Rattinger Religion 11

Gareth:

Gareth attempts to remember what the symbol represents.
Religion:  19

Reaching in through the partially open door, Gareth contorts his body to try and dislodge the blockage keeping the door from opening freely.

Acrobatics:  17

Still here, religion check 14

I was think if I was going to just say I would claim that I fail, but the dice did the work for me.

Seeing the carved symbol the Loa points out Gareth immediately realizes it's for the Remenants! A cult of Vecna symbol from the remaining members of a movement decades-old of people who tried to raise Venca to Godhood. These cultist were rooted out of their strongholds all over the lands of Talamh by the church of the Dawn Father that came from the west to washed over the land like a wave of light and justice!

Together with Longshadow's help, the two-party members shift the door pushing it against pews stacks again the doors. The sun is all but gone now in the late winter sky. There is no light in the temple and it's ominously dark inside as pew clatter to the stone temple floor as Gareth and Longshdaow force their way in! This temple is nothing like the temple of the Dawn Father in Triskele that bathed anyone who entered in the light! It's inky black and even Longdshadow seems to have a problem seeing into the darkness ahead.

Rattinger will go back to his pack for a torch.  Using the tinderbox to catch a flame, he will hold it high as he peers through the open doorway, trying to pierce the darkness inside.  His skin crawling with tension, he will look to see if the light illuminates anything of note inside, or if the flame solicits some kind of response or reaction from within the dark interior.... Perception 11

Gareth:

Pulling out a torch and lighting it from Rattinger’s fire, Gareth switches to a one-handed grip on his sword and says, “That is the symbol of the Remnants, an evil cult of Vecna thought to be long purged by the holiness of the Dawn Father.  That it should surface here is…troubling.  Be on your guard.”

If there is no immediate reaction from the door opening and the torches being lit, then Loa slips into the temple ahead of Rattinger, rapier in hand. As he does so, he opens up his senses fully to his surroundings (Magic Awareness) as he offers a quiet prayer to Pelor.

“Shine forth thy light
Drive back the darkness
Bring life where there was death
Bring peace where there was strife
Bring knowledge where there was ignorance
Bring comfort where there was fear
Let the sun rise!
Let the shadows flee!“

Thordigon wipes himself a little after hearing about Vecna almost as if trying to get something off himself.  "Cults.  hump."

Arthos brings up the rear. “Great… Vecna….. that would explain some things, though. That name alone invokes terror in all kinds of folk.”

OOC: Marching order inside? Gareth, Loa, Thor, Longshadow, Rattinger, and Arthos?

Moving inside the wave hits the party. Death is lingering in this place as is the living! Also immediately moving inside the party hears the scuttling of something but Gareth with his torch aloft doesn't catch who or whatever it is hiding further in the darkness the torch light can not illuminate!

Loa only

OOC: While it makes sense for Rattinger to be further back, I think he was one of the first through the door.  If they run into any trouble immediately, Rattinger is likely to still be nearer the front.  If they have time to get inside and further away from the door, Rattinger would fall back toward the rear of the group as you outlined in post #111.

Once inside - assuming he has the time or opportunity - Rattinger looks for a wall sconce to hang his torch so he can wield his shortbow.  Perception 20

OOC: Noted. Rattinger can go in after Gareth.

Looking around the old rogue finds a scone near the door and places the torch into the wrought iron holder. Looking inside Rattinger spots the line of bodies, half a dozen at least, lined up on the floor and unmoving wrapped in shrouds. Looking beyond the dead Rattinger spots a smallish figure hutch behind a pew just off from the bodies that have been overturned. The smallish figure then dips back out of sight as Rattinger looks at their hiding place again.

"These...these people have been sanctified against turning," Longshadow says following Rattinger and Loa's line of sight before gesturing over at the shrouded figures. "I still sense it, however," they pause with a snarled lip, "the undead is very near," they add swords flashing in the torchlight still as their Drow eyes pierce the darkness 40ft ahead.

"Hold," Loa calls to the figure as it darts away. "In the name of the Dawn Father, hold." Loa moves hesitantly toward the figure. Although the sense of necrotic e elegy around him is worrying, there appears to be no immediate threat. There are, however, too many shadows and opportunities for things to hide for Loa to advance too quickly. ((Is the figure moving toward the flashing of swords?))

OCC: The flashing swords belong to Longshadow just trying to be descriptive man.

Loa please roll intimidation or persuasion, please.

To Loa:

In a whisper, "What did you see?  I caught only a glimpse.  Something small, like a child...."

Persuasion: 11

(editing previous post to reflect the I do about the swords) 

Gareth:

Sword in one hand and lit torch in the other, Gareth looks warily towards the shrouded bodies, saying, “Do you mean the corpses are sanctified against becoming undead?” as he looks into the flickering light for the nearby undead.

Perception;  10

Arthos reaches in his component pouch and selects a small stone and a tiny jar containing a firefly.  He jostles the fly, causing the bug to illuminate itself as he speaks, "By the Dawn Father's Light."  The rock begins to glow with light, and as it begins to intensify, Arthos extends his hand towards darkness in the general direction Loa is calling.  (casting light on the stone) 

(next action):  He then whispers, "grant me your guiding hand," and as he waves his hand, holding the stone, a translucent hand originating from Arthos's own, lifts the stone out of his hand and carries it into the gloom.  (casting mage hand to carry the stone towards where Loa is looking).

"Yes," Longshadow replies with a heavy sigh. "This is the work of a follower of Pelor," they add gesturing at the Pelor symbols on the shrouds. "The undead I sense is just beyond that door leading to the high priests quarters," they explain gesturing to a closed wooden door they can see but no one else until Arthos stones illuminate the gloom!

Gareth notices signs of a struggle as well as what looks like several areas of the temple turned into living spaces with bedroll tossed about as well as lanterns unlit setting on the floor by these areas of rest. The temple has clearly been occupied at some point for a long time, over a week at least.

Loa coaxing is meet with silence as the small figure stays hidden.