Azzelfet's Archaeology Adventures! [IC]

[WhismurWanders]

"Pretty big assumption, but let's hope we've the time to gather ourselves a little." More curious as to if the door itself bears any ill-will towards them, Garret gathers a few things from his pack to perform a small ritual.

Spoiler

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Ritual Casting Detect Magic, will then examine the door and the runes.

[JNAProductions]

Spoiler: Detect Magic

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No active magic, but a surprisingly potent background radiation of magic.

Spoiler: Arcana DC 8

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The runes are abjuration.

Spoiler: DC 19

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The runes aren't JUST for preventing intruders-they're also to keep something in.

Spoiler: History DC 8

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Nada.

Spoiler: DC 17

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Made by the Orin family. They've been entirely wiped out.

Spoiler: Investigation and Perception

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The room is plain and empty, save for the door.

[Nova_Eclipse]

Buster holds up a hand in warning as he realizes that the runes are as much to keep someone out as to keep something in.

"There may be something here, after all. These runes were meant to keep something in, as much as keep everyone else out. I don't remember much about this region, though. Do you happen to know much about it, Miss Lyn?"

[GhorrinRedblade]

The line of Max's brow beneath his horns furrowed in consternation. "Hmm, can't say as I love the thought of breaking into a set of doors meant to keep something out of the great wide world." He tries to help Lyn remember any pertinent details about the region.

Spoiler: OOC

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Again, if I could, I'd like to provide aid to Lyn, giving advantage to any History or Arcana check that she tries to make.

[WhismurWanders]

Garret scratches his chin and shakes his head. "I'm not so sure whatever was being kept in there will still be in there in the first place. The runes aren't actively warding right now, might be that whatever was in there either died ages ago or found another way out when whatever magic was keeping it maintained ran out. Might even have been that thing we ran into in the snow."

[GhorrinRedblade]

Garret's thought does nothing to ease Max's concerns. "Oh good, now we get to bother it in its lair. Oh well, got to die from something." He then turns to help secure and test the ropes.

[JNAProductions]

Spoiler: OOC

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Garret, or anyone who wants to help, I will require you to make a DC 15 History check to do so.

Normally, you can't help someone remember something, but if you succeed, Lyn will get advantage on her check. (Or, if yours is higher, we'll use yours.)

[GhorrinRedblade]

Spoiler: OOC

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Okay, I wasn't sure if "two heads are better than one" would be in effect here.

History
(1d20+2)[6]

EDIT: Oh, for...!

[Illven]

Lyn will look for any traps on the door before saying it is ready to be open.

Spoiler

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Investigation (1d20+8)[16]

[GhorrinRedblade]

Max stands nearby, watching over Lyn with his blade drawn. "Let me know if you want a hand with that."

Spoiler: OOC

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I feel like I got out of sync over the weekend, sorry.

[JNAProductions]

Spoiler: Investigation

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The door seems to be protected only by the runes on it, which are long defunct.

[Illven]

Lyn will, unless stopped open the door.

Nah, I don't think it's trapped or anything.

[JNAProductions]

The door creaks open, slowly, steadily... And a blast of arctic air slams out.

Spoiler: DC 8 Con Save

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(3d4)[6] cold damage on a failure.

Beyond lies darkness. Those with darkvision can see, shakingly as they shiver, a wide hall, with an old and cracked pattern of tiles on the ground. (Nothing magical, just stylish.) It extends at least 60' in.

[Nova_Eclipse]

Buster shields himself with one arm for a moment as the cold washes over the group.

Spoiler: Con Save

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(1d20+1)[19]

He then raises his lantern higher and begins to pan it over the hall, taking a few cautious steps inside past the door, trying to get a better sense of the area beyond the door.

[JNAProductions]

Inside, the lantern illuminates the tiles on the ground. They're in mostly cool colors, but on the wall are solid lines of color in all sorts of tones. There's red, orange, yellow, blue, green, and purple colored lines.

[GhorrinRedblade]

Con save
(1d20+2)[14]

Doing his best to ignore the blast of cold, Max (sticking close to the lantern's light, so as to better discern color) tries to discern any sort of pattern to the colored stripes on the wall.

"Hmmph, never figured the iron-eaters to be that, well, colorful."

[WhismurWanders]

Garret keeps close to the others, looking around as best he can within the radius of the lamplight for any signs of trouble. It seemed the others were busy examining the walls and floor, so he simply keeps an eye and an ear out for trouble.

[Illven]

I wonder what inspired them. Lyn says crouching to inspect the floor.

Investigation (1d20+8)[12]

[JNAProductions]

Spoiler: Investigation

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The tiles appear purely decorative. They're quite old and worn, but from what you can see, there's no imagery present-just patterns.

As you begin to walk down the corridor, you hear the door creak behind you. Luckily, it's just motion in the air moving it. Looking further down, you see the hallway split into three-one passage left, one right, and one straight.

[Illven]

Let's close that door, and take a short break. Lyn recommended, already starting a ritual casting of alarm.

[Nova_Eclipse]

Buster nods his assent and closes the door behind them once the others have passed through it.

"A good idea." He studies the floor and the patterns on the walls for a moment, then shrugs. He really should meditate while they rest; he might not be able to recover the magic he's already spent, but a short bit of meditation will replenish his ki. He looks to Garret and Max. "Think there's any way to get some warmth here without lighting a fire?"

[JNAProductions]

Standing in the hall, you know that resting without a fire or something similar would be worse than useless.

Spoiler: OOC

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Resting in here will require a DC 10/20 Constitution save.

If you roll 9 or less, gain a level of exhaustion.
If you roll 10-19, nothing happens.
If you roll a 20 or more, you actually gain rest benefits.

Gain +10 if you have warmth from a fire or something similar (meaning that, even if you have a -1 modifier, you cannot gain a level of exhaustion the first time).
However, each time you rest, the next rest is one point harder. DC 11/21 for the second rest, 12/22 for the third, etc.

[Illven]

I got a firebolt if anyone has anything to burn.

[WhismurWanders]

"Think there's any way to get some warmth here without lighting a fire?"

"Nay, not with nothin' to burn. We should press on. No point in sitting here in the cold and dark. If people used to live or work here, we should find places they would rest."

[GhorrinRedblade]

"Nay, not with nothin' to burn. We should press on. No point in sitting here in the cold and dark. If people used to live or work here, we should find places they would rest."

Maximo nods. "Sounds reasonable. That said, keep an eye out for anything we might use for fuel." He looks at the passages. "Anyone got a lucky feeling about any of those?"

[Nova_Eclipse]

Buster considers Max and Garrett's words and nods to himself.

"I suppose you're right.
With nothing to burn, I doubt we'll get much rest here."

He looks to the fork, and an old paranoia starts niggling at him

"We should try the left branch first."

[GhorrinRedblade]

"We should try the left branch first."

"That works as well as anything, I guess." With that, Max prepares to head down the passage.

[WhismurWanders]

Garret agrees, and motions for Muster to keep up with the group. Last thing he needed was the hound to go barking off in some random direction.

[JNAProductions]

Muster whines a little, not being a fan of the cold; but sticks close, being well-trained.

The left passageway has the yellow, red, and orange stripes continue down it. Looking at the other passages before going down, you can see purple is straight ahead, while blue and green are to the right.

[Illven]

Um.... Red is warm, wanna head that way? Lyn remarks still ritual casting alarm.