Quest #29 “Raiders of the Lost Obelisk”

[Karaunios]

Grimm will certainly help Cealwyn with the meat and such. He'll also smoke his own.

[OGRE MAGE]

Where's Avaala?
Sunday, 21st of Goodmonth
Late Afternoon, Hot, Humid, Buggy

Not that it matters in this case, but there are no steps into the obelisk. The dark floor is level with the top of the uppermost portion of the raised platform.

Bonnie makes a few observations that don't quite add up about the way these creatures were living here in this clearing, and though he didn't see it before, Wes is certain that he passed this way earlier while fleeing for his life from the pirates. None the less, here it is, and here they are, making sense or not.

After getting the most wounded of their group settled into a hut, and the boar meat processed further, the questions about their missing mage are then investigated.

Looking into the obelisk, Avaala can still be seen and heard in the darkness, but he seems too preoccupied to answer with anything more than a wave of his hand and a short rebuttal. "I need to find Treasure before I can do anything else! I don't blame you if you aren't up for helping me. Please just keep that candle lit while I am in here."

Mr. Wrenly isn't afraid of the dark, eagerly hopping towards Avaala and the body of the fallen shaman, as commanded by his master. Once inside, Avaala hands the monkey one end of his rope and points further into the darkness. Other than the mage and the monkey, the light shining into the opening, and the glow of the wizards lantern are the only thing anyone looking inside the portal can see. The darkness beyond the entrance is vast, with no beginning or end to it that can be detected.

Actions?

Bonnie AC5 2/17
Cealwyn AC3 1/19
Luther AC3 3/30
Chauncey AC8 1/26 CL, DM, RM first 0/3 second 0/2
Mr. Wrenly AC7 4/4
Wes AC7 16/34 first 0/6 second 0/4 third 0/3
Avaala AC8 12/12 CL, DM, RM first 0/2 second 0/1 (Disguised)
Treasure AC2 6/12 35%MR (Missing)
Grimm AC5 3/10
overall map: viewtopic.php?p=366477#p366477

[Jernau35]

Wes

"Obad Hai will not grant me any more healing magic until tomorrow", Wes says. "And perhaps not even then. The effect of the magic on Cealwyn was very weak. I'm afraid that The Shalm may be angry over our treatment of the Slizards."

"I'm afraid for Avaala, going in there like that. He's too headstrong. And none of you could win a fight with a farm cat right now"

Wes shakes his head. "Obad Hai guides and protects hunters. Not prey. That's all we'd be if we go in the obilisk now. We might as hang strips of that boat meat round our necks if we do."

[Karaunios]

Grimm adresses Wes' musings. "I would have liked to ask those lizard what are they doing here but, hey, they attacked first when our friends just wanted to talk. What were they doing with a troll anyway." After eating some of the meat and feels his stomach full enough, he goes into the hut and tries to find a spot where he can lay down. "Things are getting hard, despite our victory. If your god is abandoning us, maybe we have to think of going back to town tomorrow morning. We can go on in our current state, and things don't seem like they're gonna improve, are they?"

[Monsieur Rose]

Bonnie

Bonnie keeps watch on the happenings inside the obelisk. "Can you hear Treasure? Or sense him, or whatever?" She tries to visually inspect the shaman to see if he's alive or dead.

After doing so, she goes to check on the candle, to see how it's faring.

[ChubbyPixie]

Mr. Wrenly looks down at the rope in his paws then into the looming darkness, then back at the rope before looking questioningly up at Avaala again. He makes no move to venture into the void on his own. Teeth bared in a grimace, he gives a quiet shriek of concern.

[Urson]

Luther

The Scalies ain't dead yet- and they should be awake soon. If you wanna try and get some sense out of 'em, go ahead.

When the idea of returning to town is brought up, he shakes his head. I can't. Got a commitment- can't discuss the details.
If the Scalies don't seem to be causing any trouble, Luther will find a spot near the doorway of a hut, so he can get some sleep and try to heal.

[OGRE MAGE]

I'll give Cealwyn a few more seconds here before I post again.

[Paladin]

Cealwyn Blackthorn

The ranger continues his task of scraping hide, salvaging bones for fishhooks, combs, and various other small items, and smoking meat from the boar. As the day draws to an end, if nothing pressing comes up, he'll secure his things and lie down for a much-needed rest.

[OGRE MAGE]

Where's Avaala?
Sunday, 21st of Goodmonth
Late Afternoon, Hot, Humid, Buggy

Discussing options that include resting, eating, falling from favor, and even returning to town, the group continues making things livable in the small, nearly empty huts so they can sleep through the oncoming night.

The three remaining slizards are still well tied up on the ground and wide awake. They remain quiet and don't even struggle against their bonds, seeming almost willing to accept whatever fate the group decides for them. Grimm erroneously blames them for attacking first, which they most certainly did not do. In fact they welcomed the group into their camp openly, until...... It seems the dwarf must be either misremembering earlier events or is following some fraudulent information.

Bonnie and Mr. Wrenly remain near the entrance of the obelisk, watching the obviously flummoxed Avaala hurriedly trying to use his rope to measure the distance from the dead shaman and the continuing darkness. He shouts out at them in a panicked voice. "Of course I cant sense him! Don't you think I tried that already? Do you think I'm......oh never mind! I need to find him.....NOW! I don't care if I have to do it alone!"

With that, the grey wizard heads off further into the dark void inside the obelisk. Bonnie and Mr. Wrenly watch as his aura of lantern light becomes smaller and smaller as he walks away from the opening, disappearing into the darkness beyond.

Actions?

Bonnie AC5 2/17
Cealwyn AC3 1/19
Luther AC3 3/30
Chauncey AC8 1/26 CL, DM, RM first 0/3 second 0/2
Mr. Wrenly AC7 4/4
Wes AC7 16/34 first 0/6 second 0/4 third 0/3
Avaala AC8 12/12 CL, DM, RM first 0/2 second 0/1 (Disguised)
Treasure AC2 6/12 35%MR (Missing)
Grimm AC5 3/10
overall map: viewtopic.php?p=366477#p366477

[Karaunios]

Grimm sets up to rest. "Just wake me when it's my turn to watch camp during the night."

Snore.

It's Grimm the one who might have missremembered who attacked first, of course

[Jernau35]

Wes

Wes listen's to Avalaa's retreating voice. "He's a brave man. If it wasn't for him, Gorman would still be out there somewhere." He shakes his head and returns to the hut, ready to rest and pray. Watch over him I beg you Obad Hai, and guide him. He has the heart of a lion.

[ChubbyPixie]

Mr. Wrenly watches Avaala disappear into the darkness. After a final, feeble shriek, he turns and scampers back out of the opening in the obelisk. He returns to Chauncey, who seems asleep, grasps the wizards's first two fingers in his paw and pats them reassuringly.

[Monsieur Rose]

Bonnie

"Brave? Maybe. But what is his plan? What's with the rope? Gah! I hate it when people don't tell me what's going on!" She looks at the dead shaman and supposes that Avaala is using it as a marker. "I guess we'll leave it there."

"Avaala! That candle won't last forever! You've only got a few hours!" Bonnie pauses and remembers something. She races over to the hut where everyone is staying.

"That everlasting candle! Who has it? Maybe we can give Avaala more time."

[Paladin]

Cealwyn Blackthorn

The ranger cocks one eye open and glances at the lizards, still bound and awake now. He sighs, pushes himself upright, and wanders over to them, stopping ten feet away with raised hands to show that he is unarmed and means them no harm.

"I know you can't understand much of what I say," he tells them in lizardspeak, "but I didn't want to hurt you. Or your pet." He shrugs. "But it attacked my friends, and I had to defend them. The same way I reckon you were just defending this place when you fought against us."

He opens his waterskin and offers a drink to each in turn, checking their bindings as he does so to ensure that they're tight enough to hold, but not so tight that it's painful."I'm sorry to keep you bound like animals. We can't seem to make speech with you and have no way to extract promises of good behavior if we free you. So I really don't know what else to do."

[SirOwen]

Avaala the Grey

Avaala, seeing Mr Wrenly turn to go, follows him to the door. At the door, the Mage tells the party members at the door, and Mr. Wrenly, since he doubts Chauncey's familiar would have followed him without Chauncey giving the command to do so. "Go get some rest. And blow out the candle. I don't believe this portal can truly open while this door is open. But please, come back in an hour and re-open it. I need to find Treasure."

Once the door closes, Avaala fills his lantern with the oil he has, turns the flame up as high as it will go safely, and sets it beside where the door was. He then starts searching for Treasure again both mentally and by yelling.

[OGRE MAGE]

There's Avaala
Sunday, 21st of Goodmonth
Late Afternoon, Hot, Humid, Buggy

Bonnie has an epiphany, wondering who ended up with the ever burning candle they found in the temple.

Returning to the opening to inform his friends what he's doing, the disguised form of Avaala tells Bonnie to douse the candle while he is still inside, thinking that is what has prevented him from finding anything else inside the darkness.

Cealwyn tries speaking with the 3 remaining slizards again to no avail. They gladly accept his offering of water when the ranger notices how painfully Luther has them each tied up like crazed animals. He readjusts their restraints so they can be more comfortable while they await their final judgement from the group.

While everyone else rests in the small thatch huts, Avaala fills his lantern and sets it in front of the open portal in the obelisk, waiting to see what happens if the candle is doused. I will leave it up to the players to see if they do this for him or not.

The orange flying lizard stays right where it is, hovering above the clearing, bathed in the soft light of the glowing obelisk.

Actions?

Bonnie AC5 2/17
Cealwyn AC3 1/19
Luther AC3 3/30
Chauncey AC8 1/26 CL, DM, RM first 0/3 second 0/2
Mr. Wrenly AC7 4/4
Wes AC7 16/34 first 0/6 second 0/4 third 0/3
Avaala AC8 12/12 CL, DM, RM first 0/2 second 0/1 (Disguised)
Treasure AC2 6/12 35%MR (Missing)
Grimm AC5 3/10
overall map: viewtopic.php?p=366477#p366477

[Paladin]

Cealwyn Blackthorn

Cealwyn pulls a wry smile. "I love to fight. I love the thrill of battle. Swords singing and arrows flying. It's a glorious thing." The pleasure fades slowly from his eyes and he shakes his head. "But once the swords land and the arrows strike, men and beasts die and the glory is nowhere to be found." He sends them an almost apologetic look. "Just regrets." Cealwyn sighs and trudges toward the hut, pausing to look back with a furrowed brow. "I'd rather understand you than kill you, you know? I hope we can do that somehow."

That said, he returns to his bed and stretches out, but his eyes remain open and his mind is working.

[Monsieur Rose]

Bonnie

"Interesting theory. A teleporter? Or maybe another door opens?" She looks at the darkness with a hint of jealously, then remarks. "Ok. Good luck. I'm going to check the shaman and then blow out the candle. I really just want to go in for a bit." She winks at Slavaala.

Bonnie walks inside, searches the shaman with the light from the lantern, then leaves and extinguishes the candle.

[ChubbyPixie]

As Bonnie approaches the shaman, Mr. Wrenly perks up, drops Chauncey's fingers and scampers over to her to attend her like an assistant. His monkey face is hard to read, but one could almost swear he has a look of expectation or hopefulness as he scans the inert figure and waits for Bonnie to check it out.