“Bugger this,” Mal mutters. He reaches out for the staff decorating the sarcophagus and tries to push it back into place. Then he heads towards the now open doorway and prepares to step through. “Worry about the trap door later,” he says, looking back over his shoulder. “Coming?”
Will, having relaxed with no imminent approach of immediate death, glances at the other bier.
"Hm. MAybe the OTHER one opens the trapdoor?" HE aks, reaching for the bier, but not touching it. Yet.
Like Will did, Mal finds that the staff is heavy and metallic and seems hesitant to move for a moment before the pressure he applies slides the staff back into place - placing the staff fully back in the statuary's possession.
This time - and on-cue with his push - both Addy and Herral feel a distinct *clack* right at the trapdoor. Whatever just happened had the distinct feeling of something sliding just underneath the floor. As before, there is no further noise or activities beyond that. The rooms features remain as before.
While only a few minutes have passed in the continued investigation, Mal's grumbling does bring to mind that your time down here is drawing shorter if you plan is to return to the surface by dawn's light. You have around an hour or so to continue pursuit and still have enough time to return on schedule, if that is still your plan.
"Right, right. Chase the villain, THEN investigate the possibly limitless trove of untold ancient knowledge right beneath our feet. Got it." Will mumbles, just barely loud enough to be heard, but raises his crossbow and follows the warrior with only a single longing glance backwards,...
Assuming you all move forward instead of checking the trapdoor (anyone want to voice an opinion):
The corridor beyond is unremarkable stone similar to that of the pyramid. Like the chamber you just left, it remains surprisingly clean and cobweb free. It continues 60' due east and is illuminated by small, blue globes that line the wall.
Addy spots nothing unusual as you move along the corridor. At the end, it turns due north and into a room. You are standing on a landing with steps to the right that drop down 10' to the room's floor. The room itself measures 50' wide and 25' long with a ceiling around 15'. There is light coming from below that bathes the whole room in a whitish blue radiance. Like before, the stones are old, but surprisingly fairly clean.
The east and west wall each have two alcoves nearly 10' high. It looks like they contain statues of armored warriors in repose. Mostly on the southern side - just below you - is a scattering of tables and crates made of wood. The northern side has what looks like an archway - standing nearly 8' high - but opens to nothing except the stone wall beyond. The frame of the arch looks to be metallic and ornate.
Finally, in the center of the room is a stone pedestal with a round tabletop at its crown. At the base in a circle around it are small, but bright globes that provide the room with illumination.
Mal-
Although the illusions are gone, you still can't help but feel a presence near you. As your group recedes from the crypt and into the new room, the feeling diminishes but has not entirely gone away in the back of your mind.
Will, unsurprisingly, breaks the groups silence first.
"Amazing. All of these enchantments are still functioning! I wonder what's keeping the area so clean. Relatively speaking, of course,...?"
Will looks around, trying see what he should investigate,... first,...
Mal, who keeps glancing around as if looking for something says, “Just be careful Will. This place ... something’s not right.”
He moves down the steps and into the room.
Simon follows after Mal, not touching anything but keeping an eye out.
Perception:
As you descend down the stairs, the feel is of solid stone. Shadows dance around from the light, and the only sounds are of your boots; clinking armor; and miscellaneous gear. The room has no distinct scent, but there is the feeling of warmed or heated air about the place.
Simon then Malatar both notice the glint of bone within the alcoves. You realize the armored statues are actually skeletons entombed in armor. From their placement, you guess them to be about 8' each.
The ornate archway bears writing along its span - Azlanti by the looks of it. At the base and in the center of the archway, a small greenish stone sits glowing, as if it was dropped there.
The pedestal in the center stands about 4' high. The round table-top extends out all around with a foot and half radius. The center has a hole about two fingers wide; 8 columns of letters extend out like spokes on a wagon wheel from the center to the table's edge. They are carved into the stone, but the whole top looks like it was ornately painted at one time to give them the illusion of script.
The most unkempt part of the room is the table and crates. It looks like it was recently rummaged - with the crates' lids ajar; some sheafs of paper scattered; the remains of food and bottles; and what looks like a stone box. All of these materials are more recent than anything else in the room.
Will nods absently at Mal's words, and moves slowly towards the Archway.
"SOmeone's been here recently,..." He whispers, pointing not to the obviously rummaged crates and such, but to the two glowing stones dropped conveniently near the archway.
"Let's see, what message did the ancient's leave for me today,...?" He murmurs, and then begins muttering in an odd accent as he attempts to decipher the runes,...
Will suddenly becomes animated, hopping from foot to foot in excitement.
The archway's writing is an Azlanti dialect - less stilted than the High style, but not as simplistic as some of the more common versions.
It takes you a moment to decipher the sentence structure. It reads:
In tomb, temple, monument, or shore; let not the memory of Cynidicea fade forever.
"Doesn't writing sometimes have traps on it? I mean shouldn't I be checked for magic first or healing eyebrows after? Of course the arch is fine but I'd hate to scrape someone's charred body off the floor."
Herral looks serious for a moment.
FYI - There's only one stone sitting at the base of the archway.
"Well don't just sit there gabbing about it, Herral, detect away. Let me see what I can see here, too." Addy starts taking the room in, looking for potential trap locations and anything else that may be of value. She'll poke around a bit, but use the tip of her rapier to move things, if needed.
perception +1 with traps
Adelaine doesn't notice any traps.
Contrary to the rest of the room, cobwebs and dust cover the skeletons and armor in the alcoves.
The archway and table doesn't register anything further, but looking over the tables and crates you note a couple of things.
The wood materials of both items seem a bit strange - you're not sure what but it doesn't seem like normal woods. Some of the papers seem to have writing on them, but it will take a closer examination to see the details.
"Sorry Addy," the halfling goes crestfallen then brightens instantly at he chance to do some magic.
Herral calls on Desna to show the way and his hands and eyes glow blue briefly before it fades and then a fan of sparkling lights fly out in the direction of the doorway then papers and table.
When the lights have gone, Herral detects for magicks.
As if a curtain of lights was revealed to be hidden in the room, Herral's vision alights points of magic - most of it centered on the arch and the table-top.
The arch glows with a light layer of magical aura all along it's length. There is a second layer of stronger magic - like small points - all along the length of the arch as well. Finally, some of the words in the writing emanate stronger auras as well. (With Will's help, you can figure out that the words - tomb, temple, monument, shore, Cynidicea - are the specific ones.)
The small green stone also radiates magic on par with archway.
Lastly, the table-top glows faintly with an aura around the circular hole in the center. The letter columns that extend outward from the center also radiate magical power - similar in intensity to that of the arch's writing. It appears that the two are keyed together.
That is the limit of the magical effects you detect for now.
Herral only:
Roll a perception check, please.
DM
Herral points at all the flowing points of magic and oohs and aahs at them for all to hear. like watching a fireworks show of coloured smokes and sulphurs but paying little attention to what is actually happening.
"Gee, aren't I lucky to cast that spell just right. Am I hot or what, Addy?"
DM
** spoiler omitted **Herral points at all the flowing points of magic and oohs and aahs at them for all to hear. like watching a fireworks show of coloured smokes and sulphurs but paying little attention to what is actually happening.
"Gee, aren't I lucky to cast that spell just right. Am I hot or what, Addy?"
"Well, why don't you fill the non-magical among us in on what you see? Then I'll let you know." Addy gives Herral a smirk.
Herral
You notice nothing further in your detections than the above mentioned. Sorry for the anti-climax. ;-)
"What does it all mean?" asks Mal, impatience evident in his voice, looking between Herral and Will for answers.
Herral shrugs at Addy, "magic is a strange and wonderful thing, given to us by the gods and showing how important faith is. Each faith has its own story to tell and I'd love to know everything about all the different magicks in the world, even what wizards and sorcerers and warlocks do. I mean it stands to reason that it must be so exciting, yes?"
Then he thinks about a bit longer..."dunno what this means though."
Simon frowns.
"Likely some new insidious trap. Amazing how one could even use the privy in such a place without being skewered or incinerated or dropped into a pit. Our quarry most certainly came this way, though..."
Herral shrugs at Addy, "magic is a strange and wonderful thing, given to us by the gods and showing how important faith is. Each faith has its own story to tell and I'd love to know everything about all the different magicks in the world, even what wizards and sorcerers and warlocks do. I mean it stands to reason that it must be so exciting, yes?"
Then he thinks about a bit longer..."dunno what this means though."
Addy laughs. "Then the answer is 'or what'." Looking at the rest, she asks, "Well? Archway or trapdoor in the floor? My vote's with the archway, but lemme check it out before we head down."
perception threw in the +1 for traps already
Simon: The only exit apparent is the archway - although in it's current state how it acts as an exit is not obvious. Right now it just leads to a stone wall.
Addy: Confirming Will and Herral's details, the archway is a finely constructed portal and despite what looks like a great deal of age, it seems like it is well maintained. What catches your eye is the green stone - it looks like more than just a glowing rock; it has what looks like a compass marker etched in on side. You get the feeling it is tied to the archway and the round table somehow. There may be something more, but you don't notice anything further.
Anyone else would like to try something, or ask something - feel free.
Herral stares at the magical lines after Addy's comment of "or what," and tries to scrunch up his face and think up an answer.
"How about this. They ran down here, grabbed their food food and papers from the crates then set the pedestal table to a destination and used the green stone to travel through the archway straight there. It's a guess but it might be right."
"Hmmm ... what's this now?"
disable device
Mal walks over towards the crates and boxes. Sheathing his sword, he begins rummaging through, looking for anything useful or interesting.
Will examines the stone, the arch, and the pedestal again, rubbing his chin so hard in thought that if he had a beard, he would rub it off!
Addy: Herral's insights prove helpful when you study the mechanics of the green stone, archway, and pedestal. You're fairly certain that stone is used to manipulate the letters on the table top, and that in turn manipulates the archway into working.
You also note that there are remenants of crystal chips - slightly fused - around the hole in the table top. It seems like a crystal piece was placed inside the hole at one time, but was damaged or removed from there.
Finally, there are five, small crystal studs around the table's edge -barely noticeable. One points towards the archway; the other four are each pointed at one of the four arches.
Mal:
Your rummaging turns up several things left behind by the occupants.
The remanants of the food and drink turn up what looks like a bluish cheese; wheat crackers; and two bottles of wine. One wine smells and looks like a cheap, Taldoran Red; the other wine has no marker, but smells vaguely of mushrooms and clove. Finally, you find a small crystal vial with a whitish residue that has no odor.
You note that theses rectangular tables, and the crates, are both made of what feels like spongy wood materials (Roll a Knowledge (Nature) check), bound with iron pieces for support.
The crates are mostly empty at this point. It looks like they were being packed, and you note by the little bits of dirt and dust that there were more such crates at one time - moved out perhaps? One partially packed crate (filled with sawdust and paper mostly) does hold another Azlanti-styled mask like the ones you've seen before. This one looks to be quite old and fairly fragile. It bears a worn image of a bearded man - looking almost as if he was puckering his lips to blow.
In another crate (this one looks like it's taken a beating - with several gashes and holes on all sides) you find a spindly piece of bluish cystal - half the length of a man's hand and no more the two fingers wide. The crystal feels like shaped glass, not a natural formation, to your touch. It bears several chips and cracks along its surface, and one end terminates in jagged points - implying it is the broken half of a larger piece.
The scraps of paper are mostly swirly doodles or line scratches. There are a few poorly drawn pictures of nude women; elves?; a fish-man?; and what looks like a wavy tower. There are two papers that stand out among the rubbish:
*There's a nicer illustration of an archway. There are five arrows pointing out from it. One points to the image of a crown; two point at question marks; one points at a pyramid; and one points at a wavy tower (this last one has an X scrawled over it).
*The second one is written in an elegant script in the Azlanti language. It looks like the document was torn apart, as the paper terminates abruptly and the paragraph is incomplete.
Will examines the stone, the arch, and the pedestal again.
Will: Unfortunately, your study doesn't add much to what Addy has already determined - the green stone is used to manipulate the letters on the table top, and that in turn manipulates the archway into working. The stone has a compass symbol, with a distinct arrow that points north like a compass. Your knowledge of Azlant does add that the letters upon the table-top is in fact a complete list of the Azlant alphabet - at least as it applies to most of the standard dialects.
You don't recall any distinct books or Pathfinder documents that discuss the nature of arches or magical powers. The elves of Kynonin are better known for such type magicks and were contemporaries of the Azlant and Thassilon - that's about the only link you can recall.
Your most distinct observations comes from studying the objects' magic. While further mechanics of operation escape you, the writing on the arch, table and stone all are clearly linked to conjuration/teleportation effects. The table contains further elements - somewhat strangely linked. There appears to be a necromatic and abjuration/contigency power tied to the table - it looks like it is linked to an elemental earth key.
"Interesting,..." Will muses as he examines the tabletop with Addy, and looks at the papers Mal found when they are passed his way. He holds the papers up, turns them around, walks halfway around the table, and lays them down on it.
"There! I think that's it!,...?" He says with a grin, then frowns, turns the papers a 1/4 turn clockwise, then nods.
"Yes. Definitely it!" He says with more certainty.
"I don't think our friends are here. Anymore. I believe that this is an ancient Azlanti teleportation chamber. I'm guessing that these papers show that they explored at least some of the archways possible destinations. See the 'X' over this wavy-line tower? I don't know what the destination was, but it seems that they decided they didn't want to visit it again! Unfortunately, it looks like they may have sabotaged the device as they left. I don't know HOW they did that and still left,... Either that, Or I just haven't had enough time to translate these writings to figure out how to operate it yet. But I'm sure that I can figure it out!" He grins like a kid, almost bouncing in his excitement as he realizes the possible ramifications of the find, and what it could mean to his Pathfinder career,...
"All of this is pure conjecture of course. But I'm usually a VERY good guesser!" He hastily adds.
Will-
The writing on the scrap of paper can be read, it's an Azlant dialect but it shows signs of corruption - at least as far as there are elements of other languages in the mix (Elven, Dwarven, & Old Taldane).
Policrates,
It is Neheshru's mission to follow Zarga's will; that part of the plan will not be altered. If She can be awoken, our dreams will be accomplished.
However, I am preapred to look for resources to hold Cynidicea against the other factions while we gather the materials we need for the summoning that will mark the rise of the true Azlanti. That is your role in this - advisor and surveyor.
We know the gate will not open between the heretical monument and Cynidicea proper. That is why must use the bypass entrance found in the Taldan King's tomb. I hold no respect for this mongrel; remove his remains and plunder the tomb for useful things. We will require them.
If the documents are true, you should find other materials at the other sites. Once Neheshru has sanctified the pyramid, you should be undisturbed. My diviniations show the site has been buried for centuries, no one should trouble..........
At this point the scrap has been torn and the rest of the message has been lost by whoever ripped the page.
Linguistics check:
"Cynidicea? Where the heck is Cynidicea?" Will mutters as he ponders the rest of the letter,...
“Sure it’s all real exciting Will,” drawls Mal. “But is it gonna help us figure out what to do next?”
Without really waiting for an answer, Mal draws his sword again and goes over to look at the tall armoured skeletons in one of the alcoves.
Mal
Your observations of the skeletons discovers a few things. The first is that there is an incredibly thin, almost-invisible pane of glass recessed into the alcoves that seals the skeletons within each alcove. You almost hit it as you reach to examine them.
The second is that the skeletons' bones are marked with runes of some kind - something you don't recognize. You also note that they are larger then a human-sized frame; you'd guess they are ogres' bones given their shape and size.
Finally, apparently hanging out with Will is starting to rub off, as you realize that the weapons and armor they each bear is definetly not Azlanti in style. You've heard him talk and mention enough to realize that they are much older than most of the materials you've seen - which might explain the reason for the sealed glass.
Mal
The feeling you've had seems to have diminshed even more. It's more like a constant, vague memory now.
DM Note:
Perception:
Knowledge:
"Well, looks like our quarries tried to make sure they couldn't be followed. We wanna try and activate this thing anyway?" Addy says, peering over the gate . She starts playing around a little, seeing if she can make it work.
And since I just noticed I didn't take any ranks in Use Magic Device , nothing does.
“Will, see these armoured bones? Look old. Society might be interested.”
"Well, looks like our quarries tried to make sure they couldn't be followed. We wanna try and activate this thing anyway?" Addy says, peering over the gate . She starts playing around a little, seeing if she can make it work.
And since I just noticed I didn't take any ranks in Use Magic Device , nothing does.
“Well that didn’t do a whole hell of a lot,” Mal observes drily.
He’s been waiting for Will or Addy or someone to make sense of this all and determine a way forward, but so far as he can tell, his learned friend is getting all hot and bothered without much action like my ex-wife in the last bit and Adelaine appears at a bit of a loss.
“Let me see if I’ve got this straight. The archway is a magic door to other places. If we knew how to work it, we could go to a tomb, a temple, a monument, a shore-line, or some place called Cynidicea – but maybe not directly to that last one according to the note. This Policrates bloke probably went through the door, probably not to Cynidicea or the wavy tower, though that's where he wants to go, and maybe he tried to sabotage the table – that works the archway – before he left. But he also left behind a stone that probably works the archway. Huh. Sounds like a trap ... only one way to find out though. Looks like the stone fits in the hole in the table there ... If it does work, and we don’t change anything, presumably the arch will open up to wherever Policrates went. Oh, and there’s those little studs around the edge of the table, pointing to those arches. Maybe they open the glass walls.”
Mal looks them all in the eyes, as if daring anyone to comment on what is possibly the longest speech he’s ever made. “Miss anything?” Then to Will. “What’s Cynidicea?”
. She starts playing around a little, seeing if she can make it work.
Addy figits around with no luck, and in frustration smacks the green stone on the table. Doing so makes one of the Azlanti letters light up. After a few minutes of glowing, it fades out. Nothing further happens in terms of activity.
Mal's observations are that:
1) The wood that makes up the table and crates isn't wood at all - its some kind of dense fungus - like a mushroom.
2) Despite its thiness, the glass is actually quite strong - actually surprisingly so given its age. You would expect it be brittle - but it resists your gentle pushing.
3) The foodstuff and drink all seems edible, if not very attractive. Of course, you've lived on much worse in your soldiering life. The wines smell a little sour, but both look to be drinkable.
4) With Will and Addy assistance, you all realize that the bluish crystal and the fragments found in the hole in the table's center are the same. Meaning that inserting the crystal into the table's center plays a part in the process that you clearly (and maybe surprising to Will) have explained so well from a mechanical standpoint.
5) The stone box is empty when you examine it, but has a lining that once held several objects. The shape of the impressions in the lining matches a couple of things: a vial shaped outline similar to the empty one you found; and also an outline formed like the crystal you have, but unbroken in shape. The third impression is undefined, so you don't know what was in there.
Quick recap:
The blue crystal goes into the table's center. The green stone looks like it does something to the table's letters. The small studs on the table's edge remain a mystery. By activating the archway, the device will someone transport you to several locations that you have mentioned (tomb, a temple, a monument, a shore-line, or some place called Cynidicea - to quote Mal). Which is which and what happens remains unknown.
DM Stuff:
Knowledge (Engineering)
KNowledge (Engineering)
When Addy finishes, Herral pulls up a crate and has a go himself fiddling and playing with the stone and whistling as he goes. his whislting acts as a call to his Goddess to help too and the little halfling really starts to play the thing like a harp.
"Did I say that my family thought I could be a mage? Not like an archmage or anything but maybe a war wizard or a cool sorcerer. I have a knack for these things. Gimme the crystal and stone I can do this. All you need is lucky fingers."
"How about that!"
“Miss anything?” Then to Will. “What’s Cynidicea?”
Citing an old Pathfinder's incomplete journals (by the name of Holan Parrini), he explains that the legends of Taldor's founding implies that the somewhere in the country there existed a true Azlanti colony called Cynidicea. Nearly as mythical as the ancient empire itself, what happened to it; and it's role in the creation of the Taldan nation is mostly questionable tales and legends that usually involve Aroden.
As you all have seen from the imagery and writing in this pyramid, the couple entombed here were clearly the rulers of Cynidicea, and they were members of that vanished human empire. It seems they battled tne beast Zarga at some point, but how this impacted Taldor or Cynidicea isn't known from either the records or materials you've found.
From a historical perspective, you could be looking having discovered an obscure part of both Azlant's and Taldor's histories. An amazing find in many ways.
"Did I say that my family thought I could be a mage? Not like an archmage or anything but maybe a war wizard or a cool sorcerer. I have a knack for these things. Gimme the crystal and stone I can do this. All you need is lucky fingers."
"How about that!"
Despite the halfling's casual demeanor, there's a sudden brilliance worthy of a master craftsmen in his movements. With a swift series of motions, he places the broken crystal into the central hole in the table and turns it until it locks in place.
The table immediately responds - the crystal shines with a deep cerulian color that makes the five studs light up with a similar color. Similarly the columns of letters on the table also illuminate as if they were made of stained glass in a shade of blue. A deep vibration in the floor indicates something as been awoken beneath your feet.
Just as deftly, Herral takes the green stone and places it at the edge of the table, below the letter columns. It seems to lock itself so that it can slide around the table perimeter, the compass arrow embedded into the stone acting like a pointer to indicate a specific letter on each column.
As soon as he does this, a slight whine like a high whistle briefly is heard and the archway begins to illuminate in a white light as the runes engraved on its shape seem to come alive. The air in the room grows slightly warm; a feeling akin to bees' buzzing caressing everyone's skin; and the smell of air before a thunderstorm permeates the room.
The archway itself - despite all this activity - still only faces a bare wall.
Herral:
Somehow - not sure how - you get the feeling that the crystal's damaged state will only allow for the device to operate for a short time before it burns out. That's apparently part of the process - it uses the crystal as fuel.
To activate the gate - maybe something you remember your family doing in their magic work - all you need to do is put in a word. With Will providing the proper translation, you should be able to enter the right sequence of symbols from the unknown language (to you).
Will (After having recovered from the usually silent Mal's sudden insight into Mystic mechanics) Relates the various translations and shuffling the bits of parchment that they've found, along with his own journal, to put together the picture of exactly what they've discovered.
Will is so engrossed n his excitement over the historical significance of what they have found, that he doesn't even notice Herral playing with the stone until the runes begin to light up and thrum with channeled power.
(At which point he looks a trifle testy, like a lad who finds his friend playing with his favorite toy), but the moment quickly passes as he studies the stones interactions with the runes, and starts shuffling through his journal trying to find a reference,...
"I think,... I think I can translate the runes correctly to open the portal,... but,... which one?!?" He asks, running a hand up through his hair, eyes wide with frustration.
"They COULDN'T have activated the portal, and then removed the stone and placed them on the ground,... so if we go to THAT destination, it probably IS a trap,... but they aren't here, so they had to go somewhere,... Maybe that one we saw running was left behind, to un-set the stone so we wouldn't know where they went?"
Will looks up, his eyes flicking back and forth between his companions as he mentally tries to sift through all of the information that he's holding to make the right choice.
"I can give you key to activate the gate, if we're going to go through,... but I have NO idea which one to use! And I don't think we have a lot of time with that crystal?" He asks, looking at Herral for confirmation.
"Nope, not much time at all! Isn't it exciting! I wonder what we will find." Herral is almost hopping from one foot to the other in his curiosity.
"Let's go."
Simon looks up from where he was examining a skeleton.
"I don't claim to know a thing about such devices or exploration like you Pathfinders but it seems to me that if you suspect that our quarry has prepared a trap and you have no idea as to where they have truly gone, isn't it prudent to return at a later date when you are well-rested and better prepared?"