„Thank you, my friend.“ Allister pockets the trinkets, reminding himself to show it to Sthara as soon as she stops her contemplations. „Tell me if you need any help.“
While staring in disbelief at the scene around her, Sthara slumps to the ground and fades out of sight entirely. Eku runs a few steps towards her with an outstreched hand and yells out her name.
Eku turns to Allister with a panicked look and says, "Nothing. She didn't touch anything. It wasn't the same as last time either. She suddenly vanished before, but she faded away gradually here. What is happening!?"
„So this is like her last disappearance but also not. We don’t know why she disappeared but all we can do is sit and wait. Or we walk around the ruins and hope she will just come back from this whatever dimension or plane. While we wait...“ Allister looks to Funderburk „Are you in a hurry? I guess I can find enough logs to make a small raft for you. It would be much safer than whatever you planned with an ice block.“
As Sthara collapses, Nenne kneels to check her for injury - and watches the woman dematerialize beneath her fingertips. Frowning deeply, the eladrin places her hand on the grass where Sthara should be as a blossom of concerned contemplation mixes with her Summer coloration and turns her cheeks purple.
"This time was different," she says in reply to Allister. "She was not well." She rises and looks at the fighter. "I agree with you. Waiting for a reappearance is not the best use of our time. The more we learn about this place, the more equipped we will be to handle any other threats that may greet us in her absence. And if this vanishing is similar to the last, perhaps whoever spoke with her on the other side will care for her in our place."
"That said, perhaps we should all remain together. This place is vast, and I would rather not have our number thinned further."
"Well, there goes our guide to the city," Boosey says to the party. "Hopefully this time we wont be sent those cats with their snake heads as a travel gift. Nothing else for it other than to explore the place ourselves until she returns. There may even be some abandoned boats in the city. What state they may be in is another matter. I can't say I like the idea of floating across the water on a block of ice!"
Allister spends some time searching the area for raft materials, keeping an eye out for anything out of the ordinary. Nothing strange makes an appearance, but materials are easy to find given the plentiful jungle in every corner of this forgotten city. With some help and a couple hours, a raft big enough to accommodate five is ready to go. The sun nears mid day.
When the raft was completed after a couple hours, and Boosey started his work, Funderburk began to climb in. "I'll be the first one to test it out if anyone wants to join. Once we see that is works, pull me in, hop in, and we cam begin our journey to the other side."
Having occupied a few hours helping to build the raft, Boosey stand back to look at the vessel once they have finished. "So. Who wants to try it out first? I suppose it might be an idea to make sure it's not going to sink first." He gets his rope out and ties it to the raft securely, making sure that it's not going to slip. "Don't want it floating away if we have to leave it in the water. Plus, it'll make dragging it onto land a lot easier."
After tentatively checking the raft for its reliability and some adjustments on the bindings, the party assembles and sets off from a collapsed portion in the canal's wall. Crocodiles are visible here and there, but they keep to themselves for now as the party pushes off the wall and bottom of the canal, which proves to be about ten feet deep. There is a dock in poor condition surrounding most of the central, round structure. A pair of doors are near to where the party ties the raft off and a cracked staircase runs around the structure to doors above the first floor. The building is quiet, save the sounds of birds and small monkeys.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Once the raft is tied off, Boosey carefully makes his way up to the closest set of doors (Stealth check 19). He listens at the doors for a moment, before checking them over for anything untoward, and to make sure that the things aren't going to splinter apart as soon as he tries to move them. (investigation 7 or perception 10). If there are any cracks in the doors, he tries to peer through them to see what is beyond.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
As Boosey heads to the first set of doors stealthily, Funderburk with no care for stealth heads towards the top of the stairs where the other set of doors are, and looks around for any traps and such. (If and when) cleared, he heads inside to see what the building holds.
The building proves to be an assembly hall of sorts surrounding an open space. The domed roof is caved in and most of the entire eastern side of the building is just gone. The stairs takes Funderburk to an upper level where stadium style seating was available over top of seating down below. Tiled on the floor in the center of the massive room is a red, circular maze. The floor is cracked heavily, especially near the eastern side. Vines grow up through everything and hang from the bits of second floor and ceiling that are still left in tact.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Nenne follows the group into the ruined structure, keeping a reverent silence as she surveys the scene. She searches for any signs of skeletons or corpses, as well as any indications of Ras Nsi's symbol among the debris. (Perception 22, Investigation 17)
Funderburk enters the room with caution. Looking everywhere. He goes to the enter of the structure and looks at the maze. For fun and since everyone else was downstairs, he attempted to finish the maze, drawing with his finger over the dust to make a trail.
He looker around to see if there was some sort of stand or podium afterwards. Possibly a planning room or office. That way he can possible discern any information about what this place once was.
Aside from a healthy amount of vegetation and destruction, there isn't much to see here in this large structure. Funderburk is afforded a grande view of the tiled maze down below, but he doesn't push his luck too far onto the platform as it moves a bit. Small chunks of stone echo through the place and they bounce to the floor below. The wizard recognizes the tiled design on the floor as the same one Sthara kept referring to as Ubtoa's holy symbol. Judging from the amount of seating that was once here, Funderburk guesses that this might have been some sort of public hall, temple, or maybe even an enclosed arena. Down below Nenne picks out cracked jars near to some destroyed room. From their design the eladrin surmises that they were probably used for oils and salves. An old waterlogged book with strange writing falls to bits as the cleric picks it up. Gingerly, she picks through what she can and decides that the thing is probably some sort of prayer book based on its pictures and repeated maze symbol, honoring the lost god.
As the others pass into the building, Boosey looks round in wonder. His first impression is that it was an arena of some sort, for entertainment? The book that Nenne finds sparks his curiosity and he walks over to join the cleric. "Do you want me to try and read that for you?" Gently taking the book and placing it on the ground, he lies in front of it and ever so gingerly places his fingers on the page, casting comprehend languages he starts to read the faded script.
Funderburk stands in the middle of the maze, now completed, and memorizes the layout of it. Something he would like to check with in the future.
He brings out his staff and begins a long and slow enchantment. Detect Magic would take a bit, but having it here migbt provide him more knowledge on what had happened to this place.
In doing so, after he cast the ritual, the Vedalken also thought of something that may not be useful, but something he has never cast but always had. With that, he also began to cast See Invisibility. And he began to investigate once more.
Boosey gently guides his finger over what the ruined book will allow for, concentrating on the words. The words between his index fingers make themself known to him as he traces around the pages. The book tells of Ubtoa's deceit to other primordial beings. Who those primordials might have been is eroded from the page. It tells of how the larger pantheon gifted Ubtoa with godliness for his help in defeating Dendar the Night Serpent and of how he stood above Mezro, carving it by his own design. The book claims that each of Mezro's buildings were personally designed and placed by the then-new god.
„Thank you, my friend.“ Allister pockets the trinkets, reminding himself to show it to Sthara as soon as she stops her contemplations. „Tell me if you need any help.“
While staring in disbelief at the scene around her, Sthara slumps to the ground and fades out of sight entirely. Eku runs a few steps towards her with an outstreched hand and yells out her name.
Hearing Eku yell for Sthara Allister runs over to her. „Is she gone? Oh no, not again? What did she touch this time?“
Eku turns to Allister with a panicked look and says, "Nothing. She didn't touch anything. It wasn't the same as last time either. She suddenly vanished before, but she faded away gradually here. What is happening!?"
„So this is like her last disappearance but also not. We don’t know why she disappeared but all we can do is sit and wait. Or we walk around the ruins and hope she will just come back from this whatever dimension or plane. While we wait...“ Allister looks to Funderburk „Are you in a hurry? I guess I can find enough logs to make a small raft for you. It would be much safer than whatever you planned with an ice block.“
As Sthara collapses, Nenne kneels to check her for injury - and watches the woman dematerialize beneath her fingertips. Frowning deeply, the eladrin places her hand on the grass where Sthara should be as a blossom of concerned contemplation mixes with her Summer coloration and turns her cheeks purple.
"This time was different," she says in reply to Allister. "She was not well." She rises and looks at the fighter. "I agree with you. Waiting for a reappearance is not the best use of our time. The more we learn about this place, the more equipped we will be to handle any other threats that may greet us in her absence. And if this vanishing is similar to the last, perhaps whoever spoke with her on the other side will care for her in our place."
"That said, perhaps we should all remain together. This place is vast, and I would rather not have our number thinned further."
"Well, there goes our guide to the city," Boosey says to the party. "Hopefully this time we wont be sent those cats with their snake heads as a travel gift. Nothing else for it other than to explore the place ourselves until she returns. There may even be some abandoned boats in the city. What state they may be in is another matter. I can't say I like the idea of floating across the water on a block of ice!"
Allister spends some time searching the area for raft materials, keeping an eye out for anything out of the ordinary. Nothing strange makes an appearance, but materials are easy to find given the plentiful jungle in every corner of this forgotten city. With some help and a couple hours, a raft big enough to accommodate five is ready to go. The sun nears mid day.
When the raft was completed after a couple hours, and Boosey started his work, Funderburk began to climb in. "I'll be the first one to test it out if anyone wants to join. Once we see that is works, pull me in, hop in, and we cam begin our journey to the other side."
Made you look.
Having occupied a few hours helping to build the raft, Boosey stand back to look at the vessel once they have finished. "So. Who wants to try it out first? I suppose it might be an idea to make sure it's not going to sink first." He gets his rope out and ties it to the raft securely, making sure that it's not going to slip. "Don't want it floating away if we have to leave it in the water. Plus, it'll make dragging it onto land a lot easier."
After tentatively checking the raft for its reliability and some adjustments on the bindings, the party assembles and sets off from a collapsed portion in the canal's wall. Crocodiles are visible here and there, but they keep to themselves for now as the party pushes off the wall and bottom of the canal, which proves to be about ten feet deep. There is a dock in poor condition surrounding most of the central, round structure. A pair of doors are near to where the party ties the raft off and a cracked staircase runs around the structure to doors above the first floor. The building is quiet, save the sounds of birds and small monkeys.
Once the raft is tied off, Boosey carefully makes his way up to the closest set of doors (Stealth check 19). He listens at the doors for a moment, before checking them over for anything untoward, and to make sure that the things aren't going to splinter apart as soon as he tries to move them. (investigation 7 or perception 10). If there are any cracks in the doors, he tries to peer through them to see what is beyond.
As Boosey heads to the first set of doors stealthily, Funderburk with no care for stealth heads towards the top of the stairs where the other set of doors are, and looks around for any traps and such. (If and when) cleared, he heads inside to see what the building holds.
Investigation: 8 (passive 17)
Perception: 7 (passive 16)
Made you look.
The building proves to be an assembly hall of sorts surrounding an open space. The domed roof is caved in and most of the entire eastern side of the building is just gone. The stairs takes Funderburk to an upper level where stadium style seating was available over top of seating down below. Tiled on the floor in the center of the massive room is a red, circular maze. The floor is cracked heavily, especially near the eastern side. Vines grow up through everything and hang from the bits of second floor and ceiling that are still left in tact.
Nenne follows the group into the ruined structure, keeping a reverent silence as she surveys the scene. She searches for any signs of skeletons or corpses, as well as any indications of Ras Nsi's symbol among the debris. (Perception 22, Investigation 17)
Funderburk enters the room with caution. Looking everywhere. He goes to the enter of the structure and looks at the maze. For fun and since everyone else was downstairs, he attempted to finish the maze, drawing with his finger over the dust to make a trail.
He looker around to see if there was some sort of stand or podium afterwards. Possibly a planning room or office. That way he can possible discern any information about what this place once was.
Made you look.
Aside from a healthy amount of vegetation and destruction, there isn't much to see here in this large structure. Funderburk is afforded a grande view of the tiled maze down below, but he doesn't push his luck too far onto the platform as it moves a bit. Small chunks of stone echo through the place and they bounce to the floor below. The wizard recognizes the tiled design on the floor as the same one Sthara kept referring to as Ubtoa's holy symbol. Judging from the amount of seating that was once here, Funderburk guesses that this might have been some sort of public hall, temple, or maybe even an enclosed arena. Down below Nenne picks out cracked jars near to some destroyed room. From their design the eladrin surmises that they were probably used for oils and salves. An old waterlogged book with strange writing falls to bits as the cleric picks it up. Gingerly, she picks through what she can and decides that the thing is probably some sort of prayer book based on its pictures and repeated maze symbol, honoring the lost god.
As the others pass into the building, Boosey looks round in wonder. His first impression is that it was an arena of some sort, for entertainment? The book that Nenne finds sparks his curiosity and he walks over to join the cleric. "Do you want me to try and read that for you?" Gently taking the book and placing it on the ground, he lies in front of it and ever so gingerly places his fingers on the page, casting comprehend languages he starts to read the faded script.
Funderburk stands in the middle of the maze, now completed, and memorizes the layout of it. Something he would like to check with in the future.
He brings out his staff and begins a long and slow enchantment. Detect Magic would take a bit, but having it here migbt provide him more knowledge on what had happened to this place.
In doing so, after he cast the ritual, the Vedalken also thought of something that may not be useful, but something he has never cast but always had. With that, he also began to cast See Invisibility. And he began to investigate once more.
Made you look.
Boosey gently guides his finger over what the ruined book will allow for, concentrating on the words. The words between his index fingers make themself known to him as he traces around the pages. The book tells of Ubtoa's deceit to other primordial beings. Who those primordials might have been is eroded from the page. It tells of how the larger pantheon gifted Ubtoa with godliness for his help in defeating Dendar the Night Serpent and of how he stood above Mezro, carving it by his own design. The book claims that each of Mezro's buildings were personally designed and placed by the then-new god.
Funderburk's efforts reveal nothing further.