Ilistra leans over to look at the deadly gorge and the two means of traversing it.
"I'm probably lightest. Should I check the rope bridge?"
She pauses, and then tilts her head as if listening. "Okay. Go ahead," she says. Then Polyphemous, her elemental spirit appears in her hand like a moth made of flame.
She opens her palm and the fiery moth flutters across the chasm, exploring the rope bridge and the other side. Ilistra stands, her eyes out of focus as she concentrates on letting her familiar explore.
When Polyphemous finishes exploring the far side (unless he's spotted and snuffed out), he flies back, this time along the lower network of bridges and islands, and heads straight to Ilistra's forehead. He disappears and Ilistra's eyes glow with a reddish fire as he returns to his home inside her head.
The fiery moth notices some crocodilians lounging in the shallow water near the islands, and also that the rope bridge and surrounding cliffs are covered in the large droppings of some kind of avian. They are reminiscent of Ugly's droppings, though not the same. It appears this gorge is occupied by crocodiles and some kind of flying creature that perches.
The rope bridge appears to be remarkably sound. It would be difficult to cross the slippery islands below without falling in to the river.
Ilistra closes her eyes as she listens to Polyphemous report what he saw. Then she describes it to the others. "The rope bridge seems sound, but there are large bird droppings. The lower bridges are slippery, and there are crocodiles in the still pools by the islands."
"I'll go first. I can secure the rope on the other side, to help, in case the bridge is less stable than it looks."
Cica gives one end of their Most Valuable Possession to Garland, briefly welcomes the Spirit of the Winds into her, and then begins to cross.
Ilistra takes a position along the ledge and starts charging up her flames as she scans the ridges for signs of the birds that left the droppings.
Once Cica is out on the bridge, a croaking sound precedes the appearance of three huge flying reptiles atop the ridges above. Spotting her, they shriek and dive towards her hungrily!
(+2 in jungle)
Pteranodons 25
Party 12.3
Before Cica has a chance to react the divebombing dinosaurs flash past her, snapping out with their serrated beak-mouths.
Already charged up, Ilistra flings a blast of flame at the closest pteranodon.
After Garland bestowed his heroic Blessing on the group, he and Luna rushed to Cica's aid!
"What IS that??"
Cica draws her bow and fires downward at the flying saurian, and then nocks another arrow.
Between Ilistra's blaze and Cica's sniping, they manage to kill one of the pterosaurs. The other dinos watch their companion pinion down, slamming off the cliff faces before plunging into the river. The crocodiles spring into action, latching on to the corpse and churning the river brown with mud as they roll and thrash over the unexpected meat.
The remaining two beasts screech angrily and immediately alter course, breaking off and beating a quick retreat back to the cliffs above.
Ilistra throws a blast of fire after the dinosaurs to discourage them from coming back around. She stands vigilant as the party crosses the bridge, and then she ventures across.
The creatures are fully terrified and complete their flight away as long as no one pursues them.
Continuing on down the valley, the view opens up over the city below. The first things a visitor notices on sight of the city’s skyline are its seven spears. Protruding from the already lofty tops of seven 100 foot-high ziggurats, these narrow monoliths extend a further 100 feet into the sky. Each of these spires marks the heart of one of the city’s seven districts, and they can be seen from nearly everywhere in the ruins — the seven spears make excellent landmarks.
Nestled in a cradle of sheer cliffs thick with jungle vines and brushed with wisps of fog, the seven districts of Saventh-Yhi are arrayed around a large central lake. The buildings of the city are clearly weathered and worn, but most resist the encroachment of plants and mud, and they refuse to crumble, appearing as a ruin of only a few thousand years of age rather than over 10,000. The architectural style is remarkable, marked by massive guardian sculptures and intricate geometric patterns carved into the stone.
Eventually they descend below the jungle canopy again, losing sight of most of the city that was visible above. Sparse stone ruins, their roofs open to the sky and their walls thick with vines, perch next to three crystal blue pools in the circular, bowl-shaped valley they find themselves in. The ruins looked to be a mile East to West, and probably double that North to South.
Ilistra is transfixed at the sight when Saventh-Yhi is suddenly revealed. Her breath catches as she drinks in the image of the lost city sprawling before them.
"Where.... um, where do we start? Should we make for the center? Or those large buildings there?" she points. "Ooh! Or that tower! Maybe we should go to that one? It's so tall, we could see everything from the top!"
"Which tower are you referencing, Ilistra?" Garland asked, trying to figure out where his comrade was pointing. "I see quite a few of them."
"That one," she points, stepping close to Garland so he can see along her pointed finger.
"That seems like a good place to begin. How about we start with this three pool valley first? From there, we can make an arc of the city," Garland suggest.
"Yes, that sounds like as good a plan as any. Unless there's another way into the city that our rivals find, they'll have to come through this way also."
Sparse stone ruins, their roofs open to the sky and their walls thick with vines, perch next to three crystal blue pools in this circular, bowl-shaped valley.
Searching through the ruins takes a few hours, but it does pay off. Inside one of the ruined buildings appears to contain the remains of an ancient campsite. Perhaps the legionnaires aren't the first people to have rediscovered the city after all?
The camp is ruined and rotted beyond the point of telling any tales about its creators. It does however contain a stash of loot. This stash consists of a ring , a mithral heavy shield; three mithral spearheads ; a small ivory coffer decorated with detailed carvings of Old Imperials fighting serpentfolk holding 46 uncut zircons 170 gp, 476 sp, and 272 cp in ancient imperial coins.
This small valley seems like it would make a good base camp site for the expedition when it arrives.
After exploring the bowl-shaped valley the group heads south-west into the city. Making their way over the rim of the city they descend into what was clearly once a commercial district. Of immediate interest is a low, swampy island, its center littered with swaths of bones and broken plants. It sits in the northern section of this murky, teardrop-shaped lake, to the northwest of the district, west of the group.
"Ideally, we should find a boat or something similar to reach that island," said Garland. "For now, how about we search this area top to bottom for anything of interest or concern?"
It would be possible to swim out to the island, though not easy. Looking around Garland spots something noteworthy to the south-east, across the closest canal, towards the central lake. This low, single-story building is almost completely overgrown by thick vines and surrounded by a forest of sharp stakes on which have been impaled numerous small simian skulls. Full skeletons, held together by strips of flesh and sinew, hang from stakes higher on the building’s walls.
"The island and the single-story building over there seem to be the most noteworthy locations in this area. However, actually getting to the former would be quite troublesome... for us," Garland observed. "Ilistra, what do you think about sending Polyphemous to investigate that island?"
A bright smile shines on Ilistra's face when Garland suggests Polyphemous go scouting. Her eyes lose focus for a moment as if she's listening to something. She nods, then holds up her hand. A bloom of flame appears and coalesces into a large moth of fire. "He will."
She points in the direction of the island. "You'll explore and report back, won't you? Thank you!" she says as the moth takes flight and dances in his fluttering style around the party. He then flies straight toward the island while Ilistra closes her eyes in concentration.
The island is covered in bones, mostly of crocodiles, but also many apes or humanoids (hard to tell). As he is flying around Poly spots a shallow ditch dug into the bank of the island. A huge crocodilian beast lays in the impression, sleeping in the sun. It's about thirty feet long from nose to tail, and looks like it could bite a human in half with one chomp'n'shake.
Other than the island's giant inhabitant, there's not much of interest there.
Polyphemous returns to his residence in Ilistra's head. Her eyes flare with fire briefly as he reports what he saw to her. "Bones. Lots of bones. And the largest crocodile in the world, perhaps. Thirty feet long, and jaws that could bite someone in half.
"Maybe we don't go to that island?"
"Agreed. We should warn the expedition of the beast when they arrive, but for now, our time would be better spent elsewhere," said Garland. "How about we investigate that single-story building then?"
If there are no objections, Garland lead the way there.
"Can anyone figure out what the ring does?" Ilistra asks as she lashes one of the mithral spearheads onto a stick to make a spear. She offers it to Athyra to see if she approves its construction.
She follows Garland as he leads them toward the bone-covered building.
Cica looks, wide-eyed, through the ancient loot. She marvels at the mithral shield, and the carved ivory coffer. When Ilistra offers the ring, she looks it over, trying to divine its purpose.
"Ilistra, do you want to circle around the building with me, quietly, looking for an unobtrusive approach?"
"Sounds good."
Cica looks, wide-eyed, through the ancient loot. She marvels at the mithral shield, and the carved ivory coffer. When Ilistra offers the ring, she looks it over, trying to divine its purpose.
The building is basically a rectangle. There is a set of stairs leading up to a front entrance, and large unglazed windows open on each side. It is completely overgrown with jungle, both inside and out. The gruesome fetishes appear to be a mixture of old and new bones and flesh.
Something quite similar to this
[Dice=Perception]1d20+12
Ilistra's skin starts heating up. "We've been spotted," she whispers. "Three hairless apes, well-hidden on the rooftop."
One of the monsters screams in rage as it hears Ilistra whispering. The camouflaged humanoids burst from their hiding spots, rushing to attack.
Keches 11.6
Party 10.6
The ape-creatures raise longbows and shoot at Cica, the only visible bowoman among the legionnaires.
Two miss, while the third's arrow ricochets off Cica's armor.
Cica hustles forward, while sending an arrow flying in retaliation at the foe in the middle.
Ilistra charges up her flames and sends a blast at the ape-creature Cica shot unless he falls to the damage.
After realizing that this battle would largely be ranged one, Garland yet again called upon the Spirit of Heroism to Bless the efforts of his comrades!
Cica's arrow strikes the first Kech directly in the eye, killing it instantly. Its corpse flops to the jungle floor, eliciting cries of rage and horror from its companions.
Ilistra engulfs one of them in sticky flaming goop, immolating and igniting the unfortunate savage.
================================
Three more keches run out of the building, while the first two take shots at Cica before retreating along the roof out of sight.
With one on fire, Ilistra switches targets to another one.
When Cica's arrow slays one foe, she triumphantly tosses her bow into the air, stowing it on her back, and drawing her greatsword.
Then, as new foes come around the corner, she runs toward them, stowing the longhammer, drawing her longhammer and swinging it in a great arc.
Not wanting Cica to get overwhelmed by their foes, Garland and Luna rushed in the fray!
Ilistra's flames and Garland's scythe cut down another ketch, while Cica nearly takes out a third with her hammer.
================================
Two of them fire their bows at Cica.
The wounded kech tosses down its bow and leaps at Cica, biting and clawing at her.
The last kech fires its bow at Ilistra from the northern side of the building.
It misses.