Rheed moves slowly into the ruins, waiting for the others to follow.
How wide is the path?
Looking up at the runes Ku'ada comments, "Not that I need mention it after the warning Lo'guru gave us, but I believe those runes above the entrance are a warning to intruders that these ruins were cursed by gods or demons who dealt with fire."
Falling in beside Ceer, Ku'ada clutches one of his talismans and begins chanting a mantra, attempting to ward off the bad spirits.
"Relax," Rheed says, grinning back at Ku'ada, "those warnings are probably just to scare off the more superstitious looters. Any actual dangers have likely been worn away by time, or circumvented by Thornleaf."
The thrill of entering a place uninhabited for countless years rekindling a passion long buried, and filling the failed pathfinder with confidence and an eagerness to explore deeper into the city.
Ceer looks around as they pass through the entrance to the ruins. I wonder when we will find signs for Dardin and the others...
Corvus has been in enough ruins in the jungles of the Expanse to kep her wits about her.
She moves carefully, keeping a watchful eye on her surroundings.
Seeing that Corvus was still suffering from the wounds taken earlier, Mo'butu pulls out the wand they had procured earlier, and spoke the divine words to activate same. The wand glowed blue as it touched the barbarian.
Map: Inside the Temple
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As you move into the temple, you enter a wide (10') hall. The walls are composed of smoothly carved bricks, though they are very ancient and have been damaged in some places. After a short distance, you discover that someone has indeed been here before you: a 10x10 foot portion of the floor has collapsed. There is a narrow ledge along the right hand side that you can walk across if you press against the wall. Looking down into the pit, you see that it drops about 30' to another stone floor below. The decayed bones of at least one humanoid creature lie at the bottom of the ancient trap.
Continuing down the hall, you enter a large stone chamber. Two bronze statues stand near the other end of the chamber: the one on the right depicts a beautiful elven woman clad in splendid robes and jewels. Her hands are cupped in front of her, but they do not seem to be holding anything. The one on the left depicts an elven man, similarly clad, though his arms and hands suggest he may once have held a spear or staff of some kind which is no longer there.
There is a large alcove set into both the east and west walls. A hall on the opposite side of the room looks as if it leads further into the temple.
Ku'ada stands on the cusp of the pit when he notices the statues.
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Unfortunately, any tracks that may have been there to discover have been obscured by the recent battle. She doesn't find any signs in the undergrowth, either.
Rheed moves slowly into the room, and after quickly scanning the statues and alcoves, he looks down again at the floor before him, checking for signs of recent activity or hidden triggers.
The alcoves each contain a raised stone "shelf" and you see shards of what might once have been pottery in the east one. The walls of the east alcove are decorated with carvings of fire creatures, while the wall of the west alcove is decorated with a carving depicting Bersathon holding aloft a staff with a burning gem set into its head.
EDIT (more on the statues)
Ceer shuffles slowly as he skirts along the edge of the pit. He grips his crossbow a little tighter as he enters the chamber.
He looks at the statues in wonder and then scans the chamber for anything else.
Garbo--- I mean, Ceer doesn't see anything out of the ordinary.
Ceer looks closer at the female statue. "I wonder if she once held the red stone", he says...
Following Ceer around the pit, Ku'ada replies to Ceer "I doubt it would be kept so close to the entrance... " Catching sight of the west alcove's carvings "... or Bersathon, the male statue here, could have been holding it."
Corvus keeps quiet and her wits about her. In her experience of ruins, the clues so far could be the result of robbers or some intricate trap.
The druid had been following the party silently, not quite sure what to make of the temple so far. "Should we explore further," he asks, looking at the hall continuing further back in the area.
"I think we should, Mo'butu." Ceer replies. "Let me take a quick look for anything unusual though."
"I agree," Rheed answers Ceer, "though something is bothering me about these statues... the woman seems to represent one of the fire spirits who gave the stone to Bersathon, I'm not sure which one, perhaps the markings identify her..." He looks to his companions questioningly before continuing, "It looks like she was once holding out a replica of the Nishati'moto, but the statue of Bersathon also seems to have once held a representation the staff that is shown in these carvings as also bearing the stone."
Looking over to the elves in the group he asks, "Is it common for the same object to be depicted at different periods of time, side by side?"
Turning from the alcove, Ku'ada responds, "Not that I am aware of, Rheed." Ku'ada then wanders over to the statue of Bersathon, and closely inspects the hole where the butt of the staff would go, suspecting some sort of mechanism.
Ku'ada stoops to inspect the hole and discovers that a copper coin has been wedged into the bottom. It is slightly covered with grit and the coin is dull, so it is difficult to notice until closely inspected.
Reaching into the hole, Ku'ada stops himself shot as he thinks for a moment...
"Hey Rheed, look at this."
Hearing his name, Rheed walks over to Ku'ada's side and crouches down to look into the hole.
"Well now..." He mutters, "if I had to guess, I'd say that whoever took the staff was a professional, looks like whatever trap was protecting it has been bypassed by wedging that coin into the trigger."
"I wouldn't recommend taking it out," he adds as an afterthought.
Rheed knows enough to realize that the coin was wedged there for a reason, and taking it out would make... something... happen.
Nodding to himself as he rises, he offhandedly remarks "yeah, don't touch that."
Moving over to the other statue suspiciously, he looks closely at the outstretched hands. "I wonder if this statue has anything similar."
The palms of the female statues' hands are worn/aged "differently" than the rest of the statue, but you can't particularly tell why. They seem more "polished."
Ceer walks over closer to Rheed and the statue to examine the hands.
You think the hands have likely been heated and cooled repeatedly over the centuries.
"Odd shine to them," Rheed comments to Ceer as he looks at the hands, "I wonder what caused that."
"Odd shine to them," Rheed comments to Ceer as he looks at the hands, "I wonder what caused that."
"I think they have been affected by fire over the years. Maybe from rituals or a battle or something like that."
"Hmm... I doubt that it was battle that caused this, it's only the hands that are affected."
Right! Ceer spends a few rounds filtering through the various auras around his companions, and discovers that any magic that may once have been in this room has long since dissipated.
He does, however, sense a faint aura coming from back outside, above the arched entrance, where the assassin vine was "hiding."
Ceer's eyes widen as he senses a presence outside. "Rheed", he whispers, "there is something outside above the archway. Not sure if it is alive or not."
He signals to the rest of the party with hand gestures pointing outside and up.
Rheed looks to Ceer, then his turns his gaze outside. Moving slowly back to the exit, skirting around the pit, Rheed takes a glance out of the archway.
Then he skillfully and ever so gracefully stumbles over his own feet and stands back in the clearing.
Rheed doesn't see anyone, or any movement for that matter, but he notices that above the archway is a sort of "ledge" which sticks out slightly from the rest of the building. The assassin vine had previously been resting on it.
Ceer follows Rheed outside.
He points up at the archway to indicate where he detects the presence.
The ledge is about 10' up. You detect several faint magical auras up there. Fortunately, the side of the temple is covered with (non-assassin) vines.
"I can climb a little bit, but I am no expert. I can give someone a boost, though, if we would rather inspect the ledge that way," the druid offers to the rest of his friends.
Recovering himself from his misstep, Rheed walks over to the wall and clutches tightly to the vines before looking over to Mo'butu, "If you would," he says to the druid.
He threads his fingers together as a basket, and boosts Rheed, so that he can get to the shelf located approximately 10' above.
Climb (Assist Other)
Ceer concentrates the spell on the ledge. "Right over there" he says to Rheed as he clambers up the wall.
Out of curiosity, Ku'ada follows the group out and looks up at where Ceer is indicating. After mumbling and articulating arcane gestures, Ku'ada takes a second look.
Corvus indicates that those remaining inside the temple should follow the rest of the group. "In my experience, splitting up never leads to anything good."