The West Tower is wholly empty save for dust and cobwebs. The smell of wet, freshly-turned earth is even stronger once you make your way in. Upon arriving in the basement, you find that somebody broke open the floor and dug down to the stone. The earth and tile are stacked neatly alongside the walls. Digging tools lay scattered about the room. There is a severed rope tied to a ring in the wall leading to a stone slab deep in the earth. Three other 50-foot coils of rope lay on the floor beside the slab. The stone slab is approximately 10 feet on a side, is bordered in worn glyphs, and has an indentation in the shape of a human hand approximately six inches away from the leading edge of the slab.
Neya takes a careful look around the room, focusing on the overturned earth. In it, she finds a leather bag, with straps and a flap that closes. The bag looks fairly new, which is quite the contrasting feature with its surroundings. Inside, the monk finds a collection of random items: a single piton, a half-burnt candle, a tiny brass bell, and a bundle of mint leaves.
"I'm not so sure about that... Considering they only went to the barracks and here, as far as we've seen, I would dare say we may actually have a more complete picture."
Noticing the state of the room, Neya says, "I will amend what I just said, as there are a number of curiosities in here. While the slab may be an easier subject with what we know, the bag brings up some new questions. It seems to be a newer addition."
Remembering he has not replaced his rope from their encounter beneath the Lyceum, Utar 'borrows' one of the lengths of rope lying on the floor, looping it over his shoulder.
Going to the edge of the hole, he peers down into the darkness. Kicking a small pebble into it, he listens intently to gauge it's depth.
The pebble bounces downward for a good 20 feet before stopping. Although it is not an insurmountable distance, there are no light sources inside the tower. The group can only see the runed stone slab at the bottom of the pit due to the natural sunlight seeping through the open door and the unreachable arrow slits up high. Nothing happens when the pebble hits the stone slab.
Graxx looks down at the turned earth and notices that there are some sliding marks down the sides of the hole leading towards the stone slab. It's hard to say how many people might have slid downward, as many of the marks overlap. Nonetheless, there must be at least six different sliding paths down the hole.
Neya slings the leather bag over her shoulder and tries to get a good look at the stone slab from the ledge. The dim lighting and the distance make it hard for the monk to single out any of the worn runes on the slab. After a few seconds of squinting her eyes, she gives up trying to understand either the runes or the indented hand-print on the slab, at least from a distance. Nonetheless, it is plain enough for anyone to deduce that the runes are/were magical (no need to roll to notice that.)
The group is still on ground level, while the slab is 20 feet below down a large dug-up hole.
Taking a torch from his pack, Utar lights it and allows the flame to take hold. Holding it out from his body, he drops it, watching it flicker down the hole.
"Best not to send you down there in the dark though. Let's get going."
"Always looking out for me. You are a good friend, Utar." Graxx says. "I just hope my rope doesn't catch aflame halfway down. That would not be pleasant."
Utar launches a lit torch into the pit. Much like the pebble before it, the fire implement bounces around a few times before coming to a stop just a couple of feet away from the large stone slab at the bottom. The fire illuminates the details on the slab, making them clearer to the naked eye. Graxx and Neya make their way down, guided by the rope the barbarian affixed to the ground.
On the one hand, the bordering glyphs are very worn, to the point it is doubtful whether they still work. On the other, the hand imprint/indent on the center of the slab looks oddly new. It is at the level of Neya's face, and Graxx's chest.
Almost as if responding in a delayed manner to Utar's question, Harae's breeze picks up from out of nowhere, announcing her arrival. After a couple of seconds, it charges down the pit, blowing against the stone slab. Nothing happens to it.
Neya places her hand on the slab, near the indentation and says “ This imprint seems significant. Do you suppose this is where we use that phrase from the Moonsea Cult book?”
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Praxx sees the others head down and heads down in tail. Once down he notices the group is already working on the glyphs. “I’m going to take a look around and see if I can find anything while you all see to Graxx’s finger paintings. Honestly Graxx they are starting to look better” he says with a smirk and begins to look around the immediate area using his Superior Darkvision
Utar understands the runes to be divine in nature. Whichever deity is behind powering them, it seems to rely on strong conjuration and faint abjuration magic. The half-orc also recognizes that the most of the glyphs are components to some sort of ritual that allows something in plain sight to remain unseen, possibly the slab itself. Finally, Utar confirms the earlier suspicion that the glyphs are worn enough that they no longer function properly.
When placing her hand on the flat of the slab, Neya feels enticed to re-position her hand to match the indentation instead. For now, she resists the gentle urge.
Praxx joins the group at the bottom and examines his surroundings. The bottom of the pit is a bit snug, and there is not much to look at besides the slab itself. He notices that the glyphs follow two separate patterns, almost as if there were two incantations placed on the slab.
Utar follows closely behind Neya. Not sure quite what to expect. Under his breath he whispers, "Harae, are you here?"
Graxx follows behind as well, "We always seem to be one step behind someone."
The West Tower is wholly empty save for dust and cobwebs. The smell of wet, freshly-turned earth is even stronger once you make your way in. Upon arriving in the basement, you find that somebody broke open the floor and dug down to the stone. The earth and tile are stacked neatly alongside the walls. Digging tools lay scattered about the room. There is a severed rope tied to a ring in the wall leading to a stone slab deep in the earth. Three other 50-foot coils of rope lay on the floor beside the slab. The stone slab is approximately 10 feet on a side, is bordered in worn glyphs, and has an indentation in the shape of a human hand approximately six inches away from the leading edge of the slab.
Neya takes a careful look around the room, focusing on the overturned earth. In it, she finds a leather bag, with straps and a flap that closes. The bag looks fairly new, which is quite the contrasting feature with its surroundings. Inside, the monk finds a collection of random items: a single piton, a half-burnt candle, a tiny brass bell, and a bundle of mint leaves.
"I'm not so sure about that... Considering they only went to the barracks and here, as far as we've seen, I would dare say we may actually have a more complete picture."
Extended Signature
Noticing the state of the room, Neya says, "I will amend what I just said, as there are a number of curiosities in here. While the slab may be an easier subject with what we know, the bag brings up some new questions. It seems to be a newer addition."
Extended Signature
Remembering he has not replaced his rope from their encounter beneath the Lyceum, Utar 'borrows' one of the lengths of rope lying on the floor, looping it over his shoulder.
Going to the edge of the hole, he peers down into the darkness. Kicking a small pebble into it, he listens intently to gauge it's depth.
Perception 11
The pebble bounces downward for a good 20 feet before stopping. Although it is not an insurmountable distance, there are no light sources inside the tower. The group can only see the runed stone slab at the bottom of the pit due to the natural sunlight seeping through the open door and the unreachable arrow slits up high. Nothing happens when the pebble hits the stone slab.
Graxx says, "Good idea" as he takes a coil of rope as well.
Graxx would like to look around the room for any signs of what direction the people that were here before went.
Survival: 15
"The slab is covered in glyphs... Could it be magical in some way?"
Arcana: 5
Extended Signature
Graxx looks down at the turned earth and notices that there are some sliding marks down the sides of the hole leading towards the stone slab. It's hard to say how many people might have slid downward, as many of the marks overlap. Nonetheless, there must be at least six different sliding paths down the hole.
Neya slings the leather bag over her shoulder and tries to get a good look at the stone slab from the ledge. The dim lighting and the distance make it hard for the monk to single out any of the worn runes on the slab. After a few seconds of squinting her eyes, she gives up trying to understand either the runes or the indented hand-print on the slab, at least from a distance. Nonetheless, it is plain enough for anyone to deduce that the runes are/were magical (no need to roll to notice that.)
The group is still on ground level, while the slab is 20 feet below down a large dug-up hole.
"At least six folks scooted down in this hole. I say we go down and see what all the fuss is about." Graxx says.
Taking a torch from his pack, Utar lights it and allows the flame to take hold. Holding it out from his body, he drops it, watching it flicker down the hole.
"Best not to send you down there in the dark though. Let's get going."
"Always looking out for me. You are a good friend, Utar." Graxx says. "I just hope my rope doesn't catch aflame halfway down. That would not be pleasant."
Graxx begins to descend down the rope.
"Even if it does, we can easily snuff it by shoving it into the earth. Not unlike us, fire needs to breathe."
Neya follows down the rope.
Extended Signature
Utar launches a lit torch into the pit. Much like the pebble before it, the fire implement bounces around a few times before coming to a stop just a couple of feet away from the large stone slab at the bottom. The fire illuminates the details on the slab, making them clearer to the naked eye. Graxx and Neya make their way down, guided by the rope the barbarian affixed to the ground.
On the one hand, the bordering glyphs are very worn, to the point it is doubtful whether they still work. On the other, the hand imprint/indent on the center of the slab looks oddly new. It is at the level of Neya's face, and Graxx's chest.
Almost as if responding in a delayed manner to Utar's question, Harae's breeze picks up from out of nowhere, announcing her arrival. After a couple of seconds, it charges down the pit, blowing against the stone slab. Nothing happens to it.
Now at the bottom of the pit, Utar takes a look at written markings. They are magical in nature, but are they arcane, or divine?
Religion 23
Neya places her hand on the slab, near the indentation and says “ This imprint seems significant. Do you suppose this is where we use that phrase from the Moonsea Cult book?”
Extended Signature
Shrugging, Utar turns away from inspecting the runes. "Worth a shot."
Praxx sees the others head down and heads down in tail. Once down he notices the group is already working on the glyphs. “I’m going to take a look around and see if I can find anything while you all see to Graxx’s finger paintings. Honestly Graxx they are starting to look better” he says with a smirk and begins to look around the immediate area using his Superior Darkvision
Investigation- 10
Utar understands the runes to be divine in nature. Whichever deity is behind powering them, it seems to rely on strong conjuration and faint abjuration magic. The half-orc also recognizes that the most of the glyphs are components to some sort of ritual that allows something in plain sight to remain unseen, possibly the slab itself. Finally, Utar confirms the earlier suspicion that the glyphs are worn enough that they no longer function properly.
When placing her hand on the flat of the slab, Neya feels enticed to re-position her hand to match the indentation instead. For now, she resists the gentle urge.
Praxx joins the group at the bottom and examines his surroundings. The bottom of the pit is a bit snug, and there is not much to look at besides the slab itself. He notices that the glyphs follow two separate patterns, almost as if there were two incantations placed on the slab.