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"Fellow front-liners, do you want to take what healing and armor-enhancing items you'd like from the bag, and I will choose from what's left over?"
"The hole in the ground is not naturally occurring."
Gervase peers into the pit below.
“I would suggest dropping a knotted rope to the bottom of the pit, with the top secured to the pit collar with my grappling hook.”
“That way, someone good at climbing can investigate the sack, or whatever it is. While the others stand guard at the top.”
“Thoughts?”
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Skarlit gasps and claps her hand over her mouth when Gervase offers her the shriveled flesh from a palm tree. She looks noticeably queasy after that and it's possible that this was connected to her excusing herself to use the facilities.
The Tulip, on the other hand, seems quite pleased with Gervase's attention, and is happy to autograph anything put in front of her. In response to Eltran's question, she looks suitably mysterious and answers, "Ah, there are many who would like to know more about my motives and my agenda, I promise you that, yet such must remain closely guarded secrets, lest they fall into the hands of the wrong sort. I trust that if you are friends of my friend Skarlit, then you must not be the wrong sorts. But let us say no more - for now - for is it not said 'Only when the wind whistles do the magnolias sway!'"
When the minotaur appears, the Tulip's first instinct is to stand and fight like a true hero, but she follows the others.
When they reach the pit she offers to climb down to see what is at the bottom.
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“That way, someone good at climbing can investigate the sack, or whatever it is. While the others stand guard at the top.”
“Thoughts?”
"Using a pair of ropes tied in a certain way, you could make a ladder, better if we had appropriately strong rungs to use."
It would take a few minutes to make, and you'd still have to anchor it somewhere.
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I can go down the ladder, Manandan cannot. No thumbs
"Might as well i suppose..."
He begins looking around for appropriate pieces of wood that would work as rungs, which would also double as firewood later if it came to it. Making said ladder would probably take several minutes but should be functional so long as the knots were solid and the rungs didn't slide out.
Through a combination of fancy knots and natural climbing ability, the explorers are able to scoop up the bundle of cloth and continue on their way deeper into the foothills.
Approximately 30 feet beyond the pit and out of sight around a corner is a long, 3-foot-wide wooden plank that rests against the cave’s wall.
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 passageways walls.
Knowledge History or Religion or Linguistics. You may attempt an appraise or perception check but at a -2 penalty.
The other eight depictions have been eroded so bad so that they are not recognizable.
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Proceeds down, building the ladder and rolling it up for future use rather than breaking it down right away (at least until another use of the rope is needed).
He approaches the different engravings and humms. "Interesting..." able to make out a number of them, not that he could make sense out of them.
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"Can you make out what the pictographs represent, Slyph?"
"A bit..." He points to the first one. "This is Aroden i think, in the city of Absalom..."
He moves to the second one, and the inscription. "Inscription says 'The hunter'... A great hunter who slayed a giant serpent later used as a trophy. If one puts their mind to something even the mighty beasts will be defeated."
"And the last one... Here..." he makes motions over certain lines almost impossible to perceive. "A fisherman hauling a lot of fish. That not only can they defend against the wilds, they can get plenty of food."
He moves to the last shaking his head. "Sorry, the lines are too hard to see. I can't make it out. Too weathered for me."
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.
Kneeling in the pool is a humanoid figure, facing away from the entrance. He seem unaware of your presence.
The humanoid does not respond to the call out from a distance. It doesn't notice you until the coin hits the water and causes the ripples to collide with his body. He turns around and stares intently as you repeat you greeting.
The man nod, "I have not seen others in this cave for some time. You said you came to investigate. Investigate what?"
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”Is this here yours?!“ Eltran says pointing at the cloak.
The man nod, "I have not seen others in this cave for some time. You said you came to investigate. Investigate what?"
Eltran nods.
”We are here to find gillmen and try to understand why they are here during the full moon. Have you seen any here?“ he asks.
"It belonged to one of my kin. Alas, I do not know what became of him. He was probably slain by the necromancer who also calls the tunnels home." He says answering Eltran.
He almost looks amused at Eltran second question. "Why yes. I see a Gillman every time I pass my reflection." He then gives a little chuckle.
He regains his demeanor, "We Gillman come here to listen to the water and meditate on what it tells us. The full moon ensures a high enough tide for this pool to be filled with fresh water."
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Gervase trades glances with Brog and nods.
“Your diorama of the City at the Centre of the World is breathtaking. Did you create it? Is it in honor of Aroden?”
The confirmee pulls paper and quill from a waterproof bag. “Do you mind if I take some sketches of the wonders in this chamber?”
She lines up an upraised thumb with the gillman oread’s face, closes an eye and raises her pen. “If so, please don’t move.”
“He was probably slain by the necromancer who also calls the tunnels home.”
“Do you know what race the necromancer is? Does he or she have any companions? Could you guide us to the tunnel they operate it?”
The gillman answers the questions in turn.
@Gervase "No I did not create it, nor did anyone I know. It was here when we discovered this chamber. This place was once a sacred site of Aroden, the dead god of humanity, but his influence has begun to fade here and soon it will cease to be."
"As for the other occupants. I do not know too much about them. I have not seen them myself."
Noticing the agent lining him up to be sketched, "You may do what you wish."
@Proximus "The diorama you see, I believe acts as a focal point for Aroden's influence. Looking at all the trinkets and things left on it, may have some value or at least his followers thought so." He then smiles, "As I said before we listen to the flow of the water and what it tells us. Listen to how it flows and it will tell you all you need to know."
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"You follow the flow of the water? Most interesting. Some of my research indicated your kind are amphibious. Which i suppose should be obvious if you have gills in your name."
"Do you know how the water flows here? Perhaps help me map it out?" Slyph asked, half hoping they could start some portion of a map. He sorely hoped they wouldn't be under water a lot, lacking gills that would be a decent deterrent to most land-dwellers.
"I believe it is filled by an underground spring which is fed by the tides. But I have never been to the source." The Oracle then cocks his head to one side at the other attempting to listen to the water. "Very good. Just listen to the water, how the vibrations move through it."
Manandan is impatient to move on. The pup wanders around the cavern sniffing at everything.
The passage leading from the gillmen’s holy site varies from 3 to 6 feet wide and is coated with the omnipresent bioluminescent fungi. Though the PCs encounter several points where the tunnel branches off in different directions, all of those paths either narrow beyond the abilities of the PCs to traverse, lead back to this main trail, or are blocked by a cave-ins. Trekking through the twisting passages to this large cavern takes approximately 20 minutes.
The persistent glow of the bluish fungi dimly lights the way deeper below the Kortos Mounts. The tunnels broaden to reveal a shallow river that bisects an immense tunnel stretching to the north and south. To the east a small passage exits the chamber at a steep incline.
Within the cavern, the dim light fades into darkness to the north and the south. The cavern stretches nearly 100 feet in each direction. The river through this part of the cavern ranges from 10 to 15 feet wide but is only 1 foot deep, and it flows languidly at an almost imperceptibly slow speed.
On the other side of the cave you see two kobolds yapping about something.
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On the other side of the cave you see two kobolds yapping about something.
Following the group and traversing very thin winding passages thankfully with no worse for wear, he sees the kobolds and tries to listen in to see what they are talking about, motioning everyone else to be quiet a few moments.
As soon as Proxius steps out into the chamber, the Kolbold turn their attention towards them.
He stares the first down.
Bold May Act
Proximus
Slyph
Brog
Red
Skarlit
Gervase
Blue
Eltran
As brog moves toward the river, he feels his one foot sing suddenly, activating a pressure plate. A moment late, a group of poison darts are let loose.
Brog takes 1 damage and needs to give me a DC 13 fort save vs poison. failure means you take 1 con damage.
Sylph moves forward and misses with his orb of acid.
The red kobold pulls a sling and loads it with a stone. He whirls it above his head and sends the projectile at proximus. It leaves a nasty welt, but nothing serious.
Bold May Act
Proximus
Slyph
Brog
Red
Skarlit
Gervase
Blue
Eltran