Figuring that Antonio wouldn't want to be the only one to be able to see the door and cross into whatever traps, puzzles, and enemies lay in wait on the other side, Shaldinari mixes up some of the red and orange 'water' and takes a drink.
She shakes her head at the thought of scaling the walls or making the long leap across the lava. "It's possible, but my experience is that wizards are generally lazy beings and not usually physically....capable." Her eyes flick toward Zar, remembering his struggles on the long hike to the Xvart village. "Based on that simple fact, there's got to be an easier way. A way a wizard would use, each time he or one of his servants wanted to get past."
She looks back to the pools thoughtfully. "We've used the red and yellow. Perhaps the answer has to do with one or both of the other pools? But neither are deeper or shallower than the others...hmmmm" She trails off pondering the pools.
Jarprax (after also partaking of the orange liquid), muses: "Hmha - well, shallow water looks clear while deep water looks blue. And those are the only pools left, so!"
Mixing together equal portions of water from the blue and clear pools, Jarprax will drink them down and approach the lava.
Noting Antonio's and Jarprax's success in figuring out the drinks she tells them,
Good work boys! Let me know if there is anything I can do to assist!
Tana continues to pay attention...
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Zar gives Shaldinari a dirty look. "I don't think "lazy" is the word you're looking for. "Physically challenged" maybe, but not lazy. Some of us have to research to learn spells, they just don't come to us out of the blue, or from some pact we've made with another being. I'd like to see you spend an entire day in a library going through tomes," he says in defense of his class.
He then turns his attention to the pools. "It is true that it appears there is no difference in the depth of the pools. However, just like combining the red and yellow to make orange didn't make fire, it made the appearance of fire. In a similar fashion, the deep waters of the ocean look blue yet when you put that same water into a shallow pool, it looks clear. I would surmise that combining the blue and clear would give us the result we are looking for," he says confidently and somewhat arrogantly as if to prove he is still the smartest in the room. He gestures to Shaldinari to suggest she should try the combination since she's currently drinking the first combo.
"Before we leave this room maybe we should collect some water in case the magic runs out of the waters we drank."
Antonio dumps his canteen and fills it with the clear water, then after drinking the clear and blue water mix he fill the bowl with blue water, then a each of the cups with red and yellow waters.
Jarprax will step into the lava and, assuming his leg isn't burnt off, he'll head for the other platform: "If I die, I would prefer a sky burial."
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Jarprax steps into the lava, but does not sink within! Rather, the dragonborn hovers an inch above the molten stone! He barely has enough time to celebrate, however, as his feet bear the brunt of the heat!
The storm priest gingerly makes his way across to the stone pier across the way!!
When Jarprax steps onto the stone floor, his boots are steaming!
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If anyone dallies, they take 3 hp fire damage.
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The doorway opens into a small room, 15 feet across and 25 feet deep. At the southern wall rests an altar that offers two offering bowls. This room is illuminated by a brazier in the SW corner of the room, as well as, the bright light spilling in from an open doorway to your left (E side).
Waving to the others to follow him through the lava, Jarprax takes a quick look around the first room , before wandering into the next room:
Calling to Blacklock "If you can take one of the brazier's that would come in handy for light."
Antonio takes the leap of faith, and very quickly tries to make it over to the other platform.
"Hot, hot, hot, hot, made it!"
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Decide if approaching the altar would be the first thing that Jarprax would do. It is reasonable, though he may have been distracted by the light spilling in from the next room...
I am good with whatever provides the best RP outcome...
@Antonio, the braziers are pretty large and unwieldy...
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The altar is finely crafted, with the large hammer and anvil motif presented toward you as you enter...
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A brazier burns in the southeast corner of the room before you. An anvil and table occupy the eastern wall. Between them is a small forge, its stone flue rising to the ceiling above.
A raging fire burns within forge’s furnace, and even from the doorway, you can feel its heat. When you enter the room, the flames begin to dance and
pulse, and within a heartbeat, they spill from the furnace, forming a large creature of living fire. It moves to stand before the forge and speaks, To gain the item that you need, my burning flames you must feed. I require a sacrifice; whom do you name to pay my price?
Filling her own waterskin with the blue and clear mixture, the fae elf, follows the others quickly across the lava floor and into the sanctuary beyond.
Her eyes glance across the first chamber and seeing nothing of inportance or interest, she quickly steps into the second as Jarprax approaches the burning forge and apparently begins to commune with the elemental being living within.
Rolling her eyes as the creature begins another rhyme, she halts mid-eye roll when it speaks of sacrifices and feeding.
"I don't think the pools of water are going to help us here." She says, her eyes suddenly whirling with fae curiosity. "Now what sort of sacrifice would tyranny desire, I wonder?" She adds stepping forward to get a better look at the fascinating fire creature.
Zar watches as the others start drinking from the pools with the intent to continue on. Reluctantly, he does the same. "I suppose we should stick together. I certainly don't want to wait here and not know what is going on," he says as he passes through the wall.
He watches as the others walk over the lava. Despite seeing the others make it across unharmed, he's uncertain he won't be burned alive. He takes a deep breath before running across to the other landing. Once inside the next room, he sits down for a moment to fan his feet to cool them off. As he is waiting, he points up to the alter. "Anyone know who that would be an alter to?"
"Hmmm... well, that's an altar to Moradin, patron of dwarves, so perhaps it is a sacrifice that he would find worthy? Precious gems or metals maybe? Unless we are feeding flames with something else? Ha! I don't think I can be fed to the flames - I've already been sacrificed to the storm!"
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Knowing that he would have to sacrifice himself to save the party one day anyway, Antonio steps forward to the flames.
"I, Antonio Carvartee stands before you to be the sacrifice that you ask for."
Zar glances over at Antonio with a puzzled look on his face. "I think Jarpax was going in the right direction as far as a sacrifice. Metal or gems, although you would feed a fire with coal or wood, so those could be options also."
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Very well. Your sacrifice is accepted, the elemental steps forward and grasps Antonio's arm! The warrior grits his teeth as his arm is seared!
The elemental pulls away and Antonio sees that looks like a word branded into his arm. The elemental diminishes into nothingness, as a fire that is slowly going out. Simultaneously, the fires of the forge extinguish with the elemental... within, lay the tenet of Bane that you have come to recover!
As the smell of burning flesh reaches his nose, Jarprax snorts, coughs: "HA! Well, that's one way to do it! You doing alright, Antonio? You're looking a little woozy..."
Jarprax will give him a sharp clap on the back. Antonio feels an electric thrum at the point of contact, reminiscent of the lightning attack from the derro king, but this time, as it spreads through his body, a healing warmth is left in its wake.
"Let's grab that disc and return to where we can see the sky. The weight of these caves is depressing."
Jiro quietly follows along behind everyone and his eyes go wide at Antonio's actions. He looks at his arm and then up at Antonio's branded one, and mumbles to himself, "Glad we brought that guy along. I sure don't want to get torched!"
"Thank you Jarprax, that helps."
Looking at the marks burned into his arm. "Does anyone have an idea what this is?"
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"Looks like a burn. OH! You mean does it say something! I have no idea. I'm guessing it's a curse. Sorry, pal. Hopefully you won't die before we get back. Saw the same thing happen to an explorer friend of mine, Pindleton Montague III. Burned up from the inside. Nasty business. Um... but thanks for doing that!"
Jiro looks at it closer, then tilts his head to look at it upside down. "Oh wait! No, his was different. Never mind. I'm sure you're fine!"
Standing transfixed when Antonio suddenly offers himself up as the sacrifice, Shaldinari watches as the elemental brands the big fighter. She gives the big fighter a simple admiring nod while tucking her dagger back in her belt.
"I thought it required blood." She says wiping her palm on her cloak. "But something....more...was expected."
"It seems Antonio's earlier brush with death, has given him a remarkable sense of courage and strength. So much so, that the artifact's guardian saw him as an equal and as having the right to carry the disc." She says, shaking her head at Blacklock's remark. "Perhaps you simply need to spend more time in death's embrace to reach the same level of enlightenment as our good knightly companion."
Zar stares at Antonio dumbfounded. "Again? How has he solved 2 of the riddles? I'm a little disappointed in this wizard's riddles as brute force has been able to solve 2 of them. Maybe his skills had diminished greatly by the time he hid this or he was weakened by the power of the tenet," he thinks to himself, trying to justify how he was bested twice by a fighter in an activity that he should have the upper-hand on.
The wizard approaches to look at the brand. "Well done again, Antonio. It looks like you've helped the group out a few times today in unexpected ways. The word on your arm doesn't look familiar to me, but if we can spare the time, I can cast a spell to be able to read it," he says.
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Antonio picks up the disk gaining the same sick feeling when he had to bear the last disk for a short time when getting it back to the temple.
"I don't know about caring the disc all the way back Shaldinari. It gives me the same sick feeling like the last one we dealt with."
On the way out of the room. Before Antonio steps out on the lava. He slowly places a foot down to make sure it is still safe to walk across.
As the group makes their way out of the mine, Jarprax suggests sharing the load, as with the first disc.
Once back under the open sky, Jarprax will straighten from the hunch he didn't realize he was holding the whole time underground. Leaning back and stretching to the sky: "AHHHAHA! YEss! This feels right and proper. I don't know how your people manage, cousin Jiro - perhaps your small stature helps - but I cannot imagine a life below ground."
And, shouting out a short prayer: "VURDER VÆR TIL SOL OG STORM!", he prepares to descend to the horses.
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"Not sure how you can handle it out here, Jarprax. I mean, something can swoop in and try to eat you from - " Jiro waves his hands at all of the sky and the land stretching to the horizon in every direction.
Then the little kobold shrugs, "But in a tunnel, death only has a couple directions to come at you from, and usually from much closer so there's less waiting for it to arrive. I mean, if a dragon came flying over that hill, ready to torch us and have a snack, where are you going to go? Not up in that big empty sky. You could try running in the other direction, but then you are just making it wait a bit longer for it's snack, which doesn't help anyone as it just gets grumpy and you spend more time watching death flying at you. If you're smart, you're running back in that cave!"
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When you exit the sanctum and step onto the balcony of the throne hall, you find several armed individuals waiting for you. From the floor of the common hall, a man in robes bearing the Black Hand of Bane addresses you, Hand over the disc, and we will allow you to depart this place with your lives. Fail to comply and you will all die.
EDIT:
"HA! I did not expect that - or, not so soon, at least. Come, Antonio, let's step back into the room behind us and consider our next move."
"Disk? What disk are you talking about? There was some fire elemental and a bunch of lava back there. Burned his arm. No gold. No jewelry. Not even gems!" Jiro shrugs and keeps moving forward, trying to stall for time and let people get out of the bottleneck of a doorway.
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The cloaked figures rush forward to swarm Antonio, and immediately, the big warrior hears a click and feels a breeze as Blacklock's quarrel catches Yellow in the eye! The cultist falls backwards off the balcony, dead before he hits the floor!
The other Baneites draw clubs to beat down on Antonio!
The big warrior fends off each hit, but one takes advantage of the distraction and cracks him on the head!
Antonio, make a pair of Dex saves, DC 12 or take 4 hp radiant damage from each!
EDIT: Everyone may go!
Zar looks worried when he hears someone demanding we turn over the disk. When he sees Blacklock firing at a cloaked figure, he steps to the side to see through the doorway and uses his wand on another figure out on the balcony.
Antoino feels the full force of the fowl unholiness of the Baneites
But his experience with heavy armor reduces the pounding on the head.
In the heat of battle Antonio feels a surge of streangth flow through him and heal some of his wounds.
Then lashes out at a robed figure (blue) before moving back into the colored water room.
Bolts of lightning flash across Jarprax's eyes: "So, that's how it's going to be, eh?"