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One by one by caravan, magic, or in the company of friends, you descend into the valley, the view from the top casting over a Tent City, hundreds of tiny figures moving back and forth or congregating in a few places here or there like ants crawling around a colony. Dozens of pole-supported canvas structures and the half-built frames of several future buildings encircle a newly constructed longhouse. The encampment looks down even further upon a dense forest of blood-red pine trees - Iobaria’s iconic bruorsivi - dotted with the occasional wisp of smoke here and there. At the forest’s edge, huge cut stones nearly overgrown with vegetation and covered in creeping moss hint at ancient ruins reclaimed by nature.
Even in the chill of the early morning, the camp swarms with activity. More tents are being set up, and the smell of breakfast emanates from a large cook tent. Agents greet each other and swap stories in the mess tent, and rumors fly through the crisp morning air. There are some notable figures amongst what is a Base Camp otherwise teeming with fresh-faced recruits - and at the moment, the contact described in each of your missives, Jorsal of Lauterbury, is not yet anywhere to be seen (and re-checking your missives again, you realize that you are perhaps two hours early). Amongst them:
A sweet-smiled mature female Ekujae elf near the the main mess tent seems to be giving a pep talk of sorts to several recruits who listen eagerly, nodding and smiling in response to whatever was just told to them.
You recognize this person as Janira Gavix.
You see a mature female halfling woman coordinating the erecting of two tents across the way, two teams to her left and right working together to raise poles, hammer spikes, and unfurl long textiles, presumably assembling the very shelters they will be resting their heads in tonight.
You recognize this person as Gorm Greathammer.
You hear the deep baritone laugh of a mature male dwarf bedecked in luxurious robes and furs sharing a moment with two other recruits whose heads seemed unconsciously bowed one or two degrees before his impressive figure.
You recognize this person as Fola Barun.
Finally, yet more recruits are sharing a morning meal - hot broth with bread and boiled eggs - in a circle around a small fire, seeming to enjoy casual conversations, and pointing towards the forest, the moss-covered ruins, towards the the other "leaders" in the camp, as well as back up the direction you came from.
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Mister Gunter takes in the scene and thinks...hmm this is something I dont see everyday.
All the bustle of activity leaves Emory feeling uncertain about what to do next...
Emory Gunter is a Half-elf with a disheveled appearance. He looks like he just walk out of a sever wind and thunderstorm. Although he has not.
He carries his trusty spear for hunting and fishing and defending the Pathfinder Society. His peircing green eyes take in every detail around them.
With a steady reassuring breath he takes his first steps in his least favorite locale....civilization in all its forms...as it always puts him on edge.
"Look, that Ekujae near the mess! She is known as Janira Gavix in pathfinder circles. I know precious little about her."
Mister Gunter would have walked into the valley alone, for he prefers to travel alone cross country. His skills in survival can be matched by few. He notices the other pathfinders assembling in this spot, and offers them a courteous nod.
Mister Gunter approaches A Halfling Woman who is coordinating the erection of two living structures with two teams of workers.
In Common:
"Greetings to you maam!"
"I'm Mister Gunter of Varisia. What brings you to this place, and do you need any assistance with raising these structures?"
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"Greetings Gunter, glad you, (and your companions) got your instructions to join us, these hundreds of Pathfinders have traveled from all across Golarion to this untamed wilderness of Iobaria. It's part of a major Society initiative. So please, grab a rope and help pull the tent into position."
Yes of course!..I will check in with Miss Gavix first, and then I shall return to help out.
Mister Gunter excuses himself from the detail, and approaches Janira Gavix...
Good day! Emory Gunter of Varisia reporting for duty!
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Lande is a stocky dwarf with brown hair. He doesn't braid his beard or observe any of the other traditional dwarven grooming habits as far as you can tell. Other than some clear facial features and proportions that give it away, he might look like a short but wide human. Not, fat, but bulked p with muscle. The only other recognizable mark is the clan dagger at his side. Several hatches line his belt and he wears rugged clothing over which a breastplate protects him.
Lande arrived early in the morning, alone, after savoring every moment of the journey.
Spotting Fola Barun he waves and calls out.
"Ms. Barun, a pleasure to see you again. Looks like you've all got something big planned huh? Ranginori be praised that I'm here to take it all in."
When the tent is being moved, Lande joins right in. He might not be the fastest person on two legs, but he knew the load wouldn't burden him as much.
"All right who's the shantyman here? Gotta get some rhythm going. 'ere let me show ya!"
He tries to improvise something, but every once in a while has to stop and think of some clever rhyming word.
But he continues to try to sing and gets so into it that he really stopped paying much attention to the hauling and thus really isn't helping with anything at all.
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It was a long journey from Bloodcove to the camp for Renvi. Fortunately, most of the voyage could be done via waterways all the way to the Lake of Mists and Veil where she disembarked and made the rest of the journey on foot.
It was early morning when she arrived. Her black hair, heavy with dew, seemed to have had all of the blue and some of the white paint washed out of it. Renvi smelled breakfast cooking and, hungry from her journey, went straight for the cook tent to help herself to food. Upon entering the tent, she was somewhat surprised to see Gorm Greathammer standing there laughing in the general direction of two individuals who appeared to be recruits. While she had never met Gorm, as leader of the Grand Archive, his countenance is fairly well known. Renvi smiles and nods at the dwarf before quickly moving to get a plate of food.
Upon finishing her food, she leaves the tent in time to hear,"... Gotta get some rhythm going. 'ere let me show ya!" and then something that would appear to be an attempt at a song erupted from the stocky dwarf before her. Hoping to save everyone from the noise, Renvi taps Lande on the shoulder, "Here let me try a verse or two," and without waiting for a reply, Renvi begins to sing.
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Renvi with her performance in congratulated and offered a drink of hot broth, by the recruits in the mess tent. As she gets into discussions about the prospects for the mission, she overhear recruits talking about how two of "The Ten" are expected to make a visitation today.
The rest of the group, make yourselves at home, eat breakfast and get ready for the first day under canvas and enjoy the buzz of this ever growing city of tents.
Fola, and Janira share an exchange, walking over to where everyone is eating breakfast. AS they pass amongst you they nod and say "We are glad to have you on this mission as well. Please extend my invitation to your friends here to join the Envoy's Alliance"
An hour or so later you are all summoned to join a briefing with Venture-Captain Jorsal of Lauterbury. The meeting takes place under a large open-air awning that provides a spectacular view of the Icerime Peaks to the west and Finadar Forest to the south and east.
“Welcome to Iobaria!” Venture-Captain Jorsal smiles and spreads his arms wide, gesturing to the expansive view before him. The sun glints off the snow-capped mountains to the west, though it does little to warm the air around you. Below the camp, the occasional clearing or stone structure dots the endless foliage of Finadar Forest, a huge expanse of blood-red bruorsivi pines.
“Used to the chill yet? Iobaria takes some getting used to. Between the dry air and the winds off the peaks, you’d best wear your warmer clothes.” He waves you over to his worktables, where a series of maps and documents sit weighted down with books, a wayfinder, and several large rocks.
“We live in exciting times. As you may know, the Society has recently been exploring the wilds of Iobaria. There are so many mysteries here! The ancient cyclops empire of Koloran has left ruins that have weathered the ages."
"The early Iobarian kings maintained their power through dragon-riding knights, and dragons still lurk in the forests and hills all around. Plagues, wars, ancient magic.... Iobaria has seen it all.”
“As you may know, we’ve had some dealings in Iobaria recently, but the time has come to mount a major exploration. To do that, we need a good base of operations in the area, something more permanent than a couple of rooms in an inn in Mishkar.”
The venture-captain slides a large map across the table, rearranging the rocks and books to prevent it from flying away in the breeze “Down there, deep in Finadar Forest, is the city of Min-Khadaim, an ancient complex of ruins that dates from the cyclops empire of Koloran, abandoned since the Age of Darkness thousands of years ago. Not only is it an amazing archaeological find, but it also is superbly located to serve as a base for further operations in Iobaria. Cyclopean architecture is built to last, so we’ll undoubtedly find something here to serve our needs. Once we explore and clear the ruins, we can then establish the Society’s first Pathfinder Lodge in Iobaria!”
Jorsal turns to you again and grows serious. “This is an important operation for the Society’s future, and we have the support of the Decemvirate themselves! In fact....” Jorsal suddenly seems to focus on something behind you and he trails off.
Two figures walk into the tent, both wearing helms that completely cover their faces. One is short and stocky, wearing a sapphire-studded helmet that covers their upper face. The other is a taller figure whose face is completely hidden by a flowing sheet of water that disappears into mist just past their neck.
It takes little to realise that the helms mark these individuals as members of the Decemvirate, the mysterious leadership of the Pathfinder Society.
“Yes, Jorsal, the Decemvirate understands the importance of this season of exploration in the wilds of Iobaria,” states the shorter of the two in a scratchy voice that sounds older than the speaker looks. “You may call me Sapphire, and you may call them Shrike.” The speaker strides quickly to the table and indicates the large map, which shows a large area of forest subdivided into regular squares.
“Based on a preliminary survey, the ruins of Min-Khadaim have been divided into sections. Each team will explore and clear their assigned section—Jorsal will provide the details.”
They turn to you. “You may be relatively new recruits, but we, the Decemvirate, need you to understand the importance of this operation. There are mysteries here in Iobaria that go far beyond plagues and dragons. The cyclopes of Koloran fled here when their homeland of Ghol-Gan fell under the sway of evil forces. Those brave and determined souls that made the trip were determined to escape the mistakes of their kindred, yet their descendants still fell into decadent decay as well, long before Earthfall ended their empire. The question of what laid them low at the height of their power is one of Golarion’s greatest unsolved mysteries.”
The taller of the two suddenly points at Lande:
[l]“You, what do you know about modern cyclops culture?”[/l] Shrike's tone is condescending, bordering on cruel, or stern in the very least, as they single out the poor ranger without even asking his name.
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Emory whispers to his three companions as he remembers lessons from his initiation,
Shrike watches the poor dwarf answer in a monotone and retorts "Yes. Mo-Dern cyclops culture. So I am supposed to be impressed that you might just recognize a cyclops." turning to Sapphire "There do you see what we are relying on?"
Sapphire says to Lande reassuringly "You did your best." then steps to Shrike - who is looking around and pointing a finger again - but fails to prevent: Revni being the subject of Shrike's attention. "You the girl with the shortsword! If trouble arises, how will you protect and preserve the priceless artifacts or records you find?”"
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Mister Gunter laughs at the question posed by Shrike...
"what a foolish question to ask...It is far too vague to answer...You ask us how we would protect something, and you don't even define "what" that something is..., then you say that trouble arises, but you don't tell us "What trouble?"...Only an idiot would attempt to answer such nonsense...
Dont you think that the how depends on the what? Or is that concept too complex for your immense egos to comprehend?"
"Mr Shrike..I request that you only pose questions with "actual substance" rather than wasting our time with fluff."
Mr. Gunter lets out a belly laugh at such nonsense parlor games.
By the way, the girl with the shortsword has a name...try using it..
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Shrike is almost apoplectic with Emory's answers, "So we seemed to have failed to find candidates that can think for themselves, that are unab;le to imagine that here in the midst of Findar Forest where ancient cyclopean civilisations once lived, here in Min-Khadaim an archaeological site it will not have irreplaceable sources of culture and information, that would have findings that are easily damaged and fragile records. For example you do know that the painted murals that the cyclopes used to record their history will be more than ten thousand years old, yes? Or perhaps you were asleep in all those hours of training back at Absalom!"
"You who answered back, What was your grade in Master Shaine’s ‘Basic Archaeological Principles’ class? Did you even take ‘Basic Archaeological Principles."
Just as he finishes his tirade at Emory, Sapphire the smaller of the two members of the Decemvirate intervenes, laying a hand on Shrike’s arm. “Be at ease; they know what they must do. Trust in their skills.” Shrike pauses to give Emory and his companions one last look. “Don’t mess up,” they state bluntly before striding off to the next tent.
Jorsal, embarrassed by the turn of events, asks in a slightly shaky voice, "Any questions, before I finish my briefing and assign your role in the exploration mission ahead. You need to show your professionalism, the result of your training and prove your worth to the Pathfinder Society." With each word his confidence returns as does his authoritative and stern voice.
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Mister Gunter, still annoyed at the disrespectful treatment from the leadership of the Pathfinder Society, keeps his lips sealed since no good will come from voicing further protests to this inquisition.
He composes himself for the trials ahead, with the will of a winter storm waiting to unleash he asks:
Has any scouting or information gathering of our assigned area been done?
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Jorsal speaks slowly and thoughtfully, as he tries to answer the questions posed. He shakes his head as he thinks, he speaks to Emory, "No, that is your mission, if we knew what to expect tin there, we wouldn't need to send you. However, from our knowledge, we consider there to be three sources of trouble. First the cyclops could have surviving defences in their city: traps, constructs, magical defences. But more likely we'll find other creatures that have moved into the ruins in more modern times. And then there are the standard hazards of exploring ruins: loose rocks, tunnels with bad air, green slime .... you know, the usual. The preliminary survey, the ruins of Min-Khadaim gave us just enough detail to create sections of interest for exploration."
Hearing Iustanus' question, Jorsal sighs, "This is a huge operation, as you can see, almost all our agents are here. You are not the only ones that could accomplish this mission, there are others here that could be invited to do it, if you refuse. It would push our timetable back a little, if you feel you don't have the experience to complete it. You would have to return to Absalom and redo some of your basic training in the Lodge at Absalom as a consequence. We, however, expect you to have the training and experience necessary to explore and clear your section." By the end of the answer, his voice is staccato and pointed, his brow furrowed.
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The sorcerer makes a vaild point. It is unprofessional to address a group of highly qualified pathfinders in that fashion. We have earned a modicum of respect.
In the interests of completing our mission. Let us put the hostilities aside with the understanding the we will respect one another in future.
Let us finish up any questions posed by myself and others and be on our way to points unknown.
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Renvi, lost in her thoughts, suddenly snaps out of it when Shrike says:
"You the girl with the shortsword! If trouble arises, how will you protect and preserve the priceless artifacts or records you find?”"
"Well, that would depend on the situation," Renvi states with confidence. "Sometimes, she continues, "I smile works better than a sword or an angry rant. Wouldn't you say Master Shrike?"
She pauses for a moment and then states, "Oh, and the name is Renvi Storm of Bloodcove, not "girl," she states pointedly looking about the room of Pathfinders, "After all, which girl in this room would you be referring to little one; there are, in fact, from what I see, there are several women in this room, little one, more than one carries a shortsword."
"As to our training," she continues, "you must (or at least should know), all Pathfinders have different specialties and each is needed for a specific task, dear. One who specializes in archeology, for example, would likely get lost in unfamiliar territory without the skills of a skilled scout like Master Dwarf, here," patting Lande on the shoulder, "So, it might be wise to have some respect for those of other trades."
"And, yes, I'm well aware that I'm speaking to one of The Ten," Renvi says with steel and more than a little condescension in her voice, "However, one's leaders should set the example for the rest of the group, not the other way around. To put it plainly, if someone within leadership acts like a horse's ass, one is likely to end up with members who act the same because that is the example being set of what is appropriate."
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Outside you hear the army of Pathfinders making preparations, you hear many cheers from other tents around as Jorsal continues the briefing in this tent, ignoring the rumblings of discontent. There is much riding on this expedition, this one section may result in casualties if it's not done correctly, but that is the price of a big operation. Other Pathfinders rely on each unit to complete their mission successfully, Jorsal thinks as he speaks "As you quite rightly asked, this is your specific mission."
Jorsal picks up a sheet from a pile of similar documents and hands it over, along with a rough map. “Now, as relatively junior members of the Society, your job will be scouting and mapping the initial sites we’ve selected. Take this to the quartermaster and he’ll provide you some basic equipment for exploration. Explore everything in your assigned area and make an accurate map. Explore all the buildings on the surface, inside and out. Find any entrances to underground levels and explore them as far as is practical. Keep an eye out for any threats and neutralize them. Clear your area so it’s safe for the follow-up scholars to go in and begin the detail work. Understood?”
Jorsal waits for any more questions, before sending the group to the quartermaster's store to get their supplies from Quartermaster Aram bin-Kaleel. The venture captain reminds them that they are quite at liberty to buy their own goods from the quartermaster if they need anything extra. The quartermaster does know more about the supplies he has and their uses.
Passing through the camp, the group may ask other Pathfinders, including the ones they met before the briefing to give them a historical perspective on this mission.
The cyclops empire of Koloran covered this area of Iobaria until about 10,000 years ago. The ancient cyclopes’ civilization was incredibly advanced civilization, but their modern descendants are known for violent behavior and a voracious appetite for flesh.
The Koloran Empire fell into decline when their leaders turned away from the traditional ways to embrace dark and mysterious powers from beyond Golarion.
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Mister Gunter makes his way through the camp on his way to the Quartermaster.
He stops a few random faces and asks:
so, what is your experience with Min-Khadaim?..Tell me everything!
He grins delightfully realizing the ridiculousness of his request...
Having accomplished nothing constructive, he proceeds to the Quartermaster, and purchases 1 weeks Rations and a compass for 1.7 gold.
He then tries to make friends with the horse by petting it and grooming it and making if feel at ease...He names the horse "Elmer".
Mister Gunter is now ready to depart the city of tents as such places make him feel ill.
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Quartermaster Aram bin-Kaleel smiles mischievously at Emory, "You know I have much here that you would find useful, and all for a good price." He stretches his hand towards you, rubbing his fingers together, indicating he wants to see your gold. "For purchase!" he adds "Anything you need. Sounds dangerous!" you are unsure here whether he is exaggerating to make a sale, or being appropriately serious - or both! "See this 10ft pole, can be used for lots of exciting things, keeping animals at bay, jumping over pits! Or these antidotes against the poisonous snake or spider that lurks in the darkness!" his voice is low and dark, until he laughs as he sees a serious look of concern come over Emory's face, before he hands over a compass and rations, still laughing says, "and that is everything I know ...."
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Emory leads Elmer Pack-Horse by the bridle, and the team embarks into the forest!
After about a quarter-hour walk - the mild cold wind biting those whose clothing is insufficient to weather it! - a large stone wall looms out of the trees ahead. Made of titanic stone blocks cut and fitted with precision, it feels ancient in a way that surpasses mere age. Creeping vines and moss cover most of the surfaces, but here and there bare stone reveals carved symbols along the wall’s surface. A massive entrance archway a hundred feet wide is the only break visible in the wall as it stretches between stands of the fiery bruorsivi pines. Above the archway, looking down on all who would enter, is a carving of a single gigantic eye...
...as the party approaches, Lande darts around through the trees, scouting for dangers that lurk, the other three approach steadily looking to discover all they can about their section of Min-Khadaim, Emory unrolls the Survey Maps, and discovers a note tucked inside, sharing it with the party:
Pathfinders,
These maps are incomplete. As part of your Archaeological Study, please take time to correct any inconsistencies you discover. When we reconvene, we will pool our collected notes together, and make needed revisions.
Explore, Report, Cooperate,
VC Jorsal of Lauterbury
West to East: A 60-foot District Wall with a steep 75 degree incline stretches far and disappears into the westward trees; Straight ahead, enormous stacked blocks form a District Entrance archway into an area further obscured by overgrowth; Eastward, a 80-foot tall Watch Tower juts up from the extended wall, seemingly standing tall and defiantly against the erosion of time...
You notice from here that the Watch Tower that juts up from the wall is missing significant chunks of stone which would make accessing it a matter of first climbing the wall then crossing along very thin and/or slippery stone platforms, but you think spending time here studying it would yield Important Archaeological Insights!
[/ooc]You are encouraged to share your discovery with your team![/ooc]
You spot above the District Entrance what looks to be eroded carvings currently obscured by the vines and moss, as well as some bruorsivi pines whose branches extend to touch down near those areas, and you think spending time here studying it would yield Important Archaeological Insights!
It strikes you that the District Wall spanning westward seems to be of a special construction material and/or technique, and you think spending time here studying it would yield Important Archaeological Insights!
Emory Gunter : Investigate : Held->? :DE/DW/TW
Iustanus : Detect Magic : Held->? :DE/DW/TW
Lande Striden : Scout : Held->? :DE/DW/TW
Renvi Storm : Search Held->? :DE/DW/TW
Exploration Points: 0
You are in exploration mode for the Archaeological Study (mapping and exploring) of the city, there will be a series of skill checks at each location for which you get Exploration Points. For each exploration location, each character may make a skill check or aid another with a DC=15. You are encouraged to think of creative solutions and explanations when using the nominated skill or a different skill check to than that given for a location. You may want to use a different skill, if you think that it will be better than using the nominated skill, the DC may be different than the nominated skill (easier or harder). Each location takes 2 hours to map and document.
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Mister Gunter falls prey to the mischievous Quartermaster despite his motivations, and purchases a 10' pole, which he convinces Elmer to carry.
Furthermore, he invites his fellow explorers to make use of Elmer to carry supplies for the expedition.
Once arriving on site, Mister Gunter will mount Elmer...with his permission of course. Mister Gunter continues to try to make the horse feel wanted and at ease. He also offers it a little food.
In one hand Mister Gunter carries his spear, and the Elmer's reins in the other.
Next, he conjures up a glob of acid upon releasing the bridle (Perhaps multiple times) to clear away tree branches and vines obscuring view of the various surfaces of the District Entrance. He will aim the spell below the stone surfaces of the entrance and try to make the branches and vines fall away.
Look up there! There are stone carvings above upon the entrance to this ruin. Let us study their significance. I'll try to clear away the vines and tree limbs, so we may see them clearly.
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Emory is able to clear away some of the vines at the bottom of the Entrance Gate, with his very, very careful use of acid. Uncovering a few constellation patterns, that you are able to document by rubbing charcoal over paper, but much remains above, especially the designs between 50 and 70ft from the ground. Removing vines further up, may be possible using acid, but ......
The objective is to study the details of the stonework at the top of the Entrance Gate between 60 and 80 ft up. So the check is for climbing up to the top of the Entrance Gate to study the stonework up there. So you need to see details from much closer to the top to complete the survey. Think the Arc de Triomphe, kind of gate.
Firing globs of acid from the ground up 60-80ft will almost certainly damage the stonework.
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Emory replies, I'll take Elmer over there and try to decipher it. Meanwhile, does anyone have any climbing skills? Since we have a rope it may not be a difficult climb. Try to reduce your weight before making the climb.
Someone must scale the main gate and use this charcoal and paper to document the carvings at the 60-80 foot range. Is anyone a climber? I am not.
After leaving some charcoal and paper for the stone carvings.
Mister Gunter then rides Elmer over to the western wall to determine its significance.
Mister Gunter casts Read Aura on the wall, and documents the results.
He tries to determine if there are any significant materials used from nature.
Nature(Recall Knowledge, Secret Check) +7
He also attempts a Mercenary Lore check because as a mercenary he has witnessed the process of breaching places such as this, and may have insights as to how these types of perimeter walls are normally breached which could include construction knowledge to some extent.
Mercenary Lore(Recall Knowledge, Secret Check) +4
Mister Gunter also has special knowledge of the plane of earth which may impart special knowledge of ores and metals of unusual significance.
Plane Of Earth Lore(Recall Knowledge, Secret Check) +4
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"All right, I'm going for the watch tower."
Taking the charcoal and paper, Lande prepares a Climbing Kit, and tries to ascend.
Lande easily makes the ascent.
Then he tried to cross the slippery rocks.
Lande puts a foot on a rock and immediately finds that it has slipped over the edge. He leans forward into one of those awkward jogs when trying not to fall. Somehow he starts making it across.
If he makes it across, he'll first take a look to see what he knows.
Without much of a clue, he starts trying to capture the details with the charcoal.
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Over half the day passes as the Pathfinders use their ingenuity and strength to investigate and study the three areas.
First Lande marches steadfastly marches over to the Watch Tower. Seeing a hole in the wall only 25ft from the base of the Tower, Lande followed by his companions head off to explore and document the grey stone tower. A hole at the bottom of the tower allows entry into the massive round fortification. On the inside a staircase in disrepair going up into the sky, Whilst in the centre a huge pile of stone bricks, broken and fallen from further up the tower. Lande starts the climb, finding it quite pleasing to have such a stroll with Revni, Iustanus and Emory. All is easy, until there are missing portions of stairway and patforms without direct access. Linde is able to jump from platform to platform until he eventually reaches the top and is able to see the surrounding area. He looks down on the red bruorsivi pines, see various interesting shapes. Taking his time, he maps the area, drawing the areas of interest. An oval building hidden in the pines, the walkway from the gate through the encroaching forest to another large ruined building, built with stepped layers like a pyramid. Another building with oval roofs near a number of small squat buildings.
Next Lande looks up at the entrance gate and the trees, ledges built into the design of the ancient constellations, their patterns in the stones of the Entrance Gate. Emory points to a pattern of stars and thinks it is the Wolf, somehow the pattern is different from the stars of today. Lande carefully picks a way up the building, climbing up to the top, as he goes he is able to make rubbings of the various mosaics and patterns of the two moons. The party are able to follow Lande's path and able to document the finer details of the gate without destroying any of the stones.
With the sun reaching it's zenith, Emory leads the party to the District walls. The district wall stands 60 feet tall and is 60 feet wide at the base, narrowing to a width of 30 feet at the top. The walls are made of the same massive blocks as the entrance arch. Though battered and shaken by earthquakes over the centuries, the wall is still largely intact, except for one area that has collapsed. In that area, Emory is shocked to deduce that the stones had been melted.
With the afternoon now getting on, there is time for only one or two more areas that can be explored before the light fades to darkness and exploration and surveying would be very difficult, if not impossible.
Straight north is a once a broad paved roadway leading from the archway to the great building in the distance. The edges of the plaza are defined by decorative stone pillars and fragments of statuary. The road surface itself is covered with grass and a thick layer of soil, requiring some digging to expose the original paving stones.
To the north-east through the pines, you know there is an oval shaped building, on the way to the squat buildings.
Emory Gunter : Investigate : Held->? :DE/DW (Crit Success) /TW
Iustanus : Detect Magic : Held->? :DE/DW/TW
Lande Striden : Scout : Held->? :DE (Success)/DW/TW (Success)
Renvi Storm : Search Held->? :DE/DW/TW
Exploration Points: 3
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The Pathfinders battle through the thick undergrowth, cutting back through brambles and fallen boughs of the Broursivi pines. Until eventually you chop a path to the oval-shaped building. A thick layer of fallen pine needles and other organic matter has coated the stonework. This was once an open-air theatre with stone bench seating in the round.
An amphitheatre to rival any gladiatorial theatre, though the arena area is large enough to be used for team sports too, though what sports that might be is something that would require further study and research. But enough of that you don't have time to speculate the sports of the cyclops civilisation that once inhabited Min-Khadaim.
You recognize that a layer of ash on the stone, is evidence of a massive fire on the arena floor. As you research this more and look at the ash more closely, you deduce that there’s no way that ash would have remained here for thousands of years; whoever or whatever caused the fire must have done so fairly recently.
Emory Gunter : Investigate : Held->? :DE/DW (Crit Success) /TW/AR
Iustanus : Detect Magic : Held->? :DE/DW/TW/AR
Lande Striden : Scout : Held->? :DE (Success)/DW/TW (Success)/AR
Renvi Storm : Search Held->? :DE/DW/TW/AR
Exploration Points: 3