Spizz watches Djack curiously. After the human dive-rolls out of the way, he says,"Spizz is thinking maybe in future, you let Spizz open doors?" To punctuate this, he floats a piece of debris into the air with the lift spell.
"Less painful for Djack-Horsefriend, no?"
The elf had been spending too much time reflecting on the coinage, noting it's familiarity. While her tribe rarely traded in currency, the few instances where disks trade hands they'd had identical designs to these. In fact, one of her first interactions with humans was exchanging her own 'elven money' for the local flavor. For a moment she was considering the implications- when a twang and a sharp hiss of pain caused her to look away.
"Oh." She mutely exclaimed before approaching the man to offer treatment for his wound. Who knew what sickness could be inflicted a blade that old?
Half-heartedly waving Yoltzin off. It's OK... oooph. He rubs his shoulder.
Should probably conserve your... energy.
Looking over at Spizz, Excellent idea, honestly. I'll keep that in mind and... axe you, next time. He softly chuckle-winces.
Spizz pulls out a ragged, dog-eared book from a pouch. He flips through it intently. He squints carefully at the text. Then he looks at the axe that came from the ceiling. Finally, he starts to laugh. "Spizz understands! Axe and ask sound like same word! Very funny! Kobold have joke like that too, but probably less funny for soft-skin." He puts his book, which a quick glance shows to be a dictionary in common back into his pack.
Djack laughs with Spizz, confirming what the Kobold suspects.
For good measure, the youth considers checking the chest Quince found for secret compartments.
If you think you found something valuable, you usually stop looking.
Djack gives the chest a thorough going-over, but concludes it is just a normal storage chest.
Shrugging, Djack looks to the others... Shall we keep going?
The question is somewhat rhetorical as he moves to the door and starts down the ancient hall.
There is very little to see in this hallway, aside from a thick layer of undisturbed dust and the occasional fallen rock from a weak ceiling block.
When Djack rounds the corner and comes upon the door at the end of the hall, he does a quick check and finds it without trap or lock. Very cautiously, he opens the door; sure enough, the door was safe.
Both the shape and contents of this room are quite odd indeed. The room is angled along multiple walls so that it is almost circular save for the exits, of which there are two; the one he came in, and a very short hallway leading to another door on the same wall.
In the center of the room is a clockwork mechanism on the floor and ceiling; in between, a large metal rod supports a series of concentric rings. It appears the rings will move around each other if pushed in either direction.
Djack cautiously steps into the chamber, his eyes drawn to the intricate structure at the center. He carefully approaches the mechanism, a mixture of curiosity and excitement evident on his face.
As he takes in the sight before him, he can't help but marvel at the ancient engineering.
Wow... This is incredible... what is it? What secrets could it hold?
He crouches down near the mechanism, examining it closely, tracing his fingers ever so lightly along the smooth metal surface of the rings. His mind races with possibilities, imagining the purpose of this mysterious contraption.
Thoughtfully, It seems like these rings can move independently... and in opposite directions? A puzzle, perhaps?
Probably shouldn't have touched it.
Nothing happens at Djack's touch or any slight movement of the rings. He remains uncertain of its purpose, but it is apparent there is some sort of slot at the top of the device. Is it a boon? Or a trap? No real way of knowing, save to access it.
The elf turned her head sideways as she looked at the strange object, not understanding anything about how the pieces went together.
"Maybe some sort of swing contraption?" Spizz says curiously. If left untested, he will keep spinning the rings, mesmerized by the motion.
"Maybe some sort of swing contraption?" Spizz says curiously. If left untested, he will keep spinning the rings, mesmerized by the motion.
Which direction does Spizz spin the rings, clockwise or counter-clockwise?
As Djack explores the device, trying to decipher it's workings, Spizz essentially walks up and starts playing with the rings, giving them a good spin clockwise.
Fortunately for all involved, this seems to have been the correct choice. A slot in the ceiling just above the circles opens and drops a map case, which bounces off one of the rings and lands near the party.
She blinked, tilting her head to the side before leaning down and picking up the map case. "What a odd way to lock this away." curious, she makes to open it.
Yoltzin finds a map inside the case, yellowed with age.
It starts with the 4th legion stronghold, which is your current position, and goes Southwest. How far, though, Yoltzin has no idea. Which makes some sense, considering she would have come from the Northwest.
Anyone else who wants can roll Know/Geography, or you can try to find a cartographer back in Albarra.
It starts with the 4th legion stronghold, which is your current position, and goes Southwest. How far, though, Yoltzin has no idea. Which makes some sense, considering she would have come from the Northwest.Anyone else who wants can roll Know/Geography, or you can try to find a cartographer back in Albarra.
Knowledge/Local can also roll to estimate the distance, but the DC will be higher.
Eh... maybe a mile, at most.
Djack realizes he had the map sideways. It's...definitely more than a mile. Having learned all they can from the odd concentric circles, the party tucks the map away to decipher later, and continues on.
Would you like to continue forward from the map room, or backtrack to one of the other unopened doors?
Elias is inclined to agree with Djack.
"Onwards and upwards?"
Vote for pressing on and checking other options on the way back.
The first thing you notice in the next room is a gust of fresh air as you open the door. The next is sunlight, leaking down through the ceiling above.
This room looks to have been a food preparation area; there is a chopping block atop a rock slab, several free-standing cabinets, multiple cauldrons, and crushed underneath several fallen rocks, the remains of an adobe oven. It appears the vent for the fires used in cooking collapsed over the centuries, leaving a much bigger hole, roughly 10' from the ceiling to the top of the hill, or 20' total.
You've ruled out anything of interest in this room after a few minutes of examination, and as you prepare to head past the rubble and into the next room, you hear a clucking noise, as if perhaps a chicken or two has been trapped down here.
Making your way into the room labeled 6, it appears to have been used as some sort of planning room or audience chamber, with a large table and some old, long destroyed chairs and a couple statues.
The elf frowns, looking around the room with slightly alarmed curiosity. If there were still livestock here, then that meant this room was still being used. Perhaps by a large ogre.
The elf frowns, looking around the room with slightly alarmed curiosity. If there were still livestock here, then that meant this room was still being used. Perhaps by a large ogre.
Some kind of... kitchen. So, folks, where to next?
As Djack takes up the back, he joins the others in room 6, the receiving room with the weird statues. Now that you get a good look at the statues, they look like normal people. Odd subjects for sculptures in a military installation. They also seem to be engaged in some sort of struggle, one attempting to hit something with a pitchfork, the other turning in fright to run.
From behind a pile of rubble that used to be a chair, the chicken you heard walks out and stalks slowly toward you. It's an odd model, for sure. You don't remember seeing so colorful a chicken, or one with such a long, snaking tail...
Initiative
"Weird Chicken":
Djack:
Yoltzin:
Spizz:
Rocko:
Quince:
The creature brazenly charges Yoltzin and attacks!
[dice=Fort]1d20+4
Yoltzin feels a tightening in her leg where the beast pecked her. Looking down, she's horrified to see the wound begin to turn ashy gray as rock.
2 HP damage and 3 Dex damage (online dice freaked out on my and decided {dice}1d4{/dice} (in regular brackets) meant 1d20+1001d4. no idea.)
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"Geh, a stone-bird! Flat faces call them 'cockathrices' or somethin'. Kill it quickly before it pecks us all into purty little rock piles!"
Rocko will take a mighty swing with his axe. He'd love to knock it senseless with his shield but that doesn't seem as reliable a method as pure hack n' slash
"Damn what I wouldn't give for a real rooster to scare the blighter off!"
A fricken'... chicken?
Djack circles around past Spizz to flank the fascinating fowl opposite Quince.
Rocko swings too heavily and the creature jumps nimbly out of the way.
Djack's attack scores a minor hit, but the creature is obviously still filled with vigor.
"Time for ROAST chicken!"
Spizz shoots a jet of fire from his tiny hands that unfortunately goes high and misses.
Yoltzin and Quince still to act in round 1.
As the bizarre chicken creature is somewhat distracted by Djack, Quince lays in with his blades, striking at tendons and muscles, trying to disable the creature.
Quince slaps the creature with his blade, confusing it a bit and making it a bit more timid.
Yoltzin may now act.
'The stone sickness!' Her mind shouted, horrified that such an affliction could befall upon her. If she were to die by this creature, her body could never be properly cleaned of it's eartHly impurities. Her soul, forever trapped within the confines of a rock prision. Could there be no worse fate?
Divine rage guiding her to act, she twirled her spear and aimed to behead the fowl beast on her upswing.
Yoltzin in her rage strikes the creature down, ending the danger, for now.
After another hour or so of exploring, the team concludes they've achieved their objective of clearing out the old stronghold. Information on the 4th Legion remains in the storage area; the Intendente can send any historians this way to inspect it if he chooses.
The final room you inspect contains more stored treasure of unknown origin. It's hard to tell of the 4th Legion was looting someone or if they were merely retrieving lost goods.
450 gp in gold items (cups, combs, other items that might have been possessed by minor royalty), 255 gp in gems, 194 gp in small coins (silver and copper). A coppery colored spherical gem radiates relatively weak necromancy magic.
Taking the treasures they've found, the group leaves the dungeon and prepares to return to Albarra.
Knowing nothing about the Intendente...
Working with you folks isn't half bad. Mind if I stick around a bit?
Where are you off to, next?
The stiffness in her leg was a slight concern, and would perhaps require more power than her normal prayers could provide. It would have to be a concern for tomorrow's Yoltzin however. In the now, she marveled somewhat at the strange artifacts they've managed to uncover. Despite the dangers, perhaps there was something to this 'adventurer' lifestyle after all.
"I had not many plans myself, originally I was traveling with them out of curiosity. If allowed, I would like to continue this arrangement as well."
"Yay! Spizz has new friends! I mean, Spizz is honored to welcome you to the group!"