"Orvex, what is the deal with all the animal gods? Is every shrine going to have something like that big frog?"

Evo would work his way to the door as well.

"Azaka, are you alright?"

(After he heals her or assesses her condition)
"You were awful eager to see if it had swallowed any treasure... find anything good in there?"

"Gotur, no. Save your magic. Let me." and Eku would brush over Azaka with her wings. 12

Azaka would say "Yes, I am alright other than the burns from the acid or whatever it was inside that things gullet." she shudders. "haha, unfortunately not, Gotur. Everything was bad in there. Everything." she shudders again. 

Evo, Orvex would respond:

"It's really hard to say. This is the first shrine that I've actually been to. However, given the history of this place, it makes sense that some if not all of these creatures may also occupy the shrines which hold the cubes."

"The shrines themselves were built after the gods who represented themselves as the creatures on the puzzle cubes. Although I didn't actually think that there'd be an actual FROGHEMOTH here! I mean, take this shrine for instance. It must've been the shrine built for the trickster spirit KUBAZAN who took the form of a Froghemoth way back when. But, the god was killed, remember? I would not have thought that an actual Froghemoth would still be here."

"I know, it's a lot of information and I've been studying it for a decade." (he's actually talking down to you a bit here. he thinks you'll just completely understand everything based on the information that he told you about earlier. Meanwhile the guy's been studying it for 10 years....)

"Anyhow, it seems this lost city and these shrines will hold many surprises. I am sure glad I'm on your side." and he makes his way to the door of the shrine. 

Carved into the lintel above the door is an inscription written in Old Omuan. Orvex is able to translate it as:

“Kubazan urges us to tread without fear and to give back as much as we take.”

Orvex would clumsily try the door just because he felt bad for bailing on the froghemoth fight. He finds that the doors are locked.

"Hmmmm... well, I guess it makes sense that they are not just wide open, right?"

Over to you.

Map is updated. 

"Unless Kubazan came back, and we just killed him again.", Gotur shudders at the implications.

He raises an eyebrow at Alton and steps back when the door is revealed to be locked.

Evo pauses, then knocks and tries again to show he doesn't fear letting Kubazan know he is there?

When that likely fails he leaves it to the experts.

No response from the knocking!

You all keep hearing air being released from the dead froghemoth. It's nasty smelling, too. Yuck.

"Eku, would you mind terribly taking a quick scan of the pool and the body, please? If there's anything magical in there, we ought to retrieve it."

Alton produces his thieves tools and advances on the door, preparing to pick it. Right before he brings the process, you see his face light up as he remembers to first check for any possible traps on the door.

Investigation: 12

Then…

Thieves Tools: 24 

As soon as the froghemoth dies, Phillip needs to burn off the action-surge-adrenalin… and also NOT speak to Orvex right now. He’s normally chilled, but he is absolutely fuming that the wizard did nothing to help!

He dives into the pond with the dead monster to cool off.

He retrieves his glowing coin and uses it to help him retrieve half of his fired arrows and also to search the pond top to bottom. He’s probably down there most of the time the others are trying to get into the shrine.

((He’s looking for anything that might be useful. Or and gear or riches from and less fortunate adventurers…))

Investigation: 9 (add an extra +4 for perception) 

When he comes out, he’s still fuming… (next post)

Phillip literally leaps from the pond, and storms over to Orvex. All the while he’s using shape water to dry himself and his gear as he approaches…

No matter what point in the conversation, about the shrine, the door… Phillip interrupts.

He storms right up to Orvex, and addresses him in Grung, speaking with no impediments in his native tongue… “You did NOTHING!!!… ‘I want a weapon, I want a dagger!… Phillip do you have a bow?’… You did NOTHING!!!…”.

He holds up his empty hand right next to Orvex’s face (or as close as he can get), In common: “Yes, I have a bow! yep yep yep, uh huh!….”. With a huge arcane flash and crack, his bow suddenly appears, summoned, in his hand.

In Grung, “You’re supposed to be a wizard?!!”. He throws his bow down. And magically draws water, from the pond, to him and used shape water to create two darts of solid ice in his hand…

And without looking (disadvantage), he throws them at the dead froghemoth (advantage / incapacitated)…

Attack 1 (flat roll): Attack: 25 Damage: 6 

Attack 2 (flat roll): Attack: 22 Damage: 6 

<…’ THWACK…THWACK ’…>

Back to Grung, “YOU DID NOTHING!!!”. He stares at Orvex for one snorting breath… two snorting breaths… “Pah!!”. He storms off not waiting for a response.

((Don't think he IS a wizard (though I think we neglected to ask if he has any ability to do magic), just that he was hired by the wizards.))

@Spider (and all)… but meta…

Evo moves nearer to Orvex in case Phillip decides to attack him. As Phillip storms off he calls,

"Lad..."

Then to Orvex,

"Can ye do magic at all? Never asked that, though ye was with the wizards."

Phillip hear’s Evo’s kind call to him…

He goes to sit cross-legged the other side of the pool, facing away.

He creates a wobbly, watery sphere around himself and closes himself away in his sanctuary.

When Phillip does all of this, Eku is flying around just as happy as can be.

When Phillip goes to leave after his display, Orvex says in grung

He would then explain in common to Phillip and Evo and the others that he himself is not a wizard, he only works, er, worked for them.  "Phillip, Evo, please. I am not skilled in the arts of magic. I am not a Red Wizard, please. I am... was their scribe and translator. I know nothing of the magic arts like Phillip here. Phillip, that display was most impressive."

He starts to calm down a bit as he was quite frightened by Phillip's actions.

"Please. I'm a scribe, a translator and... well, it might not look like it but I'm pretty good with small blades and bows. Crossbows and the like. A solid bow would do just as good though." he was looking at Alton a lot when saying this. He pauses, and says:

"Alton, your accuracy was impressive. Might you have another crossbow I could use? I could prove my worthiness next time, I promise. I really liked how you handled yourself earlier. Perhaps I could learn a thing or two from you."

"I wasn't going to jump in the water and fight the thing with this dagger, now was I?!?! Ha Ha Ha!" he tries to lighten the mood with a joke which probably flops. 

Phillip, you don't find anything useful or usable in the pool itself. 

Gotur, Eku does a pass with her detect magic, and just at the same time as Alton was investigating the door, Eku says to Alton

"Alton. NO. It's trapped."

Alton, of course you already knew this because you had investigated the door long before Eku hovered over. 

Alton, when you checked out the lock, you noticed 2 things. First, there is clearly a keyhole in the lock. Second, the lock itself has a slight glimmer and upon further investigation you see a very small glowing glyph embedded in the lock. 

Eku now realizing that you already saw the trap, says "Nice catch." and she says to Gotur "Looks like Abjuration."

Eku says to the now sulking Phillip "PHILLIP. You find anything in the pool?"

Over to you. 

Map is updated. 

Evo takes a step away from the trapped door and it occurs to him that perhaps they may have attracted some attention with their fight against the big frog so he moves a bit away from the others to scan the area and listen for others.

Perception: 23

Evo, you move away from the door and scan the area. You don't seem to see or hear anyone or anything else around, except for some insects and small amphibious animals around the pond. 

Evo will remain posted on look out until the door is opened, hoping to avoid the ambush the wizards found themselves in.

Eku nods at Evo keeping watch, and she goes against the shrine door and flicks her wings. 

She gets no pings from the spell, and she tells everyone that. 

"My guess is that it's empty in there... sounds quiet, too. But that door is a problem."

Phillip stops mid ‘storm-off’ when Orvex speaks. He’s wide mouth tightly pursed chewing over his thoughts. His hands clenching and unclenching by his sides.

Eventually he looks down at his feet, then up to the sky, and sighs. He half-turns, and looks back over his shoulder, “I thought you were a wizard”. He looks back at everyone. Then to Orvex.

He turns fully back to face him and pads slowly back towards him.

”We need to kit this man out ffff-P’or combat, ifffff- he’s to stay with us”, he declares to the group, before adding his usual “Yep yep yep”.

Phillip re-summons the bow he threw down beside Orvex, silently this time though, with a faint arcane shimmer…

He stands in front of Orvex and looks down at his bow, held out before him in both hands. He turns it slightly this way and that. It’s clearly hand made and in the style of the Grung. Slightly haphazardly carved but exquisitely balanced.

He stretches out (and up) his arms and hands his bow to Orvex. “Here. Take this fffff- huh… ffffffff-P’or  now… uh huh…”. He takes off his quiver, removes half the arrows, and threads them through his own belt in a tight bundle, and then gives Orvex the quiver with the remaining 20, beautiful, jungle-feather arrows.

”Iffff- I REALLY need it, uh huh… I will summon it, and it will come to me. Yes yes…. …You may use it until then, uh huh, or until you get your own, yep… or get some other weapon”.

He hands over his gear, dons his little targe-like shield, rests a hand on the hilt of his tiny rapier, and walks back to sit cross-legged the other side of the pond, where he creates a watery-sphere around himself, for a few moments rest, and reflection, alone.