"Well, here we are. I say we should camp here, and rest so we can regain our spells. Given the healing effect of this place that should allow us to recover from all our injuries . Let us organize watches, but after tat, what did you see on that scroll Heshan?"
Heshan shook his head in response. "I do not know. It doesn't seem to have a spell at all, only this gem. It does seem to have magical properties, but I have no idea on what it can do."
"A gem?" Ohrmizd asks confused, he does smile though when Heshan admits there was no painting like the one described by Manuun "Well, we will have to wait for our timely return to Kelmerane for such needs" he pats Heshan's back in camaraderie.
"The headband is yours Omari, do not worry" Ohrmizd invites the cleric to wear it.
Once at the garden, Ohrmizd looks for a comfortable place below one of the trees and sits comfortable there "I will take the watch for the next hour if you do not mind. Now I am crashing. I still feel weak since the Passage"
And while taking a snack for some food before having a nap, he adds pointing at the scroll "If it is that blinding powerful, perhaps instead of using detect magic on it, you can try to decipher it the hard way, studying while we others rest. Otherwise, perhaps Father Zastoran will know what it might be..."
"And what of the next steps - are we confident the structure is devoid of gnolls?" - Roryx comments to the others as they settle down, giving Swiper some strips of dried meat for her to munch on.
"I expect the structure is still packed with gnolls" Ohrmizd agrees with what Roryx hints while biting a piece of dried tomatoes "We need to put an end to that Rokova or any other leader. We need to make sure the gnoll tribes do not gather, that there is no war"
Omari ruminates "I am not confident that the temple is devoid of gnolls, but I suspect that they might have cleared out. Gnolls are vicious and evil, but not dumb. We spent several days raiding them last time and killed their chief. This time, we killed that mad alchemist...I suspect they will take the hint and flee, unless some leader, perhaps this Rokova, holds them here."
"That said, potentially the first problem I think we will face on the morrow is the giant centipede thing, when we climb back up the stairs. Any ideas?"
"Not sure what chance we have against that monstrosity" - Roryx replied - "But there are places where it cannot follow us - if we could find such place and lure it there, I am sure Heshan could make short work of it"
"I can summon an animal to bait it with..."
"I thought being the bait was my primary function" Ohrmizd chuckles while taking a slice of cheese.
"I say we deal with the centipede following those plans, then we check what is going on in that floor" the man drinks some water from the fountain and replenishes his waterskin "Who knows, if we are lucky we might find this Rokova or perhaps the gnolls even left already"
Heshan laid a hand to Ohrmizd's shoulder. "You have gone well and beyond in that regard. Let someone else risk their lives for a change." he grinned.
"I do not think we need to worry about the creature as long as we keep quiet. It seems to have a mind of its own without its master."
"Heshan I like your approach - we may well be able to bypass it if we keep silent" - Roryx nods - "But we will not be able to explore the surrounding areas. Which reminds me... Have we decided to take any action regarding those fiery lizardlike creatures? The... Salamanders?"
Ohrmizd smiles at Heshan "You're a wise man sire. I hope we can laugh at all this back at Kelmerane with a cup of that crazy barman's grog"
Then, when Roryx asks about the salamanders, Ohrmizd thinks for a bit before answering "Well, you lot did not want to kill their leader isn't it. We kind of agreed to leave them be"
And turning to Omari, he nods "Let's try this. We sneak through. If we fail to, you try to make that summon, then we run"
If the group agrees with the plan, Ohrmizd casts invisibility on Omari and himself, leaving the others to Heshan.
In the morning, Omari is surprised to find that Khedron has grown overnight and is now large. He looks ruefully at the much larger elk, and the set of armor in his hands and says "Well, I guess we're going to have to get you some new gear", and sets about adjusting the straps on Khedron's saddlebags to fit the much larger animal...
Ohrmizd looks at Khedron in awe "Oh, wow, what have you been feeding that elk, Omari?" he looks at the garden plants and scratches his head, taking a batch of herbs himself and trying to have a bite on them.
Not convinced by the taste he spits it with a grimace "Well, let's get moving"
At the top of the stairs, Ohrmizd casts the invisibility spells and heightened awareness, then, he makes a sign and sneaks forward into the throne room, having a look of what is in there, and specifically, if the worm or Rokova are there.
Ohrmizd makes a sign to the group to advance "The way is clear. Let's hurry up"
Looking to find out the state of the temple and reach the prison, Ohrmizd takes the doors to the west.
Heshan casts Mage Armor and follows Ohrmizd through the rooms.
Roryx zaps his wand of Shield for an added layer of protection, then puts Swiper in his backpack, and follows the others.
Omari follows the others up into observation area for the centipede's pit , Khedron's plate sized hooves going "Clop, clop, clop" as he follows behind...
The group hurries to get out of the area where the huge vermin can roam and into the neighboring room.
Ancient plaster frescoes of serpentine beasts line the walls. An assortment of weapons hangs from spikes pounded into the wall, including a chipped iron great axe, a blood-red leather whip, bladed leather gauntlets, and an assortment of battleaxes and throwing cleavers. Along the north wall, huge semi-circular columns, twenty feet across, intrude into the room, creating wide alcoves, while in the middle of the room rests a pile of bearskins. A set of battered double doors stands ajar to the west.
This room is garishly decorated with weathered bits of junk, faded threadbare tapestries, and broken mosaics—all once rich and lavish items that time has robbed of beauty and value. Now dark stains smear the walls and waste and excrement litter the corners. A pile of rubble and broken furniture seals an archway in the southern wall. Along the northern wall, a fountain carved with intricate geometric patterns trickles a hint of brown, dirty water. You find five gnolls with glassy eyes lying around there, who don't react to your intrusion. The room is filled with a sweet smelling smoke.
While passing through the hall , Omari uses a quick detect magic. In the next room , Omari whispers to Erastil for Guidance
3 rank+3 trained +4 wis+1 guidance
"They are all drugged, and female..."
Omari ponders, and casts Detect Magic again.
There are five hookahs in all, each worth 50 gp. Other valuables in the room include a beautifully crafted book of erotic poetry worth 135 gp inside of a handy haversack, a small fancy box carved from alabaster and inset with colorful rock crystal worth 50 gp, and a rock crystal urn decorated with a detailed etching of a flock of doves worth 265 gp. Finally there are six long-stem gallon bottles of bitter wine, their bases wound with a hempen baskets, worth 5 gp each.
Some of that could be collected from the ground, other items you'd have to wreathe from the hands of the gnolls.
"Not sure if they would even know where to go, if set free" - Roryx looked the female gnolls over. He placed one of the bottles of wine in his backpack, and moved out of the room to stand guard.
The wine bottles are the things they don't want to part with. One gnoll, tries to stop Roryx from leaving with the bottle. But her grab misses and as a result her face kisses the hard floor.
Heshan blinked in surprise as he scratched his head in confusion. "But why would they be..." The implications then hit him and he frowned, shaking his head as he left the place as is.
Ohrmizd approaches the rack of weapons and looks for any fine one they might want to loot, using detect magic in case one is magical.
When faced with the drugged gnolls, he performs a small vow with head "Ladies..." before snatching the gems and other wealth in the room. After seeing Roryx back and forth for the bottles, he decides to just leave them for the junkies "Ah, just let them have it, they are so gone I doubt they will be of no harm for anyone but themselves..."
After this, Ohrmizd moves south "I think the remaining priests were in one of these rooms, isn't it?" he examines the first door for traps and casts shield of faith before trying to open it.
In the hall , Omari inspects the weapons to see if any of them are masterwork; he definitely grabs the whip, and takes any others that are masterwork.
****
In the "harem" chamber
"I'd prefer to kill every gnoll we meet, but this is just pathetic... Leave them the damn wine bottles and let's go." is Omari's sentiment on the matter.
***
Before Ohrmizd opens the next door , Omari says "I think it was a guard post with gnoll warriors in this room. The priests were in the one next door . I say take the priest first, but before we rush them, let Manuun try to jam the lock on this door , so the fight noises don't draw them all out at once. Once we have slain the priests, we can come back for the warriors..."
Manuun did his trick already last time, but the lock is now broken. The priests room is empty. The room of the guards is empty too. Only the room with the old man that was identified as a slave is still occupied.
"Damnation, I knew we should have killed these bastards when we had the chance." Omari clearly regrets that these gnolls escaped their doom. "It seems odd they left the females behind though, not to mention the loot?"
Omari starts when we open the door and see the old man inside: "And I am further surprised they left you behind and alive! I am Omari the landless, and we will have you out of those chains in a minute."
7 rank +3 Trained+4 Wis
"Praise to you and your kindness! The first human face I see in month, and such a good character."
"I'm Amwyr Yuseifah."
The man looks old and worn out. Wearing only a tatty undergarment, he doesn't look dangerous. More like in danger of dying.
When they find the rooms empty, Ohrmizd smiles and sheathes his scimitar starting to understand the situation "Do not let the vile in my friend. The Carrion King is no more. The gnolls are dispersing and in the run. The danger of a war has been averted and our job is now done"
He follows the others to the prison, where he is surprised to still find someone there "You are right Man... although he was still here when we entered the underground, so I do not know..." the Keleshite focuses his look on the prisoner, detecting evil, good, law and chaos on it. Then rotating to poison and magic as the others speak.
"Good to meet you Amwyr Yuseifah, why did the gnolls made you prisoner?" he questions, penetrating the man with his inquisitor inquiring eyes.
"I came here to do business with the gnolls, but they simply threw me into this cell to rot."
Ohrmizd averts his eyes, bringing his hand to the pommel of the scimitar "Even the gnolls know when there is an evil deal ahead"
"Where have they gone now? The gnolls, that is. Did you hear anything in their run?"
Omari's voice is mild as he asks "What kind of business were you doing with the gnolls?"
"I don't know. It is just that for two days no one looked into this cell." Yuseifah explains
"I heard tales of the Carrion King’s extensive harem and wanted to offer him some exotic concubines to add to that."
Already in a less than pleasant mood, Heshan decided to cut to the chase. "Did you happen to know anything about Rokova?"
"No, I never heard that name."
"Now, I am not impressed by your deeds Amwyr Yuseifah" Ohrmizd holds his hand over the pommel of his scimitar "But the Dawnflower trusts in second chances. What can you offer us to trust you deserve one?"
Omari buts into the conversation between Amwyr and Ohrmizd "'Exotic Concubines' means he's a slaver. I say he earned his spot here, so leave him to it."
"Nooo! Don't leave me. I can pay you, when you bring me back to Katapesh!"
"You can pay us?" Ohrmizd looks at the others puzzled, then back at the prisoner to see if he is being honest "We are not interested in your dirty coin, all we want is to find this Rokova and put an end to the gnolls war. Do you have anything to offer in that regard?"
"I don't even know who this Rokova is. And no one is hiding in here, so how would I know?"
Ohrmizd breaths deeply and moves over Amwyr rising high his scimitar. With a decided swing, or multiple ones, he shatters the chains that hold him prisoner and kicks the man's ass for him to stand up "Count yourself lucky I cannot stand the idea of leaving you here to rot without giving you a chance for redemption. You are on your own though. Praise Sarenrae for a second chance, if you are truly repented she might answer your plea and let you survive to this one"
Then, he turns back abruptly and starts walking out of the prison. Feeling Omari and Manuun's displeased looks he just adds "Let the gods decide if he deserves to burn under the desert cleansing warmth"
"Let's get out of this pile of unfathomable ruins. The temple has been clearly abandoned by the gnolls. Time to come back to Kelmerane"
"Thank you, thank you so much!"
"You better hope you have more than just our thanks." He motioned for the man to leave before turning towards the others.
"I agree. That is enough depressing sights for one day."