There's a small engraving in the statue. "Our Saviour, the Queen of All Night, EXPLICTICA DEFILUS."
And yes, you know what this creature is. In your readings you have heard of the monstrous 'Naga'. Giant snakes with the head and advanced intelligence of humans. They inhabit ruins of the past, amassing arcane treasures and knowledge.
Avery urges caution, "Seeing there is a good number of skeletons around this statue, could be another trap." He will try to see if the tracks they were following went through this chamber, and to see if there are any traps. Perception: 20 Investigation: 7
Xanrym gasps and walks forward to the statue, avoiding looking into its ruby "eyes" (better safe than sorry). "Listen," he says, and then reads the inscription on the pedestal out loud:
There's a small engraving in the statue. "Our Saviour, the Queen of All Night, EXPLICTICA DEFILUS."
Xanrym circles the statue, looking at it says, "This explains much!" In case the others don't recognize it, he explains: "It's a statue of a 'naga'. It's not a god but a monstrous and magical creature with the body of a snake but the head of a human. From what I've read, nagas are rare but are sometimes found in ancient ruins, where they amass arcane treasures and knowledge. And, apparently, in this case, a cult of followers. Nagas are intelligent and dangerous, and they have arcane powers. I think that we can be confident that we known now who has entranced Bertram and the others."
"But...", Xanrym looks around the chamber now, "I don't think that we'd find an ancient and powerful naga hiding in some dingy tunnels under an inn like this. Not unless these tunnels somehow open onto a much larger and ancient tomb buried under Orlane. Maybe this is just an idol and a place of worship that Misha created to organize her cult in Orlane without drawing attention at the Temple of Merrika?"
Avery urges caution, "Seeing there is a good number of skeletons around this statue, could be another trap."
Not finding any other clues on the statue itself, Xanrym heeds Avery's warning and steps away from the statue. He wonders whether it is simply an idol of veneration, some sort of magical trap, or a way of hiding a stairway or chute down to a lower level tunnel. Xanrym asks whether they have enough time for Theldrin to do a ritual casting of detect magic to find out whether the statue itself is magical.
"Well, this is intriguing..." Theldrin says slowly, looking lost in thought as he rubs his beard and listens intently to Xanrym. He soon snaps back to attention with a slight nod as he replies, "It would take me ten minutes to cast it as a ritual." He adds as he looks around at the group, "Should we take the time?"
Xanrym agrees: "We also have some more details now. We could see whether the name 'Explictica Defilus' helps to loosen the tongue of any of the cultists upstairs. Or what they say when they see the statue!" He studies the statue intently for a moment, and then casts minor illusion to make an illusory copy of the statue (on a slightly reduced scale to fit within a 5' cube) next to the real one.
You don’t see any traps or sense any magic around the statue. It seems to be exactly what it looks like, a place of worship for Mishas followers, and a dumping spot for the bodies of their enemies.
if there’s nothing else you’d like to do down hear, you can absolutely take the chest upstairs, where Lldryk has been watching over the rest of the people. I assume you bar the door to the cellar, and set up watch for the rest of the night to complete your LongRest.
Is there anything else you’d like to do before turning in?
(OOC: Not thinking of anything else to do before resting... other than wanting to identify Misha's ring, which would probably take more time than we have right now in order to get a Long Rest in.)
You can spend an hour with the ring on your watch and focus on it to identify it, it is a Ring of Protection . It will give you a +1 to AC and all Saving Throws.
In the morning you hear people come into the room downstairs. quite a few people milling around. You hear the familiar voice of Sir Grover. "You up there, you will come down immidiately." His voice is stern, unlike you've heard him before. Another voice, one you don't recognise also yells out. "This is Zakarias Ormond, the mayor of this village. We will need you all to come down i'm afraid. There's a bit of a posse out here and you don't want them coming up for you."
If you look out the window, you see a fair few people outside, brandishing clubs and poles. Looking confused more than angry.
In the morning you hear people come into the room downstairs.
(OOC: According to the watch order, Xanrym and Toska would have been on the morning watch. Did those people arrive before the rest of the party was awake? Or is this happening once the whole party is awake but just before we've made any plans for the day?
What's the status of our captives? Still tied up? And do we still have Oliver, Toska, and Maajid with us?)
Xanrym - These people arrive as you all awaken. Your captives are still tied up, and the others will wait for you to deal with the people downstairs.
Avery - As you get downstairs, you see people milling around at the door of the inn, and three people standing in the middle of the room. The first is Sir Grover, in his uniform and with a sword in hand, looking coldly as you come down the stairs. The other two you've never met before, both older than Sir Grover. The first is a stately looking man with a short beard and slicked back salt and pepper hair. He carries a stick as he walks with a limp, but has an old sword strapped to his belt and you can tell it has been used in it's time. The third man is the most striking. He stands just behind the one with the walking stick, yet stands a head taller, probably 6 and a half feet tall, with short grey hair and a burn mark on the left side of his face. He has grey eyes and looks at you with grim acceptance. He has large muscles and an axe strapped to his back. You can tell that if pressed, this man could use have the large weapon in his hands in an instant.
"Submit immidiately, you are all under arrest for whatever crimes you have commited! Where are my constables? Where is the priestess Misha?" Sir Grover is holding his sword at you accusingly, his voice dripping with contempt.
"Hold now, Grover." Says the older man with the limp. "Surely you wish to speak to them first? I admit this is suspicious and i'm sure you wish to find your men, but we must hear everyone out before you start making arrests." He turns to you. "I am Zakarias Ormond, as i said before i am the mayor of this town. We are looking for a few missing people, including the local priest and two constables. It also seems there's been a fight in this bar last night." He looks around at the upturned chairs and blood on the floor. "What do you know about the events of last night? Do you know the location of the missing people?"
The large man just stands with his arms crossed looking at you with those grey eyes.
"Well this doesn't look good," Theldrin mutters as he looks out the window. He lets the curtain fall back into place, then takes a step back and says with a half-hearted grin. "It's going to be interesting trying to explain all of this I'm sure."
Seeing Avery start to head downstairs, hehesitates for a moment then shrugs and follows.
"Self defence? What have you done!? You've killed them all haven't you barbarian!?" Sir Grover is yelling at you, but it seems he's yelling more for the crowd at the door than out of anger. The people outside are looking at each other and mumbling, looking at you all in fear.
"Be careful now. Explain yourselves in detail. Leave nothing out, and remain calm." Zakarias looks at you cooly. You can see in his eyes that he wants to remain objective, but the implication that you were involved in violence against the local constables and priest is a very serious matter. And it seems Sir Grover has already made up his mind, so you'll need to think about what to say next.
Avery moves so that he is placed firmly in front of the group but with a safe space between them and the party. He glowers back at them, and especially at Sir Grover.
"You would like to know the truth of it in detail? You dare accuse us of crimes? Recall to your training Sir Grover, for every accusing finger pointing, there are three pointing back!" Avery turns to speak directly to Zakarias. "Concerned with what I have observed approaching the town, we visited Sir Grover and his, least I say from my point of view, less than professional constables. As I was bearing a message from a friend of his, I delivered it along with my report of what I observed. He had written on my note to return later in the even to speak in private, so I did. Instead, I was set upon by his thugs of constables, and way laid. Assisted by my friends here, I was able to break free, and join in the defense as they were attacked by these ruffians and brigands. We acted in self-defense, forced when no other alternatives were available."
Avery turns back and stares directly at Sir Grover. "You sir, have violated your oath of chivalry, and position as constable. I call you oath breaker, and I will make sure your order is well aware of this violation! That is the truth of it. There is a dark cult here, and Sir Grover is either directly involved, or complicit in allowing it to happen."
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There's a small engraving in the statue. "Our Saviour, the Queen of All Night, EXPLICTICA DEFILUS."
And yes, you know what this creature is. In your readings you have heard of the monstrous 'Naga'. Giant snakes with the head and advanced intelligence of humans. They inhabit ruins of the past, amassing arcane treasures and knowledge.
Also yes, this chamber has no other exit.
Avery urges caution, "Seeing there is a good number of skeletons around this statue, could be another trap." He will try to see if the tracks they were following went through this chamber, and to see if there are any traps. Perception: 20 Investigation: 7
Xanrym circles the statue, looking at it says, "This explains much!" In case the others don't recognize it, he explains: "It's a statue of a 'naga'. It's not a god but a monstrous and magical creature with the body of a snake but the head of a human. From what I've read, nagas are rare but are sometimes found in ancient ruins, where they amass arcane treasures and knowledge. And, apparently, in this case, a cult of followers. Nagas are intelligent and dangerous, and they have arcane powers. I think that we can be confident that we known now who has entranced Bertram and the others."
"But...", Xanrym looks around the chamber now, "I don't think that we'd find an ancient and powerful naga hiding in some dingy tunnels under an inn like this. Not unless these tunnels somehow open onto a much larger and ancient tomb buried under Orlane. Maybe this is just an idol and a place of worship that Misha created to organize her cult in Orlane without drawing attention at the Temple of Merrika?"
Not finding any other clues on the statue itself, Xanrym heeds Avery's warning and steps away from the statue. He wonders whether it is simply an idol of veneration, some sort of magical trap, or a way of hiding a stairway or chute down to a lower level tunnel. Xanrym asks whether they have enough time for Theldrin to do a ritual casting of detect magic to find out whether the statue itself is magical.
"Well, this is intriguing..." Theldrin says slowly, looking lost in thought as he rubs his beard and listens intently to Xanrym. He soon snaps back to attention with a slight nod as he replies, "It would take me ten minutes to cast it as a ritual." He adds as he looks around at the group, "Should we take the time?"
"I'm getting very concerned how far this goes. Should we maybe grab the chest, go back upstairs, bar the door and rest up before exploring deeper?"
Coriana - Company of the Grey Chain
Wagner - Dragon Heist: Bards.
DM - The Old Keep
Theldrin looks relieved as he replies, "I think that is likely our wisest course of action."
Xanrym agrees: "We also have some more details now. We could see whether the name 'Explictica Defilus' helps to loosen the tongue of any of the cultists upstairs. Or what they say when they see the statue!" He studies the statue intently for a moment, and then casts minor illusion to make an illusory copy of the statue (on a slightly reduced scale to fit within a 5' cube) next to the real one.
You don’t see any traps or sense any magic around the statue. It seems to be exactly what it looks like, a place of worship for Mishas followers, and a dumping spot for the bodies of their enemies.
if there’s nothing else you’d like to do down hear, you can absolutely take the chest upstairs, where Lldryk has been watching over the rest of the people. I assume you bar the door to the cellar, and set up watch for the rest of the night to complete your Long Rest.
Is there anything else you’d like to do before turning in?
(OOC: Not thinking of anything else to do before resting... other than wanting to identify Misha's ring, which would probably take more time than we have right now in order to get a Long Rest in.)
You can spend an hour with the ring on your watch and focus on it to identify it, it is a Ring of Protection . It will give you a +1 to AC and all Saving Throws.
But also requires attunement
In the morning you hear people come into the room downstairs. quite a few people milling around. You hear the familiar voice of Sir Grover. "You up there, you will come down immidiately." His voice is stern, unlike you've heard him before. Another voice, one you don't recognise also yells out. "This is Zakarias Ormond, the mayor of this village. We will need you all to come down i'm afraid. There's a bit of a posse out here and you don't want them coming up for you."
If you look out the window, you see a fair few people outside, brandishing clubs and poles. Looking confused more than angry.
Avery will go down to confront Sir Grover. Is he alone or does he have henchman with him, other than the confused looking mob?
(OOC: According to the watch order, Xanrym and Toska would have been on the morning watch. Did those people arrive before the rest of the party was awake? Or is this happening once the whole party is awake but just before we've made any plans for the day?
What's the status of our captives? Still tied up? And do we still have Oliver, Toska, and Maajid with us?)
Xanrym - These people arrive as you all awaken. Your captives are still tied up, and the others will wait for you to deal with the people downstairs.
Avery - As you get downstairs, you see people milling around at the door of the inn, and three people standing in the middle of the room. The first is Sir Grover, in his uniform and with a sword in hand, looking coldly as you come down the stairs. The other two you've never met before, both older than Sir Grover. The first is a stately looking man with a short beard and slicked back salt and pepper hair. He carries a stick as he walks with a limp, but has an old sword strapped to his belt and you can tell it has been used in it's time. The third man is the most striking. He stands just behind the one with the walking stick, yet stands a head taller, probably 6 and a half feet tall, with short grey hair and a burn mark on the left side of his face. He has grey eyes and looks at you with grim acceptance. He has large muscles and an axe strapped to his back. You can tell that if pressed, this man could use have the large weapon in his hands in an instant.
"Submit immidiately, you are all under arrest for whatever crimes you have commited! Where are my constables? Where is the priestess Misha?" Sir Grover is holding his sword at you accusingly, his voice dripping with contempt.
"Hold now, Grover." Says the older man with the limp. "Surely you wish to speak to them first? I admit this is suspicious and i'm sure you wish to find your men, but we must hear everyone out before you start making arrests." He turns to you. "I am Zakarias Ormond, as i said before i am the mayor of this town. We are looking for a few missing people, including the local priest and two constables. It also seems there's been a fight in this bar last night." He looks around at the upturned chairs and blood on the floor. "What do you know about the events of last night? Do you know the location of the missing people?"
The large man just stands with his arms crossed looking at you with those grey eyes.
"Well this doesn't look good," Theldrin mutters as he looks out the window. He lets the curtain fall back into place, then takes a step back and says with a half-hearted grin. "It's going to be interesting trying to explain all of this I'm sure."
Seeing Avery start to head downstairs, he hesitates for a moment then shrugs and follows.
Liarin comes downstairs, saying "Self defense and the defense of others is usually allowed in civilized lands, is it not?"
Coriana - Company of the Grey Chain
Wagner - Dragon Heist: Bards.
DM - The Old Keep
"Self defence? What have you done!? You've killed them all haven't you barbarian!?" Sir Grover is yelling at you, but it seems he's yelling more for the crowd at the door than out of anger. The people outside are looking at each other and mumbling, looking at you all in fear.
"Be careful now. Explain yourselves in detail. Leave nothing out, and remain calm." Zakarias looks at you cooly. You can see in his eyes that he wants to remain objective, but the implication that you were involved in violence against the local constables and priest is a very serious matter. And it seems Sir Grover has already made up his mind, so you'll need to think about what to say next.
Avery moves so that he is placed firmly in front of the group but with a safe space between them and the party. He glowers back at them, and especially at Sir Grover.
"You would like to know the truth of it in detail? You dare accuse us of crimes? Recall to your training Sir Grover, for every accusing finger pointing, there are three pointing back!" Avery turns to speak directly to Zakarias. "Concerned with what I have observed approaching the town, we visited Sir Grover and his, least I say from my point of view, less than professional constables. As I was bearing a message from a friend of his, I delivered it along with my report of what I observed. He had written on my note to return later in the even to speak in private, so I did. Instead, I was set upon by his thugs of constables, and way laid. Assisted by my friends here, I was able to break free, and join in the defense as they were attacked by these ruffians and brigands. We acted in self-defense, forced when no other alternatives were available."
Avery turns back and stares directly at Sir Grover. "You sir, have violated your oath of chivalry, and position as constable. I call you oath breaker, and I will make sure your order is well aware of this violation! That is the truth of it. There is a dark cult here, and Sir Grover is either directly involved, or complicit in allowing it to happen."