Gallus gathers the mules and brings them to where Gravus and Cassia Aquila are, keeping a watch for more goblins.
"Bjarturius Rasmus, can you bring down this ladder so the vermin above cannot get down to trouble us further? But we should not tarry overlong, who knows what the creatures could be planning."
Cassia scratches savagely at her leg, peering at it where the rain is washing off the mud and blood.
"I think the rat-thing has poisoned me! It stings like fire!"
She uses her cloak to wipe some of the rain and dirt from her face now that the deluge has abated somewhat.
"The deformed goblin-things suggest that the goblin chief has been able to grant the blessings of four-armed Hextor. How is such a thing possible?"
After Gallus brings the mules and Valeda to Gravus and Cassia Aquila, he looks at those 2 to see if he can help provide any needed medical attention.
Gallus ignores the question about Hextor, but sets to work knocking over ladders if Bjarturius does not do it first.
Valka will take the mules if Gallus goes to bring down the ladder (gladius back in the scabbard).
She will bring the mules close to the entrance.
After Valka will take the lantern out and light it. She will also light up a torch and toss it down the entrance as far as she can so we can see as far as possible before going in.
Although Cassia doesn't have particular confidence in the new guy's medical expertise and would rather Gravus had a look, she'll let Lucius Gallus examine the bite since she herself can't see it properly.
Assuming the first goblin monstrosity's weapons are sized for medium creatures, Cassia will pick up its morning star. It's hardly ladylike, and she swings it awkwardly, but if she is going to get attacked, she wants something which will flatten a foe, not tickle it.
"If ye don't mind," Gravus offers to the patrician woman before taking a quick, almost cursory look at her leg.
"This looks like a simple allergic reaction te this breed of dog's particular mix of parasites," he speaks reassuringly, "I'm certain it'll last no more than a day or so if left alone, as long as ye don't scratch at it too much. Though given ten minutes, I'll be able te mix up a salve te counteract the reaction, and soothe your skin."
"Don't patronise me, dwarf," snaps Cassia (perhaps a little embarassed to have made a fuss?). "When we've time, if your domina permits, something to still the itching. Now someone kill those goblins and destroy the scorpion!"
She flexes her fingers, and scratches near the rash.
Valka throws a lit torch down the Temple tunnel entrance-way. The Torch travels the length of the passage, lands and reveals the sloping passage to be littered with rubble, roughly carved in the rock and 13 paces or so in length (40') before opening into a wider carved chamber. The angle makes it impossible to see into the chamber.
Gallus heaves using all his weight and strength: he is able to rip down the rope ladder leading to the pillar-top.
The thunderstorm is quickly losing in intensity. The heavy rain has become a light drizzle.
The vapors from the Goblin Shaman egg-sac has quickly dissipated with the earlier high winds.
If no one else does so Cassia will try out her new toy on the three sleeping goblins . She studies the scorpion and probably cuts the rope as the easiest way of putting it out of action.
Cassia must have a 'thing' for odd weapons. After staring around intently from the platform she climbs down the stairs and takes one of the bone daggers previously used by the second monstrosity before coming to the entrance to the tunnel down.
All 3 sleeping Goblins are dispatched by Cassia who shows herself to be cold-blooded enough to crush a helpless opponent's skull with her newly acquired morning star. Messy and crude but efficient.
Cutting the cord of the scorpion does prove like the simplest way to deal with this potential threat (without utterly destroying it. Cassia, though not an expert at weapon pricing, is sure a functional scorpion must be worth quite a lot).
One the way back down she picks up one of the bone daggers (after a quick scratch at her itching leg as she bends over to pick it up: just couldn't help herself there). Gallus and Gravus both notice it is slightly different in design than the other three wielded by the Goblin Giant.
By the time Cassia reaches the tunnel entrance, Valka has the hooded lantern lit and ready .
As soon as everyone is together close to the entrance, Valka will give the mules to Gallus and the lantern to Gravus. With her gladius back out and shield as normal to protect her, Valka will go first.
Bjarturius stays close to the entrance, making sure nothing surprises the group while the preparations are made.
When the group gathers to enter, he can be seen a few moments holding his holy symbol, while he prays to the Almighty for the strength and guidance to save his sister...
He then nods in resolute attention to the group and turns around to enter the Temple first...
The 40 foot long deeply sloping tunnel opens into the corner of a wide room, 50 foot wide by 70 long. The room, an ancient hall carved in the stone, is supported by 9 pillars. The long walls are lined with crypt-alcoves, 10 on each side, ritual niches to place sacrifices or the chosen fallen according to Cassia. On the opposite long wall at its center a 10 foot wide staircase leads further down 20 feet and stops at a large stone double door, carved with a four armed part human, part goblin effigy to Hextor. At the center of the hall, a huge pyramid-shaped carved column bears similar engraved effigies of the four armed part human, part goblin representation of Hextor. Each of the four sides of the pyramid-column is carved in the shape of a monstrous clawed arm.
Etched ancient magical Suel writings are inscribed on all sides of this massive 10x10 foot column. Cassia deciphers the magical writings: they reveal an ancient pact between Priests of the God of Carnage and Goblin tribes of the surroundings lands, a pact of War against an unnamed foe. The temple is dedicated to this alliance. The writings are ancient, dating the temple back to at least 5 centuries ago according to Cassia. So old are they that this ancient written Suel varies in both grammar and spelling from its current version, which is already said to be old.
The hall itself is strewn with stone and earthen rubble, along with various small collapses, especially on the near long wall close to the outer tunnel exit. Close examination of the hall reveals 4 small dug passages in the loose earth and stone, 2 on the far wide wall, one on the near wide wall close to the tunnel exit and one in a crypt-alcove on the long far wall. One of the two on the far wide wall and the one in the crypt-alcove are high up, almost at ceiling level (the ceiling being 8’ high). All dug passages are barely wide enough for a human to advance on all fours.
Cassia stares uneasily at the shadows dancing in the lantern light, but the inscriptions and the hints at the rest of the story of Manricus fascinate her. She would clearly wish to spend time here, decyphering every nuance of the Old High Suel.
"We cheer the youth to make his own defence, and freely tell us what he was and whence: What news he could impart we long to know, and what to credit from a captive Foe."
She mutters an old verse, perhaps as an aid to concentration, before she studies the carvings, reporting back the gist of the meaning.
"It looks to me as if the tunnel was dug separately. Think you something dug its way out, or dug its way in?"
Cassia looks at the crypt-alcoves. She finds bones in many of them. Some are fresh, less then a month old she estimates. Cassia notices some teeth marks on a goblin-sized femur: cannibalism? Fed to the Goblin Dogs? Hard to say. Sacrifice remains a possibility but there are no clear signs of ritualistic intent.
Bjarturius goes in front of the double-doors and holds his holy symbol, looking to the ceiling as if searching for the Almighty's presence even in the depth of the earth... He bellows
"I am Bjarturius, chossen of Korud! My sister is sick, py the foul koplin poisson! Shov yourself, shaman, ant I vill not kill you if you heal her! But otervise, py te Almighty, you vill not escape alife!"
He then goes to open the double-doors...
Bjarturius gives a mighty push and the heavy double-doors swing open slowly. After a small ledge, another 10 foot wide staircase leads further down 20 feet into another room, lit by 3 tall flaming braziers.
TEMPLE HEXTOR: FIRST ROOM
Cassia can 'decipher' the magical runes on the floor, each representing a letter:
TEMPLE HEXTOR: FLOOR LETTERS
"Hmmm. I hate puzzles. I have a vague recollection that the elven hero-mage Carnelian faced some such challenge in his journey into the underworld."
Cassia glances at the statues of the goblin warriors and the multiple shadows cast by the flames.
"We could just go around. Or cross by spelling out the name of the Hextor. But, it is also possible to make the name of his brother."
Has there been any change in the spelling of Hextor in the last 500 years? (The writing on the pyramid would show this if I don't know.
Cassia's linguistic insight is correct. She did see just now on that pyramid the writing used is a unique version of 'Old High Suel' she wasn't previously familiar with (varying in both grammar and spelling).
A quick double check at the pyramid to confirm and she arrives at the following conclusion: 'HEXTOR' would be spelled 'HEXTAUR' and 'RONEUS' would be spelled 'RONEUSZ' in this ancient written form of Suel.
Seeing the puzzle, Gallus only thought is spoken, There is no way to get the mules to spell anything there...
With the group considering the problem before them, Gallus turns his back on them and watches to see that nothing is sneaking up on them. Arrow nocked ready for a threat.
Valka feels this room is NOT her strength at all so she will not move or touch anything and just stay on guard, ready for anything! But to what Gallus said she does answer:
"If we can't take the mules with us maybe Bjarturius you should carry Veleda in your arms. I'll stay up front."
"I would suggest H-E-X-T-A-U-R on the way across and R-O-N-E-U-S-Z on the way back. This place is foul with sorcery, stepping on the wrong square may lead to all manner of ills. Probably we will have to abandon the animals, unless Bjarturius Rasmus can actually carry them. Leaving them here is to invite the goblins to loot them and devour them. Can the door be barred or otherwise secured?"
Cassia again scratches at her leg, a look of profound irritation on her face.
"It's doubtful those goblins would be able te open the doors were they simply closed, at least individually, but it should be a simple enough matter te wedge them closed as an extra precaution... It may also be a good idea te secure the mules away from the tiles, in case they wander too close while we're away."
"If you can wedge them closed do it!" Valka says to Gravus.
Valka secures the mules close to the doors away from the tiles as Gravus suggest. She sees Cassia scratching at her leg rash and says:
"Are you all right? What happened to your leg?"
"Can you do something about this?" Valka says to Gravus.
Bjarturius is of course willing to carry Veleda... He agrees to crossing the symbols of "HEXTAUR", while keeping the mules tethered in this room for now, with the double door wedged if possible. He will wait until the path is first crossed to make the crossing, for now keeping ready with his great club, Veleda behind him...
Valka will be the first to cross on the symbols that say "HEXTAUR" . She almost stops before going, as if to do something first. She changes her mind, looks at Veleda to get courage and goes!
Gallus nods in assent to the plan proposed by the others. Wordlessly he helps secure the doors and then hopes for the best as Valka Spartaca begins her crossing.
Perhaps not entirely confident herself, but curious as to the outcome, Cassia loads her sling and watches the courageous barbarian as she cautiously spells out the name of the god of war.
Gravus nods to Valka, before pushing closed the doors and examining them for the best place to wedge them closed, perhaps with a pugio.
Once the doors are secure, he then takes out some dried herbs and grinds them together as he begins preparations for a salve to treat Cassia's leg.
Gravus initially considers a pugio, weighing it in his open palm and carefully observing its shape. He shakes his head slightly as he reconsiders. After a brief pause to think, the Dwarf begins rummaging through the general supplies secured on Erkin the mule. The tent is the answer with its series of small pitons. Using those with expert skill, he drives them, using the butt of his axe, on the double-doors' massive hinges at strategic locations to prevent them from swinging open. A few steps back to admire his handiwork with customary grim Dwarven satisfaction (something akin to 'barely acceptable work, for a Dwarf that is'). Nothing a good ram won't easily break through but it should keep the average Goblin war party at bay.
After that the ever-useful Dwarf (is there something he cannot do?) finishes preparing the herbal salve to heal the 'Goblin Rash' from Cassia's infected leg. The poultice, once applied, immediately causes the itching to gradually subside.
Valka takes a first tentative step on the letter 'H'. Nothing happens. So far so good. 'E' follows, then 'X'. As Valka reaches 'T' she gets the dread sensation the four armored warrior goblin statues' eyes are observing her, following her movements with dark shadowy glares. 'Nonsense' thinks Valka 'It must be a trick of the lights. Or is it?'
Valka presses on to that critical 'A' (would 'O' be the correct letter after all?). Nothing happens. A sigh of relief from the Spartaca. 'U' and 'R' follow: Valka has reached the other side safely. She looks at her companions, feeling a bit silly for having invented ghostly visions.
What she doesn't realize is everyone else in the group noticed the dark shadowy observing eyes as well.
By that time, Cassia's leg feels much better. The rash is now only a light redness of the skin, the itching completely gone.
"Thank you, Valka Spartaca."
Relieved, in more ways than one, Cassia stows her sling again, picks up the morning star and considers her scutum, strapped to the hobbled mule. She shakes her head, deciding that speed of movement is likely to be more value than the improvement in protection, and glances from face to face, eyeing the goblin statues suspiciously.
If no one else moves forward, she will follow the same route, pausing at the letter T, wondering what would happen if the more conventional spelling was chosen. That Hextaur is the god of carnage may give some hint. Following her own suggestion, she steps sideways onto the A and joins Valka on the far side via U and R.
If nothing happens, Bjarturius scoops Veleda in his arms and takes the same path, eager to find the shaman...
Cassia reaches the other side safely, then Bjarturius and so on until the entire group has crossed over.
The opposite double-doors show no signs of being any different from the entry ones. Bjarturius, after laying Veleda down close but not directly in the doorway's path, pushes open the massive doors. They part with a loud creaking sound.
Light from the room (or the lantern carried by Gravus) illuminates part of the wide chamber beyond, making the one the Heroes were in seem like a simple vestibulum:
Massive pillars support the vaulted chamber, a full 5 paces high (15') at the highest points of the vault, under 3 paces (8') at the walls. Dark alcoves, not unlike the one seen in the pyramid room, are barely visible in the dim light. Goblinoid statues loom in the semi-darkness.
Valka lights and tosses the first torch to the right of the central dais and statues (a cluster of 4 statues of armored Goblin warriors). The torch skids off the floor and stops at the foot of yet another support pillar.
Valka tosses a second one to the left.
The resulting illumination lights up the entire chamber and reveals a tomb at the far end. There is a set of double-doors, similar to the ones already seen, at the center of the long wall to the Heroes' right.
TEMPLE HEXTOR: SECOND ROOM AFTER TORCH THROW.
"This...this must be the tomb of Manricus," says Cassia in an uncharacteristically awed tone. "The shaman has surely not come this way. But..." Her voice trails off uneasily.
If the shaman did not come this way, where is he?
"I imagine that the creature crawled away through one of the tunnels, he would have been hard pressed to open and close these doors alone."
Cassia eyes the statues and carvings, curiosity warring with caution. Caution loses and she takes the lantern from Gravus and slowly walks into the room, stopping a few feet from the carving immediately in front of the door.
"These designs have some power and meaning to them, though they are so old that maybe the meaning is lost. Something connected with the statues, probably."
What is the central statue of, now that I've shed some light on it?
Valka will quickly check the floor to see if anyone left tracks on it
AS SOON as Cassia goes in the room Valka will go in too and be right there at her side, with her shield and gladius ready!
Cassia's curiosity leads her inside the vast chamber. Valka follows at her side.
Cassia sees the central statues more clearly: a quartet of armored Goblin Warriors, each facing in a different direction. Their eyes, unlike in the previous room, do not give the impression of observing the Heroes.
The carvings on the floor do not depict any recognizable imagery and look purely decorative to the casual observer. Cassia does, however, make out symbols in some of the lines. One meaning 'crossing', or is that 'traveling'? (Cassia isn't 100% sure). Another meaning 'battle'. At least 4 more (she thinks) whose meanings elude her completely.
Valka checks the dirty floor for tracks: she does notice what could be a partial footprint or two on the floor (in x17y9 and x18y7). They are more or less human size (not Goblin size). Direction is hard to ascertain.
"Hmmm."
Cassia's limited understanding of the carvings doesn't fill her with confidence. Perhaps some form of transportation? But for whom, and what purpose. She beckons the rest of the group on and cautiously walks to pass between the two pillars, skirting the carved areas to the double doors.
Are the two carvings exactly the same, or different?
TEMPLE HEXTOR: CASSIA & VALKA ENTER - MINIS
The carvings 'north' are similar in design/calligraphy but the symbols are different. Cassia can only make out 'death' on this particular cluster.
Valka spots more footprints (half a dozen or so), especially close to the double-doors.
Valka will put her gladius away to get another torch ready and go to that double-door but be careful NOT TO TOUCH that carving on the floor!
She makes a gesture like she's gonna open the doors and unless someone says something, she will open one door, look inside and toss the torch inside (unless there is light there!) and quickly draw her gladius back out!
GRAVUS' ACTION: Gravus will follow Valka into the room so he can get a better look at the designs on the floor, not that he really expects to glean anything more than Cassia. Since the lantern has been taken away, he'll keep his hands empty for now.