The Land of the Endless Sky [IC]

[Lappy9001]

The Land of the Endless Sky
Out of Character Thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?472280-The-Land-of-the-Endless-Sky-OOC&p=20199959)
There is darkness on the horizon. For days the grassy plains have stretched on, endlessly, it would seem to beleaguered travelers weary of the featureless, rolling landscape. While your journey has lead you over no roads, trails, landmarks, or way stones, your destination is clear; the gleaming white tower looming in the distance. A week ago it appeared on the boundary of the landscape, merely a thin white line rising up until it can no longer be seen, and has since grown steadily with each day of continual travel.

Your trip has been lucky, while you have met no friendly travelers since you formed a group, you have also avoided encountering bandits, aggressive animals, or worst of all, wandering monsters. The most excitement thus far occurred yesterday, when your group encountered the dead body of a basilisk, covered and scars and brutally beheaded. The corpse of the beast was fairly fresh, although it had already been set upon by lesser predators and scavengers. Strangely, the head was nowhere to be found, possibly taken as a prize by whoever had slain the beast.

The gullet of a basilisk can be carefully handled to produce an oil that cures a basilisk's petrification. However, without the head, extraction of the oil in a salvageable state is impossible.

Ambience (http://other-atmospheres.ambient-mixer.com/everstorm-comes)

Unfortunately, it appears your good luck is no longer extending to the weather, for pillars of dark clouds rapidly chase you down, and the first drizzle of light rain is already upon you. Judging from the distant sound of booming thunder, this is no normal storm. Luckily, you find shelter just in sight: a scraggly tree at the top of a large hill, its roots peeking out through the other side and marking the entrance of a shallow cave. Approaching the mouth of the grotto, you can smell the smoky scent of burning wood and can see a faint flickering glow emanating from within. You enter the cave, cautiously.

The entrance is a tight, suffocating tunnel but after a few feet opens out into a larger chamber of natural stone with a floor of pebbles about 10 ft. high and 15 ft. wide on either end, with the tunnel continuing to the north end of the room. In the center of the chamber is a small but welcoming campfire, watched over by a human man with his back to the wall, resting against his pack. His body is covered by a worn green blanket wrapped around him but you can still make out his broad shoulders and his impressive height, even sitting down. His hair is a light brown and shortly cut, broken up by a scar extending up to his scalp on the right side. Another scar splits the right side of his upper lip, giving him a bit of a sneer despite his smile. He speaks to you in a deep and strangely eloquent voice, his tone both inviting yet cautious of your sudden appearance, emphasized by a two-handed sword, which appears to be held in his right hand, peeking out from the covering (The weapon-savvy among you note he is in a rather awkward position to use that large sword quickly).

“Well met…friends,” he raises his left eyebrow but gestures to the fire with his left hand, “You are welcome to join me by the fire; it sounds like quite the storm is brewing out there. I am Sir Gregor Abendroth and I hope it is my pleasure to make your acquaintances.”

You are all presently standing by the entrance tunnel of the cave.

[Edge]

"Well met indeed, Sir Abendroth," Dejen says with a smile, taking a single step into the fire's light to better illuminate himself and show that his hands are well away from his weapons. The paladin casts a quick eye over the chamber before returning his full attention to its current inhabitant. "Your offer is most welcome. The sudden turn in the weather makes travelling onward for the time being an unpleasant prospect."

Just examining the cave chamber briefly.

[roll0]

[Townopolis]

Nebarumvar Wedsegadinadd, wizard and alchemist, peeks cautiously around the relatively massive Dejen. One of the gnomes hands comes up to rest just barely on Dejen's knee on the side Rummy is peeking around, and it stays there while he takes in the cavern and the fire and the human knight resting there. He also makes a visual check for basilisk heads.

After a moment of this, Rummy seems to remember that he's blocking the hall, so to speak, and he scampers in and to one side to get out of everyone's way. The haste of his movements is given a comedic quality by the comparative size and heft of his pack, which has been stuffed to the gills with the stuff of his old life for as long as anyone present has known him. Seriously, the pack weighs more than he does, and it frequently takes control of his body as a result. To add to the scene, Rummy's robes, although a sight more practically cut than those of a pure scholar, are perhaps not the ideal attire for travel. For one, they've taken on water from even the brief stint spent hurrying through the rain. For two, he's had to hike them up in order to keep up with the party, leaving his legs above the boots a touch exposed.

In fact, he falls over when he tries to stop after his brief scamper. He lands on his side, and his pack lands right behind him with a thud and several clanks. No sounds of broken glass, at least. Still on his side, Rummy chirps "Hello!" to Sir Abendroth and waves.

[SilverStrike]

As she steps into the cave behind the clumsy gnome, Amrin struggles to hold back a giggle. She reaches down to help Rummy back on his feet before taking off her hood and nodding greetings to the stranger.

"Thank you for your generosity, sir. Another minute out there and we would have been soaked."

As she speaks, Amrin casts her eyes around the chamber and inhales deeply, wondering just what sort of cave this was.

[Lank]

Unsure of what to make of Sir Gregor, Tor stands by the entrance and waits for the others to head on in. She looks back out of the cave mouth before following the others back in. Once in she is in she sits down, cross legged next to the fire. "Tor" she says meekly. She slides off her pack warms herself by the fire.

[Lappy9001]

With the poor light of the dancing flames and the distraction of the thunderous rain outside, noone's senses are particularly keen when observing the cavern.

However, Amrin does notice a makeshift bag of canvas and twine sitting slightly away from Sir Abendroth's large pack. With the drawstring pulled closed, she can't tell what is inside but she does notice the bottom of the bag is stained and still slightly damp with liquid. The bag is certainly large enough to contain a basilisk head.

As for the cave, it appears natural as does the tunnel in the north end, although the evenly spread out pebbles suggest an outside influence.
Sir Abendroth relaxes noticeably at the party's geniality (and likely the lighthearted awkwardness of Rummy), "Greetings to you all and please, have a seat. And thank you, but just Gregor will be fine. I do not do my title justice by neglecting to mentioning it, however I have no need for unnecessary formality, especially when away from civlization."

Still wrapped in his blanket, he leans back slightly, rolling his shoulder to stretch his left arm, although his covered right arm stays oddly immobile and is still holding his sword. "I would offer you some dinner too, but I went and injured myself on the way here. I was due to arrive in Illium two days ago but even with the city just a few days shy I am running low on supplies and worried I will be unable to make it at this point."

Gregor shakes his head slightly, "Anyway, I do not expect it to be your problem. May I ask where you bunch are headed?"

[Edge]

"As you wish, Gregor," Dejen grins, the smile fading as the knight mentions his injury. He glances at the others in the group before once again returning his attention to Gregor. "Illium is our destination too. How bad is your injury, Gregor? I'm no doctor or priest, but I might be be able to allay some of your hurt with the grace of the great Akachi."

[SilverStrike]

"What sort of beast was it that would harm a strong and kind man such as yourself?" Amrin shoots the man a concerned glance. "Could we be in danger?"

[roll0]

[Lappy9001]

Gregor looks over to Dejen and gives a sad smile, "While I am not normally one to doubt a man's deity who I have not encountered myself, I doubt it will be enough."

The knight pulls off his blanket to reveal his right arm completely petrified into a hardened porous stone, hand still gripping the hilt of his blade. The petrification extends past his shoulder and down part of his right side. Likewise afflicted is his right leg below the knee down to his foot.

Gregor turns to Amrin, "A basilisk did it, although you need not worry madam, I did the beast in sure enough. Took the bastard's head too," he nods over to the canvas bag on his side, "I have never heard of partial petrification before but I suppose that is what happens when one is dumb enough to get ambushed by one. It knocked me to the ground and got perhaps a bit too close. I have heard a basilisk's head can contain a remedy when treated by a skilled alchemist, or it might be useless without the head and body. I could not remember but either way I am able to drag a whole basilisk to Illium in this state. I believe it extends to the inside and it makes breathing damn hard."

[Lank]

Tor eyes the stone limbs from her position"Need druid to fix that. Not going to be able to do much without druid". After staring at the stone for a bit longer, Tor opens her pack and bring out some rations to eat.

[Townopolis]

Rummy takes Amrin up on her offer of assistance, but first he extracts one arm from the loops of his back pack. When the bard hauls him up, he lets the pack fall completely off so that it remains on the floor while stands up. "Thanks!" he says with a smile, then busies himself un-hiking his robes.

Once he's a little more serious-looking, Rummy just sort of looks around some more while people talk with the knight.

When he sees Gregor's injury, Rummy's curiosity is piqued. First, he leans forward and peers at it, and then he trots over--still leaning forward and looking just a little like he was being pulled by the nose. "Hmmm..." he murmurs as he visually inspects the affliction. He follows the looking up with poking, and while he first pokes a few times with his fingers, he will--if unperturbed--draw a single dart and gently poke the petrified arm with that. "Interesting. You say the basilisk ambushed you? Were you distracted, or perhaps it was lying in wait. Do you think you might have stumbled upon its nest?"

If you prefer, I can just RP what Rummy does, and you can make whatever rolls you deem necessary. For knowledge stuff like this, I'm even fine if you just roll in meatspace and tell me what Rummy knows.

[roll0]
[roll1] Are basilisks solitary by nature, or might this one have had a mate? Or offspring?
[roll2] For general diagnosis and knowledge of cures.
[roll3] What can I tell from Gregor's body language? Is he tense like someone in pain would be, tense like someone being cagey? Or does he just look like a suit of plate with a head?

[SilverStrike]

As Rummy inspects the knight's arm, Amrin will poke around chamber and tunnel a bit, looking and listening for anything out of the ordinary. She makes particular note of the ground, looking for signs of any creatures passing through.


Perception
[roll0]
Survival
[roll1]

[Lappy9001]

A loud bolt of thunder booms nearby, the noise resonating through the cave. That, combined with the crackling fire and the rainfall pounding atop the hill makes you all feel rather cozy.

Gregor allows Rummy to examine his injuries, grunting slightly as he shifts his weight to allow the gnome better access to the damage. "It was a rookie mistake and I should have paid better attention. As far as I could tell, however, the beast was solitary."

This backs up Rummy's existing knowledge of basilisks (aside from while edible, basilisks aren't especially pleasant. The fact the Gregor seems to be stiff from discomfort and not from dishonesty is encouraging.

In regards to alchemical cures, the oil from a basilisk can be preserved for later once it has been successfully processed. An alchemist's lab would likely contain at least a dose or two. As far as general medical knowledge, a Greater Restoration spell could work.
Across the fire, Amrin looks through the tunnel which slopes downwards for about 20 ft. with a low ceiling of natural rock. The pebbles pile slightly at the bottom but it is hard to tell if this is because of a creature's passing or gravity. The tunnel seems to open out into a similar sized chamber although Amrin is unable to see further without proceeding downwards.

Gregor looks up to Amrin during Rummy's examination, "Unfortunately, I have not explored this cave thoroughly, although it appears to be shallow. I was not sure I would be able to make my way back up the slope if I climbed down on my own. Just in case, I made plenty of noise to attract or scare off any inhabitants. No takers so far," he smiles grimly.

[SilverStrike]

Amrin takes out her crossbow, checking and loading it.

"No takers so far, you say, but I can hardly resist taking a peek. And I'm sure we will all rest better knowing what lies deeper within the cave. Who's with me?"

[Townopolis]

At the prospect of exploring a a dark, foreboding cave, Rummy looks up with his dart still in-hand. He first looks to Amrin, his uncle's apprentice. Then he looks to the two warriors they met on the road. There is trepidation and uncertainty in his face, and he waits for the others to make a decision.

[Lank]

Tor looks up when she hears that the cave might be sheltering another guest. "Better have look". She picks up her axe and begins walking down once everyone else is ready. Her ability to see on the dark would definitely come in handy.

[Lappy9001]

The noise of the outside storm fades as you venture down the tunnel, replaced with only the sound of your own footsteps. The chamber you enter is bare of features except for a square 10 ft. section of worked stone breaking up the natural rock walls of the room's west side.

The worked stone is broken up by an indented line down the center horizontally and vertically, with four runes centered in the square spaces formed by the design.

You immediately recognize the runes to be Dwarven althiugh the exact script is certainly Primordial. They read (clockwise from the top left) "Water, Earth, Fire, Air"

[Edge]

"I'm with you, Amrin," Dejen responds, readying a torch for their exploration of the cave. "We'll be back once we're sure the place is clear," he says to Gregor. "... Or we won't be, in which case, you'll know the cave isn't clear."

The paladin ends his remark with a grim smile, before following the rest of the group further into the cave. Upon their discovery of the runes, his brow crumples up in thought.

"Hmm. Dwarven runes for the four elements. What do we make of that?"

[Lappy9001]

Suddenly, a booming crash of thunder resonates throughout the cavern striking frighteningly close, followed by a cacophony of splitting wood and falling rubble. A quick flash of silver light and the clanking of steel follows as Gregor tumbles down the slope, stopping flat on his back. He lets out a cough of dust, "I am alright. I think lightning hit the tree atop the hill and collapsed the entrance. I still have a few tricks left, though."


It seems the hill wasn't the only thing affected by the blast; the rune-marked space of wall opens along the vertical line slightly, as a black shadowy hand appears from the darkness within, thrusting the hidden door open! The sides of the door slam into the rock walls with a boom and a four-limbed beast of swirling black shadow with arms ending in vicious blades and many glowing eyes. It rears back its head emitting a high-pitched shriek and aggressively marches towards you!

Arena
Roughly 20 ft by 20 ft chamber with 10 ft ceiling and walls of unworked stone.
Entrance to the west (hidden rune door) and the south (tunnel leading upwards).
You are all close enough to engage the monster in melee combat with a move action. The monster is by the west door and you all are by the tunnel where Gregor lies prone. The monster is Medium size.

Initiative:
Amrin - [23]
Tor - [18]
Dejen - [16]
Gregor - [12]
Monster - [10]
Rummy - [7]

[SilverStrike]

"Bloody hell!" Amrin falls back to the east side of the room, trying to think if she's ever heard of such a beast before during her schooling. Then she fires her crossbow at it. "Eat this!"


Intelligence Check:
[roll0]
Crossbow Attack:
[roll1]
Crossbow Damage:
[roll2] + [roll3] if critical

[Lank]

Tor rushes in with her axe. She holds her axe out wide in an attempt to cleave into the enemy's mid section.

[roll0] to hit
[roll1] advantage/disadvantage
[roll2] slashing damage upon hit
[roll3] bonus damage on potential crit.
Whoops acidently included my profiency mode to my damage roll. It should only be +3. Also the crit damage should have no bonus

[Edge]

"Akachi's breath!" the paladin curses as the beast emerges from the newly-opened doorway. As it approaches and Amrin lets loose at it with her crossbow, Dejen wracks his brain for information about such a creature, trying to recall anything from his temple education about such an entity. As he struggles to do so, he rushes toward the monster, drawing and swinging his greatsword at the creature in one smooth motion as he closes with it, his torch falling from his hand to the ground as he does so.

Religion Check to see if I can learn anything about the creature: [roll0]

Dejen will take a move action to close with the creature and draw his greatsword, dropping his torch as he does so, and then take an Attack action with his greatsword.

Attack Roll: [roll1]
Advantage/Disadvantage (if applicable): [roll2]

Damage: [roll3] plus [roll4] if I crit.

[Lappy9001]

Amrin and Dejen are able to recognize this creature as a shadow beast, known to appear on the fringes of distant, remote settlements. If folklore is to be believed, it is made of solid shadowstuff, have an aversion to silver, and possess claws so sharp that flesh it comes in contact with is undone entirely.

Amrin's crossbolt pierces the beast's body, the bolt remaining noticeably embedded within.

Tor's battleaxe and Dejen's greatsword swing through the creature's torso as it rears back, leaving a trail of wispy black smoke as your weapons finish their arcing motions. The shadow beast lets out a loud hiss with each strike.

The shadow beast brings its claw down on Tor's left arm delivering a strike for 7 damage that leaves an oddly bloodless cut with a cold, stinging sensation.

Gregor, still on the ground, reaches onto his back with his good hand and with some effort undoes a loaded light crossbow, which he hands to Rummy, "Here, take this lad!"

[Townopolis]

When the cavern entrance collapses, Rummy flinches and looks hurriedly around. When Gregor comes tumbling down, Rummy jumps out of the way, then apologetically comes over to see if he can help the knight into a sitting position, except then the shadow beast emerges.

The very first thing Rummy does is analyze the fascinating monstrosity of shadow and terror. The second thing is to shriek a brief "AieoH!" and dive behind the nearest available cover, which happens to be Gregor. He lies quivering behind the knight, incapacitated by fear and startlement and unable to do much more than stare gormlessly at the crossbow offered.

[roll0]
Rummy will move behind Gregor and cower. Since I'm RPing a gnome scared briefly witless by his first combat, but don't want to completely waste this turn, I'll say he hides.
[roll1]

[SilverStrike]

Amren is hardly surprised the awkward gnome is new to combat. She decides to act the drill sergeant. "Rummy, on your feet! Get in the fight! Now's no time to act like a little girl!"

Amren then calls out to Tor as she reloads and fires. "Hold fast! Aim for the part of it my bolt's stuck into!"

Bonus Action to give Tor a d6 Inspiration die, usable on an attack roll, save, or skill check.
Attack with Crossbow:
[roll0]
Damage
[roll1]+[roll2]on crit

[Edge]

"Well said, Amrin!" Dejen yells over the din of battle, striding towards the injured Tor, stretching out a hand glowing with divine power. "For Akachi watches over us, and we shall not fear!"

The divine energy pulses over Tor, closing the worst of her wounds, and Dejen returns his grip to his sword and his full attention to the shadow beast, taking a few steps so that it lies between him and Tor.

"If anyone has a silver weapon they're keeping for a special occasion, now would be a good time to use it!"

Moving adjacent to Tor and using an action to use lay on hands and spend all 5 points currently in Dejen's pool to heal her. Then using any remaining movement to try and get in a position to flank the shadow beast with Tor.

[Lank]

The shadow creature's attack certainly hurt Tor but if anything that just fueled her to try and hurt it even more.'Foul blighter! Taste axe!" she screams as she swings her axe at the creature right as Dejen's healing power washes over her.


[roll0] to hit.
[roll1] advantage/disadvantage.
[roll2] slashing damage upon hit.
[roll3] bonus damage upon crit.

[Lappy9001]

Another bolt launched from Amrin's crossbow embeds itself within the creature's shadowy form as it hisses in pain, eyes narrowing and looking past the melee fighters towards the bard. Seizing on the shadow beast's momentary distraction and the energy from Dejen's healing touch, Tor swings her axe and splits the monster's head in two! Its eyes blink erratically for a brief moment before the beast goes up in smoke, its body evaporating into wispy shadows with a soft *POOF*

As the literal smoke clears, Gregor coughs again, "Well, that was exciting." With some noticeable effort, Gregor pulls himself up using his good side and begins to dust himself off with his left hand. He also hands his quiver containing 17 bolts to Rummy and says with a wink, "You can keep those and the crossbow. Just be sure to use it next time."

He surveys the chamber for a brief moment then looks back up to the partially collapsed tunnel. "Would one of you be willing to assist me gather my pack? We might be able to get back out, else we are stuck proceeding through the door."

The stone door with runes is now open, revealing darkness beyond.

[SilverStrike]

"Well done, Tor!" Amrin exclaims as the barbarian dispatches of the beast. She will help Gregor with his things before turning to speak with the party.

"Is everyone ready to continue? That is, if Rummy is done pissing his robes."

[Lank]

"Perhaps small one should stay behind. Don't want him to get hurt. Tor says after calming down for a moment.

[Townopolis]

"I didn't-" Rummy begins to protest, but then he corrects himself "-well, I suppose figuratively speaking." And then he is silent a while as he dusts himself off and ruminates on what just happened.

When Tor suggests he be left behind, Rummy says "Yes, actually, I think I left my own pack up there. I'd be happy to fetch it and help fetch Gregor's." He thinks another moment, nods, and turns to head up the slope. Before he leaves though, he does take the proffered crossbow and case of bolts and secure them on his belt.

[Edge]

"Well fought Amrin and Tor," Dejen beams, clapping a hand on the shifter's shoulder. "I'll admit, I'm loathe to leave anyone behind on their own. Who knows what lies beyond that door? There could be all sorts of creatures lurking in there, and the lay of the land might make it all too easy for them to slip by us and come upon anyone left behind completely unawares."

The paladin scratches his chin briefly in thought.

"If we're going to investigate further, I vote we all stick together. After making sure Rummy and Gregor aren't carrying more than they can handle, that is."

[Townopolis]

Rummy is gone for a few minutes, then Gregor's pack is sent sliding down the slope to land at his feet. Afterward, Rummy can be heard trotting back toward the collapsed entrance.

[Lappy9001]

Rummy finds that the entrance could be excavated, however it would take a long time and could be dangerous with the storm still well under way. He slides back down the tunnel and begins to examine the door as Gregor expresses his thanks. The gnome wizard utilizes a ten-minute ritual to sense magic upon the doors but detects none. It seems the door's function was hidden by the way the stone blocks fit together.

Beyond the door is a small landing that goes on for a few feet before descending into stairs of worked stone never more than 10 ft. below the arched ceiling. It is eerily quiet within the tunnel, each footstep echoing in the scant light from Dejen's torch. Eventually, you see a dim red glow in the distance.


Ambience (http://rpg.ambient-mixer.com/abandoned-temple)

The stairs end before a stone arch which leads into a landing in a large room. You appear to be on the second floor of some sort of temple. An ornate iron handrail extends from between two large stone pillars away from the stairway entrance. On either side of the pillars is a curving iron staircase leading to the floor below. Red orbs with fire inside are positioned into the pillars and light the chamber, their light dancing off a pool of water on the first floor. Across from the pool is a massive set of double doors that mirror the ones you used to enter this place, but are twice as large and are behind a shimmering curtain of light. Four small holes are beside the door, two on each side.

The landing curves around the pillars as the iron rail follows. The walls of worked stone are covered in murals whose paint is chipping with age, as well as two stone doors on either end, each of which has a singular Dwarvish rune for one of the four elements.

"By the stars," an awestruck Gregor speaks quietly, "I think we have stumbled on a temple of the ancient Elemental Cults!"

[Townopolis]

When Rummy returns from the cave entrance, he slides down the slope with his pack on and promptly topples over at the end. It takes Gregor pulling the pack off for the gnome to get up after that, and it is decided by silent agreement that the knight will carry the pack so that the gnome can avoid further mishap.

Once he's dusted himself off (again) the rest of the group may notice that Rummy is looking a little less cheerful and a little more shy than he he has been so far on their whole journey. And his voice is small when he asks "So, uh, what is the plan?" And he listens quietly as a plan is laid out by whomever lays out the plan. He casts his ritual upon request and relays the non-magical nature of the door to the party.

He then takes up a position toward the middle or rear of the party to advance further. Actually, when the party begins to advance, he hesitates a moment, then readies and loads his borrowed crossbow, then hesitates again before speaking.

"A̡͉n̼o̸o̵̭̯͚̮r͠um̕ ̡̞͇̳͍e̳͇̝̟͘ḽ̬̹e̟̘͖̩̤ͅe̴̳͍̮̥̥̘ͅl͖͓ ̺̜̺͔̦f͔̤͇̪͟ȩ̫̗̝̪͍̺r̖̮̗̜͍̜̮͡o̜̪ ̶̱̦͓̞ͅf͢e̯̺̱̳̳̣r͟o̬"


As he speaks, he dips a hand into a pouch at his side to retrieve a bundle of something that glows ever so softly. This he draws along the length of the loaded crossbow bolt. When he is done. The bolt glows brightly, like a torch. Thus armed and illuminated, Rummy hustles to catch up to his place and proceed in the party's rear rank.

The temple landing, when the party arrives, sends Rummy's mood upon another vicissitude. He perks right up and scampers to the fore. "Oh now this is interesting! Let me get my notes!" And he turns to Gregor, who has his pack. He begins to set his crossbow down, looks for somewhere good to set it, looks directly at the crossbow, and finally looks back up and turns toward the temple. "Hmm, there are probably more of those shadow creatures, aren't there? I should... hold on to this."

So he doesn't put down his crossbow.

[Lank]

Tor looks down into the temple with a look of mixed awe and disgust. "Cult eh, wicked things come from this insanity". Tor looks at the others. "Have look?"

[SilverStrike]

"This is incredible! I've never seen anything like it. If only Ostifer was here, right Rummy? He'd know what's going on."

Amrin will step cautiously into the room, looking for traps or anything else dangerous. She keeps her crossbow ready, but she can't resist going and examining the murals on the walls, the fiery orbs, the door, and the pool. So much excitement!

Perception:
[roll0]
Investigation:
[roll1]
Religion:
[roll2]

[Edge]

Upon Rummy's return, Dejen offers to carry some of the gnome and Gregor's loads, and quickly takes on what they're willing to part with (if anything). Once the group departs, he takes rearguard position, just behind Gregor, so the two humans can enjoy the illumination of the paladin's torch without spoiling the night vision of the others too much.

When the group discovers the edifice and Gregor shares his suspicion, Dejen can only curse. "Akachi's breath..." he breathes, his head suddenly darting around as he looks for danger.

Perception: [roll0]
Could roll Religion to examine the murals, but Dejen's mind isn't exactly focusing on them at the moment. :smalltongue:

[Townopolis]

"He sure would" murmured Rummy, as the shimmering door, mural, and glowing globes inexorably drew his attention once more.

[roll0] Does Rummy know anything about shimmering walls of light? It seems like it'll be de/activated by placing keys in those four sockets, but does Rummy know anything that could confirm that?

[roll1] Anything interesting about the orbs, or are they just garden variety Continual Flame items?

[Lappy9001]

Amrin notices no traps within the chamber, in fact, it looks like it was once used frequently although the large quantities of dust suggests this was a long time ago. The wall murals depict various scenes, each with a humanoid figure that appears to be made of on one of the four elements. One shows the earth figure creating mountains around a town, another depicts the water figure parting a sea and holding back a massive wave, and one on a smaller scale shows the fire figure handing a flame to several smaller humanoids.

The orbs are embedded into the pillars diagonally, spiraling up the side of the stone structures and appear to be made of some type crystal, rather than glass. Rummy guesses that they are filled with continual flame since they emit no heat.

Still atop the landing, Dejen plays the sentinel, eyes watchfully surveying the room although he notices no apparent danger.

Going down the stairs, Amrin examines the pool which is built into the floor and is only ankle deep. Several coins of copper and silver (different from the ones found nowadays) are sitting at the bottom of the pool and four ornate silver dishes float on the water with the sweet smell of incense still barely detectable.

Rummy proceeds to the door along with Amrin, while it is a bit of an enigma, the curtain of light is solid and impassable but likely vanishes once something fills the holes to the side.

On the first floor are benches of stone positioned in two columns, three rows down beneath the landing where you entered, with a small door like the ones above on either side of the wall, although these doors are unmarked.

Amrin knows a few things about the elemental cults; they were a Neutral religion that revered the four Elemental Lords of Fire, Air, Water, and Earth. The cult was powerful two hundred years ago but their divine magic suddenly just ceased. In fact, elementals in general have been seen less frequently since.

[SilverStrike]

"This room seems safe enough," Amrin calls out to the others, "but we absolutely have to keep exploring! Who knows what we might discover? This temple might even hold the key as to why the elemental cults disappeared!"

Amrin heads over to the small unmarked door.

"Who's with me?"

[Lank]

"You poke around ruins with no understanding of danger. I come along, only to keep you from hurting yourself". Tor moves in and stands on guard in the center of the ruin. She expects to see more shadow creatures so she steels herself to remain vigilant.

[Townopolis]

Rummy nods in agreement with Amrin, but he also tilts his head side-to-side in "more-or-less" agreement with Tor. "Perhaps we should try to discover a means of egress first?" he says.

"And double-check our rations to ensure we'll be capable of making Illium, and if we can get Gregor there. And, when we get to Illium, we can acquire supplies for a thorough study of the ruins." A moment's thought and a nod later, he concludes "We should find a way out, stock up, and return.

Even saying all that, he follows Amrin towards one of the unmarked doors in the back of the first floor.

[Lappy9001]

On the first floor are three doors, the double doors behind the light curtain to the west, two unmarked doors to the north and south. On the top floor, two rune-marked doors are to the north and two others are to the south. The tunnel in which you entered is to the east.

Amrin opens the unmarked stone door to the south, backed by the rest of the party and Gregor. The stone door sticks for a brief moment but after is easily pushed inwards with a quiet grinding sound. The chamber you enter is unlit but contains ample space for you all to enter. Dejen's torch shines brightly into the room that has for so long been left to darkness.

The first sensation you experience is a acrid, spicy odor, emanating from dessicated leafy vines hanging from wooden racks near the ceiling. Below these hangings are large wooden bookshelves completely filled with large tomes, some of which are almost a foot thick. A large tattered rug with geometric designs and faded colors covers a majority of the stone tiled floor. Iron scones in walls bear only the ashy remains of ancient torches.

Across from the door you entered is a table nestled between bookshelves and below a tapestry which is cluttered with objects. Another similar door likewise rests between bookshelves on the western wall.

[Townopolis]

Rummy gasps in sudden delight, then immediately turns toward Dejen and raises a hand to halt the paladin's advance. "Careful; that's all stuff that could go up in flames on a whim. Best leave the fire outside."

He then hefts his crossbow, still loaded with a glowing light-bolt and turns forward. "This light will have to do, or I could move it to... your sword?" he trails off a bit at the end, as he looks in wonderment at the ancient library.

[SilverStrike]

On the lookout for any nasty surprises, Amrin steps into the room slowly, trying to hold back her excitement enough that she doesn't do anything foolish. She takes a closer look at the books, trying to see what language they're written in. She will also rummage through the objects on the table and examine the tapestry above it.

Perception
[roll0]
Intelligence (knowledge?)
[roll1]

[Lank]

"Burning books wouldn't be too bad if they prove to be evil cult scripts" Tor chimes in. She then moves forward and begins poking at the stacks with the handle of her axe in an attempt to see if they are hiding anything and not getting bitten by a lurking spider in the process.

[Lappy9001]

The tapestry above the table is made up of geometric designs spiraling outwards from the center to the edges in a repeating pattern of seven colors: white, grey, red, purple, yellow, green, and blue. The top and bottom edges of the tapestry are covered in alternating rectangles of black, brown, and orange. Thousands of tiny pins are embedded within the shapes moving outwards from the center but stop far before reaching the edge. Slightly larger pens are positioned into the rectangles on top from right to left, numbering well over a thousand, and a few hundred identical pins are pressed into the bottom patterns left to right.

In the center of the desk is a dagger with a tiny red gem set in its pommel sticking out of a leather sheath, an empty silver inkwell, and scattered stacks of blank parchment that look like they might crumble if disturbed. To the left side are two ornately carved wooden pots, slightly larger than a human fist which contain metal pins, one large and the other small. Across from the pots is a copper chalice stained red from a drink long since evaporated, and three carved statuettes of bone. The statuettes depict faceless humanoids, one holding the sun above its head, the other holding the moon over its chest, and the other two whose hands are interlocked with one holding a candle and the other holding a fan.

Moving away from the desk, Amrin gingerly pulls one of the large tomes off the bookshelf. A small cloud of dust is released as the book is opened revealing a blank page. Flipping through the book further shows that every single page is completely blank...

[Townopolis]

Rummy slowly enters the library, holding his crossbow more like a lamp than a weapon as he turns its illumination toward one bookshelf and then the other. He spares a look for the items on the desk, and his brow furrows in thought at the enormously elaborate tapestry. When Amrin moves to open one of the books, he sucks in a breath and comes over to take a look.

"Huh. That's weird" he says when he sees that the pages are blank. He gives the shelf a scrutinizing look, and holds his crossbow to shed some better light on them. First, he looks to see if the dust is thicker on some or less even on others. If Tor is disturbing this particular shelf, Rummy will give up on it and move to another to determine this.

When his dust-density analysis is complete, the gnome shifts his grip on the crossbow to free one hand and makes a series of minute hand gestures while speaking in a hushed drone.

"Ś͚͕̖̱c̼̭̲̠͜i̺o̝̖͔͠ͅ ̖̕Sc̳̮̺i̴̪̰͖̰̠̦o̖̬̗ ͅE̮͉n̼̩͈̥̻k̠̞̫͍a͍ts̸̥̹̰u̵"


When he finishes, all the dust is sloughed off the spines of one or two books, and Rummy inspects it for signs of use.

Rummy is trying to find out which, if any, of these books have been handled a lot. His initial theory is that, if the more-handled books are blank, the ink they used has faded over time or due to circumstances. On the other hand, if some/all of the books show minimal signs of handling, that would indicate that the books were never inscribed in the first place.
[roll0]

[SilverStrike]

Amrin assists Rummy in his inspection of the books, taking a closer look at a larger number of them.

Investigation:
[roll0]

[Lappy9001]

Looking closer at the books, Rummy along with Amrin's assistance find that almost every book has been handled to some degree, with most of them being very rough with continual use. However, every book you investigate is completely blank, even the ones that have dog-eared pages.

There is a long standing myth that the world is less than 500 years old. According to lore, there are artifacts from this time before like books with blank pages and old elves and dwarves who have no memory if their lives before this time.

Gregor surveys the books in awe as Amrin and Rummy work."Blank pages...I wonder how old this temple is. I have never seen artifacts from before time, if that is what these are..."

[Townopolis]

"Seems likely," says Rummy with a nod, "we'll call that the first thesis." Then he heaves a little sigh sweeps his gaze quickly about the room and says "I'd rather not move anything more, unless we must, but let's see where that door leads." He indicates the door in the study's western wall and trundles that way with his light crossbow.

He stops short before the door and leans forward as if to listen for movement on the other side, only he's about a foot away.

[roll0]
[roll1]
Figure disadvantage might be relevant, since he's doing "listening at the door" wrong.

[SilverStrike]

"Yes, let's make sure the place is secure. We can always come back for research."

Amrin steps forward and actually listens at the door, her crossbow ready.

Perception
[roll0]

[Lappy9001]

Neither Amrin or Rummy hear any noise at the other side of the door.

[Lank]

Tor picks up the dagger and inspects it. She shrugs and decides to keep it for herself. "Not much here, try the other doors?" she asks coldly.

[Townopolis]

Rummy blushes, just a little, when he sees Amrin check the door properly. He covers by double-checking that his bolt is nested properly and performing another cursory visual sweep of the room. In response to Tor's suggestion, and when Amrin doesn't indicate that there's anything on the other side, Rummy nods and says "Okay," and trots forth to open the library's inner door. He reaches up to pull on the handle and get the door ajar, then grabs the door itself and walks it back and out of the way.

[Edge]

As the others in the group examine the room and the books, Dejen cannot help but have his attention drawn to the dagger in the center of the desk. The paladin stares at it for a few moments, then extinguishes his torch when Rummy's comment about igniting the library shakes him from his reverie.

"Of course. And this is why I used to leave a lot of thinking to those wiser than me," he grins. "Moving your magical light to my blade sounds like a good plan."

Once Rummy does or doesn't acquiesce to illuminating Dejen's sword, the paladin returns to examining the dagger, looking over the sheath, blade and hilt for any symbols or markings of note. His examination complete, he notices Amrin and Tor in position around the door as Rummy begins to open it. Shaking his head and castigating himself for his inattentiveness, the paladin darts to the side of the door, drawing his greatsword, and peers in to the room beyond.

A few rolls to examine the dagger.
Investigation: [roll0]
History: [roll1]
Religion: [roll2]

And to examine the room beyond the door:
Perception: [roll3]

[Lappy9001]

Dejen notes that this dagger appears to be silvered and has likely been used, rather unfittingly, as a mere desk tool. He does not recall the elemental cults using silvered tools before, so either it is a coincidence, or maybe the temle has been plagued with the shadow creatures on the past. If the latter, it is likely there are more somewhere in the temple...
The smell of dried herbs intensifies two-fold as soon as the door is opened. Inside is a closet and small alchemy room, with mortars, pestles, and other medicinal tools dotting the shelves on each side of the room. Alongside the tools are jars of preserved herbs and once live plants, lying dried out in pots.

In between the shelves is an alchemy stand with several corked bottles atop and a crate below.

The materials in here are sufficient to fill a spell component pouch or create new ones.

[Townopolis]

"Apologies, but what?" says Rummy when he realizes he's opened the door to a small alchemy lab, and he promptly sets his crossbow down to go in and take a closer look (we will say that, some time before opening the door, he moved his light spell to Dejen's sword). First, he just looks at everything on the shelves, carefully not touching anything. Anything he doesn't recognize will then be picked up and examined from a few angles to see if he can figure out what it is.

"Perhaps everyone should keep a step or two back. These had best not be disturbed. Oh, I mean, not for your protection. It's just the breeze of your movements may destroy something valuable" he says to nobody in-particular and without waiting for any responses.

After checking the tools, he rubs his hands together and launches into an investigation of the reagents in jars. The once-live plants are fairly quickly passed over on the assumption that they have lost their potency--unless, of course, Rummy spots something he knows is useful when dried. The jars of preserved herbs, if they are the type meant to be dried, may be unstoppered and given an olfactory examination. Being a trained alchemist, Rummy is sure to gently waft the aroma towards him rather than shoving his schnozz in a jar and inhaling. That is all fairly quick, however, and he mentions "Most of these will have lost their potency, of course, but I wonder... what is that? Hmmm, and what's this here?"

Once he's identified or given up on the last reagent, he turns to the potions. A frown forms on his face, and he turns around to address the party. "Perhaps a few steps back and around a corner. Who knows. Maybe close the door--but I'll need the light." How to approach that conflict of needs isn't something he speaks further on.

Instead, he begins investigating the potions. "Presently, then, what did you leave behind?" he murmurs to himself. Each potion will be visually examined and, if he thinks it is safe and won't damage the bottles, swirled or otherwise agitated to check for reactions. He will check colors, apparent viscosity, and any reactions against any reagents he is able to identify as on-hand and the formulae he knows. As necessary, he will then unstopper the potions and waft their odors his way to see if that brings any light to their purpose. He will refrain from actually sampling any of the potions at this time.

All of this immediately and thoroughly absorbs Rummy's attention. He is more-or-less lost to the world while he geeks out.

[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]
[roll4]
For any rolls that are wisdom-based, subtract 2.

[Lank]

Tor smirks at Rummy. His fascination with dusty bottles and jars amused her. "Maybe we should leave you alone with bottles" she says laughing. Tor remains in the room keeping a watchful eye over the group.