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You set up camp and make yourselves at how in the arena, with a careful watch the rations make an unexciting and unappetizing meal, Perhaps you could have gone back to camp.. None the less, you are left in the middle of the arena, listening to the last croak of the toads, the rustling of the branches as a night as black as the ace of spades descends upon the Pathfinders. Nothing moves, nothing is heard, the night is silent, perfect for the silent predators of night. In the distance a wolf howls, as the clouds part to display a myriad of stars dancing in the heavens.
You sleep amid dreams of great cyclops battles, of blood spilt in the arena, you feel heroic, until the cyclops champion enters. You feel your adrenalin rise as the fear takes hold, as you watch the brute raise his double headed axe caked in the gore and dried blood of those he has left on the arena floor. His intense red eyes stare straight into your soul, soon you will meet Pharesma's judgement. Soon you know your blood will seep into the ground of this arena, soon .... you are awoken to take your turn on the watch rota, perspiration cold against your brow. Your watch passes without incident.
You start early the next day, with more rations to fill your stomachs. You wonder where to next?
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My friends, let us finish what we started, and continue NE.
Emory feeds Elmer whatever suitable substances he can locate either in the area or within his rations. He continues to pet the horse, and keep him well groomed. He tries to reassure the creature as best he can.
Emory makes his way NE while leading the horse by the bridle.
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Cutting your way out of the amphitheatre, you move to the north east. Amongst the undergrowth and in more of a clearing your come across several stone buildings. As you map out and survey these rows of low stone buildings, you surmise that they were once used to hold grain, but as the cyclopes abandoned their former way of life, they were turned to other purposes.
You find the odd bone, skull even, but not from just one kind of creature, but several. Elves, Humans, Gnomes and other creatures bones are scattered throughout the buildings, it reminds you that before Earthfall the buildings appear to have been used to hold those captured or enslaved from the surrounding lands. In the late bloody history of the cyclopes such creatures were often used for either sacrifices or food or maybe sport in the great arena.
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Refering back to the maps Lande made when atop the Watch Tower, he suddenly realises that these storehouses break the regular pattern of alignment of the rest of the buildings in the complex, suggesting that they were built later. Could these really have been built when the cyclopes culture was at its peak, or after when it had fallen to worshipping the dark gods, the gods requiring sacrifice and the horror of death as sport.
After you have taken the details of this place, you move to the final building in the north east region of your district.
The squat round building with a domed roof is surrounded by the green ivy and other vegetation growing up the walls. On the roof is a large stone sphere half-set into the floor and perforated with thousands of tiny holes. The lower part of the sphere is supported by thousands of stone bearings. An entrance hatch in the southern end of the structure allows access to the inside of the sphere.
Emory Gunter : Investigate : Held->? :DE/DW (Crit Success) /TW/AR(Success)/ST
Iustanus : Detect Magic : Held->? :DE/DW/TW/AR/ST
Lande Striden : Scout : Held->? :DE (Success)/DW/TW (Success)/AR/ST(Success)
Renvi Storm : Search Held->? :DE/DW/TW/AR/ST
Exploration Points: 5
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You enter through the hatch at the south end into darkness, but it is not totally dark as you and see light entering through the holes in the dome. With careful calculations and recourse to your training back in Absalom, you deduce that these holes are precisely located to recreate the constellations of Golarion’s night sky as seen 10,000 years ago. The sphere is perfectly balanced, so that cyclopes can walk in the sphere and rotate it under their weight, almost like a water wheel. A series of pictographs along the circumference of they sphere allowed the cyclopes astronomers to recreate the constellations for any time of the year.
You knowledge of the heavens allows you to uncover the fact that there are some stars shown on the dome that do not exist in the modern sky. Either these stars are no longer visible, or no longer exist.
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Emory Gunter : Investigate : Held->? :DE/DW (Crit Success) /TW/AR(Success)/ST/PL
Iustanus : Detect Magic : Held->? :DE/DW/TW/AR/ST/PL
Lande Striden : Scout : Held->? :DE (Success)/DW/TW (Success)/AR/ST(Success)/PL(Success)
Renvi Storm : Search Held->? :DE/DW/TW/AR/ST/PL
Exploration Points: 6
The party take their time, taking note of the positions of the heavenly bodies, the stars and any other astronomical entity. Lande directs the team as they make the most of the opportunity to understand the heavens.
Blinking the team come out from the dark of the Planetarium to the bright light of the day. Making their way back to the entrance the group can make out what would have been a magnificent broad paved roadway leading from the
archway to the great temple 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.
Having mapped the patterns of the paving stones, measuring their size and design you start to look at the statues. Most of the statues are so eroded
as to be featureless, but with a lot of work you are able to create a sort of image of the statues.
[spoiler=Occultism or Society DC=18]
You recognize that the being represented by the statues are not humanoid in basic design.
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The group clear the path of paving stones clear of rubble, moss and vegetation that is trying to grow over the pathway. The statues themselves, weather worn and featureless are once again are able to be bleached by the sun, as the group clean and remove the ivy, lichen and other plants that have made them their home.
You look towards the ziggurat, but your view is obscured as the pathway has been reclaimed by the pine forest. You think about clearing the way and studying this part of the path as you did the previous 100 feet, but it is just impossible. So with just the ziggurat to explore and study, you start to follow the path through the red pine forest.on until
You continue on until, the bruorsivi pine forest opens into a clearing 30 yards across. Although the cyclopean plaza’s stone tiles are covered by several inches of soil, no vegetation grows here. A pile of large bones sits near the center of the clearing, topped by an immense skull. With its enormous jaws and swept-back horns, the skull is unmistakably that of a dragon. The empty eye sockets stare directly at the only entrance to the clearing.
Emory Gunter(Perception):
Iustanus(Perception):
Lande Striden: (Perception):
Renvi Storm: (Perception/Stealth):
Gs -
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The clearing is approximately 120ft wide and 60ft from north to south. as you enter by the only entrance in the south west corner, 15ft from the very corner where the trees give way to the almost empty space. To the north-east of your entry, (60ft east, 30ft north) is a large pile of bones, under which the large skull is staring at you. The skull is that of a dragon. The clearing itself has no other signs of life, just the earth. no grass seems to grow, just the occasional bones, maybe left by wandering animals, enjoying their kill.
Emory Gunter: Investigate (Nature+7)
Iustanus: Detect Magic
Lande Striden: Scout (Due to Lande's Scout Dedication, he gives the party a +2 circumstance bonus to initiative when scouting.)
Renvi Storm: Search
Emory Gunter(Perception):
Iustanus(Perception):
Lande Striden: (Perception):
Renvi Storm: (Perception/Stealth):
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Iustanus looks at the skull, in the back of his mind there he recalls something about a dragon named Isythysus, in the legends of the ancient times of the cyclopes, when doing research at the Lodge as part of his training.
As both Lande and Iustanus start to approach the skull, Revni shouts a warning, "The eyes...., the skull is awakening, stop where you are." as only Revni sees a metallic glow deep in the skulls eye sockets. The warning is enough for Lande and Iustanus to pause about 20ft away from the skull and 30-40ft away from the starting positions of the rest of the party. Revni moves towards Lande, who is 20ft due east of the jaw of the skull. Revni stays behind the dwarf by another 15ft, so that Lande is east,north-east of the swashbuckler. Emory follows the group 10ft due east of Iustanus, and both 10ft south of Lande.
Revni watches as the skull rises and seems to be taking the shape of a large dragon, but as the group stops its approach the spectral shape retreats back into the skull. Revni looks at her companions during this time to see their reactions, but to Revni they just look like shadowy alien figures, regaining their true forms as the dragons shape retreated.
The other members of the party see nothing other than the skull and a pile of bones, and Revni's warning.
Arcana or Dragon Lore:
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As Emory moves forward and gets ready to poke the Dragon's skull, something starts to unfold, but this time you all see it. The pile of bones transforms into a Large silver dragon, while Emory, Lande, Iustanus and Renvi appear to transform into dark, shadowy figures of alien physique. The dragon’s flesh appears to slowly dissolve into lines of black smoke, which trail away towards each one of you and appears to be absorbed into your bodies. The black essence, as it enters seems to say This is where I, Isythysus, lie a victim of the evil plagues that swept these lands, I who delved deep into the corrupting rot of the of the caverns below. I saw the sunshine one last time ... Once the streams of dark matter strip the flesh from the dragon, its skeleton explodes in a shower of bone fragments, that fly at Lande and Emory.
As the shards reach the edge of their velocity, (20ft) you see them start to slowly regroup around the dragon's skull. You notice that the violent explosion of negative energy seems to have agitated the bones that lay around the clearing floor. They too start to shake and arrange themselves, though you are unable at present to determine the areas of greatest disturbance.
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You fling yourself away from the bone shards, rolling away from any damage, you land on your feet.
You take 11 HPs damage as the shards of bone draw blood and bury themselves deep in your flesh
You take 23 HPs damage as the shards of bone draw blood and bury themselves deep in your flesh
You take 46 HPs damage as the shards of bone draw blood and bury themselves deep in your flesh
Emory Gunter(Perception):
Iustanus(Perception):
Lande Striden: (Perception):
Renvi Storm: (Perception/Stealth):
GS Init
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Emory tries to Avoid the onslaught!!!
Spend Hero Point!
After Lande goes,
Emory does Treat Wounds on himself! (Wearing healers tools in bandolier)
using Battle Medicine Feat!
Hit Points Restored:
Emory tries to Identify this foe more specifically using recall knowledge
Arcana +5
Emory and Elmer ride 15 feet South.
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Seeing the demise of the Silver Dragon and the words you heard in your heads, is it possible that the spirit of the dragon still haunts this place. Was Min-Khadaim so corrupted by the evil rituals of the cyclopes long ago, whatever nefarious rituals that were performed here trapping the spirit of this once good dragon. Yet as you heal and ready yourselves for what comes next, the bones continue to pile up around the dragon's skull.
The energies released have animated all the bones lying in the area. Two small skeletons rise up, their fingers grab a shield hidden under the earth, whilst their other hand hold a rusted, though still deadly sword.
The pony on which Emory rides, unused to bones suddenly flying through the air or watching bones gather and rise, is obviously nervous.
The two skeletons (Green and Copper) rise, the green is approximately 25 ft west of Renvi and Iustanus, whilst the copper is approx 25ft further east from Emory on the pony. Emory is about 25ft east of Iustanus and approx 35ft east of Renvi.
Emory AC 16 HPs17/12
Iustanus AC15/17 HPs16/16
Lande AC19/20 HPs36/25
Renvi AC17/19 HPs19/19
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Seeing the demise of the Silver Dragon and the words you heard in your heads, is it possible that the spirit of the dragon still haunts this place. Was Min-Khadaim so corrupted by the evil rituals of the cyclopes long ago, whatever nefarious rituals that were performed here trapping the spirit of this once good dragon. Yet as you heal and ready yourselves for what comes next, the bones continue to pile up around the dragon's skull.
The energies released have animated all the bones lying in the area. Two small skeletons rise up, their fingers grab a shield hidden under the earth, whilst their other hand holds a rusted, though still deadly sword.
The pony on which Emory rides, unused to bones suddenly flying through the air or watching bones gather and rise, is obviously nervous.
The two skeletons (Green and Copper) rise, the green is approximately 25 ft west of Renvi and Iustanus, whilst the copper is approx 25ft further east from Emory on the pony. Emory is about 25ft east of Iustanus and approx 35ft east of Renvi. Lande remains approx 10ft north of Iustanus.
Emory AC 16 HPs17/12
Iustanus AC15/17 HPs16/16
Lande AC19/20 HPs36/25
Renvi AC17/19 HPs19/19
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Lande moves 20 ft. due southwest to get a clear shot at the green skeleton. He observes the creature for a moment, focusing on its movements. He then tosses his hatchet at the creature.
◆ Stride
◆ Hunt Prey (green)
◆ Strike (ignores range penalty due to Hunt Prey)
Hatchet (Thrown) (agile, sweep)
Range: 10 ft
AC 19
Wielding: clan dagger