Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk

Boona moves next to Fergus that was what she had thought.

" Karst can carry things...if you need. I can too."

Jorzu takes the glasses. He reckons they'll fit him. (See addition to inventory.)

Fergus checks the west wall for hidden latches, panels, and secret or concealed doors. He finds none, but he does discover a thin crevase in the collapse rubble to the southwest. It is too narrow for a medium-sized creature to traverse without a couple of hours of digging, but it could be entered by someone Small of stature, like himself.

Fergus:

”Hey, I think I found a passage back this way,” says Fergus, taking a few steps in, shining his lantern along the way.

Fergus squeezes into the narrow gap in the rubble. Beyond, he begins to spy a pitch-dark... bedroom? A stone bed draped with furs is evidently the only furnishing in this small chamber to have survived the long-ago collapse. The bed is clean and tidy. (Small or smaller creatures can traverse the passage normally. Medium or larger creatures might traverse the passage only after spending a few hours clearing boulders away, first.) The room appears to be unoccupied. All is quiet.

Boon leans in, " Not fit."

Fergus:

Illuminating the small room with his lantern, Fergus notes it appears to be clean and tidy, apparently well-cared for in this abandoned temple. “Curious,” he thinks to himself.

”Boona, I am sorry you can’t fit.  Please get Bryony and Jorzu and see if they would like to join me.in exploring,” asks Fergus.

Waiting a few moments for them to join him if they wish, Fergus.continues a few steps into the room.

Bryony squeezes through the narrow passageway into the room.

"Huh, this is odd," says Bryony. "Why is this room hidden back here?"

She begins to poke around, looking for anything that seems interesting.

Investigation - 15

Bryony joins Fergus in the small room while Boona peers helplessly through the thin crack behind them. The small room is unremarkable and unadorned. It is filled with rubble from the collapse, and a single tidy bed. A door leads north.

Fergus:

Moving towards the northern door as Bryony investigates, Fergus looks for any traps or other weirdness at the door. 

"This may lead to the room the two stone sentinels were guarding," suggests Fergus.

Perception:  16

If the door seems safe enough to him, he tries to open it.

Quinn walks in the room just in time to see Bryony disappear into the crevasse. I nudges past Boona and sticks his head into the tunnel and calls out in hushed tones.

"Fergus...Bryony...be careful in there."

He stands silent slows his breathing, focusing on hearing anything that happens in the other room.

Boona gathers the remaining treasure up packing it into her bag and pouches....

Jorzu 

Momentarily distracted by the glasses Jorzu is late getting to the crevice. He looks up at Quinn and states; "Can't leave those two to face whatever may be down there by themselves". His diminutive form fits easily through the passage but when he sees Fergus' lantern light shining back through the tunnel he pauses. He crushes several beads over his head and the sparkling dust begins to obscure his form. Once light is seemingly passing straight through him he steps into the room and announces his presence. "Don't be alarmed, I am here". Laiti flits along behind him, invisible like her master.

((I just realized we are a party of almost all shorties, except for Quinn and Boona, haha))

Bryony nods to Fergus. "Be careful," she whispers as he tries to open the door. 

Boona packs up the rest of the treasure. Quinn sticks his head in the crack, judging it to be much too narrow to fit him. Jurgen slips through easily, but Hero is left behind. Jorzu vanishes.

Fergus judges the door north to be normal and untrapped. It opens readily to his touch. Fergus peeks inside as Bryony carefully watches from the shadows behind.

Another pitch-dark room. A small chapel, perhaps. The walls are carved with images of dwarven miners kneeling in pious reflection. Three statues of humans kneel in the room’s corners. An altar against the room’s east wall is studded with sockets, as though for gemstones. Studying the sockets carefully is a pensive woman with snakes for hair. A short, rock-like creature stands next to her – you recognize it as a galeb duhr, one of the boulder-like creatures you met in the hallway. It takes notes in the dark with a stone stylus on a stone slab.

The woman turns toward Fergus. "How did you get in here?" she asks, coolly. "A halfling! Very good. Are you here to loot treasure? You should first consider the sanctity of the dwarven spirits here."

Fergus:

"Ah, you must be Honna the art collector," begins Fergus, bowing and keeping his eyes averted momentarily as the light from his lantern revealed the snakes in place of hair before the lady turned around.  What does he know of such creatures?

Nature, perhaps:  11

"I am Fergus, a bard of the Ollamh college.  I am here primarily to find some townspeople who were abducted by cultists obsessed with some kind of psychic stone.  However, I was informed that the Dwarven template had been desecrated, and if I can help to re-consecrate it, I would be happy to do so.  Perhaps those statues and indentations in the altar provide clues to the missing statuettes and gems needed to do just that," he continues.

Perception to note where the gems, statuettes, and perhaps holy symbol may have their place:  9

"As to how I got here, well, a temple of the Dumathoin is bound to have plenty of secret ways to get around, doesn't it?  I mean you no harm unless you are bound to desecrate the dwarven temple, are part of the goblin cult who kidnapped our friends, or you have nefarious intent against us for some unknown reason.  What say you--shall we parley?" he concludes.

Persuasion:  16

Fergus has heard of "medusae" and their "turn to stone" business, but he doesn't recall precisely how it works.

"I am indeed Honna. Are there more of you? Come, halfling, have you seen these relief carvings of the dwarven miners kneeling in reflection? We should all be so respectful to our spirit hosts here. Nobody will be desecrating anything under my watch. Come, halfling, kneel for a moment in reflection and pay your respects. Help re-consecrate it, as you say."

The galeb duhr enthusiastically takes notes of her words.

Fergus notes there are at least two dozen sockets here, perhaps for gemstones, although Boona has only 12 newly-found jewels in her possession now. Fergus has no idea if they would fit. As to the statuettes and holy symbol, they do not seem to have an immediately obvious place here.

Fergus:

Fergus briefly considers if Honna may be trying to lure him into a trap before he approaches.

Insight:  21

”We must all be careful when meeting someone new in such a dangerous place,” responds Fergus, taking a few steps forward as he assesses the situation, “and tales of medusa’s fell power have reached even my ears.  Let us assume that I am not alone, and if you abuse my trust, others will come quickly to my aid.”

If he feels safe enough (based on that check), he will move forward to investigate the indentations in the altar.  If he gets the sense she is preparing to ambush him, he will remain in the doorway, unsure of what to do next.  In any case, he does not turn his back to her or her stony assistant.

(DC15 Opposing Persuasion or Deception check:  ■ ■ ■ )

She seems genuine, as far as Fergus can ascertain. 

"Come. Kneel. Pay your respects. Kneel so you don’t offend the dead.”

Fergus:

Still keeping some level of self preservation, Fergus approaches the altar and looks at the indentations.  He moves on to the kneeling dwarf and starts to kneel himself, then says, “Come join me, Honna, that we may pay our respects together.”

Fergus begins a reverent instrumental song, attempting to capture both Dwarven culture and the mysterious nature of their deity of secrets.

Perception to keep an eye sideways at Honna:  12

Performance with the harp:  22

Jorzu

Fergus seemed to trust this snake-haired lady but Jorzu wasn't so sure. He sends Laiti back to the others to brief them. "Make sure you tell them about the snakes on the head. Oh, and tell them that Fergus seems to trust the lady." He communicates with his charge through their telepathic link so as to not reveal his presence.