Stiggur's skill puts the party on a good path allowing for everyone to keep pace.
Eventually, as you travel, the dense forest opens to a wide clearing at the base of a sheer cliff. Thick vines cover the surface of the cliff stretching 30 feet overhead.
“Here! The cave entrance is behind those vines,”\ Janira says with a broad smile as she walks to the cliff’s face. She pulls back several layers of vegetation to reveal a narrow crack in the cliff’s surface. “This is where I saw the gillmen enter.”
As she motions toward the aperture, the surrounding woods come alive with the sound of small animals fleeing some unseen danger and a large creature crashing through the undergrowth. The halfling worriedly remarks, “Quick, take cover before whatever it is spots us!”
As if she’d summoned the creature with her words, a massive horned monstrosity emerges from the trees. Standing eight feet tall on a pair of cloven hooves and wielding a tremendous axe, the bull-headed creature roars with unbridled anger when it spots the group.
Wisely assessing that a minotaur is beyond her charges’ capabilities, Janira screams, “A minotaur! There’s little chance we can stand against it. Take this bag,” she continues, pulling off her backpack, “and head deeper into the caves. Finish your mission. I’ll lead it away from the caves, lose it in the forest, and join you as soon as I can. Now go! GO!”
She heaves her backpack into the cave, casts a spell, and darts off toward the minotaur before turning to lure it away.
The cave entrance is only 5 feet wide and extends further into the rock.
Oloch seems eager to fight!!
”Gorum will aid us to win in battle!!!“
He casts bless on the party!
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Elena shakes her head, seeing the muscles and the greataxe he is carrying. "Wait! She's telling us to run with reason!"
Elena takes out her bow and will stay well clear of the minotaur. She attempts to hold back Koeuss and especially Seren. "Do NOT get close. Try hitting him from afar. If someone gets down, we should retreat into the cave."
((He's large. He has reach with an axe. That's a one-hit KO before we can engage.))
Sticking together, the entire party enters the cave, leaving the skillful bard to occupy the minotaur on her own. From your vantage within the narrow cave, you can see the horned beast chasing after the halfling through the trees, fighting its way through the dense undergrowth. Soon the cacophony of the chase fades and the sounds of the forest slowly return to normal.
Deeper within the narrow cave, you find that no natural light can reach you. The cave system stretches deep below the foothills of the Kortos Mounts. Most of it seems accessible only through the narrow, keyhole tunnel where you currently find yourselves.
The caves are damp. It's floor is somewhat slippery. A dull, almost-hissing sound seems to echo off the walls around you, indicating the distant rushing of underground streams somewhere in the blackness ahead. The tunnel twists and turns for several hundred feet before slowly opening to a wider passage.
Oloch is the first to spot a large hole that spans the cave’s width and stretches ten feet down the path.
At the bottom of the pit lies a small bundle of cloth, seemingly caught on a series of sharpened, wooden spikes that line the pit floor. By torchlight, the spikes appear to glisten from liquid winding its way down the spikes. Though the liquid appears to be dark at first, you realize that it is a trick of the light and that the liquid is simply water that has dripped down onto the spikes form the stalactites above.
The hole in the ground adorned with spikes is obviously artificial, though you can tell that its construction is at least a year old.
The pit is 10 feet wide and 10 feet deep. The pit bears rounded walls that eliminate any corners that a trapped creature might brace against while trying to escape (seemingly intentionally so).
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Elena sighs in relief when they have put some space between them. "Before we continue... I think it would be important to know what each of us can do. I don't have magic of my own, but I have my sword and I'm decent with the bow... If we come across a big one like that again, what can you do? Do you have a ranged weapon?"
She takes a look at the pit.
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"I think I can help people to cross... I also have rope in case someone falls in, but there seem to be spikes at the bottom... so we still need to be careful."
She will start making knots on the rope so the others can climb down safely.
((Elena can give +4 with aid another with the Helpful adopted trait. Although IF there's a spike or rock column in the other side of the pit and someone has mage hand, we could throw one end through the other side and make it a pulley. ;D ))
Oloch casts detect magic and looks around and also into the pit.
“Does anyone have rope!? We need to get to the other side!! I am brave!!“
He removes his armor, casts guidance and throws it on the other side together with his gear.
He then casts guidance and jumps to the other side.
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"Working on the rope," she calls out to Oloch.
When it's done, she will help people get down slowly with the rope to avoid the spikes and then throw the other then to Oloch so he can pull them up one by one.
She also gets her armor off and throws it to the other side. If it falls, she asks the others to grab it before they are pulled up.
She will attempt to jump with a running start.
Oloch casts detect magic and looks around and also into the pit.
Oloch detects an aura emanating from within the pit. He makes his leap to the other side.
The spikes are distances enough apart that a humanoid could walk between them without too much difficulty.
Seren looks around for any way to bypass the pit.
From her current vantage, Seren does not spy any alternative route for bypassing the pit.
When Elena readies for her jump, Seren makes a blessing, "Desna guide your path."
Her actions guided by the Lady of Luck and Tender of Dreams, Elena makes the leap across the pit.
On the other hand, she's a trained gymnast, and leaping across seems eminently doable with a running start.
Saito also makes the leap across the pit.
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Seren looks in the bit, casts detect magic and concentrates .
detect magic
Seren climbs down Elena's rope into the pit.
Locates the magic thing.
and climbs out the other side on Stiggur's rope.
Locates the magic thing.
The magical source is a cloak that emits a faint aura of abjuration.
Once all are on the other side, you soon stumble across a 3-foot-wide, sturdy wooden plank, that had been resting against the cave’s wall just out of sight around a corner in the tunnel approximately 30 feet beyond the pit.
Continuing on through the tunnel beneath the Kortos Mounts, the pitter patter of droplets from the stalactites overhead intensifies into periodical trickles. Standing pools and rivulets form along the cave floor, leaving your boots and travel gear feeling damp and less pleasant.
There is some benefit that comes with the increased moisture, however, and it manifests in the form of a dim light that patterns the walls—the result of blue-green luminescent fungi that seem to prosper in the moist cave environment.
Petroglyphs—most depicting marine animals or spiral shapes—also periodically decorate the tunnels’ walls. The features become increasing frequent as you venture further inward. The rough surface of the carvings provides a natural platform for the fungi, causing it to grow thicker and making the carvings glow slightly brighter than their surroundings.
Eventually, the tunnel opens up into a large cavern, one that must once have housed beautifully carved reliefs and inscriptions that have since weathered heavily, though these carvings appear to be in a different in style from the petroglyphs found elsewhere in the caves. Nevertheless, what remains now are partial and distorted images with features dulled and softened to the point that it is hard to distinguish what each once depicted.
You conclude that what you see scattered about the cave are references to rituals as well as inscriptions from the History and Future of Humanity, the principle holy text of Aroden, as well as images that depict these passages. The weathered carvings focus on parables that feature at least some of Aroden’s guises, meant to illustrate his hopes for humanity, including "The Fisherman". However, the sections of the holy text depicted appear to be slightly different than those that appear in the known version of the History and Future of Humanity. This might suggest that these images could possibly represent an earlier version of the work. Until the disappearance of the god, Aroden, portions of these parables were often imitated in rituals believed to impose divine blessing upon those who engaged in them.
A wide tunnel exits the cavern on its far side, and blue-burning torches line the passageway’s walls.
The torches shed light like ordinary torches, but do neither emit heat or seem to consume the torch, indicating that the use of a continual flame spell in the construction of the torches. You surmise that each of the torches is an everburning torch.
An increase in radiance and the movement of the light coming from the short tunnel ahead suggests a larger chamber beyond and likely the presence of a large pool of water.
You find that it contains the following items, each clearly labeled:
potion of barkskin
potions of cure light wounds
potion of feather step
potion of vanish
scroll of entangle
scroll of gust of wind
scroll of identify
scroll of mage armor
scroll of obscuring mist
wand of burning hands
wand of cure light wounds
acid vial
alchemist’s fire
holy water
smokestick
tanglefoot bags
thunderstone
Seren was able to decipher one of the weathered reliefs as depicting a fisherman hauling in an enormous catch of small fish to take back to Absalom. She recognizes this relief as "the Fisherman", a parable and retelling Aroden’s prophecy that humankind would prepare the rocky earth for planting and over generations wear the pebbles down into fertile soil.
She concludes that what you see scattered about the cave are references to rituals as well as inscriptions from the History and Future of Humanity, the principle holy text of Aroden, as well as images that depict these passages. The weathered carvings focus on parables that feature at least some of Aroden’s guises, meant to illustrate his hopes for humanity, including "The Fisherman". However, the sections of the holy text depicted appear to be slightly different than those that appear in the known version of the History and Future of Humanity. This might suggest that these images could possibly represent an earlier version of the work. Until the disappearance of the god, Aroden, portions of these parables were often imitated in rituals believed to impose divine blessing upon those who engaged in them.
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Seren hands Saito the scrolls of gust of wind and obscuring mist, along with the wand of burning hands . She gives Koeuss the scrolls of mage armor and identify.
She gives a potion of cure light wounds to Elena and another to Stiggur.
Then the potion of barkskin goes to Saito
Anything left, or turned down, she keeps in Janira's pack.
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To have any chance of activating a scroll spell, the scroll user must meet the following requirements.The spell must be of the correct type (arcane or divine). Arcane spellcasters (wizards, sorcerers, and bards) can only use scrolls containing arcane spells, and divine spellcasters (clerics, druids, paladins, and rangers) can only use scrolls containing divine spells. (The type of scroll a character creates is also determined by his class.)
The user must have the spell on her class list.
The user must have the requisite ability score.
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Potions, Scrolls, and Wands All potions, scrolls, wands, and other consumables are made by clerics, druids, or wizards in Pathfinder Society Roleplaying Guild play. The only exceptions to this are spells that are not on the cleric, druid, or sorcerer/wizard spell lists. For example, a scroll of lesser restoration must be purchased as a 2nd-level scroll created by a cleric and can’t be purchased as a 1st-level scroll created by a paladin. If a spell is not on the cleric, druid, or sorcerer/wizard spell list, move down the following hierarchy to determine which class creates the consumable. Use the spell’s text from the book in which it appears, instead of researching classes that might have gained that spell on their list in a later publication.
1) Bard
2) Paladin or Ranger
3) Psychic, Shaman, or Witch
4) Alchemist, Inquisitor, Magus, Mesmerist, Occultist,
Spiritualist, or Summoner
5) Bloodrager or Medium
If there are still multiple options for the spell’s level, use the lowest level (for example, all scrolls of plane shift are 5th-level scrolls made by clerics rather than 7th-level scrolls made by wizards).
All potions, scrolls, and wands are available only at the minimum caster level unless found at a higher caster level on a Chronicle sheet. For the sake of simplicity, there is no difference between an arcane, divine, or psychic scroll or wand; thus, a bard and cleric can both use the same scroll of cure moderate wounds.
If the user meets all the requirements noted above, and her caster level is at least equal to the spell's caster level, she can automatically activate the spell without a check.
There is an increase in radiance and movement of the light coming from the short tunnel ahead. The patterns of reflected light dancing along the walls of the stone chamber suggests the presence of a larger chamber containing a pool of water lying ahead.
The soft light of the surrounding fungus mixes with the flickering glow of the nearby torches to reveal a grand chamber. The large pool of water sits along the chamber’s southern edge and 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.
The cavern’s ceiling stretches 20 feet overhead and is crowded by dozens of stalactites, some measuring 10 feet long from base to tip. Despite the impressive geology, the cave’s focus is the sloping, 15-foot-deep pool and its tiny city.
You readily recognize the diorama as an intricately detailed model of Absalom, easily identifiable by its Starstone Cathedral. This representation of the City at the Center of the World and the Inner Sea also acts as an altar to the dead god Aroden that, you believe may retain enough power to bless a few more pilgrims should they perform a minor ritual, perhaps, one or two akin to the actions depicted among the reliefs in the chamber.
Kneeling in the water of the pool is a lone gillman.
Picture revealed on Slides.
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Koeuss is drawn to the diorama. "That's Absalom. You can tell by the Starstone Cathedral. Wow. The detail is amazing. That's the Grand Lodge over there. And look, that has to be the Pig's Paunch.". Koeuss laughs as one of the cave frogs jumps into the pool.
Then he realizes they're not alone. Koeuss stops speaking and moving to watch the gillman. Almost instinctively, he'll move his hand towards his spear, but not pull it out just yet.
Seren approaches the gillman, "Um, hello. I hope we are not intruding?"
The gillman remains partially submerged in the water, his back to the Pathfinders. He makes no effort to acknowledge the approaching Varisian.
Elena offers help to Seren. "This is very impressive, sir"
The gillman makes no attempt to acknowledge Elena or, even, to turn her direction. His gaze remains affixed toward the center of the pool where the waves left by the leap of a cave frog continue their rippling.
Off to the side of the pool, you spot a folded robe, most likely the gillman's, which is of a similar style and color to the magical cloth the party had recovered from the base of the spiked pit.