Silthras eyebrows rise as Kal reads, then his eyes widen and he glances around nervously at the dark corridors, keeping a constant vigil and glad his vision pierces the darkest gloom. It does not really comfort him, and one question presses his mind.
"Are there more of them here, do you think?" he asks, pointing above. "If we can find the rooms of the two wizards...and this room may be one of them..." he nods to the spell book as the basis of his conclusion, "...then we may learn more. We should not dawdle overlong, but I had hoped they might have a prisoner here. Or other records."
"We should also search the bodies..."
Help Usul in investigation if necessary. Othwerwise, Silthras perception for searching bodies: 23
((The only two rooms you've searched so far are the two at the entrance, and this one. You saw glimpses of some of the other rooms, but didn't really stop and investigate.))
Going back through the complex, Silthras meticulously searches through each of the bodies. Besides their robes and weapons, these cultists didn't seem to be carrying much. They all wore a simple necklace made of a brown leather cord holding up a pendant made of some black stone with a rune carved in it.
Sylnora leaves the chest on top of the bed, making sure to point it out to Usul before they move on. As they look through the bodies, she takes note of the rune on the pendants, on the off chance she would recognize it. "Is there anything we want to backtrack on, or should we go ahead as Kal suggested?"
Silthras looks up at the roof, "There are passages up; I'd be reluctant to explore higher up until we've understood this area but, yes, let's see where the second caster came from first."
Syl: It's recognizable as an abjuration rune, but the specific purpose you can't really tell from a cursory glance - though you do suspect it's magical in nature.
Heading through the secret hall revealed in the bedroom, you descend a set of stairs that takes you even further down into the earth, briefly stopping on a landing to turn a corner and continue the descent. At the bottom of the stairs is a long hallway, terminated in a set of large stone doors that are already open. Through the doorway, you emerge into a gargantuan circular chamber, easily over 100 feet across. The ceiling arches up from the walls, up to a height of about 50 feet. The ceiling is held up by a cross of columns that divide the chamber into four sections; in each, you see arcane circles drawn onto the stone, faintly pulsing with blood red light. A miniature ziggurat rises in the center of the chamber, with stairs leading up on each side. You can't make out what's on top, but you can see that the sides are splashed with dried blood. Running around the chamber walls in a circle you see at least a dozen cages - some with figures moving inside them.
Silthras peers into the cages without moving far from the entrnce...looking for someone he recognizes, and failing that, and hint of life and origin of the prisoners. If there is are cages nearby, he approaches the nearest with a live prisoner (and if he sees the man they are looking for, he goes there instead).
His waterskin floats through the bars as he raises his finger to his lips and starts speaking in hushed tones,
"We are here to help, but we need to know who you are, and if there are there any more cultists nearby?"
You approach the nearest cage - not as quietly as you might have liked - and find a teenage girl locked inside. She doesn't seem malnourished, but definitely looks worse for wear. Dark circles hang under her eyes, and her skin has a deathlike pallor to it. She seems wary of you, but nonetheless snatches the waterskin out of the air, taking large gulps before clearing her throat to talk to you. "I'm Tabitha." She mumbles, taking a careful look around. "I don't think there's any...The witch was bleeding Andell when one of the others came to get her."
There are others in the cages next to hers, you might have thought them dead at first but they now begin to stir. They're all in the same state of as the girl - deathly pale, but otherwise healthy seeming.
"Bleeding them?" Velyra seethes, looking around the other cages to see if the rest are children as well. "Usul, go try and find your friend." Her eyes wander towards the ziggurat, but for now..."We'll have to make our investigations quickly, and then get everyone out of here. We can't afford to exhaust ourselves in this complex, there still might be creatures in the tunnels on our way out."
Usul gasps looking at the girl in the cage they've found, and quickly begins to check the other cages, first to make sure that all are alive, and second to see if he can find the youth Ma and asked him to look out for.
After a worried look at Usul, Silthras nods and scans the cages looking for the face of the missing priest, then starts trying to open the cages, starting with the first he saw. "Tabitha....think carefully...how many of the witches have you seen?" he asks as he works on the lock.
One by one he works along the line of cages, freeing prisoners. To each he says, "Follow, but not too close -- there are dangers all around." He then follows up with the same set of questions for each: "How many witches are there? Is there anyone the witches answer to?Have you seen any priests from the temple down here? How were you captured and brought here? How many of the cultists have you seen?" He hopes that, as the group grows, he might get a more detailed picture of what they face.
(( If there are some that are unconscious he will do what he can without magic to wake them, and only consider resorting to magic once they have assessed how badly wounded they all are ))
To answer Silthras question, the girl holds up two fingers. "Thought they were the same person before I saw them both at the same time...."
Usul goes quickly from cage to cage, searching for his friend while Silthras works quickly to begin freeing them. On the far side of the chamber he finds the young halfling, stricken with a deathly pallor and in clothing that's more ragged than usual - even for him - but well enough to walk. "Usul!" He calls out, "gods am I glad to see you, how in the world did you find this place!?"
Many of the captives you free are too shocked or traumatized to speak, but you're able to pick up scraps of information.
Without exception, they're all street urchins. Orphans. None are younger than twelve but no older than sixteen.
They were all enticed one way or another, usually with the promise of easy money or food in exchange for work - and it was always offered by a priest or priestess of the temple, someone they thought they could trust.
Most of their time has been spent in this chamber - they haven't seen many cultists down here, but saw several, perhaps more than ten when they were brought in.
The two "witches" would draw their blood regularly, collecting it and then sealing the wound with magic. They would keep them well fed and hydrated, if only to make sure they could keep producing blood.
When it's all said and done you've gone through sixteen cages, and now have sixteen terrified adolescents in your care.
As the pattern emerges regarding the means by which the orphans were captured, Silthras asks about the priests and trusted people who betrayed the children. Was there any specific faith that is represented here...or not represented. Is the whole temple corrupted?
Aware he is pushing the bounds of what they might be capable of, he never-the-less presses on. "Try to remember: It could make our journey out of here much easier."
He notes down names, with the occasional glance at Velyra to see if she recognises any of them.
(( @DM: Are there any other exits to this room? ))
"Gods above!" Usul says, in a rare almost swear. "Ma has been looking for you! Though we had no idea this would all be connected. Hells... we don't even know what's really going on half the time. There are zombies and monsters! It's quite crazy." Then looking around to the other children, and his companions says, "We've got to get them all out of here. I know where they will be able to rest if we can get to the surface."
Syl follows the others in a shocked silence, taken aback by the barbarity of the cult's actions. Her mind wanders back to the large sigil drawn out across the city, and she says quietly, "Think this is where they planned to set the whole thing off." She looks over the kids they've rescued and lets out a shaky breath. "I think we just stopped an absolute massacre from happening."
Silthras' eyes scan over the assembled mass of children...adults...victims...as Syl speaks. His gaze settles on Usul at the end, and a slight smile flickers across his face before her turns to Syl angrily.
"Many people misuse the term evil, accusing others of it as a means to justify their own abuse of power and disregard for life. I have become wary of such words, but this..." he half-heartedly lifts his arms but they just sag to his side as he takes a breath. "...this can only be the embodiment of evil. The calculated and callous disregard for suffering. The abuse of power." Cattle, farmed for their blood. "This is the kind of obscenity I expect of Ghorzadia."
He shakes his head, closes his eyes briefly, then his lips quirk upward, the anger seemingly gone. "I guess we have another thing to add to our list. Quite the crusade."
Finally he turns to Velyra, "Any thoughts on how to proceed? Surely not all the temple is corrupt? After I saw the map I wondered if your vision might possibly have a different -- more optimistic -- interpretation."
"I would not trust a single person that wears cloth from this temple." Velyra says, staring at the ziggurat blankly. "Even if they aren't involved, to miss something like this happening underneath your nose is truly egregious."
"Were it up to me, I would bury this entire temple in rubble."
Silthras eyebrows rise as Kal reads, then his eyes widen and he glances around nervously at the dark corridors, keeping a constant vigil and glad his vision pierces the darkest gloom. It does not really comfort him, and one question presses his mind.
"Are there more of them here, do you think?" he asks, pointing above. "If we can find the rooms of the two wizards...and this room may be one of them..." he nods to the spell book as the basis of his conclusion, "...then we may learn more. We should not dawdle overlong, but I had hoped they might have a prisoner here. Or other records."
"We should also search the bodies..."
Help Usul in investigation if necessary. Othwerwise, Silthras perception for searching bodies: 23
(( @DM: Have we searched entire floor, or just one or two rooms? ))
"We could start with the secret passage," Kal says, nodding towards the hole in the wall by the desk. "After searching the bodies."
((The only two rooms you've searched so far are the two at the entrance, and this one. You saw glimpses of some of the other rooms, but didn't really stop and investigate.))
Going back through the complex, Silthras meticulously searches through each of the bodies. Besides their robes and weapons, these cultists didn't seem to be carrying much. They all wore a simple necklace made of a brown leather cord holding up a pendant made of some black stone with a rune carved in it.
Sylnora leaves the chest on top of the bed, making sure to point it out to Usul before they move on. As they look through the bodies, she takes note of the rune on the pendants, on the off chance she would recognize it. "Is there anything we want to backtrack on, or should we go ahead as Kal suggested?"
Silthras looks up at the roof, "There are passages up; I'd be reluctant to explore higher up until we've understood this area but, yes, let's see where the second caster came from first."
Syl Arcana: 19
Syl: It's recognizable as an abjuration rune, but the specific purpose you can't really tell from a cursory glance - though you do suspect it's magical in nature.
Heading through the secret hall revealed in the bedroom, you descend a set of stairs that takes you even further down into the earth, briefly stopping on a landing to turn a corner and continue the descent. At the bottom of the stairs is a long hallway, terminated in a set of large stone doors that are already open. Through the doorway, you emerge into a gargantuan circular chamber, easily over 100 feet across. The ceiling arches up from the walls, up to a height of about 50 feet. The ceiling is held up by a cross of columns that divide the chamber into four sections; in each, you see arcane circles drawn onto the stone, faintly pulsing with blood red light. A miniature ziggurat rises in the center of the chamber, with stairs leading up on each side. You can't make out what's on top, but you can see that the sides are splashed with dried blood. Running around the chamber walls in a circle you see at least a dozen cages - some with figures moving inside them.
Silthras peers into the cages without moving far from the entrnce...looking for someone he recognizes, and failing that, and hint of life and origin of the prisoners. If there is are cages nearby, he approaches the nearest with a live prisoner (and if he sees the man they are looking for, he goes there instead).
His waterskin floats through the bars as he raises his finger to his lips and starts speaking in hushed tones,
"We are here to help, but we need to know who you are, and if there are there any more cultists nearby?"
Stealth: 18
Perception: 12 (passive 18)
You approach the nearest cage - not as quietly as you might have liked - and find a teenage girl locked inside. She doesn't seem malnourished, but definitely looks worse for wear. Dark circles hang under her eyes, and her skin has a deathlike pallor to it. She seems wary of you, but nonetheless snatches the waterskin out of the air, taking large gulps before clearing her throat to talk to you. "I'm Tabitha." She mumbles, taking a careful look around. "I don't think there's any...The witch was bleeding Andell when one of the others came to get her."
There are others in the cages next to hers, you might have thought them dead at first but they now begin to stir. They're all in the same state of as the girl - deathly pale, but otherwise healthy seeming.
"Bleeding them?" Velyra seethes, looking around the other cages to see if the rest are children as well. "Usul, go try and find your friend." Her eyes wander towards the ziggurat, but for now..."We'll have to make our investigations quickly, and then get everyone out of here. We can't afford to exhaust ourselves in this complex, there still might be creatures in the tunnels on our way out."
Usul gasps looking at the girl in the cage they've found, and quickly begins to check the other cages, first to make sure that all are alive, and second to see if he can find the youth Ma and asked him to look out for.
PbP 🎲: Tyekanik; Moneo Noree; Korba Muris; & occasional DM:
After a worried look at Usul, Silthras nods and scans the cages looking for the face of the missing priest, then starts trying to open the cages, starting with the first he saw. "Tabitha....think carefully...how many of the witches have you seen?" he asks as he works on the lock.
One by one he works along the line of cages, freeing prisoners. To each he says, "Follow, but not too close -- there are dangers all around." He then follows up with the same set of questions for each: "How many witches are there? Is there anyone the witches answer to? Have you seen any priests from the temple down here? How were you captured and brought here? How many of the cultists have you seen?" He hopes that, as the group grows, he might get a more detailed picture of what they face.
(( If there are some that are unconscious he will do what he can without magic to wake them, and only consider resorting to magic once they have assessed how badly wounded they all are ))
To answer Silthras question, the girl holds up two fingers. "Thought they were the same person before I saw them both at the same time...."
Usul goes quickly from cage to cage, searching for his friend while Silthras works quickly to begin freeing them. On the far side of the chamber he finds the young halfling, stricken with a deathly pallor and in clothing that's more ragged than usual - even for him - but well enough to walk. "Usul!" He calls out, "gods am I glad to see you, how in the world did you find this place!?"
Many of the captives you free are too shocked or traumatized to speak, but you're able to pick up scraps of information.
When it's all said and done you've gone through sixteen cages, and now have sixteen terrified adolescents in your care.
As the pattern emerges regarding the means by which the orphans were captured, Silthras asks about the priests and trusted people who betrayed the children. Was there any specific faith that is represented here...or not represented. Is the whole temple corrupted?
Aware he is pushing the bounds of what they might be capable of, he never-the-less presses on. "Try to remember: It could make our journey out of here much easier."
He notes down names, with the occasional glance at Velyra to see if she recognises any of them.
(( @DM: Are there any other exits to this room? ))
"Gods above!" Usul says, in a rare almost swear. "Ma has been looking for you! Though we had no idea this would all be connected. Hells... we don't even know what's really going on half the time. There are zombies and monsters! It's quite crazy." Then looking around to the other children, and his companions says, "We've got to get them all out of here. I know where they will be able to rest if we can get to the surface."
PbP 🎲: Tyekanik; Moneo Noree; Korba Muris; & occasional DM:
Syl follows the others in a shocked silence, taken aback by the barbarity of the cult's actions. Her mind wanders back to the large sigil drawn out across the city, and she says quietly, "Think this is where they planned to set the whole thing off." She looks over the kids they've rescued and lets out a shaky breath. "I think we just stopped an absolute massacre from happening."
Silthras' eyes scan over the assembled mass of children...adults...victims...as Syl speaks. His gaze settles on Usul at the end, and a slight smile flickers across his face before her turns to Syl angrily.
"Many people misuse the term evil, accusing others of it as a means to justify their own abuse of power and disregard for life. I have become wary of such words, but this..." he half-heartedly lifts his arms but they just sag to his side as he takes a breath. "...this can only be the embodiment of evil. The calculated and callous disregard for suffering. The abuse of power." Cattle, farmed for their blood. "This is the kind of obscenity I expect of Ghorzadia."
He shakes his head, closes his eyes briefly, then his lips quirk upward, the anger seemingly gone. "I guess we have another thing to add to our list. Quite the crusade."
Finally he turns to Velyra, "Any thoughts on how to proceed? Surely not all the temple is corrupt? After I saw the map I wondered if your vision might possibly have a different -- more optimistic -- interpretation."
"I would not trust a single person that wears cloth from this temple." Velyra says, staring at the ziggurat blankly. "Even if they aren't involved, to miss something like this happening underneath your nose is truly egregious."
"Were it up to me, I would bury this entire temple in rubble."
A wicked grin appears on Silthras' face, remembering Elixyr...