22 from Asariel (he's great at looking today. Hopefully he's also good at other things) 

Arista spends the next stretch shoulder-deep in the labor, boots squelching as she heaves the cart through clinging mud and ruts; by the time the ridge path levels out and the others pause to study whatever their sharp eyes have found ahead, she’s breathing hard, braced on her frost-scarred staff, sweat and rain mingling on her brow. Grateful for the moment’s respite, she lets her gaze drift over the dripping trees—seeing little beyond the blur of leaves and her own pounding pulse—before straightening to push on when the party is ready.

Perception 7

Seemingly oblivious to just about anything and everything around him other than the mud, Mathias trudges on. 

[Perception 7]]

Kaelen perception: 21

From a distance of about a half-mile, the perceptive among you see the tip of a thin black spire poking up amongst the trees in the general direction of the path you are following.

As you get closer, at about 500 feet, you spot it. Impaled on the spire, you see a humanoid body hanging limply in the sun.

Asariel stops suddenly. "That is not what I wanted to see today. I am a bit concerned as to what that spire is. I am more concerned someone might try lead us to the same fate."

“Spire? Where—” Arista squints in the direction Asariel indicates until she makes out the dark spear of stone and the limp figure skewered upon it. Her jaw tightens. “That’s dead in our path, and part of our task is to learn what prowls between Threshold and the keep. Skirting it won’t help the next expedition.” She hefts her staff, eyes hard. “I say we go forward—cautious, shields up, and ready to learn what did that.”

Brekka struggles to make out what the others have seen. His draconic eyes squint hard as he tries to focus. He's still not sure what he's looking at, but at the mention of their task and the possibility of skirting something, he learns all he needs to. There is something potentially dangerous in their way.

"Forward to meet it head on," he agrees heartily with Arista. He hefts his shield up to punctuate his point.

You approach the spire bravely, but aware of your surroundings. The spire is in a small clearing, marked with stones like many you've already encountered.
These stones are black as pitch, as opposed to white, and are covered in reddish-brown runes. The spire is only six inches accross at the top, but widens to almost two feet at the base. It rises about 90 feet above the clearing. The clearing is about 30 feet across.

Brekka and Mathias, you both get a very uneasy feeling, as there is something here against the gods and nature.

Kaelen draws his bow as they approach, his eyes drawn to the runes.

Ooc: It doesn't happen to be in Abyssal, does it? Kaelen can read that.

"There is something very foul afoot," Brekka rumbles in a low growl. He draws his blade and lifts his shield defensively.

"Something unholy."

He stands near the others, ready to protect them while they try to discern the spire's dark purpose.

[[I forgot an obvious detail.]]

Lying at the base of the spire, broken as if it had fallen from it, is another humanoid body, this one nothing but bones in its remaining clothing.

The writing uses the Abyssal alphabet, but is more of an attempt to use the symbols ritualistically than proper writing. Based on the characters and word fragments you can see, it appears to invoke some time of protection or barrier.

[[Wasn't expecting Abyssal, as 2024 took it away from players. You must have gotten it from a 2014 background. Not an issue, just unexpected.]]

((2024 Rangers and Rogues can get rare languages from their class features. Deft Explorer and Thieves' Cant specifically.))

Kaelen gives a slight frown as he pieces together what meaning he can from the writing.

"This is Abyssal. It seems the tales of a cult had some truth," he remarks, nodding in agreement with Brekka's assessment, "Someone was trying to invoke protection. Can anyone more magically inclined see a barrier around here?"

Arista kneels by the black stones, gloved fingers brushing the rusty-brown symbols as she listens to Kaelen’s translation. Frost halos her touch while she searches her memory for anything that matches this twisted scrawl, but the patterns elude her—whatever branch of rune-lore she learned in the mountains, this belongs to another, darker school (Arcana 5). She straightens, eyes narrowed. “These marks are beyond me,” she admits, tapping the stone with her staff. “If it is a ward, it’s not one I recognize. Best someone test for lingering magic before we get any closer.”

Brekka is not magically trained to discern runes and magic. Instead, he bends down and picks up a small, palm-sized rock. He tosses it experimentally towards the spire.

"Abyssal?" Mathias asks in confirmation of Kaelen's assessment. "It would seem Brekka has the right of it then, something truly unholy about this place, unnatural as well." Mathias says, studying the area as best his meager training would allow. 

[[Arcane Check 23 (natural 20)]]

[[Nature Check 21]]

"If we are willing to hang around here for 10 minutes I can cast a ritual to see if there is lingering magic."

Arista: Despite your frustrations, you do notice something magical about the stones. They are the same stones you've been seeing all along, just recolored with a cantrip level effect. You do understand this effect is permanent unless dispelled.

Brekka: In the brightness of the afternoon light, you barely see a flash of light as the rock contacts the pillar. The rock appears unaffected.

Mathias: Some of the twisted runes form repeating patterns similar to druidic wards. You have a distinct insight that this pillar is an alarm of some sort.
You also notice that despite the foul magics, natural growth is not impeded here.

Asariel: In this situation you realize that a shortened form of your ritual would work as you are not under pressure. There is an abjuration effect in place here, and it is currently activated.

[[I used passive history checks. 10+score]]
Kaelen: You notice the unusual styles of the clothes the body and skeleton are wearing. These are two members of the last exposition, the three explorers from a foreign land.

"Careful...the magics present here imply this is some sort of an alarm." Mathias cautions his companions, while taking a step back.