Legacy of Fire: Howl of the Carrion King [IC]

[bcool999]

Khair

”Great work everyone! A final push and victory is at hand!” Khair says as he moves into the center aisle and makes his way around the pews towards the ladder to once again ascend.

Spoiler: OOC

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Move Action: Move 1 square N (10ft) 2 Squares NW (15ft if the first square wasn’t difficult, 20 otherwise) 2 Squares West (10ft) 1 Square NW (5ft) then 1 or 2 squares North depending on remaining movement.

Standard Action: Move more to reach and begin climbing ladder.

[lostsole31]

R5T8: ”Great work everyone! A final push and victory is at hand!” Khair says as he moves into the center aisle and makes his way around the pews towards the ladder to once again ascend.

End Round 5, Begin Round 6 ...

R6T24: King Mockknock closes on Zaihi, opening himself up to an attack from the fire-bird. It is a bad move, as the fire-bird power-beaks him in the back for 4 mod + 2 fire. The king manages to barely stumble away and close on Zaihi and gives a mighty heave at the gigantic (to him) woman, only to have his hammer stopped cold several inches from the woman by an unseen force.

R6T17: Zaihi steps back a few feet and points her finger at the king and - POW! - the king falls to his death below.

Combat Ends!

Now what?

[bcool999]

Khair

Seeing King Mockknock take a fatal fall, Khair stops his preparations to ascend. Raising his voice to fill the chamber, Khair calls out, ”Well fought everyone! I will be seeing to the dead. As defiled as this shrine is, I still do not wish for carrion to sully it further. Zaihi! If you would do me a kindness and push any bodies you see down on your way back I would much appreciate it.”

With that, Khair starts on the rather grim task of gathering bodies and gathering them towards the wreckage of the chandelier in the center of the room.

[lostsole31]

"There is one body where I can't get it!" she calls down.

"Wahaj has it!" cries Trevorn excitedly. They direct Wahaj to split open the nest so that the final pugwampi body falls to its death along with everything else that was in the nest, as Zaihi kicks down another pugwampi that was at the edge of the loft.

Looking over what the pugwampi had, the king had a masterwork warhammer (sized for a gnome, i.e. Small). He also was wearing a Tiny breastplate. His Tiny longbow and arrows - like the other pugwampi weapons of short swords and bows - are completely worthless and cannot be resold.

Secreted under the fallen and smashed throne are two items that glow magic. The ones who can detect that magic, by the way, are Onyebuchi and Alahazra ... and only Onyebuchi, it seems, is trained in reading the magical auras to determine what they mean. Alahazra gives him a blessing as he looks over the first one. It is a small box stamped with Sarenrae's ankh in the leather and has leather straps coming from it where it is designed to be worn on the forehead. Onyebuchi detect a faint aura of divination. Once Onyebuchi recognizes the aura, it is now Alahazra - interestingly aided by Zaihi - who determine what it is.

Alahazra hands the box over to Khair. "You're the only one who can make use of this. Hold this for now, and when it comes time to divvy treasure, you can determine if you wish to keep or add this to a sale pile. But this is a phylactery of faithfulness specific to the Lady of Flame. With this, you can determine if an action you are about to undertake would be against Her wishes."

Khair, do you take and wear the phylactery?

Meanwhile, with another boost in insight from Alahazra, it is not enough, and the best the party can determine is that this is some type of magical ring with a faint aura, which is put in party treasury for now.

Khair, do you recommend a deep or quick search of the chapel floor?

Also, since it isn't magic so won't count against them, does Khair have an issue with Trevorn equipping themselves with the king's hammer?

[bcool999]

Khair

Gently taking the phylactery with both hands, Khair smiles and says, ”I can think of no better boon for my foolish self than to receive the Lady’s guidance.”

Bringing the phylactery to his brow, Khair fastens it in place before he continues, “I believe a quick search of the chapel and alter will do. The Pugwampis obviously looted it already. We shall see if we can spy aught more.”

Seeing Trevorn arming himself with the King’s warhammer, Khair nods in approval before beginning to search the chapel in earnest.

[lostsole31]

Trevorn goes to handle the warhammer, and after a few clumsy swings - swings that show they know how to use a hammer theoretically, but lack the strength - Trevorn shrugs and the hammer goes into treasury. "Not my thing. I like a faster weapon."

"Oh!" they then add absentmindedly, "Everyone, this is my friend ... a phoenix named Wahaj. I summon him from the stars sometimes when I need a little extra muscle."

Even with a quick search, the chapel is so large and filled with rubble that it takes nearly a half-hour to go through it. A total salvage of the chapel turns up 47 gp worth of assorted religious objects, loose coins, and random trinkets.

[bcool999]

Khair

”Greetings Wahaj!” Khair greets the phoenix before continuing, “Let us continue with our exploration efforts.”

Khair will lead the way to the room just south of the Chapel to check.

Spoiler: OOC

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Moving to A1b because I can’t remember searching it.

[lostsole31]

Adorning the eastern wall of this chamber, a huge bas-relief statue of a muscular humanoid man with a pointy beard is on a hilltop, appearing to a group of what looks like pilgrims. The being holds up his hands, palms out, in a sign of peace. Though many of the faces and limbs on the bas-relief have been worn down or cut away, the expressions of those range from beatific to horrified.

A crude stone stele that seems to have been erected more recently than the abandonment of the monastery stands here as well. Its graven inscription reads:

“A ghost of unholy mien was purged from this place by Theodephus Estrovan, servant of Aroden, 4691 AR.”

Nobody in the group knows who the statue is supposed to represent.

[bcool999]

Khair

”Hmm… an interesting mural and monument, but their historical significance is lost on me.” Khair muses to the group, “Let’s finish up here and check the other alcove.”

Khair gives the rest of the room a once over before proceeding North to the other alcove.

Spoiler: OOC

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Finish room inspection and move to A1a

[lostsole31]

There is nothing else of interest in the room proper, but between the legs of the statue the party finds a secret door!

[bcool999]

Khair

”Hmm a hidden passage.” Khair thinks for a moment before adding, “Let’s proceed cautiously. In case of more active defenses to this passage.”

Khair begins to look for a method of opening the hidden door. And if successful, will lead the way into the passage.

Spoiler: OOC

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Opening and exploring hidden passage.

[lostsole31]

Khair has trouble pushing the door open. It doesn't seem locked, but that it is blocked from the other side.

[bcool999]

Khair

”Barricaded. Or blocked by rubble or some such.” Khair says after trying the door, ”I say we remember this door and try to find the other side another way. If there is no other means of ingress then we can see about forcing the door.”

If there is no opposition, Khair will lead the way to the opposite alcove.

Spoiler: Ooc

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Move to A1a.

[lostsole31]

"Wait a minute," says Alain. "Allow me."

It takes him two tries, but he finally muscles open the secret door, which seems to have been blocked by foliage from beyond.

[bcool999]

Khair

”I am in your debt sir.” Khair says as he peers through the door wrenched open by Alain’s might.

Spoiler: OOC

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Sweet! Forward into secret area.

[lostsole31]

Looming walls with no apparent doors enclose this small roofless garden. Monks must once have come here to relax and contemplate the ways of nature, but any order they might have brought to the place all those years ago is almost impossible to notice now, as a wild cacophony of multicolored scrub plants and desert weeds have almost completely overgrown the space.

[bcool999]

Khair

Khair begins to search the delightfully vibrant but overgrown hidden garden for anything more of note.

Spoiler: OOC

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Quick search of the room.

[lostsole31]

Khair doesn't find anything of note here, the place itself once having been of note, likely as a secret garden for contemplation.

[bcool999]

Khair

Returning to the others, Khair describes the garden, ”The local desert vegetation has taken over the hidden garden here. It has some beautiful color in there even if overgrown. Not much else to say about the hidden gem of a private meditation garden, or at least, I didn’t notice much else.”

Once the party is prepared, Khair will lead the way to the opposite alcove.

Spoiler: OOC

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Onwards to A1a I believe.

[lostsole31]

Alahazra asks Alain to respectfully shut the door, and he does.

The party heads to the northern part of the ruined nave. This debris-laden chamber once held a shrine and wooden altar, but all of that was smashed decades ago by vandals. The ceiling here has remained intact over the years, helping to preserve a huge bas-relief statue of a muscular humanoid man with a pointy beard gesturing toward a huge mountain in the background, his face a picture of mortal concern.

The party discusses the statue amongst themselves to determine what they can. Zaihi (and most of the party) recognizes that the mountain in the background is Pale Mountain, largest of the Brazen Peaks and the site of many fell legends. With Khair's help, Alahazra recognizes that the bearded figure - the same one, apparently, as on the other side of the nave - is depicted in a manner similar to the way in which the faith of Sarenrae depict their saints, but this is not one of the more frequently honored saints of that faith.

[lostsole31]

Khair seems lost in reflection - as the Sarenite of the party - in trying to recall mentally anything about the saint pictured.

Alahazra takes charge of moving the group along in there mission, directing them south to a passage in the wall .... the first of several along the southern wall. With Khair preoccupied, she asks Alain to take the position of glory and to lead the others through, and this passage is only big enough for single file this time. He leads the group through and directly south along a cloister. A sweeping bas-relief sculpture along the north wall (read: the relative east wall, A4) depicts five bearded, larger-than-life humans riding the wind with triumph carved upon their faces. Though some of their arms and hands are missing, each is clearly meant to wield a distinctive weapon. One of the five warriors holds a large axe, while another holds a fragment of what must once have been a regal staff. In the distance, an ominous mountain looms over the quintet. East of the wall decoration, two open arches lead into small rooms off the north wall. The south wall is little more than a series of open arches that look out into an open-air courtyard.

[bcool999]

Khair

Still silently contemplating the wealth of history that lies in ruins around them, Khair steps forward to survey they open courtyard.

Spoiler: OOC

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Step Forward to look inside the open courtyard.

[lostsole31]

Huge branches and overgrown weeds clog the central open-air courtyard of the monastery’s cloister walk. In better times, the monastic priests would have contemplated the open space while circling the cloister, but today it is barely possible to see a few feet into the tangled mess, let alone all the way to the opposite cloister walk. Here and there the brush thins out enough that a dedicated explorer might be able to create a sort of passage, but mostly it is an impassable mess.

[bcool999]

Khair

Seeing the impassible thick growth of the courtyard, Khair turns to the rest of the party and gestures towards the pair of arches further along.

Spoiler: OOC

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Continuing on to the arches in the south of A4.

[lostsole31]

Nearly towards the end of this cloister, there is a small cut to a smaller vestibule to the relative east.

[bcool999]

Khair

Khair goes to investigate the first vestibule.

Spoiler: OOC

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Move to first room to the east.

[lostsole31]

This small antechamber seemed to be a place of reflection for monks. Carvings of religious significance to the cult of Sarenrae line the walls, but none seem to involve the main figure pictured in the naves, nor help in any way to lessen the mystery of the abandoned monastery. There is an exit to the relative east.

[bcool999]

Khair

Khair continues through the antechamber into the room beyond.

[lostsole31]

This austere octagonal chamber has a tall roof and an aerie of leering gargoyles perched atop each point where a wall meets another wall. An unholy stench of rotting meat, dried blood, and animal excrement hangs heavy in the air, no doubt from the fine crust of gore, animal carcasses, matted leaves, and guano covering the floor.

[bcool999]

Khair

”Argh! What stench!” Khair cries as he brings an arm up to cover his offended nose.

Wishing to be away, Khair quickly searches the room.

Spoiler: Ooc

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Perform a quick search of the room.