Age of Worms IC

[Eurus]

Miners flood the streets as work let out for the weekend, eager to spend their earnings on all manner of vice and entertainment. The sun is starting to dip below the horizon, but it's likely that some won't be home until dawn, if at all. The gossip in every pub is about the three heroes from the Free City; two humans and an elf, they say, planning to explore the Stirgenest Cairn tomorrow.

As those who snicker behind their hands are well aware, of course, the Stirgenest Cairn has been empty for years. But some of the more thoughtful residents are already planning ahead, whether for want of safety or profit.

Wei Wyval
The dragonchess parlor known as Lazare's House is one of the town's higher-class establishments, catering to those with taste and money. Many people do business in these quiet alcoves, over a glass of quality wine and a casual game. One such man is here with you now, a rail-thin figure with wrinkled skin and baggy silk robes by the name of Hargran, to negotiate the purchase of a large supply of kalamathis.

The Twilight Monastary is the exclusive grower of the psychotropic kalamathis plant, although the monks are forbidden from taking it except for in the occasional ritualized meditation. Elder monks usually handle the bargaining, but the ever-inscrutable Izenfen has seen fit to appoint Wei to the task this time for some reason. Fortunately, the negotiations went smoothly, and Hargran seems about to leave.

"A pleasure doing business with you, son. I'll be back next year, I'm sure, if all goes well."

Corbin Vincent
The dragonchess parlor known as Lazare's House is one of the town's higher-class establishments, catering to those with taste and money. Many people do business in these quiet alcoves, over a glass of quality wine and a casual game. Some of those people might even be interesting, if the tip you got was accurate.

The House's hostess is conveniently preoccupied right now, which is good since you're not exactly the usual crowd for this kind of place. Fortunately, you notice the very man you're here for at a secluded table in the corner. Wei Wyval, primary liason to the Twilight Monastary, and supposedly a man of some unusual talents and ancestry. He's talking to a wrinkly-looking fellow in an equally wrinkly robe, but that man appears to be taking his leave.

Solina Rimecurst
The dragonchess parlor known as Lazare's House is one of the town's higher-class establishments, catering to those with taste and money. Many people do business in these quiet alcoves, over a glass of quality wine and a casual game. You're currently here with Allustan, sitting across from the wizard at a table that looks down onto the first floor from a quiet balcony.

As much as the mage normally enjoys a good game of dragonchess, he merely toys with one of the pieces at the moment, until the hostess moves out of earshot, at which point he takes a deep breath that presumably indicates a speech coming on.

"So -- ah, thank you for coming on such short notice, by the way -- but yes, I called you here because of these adventurers everyone's been talking about lately. I haven't met them myself, I'm sure they're fine people, but you know how it is... once they get involved, collateral damage is inevitable."

"The Stirgenest Cairn is bare, of course, but I doubt they'll be content to simply go home empty-handed. Which leads me to my request. I've had my eye on the Whispering Cairn for a while now. It had its share of attention years ago, but I suspect that not all of its secrets have been unearthed quite yet. And of course, nobody's ventured too deep since the last few deaths. It would mean a lot to me if you'd check it, before those fellows get in there; I'd do it myself, but I'm not getting around so easily these days."

"I'll to pay you fairly for anything you find, of course. It would be rather unwise to go alone, but I'm sure you know some trustworthy types, yes? I'd just rather not see it all end up in some collector's mansion in the Free City, when there's so much about the history of this area that we don't know..."

Thrae Hesjing
The dragonchess parlor known as Lazare's House is one of the town's higher-class establishments, catering to those with taste and money. Many people do business in these quiet alcoves, over a glass of quality wine and a casual game.

After news of of the three adventurers from the Free City reached the Lodge's current elder, Nogweir, he asked Thrae to step in. You have his permission -- as well as a purse of 50 gold to use for supplies and payments if necessary -- to lead an expedition into the Whispering Cairn, which he suspects will be the next target of the adventurers, to see if the crumbling tomb has anything of importance to the tribe that should be recovered or protected.

Which is why you're here now. Lazare himself is known to keep records of the town's more trustworthy "freelancers", which he's often willing to share for a price. Wei Wyval should also be here this evening, conveniently enough, negotiating trade deals on behalf of the monastary. If he can't help out himself, he could likely recommend a monk or two.

Dannath, the hostess -- and Lazare's daughter -- notices you and steps over with a smile.

"How can I help you, miss?"

[Answerer]

Thrae smiles. "Dannath, when are you just going to greet me by name? You do your family honor, but really, I wouldn't mind you calling me 'Thrae,' I mean it. Anyway, I'm looking for your dad, the Lodge has a request for him. Also, have you seen Wei Wyval tonight? He should be in town for the Monastery tonight, if I've got the moon right, and I have a question for him..."

Assuming she shows me/directs me to her father,

"Greetings sir, I, Thrae‘edar Ixen Hesjing, on the behalf of the Bronzewood Lodge of the Cairn Hills, wish you well and beg your attention for a moment. The Lodge requests your consultation on a private matter, and would gladly recompense you for the advice." Thrae stands their a moment trying to look official, but soon chuckles at herself and softens a little, "Sorry, official business means I'm supposed to be all official-like. But seriously, do you think you could help me pick out some trustworthy folk for a bit of an excursion? Quietly, you know how it is..."

Thrae is also looking around for likely suspects, and for Wei in particular.

[THEChanger]

Corbin grinned from under his hood as he saw the man Wei was speaking to get up to leave. Now was his chance to corner the mysterious man. If the rumors were true, there was much Corbin could learn from him. Corbin slid across the floor, waiting patiently until the man departed. Once the elderly gentleman had, Corbin plopped himself down infront of Wei. "Hello. Are you perchance Wei Wyval?"

[gparali]

Wei was happy the meeting with Hargran was over. Why Izenfen made him handle the negotiations was beyond him. People felt uncomfortable around Wei and he felt uncomfortable around most people, Izenfen knew that.

“At least it is over…’ he thought as he felt a weight lifting off his chest.
He turned to gather his papers when a stranger sat at his table.

"Hello. Are you perchance Wei Wyval?"

Wei, taken aback by the strangers appearance, took a few moments to answer.

“Eh, yes. Yes I am. How can I help you?” he said uncertainly.

[Lord_Gareth]

Solina runs her hand through her hair, a bad habit she picked up a long time ago - the motion helps her think, but it also sends small icicles plunging to the floor where they shatter and melt rapidly. "I think I know someone with an interest," Solina admits thoughtfully. I won't do it for free, though. I have enough trouble making ends meet. We'll discuss a percentage after I manage to crack a look at it. Fair enough?"

The frozen mage takes a look at the first floor and quirks an eyebrow to herself when she sees Thrae down there. An interesting coincidence - and a nice opportunity, assuming she could break away from this old wizard to go talk to her.

"Actually, why don't I see who I can scrounge together and we'll negotiate after the fact, hey? Call it good faith." Solina stands up and offers one pale, frost-coated hand for a slightly damp handshake. "Deal?"

[THEChanger]

"Ah! Excellent! My name is Corbin. Corbin Vincent. I'm what you might call a magical researcher. I've heard some stories about a peculiar sort of magic practiced in the area, and your name came up in connection with it. I was wondering if you wouldn't mind answering a few questions for me? Purely regarding your magic tradition, of course." From out of his robe sleeves, Corbin withdrew a small black book and a raven feather quill. The quill itself seemed to lack any source of ink, and the book was covered in sigils and strange carvings. It certainly wasn't any recognizable language. Corbin opened the book to an open page, and looked at Wei expectantly.

[Eurus]

Thrae

Dannath chuckles and nods, lapsing slightly into her rural accent as she relaxes. "Alright, Thrae, if yeh twist my arm. My dad's in the back, but he should be... ah, there, hold on."

Lazare picks that moment to emerge from the back, and Dannath catches his attention with a silent glance. He calmly steps forward, nodding politely to Thrae with his usual slow solemnity.

"I see. I can certainly make some calls, if you like-"

"Oh, Mr. Wyval should be right there, by the way."

Dannath pointed over to where Wei now sat with a new man, at one of the more secluded tables. Less than pleased by the interruption, but far too polite to call her on it, Lazare gave the girl an apparently placid glance that nevertheless made her blush.

"Ah, sorry..."


Solina

"Wonderful!"

Allustan returns the handshake with a grin, and drains the rest of his glass with practiced ease after rising. Showing off his age, the old mage yawns and brushes off his robes.

"I think I will return home for an early night, then. Please do feel free to ask, if you require any advice or assistance."

[Answerer]

OK, gonna do a few rolls here and my comments to Lazare will depend on their outcome.

1. Have my superiors said anything specific about Lazare regarding his trustworthiness?

2. Have I heard that he is trustworthy/discrete? [roll0]

3. Does Thrae personally trust him? [roll1]

EDIT: Way to roll a 4 and 7, Thrae...

If Thrae hasn't been instructed otherwise, has heard good things, and personally trusts him, then I'll go with this:

"Indeed, sir; the Lodge is concerned that these adventurers are going to be dissatisfied with Stirgenest Cairn, and move on to Whispering Cairn... the Lodge is worried about it, sir. There were those deaths, and they don't want someone to break some important seal or trigger a curse or anything like that. Not to mention they don't want anyone defiling any of our ancestors' remains... Do you know any competent folks who can be trusted not to just take the first thing that looks valuable and run?"

If Thrae does not trust him, she'll be less explicit:

"Indeed, sir; we need some competent folks who can be trusted not to run off with the first thing that looks valuable, and who will respect the Lodge's traditions. They would, of course, be compensated so they don't need to run off with the first thing that looks valuable, but well, you know the sort who would anyway."

In case it's unclear, Thrae would lean on the side of caution here. She's only going to be more specific if she has actually heard specifically that he's discrete, and she's confident in her own read of the man.

Regardless, after that she will say this:

"Also, what can you tell me of the man with Wei Wyval over there? I've spoken to him a few times; he seems to be a magician of some sort, had a lot of questions about the Lodge's magic. He seemed competent, and... well, his motives did not seem to be money, at any rate, which might bode well for him being helpful. I was intending to ask Mr. Wyval in any case..."

Assuming Lazare doesn't out-right recommend against Corbin, she'll thank him, and head over towards Wei, but notice Solina looking at her and go to her instead.

"Ah, Solina. Actually, I was wondering... I can make no guarantees, but the Lodge has some tasks it needs done, and it may help you in your negotiations with the ancestors if you'd done some work for the Lodge. This case, in particular, requires a bit of delicacy and discretion that may be hard to find during the excitement – you see, we're worried about the Whispering Cairn. These cityfolk, so-called adventurers, when they don't find anything in Stirgenest, they'll probably head that way. And the Lodge is not convinced that Whispering Cairn is a safe place to let outsiders go traipsing about in. Would you care to join me in exploring it?"

[gparali]

Wei didn’t feel comfortable with most people, and strangers asking questions definitely belonged to the “most people” category.

“Well…I guess” He finally answered, resigning himself to Corbin’s company.

“But really, If you are interested in magical traditions you would be better served by talking with the people from the Bronzewood Lodge. Ours is not really a magical tradition but rather a way of thinking and living.”

[Lord_Gareth]

Solina's quest to go talk to Thrae is unexpectedly interrupted by Thrae coming to talk to her; the frozen mage is halfway down the stairs when the shaman intercepts her. Solina grins when the shaman speaks to her, then points at the balcony table that she and Allustan just left, ""Care to take a seat?"

Assuming Thrae follows Solina back to her table, the young wizard sits back down (her clothing cracks and pops, bits of water sliding to the floor as the ice thaws and re-freezes) and smiles at her friend. "I've actually been asked to look into this myself, Thrae - Allustan has an interest in preserving our cultural heritage, evidently, and I'm hoping to extract a cut of what we can find from him. But by the Ruby Lady, I'd also love dearly to have you at my back for this. Think we can work something out?"

[THEChanger]

Corbin smiled as Wei continued to sit, and jotted a few notes into the black book. His quill glowed with a soft purple-ish light, and as it touched the page, the smell of smoke fell lightly around him. "Well, I'll have to inquire about them next. But for now, let's focus on your way of life, if you prefer to call it that. The monastary does teach a way which does give a kind of power, irregardless of whether that is the goal, yes? Or are those rumors incorrect?" Corbin's words flew out of his mouth, almost too rapid for Wei to follow. He was clearly very excited about his research. Though his quill was rather odd, and so were his solid black eyes.

[gparali]

“Well, what the monastery teaches are martial arts and meditation techniques. Most of the monks have no supernatural powers, but it is true that a few, after years of training, attain some kind of connection with the Cosmos. That connection is usually accompanied by the development of some unusual powers.”

As he talks, Wei’s attention is drawn by the quill and notebook. He hasn’t delved seriously into the knowledge of the arcane but he has studied spellcraft in general as well as read a lot on the subject of the Planes. He tries to remember if there is a spell capable of enchanting a quill to write without ink or if there is a planar language that corresponds to the symbols on the notebook.


Spellcraft:[roll0]
Knowledge (The Planes):[roll1]

[Eurus]

Wei

Although quite knowledgeable in the subject of magic, Wei doesn't recognize the technique used. Rather, what he sees is an exertion of raw power wielded as carefully as a scalpel, delicately charring letters into paper without the medium of spell or relic to shape it.

Thrae

Lazare doesn't often interact with the Lodge, so Thrae's knowledge is limited. The man is inscrutable, but unfailingly polite. The more discreet explanation seems to at least somewhat satisfy him, though, and he nods thoughtfully.

"I will attempt some inquiries, if you like. As to the newcomer, I've heard little about him so far except that he's been attempting to speak with anyone displaying unique magic. One does hear rumors, but I generally don't feel confident enough in such gossip to repeat it."

[Answerer]

Thrae smiles, "Oh yeah; the Lodge is just being cautious anyway. The rumors are ugly, but I dunno, I've been over there a few times, I doubt we'll find anything too troubling. As far as 'working something out,' I'm easy: as long as it's not going to release some horrible evil and it's not great-great-great-and-so-on grandparents' remains, you're welcome to anything that's down there.

"I was planning on asking at least one other person along on this trip; do you know Wei Wyval? He's out of the Twilight Monastery; he seems a good sort, not likely to defile the cairn, plus those monks know their business. I notice he's talking to that man, Corbin; did he seek you out? Wanted to know all about my ancestors' magic," Thrae rolls her eyes, "but I think he knows his stuff pretty well. Do you know anything of him?"

[Lord_Gareth]

"Corbin? Never heard of the guy." Solina looks over the balcony at Wei's conversation partner, making a brief appraisal of him. She vainly attempts to warm her hands by blowing on them, but her breath is colder than her skin is and she swiftly jams them into her pockets. "Wei's a pretty solid sort from what I know, and if this 'Corbin' guy is honestly researching magic then I'd be inclined to take him over some village smith or sell-sword. Scholars tend to respect things a bit more, if you take my meaning."

[Answerer]

"That's exactly what I thought! And yet... his questions worried me some. He seemed somewhat... almost upset about my devotion to my ancestors. Hopefully we don't run across some dear object of great magical power. We should be safe otherwise."

[THEChanger]

Corbin smiled just a little bit as Wei began to talk about the Cosmos. He had come across this idea before, that the universe had some sort of internal power besides the arcane. He wasn't sure about that, but he was willing to believe in the power such devotees possessed. "Could you perhaps elaborate on this "Cosmos" concept? What does such study entail?"

[gparali]

“Well, the monastery’s teachings argue that there are two fundamental forces that comprise the Cosmos. These two forces are always in opposition and always in balance. We name them Yin and Yang but you probably know them with different names; light and darkness, body and spirit or maybe creation and destruction. But the best translation is Creation and the Void. The monastery’s training helps you understand this dual nature of existence, both the Oneness which connects everything, and the Void between. The interplay between these two aspects, which parallels the dichotomy of body and spirit within your own body, may grant substantial power to those who study it and can claim it as their own.”

Wei stops to seep a little water before continuing on.

“As far as the training itself is concerned, as I told you, it is only martial arts and meditation. You train constantly until you can do both of these things without thinking and then they cease to be two separate things and become one. It is the only way to bring your body and spirit into balance and thus gain some real understanding of the interplay and balance between the Ying and the Yang.”

As he finishes, Wei drinks the last of his water.

“But what about you Mr. Corbin. What is the source of your power? To which magical tradition do you belong?”

[Lord_Gareth]

"Even if we aren't safe otherwise, you remember what your tribesmen told me - 'too much anger'," Solina grins in friendly jest. "I think I can calm the hell down all over Mr. Corbin if it has to come down to that, hey? So we go in, you claim anything that belongs to your tribe, I turn over the rest to Allustan for his cultural preservation initiative and all four of us go home paid and happy. Shall we head downstairs and invite the other two?"

Solina stands and stretches (with the gentle click of her spine re-aligning and the unsubtle cracking of the sheets of ice that froze to her bad posture) but waits to follow Thrae downstairs, reasoning to herself that it'd probably be more politic to let the shaman take the lead for this expedition.

[Answerer]

I'm going to assume that you said "over there" instead of "downstairs" since so far as I can tell, we're all on the same floor.

Thrae walks over to Wei and Corbin. "Hiya, boys. Was wondering if you'd have any interest on a little... expedition. There'd be some pay, a little adventure, possibly treasure, if you can be discrete and respectful."

[gparali]

Wei’s question to Corbin remains unanswered as Thrae interrupts them. Wei gets up and smiles as he greets Thrae and Solina.

“Hello Thrae, Solina. I would be happy to help, although I cannot speak for Mr. Corbin. But please, sit and tell us about this expedition”

As he talks, Wei draws out two chairs for Thrae and Solina.

I assume Wei knows Solina, if only passingly

[Answerer]

"Well, it's like this. Those adventurers, they're starting with Stirgenest Cairn, which is a bit daft because everyone knows that's empty. But they're probably not going back home empty-handed, yeah? So I figure – the Lodge figures – they'll probably try Whispering Cairn next. And well, the Lodge never was sure that everything was unearthed from that one. There were those deaths... Basically, we want to make sure there's not anything down there that they might stumble over and cause a problem. No... ancient curses, seals over great evils, that sort of thing. There probably isn't, but the Lodge didn't get where it is without being careful. Lord knows that some of those cairns probably do have that sort in them. And also, any remains, relics, those should be removed just to protect our ancestors and their memories, out of respect.

"So! If you can respect my ancestors and aren't going to go running off with devices of horrible evil, you can go on an adventure, keep anything that's safe, and you'll get a bit of pay, too. Sound good?"

[THEChanger]

“Well, the monastery’s teachings argue that there are two fundamental forces that comprise the Cosmos. These two forces are always in opposition and always in balance. We name them Yin and Yang but you probably know them with different names; light and darkness, body and spirit or maybe creation and destruction. But the best translation is Creation and the Void. The monastery’s training helps you understand this dual nature of existence, both the Oneness which connects everything, and the Void between. The interplay between these two aspects, which parallels the dichotomy of body and spirit within your own body, may grant substantial power to those who study it and can claim it as their own.”

Wei stops to seep a little water before continuing on.

“As far as the training itself is concerned, as I told you, it is only martial arts and meditation. You train constantly until you can do both of these things without thinking and then they cease to be two separate things and become one. It is the only way to bring your body and spirit into balance and thus gain some real understanding of the interplay and balance between the Ying and the Yang.”

As he finishes, Wei drinks the last of his water.

“But what about you Mr. Corbin. What is the source of your power? To which magical tradition do you belong?”


"Interesting. A dualistic interpretation of the universe. I've not actually encountered such a philosophy in practice before, though I've read about such in my research." When his own magic was mentioned, Corbin chuckled a little. "Well, I don't usually like to talk about myself, but-" It was at this point that Thrae and Solina approached the two. "Ah! Miss Thrae. A pleasure."


"Well, it's like this. Those adventurers, they're starting with Stirgenest Cairn, which is a bit daft because everyone knows that's empty. But they're probably not going back home empty-handed, yeah? So I figure – the Lodge figures – they'll probably try Whispering Cairn next. And well, the Lodge never was sure that everything was unearthed from that one. There were those deaths... Basically, we want to make sure there's not anything down there that they might stumble over and cause a problem. No... ancient curses, seals over great evils, that sort of thing. There probably isn't, but the Lodge didn't get where it is without being careful. Lord knows that some of those cairns probably do have that sort in them. And also, any remains, relics, those should be removed just to protect our ancestors and their memories, out of respect.

"So! If you can respect my ancestors and aren't going to go running off with devices of horrible evil, you can go on an adventure, keep anything that's safe, and you'll get a bit of pay, too. Sound good."

Corbin grinned. "A chance to do more research, and to see you and Wei here in action? How could I refuse!" Corbin turned to the other woman who walked beside Thrae. He smiled up at her. She was odd looking. Pale. Cold. But Corbin knew about looking odd. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing. "You haven't introduced us to your lovely friend, Thrae. Who might you be?"

[Answerer]

"Ah, my apologies! Corbin, Wei, this is Solina Rimecurst, of Diamond Lake; Solina, these are Wei Wyval, of the Twilight Monastery, and Corbin Vincent... Corbin, I'm sorry, but I can't recall... where did you say you were from again?"

[Lord_Gareth]

Solina smiles politely as she's introduced, trying to keep her feet on the chair and off of the floor (one needs only to freeze one's feet to the floorboards once). "I'm certain he didn't, Thrae," she says cheerfully, flicking her gaze at Corbin for a quick appraisal. A scholar? Solina wasn't sure. He didn't really have the look of it about him, but, then again, neither did she. The wizard flexes her fingers to keep them from freezing into place and sets a hand on the table to steady her balance.

"Like Thrae said, my name is Solina, of the family Rimecurst. We aren't the most popular people around, as a quick glance around the establishment should tell you." Her grin turns mirthless and sarcastic; clearly this is a sore spot for her. "And while I appreciate the flattery, blind men know that I am far from 'lovely', Mr. Corbin, and I'll thank you to acknowledge that."

[gparali]

“I for one would be happy to help out Thrae” Wei says with a smile. He then turns towards Corbin.

“I believe Miss Solina is right though, you haven’t told us where you are from or anything else about you for that matter. Since we will be in this expedition together it would be useful knowing some more details about who you are. ”

[THEChanger]

Corbin stared directly at Solina, holding her gaze as she denied his compliment. He seemed about to speak, but then Wei spoke up. A small puff of air escaped his lips, and he turned towards the man he had been interviewing. "Well, I am the third son of the Vincent family. My father is the lord of a piece of land far to the north. He had two children before me. The first would have become Lord Vincent when my father died, and the second joined the church of Pelor, which is dear to my father. I was the third, and no opporunity for advancement was left for me at my home. So I left to journey, and found that I had a talent for a rather unique form of magic. That led to my interest in other forms of magic." Corbin grinned. "Been wandering ever since. Everything I learned, I keep in my black book. I write in a cypher of my own devising, based on Infernal. Not the most likable language, I know, but I find it keeps nosy folks out." With that said, Corbin bounced out of his chair. His black eyes sparkled, and his grin only grew wider. "Now, if we're done chatting about my sordid past, let's get going. Oh, a possibly haunted cairn, two new sorts of magic to observe, the only way this day could get any better is if we actually did find something sealed down their!"

[Answerer]

Thrae looked at Corbin... this may have been a great mistake...

[gparali]

"Ok it is settled then, we go. But night is fast approaching, there might be nothing there but I believe it would be more prudent to go tomorrow morning. What do you say? Shall we split now and meet…let’s say tomorrow at 10 outside the Cairn?”

[Answerer]

"Sounds fine to me. I'll see you there."

Since it's still evening yet, and Thrae should be reasonably comfortable with the trip, how conceivable is it that Thrae can go back to the Lodge to report, and head down to the Cairn after? Mostly, I suppose, I'm asking if the Cairn is closer to the Lodge than town is, since if it's three hours there and more than three hours back, that's not leaving a lot of time for sleep.

If she cannot get to the Lodge, she will leave a note with Merris Sandovar (who, from my understanding, is the real pusher of Lodge interests in town).

[Eurus]

Thrae manages to report back to the Lodge and get a night's sleep, and the group re-convenes the next day...


It's late in the morning by the time the party spots the Cairn's entrance, a wide monolith-lined opening partially obscured by underbrush and boulders. Through it, the first few feet hall of smooth stone is visible, about 20 feet wide and tall. The interior quickly fades into darkness, though, revealing little else from this distance.

[Answerer]

"Man, this is the worst part of my job... this place sucks. Anyway, in we go."

[THEChanger]

"Hold on." Corbin began to rummage around in his backpack, and removed a long, curved iron rod with a golden stone at the end. He smacked the golden stone against his boot, and it began to glow with a bright light. "Should last us six hours. I've got a few more in my bag, but we shouldn't need much more. Right?"

[gparali]

“I should hope so. Ok, I guess I should take point” Wei says.

He walks near the entrance. He first looks inside from the entrance, to make sure the coast is clear, and then enters the Cairn.

Senses
Darkvision 60ft

[Eurus]

Wei:

Scanning the dark hallway, Wei sees that it extends a great distance into the hill, slowly sloping downward. The walls are etched with horizontal patterns at about waist height, delicately detailed in some spots and worn almost flat in others. Occasional flakes of the once-vivid paint that probably decorated this area long ago are now the only traces of color.

Perhaps forty feet down, the hall reaches a four-way intersection, branching to the left and right in addition to continuing forward. And near this intersection, a lumpy shape can be seen, almost like a large humanoid figure sitting or hunched over.

Strigz:

It's hard to hear much over the ever-present murmur of the drafts that fill this place, but the soft crunch of footsteps gets your attention. You see one figure slowly advancing into the cairn, two others behind it just outside the entrance.

[Answerer]

"Oh, darn. You did that fast; you shouldn't have wasted it..." Thrae unties the pouch that's tied around her neck, and reveals a small, brightly-glowing object. Once your eyes have adjusted, you see it's a small glass vial filled with some glowing liquid. "This is liquid sunlight; its glow never ceases. I uh, have some more if you like?" Thrae pulls another pouch out of her backpack and reveals four more such vials.

20 gp for continuous light-as-a-torch. Also, they can be used as throwing weapons against creatures with light sensitivity, not they do very much against such things.

[gparali]

“Guys….I think someone is in there. Better be ready for a fight.” Wei says He wait until the others are ready and then carefully approaches the figure on the floor

[Medic!]

Strigz
Strigz slowly rises to his feet, standing up onto his tip-toes, arms up and out, stretching to greet the day. His eyes blink at the intrusion of light.

His voice rumbles across the cavern like gravel down a chute,
If you're looking for a fight you've chosen poorly.

Description copy-paste:
Strigz is a mountain of silver scales in a barely-fitting chainmail shirt with a greatsword strapped to his back that almost looks more like a hand-and-a-half. His golden eyes flash with fervor, his body ripples with muscle.

[Answerer]

"In the name of the Bronzewood Lodge, who have watched over this cairn for ages immemorial, I demand you identify yourself. If you seek to defile this monument, you can be assured that we have not chosen poorly."

[Medic!]

Strigz Kulkodar

The words come unbidden to Strigz's lips, "Si mi vi darastrix di aryte, Caex di wer Ux Ithael."*

Though the speech comes out flawlessly, a look of confusion and surprise mask his features.

"I am not here to defile." his face takes on something of a droop, "Just a hungry, cold priest, brought here for safety. Now, in the name of He Who Sees All Under the Skies, it is the Strigz Kulkodar's turn to demand your name and purpose.

*I am a dragon of war, Sword of the Platinum Wyrm.
Yup, I'm THAT much of a nerd! If anyone's super super curious, This is a draconic translator. (http://draconic.twilightrealm.com/)

[gparali]

Wei speaks, uttering words not meant for human throats.

"Mobi ui thric rigluin ihk ripeik. Yth jatil thric levnim."*

"We are sent to make sure the Cairn is safe. We wish no trouble with you. I am Wei Wyval, representative of the Twilight Monastery. This is Thrae‘edar Ixen Hesjing of the Bronzewood Lodge and this is Corbin Vincent who is assisting us."

As he speaks he lowers the point of his glaive but doesn't relax completely.


*There is no need for combat. We mean no harm

[Medic!]

Strigz

The towering Strigz listens intently to the new speaker. His scales seem to fluff out for a moment, like a bird puffing up to preen itself, then flatten down again. His golden eyes pass over the three standing before him.

His words reverberate with the stone in a deep rumble, Well met, Wei Wyval, Thrae'edar Ixen Hesjing, and Corbin Vincent. I am unsure why I am here...this place called me to this spot, then it went silent like prey under the shadow of great wings. What is this place? Am I here for you or does another come? The confusion in his voice is palpable, with a tinge of sadness punctuating his questions.

[Answerer]

(just to clarify, Thrae's name is Draconic for "Earth Air Fire Water" according to Races of the Dragon, but Thrae doesn't speak it)

"Oh eskoot,"
(Ignan: "Oh shut up.")

Thrae's got a headache already from all the Draconic being thrown around; the language already irritated her. "Let's keep it in Common, hey? You're a priest? To which god?"

Assuming he clarifies re: Bahamut, she'll go on: "This cairn is ancient, one of many dotting these hills. The Bronzewood Lodge watches over this land, cairns included; many of them are monuments to our ancestors, though not every cairn here is. There are some adventurers from the city looking to loot a cairn. They're starting with one we know to be empty and harmless, but this one is next-closest and we're not sure that it is either empty or harmless.

"A few people died here many years ago under mysterious circumstances, and people have avoided it since. The Lodge has sent a few people to look into it, and found nothing, but no systematic investigation. That's what we're here for. If you will respect my ancestors and aid us in handling anything dangerous we might find, you are welcome to aid us."

[Medic!]

Strigz

Strigz looks again over each member of the group standing before him. He was guided here, and they seem to be on a wholesome mission.

"You are the first ones I have seen come in here since last night. I can go with you. That is my purpose here is it not?"

He turns his gaze down each cooridor of the intersection slowly, eyes slipping into the Darkvision spectrum. "I think it is anyway." Confusion creeps into his voice again as it reverberates off the floor, ceiling, and walls. He looks to Wei, "If you will have me, I will join you. Is this place dangerous? I would not want you all in any danger.

[Answerer]

"Oh, well, it's... probably not dangerous. But it might be, and we want to be sure before the city-slickers start bumbling around in here. For myself, I expect there'll be nothing; I mostly wish to ensure that any relics or remains of my ancestors are safely relocated before they come in here and wreck the place."

[gparali]

“You are welcome in our company Stigz.” Wei says while slightly bowing his head.

“ OK, the sooner we enter, the sooner we finish our task.” Wei waits for everyone to get ready, takes point and enters the cairn.

[Medic!]

Strigz

Still a fairly confused about this situation, the mountain of flesh-made-scale follows behind the troupe. He glances over his shoulder frequently, as if expecting grave robbers to appear behind him.

As they walk he reminisces about recent events....all so faded and blurry in his memory up until just a day or two ago when Bahamut re-named him. Fuzzy images of an orc tribe flash behind his eyelids with each blink...some incite warm feelings, but most make him feel his gorge rise, and some are outright painful. Orcs throwing rocks at him, chasing him away.

His first clear memory is of giving up on trying to survive and curling up in a shallow cave-hollow one dark and stormy night...that was when He-Who-Hunts-All spoke to him, re-made him, re-named him. Looking at the three heads bobbing side to side ahead of him, Strigz shrugs his massive shoulders. In this new life, there is room for much blind faith. His Grand Patron would guide and protect him, and give him the power to protect the not-prey.

[Eurus]

The advancing party reaches the intersection, discovering that the left and right branches quickly reach dead ends. The right branch is completely blocked off by collapsed rubble; it would take a team of men and weeks of work, or some type of powerful magic, to clear it.

The left branch, on the other hand, ends in a large alcove, its main feature a short marble dais. On the platform sits an odd structure, a curved frame of smooth black stone reminiscent of a mirror's shape, but shattered so that only perhaps a third of it remains intact. Scattered on the floor are shards of black glass, and a prominent but enigmatic arcane symbol is carved into the platform's base.

Thrae:
The symbol's general shape looks vaguely familiar. It almost resembles the sort of heiroglyphs used in the older written forms of Auran, but too antique or archaic to easily understand.

[THEChanger]

Corbin knelt upon the cold stone floor, picking up a shard of the black glass and examining it. "Curious. Very curious." Corbin turned his head to Thrae. "I can't read the writing, sadly. Any idea as to what this is?"

Meanwhile, Corbin is racking his own brain for any clues.
Know: Arcana-[roll0]
Know: Religion-[roll1]

[Answerer]

"It... might be an Auran letter. An old Auran letter. It's got... kinda the same style as an archaic Auran alphabet, but I can't identify this one."

[Medic!]

Strigz

Wanting to be helpful to his new-found companions, Strigz studies the scene a moment, and after a quick but deep contemplation, scratches his head and offers up, "Looks like a broken mirror to me."

He offers an apologetic shrug to the others after seeing that his insight wasn't as insightful as he'd hoped.

[gparali]

Wei has no knowledge of magical artifacts, so he waits until the others are finished with their study of the broken….thing.

Once they are ready he moves with them deeper into the cairn.

[Eurus]

Unfortunately, Corbin fails to come up with any new insights, although now that Thrae mentions it, the symbol does indeed seem oddly similar to certain glyphs relating to elemental air.

Wei's advance down the central hallway leads to a widening chamber. More alcoves extend to the left and right here, while the northern wall holds a wide arch and staircase choked with cobwebs. Behind the webs, a faintly flickering green light is barely visible from somewhere downstairs. To the west, three short stairs lead up to another wide marble dais, but the end of the wing is outside Wei's vision range. The east is choked by debris and cracked masonry... but on closer inspection, a gap is visible that would easily provide passage further that way.

Thrae: (And anyone else who speaks Auran)
The murmuring breezes in this room are slightly louder, and sound almost like speech. Occasionally, words like "sacrilege", "enemies", "punishment", or at least something very close, can be made out in Auran.

[gparali]

Wei hearing the whisperings in the wind turns towards the others.

“I don’t like this. They sound…ominous. There might me something unnatural in this cairn after all.”

He then carefully proceeds toward the raised dais.

[Answerer]

"The wind is speaking... and oh dear, it is not happy. 'Sacrilege,' 'enemies,' 'punishment...' I hope it doesn't mean us."

Auran:
"Hello? We are friends, family, we are here to help! What sacrilege has there been? Who are your enemies? We want to set things right!"

[THEChanger]

"Oh dear. The wind is talking to us." Corbin chuckled a little. "While I'm sure whatever entity has taken up residence here has a legitimate concern, I'll bet my soul that it is a bit more complex than simply the wind. Undoubtedly an Elemental or some form of undead." Corbin stepped further into the chamber, and began to ascend the stairs to the marble dais. "So what do we have here?"

[Medic!]

Strigz

Strigz looks about, wary of danger and knowing that spirits could very well haunt this place. "We have done nothing here. The spirits must know this."


A chill creeping up his spine, he gives an involuntary shudder and reconsiders, "Unless they are angry with us just for being here..." He grips the hilt of the greatsword on his back and slips it free of its half-scabard, steadying his nerves with steel at-hand.

[Eurus]

Thrae's call gets a response, but not the one hoped for. Rather, a soft growl is audible from the rubble to the right... Three canine shapes slowly emerge from the secluded wing, two lean and hungry looking wolves and a third that seemed larger and healthier, advancing with obvious menace.

Around you, the winds continue to murmur. Flee... Sacrilege...

Init rolls:
[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]
[roll4]

Init order:
Corbin
Wolves
PCs
Wolves
PCs
Wolves
etc.

[Eurus]

Map:
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk124/DetrichLange/AgeofWormsWhisperingCairnentryhallmapRound1.png

[THEChanger]

Corbin moved swiftly as the wolves came into his vision, darting inbetween his allies to draw closer to his target. His hand glowed a brilliant purple, and he extended his arm out straight towards the wolf. The sound of a raven cawing filled the room, and a bolt of shimmering purple light leaped from Corbin's hand towards one of the three wolves. The bolt was shaped vaguely as a bird, beak open wide as it hurtled towards its target.


Moving to G13, launching an Eldritch Blast at the Wolf directly in front of me. Using Frightening Blast Invocation. The wolf must make a DC 15 Will Save or become Shaken, assuming I hit, and the wolf is not somehow immune to mind-effecting abilities.

Attack Roll-[roll0]
Damage Roll-[roll1]

[Eurus]

Punishment...

The wolves suddenly spring forward, causing Corbin's blast to sizzle harmlessly against the stone floor where they previously stood. Seeking out the weakest link, the starving beasts maneuver themselves around Thrae and Corbin, snapping at them in tandem.

[roll0] on Thrae
[roll1] on Corbin
[roll2] on Corbin (actually only an 11, which is a miss, since they're not flanking Corbin)

[roll3]
[roll4]
[roll5]

[roll6]
[roll7]
[roll8]

MAP:
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk124/DetrichLange/AgeofWormsWhisperingCairnentryhallmapRound2.png

[Medic!]

Strigz

Strigz is still lost contemplating the feeling of foreboding in his gut when the wolves spring past him to attack his new companions. Seeing one viciously maul the one called Thrae'edar, he silently beseeches Bahamut to lend him enough divine power to stem the life flowing out of her injuries.

Strigz from F14 to G14 and initiates Vanguard Strike against the wolf in H14 (all allies gain an untyped +4 bonus to ranged or melee attacks against the wolf until the start of Strigz's next turn - if the attack hits)

[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
Thrae heals for 2 hitpoints from Martial Spirit if the attack hits
[roll3]

Sucks that Crusader's Strike wasn't up this round =(
EDIT: But it's up for next round, hang on sloopy!

[gparali]

Wei watched in horror as the wolves mauled Thrae.

“Damn, my curiosity! I should have stayed between them and the doors!” Wei thinks before he throws himself at the battle, a look of determination etched on his face.


Move from E9 to H10 (the wolf is too close to charge dammit :smallannoyed:)

Attack: [roll0]

Damage:[roll1]

[THEChanger]

Corbin looked on in horror as one of the wolves circled about and laid Thrae low. This was not going well. Despite his shock, Corbin kept enough presence of mind to dodge the other two wolves who moved to attack him. Stepping back behind the scaly one, Corbin's eyes sparkled with purple light. His hands began to twist and turn, and words flowed unbidden from his mouth. "Rnaod'nak yv jongrakk, oyj 'k!" The words of Infernal singed his lips, but the call was answered. From the cracks and holes of the cairn, a swarm of spiders crawled forth, and surrounded one of the wolves, viciously biting the animal's legs, poison dripping from their fangs.

Corbin moves to D14, and then uses the Summon Swarm Invocation to bring a swarm of spiders into I14, which then attacks the wolf.

I'm not 100% sure of the mechanics of swarm combat, so I'll make the rolls I think I need to.

To Hit-[roll0]
Damage-[roll1]
Poison(DC 11, Str Damage)-[roll2]
Secondary Poison-[roll3]

[Eurus]

Preliminary rolls:

[roll0]
[roll1]

[Eurus]

While Wei and Strigz were unable to land any solid blows, Corbin's dark power seems to be slightly more effective. One wolf is quickly covered in spiders, jumping away and attempting to shake them off rather than pressing the attack. The other two focus on Strigz, flanking to divert his attention before attacking.

[roll0] (targeting Strigz)
[roll1] (targeting Strigz, with flanking)
[roll2]
[roll3]
[roll4]
[roll5]

MAP:
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk124/DetrichLange/AgeofWormsWhisperingCairnentryhallmapRound3.png

[gparali]

Wei curses himself as he misses his target. Not to be deterred he moves to attack one of the wolves attacking the dragonman. Hopefully, distracted as it is, it will be easier to hit.


5ft step to G11

Attack on G 13:[roll0] flanking

Damage:[roll1]

[Medic!]

Strigz

Seeing the battle getting desperate, Strigz lets out a roar of rage and pain, bringing his greatsword to bear against the wolf that he and Wei have surrounded.

Initiate Crusader's Strike against the wolf Wei and Strigz are flanking.

[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]
[roll4]
And if the attack hits, heal Thrae for 2hp from Martial Spirit.


EDIT: Wow, really?

[Eurus]

Crit confirmation...

[roll0]
[roll1]

[THEChanger]

Corbin knew that the spiders which he had summoned wouldn't stay under his control any longer. Allowing the dark power to fall, his swarm collapsed, its component spiders scurrying back into the tunnels from which they came. Lifting his hand, Corbin directed his pact's energy once more in a far more direct form, the screeching raven energy leaping from his hand towards the wolf which his companions had been attacking.

Frightening Blast at the wolf at G13

To hit-[roll0]
Damage-[roll1]
That's a hit!
For two damage...
But I hit!

[Eurus]

Preliminary rolls:

[roll0]
[roll1]

[Eurus]

Thankfully, Corbin's birdly blast strikes true, and the wolf crumples into unconsciousness with a whimper. The others snarl, turning their attentions to him and lunging for revenge. Their decision to dismiss Strigz as a threat turns out to be unwise, however, when the orc catches one with his blade and cuts it down before it can reach the young mage.

The largest wolf, bristling with fear and anger, lashes out at Corbin with a snap of its bloodied fangs.

[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]

[roll3] (if needed)

MAP:
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk124/DetrichLange/AgeofWormsWhisperingCairnentryhallmapRound4-1.png

[gparali]

Wei looks frustrated at the wolf.

“…too close to charge and the scaled mountain is in the way so I cannot flank it, damn”

He then moves to attacks the wolf.

Move to E12
Attack:[roll0]
Damage:[roll1]

[Medic!]

Strigz

Now that only one wolf remained, Strigz hopes to end things quickly before any more damage is done. He takes a quick step towards the wolf and lunges, hoping to keep the wolf busy snapping in so many directions that an ally will fell it.

5 foot step to F14 and initiate Douse the Flames (if it hits, the wolf will be unable to make AoOs for 1 rd)
Dice Gods be good!
[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]
[roll4]
And heal Thrae another 2hp if the attack succeeds from Martial Spirit

[THEChanger]

Corbin lifted his hand, staring directly into the wolf's eyes. A bolt of dark energy leapt inbetween the gap, not having enough time to fully metamorphosis into the corvid form it had previously taken. The same screeching, however, filled the air.

Point blank Frightening Blast.

To Hit-[roll0]
Damage-[roll1]
DC 15 or Shaken.
I SHOT IT IN THE FACE!

[Eurus]

Preliminary:

[roll0]

[Eurus]

Strigz's blade brutally injures the wolf, spilling a wide crescent splatter of blood on the dusty ground beneath it. Corbin's blast is less obviously deadly, but seems to trigger some instinctive fear response in the creature, which seems to suddenly waver between fight and flight. But caught between two fighters, it chooses to snap desperately at Corbin again.


[roll0] (on Corbin)
[roll1]

[roll2] (if needed)
[roll3] (if needed)

[gparali]

Wei looks relieved as he sees some of Thrae’s wounds being healed. With new determination he strikes the wolf with an overhead slash.

Attack:[roll0]
Damage:[roll1]

[Answerer]

Thrae‘edar Ixen Hesjing

Thrae's mind swims through blurry unconsciousness, until an image suddenly fixes itself in her mind: the stranger, fighting the wolves, like an epic or a myth. Suddenly she opens her eyes, and sees her companions have dealt with two wolves, and the last is almost done.

She pitied them; they were either merely hungry, or else the playthings of whatever lived here.

With a thought and a trembling gesture, she reached out to her ancestors, shaping their memories and lives and souls into a receptacle for the nourishing energy she needed. Suffused with positive energy, she gets to her feet.

Thrae spends a swift action shifting 1 point of Essentia from Fire to Negative, and then uses it to shape lessor vigor on herself as a standard. She heals 1 HP, and then uses a move action to stand.

[Medic!]

Strigz

Seeing the wolf prepare to flee, hope swells in Strigz's breast. He could empathize with them, he himself had sheltered here from the elements, cold and hungry.

Strigz steps to the side to shepard the wolf away from his companions and allow it to flee. Just as he began to slide his borrowed blade into its half-scabard on his back, the wolf strikes out at Corbin. On reflex he brings the greatsword crashing down above the wolf's shoulders. A cry of anguish rips from his throat, reverberating off the walls as the unintentional strike swings true. Bahamut's power, unbidden, surges through the two-footed wyrm and his wounds heal at a miraculous pace.


Move to E15, Initiate Crusader's Strike
[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]
[roll4] (Including the 2 from Martial Spirit)

[Eurus]

With this final strike, Strigz's blade cleaves into the wolf's back, shattering its spine and killing it instantly. A widening pool of blood starts to spread and cool around it, leaving relative peace. As the adrenaline of battle fades, the wind's soft moan can be heard again.

Flee...

[gparali]

As the wolf finally drops, defeated, Wei lowers his weapon and rushes on Thrae’s side.

“Thrae are you well?” he asks, his voice traced with anxiety. He then turns towards the dragonman "What about you Strigz? Can you heal yourselves or should we return to the village?”

[Answerer]

Thrae‘edar Ixen Hesjing

Thrae stands calmly, avoiding support from Wei if he offers. Her breath is a bit shallow, but the gashes and cuts are by now mere cuts and scratches, and even those heal before your eyes. "I'll be fine in a moment, they just surprised me before I could use any magical defenses... poor things," she says, as she stops, and looks at them. "I thank you, though; sad though it is, those wolves would have gladly made me dinner... thank you, my friends, and thank you, stranger..." Thrae gives Strigz an odd look as she thanks them. "Do any of you need healing? I am quite skilled at it, and I would be happy to provide support now that was lacking during the fight."

"Whatever's in this cave, though... is now telling us to flee. I... won't be doing that, but if any of you wish to, I would understand."

Auran
"Who are you? We are here to help. We have never committed any sacrilege; we are not your enemies!"

[Medic!]

Strigz

"I am well, and many thanks for your concern." He looks shamefully down at the dead wolves with a hair of guilt falling over his face...then his stomache rumbles quite loudly. "Hungry though."

Hearing the ominous wind again, and hearing the one called Thrae speaking back to it, Strigz decides that he's in good hands. I will stay with you for as long as I can. He speaks slowly and ponderously, his deep but simple voice sounding subdued.

[THEChanger]

Corbin looked on as Strigz's blade came crashing down upon the last wolf as it tried to clamp down on his arm. His eyes widened, and he stood still for a little while. Then, he began to giggle. "Oh...oh my...that was...amazing." He laughed out loud, and bent over, breathing heavily. "Wow. I've never been so close to death before. That was exhilarating." Corbin turned to the massive form of scales, and smiled. "I do believe you saved my life, good sir. I owe you my thanks." At Thrae's offer to flee, Corbin's grin widened even further. "This is the most fun I've had in a long time. And I still haven't gotten a chance to see your magic in action. So I'll be sticking around."

[Eurus]

There is no direct response to Thrae's question, but the whispering continues.

Enemies...

[Answerer]

Thrae‘edar Ixen Hesjing
"Thank you... But, as of now, it seems I have been closer than you, Corbin. I assure you, it was not much fun," Thrae says, turning from them.

Auran
"Friends! Family!"

[Medic!]

Strigz

Strigz looks down at the ground abashedly, "Please, do not mention it. It was Bahamut's power that saved us, and your own."

Strigz glances around himself, Thrae was still trying to communicate with the wind, everyone else seemed content to wait a moment. So hungry...shame to waste good meat...


Strigz squats down on his haunches, laying his greatsword at his feet, and begins taking voracious bites of the large wolf. He didn't remember eating things raw like this before...but since he had been changed it didn't seem so bad.

[Eurus]

Sacrilege...

The whispers continue, but Thrae is able to slowly hone in on their source. At first it's confusing, since they seem to come from all around you, but on reflection, it seems that they come from the very walls. In fact... closer inspection reveals tiny holes carved into the walls, hidden by the decorative patterns, which seem to produce subtle whistling and murmuring sounds by funneling drafts. Collectively, these sounds approximate the breathy, airy tones of Auran. A cunning design.

[Answerer]

Thrae‘edar Ixen Hesjing
Thrae inspects the wall. "Wha? Wow. There's nothing speaking at all, the walls themselves have been shaped to make the wind sound like Auran... but why would anyone want the wind to sound so malicious?"

[THEChanger]

Corbin shook his head. "Because they would want to scare away anyone who doesn't belong here." Corbin knelt by Thrae, and examined the small holes in the wall. "But this is brilliant. And oddly fitting, that it speaks Auran with the wind." Corbin pulled out his black book, and jotted down the basic shape of the holes. "I'll have to keep these in mind."

[gparali]

As Strigz is eating and the other two are examining the wall, Wei moves towards the raised dais, curious to see what it holds.

[Medic!]

Strigz

After a few hasty mouthfuls, Strigz realizes the situation with no small amount of shock. He quickly wipes his face clean and replaces his greatsword in its scabard, then rises with shame on his face, Sorry, I was just so hungry...and it seemed a shame to waste....sorry He offers an apologetic shrug and peers down each of the unexplored cooridors while the others inspect the walls and dias, determined not to be caught off-guard by another attack.

[Eurus]

The wide dais spanning the back half of the western corridor calls attention to a faded fresco on the west, south, and north walls of that area. From a vantage point at the center of the dais, the wall painting makes it look like you stand within a massive room with seven short hallways radiating outward from a central point. A chain dangles from the end of each painted hallway, each one bearing a colored lantern. Clockwise, the colors are red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. Although the colors are a little washed out, the image is overall in excellent shape for its age.

The other hallway, behind the partially-obstructing piles of rubble, seems to be where the wolves made their den. In it, Strigz notices an old leather backpack half-buried under a pile of humanoid bones. The bag contains an elaborate lantern of wrought iron and dark blue glass, and an intricately carved ivory armband in what looks like an elven style.

[Medic!]

Strigz the Lootmeister

Strigz shuffles back into the main room, holding out the backpack with the top open, showing everyone its contents. I have no need for a lantern, and am not much on jewelry...

[gparali]

Wei, intrigued by the similarity of the lantern Stigz found and the fresco, tries to memorize the color sequence. He then turns towards the others.

“Well, this is strange. The lantern you found seems identical to the one shown on this fresco. I think we should hold on to it, maybe it will have some use.” he says before joining the rest in the center of the room so they can continue their exploration.

[Medic!]

Strigz

The walking thunder-lizard hands the bag containing the lantern and armband to Wei, then begins striding towards the staircase. I hope that is the last surprise this place holds for us. He peers down the staircase a few moments, then proceeds down with the rest of the group.

Assuming, of course, everyone goes :smallbiggrin: Do we want Strigz 1st in marching order, or does someone else want to take point?

[Answerer]

Thrae‘edar Ixen Hesjing

"Indeed... here, I can help."

Thrae shaped lesser vigor on Strigz and Wei, so they each have Fast Healing 1 for the next minute (and six seconds). She also shapes one on herself, to avoid what happened last time.

If possible, she'll try to keep these shaped by reshaping them each minute.

[Eurus]

A wide stairway descends into an immense domed chamber. Seven short tunnels branch from the room in all directions, extending about thirty feet before ending in rounded walls. At the end of each passage, a thick chain dangles from a ceiling too high up to see. Four of the chains bear colorful lanterns, similar to the indigo one you already possess, but are unlit. But the green lantern, at the opposite end of the room from the entry stairs, contains a torch and casts an eerie light around the room.

Countless chips of glass and metal inset into the chamber's domed ceiling reflect this light, giving the impression of starlight and fallen snow. The dome starts about ten feet off the ground, near the edges, and reaches an apex of about thirty feet over the center of the room.

Below the dome's peak, a long dais holds what appears to be a sarcophagus of pristine white marble. A milky white bas-relief figure of a humanoid rests on the lid. The whispers from earlier cannot be heard here, only a heavy silence.

[Medic!]

Strigz

Strigz is obviously impressed by this room, his mouth hanging open, eyes wide and staring. So....beautiful...What an amazing place!

[Answerer]

Thrae‘edar Ixen Hesjing
"OK, I think we're now way out of our depth... I've never seen anything like this. Be very careful about what you touch, who knows what's trapped in here... or worse."

Taking 10 on Spot for 14, then taking 10 on Knowledges:
Local: 14
Religion: 11

Once the obvious has been considered, Thrae'll actively start looking around:

[roll0]
[roll1]

Being exceedingly careful not to touch anything.

EDIT: Well then.

[Eurus]

Thrae discovers several interesting but confusing things. Beneath each lantern (or empty chain, in two of the cases) is a circle of colored stone, matching the color of that particular lantern. Most of these circles seem purely decorative, but in the case of the yellow, green, and indigo circles, a thin but deep seam suggests some kind of obscure function or purpose that the others lack. The indigo one is surrounded by a layer of dust, and what looks disturbingly like a cracked human knucklebone.

The sarcophagus's marble lid is engraved with an image of a hairless, seven-foot tall humanoid of indeterminate sex. A scarab-like amulet around its neck has a glyph in that same not-quite-Auran language that you've seen elsewhere in the cairn. The dais that it rests upon is shaped like a stylized arrow, its point currently facing toward the orange lantern. Something about the shape seems a little odd, until it hits you -- the short shaft-like protrusions near the bottom and top almost resemble intentional handles by which the dais could be gripped. More subtly, Thrae notices a faint residue of ash and soot around the seam between the sarcophagus and its lid.

Additionally, she notices a subtle asymmetry with the blue alcove, and realizes that its ceiling is actually higher than the other alcoves. Looking up, she notices a shadowy passage connecting near the very top. There's no visible way to reach it, except perhaps climbing the blue lantern chain.

[THEChanger]

Corbin stood out of the way of Thrae's examinations, and considered the architechure of the room. "Seven...Seven shades of the rainbow, seven layers of Celestia. Any other big number sevens?" Corbin sifted through the knowledge he had collected, trying to establish any connections he could to the seven lanterns.

Running Knowledge Arcana and Religion on this idea of seven lanterns of seven colors, as well as any other symbols which might be readily apparent to Corbin.
Oh, and Spot and Search, because while Corbin certainly won't do better than Thrae, I want to know what he sees.

Know: Arcana-[roll0]
Know: Religion-[roll1]
Search-[roll2]
Spot-[roll3]

[Eurus]

The seven colors of the rainbow form a relatively common theme in magic, often seen in various prismatic spells, and seven itself is a number with countless potential meanings and references. But none of them jump out at Corbin as relevant here.

He also sees a small spider crawling across his shoe. Not much else.

[Answerer]

Thrae‘edar Ixen Hesjing
"Ya know, sometimes I've heard the elders say, 'seven is the color of legend,' but I never knew what it meant. Always seemed like something between a good luck wish and an inside joke...

"Anyway, there's a lot going on here. This dais, it's an arrow, and it looks like it can be moved, so it can point at different colors. There's a seam here, between the yellow, green, and indigo circles and the rest of the room, like they can... I dunno, rise or fall or spin or something. Not one piece, I mean.

"And over here, look at this! There's a passage way above the blue lantern... not sure how you'd get there, unless you feel like climbing the chain..."

At this point, Thrae trails off, looking at the sarcophagus. "Guys, there's... the lid, and where it joins the rest of the coffin, it's scorched.

"OK, I do not like this one bit. Who, or what, ever is in that, they have an exceedingly elaborate grave. Lots of mystical stuff going on, like Corbin said. I don't think whoever's in there was planning on staying dead... and I also really don't think we want to let him go through with that plan."

"I don't know what to do, we should just leave this but we can't trust those city-slickers to do the same..."

The "Seven is the number of Legend" is an inside joke: I'm a big fan of the Legend system, and seven is a very important number in that system.

Anyway, currently Thrae's being all genre-savvy. This... might not work well since clearly we're supposed to do something here, even though all signs point to do not touch...

[gparali]

"I don't like those scorch marks. The lid is probably trapped so let's not touch anything yet."

Wei says to the others. Looking at the passage above the blue lamp, he continues.

"We should see were that passage leads though. Anyone good in climbing?"

[Medic!]

Strigz

"I could give it a try." Strigz walks up to the blue lantern, grabs the chain, and attempts to hoist himself up into the passage.


[roll0] phew!

[Eurus]

Strigz easily makes it up, and steps out onto the thin passage. It extends perhaps seventy feet to the northeast, ending in what looks like an enormous carving of a screaming, angry face. Its open mouth appears to hold a passage further down.

[Medic!]

Strigz

Not wanting to get too far seperated from his new companions, Strigz returns to the passageway's opening and calls down, "There is another passageway at the end of this one, behind an angry face. Should I go through it?"

[gparali]

"Have a look, but don't go too far." Wei shouts.

Meanwhile he examines the lanterns closely, especially the lit one, and tries to see if they open.

[Answerer]

Thrae‘edar Ixen Hesjing
"We're really not going to get anywhere without more information, I'd say try to find out as much as you can without setting anything off..."

[THEChanger]

Corbin considered the room carefully. Sitting down against one of the walls, he took stock of what they knew. "Let's see...the orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple lanterns are here. We have the indigo. But the red is missing." Corbin plopped his head in his hands, quietly musing to himself. Ideas popped up in his head, only to be discarded a moment later. Of one thing he was certain, however-this was the most mental stimulation he had recieved in a long time, and he was thrilled.

[Medic!]

Strigz

Strigz will explore the passage behind the Angry Face.

[Eurus]

Strigz:
Strigz advances toward the face, and makes it about sixty feet down, when he feels something... shift, underneath his feet. Suddenly, a brilliant multicolored glow appears in the statue's eyes, bathing the hallway in shifting, scintillating light. Strigz feels his muscles start to seize up, but with a great act of will manages to resist the trap's magic.

A far greater concern, however, is the massive shrieking wind that suddenly bursts from the statue's mouth, filling the entire hall so quickly that it feels like being struck with a club, and steadily growing in strength. Strigz manages to keep his footing... for now.

At the bottom of the alcove, the party sees a faint multicolored light start to flicker out from the dark shaft above, and hears a sudden roar like a mighty windstorm. Oddly, only the faintest of breezes actually reaches the bottom of the alcove.

[Medic!]

Strigz

A sudden stubborn streak forces Strigz to try to push past the wind into the mouth of the Angry Face.

Apologetically, he yells back down the passage towards his companions, "Sorry Thrae! I set something off!"

[Answerer]

Thrae‘edar Ixen Hesjing
"What? What is it? Are you OK? Can you get back here?"

[gparali]

"Stigz! What is happening? Is everything ok?"

[Eurus]

Strigz manages to push his way forward, fighting the winds for every step, until he crosses the threshold of the statue's mouth and suddenly stumbles forward as the pressure vanishes. Unfortunately, all that's present at the back of the mouth is what looks like a wall of strange, shimmering stone.

This gap between the front of the face and the back of its "throat", so to speak, is barely large enough for Strigz to stand, but seems to provide some shelter from the wind. The wind continues to grow stronger and louder for almost a full minute, before cutting off abruptly, leaving the hall utterly silent and dark again.

[Medic!]

Strigz the Fort-saver

Strigz settles onto his haunches and waits for something to happen. When the wind dies down, he shouts, "It stopped! I am unharmed!"

He leaves the mouth-cove, taking great care not to step in the same place as he did when the maelstrom began last time, and returns to the party.

"There is an angry face at the end of the passage up there, and when I came close I felt the floor sink for a moment, and its eyes lit up and it tried to blow me away!"

[gparali]

"Well it was definitely a trap. It would blow you away and over the edge."

Wei looks around, thoughtfully, then faces the others.

"I guess there is no other way. Well, at least no other obvious way. Mmmm, maybe if we try to turn the sarcophagus so it points towards the lit green lantern?"

[Answerer]

Thrae‘edar Ixen Hesjing
"Why, what's that going to do?"

Thrae's being sincere, she assumes Wei's figured out something she hasn't. Kinda trying to tone down the genre-savviness for the sake of moving things forward.

[gparali]

Wei smiles sheepishly before answering.

"Well to tell you the truth I am just grasping at straws here but let's see the facts. We have a room with no exits and it seems it is a very fancy room. The lanterns, the sarcophagus that seems able to be moved and the circles with the seams, suggest some kind of mechanism.

Since the sarcophagus is an arrow, it presumably must be pointed at something. The lit lantern is the most obvious place."

Wei stops for a moment before continuing on.

"The most obvious place and so a likely trap, but I don't have any other ideas."

[Medic!]

Strigz

In a flash of mirth and inspiration, the large lizard nudges Thrae as he addresses Wei with a wink, "Just do not set anything off, yes?"

Strigz lends his strength to the task of moving the sarcophagus.

[Eurus]

Fortunately, nothing goes immediately wrong with this particular plan. The quickest path to shift the sarcophagus from its current position to the desired one is Orange-Yellow-Green, and while the dais is certainly heavy, the combined efforts of Wei and Strigz manage to turn it without too much trouble.

But when the dais shifts to point at the Yellow alcove, there is an audible click. Immediately, the yellow stone circle on the ground in that niche rises up to reveal a small cylindrical chamber, roughly large enough for one person. Two could perhaps fit at once, but with no small discomfort.

[gparali]

"Well I guess we should get in. I will go. You guys return the sarcophagus to its previous position, so I descend, and then lift me up again immediately. We don't know what is down there."

Wei walks and enters the newly revealed alcove.
He looks around and smiles humorously as he speaks.

"These is space enough for one more, if someone is feeling particularly curious."

[Medic!]

Strigz

The large man looks at the pod, shaking his head. "Bit tight for me and another. I do not mind staying to move the sar-cough-a....coffin."

[THEChanger]

Corbin

"You know what? Why not." Corbin hopped up off the ground where he had been pondering and slid his way into the yellow capsule. Corbin was light of frame, but the two still had some trouble getting him in. Corbin flashed a brilliant smile towards Strigz. "Well my fine scaley friend, lower us down. Let's see what secrets this cairn really holds."

[Medic!]

Strigz

Once Corbin and Wei are safely tucked inside the alcove (all hands and arms inside, no flash photography please), Strigz puts his shoulder to the sarcophagus and rotates it back to its original position. "Please be careful, this place is dangerous."

[Answerer]

Thrae‘edar Ixen Hesjing
"Be careful! We have no odea what's down there! I don't like this..."

[Eurus]

As soon as the cylinder is filled, before Strigz can attempt to move the sarcophagus, the elevator begins to rumble again and descend.

Corbin and Wei:

Everything becomes utterly dark except for the light of Corbin's sunrod as soon as the upper room is cut off, and it takes a few moments before the chamber stops moving. It's still dark, but you can make out a tiny room around you with a hall stretching forward, walls covered in bas-relief images of hairless figures similar to the sarcophagus above.

The passage forward is blocked off by a stone slab that almost, but not quite, fills the entire passage. It seems intentionally placed, too smooth and well-fitted to be accidental.

As soon as you step off the elevator, it rises back up again. A small button next to the shaft is labelled with symbols you don't understand, but seems based on context to probably summon the elevator back down.

[gparali]

Wei looks around and carefully searches the area.


Search: Take 20

[THEChanger]

Corbin stayed close to Wei, shinning the light from his sunrod to make sure he could see, and carefully scoured the area as well.

Also taking a twenty on Spot and Search.

[Eurus]

The combined efforts of Corbin and Wei quickly spot a pressure plate underneath the stone slab, and tiny openings hidden in the mouths of the relief figures. The combination almost certainly indicates some sort of trap, perhaps to be activated on the removal of the slab.

[gparali]

"So it seems that if we move the slab, we will trigger a trap."

As he speaks he checks out the slab and tries to see what is beyond it. He also tries to see if it is attached to anything on the top. (like a pulley or something)

"And since the only way to move it is to push it forward, avoiding the trap is not an option."

He then turns towards Corbin.

"Any ideas, or should we go back up an try the other lanterns?"

[Eurus]

The top of the slab is not connected to anything, there is in fact a gap of perhaps six inches or so between the top and the ceiling. Peering through the narrow gap around the slab's edge, all you can discern is that the hallway goes on further on the other side.

[Answerer]

Thrae‘edar Ixen Hesjing
"OK, well... as long as we're trying things at random, perhaps it's time to put the lantern we found up?"

[THEChanger]

Corbin

The warlock shook his head. "The last face was a trap. I say we head back to the main chamber."

[gparali]

Wei nods his head and and tries to push the button to call the platform and get back up.

[Eurus]

The platform returns obediently.

[Medic!]

Strigz

When the platform goes back down, Strigz waits a few moments, then pushes the sarcophagus back to its original position.

Metagaming a hair, assuming that's necessary to bring the elevator-thing back up :smalltongue:

[Eurus]

Wei and Corbin arrive back on the surface with no problems, the elevator obediently rising as soon as it's filled.

[Answerer]

Thrae‘edar Ixen Hesjing
Thrae shapes detect magic, and then follows that up with detect poison and detect incarnum for good measure.

[Eurus]

Thrae doesn't detect any poison or incarnum, unsurprisingly, but detects a number of magic auras. Predictably, each lantern carries multiple auras; one of Conjuration, and one of Abjuration, both moderately potent. The torch in the green lantern is also magical, with a faint evocation. Another faint evocation is visible on the sarcophagus, and a moderate transmutation aura is visible on the elevator.

[Answerer]

Thrae‘edar Ixen Hesjing
"OK, well, here goes nothing."

Thrae sticks the lantern in the designated space.

[Eurus]

Six out of seven lanterns are now in their designated space. Nothing happens.

[gparali]

"Well, now we know there is more to this place. Let's try pointing towards the green lantern as we originally planned."

[Medic!]

Strigz

"This place is making my head hurt." he rumbles with a frown. Strigz obediently leans his shoulder into the sarcophagus to point it towards green.

[Eurus]

The sarcophagus is shifted to point at the green alcove. A cacophonous creaking of stone and metal suddenly sounds, and a very faint tremble can be felt in the floor. This lasts for several seconds, before the circle of green stone in the alcove suddenly gives way and falls, eventually landing somewhere with a spectacularly loud crash.

Thrae:
Thrae hears a soft noise, like a gentle rustling and faint clicking, coming from somewhere down that shaft. And quickly getting closer.

[Answerer]

Thrae‘edar Ixen Hesjing
"We've got something coming up the shaft, get ready!"

Thrae shapes lesser vigor on herself, and if there's time, on those taking point.

[Medic!]

Strigz

Strigz's borrowed blade clears its sheathe for a 2nd time this day, and he approaches the shaft, anxious to keep the others from danger.

[gparali]

Wei moves beside Strigz and prepares for combat. He tries keep enough distance between him and the hole so he can charge if necessary.

[Eurus]

From the open hole pours a near-solid carpet of insects, tiny black beetles leaving a thin trail of corrosive yellow slime that leaves the stone floor slightly rough and pitted. They immediately swarm around Strigz and Wei, doing their best to crawl up your legs. Even stomping them is of limited use, since it seems to splatter their acidic fluids.

Scant moments later, another creature emerges from the shaft, this one significantly larger. It resembles a large, glistening eyeball, easily the size of a man's head, on six sharp spider-like legs. It scuttles up the side of the shaft with surprising speed, but seems ironically deterred from attacking Wei and Strigz for the moment by the swarm of beetles.

[Medic!]

Strigz the Tactician

The hulking mound of scales and beetles bellows at his companions, "The chain! Up the chain! A face up there will blow these little biters away. Go now!"

He begins taking his own advice, moving towards the chain, but purposefully doing so slower than the others so they have a chance to make it to safety while he draws the attacking creatures. Deep down he hopes someone has a better idea...

[Answerer]

Thrae‘edar Ixen Hesjing
Thrae begins to channel the souls of her ancestors through the elements of earth and fire, chanting softly "Fathers under desert sun, burn the dust. Mothers under desert sun, lash our foes."

As she does so, a whirling storm of painfully-hot dust whirls within the swarm of beetles.

Swift action to remove Essentia from the lesser vigor effects currently affecting herself and Wei. Both spells immediately cease.

Then a standard action to shape dust devil in a single square. If there's a square of swarm that doesn't have Strigz or Wei, she'll target that. If not, she'll target Strigz's square since he's got lesser vigor still.

The spell deals [roll0] to a single square, half of which is bludgeoning/piercing, and the other half of which is desiccation damage. A DC 15 Reflex save allows a creature to make a five-foot step out of the area; if they do, the damage is halved.

DR applies to the physical damage.

If they take desiccation damage, they must make a DC 15 Fortitude save or become Fatigued (assuming they even can become Fatigued).

The Earth subtype halves the damage; the Plant type or Water Subtype doubles the desiccation damage. It is an area-affecting spell, for the purposes of the Swarm subtype.

The spell is an Evocation [Air, Earth, Fire] spell.

[gparali]

Unable to attack the swarm in any significant way, Wei focuses his attention on the eyeball creature. He positions himself between the creature and his companions, before attacking it.


Move Action to somewhere 10ft away from the creature and between it and Thrae.

Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

[Eurus]

Map
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk124/DetrichLange/WhisperingCairnlanternroommapRound1.png

Wei stabs the eye-creature effectively, coating the end of his weapon in slick vitreous fluid. It retaliates by lunging forward, stabbing two talons deep into his flesh.

The swarm is savaged by Thrae's conjured twister and loses a noticeable portion of its area, but seems not to particularly care. Scenting blood, it swarms over Wei's now-prone body, although its attentions seem to be slowed by his clothes so far.

[Medic!]

Strigz

Seeing that nobody was prepared to fall back but him, and seeing Wei in dire straits, Strigz wades into the swarm of beetles to draw the eye-ball's attention. As he raises his greatsword he feels divine empathy flow out of himself and into his fallen friend.

Move to D17 (going around the twister) and initiate Crusader's Strike on the eyeball, healing Wei (hopefully)
[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3] (including Martial Spirit)
[roll4]
[roll5]