All three of you realize that the head floating in the flame wasn't just the head of a fell beast, but a representation of the entire fiend - a doru div. Amongst the weaker of the div breeds, dorus are often messengers for greater div powers, but are themselves still hateful creatures focused on destroying and corrupting all mortal works. The tiny floating heads can vanish at will and poison with their bite, but their obsession with hoarding secrets can lead them to be distracted and tempted.
Shayna also realizes the found tattoos aren't just a cool design, but closely resemble the head of an agash div. Walking embodiemnts of curses, agash divs wander the desert wielding curse magic to undermine mortals - especially charismatic or enchanting ones as these divs have a pathological hatred of beauty.
'It was terrible. But we'll live to tell the tale thanks to you all' Seda says. She reaches and unwraps the shawl from around her head, offering the fine cloth with sapphire decorations out to the gunslinger and Cascade. 'Here. Take this. The smallest token of our eternal gratitude.'
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JR follows along the story, keeping an ear on any oddities of the story. "We're glad our paths have crossed in a timely manner. My condolences on your caravan's fate." He does take special interest in the Parvad’s Calamities on the history between Osirian and Jistka. That would explain some of those ruins we just found recently... Taking it for bed time reading.
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"We thank you," says Cascade, "though a gift is unnecessary. We merely happened to arrive at the right place. And this attack may be related to the matter we are investigating--would you or any of your allies happen to be transporting an unusual key, by chance?"
Sera keeps the shawl extended, refusing to take no for an answer. ’Please, I understand you did not do what you did for reward, but that is exactly why you honor me by accepting a gift freely offered. Especially as we have no key you seem to be pursuing.’
Yes her husband Rasool adds, recovering slightly from his shock. I don’t think any of our party had a strange lock or anything like that. As for danger, I think we shall wait here. This oasis is…well normally is a safer place among the sands. Another caravan should likely pass through in a day or two - we should have food and water to rest here until then.
Eventually bidding Seda and Rasool farewell you strike out again into the desert sands, turning more sharply southeast towards the ruins Kira described. For the rest of the day and into the next you pass no other travelers nor see many sights to break up the monotony of the dunes. Luckily Cascade seems to be getting the hang of travel, and as night falls on the fourth day you think you are making okay time.
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Before leaving JR takes out his writing kit and makes a few notes:
Seda Alame and husband Rasool. Caravan coming back from Pashow towards Aspenthar. Saved to be killed as 'something beautiful' to 'free the ancient one'. A 'poison that would flow from the desert'. Threw 'powder' in fire to summon the creature in the flames (doru div perhaps?).
He also sketches out the necklaces and tatoos in his notes: a symbol about their necks - a black circle edged with a thin band of sliver that seems to represent and eclipse. Three of them have a tattoo on their upper arms: a stylized blue eye ringed with fangs: agash div? Walking embodiemnts of curses, agash divs wander the desert wielding curse magic to undermine mortals - especially charismatic or enchanting ones as these divs have a pathological hatred of beauty. (Cold iron and Good damage.. do we have any?) Let's be sure not to get my pretty face captured else I'll be sacrificed for sure.
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"I didn't want to upset those two any more than they already were, but we're dealing with some very disturbing cultists and their div masters. Do all you can to not be captured, especially alive. I can't imagine the things that would be done to anyone with a pretty face or strong force of will." He continues to walk along, leading his camel Sir Spitzalot.
"Did anyone find any of that supposed powder the cultists used to summon the creature in the fire? Or, more importantly, have any cold iron weapons or magic that deal 'good' damage?" He pulls out a small round globe of silver liquid "I have three of these holy waters, they should pack quite a punch against any demons, undead, or those divs."
You have plenty of time to discuss potential threats or tactics ahead as you and Prrpft and Sir Spitzalot spend yet another day trekking through the Thuvian desert. Both leshies have opinions on where best to veer across the dunes, but while Thevenin's advice seems to be leading in the wrong direction, Cascade continues to confidently guide you all. When you come to rest on the fifth day you think you should be almost at the ruins!
The next morning you head out early. Again there are no other travellers this far out and away from the cities, just the occasional sound or sight of wildlife in the distance.
After about half a day's travel, Cascade notices something. Or rather, doesn't notice something. The few sounds of animals disappear and the sun rapidly dims, though no clouds touch the sky. A faint smudge on the southern horizon quickly grows to a mountain and then fills the whole of the world as a mile-high wall of sand and roaring winds races across the desert. A sandstorm!!!
From the crest of the dune, the only shelter in sight is a half-buried stone structure, a tilted column pointing out of the sand with an open door and fallen megaliths dotted around it. Then the storm descends with a furious shriek of lashing winds and seeing even that landmark becomes difficult...
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Lesley does not have any weapon that can weaken the divs, unfortunately. She hopes that this case would not be a disadvantage to them. She lets the days pass on her unbothered until the sandstorm suddenly appears. Sure, they need to get out of the sandstorm's way lest they will be flown away and be brought somewhere else only the gods know where that might be.
She quickly runs away and tries to evade any solid debris the sandstorm might swirling around.
Shayna takes one look at the approaching storm and makes a run for it.
Half the party races quickly towards the shelter of the half-buried column, guiding Sir Spitzalot and Prrpft with them, while the rest work to secure themselves from the flying sand as best they can. Some of you still are pierced and cut a bit by the grit being tossed about at high speeds, but as quickly as the sandstorm arrived it blows past just as fast.
When the sands clear and those of you who sheltered shake yourselves off, you can get a closer look of the tilted stone as you carefully approach. The stone structure rises from beneath the sands, with the remains of several toppled edifices or obelisks lying flat on the dunes. A single open doorway seems to allow entrance into the column, though within it is dark and unlit.
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"Well that was an exciting little exercise wouldn't you say Lesley?" Grins Junior as he lifts himself and his bedroll from the sand. "You doing ok? I see a bit of blood on your backside, it must have been hanging out past the blanket. I'll get a larger one for next time." He gives a playful wink and heads off towards the ruins.
"Sure looks like you got us here Case, great job." He paces around the exterior, looking for any hidden markings or perhaps other interesting things before they enter.
Filthy bedding, open crates, and a smoldering campfire fill one corner of the spacious vestibule. A pile of smashed pottery and broken art objects sits in the center of the chamber while recent damage mars the ancient murals and reliefs on the chamber walls. Towards the east several bodies molder near a dusty passageway leading to another chamber beyond. A set of stairs sits opposite the entrance, spiraling downwards into the dark.
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"Oh, wow, thank you so much!" Lesley tells the leaf leshy as she mends her wounds. "That sandstorm could have done worse if we weren't quick, I think. Thankfully, everyone's safe."
After the sandstorm, Lesley lights up her wayfinder to give light into their path as they enter through the open doorway. "Somebody must have been here." she comments when she finds the bedding, crates, and campfire.
The bodies shuffle slightly as the seed pods impact them, but only from the impact. They remain just meat, dead corpsey meat. When Thevenin approaches and does a bit of a closer exam, the league concludes these figures died from severe bludgeoning damage.
The cracked and broken carvings on the chamber’ walls seem to have once been pretty elaborate. JR recognizes pieces of murals showing water flowing back and forth from the sands, creating verdant surroundings where people graves in a variety of clothing and cultural styles all gathered. The elf recognizes that many of the inhabitants’ depictions show minor physical features associated with elemental water ancestry, and that the architecture in the murals appears to be of the Jistkan style.
Hidden amidst the abandoned bedding, Lesley notices a fine cedar box wrapped amidst the blankets. Inside are two lesser antidotes, as well as a beautiful golden statuette of an angel. JR identifies it as an religious icon of Sarenrae, but it’s so finely made it also serves as a work of art in its own right.
Meanwhile, by the stairs Shayna sees footprints in the dirt that indicate recent movement between here and the stairs going below. She also however notices some footprints heading down the passageway to the east, along with dried blood leading in that direction.
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With so many lit wayfinders Junior decides to keep his off for the moment, making it easier for him to blend into the dim light nearby as they make their trek ahead.
"Good find Lesley." He hands back the relic after identifying it.
"Wonder just who those dead are.. captured 'beauties'? Or others that may have had a key? Or Maybe some squatters that got ambushed by these cultists? Guess we'll maybe find out later." He draws out journal and makes a few notes about the murals and pottery. Interesting...
"Shall we head east first with the blood trail before we do any spelunking?" He draws out his bow and knocks an arrow, keeping quietly to the edge of the light.
The path to the east leads Princess a ways from the entryway and into the darkness Eventually it leads to a temple archway, recently excavated from the look of it.
A faded mural of masked birds leading spectral figures inward in a spiral to the chamber’s center adorns the cracked and broken ceiling. You can see even from the hall looking in that statues are shattered and defaced in alcoves. A twisted corpse lies near the hallway. Old bones sit further inside, many pinioned with rusted blades.
JR recognizes the masked, four-winged birds shown in the murals to be nosoi psychopomps. They, along with the imagery of Pharasma’s spiral, imply this space was once a temple to her.
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While Thevenin gives the hopeful eyes to check out the bodies, Junior heads straight to the murals, activating his own wayfinder around his neck for better lighting. "Interesting, an old temple to Pharasma. She must have gotten lots of work lately with all the corpses we've found so far."
He takes out his chalk and attempts to fix any marred bits of the mural or iconography. "I think its a solid assumption these cultists we're after have a strong dislike to Pharasma and her treatment of the departed."
Once the area is secure and his work complete, Junior again takes notes on the scene in his journal, complete with additions he added in chalk, or defacement corrected.
"Anything interesting with the corpses?"
The corpses do look quite dead, but as you carefully move into the room you only have a few moments to begin examining them (or the murals) before you feel wind brush against your necks. The ancient dust in the space stirs as a breeze flows past you just like an indrawn breath.
Faint whispers grow at the edges of your ears, rising in number and volumes from dozens of sources that each seems just out of sight. Flickers of motion dance at the edges of your perceptions as a disquieting aura begins to fall over all of you.
And yet - Thevenin feels a faint hum coming from their pocket. The agate key Kida provided you is thrumming slightly, reacting to something within the room! ...the room where some spiritual energy seems a bit disquieted.
Ghostly Voices - Crafting, Intimidation, Performance, Religion
0 successes
All up
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This isn't the first time Junior's heard the wail and cry of the restless dead, seems like a constant battle when your work is focused on lost civilizations and tombs. "You can't scare me if I can't hear you, I'll fix your temple Pharasma, just give me some time." He declares, rolling up some cloth and plugging his ears.
JR quickly whips up some earplugs for himself and the rest of you, while the two leshy try to drown out the voices with a very 'good-leshy, bad-leshy' combination. Despite the potential dissonance it seems to work! The whispering voices quiet and then disappear as you move further into the temple chamber.
Suddenly a new noise emerges - a clattering by your feet. Bones strewn about the room are beginning to stir and long-dead limbs grasp at your living legs to impede you!
Ghostly Voices
Grasping Hands - Acrobatics, Stealth, Athletics Attack (w/ bludgeoning)
0 successes
Lesley, Shayna, Princess up
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Lesley follows through her allies as they successfully make way for them all from the ghostly voices that drown their ears. And yet another obstacle is ahead of them.
She dances her way out of those rushing hands made of bones, tiptoeing and going into areas not crowded by them. "This way!" she exclaims to lead them on a safer path.
Shayna follows Lesley's lead in trying to dance through the grabbers.
Princess isn't quite as sneaky as she'd hope - being lower to the ground makes it easier for all of her to be grabbed - but Lesley and Shayna manage to begin forging a path past the grabbing dead limbs.
- Round 2
Ghostly Voices
Grasping Hands - Acrobatics, Stealth, Athletics Attack (w/ bludgeoning)
2 successes
All up