Nicolas, the archway is indeed ornately carved with many ornaments and embellishments, the details of which are painted in vibrant and lifelike colors, although the paint is now quite faded and thin. There are also painted panels on the archway, and on the walls on either side, depicting various scenes of a regal, queenly figure leading armies into battle, and triumphing over her foes. Near the base of the archway is a panel painted in an archaic script which reads:
I, Annote, Master Painter of the Painters' Guild of Ekuepool, have made this archway which you see before you. Her Heavenly Majesty, Queen Akuna, commissioned this work as part of the construction of the way by which she led her armies to the gates of the underworld of Aqin, from which sadly she has not returned. The city is now lost, and many have fled, but I shall remain here by my work, into which I have poured my life energy, to guard it from the hordes of the dead, and here I shall remain until the end of my days, although they be short, and beyond death itself, if need be, until the end of time.
As you travel down the long dark, stone passageway, which is wide enough for two to walk side by side and leads, as far as you can tell, gently down into the heart of Wuft Hill, the sense of a presence never quite leaves you. After nearly ten minutes of walking, Anakis can see that ahead of you the passageway ends in some kind of chamber.
When Anakis sees the room ahead, she whispers/hisses back to Tarek and Aluzira behind her, "There's a room ahead by the looks of it." She stops about 30ft from the end of the hallway before it opens into the room.
(OOC - I won't post too much more cause I don't want to interrupt Nicolas' conversation!)
"Oh, Aqin?" says Remacle, a bit startled to hear the name in this dreary place. "That's the old Ekuepudlian name for the lower world, the Land of No Return, where it was said that only the spirits of the dead could go, a dark and dismal cave, but also the hiding place of a most wondrous garden, a garden, they say, which contained trees that bore precious gems as fruit! But also, a very special, magical tree that guarded a powerful secret, which was why Queen Akuna went down there. She wanted that secret for herself. But she ended up proving it really was the Land of No Return, because neither she nor anyone who went with her ever came back, except for the zomblies of course."
The room ahead appears small, only about twenty feet deep and probably as wide. A large, motionless figure dominates the chamber, flanked by smaller, human-sized figures on either side. The figures have a lumpy, almost grotesque appearance, and there appear to be great piles of some substance on the floor around them. A pungent, musty, acrid odor emanates from the doorway and you can hear a faint chattering noise as of many small birds in a roost. A thunderclap rolls down the hall, thudding dully as if coming from a tremendous distance, a reminder that a storm is going on in the city above.
"That's an interesting theory," says Mr. Button, "but the stories my grandad told me say that she first raised the army of rotters and then marched them into the underworld, so I'd always assumed they were zomblies first, before they marched down. Now, I suppose it's possible that many of them could have been soldiers of hers that had died in earlier unsuccessful campaigns against the gates of Aqin, but I do know of one person at least that was supposed to have gone with Akuna on her final descent. That was her twin brother, Alo, a long armed, golden haired warrior who was renowned for his generosity. He rode his chariot with her down into the underworld, but the tales don't tell what happened to him afterwards either, just that his son became king of Ekuepool afterwards."
"Yes, it was during his reign that a great wave of zomblies came pouring up out of the lower world and flooded the city with death and carnage," Remacle says in a hushed voice while the party regards the chamber ahead. "He disappeared in all the violence and chaos, and no one knows what happened to him."
“Oh, my...” Aluzira says quietly upon peering over Anakis’ shoulder into the chamber ahead. “What should we do?” She asks Tarek, still speaking quietly, before her attention is slowly drawn to Nicolas’ and Mr. Remacles’ conversation.
"I'm not sure," says Tarek in reply. "My compatriots would say, go forward, be brave. But if this really is the gate to the underworld..." His voice tapers out, and he freezes in place. "I don't think we're ready to take on hordes of undead, let alone Queen Akuna herself."
Anakis creeps a little closer and tries to make out if the smaller figures are more of the undead and also what is on the floor around them (Perception: 6).
“I would agree with the latter, honestly...” Aluzira whispers before moving closer to Anakis. “Try using your hands to make a telescope, it might help your vision focus better.” Aluzira says hoping it’ll help
Anakis nods at Aluzira's suggestion, and tries again with her help to see what the masses are at the base of the large statuesque form in the middle of the room (Perception: 10).
“Ah, right sorry, perhaps not right now though.. but if we find ourselves wandering down another tunnel or setting up for camp somewhere. Could you make it look as though there are trees?” Aluzira says in reply to Ash, before briefly glancing towards Torrent. “Can you see anything Anakis?” She asks looking forward into the chamber again.
The chamber ahead of you is still and quiet except for the chirping noise. The smaller figures, as well as the largish one, appear to be lifeless stone idols of various gods. Their lumpy appearance seems to be caused by a thick layer of a fine mud-like material which covers them. There are several places where incense sticks can be seen poking through the mounds of the material which covers the floor as well. It's hard to see from outside the room what the material might be, but the smell and the chattering, chirping noise both suggest that it might be bat guano.
“Thank you!” Aluzira says with a smile in reply to Ash, genuinely unaware of his confusion. “Should we continue on or try another path?” She asks the group while fiddling with her dagger, “And if we continue into the chamber how should we go about doing that?” Her fear of the chamber is slowly wearing away giving way to curiosity, and she moves to stand next to Anakis.
"Ew... bats," Anakis whispers, "We could try and sneak past? Or I could try to scare them off with a booming voice?" She looks at the others, questioning what they'd like to do, but edges slightly closer to the room entrance.
As Aluzira's fear wanes, Nicolas's grows and he raises his hood. Deciding that he's just letting superstition get the better of him, Nicolas say, "I vote loud. I'd rather know outright exactly what we're dealing with." Nicolas grins at Anakis. "Go for it!"
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Nicolas, the archway is indeed ornately carved with many ornaments and embellishments, the details of which are painted in vibrant and lifelike colors, although the paint is now quite faded and thin. There are also painted panels on the archway, and on the walls on either side, depicting various scenes of a regal, queenly figure leading armies into battle, and triumphing over her foes. Near the base of the archway is a panel painted in an archaic script which reads:
I, Annote, Master Painter of the Painters' Guild of Ekuepool, have made this archway which you see before you. Her Heavenly Majesty, Queen Akuna, commissioned this work as part of the construction of the way by which she led her armies to the gates of the underworld of Aqin, from which sadly she has not returned. The city is now lost, and many have fled, but I shall remain here by my work, into which I have poured my life energy, to guard it from the hordes of the dead, and here I shall remain until the end of my days, although they be short, and beyond death itself, if need be, until the end of time.
As you travel down the long dark, stone passageway, which is wide enough for two to walk side by side and leads, as far as you can tell, gently down into the heart of Wuft Hill, the sense of a presence never quite leaves you. After nearly ten minutes of walking, Anakis can see that ahead of you the passageway ends in some kind of chamber.
During the ten minute walk, Nicolas would make his way over to Remacle and ask, “What do you know about Aqin and Queen Akuna?”
When Anakis sees the room ahead, she whispers/hisses back to Tarek and Aluzira behind her, "There's a room ahead by the looks of it." She stops about 30ft from the end of the hallway before it opens into the room.
(OOC - I won't post too much more cause I don't want to interrupt Nicolas' conversation!)
"Oh, Aqin?" says Remacle, a bit startled to hear the name in this dreary place. "That's the old Ekuepudlian name for the lower world, the Land of No Return, where it was said that only the spirits of the dead could go, a dark and dismal cave, but also the hiding place of a most wondrous garden, a garden, they say, which contained trees that bore precious gems as fruit! But also, a very special, magical tree that guarded a powerful secret, which was why Queen Akuna went down there. She wanted that secret for herself. But she ended up proving it really was the Land of No Return, because neither she nor anyone who went with her ever came back, except for the zomblies of course."
The room ahead appears small, only about twenty feet deep and probably as wide. A large, motionless figure dominates the chamber, flanked by smaller, human-sized figures on either side. The figures have a lumpy, almost grotesque appearance, and there appear to be great piles of some substance on the floor around them. A pungent, musty, acrid odor emanates from the doorway and you can hear a faint chattering noise as of many small birds in a roost. A thunderclap rolls down the hall, thudding dully as if coming from a tremendous distance, a reminder that a storm is going on in the city above.
“Are you saying the zomblies showed up after she left? That they were people who went with her?”
"That's an interesting theory," says Mr. Button, "but the stories my grandad told me say that she first raised the army of rotters and then marched them into the underworld, so I'd always assumed they were zomblies first, before they marched down. Now, I suppose it's possible that many of them could have been soldiers of hers that had died in earlier unsuccessful campaigns against the gates of Aqin, but I do know of one person at least that was supposed to have gone with Akuna on her final descent. That was her twin brother, Alo, a long armed, golden haired warrior who was renowned for his generosity. He rode his chariot with her down into the underworld, but the tales don't tell what happened to him afterwards either, just that his son became king of Ekuepool afterwards."
“And what became of this new king? Was he still on the throne when the zomblies overtook the city?”
"Yes, it was during his reign that a great wave of zomblies came pouring up out of the lower world and flooded the city with death and carnage," Remacle says in a hushed voice while the party regards the chamber ahead. "He disappeared in all the violence and chaos, and no one knows what happened to him."
“Oh, my...” Aluzira says quietly upon peering over Anakis’ shoulder into the chamber ahead. “What should we do?” She asks Tarek, still speaking quietly, before her attention is slowly drawn to Nicolas’ and Mr. Remacles’ conversation.
"I'm not sure," says Tarek in reply. "My compatriots would say, go forward, be brave. But if this really is the gate to the underworld..." His voice tapers out, and he freezes in place. "I don't think we're ready to take on hordes of undead, let alone Queen Akuna herself."
Anakis creeps a little closer and tries to make out if the smaller figures are more of the undead and also what is on the floor around them (Perception: 6).
(OOC - these low rolls are killing me.)
“I would agree with the latter, honestly...” Aluzira whispers before moving closer to Anakis. “Try using your hands to make a telescope, it might help your vision focus better.” Aluzira says hoping it’ll help
Ash looks at Alizura "What did you want me to illusion?"
“I will take responsibility for what I have done. [...] If must fall, I will rise each time a better man.” ― Brandon Sanderson, Oathbringer.
Anakis nods at Aluzira's suggestion, and tries again with her help to see what the masses are at the base of the large statuesque form in the middle of the room (Perception: 10).
“Ah, right sorry, perhaps not right now though.. but if we find ourselves wandering down another tunnel or setting up for camp somewhere. Could you make it look as though there are trees?” Aluzira says in reply to Ash, before briefly glancing towards Torrent. “Can you see anything Anakis?” She asks looking forward into the chamber again.
Even more confused, Ash nods. "Alright"
Ash, hoping to be helpful, looks around for anything of interest (Perception14 Investigation 17)
“I will take responsibility for what I have done. [...] If must fall, I will rise each time a better man.” ― Brandon Sanderson, Oathbringer.
The chamber ahead of you is still and quiet except for the chirping noise. The smaller figures, as well as the largish one, appear to be lifeless stone idols of various gods. Their lumpy appearance seems to be caused by a thick layer of a fine mud-like material which covers them. There are several places where incense sticks can be seen poking through the mounds of the material which covers the floor as well. It's hard to see from outside the room what the material might be, but the smell and the chattering, chirping noise both suggest that it might be bat guano.
“Thank you!” Aluzira says with a smile in reply to Ash, genuinely unaware of his confusion. “Should we continue on or try another path?” She asks the group while fiddling with her dagger, “And if we continue into the chamber how should we go about doing that?” Her fear of the chamber is slowly wearing away giving way to curiosity, and she moves to stand next to Anakis.
"Ew... bats," Anakis whispers, "We could try and sneak past? Or I could try to scare them off with a booming voice?" She looks at the others, questioning what they'd like to do, but edges slightly closer to the room entrance.
As Aluzira's fear wanes, Nicolas's grows and he raises his hood. Deciding that he's just letting superstition get the better of him, Nicolas say, "I vote loud. I'd rather know outright exactly what we're dealing with." Nicolas grins at Anakis. "Go for it!"