Ohime typically wore a hot weather outfit under her robe. Now that the robe is gone, she's mostly been simply wearing the hot-weather outfit. It is quite flowing and slightly skimpy; designed to keep her cool on their long trek. Feeling the cold now on her bare skin will bring a new sensation after months in the heat, and it is doubly cold in the rain.
"Brrr!"
Once in the trees, the bard quickly shuffles from under her poncho to change into a warm-weather outfit.
"Don't look, I'm changing."
It doesn't take her long to slide on the thick furs and gear. Feeling a little warmer, she tries to brace against the cold. Then an idea pops into her head. Maybe if she was close to the others, they could help warm her.
"If we all huddle close, we can help keep each other warm."
Not sure if they can hear her, she just goes and snugs up next to Brek anyway.
"You help keep me warm and I'll help you!"
Grumbling, Brek sets about attempting to gather enough firewood and make a small fire pit that he'll ignite with his innate magic.....
He does give an apologetic look to Ohime though as she tries to snuggle up to him only to find that the man is beginning to move in order to find soemthing to ignite a fire with....
Krokkin makes it to the grove and stays at the edge scanning the water and surrounding area looking for hostiles. He slowly walks the perimeter while making sure they are safe. Every once in a while he will drop and do some push-ups to warm up in an area that he can disappear from view from the outside so he does not draw attention to the group more than is needed.
Through the combined efforts of the group you are able to arrange and start a fire and make a crude but effective wind break.
"Finally!" she exclaims and tries to relax a bit. She is a bit soaked and holding herself quite close to the fire. Being part serpent, she really wishes there was sun right now, but absorbing the heat from the fire helps. They find more "dry" wood and Ohime will store it under her tarp instead of the tarp over her. Mostly, she uses the trees and a large leaf for cover from the rain, while giving her preference over to the fire and keeping it roaring so it doesn't get wet and die down. "What now? Do we wait here? What if this is a common theme now? A rainy season?"
How adventurous do you want to be Ohime. I found what looks to be a cave entrance on my last patrol. Even if shallow it might give respite from the rain. Anyone want to check it out with me?
Krokkin waits for the response, then leads any who want to come over the the mouth of the cave.
Let's see where this cave leads.
"None of us should go alone. I think we'd all do well to go in, just in case there is something living in it. Caves are seldom empty."
The cave entrance doesn’t appear to be much. It does extend a little way (10 to 15 ft) into the hillside before it ends in what appears to be solid rock. There are scrape marks on the surface of the floor and it looks like at one time someone built a fire here.
Sorogar looks up when the subject of Ohime redressing is mentioned and feels flustered, knowing she'd have to do it too at some point, which considering the downpour would be right next to both Krokkin and Brek under whatever meager shelter they managed to find - or make.
Halfway through recalling her earlier magic feat of shaping the canoe, she abandons her emerging made plan of shaping a large tree into a a simple wooden roof to hide beneath when the cave is found.
"I think we've seen enough danger now to never let anyone go too far from the party alone in the wild. And these scratches go back really far..." Sorogar notes, feeling she should have figured out something about them but not quite able to.
"You're going in first again, Krokkin? If so, be careful, all right?" she pats the catfolk on the shoulder, then steps back and draws her sword, just in case...
An Owl flutters about the cave before settling onto Brek merging with his eyes.
"Perhaps the Unseen might be made seen with this aid." his eyes glow somewhat as he examines the place pointed out.
"There is some stonework here. See...a tool was used here. We may be at the entrance to something a bit larger than just a cave."
She isn't sure, but it's a guess.
"I mean...I'm seeing various tracks. You know me. I'm no tracker...but I think they are humanoid, but...its weird. See how they are slightly off from a humanoid. Always by four. Maybe a quadruped?"
She will follow Krokkin inside and will cast dancing lights to illuminate ahead of them down the depths of the cave.
Krokkin nods to Sorogar and unsheaths one of his scimitars and the shield. He slowly moves forward scanning the floor and walls. Krokkin begins to follow the tracks and then stops just short of what looks to be the back wall.
[b]this is interesting, I agree with you about the tracks Ohime. What is interesting is how they only move into the cave and disappear right thru this wall.
Krokkin slowly extends his sword toward the stone to see if it is an illusion.
Krokkin's sword scrapes against the rock proving it is really there and not some imaginary construct. It only feels like it is part of the back and not like it can be pivoted or moved.
"There's a door here. With my spell enabling me to see the unseen, the outline of a door is unmistakeable. Unless I'm wrong, there is already an occupant here. One who knows what he's doing if all this is an indication." he proceeds to outline the door with his hands to indicate to the rest where it is.
"Perhaps one of us might have a spell to reveal it but I can only let you see it and not reveal it to the others......"
"A spell to reveal something invisible ? No. But if you can see it..." Sorogar rummages through her stacked backpack and pulls out a simple piece of chalk. "Can't you just... draw the outline of the edges and handle with this? No need to waste valuable magic, I'd say."
After handing the chalkpiece to Brek, Movah materializes and whispers something to Sorogar. "Movah says the air here is too warm. Especially with the storm and water outside. And he can smell soot..."
Her free hand goes to the talisman of the Skyfather she wore around her neck and grips it. "I hope this just means someone is used to making fires either in the cave or behind that foor. But... with this being the lands of the Great Fire Dragon, I'm afraid it could be the entrance to some underground lava lake as well..."
"I would have missed that. Good one, Brek!"
She looks to the others, who seem to indicate what might be beyond.
"What if this is someone's house? Is there a way we could knock? I'd hate to just barge in. Do we really need to go in?"
Brek looks at the chalk piece in his hands and then looks up as Ohime suggests that the owner is likely at home....
He shrugs.
"Sometimes the easiest way is in front of us but for us to see and grasp it." he quotes.......
The outline on the door is completed using the chalk. It is a large door, some 10 ft. tall and atleast as wide. It blends seamlessly with the wall that it is attached into.
Sorogar narrows her eyes, looking for any irregularity in the area, no matter how small. When nothing appears off, she stars feeling around tghe stonework.
Eventually, she notices the loose rock in the floor. "Wait. I think I have something..."
The stone wiggles briefly then there is a clicking sound and the wall pulls back allowing entrance to the area within. The area is pitch black and darkvision doesn't pierce more than a few feet ahead. It appears to be a worked tunnel of some sort.
"Okay?" she answer to Brek's shrug and his ultimate quote. "Where did that come from? That sounds like a hard lesson you've learned."
Suddenly, the others sees something of note and the wall cracks open. She will raise up her crossbow and then load a bolt. Who knows what would possibly come out? Fortunately, nothing does and it is just a tunnel.
"I can shine light down the hallway. A sort of...knocking on the door..."
Her low-light vision won't let her see further, but she does cast a dancing lights spell and sends it down the tunnel to see what may live there.
The lights get about 30 feet then wink out of vision. The darkness pervades their absence. It is odd that they disappear as they should be functioning at that distance if not hindered by something.
"Odd... I believe I've heard of this. Could this be magical darkness that normal light can't breach?" Sorogar half-suggests and half-asks.
She tries to study the effect to get a clearer idea.
Meeanwhile, she motions Brujah forward slightly to see if his ultrasound senses detected anything hidden in the cloud.
If Sorogar believes the cloud is magical darkness and nothing happens to Brujah, she recalls him to prepare a new spell - Daylight, which she will then cast on her armor before moving forward.
Of course, provided no one interrupts her at any point with a better idea?
Krokkin positions himself in front of the others with his shield raised and blade ready. After watching the lights disappear and brujah fade in and out he speaks over his shoulder to the group.
Well it looks like we have two choices go in or not to go in. I say we are here so we might as well go in.
Brek was about to speak when Sorogar manages to find the mechanism to open the door.
He laughs helplessly to himself.
"I was going to try knocking to see if the owner would let us in but who knew that Soragar would literally see what the rest of us missed and opened the door. I had an encounter to such a door once. It opened into a pit....luckily it wasn't deep."
He grimaces at that memory.
"Unfortunately it was a cesspool."
Peering into the dark, he attempts to cast some light in by sending forth a swarm of fireflies in.
"Eww..." she echoes into the dark with a fake gag at Brek's tale of woe.
She watches as he attempts to send lights down the hallway like she did. She is certain again that they will fade out after a distance. Ohime will nod to Sorogar and Krokkin to lead the way with light. If it seems to negate Sorogar's daylight, she'll have something to say though.
The light again goes a certain distance, same as before, and disappears. It doesn't fade just winks out. Light emanates from sorogar but when she reaches the disappearing spot, Her spell "disappears" as well.
"That is a null-magic field...not darkness." In a more whiny voice, she sighs, "Guys...This is really high-powered stuff..." she gulps. "We better be sure we want to go in here before we go get mundane torches to make it through here. And if those don't work,..." She bites her lip. "What...you won't go in? Where did your sense of adventure go? Did it die in you? You're a bard aren't you?" She looks down and takes in a breath, "We'll have to hold onto you Sorogar and have Brujah lead us through safely."
So I am supposed to carry a torch, really.
Krokkin pulls out and lights one of his torches after putting away his shield. He steps a little forward and then chucks the torch about 25 feet ahead to see if it disappears too.
Sorogar pauses immediately when it seems even the powerful daylight spell doesn't penetrate the dark, and her caution isn't dettered by Ohime's warning. "I... don't understand what I'm seeing. This field blocks magic, but it's unnatural enough to also block my night vision? That's like seeing a fire burn [i] under water[i]!"
Obviously unfortable, she stares at the blackness, considering. "Maybe Brek is right, Krokkin. Maybe we should just call out and see if... whatever powerful entity is out there allows us in. I'd pick that over stumbling in blind. Brujah also tells me he senses a lot of... 'abnormal things' or 'irregularities?' in that cloud', whatever that means."
Unless stopped, she calls out into the dark. "Greetings, my name is Sorogar, a shaman from the southern Rainforest. My clansmen and I stumbled into this cave seeking shrlter from the rain. May we ask you, powerful entity, for shelter?"
As Sorogar calls out, the darkness and the cave respond not at all. Nothing seems to change form the call. However when Krokkin tosses the torch the area flares up revealing a cavern some 35 feet wide and several hundred feet deep. The roof is not visible. Piled on shelves and one the floor in baskets is a king's ransom in items. Swords and other weapons as well as gems, wands, belts, and other items scatter across the area. There is a large covered "lump" in the center of the floor some 60 or 70 ft ahead of you.
The torch continues to burn for about ten minutes before sputtering out as if deprived of oxygen. The darkness once again prevails.
Brek waits to see if the torch continues being lighted up or if Sorogar's voice reaches their unknown host adn if they get a response.
"I can't see anything but piles of gold and stuff...What do you guys see? Birdy?" she sings out, hoping to help them spot something in the room or beyond. Her voice echoes in the portion they are in over the thunder behind them outside, benefiting each of them with sight
She works with each of her party members, trying to discern what is there, if anything.
"What IS this place...?" Sorogar mutters, staring at the HUGE amount of treasure in awe. "I wouldn't consider myself greedy, but... wow. What sort of creature or conqueror could manage to collect *all this*?"
"You don't get a treasure hoard like this easily..." she mutters and picks up a rock. "I am certain that lump is a skeleton over there, partially covered by furs and blankets...which is odd to me."
She will throw the stone so it clatters on the floor next to the skeleton and then may roll lightly to thunk against its bones.
Ok, all the fireside stories I have heard say that you should never throw rocks at skeletons in a dark cave with treasure. Have you never hear those stories?
Krokkin asks with a look of disbelief.
The stone rattles and rolls across the floor before settling against the bones. The sound echo's in the silence but nothing moves at its sound.
"Furs and blankets..." Sorogar slowly repeats. "Someone tried to keep it warm. Maybe even after it died. It was probably liked, maybe even revered - or worshipped..."
She stares at the corpse slightly longer and nods to herself. "I'm going to take a closer look. Let's not take anything from this place, at least not yet. Until we're sure there's no way to communicate with whatever might reside there, living, spirit, or otherwise."
Lighting one of her own torches, she slowly starts walking towards the skeleton, trying to remain alert for any danger and taking care not to disturb the hoard yet.
"Wait!" Brek attempts to stop Soragar.
He hands her a rope and passes the other hand towards Krokkin.
"At least if we need to pull you out of harm's way....."
Sorogar takes the rope and binds it around her waist. "I can fly now, so I should be fine. But... thanks. I'll be careful."
Afterwards, she sets off.
However, seeing there was no way to normally reach the sekeletal remains without disturbing the riches, which she found disrespectful to the dead and absolutely did not wish to do, she instead prays to the skyfather and flies to the platform, moving so as to disturb nothing else.
Krokkin starts feeding out the rope and quickly realizes that it will not be long enough. He quickly grabs his rope out of his pack and ties the ends together with a clove hitch knot that he was taught by the first caravan he met on his adventures. He then ties the other end around his waist and keeps the remaining bundle in front of him at his feet.
I get the strange feeling like I am fishing, but I do not want to know what we are trying to catch.
Sorogar lands and sees huge bones covered in furs and fine linen. There are remnants of finer materials used but they have long since decayed. Piles of gems of all sorts bury some of the bones as well as jewelry of every imaginable type. The creature has long since died.
"A dragon... A real dragon's skeleton," Sorogar breathes, kneeling in front of the remains as Brujah floated next to her. "It died long ago."
Turning her head slightly, she looks at the blankets covering it. Did she recognize the patterns on them?
After studying the cloth remains, she attempts to cast a spell.
"Good idea, Brek..." she comments and helps out where she can, but when Sorogar leaves them, she doesn't feel comfortable. Some of that is worry from her own fears and some of that is having their proficient healer investigating. Sorogar was more than just a cleric though, she so tries to have faith in the spirits she worships.
"Birdy, go fly with her. At least then I can cast through you onto her if needed."
A moment later, the little bird darts forward and will be next to Sorogar and Brujah in flight. He will flutter nearby, but ultimately will take up a hiding place off to the side.