IC III

[VonAlric]

Gardo

Looking at Newton go back and forth, Gardo scratches his head. He turns to his retinue. "Notai, you ever see a tower or something like that in your travels north of here? Something that would make someone like Newton all skittish?"

[thirdkingdom]

Gardo

Looking at Newton go back and forth, Gardo scratches his head. He turns to his retinue. "Notai, you ever see a tower or something like that in your travels north of here? Something that would make someone like Newton all skittish?"

Notai

Notai shakes her head. "No, not that I know of."

~~~~~

The adventurers cautiously enter the clearing. "We'll just stay back here, then!" calls out one of the mercenaries, chuckling nervously. The ground around the obelisk is covered in thin, dry grass, brown and dead. The structure itself is constructed of some sort of greyish stone; no joins are visible to indicated it was laid of separate blocks. Circling the base, the adventurers observe that on the north face some writing is barely visible, carved into the stone, slightly above the height of a man's head. It is in no writing the adventurers are familiar with.

[VonAlric]

Gardo

He turns his head back a bit towards the merc. "Good idea. While you're at it, how about make sure nothing sneaks up on us or you?"

Seeing the writing, Gardo nudges Ardath. "You got any blessing from your god that may make sense of whatever that is written over there?"

[shaidar]

Wilter pipes up

"Did you say writing sir? I know a bit about languages, I could take a look?"

He looks askence at Newton, who smiles and nods and goes over with him.

[thirdkingdom]

Wilter and Newton advance, and the youngster stares up at the writing. "Looks somewhat familiar," Wilter says, "but it means nothing to me."

: 1d20+2 11

[shaidar]

Ribar clears his throat

"Lord Manifest does provide his faithful with a spell that lets you read an unknown language..." he looks down at the grass briefly and then back at the group "...but I don't have it granted to me today, but I could ask for it tomorrow"

[The_Wanderer]

Feargus

Feargus is uneasy seeing the monolithic tower. "Goshawk - watch my back. Mardan Cy - hold onto our horses."

He looks back to the young bard and sees him scribbling away in his journal, next to a passable sketch of the tower. Feargus shakes his head and says to Goshawk, "Someday that boy will be able to teach all of us a thing or two. For now though I hope he keeps his head on."

He begins to walk around the tower, keeping about 15 feet away from it and scanning for markings or indentations. After one pass, if nobody has observed anything nor has asked him to stop, he will move to within 5 feet and begin picking up handfuls of dirt and throwing them at the tower as he circles it again. When Goshawk asks what he is doing, Feargus says, "I heard a guys once say that even a little dust can break up an illusion...I have no idea if it actually works." He says this with a smile, but really doesn't care if he looks silly.

[thirdkingdom]

Feargus

Feargus is uneasy seeing the monolithic tower. "Goshawk - watch my back. Mardan Cy - hold onto our horses."

He looks back to the young bard and sees him scribbling away in his journal, next to a passable sketch of the tower. Feargus shakes his head and says to Goshawk, "Someday that boy will be able to teach all of us a thing or two. For now though I hope he keeps his head on."

He begins to walk around the tower, keeping about 15 feet away from it and scanning for markings or indentations. After one pass, if nobody has observed anything nor has asked him to stop, he will move to within 5 feet and begin picking up handfuls of dirt and throwing them at the tower as he circles it again. When Goshawk asks what he is doing, Feargus says, "I heard a guys once say that even a little dust can break up an illusion...I have no idea if it actually works." He says this with a smile, but really doesn't care if he looks silly.

Sadly, the aphorism that a little dust dispels all illusions proves to be false, or, perhaps, the obelisk is very physically present.

[Leitz]

Ardath

Moving closer to the building, Ardath cast Detect Evil and studied as much as he could, before the spell wore out. After that he returned to visually inspecting the building, poking and prodding.

[thirdkingdom]

Ardath

Moving closer to the building, Ardath cast Detect Evil and studied as much as he could, before the spell wore out. After that he returned to visually inspecting the building, poking and prodding.

The clearing and the obelisk both radiate an aura of evil.

[Leitz]

Ardath

Moving closer to the building, Ardath cast Detect Evil and studied as much as he could, before the spell wore out. After that he returned to visually inspecting the building, poking and prodding.

The clearing and the obelisk both radiate an aura of evil.

"Well, that's not good," Ardath said to the others. "I'm not sure what is here, but it is inherently evil."

[VonAlric]

Gardo

"Evil?" Gardo shakes his head and turns a bit to make moving away easier. "Unless someone can get rid of it, I suggest we make note of it and move on. If we want to wait until tomorrow so we can read the inscription, then let's put a mile or so between us and it for the night. Unless this is that treasure we are looking for, there is not much money to be had here."

[shaidar]

Newton

"You're right, this is unlikely to be what we are looking for, but I think it would be useful to find out what the writing says. I agree we should camp away from here and return in the morning."

[Leitz]

Ardath

"Agreed. Care and caution," Ardath said as he studied the tower. "It is interesting, and that suggests we think each step."

[The_Wanderer]

Feargus is dusting off his hands as he joins the conversation. "That's fine. Let's move further west and find camp. I'm happy to come back in the morning if any of you think we might learn something new but we'll have to do so heavily armed given the presence of evil.

And for the record, the fact that the dust didn't work DOES NOT mean it doesn't work. There might simply be no illusions to dispel.

Mardan Cy! Make sure you ride up there and copy down that inscription on the obelisk. Perhaps some sage can decipher it."

[thirdkingdom]

Feargus is dusting off his hands as he joins the conversation. "That's fine. Let's move further west and find camp. I'm happy to come back in the morning if any of you think we might learn something new but we'll have to do so heavily armed given the presence of evil.

And for the record, the fact that the dust didn't work DOES NOT mean it doesn't work. There might simply be no illusions to dispel.

Mardan Cy! Make sure you ride up there and copy down that inscription on the obelisk. Perhaps some sage can decipher it."

Mardan Cy dutifully copies down the inscription.

Sixthmonth, Sixteenthday
Hex 231.117?

The adventurers retreat a mile or so from the obelisk and set up camp. The mercenaries are nervous, spinning tales of horrid demons that wilt vegetation with their very presence, and the stories grow more and more outlandish. Despite that, the night passes uneventfully.

Any encounters during the night? Encounter on 1-2:: 1d6 4

Sixthmonth, Seventeenthday
Hex 231.117?

The adventurers rise in the morning and plot their actions for the coming day.

[shaidar]

While Newton undertakes his usual dawn meditations Ribar prays to Manifest.

After this prayers, the cleric rejoins the group "I have the spell to read the obelisk, if we're ready. I can read it out and Mardan can write it down to make sure we don't remember it wrong."

[VonAlric]

Gardo

"Will it matter if you read it aloud? Don't need to be naming bad things if you don't have to."

[shaidar]

Ribar looks surprised and then thoughtful

"I hadn't thought of that. If Mardan will lend me the pen and paper I can write it down, although it might take me a little longer than him" he blushes

[The_Wanderer]

Mardan Cy

Mardan looks up, slightly confused. "Oh! Of course. Take a look."

He looks at Gardo and says, "I find these old ruins fascinating, don't you? Take a look at my drawing. I'm particularly proud of my shading along the edge..."