Heart of Gheddon

[God Imperror]

I hurry towards the wall, trying to realize if it is an illusion or perhaps a smoke screen, since there doesn't appear to be any possible source of the bolts that were fired earlier.

[Tharione]

Spoiler

Show

technically speaking Dimension step, at least the version im reading, would only allow axile to teleport past the wall due to the line of sight thing.
but i'm waiving that for this round.

Everyone rushes to the wall, Ori along it to where everyone else is, and Mariel casts her spell. Glittering runes briefly cover the feet of everyone and, more quickly than the eye can blink, they find themselves in a long narrow corridor with arrow slits facing out every 20' on one side and stairwells down on either side.

A crossbowman lies dying here in a puddle of its own blood. Its mouth has been sewn shut.

map

Spoiler

Show

Initiative order is dissolved for the time being.

Ori clasps a hands to one of the several fresh gashes in her side. It glows softly and the flesh knits itself neatly together, leaving not even a scar. Her torn bandage-like apparel over the spot does not mend however.

"I believe that the darkness down there, the ones that resist the normal light, may be banished by magical light. Possibly why they dispelled our sources of it."

[bindin garoth]

"Probably. Ori, are you familiar with the layout of this temple?" He asks. He hoped she was, otherwise it'd be too easy for them to get lost! And with enemies on the bout, that was never good.....

[Archmage1]

"I have seen such things in the past, but my light spell is not a very complicated spell, so it may not counter their darkness. Also, I won't be able to cast another one until I rest. Anyone recognize this fellow? Or know anything about him?"

Mariel investigates the body

Spoiler

Show

heal(1d20-1)[11]
arcana(1d20+23)[37]
planes(1d20+23)[28]
perception(1d20+16)[31]
spellcraft(1d20+28)[40]
appraise(1d20+8)[21]
other useful knowledge(1d20+8)[15]
search(1d20+10)[19]

[Tharione]

Spoiler

Show

The body is that of an adult male aasimar whos mouth has been stitched shut.

he has a masterwork repeating heavy crossbow, a lantern, a ring, 21 bolts and 1 bolt made of glass.

[Archmage1]

After her investigation, Mariel stands up, placing the ring and the glass bolt in her pack, and struggling to lift the crossbow and bolts

"Well, he was an aasimar, but I can't tell any more than that. Does anyone want his crossbow? It is a repeating crossbow, so reloading is much easier."

[Tharione]

"Beyond the main chamber the halls of this place remain a mystery to me."

[bindin garoth]

"Well, I guess we just have to choose a direction and start walking... Luckily, I have the perfect tool for this!" Axile says, reaching into his pockets and pulling out a gold coin.

If neither side is clearly marked:

Spoiler

Show

He proceeds to take out a dagger and makes a small score on one side of the coin.

"There! If it lands on the side with the score, we go south. If it doesn't we go north!" He says with a grin on his face.

OOC:

Spoiler

Show

Yes, Axile has a very sophisticated method

1=Score (Heads)
2=No Score (Tails)
(1d2)[2]

[Archmage1]

"I can go with that, but in the interest of completeness, we might want to head in the direction away from that door, as that is probably the correct way."

[God Imperror]

I remain silent for a while examining the stuff of the guy that we have dropped. As far as I know Bill's crossbow was magical, and thus better than the one in the ground, even if it is a repeating one. I take the crossbow and put it aside on the backpack for later use, or to sell it.

-Well I am not really fond of exploring places, where people might we waiting and reading an ambush. But... why don't we make sure that we have a way out? This corridor must connect somewhere to an exit, and that will probably be close to the door from which we started. It will be a detour and take us some time, but if we have to run we will know in which direction. Otherwise, if time is pressing I don't have a problem on going deeper.

I look at my familiar and caress its feathers while thinking.

-Casker can you fit through those arrow slits? Could you check if someone is in the room in which we were before?

[Archmage1]

"If having a way out is your concern, I can just teleport us all out, so don't worry about that."

[God Imperror]

I shrug, that works.

-That works, I guess.

I smile at the elf wizard, even if I have a knack for magic I try to not rely on it, and I must admit that the possibility of just teleporting out didn't cross my mind.

[bindin garoth]

"Alirght! Well, are you all ready to go?" Axile asks.

[Archmage1]

"Certainly. Lead the way."

[Tharione]

Casker tries to wedge through the arrow slit but backs out and falls shortly to the floor hopping about before returning to Firias shoulder.

[bindin garoth]

Axile starts to walk north with the others, only walking behind Andrann. He tries to keep an eye out ahead to be on the safe side, knowing they'll encounter at least one more enemy.

[Tharione]

The party reaches the northern stairwell down and proceeds down it, arriving in a wider room with five beds evenly spaced along the wall, each with a footlocker. A fountain trickles water into a deep and wide basin in the far corner of the room.
The only obvious exit is a stairwell up at the south end of the room.

[Archmage1]

"Well, it looks like someone lived here. Ori, did your instructors mention anything specific about the guardians? I was expecting golems and the like, but apparently this is for humanlike guards. Can anyone check for traps? We should probably see what is in these footlockers, and I can check to see if the water is poisoned if needed."

Mariel tries to determine how many of the beds have been slept in recently.

[Tharione]

the beds were all recently made

"The guardians were an order of paladins following in the footsteps of their Ancestor who fought alongside my own."

[Archmage1]

"Well, these beds have been used recently, and that fellow was no paladin. I would say that your guardians are no more."

[bindin garoth]

"I'll check the footlockers! They better have good loot......" Axile says. He was excited, hoping to find something good here!

Spoiler

Show

Axile walks up to the nearest footlocker and rummages through the stuff. If nothing happens, he'll continue to do so until he's gone through all of them!

[Tharione]

he finds ten sets of white clothing, 5 pairs of boots, and 100 crossbow bolts.

[Archmage1]

After Axile fails to trigger any potential traps, Mariel heads over an investigates the objects found, checking the thread count of the robes, and trying to determine if the boots have been worn. She also tries to see if she can identify any magical items among the abandoned items in the room, and she searches the room, hoping to find some clue as to what happened here.

Spoiler

Show

Hopefully a spellcraft of 28 without a roll will let me determine if an item is magica.
Search taking 20, so 30.

"Well, that's disappointing. But where are the wearers of the boots? or the crossbows to go with those bolts? I have a bad feeling about this. Still, we might as well continue. Andrann, lead the way."

Mariel follows Andrann down the staircase at the south end of the room.

[Baxxie]

"Pitiful..." Andrann says as he sighs at Axile. "Always after the other boy's toys, aren't you, kid?" he would ask, although he knew checking through the footlockers was a good idea to get a look at who stayed here and what was left behind. It was always good to know whether these footlockers were ravaged before or not, as well, but Andrann chose not to speak of reason but of honor for now.

[bindin garoth]

Axile decides to ignore the kid..... For now. "Of course! How else is one suppose to get good loot? Unfortunately there wasn't anything of value here......" Axile says, sounding a bit disappointed. He had hoped they would find something of use.....

Axile also follows behind Andrann.

[God Imperror]

I smile as I have an idea, I might be able to wear those clothes, and disguise myself as an Asimar that will surely keep some arrows from getting to close to myself.

-Give me a second.

I take my boots of and put them on the bag at my back, and help myself with some looted boots, even if they don't fit properly at the moment my feet are going to change pretty soon. I take one of the robes and pull it over myself. Whispering the lines of the spell.

-May my form be true, when the moment is due.

After the incantation takes effect I move the robe covering me to hide my mouth and follow the others.

Spoiler

Show

OOCAlter self to a lesser asimar

[Tharione]

The staircase at the other end of the room leads up to the hall above. The south end of the hall you came from. with the arrow slits

[Archmage1]

Mariel heads up the stairs at the far end of the room.

[Tharione]

she arrives in the hall above with the arrow slits.

[Archmage1]

Spoiler

Show

I meant to go the way we haven't been yet, as I thought the room was more or less
X X X
SX X XS
X X X
is more or less what I think the room looks like, with S as the stairs, and we came in at SX, and I meant to send Mariel up XS