"Well, come, come, then. But we must be careful, there's more of them goblins and orcs about, and I don't fancy them beating me more." Keestake, leads you through a winding series of valleys and over saddles between the ridges. It is obvious he has been here for a long time an knows the area well. He stops often, listening it seems for noise, but hearing nothing continues to wind his way leeward. Despite the wind, occasionally when he stops he can tell he is muttering to himself. But it is too low and unintelligible to understand.
Eventually you arrives at the hillside below the temple and sees it silhouetted against the dimming sky—the first indication that it's almost nighttime. As you begin to climb the last hill on what had once been a road, you get your first look at the temple.
The building before you was doubtless a beautiful temple in its day—two stories in height, crafted from well-fitted planks of dark hardwoods brought from the mainland. The windows were spacious and cheerful, closed against the wind with brightly-painted shutters; a gate of well-crafted wrought iron once stood before the large front door, and a trellis for well tended ivy once leaned against the right half of the front face of the temple. Today, after 60 years of neglect, the temple is a wreck. The expensive wood is old and pitted, cracked and decayed. The windows are still spacious, but most of the shutters are gone; the few that remain bang open and closed in the wind, or hang crookedly from a single hinge. The wrought iron gate is as intricate as ever, but rusted over, rusted clear through in places. The ivy once planted as decoration now covers the entire right side of the front wall, and continues around the whole right side of the temple. It's a spectacle of gloom and disrepair. There are, however, no lights within, no sign of habitation, and the walls may be sound enough to keep out the worst of the weather.
The old man leads you up to the gate at the entrance, pulls it open a little—it makes a squeak, alarming but really not too loud—and steps through the still working doors of heavy oak into the temple itself. Once inside, you find yourself sheltered from the weather in the windowless main hall. Is it just the lack of wind and rain, or does the place seem warmer?
The place is totally black, without light, but Keestake moves on with practiced skill.
For those with Darkvision
This room once had plastered walls painted with frescoes of the goddess, her symbols and her deeds. The paint and plaster have badly flaked over the years. There is no furniture in the room, only wind-blown rubbish. There are two sets of double doors in the room, one leading outside and the other, further into the temple.
Janey shivers as she steps inside the temple, grateful to finally shake the chill from her body. In the darkness she can follow only the sound of the others' voices to know her location, and steps slowly and carefully, feeling in front of her with her hands.
"Are there any torches in here?" she speaks up in the darkness. "I can't see a thing"
"There is nothing, Janey, stay close. Keestake, have rooms further into the temple been exposed to less of the elements, and perhaps contain a few creature comforts?" Denethir questions their guide hopefully, while using his superior eyesight to guide the others in the direction of the second set of double doors.
Eurim hangs to the back, his eyes searching the gate and surrounding walls for signs of movement, forced entry, or danger of any kind. He carries the crossbow in a sling made with one of the goblin cloaks, holding the battleaxe with grim purpose. He is the last one to enter the temple.
"Her room, come," he says as he opens the door the the next room and slips inside. You can see it is a bit lighter, though still very dark in the next room.
"This is the Hall of the Goddess," he says with a bit of awe in his voice. From the echos, you can tell that this is a much larger room, and shadowy piles lie here and there on the floor. There is also a nasty smell in the air. "We can make a fire here, see," he says pointing up at the several holes in the upper story which lets in the dwindling light. "I have flint," he says as he fishes out a small stone. "But you have steel. So who shall make the fire?"
For those with Darkvision
The piles, you can see, are piles of rags and broken furniture.
On the east wall, in the middle, is a set of double doors, closed. On the south wall is the set of double doors by which you entered the chamber. On the north wall, at the east corner, is a very small and inconspicuous door. All the doors in the chamber are still hanging on their hinges. The west wall is actually a flight of three shallow steps leading up to a line of pillars. Between the pillars, you can see that cloths or tapestries, now ratty and sagging, have been hung, blocking off your view of the chamber beyond.
"They'll see us if we sit here talking." Eurim mutters from the doorway. "No sense in some of us bein' blind. If we're all to be seen, let's at least be warm while we are."
He offers his battleaxe as steel for the making of a fire.
This chamber is very large, and two stories in height. There is broken furniture all over the tiled floors—it looks like the remains of chairs, tables, and perhaps low couches. Most of the wood looks aged, but you can see that the breaks are all fresh. Everything has been smashed recently.
On the east wall, in the middle, is a set of double doors, closed. On the south wall is the set of double doors by which you entered the chamber. On the north wall, at the east corner, is a very small and inconspicuous door. All the doors in the chamber are still hanging on their hinges.
The west wall is actually a flight of three shallow steps leading up to a line of pillars. Between the pillars, you can see that cloths or tapestries, now ratty and sagging, have been hung, blocking off your view of the chamber beyond.
The walls of the Hall of the Goddess were once plastered smooth and painted with frescoes of the Goddess in all her aspects. Now the paint is curling, the plaster is broken and peeling, and there are large cracks in the plaster—probably from the foundation of the temple settling over the years. Additionally, someone has taken a club to the walls here and there, evidenced by deep gouges and tears in the plaster, and places on the wall have been smeared with filth causing the foul odor.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Looking around, Nicholas continues to whisper, “Someone’s been here, recently. What did you lead us into, old man?” He will go and listen near the curtain for anything on the other side.
Lyle will take one of the broken pieces of furniture and some rags to make a torch. Then he’ll go look past the curtains blocking view of the next room.
"The Orcs, they were here when I was captive. They started to destroy the place, desecrate it with their foulness, then there was a crack of lightning and a boom of thunder. It felt like it must have shaken the entire island. Certainly the shock knocked several of the Orcs off their feet. They became scared and ran away. That was the start of this storm."
Lyle
Pushing the tattered curtains back, you find a chamber that is raised about a foot and a half above the floor of the hall of the goddess. You could tell, as you did so, that these ratty cloths were once fine velvet, purple embroidered upon in gold, but they've aged now into a uniform, revolting brown and you cannot tell now what the embroidery represented.
There are only two items in the chamber.
One is a statue of the goddess. She is sitting on a throne, looking down into the hall of the goddess; her expression is thoughtful, with the faintest trace of a smile on her lips.
The sculptor must have been a tremendous talent, for the statue is posed in a very natural manner, head slightly bowed, left hand extended in a gesture of blessing, right hand gripping the arm of the throne. But it, too, is a ruin now. The nose has been broken off, the left hand likewise, a great crack runs across the torso, and the face and torso are smeared with filth.
The other object in the room is a low table, obviously an altar, set down before the statue of the goddess. Since it bears no trace of bloodstains, new or old, it must have been an altar for offerings instead of sacrifices. Both statue and altar are sculpted out of fine marble. The walls of this chamber are white and unadorned.
Lusith
The door opens into a hall running left and right. The walls were once nicely plastered white, but are now cracked, weathered, chipped and a dirty brown. Dirt, dust and piles of leaves cover the once light blue tiles. As your torch illuminates the hall you hear the rustle of leaves, scratch of claws and this squeaking of rats seeking shelter from the light.
Doors, cracked and faded with age are at either end of the hall, and one halfway down on the opposite wall. The doors are slightly ajar, and move in response to the blowing storm.
Lusith will glance behind him to see if there's any sign of trouble from where Lyle went or if anyone is moving to follow, then checking the door at the near end of the hallway.
Denethir slumps to the floor in the south-east corner of the hall, wraps his cloaks around his legs, and begins to wolf down some of the food recently procured from the battle, sighing in relief at his first chance to rest properly in days. Listening to Keestake's tale about the orcs, the half-elf smiles at their guide. "Orcs three days ago, goblins two days ago, us today... you must be disappointed you were not better prepared to receive so many visitors, Keestake. Did the orcs manage to find anything of value in this temple, or did their lack of wits not afford them the chance?"
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“Well... I’ll go take a look ahead. If there’s a trap, maybe I can see it before we land in it.”
Lyle is going to try to sneak around the hills to come at the temple from the far side, and see what he can see.
stealth 3 (+2 if background profs count)
perception 11
I assume Lyle is having a hard time avoiding making noise as it gets darker, and he loses sight of the rocks beneath his feet
Paladin - warforged - orange
"Well, come, come, then. But we must be careful, there's more of them goblins and orcs about, and I don't fancy them beating me more." Keestake, leads you through a winding series of valleys and over saddles between the ridges. It is obvious he has been here for a long time an knows the area well. He stops often, listening it seems for noise, but hearing nothing continues to wind his way leeward. Despite the wind, occasionally when he stops he can tell he is muttering to himself. But it is too low and unintelligible to understand.
Eventually you arrives at the hillside below the temple and sees it silhouetted against the dimming sky—the first indication that it's almost nighttime. As you begin to climb the last hill on what had once been a road, you get your first look at the temple.
The building before you was doubtless a beautiful temple in its day—two stories in height, crafted from well-fitted planks of dark hardwoods brought from the mainland. The windows were spacious and cheerful, closed against the wind with brightly-painted shutters; a gate of well-crafted wrought iron once stood before the large front door, and a trellis for well tended ivy once leaned against the right half of the front face of the temple. Today, after 60 years of neglect, the temple is a wreck. The expensive wood is old and pitted, cracked and decayed. The windows are still spacious, but most of the shutters are gone; the few that remain bang open and closed in the wind, or hang crookedly from a single hinge. The wrought iron gate is as intricate as ever, but rusted over, rusted clear through in places. The ivy once planted as decoration now covers the entire right side of the front wall, and continues around the whole right side of the temple. It's a spectacle of gloom and disrepair. There are, however, no lights within, no sign of habitation, and the walls may be sound enough to keep out the worst of the weather.
The old man leads you up to the gate at the entrance, pulls it open a little—it makes a squeak, alarming but really not too loud—and steps through the still working doors of heavy oak into the temple itself. Once inside, you find yourself sheltered from the weather in the windowless main hall. Is it just the lack of wind and rain, or does the place seem warmer?
The place is totally black, without light, but Keestake moves on with practiced skill.
For those with Darkvision
This room once had plastered walls painted with frescoes of the goddess, her symbols and her deeds. The paint and plaster have badly flaked over the years. There is no furniture in the room, only wind-blown rubbish. There are two sets of double doors in the room, one leading outside and the other, further into the temple.
"ALWAYS GIVE A MONSTER AN EVEN BREAK!"
1st Edition DMG
Janey shivers as she steps inside the temple, grateful to finally shake the chill from her body. In the darkness she can follow only the sound of the others' voices to know her location, and steps slowly and carefully, feeling in front of her with her hands.
"Are there any torches in here?" she speaks up in the darkness. "I can't see a thing"
Once inside, Lusith will move off to one side of the door, kneel down, and give a brief quiet prayer of thanks to whichever god may reside here.
Denethir
"There is nothing, Janey, stay close. Keestake, have rooms further into the temple been exposed to less of the elements, and perhaps contain a few creature comforts?" Denethir questions their guide hopefully, while using his superior eyesight to guide the others in the direction of the second set of double doors.
Eurim hangs to the back, his eyes searching the gate and surrounding walls for signs of movement, forced entry, or danger of any kind. He carries the crossbow in a sling made with one of the goblin cloaks, holding the battleaxe with grim purpose. He is the last one to enter the temple.
"Her room, come," he says as he opens the door the the next room and slips inside. You can see it is a bit lighter, though still very dark in the next room.
"This is the Hall of the Goddess," he says with a bit of awe in his voice. From the echos, you can tell that this is a much larger room, and shadowy piles lie here and there on the floor. There is also a nasty smell in the air. "We can make a fire here, see," he says pointing up at the several holes in the upper story which lets in the dwindling light. "I have flint," he says as he fishes out a small stone. "But you have steel. So who shall make the fire?"
For those with Darkvision
The piles, you can see, are piles of rags and broken furniture.
On the east wall, in the middle, is a set of double doors, closed. On the south wall is the set of double doors by which you entered the chamber. On the north wall, at the east corner, is a very small and inconspicuous door. All the doors in the chamber are still hanging on their hinges. The west wall is actually a flight of three shallow steps leading up to a line of pillars. Between the pillars, you can see that cloths or tapestries, now ratty and sagging, have been hung, blocking off your view of the chamber beyond.
"ALWAYS GIVE A MONSTER AN EVEN BREAK!"
1st Edition DMG
Lyle whispers to Nic: “I don’t like this place. Be careful.” And puts his back to a wall.
Paladin - warforged - orange
“Agreed. I don’t like those,” Nic replies, nodding towards the piles on the floor. “And I can’t see a damned thing in here.”
He speaks in a loud whisper to the rest of the group, “If we light a fire, won’t the goblins or orcs see us here?”
"They'll see us if we sit here talking." Eurim mutters from the doorway. "No sense in some of us bein' blind. If we're all to be seen, let's at least be warm while we are."
He offers his battleaxe as steel for the making of a fire.
This chamber is very large, and two stories in height. There is broken furniture all over the tiled floors—it looks like the remains of chairs, tables, and perhaps low couches. Most of the wood looks aged, but you can see that the breaks are all fresh. Everything has been smashed recently.
On the east wall, in the middle, is a set of double doors, closed. On the south wall is the set of double doors by which you entered the chamber. On the north wall, at the east corner, is a very small and inconspicuous door. All the doors in the chamber are still hanging on their hinges.
The west wall is actually a flight of three shallow steps leading up to a line of pillars. Between the pillars, you can see that cloths or tapestries, now ratty and sagging, have been hung, blocking off your view of the chamber beyond.
The walls of the Hall of the Goddess were once plastered smooth and painted with frescoes of the Goddess in all her aspects. Now the paint is curling, the plaster is broken and peeling, and there are large cracks in the plaster—probably from the foundation of the temple settling over the years. Additionally, someone has taken a club to the walls here and there, evidenced by deep gouges and tears in the plaster, and places on the wall have been smeared with filth causing the foul odor.
OCC: See map on campaign page
"ALWAYS GIVE A MONSTER AN EVEN BREAK!"
1st Edition DMG
Ooc: Anything to indicate which Goddess it is?
Religion: 3
You can make out several frescoes still
"ALWAYS GIVE A MONSTER AN EVEN BREAK!"
1st Edition DMG
Looking around, Nicholas continues to whisper, “Someone’s been here, recently. What did you lead us into, old man?” He will go and listen near the curtain for anything on the other side.
Perception: 8
Lyle will take one of the broken pieces of furniture and some rags to make a torch. Then he’ll go look past the curtains blocking view of the next room.
Paladin - warforged - orange
Lusith will try to make another torch and head through the small door by itself, spear ready.
Map has been updated..
Nicholas
"The Orcs, they were here when I was captive. They started to destroy the place, desecrate it with their foulness, then there was a crack of lightning and a boom of thunder. It felt like it must have shaken the entire island. Certainly the shock knocked several of the Orcs off their feet. They became scared and ran away. That was the start of this storm."
Lyle
Pushing the tattered curtains back, you find a chamber that is raised about a foot and a half above the floor of the hall of the goddess. You could tell, as you did so, that these ratty cloths were once fine velvet, purple embroidered upon in gold, but they've aged now into a uniform, revolting brown and you cannot tell now what the embroidery represented.
There are only two items in the chamber.
One is a statue of the goddess. She is sitting on a throne, looking down into the hall of the goddess; her expression is thoughtful, with the faintest trace of a smile on her lips.
The sculptor must have been a tremendous talent, for the statue is posed in a very natural manner, head slightly bowed, left hand extended in a gesture of blessing, right hand gripping the arm of the throne. But it, too, is a ruin now. The nose has been broken off, the left hand likewise, a great crack runs across the torso, and the face and torso are smeared with filth.
The other object in the room is a low table, obviously an altar, set down before the statue of the goddess. Since it bears no trace of bloodstains, new or old, it must have been an altar for offerings instead of sacrifices. Both statue and altar are sculpted out of fine marble. The walls of this chamber are white and unadorned.
Lusith
The door opens into a hall running left and right. The walls were once nicely plastered white, but are now cracked, weathered, chipped and a dirty brown. Dirt, dust and piles of leaves cover the once light blue tiles. As your torch illuminates the hall you hear the rustle of leaves, scratch of claws and this squeaking of rats seeking shelter from the light.
Doors, cracked and faded with age are at either end of the hall, and one halfway down on the opposite wall. The doors are slightly ajar, and move in response to the blowing storm.
"ALWAYS GIVE A MONSTER AN EVEN BREAK!"
1st Edition DMG
Lusith will glance behind him to see if there's any sign of trouble from where Lyle went or if anyone is moving to follow, then checking the door at the near end of the hallway.
Lusith
The door opens on another hall, similar to the first. There are several doors (all ajar), and a set of stairs to the right leading up. (Map updated)
"ALWAYS GIVE A MONSTER AN EVEN BREAK!"
1st Edition DMG
Denethir
Denethir slumps to the floor in the south-east corner of the hall, wraps his cloaks around his legs, and begins to wolf down some of the food recently procured from the battle, sighing in relief at his first chance to rest properly in days. Listening to Keestake's tale about the orcs, the half-elf smiles at their guide. "Orcs three days ago, goblins two days ago, us today... you must be disappointed you were not better prepared to receive so many visitors, Keestake. Did the orcs manage to find anything of value in this temple, or did their lack of wits not afford them the chance?"