"... from the earth. As she looses her stone, she calls to Sir Almeric, "Would ye like a square of flame on the other side of the door, Sir, just short of you and Ori? Like I used in the temple above. We'll see if these simple shadows have the wit not to charge straight into a bonfire." If the Capellar responds in the affirmative, she will prepare to do as she has offered next chance she gets. (held action: Create bonfire targeted as described, fire damage from spell 6)"
Ori watching the flames die down after the last one falls, starting to slow down his breath and letting some of the tension in his muscles go (ending Rage). Ori looks around the group. "Alright, call suspicious if you must, but either our time in hiatus from exploring was good for our training, or something seems strangely in our favor. Like the danger seems high and but dispatched with ease. I feel as though when the tide turns against us, it's gonna turn unexpectedly hard. Don't let these first few successes dull your edges." Realizing his might come off as scared by the start of his words, he tried to turn his concerns to be more of a warning. But he can't help but shake the feeling of a false sense of confidence.
Almeric exhales as the shimmering aura around him dissipates. With a flick of his wrist, the bone dust fall from the blade of his sword and sheaths it.
"We can all be suspicious Ori! Some even codify this as a religion!" Almeric chuckles at his own ironic joke. He begins to search the bone dust to collect the silver torcs that each skeleton wore. "Take heart and celebrate our victories. I believe our success is due to out training, discipline, communication and teamwork. And of course our Patron Gods, which watch over us all!"
Almeric drops his True Faith Dogma for the first time since they all met, a few months before. It may even passed unnoticed in the heat of the moment. Capellar Religious Doctrine is actually much more fluid than many people know. The Capellars value loyalty and utility above the spiritual virtues, as they are often called upon to resolve unpleasant problems using unpleasant means. Being willing and able are the main requirements within the Capellar Order, and Almeric hopes to achieve renown, influence and authority by pursuing these aims.
Almeric has seen how they all conduct themselves at peace and in combat. He knows that everyone here could easily secure positions within the Capellar Order. Their aptitudes and abilities make them all ideal candidates, if they were not otherwise engaged by Baron Aldred and Lord Dayne. For now, the situation with Baron Aldred was far too amicable to leave. Should things change in the future, Almeric could offer them all an option within the Dayne Household that would be most tantalizing. He would have to convince old man Dayne, but there was more than one way to skin a cat.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
While careful not to speak his opinion out loud, Cainneach most assuredly agrees with Ori's assessment. The dead care little about the confidence of adventurers and have no concept of morale. They have proven to be single-minded and ruthless in pursuit of their mission, with no concept of morale or retreat.
Cainneach wonders out loud, "Do we think it's safe to claim one of these swords? Silvered weapons can be of great use." He looks wistfully at his all too plain longbow and briefly considers adorning it with the blackened ring of Fengris that he collected earlier. Cainneach then mutters to himself, "No no, that's almost certainly unwise. Find out what it is before you try to use it." He turns his attention back to the swords and attempts to make an assessment as to whether it is safe to handle these blades.
"... from the earth. As she looses her stone, she calls to Sir Almeric, "Would ye like a square of flame on the other side of the door, Sir, just short of you and Ori? Like I used in the temple above. We'll see if these simple shadows have the wit not to charge straight into a bonfire." If the Capellar responds in the affirmative, she will prepare to do as she has offered next chance she gets. (held action: Create bonfire targeted as described, fire damage from spell 6)"
Ori watching the flames die down after the last one falls, starting to slow down his breath and letting some of the tension in his muscles go (ending Rage). Ori looks around the group. "Alright, call suspicious if you must, but either our time in hiatus from exploring was good for our training, or something seems strangely in our favor. Like the danger seems high and but dispatched with ease. I feel as though when the tide turns against us, it's gonna turn unexpectedly hard. Don't let these first few successes dull your edges." Realizing his might come off as scared by the start of his words, he tried to turn his concerns to be more of a warning. But he can't help but shake the feeling of a false sense of confidence.
Almeric exhales as the shimmering aura around him dissipates. With a flick of his wrist, the bone dust fall from the blade of his sword and sheaths it.
"We can all be suspicious Ori! Some even codify this as a religion!" Almeric chuckles at his own ironic joke. He begins to search the bone dust to collect the silver torcs that each skeleton wore. "Take heart and celebrate our victories. I believe our success is due to out training, discipline, communication and teamwork. And of course our Patron Gods, which watch over us all!"
Almeric drops his True Faith Dogma for the first time since they all met, a few months before. It may even passed unnoticed in the heat of the moment. Capellar Religious Doctrine is actually much more fluid than many people know. The Capellars value loyalty and utility above the spiritual virtues, as they are often called upon to resolve unpleasant problems using unpleasant means. Being willing and able are the main requirements within the Capellar Order, and Almeric hopes to achieve renown, influence and authority by pursuing these aims.
Almeric has seen how they all conduct themselves at peace and in combat. He knows that everyone here could easily secure positions within the Capellar Order. Their aptitudes and abilities make them all ideal candidates, if they were not otherwise engaged by Baron Aldred and Lord Dayne. For now, the situation with Baron Aldred was far too amicable to leave. Should things change in the future, Almeric could offer them all an option within the Dayne Household that would be most tantalizing. He would have to convince old man Dayne, but there was more than one way to skin a cat.
PERCEPTION = 5 Collect Silver Torcs.
As you look around the room these undead creatures were guarding it appears to be mostly bare. Towards the rear of the room on the floor beside a pattern of painted designs and small brass censers lie two long-dead bodies in rotted robes. They hold ritual staves, and appear to have been slain in the middle of some ceremony.
While careful not to speak his opinion out loud, Cainneach most assuredly agrees with Ori's assessment. The dead care little about the confidence of adventurers and have no concept of morale. They have proven to be single-minded and ruthless in pursuit of their mission, with no concept of morale or retreat.
Cainneach wonders out loud, "Do we think it's safe to claim one of these swords? Silvered weapons can be of great use." He looks wistfully at his all too plain longbow and briefly considers adorning it with the blackened ring of Fengris that he collected earlier. Cainneach then mutters to himself, "No no, that's almost certainly unwise. Find out what it is before you try to use it." He turns his attention back to the swords and attempts to make an assessment as to whether it is safe to handle these blades.
Salt finds an ulna to chew on though it is so old that there is precious little to enjoy......he does shy away from the patterns and the ritual area...
As the retinue regroups after dealing with the skeletons and prepares to search the room where they had been, your attention is suddenly captured by a low melodious sound. At first you think of such strange things as a butterfly using the one moment an old folk belief grants it voice and breath to play the Thulish uilean pipes of this seacoast. Then you locate the source and realize why it reminded you of those rather than the still deeper highland pipes more common in the Pagans. Famh has stepped to one side and is standing silhouetted against the hallway leading back to light and safety. And she is singing, hauntingly, in Thulish. After an interval that could well be one rendition of her song, she switches to Elleslandic and sings it for you again.
“Well, light the candle, John; the daylight is almost gone. The birds have sung their last; the bells call out to mass.
Stt here by my side, for the night is very long; there’s something I must tell before I pass along.
I joined the Brotherhood; my books were all to me. I scribed the words of God, and the march of history.
Many a year was I, pitched out upon the sea; the waves would wash my tears, the wind my memory.
I’d hear the ocean breathe, exhaled upon the shore. I knew the tempest’s moods; its wrath I would endure.
And so the years went by, within my rocky cell. If only a mouse or bird; my friend, I loved them well.
And so it came to pass I came here to Romany. Many a year it took, till I arriv’ed here with thee.
O’er dusty roads I walked, and oh! the mountains high! Through rivers runing deep, beneath the endless sky.”
The words cease for a brief time and there is only Famh’s voice throbbing like a shawm as she wordlessly laments the unbearably beautiful sorrow of the world, and the sometimes unbearably poignant beauty. You see that in her spare moments she has crafted an improvised harp, no more than three strings on which she now begins to pluck an accompaniment whose simplicity a thousand times intensifies the aching loveliness of her voice. At last she goes on:
“Beneath these jasmine flowers, amidst these cypress trees, I give you now my books, and all their mysteries.
Now take the hourglass,and turn it on its head; for when the sands are still, ‘tis then you’ll find me dead.
Now light the candle, John, the daylight is almost gone; the birds have sung their last, the bells call out to mass.”
She tells you it is a song Brither Cadfael taught her when she was a small girl. Apparently, in the branch of the True Faith that hedge priest had been trained in, there were legends that the knowledge and civilization of the ancient Bacchiles had been lost for a time to the True Faith churches closer to the center of the Selentine lands when that by-then crumbling empire fell; and that that knowledge had been preserved in distant missions on the outskirts like those that had been established in Thuland. According to this legend, it was a Thulish monk that devoted the first half of his life to copying all the knowledge he could collect; and the rest journeying from his coastal hermitage of Skellig to the spiritual center of the True Faith to rekindle this knowledge in the rest of the lands the Faith had by then spread to. The song portrays him lying on his death bed and entrusting his precious manuscripts to the young monk who had cared for him in his final illness. “Is it true?,” Famh says. “Who knows as to that, if ye mean did history actually happen so. But it’s true to the heart. I can’t sing it without tears coming to my throat at the beauty of some of the words, even when I can keep them out of my eyes. It’s about time the air of this place be cleansed by some sounds that aren’t of horror and death.”
She turns to Cainneach after making this remark, with a nervous chuckle that conveys that she feels she’s made the conversation quite heavy enough for one day, and adds, “We aren’t being terribly good hosts, ‘neach. Here we bring our friends with us to visit Thuland, and all we can seem to show them are places like this””
Cainneach is crouched over one of the piles of bones with Salt at his side when Famh's low melody emerges from the disorganized noises of adventurers sifting through what remains of their battle. As her voice raises in volume and strength, her confidence growing by the verse, Cainneach follows the tune closely, first in his head, then humming quietly as he learns the progression of individual pitches and key changes. This is nearly automatic for the awkward forester, as he had been surrounded by music from an early age, and had the good fortune of finding a companion in Dru who revelled in the mighty choruses of the denizens of the forest. When Famh switches to Elleslandic to repeat the song, Cainneach reaches to his pack to grab his pan flute, thinking to provide an accompaniment, a counterpoint to the gorgeous melody, but he stops. In his mind, he knows exactly how his harmony should sound, but this is her performance, hers alone, and needs nothing extra, nothing to distract from the story being told so beautifully. Cainneach sighs and shoulders his pack again, picks up one of the tarnished silver scimitars, tucks it in his belt, and simply watches the young Thulish woman, listening and wondering what sort of witchcraft she has practiced upon him.
With Famh having finished her performance and heading over to join Cainneach, he stands up quickly, trying to do so as gracefully as possible while wiping a tear from his cheek. After her comment, Cainneach responds quietly, "This place may be cursed, but you've made it beautiful nonetheless. When we have free reign to travel Thuland, and aren't subject to the whims of the Mergeld Sea and the needs of nobles, we can bring them to the places we used to know. If you sing like that, I'm sure they'll follow, or maybe that's just me." He grins sheepishly and Salt wags his tail with enthusiasm.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Thatch moves forward to recover his arrow and join Cainneach and the others as they search the room, but stops short at Famh’s song. “That was beautiful”he murmurs, cheeks turning red with slight embarrassment. “And I would like to see more of this country. Especially places that can bring forth such a song.” His attention is drawn to the ritual circle in the back of the room and he calls over Sir Almeric and Fergus, either of which could likely make more sense of what had happened there. "Mi'lord. What do you think happened here? Did the skeletons kills them, or something else do you think?"
The immediate hallway stopping at this room, Thatch looks around for any other exits from the room, even those that may be disguised or hidden. Perception: 17.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
"Why ... thank you ...," Famh replies to her companions with a shy smile, though somehow she seems more aware of Cainneach's praise than Thatch's. But she is quickly sobered and back to the present at the sight of the bones clad in ritual garb, so similar to the scene above. "No one touch the staves.," she snaps, seeming oblivious that she's just promoted herself to a position where she has the authority to give orders, or that no one seems particularly inclined to pick up either of the staves anyway. She walks over to where Thatch is examining the scene with Sir Almeric and Fergus. "I'll raise one with my fae hand instead, and then we can bring it a little closer and see if it looks the same as the one above."
"Why ... thank you ...," Famh replies to her companions with a shy smile, though somehow she seems more aware of Cainneach's praise than Thatch's. But she is quickly sobered and back to the present at the sight of the bones clad in ritual garb, so similar to the scene above. "No one touch the staves.," she snaps, seeming oblivious that she's just promoted herself to a position where she has the authority to give orders, or that no one seems particularly inclined to pick up either of the staves anyway. She walks over to where Thatch is examining the scene with Sir Almeric and Fergus. "I'll raise one with my fae hand instead, and then we can bring it a little closer and see if it looks the same as the one above."
Thatch moves forward to recover his arrow and join Cainneach and the others as they search the room, but stops short at Famh’s song. “That was beautiful”he murmurs, cheeks turning red with slight embarrassment. “And I would like to see more of this country. Especially places that can bring forth such a song.” His attention is drawn to the ritual circle in the back of the room and he calls over Sir Almeric and Fergus, either of which could likely make more sense of what had happened there. "Mi'lord. What do you think happened here? Did the skeletons kills them, or something else do you think?"
The immediate hallway stopping at this room, Thatch looks around for any other exits from the room, even those that may be disguised or hidden. Perception: 17.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Seeing that Thatch seems satisfied with his assessment of their options for egress, Cainneach will take a moment to see what he can make of the disturbing scene comprised of the ritual markings on the floor and the sacrificial victims.
Following that, he suggests to the group, "We still have the passage fully to the east to explore, or we could descend the stairs to the north of where we entered. There must be something we've yet to uncover here, some kind of key to understanding that obelisk."
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Having lifted the first staff without any ill results following, Famh has her spell set it down by the exit and repeats the process with the second. She carefully notes any differences between the two, then joins Cainneach in examining the markings on the floor. "Why two here, and only one above?," she wonders aloud. "And what do these marks have to do with it all? Patterns... signs... " Her voice trails off as she gropes to understand the connections between all she sees and has seen.
===========================
Arcana 25
Religion 12
History 12
Investigation (to put it all together -- '"... and make deductions based on those clues, ..."") 13
...the kitchen sink 357182031 ... lol
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Famh Thrawn Fiadhaich - 'half elven' sorcerer (wild magic) 2, Sleeping Gods - A Dragon Warriors campaign in the Lands of Legend
Quspira Inirali - tiefling cleric (Life domain) 4, Painted's "He'll be the father of my child"
---RETIRED HEROES' REST HOME---
Sae Ivui Nailo - wood elf rogue (inquisitive) 5 , Sea of Death: Captain Hailstorm's Lost Treasure
Ryshraxea "Shra" Naranthi - tabaxi artificer 1, Nyx's Tomb of Annihilation - Group 1
Thatch moves forward to recover his arrow and join Cainneach and the others as they search the room, but stops short at Famh’s song. “That was beautiful”he murmurs, cheeks turning red with slight embarrassment. “And I would like to see more of this country. Especially places that can bring forth such a song.” His attention is drawn to the ritual circle in the back of the room and he calls over Sir Almeric and Fergus, either of which could likely make more sense of what had happened there. "Mi'lord. What do you think happened here? Did the skeletons kills them, or something else do you think?"
The immediate hallway stopping at this room, Thatch looks around for any other exits from the room, even those that may be disguised or hidden. Perception: 17.
.
There seem to be no other exits here.
Almeric is once again paused into silence by the little girl that has become a woman. He stares at Fahm, entranced by her poetic recital, he listens carefully to the tale. Almeric looks from Fahm, to Thatch, Cairneach, Fergus and back to Fahm. Nodding to the question, Almeric finally looks to Fergus.
"Make sure you record this in your journal, Fergus. Especially the lyrics of these poems and songs. The content should be published and disseminated, lest the knowledge be lost. Also, what do you know of such a place as this?"
Taking in the runes and markings pointed put, the dead priests and guardians, Almeric draws upon his limited knowledge of such things, asking Fergus to do the same.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Seeing that Thatch seems satisfied with his assessment of their options for egress, Cainneach will take a moment to see what he can make of the disturbing scene comprised of the ritual markings on the floor and the sacrificial victims.
Following that, he suggests to the group, "We still have the passage fully to the east to explore, or we could descend the stairs to the north of where we entered. There must be something we've yet to uncover here, some kind of key to understanding that obelisk."
The more he looks at the tableau the less he is convinced the figures are victims and the more they seem to be priests based on other bodies he has seen here.....perhaps slain in the middle of a ceremony?
Having lifted the first staff without any ill results following, Famh has her spell set it down by the exit and repeats the process with the second. She carefully notes any differences between the two, then joins Cainneach in examining the markings on the floor. "Why two here, and only one above?," she wonders aloud. "And what do these marks have to do with it all? Patterns... signs... " Her voice trails off as she gropes to understand the connections between all she sees and has seen.
===========================
Arcana 21
Religion 12
History 20
Investigation (to put it all together -- '"... and make deductions based on those clues, ..."") 10
...the kitchen sink 236411210 ... lol
There is something fell and unworldly about the pattern though she cannot decipher its meaning, but she thinks she is beginning to pick out a pattern among the bodies and different pieces of armour and what Cainneach pointed out earlier. There were more Mercanian bodies above, less below and none here.......of her own people there were many bodies above, many concentrated around the stairs and none here.....
The second staff is quite different being constructed of silver birch and it is crowned with a moonstone in a silver setting it seems to be free of rot and tarnish.
Thatch moves forward to recover his arrow and join Cainneach and the others as they search the room, but stops short at Famh’s song. “That was beautiful”he murmurs, cheeks turning red with slight embarrassment. “And I would like to see more of this country. Especially places that can bring forth such a song.” His attention is drawn to the ritual circle in the back of the room and he calls over Sir Almeric and Fergus, either of which could likely make more sense of what had happened there. "Mi'lord. What do you think happened here? Did the skeletons kills them, or something else do you think?"
The immediate hallway stopping at this room, Thatch looks around for any other exits from the room, even those that may be disguised or hidden. Perception: 17.
.
There seem to be no other exits here.
Almeric is once again paused into silence by the little girl that has become a woman. He stares at Fahm, entranced by her poetic recital, he listens carefully to the tale. Almeric looks from Fahm, to Thatch, Cairneach, Fergus and back to Fahm. Nodding to the question, Almeric finally looks to Fergus.
"Make sure you record this in your journal, Fergus. Especially the lyrics of these poems and songs. The content should be published and disseminated, lest the knowledge be lost. Also, what do you know of such a place as this?"
Taking in the runes and markings pointed put, the dead priests and guardians, Almeric draws upon his limited knowledge of such things, asking Fergus to do the same.
Religion = 16
Almeric is unsure, it does not resemble anything he has had contact with......he is reminded of a mandala he saw once in Ibrahim....
"Certainly Sir"Fergus replies, pretending to document the song before looking around the area for clues.
(Investigation: 19)
Fergus is unsure what exactly he is looking for when he feels a dull ache behind his left eye and everything goes dark for a moment....
The voice sounds in his head again, " The moon priests died before their guest was released. Step on the painting. Release her.....it amuses me....." The voice was more coherent....more practiced in his tongue now....though no less Cthonic and primordial in its timbre....
Fergus rubs his eye, and moves towards the pattern painted on the floor. A feeling of dread gripped in his stomach the same as if he were staring from a precipice into a bottomless pit with the urge to step off.
"Steer clear of the staves, the resonate like the one upstairs." he calls out to the others outstretching his hands to keep them away before stepping on the pattern.
Ori picks up a pair of the blades held by the skeletons. And inspects them. (If anything more then old worn out blades Ori will put two of them in his pack.) Not sure what to make of all the singing and the like going on, Ori says:
"Gotcha, no touch the staffs. So Almeric what do you make of this place? Where to from here?"
Almeric reflects on his limited knowledge and nods sagely to Ori's comment.
"I would prefer to head East next, and secure this level before continuing deeper. I have collected a few trinkets and expect to fins more treasure as we go."
Looking around the strange place, Almeric gives his 2 pennies worth. "This could be a some kind of worship chamber? A Chapel maybe? The markings on the floor remind me of a Mandala that I saw in Ibrahim. The Ta'ashim Sages use these as a focus for their mystical rites. Best not to step...." Almeric watches Fergus as he steps into the circle "...on it."
Everything seems to lapse into slow motion as Fergus treads carefully toward the ritual circle. Almeric's words are drawn out in an wobbly echo while Salt begins to bark in an eerily low tone, jumping in place. Cainneach turns to grab the scrivener as he passes, but somehow he slips through the forester's grasp ...
Almeric yells through the melee "LET THEM BURN!"
Almeric exhales as the shimmering aura around him dissipates. With a flick of his wrist, the bone dust fall from the blade of his sword and sheaths it.
"We can all be suspicious Ori! Some even codify this as a religion!" Almeric chuckles at his own ironic joke. He begins to search the bone dust to collect the silver torcs that each skeleton wore. "Take heart and celebrate our victories. I believe our success is due to out training, discipline, communication and teamwork. And of course our Patron Gods, which watch over us all!"
Almeric drops his True Faith Dogma for the first time since they all met, a few months before. It may even passed unnoticed in the heat of the moment. Capellar Religious Doctrine is actually much more fluid than many people know. The Capellars value loyalty and utility above the spiritual virtues, as they are often called upon to resolve unpleasant problems using unpleasant means. Being willing and able are the main requirements within the Capellar Order, and Almeric hopes to achieve renown, influence and authority by pursuing these aims.
Almeric has seen how they all conduct themselves at peace and in combat. He knows that everyone here could easily secure positions within the Capellar Order. Their aptitudes and abilities make them all ideal candidates, if they were not otherwise engaged by Baron Aldred and Lord Dayne. For now, the situation with Baron Aldred was far too amicable to leave. Should things change in the future, Almeric could offer them all an option within the Dayne Household that would be most tantalizing. He would have to convince old man Dayne, but there was more than one way to skin a cat.
PERCEPTION = 5 Collect Silver Torcs.
While careful not to speak his opinion out loud, Cainneach most assuredly agrees with Ori's assessment. The dead care little about the confidence of adventurers and have no concept of morale. They have proven to be single-minded and ruthless in pursuit of their mission, with no concept of morale or retreat.
Cainneach wonders out loud, "Do we think it's safe to claim one of these swords? Silvered weapons can be of great use." He looks wistfully at his all too plain longbow and briefly considers adorning it with the blackened ring of Fengris that he collected earlier. Cainneach then mutters to himself, "No no, that's almost certainly unwise. Find out what it is before you try to use it." He turns his attention back to the swords and attempts to make an assessment as to whether it is safe to handle these blades.
Arcana 7
(OOC: Are they scimitars or something else, in terms of stats?)
Active - Player: Sleeping Gods ---- Complete - Player: Masquerade, Teleportation Machine ---- Complete - DM: Extradimensional Spaces
Come join the Worlds of Pphost, a new and growing PbP community! Adventures are currently running in the world of Haven or do some role-playing!
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Salt wanders among the remnants of the skeletons, trying to find a bone to gnaw on, or anything else of interest to his nose.
Perception 17
Active - Player: Sleeping Gods ---- Complete - Player: Masquerade, Teleportation Machine ---- Complete - DM: Extradimensional Spaces
Come join the Worlds of Pphost, a new and growing PbP community! Adventures are currently running in the world of Haven or do some role-playing!
It never hurts to help! ---- PbP: [Rolling Dice] [Tooltips] ---- DDB Content: [Free Adventures] [Encounter of the Week]
As you look around the room these undead creatures were guarding it appears to be mostly bare. Towards the rear of the room on the floor beside a pattern of painted designs and small brass censers lie two long-dead bodies in rotted robes. They hold ritual staves, and appear to have been slain in the middle of some ceremony.
The blades appear to be curved at he tip with a somewhat wavy appearance and very tarnished, as far as Cainneach can tell they are mundane weapons.
( Scimitars for mechanics, yes)
Salt finds an ulna to chew on though it is so old that there is precious little to enjoy......he does shy away from the patterns and the ritual area...
As the retinue regroups after dealing with the skeletons and prepares to search the room where they had been, your attention is suddenly captured by a low melodious sound. At first you think of such strange things as a butterfly using the one moment an old folk belief grants it voice and breath to play the Thulish uilean pipes of this seacoast. Then you locate the source and realize why it reminded you of those rather than the still deeper highland pipes more common in the Pagans. Famh has stepped to one side and is standing silhouetted against the hallway leading back to light and safety. And she is singing, hauntingly, in Thulish. After an interval that could well be one rendition of her song, she switches to Elleslandic and sings it for you again.
The words cease for a brief time and there is only Famh’s voice throbbing like a shawm as she wordlessly laments the unbearably beautiful sorrow of the world, and the sometimes unbearably poignant beauty. You see that in her spare moments she has crafted an improvised harp, no more than three strings on which she now begins to pluck an accompaniment whose simplicity a thousand times intensifies the aching loveliness of her voice. At last she goes on:
She tells you it is a song Brither Cadfael taught her when she was a small girl. Apparently, in the branch of the True Faith that hedge priest had been trained in, there were legends that the knowledge and civilization of the ancient Bacchiles had been lost for a time to the True Faith churches closer to the center of the Selentine lands when that by-then crumbling empire fell; and that that knowledge had been preserved in distant missions on the outskirts like those that had been established in Thuland. According to this legend, it was a Thulish monk that devoted the first half of his life to copying all the knowledge he could collect; and the rest journeying from his coastal hermitage of Skellig to the spiritual center of the True Faith to rekindle this knowledge in the rest of the lands the Faith had by then spread to. The song portrays him lying on his death bed and entrusting his precious manuscripts to the young monk who had cared for him in his final illness. “Is it true?,” Famh says. “Who knows as to that, if ye mean did history actually happen so. But it’s true to the heart. I can’t sing it without tears coming to my throat at the beauty of some of the words, even when I can keep them out of my eyes. It’s about time the air of this place be cleansed by some sounds that aren’t of horror and death.”
She turns to Cainneach after making this remark, with a nervous chuckle that conveys that she feels she’s made the conversation quite heavy enough for one day, and adds, “We aren’t being terribly good hosts, ‘neach. Here we bring our friends with us to visit Thuland, and all we can seem to show them are places like this””
Famh Thrawn Fiadhaich - 'half elven' sorcerer (wild magic) 2, Sleeping Gods - A Dragon Warriors campaign in the Lands of Legend
Quspira Inirali - tiefling cleric (Life domain) 4, Painted's "He'll be the father of my child"
---RETIRED HEROES' REST HOME---
Sae Ivui Nailo - wood elf rogue (inquisitive) 5 , Sea of Death: Captain Hailstorm's Lost Treasure
Ryshraxea "Shra" Naranthi - tabaxi artificer 1, Nyx's Tomb of Annihilation - Group 1
Cainneach is crouched over one of the piles of bones with Salt at his side when Famh's low melody emerges from the disorganized noises of adventurers sifting through what remains of their battle. As her voice raises in volume and strength, her confidence growing by the verse, Cainneach follows the tune closely, first in his head, then humming quietly as he learns the progression of individual pitches and key changes. This is nearly automatic for the awkward forester, as he had been surrounded by music from an early age, and had the good fortune of finding a companion in Dru who revelled in the mighty choruses of the denizens of the forest. When Famh switches to Elleslandic to repeat the song, Cainneach reaches to his pack to grab his pan flute, thinking to provide an accompaniment, a counterpoint to the gorgeous melody, but he stops. In his mind, he knows exactly how his harmony should sound, but this is her performance, hers alone, and needs nothing extra, nothing to distract from the story being told so beautifully. Cainneach sighs and shoulders his pack again, picks up one of the tarnished silver scimitars, tucks it in his belt, and simply watches the young Thulish woman, listening and wondering what sort of witchcraft she has practiced upon him.
With Famh having finished her performance and heading over to join Cainneach, he stands up quickly, trying to do so as gracefully as possible while wiping a tear from his cheek. After her comment, Cainneach responds quietly, "This place may be cursed, but you've made it beautiful nonetheless. When we have free reign to travel Thuland, and aren't subject to the whims of the Mergeld Sea and the needs of nobles, we can bring them to the places we used to know. If you sing like that, I'm sure they'll follow, or maybe that's just me." He grins sheepishly and Salt wags his tail with enthusiasm.
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Thatch moves forward to recover his arrow and join Cainneach and the others as they search the room, but stops short at Famh’s song. “That was beautiful” he murmurs, cheeks turning red with slight embarrassment. “And I would like to see more of this country. Especially places that can bring forth such a song.” His attention is drawn to the ritual circle in the back of the room and he calls over Sir Almeric and Fergus, either of which could likely make more sense of what had happened there. "Mi'lord. What do you think happened here? Did the skeletons kills them, or something else do you think?"
The immediate hallway stopping at this room, Thatch looks around for any other exits from the room, even those that may be disguised or hidden. Perception: 17.
.
"Why ... thank you ...," Famh replies to her companions with a shy smile, though somehow she seems more aware of Cainneach's praise than Thatch's. But she is quickly sobered and back to the present at the sight of the bones clad in ritual garb, so similar to the scene above. "No one touch the staves.," she snaps, seeming oblivious that she's just promoted herself to a position where she has the authority to give orders, or that no one seems particularly inclined to pick up either of the staves anyway. She walks over to where Thatch is examining the scene with Sir Almeric and Fergus. "I'll raise one with my fae hand instead, and then we can bring it a little closer and see if it looks the same as the one above."
===========================
Mage hand
Arcana 16
History 11
Famh Thrawn Fiadhaich - 'half elven' sorcerer (wild magic) 2, Sleeping Gods - A Dragon Warriors campaign in the Lands of Legend
Quspira Inirali - tiefling cleric (Life domain) 4, Painted's "He'll be the father of my child"
---RETIRED HEROES' REST HOME---
Sae Ivui Nailo - wood elf rogue (inquisitive) 5 , Sea of Death: Captain Hailstorm's Lost Treasure
Ryshraxea "Shra" Naranthi - tabaxi artificer 1, Nyx's Tomb of Annihilation - Group 1
She will also look to see if there are any moons on the walls nearby or in the painted designs, and what their phase is.
===========================
Perception 15
Famh Thrawn Fiadhaich - 'half elven' sorcerer (wild magic) 2, Sleeping Gods - A Dragon Warriors campaign in the Lands of Legend
Quspira Inirali - tiefling cleric (Life domain) 4, Painted's "He'll be the father of my child"
---RETIRED HEROES' REST HOME---
Sae Ivui Nailo - wood elf rogue (inquisitive) 5 , Sea of Death: Captain Hailstorm's Lost Treasure
Ryshraxea "Shra" Naranthi - tabaxi artificer 1, Nyx's Tomb of Annihilation - Group 1
The staff that she lifts bears quite a lot of resemblance to the one upstairs. She is able to lift it without disturbing the painted pattern.
The walls here seem bare of decoration.
There seem to be no other exits here.
Seeing that Thatch seems satisfied with his assessment of their options for egress, Cainneach will take a moment to see what he can make of the disturbing scene comprised of the ritual markings on the floor and the sacrificial victims.
Religion 10
Following that, he suggests to the group, "We still have the passage fully to the east to explore, or we could descend the stairs to the north of where we entered. There must be something we've yet to uncover here, some kind of key to understanding that obelisk."
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Having lifted the first staff without any ill results following, Famh has her spell set it down by the exit and repeats the process with the second. She carefully notes any differences between the two, then joins Cainneach in examining the markings on the floor. "Why two here, and only one above?," she wonders aloud. "And what do these marks have to do with it all? Patterns... signs... " Her voice trails off as she gropes to understand the connections between all she sees and has seen.
===========================
Arcana 25
Religion 12
History 12
Investigation (to put it all together -- '"... and make deductions based on those clues, ..."") 13
...the kitchen sink 3 5 7 1 8 20 31 ... lol
Famh Thrawn Fiadhaich - 'half elven' sorcerer (wild magic) 2, Sleeping Gods - A Dragon Warriors campaign in the Lands of Legend
Quspira Inirali - tiefling cleric (Life domain) 4, Painted's "He'll be the father of my child"
---RETIRED HEROES' REST HOME---
Sae Ivui Nailo - wood elf rogue (inquisitive) 5 , Sea of Death: Captain Hailstorm's Lost Treasure
Ryshraxea "Shra" Naranthi - tabaxi artificer 1, Nyx's Tomb of Annihilation - Group 1
Almeric is once again paused into silence by the little girl that has become a woman. He stares at Fahm, entranced by her poetic recital, he listens carefully to the tale. Almeric looks from Fahm, to Thatch, Cairneach, Fergus and back to Fahm. Nodding to the question, Almeric finally looks to Fergus.
"Make sure you record this in your journal, Fergus. Especially the lyrics of these poems and songs. The content should be published and disseminated, lest the knowledge be lost. Also, what do you know of such a place as this?"
Taking in the runes and markings pointed put, the dead priests and guardians, Almeric draws upon his limited knowledge of such things, asking Fergus to do the same.
Religion = 16
"Certainly Sir" Fergus replies, pretending to document the song before looking around the area for clues.
(Investigation: 19)
The more he looks at the tableau the less he is convinced the figures are victims and the more they seem to be priests based on other bodies he has seen here.....perhaps slain in the middle of a ceremony?
There is something fell and unworldly about the pattern though she cannot decipher its meaning, but she thinks she is beginning to pick out a pattern among the bodies and different pieces of armour and what Cainneach pointed out earlier. There were more Mercanian bodies above, less below and none here.......of her own people there were many bodies above, many concentrated around the stairs and none here.....
The second staff is quite different being constructed of silver birch and it is crowned with a moonstone in a silver setting it seems to be free of rot and tarnish.
Almeric is unsure, it does not resemble anything he has had contact with......he is reminded of a mandala he saw once in Ibrahim....
Fergus is unsure what exactly he is looking for when he feels a dull ache behind his left eye and everything goes dark for a moment....
The voice sounds in his head again, " The moon priests died before their guest was released. Step on the painting. Release her.....it amuses me....." The voice was more coherent....more practiced in his tongue now....though no less Cthonic and primordial in its timbre....
Fergus rubs his eye, and moves towards the pattern painted on the floor. A feeling of dread gripped in his stomach the same as if he were staring from a precipice into a bottomless pit with the urge to step off.
"Steer clear of the staves, the resonate like the one upstairs." he calls out to the others outstretching his hands to keep them away before stepping on the pattern.
Ori picks up a pair of the blades held by the skeletons. And inspects them. (If anything more then old worn out blades Ori will put two of them in his pack.) Not sure what to make of all the singing and the like going on, Ori says:
"Gotcha, no touch the staffs. So Almeric what do you make of this place? Where to from here?"
Almeric reflects on his limited knowledge and nods sagely to Ori's comment.
"I would prefer to head East next, and secure this level before continuing deeper. I have collected a few trinkets and expect to fins more treasure as we go."
Looking around the strange place, Almeric gives his 2 pennies worth. "This could be a some kind of worship chamber? A Chapel maybe? The markings on the floor remind me of a Mandala that I saw in Ibrahim. The Ta'ashim Sages use these as a focus for their mystical rites. Best not to step...." Almeric watches Fergus as he steps into the circle "...on it."
(With Cainneach's Passive WIS (Perception) of 20, I can imagine ...)
Everything seems to lapse into slow motion as Fergus treads carefully toward the ritual circle. Almeric's words are drawn out in an wobbly echo while Salt begins to bark in an eerily low tone, jumping in place. Cainneach turns to grab the scrivener as he passes, but somehow he slips through the forester's grasp ...
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Come join the Worlds of Pphost, a new and growing PbP community! Adventures are currently running in the world of Haven or do some role-playing!
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