Jungle Ruins of Madaro-Shanti [IC]

[Oso]

Ignasio looked at the rune (more of a painting, and was that a third eye just above the nose?) on the guardhouse wall, did he see anything similar to that in the city?
He turned to the others “At the inn where I stay, the owner talked about three gods or deities that are worshiped here, I cannot remember the names but I did see their idols. Can this be one of them?”

Karan was kneeling by the winch device, looking it over with Alan, and it took him a few seconds to reply.
"What? Ah, no, you mean nature spirits. Their totem animals are the jaguar, the monkey and the elephant, I don't think this symbol is connected to them. But they may be at the heart of this, especially Cho-Oda, the one connected to the monkey."
He suddenly seemed to notice people were actually looking at him, and quickly averted his gaze. He stood up, shook the dust from his knees, coughed nervously and fidgeted. Then something seemed to occur to him, and he walked towards the windows.

"We'll need a map", he said without turning around to the party. I'm good at navigation, but not drawing. Anyone knows how to draw a map?"

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Karan wants to orient himself, both now and for the future. But, what he's mostly doing is looking for a well anywhere in the city.

[Koral]

Ignasio shrugged,
The idols in town did seem a lot more exotic. He reminded to himself again to discuss with the innkeeper the idea of mass producing and shipping copies to the southlands. These can become a huge hit in the right markets.
As for the shield, well, it seemed light enough to carry around and the runes made it a nice addition to any manor’s wall but there was no way that he was about to use it and he doubted it would fit into his backpack.
“If nobody’s interested in this shield we can leave it here for now and I will pick it up on our way out, as a souvenir”.
At the mention of a map he smiled “I LOVE maps” he exclaimed “Can I try to draw one?”

Spoiler: OOC:

Show

is there any skill required behind drawing a correct map or should we keep it as a role-play feature? I think you can all imagine what Ignasio's map is going to look like eventually....

[Stepfan]

"While I'm sure Ignasio's map will do fine to keep us updated We do have our friend Pisco's example from back in camp. I can attempt to retrace it loosely for you if it will help us decide where to go. This area seems to have little to no leads on what we came here to do and I am personally opposed to having my soul leached out by the dark cloud we are trying to deal with. The gate is already raised and I doubt lowering it will do any good considering the state of repairs the walls are in."

Alan glances around the room and seems satisfied with his conclusion that everything has been looked over. "The shield's runes have some sort of effect, and if I had to guess each one seems to be a daily use, but I haven't the foggiest idea what each one does so I suppose if anyone wants to test it they are welcome to....", he pauses for a second, "though if that is something you decide to do I would appreciate some warning so that I can stand a good distance away just in case. I try not to mess with magics I don't fully understand.

A lie... but a good one

[Oso]

Karan twists his head towards Alan.
"We have a map? Well, why didn't you list that among our assets in the first place?"

Humans. Really.

"Okay, I think we should head towards the well at the center of town. We heard something about it moving the walls, and I think it's the only clue we have at the moment. As for the shield, I'll take it. Might need more defences while we're out here in the open."

[Mercurion 2]

"We have a map? Well, why didn't you list that among our assets along with the wheelbarrow in the first place?"

[Koral]

"Over the albino I think" Ignasio mumbled to himself for no apparent reason and then his eyes lit at Karan's words "Yes, lets go to the spooky well, it is probably empty and dump and slimy and full with spiders, and in its bottom are the skeletal remains of desperate lovers who threw themselves down and a secret passage leading on to a forgotten underground crypt where the restless spirits of encient king roam, ooh, and traps, lots of traps!. Finally, this is getting exciting!"
He flashed his best smile trying to find any sort of enthusiasm in the eyes of the people around him, and finding none he muttered "OK, lets just go and find that well".

[Fitzroy95]

Given the general lack of enthusiasm for the (magical ?) shield she'd found, Axwheel strapped it across her back, either for someone to use later, or as a gift to the warriors of Clangeddin if not otherwise claimed.
For the moment, the well is the next closest location to examine, followed by the palace, but the temple complex on the far side of the crumbling settlement was also drawing her attention.
If the current curse came from one of the divinities of the region, that was likely to provide a link to it.
But for now, exploring the rest of the destroyed town for anything that might lead to the source of the cloud was worth doing.
"Agreed, lets keep moving."

and so (if no-one else is doing so), she'll lead the way back outdoors, then pause briefly and scan the region, trying to see if there is any thickening in the surrounding cloud that might hint at a source.

Spoiler: the map from earlier

Show

https://imgbox.com/YMaYtXnT

[Oso]

Given the general lack of enthusiasm for the (magical ?) shield she'd found, Axwheel strapped it across her back, either for someone to use later, or as a gift to the warriors of Clangeddin if not otherwise claimed.

Actually, two messages above:

"Okay, I think we should head towards the well at the center of town. We heard something about it moving the walls, and I think it's the only clue we have at the moment. As for the shield, I'll take it. Might need more defences while we're out here in the open."

[Fitzroy95]

[OOC]
OK, apologies, if someone is going to put the shield to use, Axwheel hands it over, quickly explains that it seems to have some magical powers that can be invoked, but she doesn't know how to use them, and then carried on as stated above

[Mercurion 2]

The expedition left the gatehouse, winding its way through clusters of small dwellings, some made of exposed mud bricks while others were constructed with a slurry of faded and mold-spotted plaster. The jungle had reclaimed much of the terrain since the fall of Madaro-Shanti, with creepers draping low-slung buildings and tree cracking nearby walls where they had sprung up. All the foliage, however, was sickly looking from the black cloud, fronds slumping and vines appearing wilted and speckled with brown spots.

Here and there a human skeleton flashed yellowed bones through the tangle of grasses, the corpses long ago picked clean by scavengers, beetles, and worms. The ruined city itself was deathly quiet, only the leaden wind occasionally stirring the grass with sullen gusts.

After winding their way through the ruins, the expedition reached an open courtyard directly in front of the palace, overgrown with dying jungle creepers and surrounded by ruined buildings, fancier than the residential houses they had passed through. True to Pisco’s map, a square stone well stood in the middle of a plaza in front the palace.

The sides of the stone well were ornately carved. In the middle of each side was a deep impression of a handprint; the rest of the carvings differed on each side, pictures of kings, elephants, jaguars, flowering plants and the like, apparently merely for decoration. At each corner of the well sat a small, carved stone head, probably about twenty pounds in weight.

Across the plaza, the palace loomed as huge two-story structure built of massive stone blocks with a vast, arched doorway. The building was been badly damaged, apparently taking multiple hits from siege engines. The walls had been breached in more than one place.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

The well is quite large, about 40’ x 60’, with walls about 2 ½’ feet high, while the palace is 120' x 220'.

[Stepfan]

"Well here we are at the well. I don't quite see anything here that might aid our search, though I suppose we could try to look in the well. I would say that the palace seems a good place to start investigating more fully however."

Alan dryly summarized glancing around the area.

[Oso]

Karan begins to reply - perhaps something about actually searching, or the inability of arcanists to see - but bites down his words. It was a waste of breath, and besides, if there was a joke here, it was on Karan himself, because somehow he had turned into the party's rogue.
Gods. He hated towns almost as much as he hated people.

He turned away in disgust, walking a wide circle around the well, noting any features or signs, looking for traps, checking if the vegetation around it grew in an ununiform manner, if the stones looked like they were sticking out or in somewhere. Then he approached it, going over the same routine over the edge of the well, and also checking if there was some way to descend into it, ans finally - shushing everybody and listening into it, and then (if he hears nothing) dropping a stone to see if it hits water.

Spoiler: Rolls

Show

Spot - (1d20+12)[32]
Listen - (1d20+11)[23]
Search - (1d20-1)[10]

[Oso]

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Oh, wow. So, basically, if there's any writing on the well, Karan has a 50/50 shot of seeing it, but if a really, really small person is hiding anywhere between the stones - not only will he see him, but he'll also be able to read his lips!

[Koral]

Ignasio walked through the abandoned ruins quietly, trying to imagine the architecture and artistic quality of the buildings that were once a fully living city, blatantly ignoring the skeletal remains and blackened decay all around him. Most of it seemed quite ordinary but that all changed once they reached the grand plaza.
He let out a sharp excitement cry at the view of the palace and the well, that was fabulous, even in current state, it was obvious that the current city of Chologadi could not even dream of such grandeur and scale.
He slowly walked around the well, studying the alien art and paying special close attention to the stone heads (was any of them resembling the rune from the gourd tower?) he held one in both hands, trying to see if it had any practical purpose, did the budge? Rotate maybe? Used as anchor points for long gone overhead roof?
He then kneeled by one of the handprints, fitting his hand into the hand shaped stone carving, was it human size and shape?
“Hey” he called with joy “Lets fit all four at the same time and see what happens!”

[Fitzroy95]

Axwheel followed the group as they wandered into the middle of the city, silently offering prayers to the spirits of the fallen (if any of their spirits still remained).
Reaching the well, she gazed around at the surrounding buildings, as well as the palace, and then moved slowly around the outside of the structure, examining the many carvings that adorned its surface.

At Ignasio's suggestion, she smiled, then shrugged. It seemed unlikely that anything was going to happen, but was an avenue to explore. First she examined the handprint carefully, in case of hidden spikes or poisoned traps, and then followed Ignasio's example, while seeing if any of the others filled the other 2 spots.

[Mercurion 2]

Karan peered over the thick stone wall encasing the well. The well was filled with water just a few feet below the surface, though it was scummed over with decomposing detritus making it impossible to see more than a foot or two into. Streaks of moss and mold had taken hold on the inside walls, though now it, like the surrounding jungle, was spotted brown and yellow as it succumbed to the effects of the muyal kaxan.

Ignasio walked the circumference of the well, squatting down at each corner to examine the stone head there. He noted that the design of each faced differed, but where similar in design to the bas-relief they had found on the upper level of the gatehouse. Eventually he prodded them, and observing no deleterious reaction, picked them up from their resting spots, though this required a bit of wiggling back-and-forth as they were well settled into their spots. Again, nothing untoward appeared to happen upon Ignasio’s handling of them.

The handprint on each side of the well did appear to be human both in shape and general size. Nothing happened when the sorcerer placed his hand in the nearest indentation. Nothing continued to happen when Axwheel did the same with another of the prints.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Karan doesn’t note anything else that looks out of place, nor does he see any writing anywhere. Here is what the four stone heads look like:

[Oso]

Karan grunts, approaches the well, and puts his hand in one of the remaining handprints. He then looks at Alan.

[Goby]

Thorik follows along as the group travels towards the plaza, noting with concern the continued effects of the muyal kaxan.

While others inspect the well, he takes note of the palace and the damage done to the walls, trying to determine what type of force it would take to do that to a building that large. He looks around, are there any remains or tracks of siege weaponry, or other signs of a battle?

Eventually he turns when Ingasio gets excited at the well, and walks over to touch the last open handprint. Not really expecting anything to happen, but stranger things are possible.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

How long did it take us to travel from the gatehouse to this area?

[Mercurion 2]

Once Thorik set his hand into the indent in the fourth side of the well, nothing stopped happening. Instead, the scummed water in the well suddenly belched, a thick bubble of air burbling up to disturb the water in the middle. The water level began dropping, gathering speed as it appeared to drain downwards until it revealed a valve in the east side of the inside wall out of which the water was draining.

The last of the well water gurgled out the valve some 20 feet down before it snapped shut, leaving slick puddles on the floor below an inch or two deep. In the center of the room, among the rotting detritus, a short metal stem attached a horizontal bronze wheel to the floor. In the north wall, 5ft off the floor, was a niche with a carved stone head resting in it.

OOC: The water drained nearly completely out of the well through a valve, which then snapped shut.

[Oso]

Karan, who started back as the foul bubble of air passed the lip of the well, watched in fascination and shock as the water dropped, his mouth hanging open. For once, his lack of words was not by choice.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

O
M
G
A
N
S
!

(Oh My Gods and Nature Spirits!)

[Fitzroy95]

Intrigued by the emptying well, Axwheel leaned over the edge and peered towards the bottom, and then sideways at each of the heads. She hadn't really expected anything to happen with the handprints, but the fact that they had a more real purpose than mere decoration, made her suspect that the heads surrounding the well might also provide some sort of similar purpose.

Each had clear differences, (the way their eyes appeared to differ) and that each was movable, suggested that they could easily be moved to occupy a different location, possibly for a reason. And the fact that there was a 5th head at the base of the well, implied that all 5 were part of the mechanism (if it was a mechanism). So clearly they needed to go down there at some stage and examine the head, and the wheel (which looked like some sort of manual control - possibly to open the valve and return water to the well)

Therefore she lifted the first head, moved it across and swapped it with the second, to see if there was any change in the heads or their eyes.
(basically referring to them as per the lineup in the image Scott posted earlier)

[Mercurion 2]

After wriggling the heads free of the the mud and accumulated detrius, they were easily moved from one spot to another, but doing so didn't have any apparent effect on anything the group could see.

[Koral]

“HA! I knew it! desperate lovers, secret passage, underground crypt, dead kings, spooky ghosts”
Ignasio was practically dancing around the empty well, trying to look inside from all angles at once.
He then ran to his bulging backpack and after some moments produced, with an excited cry of success, a pair of fluffy pink slippers, one featuring a big purple Pompon at the fingertips and the other a light green one.
He hastily took off his boots and replaced them with the slippers and ran back to the well “I’m going in!” he shouted and started to climb down the well unless forcefully stopped.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

please someone stop me !

[Fitzroy95]

Ignasio, although obviously excited, clearly knew what he was doing, so Axwheel watched him disappear from sight down the well as she called after him
"Careful with that control wheel. Its been underwater for a long time, and might snap if you try to force it !"

before returning to investigate the riddle of the heads.

[OOC] investigating whether the eyes themselves are able to move, rotate, depress, etc

[Mercurion 2]

Ignasio, although obviously excited, clearly knew what he was doing, so Axwheel watched him disappear from sight down the well as she called after him
"Careful with that control wheel. Its been underwater for a long time, and might snap if you try to force it !"

before returning to investigate the riddle of the heads.

[OOC] investigating whether the eyes themselves are able to move, rotate, depress, etc

OOC: No, the stone is solid, carved, nothing moves.

[Goby]

A startled Thorik pulls his hand back from the well, looking on in surprise as the water drains. He really didn't expect anything to happen.
After peering over the edge for a moment, he rummages through his pack and comes up with a length of rope just as Ignasio starts over the edge.

"Hold on there, that was a clever idea ya had, but if ye're gonna go down there, at least take this rope so ya don't fall or get stuck." he says to Ignasio, offering him one end of the rope and wrapping the other end around his body to hold as an anchor against the edge of the well.

[Koral]

“No time! No need!” ignasio ran past Thorik, completely ignoring the safety rope dangling next to him and into the well.
To the surprise of all (or some) he did not start to carefully climb his way down. Instead he simply stopped for a few seconds at the edge, mumbling incomprehensibly to himself and then started walking, upright down the wall just barely stopping himself from running.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Damn you Rob, you know me too well. Party Pooper! Slippers of spider climb of course

[Fitzroy95]

Still convinced that the heads had something to do with the whole puzzle, Axwheel walked slowly around the well, examining it carefully for any other locations where the heads could conceivably be placed in some sort of regular pattern.

Maybe they just needed to be rearranged on the surface in increasing sequence of the opening eyes i.e. order 4 (all closed), 1, 3, 2 (all open).

It was possible that the head down the well shaft just needed to be swapped with one of those from the top to activate whatever was supposed to occur, but that would be too simple. Or was it ?

So she continued looking and rearranging them into "eyes open" sequence (as above), while waiting for Ignasio to report back from the depths

[Mercurion 2]

Ignasio scampered down the side of the well, his slippers miraculously clinging effortlessly to the sides of the well despite them still being slick and wet. The aroma of stagnant water assaulted his nostrils as he descended, but the marvelous magic imbued in his footwear kept the pompons adorning it fluffy and dry.

Puddles still dotted the floor, but the vast majority of the water had drained away, leaving only accumulated decaying leaves and debris. The sorcerer could easily make out valve in the water had rushed out of though it appeared to be sealed tight at the moment.

Turning to the stone head in the alcove, it looked to be the same size, shape, and weight as those at the corners of the well above—which Axwheel was busy toting to-and-fro to no apparent effect—and, Ignasio noted, matched head number 1 above in terms of the carvings of arrows around its eyes.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Axwheel tries all the permutations she can think of in terms of rearranging the heads at the corners but nothing seems to trigger a reaction.

[Koral]

Ignasio could not suppress his deep disappointment: what about the secret door and the spooky passage to the hidden crypt? Where are all the skeletal remains of the desperate lovers? Was it really too much to ask for?
He grimaced as he watched the piles of rot and debris, and waved his hands absent mindedly, allowing the mage hand to do the dirty work of moving it around and reveal anything hidden underneath, he himself looked closely at the floor exposed by the hand and the walls searching for whatever may be hidden there. In the alcove behind the stone figurine maybe? anything?
If nothing out of the ordinary is found he will pick up the stone figurine and climb back up, taking care to keep his Pompons dry and clean.

Spoiler: OOC:

Show

Mage hand 0 level spell.
search roll (1d20+1)[4]