Seeing that the vines were too brittle to hold his weight, Anearis rejoined the group. There had to be a faster way to get inside than by breaking through the wall. Ander was probably right and they should simply find a regular entrance.
At Uthal’s question, Anearis turned his gaze to the letter, seeing if he could help his companion.
The letter Uthal held out did strike a note, when Anearis saw it. He recognized that the written letters were using the Espruar alphabet, like elvish; however, the words and patterns in which they were arranged, were foreign to him.
When the goliath pulled out letters, Viilgahan glanced over with curiosity. When he asked if anyone could read the letter, the dragonborn had his interest. "Do they have something to do with these ruins?" He stepped to have a glance over the others. "I would be interested to see anything that may contain some clues to our current location." he extended a taloned hand. "If I may?"
Uthal hands over the letter. "The goddess told me that what we need to defeat the evil inside this castle was in 'the words of my father.' These letters to my former master are probably as close as I can get to those words. So I'm looking."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Gronk in Bastion, Kingdom of Medrin Elixisysin Talaveroth (Team 2) Uthal in Lost Continent of Theviranne
Anearis looked closely at the letter. He recognized these letters, but not the words that they formed. He squinted his eyes to try and find a word or two that he could make sense of. In the end, he simply shook his head.
"Forgive me, friend. This langugage is not familiar to me. But the letters are definitely elvish in nature."
Viilgahan took the letter gently, looking it over. While indeed it did appear elvish in its nature its words were lost on him as well. His brow, scaled that it was, furrowed. "An evil you say." He 'hmmed' twice. "That the words of your father might be inclined to help you defeat." He rummaged in his satchel, removing a piece of paper, a quill, and a vial of ink. "This is interesting, if it is these ruins your..." he gnashed his teeth twice. "...Divine guide..." it was almost like he struggled with the words, like someone chewing a shoe might grapple with the leather. "..means. Perhaps your master was a traveler or scholar?" The idle chat ceased as Viilgahan looked at the hole in the wall. His head moved like someone following something, eyes unblinking as they tracked what only he could see. He finally blinked and returned to the paper in his hand, cocking his head to his left.
"Master Goliath, be so kind as to hold this vial of ink in one hand." he passed it over. "And lean your hand against yon wall holding this piece of paper up." He passed that over as well. He spoke in a no nonsense tone, if anything perhaps a bit more excited than his usual mullings and offhand musings. Viilgahan dipped the tip of the quill in the ink after breaking the wax seal with a pointed claw, held the letter in his left hand, closed his eyes for a moment and with an exhaled breath opened them.
He would begin to write in Common what he saw.*
*Comprehend Languages
For the duration (1 Hour), you understand the literal meaning of any spoken language that you hear. You also understand any written language that you see, but you must be touching the surface on which the words are written. It takes about 1 minute to read one page of text.
This spell doesn't decode secret messages in a text or a glyph, such as an arcane sigil, that isn't part of a written language.
Casting the spell, Viilgahan, while not knowing what language in which the letter is written, is able to read the words and transcribe it.
Felix,
If Trevor hasn’t already enlisted your help, I have no doubt he will soon. He has uncovered strange discrepancies within the Temple’s financials, but furthermore suspects Regis Hammerfell to be guilty of the unspeakable.
According to Trevor, Hammerfell has foresaken the Temple of Light and turned to the darkside. He believes him to be pursuing arcane practices that have long since been forbidden or forgotten; unleashing the power of ancient evils for his own gain.
Trevor is investigating this at the source, but I need you to look at something further. I suspect Trevor is not telling me everything. This is a large ask, because you’ve put that part of your life behind you, but I wouldn’t be asking if I didn’t believe it the Church of Sune, and possibly all of Therivanne were being threatened.
We must find who is pulling the strings, and sever the head from the beast. Assist Trevor in his work, but keep him at an arm’s length. And contact me immediately with anything you find.
Viilgahan clacked his tongue at the mention of arcane practices but unless these ruins were the source of some ancient arcane evil, then there was little but thin thread connecting the contents of the letter and the place they now stood. He gave the letter a once over again just to be sure, eyes darting back and forth between the original and his transcription which he now held. Satisfied he flicked and then stowed the quill, handed the original letter back to the goliath and stowed the ink after a small flame sparked in his lantern only to jump to his fingertips, resealing the wax before vanishing. His work complete, the dragonborn lightly blew on the ink of the fresh page and then extended one hand open while also offering the transcription. As an afterthought, the candle in the lantern extinguished.
"A copper for a service but a silver buys silence." he said it lightly, politely even, like a shopkeep might say to the customer of the day. "Let me know if I can be of any other assistance."
While the black-scaled dragonborn performed the ritual, Anearis will wonder off along the northern side of the castle wall to find another entry. He tries to remain close and within sight of the party.
By this point, both dwarfs were leaning against the stone wall. “Thought they were inna hurry, Nik.” “That’s what they said, Nack. Tryin to save a friend’s life or something. Time was of tha essence. All that.” Nack allowed the pickaxe to sway at his side. “Think that might just be bullshit?” “The thought did cross ma mind, Nack. If they want our help, I say we strike a bargain, otherwise I got better things to do.”
The two watched as some members of the party unsuccessfully tested the stone wall barrier and others attempted to transcribe some parchment. Catching a glimpse of the letter, following Viilgahan’s translation, Nik called out to Uthal, “It’s deep speech, by tha way. Your lil love note there. If I didn’t know better, say it was meant to hide it from anyone who’s not familiar with the underdark.”
Anearis makes his way back towards the Northern end, near where the party first say the ruins, from the trail. Turning and walking along the Northern exterior wall, it ran for approximately 150 feet total, give or take. However, the wall was surprisingly sturdy for ‘ruins’ and he failed to find any further way into the structure.
Uthal looks down at the dwarves as he puts the paper back in his bag. "Can you not work and talk little ones. You could have been going while we discussed things. As for treasure I do not care. I'm allowed no material possessions once I get back to the monastery so why should I try and collect them now."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Gronk in Bastion, Kingdom of Medrin Elixisysin Talaveroth (Team 2) Uthal in Lost Continent of Theviranne
“Oh, we can talk n work together. Thing is, until you, the rest’a your party denies our services.” Nik pointed at Viilgahan. “He’s wit us, so we have no problems with his conditions. Less we gotta read the better. It’s you all we been waitin’ on.” Nik straightened up and began slowly walking away from the stone wall. “But now that we got a gentleman’s agreement. One that I’m gonna be holdin your whole party to. We can proceed.” Nik slowly, but directly made a line for Uthal and ensured that he stood in a way that the giant was between him and Nack. “Go ahead, Nack.”
Nack at this point turned around and braced against the wall, noticeably hesitant about performing the action to come. The other noticeable factor was that, Nack was placing himself several feet away from the hole that Uthal had discovered, as if it was no longer of any importance. Holding the small pickaxe, Nack tapped it against the stone. The gap itself made no sound, however what followed sounded like dynamite set off right next to your head. It was a sound that likely would have woken the dead, had they not already been walking around and attacking the party on several occasions before.
A cloud of dust settled, covering the whole party, but with it, a large breach in the wall was revealed. A gap of about six feet of empty space now existed where the wall once stood, and chunks of rock lay all over the interior of the walled area. Nack lay on the ground, at the gap, unconscious. “Your entrance,” Nik announced, peeking around Uthal.
“Magic pickaxe.” Nik said as he trotted over to the unconscious Nack. Retrieving the pickaxe, he threw it into his pack, before dragging his brother, through the new opening, and propping him against the wall’s interior. “He be out for next hour though.”
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Viilgahan waited. His eyes dulled a bit. At length, after a conversation and the explosion of the wall, he sighed. "I guess the first one is free...can't expect clergy to carry copper these days." Viilgahan pushed himself through the hole, waving away dust from his face. "Much obliged Master Nack." he gestured to the dwarf as he spoke. Now that he was in the ruins proper, he gave a look around, wonder overriding ire for the moment.
Anearis was walking back to the rest of the party after another attempt to find an entrance. When the loud explosion went off, Anearis got startled and decided to quicken his pace back. When he came to check up on the party, the elf had to make a double take to be sure his eyes weren’t playing tricks on him. When he left, the hole wasn’t large enough to put his hand through. And now, they could easily enter the ruins.
‘’How.. ?’’ he said simply, stunned by the new hole in the wall.
Viilgahan must have thought himself deaf, dumb, and blind as he stepped through the new opening into what he perceived as ‘nothing’. For the rest of the party though, Nack’s entrance opened into a large garden, or what was once. At the south end of the garden, an open archway led to somewhere unknown, but against the far wall, that of the Castle itself, there was a large hole, formed by a crumbling wall, and providing a further avenue, into the proper Castle of Aaaargh.
”The giant spoke for ya group and struck a deal.” Nik looked up and spoke to Anearis, as he reappeared.
Uthal nods to the dwarf and then digs into a pocket in the sleeve of his robe, handing a copper to the dragonborn as he passes. "Debts are paid, just give it time. Does your brother need to be carried along with us Nik? Or would the two of you stay here? I assume you're not going to leave him alone in an unknown place."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Gronk in Bastion, Kingdom of Medrin Elixisysin Talaveroth (Team 2) Uthal in Lost Continent of Theviranne
Viilgahan wasn't impressed by anything he saw, just another miserable forgotten courtyard from another time. He sighed, dejected. The goliath passed and he barely acknowledged the coin he was handed, mumbling a thanks and tucking the coin away. It wasn't as if he expected a stack of magical material to be presented but he had seen more interesting complexity in the whorls of a dive taverns dingy table. He idly scratched at the scales of his shoulder as he glanced around, hoping there was at least something of interest further in.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Exitus Acta Probat
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Seeing that the vines were too brittle to hold his weight, Anearis rejoined the group. There had to be a faster way to get inside than by breaking through the wall. Ander was probably right and they should simply find a regular entrance.
At Uthal’s question, Anearis turned his gaze to the letter, seeing if he could help his companion.
The letter Uthal held out did strike a note, when Anearis saw it. He recognized that the written letters were using the Espruar alphabet, like elvish; however, the words and patterns in which they were arranged, were foreign to him.
When the goliath pulled out letters, Viilgahan glanced over with curiosity. When he asked if anyone could read the letter, the dragonborn had his interest. "Do they have something to do with these ruins?" He stepped to have a glance over the others. "I would be interested to see anything that may contain some clues to our current location." he extended a taloned hand. "If I may?"
Exitus Acta Probat
Uthal hands over the letter. "The goddess told me that what we need to defeat the evil inside this castle was in 'the words of my father.' These letters to my former master are probably as close as I can get to those words. So I'm looking."
Gronk in Bastion, Kingdom of Medrin Elixisys in Talaveroth (Team 2) Uthal in Lost Continent of Theviranne
Anearis looked closely at the letter. He recognized these letters, but not the words that they formed. He squinted his eyes to try and find a word or two that he could make sense of. In the end, he simply shook his head.
"Forgive me, friend. This langugage is not familiar to me. But the letters are definitely elvish in nature."
Viilgahan took the letter gently, looking it over. While indeed it did appear elvish in its nature its words were lost on him as well. His brow, scaled that it was, furrowed. "An evil you say." He 'hmmed' twice. "That the words of your father might be inclined to help you defeat." He rummaged in his satchel, removing a piece of paper, a quill, and a vial of ink. "This is interesting, if it is these ruins your..." he gnashed his teeth twice. "...Divine guide..." it was almost like he struggled with the words, like someone chewing a shoe might grapple with the leather. "..means. Perhaps your master was a traveler or scholar?" The idle chat ceased as Viilgahan looked at the hole in the wall. His head moved like someone following something, eyes unblinking as they tracked what only he could see. He finally blinked and returned to the paper in his hand, cocking his head to his left.
"Master Goliath, be so kind as to hold this vial of ink in one hand." he passed it over. "And lean your hand against yon wall holding this piece of paper up." He passed that over as well. He spoke in a no nonsense tone, if anything perhaps a bit more excited than his usual mullings and offhand musings. Viilgahan dipped the tip of the quill in the ink after breaking the wax seal with a pointed claw, held the letter in his left hand, closed his eyes for a moment and with an exhaled breath opened them.
He would begin to write in Common what he saw.*
*Comprehend Languages
For the duration (1 Hour), you understand the literal meaning of any spoken language that you hear. You also understand any written language that you see, but you must be touching the surface on which the words are written. It takes about 1 minute to read one page of text.
This spell doesn't decode secret messages in a text or a glyph, such as an arcane sigil, that isn't part of a written language.
Exitus Acta Probat
Uthal doesn't recognize what the dragonborn is trying to do but he does recognize magic and so does as instructed, holding up the page on the wall.
Gronk in Bastion, Kingdom of Medrin Elixisys in Talaveroth (Team 2) Uthal in Lost Continent of Theviranne
Casting the spell, Viilgahan, while not knowing what language in which the letter is written, is able to read the words and transcribe it.
Felix,
If Trevor hasn’t already enlisted your help, I have no doubt he will soon. He has uncovered strange discrepancies within the Temple’s financials, but furthermore suspects Regis Hammerfell to be guilty of the unspeakable.
According to Trevor, Hammerfell has foresaken the Temple of Light and turned to the darkside. He believes him to be pursuing arcane practices that have long since been forbidden or forgotten; unleashing the power of ancient evils for his own gain.
Trevor is investigating this at the source, but I need you to look at something further. I suspect Trevor is not telling me everything. This is a large ask, because you’ve put that part of your life behind you, but I wouldn’t be asking if I didn’t believe it the Church of Sune, and possibly all of Therivanne were being threatened.
We must find who is pulling the strings, and sever the head from the beast. Assist Trevor in his work, but keep him at an arm’s length. And contact me immediately with anything you find.
The truth is out there.
Cedric
Viilgahan clacked his tongue at the mention of arcane practices but unless these ruins were the source of some ancient arcane evil, then there was little but thin thread connecting the contents of the letter and the place they now stood. He gave the letter a once over again just to be sure, eyes darting back and forth between the original and his transcription which he now held. Satisfied he flicked and then stowed the quill, handed the original letter back to the goliath and stowed the ink after a small flame sparked in his lantern only to jump to his fingertips, resealing the wax before vanishing. His work complete, the dragonborn lightly blew on the ink of the fresh page and then extended one hand open while also offering the transcription. As an afterthought, the candle in the lantern extinguished.
"A copper for a service but a silver buys silence." he said it lightly, politely even, like a shopkeep might say to the customer of the day. "Let me know if I can be of any other assistance."
Exitus Acta Probat
While the black-scaled dragonborn performed the ritual, Anearis will wonder off along the northern side of the castle wall to find another entry. He tries to remain close and within sight of the party.
By this point, both dwarfs were leaning against the stone wall. “Thought they were inna hurry, Nik.” “That’s what they said, Nack. Tryin to save a friend’s life or something. Time was of tha essence. All that.” Nack allowed the pickaxe to sway at his side. “Think that might just be bullshit?” “The thought did cross ma mind, Nack. If they want our help, I say we strike a bargain, otherwise I got better things to do.”
The two watched as some members of the party unsuccessfully tested the stone wall barrier and others attempted to transcribe some parchment. Catching a glimpse of the letter, following Viilgahan’s translation, Nik called out to Uthal, “It’s deep speech, by tha way. Your lil love note there. If I didn’t know better, say it was meant to hide it from anyone who’s not familiar with the underdark.”
Anearis makes his way back towards the Northern end, near where the party first say the ruins, from the trail. Turning and walking along the Northern exterior wall, it ran for approximately 150 feet total, give or take. However, the wall was surprisingly sturdy for ‘ruins’ and he failed to find any further way into the structure.
Uthal looks down at the dwarves as he puts the paper back in his bag. "Can you not work and talk little ones. You could have been going while we discussed things. As for treasure I do not care. I'm allowed no material possessions once I get back to the monastery so why should I try and collect them now."
Gronk in Bastion, Kingdom of Medrin Elixisys in Talaveroth (Team 2) Uthal in Lost Continent of Theviranne
“Oh, we can talk n work together. Thing is, until you, the rest’a your party denies our services.” Nik pointed at Viilgahan. “He’s wit us, so we have no problems with his conditions. Less we gotta read the better. It’s you all we been waitin’ on.” Nik straightened up and began slowly walking away from the stone wall. “But now that we got a gentleman’s agreement. One that I’m gonna be holdin your whole party to. We can proceed.” Nik slowly, but directly made a line for Uthal and ensured that he stood in a way that the giant was between him and Nack. “Go ahead, Nack.”
Nack at this point turned around and braced against the wall, noticeably hesitant about performing the action to come. The other noticeable factor was that, Nack was placing himself several feet away from the hole that Uthal had discovered, as if it was no longer of any importance. Holding the small pickaxe, Nack tapped it against the stone. The gap itself made no sound, however what followed sounded like dynamite set off right next to your head. It was a sound that likely would have woken the dead, had they not already been walking around and attacking the party on several occasions before.
A cloud of dust settled, covering the whole party, but with it, a large breach in the wall was revealed. A gap of about six feet of empty space now existed where the wall once stood, and chunks of rock lay all over the interior of the walled area. Nack lay on the ground, at the gap, unconscious.
“Your entrance,” Nik announced, peeking around Uthal.
"A most useful skill, minus the noise and the unconscious part. Does he need help?" Uthal nods in thanks and gestures to the small form on the ground.
Gronk in Bastion, Kingdom of Medrin Elixisys in Talaveroth (Team 2) Uthal in Lost Continent of Theviranne
“Magic pickaxe.” Nik said as he trotted over to the unconscious Nack. Retrieving the pickaxe, he threw it into his pack, before dragging his brother, through the new opening, and propping him against the wall’s interior. “He be out for next hour though.”
Viilgahan waited. His eyes dulled a bit. At length, after a conversation and the explosion of the wall, he sighed. "I guess the first one is free...can't expect clergy to carry copper these days." Viilgahan pushed himself through the hole, waving away dust from his face. "Much obliged Master Nack." he gestured to the dwarf as he spoke. Now that he was in the ruins proper, he gave a look around, wonder overriding ire for the moment.
Perception: 5
Exitus Acta Probat
Anearis was walking back to the rest of the party after another attempt to find an entrance. When the loud explosion went off, Anearis got startled and decided to quicken his pace back. When he came to check up on the party, the elf had to make a double take to be sure his eyes weren’t playing tricks on him. When he left, the hole wasn’t large enough to put his hand through. And now, they could easily enter the ruins.
‘’How.. ?’’ he said simply, stunned by the new hole in the wall.
Viilgahan must have thought himself deaf, dumb, and blind as he stepped through the new opening into what he perceived as ‘nothing’. For the rest of the party though, Nack’s entrance opened into a large garden, or what was once. At the south end of the garden, an open archway led to somewhere unknown, but against the far wall, that of the Castle itself, there was a large hole, formed by a crumbling wall, and providing a further avenue, into the proper Castle of Aaaargh.
”The giant spoke for ya group and struck a deal.” Nik looked up and spoke to Anearis, as he reappeared.
Uthal nods to the dwarf and then digs into a pocket in the sleeve of his robe, handing a copper to the dragonborn as he passes. "Debts are paid, just give it time. Does your brother need to be carried along with us Nik? Or would the two of you stay here? I assume you're not going to leave him alone in an unknown place."
Gronk in Bastion, Kingdom of Medrin Elixisys in Talaveroth (Team 2) Uthal in Lost Continent of Theviranne
Viilgahan wasn't impressed by anything he saw, just another miserable forgotten courtyard from another time. He sighed, dejected. The goliath passed and he barely acknowledged the coin he was handed, mumbling a thanks and tucking the coin away. It wasn't as if he expected a stack of magical material to be presented but he had seen more interesting complexity in the whorls of a dive taverns dingy table. He idly scratched at the scales of his shoulder as he glanced around, hoping there was at least something of interest further in.
Exitus Acta Probat