents, rumors of ancient rituals and curses… enough to make anyone see monsters in a moving shadow.”
Fain went to the far side of the room and looked to the next Ghosts and curses, Fain ole boy, you are not prepared for this. What good's an arrow against a curse? ... but, don't I trust my new friends? I just hope I'm not a weight to carry down there He looks back at his team an gives a wide grin.
Luk Luk scanned the room for magical auras, but there were none in the entry room. Even the monkey murals on the wall seemed to be little more than mundane. Cautiously moving to the next room, they saw a broken hall. A mosaic of a monkey-faced figure decorated the floor, though the tiles that would form its eyes were missing. The north end of the room was filled with rubble blocking an arched passageway. To the west, vines and foliage intruded into the temple through an open aired balcony, lighting up the room in a surprisingly pleasant way. A similar balcony to the east remained relatively clear of plant life.
b]"Shame Thrym, though if thine ancestors give warning I think tis best we heed it."[/b] the elf walks further in as she scans the room..
Luk-Luk chuckles, "I nary expected a quick solution. And to be honest," and smiles a way that would do many a villain proud, "Mine laughter when I set off fireworks has been called spooky by those that liked me." She lowers her hand then walks in to stand beside Fain, looking into the room beyond, "Naught magic in here," thumb pointing over her shoulder into the first room, "I see no reason to fear, that this way you could come near."
Luk-Luk turns to look at the others, "Shall I scan before we go into a room or do you wish to do the checking for traps first friend Alenka?" After a pause the elf looks to Fain with a sigh, "And I will be sure to light our way," then touches her tricorn and casts Light upon it.
I don't know what the fuss is. I don't notice anything. Fain, listening hard, walked into the next room and checked the open balcony.
The elf looks to Vard as she walks into the room, "I can cast to find magic, such as traps. But not for that which is spooky. I do not suppose thine powers divine can detect aught that is spooky?"
"Well, I can sense if someone or something is up to no good, but only if the aura is powerful enough. If the god who's temple this was is a bad'un, then their influence might have rubbed off on the artefacts. I'll let you know if I feel anything."
--
In the next room, Vard gave the eyeless mosaic a hard look, , then went to examine the blocked archway. "That lot said they went to the back, but how'd they go past here? Doesn't seem too spooky in this room, although maybe they're easily spooked. They ran off once we showed up."
The room itself showed no signs of what the looters had indicating. Nothing felt strange or out of place and while the monkey missing its eyes was a little disconcerting, the floor let off no strange auras.
When Fain approached the balcony, he was treated to a spectacular view of the jungle and warm breeze. Looking to the left he saw there was actually a narrow path extending along the exterior wall, though it was tangled with the thick vines and vegetation that covered the temple's walls. At the other end of the path was another balcony that looked as if it might enter into the room that had been blocked by the rubble.
Observing the mosaic monkey with the missing eyes she wonders aloud, "I wonder if they were jewels that someone plundered or if the tiles had some significance and were taken?"
Seeing that some routes were obviously cut off, she asks, "Which way?"
Seeing that some routes were obviously cut off, she asks, "Which way?"
"We have little choise in the matter, unless we have shovels and lots of time," Thrym shrugged, eyeing the route Fain had scouted out past the rubble-blocked path. "We might want to keep a lookout, though, as we venture forth. Those three gave up the chance for more riches awfully easily - I wouldn't put it past them to follow at a safe distance, just in case we manage to defeat some lurking guardian while getting weakened enough that they can finish us off and add more items to their haul."
Fain looked back and seeing Thrym, Vard and a bit of Luk Luk he smiled. He couldn't see Alenka but her voice was near. His smile straightened out as he snuck off the balcony and, hugging the wall, peered into the next space.
Fain peeked into the room beyond the balcony. Inside he saw a twenty-foot-tall, high-relief sculpture of a mountain dominating the north end of the room. A statue of a figure, now missing its head, sat in the lotus position at the mountain's peak, while monkey faced pilgrims rest on ledges further down the mountain. Shattered pieces of yet more monkey statues littered the floor.
To the south, the rubble obstructed archway could be viewed from the other side. In the center of the room a small enclose shrine made of dark brown stone faced towards the rubble, but otherwise could not be seen from the balcony. Across the way was another balcony, overrun by foliage.
Then, something on the mountain sculpture caught his eyes. Two of the pilgrim statues did not have monkey faces, but instead looked like tiny muscular men with a crown of frilled horns. When he looked closer, it almost seemed like their chests were moving and their eyes, which almost seemed to glow red, were locked on the balcony entrance where Fain stood.
Fain slunk away from the second balcony and back to the first, "Uh, everyone? Sumpthin' in't right about the next room. Ya need to look at the little mountain men. Be careful. They're lookin back."
Luk-Luk moves up to Fain's first balcony to examine the ledge to cross. It didn't look too difficult. Though the elf did put her pack done, leaving her with the random alchemicals items she kept in her pockets and her weapons.
"I doubt I can sneak, as well as ye to take a peek," She was fairly certain of that, "Can you describe what you saw? Might be I've read of them in books. Or seen a stuffed one at a Almas museum."
As she says this, Luk-Luk retrieves a scroll from her pack to stuff into her belt for easier access if it came to a fight.
"Some sort of temple guards then? Hmm. If they're hostile, we might have a bit more luck taking 'em on from both sides."
Vard headed to the overgrown balcony to check if there was a similar ledge on that side.
Vard had to clamber awkwardly over vegetation to peek out the second balcony. If there was another narrow path leading outward, overgrowth had covered it or caused it to crumble. However, it did seem like a reasonably strong climber could probably clamber across, using the vines for support.
”A squirrel might manage this and live, but I for sure cannot,” Thrym grunted as he peered over the second balcony. ”If one of you can take this route while the rest of us approach, loudly, via the other, that sounds like good tactics. But we need to move – there is one way to proceed, and we are not accomplishing anything by sitting on our hands here.”
"I should be able to head over wi'out too much trouble. I'll wait outside the room. If they do turn out hostile, should be able to give'm a bit of surprise."
Vard spat on his hands, rubbed them together and made his way carefully across.
Once on the other side, he carefully peeked around the corner to try to catch a glimpse of the creatures Fain had mentioned.
Seeing Vard work around the other side of the temple, Fain went back to the exposed balcony, bow drawn, to act as support.
Luk-Luk moves back to away from the balcony to cast Mage Armor without giving anyone away from the noise. After the magic is done encasing her, the elf starts to make her way back towards Fain, her own crossbow at the ready as she creeps along the path towards the halfing.
Alenka moves up beside Thrym. "Maybe our time in the jungle will reveal a highly dexterous creature whose essence I can fuse with yours to make it more likely for you to tread on narrow spaces. But something more noble than a squirrel, yes?"
She draws her cleaver and takes the main path. "Let's see who we're dealing with."
"You go ahead, then - I carry too much steel to fool no ears," Thrym grunted, gesturing the others to get on with it, as trying to follow closely would only undo the efforts of his companions.
The party snuck into the room quiety (or clunked into it in Thrym's case). Around the other side of the balcony, Vard carefully made his way across the vine and quietly entered the other side. Everyone looked towards the mountain statue, but no one saw the little men that Fain had described. Even Fain, when he looked at the spot he had first noticed them in, saw nothing but empty space.
Fain looked over his shoulder at Luk Luk and with a quiet nervous laugh, "Ah, hehe, the little statue guys are gone. Spectacular." and he darted across the entry to the next corner crouching slightly and sticking to the wall.
Being the curious sort, Luk-Luk follows to see what Fain meant. Oh dear, they were gone indeed. Luk-Luk looks around trying to see if she can spot the monkey statue things.
The room was quiet for a minute as people searched. Then suddenly, a two tiny arrows flew from the mountain and into Fain's torso . Standing further up the mountain, were the little men.
"Ahgg! Uh ... I founf 'em!", Fain crossed the room and loosed an arrow at the nearest.
"Indeed!" Luk-Luk replies to Fain as she steps in further to see the things and fires a shot at the nearest monkey statue man thing.
Vard rushed over and attempted to climb up to face their attackers, but was unable to quickly find good holds on the statue.
"They hide well," Alenka murmurs appreciatively. "I wonder if that's been learned or a natural ability."
One of the tiny horned men took a bolt from Luk Luk to the arm. But otherwise, their high vantage point and small sized proved effective at aiding they party. Drawing back their bow's they fire down once more, hitting this time not only Fain, but also Luk Luk with their small, needle-like arrows.
However, this skirmish was suddenly disrupted, as the sound of a hundred screeching monkeys filled the chamber. The tiny men looked around the temple in alarm, clearly shaken by this turn of events. Those near the balconies could see a rumbling of movement from the trees.
-2, -0
Fain didn't really want to hurt these strange little men. He'd have like to learn more about them ... but he had to stop them from shooting at him, in fact he was beginning to take offence at it.
"OK, now that don't sound good."