Tracks In The Desert

[shaidar]

Xenos

"He says down there is where they do the rituals. I say we all go take a look, but keep a close eye on them."

[OGRE MAGE]

The Ruined Warlords Palace
The Ground Level, Mid-Late Afternoon

Xenos lies to the others, either that or he loses something in the translation. Either way, the group agrees to take the 4 renegade slaves into the room they discovered below.

Leading them through the old stables and into the kitchen, the Esquimaux-Ixian natives of Xambaala look very concerned about what they see in these two rooms, clearly never being in either before. They look even more nervous about the snake-men heads and the thought of descending the stairs, but they follow the group all the same.

Once below again, Xenos raises his torch to illuminate the dark room, hearing an audible gasp from the 4 men as they gaze upon all the bucolic artwork covering the walls. Not investigating it closer themselves when they were down here last, the group peers around to find paintings of seasonal crops, a swelling river, and views of abundant harvests. None of these scenes comports with the current landscape in the dry, barren desert above.

Actions?

Basement level - Copy.jpg (4.92 KiB) Viewed 307 times

Drest AC:7 10/16
Xenos AC:6 5/12 1st:2/2 Torch
Akhilleus AC:4 19/32 (2 Ioun stones)
Cyril AC:8 3/5 1st:1/3

[The_Wanderer]

Cyril

Keeping his distance, Cyril watches the slaves closely. "Xenos, can you just ask what happened here? Not in this room exactly, but in this whole complex. Did they live here? Where were they for the last 12 hours or so? And who were the priests to them?"

[shaidar]

Xenos speaks to the slave

"You are surprised at the kitchen? Have you not been here before? Did you not realise the things that the snake priests were making your people do here?"

[OGRE MAGE]

Xenos speaks to the slave

"You are surprised at the kitchen? Have you not been here before? Did you not realise the things that the snake priests were making your people do here?"

The renegade slave looks confused again.

"We were...........not allowed inside these rooms. The snake-man heads are from the human priests? How is that possible? We were promised safety.....and food...if we came here."

[shaidar]

Xenos translates for the others before replying:

"Yes, the priests are snake men who use magic to look human and take advantage of your people, to lead them to evil."

[OGRE MAGE]

Xenos translates for the others before replying:

"Yes, the priests are snake men who use magic to look human and take advantage of your people, to lead them to evil."

The renegade slave stands there dumbfounded for a moment before he translates this information to his kin. The four men speak to each other in their native language for a moment in heated tones, their expressions bordering on suspicion now.

"Are you.....saying there is no salvation here......as we were promised?"

"What is this place then?"

"Where are all the others?"

[shaidar]

Xenos translates for the others.

[Rex]

Drest

"They don't know anything it appears and we have no real way to help them. Ideas?"

[shaidar]

Xenos

"I don't know...show them the truth of what is behind that door and hopefully find a way to help them."

[Rex]

Drest

"As good a plan as any."

[Karaunios]

Akhilleus

"Behind those those are the women and children we saw when we arrived. I'm pretty sure of it. They might have run here when the battle started. Maybe we should free them.

Maybe they've been "possessed" by the priest under the promise of... salvation, like he said. We have to convince them that those promises were just blabbering the priests made up in order to control them.

Tell them those priests were snake men. It will show them the truth."

Don't remember if it was mentioned.

The warrior, the least learned man of the group, takes some interest in the paintings now, and looks at them more closely.

Sorry, forgot about this detail.

These must be here for something

[The_Wanderer]

Cyril
"Tell them that the snake priests were using a magic to change and conceal their form. If they'd like, I can do something similar to prove it."

If they are agreeable, Cyril will tell them he will change his appearance to match one of the slaves and then use the amulet to do so.

[shaidar]

Xenos speaks to the slave in Ixian

"We think your people either ran off overnight or are behind the door. As for salvation...it depends on whether or not you think cannibalism is salvation or damnation" he sighs and looks sad "I think the snake-priests have turned this place into some kind of temple and were fooling your people into joining their cult. My friend can show you the magic they use to disguise themselves if you want. How about we all look behind the door and find the truth together. Then once we know we can try and work out a better way forward for your people, a way where you can be free for yourself rather than replacing a slave master with a religious master."

[OGRE MAGE]

The Ruined Warlords Palace
The Ground Level, Mid-Late Afternoon

Akhilleus finds the painted scenery artwork pleasant to look upon, but doesn't notice anything special about it after checking it over a bit closer.

The speaking slave seems disturbed by the mention of cannibalism, translating for the others, who also seem confused. "You have done us no harm, so we agree to work together with you to find the others."

All four of them gasp audibly when Cyril changes his appearance. They obviously realize that magic exists, but clearly have never seen it this up close and personal before. They calm down again when he retains his normal appearance, but still seem a little shaken by the thought of what these snake-priests could have accomplished with such power.

"If you think our people are here, what do we wait for?" The man moves to the western door and grabs the handle, finding it locked in place. "How do we get inside?"

Actions?

Drest AC:7 10/16
Xenos AC:6 5/12 1st:2/2 Torch
Akhilleus AC:4 19/32 (2 Ioun stones)
Cyril AC:8 3/5 1st:1/3

[shaidar]

Xenos gestures to the southern door and speaks again in Ixian

"We heard movement behind this one, let's clear away the blockage and see if we can open it. We should be careful, in case there is something more sinister behind it."

He repeats the above to his friends.

[Rex]

Drest

Drest will remove the blockage and once again check for traps/lock.

[Karaunios]

Akhilleus

After contemplating the paintings for a short while, the warrior waits for the others to unblock and open the doors with his sword drawn, in case any unpleasant surprises come.

[shaidar]

Xenos helps Drest clear the doorway.

[OGRE MAGE]

The Ruined Warlords Palace
The Basement Level, Late Afternoon

The rubble blocking the southern portal is cleared and Drest looks the door over again, pulling out his picks and making quick work of the locking mechanism. Rando D12 [1d12]=3 (I cant do that with my characters)

With the lock now sprung, Drest lets the others gather around, weapons at the ready, before he cracks the door open slightly for a peek beyond.

Basement level.jpg (7.85 KiB) Viewed 263 times

The large room to the south is adorned with several stone pillars carved in the form of huge trees that reach from floor to ceiling, at a nearly 30' height. Broad steps descend 5 feet into the dark room that otherwise appears empty. Peeking through the cracked door, only a portion of the room can be seen at this point.

The slightest sound of scuffling feet can be heard in the distance beyond the darkness, but there are no signs of a group of renegade slaves, or anyone else, for that matter. I would take a Discern Noise roll from Drest, if you please. [5:12]

The four native men with the group stand nearby, looking anxious but apparently ready for anything.

Actions?

Drest AC:7 10/16
Xenos AC:6 5/12 1st:2/2 Torch
Akhilleus AC:4 19/32 (2 Ioun stones)
Cyril AC:8 3/5 1st:1/3