Ruins of Azlant, Part I: A Bountiful Venture [PF] (IC)

[pi4t]

Liyinva enters behind Tirsen, already in a combat stance and looking around to see what has disturbed Midnight. The lion himself is, reluctantly, following after her.

[Stelio Kontos]

As you step into the building (Midnight being more or less being dragged by Liyinva, his claws digging into the wooden porch in an attempt to root himself to the ground), you see a room that suggests a modest place of worship — not quite a temple but more than a mere shrine. A table near the center of the west wall appears to serve as an altar, draped in a white but dusty cloth. Behind the table, a large wood carving of a humanoid figure with a stag’s head leans against the wall. Two rows of benches face the altar, although some have been knocked over and two piles of ashes are visible in the aisle between them. Scattered throughout the room are assorted objects related to public worship, such as a chalice and a ceremonial rod. An ornately carved longbow hangs on the wall near the altar, as if on display. Against the north wall is a smaller shrine. Nearby is a wooden statue roughly three feet tall that depicts a male half-human and half-avian creature. One carved wing hangs partially broken from the statue.

The silence and emptiness of the room echoes with every step you take across the dusty ground, and a lingering foul odor that seems perhaps to be strongest near the covered altar behind which hangs the ornate bow that is the current object of your desire.

Spoiler: Make your own Knowledge (Religion) and Knowledge (Planes) checks

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Spoiler: DC 10 (religion)

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The wooden carving behind the altar is a symbol of Erastil.

Spoiler: DC 15 (Religion or Planes); trained only

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The smaller half-avian statue is of Talmandor, the agathion patron of Andoran, for whom the colony you have come to is named.

[pi4t]

"Very well, then, Midnight. We will wait here." Liyinva stops moving in, positioning herself near the entrance and giving herself a clear view of the shrine. "Hmm. This place appears to be dedicated to Erastil, which would explain the bow." She pauses for thought. "He seems like one of the better gods of civilisation, from what little I know about him and what Eamon said on the journey. Whatever happened to this place is likely related to the absence of colonists. It would be wise to seek the source of the smell in here, and check for any other dangers, before taking the bow.

"I do agree, however, that we should take it before leaving. This is no longer any place for such a weapon to be kept, especially if Rovena is right about the building being desecrated. It is...quite beautiful, even besides its magical properties and divine significance. Not quite of elven quality, perhaps, but nonetheless made with great dedication and care by a skilled carver.

"Rackam, you should not dismiss the longbow so lightly. While I am not skilled in its use myself, I have often seen one bring down four or five enemies in the time it took you to reload your toy earlier. Of course, like most weapons the bow does require a little skill to use effectively."

[Darvin]

Tirsen says nothing as the other speaks, simply moving cautiously throughout the shrine and searching it over for anything noteworthy.

Spoiler: OOC

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Taking 20

[jamieth]

"Erastil, of course", Rovena nods, "God of hunting, farming, trade... If anything, I'd call him... traditional. Too traditional for my tastes, no disrespect implied... and this half-avian statue seems to depict Talmandor, a celestial patron of Andoran... and, of course, the one this colony is named after, so makes sense.

I wonder, though... it is true that the colonists must have left in a hurry, but... whatever they fled, appears to not have been interested in material goods...

Anyway. Once we're done here... we'll have to check the colonists' homes... if they were in such a hurry, there's a chance they'd leave some records... journals, documents..."

[Hattish Thing]

Rackam rolls his eyes towards Liyinva, tapping at the side of his complicated firearm before twirling the device, allowing it's numerous, gold-plated clockwork components to glitter and flash in the sunlight. He chuckles darkly before continuing to spin the firearm in an even more complicated weapon in a show of dexterity and expertise.

Finally, he twirls the pistol backwards, until the butt of the firearm connects to a strange mechanical gripping device hidden beneath the illustrius golden sleeve of his battered greatcoat. The device, rather like an armbrace, pulls the pistol back into Rackam's sleeve, hiding it from view.

With a smug expression upon his face, Rackam speaks. "Skill ye say? I do like me a challenge, especially when there's firearms involved. How'se we trade, little later? Five gold says I can put a hole in a target eighty feet away with that splintery ol' thing."

"I'd like to see you do the same with mine."

[Stelio Kontos]

Edo and Tirsen lead the way into the chapel, with most of the rest of the party in tow save Liyinva and Midnight. The faint odor that Tirsen noticed outside is definitely present in the room, and seems to be emanating from the area of the altar table -- which, Tirsen quickly discovers by patting at the dropcloth, isn't really a table at all, but an enclosed box with panels that lift off.

The tranquil silence and stillness of the room is interrupted by two events, before the party is able to investigate further.

First, the silver chalice on the floor lurches suddenly to life, making a whizzing aerial path just past Edo's head as it clangs loudly against the rear wall and, dented by the impact, spins around on the floor.

Second, and perhaps more disconcerting, was the voice -- an unearthly, horrifying low-pitched snarling shriek. The words were spoken slowly, as if the speaker -- who or what it is, you cannot see, though the voice seems to come from the center of the room -- took in a deep breath in between each word. But the message was clear enough.

"WHERE... IS ... HE..."

Spoiler: OOC

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So, yeah. The party can now go in any order you like.

[Darvin]

Though alert for any attempt to blindside her with another hurled furnishing, Tirsen is unimpressed by this display of sound and fury. Shouting loudly and throwing things around? She'd been capable of doing that as a toddler. She steps confidently towards the altar.

"Last I checked, he was swimming out to sea with a rather nasty hole in his side," Tirsen remarks facetiously. She catch the dropcloth with the edge of her rapier and moves it aside. She quickly checks over the box, and once fairly certain she's clear moves to open it.

[jamieth]

Rovena, equally unimpressed by the bodyless voice - You should've seen the pranks students in the academy were pulling! Honestly, I'm worried about the future of magic itself if left in the hands of such frivolous, irresponsible... but I digress. - turns towards Tirsen and states the obvious, "Somehow I doubt you mean the same 'he' in your statements..."

Then, her sight focuses on the two piles of ash, recognizing the familiar shapes. "Burning books. Inexcusable."

[Desril]

Whether it was because the story of Splatter Bay spooked her, or she just didn't care about the topic of conversation was difficult to say, either way Shana remained largely quiet as the group first began to explore the temple, reaching back for her weapon at the sound of the voice. "That...didn't sound right to anyone, did it? That voice?"

Spoiler

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Perception looking for the source (1d20+6)[18]

[Stelio Kontos]

The group goes quietly about their business, Edo reaching up to retrieve the ornate bow hanging on the wall as Tirsen pops open the panel on the altar table. There's a definite pressure against the panel as Tirsen lifts, and the reason for that immediately becomes readily apparent, as a dead body, well into a deep state of decay, tumbles out of the box into Tirsen's lap. A putrescent stench, like the one you noted entering the room but a hundred times stronger, fills the area surrounding the altar and pouring into Edo and Tirsen's nasal passages. Edo manages to close off his breath in time, but the exertion of pulling the panel open causes Tirsen to take a full gulp, the smell and taste of death filling every pore.

Meanwhile, Rovena's search for the source of the voice proves a success, of a sort: a figure of pure menace appears from nowhere, hovering in the air approximately half an inch from her face, shrieking an unearthly shriek at full throat.

Spoiler: Creature

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"WHERE IS ARKLEY!"

A silvered tray flies unbidden through the air from near the apparition, though it didn't appear that the creature -- whatever it is -- grabbed it with anything. Ducking just out of the way, Rovena feels the tray brush against her hair as it whizzes past. The creature then vanishes from sight as quickly as it appeared, leaving only the party, a brief silence, and the stench of death filllng the air.

[jamieth]

"Right? Well, that depends on what you..." Rovena doesn't get a chance to finish her sentence as the apparition right in front of her cuts her thinking momentarily - and sends the girl to the floor, rather unsighedly, as she falls over her heels while backing down... at least that saves her from the flying tray.

Slowly getting up, Rovena starts gathering her thoughts, though the heart racing in her chest makes it not as easy as usual... but the name is just too familiar for mere fear to drive it out of her mind. "The governor?" she whispers, confused, looking around for any signs of the creature revaling itself again.

[Darvin]

Tirsen rises to her feet, letting the dead body fall to the side, a flicker of memories coming through clearly through despite the overwhelming smell and the visage of the creature. "poltergeist, such a bother," Tirsen mutters, half annoyed and half-impressed by the creature's shownmanship.

She turns to Rovena and raises an eyebrow, "a dead body, a vengeful apparition, and the governor? Doesn't take a psychic to connect those dots," Tirsen's eyes scan the room, then she sighs, "mundane steel won't harm such a creature, but at the same time I don't think it has much way to harm us aside from throwing things. Let's collect any loose objects and remove them from the building,"

[Lt Gravemind]

Whilst Edo was most assuredly disturbed by the apparition, he had to somewhat agree with Tirsen's threat assessment. Flying trays were hardly the concern here. He secured the bow and checked around for any arrows to actually use with it.

[Desril]

While some of her companions seemed to be able to keep their wits about them, something about the poltergeist got to Shana. Perhaps it was her own brush with death that made the spectre so terrifying, maybe her new body simply was vulnerable to spiritual influence, or perhaps it was even a case of her soul not being fully bound to the body that left her exposed to the powers of the haunt, but whatever the case, Shana froze when the ghost made its appearance. Her scythe gripped in shaking hands, she stepped back, trembling while the others secured the room. "W-we should leave."

[pi4t]

Midnight frantically tries to pull away, but ends up sliding on a patch of loose ground outside and losing his grip. Liyinva looks back at him, worried and obviously unsure whether to keep him there or bring him away from the building. The obvious solution would be to let Shana look after him, but Liyinva's not sure she can trust her. Or whether Shana would even be able to look after Midnight properly.

"Is there anything specific that I can do here? If not, I think I will take Midnight away from the building before he injures himself."

[Darvin]

"That's for the best, yes," Tirsen acknowledges as she pilfers everything that looks valuable on the pretext of removing loose objects, starting with the silver tray and goblet.

[Stelio Kontos]

Tirsen's efforts to secure the small objects proves largely to be a losing battle, though he's able to grab at least a few objects including the silvered cup that first was launched. The apparition seems to get the hang of the proceedings, as many of the loose objects seem to leap away from Tirsen's grasp, flying either at his face or across the room. The silver platter at one point flips up in the air away from his grasp, the breeze of air showing that the main force of the blow passed just before his face but opening up a small cut on his cheek. All the while the haunting screams continue along the same vein:


BRING ME ARKLEY!
BRING ME THE HEAD OF THE BETRAYER!

In the meanwhile, Edo has relatively little trouble retrieving the bow from its place, but he doesn't find any arrows nearby.

The rest of the group retreats, at a rapid pace, back to the dock area.

Spoiler: OOC

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Tirsen takes 1 damage from a flying saucer.

[jamieth]

"Oh well", Rovena notices as the group is safely (?) away from the shrine, "Betrayer... now that's the word that puts a new perspective on the events - assuming, of course, we can trust that apparition. Still, I'd prefer to trust evidence over accusations... Let's at leat check the governor's residence - or town hall - wherever the colony records were held before going towards the second site. That large building farthest from the sea seems like a good option, I believe..."

[Darvin]

Tirsen stumbles away from the building in a manner less distinguished than usual, muttering something under her breath about arson and making sure that the dead stay that way.

Catching up to the others, Tirsen remarks to Rovena, "you can never take the ramblings of the dead at face value. We should continue searching in any case, and the large building is as good a place to look next as any,"

[jamieth]

"Right, that's why I said I'd prefer to have some evidence", Rovena nods. "That said, far as I know - and I freely admit necromancy was my worst subject, along with enchantment - dead might omit, or misinterpret things... but they rarely outright lie."

[pi4t]

Seeing the rest of the group emerge, Liyinva approaches with a much calmer Midnight. "Did anything of importance happen after I left?"

[jamieth]

"Not much", Rovena shakes her head, "The apparition keeps claiming Governor Arkley betrayed it, but we don't have any proof so far... I'd like to check that large building in the east - seems reasonable assumption that it would be an administrative center for the colony, of some sort..."

[Stelio Kontos]

The group makes its way to the building at the far east of the hamlet. It has the appearance of a rural courthouse or city hall rather than that of a residence. The front features a small porch supported by rough log pillars, with double wooden doors facing west. Numerous window frames with shutters, some of them open, wrap around the building on both floors. The roof is not thatched, but has wooden shakes instead. The construction suggests this building was intended to be a source of community pride, but it still has a rough, unfinished appearance due to lack of paint and coarse materials. A few small shrubs have been planted around it. The doors are closed, but upon testing prove not to be locked.

Through the main doors is a foyer opening to a large chamber that occupies most of the main floor. This room is open to the second floor, and two flights of stairs lead to a gallery that overlooks this space, supported by columns on the main level. At the rear of the chamber against the east wall is a raised desk, like a podium. Tables and chairs are arrayed in front of it like a courtroom. The gallery above has simple wooden chairs so that citizens can observe whatever business is conducted here. Doors at the north and south ends of the main floor lead to what appears to be separate offices.

[jamieth]

"Just as I thought... Lux Saltaito", Rovena nods, stepping inside and shaking a quartet of small lights off the tip of her wand and into the air as she confidently strides towards the table to check if there are any papers left in the drawers (if there are, indeed, drawers).

[Darvin]

Tirsen is reflexively doubtful that any incriminating documents will be found in such a prominently accessible area. Then again, this is the bush league and perhaps the governor really was that much of a neophyte when it came to corruption and abuse of power. Tirsen quietly moves attempts to move quietly up the stairs to examine the second floor.

Spoiler: OOC

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Rolled for stealth in discord. Natural 1

[pi4t]

Liyinva looks around with interest at the building, wondering how this structure was used for "administration" - it seems a rather odd design. It must have some purpose though, she supposes. Carefully avoiding bringing Midnight through the narrower spaces or near fragile things, she moves to investigate the podium - it looks like the most important bit of the room, and the most likely place to find something relevant.

[jamieth]

"Hm, makes sense it won't be a working place..." Rovena says, although with noticeably less enthusiasm, as she leaves the table alone and heads to the back of the building. "Maybe those would be better... she pulls the north door, hoping it'll prove just as unlocked as the rest of the doors in this hamlet - and not even considering the possibility of traps. (Traps are something one finds in the forgotten tombs, not in the administrative buildings...)

[Stelio Kontos]

The upstairs proves to be just a balcony area, where people could sit to observe any proceedings that might potentially take place. Other than a ubiquitous layer of dust, there doesn't appear to be anything of value there.

Likewise, the podium is, well, just a podium, covered in dust. Save for a well-dried-out ink pen resting against the bottom lip of the podium, and the dust, it presents nothing but a place to talk to, well, each other.

Rowena finds that the north door opens without objection, revealing a makeshift office area. A pair of crude desks and chairs provide furnishings, and there is a quantity of stationery, quills, and vials of ink on a few shelves. Behind one of the desks is a wooden coffer; a quick tug on the handle reveals that it is quite locked.

[Darvin]

Tirsen scans the gallery with a degree of disappointment, then turns around and descends the stairs, "nothing worthwhile up there. Anyone spot anything down here?"