Wayward Expeditions - Rise of the Runelords - Episode 16

Intro: For much of written history world events followed chartered routes. Oracles and seers mapped out the future in the stars above and their prophecies always gave a reliable view of the ages to come. Until a god died a century ago. No one saw that coming. And now the old prophecies are failing, oracles go mad and seers desperately tried to account for the loss of the future. While some cry out that the world is at an end, they've been doing so for a hundred years now and the world is still here, it's just unclear where things are going. The future of Golarian is open, ready to receive the triumphs and failures of a new generation of heroes. Welcome to Rise of the Runelords!

GM: Alright. When we left off, the group had reconciled to some degree and went about the rest of their day, turned in. The next morning, you got up, ate breakfast, and as you're finishing breakfast, getting ready to go back to the catacombs, Brodert Quink enters the Rusty Dragon and goes right for your table, pulls up a chair and sits down with you. "I, I have answers. The- Some, answers. Not many answers, but a answer, potentially."

Markus: "To which question?"

GM: "Oh, well, that's a good follow up question. Sit quiet. Also, I thought you were leaving? It's good to see you haven't. These people need someone to guide them through archeological endeavors." He eyes Taury up and down with a skeptical gaze as he says this.

Taury: He's getting a stare back.

GM: "Ah, anyway."

Markus: "Yes, you have answers?"

GM: "Yes. I've done some research on the area's history and the Thassilonian regions thereabout, and the sheer size of the monuments they left behind testifies to the- their power. And the unnatural way, many of these monuments have resisted erosion and the march of time. It's a sheer testament to their skills and magic, right? "

Fenwarin: "Mmmm."

GM: "Most of my contemporary sages placed the height of the Thassilonian empire at seven to eight thousand years ago. But because of what you've unearthed and my own conclusions, it definitely collapsed no sooner than 10 000 years ago. Most likely Starfall was the cause."

Markus: Markus will nod at that.

Loyal: "Have you any information about the- the Old light and the ruins there?"

GM: "Hmm. Yes, yes. Ah, Alaznist, the Runelord statue that you found down there, um, she was the Runelord of wrath."

Loyal: "That certainly explains a lot."

GM: "She was the most warlike of the seven Runelords. Each one controlling a different area, a region, of Thassilon proper. Her region, the border of it, went right along this area, and when Starfall hit, most of her region has now sunk." 

Markus: Ah! 

GM: "And is out in the Varisian Gulf."

Markus: "Well, that explains a few things, certainly."

GM: "Now, now, this border, which we are on the ridge of, ah, was with two other Runelords, that of pride and greed. Pride to the north and greed to the east. So, yes, there is your answers."

Loyal: "Ah, it's certainly interesting."

GM: "Do be on the lookout for anything that bears the sigil of a seven-pointed star, for that is the symbol of Thassilon. It represents the seven points, the seven virtues that Thassilon was founded on. But- Ah, they no longer are known to represent that, as the Thassilonian rulers themselves were not virtuous and they corrupted the meanings to become those of sins. The Sihedron rune, as the seven-pointed star is known, signifies the virtues of generosity, fertility, honest pride, abundance-" He pulls out a little notebook and flips through a couple of pages, "eager striving, whatever that means, and righteous anger. And rest. Was that seven? Is that all seven?" He's looking through his notes.

Markus: "Sorry, can we repeat those again, please?"

GM: "Ah!- Certainly, we have-" And he flips a page, "Wealth? Ah, I missed wealth. That was only six. Wealth, fertility, honest pride, abundance, eager striving, righteous anger and rest. Each of these were associated with a particular school of magic. Ah, ancient Thassilon did not consider divination to be a school of magic, but it was a subset of necromancy, from everything we can figure out. It is also understood that, ah, the seven sins that corresponded to these virtues are greed, lust, pride, gluttony, envy, wrath and sloth. As Thassilon became more and more corrupted, the virtues of their rules shifted their meanings to be the vices that held sway over their rulers. Anyway, this seven-pointed star is a symbol of power and the ruin of Thassilon as its all seven virtues or sins combined in representation. So, be on the lookout. Anything bearing that mark is of, a particular interest. Yes."

Taury: Taury is nodding fervently like she understood every single bit of that.

Markus: "So, if pride was to the north, then anything in proximity to places like Riddleport would presumably be the territory of pride, yes?" 

GM: "Ahh." 

Markus: "As far as we know?"

GM: "Yes. We don't have accurate maps, but I believe so. Yes, it's our best guess."

Markus: "Hmmm, interesting. Thank you. Do we have any, any indication how quick or how slow the corruption of the virtues to the vices was?"

GM: "Ah, no. No, we're talking about a civilization that's been gone for millennia."

Markus: "Hmm, of course, I- Their original virtue magic, it seems to me, it differs markedly in approach from Azlanti magic?"

GM: "I'm not an expert on the Azlanti, but, ah, from what I understand, they're very similar. At least the schools of magic that the founding principles are based on are the same. They just added in emotions on top of it."

Markus: "Ah, Ok."

GM: "Mindsets, goals, however you want to phrase it."

Markus: "Ah, yeah, I suppose I'm more familiar with the, should we say the 'lasting enchantments' that Azlant left?"

GM: "Hmm. Such as the, ah, the wayfinders and they are Aeon stones that the pathfinders have?

Markus: "Oh, yes, yes. Those are fascinating things." 

GM: "Yes." 

Markus: "No, they had techniques that would make spells last far longer than anything modern as well. I spoke with some scholars trying to understand it. Ah, turns out even the scholars I was dealing with didn't understand it, so. Yes, well."

GM: "Well, Aroden would have been the last person to really have any definitive answers and what he taught- Perhaps go into one of his temples, the remnants of them. Maybe someone there would have answers for such a question? Most of his religion split and went with the Iomedae, however."

Markus: "Hmm, yes. If it hadn't brought so much other upheaval, well, the loss of the knowledge with the fall of Aroden, but yes. Anyway."

Loyal: "Well, if that's all settled, I'd imagine we have a ruins to explore today, yes?"

Markus: "Seems like a plan."

GM: "Please turn it in any notes that you, ah, can take, accurate measurements and the like? It will very much help my research. 

Loyal: "Of course."

Markus: "Oh, I already started making some notes, ah, mostly observations, recollections of what we found. I haven't exactly had the chance to go back and take measurements."

GM: "Very well, I'll let you be to it." And he orders some breakfast from Bethana.

Markus: "So, back down again today?"

Loyal: "Seems to be the plan."

Fenwarin: "Yep, I'm ready."

Morana: "I see no reason not to get started."

Taury: You get a nod from Taury.

Fenwarin: Yeah, Fenwarin stands.

GM: Alright. Ah, which entrance are you taking?

Loyal: That's a good question.

Taury: I hate that question. I forget every time which is the actual entrance and which is the one we went in before.

Loyal: Oh ok, so we've got two. We've got the one down by the beach is the one we went in before. It's the only one Loyal knows.

Morana: We've used the Glassworks entrance and the Old Light entrance. 

Fenwarin: Hmm.

Markus: The Old Light entrance, as I recall, had a rock left on top of the secret door, so people couldn't get in and out.

Loyal: That is true.

Morana: Correct. But if there's still guards posted there, I'm sure we could get their help to move it off, if we wanted to go in that way.

Markus: Oh, yeah. I'm not saying we couldn't, but-

Loyal: I feel like it's probably best to continue where we left off, through, like, taking that, that entrance and just heading upward. 

Taury: I would agree.

GM: Alright. I'm just putting you over in the tunnels, no order.

Taury: I forgot about the narrow corners.

Loyal: Yeah, and since we do have to go down by the beach to that, while he's going there, Loyal will just take out, like, a glass or a cup that he has, and scoop up some seawater. 

GM: Ok.

Taury: I didn't miss these narrow corridors at all. 

Fenwarin: [Laughs]

GM: Feel free to correct your marching order.

Taury: Yeah, I think Fen should be further to the back. What?

Fenwarin: Yeah. [Laughs]

Loyal: Before everyone heads in, Loyal just- You see, kind of, Loyal say, "Before we head in-" He pulls out, like, a small vial of, ah, like, probably like a purplish liquid, one of his infusions, kind of pours into the seawater and you see it transform from seawater into what looks like wine. As I cast, I use my Tears to wine infusion. Ha ha. I use this. And he says, "Everyone take a drink of this before we head in. It'll increase your awareness."

Morana: Morana shrugs and takes a swig.

Loyal: For the next twe- since it's 10 minutes a level, for the next 20 minutes, you get a +2 enhancement bonus on all intelligence, wis- and wisdom-based skill checks.

Taury: Yeah, Taury would swig that two.

Markus: Yeah, Markus will as well.

Fenwarin: Oh, Fenwarin figures, "Why not?" Takes a swig.

Taury: Fenwarin will drink anything that's passed to him. 

Fenwarin: [Laughs]

Taury: [Laughs] I feel like.

Fenwarin: Almost anything!

Taury: I don't like the way you said that. 

Fenwarin: [Laughs] 

Loyal: [Laughs]

GM: Ah, I forgot Fenwarin needs his torch. 

Fenwarin: Oh yes.

Taury: Ah, yes. The only human that doesn't have Dark vision. 

Fenwarin: The only human! [Laughs]

GM: There you go, Fenwarin, that's your torch.

Markus: Yes, the only human that doesn't have Dark vision which is the elf.

Taury: Yeah.

Markus: Yes.

Taury: It's my favorite call. It's like his motto.

Loyal: Yeah. [Laughs]

Taury: He has the t-shirt! 

Loyal: [Laughs] All of us are human!

Taury: He's got a T-shirt with that written on it. [Laughs]

Fenwarin: I am a human that's not a human that can't see in the dark.

Taury: I don't know what you're talking about we're all human.

GM: [Clears throat] Cough, cough.

All: [Laugh]

Loyal: We're all human , we're all human.

Morana: I'd like to see you prove otherwise.

GM: Alright.

Taury: Ah, man!

GM: So you guys are in the tunnels. Feel free to enter or exit whichever passage you wish. You now know the layout of this area fairly well?

Markus: Yeah, except there's a door we hadn't opened to the south of where we are currently, if I remember right.

Taury: Oh, you mean a door that Taury hasn't opened yet?

Fenwarin: [Laughs] 

Taury: The resident door opener. Where was it, to the right you said? 

Markus: Yeah. 

GM: Alright. Ah-

Taury: Past the statue?

Loyal: Ah, fuck! Err.

GM: As you enter this area, you've not seen this before.

Loyal: Oh! 

GM: You see a red marble statue of a strikingly beautiful but, at the same time, monstrously enraged human woman, standing in the middle of this room, her stony expression twisted in fury. The woman wears a flowing robe and her long hair is held back from her face by an intricate headdress of hooks and blades. In her left hand, she carries a large book, the face of which is inscribed with a seven-pointed star. Her right hand holds a glittering medal and ivory ranseur.

Loyal: "This weapon certainly seems of value. Perhaps Brodert would like to see this?"

Markus: "Oh, did you ever check if it was enchanted?"

Taury: Is that an in-character question or out-of-character question?

Markus: Either, both, I don't remember.

Taury: Because I think we did, we did check to see if it was magical, I think. 

Loyal: Oh, yeah.

Taury: Before we were gonna touch it and then nobody touched it.

Markus: Right, Ok.

Taury: 'Cause I think thing Morana did, and someone else did to.

Fenwarin: Yeah, someone did.

Taury: Yeah.

Morana: Yeah, I definitely would have popped Detect magic on it. 

Taury: Hmm-mmm.

Loyal: Walk into the room.

Markus: "It's certainly an interesting artifact, craftsmanship, but, well, I suppose we do now have an expert in blocks and traps and the like, so?"

Loyal: "I wouldn't call myself an expert, but I can, I know my way around a trap. Speaking of which, ah," and then I'll take my Ant Haul extract just because I realized I'm going to be useless when it comes to disarming things without that.

GM: I fixed the torch token. You should all be able to move it now but, Fenwarin, make sure you control it.

Fenwarin: Alright, cool.

Loyal: There we go. Now I'm not encumbered. "Ah, I will inspect it for traps."

GM: Alright.

Loyal: What kind of check is that?

GM: That is a Perception check as you are inspecting it.

Loyal: Cool. And I have an extra plus, actually I can just add temporary +2 on top of this from the thing.

Fenwarin: Holy crap! 

Taury: Oh, my God!

Loyal: Oh yeah!

GM: You, you don't detect any traps.

Loyal: "Doesn't seem trapped."

Fenwarin: "Well, that's good, at least."

GM: That was a nat 20 roll.

Loyal: Yeah. 

GM: Yeah, you're fairly confident this, this statue is not trapped.

Loyal: I'll grab the ranseur and pull it off.

Taury: He had a plus ten!

GM: Alright. 

Fenwarin: [Laughs]

Loyal: Yeah! Tears to wine.

GM: I need a Strength check.

Loyal: Oh, err. [Laughs] Err, eeey. It's not great

Morana: And your Achilles heel?

Taury: Swing and a fucking miss!

Loyal: It's not my forte.

Taury: That's what they call that, 'a siwng and a miss'.

GM: The ranseur, clutched by the statue, is removed with a little tugging and effort. 

Loyal: Oh, like-. 

GM: Seems to be of fine quality.

Loyal: Oh, I've got enough? 

GM: Yeah. 

Loyal: Oh, that wasn't hard.

GM: It's lighter than you expected.

Loyal: Can I get an idea of how much, how much, this might be worth? Or what it- anything it does especially?

GM: Appraise.

Loyal: Is this-? What kind of sk- Intelligence, so yes, I get the bonus on this too. 

Morana: Hmmm.

GM: You are aware that this is a Masterwork ranseur that is worth upwards of 400 gold.

Loyal: Woo! Add to the notes and then 400. 

Taury: Watch Loyal get fucking robbed by the Sczarni again, and they just take it off him [Laughs]

Loyal: "This, this is quite nice. Ah, you're fond of your scythe, Taury,  I don't expect you to use it. Ah, this is very well-made, worth quite a bit, probably in the 400-ish, or so, gold range."

Markus: "Hmm, interesting. I suppose there weren't quite have been the decadence that they would throw away magical items purely on decorative features, but, hmm."

Fenwarin: "I don't know, that statute gives me the creeps."

Loyal: "It's got a reach."

GM: Ah, yeah. Whoever is going to be taking this and carrying it, you can click on the 'i' on the top of Roll 20's chat area, where it says 'Compendium', and then type in 'ranseur'. It will pull up the stats if you click on it. But, also you can drag that item onto your character sheet and it will automatically add the stats as a weapon.

Taury: But your character sheet can't be popped out because if it's popped out it won't do it. 

GM: Correct.

Loyal: It is a martial weapon, I can't use that.

Taury: Yeah, we all have PTSD from that because it fucking ruined us- 

Loyal: Yeah.

Taury: ...in the last combat we had with it. Yeah, I had to, Taury had, Taury and fuckin Markus had a carry Fen out of the fucking... 

Fenwarin: [Laughs]

Taury: ...dungeon unconscious and bleeding. [Laughs]

Fenwarin: Yes, but I fought valiantly.

Taury: Eh, yeah, well.

Fenwarin: It's all that matters.

Taury: Sure.

Loyal: "Well, I certainly can't use this thing if anyone else wants to use it? Or we could just sell it if no one else has a preference?"

Markus: "I mean, know how to use it? Sure. Would actually use it? Ummm." [Sighs]

Loyal: "It seems like something Taury could make use of, but I know she's relatively fond of her scythe rather, so. Don't want to overburden her with weapons."

Markus: "Ah, how heavy is it?"

Loyal: "Ah, 12 pounds."

GM: This one is a little lighter at 10.

Loyal: "10 pounds." There you go. 

Taury: Taury's eyeing it pretty skeptically 'cause it- she's looking at the statue and she's just, kind of like, "Nah, I'm not touching that." [Laughs]

Markus: "Well, no one else, I'll, I suppose I'll carry it until we sell it."

Loyal: "Alright," and then he hands it over to Markus.

Taury: "Well, what way are we going?"

Loyal: "Not really sure I know my way around here, so up to you all?"

Markus: "There should be at least one room we haven't explored to the south, I believe."

Fenwarin: "Oh, I thought we were going up north? This corridor?"

Markus: "Oh, we certainly can, umm-"

Fenwarin: "Well, depends on the rest of you, of course."

Morana: "I'm fine either way. We're going to go both ways eventually anyway.”

Markus : "We are. Yeah, it's true." 

Fenwarin: "Hmm-mm."

GM: Alright. Ah, for speed and efficiency, I will go ahead and tell you everything to the south you've already explored or opened a door for. The points of interest still remaining there are the pedestal of the roiling lava-like liquid that's freezing cold.

Taury: The, the 'clava'. 

Loyal: The 'clava'. 

Fenwarin: [Laughs]

Loyal: Call it what it is.

Taury: Yeah.

GM: I, I cannot call it what it is because you don't know what it is yet. 

Loyal: It's clava!

Taury: We know, we know it's clava. 

Loyal: [Laughs]

GM: Sure.

Taury: That's exactly what it is. [Laughs]

GM: Ah.

Taury: It could be 'rava', you know, 'rage lava'. That works, too.

Fenwarin: Ha ha. 'Rava!' [Laughs]

Taury: Yeah. 

Loyal: [Laughs]

Markus : Anyway.

GM: And the shrine to Lamashtu. The waters of which you've not-

Loyal: Hmm, that-

GM: -done anything with.

Taury: Stop trying to get us to swim in the water. It's not going to happen.

Markus : No, no.

GM: Those are two areas that you've not completely uncovered all the secrets of.

Fenwarin: Ah, damn!

GM: But, you are aware of them, so I'm not forcing you or persuading you, I'm just letting you know of the ways down there. You're going to go by them, you will notice them again. Whether or not you want to interact with them is entirely your own prerogative. But as you're exploring that area, those are the only things that are left with any questions.

Markus : Ok. I, I thought there was a door that we hadn't opened. Am I misremembering that? 

GM: Nope.

Taury: I think we opened it and there was nothing there.

Loyal: Yeah, that's what it was. I remember, I opened it. 

Taury: Yeah.

Markus : Ah, right. Okay. Fair enough. Okay, north it is then.

GM: And then, ah, from the east, where Loyal is at currently, that was the entrance from the Old Light.

Markus : Yeah, I remember that.

Taury: Oh, where we went into the thing backwards.  

Fenwarin: Hmm-mmm. 

Taury: That's what it was.

GM: Right. Which also had a pool of water with skulls and a vargouille.

Fenwarin: Yeah.

Loyal: Yep. It's decorative.

Taury: I don't know whatever it was, but it's, it's dead now, so. [Laughs] 

Markus : Yeah.

GM: Yeah, and otherwise, that was just a series of stairways and corridors and doors.

Taury: So many stairs. 

GM: Had nothing really of interest.

Fenwarin: And that was the still water, right? 

GM: Yes.

Taury: Yeah, there was nothing going on there.

Fenwarin: Yeah. Hmm.

Markus : That was, yeah, that was the pool of 'feed your pet' was our working theory, I believe. Because it was permanent Create water or something.

Taury: Oh yeah, that's what it was. It was something like that. 

Morana: Yeah.

Loyal: If I remember correctly, this door right here is the one that you guys went through and then got obliterated by Sinspawn.

Fenwarin: It could be that one, yeah.

Taury: No, we didn't get obliterated, Fen got obliterated!

Loyal: Oh yeah, Ok. Yeah.

Taury: Oh, now I recognize it! Yeah, never mind.

Fenwarin: Excuse me, I was not the only one.

Taury: Ay, you're the only one that needed to get carried-

Loyal: I was, I was working off of context clues 'cause I couldn't see the map at the time, when I was within this part.

Fenwarin: Yeah, Taury just took her sweet time to get to us.

Taury: Look, you're the only one that needed to be carried out. I don't think you can throw shade. [Laughs]

Loyal: [Laughs]

Morana: That was the, the situation of frontliner leading from the rear.

Loyal: Ah, yes, here it is.

GM: So, you're opening the door to the north? 

Taury: Wait, what? 

Morana: Eh?

Taury: We're going back to the clava pool, yeah?

Fenwarin: No!

Taury: Presumably? 

GM: Oh!

Loyal: No, we're going north.

Taury: No?

Loyal: We're going north.

Taury: Both of those things are north though, right?

Markus : No.

Fenwarin: No. 

GM: No.

Morana: No, clava is south. 

Taury: Oh, they're- Oh, right, okay! Sure. It's the tunnel that's throwing me off. The, like, the dirt tunnel on the left. 

Loyal: Yeah.

Fenwarin: Are you lost?

Taury: Me or, like, in general or, like, at this moment in time? That's a big question.

Fenwarin: [Laughs] At this- at this moment in time, yeah? 

Taury: Ah, no.

GM: No, we'll go with that. Alright, yellow Square is the section that was collapsed.

Loyal: I just, kind of, look at Taury, "After you."

Taury: Yeah, opens the door. Deep sigh. [Laughs] Walks through it.

GM: Alright. As you're in here and now, not in the throes of battle, I will actually give you the description of the room. This large chamber was obviously once a prison as testified by the 20 or so cells that line the room's perimeter. A rickety wooden platform overlooks the room with two flights of stairs descending to the prison floor 10 feet below. A five-foot-wide wooden walkway runs from the northern edge of the platform to a passageway off to the east.

Taury: Can we do some Perception checks for the old symbol that the dude wanted us to look for? 

GM: Sure. 

Taury: Hmm? 

Loyal: Yeah.

Markus: Well, I think a general search of the room.

Taury: Yeah, but specifically, that's what Taury would be looking for.

Loyal: Add a +2 on your perception checks from my Tears to wine thing. I just got mine programmed to roll.

Taury: Is that for ages or is that for a limited time? Oh, two hours?

Loyal: Ah, it's for 20 minutes.

Taury: Duration.

Loyal: After, yeah. 20 minutes after- No, that's now. What's left of it.

Taury: Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Loyal: Ten minutes a level. So 20 minutes.

Taury: Cool. That's maths.

Loyal: It's +2 on all wisdom and intelligence based skill checks.

Markus: Oh, wait! It's enhancement bonus specifically on skill checks?

Loyal: Yes.

Markus: Oh, right. Ok.

GM: As its appearance suggests, this room was indeed used to keep prisoners. Skeletons lie in most of the cells. Though the walkway looks rickety, inspection of the wood and support pillars reveal that it is quite stable.

Loyal: Is there anything valuable amongst the skeletons?

GM: No, there is some Thassilonian writing.

Markus: Ooh! Where?

Loyal: I was just about to say, "Markus come take a look at this!"

Taury: You just hear a squeal from Markus.

GM: And as with many ancient Thassilonian ruins, this place, still even the woodwork retains some ancient magical, ah, preservative auras to help withstand the passage of time. So there is a very faint abjuration aura off anything, if you're using Detect magic in this room. A couple of the skeletons have plaques next to the cell, labeling them as Shalast spies who infiltrated Bakrakhan Holdings. I will go ahead and enter in those specific words so you know how to spell them. 

Markus: Please?

Loyal: Yeah, I was like, eh?

Fenwarin: [Laughs] Yeah, they were special.

Markus: Also, would either of those be familiar?

GM: History check.

Markus: Ok. Umm.

Loyal: +2. Nevermind, don't worry about that.

Markus: Yeah. Markus will also pull out a book and start consulting that. So it'll take him a few moments.

Fenwarin: Fenwarin's just eagerly awaiting any answers from Markus.

Loyal: Oof!

Fenwarin: Damn!

GM: Alright. With the help of your book, you recall from ancient maps that the Thassilonian regions or kingdoms that this stretch of land was the border of, Shalast was to the east, Bakrakhan was to the west, and the ridge between the two was known as the Rasp. You now have the kingdom names of the Thassilonian empires of Alaznist and Krune, the runelords of the last era.

Markus: Ah, just for clarity, Krune being the, ah, runelord of, ah, greed, yeah? 

GM: Correct. 

Markus: And how's that spelled?

GM: Oh, sorry, not, ah, Krune, Karzoug. 

Loyal: Karzoug. 

GM: Krune's a different runelord. I meant Karzoug. Ah, K A R Z O U G. 

Taury: Who was the other dude that was mentioned?

GM: Oh, Alaznist.

Markus: Yeah, Alaznist is the runelord of wrath. It's the one that there's the statue of.

Taury: Yeah, yeah. The, the Jean Gray chick, that one.

GM: Yeah. Krune was the- ah, the runelord of sloth. 

Markus: Ah, Ok.

Taury: Sloth, not, not the creature, the behavior.

GM: Correct. 

Taury: Is Markus going to relay any of this to everybody?

Markus: Ah, he'll spend a while translating and consulting his book. "Oh, interesting. Huh! Well, according to these plaques, these poor souls were spies from presumably one of the rival runelords."

GM: You also get this information. 

Markus: Ok.

Fenwarin: There's two for sloth?

GM: Ah, no, Zutha is actually necromancy. 

Fenwarin: Hmm.

GM: Which is gluttony.

Taury: Their names are so spectacularly difficult to pronounce.

Loyal: Yes.

GM: Ah-ha.

Markus: Yep.

Taury: I see why he went, "You also know this." Pastes it in the chat. "I'm not saying that list!"

Loyal: You got Alaznist, Belimarius, Karzoug, Krune, Sorshen, Xanderghul and Zutha. I think I got those right.

Markus: Ah, probably. 

Taury: [Laughs]

Markus: Is anyone actually showing signs of interest in what Markus is relaying at all?

Loyal: Loyal, probably.

Fenwarin: Yeah, Fenwarin is.

Markus: Right, Ok Markus will actually go on to elaborate that, will point out the words and the translations and "Well we we know the names of the kingdoms from this. The implication, obviously, that these were spies from the runelord of greed who we know is to the east and they are heading west, which is lost. Etcetera."

Taury: Taury would been listening halfway through, and then rolled her eyes and walked around the room looking at other stuff.

Loyal: "Well there doesn't seem to be anything left here. Onward I guess."

Fenwarin: "I guess so. To the east?"

Markus: Just for clarity. That plaque was the only writing? Yes?

GM: Yeah, the ones just labeling who were spies.

Markus: Yeah. Okay.

Taury: And there was no symbols there, no star symbols, no?

GM: No, you have noticed one star symbol so far, but it was the one on the book that the statue was holding.

Taury: No. Yeah, that was at the very beginning.

GM: Yeah. Which was part of the statue. It wasn't removable like this Ranseur was. Fenwarin, give me a Perception check.

Fenwarin: Ooh. 

Loyal: +2. 

Fenwarin: Yeah. I added it.

Loyal: Yeah.

Fenwarin: Nice.

GM: As everyone's moving up the rickety stairs from the hallway down the east, you hear a slight reverberation of growls or snarls. 

Loyal: Oh boy.

Fenwarin: "Ah, be on guard guys. There, there's something... I can hear, something from the east, and I don't think it's good news."

Loyal: Pull out my crossbow.

Markus: "Noted, ok."

Fenwarin: I have my wand ready.

Taury: You get a nod from Taury and she walks past you with her scythe ready. Ooh, should we attempt some Stealth checks?

GM: I believe from there you can see it Taury. Can you not?

Taury: No

Loyal: Oh, oh, I can see it though!

GM: Yeah you can.

Taury: Wait it's like, oh its like faded. 

Loyal: Its at the very edge. 

Taury: I didn't realize I could scroll that far away,

GM: Yeah

Loyal: It's so far away.

Taury: I would argue that I could still get a Stealth check because it's only dim. [Laughs]. I was zoomed in on the map. That's what happened.

GM: All right. Feel free to give me a Stealth check.

Taury: It's going to go horribly, but I want to do it just just to see.

Loyal: Yah! Fuck!

GM: Nat one for Loyal.

Loyal: The second nat 1  on stealth.

Taury: I'm not trained in stealth either so.

GM: Yeah.

Loyal: Great.

GM: All right. Taury, you got a few steps ahead of the others when you hear a large creek and snap from the floorboards behind you where Loyal was attempting to follow behind.

Taury: Jesus.

Loyal: You just hear him under his breath "God damn it!"

Markus: Is it actually worth the rest of us, making Stealth checks with a nat 1.

GM: Ah, No.

Taury: No we're dead boys.[Laughs]

Fenwarin: [Laughs]

Loyal: Hearing this Loyal would just immediately, be ready in hand his crossbow!

GM: Lets' just pull this up and let me clear it off real fast.

Loyal: Second god damn nat 1 in Stealth.

Taury: This has happened every single time with Loyal,

Loyal: The last two times we tried to stealth Loyal rolled a nat 1.

Taury: Which is really funny because it should be Taury and it's not, it's been Loyal!

Loyal: It would be so much worse if I was encumbered right now.

Taury: My favorite one was when it was Markus, and he rolled like a fucking 26 or something. And then you rolled like a 6 or some shit.

Loyal: [Laughs] It was a nat 1.

Taury: It was a nat 1?!

Loyal: It was a nat 1 yeah.

Taury: It was horrific anyway.

Fenwarin: Ooh! You see a Loyal stumble in the background, "Aah! Ooh!

Taury: Yeah.

Loyal: Cool. Pretty average initiative from you, as usual.

GM: Right. Never whisper rolls. Yeah, that's what we want. Initiative.

Taury: Oh, it's another Sinspawn.

Loyal: Surprise, surprise.

Taury: It's almost like someone's birthing them down here or something. What?

Fenwarin: What, clava?

Taury: [Laughs] Clava! Shrug I don't know. It's a coincidence, I think.

Loyal: A lot of 12s.

Taury: Three yeah. Three 12s.

GM: All right. I need to check the bonuses for those of you that also ruled 12's.

Loyal: Cool. I'm last. 

Taury: Oh, shit! These things can charge us!

Loyal: Uh Hmm.

Taury: And we're all in a fucking line!

Loyal: Well, you can charge them.

Fenwarin: We're on a goddamn bridge.

Taury: Oh, man, how cool would it be if the fucken bridge collapsed as it ran at us?

Loyal: Just eats shit and falls. [Laughs]

GM: Fenwarin, it is your turn.

Fenwarin: Ok. I can't see it

GM: No.

Taury: That's so surprising. [Laughs]

Loyal: Cool.

Fenwarin: Yeah.

GM: You have a torch. Would you like to attempt to throw the torch to see it? You've done that in the past.

Fenwarin: [Laughs] I have done that in the past yeah.

Loyal: Wooden bridge.

Fenwarin: Yeah, this is not the best place for it.

Taury: Well then just don't throw it on the wood, throw it on the stone.

Fenwarin: Will it technically light up if I threw it down there on the stone?

GM: On the stone?

Fenwarin: Yeah, yeah below,

Loyal: So it's like there.

Fenwarin: Yeah something like that.

GM: It would not help you see.

Taury: I was thinking here though, is what I was thinking.

Fenwarin: Yeah, I thought so.

Loyal: Is he strong enough to throw it that far though? That's the thing.

Fenwarin: Yeah, that's also the thing. Also I can't see what you're pointing out.

All: [Laugh]

Taury: I realize that after I did that, I was like, "Oh shit! No wait, he can't even see that far!

Fenwarin: Throw it at what?!

GM: Yeah. Limited vision. Yeah. It's a thing.

Taury: Yeah it's funny, high perception, but can't see for fuckin shit.

Fenwarin: Perception is no great if you can't see anything.

Taury: He hears everything, sees nothing.

Fenwarin: I'm fuckin Stevie Wonder down here.

Loyal: Wow!

GM: So what would you like to do? Fenwarin.

Fenwarin: I'm just gonna have my wand ready for now.

GM: Ok, your new wand.

Fenwarin: Yeah, [laughs] my new wand.

GM: Ok.

Taury: The performance checks come in soon.

GM: That takes us to taury.

Taury: Ok. No, I don't want to charge this thing, to be honest with you, because it gets like three fuckin melee attacks.

Fenwarin: Does it?

Taury: Yeah. It's got claws and it bites. Or I remember from before.

Fenwarin: Yeah we don't know if that is a weapon yet.

Taury: It has claws and it has teeth.

GM: You can see it Taury, you know, it's wielding a ranseur as well.

Taury: Yeah

Fenwarin: Ok, there we go.

Taury: So I'll draw the bow. The long bow and shoot it in the face.

GM: All right.

Taury: Nope.

Loyal: You don't do shit.

Fenwarin: Why is it always miss and crit?!

Taury: And high damage.

Fenwarin: And high damage?!

Loyal: It's always. Every single time, yeah it's depressing.

Loyal: Max damage but miss.

Fenwarin: And then the opposite.

Taury: It's the story of my life. If I combat maneuvered it, it'll be fucking screwed!

Loyal: [Laughs] Combat maneuver with an arrow!

Taury: Right?

Taury: If if I ran up and hugged it, it will be so dead!

GM: It was on the edge of your range of vision. Now you can tell as the arrow whizzes by it that it turns, its back was to you. It's now aware that something's behind it. It sees you, and charges.

Fenwarin: Oh no.

Taury: Yeah, course it does.

Markus: Hopefully, it's doing so with the ranseur rather than the triple attack.

GM: You're right, it is charging with the ranseur. That's a reach weapon.

Taury: Yeah, but that ranseur was nasty the last time.

Markus: It will still be there though wouldn't it?

Taury: Yeah, it's it's ranges 10 foot, the last it was. Anyway.

Markus: Yeah well that's at 15 foot, I think.

GM: It will miss, but just barely.

Loyal: That means it's not in melee and I can do stuff and not hurt everyone.

Taury: There is a quote, "I could do stuff to it." [Laughs]

Loyal: Without hurting others, I can throw my bomb and not hurt you in the process.

GM: Alright.

GM: Markus, you can definitely see it now.

Markus: Yeah, I can.

GM: You know what, before you go, Fenwarin had his wand readied. I believe he can now see this thing

Fenwarin: I can, yeah.

GM: Yes. Just at the edge of your vision, you see the sinspawn swing at Taury with a ranseur.

Fenwarin: So do I cast then at it?.

GM: Yeah, you're using your wand.

Fenwarin: Yeah. Should we go 1 to 30  miss, and the rest hit?

GM: Sure, we'll do that.

Fenwarin: Ok.

Loyal: Yay!

GM: All right. You're wand does work.

Taury: [Laughs] You're a wizard Harry.

GM: This is a level three magic missile.

Loyal: Holy shit!

Fenwarin: Yeah, it is.

Loyal: Nice!

Fenwarin: So is it 3D...?

GM: 3D4+3.

Loyal: Jesus.

Fenwarin: Oh, yes.

Loyal: It's pretty good.

Taury: Let's just hope they're not all 1s.

Fenwarin: They're pretty good.

Taury: That's decent.

Fenwarin: It's great when it hits.

GM: Yes. All right. Now, Markus.

Markus: Yes, I will attempt to cast some shadows at it.

GM: All right. That is a Will save.

Markus: No. No. Oh that doesn't... Ok umm.

GM: Oh, you're going for the touch.

Markus: Yeah the touch variant. Yeah... Which will go wide.

GM: Yep, that does miss. Morana.

Morana: Alright, I'm going to move here. I don't remember if that had an effect on them or not, but I don't have a whole lot of options from here, so let's see with +2 that would add another point so that would be 10... so DC17 Will save. Oh mistake, for the future, that's 16 with this, I miscounted.

GM: Alright, nat 1.

Loyal: Ooh.

Taury: Nice.

Morana: -2 to AC.

GM: Alright, Loyal. It is now your turn.

Loyal: Go, go, gadget bomb! Ok, fuck! Oh wait no that's the damage ok I hit.[Laughs]

GM: That does hit.

Loyal: Not ideal it's minimum damage, but it's damage nonetheless.

Taury: That was such a roller-coaster. [Laughs]

Loyal: Yeah I saw the, that and I'm like "Fuck, nat 1!" And then I'm like, "Wait no." Yeah threw bomb.

GM: You see the flames lick the wooden bridge and just slide off as if it's coated with some sort of resisting material.

Fenwarin: Nice.

Morana: Oh good.

Loyal: I knew that clearly. 

Fenwarin: [Laughs]

Loyal: Alchemist here, I knew that was gonna happen.

GM: Fenwarin, it's now back to you.

Fenwarin: Alright, I'm going to rely on something more, that's not the wand, but I'm going to cast the magic missile on it. Alright, 3 damage.

GM: Alright, Taury, it is now your turn.

Taury: Ok, I'm going to just shoot at it with another arrow.

Loyal: Yeah, that's smart, nice opportunity to attack, opportunity to attack possibilities.

Taury: Hmm. Yeah just considering the options, I was like yeah, it just it- Well, this round it'd be grand to be in that kind of range, but then next round I just get fucking wrecked.

Morana: You'll provoke shooting with the arrow anyway.

Taury: Hey!

Loyal: Ooh! Hell yeah! Does that confirm?

GM: Alright that does provoke an attack of opportunity.

Loyal: Oh yeah, that's a good point, I forgot about that rule... Fuck me!

GM: Which happens first.

Taury: Oh fuck.

GM: You rolled a crit.

Loyal: It rolled a crit

GM: And it rolled the crit.

Loyal: But does it- Does she kill it before? It...

GM: You confirmed your crit, and it also confirmed it's crit.

Loyal: What the fuck?!

GM: So you've traded crits. Because it's an attack of opportunity, it will act as you're firing the arrow, and after it swung its ranseur and crited you, you will put the arrow straight through its eye and kill it. But it does get its damage off first.

Loyal: Wow!

Taury: That's still fucking badass as shit! I'll take that.

Loyal: 23 fuck!

Taury: They're both 23, so that's the thing that's, that's as trippy as shit.

GM: Yup.

Morana: Did it confirm because of the -2?

GM: No.

Morana: Damn, I was-

GM: It would have just helped, but yes, she hit it's normal AC.

Morana: Ah ok.

GM: Yeah, so it definitely confirmed it, yeah. Alright, that's the end of that combat.

Loyal: Seeing Taury took a pretty rough blow, I immediately pull out my cure light wounds infusion, "Ah take this, that probably hurt."

Taury: Yeah, that's getting swigged.

Loyal: Yup. 6 hit points back.

Taury: Hey

Loyal: And I'm out of infusions for the day.

Taury: Yeah that's not bad, that's nearly full HP back. What was that a round 2 kill?

Loyal: Yeah, pretty much.

GM: Yeah.

Taury: That was decent. 

Markus: Yeah.

GM: You did much better against this Sinspawn than you had previous ones.

Taury: All the other Sinspawn.

Loyal: Better in some ways that she like, nailed the crit, but also it crit her.

Taury: The timing is rather beautiful, like.

Loyal: "Well, that was somewhat easy."

Markus: "Somewhat."

Taury: Steps over it's body and continues walking forward.

Fenwarin: "Yeah, after you, Loyal."

Loyal: Loyal follows.

Morana: "Well, at least we're getting better at these things, we know what to expect."

Loyal: "That's true."

Fenwarin: "Loyal could I maybe go behind Taury because I just, I don't see so well."

Loyal: "Sure why not." At first I thought it was like only this door, like only one door and I'm like this is a boss room, a  pre-boss room if I ever saw one.

GM: This room contains several ancient relics of what appear to be torture implements, although their function and style seems strange and archaic. In one corner sits a spherical cage with spikes protruding inward from iron bars, and another stands what appears to be a star shaped wooden frame, it's surface studded with hooks. And in the center of the room is a long table covered with leather straps and a number of cranks that seem designed to rotate and swivel.

Fenwarin: Ow.

Taury: That rip and pull people's arms and legs off?

Morana: "Somebody had fun in here."

Loyal: "Oof. Thats-"

Fenwarin: "This looks awful."

Loyal: "You could say that again."  

Morana: "No sense of adventure."

Markus: "Well they kept prisoners, some of those prisoners were spies, supposedly."

Loyal: "Makes sense."

Morana: "Anyway um."

Loyal: "So which door?"

Markus: "Good question."

Fenwarin: "I say we continue east."

Markus: "Maybe see if we can hear sounds of activity from any of them."

Loyal: "So I'll check the eastern door." Just kind of listening through.

GM: Ok, Morana you hear nothing through your door, the one to the south. Same for Markus, you hear nothing at that door. Loyal you hear very faintly moaning, from several voices.

Loyal: Kind of lower my breath, "There's, there's moaning coming from the other side of that door, several voices, a couple of them. Multiple possible enemies." Is this moaning, is this like an undead-esque moaning?

GM: You have no way to know.

Loyal: Ok.

Markus: "Did it sound like communication or did it sound like people making noise?"

Loyal: "That's a good question."

GM: It sounded like the moaning of endless pain and torment.

Loyal: "Sounds like people are in pain, constant pain."

Fenwarin: "I wonder if someone's being tortured right now?"

Markus: "Who?"

Loyal: "I'm just gonna step away from the door."

Morana: "Maybe check the quiet door first." 

Loyal: "Yeah."

GM: Ok, you open that door. Within, you see the crumbling remains of several chairs and a long table cluttering the floor of this room. To the south stand three stone doors, each bearing a strange symbol that resembles a seven pointed star.

Loyal: "Oh god."

Morana: Any immediate sign of writing, or is it just a symbol?

GM: Yes, several of the bits of scrap among the detritus on the floor looks like scrolls and book remnants and stuff, you notice spiky writing.

Morana: Morana's gonna cast a Detect magic and sweep her gaze across the room as she steps from one side of the door to the other.

GM: Alright, as you sweep across the room, you don't notice anything but the normal faint abjuration that you've been seeing everywhere here, and then a flare of light amongst the rubble peaks your interest. As you notice, one of these scrolls is intact.

Loyal: Ooh. 

Morana: "One of those scrolls is still an active." And she'll point it out.

Markus: "Ah, excellent. I was planning on looking at the writings, the triple door thing seems slightly disconcerting maybe?"

Morana: "Well, that was the original thing I was checking to make sure there was no auras around. The only thing I notice is the scroll though."

Markus: "Well nothing ventured." And Markus will step forward to try and gather up the writings including the scroll that was pointed out.

GM: Alright, a search of the rubble uncovers the fragments of countless books and scrolls with the bits of spiky writing in this strange language, which you recognize as Thassilonian. These once seemed to be part of a vast library, that was in this room, much of it has been destroyed. And you can tell there's little claw marks, as if that quasit that you defeated earlier was the one that destroyed much of this room.

Markus: Ah ok.

GM: The one scroll that remains, I need a Spellcraft check for you to identify it, or you can use Read magic.

Markus: I don't have Read magic memorized, so Spellcraft it is. Also, Markus is going to be taking great care with the fragments of writing that do remain, he's basically going to try and keep them safe and intact as much as he can.

GM: Ok. You identify this scroll as being a scroll of flaming sphere at caster Level 5th?

Markus: "Hmm, interesting."

GM: It was underneath several torn up pages and a broken chair.

Markus: Ok, he'll bring it back and show it to people. I'm assuming it's an arcane scroll?

GM: Yes.

Fenwarin: "Oh that's interesting."

Markus: "Hmm. Well I imagine we'll want to find a home for this scroll, but I guess the important question is, do we try the three doors now or later?"

Loyal: "That's a good question."

Taury: "Are there any symbols on the doors?"

GM: "A strange seven pointed star."

Taury: "Just they all look the same though?"

GM: Yup.

Fenwarin: "Well the old man told us to look out for those symbols."

Markus: "Yes, I have no doubt it's important, or was important. The question is, is it safe?"

Fenwarin: "Is anything safe, but you said before, nothing ventured, so why not?"

Markus: "Yeah true, but three doors so close together. I'm wondering if they're worried about spies? Maybe traps?"

Loyal: "Perhaps I could go check it out." Is that going to be Separate perception check for each door or just general?

GM: If you're searching for traps it would be separate for each.

Loyal: Yes alright, we'll start from the left.

GM: Ok. 

Loyal: Left one... And I'll just roll all, middle one, right one.

GM: Alright, you are fairly confident that none of these are trapped.

Loyal: "They don't seem trapped or least I assume." Does that does that detect magical traps, as well or is that just for like mechanical?

GM: It would also detect magical traps.

Loyal: Gotcha.

GM: Though disarming magical traps requires special things.

Loyal: Obviously, yeah.

Markus: Also Detect magic tends to detect magical traps.

Loyal: That's true.

GM: It can.

Markus: Depends on the nature of the trap, but yeah.

Loyal: "Nothing, nothing trapped from what it seems." 

Fenwarin: "And that's good at least."

Markus: "Well then."

Fenwarin: "Who gets the honor?"

GM: Which door are you opening first?

Loyal: Does anyone look like they're going to step forward to open the doors or?

Taury: Taury's looking at Markus, 'cause Markus knows all the symbols and stuff.

Markus: "The fact that the same symbol will be on all three doors?"

Loyal: "Well I don't think they're trapped, so let's have a go." And he just walks up to it, open the left door.

GM: You open this door and see a cell, just a five by five cell. Within it is a single humanoid skeleton badly deformed.

Loyal: Anything valuable or no?

GM: It it seems to have very long brittle looking arms.

Loyal: Brittle looking arms? Can I identify possible like race? 

GM: Heal check.

Loyal: I'm good at those.

Taury: I'd be like, it's a deformed skeleton, does it have any money on it? [Laughs]

Loyal: You never know. I said anything valuable, you never know, yeah.

GM: You are unsure, it's possible this was once a human.

Loyal: "Well, whatever's in there was, maybe human, I'm not sure. It's badly deformed now, it's skeleton."

Markus: "Deformed as in reshaped? Or deformed as in showing signs of torture or?"

Loyal: "Would I know?"

GM: It does not appear to be torture.

Loyal: "Not tortured is what it seems like, I'm not sure what honestly. Well I guess we'll just try the next door?"

GM: As you open the middle door, you see another deformed humanoid skeleton, and this one has an enormous, misshapen skull.

Loyal: Hmm, anything, is there anything that stands out about the room or no?

GM: No, it looks exactly the same as the other one.

Loyal: "Just another deformed skeleton, I guess I'll try the last door."

GM: Alright, and when you open this one, you see a third deformed humanoid skeleton. This one's rib cage extends all the way down to its pelvis, a pelvis with stunted leg bones strewn below it's strangely flat girth.

Loyal: And I assume nothing special about the room either?

GM: No.

Loyal: I just look back. "Another one of the deformed skeletons, they're all deformed in different ways."

Markus: Ok, while Loyal has been examining the skeletons Markus is going to see if there's any sort of clues to what was going on here from the scraps of paper that were left.

GM: As you're leafing through them, it's so destroyed, it's going to be a jigsaw puzzle trying to figure out what goes with what, and what meaning it will be. It will take hours to piece this together if you want to try that.

Markus: Yes, as a general thing, but if it can take that long, not now.

GM: Alright.

Markus: "Interesting."

Fenwarin: "Yeah, you could say that, three deformed skeletons, behind all these doors."

Markus: "But deformed in different ways." 

Fenwarin: "So what did the symbols symbolize for this?"

Markus: Um, from what we know of the symbol, would it have been associated with things like magical research or anything like that?

GM: Um, there's no reason not to think so.

Markus: Because it was, it was essentially their- although they scribed different meanings to it, it was their representation of magic, the symbol that embodied the magic to them, is that right?

GM: Not inaccurate.

Fenwarin: Fenwarin is looking at the skeletons too.

Markus: "So either, we have skeletons from three different races or some sort of magical experiments, maybe?"

Fenwarin: "Maybe." Can, can Fenwarin run back to the Sinspawn we just killed?

GM: Yeah.

Fenwarin: "I'm just comparing."

Morana: "I mean, it could potentially be both, experimentation on different races."

Markus: "True."

GM: Give me an Intelligence check, Fenwarin.

Fenwarin: Ok. 

GM: Very nice. It doesn't match the Sinspawn, but as you're mentally going over this, you remember the deformed goblin.

Fenwarin: "Oh, yes."

GM: And these deformations remind you very much of the deformations of that goblin.

Taury: The horrible fire spitting goblin?

Loyal: I think it was acid or something like that, it's acid.

GM: It was acid.

Taury: Ok well the same shit.

Fenwarin: Yeah had three damn arms.

Taury: Oh shit yeah, that's relevant right now.

Markus: Yeah.

Taury: Forgot about that.

Loyal: The hunchback.

Fenwarin: "I just had to make sure I looked at the skeletons and the sinspawn, we just killed. They were quite deformed and then they remind me of that goblin that we killed here. I mean, he was definitely a deformed."

Markus: "Oh right yeah, good thinking."

Fenwarin: "But what are they doing down here?"

Markus: "Apparently not just making sinspawn."

Fenwarin: "No."

Loyal: "Other things clearly. Well that's horrifying in its own way, but makes me scared of what might be in the other room now."

Markus: "Well, one way to find out."

Taury: Gonna go ahead and assume you're all looking at Taury to open the door?

Loyal: Pretty much.

Fenwarin: I guess so.

Taury: Yeah. [Laughs] It just sounded like it, I don't know why. There was an inclination in the voice that just said, "Open the door, Taury. Yeah, Taury opens the door.

Markus: "Ah, it is the door that has sounds coming from behind it."

Loyal: Ok, I don't like narrow hallway.

Taury: I don't mind a narrow hallway if there's stairs, it's when there's no longer stairs, I'm not a fan.

GM: The stairs descend downward.

Taury: That's comforting.

GM: When you open the door, you can hear clearly now the low moans that echo up from the chamber below.

Taury: Would I be able to tell if those are like real? Like as if there are people there or it's?

GM: Will save to disbelieve I guess, is what you're working towards?

Taury: Well, not disbelieve, I wouldn't say that, but just like from hearing it would you just assume yeah, there's there's things down there screaming yeah? 

GM: Yeah.

Taury: Yeah because otherwise I don't see, I don't see how I would get that.

GM: As you descend lower, you can feel the air get a crispness to it, as the chamber you're heading towards is definitely colder than where you've been.

Taury: And what are these things in front of me?

GM: You're still on the stairway, you can't really tell.

Taury: I don't like that. You must walk into the room before you see things.

GM: Or at least the very bottom of the stairs.

Fenwarin: Oh man.

Taury: That's no better. Um, go to the bottom of the stairs.

Fenwarin: It's like master torture room or something like that, no?

GM: Alright.

GM: The ceiling of this strangely called chamber arches to a vaulted height of 20 feet, the floor contains 11 wooded lids strung haphazardly over 11 five foot wide pits in the ground. From the darkness within these pits echo up strange shuffling sounds and every so often low moans.

Fenwarin: Oh man, what is this?

Taury: Do they all looks secure? 

GM: No.

Taury: Which ones look less secure?

GM: This one back here definitely looks less secure, as does this one, none of them look to be secured, but this one also probably the least covered.

Loyal: Ah so all of them?

GM: This one. Yeah, pretty much none of them are secured, but some of them are definitely more covered than others.

Taury: Ok um, can I go ahead and assume that's where the screaming is coming from?

GM: Yup, that's where the low moans and shuffling noises are echoing up from, and then reverberating in this chamber.

Taury: Gonna walk around those.

GM: As you enter the room, you can see your breath.

Taury: Can Taury peer down into this pit?

GM: Yeah, the pit is about 20 feet deep. The wooden covers over the top look very fragile.

Taury: So I can't see what's at the bottom?

GM: You can. Down there seems to be a humanoid.

Taury: Now, you say humanoid what does this humanoid look like other than humanoid?

Loyal: How humanoid?

Markus: Does it look like sinspawn, does it look actually human?

GM: Knowledge religion.

Taury: Everybody Knowledge religion yeah?

Fenwarin: Yeah, I'm looking down too, I want to find out.

Loyal: +2, unless that's worn off by now? 

GM: It hasn't worn off yet.

Taury: Oh Jesus rip.

Loyal: It's a 5, don't worry it's +2.

Taury: It's still shocking.

Fenwarin: Oh, my god.

Loyal: Goddamn, guys.

GM: 5 is the DC you need.

Loyal: Cool.

Taury: Ay.

Loyal: Yes, he did it, he did a Taury!

Fenwarin: No.

GM: A 5 is all that's needed to identify a zombie.

Loyal: Yeah ok,

Taury: That's great.

Loyal: I knew it.

GM: Every pit you look in seems to have a zombie at the bottom of it.

Taury: I mean, Taury looked at one of them and is noping out of it, she's not looking at the rest of them.

Morana: "Well, this could be the source of the ones we found left in the mausoleum then."

Loyal: "There is one possible way to get rid of them."

Markus: "Well, we found the rope of bones though, for the mausoleum."

Morana: "True, so they could have been raised on the spot? Depending?" 

Loyal: "There- it came to mind that might be one way to get rid of these without having to fire a ridiculous amount of crossbow shots and whatnot, possibly destroy them for good as well. That liquid we found back there that, that that orange liquid does decay into holy water."

Fenwarn: "You want to splash it down on them?"

Loyal: "I could, I've got a vile right here."

Markus: "Do we know if holy water will be effective against zombies?"

Loyal: "I think so."

Taury: I think that is common knowledge, I think.

Loyal: Yeah, holy water damages undead creatures and evil outsiders as if it were acid.

Taury: Plus, we saw Morana do that to the other thing in the mausoleum with a name like.

Loyal: 2D4 points of damage.

Markus: Well, you saw me obliterate one with the healing spell.

Loyal: Then I get to have my intelligence [mumbles] next, its a splash weapon!

Taury: Yeah.

Fenwarn: "Well, I'm all for testing Loyal."

Loyal: "Alright, here goes nothing." And I'll throw the flask of holy water down at to the zombie in this one.

Taury:  You gonna to be careful not to break the box that's covering it?

Loyal: Yeah, well it's like a 20 foot deep pit anyway.

Taury: Hey look, we don't know if they were climbers before they became zombies.

Loyal: I guess fair yeah. If I need to move, I will just to, like, get a good throw.

GM: Yeah, you slide the lid out of the way and give me a attack.

Loyal: Alright, I'm just going to use my bomb because that's going to be the same bonus to hit, but it'll be different damage and such.

GM: Alright, that will hit, go ahead and roll damage.

Fenwarn: Oof.

Loyal: Ooh that's max!

GM: The zombie screeches and melts away.

Loyal: "Well, it worked. Now we just need a one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, 10 more."

GM: Alright, I'm going to mark that as safe, so that pit no longer has a zombie in it.

Morana: The rest of them reacting in any way? 

GM: No. 

Morana: Ok good.

Loyal: "I guess that tests the theory it is in fact holy water that came out of that pit."

Markus: "I thought you were already certain of that?"

Loyal: "I was pretty certain, but you never know with- we're dealing with things we don't necessarily completely understand here, could have had side effects."

Morana: I want to make a Perception to see if I hear anything from the south.

GM: Yeah. Down from the south, echoing from this hallway, you hear very faintly, the sounds of- how is this described?

Loyal: Oh God.

GM: -Evil growling, and strange howls that are very muted.

Loyal: I don't like that.

Fenwarn: Oh man.

Loyal: Oh boy.

Morana: I'm just going to slowly step from one side of this doorway to the other to get a look down the hallway. Says "I hear something growling and potentially howling down there, I can't see anything though, just a hallway."

Loyal: Wouldn't that be a similar sound to that of a sinspawn we've heard or something different?

GM: This is unique.

Loyal: Fuck.

Fenwarn: Oh my God, that doesn't sound good.

Loyal: I don't like that.

Taury: This is the sinspawn's pet,  Sin dog.

Loyal: Sin dog [laughs].

Taury: Yeah.

Markus: Sinlord.

Loyal: It's like a fucking Cerberus has like three heads and it's like gigantic.

Taury: You hope only three.

Morana: As long as there's not a Sinbad haa.

Markus: Oh man, did you just do that? [laughs]

Taury: Just going to go ahead and move past that like it didn't happen.

Loyal: Just going to go ahead and mute savage. 

All: [Laugh]

Loyal: "Well, I guess there's only one way to find out what that is."

Markus: "True enough."

Taury: I don't like these fucking narrow corridors man.

Loyal: I hate all of them. It is awful, it sucks.

Taury: They could have at least made them wider.

Loyal: Just like two squares that would have been fine.

Taury: Yeah, two squares, three, maybe go all out make it four, maybe, I don't know?

Morana: Look, you have to build cost effective underground.

Taury: Yeah, because if there's anything that demons are mad into, it's economics.

Fenwarn: Yup.

Morana: That's true.

Taury: They're all about that.

Morana: Have you ever seen one of their contracts? 

Taury: Oh Man!

GM: As you guys are weaving in and out of that grid of stuff, I need Acrobatics checks.

Loyal: Well I just, I've skirted around the edge.

GM: Specifically Markus.

Taury: Yeah because Taury didn't go through the middle, so.

GM: I'm assuming that you're not trying to step on these lids, you're?

Fenwarn: No, definitely staying away from them.

Markus: Yeah, trying to walk on solid ground, basically.

GM: Ok.

Taury: Also not walking that fast.

Fenwarn: Yeah.

GM: Alright, you're fine, Markus.

Loyal: A DC5 I assume [laughs].

Fenwarn: For now.

Loyal: In that case, let's just get out of here.

GM: Taury you, I believe, can see the door at the end of the hallway and a branching path from the hallway, correct?

Taury: Yeah, there's two things. 

Loyal: Yeah fucking hell.

Taury: No one else is walking through here yeah?

Loyal: Take the way, take the way Taury! 

Fenwarn: No! [Laughs] Go ahead.

Taury: This is why my character is going to die first. [laughs]

Morana: Frontliner, frontline.

Loyal: Don't worry I'm a healer.

Taury: No, because what'll happen is they'll forget later on to start checking doors for traps, Taury is going to open a door and fucking die by a trap. That's going to happen.

Loyal: To be fair, we haven't we haven't checked a single door for traps apart from those three.

Taury: Yeah.

GM: Alright, uh Taury As you're walking down this hallway, give me Perception checks.

Taury: Ah huh. Yeah, there we go. Just the one Perception check?

GM: Yeah.

Loyal: Loyal's sticking close.

GM: Oh, Loyal, you're following. Cool.

Fenwarn: Yeah same here.

GM: Ok. Taury you notice scribblings on the walls in various places, give me a moment, I will check your known languages. Alright, some of the language looks like those weird, spiky runes that Markus keeps reading. Some of them, you understand. And they are very personal threats to bodily harm.

Loyal: Are they in Abyssal?

GM: Loyal give me a Perception check to see if you see these.

Loyal: Cool.

Taury: They're not appearing as we're walking through, are they? Or are they they're permanently?

GM: No, no. Loyal, you see Taury turn to look at a message, and as she does, it's gone.

Loyal: Does it disappear for Taury too?

GM: You didn't see the message Loyal. But out of the periphery of your eye on the other wall, you see similar.

Loyal: Oh, I don't like this.

GM: Checking your languages is known. Yes, you recognize some of these scripts and also realize this is very, very threatening language that's being spoken, or not spoken, but graffiti-ed on the wall.

Taury: Does it look like it was maybe prisoners that wrote this?

GM: As you turn to look, it disappears.

Taury: But like, how is it written on the wall? Is it kind of chaotically written?

GM: It's not there.

Taury: Well, when I did see it, when I did see it.

GM: Yes, as if it was scrawled by a madman.

Taury: Ok cool.

Loyal: Oh dear lord. Alright.

Markus: Is this something that everyone walking down the corridor could potentially see? Or is it only specific people?

GM: It's possible yeah, anybody who wants to be wary, ah feel free to roll a Perception check to notice these things.

Fenwarn: Nah.

GM: Alright, all of you encounter the same thing, and as you think you see something and turn to look, it's gone, you never see the same things that the other people see, but you're having the same experience.

Loyal: Kind of look around to see if- it's kind of- see if I can acknowledge that everyone is too seeing this kind of stuff.

GM: Yeah, Fenwarin, you understand nothing of this writing.

Fenwarn: Can a cast Detect magic on this? 

Markus: Yeah I was about to say Detect magic [laughs].

GM: Markus, you recognize only the spiky runes of the Thassilonian writing. And I don't know what languages Morana knows, they're not on your character sheet.

Morana: Oh yeah hold on I'll ah, give me one moment.

GM: Thanks. And yes Loyal. I will let you know what language was written.

Loyal: Cool, I had a feeling I know what it is, but.

Taury: Are there any sounds coming from this side of the?

GM: I also let Taury know what language she identified and read, very briefly. Yes, the branching hallway that you're at Taury, that's where these growls and howls are echoing up out of.

Taury: And is it the- to the right or is it straight ahead?

GM: This branching path here is where they're coming from.

Taury: Ok, so she would point in that direction, like pointing to like her eyes in that direction, kind of like, you know, signaling that that's where that's coming from and she's going to go ahead and open this door if that's a door?

GM: Yeah, it is a door. Alright, Morana, you recognize none of these writings? 

Morana: Ah well.

GM: Are you staying back at the end of the hallway?

Morana: Staying a step back anyway, from the rest.

GM: Certainly. Alright, and Taury you said you're checking the door or opening the door?

Taury: Opening. 

GM: You're just opening the door?

Taury: I mean not like, you know, swinging it wide open, opening it, but.

Loyal: Loyal will probably be looking at the door from a distance and check for traps if he can, but probably-

GM: Nope, you're going to have to be adjacent to it.

Loyal: Well. Loyal probably doesn't get the chance because Taury just immediately opening.

GM: Just opening the door?

Markus: Yup, Taury doesn't wait for that

Loyal: Different color room.

GM: The door opens and you see this strange room is a 15 foot diameter sphere, several objects float in the room, spinning lazily in space. A ragged book, a scroll, a bottle of wine, a dead raven surrounded by a halo of floating and writhing maggots, and a twisted iron wand with a forked tip. Yet perhaps the most unnerving aspect of this room is the walls, for they are plated in sheets of strange red metal that ripple every once in a while, with a silent black electricity that seems to coalesce into strange runes or even words, far too often for the effect to be mere chance.

Fenwarn: Oh man.

Loyal: "Alright, other way it is."

Taury: Yeah, going to close the door, turn around, and cast, Detect fiendish presence.

Loyal: Where are you casting it?

Taury: To the direction of the stairs. 

Loyal: Ok.

GM: Alright, you do not detect anything because it's range is too limited.

Taury: Oh, that's fun.

GM: Otherwise, I would have enjoyed knocking you unconscious with that.

Loyal: Ha! Oh.

Taury: Well, that's nice.

GM: But that's out of game knowledge, don't worry about it.

Taury: Uh ha.

Loyal: Uh ha, yeah.

GM: You can't see through enough material with this spell to notice anything.

Taury: Is Loyal just going to stand in the doorway there? Or is he gonna walk down the stairs?

Loyal: You can walk by if you want.

Taury: I'm not liking this send Taury in front to just every single entrance ever [laughs].

Loyal: I'm right behind you, don't worry.

Taury: Uh huh. Until you're not. She turns around and everyone's gone.

Markus: Well, we just need to get another frontliner then, you can swap.

Taury: Going to attempt to be stealthy coming down the stairs.

GM: Alright, it doesn't matter, don't bother rolling it.

Taury: Yeah, I kind of had a feeling that was coming for some reason.

GM: This twisting flight of spiral stairs once led down to even deeper complexes below, but like the flight of stairs above that led from the old light, this area has collapsed and is full of rubble.

Loyal: Ah, but the thing that's coming from beyond the rubble? 

GM: Yeah.

Taury: If I, if I detected a fiendish presence here, would it change anything?

GM: No. 

Taury: It's still too far away?

GM: It's way too far away. 

Taury: That's, that's both comforting and uncomforting at the same time.

Loyal: "Well, not sure what we're going to do about that."

Markus: "Get an excavation crew."

Loyal: "I guess so. I don't like the sounds that are coming from it." How thick is the rubble, like how much rubble we're dealing with here?"

Taury: Mmm, that's what I was gonna ask.

GM: It will take several, several hours at the quickest to excavate enough to know if it's even deeper. It will probably take days, maybe even months, to clear away enough rubble to go down the depths. You're just unsure. It's completely closed off.

Loyal: Right so can't go that way.

GM: The only fact that, you know something else is down there is the echoing howls and evil growls.

Taury: Emphasis on 'evil'.

GM: Those are the words that I have in this thing. Those are the descriptors I am relaying them accurately.

Taury: Yeah, yeah. [Laughs]

Loyal: Low key, I feel like if we open that we TPK, but that's out of character knowledge.

Taury: I mean, we're not going to stand here for, like hours excavating, that's not happening.

Loyal: Yeah we're not going to. It'll take months to excavate that shit.

Taury: And the only one lifting anything is going to be Taury. So it's going to take even longer.

Loyal: That's also true. None of us are strong.

Markus: "Yeah, so we're not going that way right now then?"

Loyal: "I guess the weird sphere, electricity room is what we have to deal with then."

Fenwarn: "Yeah."

Markus: "Yes, let's at least investigate that."

Taury: "It would appear we must." Yeah, Taury is not entering that room.

GM: Alright Markus, you open the door, you see the same things that were just described, you recognize these runes and words that appear every so often. They are the Thassilonian words and runes relating to various concepts of anger, wrath and revenge. They never complete a full thought.

Markus: Ok, so it's always fragments, fragments of sentences and things like that?

GM: Right, or isolated runes with these meanings.

Markus: Yeah ok. Yeah, so runes that in of themselves, express concepts, but don't actually convey the full meaning? 

GM: Correct. 

Markus: Right ok, that's a better way of thinking about it. Detect magic.

GM: Alright, the entire room pings to you with a faint transmutation, I believe it is. And the book also radiates magic abjuration magic, the wand radiates evocation.

Markus: Ok. And the runes that keep forming and the thing the format of I'm assuming that's radiating some form of magic?

GM: Yes, Necromantic.

Markus: As in necromancy?

GM: Ah huh.

Markus: Ok.

Taury: Just in case the zombies weren't enough of a kind of a hint. Oh shit, I just realized they were on a lower floor. That's probably the lower floor where this fucking thing is.

Loyal: Oh what the zombies? 

Taury: Yeah. 

Loyal: No they were in pits.

Markus: No they were, did we see any indication that the zombies had exits from their pits at that level?

GM: No.

Taury: Yeah, but we just went down the staircase and they were 20 foot down and the noise was coming from the other side of the-.

Loyal: I mean, yeah but it could be even deeper.

Morana: Yeah, that doesn't automatically dictate that there's openings to where they are from that lower floor, they could just be in a section that wasn't developed on that level. And they're just in holes.

GM: Oh, your Detect magic also pings on a scroll of evocation.

Markus: Ok. "Well, there are some interesting items that seem to be at least partly magical in nature. So retrieval time?"

Loyal: "I guess so, how do we plan to go about that?"

Markus: "Go in and get them."

Loyal: "Actually, I personally, I don't really want to step foot in that room. An idea may be to take that ranseur we got earlier, and modify it in some way or something to be able to grab the items."

Markus: "Or, we can set foot in the room."

Fenwarin: "Do you think it's safe?"

Loyal: "Yes."

Fenwarin: "Well, he stepped in yeah."

Loyal: Ok. [Laughs]

Fenwarin: Ooh!

Loyal: I don't trust that shit, it's like sparking electricity.

GM: Markus, you've stepped into the room.

Markus: Yes.

GM: You instantly feel a weightless sensation as you begin floating.

Loyal: Oh?

GM: You have no control of your movements as far as like moving further into the room. You are in a zero gravity environment.

Markus: Ok.

GM: You're floating ever so slowly towards the middle of the room.

Markus: Are the items- remind me of the items in here just floating around generally? Or are they all in the middle?

GM: Yup, they're just floating wherever they're at.

Taury: Are there maggots hitting him?

GM: He's not next to the raven yet.

Fenwarin: [Laughs]

Markus: "Hmm, interesting. Well, this is new."

Fenwarin: "Are you ok Markus?"

GM: You see him initially flail about from the sensation, and it doesn't change his trajectory at all, he might like flip over a couple times and then manage to write himself but, yeah it looks like he's an astronaut right now, just kind of floating there. His movements that he's doing aren't affecting his actual trajectory or speed at all.

Markus: Ok, are any of the items within arm's reach?

GM: Yes.

Markus: Which ones?

GM: The bottle of wine.

Markus: Ok, I want to try and see if I can reach out and touch that, grab it  even.

GM: Alright. Give me a Dexterity check. Alright, you manage to grab a hold of it, it doesn't spin away or escape your grasp at all. You grab it, pull it in and look at the bottle. It is a bottle of about 100 year old Elvish wine.

Loyal: A hundred years old, that's odd.

GM: About a quarter of it's been drank.

Markus: Wait. A hundred year old?

GM: Ah huh.

Taury: "I'm going to go ahead and guess that what Tsuto."

Markus: "Possibly not, but who's good at catching?"

Fenwarin: Hmm.

Loyal: So probably dex.

Taury: Taury has a relatively high dex.

Loyal: Loyal's got a 16.

Taury: A 15+2?

Fenwarin: Yeah I got high dex.

Taury: Could it be both Fen and Taury roll for it, because they're both pretty close. Whoever misses it, if Fen misses it Taury could catch it?

Fenwarin: Hey if that works, I can go for it.

Markus: Basically, the plan, Markus is going to try and pass the bottle out of the room, but depending on how close he is to the actual door he might need to throw it to be able to do that.

GM: Well, they're all at least five feet away from the door. They haven't even got close to the room so based on where they're at right now, yeah, you would have to throw it to them.

Fenwarin: Ok. Fenwarin is going to move closer.

Markus: Ok. Markus will try and hand off the bottle of wine, see what happens.

GM: Alright, Markus, give me a Reflex save. Ok, you grab the bottle of wine. You do have to reach across the threshold of the door to do so, you don't feel any different as you do. You pull the bottle across to you. The bottle felt like it had no weight and then suddenly, as it crosses the threshold, has the weight of it, that it should.

Markus: Furtive. Did you mix people up again?

GM: Did I? 

Loyal: Did he? [laughs].

Markus: Yeah, who did you ask to do a reflex save?

GM: Fenwarin.

Fenwarin: Oh, really? [laughs] You said Markus.

Markus: I am fairly certain that you said Markus.

Loyal: He said, definitely said Markus.

Taury: No, you didn't you said Markus.

GM: Oh yes, then I did, never stand together. 

All: [laugh]

Fenwarin: Yeah.

Taury: Well would technically then, they both have to make reflexes?

GM: No.

Taury: Fair enough.

Fenwarin: So it's me, yeah ok.

Loyal: Yeah that's better, we're good. 

Fenwarin: Ok that's good.

GM: Yeah, no change, still fine.

Taury: It's just more finessed.

Fenwarin: "Oh, what's this?"

GM: When you look at the label, it's a brand you recognize.

Fenwarin: "What is the read?"

GM: Elven Absinthe.

Loyal: Absinthe, Jesus.

Fenwarin: Oh ok.

Loyal: Didn't know elves made Absinthe.

Taury: Everybody makes Absinthe dude.

Loyal: That's true. 

Taury: And they shouldn't [laughs].

Fenwarin: I turn around to the others and say, "Hey look at this! It's elvish Absinthe."

Markus: "Look at the age on it as well."

Fenwarin: Yeah, Fenwarin takes a look at and is like, "Oh?! Oh, that's even better."

GM: Yup, you remember that year was a good year.

All: [Laugh] 

Fenwarin: I don't know.

Markus: Out of curiosity, what year was it?

Taury: A hundred years ago.

GM: Yeah.

Taury: [Laughs] Don't make us do maths on the spot, fucking rude, that's what that was.

GM: [Laughs]

Markus: Ok, let me rephrase that.

Fenwarin: Let's see, this, less this year, minus a hundred hmm.

Morana: This is going to lead to a whole second darkness conversation of what's the date? It's today.

Fenwarin: [Laughs] What time is it? The same it was yesterday.

Taury: Out of curiosity, what was Fen doing a hundred years ago? To have such a good day, or was he super drunk he doesn't fully remember it?

Loyal: He had a really good meal.

Fenwarin: [Laughs]

Morana: There was some excellent bread.

Fenwarin: Some day we'll talk about it.

Loyal: Oh!

Taury: Elvish Mcdonald's.

Fenwarin: [Laughs] Elvish Mcdonald's yeah.

Morana: Isn't that just berries on a leaf?

Fenwarin: It's a lembas bread too, racist! 

All: [Laugh].

Markus: "Anyway shall we, shall we try that again with something that perhaps might be a little more enlightening?"

Loyal: "I don't see why not."

Markus: Let's see if I can hmm, from where I am, the other items in the room?

GM: The other items are in the middle of the room.

Markus: Ok, do they all look about the same sort of distance? Or is the one in particular that's closer?

GM: They're kind of rotating about, moving around. They seem to be, for lack of a better way to describe this, they're orbiting a central spot and that central spot seems to be about the size of the quasit.

Loyal: Of course. [Laughs]

Markus: So in Pathfinder terms, tiny.

Taury: Vertically challenged is the official term.

Markus: The politically correct term.

Taury: Yeah, that's what I meant, the non offensive way of saying "short as shit". 

Markus: Ok, I take it none of the items are actually orbiting close enough that I can just reach out and grab one?

GM: No, you're going to have to get to the middle of the room to collect them.

Markus: "Ok, does anyone have any rope handy?"

Taury: Taury has rope.

Markus: "Excellent, would do you mind letting some out? You know, keep hold of it and pass a length to me?"

Taury: She'll pass the rope to Fenwarin.

Fenwarin: Yeah, Fenwarin grabs it and hands it over to Markus.

Markus: Ok. Markus only wants a relatively short length of rope. He wants the rest of it to remain outside the field of anti-gravity.

Fenwarin: Yup. Taury's holding on to right?

Taury: No, she passed it to you like she handed you the rope.

Fenwarin: Oh the whole thing, ok.

Taury: Yeah well, because it's a narrow corridor, so like.

Fenwarin: Yeah Fenwarin, is just going to back up so I can more easily pull.

Markus: Ok, so you going to hand what, a 10, 15 foot segment to Markus and back up? 

Fenwarin: Yup.

Taury: It doesn't say how big the rope is, it just said rope, so.

GM: Rope's 50 feet long.

Taury: There you go.

Markus: Ok. Markus would like to see if the rope is also drawn to the center, of the room.

GM: No. 

Markus: No? It's just staying, floating the same way he is?

GM: Yup. 

Markus: And if I basically try and throw the short like the rope towards the center?

GM: Give me a Dex check. Alright, you get it towards the center, but the act of you throwing it pushes you back and you're almost out of the door now.

Markus: "Oh, that didn't quite go to plan um, keep hold of that end please. Don't go dropping or anything this, I might need you to pull me out."

Fenwarin: "I'm holding it." 

Markus: "Unless anyone else particularly wants to join me in here?"

Fenwarin: "No, that's ok, I'll stay here and hold the rope."

Loyal: "I'm fine, the walls are seem to be electrified, so fine."

Taury: Head shake from Taury.

Fenwarin: "You're doing good, Markus."

All: [Laugh]

Markus: Right, ok.

Taury: [Laughs] You get the picture of everyone sticking their thumbs up, "You got this, buddy!"

GM: [Laughs]

Markus: "Ok, can someone come closer, please?" 

[Long pause. No answer] 

Markus: "Someone? Anyone? Doesn't have to be the one holding the rope." 

GM: [Laugh]

GM: [Laughs] No volunteers, oh this is great!

Markus: "Right. This, this might not work, or it might not work out the way I want it to, but just stay there. Oh and hold this end." And Markus is going to try passing off the end of the ranseur to Loyal who stepped forward, holding the rope in the other hand and using the ranseur to push against Loyal to push him further into the room.

Loyal: Cool.

GM: That works perfectly. Your are now in the middle of a room and can easily collect all the items. Would you like to take the dead bird first or last?

Markus: Not at all I think.

All: [Laugh] 

Loyal: Specifically the dead bird.

Taury: I don't like that that's the one he mentioned first.

Fenwarin: Please take the dead bird.

Taury: So you want to die now or like in five minutes time? [Laughs]

GM: Alright, you take the iron wand with the fork on the end, the scroll and the book. Alright, now that you've got the items, how do you plan to get back?

Markus: "Ok. Um, can people pull me back using the rope, please? Oh wait, no, no, wait hang on, tie the rope to me, then do that."

Loyal: "How, how do we tie the rope to you out there?"

Markus: "I, no I will, I'll tie the rope to myself."

Fenwarin: "Hmm ok."

Loyal: [Laughs] Yes, I thought he meant like us tie it at the end, and I'm like, uh how?

Taury: It's still a really funny image.

Fenwarin: More people trapped in the room. [Laughs]

Markus: So I'll basically tie it around my waist or something and then give the signal for them to pull me back.

Loyal: Heave!

GM: You pull Markus back to safety. 

Fenwarin: Yay! Heave ho!

Taury: Did he bring the bird with him?

GM: No.

Taury: Ah, he's no fun.

Markus: "Well."

Fenwarin: "Ok and untie yourself Markus, and I'll give this back to Taury."

Markus: "Ah, yes of course." And he'll undo the rope. "That was extremely interesting, I've never done anything like that before. It is almost fun."

Loyal: "Well, I suppose that's all that's left of this place. Not sure if there's any, is there anywhere else we haven't explored yet?"

Markus: "Don't think so. Oh yes I, there is a thing I was planning on doing once we'd ah, once we'd finished exploring just to make sure we haven't missed anything. I think we're at that point?"

Loyal: "Yeah, I think we've cleared out everything that's of an immediate threat."

Morana: "We should finish taking care of those zombies in case they do somehow manage to get out."

Taury: "And the font?"

Markus: "Oh yes, I'm going to, if you're all ok dealing with the zombies, I'm going to do a quick check to make sure we haven't missed anything?"

Loyal: "Where are you checking?"

Markus: "Everywhere we've already been."

Loyal: "Probably best for you not to go alone."

Fenwarin: "Yes, I was going to say the same."

Markus: "Ok, um someone want to come with me then?"

Loyal: "There were a few things I wanted to check out anyway, so sure."

Markus: Oh, I'm not planning on doing anything, I just want to just look around to be safe." 

Loyal: "Got ya."

Markus: "So someone wanted to come with me?"

Fenwarin: "Isn't it best that we all do?"

Loyal: "It's a good point, probably best to stay together, we can deal with- the zombies aren't really going anywhere to be fair."

Markus: "Ok fine, fine, let's all spend time wandering around the place we've already explored. Fine ok."

Taury: Can I do a Sense motive on Markus?

Markus: You can.

Loyal: Quite literally Sense motive.

Taury: Yeah, this feels like he wants to be on his own... And I critically fucked it up.

Loyal: I'd imagine Tears to wine probably faded by now? 

GM: Yeah. 

Loyal: Ok no more +2's, but was good while it lasted.

Taury: Yeah, it's still a shit roll so.

Loyal: Yeah.

GM: A 15 is a decent DC, unless you're trying to actively be deceptive Markus?

Markus: No, it's not.

GM: Alright, so for Morana and Loyal, can you tell them what sense they're getting from you? Are you trying to be alone or are you actually asking, what's your intent here?

Markus: He's- How to phrase this, when people pointed out that he shouldn't be alone, his reaction was, "Oh yeah, that's a good point" kind of thing. The whole comment about taking time was was just, he seems to think it's almost like the tone of voice, he was almost implying it was a waste of time.

Loyal: "That's, in my opinion, better safe than sorry, if you run into something alone then or if even we run into something as only two of us, we may not be able to take it on. If it's another thing similar to the quasit."

Markus: "I mean, you're not wrong, but where would it have come from?"

Loyal: "Who knows? There's a lot we don't know about this place."

Morana: "Down here, there's no telling."

Fenwarin: "Exactly."

Loyal: "So it's not like the zombies are going anywhere, it's not that far of a walk."

Markus: "Ok. Ok, well let's, fine, let's do this."

Morana: "And regardless, if we need to collect more of that fluid for it to degrade into holy water, we're going to have to come back anyway."

Markus: "Oh yes, but while we're here, I was wanting to make sure we haven't overlooked anything, um yes, one moment."

Loyal: "There is also that pool around that shrine that, I'd at least like to get a vial of to see if I can figure out what's wrong with it."

Markus: "Oh, you mean the pool that does magical stuff?"

Loyal: "Yes." 

Markus: "I believe we worked out it was capable of casting commune."

Loyal: "Yes I still want to test the water, see what the deal might be."

Markus: "Ok." Well, Markus is taking off his coat. "Are we ready?"

Loyal: "Yeah I don't see why not."

Fenwarin:  "Yeah, let's go."

Markus: Ok, Markus is going to cast a spell, and then spend a little while looking at the staircase and the room he's just come out of, before moving on again.

GM: Clever, you don't detect anything. You work your way back through the rest of the complex while its duration is up, moving at a fairly decent pace, almost jogging to get your worth out of this spell, you detect nothing from this spells results.

Markus: Ok, have we got-

Morana: And get most of the complex discovered, again.

Markus: Ok, does it run out before we investigate all of it? If so, I'll recast it.

GM: Ok after the statue, which way do you go?

Markus: Probably east.

GM: Do you go up those stairs or do you go down the hallways?

Markus: No, it would be east looking towards where the vargouille was, and looking up there, and then back down because we know we want to wind up near the pools anyway, and we might be there for a while.

GM: Alright, so you would check up the stairs first? 

Markus: Yeah.

GM: Alright, you would find nothing up that direction and it would expire when you're getting ready to go back towards the pools.

Markus: In which case I'll cast it a second time then.

GM: Alright, you check the remainder of the corridors going south, and towards the pools, and the main cathedral where the clava is at and detect no secret doors there either.

Markus: Ok perfect. "Ah well yes, it does appear we've covered everything. Well, people wanted to poke at pools and things, so."

Loyal: "Yeah, let's check out what the deal is with this orange liquid and this shrine, water."

Fenwarin: "Do we just end up down there?"

Loyal: "I assume so yeah."

Fenwarin: "Ok."

Loyal: Loyal is probably going to see if he can get a sample of this shrine water first.

GM: Ok!

Fenwarin: Uh oh!

Taury: That was way too fucking excited.

Loyal: Yeah, it's also exciting for me to mess with the water, like when we first found it.

GM: I like water. 

Taury: Yeah, "You don't have to investigate the water guys, but why is no one investigating the water?" That was Furtive! 

GM: Why are you all afraid of the water? 

Loyal: Well this water is black to be fair.

Taury: No one said that we're afraid of it, we just don't have an interest in it.

GM: Ok. [Pause]

Taury: See I don't like this long pause. 

GM: I'm, I'm reading up on stuff.

Taury: Yeah that's what I don't like.

Fenwarin: How much evil shall I inflict?

GM: Ok, give me a Reflex save.

Fenwarin: Oh man!

Taury: Yeah, there we you go, his fucking hand burns off.

GM: As you attempt to collect a vile's worth of this water.

Taury: Water? We're still calling it water [laugh].

Loyal: +6.

GM: Alright, and you get a little bit on your fingers, but it feels just like water it, it just happens to be black and bubbly.

Fenwarin: [Laughs]

Taury: It's so not water.

Fenwarin: It just happens to be.

GM: Yeah. You fill your vial up and pull it out, cork it and your fingertips where you dipped the vial in, they are stained a little black but no big deal. Looks like a bit of grit or grime on them.

Loyal: Aah!

GM: Maybe a little bit of oil, a little oily.

Fenwarin: Burn it off!

Loyal: Yeah I was about to say, I'm going to get like a rag or something to clean it off.

Taury: Oily water.

GM: Ok. 

Loyal: Does it clean off?

Taury: Does it clean off? 

GM: Yeah.

Morana: Out out, damn spot!

Fenwarin: [Laughs]

Taury: Yeah, it hasn't stained the surface, but it's stained your fucking soul that's what it did.

Loyal: "Alright, well."

Taury: That Shakespeare reference, though.

Loyal: "I've got that sample. And do we want to deal with the orange rage liquid or whatever it is, holy water, I guess, but?"

GM: Alright, give me a, Alchemical- Craft alchemy.

Loyal: Craft alchemy ok, yeah.

GM: Very good. You notice that you've taken with just this one vial, one fourth of the liquid contained here.

Loyal: Oh, of like the entire pool? 

GM: Yeah. 

Loyal: Like, this is the orange liquid or the shrine liquid? 

GM: The shrine.

Loyal: Oh. 

Fenwarin: Drain it.

Taury: Please do not drain it.

All: [Laugh]

Markus: No!

Loyal: I kind of want it now.

Taury: The fact that he asked you to do that in order to- Do not empty it!

Fenwarin: There's not much left, go ahead. [Laughs]

Loyal: Um no.

Markus: No no no!

Taury: You know what? It's your character, fucking drink it while you're at it.

Loyal: I'll look at the group and be like, "Well there's not much water left, there's not a lot of water here in general." Does it look like that should have like taken a forth of the liquid or no? With the amount of space it takes up.

GM: It was hard to tell because it's such a dark liquid. How deep the basin was, but now that you've done that, it's dropped a little bit you can tell. And you felt the vial hit the bottom of the basin.

Loyal: Ah so there's not a lot ok.

GM: Yeah it's not a deep basin.

Loyal: Hah, I'll take out the silver dagger I have and just kind of like poke around the basin.

GM: Alright. Ah yeah, it's all solid obsidian, everywhere you tap with this dagger.

Loyal: Obsidian? Damn.

Fenwarin: Oh, it's so conflicting, it's like, should we drain it or not? [Laughs]

Loyal: "Should we drain, should we not drain it?"

Markus: "No."

Markus: I look at the rest.

Markus: "Do not drain it!"

Loyal: "I could get rid of the rest of the water here."

Markus: "We're not draining it!"

Fenwarin: "Why not?"

Markus: "Because if we're right about what it does and it's capable of casting the spell Commune, do you have any idea how useful that might be?"

Loyal: "Well, assuming it can commune with an evil deity."

Markus: "That is my concern, and until we know for certain whether or not it is, shall we say, directly tied to the deity of this shrine or whether or not it merely reproduces the spell effect and gives us control?"

Loyal: "Very well, uh, ok. Well, I'm going to- If you all want to check out the orange liquid, if you've got any ideas, I am going to start testing this liquid, poke around at this basin and see if I can figure out how it works."

Fenwarin: "Well, that's what we're down here for, I'll gladly try and examine something."

Markus: "Yeah, you're also one of the people that we need poking at the other liquid to figure out how that works so." 

Loyal: "That's fair"

Markus: "Let's focus on one at a time, shall we?"

Loyal: "Alright, which one should we focus on then?" Regardless Loyal will kind of like walk in here and set up his portable alchemy lab just like on the corner.

Markus: "Does it matter which one?"

Loyal: "Not really, I'm just wondering which one you want to get done first?"

Markus: "Well, let's just focus on this one." Pointing at the one in the shrine.

Loyal: "Very well, I guess then I'll start tests on the water, see if I can figure out what it's made of if there's any special properties to it." Start setting stuff up on the lab.

Markus: Also a out of character question for our GM, figuring out how a magic item works is based on what?

GM: Spellcraft.

Markus: Uh ok.

Morana: "Which one are we doing it on?"

Markus: "The shrine first, I think."

Taury: Well, there's three things, so which one is the three?

Markus: Wait, three things? 

Taury: Yeah well, there's water in the middle, there's the flava, clava pool, and then there's the little-

Morana: I think this is the one he just took the sample from.

Taury: Yeah, that's what I was wondering because when he said the shrine, I thought this other room was what he meant, and I was like yeah.

Loyal: I think we determined that pool in the middle is just normal water, and then there's just giant skulls.

Taury: Oh yeah no, well I just wasn't sure which, I thought when he said shrine he meant the bigger room, so that's all. I was just curious.

GM: There's a lot of water here you know.

Taury: Quiet, quiet you.

GM: [Laughs] Alright Loyal, give me a Craft alchemy check to identify this liquid.

Loyal: Alchemy, it could be worse.

GM: Alright. Now to identify a liquid component, you do have to taste it.

Fenwarin: Oh, my god!

Loyal: Oh, man!

GM: As you taste this, I need you to give me a Fortitude save, and you will be taking a negative 4 to this check.

Loyal: Oh cool. Nyeh!

Taury: Bye.

Loyal: Shit!

GM: Alright.

Loyal: That's a 9 minus 4, so that's 5 .

Markus: Yeah, that's a fail.

GM: Yeah.

Loyal: Plus the DC is 5.

GM: Alright.

Taury: It's almost like this isn't water or something.

Loyal: Yeah, I know.

Taury: Weird.

GM: Ok, you feel a chill and a pain wrack through your body, and Taury you're in the same room, you see him like tense up and twist in unnatural ways. At just the taste of this. A shooting migraine goes through your head as you've taken your pinky and just got a couple of drops on it to taste it. You do identify this as Waters of Lamashtu.

Loyal: What the fuck? Ok I have a vial of Waters of Lamashtu.

GM: Yes, within an hour of being removed from the basin, it will degrade into just normal unholy water. However, while it is within the basin or freshly removed, it is Waters of Lamashtu, which is a magic water that turns pure water into a foul secretion. The liquid functions in all the same ways that unholy water would, as it is water that has been cursed. But in addition, any creature that is either anointed with or drinks the fluid must make a Fortitude save. Those that drink it take a negative 4 penalty on this save to resist the effects. If you succeed this save, you become violently ill and vomit up the fluid and are then sickened for a number of rounds.

Loyal: And what happens if we don't save?

GM: Failure indicates that the water takes root, and drives the victim mad.

Loyal: Oh fuck me!

GM: Dealing 1D6 points of intelligence damage.

Loyal: Oh, that sucks!

GM: And twists and deforms the body dealing 1D6 points dexterity damage.

Fenwarin: Holy shit!

Loyal: Fucking hell!

Taury: Yeah.

GM: The subject's dexterity and intelligence cannot drop below 1 as a result of this effect.

Loyal: Ok, but these both of my good skills! [Laughs]

GM: And normally this process only creates only two ounces of Waters of Lamashtu, enough for only one use, and it can be used as a thrown weapon if bottled. The fluid can be created and stored indefinitely, though it cannot be created inside creatures. Extensive exposure to the Waters of Lamashtu such as drinking nothing else but it for months at a time, can have other long term effects on the target, including the development of monstrous deformities or even total transformations into bestial creatures.

Loyal: Oh! I wondered. That sounds familiar huh? I wonder who we found guarding this shrine?

GM: These mutations are rarely, if ever, beneficial.

Loyal: Oh. Never mind then.

GM: Now, because you have only tasted a couple drops of this water, take just 1 point of damage to both of those stats. And it isn't permanent, you'll heal those tomorrow. It also has not taken root and driven you mad. You would have had to have drank the whole vial for that to happen. But you are now aware of what this is and does.

Loyal: Ok, I immediately stumble and, "Ah, don't touch the water at all, don't get it all over you, just don't."

Fenwarin: "Oh, what's wrong?"

GM: [Laughs]

Loyal: "It's- Have you ever heard of Waters of Lamashtu?"

Fenwarin: "No, I don't think so."

Loyal: "It's like unholy water, but worse."

Markus: "And that's what this liquid is?"

Loyal: "Yeah. And this basin creates it, if you add it to water, it creates more of it."

Markus: "Right, yes this basin does create water." While Loyal's been poking that, would we have had a chance to try and figure out how the basin itself works? Or?

GM: Yes.

Markus: Yeah, ok Spellcraft?

GM: Yup.

Morana: Yeah I only got a 16 on mine.

Markus: And that's be nat 20.

GM: Nat 20 Spellcraft for Markus.

Loyal: That'll do it.

Fenwarin: Woah!

GM: Yeah.

Markus: Hopefully yeah.

GM: Alright, it is the basin itself, the shrine in general, that is a commune with Lamashtu.

Markus: Lamashtu, specifically?

GM: Specifically, as it is a shrine to her, it also once a day creates water.

Markus: Yeah. So the magical effect of the commune and the source of that is the entire room rather than the bowl? 

GM: Yeah. 

Markus: Right ok. Ah that's a pity. "Well, I guess we have some answers then. The bowl might be part of the focal point, but it's the entire room that's, well that the commune effect is, is triggered. And unfortunately, I don't think we can turn it to our advantage."

Loyal: "So it should be destroyed yeah?"

Markus: "Um, if this were anything other than a shrine. My concern is how she might react." Actually, out of character, deities in general reacting to shrines being desecrated or destroyed: I'm assuming they would generally consider it a bad thing from their perspective or from their followers perspective?

GM: Depends on the god or goddess.

Markus: Knowledge religion about Lamashtu specifically?

GM: Sure.

Taury: Kind of funny if the like goddess of rage was a bit upset if you wrecked her gaff.

Loyal: Well this is Lamashtu, not the Runelord of rage, I have a feeling this was put in afterwards.

Taury: Oh, it's not the statue?

Markus: This is the Mother of Monsters.

Taury: Oh, well then the point still stands. [Laughs]

Markus: Yeah.

GM: Alright, you know a bit about Lamashtu, you know that she makes her home in the Abyss. She's chaotic evil and is concerned with the areas of madness, monsters and nightmares. She's known as the Demon Queen, the Mother of Monsters, the Demon Mother, Mother of Beasts, Mother of Demons, Mother of Perversion, the Mistress of Insanity and Grandmother Nightmare.

Taury: She's a fun girl. That's what you're saying.

Markus: "Well, at the very least, I wouldn't expect to sleep well after doing this, not for a little while at least, though I suppose there are, there would be wise to protecting oneself in that. I would imagine invoking Desna would probably help?"

Loyal: "Nonetheless, I think this should be gotten rid of."

Markus: Out of Character, knowing how this works, do we have any idea how to actually effectively get rid of it?

GM: Hmm... Yeah, you know a little bit about her temples and shrines. Lamashtu is not usually worshiped in constructed buildings, but rather in rings of stone pillars, trees, wooden blocks and a pit in the ground or on a flat rock. Entrances into underground places of worship represent the entrance to the goddess' underworld domain, and are typically found on the outskirts of civilization or in true wilderness. And many are stained with blood and littered with the remains of failed births as well as the victims of successful ones. 

Loyal: Rings huh?

Markus: So, so this is this is basically a very unusual shrine as it goes?

GM: Yup, yup, this is a pure anomaly as far as her shrines go.

Markus: I'm wondering if that means she cares- I'll relay what I know to the rest of the group and comment, "I wonder if that means she cares more or less about this shrine?"

Loyal: "Who knows?"

Fenwarin: "Are you asking if she cares about worshipers?"

Markus: "No. The nature of this shrine is so unusual compared to her other typical shrines. If that's her choice of where she gets worshiped, then she might not care about this place at all. On the other hand, the fact that it's so unusual might also make it more important. Well, there is only one way to answer that I suppose?"

Loyal: "I guess we'll find out. Do we go about destroying it? Is the question."

Markus: "Well, can we remove the basin, perhaps the altar itself?"

Loyal: Looking around is the basin like rooted into the floor, or is it just like placed?

GM: It's placed, but it is sculpted obsidian and a full sized shrine, I mean, we're talking several hundred pounds at least, upwards of a few thousand if you're wanting to move it.

Fenwarin: "You know, you mentioned before that rings also symbolized Lamashtu in some way."

Loyal: "It's true, we've seen circular rings of skulls." 

Markus: "Yeah."

Fenwarin: "That one in the room over there where Taury is. What if we destroyed that ring?"

Loyal: "May not be a bad idea."

Markus: "Yeah, ok."

Loyal: "There's also, didn't you mention you saw another ring of skulls elsewhere?"

Morana: "That would have been the one at the first entrance where that creature was."

Markus: "Oh, that one was, wasn't that a bowl, that had skulls on it?"

Morana: "So the rim of a bowl is also a ring?" 

Markus: "True."

Loyal: "Nonetheless," and he'll you kind of walk over towards some of the skulls.

Taury: "Yeah Taury's staring into that pool."

Loyal: "Want to help destroy the skulls Taury?"

GM: Give me a Will save Taury.

Fenwarin: Ooh.

Taury: I saw that coming. [Laughs]

GM: Yeah, you're a little unnerved, but you, you don't feel the water staring back at you as you look at your own reflection, it's just, you know you're psyching yourself up or out.

Loyal: "Taury, are you alright?"

Taury: "I'm fine."

Loyal: "Well we're just going to destroy this ring of skulls, if you want to help?"

Taury: "I wouldn't suggest that's a good idea."

Loyal: "To be fair, a lot of the things we have we've done here haven't been good ideas, but."

Taury: "Those pools are connected to rage, destroying things in this room may be connected to it. I strongly advise against it."

Loyal: "Personally, I think these rings of skulls- we tend to think, these rings of skulls are connected to that shrine up there. I have a feeling the shrine was placed there after the Runelord vacated."

Markus: "No no, the shrine was built as part of this construction, we established that before."

Taury: "And what of this font?" and she points to the clava font.

Loyal: "We'll deal with that later."

Taury: "I believe they are all connected." 

Loyal: "Wouldn't surprise me."

Markus: "Certainly possible."

Taury: "I do not think destroying anything here is a good idea, but if you think it's a good idea, go for it."

Fenwarin: "Well, we're not sure about good ideas, but we want to try something."

Markus: "Yes, we have established that the nature of the liquid and the fact that the shrine itself is the source of the communal- the effect that lets one commune with a deity, unfortunately it is specifically Lamashtu."

Taury: "And do you think that destroying it isn't going to communicate to Lamashtu?"

Markus: "Oh I imagine destroying it... It's so different from the rest of of her shrines. For a shrine to constructed like this is unusual for her. So it may be that she doesn't value it at all or it may be that she values it more, there's no way to know."

Loyal: "Nonetheless, we can't just leave it down here."

Taury: There's a considerable portion of doubt on Taury's face.

Fenwarin: And while the discussion is going on. 

Morana: "Do you have another idea then?"

Taury: "Leave it be and let someone else deal with it. We were not sent down here to destroy it, we were sent down here to investigate it, and investigate it we did."

Loyal: "And let's say an innocent town's person or a child walks in here, and they start messing with things they don't understand?"

Taury: "Well, we don't understand it either."

Loyal: "I guess, but we're better equipped to deal with it ideally."

Taury: "I highly doubt that."

Markus: "Do you know anyone who would be capable?"

Taury: "This heavy chap, what's his name? The fellow that sent us down here?"

Loyal: "Brodert." 

Taury: "Yes."

Markus: "He's a scholar on ancient ruins, not on religion."

Taury: "Well, I don't know. I don't think we should destroy it, but if you want to go ahead. I have a bad feeling."

Markus: "About the idea of destroying the shrine you mean?"

Taury: "About what we do or don't know about what could happen." And she's looking at the font specifically while she says that.

Loyal: "Will it bring you more comfort if we dealt with that liquid up there first?"

Taury: "I'm not sure."

Fenwarin: "What if I cast a force missile in one of the skulls here?"

Markus: "It would presumably break the skull, but the question is, is that something we want to do?"

Fenwarin: "Well, it certainly makes me curious." Curiosity is almost getting the better of Fenwarin at this point. He's getting ready to cast force missile.

Taury: Yeah, Taury's going to see that and back off immediately.

Loyal: Loyal stands back as well.

Markus: "We don't even know- that pool isn't even magical!"

Loyal: "Only one way to find out."

Markus: "They could be decorative or they could be significant. We don't know."

Loyal: "I guess this will tell us."

Fenwarin: "Yeah."

Loyal: Yeah, I heard the, I heard the boom there's 1 damage not 2.

Taury: Fuck it.

GM: The skull shatters. It's pieces fall into the pool. There's now just a metal spike, an iron spike with no skull adorning it.

Loyal: I'll check the shrine, anything different?

GM: Nothing appears to be different.

Fenwarin: Fenwarin's also looking around, seeing if anything happened.

Loyal: "Nothing happened with the shrine."

Fenwarin: "Hmm."

Loyal: "Well that did nothing, alright."

Markus: "Do people really want to smash the skulls?"

Loyal: "Got no better idea to deal with that shrine."

Markus: "Honestly, I'm not sure that it's necessarily related to the shrine, but."

Loyal: "It was worth a shot."

Fenwarin: "Well, it did look very ceremonial."

Markus: "Fine, then if we're going to smash skulls, let's smash skulls."

Loyal: "Alright then."

Fenwarin: Fenwarin's just trying to be a little more efficient now and cast ray of frost to effect more targets.

GM: Alright, so you guys are just smashing these skulls various ways.

Loyal: I guess so.

Taury: Taury's not, Taury's absolutely not.

Loyal: Loyal will keep one then.

Morana: Morana is also standing back.

Loyal: Like take it off the spike.

GM: You spend five minutes just smashing away on skulls before they're all broken or removed.

Loyal: I assume there's no change in the shrine?

GM: No. Seems to be unaffected.

Loyal: "Well, that didn't do anything."

Fenwarin: "Well, I feel a little better about this though."

Loyal: "I guess so, I still have one of the skulls in case we want to study it, they are giant skulls after all. Now, I guess since that's over with, since we don't really have many ideas to deal with the shrine, do or do we want to deal with the orange liquid now?" 

Fenwarin: "Yeah I think so."

Morana: "Will probably be the next best idea."

Fenwarin: "Yeah."

Loyal: "Yes, the question is, how do we deal with it?" 

Fenwarin: "Well, the question comes up, can it be drained?"

Markus: "Probably, but?"

Loyal: "I, I think it was mentioned earlier, it might just create more."

Markus: "Taury, would you like to share with the others what you shared with me?"

Taury: "I told you all that I knew, perhaps you should explain it?"

Markus: "I could, but I would like to hear your explanation again to make sure I'm remembering it correctly."

Taury: I'm actually legit struggling to remember the exact word I forget what it was too.

Loyal: Wasn't it like you had um, it's, the more of those things you summoned, eventually it would just lose magic? 

Markus: Yeah.

Taury: It was yeah well, that was the gist, but I'm trying to remember how to phrase that. What exactly happened to invoke that. What it was, that she was fucking investigating it and then-?

Loyal: She heard the voice.

Taury: That was yeah, that was in her head. It was, you would drain it by summoning all of the other things. It was to do with the sinspawn being summoned, and if all of them were summoned, then it would drain.

Fenwarin: And we would have to defeat that yeah.

Taury: That was the that was the gist.

Markus: Yeah yeah.

Taury: She didn't tell you how it would be summoned.

Loyal: We know how they're summoned, drop some blood.

Taury: Yes, maybe I don't know. We don't really- we saw the thing do that.

Fenwarin: "There would be another experiment for us if you wanted to try it, but that's up to the rest of you."

Morana: "Well, I can't think of any other ideas, so I suppose it's worth a try?"

Fenwarin: Out of character, did the quasit drop blood into the big pool in the middle of it's skulls or the clava?

Taury: It was the clava.

Fenwarin: It was in the clava, ok. "Well if no one has any objections?"

Loyal: "For dropping blood, then who's dropping the blood?"

Markus: "If we're going to do it, we need to be ready for a fight."

Loyal: "Agreed."

Fenwarin: "Best to position ourselves then."

Loyal: "Yes." Loyal will kind of like take post up on the stairs, take his crossbow out.

Fenwarin: "I guess I could then drop blood into the into the font, and I would have a good view up above to cast my spells?"

Loyal: "Well, the thing is, they crawl out of the liquid itself, you'd be right next to it."

Fenwarin: "Oh that's true. I was heavily misremembering that, that the sinspawn appeared down, you know, downstairs from where you are Loyal. Ha!"

Taury: It ah, no it chased.

Fenwarin: It just chased, yeah.

Loyal: Yeah, chased.

Fenwarin: Now I've got.

Taury: Yeah, because we were all down here and Markus and Loyal were up there, and I think Loyal stabbed it while at someone like Markus did a thing, something to that effect anyway and then it chased them.

Fenwarin: "Well, I can still offer blood if you have a vial Loyal, but I'll stay down here for the spell casting."

Loyal: "Sounds good. Does anybody particularly want to drop blood in there?"

Morana: "I'd rather not be right next to it."

Loyal: "That's fair."

Markus: "Yeah, same. I'm willing to help stab it to death or whatever we decide, but."

Loyal: "That's fair. Taury, what's your plan during this?"

Taury: "To watch."

Loyal: "Not going to participate?"

Taury: She shakes her head. 

Loyal: "Why's that?" 

Taury: "I don't like it."

Markus: "Wasn't this your insight?"

Taury: "I don't think we should summon more of them."

Loyal: "How else are we going to drain the pool?"

Taury: "Well, we don't 100 percent know that it will."

Markus: "It was notably weaker after the thing that was summoned in the fight."

Taury: "Wouldn't that, wouldn't that creature want us to do it?"

Markus: "Do you believe the insight came from that creature?"

Taury: "I don't know where it came from."

Loyal: "Well if that was the case, if it wanted us to do it, why wouldn't it have dropped more blood in there to create more of those things for us to deal with?"

Taury: "Because we killed it."

Loyal: "But it had a significant period of time before we killed it."

Markus: "Yes. " 

Markus: "But this was in the investigations afterwards, how could it do it and why would it pick you? Why would you be the only one that would receive this insight if it was coming from the quasit?"

Taury: "Nobody said it was the quasit, and no one else investigated it."

Morana: "Considering you were the only one that received this insight and only shared it with one person, how would the rest of us have been able to investigate it?"

Taury: She shrugs.

Loyal: "Fine."

Markus: "Well, the other obvious option for removing liquids from this thing is taking out vials and making holy water."

Loyal: "Physically remove it, yes."

Markus: "That might get painful for whoever is taking it out."

Loyal: "I can testify yes, the liquid hurts."

Markus: "Yeah, you scolded yourself on it or whatever?"

Loyal: "More like cold burnt myself? I don't know how to put it, it's quite cold, cold enough to have similar effects to burning."

Fenwarin: "Ah like frost burn."

Loyal: "That's a way to put it yes. So what's the plan? We have to deal with it either way"

Fenwarin: "My vote is for, for us to see if summoning one would actually weaken or drain the pool more."

Loyal: "That's fair yes, we can summon one, if it weakens the pool, then we may continue, otherwise we'll use other methods."

Fenwarin: "Yes."

Loyal: "Seems reasonable."

Markus: "[Sighs] Yeah, I'm, I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not, but?"

Loyal: "Some things we can't be completely sure about."

Morana: "Yeah, there's not a whole lot of other options. This thing has to be taken care of, or the town is still going to be under threat from it."

Fenwarin: "Yeah, that's true." And Fenwarin walks up to it.

Loyal: Oh you're doing the thing? Ok, prepare crossbow.

Fenwarin: And Fenwarin takes out a crossbow bolt and slices his hand with it. And as soon as the blood is dripping down into the font he is going to try and get as far away from it as possible. Just drop and run so he can get some distance.

Markus: Markus has drawn sword and shield and yeah, put his armored coat back on.[Laughs]

Loyal: Loyal has his crossbow out, aiming.

GM: Take a point of constitution damage Fenwarin.

Fenwarin: Ok.

Loyal: Oh fuck me, that's rough.

Taury: It's almost like its a bad idea or something. [Chukles] 

GM: And give me a Reflex save.

Loyal: Loyal has a crossbow, literally gonna pull the trigger the second he sees that thing crawl out.

Fenwarin: Oof.

GM: Alright, you pierce your hand with the tip of the bolt and slice open a line, being very careful not to cut too deep, but get enough of where you can get a few drops of blood squeezed out. And as soon as you see a couple of them drop from your hands, you don't even wait for it to hit the waters. You're already turned to run away. Alright. So go ahead and move up to your speed.

Fenwarin: Right there.

GM: Alright, you see the the waters begin to bubble and churn more violently. And Fenwarin after you get down there, you turn back just in time to see emerging from the liquids...

Loyal: Uh...that one's different.

Fenwarin: Ooh!

GM: A larger version of the sinspawn.

Loyal: That one's different! That one's different!

Taury: What a terrible idea! Let's just summon a demon guys, let's just summon a demon, it'll be fine.

Loyal: Go crossbow, shit!

Taury: Oh, my days!

GM: Alright, that hits.

Loyal: Oh, cool. 3 points of damage. Ah Ha!

Taury: I don't like the look at this thing at all.

Loyal: I don't like that uh uh. 

GM: Alright.

Taury: Taury has drawn her bow.

GM: That will be turn order. Morana you are first.

Markus: Will save 15.

GM: Nat 20'd.

Fenwarin: Oh, my God!

Taury: Oh, fuck!

GM: Anything else you'd like to do?

Markus: Ah hair grows. That'll be it.

GM: Alright. Its turn.

Markus: Ah that's also still, though, a -2 to attack, it's just for one round.

GM: Ok.

Loyal: That'll probably be important.

GM: It will climb out of the  well and attack Markus, as Markus is the closest. That will miss, it is now Markus' turn.

Markus: Hmm. Yes, gonna have to be try and stab it... Fail at stabbing it.

GM: Loyal.

Loyal: Ok, let's throw a bomb like right here, so that just gets a big splash. So Reflex save for half on the flash.

GM: Right.

Markus: Would you also like to back up at all?

Loyal: Yeah I was about to do that.

GM: Doesn't matter, rolled terribly.

Loyal: Cool, that was like. I don't want to back up too much.

GM: Umm hmm. Loyal, you notice as you back up, there's a bit of a singe mark on the wall, you've knocked some like dust loose from it from the age of it. The, the well that this creature crawled out of looks unfazed.

Loyal: Ok, so it's not like duller or anything?

GM: No, I'm saying your bomb did absolutely nothing to this well, whereas you can see on the walls some marks from the bomb, the well has nothing.

Loyal: Cool, fun! Why is everything immune to fire? Shit! Ah I did nothing, that's my return.

GM: Taury.

Taury: Draws her bow and shoots at it.

GM: Alright, that will miss. Alright, Fenwarin.

Fenwarin: Yeah, gonna cast magic missile on it.

GM: From yourself or your wand?

Fenwarin: Myself this time.

GM: Alright.

Loyal: Well, and that's evocations, so you have your like your special thing that goes with that yeah?

Fenwarin: My intense spells yeah.

Loyal: Yeah, so I guess it's 3 instead.

Fenwarin: 3 damage.

Loyal: Yeah, damage is damage, these guys don't have that much health.

Taury: It's better than 2.  3 is always better than 2.

Loyal: Yeah that's true. 

Fenwarin: [Laughs]

GM: Alright Morana.

Morna: Same Will save.

GM: Same Will save? Ok. It failed this time.

Morna: -2 to AC, Morana's also going to move there.

GM: Alright, sinspawn's turn. Hi Markus.

Markus: Hello.

GM: Ok, we have a bite and two claws. One claw definitely hits, does that bite hit?

Markus: No. 

Loyal: Ooh.

Taury: Is his AC not 17. 

Markus: No.

GM: Ah it is sometimes, depending on if his coat is on or off, it changes.

Markus: Yeah, and depending on other stuff as well.

GM: There's a lot of variables to Markus' AC.

Taury: But yeah, this is why Taury doesn't get into melee range with this thing, 'cause 22.

GM: Yup. That definitely hits and will deal a little bit of slashing damage to Markus. It's now your turn, Markus.

Markus: Would picking something up from the ground be a move action? 

GM: Yes.

Markus: Ok, so drop sword, 5 foot step, cast spell, pick up sword. Legal? 

GM: Yes. 

Markus: Ok, I will do that, and he can make a Will save, please.

GM: Ah you're wearing your coat, you have a spell failure chance.

Markus: Yeah, I'm aware. What level of light is that font giving off?

GM: Normal.

Markus: Ok, so where it is, is normally lit at the moment? 

GM: Yeah. 

Markus: Ok so, yeah.

GM: Alright, the spell does go off, that is a Will save. Does not succeed. Ok.

Markus: So it is now entangled for two rounds. Markus will also comment to Loyal, "Be careful with your bombs."

Loyal: "Don't worry, fire does nothing. Won't be using those."

GM: Loyal, it's your turn.

Loyal: Actually, when I think about this. Is it a standard action to drink this thing, I've never used it. Standard action. In that case then, move action reload the crossbow, standard action, drink the mutagen. Don't like doing that, Got to do it. And it's a dexterity one so that's a temporary bonus 3 and then my wisdom gets penalized by 2 for now.

Markus: And you get some natural armor as well I believe?

Loyal: Oh yeah, I do. I get +2 natural on the bonus. And as he drank the mutagen you just hear him like coughing as if he doesn't like it.

GM: Taury it's your turn.

Taury: Yeah, gonna 5 foot step. Did I open the thing by accident? Anyway, gonna 5 foot step to here and take another shot at it with a composite bow.

GM: Alright.

Taury: I'm going to re-roll that.

GM: Going to re-roll that that nat 1, huh?

Taury: Yeah, once a day I can re-roll that.

Loyal: Nice.

Taury: So the last time this did no different when I re-rolled it so... Hey!

Loyal: 1 more damage!

Taury: With 2 damage. Jesus Christ.

Loyal: Fucking god.

Taury: Well look, it was a 22, put it that way at least they hit.

GM: It was a roll result of a 19 on the die so close to a crit.

Taury: Yeah, which would have been what, 4 damage? [laughs].

GM: Yeah. 

Loyal: I mean well, they know they got multiple rolls.

GM: Yeah, it would have been times 3 actually, for a roll.

Markus: Yes was going to say.

Taury: Ah so it wouldn't have sucked so much, still would have fucking sucked.

Markus: Bows are nice. 

Loyal: That they are.

GM: Alright, Fenwarin it's you.

Fenwarin: Alright, I take out my wand and try this.

Loyal: Do it.

Fenwarin: Do it!

GM: It fires.

Fenwarin: Yes!

Loyal: Yeah.

Fenwarin: Ooh, that's a pretty good one.

Taury: Nice, yeah buddy.

GM: The force of the missiles slam it against the wall and it slumps down dead.

Loyal: "Ah that wasn't too bad." Loyal's just kind of coughing after drinking, he drank what was like a larger vial compared to what his potions are normally in, and he's just kind of coughing as if he did not enjoy drinking that.

GM: What are you doing now?

Loyal: Let's check out the thing. Is it dimmer or like some of it gone away?

GM: It does appear to be a little dimmer.

Markus: Little as in dropped from 100 to 95 or from 100 to 50?

Loyal: Like 75 or something?

Taury: No, I have a feeling there's so many of those things in this.

Markus: Uh huh. 

Fenwarin: Hmm.

Taury: Could be here for like the whole week, summoning and then killing them. But anyway.

GM: Seems a little dimmer.

Markus: We have no way of quantifying just how much it's been reduced.

GM: Ah, no, you don't.

Markus: Is it a reduction in the light, in the amount of liquid, anything like that?

Loyal: The intensity of the color of the liquid or something?

Markus: What is it that's decreasing, what's giving us-?

Loyal: Yeah.

GM: The light.

Loyal: Ok.

Taury: Yeah, the glow. Out of character, I want you to dump the body into it.

Fenwarin: Ooh! 

Loyal: [Laughs]

Markus: Nooo!

Taury: Instead of sacrificing your own blood, use its blood.

Loyal: That might be bad!

Taury: But, but I also don't want you to do that. But it's also the first thing that came into my head. No, it's like this is a terrible decision.

Loyal: "Well, it's dimmer."

Markus: "Um, I think perhaps... hmmm..." Out of character, can we do a Spellcraft to try and work out how this works, etcetera. Beyond what we already know? 

GM: Yes. 

Markus: Yeah ok. Oh, that's a good time for that.

GM: You would think so.

Markus: I would hope so.

GM: Though you rolled a nat 20, your result is not high enough.

Loyal: Of course, of course it's not.

Taury: [Laughs] Yeah it had to be like a fucking 30.

GM: You do recognize that this device, this churning lava, freezing liquid is known as a runewell and it is a minor artifact.

Loyal: Ok [laughs].

Markus: Oh! Oh oh, ok.

Loyal: Yeah.

GM: You now have the true name of this thing. It is a runewell of wrath, but beyond that, you know nothing because it is a minor artifact and your check was not high enough despite the nat 20.

Markus: "Well, ok um, this isn't ordinary magic. This is an- for want of a better description, this is an artifact. This is something that goes beyond what normal magic items are capable of."

Loyal: "It may be hard to eliminate it then."

Markus: Out of character, given that I recognize it as an artifact, how much would I know about the basis of artifacts and things like that?

GM: You know that artifacts in general are extremely resilient, they are virtually indestructible, and those that can be destroyed usually have special destruction clauses. Like certain rituals or circumstances that they have to be destroyed under.

Markus: Yeah, yeah there's is a very specific way of getting rid of it. Yeah.

GM: Yup, and without knowledge of what that is, it's.

Loyal: An identify spell may help too?

Markus: No identify won't give you that, legend law might.

Loyal: Oh.

Markus: "If this thing can be destroyed, IF. There is likely to be one and probably only one way of destroying it, we need- we're gonna need help I think. But I have no idea who would know how."

Loyal: "There is that one shopkeep, he seems to know about a lot about magical items."

Markus: "Maybe. But how can I- The scholars of this town, each seems to have their own focus, very specific. They don't seem to be general scholars. So unless his area of knowledge is perhaps magical artifacts which given his profession, it might be, granted..."

Loyal: "Well it doesn't seem like we're capable of destroying it."

Markus: "We diminished it."

Loyal: "Maybe. Perhaps I could be wrong, but maybe that is the way to destroy it. That the one way is to drain it."

Markus: "I sincerely hope not."

Loyal: "As do I."

Markus: "Well, how much liquid's in there? How many vials of holy water would it take for us getting them out?"

Loyal: That's a good question, how can I can I quantify that do you think?

GM: Yeah, pretty easily. The well is three feet deep.

Loyal: "Well it's three feet deep, so there's probably a lot of liquid in there."

GM: The amount of liquid has not changed since before or after creating the sinspawn.

Markus: Did the liquid go down when Loyal actually took the vial out the first time?

GM: One vial out of three feet of liquid that's churning? 

Markus: Oh yeah.

GM: Indistinguishable amount of removal.

Markus: Oh yeah. Sorry, I forgot it was churning.

Loyal: "We need like a pipe system or something."

Morana: "So we bring buckets down."

Fenwarin: "Uh hmm."

Markus: "Yeah."

Loyal: "I guess so."

Fenwarin: "Yeah."

Markus: "Something that's strong enough to survive the cold, so not wood probably, or at least."

Morana: "Some kind of mental."

Loyal: "Metal bucket yeah, and perhaps we lower it in with, like a rope, pull it up. After that, I have no idea what to do with it, but we'll need a lot of buckets."

Markus: "After that, it depends whether or not the level of liquid actually drops."

Loyal: "That's true. So what now? This area's been, this floor at least has been cleared out, apart from the stuff."

Markus: "Well we, we finish exploring what we can. Oh, I need to take some notes, start taking some measurements."

Loyal: "That's fine, I'll go ahead and pack up my lab." And I head over.

Markus: "Yes, I apologize, this bits probably going to start being boring."

Loyal: Loyal will pack up his portable alchemy lab put it back in his pack.

GM: You take measurements of what you need to, rubbings of certain etchings or markings or whatever you want, and make detailed notations of various things throughout the complex.

Markus: Ok. Yeah, I definitely want to have as detailed as possible of this room and the shrine next door, but yeah. I'm assuming measuring everything down here probably takes hours?

GM: Yeah. While you're doing that, would you like to also identify the magical items that you picked up from the levitation chamber?

Markus: Oh yes, yes. Yeah we probably ought to do that. Multiple spellcraft rolls?

GM: Yup, you'll need 3. Alright, so the last one doesn't work. What are the first two things you identify?

Markus: Markus, will start with the book, then the scroll.

GM: Alright, you identify the book as a blessed book.

Markus: Ooh! Ooh ooh.

GM: It is full of writings that you cannot read.

Markus: Are they magical writings? Or are they just in a different language?

GM: Just in a different language, from what you can tell. It looks to be very old and even though it's a blessed book, it is worn and well read, as in like even the pages are stained from constant flipping through, fingerprints and whatnot, the oils from hands.

Markus: "Ok, would I recognize the language?"

GM: Yes, a 21 Linguistics check will let you know that this is written in an Abyssal.

Loyal: Huh! Oh, boy.

Markus: Ok, how full is the book?

GM: Completely.

Loyal: Oh! Hmm. So you know how that statue, she had a book in her hand?"

Markus: Does this book have any symbols on the cover? I'm assuming?

GM: Yeah.

Markus: Does it have the seven pointed star?

GM: It does not. It has three eyes and a faint mouth. Markus, you will definitely recognize this as the unholy symbol of Lamashtu.

Markus: Ok. Anything else that stands out about this book at all?

GM: Not without being able to read it, nope.

Markus: Ok, the scroll?

GM: Yeah. The scroll is a scroll of burning hands, caster level third.

Morana: Can I try to follow up the Spellcraft roll that he didn't meet with one of my own?

GM: Yeah, the remaining item that wasn't identified was the iron wand.

Markus: Yeah, Markus would, "I'm not quite sure what this is. Anyone else have an idea?"

GM: Alright. Morana, you do identify the wand. This is a wand of shocking grasp. It has 28 charges remaining.

Morana: Yeah she'll relay that info.

GM: Markus as you're flipping through the book, even though you can't read the words, you notice there's illustrations of various monsters.

Loyal: "Bestiary."

GM: Uh huh.

Taury: "Yes, more like an ingredient book."

Loyal: "Ingredient book you said?"

Morana: "Yeah, for like, you know, A plus B equals this kind of monster."

Loyal: [Laughs]

Taury: "Right? It's a cookery book, but just for birthing demons."

Markus: "Maybe, but I think it might be something else. But we'll, we'll need to translate it first."

GM: These illustrations are very detailed on the demons and monsters and whatnot that it covers, and also has very graphic depictions on how they kill.

Loyal: "Mmm. Lovely"

Markus: "Mmm. Yes. Huh, well, I'm done with measuring for now. Anyone else got anything they need to do down here?"

Fenwarin: "No."

Loyal: "I don't really know."

Morana: "Not that I can think of."

Loyal: "Suppose were we going to kill those zombies, or leave from there for now?"

Markus: "Oh yes let's. Did you not collect some holy?  No of course your didn't."

Loyal: "But even if it takes 24 hours to decay."

Markus: "Yes fair point, but let's do that then, we need what another, we said another ten maybe slightly more?" 

Loyal: "Yeah."

Markus: "Yeah, we really need a bucket."

Loyal: "Yeah a bucket might be nice."

Fenwarin: "Couldn't we set fire to the lids and then throw it down?"

Loyal: "Could, could also just shoot them with crossbow." 

Fenwarin: "Yeah well.

Loyal: "They're not exactly moving."

Markus: "Well, why would it have to be a crossbow?"

Loyal: "First thing to come to mind. Anything, anything that could get them down there, really."

Markus: "Fenwarin, I've seen you cast away a frost."

Fenwarin: "Yes I do."

Markus: "I'm assuming you have that memorized as a cantrip?"

Fenwarin: "I can go and do that if you want to."

Loyal: "There we go."

Markus: "There. So we don't need holy water, we don't waste crossbow bolts."

Fenwarin: "Yeah it might take a while though."

Markus: "It just might take a while."

Fenwarin: "Yeah I can focus on doing that."

Loyal: "That's fine, as long as we kill them all I guess."

GM: Alright, you gonna go shoot the fish in the barrel.

Fenwarin: Yeah. Basically yeah.

GM: "You spend about an hour doing that overall. They're literally trapped in a pit, it's just rolling for the sake of rolling at that point. So we're not going to go through that. You eventually kill them all.

Loyal: Yeah.

Taury: Yeah, Taury would leave that to the guys.

GM: Yeah, it's just a matter of time waste, sink, whatever you want to phrase it as, to go through that objective.

Markus: While they're doing that, Markus will wander over to Taury, "Thank you for not saying it."

Taury: "Not saying what?"

Markus: "I told you so. You thought it was a bad idea with the clava or the well or whatever we're calling it."

Morana: She has an "I told you so" look on her face like that appreciation, that kind of smugness, she's trying to hide it though, but it's there there.

Markus: "Thank you for being restrained in not expressing that vocally."

Taury: She nods curtly.

Markus: Markus will nod back and wander away again.

Loyal: "So after the zombies are dead, are we leaving?"

Markus: "Is there anything else you can think of that we need to do while we're down here?"

Morana: "Not offhand no, and in regards to that." and she nods in the direction of that font. She says, "Trying something is at least preferable to trying nothing."

Fenwarin: "Yeah."

Loyal: "Yes, and what we know now, that might not be the best method." 

Markus: "We know it is a method that has an affect on it, but it is perhaps not the best method for us to use."

Loyal: "Yes, correct."

Fenwarin: "Could we maybe tell the guards about this area so they block people from going in there?"

Loyal: "I'm wary about telling anyone about exactly what's down here, but at the very least we could say we found something dangerous."

Markus: "Hmm, I'm concerned about that rock slide area, at the stairs."

Fenwarin: "Uh hmm."

Loyal: "Yeah. As am I, for now it seems like they're not getting out."

Markus: "And what if there's yet another exit?"

Loyal: "Well then, not much we can do?"

Markus: "I realize I'm stretching things a bit but."

Loyal: "Yeah, but I understand the concern. Whatever's down there is probably dangerous, very."

Taury: "Well, they were prisons, were there maps for these prisons?"

Markus: "I'm sorry, you mean the Old Light?"

Taury: "Cells below what we were just walking through."

Markus: "Oh yeah, I took some measurements, if that's what you mean?"

Taury: "Well, perhaps there is a mapmaker somewhere who knows something about those being built."

Loyal: "It's a good point. If we can find a map or so to the Old Light and its entrances, we might be able to find another entrance to that place or exit."

Markus: "There are mapmaker's around, there's even one in town, but if you want one who has knowledge dating back to this thing's construction, you're looking for a mapmaker who's over 10,000 years old."

Loyal: "Yeah, that's fair, a bit of a stretch."

Markus: "Oh don't get me wrong, I'm sure there are some people that are able to live that long. Well, we've met at least one creature that was."

Loyal: "Yeah, that's for sure. Nonetheless, I think we've done all we can down here."

Fenwarin: "Yeah, should we head back?"

Morana: "Sounds fine to me."

Loyal: "Yes, agreed."

Taury: Taury nods.

Markus: "Yes, let's go then."

GM: Alright, you return to the surface, exiting through the glass works again? Yes? 

Loyal: Yeah.

Markus: Yup.

GM: Alright, where are you headed? What you doing?"

Loyal: That's a good point, "Where should we go? Should we inform anyone about what we found?"

Markus: "The sheriff wanted us to explore down there I believe."

Loyal: "I guess we could confirm with him that we finished exploring."

Markus: "At least for now, yes."

Loyal: "Yes. And also inform him that while we are done exploring, it's probably best not to send people down there."

Markus: "Agreed yeah. That said, there is someone else I need to tell about what we found down there."

Loyal: "Brodert I assume?"

Markus: "Yes, he was the one that was, well, excavating originally and set us into exploring this place.

Loyal: "Thats true."

Markus: "I also suspect that he may want to excavate further."

Loyal: "I'd imagine so, but we should at the very least warn him against that."

Markus: "Oh, I plan to. You may have noticed he's rather well focused on his area of interest, so."

Loyal: "Bit narrow sighted in the sense that's well, it's his life's work, so I don't necessarily blame him, but."

Markus: "Exactly yes, he would- well, we can tell him and find out."

Loyal: Which place would be closer, like the sheriff's office or Brodert's? Brodert's is like there?

GM: The Sheriff's office.

Markus: Yeah, and if it is bought up, Markus will recommend not telling him yet.

Loyal: "Alright, it's fine." 

Markus: ”Tell the sheriff first."

That's all the time we have for now. To learn more about the show, the cast, etc. head over to http://wayward-expeditions.com/