The druid stopped at the word Sacrifice?
Moving toward Tonny, he asked the young scholar something, "Can you please ask her what she means exactly by sacrifices?" If the druid wore a concerned look, it was hard to tell under the mask. "This could be a puzzle piece we are missing, especially if its in dealing with an Elemental Lord."
Jonah is impressed with the negotiating abilities of his companions
that went way better than i thought! and now we're going to get directions right to the temple. funny how that worked out
Jonah leans over to Ingolf to ask
"you should ask how many are in this prophet guy's army. what exactly are we walking into if we assault this temple?
As Tonny translates for Splits, the lizard woman answers "Daruthek requested children sacrifice. She said the secrets of the Storm Kindlers required this regent to summon a storm powerful enough to stop the humans. Chieftain Shathva accepted scared of your colony although I always doubted that was the way of Gozreh"
That is definitely not a Gozreh ritual but more of some kind of Elemental Lord invocation.
"The Sky Tempest Temple is located at the margin of the Laughing Jungle, on a meander of a stream that descends from a pinnacle with the shape of an eagle to the south east of the delta" Achahut points in that general direction far away.
The lizardfolk goes in details as he is asked by Jonah and translated by Tonny "Our tribe settles at the outside of the temple, while Daruthek loyals are in the interior. The Sky Tempest Temple has no roofs, but its walls protects it well from outside aggressors."
You recognize this architectonic trait as one of Gozreh's temples, because weather shall penetrate in sacred land.
"Daruthek counts with a bunch of loyals he calls the disciples of Dark Water. He has taken a female lizardfolk, Uurgu as his apprentice. I have not been allowed in the inner temple, but I know he also counts with an Ice golem he created using a golem manual he discovered in the Storm Kindler's library" over the length of an hour the lizard woman gives you much more details about the place and Daruthek "We got a Storm Kindler imprisoned, Magdi Kukoyi is the name, Daruthek got from him some of their secrets to access the lower temple. After he came out from there, the Sorac spirits were stronger than ever on him. I do not know what he discovered there, but it only made higher his ambition. The thing is he certainly managed to control the storm afterwards, and he said he would be able soon to summon the strongest storms of all, one that would rival with the Eye of Abendego itself"
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"Well, that would match with what they were saying about Hrush... Hshr... Hshurha?" Tonny stumbles a bit over the awkward name. "Remember, the ones that tried to flood the village and called all the lightning? She'd certainly help this fellow summon more powerful storms, and if I recall correctly she's not a nice person."
Ingolf commented, "Looks like we've got out work cut out for us! I'm ready to get on our way to the temple."
He used his last spell of the day to heal himself, and got some more healing from Splits' wand.
"well, now we know where we're going. not that it will be easy, but we at least know what to do now
Standing and taking in all of the information, balking a little at the idea of child sacrifices and wondering just how foolish it is for them all to begin rushing headlong into the temple, but one last thought sticks in her mind as it seems they're all prepared to leave,
"Wait." She says as she stands, still hurt but unswayed as she looks Achahut in the eye as an equal.
"Is there nothing we can do for you before we leave? We owe you a great deal - perhaps a promise of a favor or assistance?..." Adriana doesn't want to explicitly offer to fight Achahut to the death, but she feels obligated to help the lizardfolk somehow.
"Freeing my tribe from the spirits that hunt them and finishing Daruthek is enough of a payment. But if you could ensure me a place back at the tribe, that would pay well enough for the dishonor of having to be saved from the dinosaur" the lizardfolk bows to you.
Once back at your base camp with the Song'o halflings, Muhdzuzi asks you "What are your plans to approach the Temple?"
Hearing and piecing it together, he knew it wasn't a ritual to Gozreh. It wasn't that he knew everything about the Wind and the Waves, but he knew enough to know that wasn't the way... Even outside of his cloistered order.
He wondered what would need to be done, there were obvious holes in the plan, but they really wouldn't be able to tell until they reached the temple itself.
The druid, not knowing how to speak draconic gave a bow. And started off with the others.
Watching Adriana stagger a little he speaks up, "Adriana, take a seat. If we are to go to a place where the zealous would sacrifice children, no one would care if you were injured. Let us make sure this does not end in tragedy."
Ingolf bowed to the proud lizardfolk woman, "I'll do my best to help get you back into your tribe."
When they arrived back at the base camp, he related what had happened to Muhdzuzi and the others. He told his Song'o friend, "Splits the Leaves will likely turn into bird and scout out the temple layout. Then we will decide on the best route to gain entrance."
"That sounds like a solid plan" comments Muhdzuzi.
That night you have dinner knowing you have done good advances during the day. The watch is uneventful and the next day the Son'o escorts you back to Cashil
There you are able to rest and enjoy once more of your Song'o friends hospitality, making the last plans before heading definitely to the Sky Tempest Temple.
Apparently the trip to the location of the temple will take between one and three days through dense jungle.
Rested and resupplied you say good bye to the Song'o of Cashil in the early morning and start your walk to the southeast. For the rest of the day you advance through bogs of water under an increasingly windy and rainy weather. From time to time you see a lightning falling in the horizon and everything trembles afterwards.
Soaked, you find a good spot to pass the night. A good dinner and a nights rest without water over your heads makes you feel fully relieved. For the next day, you walk finally on the borders of the Jungle of Hungry Trees.
The Jungle of Hungry Trees is dense and humid, and despite the relatively recent abandonment of the Sky Tempest Temple, its location is nearly impossible to find amid the foliage. Only the combination of the maps left by the Mireborn near the Ghol-Gan ruin and Achahut’s descriptions allows you to finally find the temple.
A weed-choked clearing opens up in the dense jungle, sheltering a basalt structure overgrown with vines and small trees. A foundation of gray stone stands five feet above the ground and runs a hundred and forty feet on each side. Walls rise fifteen feet from this base, decorated with weathered carvings of a man and woman cavorting in storms and ocean waves. Tangled jungle trees loom to the north, while a swath of thatch huts lie to the west.
Three lizardfolk seem to make guard in this plains area.
Ingolf stopped on the edge of the jungle and surveyed the temple, trying to determine if the group could approach the door on the south side of the temple, without being seen my the guards,
The druid, feeling refreshed from the dense jungle and the sky, eventually makes it to the temple.
Staring at it, he says a prayer out loud to Gozreh, before noticing the lizardfolk.
"I can look as a bird, but let us see what we can find on the ground first."
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"Maybe we could distract them?" Tonny suggests hesitantly. "Like, shoot something over there in those trees past them and then when they go to investigate we all sneak past? That way we don't have to hurt them - and that would make things easier when trying to convince the chieftain we don't mean her and her tribe any harm and only want to stop Daruthek, right?"
Ingolf and Splits observe the lizardfolk are doing routine scouting of the plains surrounding the temple. With a bit of patience it would be possible to reach the southern corner of the building at the time they are not looking in this direction, but it would require to be very silent.
Splits the Leaves nodded, "A distraction could work. It would also give us an idea of how many are inside there. Tonny, do you have anything in that alchemical bag of your to make noise?"
Ingolf admitted, "Ebba can probably move more quietly than I can. I think some sort of a distraction is a good idea, but it shouldn't be enough to raise the alarm. We just need to get the guards briefly looking elsewhere."
Jonah gets his bow ready
the kind of distraction I can help with will definitely lead to the alarm being raised. If we can draw the guards off that would be ideal of course
Adriana thinks back to her early life for some potential ideas for distractions, running up short but still with a couple of options.
"I have, I have something of an idea; Tonny, do you have something flammable that can be attatched to an arrow or two? And Jonah, how, hmm, how far do you think you could shoot such an arrow?"
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Splits the Leaves nodded, "A distraction could work. It would also give us an idea of how many are inside there. Tonny, do you have anything in that alchemical bag of your to make noise?"
"Well, there's things like thunderstones," the scholar answers slowly, deep in thought. "You have to throw them kinda hard, but not, like, smash them to get the boom. Would that work?"
"I have, I have something of an idea; Tonny, do you have something flammable that can be attatched to an arrow or two? And Jonah, how, hmm, how far do you think you could shoot such an arrow?"
"Oh, well, you don't think that would cause a forest fire, do you?" Tonny wrings his hands nervously and looks around at the surrounding foliage as if evaluating its flammability. "What if we used something that made smoke instead? Or light! Wait, no, that wouldn't be visible unless it was in a dark environment and then we wouldn't be able to see..."
The druid waves a hand, "I have faith in your choice and I will aid you however you feel is right Tonny. I might be able to pray for some magic as well."
Hearing about forest fires, Splits the Leaves frowns. "Let us not throw this place into chaos when a storm is already coming to do that for us. We will need the trees to absorb the brunt of the rains and winds should this fail."
Ingolf waited for Tonny, Splits and Adriana to prepare their diversion. He and Ebba stood ready to move quietly to the southern door.
Tonny puts his alchemy knowledge into use to create with the help of Jonnah and Splits a small burning fire that makes a lot of smoke without flame. Once the column starts to go up in the air and two of the lizardfolk head in that direction to investigate, the party tries to sneak to the southern gates.
Despite Splits stumbles and makes a loud sound on your way forward, the guard seems not to notice the approach and you successfully reach the southern doors of the temple.
Two solid slabs of dark stone rise up fifteen feet into the air, bordered by the walls of the temple on either side and topped with stone depictions of roiling storm clouds.
In addition to the west, you spot what seems a bunch of huts on a collapsed corner of the temple.
Splits notices something odd in the doors and points it to the others: they have an evocation magical aura.
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"I didn't think that would work that well," Tonny admits to Ingolf as the group hurries inside. "Wait, what was that Splits?" The scholar studies the door for a moment, then blinks a few times. "I mean, well, do you want me to try to remove it? It's not really a trap in the strictest sense of the word, unless we're talking about a magical trap, which this probably is, and I'll stop talking now."
Ingolf waited astride Ebba for Tonny to attempt to disarm the magical trap. He didn't fancy getting engulfed in a fireball when he opened the door!
While Tonny attempts to erase one of the runes on the door, the magical trap triggers creating a strike of lightning that strikes Tonny and anyone 5 feet around the door, and an audible clap of thunder resounds all over the temple sky.
Uh-oh, that's going to attract the guards! Ingolf rode Ebba east of the door to watch for anyone coming to investigate the noise.
Quietly impressed at the distraction created and glad that they hadn't gone ahead with her vague idea of fire, Adriana keeps watch for possible pursuit from the guards as Tonny and the others handle the magical runes on the stone doors.
The loud thunderclap makes her jump and immediately look about for what might be attacking them, and seeing nothing currently in their midst draws her scimitar and keeps watch for any movement from where they had just arrived from, certain that the noise would be investigated.
"Damn. Can we get inside before we're spotted?" She whispers.
Before he has a chance to warn Tonny, the scholar goes right for it. He holds a hand out and after a minute feels the blast of lightning come down from the trap.
Hoping to brace himself from the electricity, the druid slams his staff into the ground to try to absorb some of it.
"We need to be careful." Nodding at Adriana the druid turns and gives a quick eye for anything and hopes to push the door open before the trap resets.
1st (3 slots, 1 domain, 2 bonus, 2 pearls) - Entangle, Faerie Fire,
2nd (2 slots, 1 bonus, 1 domain) - Aggressive Thundercloud, Gust of Wind, <>, [Wind Wall]
An open 1st and 2nd for utility if we have a moment to prepare.
Jonah jumps badly at the sound of the lightning trap, but was hanging back enough that it didn't hit him. he puts an arrow in his bow and watches for the return of the guards, and will follow the others in while watching their backs
The electrical ray is strong, but both Tonny and Splits dodge the worst of it.
With the evocation aura gone, Splits instructs the others it is safe to open the doors.
Soon, you spot one of the lizardfolk guards stares at you around the eastern corner of the temple "人类入侵者！"
"Human invaders!"
Ingolf waved at the lizardfolk guard that had just appeared around the corner.
Once there was room to get through the doors, Ingolf rode Ebba inside and looked for guards within.
Scimitar still in hand Adriana steps inside and stays with Tonny, ready to assist in either closing the doors or driving off the lizardmen if they get too close.
The druid hears the hiss of the lizardfolk but doesn't need to know what they are saying to understand them. With Tonny's rushed whisper, he is able to get the situation quickly and moves in and pulls out the wand.
Quickly reacting, you all go through the door and close it behind you.
Imposing walls flank this open promenade on the east and west. Images of great storms and floods cover crumbling plaster of the walls, each of which ascend twenty feet into the air. A stone double door lies to the south, while a larger plaza opens to the north.
An striking feature of the temple is there is no roof at all. Below your heads your only roof is the raining sky.
The numerous frescos here illustrate the early eachievements in storm calling obtained by the exiled Storm Kindlers. A faint magic should have protected from the elements erosion.
You do identify several allusions to Gozreh depicted in the plaster frescos.
You also notice a small eye surrounded by crackling lightning in one corner—the symbol of Hshurha, the evil Duchess of All Winds.
A large, raised basin of green rock sits in the center of the temple’s plaza. A thick brownish liquid quivers just beyond the fountain’s raised lip. A large stone door blocks entry farther north, its surface covered with two circular indentations. Halls extend east and west.
This fountain basin seems to catch rainwater to supply both to drink and rituals. Apparently though, without daily magic of the original inhabitants of the temple, the fountain water has transformed into a rancid slurry of algae, disease, and rotting vegetation.
As you approach you spot a beam of water splashing out of the surface and then hear two voices coming from inside the waters "Halt there intruders, kneel before the Great Spirit of the Temple" the voice talks in a gurgling Common as it does the other one in pair "Throw tribute of gold into the pool for information"
You identify the "great spirit" is nothing else in fact than a pair of ooze mephits submerged in the waters of the fountain.
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Tonny is absolutely lost in the imagery of the frescoes. ”They’re in remarkable shape for their age,” he offers, feeling like he needs to say something. ”Very nice.”
”Ooze mephits,” the scholar whispers. ”They’re not inherently hostile, probably just bored or mischievous. Maybe we can flatter them and avoid having to fight them?”
Ingolf approached the fountain; when the voices spoke from the water of the fountain he dismounted and knelt. "I am a follower of Gozreh. Can you tell me about this temple?"
He tossed a gold piece into the fountain.
There is a few seconds of silence then... "Are you kidding us?!" the other voice storms with gurgling voice "Just one gold seriously? What kind of leftover rats you are?"
"The Great Spirit of the Temple deserves all your non essential richness" the voices switch again as if Gozreh's duality it was "For one gold all the information I can tell you about this temple is that a fool and poor like a rat gnome entered the temple today" the voices jiggle amused.
The coin is not returned though.
Jonah rolls his eyes at the mephit
"we don't have time for this" he says to the others. if they continue to try to talk with the fountain, Jonah will watch their backs, bow at the ready
Stepping into the room, the druid looks at the frescoes and immediately notices something out of place. "Hshurha, the evil Duchess of All Winds." He says the words quietly almost to no one before speaking up, "This is the place. It must be. That eye there, it belongs to her."
Continuing down the promenade, Splits the Leaves continues to keep an eye out.
Eventually he hears about the mephits and speaks up, "This is no longer a temple to Gozreh and you besmirch the wind and the waves with such greed." He slams the staff onto the floor, "Tell me about Hshurha before I bring the real wrath of the sky and seas down upon you."
Adriana cautiously approaches Tonny as Splits rebukes the greedy mephits and asks "Are those things dangerous, or just...annoying?
Ingolf decided that it wasn't worth his time to talk to the rude water creatures anymore. He remounted Ebba and rode to the east side of the fountain, looking down the hallway.
You do foresee a thunder coming and synchronize your staff slamming with it.
As Splits slams the staff onto the floor the sky booms with a thunder that makes the whole temple shake after lighting the place while the rain starts falling with even more intensity.
Recognizing the druid as a true servant of Gozreh, the mephits suddenly shut up and you see the shadow in the fountain divided in two as they shake and bend "Ssssooooorrryyy, we did not want to bother you, powerful Sire!"
They go on with multiple bendings "We will tell the guardian whatever we knew, we promise, but let us linger in the waters of your temple"
"The temple serves the purpose of summoning elementally infused storms... the process cannot be stopped, you should better flee before it is too late... unless..." they make a pause and seem to hit each other discussing, but leave it there.
Approaching the eastern corridor, Ingolf spots another corridor going north, a slight current of air coming from there. To the south, he thinks to spot some kind of shrine.
Ingolf told Ebba to move quietly and advanced to the northern corridor, looking around the corner.
Ebba tried not to make too much noise walking on the stone floor.