Ayita and Yazhi keep at it...
[dice=Ayita attack] 1d20 + 9
[dice=Ayita damage] 2d6 + 7[dice=Yazhi attack] 1d20 + 9
[dice=Yazhi damage] 1d6 + 7
Despite it being extraordinarily resistant to the mammoth blows she has been raining down upon it over and over, even this flaming hellfire gore monstrosity cannot withstand the power of Ayita and Social Control forever!
Ayita brings her earthbreaker down a final time, splattering blood and guts all over the room. She surveys the results of her mighty strike, looking at a room covered in viscera and blood. A little bit of smashed kidney (?) quivers and then falls still. The rest of the gore loses its coherence and collapses into a puddle that slowly spreads across the floor, surrounding the boots of the heroes.
Frantino spots Fury in the puddle, under a bit of liver and several teeth. Picking it up might be as nauseating as being covered in the ooze's gore.
COMBAT OVER
A bit of bloody muscle and tendon, splattered onto his face and helm, drips from Nasir's proud Keleshite nose. <drip> <driiiiip> <plop>
The expanding puddle of blood and gore engulfs everbody's boots. Some of the blood is still aflame, flickering and guttering and then going out. The smell of brimstone rises from the puddle's failing hellfire.
Flaming blood lands in Ezranadir's hair. The brimstone smell mixes with the minuscule smell of burning elven hair. Ezranadir feels something on his face, near his mouth. He wipes it with the back of his hand and realize it is... a smashed eyeball?
Frantino grasps the bloody haft of Fury, flicking chunks of something off as he does so.
Everybody is nauseated for one round, retching and gagging at the disgusting Jackson Pollack painting that is the spectacularly destroyed gore-ooze.
After retching, Ezranadir says, "No, no, no, no, no." over and over and over again after casting Prestidigitation over and over and over again making sure everyone and their gear is clean.
"As much as I like to sbill za blood of my enemies, zis is too much. Zank you, Ezranadir, for za magical cleaning. Now let us check this room for any secrets and move on."
Nasir begins trying to sort through the bloody mess with the tip of his scimitar.
Rest of room
Not much else in the room, except the other little statues in the north. Each has gemstone eyes.
The gemstones in the four statues are expertly carved orange-red garnets worth 500 gp apiece.
Moving through the secret door (already opened) on the east wall of the room reveals another room.
An oppressive pall hangs over this chamber. Aquatic demons and sea monsters stalk the scenes carved into the stony walls, the fiends eviscerating one another with expressions that can be described only as gleeful. A mosaic depicting a six-headed snake decorates the floor, its coiling tail cut off by the western wall. At the midsection of the serpent’s body stands what could only a sacrificial altar, copious amounts of blood staining it and the floor around it. What appear to be runes are carved atop the altar, but the dried blood obscures their details.
The bloodstain is actually something called "scarlet bliss." It is a poisonous excretion frequently exuded from altars of the demon lord Ibdurengian. Although Ibdurengian has been dead for centuries (since Aroden killed him the Age of Enthronement), the poison excreted from this altar is still potent. Holy water or fire can clear it away, allowing you to examine the runes.
If cleared away, the runes say, "Those who seek the heart of the Lord of the Scarlet Tide need but to walk the serpent’s path."
If you rolled for this Knowledge (religion) (including aiding ) the consequences are below:
HIT! SAVE!
HIT! FAIL! -1 Cha and Confused
MISS!
HIT! SAVE!
HIT! SAVE!
Out of all of you, Doc is the only one possibly effected. @DOC did you roll for this? If so, the scarlet bliss hits you and you failed your Fort Save: confused 1 round and 1 pt of Charisma dmg
Now that it has touched you, and you've failed your first save, you must roll a save once per round, for 6 rounds until you save twice in a row. Failure causes MORE Cha dmg and another round of confused.
points of damage + Str modifier to himself with item in hand.
SUCCESS 1/2 no Cha dmg or confusion
FAIL -2 Cha total and confused again
points of damage + Str modifier to himself with item in hand.
FAIL -3 Cha total and confused again
SUCCESS 1/2! No Cha dmg nor confusion
SUCCESS 2/2! Doc no longer needs to save.
Doc remains poisoned with -3 Cha.
OUTSIDE THE BUILDING
Outside, a winding forest path leads into the distance.
The building you've exited is in a small clearing. The building is made of pitted, dull yellow stone. A disk of deep-red stone sits beneath the open archway in which you stand. The building’s facade is weathered and pitted, but images of sea monsters carved into the stone can still be made out, particularly a recurring image of a demonic merfolk with the lower body of a spiny eel.
The remains of a campsite fill the clearing just before the entrance to the yellow stone building.
Still trying to rinse out his mouth after his nausea, Frantino will check to see if the eight garnets are magical, then he'll follow Ezranadir and study the next room and the scene outside.
"I recognize some of these. This coiled hydra symbol is for Runelord Thybidos, former Runelord of Wrath before he was killed by Alaznist. As for the runes on this altar, I need to clear away some of this blood stain. No, I don't recognize it."
Frantino starts as the red stuff comes alive and climbs up his boots and the haft of Fury. He manages to resist the poison and backs away. "Stay back!"
He'll pull out his last alchemist's fire to burn the poison away, after which we can read the runes. "Those who seek the heart of the Lord of the Scarlet Tide need but to walk the serpent’s path." He notices the mosaic on the floor going from the altar to the open secret door we just came through. "Another useless clue, we seem to be doing this whole place backwards."
Going outside, Frantino has better luck with his analyses as Inspiration hits him. "Wow, there's an image you don't see very often! That merfolk with the lower body of an eel was the demon lord Ibdurengian, killed centuries ago by Aroden. And this campsite was used by three people recently, I think we can safely assume this was Hira, Viralane, and Damil from the tracks we followed from them to here."
Frantino's recommendation is to scout the trail to see if it leads back to the beach. It should, since it seems that this is how Hira and crew got up here. If so, he recommends we use every extradimensional storage we have to start shuttling the magnificent collection of preserved Thassilonian books back to the rowboat and back to the ship, along with our prisoner Damil once Frantino restores the doorway back to normal with another casting of wood shape. If we come across the Kelhuuds again maybe they can help. Luckily we know that the ship has a secure cell after our trip from the Cove to Magnimar with Frantino's brother locked away. If this takes us the rest of the day we can eat and sleep on the ship, restore all spells and abilities in the morning, and be at full strength for the next step back on the island.
The next major group decision is to follow Sorshen's vision and look for Runelord Thybidos in the Forlorn Sepulchers. Do we search the lower slopes on foot, or do we go back down to the Gauntlet of Fury and see where that portal goes, the one that didn’t appear above the small pool of water until after we’d retrieved an abyssal runestone? We have two of the runestones, Frantino opines that if we can find the Forlorn Sepulchers on our own and we need a runestone to compel Thybidos, that leaves us the second one to use or study later. We don't know what might happen to them if we use the portal.
Frantino will also use ruin reading for as long as he can to focus on this altar area and the secret room beyond for hints as to its use back in the day.
After Frantino looks at the garnets and passes over them, Nasir takes out his dagger, digs the gemstones out of the statues, and adds them to the treasures he has in his bag of holding.
Nasir listens to Frantino's analysis of the area and his recommendations for what to do next. He feels the strong magical compulsion to look for Runelord Thybidos in the Forlorn Sepulchers as soon as possible, but also realizes that securing the prisoner will be much easier to do if he is aboard the ship. The situation with the mutated thing did not end well, and towing another prisoner along could prove just as disastrous.
"I agree with your plan, Frantino Kaddren. Let us dispose of the prisoner quickly so we can find what remains of Runelord Thybidos."
Frantino rouses from his ruin reading and lets everyone know what he saw.
Frantino then repeats his analysis on next steps (two posts up). His recommendation is:
1. See if the trail leads back to the beach and therefore the ship. We already have a large quantity of items we found in other parts of the dungeon that we need to take to safety, dropping them off will free up space in our extradimensional storage bags.
2. Return to the last level we just cleared, release Damil from behind the wood shaped door, tie his hands, and march him back to the beach and then ship. Everyone else will load up as many preserved books as we can for the trip to the beach. We don't know what other threats are on the island so we stay together.
3. Make additional trips as necessary until all books and loot have been safely stored on the ship.
4. Rest overnight on the ship.
5. Set out tomorrow morning to find the Forlorn Sepulchers. If Sorshen's vision seems to be pointing us in a particular direction we should search on foot.
6. If we can't find the entrance to the Sepulchers, we go back down into the Gauntlet, activate the mysterious portal in the room with the small pool of water, and see where it goes. Frantino expresses his reluctance to go this route first because it may take our abyssal runestones as "payment" and it seems that we'll need at least one when we find Thybidos.
"Are there any options I missed? We need to vote on our next actions, especially how we are going to look for Thybidos in the Forlorn Sepulchers. Nasir has voiced his opinion agreeing that we should shuttle our prisoner and treasures to the ship, what say the rest of you?"
Frantino's Ruin Reading
As Frantino concentrates and listens to the psychic echoes of the altar and its rooms he opens his eyes and sees a red, bloody mist that slowly thins until he can see the room.
Near the idols, the red gore ooze remains quiescent, not moving. The secret door opens, and in creeps Damil, followed by Viralane and her cleric boss, Hira.
Damil steps closer to the glitter idols and their gemstone eyes, but Hira pulls him back. "Don't. The gore is an ancient guardian creature. The Breath of Ibdurengian, a long-dead demon lord. That altar in the previous room is his. Leave the thing undisturbed."
She then puts him to work, searching the rest of the room. He eventually finds and opens the secret doorway beneath the statue and the staircase leading now.
All three head down the stairs and out of Frantino's bloodred-tinged sight.
As the years slough away in his sight, nothing happens. Nothing disturbs the ruin for years and years. At one point, he sees Kelhuud enter, cautiously look about, then bar the outer door as best he can and leave, walking back into the woods. He seemed to be familiar with the rooms, careful not to disturb the Red Bliss on the altar, or the gore guardian.
The years continue in reverse, year after year, until the bloodred veil descends across his eyes again and the ruin reading ceases.
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"I would like to point out that we do not know where we are located on the island and it could be a long trek to return to the ship. We would be navigating through a jungle not to mention we would be towing a hostile unwilling prisoner and have to keep our eyes open for any more hostile mutated creatures lurking. I think it may be better to finish the complex then take everything and everyone out of here.
There have been spies of this cult everywhere and I do not trust to leave our prisoner in the hands of the sailors."
"Both good points, which is why I recommend we see where the path goes before releasing Damil and escorting the prisoner out. At least we know that Viralane and Hira entered the complex here, and if there's anything we learned from our time with Viralane she's not exactly the wilderness exploring type. There's a reasonable chance that this was the shortest and easiest path that they knew. Ayita, you have an excellent sense of direction and navigation. Knowing the time of day and orientation of the sun, as well as visible landmarks, where do you think we are relative to the beach where we left the ship's launch?"
"Ezranadir, is there a specific part of this complex that we bypassed and have not yet explored, other than the Forlorn Sepulcher that we have to find? We met the Kelhuuds and went in one entrance, followed Maga Szuul through a portal to get to the Gauntlet, and finally reemerged on the surface here. I think we've searched every known area in this complex except taking the unknown portal that activated in the Gauntlet after we'd passed the first test. If this trail doesn't seem to be leading us in the right direction after a short reconnoiter, we could always go all the way back down to the Gauntlet, go back through the first portal we took and hopefully end up back in Mozamer's original hideout, and return to a known surface point that way. Mozamer used the portal to go to Roderic's Cove and then Szuul reattuned the portal to go to the Gauntlet. We don't know if using the portal in reverse will take us back to the same location. Even if it does, if you remember that trip to Mozamer's portal involved a hike of several miles from Kelhuud's camp, getting past those barbarians that wanted to eat us, and then climbing down a very deep pit to those haunted forges and the face that breathed acid on me and Ayita. I'm not sure that we can escort Damil back up the climb from the bottom of the pit and then that's a long hike escorting him even if we do. There's hopefully no harm in seeing where this trail goes, unless Hira bypassed another foe like she did with that damned ooze."
"I'm also not sure why you think Captain Sursha or her crew will betray us. We did help them sail through a storm and then fight off that sea creature, plus put down that ooze in the cargo hold. Oh, wait, did we find you adrift after those events? I sometimes forget you weren't with us on the entire journey. Her brig held my brother from the Cove to Magnimar and I think we built up some goodwill since then. The Sihedron Council is paying her well, and if she wants to keep doing business with them she'll stay true to us and her contract. We need to free up space in order to easily transport the Thassilonian books back to the ship. Are you saying we should unload our treasure at the beach and hide it there until we're ready to shuttle it to the ship right before we sail to Magnimar? That seems like a riskier option to me."
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"Frantino, I do believe that through the portal is the last location yet to be searched. Who knows what lay beyond or if there are other portals leading further. I do not think it a wise decision going back through the Gauntlet as I'm sure the traps and monsters teleporting in would have just reset but we may not have a choice as you say the portals may only be a one-way trip. If the ship is close then it will not be a problem but we should not go off spending who knows how long searching for it. Perhaps Ayita can send Ter out scouting and if it is close then we continue with your plan.
As for Captain Sursha I do not think she would betray us but there could be a spy among her crew. I was with the group during all of what you mentioned. If you remember, a passenger had hidden an ooze in her cargo unbeknownst to her which broke loose and Viralane was on board during those travels as a paying customer. Just because the Council is paying someone well does not mean they are loyal and not working as a double agent because they will gain something greater. Sorry, after what happened with Maga Szuul, I am not trusting anyone. I say we leave Damil where he is until we finish what we came to do. The books and treasure we could not pack can stay down in the library behind the secret door under the statue. They should be safe until we return."
"Zese are all good points, Ezranadir. My favorite is your idea to have Ter scout za area to orient where we are. Having more information about our position is tactically advantageous."
Nasir turns to Ayita and urges her to send Ter aloft. "If you please. Let us find out where we are on za island."
Frantino agrees as well. "Excellent suggestion, Ezranadir, to have Ter do a quick scouting mission. After so much time underground I'd forgotten what a useful party member he can be! As for your suspicion that there could be a spy among Captain Sursha's crew, well, normally I'm the one who is declared paranoid. Like I keep saying, it's not paranoia if it turns out to be true, and Szuul is a prime example of that. We definitely need to keep our circle of trusted compatriots small, primarily only those standing around us right now."
"We can leave the books and treasure consolidated in one of the libraries and I can seal it off again with another wood shape but I'm hesitant to leave Damil locked away. If something happens to us then we may have sentenced him to death by dehydration and starvation, or if he escapes he could report back to Hira's superiors what transpired here. If our ship is nearby enough that we can escort him to the brig, we should do that, and if we fail to return from the Forlorn Sepulcher then at least Captain Sursha can transport him back to Magnimar for the Sihedron Council to pick up the trail. Let us hope that Ter's reconnoiter and Ayita's professional analysis bring some good news."
Frantino looks at Ayita to see how her Survival check is coming. He tries to offer a few helpful observations about the visible landmarks and direction of the sun but it's not a subject he studied.
"I was with the group during all of what you mentioned."
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Hatfield has Status on Ter and Yahzi. "We can ask both critters ta scout and keep tabs on them two."
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Ayita seems to have dozed off and jumps when her friends speak.
Sorry... Ter, could you do as Nasir asks? Here's some blackberry treats! ... omg I need coffee! She signals to Yazhi to keep watch locally.
- using guidance, the assist, plus Ayita's bonus to "avoid becoming lost", if that applies. Could add another +2 if Ter assists.
Ter wings her way into the sky and spends an hour flying around. Ayita can sense that she's content, followed by a spark of happiness. Eventually, Ayita's link with Ter fades out as she flies further and further away from Ayita.
Eventually Ter returns, happy and determined. Clearly, she's found the ship and can lead them there. Although, her acting as a compass in the air may be a far cry from finding a path through the trees/jungle.
Despite the challenges, Ayita is able to track Hira's team's prints and eventually find a path to the beach where the heroes landed.
Tyalee's Whim remains at anchor and any signal from the beach results in a boat being launched and rowed to shore.
Captain Antefalle comes ashore with the boat.
"So, find what yer lookin' fer?"
Per our internal debate, I believe that our plan is to go release Damil, escort him to the Whim with hands tied and tethered to us, and put him in the ship's brig, but not bring down the books and other loot (gems, magic weapons and armor, mithril ore, etc.) until after we return from the Forlorn Sepulcher. If we happen to travel near Kelhuud's camp we can ask him/them if he/they want to return to Magnimar with us, too.
"Good to see you, Captain! Our search has had its challenges but we have found quite a few things that we were looking for and even a few that were unexpected. We've uncovered a plot that threatens Magnimar and we have one prisoner that we need to bring to the ship and put in the brig for the journey back. Luckily this one isn't a spellcaster this time, or family. We have clues to one more location on the island that we need to find and explore, after which we'll be ready to depart, probably tomorrow or the day after. Now that we have successfully linked up with you, we're going back to escort the prisoner down here. Depending on what time it is when we get him safely rowed out and locked away, we may request to sleep the night aboard your fine vessel and then come back ashore tomorrow morning for our final exploration, when we'll also shuttle a few historical items to the ship that our sponsors in Magnimar will want to analyze. Unless my companions need to remind me about aspects of our plan that I've forgotten, we'll head out and be back in an hour or two. Hey, your ship's store doesn't happen to have a healing wand for sale, does it?"
"Good to see you, Captain! Our search has had its challenges but we have found quite a few things that we were looking for and even a few that were unexpected. We've uncovered a plot that threatens Magnimar and we have one prisoner that we need to bring to the ship and put in the brig for the journey back. Luckily this one isn't a spellcaster this time, or family. We have clues to one more location on the island that we need to find and explore, after which we'll be ready to depart, probably tomorrow or the day after. Now that we have successfully linked up with you, we're going back to escort the prisoner down here. Depending on what time it is when we get him safely rowed out and locked away, we may request to sleep the night aboard your fine vessel and then come back ashore tomorrow morning for our final exploration, when we'll also shuttle a few historical items to the ship that our sponsors in Magnimar will want to analyze. Unless my companions need to remind me about aspects of our plan that I've forgotten, we'll head out and be back in an hour or two.
"No, I'm afraid we do not have a wand of healing. Just rub some fresh water and dirt on it and shake it off, that's what I tell m'crew," Sursha Antefalle says with a smile.
It takes hours to trek back and forth, bringing loot (and prisoner!) to Tyalee's Whim. Night comes soon and you all find yourself sitting with the rough sailors of the Whim as they playing drinking games, crushing the wooden husk of coconuts on their head when they lose.
Rivenrake Island awakens you in the morning. With chickens. The island is awash in the sounds of cocks crowing. Surprising, since you didn't see any chickens yesterday. Perhaps they are Invisible Chickens (CR1)? Camouflage Chickens (CR0)? Either way, there is no sleeping.
Upon arising you realize that when Captain Antefalle joked last night that dinner tasted "just like chicken," she wasn't joking. It WAS chicken. With pepper sauce. And seaweed garnish.
Frantino tries to ignore the chickens and discuss today's search for the Forlorn Sepulchers. However, thoughts of omelets are occasionally distracting. Did the crew remember to gather eggs while capturing/killing the dinner chickens?
As the runelord of wrath begins to speak again, a radiantly beautiful, redheaded woman strides through the wall of the room… [snip]
“I am Runelord Sorshen, but I am not your foe. Alaznist has risen, as you fear, and we will both benefit from her defeat. She has left Hollow Mountain to seek power elsewhere, and as she does, you must prepare. I have been watching. You seem heroes who might stand against her, but not without assistance. Seek out old Thybidos, Alaznist’s murdered predecessor, in the Forlorn Sepulchers beyond the weeping dragons. With an Abyssal runestone from the Gauntlet of Fury, his unquiet spirit can be compelled to aid you—yet perhaps not without some conflict. But exercise caution, for even humbled as he is today, the serpent still has teeth. When you are done with him, seek me in Korvosa. We have more to discuss!”
Along with this message, each of you has a vision of a partially collapsed stone archway carved in the shape of two weeping dragons, their necks raised up so their horned heads lock together. The archway is overgrown with foliage, but a cave entrance is visible within. This archway exists nearby, you are completely sure, on the lower slopes of Rivenrake Island. You have a desperate, burning desire to find it.
By this description, each of us except Ezranadir, who was on watch, has a mental picture of the entrance to the Sepulchers clear in our memories. Does this vision and the "desperate, burning desire to find it" also come with some kind of internalized compass that will guide our path once we're back on the island? Did we feel it yesterday during our trek to the beach? It was our first time back on the surface since we went underground and had the dream.
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Hatfield would have interred the undead on the previous day.
He would also lesser resto himself the previous day once Ayita pointed out his gruffness. (We wouldn't know that the night will pass uneventfully.)
_________________________________
One the new day, the oracle will:
• cast status on Ter and Yazhi
• set up life link on Ayita, Ezranadir, Frantino, and Nasir
By this description, each of us except Ezranadir, who was on watch, has a mental picture of the entrance to the Sepulchers clear in our memories. Does this vision and the "desperate, burning desire to find it" also come with some kind of internalized compass that will guide our path once we're back on the island? Did we feel it yesterday during our trek to the beach? It was our first time back on the surface since we went underground and had...
Internalized compass... not really. You all feel it is close. If you look at the water, you know it isn't that direction.
But now that you've explored the island a bit, having traipsed back and forth through the jungle, you may have some ideas...
Finding the remains/ghost of an actual Runelord? Sounds like Thassilonian history to me. And in a ruins? I know it's (probably) not within the normal 30' range but Frantino would expend a use of ruin reading in his efforts to try to locate the Forlorn Sepulchers, or at get least a direction, based upon his studies of how the different runelords thought and operated. Knowledge history is the skill associated with this ability.
Ezranadir wakes up and finishes studying the Blessed Book. He memorizes his spell list and recasts his typical spells first thing in the morning. He uses the books discovered in the library to discover more Thassilonian history about this island and place.
[dice=Survival]1d20+0
[dice=Knowledge: History using Books (+4)]1d20+10+4
What are you typical spells? Assuming MA and...
Yes, same allotment.
Based upon their surroundings and what he remembered from the dream, Nasir attepts to figure out what part of the island would be the most likely place to find the location the group is looking for.