Amongst the Flames — IC

[ratwizard]

"Fred," Shira'stasa repeats. "I'm glad you made it through alright. I wish we could have done more to save those two men..." She looks down, unable to say more. Is an enslaved life better than one that has been taken? Did I doom those two slaves when I let them loose?

She shakes off her depressing thoughts and realizes she is exhausted. "This looks like as good a spot as any. May we stop here and rest until morning?" she asks the others, her head throbbing from the strange channeling earlier.

[kalis5]

Geral shrugs at the woman's question.
"Here is as good as anywhere. There's sand to our left and sand to our right, just pick the grain of sand you best want under your head and make sure you're not sleeping on some creatures hole. The hyena blood we spilt earlier will most likely attract night time predators and scavengers to the area. We should sleep in shifts to ensure no more animals creep up on us. It is too bad we have no wood to make a fire with though, as the nights will be cold. I will take first watch if you don't mind."

[PureZaros]

Eoli sighs mentally as the Machalite Blade fellow reiterates what he himself had just said a few moments ago, of course leaving out the sensible bit about continuing to move away from the fight. How nice it must be to live in that deafening fog. I wonder how much he chooses to not hear? He only hopes that the group has moved far enough from the location of the corpses to avoid surprises. While not common, things fiercer than hyenas have been spotted in the night.
"I'll take first watch, as well." he offers. "I won't be able to sleep for a while yet anyway."

Though he hides it well, the deaths of the slaves deeply trouble him. If the ones we rescue continue to die, will I ever be able to settle back down? More survived than what I can achieve alone, perhaps I've just been in need of help.

[Fialova]

"Wake me up for whatever the latest 'watch' is later," Cleo says, as the group seems to agree on this place to stop for the night. "I am going to sleep."

Cleo find a nice cozy spot to herself and drops her bag to the ground, then curls up with her bedroll on top of her like a makeshift blanket. "I will be sleeping, goodnight." Maybe the sand won't be so bad.

[ratwizard]

"I'll watch our camp with Cleo. I'm used to waking early, anyways," Shira'stasa offers. She neatly lays out her bedroll in the same vicinity as the younger tenant and lays down to rest for the night. Perhaps tomorrow will be better, she thinks to herself.

[Namelessjake]

"We'll take the other watch, it's the least we can do." Fred says on behalf of the other two slaves. "What about you elf?" He asks Cameryn.

[Scratcherclaw]

Cameryn is barely paying attention to the others discussing the night watches, quietly meandering around their decided stopping point. He snaps back into focus as the named slave addresses him. "Well, you all seem to have it covered, and I'd like my sleep, so I'll just let you lot handle it all." He leans in closer to Fred and whispers, "Besides, I'm not particularly fond of any of my companions and I'd rather not be stuck alone with any of them. Especially not the tenants."

[Namelessjake]

With that the group make camp and everyone apart from Eoli and Geral head to bed.

OOC

[SHOW]

You guys know the drill, off to skype you go, apart from Scratch who has somehow escaped.

The First Watch

[SHOW]

Geral drops his pack behind him and sits down on it, pulling out a whetstone and sliding it across the sharp edge of his blade, working on the spots that had stuck when the cut into the hyenas and the bandits. Beyond that he keeps quiet, eyes focused on the dunes ahead of him.

* * *

Eoli sits nearby, crossin his legs and settling into a stance of meditation. He listens to the sound of stone on metal for a time, watching the horizon. Soon, the sounds of Geral sharpening his blade get annoying, as they are distracting Eoli from his meditations. "How much longer will you be at that?" he growls quietly.

* * *

Geral glances down at the blade, flipping it over and working on the other side. "Until it's done. I don't know. I thought repitition would be good for meditation. Or do you have trouble keeping focused on your own mind?" Geral would understand that, considering how he feels when his blade shouts in his own head.

* * *

"It is difficult to hear the voice of the earth with that rasping sound," Eoli grunts. "My mind is a different matter altogether."

* * *

Geral just chuckles at Eoli, giving his blade a few more scrapes before holding his blade up to the moonlight, swinging it a few times before sheathing it. "And how is metal not one of the voices of the earth I wonder... But I'm done sharpening. So you can listen to your hearts content."

* * *

"Since when did a construct of man speak with the voice of the land?" Eoli retorts. "That metal is no more part of the earth than your cloak."
Falling back to silence, Eoli listens to the sounds of the night, taking in the light breathing of the sleeping figures behind him, as well as the play of the wind across the sands.

* * *

Geral looks over at the half-orc, grabbing the hilt of his sheathed sword and detaching it from his hip, reaching over and poking the half-orc in the ear. "But aren't men also of the earth? Do you think that we simply came to be? What created the land created us as well. Do not act as if you are above those you do not know."

* * *

"Perhaps men were once of the land, but they have done their best to separate themselves from it," Eoli says wearily, swatting the sheathed sword away. "It causes much strife, and to reaquaint yourself with the voice of the earth takes more time and patience than most are willing to give."
Leaning back on his palms, Eoli scans the horizon again. "I never professed myself above anyone, just more patient at times."

* * *

Geral shrugs. "You act like it at times. I don't think you mean to, but you come off that way when you speak of things like the earth or your skill as a survivalist. I will admit, I have tried to outdo you out of habit. But at the same time, I really shouldn't... But that is besides the point I suppose." He holds his hand out and focuses on it for a few moments, breathing in and then breathing out, a tiny fire dancing on the tips of his fingers as he focuses.

* * *

"If I come across that way it is due to age. I am sorry." Eoli says. "There has been much avoidable death in my life, and I try my hardest to prevent more. It never seems to amount to anything, though."

* * *

The fire in Geral's hand flickers a bit before growing slightly brighter. "You're talking to the wrong man for that. I'm a mercenary, remember? My life is based on killing. There won't be any stopping it so long as men are hired. And there won't be any stopping it so long as there are those that see to gain from death."

* * *

"This is true."
Eoli slips back to his meditations, gazing out across the sands. The night has been peaceful so far,a heartening thought. Perhaps I can convince these freed slaves to come to my village, when I have one.

* * *

Geral continues to pratice with his fires, focusing the fire into a small ball in the air, flicking his wrist and making it jump for a moment before landing back down. A simple trick, but the light helps keep the beasts at bay for the most part. They dislike fire after all.

* * *

"You might want to extinguish that soon. The light can attract predators, even if most stay out of its sphere of influence," Eoli sighs. "We do not need to give the next watch those worries. Plus it ruins your night vision."

* * *

Geral simply sighs and closes his fist, extinguishing the flame. "Perhaps you're right. The hyenas did not seem to be that afraid of us. Perhaps it has to do with the recent war... Maybe they were desperate for food. Hard to say."

* * *

"Regardless. I'd not like to wake to more screaming."
Eoli looks up at the moon, judging distances. "Might be about time to wake the next two," he yawns. "Just in time too. I'm about ready to turn in."

* * *

Geral nods and stretches. "Could go for some sleep. Gonna miss that bed we had last night though. Chances are I'm going to find the one rock in this sand pile..."

* * *

"Hm."
Eoli slowly stands from his seated position, moving towards the next two to take a stand against the night. Poking at them with his foot, he makes sure each is awake before moving to lay down on a slighly flatter portion of sand, folding his arms in front of him.

* * *

Geral simply chuckles at the man using his foot to wake the others before going to his spot, moving a rock out of the way before wrapping his sword in some cloth and laying it under his head to rest, hoping tomorrow will involve less violence.

The Third Watch

[SHOW]

The first to be awoken for the night-watch shift, Shira'stasa stretches and itches her groggy eyes with the back of her hand. Prodding her fellow Tenant, she wakes her up. "We're up, Cleo," she says gently. With an almost silent effort, her terrible hand appears, before going to work scooping a bit of sand into a small mound to sit comfortably on for the both of them.

* * *

Cleo wakes up reluctantly and rubs her eyes, before immediately realizing the error of her ways. She cries out a bit as the sand irritates her still half-closed eyes, before eventually sitting up. She notices Shira sitting on a lump of sand.

Slowly, drowsily the young tenant forces herself to get up. She wipes the sand from her body, and shakes our her bedroll and bag. There is much more sand than it looks like at first glance. "Hi..." she says, the voice of someone clearly not a morning person.

* * *

In an exhaustion-induced sense of a humor, Shira'stasa waves at her friend with her apparition. "Morning, Cleo. Look sharp, we've quite a bit of time to cover." She takes out her tome again, opening it up to make a few idle notes in some of the later pages.

* * *

Cleo is startled by the hand, but quickly realizes it is Shira's and laughs a little. She walks over to sit on the odd lump off sand, but quickly decides to fall back in the sand and look up at the still-dark sky. "Sand is the worst."

* * *

"We're in the wrong part of the realm for you to be revolted by sand, Cleo," Shira'stasa says quietly, half-joking, half-scolding. "I personally think that sand is fascinating... below the vast dunes lie ancient bones of our predecessors, ones that leave behind traces of an earlier life." She thinks back to her studies and wonders what she'd be doing had not the war began. Perhaps I'll find something worth studying along the trails with my new friend, she thinks to herself.

* * *

"Yeah, but why does it have to be sand? Why can't they be buried under something that doesn't get all over the place? Ugh." Cleo flails for a moment before sitting back up on the makeshift sand bench. She looks around at the rest of the group, sleeping peacfully in the waking hours of the day.

"That elf didn't even do a watch, huh? We should cover him in sand. Maybe next time he will be more helpful."

* * *

"He's quite an abrasive individual. However, he has a tortured heart, and he is quick to lash out at others to hide his own pain and hurt. I feel sorry for him, really." she says, solemnly. "Although a prank or two would be forgivable." She laughs and uses her ghastly hand to scoop a small heap of sand very slowly around him.

* * *

Cleo smiles at the sight of the hand covering the elf in sand. Maybe that will teach him to be more of a team player. "I can't wait to get this job over with. I just want to go see Crescent Bluff. I heard it is so beautiful, with no sand in sight."

* * *

"Together, we will see it. As soon as we finish our current task, that is. Being in debt to someone else is an unadvisable situation, especially in the lawless areas with the outbreak of this war," she explains. "I wish the petty politics would fizzle so we could return to our studies safely."

* * *

"I just hope the war leaves me alone. I don't care who wins, it seems stupid to me." Cleo had never been much of one for politics. She would not even be able to name the Rakhul if you asked her without first thinking for awhile. The gods were her only real interest, and history somewhat as well.

"Maybe all the angry people will kill each other fast and the war will end with no one left who cares."

* * *

"You should care, however, Cleo. We can only hope that a caring and just ruler lands the throne and not a vicious, military ruler," she warns, before looking out into the night sky, silent.

* * *

"Hm. Well, I suppose that is true. But as long as they keep the temples and libraries intact, I don't think I am going to pay much attention to it. Their war seems dumb. In the end you are just ruling over a bunch of sand anyway, the kingdom is already falling apart to begin with. We already lost the north and west provinces however long ago that was now."

* * *

"Serran may be falling apart, but we must do what we can to stay safe. The leaders will sit on their thrones and fight their wars while their denizens will die for nothing but the change of borders." With that, she claps her tome closed. "We should rouse the others," she quietly says, pointing at the gleaming edge of the sun rising just above the horizon of sand dunes.

* * *

"Yeah, I guess. More heat, more walking, yay..." the girl stands up and starts to walk around to the others, nudging them with her feet impersonally. As they begin to stir, she packs up all of her belongings and shakes off the sand, then stands back next to Shira once more. "Let's go, the faster we move the faster we can get this dumb job over with."

[Namelessjake]

With the Group awakened by Cleo's feet, the others begin to get to their feet and join the two Tenants. "That's a good idea. Good progress today could mean we'll get to Thesus before nightfall tomorrow." Fred says, the man clearly now the defacto leader of the party's new companions.

[ratwizard]

"Yes, we must make haste," Tenant Shira'stasa says, fresh and alert amongst her groggy allies. "Fred," she says inquiringly, "What will you do when we reach Thesus? You and your partners are not bound to us."

[Namelessjake]

The man turns to Shira. "We spoke a little about it last night actually, during our watch. It depends on what the situation is in Thesus. I quite like the idea of forming a mercenary band, The Freed has a nice ring to it I think. But who knows? We might settle down together in a community, or all go our separate ways with various trade caravans."

[PureZaros]

Eoli gets to his feet, groaning. The sand had proved comfortable enough at first, but the unevenness of the ground made him stiff. Bah, age is a state of mind, he thinks, shaking it off.

Catching wind of Shira and Fred's conversation, Eoli moves over to the two. "If you and your companions have nowhere else to go," he says to the freed man, "I plan to establish a village near Nisos. A safe haven of sorts for slaves, freed or otherwise. You are welcome to join me there."

[ratwizard]

"With the onset of this war, a safe haven for refugees including slaves would be quite a plan," Shira'stasa says, gladly. That is, if anyone survives this petty quarrel of our leaders.

"However, The Freed sounds rather poignant. I'd imagine you would be more honorable than the typical sellsword, after your experiences."

[Namelessjake]

"Yes, such a place does sound like it would have its benefits. We will have to see. In the mean time we should get moving, the day is young." Fred begins to start making his way along the road.

[Fialova]

"Yes, standing here just means more time in the sand. Come on, let's go everyone," Cleo chimes in, eager to sleep in a bed once more.

"So Fred, wouldn't the name 'the Freed' be a bit obvious? I am sure your old masters will be hunting you, and a band of mercenaries with a name like that sure sounds like a good place to look for some missing slaves."

[Namelessjake]

"I hadn't thought of that..." Fred says, noticably disheartened.

[Fialova]

"Well, happy to help then," Cleo says, producing a smile, happy that she could enlighten the man and completely oblivious to the fact that she may have just crushed a dream, however minor, of his.

[Scratcherclaw]

Cameryn wakes easily, having gotten a full night's sleep. Standing up, he stretches and wipes his clothing clear of the desert residue that accumulated overnight. From across the camp, he overhears Cleo crushing the dreams of the freed slave man and rolls his eyes at her careless choice of words. Poor sucker. That little imp seems to care for no other feelings but her own. Rather than joining in to plan the day's journey, Cameryn keeps to himself, thinking of what he'll do with his new freedom.

[Namelessjake]

With everyone awake, the group sets off, continuing on their journey to Thesus. There is little in the way of meaningful conversation throughout the morning and they make good progress. The seemingly relentless desert sun beats down on the group, although after a couple of days on the road it is barely noticeable. The only break in their view of desert dunes is the occasional animal carcass, picked clean to the bone by the insects and vultures of the desert.

As the sun reaches its highest point in the sky, the previously calm air begins to pick up speed and in a matter of moments the group is engulfed by a sandstorm. After a few minutes the sandstorm dissipates almost as quickly as it had appeared. With visibility now more than a few feet the party can now once again see the endless Serran dunes and something odd now stands out. About a mile out from the road, what appears to be the pillars of a long forgotten temple, peer out from beneath the sand, clearly revealed by the sandstorm.

[ratwizard]

With excitement unleashed by the uncovering of the temple, Shira'stasa perks up. This luck... Perhaps Am-ines laid this before us. He must be angry at my actions. I can only imagine his greed overtaking him when he sees that I have stolen some of his powers through my study! She smiles for a brief moment, turning to her allies. "Come, everyone! It is clear that the Gods have laid this before us. Why else, then, would we be the first to witness such an uncovering?" she shouts, ecstatic at the chance to see lost and forgotten relics of her predecessors. We must tread lightly, she thinks, as she narrows her eyes at the temple. Who knows what traps He has laid for us in there.

[Scratcherclaw]

"Um, yeah, no thanks. That looks kind of dangerous, so how about we just ignore it and continue on towards Thesus. Yn hytrach Ni byddwn i'n marw oherwydd bod rhai tenant dwp eisiau i archwilio pan fydd gennym waith i'w wneud," Cameryn says crossly. He hopes that the tenant can control her excitement enough to make the smart decision of not exploring the ruins. "Besides, it could just be a mirage."

Elven Translation

[SHOW]

I'd rather not die because some stupid tenant wants to explore when we have a job to do.

[kalis5]

Geral looks over at the elf and nods, drawing his blade.
"I'm going to have to agree with Cameryn on this one. That was way too much of a coincidence to not be a trap. I smell sorcery."
He focuses on the last few minutes and thinks, is there any way that sandstorm could have been a spell, purposely leading them into the temple?

Mechanics

[SHOW]

Arcana Check to sense for any magic usage in the area: 10(1d20) +12 = 22

[Namelessjake]

Geral

[SHOW]

You cannot sense any use of magic in the vicinity. The sandstorm appears to have been completely natural.

[Fialova]

"Sorcery? What, are you dumb? We are in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by sand. The least we could do is go check it out and maybe take a break? Hm?" And then I can join Shira'stasa in her search for more books. I wonder if they have any old tomes on Sek-bas. Ooo, or maybe some ancient history? This could be great! "Approach carefully if you like, worrywarts, but we should at least take a peek. Anything to escape this sand, even for just a little while..."

[ratwizard]

"This," Shira'stasa starts in, her tone intense. "...This is a once-in-a-lifetime happening. The first ones to explore a temple that's been buried for Eras. How can this not excite you?" She is practically pleading at the end. I will go alone if I have to. My thirst for knowledge outweighs this commitment to run a simple delivery errand, she thinks to herself. Hm, perhaps I should try another way to convince them.

"Not that I condone such an act, but it's quite possible there may be some relics of the past that would fetch quite a price to researchers or collectors across Serran. If you won't do it for the excitement, do it for the gold." A wicked smile creeps across her tanned face.

[kalis5]

Geral simply sighs and looks at Shira'stasa.
"Listen to me, please. This isn't about not wanting to find out more of history, doing such would bring my guild a lot of fame, and I'd like that, along with bringing more history back to this place. But if we rush in blindly we'll trigger some obvious trap and we could be put in danger because of it. Fortune may favor the bold, but survival is with the cautious."

He follows along despite what he says, he is interested in the temple, but not so much if it will get anyone else killed.

[ratwizard]

"I'm going in regardless of if you or the others come with me," Shira'stasa says with an obstinate attitude. "This is what I am called for, being a Tenant of our Gods -- studying temples, our history, our people. I'm not going to let this lowly errand get in the way of something this important to me," she says solemnly.

"And caution is no doubt one of my concerns, but what kind of madman would booby-trap a temple of the Gods? The Pantheon would have smited them where they stood had they attempted to desecrate one in this manner. I find your extreme worry a bit puzzling." She narrows her eyes at Geral. Perhaps he lacks the courage, she thinks.

[Fialova]

"Yes, Sek-bas would have burned alive anyone defiling a temple of hers. So let's hope it isn't, as much as I'd love it to be," Cleo chimes in, knowing full well that the goddess of the sun would be watching very closely if it was in fact a temple of hers buried in the sand. "Though we don't actually know if it is a temple yet. Can you imagine how fascinating it will be if it is? This is exciting!"

She follows behind her old teacher as the woman heads towards the structure, eager to find whatever knowledge may be laying in wait for just such people as them to find it. "If you're really that afraid, mister mercenary, then just stick by me and I'll keep you safe," she taunts Geral as she passes the man, a devilish smirk streaking across her face.

[Scratcherclaw]

Cameryn rolls his eyes at the persistent nature of the tenants. Annoyed by Cleo especially, he begins ranting at her. "Now listen here, you little ast. You seem to think you know everything, but you don't. Why would somebody lay traps in a temple to your gods? Well maybe because there's treasure in there that must be protected. Ya ever think of that? Guess not.

Remembering Cleo's distaste of sand, Cameryn decides to use this information to his benefit. "Also, you want to escape this sand? Well guess what this temple, that has been buried for who knows how long, is full of. My guess is sand. And probably scarabs and scorpions, and maybe even snakes too." He pauses and takes a breath for a moment before continuing.

"You two talk about how exciting this thing could be. Well dragging your dead bodies to a burial site doesn't sound exciting to me. Besides, this could be the temple of one of your evil gods. And I'm sure they wouldn't hesitate to cause misfortune upon the two of you."

Elven Translation

[SHOW]

minus surprise

[kalis5]

Geral shakes his head as he follows along.
"You act all brave, but we all know that the second a spider rears its head you'll be screaming at me to kill it woman... And Cameryn is right. We don't know what's there. Your god may be powerful, but he probably looks upon his temples like any other god. He more likely than not relies on his followers to defend them as a sign of their devotion to him. If they knew the temple would be lost, there will be traps."

[Fialova]

"Excuse me, but Sek-bas is not a 'he'," Cleo scoffs at Geral. "And spiders don't scare me. Snakes or scorpions either," she says, turning to Cameryn. "But clearly they scare you, since you are too afraid to enter a place that has long been buried under sand. What could survive in that, hm?" she asks, folding her arms dismissively. Idiots.

[ratwizard]

Shira'stasa shakes her head, choosing not to argue any further. "You don't have to follow us, but we're going in," she says, turning abruptly to begin treading over the sand to reach the uncovered building. "Come on, Cleo," she calls over her shoulder.

They choose not to bask in the glory of our Gods and the knowledge of our people. Their choices are not my responsibility, she thinks, assuring herself.

[PureZaros]

Having listened to the back and forth between Cleo and Cameryn for long enough. Eoli decided to step in. As the two females walk off, he looks at the two other men. "Regardless of who is afraid of what, I can see no good reason against making a slight detour on our way to Thesus. That scroll's delivery had no time limit attached, so it should be fine. Besides, they could find something quite useful."

Turning away from the two, he begins walking to the exposed pillars. "You two continue along if you want. Geral knows all too well the dangers of the desert," he calls back over his shoulder.

[kalis5]

Geral isn't sure if Eoli's words are an insult or a compliment, but he understands what he means.
"Come on Cameryn. We should get everyone out of the sun for a while. Some cool will do everyone some good, and maybe the exploration will get our spirits up a bit... Keep an eye out for anything dangerous for me will you?"

He walks ahead, feet quickly finding grip in the sand as he swiftly catches up to the group, used to years of fighting on sand and in rough terrain.

[Namelessjake]

With most of the group now in favour of entering the long forgotten temple, they soon find themselves stood before the entrance. Six pillars stand emergin from the sand, in two lines of three, where they had clearly once held up the roof of a grand entrance hall. Steps lead down into darkness, a sign that the temple isn't completely full of sand at least. Out here there is no sign of what god this could be a temple to. If anyone wants to stay outside now is the time to speak up.

[Fialova]

"Oh wow..." Cleo says under her breath as the group approaches the large pillars. "Kinda weird that the roof is gone but the pillars aren't collapsed." The girl approaches the monoliths and begins walking around them, seeing if she can spot any text or symbols that could suggest what the temple's purpose once was. As she does, she runs her hand along the masonry, both to feel the ridges of the stone as well as to test the place for a magical presence

Mechanics

[SHOW]

Perception to spot stuff: 4 lol
Arcana to sense magic: 13

[PureZaros]

Standing near the descending stairs, Eoli looks around at the ruined temple. He glances around much like Cleo is, searching for any markings or distinguishing features in the ruins. Perhaps there is a symbol of some sort that will tell me what god presides here?

Mechanics

[SHOW]

Perception to spot stuff: 22

[kalis5]

Geral places a hand on one of the pillars gently, examining the material. The idea these held up some entrance hall is a bit... Surprising.
"Maybe the roof collapsed inwards. We could be walking on its rubble and not even know it... Still, these pillars are probably made of stronger stuff than we think. Outwardly they look weak, but who knows what they could be made of on the inside."
He walks past the pillars to the stairs and let's out a sigh.
"Great... We're going further down... For safety's sake, I suggest that our new companions stay outside. If there's another sandstorm we'll need to be warned and given time to escape before the ruins are covered again."

As he looks down the stairs he pauses for a moment. If this was a temple, the altars would be set up on a flat floor, for ease of access. This design is a bit off... He wonders if he's read or seen anything like it before.

Mechanics

[SHOW]

History Check to try and remember if the design could determine what type of temple it is: 20(1d20) +10 = 30

[Scratcherclaw]

Cameryn grumbles to himself, lightly jogging to catch up with the group. "I am not scared of snakes or spiders..... Stupid brat." Like the others in his party, he begins examining the temple, looking for anything that may make it easier to explore the ruins and live to tell about it. As a precaution, he looks around for any traps or creatures that may be hidden, as well as any symbols that may be present to try to piece together what this temple is of.

Mechanics:

[SHOW]

Perception for looking around/looking for traps/etc: 4(1d20) +13 = 17
Religion check to see what god this may be a temple of: 19(1d20) +6 = 25

[ratwizard]

Taking the idea of structural instability in mind, Shira'stasa too racks her brain for anything she can dig up. She thinks back to her studies of the Age of Myth and the legends of temples in the general Serran era. Am-ines, you foul and rotten God -- is this one of yours? she thinks to herself, hoping the deity would shine some sort of light on her unknowing.

Mechanics

[SHOW]

History roll to remember anything from her studies about temples in this area: 1d20+12=22

Religion roll to speak to Am-ines: 1d20+12=14

[Namelessjake]

"We will stay out here and guard your prisoner," Fred says agreeing with Geral. "Good luck in there," the man adds, taking hold of the rope tied to the captured bandit.

Cleo

[SHOW]

You fail to spot anything out of the ordinary however you do pick up faint traces of magic within the temple, although you cannot discern any more than that.

Eoli

[SHOW]

On what remains on the surface, you cannot find any symbol of any kind. Perhaps there will be more clues underground.

Geral

[SHOW]

You recognise the design of the temple as those from the Age of Myth. Almost all of them have been destroyed or lost and the rest have been reconstructed and expanded to the point of being unrecognisable.

Cameryn

[SHOW]

You cannot see any traps or creatures around the entrance to the temple or anything else suggesting what God the temple is to. However you do notice that on each pillar there are marks which suggest there had once been symbols on the pillars but they have since been scratched off.

Shira

[SHOW]

You recognise the temple is of Serran origin and is old but you cannot remember more than that and your call to Am-ines appears to fall on deaf ears.

[PureZaros]

As he looks around, the exposed surfaces all seem to be scoured smooth by the movement of sand through the years. "It seems that time has removed any indication of whom this temple is dedicated to. We'll have to go down," Eoli says, pointing to the staircase, "to find anything worthwhile."

Moving to the first step, he peers down the passage, attempting to look past the gloom. He also searches for any still active remnants of magic that could be hidden down the stairs.

MECHANICS

[SHOW]

Perception check to see what is down the stairs: 19
Arcana to find still viable magic down the stairs: 21

[Fialova]

Cleo is a little annoyed at not finding any symbols, but that annoyance fades as she picks up some traces of magic coming from within. "So uh, I am not really certain of the type but there is definitely some sort of magical presence here." This is exciting! She turns to face Shira'stasa, her excitement showing a bit, eager to see her fellow Tenant's reaction to the news.

[kalis5]

Geral looks at Cleo and chuckles a bit, surprised she'd even be attempting to sense magic from her earlier comment.
"And you thought I was silly for thinking there was magic about... I can at the very least tell when the building was made. I believe the design is at the very least based, or perhaps is, from the Age of Myth. This is a pretty rare find if it is an original building, most were lost or destroyed long ago. The ones you see today were expanded upon far beyond recognition, but if you look closely you can see some similarities between the design in those and this one. We should tread carefully, the building will be very old, and most likely the very floor will be weak."

He reaches into his pack, pulling out one of his two sunrods and ignites it, aiming the light down the steps as he starts to move down.

Mechanics

[SHOW]

Use one sunrod to illuminate the stairway and begin descent.
Arcana Check to better sense whatever Cleo felt: 11(1d20) +12 = 23

[Scratcherclaw]

"Yeah, there's no way to tell which god called this temple their domain," Cameryn adds to Eoli's statement. "But these pillars at one point had symbols on them. There's also no traps.... yet." He peers down the dim, ominous stairway into the heart of the temple and shakes his head. Who knows what could be down there. There could be traps, deadly creatures, treasure, anything. But if I die, I'm blaming those stupid tenants.

[Namelessjake]

Geral makes his way down the staircase, after taking him a little ways underground it opens up into a long room. Pillars line either side of the walls, similar to the ones on the surface, and the walls are adorned with symbols many of them intact, although a few appear to have been deliberately scratched off the walls. At the end of the room there appears to be nother staircase leading down, however the floor between it and Geral is dotted with skeletons. A quick count reveals there are 4 wearing similar robes and 3 wearing matching armour, all of them seemingly exactly where they died, all of them weapon in hand.

Eoli

[SHOW]

It is too dark down the stairs to see anything and all you can sense is a faint trace of magic, however it feels like nothing you have ever come across.

Geral

[SHOW]

The magic is very faint, either it's been lingering for a long time or it is coming from deep within the temple. As to the type of magic, you have never come across anything of the sort before.

[PureZaros]

Following Geral down the stairs, Eoli glances around the room curiously. "Well, this place is rather impressive." Noting the scratched off symbols, he wonders what was lost. It's almost like whoever did this was trying to hide something.

Noticing the skeletons on the far side of the room, Eoli sighs, hesitant to move forward. "Well now. It I know anything about ancient temples, which is surprisingly little, I'd say that those skeletons will start trying to kill us as soon as someone approaches them." Looking over at them, he searches for any magical hints as to if the bones will jump the party.

Mechanics

[SHOW]

ARcana check to find spells on or affecting the skeletons: 12

[Scratcherclaw]

Cameryn descends down the stairs, following Geral and Eoli, and he begins to scan the room. Taking note of the skeletons on the far side of the room, he assumes that a temple hazard must have killed them, whether a trap or a creature lurking in the darkness. Those skeletons better not rise to life... But with this magic that's being picked up, I wouldn't be surprised if they did. Brilliant idea from two tenants to explore an ancient temple.

Mechanics

[SHOW]

Perception roll for looking for traps, monsters, hidden stuff in general & viewing symbols that haven't been scratched off: 17(1d20) +13 = 30

[Namelessjake]

Eoli

[SHOW]

The skeletons appear to have no magic affecting them, whatever you sensed earlier seems to have nothing to do with the skeletons.

Cameryn

[SHOW]

You don't spot any traps or creatures lurking in this room. The symbols on the walls are varied and appear to dictate a storey of some kind. They show a cat, eagle, fish, scorpion, hyena, horse, sheep and insect seemingly fighting one of the scratched off symbols. The next set of symbols shows the same animals trapping the missing symbol, which is followed by a group of men surrounding the mystery symbol. These are mirrored on either side of the room and at the end of the room, the removed symbol was clearly once above the stairs leading further down into the temple. The animals appear again in a mass of men, either side of the stairway, bowing down to the symbol above the door.

[Fialova]

Cleo follows after Eoli and notices the skeletons as well, a bit nervous at the sight of them. However, Eoli's fears of them attacking don't concern her. "I bet they can't come after us if the bones get burnt away," she says, as she walks into the room towards the skeletons.

The young tenant moves cautiously, but as she draws near she stops and opens her pack, pulling out some small pouches of oil as well as a small grey stone and a piece of metal. She walks about the bones, drizzling them with oil as she goes and making a line of oil towards the center of the room, where she use the stone and metal to create a spark that sets the whole thing ablaze. As the flames flicker, the girl stands back smiling.

Mechanics

[SHOW]

Use oil and flint & steel to light the skeletons up, and by extension the room. I assume you can tell me how many of my pints it would have taken to get that all, as well as if anything interrupted me in the process.