To Chase the Unknown (Adventure)

[Mushroom Ninja]

Minthorel frowns,
"Is there any l-logical reason that wwwe're still having this argumment? All th-that it can rresult in is l-less cooperation. W-we need t-to have bbbetter plans before charging into battle. I t-take part of the bblame for our ssloppy battle. I sh-should have had a mmore comprehensive plan..."

[stupnick]

Halia

At this point Halia, rather frustrated with the insulence of people sits down and begins to set her stuff up to relax for a while. Let's set up camp and stay here for the night. We can begin explorer more during the day, as we can see quite a bit better.

[frogman55]

No one bothered or approached the cave throughout the night, though the watch did occasionally hear parties moving through the forest below as well as on the mountain above the cave. Strange chanting could also be heard in the distance when the wind was right, seemingly coming from where the Palagay's map had placed the shrine.

Extended rest, regain all hit points, single action point, all powers, etc. I am assuming a simple watch system, about 8 hours pass, so the party awakens shortly after dawn.

[stupnick]

Halia

Waking in the morning, Halia begins putting everything away and cleaning her area up. She then proceeds to boil some water to make some "rations" oatmeal. Upon finishes, she checks her self and washes up.

Well, it seems to be a beautiful morning. It sounded like they were decently busy last night. Shall we head towards the shrine and see what they were up too?

[Mushroom Ninja]

Minthorel nods in agreement, Yyess lets g-go soon.

[Silverkiss]

Anya

With her emotions in check, although still glaring sometimes to the elf, Anya joins the efforts to clean up the place and get ready.

"It seems wise. We will not discover much if we stay here, anyway."

[stupnick]

Halia

Finished packing, and getting ready for the day. She picks at a few more bits of rations, then puts those away too. Looking at everyone else, waiting for them to get ready, finally she speaks up.

Well let's head out. Who has the map, and who wants to take point. Minthorel you seem like you have a good head on those shoulders of yours. Why don't you lead the way.

[frogman55]

Stepping out of the cave into the daylight, you are presented with a remarkable view. From the vantage point near the top of the plateau, you can easily see the city of Harbour, as well as the entire bay and much of the road leading from the city into Kahit Na itself. The bay itself is filled with Dagat ships, and you can see a few wisps of smoke rising from the forests to the north, likely simple campfires.

Along the road, you can see a caravan making its way south into the mountain passes. As the party is beginning to make way, another group bursts out of the trees. A few shouts and clangs make their way up the mountainside, and almost before it began, the fight is over, and the caravan is dragged back into the forests.

Spoiler

Show

Perception check: (d20+10)[22]

Lim and Anya's sharp eyes both easily pick out feature's of the attackers, many of them are wearing robes, and a few fireballs and lightning bolts are thrown by the robed figures. Nearly all of those not wearing dirty robes seem to be more orcs, of a similar variety to those fought during the night.

[frogman55]

After making your way back to the route cut into the cliff, you cautiously make your way back onto the plateau. The remains of the battlefield you left the previous night have been picked clean over night - nothing is left save for a few scorch marks and trampled undergrowth.

There are tracks and cold campfires scattered all across the mountainside, and they seem to be getting more frequent as you approach the end of the map. Almost at the the end of the trail, you manage to notice a bunch of sleeping figures within a copse of trees. They are right in the middle of the route you were taking, but you manage to spot them without waking or alerting any of them.

[Mushroom Ninja]

Minthorel turns to his companions and whispers,
"So, any iddea w-w-w-who these sleepers are? Sssomone ought to g-get a closer look. Naz' aren't y-you adddept a stealth?"

[stupnick]

Halia

Nodding in agreeance with Minthorel, Yes someone should go take a closer look and see if they are some of the same types of individuals we saw last night. If they are, DON'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. Trying to make herself clear to everyone about her feelings.

[Silverkiss]

Anya Fatebringer

Anya in turn nods in agreement with Halia, but remains silent. She doesn't trust her emotions enough to speak now to that accursed elf without losing her temper.

[stupnick]

Lim

Rolling his eye's towards the "less adventurous" ones in the group, he slowly makes his way towards the sleeping beings. Don't worry, I'll try not to have any fun. But I won't be help accountable for Naz. As the Elf says that, he smiles rather slyly over his shoulder towards the Kobold.

Creaping towards them, he tries to remain hidden.
(1d20+10)[24] Stealth
(1d20+10)[21] Perception
(1d20+3)[4] Insight

[frogman55]

Lim is easily able to tiptoe right into the center of the camp. He counts no less than 10 orcs and 4 humans, all sleeping lightly where they are comfortable. They don't seem to have any belongings with them, other than weapons that they are sleeping on (9 of the orcs and 2 of the humans have large axes and swords with them, the other three have staffs and crossbows) and more amulets of Gruumsh.

There is a pot in the campfire with a truly awful smell wafting from it.

Lim also spots what appear to be large stone ruins a few hundred feet past the camp. The sleeping cultists are certainly sleeping on the quickest route to ruins, but there are certainly other ways in.

[stupnick]

Lim

Heading back to the group Lim gives his report. There aren't to many of them ther, We could take them, Especially if we get them by suprise. Me and Naz can sneak in and kill some, then you all attack them. I am not to sure if there is any other way we could possibly get around them to get to the shrine. Which is right near them.

OOC

Spoiler

Show

as much as i hate typeing and saying that. it's how Lim would actually play...

[Mushroom Ninja]

Naz
Yeah, we could probably take most of them out before they knew what hit them

[Silverkiss]

Anya Fatebringer

The young cleric ponders on what the two scouts say, still remembering their actions from the night before.

I don't trust them... I don't really know if we can trust their judgement.

Her heart filled with doubt and distrust, Anya decides to let her comrades know what she thinks, and whispers to them:

"I don't know, maybe we should avoid conflict for now. What if they somehow manage to report or someone notices they are missing ? We could get in some big trouble."

[Mushroom Ninja]

Minthorel
Minthorel nervously runs his hand through his hair and nods whispering, "Anya hhhas a p-point. If w-we attack and anything g-g-oes wrong, th-there could be l-lethal consequences. If w-we can avoid th-this conflict, I th-think we should. H-h-h-however, if we w-were to do battle, we would need to d-do it quickly and effectively, f-following a p-p-plan. We can't always c-c-count on getting as lucky as we d-did last time.

[stupnick]

Halia

Nodding with Anya, I think avoiding anything we can would be best, why alert others that we are attacking them. If they alert there friends in any way we would have TO much to deal with.

[stupnick]

Lim

Listen! If there was a way around I would have seen it, but there wasn't. If we want to get to the shrine we have to fight our way there.

But I guess no one trusts me, well I will go along with your plan, but before we all die, I will run off yelling 'I told you so'

[frogman55]

You carefully back away from the sleeping figures, and begin searching for a different route to the shrine.

Relevant rolls:

Spoiler

Show

Perception (d20+12)[22] (Based on Anya, highest score)
Nature (d20+10)[19] (Based on Lim, highest score)
Stealth (d20+3)[21] (Based on Minthorel & Anya, lowest score)
Insight (d20+22)[23] (Based on Anya, highest score)

Monster & DM rolls
(d20)[14] A
(d20)[1] B
(d20)[19] C
(d20)[14] D

Results to come

[frogman55]

OOC: the insight roll should have been +12, so the roll was really just 13. Also, for all you metagamers out there, there wasn't anything there to specifically gain from insight, I made the roll intending it to potentially give bonuses to the other rolls. Which it didn't.

Creeping through the forest, both Lim and Anya's sharp eyes easily pick out the few awake monsters. Even the orcs and humans who are clearly acting as sentries are detected long before they notice the adventurers moving by on the mountain. Likewise, there are no unfortunate noises or accidents that would draw attention to the party.

As the mountain is explored, you find numerous camps scattered all over, generally similar to the camp by the shrine. As you explore the mountain, you realize that you were very, very lucky to get as close to the shrine as you did without running into any of the innumerable cultists. Despite their numbers, they are scattered and disorganized, any you make your way between them easily. At about noon, you reach the shrine, having looped around and approached it from the south. The camp you found first on the northern side of the ruins is the closest camp to the shrine, and the next nearest camp you found is almost a quarter mile away.


The shrine itself is made up of a ring of large dark stones. Most the stones appear to be granite, though they do have somewhat crystaline veins throughout them. Fresh, deep, and ameaturish carvings have been incised over what seemed to have originally been plain and unadorned stonwork. The carvings are cleary the work of the Gruumsh worshippers, the orcish runes are clearly recognizable, as are additional symbols of Gruumsh. On the western side of the ring of stones are a couple partially collapsed buildings made of the same stones as the rest of the shrine. These seem to be being used as some sort of storage area, there are broken barrels and crates just outside the entrances. You can also detect a few faint lights coming from within the ruined stone buildings.

In the center of the ring of stones is a largish circular altar. The altar stands about 3 feet tall and 5 feet around. The stone is a white marble, with pinkish veins shot through it, and was clearly brought from some distance away. The altar has been stained and scorched along the top, so that what was once polished and white is now pitted and dark. In the center of the the altar a longsword has been driven deep into the stone. Despite the defiling of the altar, the sword is still polished and bright. There is also what appears to be a magic circle inscribed around the altar within the ring of stones, though it is covered with turf and the leavings of years.

[Silverkiss]

Anya Fatebringer

Anya moves through the rough terrain with relative ease, spotting the enemies from afar before they spot her. Just as Anya is starting to show signs of fatigue, the group reaches it's destination: the shrine.

Anya is taken aback by the shrine, and resists the urge to run up to it and examine it. Looking around to see if it is safe, she tries to figure the shrine out from a safe distance, looking at everything and trying to sense if there is anything more to these stones than just the orcs' dirty fingers.

Spoiler

Show

Perception - (1d20+12)[29]

Rolling a bunch of knowledge checks, use whatever is apropriate please.

Arcana - (1d20+7)[13]
Nature - (1d20+8)[18]
Religion - (1d20+7)[13]
History - (1d20+4)[10]

[frogman55]

Looking inside the ruined buildings, Anya can tell that the lights inside are reflections from fires inside. The shrine seems to have been somewhat typical for the First Empire. The style of it indicates worship of deities and beings from the Feywild and Shadowfel. The runes around the altar are definitely some sort of magic circle.

[Silverkiss]

Anya Fatebringer

"Whoa, these things sure are old."

Moving around the shrine and examining everything she can, Anya comes to the brilliant conclusion that.... she doesn't know anything major about it. A little frustated, Anya continues her examination, and stops at the magic circle.

"Hey, Halia. Halia, come over here. Can you recognize these symbols ? Do you know what this is ?" - Anya points to the magic circle, which she couldn't recognize.

Spoiler

Show

I'm guessing there's no one at the shrine, right ?

[frogman55]

Nobody is outside at the shrine...

And keep in mind that there are cultists nearby (With a -11 to their perception checks to notice you, but still.

[stupnick]

Halia

Hearing Anya call her over, Halia heads over towards the shrine and magic circle. Looking things over she tells Naz and Lim to keep an eye on the cultists.

Spoiler

Show

(1d20+6)[20]

[frogman55]

What Halia knows/notices:

Spoiler

Show

The magic circle appears to be an archaic form of the transportation circles which dot Kahit Na.

Also, the altar itself has several conflicting magical auras. There is a strong sense of planar energy, which is strong enough to have spread throughout the whole area. That aura seems to be radiating from the altar itself. The sword, on the other hand, is somehow both weaker and brighter at the same time. It almost crackles, and yet is nearly covered over by the other magics in the circle. Overlaying all of it is a thick cloud of death and transmutation.

Halia can clearly sense that the otherworldly aura as well as the sword clearly outdate the defiling rituals recently practiced here.

[Silverkiss]

Anya Fatebringer

"So, what do you know about these things ?"

[stupnick]

Halia

The Half-elf relays what she figures out about this alter and the circle.

This doesn't bode well for us. These Cultists are into some really deep stuff here. If they aren't stopped soon, it can only spell imminent doom for Harbour.