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"Sausage sandwiches?" Koeuss confirms out loud. "It's not mind reading though."
"Where? The Pig's Paunch?"
Kouess then turns to the other Pathfinders. "I'm not entirely sure I want to interrupt the gillman though. If it's religious or spiritual whatever he's doing or something else important, he may not like it.". The lashunta looks back at the gillman. "But we did come here to find out what they are doing here...." he trails off in thought.
There were no remains or bones in the spiked pit where the bundle containing the cloak was found.
Elena moves around the edge of the pool to see if there's anything else on the back they might be missing.
"Excuse me, sir, are you okay?" Saito moves forward and puts a hand on the gillman's shoulder
The gillman seems somewhat surprised to feel the elf's hand on his shoulder and instinctively pushed the hand away.
Whirling around quickly, the gillman looks even more alarmed upon spying the rest of the party. He pushes the elf's hand away and rises to his feet. He then stares intently at Saito's face as if awaiting an explanation.
Oloch tries to show that he’s not going to attack by raising his hands.
"We're scholars, curious about why you and your fellow gillmen have been traveling here into the cave. Did you build this?" she points to the Absalom-in-miniature.
"Build?" the gillman repeats, eying the woman's face. "This?" He looks around the cavern, then settles his eyes on the model of Absalom.
"No." The gillman shakes his head. "I have heard the carving depicts the one-time home of the failed god of the land-dwelling humans. Take a good look at it now, for each year, more and more of it gradually fades away, like the waves of the sea grind stone to sand."
"Indeed," he continues, "all of the carvings that appear to have been dedicated to the dead god have been wearing away over the past century. The carvings appear to be growing more weathered and to be melting away. Soon, I suspect, the dead one's influence will have faded from this place completely."
"Yes, we were just looking. We apologize if we interrupted anything"
"Apologize?" the man repeats, looking at Elena and then catching a glimpse of Oloch's raised hands and Seren's smile. "No, there is no need. You have not caused offense. But, do take care not to disturb the works of my ancestors."
"Oh, we also found that cloak back at the pit... I would assume it's yours or of one of your own."
Elena points at where Seren left it folded.
Uori follows Elena's finger.
You can tell that the gillman is eyeing the cloak with great interest.
"I recognize the cloth." the gillman says, his tone growing more somber, as he reaches for the cloak. "It belonged to Nuolo."
Clearly appreciative, the gillman notes, "I am Uori. I have come to listen to the holy waters at this place, which is sacred to my people. The pure waters of the sacred spring that feeds this pool offers signs to my people. We have been coming to these caves for generations. Our spiritual leaders often find enlightenment here, noting our visions and revelations in the stone." Uori points in the direction of a series of petroglphys nearby, those some distance from the eroded reliefs associated with the guises of Aroden.
"When our time here is done, we draw the water our bodies need from this pool before returning through the dry wilderness to the sea." Uori notes.
The gillman pauses for a moment, considering the lot of you. After a few pensive moments, Uori says, "You appear to be neither vandals nor zealots. Why is it that you have come to this place?"
"We are explorers. Pathfinders. We come to record and discover the history and secrets of this place."
"Then, if that is all, please do not allow me to hinder your efforts." Uori replies.
[dice=Sense Motive]Koeuss notices Uori eye the cloak with interest. "Who is Nuolo? What happened to them? Are they still around?"
"Nuolo is one of my tribesman, who has visited this place in months prior" Uori responds. He smiles and adds, "He was well when last I saw him, though a bit chilly at times without his cloak."
Koeuss and Elena sense that the gillman is simply looking on with wry amusement at the land dwellers’ inquiries and antics.
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Clearly appreciative, the gillman notes, "I am Uori. I have come to listen to the holy waters at this place, which is sacred to my people. The pure waters of the sacred spring that feeds this pool offers signs to my people. We have been coming to these caves for generations. Our spiritual leaders often find enlightenment here, noting our visions and revelations in the stone."
"So these pure waters... are like some sort of opium that causes hallucinations for your kind?" asks Stiggur, scratching his head in thought. "I've seen harrow-tellers do the same."
"So these pure waters... are like some sort of opium that causes hallucinations for your kind?" asks Stiggur, scratching his head in thought. "I've seen harrow-tellers do the same."
"Not hallucinations," Uori corrects, shaking his head. "But hydration and, with it, enlightenment. I suppose that I should not expect you surface dwellers to understand."
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Koeuss laughs at the gillman and his companions asking their questions. "Come on now, we should leave Uori in peace. He probably came here for solitude, not to be ransacked with questions. Am I right?" He asks rhetorically. "Well, we should move further on. Don't mind us. We may be loud but we wont disturb you any further Uori."
Kouess turns to explore the cavern system further. "Wait, before we go, are there other dangers in this cave? Something about being underground gives me the heebie jeebies."
"Have you had any visions or revelations here?"
"I have, on my pilgrimage." Uori concedes. "But, they are personal and not to be shared among surface wanderers."
"Wait... you said there's still influence of Aroden in here? Like... power? Or you mean like the carvings themselves? Is that part of the enlightenment you mention?"
"Power? Yes, so it would seem." Uori says in response to Elena. "But, the dead god of humanity offers no enlightenment to my people and I suspect, soon, his influence in this world will fade completely."
Koeuss laughs at the gillman and his companions asking their questions. "Come on now, we should leave Uori in peace. He probably came here for solitude, not to be ransacked with questions. Am I right?" He asks rhetorically. "Well, we should move further on. Don't mind us. We may be loud but we wont disturb you any further Uori."
Kouess turns to explore the cavern system further. "Wait, before we go, are there other dangers in this cave? Something about being underground gives me the heebie jeebies."
"Solitude is indeed, my preference," the gillman responds. "But, I do not take offense at your company. However, other creatures have invaded theses caves and are not so polite as you." The man points down a pair of passages that, respectively, head off towards the east and towards the west.
Koeuss and Seren each readily recognize the diorama as an intricately detailed model of Absalom, easily identifiable by its Starstone Cathedral. Each concludes that 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 may retain enough power to bless a few more pilgrims should one perform a minor ritual, perhaps, one or two akin to the actions depicted among the reliefs in the chamber.
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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Koeuss stands back. Not from Golarion, Kouess knew nothing of the legend of Aroden. He only learned about the history recently. "Intriguing. It truly is. He takes mental notes of the cave drawings and his companion's reaction to them.
"Other creatures? Not other gillmen then? Are they a nuisance? Will they attack?"
"So we do a ritual and we get a blessing? What do we need to do? I don't think anyone brought fish in their rations as an offering."
"If you desire a fish, there are some in the pool." notes Uori.
”It might just need a simple pantomime of hauling in a big catch.”
Seren bows before the altar, Queen of the North Star, help me to understand this fallen faith. and calls out, ”By Aroden’s will.” Then the cleric mimes the act of laying out a net and hauling in fish.
The cleric concludes that more than a simple pantomime is required, but that she is likely on the right track.
Koeuss stands back. Not from Golarion, Kouess knew nothing of the legend of Aroden. He only learned about the history recently. "Intriguing. It truly is. He takes mental notes of the cave drawings and his companion's reaction to them.
"Other creatures? Not other gillmen then? Are they a nuisance? Will they attack?"
"My meditations here have been disturbed by strange, unpleasant moans that have occasionally echoed through the caves." Uori explains. "And I have personally seen short, long-tailed reptilian humanoids with scaled skin ands snouts filled with tiny teeth skittering by."
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If allowed to get closer to the water, Elena will attempt to catch one of the fishes. She will remove her boots so they don't touch the water and ask permission to enter the pool to the gillman. She will attempt to catch the fishes three times... if she can't she will step back for someone else to try it as well.
Elena grabs one of the blind fish in the pool. Stiggur snags another.
Uorir simply looks on with wry amusement at the land dwellers’ antics.
With fish in hand, the two Pathfinders stand before the altar to the dead god bearing a representation of the City at the Center of the World. As the altar stands in the place of Absalom, the Pathfinders' wet feet stand submerged in a representation of the Inner Sea.
Having grabbed a few of the fish and placing the catch within the miniature city completes the Fisherman's ritual, releasing a small wave of divine energy that washes over the members of the party.
Oloch nods.
"Let me lead." he says and walks east with his greatsword in hand.
Heading down the eastern tunnel, you notice that the cave’s damp air is becoming increasingly stale. The further you approach, the presence of a thick stench of decay grows increasingly evident.
The passage turns to the east.
Oloch moves forward at the front!