sarlon
You each wake up feeling like you've just gotten over a really bad case of the flu.  You find yourself in a soft bed and early morning light is just beginning to filter in through several windows.

Each of you are wearing a light sleeping gown/shirt, and feel as weak as a kitten, as if you'd been asleep for several days.  None of you are restrained, and a light blanket covers your form.
DeTess
Elva slowly got up, looking a round, trying to get her bearings. She didn't remember anything after... whatever it was that had gone wrong with the teleport spell, but whatever had happened, they had ended up with friendly folks.  "Hello, anyone there?"  She called out, while looking around to see if she saw her equipment anywhere.
sarlon
Elva:

You don't see your equipment immediately around you, and your voice comes out rough and scratchy, your throat dry and sore, but a door opens a few beds down from you, and a elf walks into the room, looks around for a moment before walking quickly to your side.  She is wearing the garb of a healer of a church of Kol'nari, she not necessarily a cleric, but wearing the garb of a healer.  she smiles down at you, helps you sit up a little more comfortably, propping some pillows behind you, and offers you some cool liquid to drink (plain water), helping you drink it slowly.

"oh good you're awake! You gave us a bit of a scare there, but your fever seems to have broken finally.  Are you hungry?"  Her voice sounds odd to your ear.  Elves tend to have their own accents, but this one sounds so foreign to your ear that it actually takes you a few moments to comprehend what shes saying, though it was spoken in perfect common.
DeTess
 "Ah..."  Elva took a moment to consider her question. Was she hungry? She certainly felt hungry, but at the same time a faint nausea lingered, and she doubted she could eat anything big right now.  "Some soup or fruit would be nice, if you have it. Eh, and could you help me fill in some gaps in my memory? Last thing I knew my companion was teleporting us back to the capital. What happened, and where are we?" 
sarlon
The woman pats her blanket covered leg gently, leaving the mug of water nearby, then stands and returns a few minutes later with a bowl of warm broth (no meat or veggies in it but flavorful), and sliced fruit that elva hasn't seen before.  She checks on a few other beds while elva eats then brings a chair over to her bedside and sits down, hands folded in her lap.

"3 days ago, you and your 2 friends?"  she glaces at nuka and Josiah before continuing, "were found on the coast, filled with fever and suffering from some rather deep wounds.  At first we feared the plague had come back, but it seems it was just wound fever thankfully.  We had healer Kiloni check you over last night, and he thought you might wake this evening.  To answer your question, you're in the human settlement of Ecato'lisha."
Deadcanons
From under the covers of Nuka's bed comes an abrupt cough, followed by a loud, throaty groan. He sits up on one elbow, his thin braided hair disheveled. There is a moment of silence as he looks between Elva and the elf, one eye still closed in a portrait of sleep. " Where'zza toilet? " he says finally.
sarlon
another healer, larger than the elf that sits beside Elva's bed, enters the room.  A large bulky elf with strange features, he glances at the other elf, who just nods her head once and then inclines her head.  This big elf, with surprisingly gentle hands, helps Nuka to sit up, giving him a moment in case of dizziness then helps him walk to a curtained off area, both disappearing behind it.

from the other bed, Joshiah is heard mumbling as well something about not drinking again, before saying in a little stronger voice "what....where.....?"
DeTess
The names the healer mentioned didn't mean anything to Elva, but she hadn't been out much to this part of the world.  "Wait, you only found the three of us?"  she looked around again.  "There were more people with us, an elf and a half-orc."  she wasn't entirely sure about the half part actually, but decided not to complicate matters.  "Oh, and a tiny little water-elemental."  she gestured to indicate the essence's size.  "Did you see any of them?" 
sarlon
the elf frowns very slightly, before shaking her head.  "Orcs are very uncommon in this area, as for a spirit of water on this land, we haven't seen anything.  Another elf traveled with you?"  VERY quietly she mumbles something.  "You're things are safe have no worries, we had to remove them to treat your injuries, and other than a light cleaning off of blood they have been untouched."

She stands and walks over to josiah's bed to check on him (1 bed away, shes still in comfortable talking distance.)
DeTess
Elva quietly continued eating the food she had been brought, while processing the information she had just been given. The essence and two of her companions had gone missing. She could only hope that they had been spared from whatever happened to them. Right now there wasn't much else she could do beside recovering her strength. Once she could move around again she could go looking for them.
Deadcanons
Nuka is brought back into the room by the elf, who supports him with one hand on either side of his body. He pulls away, trying to stand of his own authority, but the elf gently guides him back into his clutches. Nuka is too weakened to resist.

The elf sits Nuka down on his bed again. Looking around blearily, his eyes land on Elva. He stares at her, blinking slowly.
Tyg3rW01f
Josiah is simply sitting up, his left hand held to one temple. He groaned, then asked in a half-whine, " Why do I feel like I got run over by a caravan of dwarven brewery trolleys? Ugh. Where am I? "
sarlon
the elf pours more water into clean mugs and encourages all of you to drink (it really is plain water, but clean and fresh and cool).  She then pulls her chair in such a way to be facing your beds directly,  "my name is healer Solina, you are in a temple of Kol'nari (no checks here, its a hospital effectively....like a doctor for more "common" aliments that don't need magical intervention).  You are in the human settlement of Ecato'lisha, near the southern forests of Tol'raki.  I do not know how you ended up on the coast, but you three were brought here on the verge of death suffering from grievous injuries.  you have been sleeping for the past 3 days under our care."

She pauses awaiting any further questions, her hands folded primly in her lap.
DeTess
 "I'm sorry, but my geography knowledge is coming up a bit short."  Elva shook her head.  "How far are we from Lotipac?" 
Tyg3rW01f
Josiah growled as he rubbed his temple, " If the water thing or the orc has anything to do with how trashed I feel, I'll kill them until they die from it, then kill them some more. This is why we    do not    interact with strange objects without finding out what they are or are about...! "
sarlon
the elf does look slightly offended at josiahs words, but then turns to elva, "Lotipac?  you could easily get there in a few days if you travel but boat up river."
DeTess
Elva ignored Josiah's grumbling, and adresses the healer instead  "Thank you. Once we have recovered we should head there. Would there be a way to send a message before then? We where on an important mission and should send some kind of report back." 
Deadcanons
Nuka looks at Josiah. "  Yeah, I was going to ask. I take it this isn't the way that teleport spell was meant to work? " He grimaces. " And here I thought we were off to redeem the temple's honor. Stupid of me, really. I can only blame myself. "

He returns his attention to the priest. " Any idea of what caused our injuries? "
sarlon
she reaches for the end of elvas bed and taps something a couple of times, to your amazement, an image projects a perfect image of Elva eyes closed  floating a few inches above the end of the bed.  She points to various places (elva as she points it out and explains your injuries your various aches begin to make more sense), there was damage from prolonged water exposure, deep cuts, a cracked rib, and minor head damage.
DeTess
Elva grimaced at the damage shown. It mostly lined up with the aches she felt.  "It'll be a while before I'll be able to leave then."  She considered for a moment.  "Are the others in as bad a shape? We really need to get a message to the capital as soon as possible." 
Deadcanons
Nuka watches in silence, eyes flicking between Elva and the magic diagram.
Tyg3rW01f
When the healer brought up the image, Josiah asked " What in the name of Brothers Muh'Ali Lightfoot and M'Tyson Furious-Fist could DO damage like that?! 

Wanting a closer look, Josiah tried to lean over -- a very painful mistake. The young human nearly retched at the pain in his ribs. He rolled to his back, whimpering; his ribs, his jaw, his left forearm and elbow, his shins, entire right arm, both shoulders and his fists all hurt. It was as if he had gone into his Brotherhood Test, only to find it was a Shi-han Test, and he had not only lost, but failed.
sarlon
The nurse shakes her head sadly at Josiah, before turning back to Elva, "Will you promise to rest some more if I secure you....forgive me....do you know how to write?"  her tone is VERY apologetic, you can tell she deals more with illiterate people more commonly.

"I will bring you writing implements and a wax seal, and have it to be sent to a person or location of your choice...the contents will never be seen by anyone not told whom to give it to."

She stands and leaves the room for several long minutes, while each of you waits, another nurse (also an elf) enters and gives Josiah a steaming beverage and encourages him to drink it all down (its bitter as hell, and tastes like bad mint tea).  Each of you is given a similar beverage and told to try and rest.

almost 10 minutes later the first elf comes back with pen, paper, ink, wax, an unlit candle, and a small desk that will fit on your lap and provide a stable writing surface.  She politely excuses herself but says to ask for her when you're ready to send the message.  She pulls a curtain around your 3 beds and you begin to hear other voices attending (presumably) to the other patients that are in the room but further down.  you can't make out distinct words.
Tyg3rW01f
Josiah recoils at the flavor profile, and shotguns the rest of his dose of the tea. He makes a brief retching sound then proclaims, " By the Order of the Open Palm, blahhghk!! I've drunk peyote that tasted better!! "
Deadcanons
For his own part, Nuka tips the mug back and downs the tea in two thick gulps. He lets out a half-satisfied breath as he looks at Josiah. " Don't complain. Mint and waterwort. Just what we need. "

As the writing implements come out, Nuka falls silent and leans back on the bed, waiting to see who the others propose to contact.
DeTess
Elva immediately started writing a report, addressing it to Almira's assistant, Illidari. She described the state they found the water temple in, including the odd illusions, before describing what happened when they tried to teleport. She then started to describe their current situation and whereabouts, but that left her with a problem.

 "Ehm, do either of you two know how to write 'Ecato'lisha'?"  she asked her companions.
Tyg3rW01f
Josiah considered a moment then guessed, " E-c-a-t-o-hyphen-l-i-s-h-a-accent thingy? I dunno; just taking a wild swing in the dark there. "
DeTess
 "Eh, let's go with that then."  Elva finished writing her report, then asked a nurse to give her the black signet stone that identified her as a member of the adventurer's guild. She would sue that for the seal, then have the letter send off while they recuperated.
sarlon
the nurse rings the stone in question and then patiently waits for you to seal the letter, she listens carefully to whom to give it to and where it is to be sent to, before nodding her head and leaving the curtained area with the letter with assurances it would be delivered within the next few days.

Each of you begins to feel very drowsy and feel yourselves falling back into slumber, perhaps there had been something in the drink...

**********************************

When you open your eyes, everything is different again.  You have no aches or pains as if the past few hours hadn't happened at all.  You find yourself blinking in bright midafternoon sunshine outside of Loti'pac.  The elf, the other orc (tordic), are with you looking mildly amused, and the water elemental is still wrapped around Elva's wrist.
Tyg3rW01f
Josiah woke and looked around. " Okay! That TEARS it!!! I am getting TIRED of this magic bull-  BLEEP  !!! Am I gonna go to sleep tonight in an inn and wake the   BLEEP   up in a  ship's bilge  in a week?! This   BLEEP   has  GOT  to   BLEEP  -ing STOP! "
DeTess
Elva ignored Josiah's tirade. She was bothered by whatever was going on, sure, but this wasn't the time to lose her cool.  "Tordic, Alyndra, can either of you fill me in on what you think just happened?" 
sarlon
they both shake their heads, obvious confusion on their faces as to what you're talking about.  Nuka excuses himself as you guys enter the city mumbling something about seeing a man about a horse.  (sadly this player has to drop out for now and I don't want to kill off their character).

The 4 of you (Tordic, Alyndra, Elva, and Josiah) head into the city proper, the water elemental dancing around Elva's wrist making happy squeaks and you get the impression its actively looking at everything you pass.  You're escorted into the audience chamber where you are able to give over the elemental an give your full report, the frown lines on Almira's face deepening with worry.  She extends a hand out to the tiny elemental who hesitates for only the briefest of moments before bouncing over, splashing Elva lightly with water.  You each are thanked for your service and a promise of your pay tomorrow.

********************************

2 Weeks have passed (yes you were each paid 2000 gold for your services), and fall is finally starting to come into full swing.  Almost daily rain has made the weather start to cool down finally, and excitement all over is growing in anticipation of the harvest festivals (doesn't matter if you stayed in the city or left for any reason, enough time has passed.)

Sadly jobs have been few and far between until one day...

 
 Spoiler: Elva (location doesn't matter) 

a young human male comes running up to you, he is wearing the garb of a runner (basically the post service for "common" folk), he bows politely and firsts confirms your name before handing you a sealed scroll.  The insignia on the scroll of paper looks completely foreign to you and you don't recognize it at all.
 

 
 Spoiler: Josiah (location doesn't matter): 

a young elf man runs up to you, wearing the garb of a runner (basically the post service for "common" folk), he bows politely and hands you a scroll of tightly rolled parchment bearing an unfamiliar seal.
 
Tyg3rW01f
Josiah takes the scroll and gives the runner a gold coin.  Thank you. For your troubles. " The young monk hoped a single gold wasn't an insult, nor an exorbitantly high amount to give a courier.
Tyg3rW01f
Heading back into the main hall of the monastery of the Brotherhood of the Open Palm, Josiah idly wondered what everyone else was doing. After the 10th day of no work, he'd returned to his studies with the Masters. He could still vividly recalled how ashamed he'd felt at not having done more, learned more, been more useful; maybe the Masters thought he'd done well, but Josiah couldn't face the sunrise without regretful wishes of having been  more  on his abbreviated quest.
Sighing as he looked back over his shoulder out through the gate, Josiah broke the seal on the missive and read,
" Greetings Master Josiah of the Brotherhood of the Open Palm,

I hope this missive finds you in good health after your most recent travels.  A few weeks ago you and a party of adventures stayed overnight in my clans encampment.  There has been some trouble since you have left and i have requested your presence to handle this delicate situation.

Please present yourself to the docks in the city of Cali'nast and present this letter to the captain of the ship the Wave Runner, to secure prepaid passage back into our desert lands.  We will discuss more upon arrival.

Regards,
Chieftan Tolira of the bronze dunes Clan "

Josiah muttered, " I'm not a mast-- Oh! Doofus! Chieftain Tolira is using it in the Dwarven way: 'Master' in this context is the same as 'Mister'. Wonder what manner of circumstances...? "

The young monk packed his needed gear and was on the road within an hour of showing his superiors the letter.
DeTess
Elva thanked the courier, then looked over the scroll.


 
 Originally Posted by scroll 
 Greetings Lady Elva,

I hope this missive finds you in good health after your most recent travels.  A few weeks ago you and a party of adventures stayed overnight in my clans encampment.  There has been some trouble since you have left and i have requested your presence to handle this delicate situation.

Please present yourself to the docks in the city of Cali'nast and present this letter to the captain of the ship the Wave Runner, to secure prepaid passage back into our desert lands.  We will discuss more upon arrival.

Regards,
Chieftan Tolira of the bronze dunes Clan 
 

She frowned. Could this have something to do with the mysterious stairs she'd found before? Either way, it was very much worth checking out. She spend a day getting her gear in order and refreshing her supplies, and then headed off, following the instructions in the letter.
sarlon
The port city of Cali'nast is a good sized fishing port.  All sorts of ships sit at anchor and there's a strange ship up in an obvious dry dock.....its made entirely of metal parts (unheard of this kind of style) with dwarves and gnomes (gnomes also being a scarce sight outside of elven settlements, and this is primarily a human settlement).  The city is bustling with trade and while the city is tense its more an excitement of waiting for something big to happen.

The Captain of the Wind Runner is a burly old orc with a gruff voice and thinning grey hair, though his clothing is well-made and well-kept.  He eyes both of you suspiciously as he inspects your letters, then grunts a greeting.  "We'll sail with the tide, it seems its just the two of you (this is not a question)." he barks out someones name and a young man runs up and offers to carry any gear before leading you below decks.

The ship is good sized, 2 tall masts, and plenty of cargo space (you get the impression this is more cargo ship then fishing vessel).  Your quarters are little more then a curtained off area near the captains quarters, but judging by the number of hammocks hanging below curtains were added as a courtesy.  the boy offers to secure your gear in the captains quarters and advises you to stay out of the engine room.  A loud clanging bell almost overhead is heard shortly after, and he bows quickly begging your pardon before scampering up topside.

you both feel a very slight lurch as the ship beings moving.
Tyg3rW01f
Josiah looked about and scoffed a bit. " Well, t'would seem we alone travel together again; eh, Elva? "
The young monk stretched out into his hammock and murmured,
" The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with weary feet,
Until it joins some larger way,
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say. "
DeTess
 "It would seem so!"  Elva replied cheerfully to Josiah.  "What brings you out this way?" 
Tyg3rW01f
" Oh, this letter from the Chieftain of that desert tribe we visited. I'm guessing you got a similar missive? "

Josiah sat up. "" Oh! need to do something! Be right back! "
With that, Josiah made his way to the ship's bow where he took a water lily out of his pouch. Making a hand gesture of Peace, the young monk then tossed the flower to the waves with the whispered tune,
" Ancestors, to whom we pray,
Watch as we traverse the waves,
Please bid the mighty ocean deep
Its own appointed limits keep,
O hear us when we cry to thee
For those in peril on the sea! "


((This hand signal, btw...))
 
((yes, edited this so the conversation could flow better.))
sarlon
the boat trip south is fairly uneventful (3-day trip), day two in the middle of the ocean, with no land in sight, the captain seems nervous and is checking charts and talking with the weirdest-looking elf either of you have ever seen. Faintly tinged green skin, long leaf green fair, wears little more than a pair of swim pants and his hands are "weird", they have "fins" between the fingers which don't seem to inhibit his usage of his hands and make no effort to hide them. He is a member of the crew and well-liked, and at night he's often heard telling stories which both of you are invited to listen to of course.

After a long discussion, the elf comes toward the two of you, "begging your pardons fair travelers, but a storm has popped up in the middle of our intended course.  Likely little more than a hurricane, but we will be delayed a further day to avoid sailing into the storm.  You're still welcome to stay topside, but if the weather turns foul you land livers might be safer down below decks."
DeTess
 "Thank you for the warning."  Elva looked around, to see if she could see the storm coming.  "I'll follow your advice once the weather turns." 
Tyg3rW01f
Josiah lifted an eyebrow. He'd heard tales of the storms called the "Kami-Kaze" or "Divine Wind" by his Mentor, "hurricanes" by Brother Muh'Ali Lightfoot, and a bard who spoke of the "Gales of November". The young monk didn't really want to be on a ship in such lethal weather.
" I presume this ship has survived many of these hurricanes? "
sarlon
"we....generally try and avoid them....this one is strange and we're marking it since look...." he points one long finger in the direction of the dark swirling clouds to the south east.....but the clouds aren't churning the waters underneath them.

"I offered to swim over and check it out but the captain wants me to stay on board in case we catch any of it and someone might get swept overboard....  Do you have any wet weather gear?"
Tyg3rW01f
" I have only an oilskin cloak for the rain; nothing of what a sailor might require, " Josiah admitted. " I'll stay below as you recommend, but if you need me, I will be available. "
sarlon
despite the ship working its way around the storm, the winds quickly pick up and rain begins falling in earnest.  the ship gets thrown around the waters and the crew is heard shouting orders to each other.  The Captain is in the middle of things roaring orders and shoves the two of you out of the way to help another crewmate.  what seems like 3 days have passed before the worst of the storm turns out to have been only a few hours.

The ship is in poor repair, 2 of the main masts have snapped completely off and the main deck is littered with debris.  The elf is seen climbing back on board multiple times murmuring with the captain and first mate, shaking his head, and pointing at something at a sea chart.
DeTess
Once the storm had passed, Elva hurried around, helping where she could. Unfortunately, as far as ship repair or seafaring was considered, she was merely a pair of unskilled hands.
Tyg3rW01f
Josiah was slightly more help than Elva, but only by degrees. True, he had a bit of strength and endurance on her, but he was just as unskilled at repairs.
Tyg3rW01f
 
 Spoiler: Dex Save 

To see if he can be helpful retrieving stuff IN wreckage...  (1d20+4)[ 14 ] 
 
sarlon
The Crew welcome your help and teach you just enough to be helpful in regards to minor repairs.  one of the more agile crew members shouts from above "Land ho!"

mummers of confusion are heard throughout, as they mostly crowd to what remains of the railing to see if they can spot it.  FAR distant you can see the faint outline of something starting to rise above the waves as you draw towards it.
Tyg3rW01f
Josiah strains to see the land, hoping the lookout isn't mistaking a very low bank of clouds for land.

 
 Spoiler: Perception (SPOT) Check 

 (1d20+3)[ 11 ] 
 
DeTess
 "If they're surprised, it must mean we're really off course."  Elva murmured softly to herself before joining everyone else in trying to make out the object in the distance.

 
 Spoiler: spot 

 (1d20+11)[ 16 ] 
 
sarlon
the ship changes direction to point to what quickly appears to be a sandy beach, ending at a thick forest with trees tall and well-established.

Some of the crew are mumbling about a "misty" island, and a few of the older crew look a little afraid.

The captain comes up behind you taking out his telescope and looking in that direction before grunting.  "I know I need to get the two of you to port, but we may not make it with the damage we took in that storm.  I see good hardwoods that would make good repairs least till we can get to a proper dry dock...."  he offers the telescope so you can see too, confirming what he's saying, "can't say I like it though.....this island isn't on any maps I've got and I've been sailing this route for near 30 years."  he crosses his arms over his broad chest and frowns in thought.
DeTess
 "I think this is where I come in."  Elva gestured at herself, a note if pride in her voice.  "I'm an adventurer, and scouting out a situation like this is exactly what I'm good at. I can check out the island while you keep your distance untill I give the all clear. 
Tyg3rW01f
" I believe what Elva, my fellow adventurer, meant to say is  WE  are adventurers and that is what we are good at... " Josiah smiled.
sarlon
the ship can get fairly close to the shoreline, the elf dives into the water ahead of the ship and a small boat is made ready for the two of you to get into.  The elf swims alongside the small boat pulling it along.  the water is almost smooth as glass with how calm it is, almost like bath water.  the wake from the small boat makes barely a ripple in the water.

The elf pulls the boat up onto the shore and shakes himself like a dog, before looking around the shore up and down.  The island is eerily quiet, no bird or animal noises are heard, and even the water barely whispers as it presses against the shore.  "We'll need a few hours minimum for repairs, maybe see if anyone lives on this island?  see if we could trade for fresh food and maybe offer to trade or pay for the timber we need..."

he squats down in the sand as you see movement on the ship of the crew starting to work on it.
Tyg3rW01f
Josiah looked around, noting the silence.
 
 Spoiler: Perception and Wisdom Check 

Perception  (1d20+3)[ 23 ] 
Wisdom to know if this bodes ill  (1d20+3)[ 4 ] 
 


" Why do I have a  bad  feeling about this? "
DeTess
 "Because if no animals live here, it means they can't. And we're probably going to find out why."  Elva replied, quietly.  "Let's do a circuit around the beach hete first." 
 
 Spoiler: spot 

 (1d20+11)[ 14 ] 
 
sarlon
Within a few minutes of walking the beach you notice a definite break in the tree line and what appears to be a walking path.  following it leads through the dense woods, and it soon becomes obvious this is not a natural path, someone definitely made it (trees trimmed back, some attempts at a cobble stone path, mostly level except where it starts to climb up a hill).  You continue walking for at least 10 minutes before the path begins to widen and you begin to glimpse what appears to be a house on the right side of the clearing.

the house is a small one...maybe 2 room hut with a thatched roof.  The door and windows are shuttered tightly shut.  The yard area in front of the small building is tidy and swept clean, and a low rock wall (maybe knee high), shows a small tidy vegetable garden in the late stages of growth (matches well with back home since the growing season is nearing an end).  The whole place has the air of a lively home, but is uterly silent.
DeTess
 "Well, that's not ominous at all."  Elva muttered as she slowly approached the building, keeping to the tree cover. As she did she attuned her eyes to the flow of magic to see if she could determine what magic was in play here.
Tyg3rW01f
Josiah looked around.
 
 Spoiler: Wisdom Check 

 (1d20+3)[ 18 ] 
 
Tyg3rW01f
" I've got a bad feeling about this. Everything about this place feels wrong. "
DeTess
 "And yet there doesn't seem to be any magic in play."  Elva looked around, the hurried down the path past the house.  "Let's keep going." 
sarlon
The path soon begins turning into more of a road, and you pass by more houses in pretty much the same state,  about 10 more minutes, you guys see a large wooden wall that stretches in both directions for quite a distance,  though you are seeing a large gate standing wide open, but askew, half hanging off its hinges.

Guard towers flank the gate, but if you approach no one calls out to halt your progress, infact there's no sounds coming from anywhere still.
Tyg3rW01f
Josiah rolled his right shoulder, the tiger tattoo there still somewhat raw. " There may not be magic in play, but this entire situation reminds me of that fourth temple.  Especially  cuz of that gate. "
DeTess
Elva approached the damaged gate, studying it carefully.  "This is the first sign of things not being quite as they should... apart form the complete lack of any people or animals, of course." 
sarlon
hard to tell exactly what damaged the gate, which itself looks sturdy and sound (and too heavy for either of you to lift without considerable help, but you can easily climb over it or crawl under it).  Glancing into the town proper, you guys see with astounding clarity where any people might be.  There are hundreds of skeletons scattered in various locations, some sprawled in front of the gate, some huddled in what might have been fear, clothing is of little help, most of the fabric clothing people might have been wearing has rotted beyond recognition.  even the armor of those sprawled near the gate is rusty and falling apart.

a FAINT FAINT hint of magic is drawing your eye further inside the town, its not a large or powerful item, but its the only thing remotely putting off magic, though you can't see what it is just from the gate area.
Tyg3rW01f
Josiah looked around in horror. " By the Ancestors! What happened here?! "
After several moments of looking about, Josiah said, " Elva, whatever else needs doing, you and I must leave this place.   Undisturbed  ...  Now . "
DeTess
Elva took a step back, but was not as overcome as Josiah seemed to be. Whatever happened here was bad, but the state of the corpse also insulated her from the true horror. Skeletons were something she was somewhat used to. She was therefore surprised ar Josiah's insistence they leave.  "Are you seeing something I'm not?"  she asked.  "Sure, what happened here was a tragedy but I'm not sending anything suggesting we're in accute danger." 
Tyg3rW01f
" Elva, I have heard terrifying stories from many bards about such scenarios. This doesn't end well if the adventurers disturb anything in these situations. "
DeTess
 "It's also our job to keep the sailors safe, so we need to know a little more about what happened here "  Elva countered.  "I'm going to take a little look around in there. Don't worry, I won't touch the bodies."  Elva made for the gate, intend on tracking down the faint magical trace she'd found.
sarlon
You both manage to wend your way through town, finding more and more skeletons throughout town, some buildings closed tightly others the door looks like its been ripped off its hinges.

Elva, your magic tingly senses are point you towards the center of town, a large open market place type area, which is littered with more skeletons.  Whats putting off the magic is almost obvious once you see it, a large stone chair sitting in the exact center of the square, another skeleton sitting atop it.

This skeleton, unlike the others, is sitting upright and proper, and you'd almost SWEAR it looks bored.  Its sitting perfectly still and the chair itself is definitely putting off the magic aura, but there's a small item (necklace maybe, you won't be able to tell till your much closer to it) around its chest area.

The skeleton is that of either a large dwarf or a smallish human.
DeTess
 "It's not necromancy."  Elva notes with surprise as she approaches the chair.  "It's some kind of illusion instead."  She looks over the seated skeleton with interest, taking a closer look at the necklace as well.  "There's a bit of magic on the necklace as well, some kind of evocation." 
sarlon
the skeleton's jaw falls open (doesn't fall off, just opens), and a voice comes out of it, "What....who are you?  What are you doing here?"

the necklace looks like a open palm with the chain its attached to attached to the fingers.
DeTess
Elva was taken aback by the voice, but quickly recovered.  "Ah, my apologies, madam. I am Elva, and recently landed on this island after a storm, and set out to explore it. It was not my intention to disturb you. IF you would be willing though, could you tell me something about this place?"  She addressed the skeleton politely.
Tyg3rW01f
Josiah quickly assumed a defensive combat posture when the skeleton's jaw dropped. He was not about to use words when fists would end up being needed. He was not about to let these bones reanimate and add his own to their number.
sarlon
while the skull doesn't move, Josiah you feel like its eyes are boring into you, "Threaten me not mortal child of the sister...." (will save Josiah only)

Elva, you get the same feeling, though the skull doesn't move the eyes seem to lock on you for a moment...." To answer your more polite question, this is my home; where you currently stand is my playroom.  I don't often get visitors, so I shall amuse myself for the moment to answer your questions."
Tyg3rW01f
Josiah replied, " I have heard this story before and I will not be added to your army of the dead without resistance until my last breath. "
 
 Spoiler: Will Save 

 (1d20+9)[ 10 ] 
 
Tyg3rW01f
The skeleton's reply jolted Josiah out of his readiness. He turned,  "   You  ...?! " 
The monk's bowels and bladder voided in his horror. " No... Ancients send it's not true! No!! Elva, that's Shanturnia, the Chaotic Evil Ancient of the Sun! Her followers call her "The Flaming Lady". She is the ender of life, the bringer of endless night! "
Josiah stepped back, and felt a bone crunch beneath his foot.  Oh no... 
sarlon
though there's no muscles to make the bone move, you SWEAR there's a smirk across the lips of the skeleton.  "yes....you know of me.....and I don't much care for company...."

The sunlight brightens immensely forcing both of you to shade or close your eyes, though it lasts only a few seconds.  When you reopen your eyes, the village you've been wandering through is empty, even of skeletons.  The throne is still there and atop it sits a tall slender woman, her red hair so bright you'd almost think it was made of flame itself.  She sits in a very relaxed posture, and what surprises you most is a child.....who can't be more than 2 years old sitting on the woman's lap, happy and contented, actually leaning against her, the woman's arm draped lightly around the child.

"now....I understand your vessel was damaged in my storm, I will not apologize for that, its more for my protection.  Since I sense no ill will among you and the crew, I will permit you to tend what you need to make repairs and restore some of the rations.  I do this so you may leave us that much sooner.  I ask no payment other than one day granting me a favor in return at some point in your future.  Tell anyone of this island and you shall have never-ending torment by my hand from the moment you leave your mortal forms, am I understood?"
Tyg3rW01f
Josiah felt his bowels void themselves again at Shanturnia's words. He would be removed from the Brotherhood for being indebted -- even unwillingly -- to the Flaming Lady.
" Hölle stoßen... " he muttered under his breath.
DeTess
Elva gave the goddess a bow.  "Of course. I will keep the secret and if you ever request it, I will return the favor in kind."  she chose her words carefully. She acknowledged the debt as it was, but also set a boundary regarding what favors she'd grant in return. It would have to be proportional to what was given after all.
Tyg3rW01f
Josiah nodded, warily. "The secret kept, and such a favor in kind."
 I pray to every good Ancient that day never comes,  he thought. In the darkest corner of his mind, Josiah knew this would exile him from the Order and see him to his grave.
sarlon
the woman nods and stands gracefully standing at just over 6 feet tall.  the child squrims to get down and sticks her thumb in her mouth, the woman leads you out of the town and down the same path you came up, which is almost exactly the same but the houses are in horrible disrepair and falling apart.  She leads you to the forest edge and picks the child up in her arms and whispers something to the child, who giggles sweetly, and begins mumbling something.

the air becomes that much hotter around you and the sun much brighter, but true to the woman's word, when your vision clears the ship floats in perfect repair upon the calm waves, every member of the crew looking around confused, the captain roaring for a headcount, before stalking over to the two of you. "what in the name of the 9 hells happened?!"
Tyg3rW01f
" WE... explored and solved the immediate issue, Captain. It is for the best you don't ask further. "
 
 Spoiler: Persuade 

 (1d20+1)[ 17 ] 
 
DeTess
Elva deferred to Josiah's answer in the matter, but added a warning of her own.  "If you ever run into an odd storm like that again, I suggest doing everything you can to avoid it, up to and including abandoning the journey. I doubt that what we did can save us a second time." 
sarlon
The old captain seems to accept this story, nodding his head, "strange things travel these waters.....should see some of the things from the deeps we've found before...."

he curtly turns and roars for the ship to get underway as the shaken crew make haste to get the ship moving again.

a few hours later (much to everyone's surprise) you being to see land again, and at first the fear of the island is felt, before it quickly becomes obvious this is a port city (where you were headed to begin with, seems the woman wanted you gone even faster then planned since you're a day ahead of schedule.)

The port city is nearly empty of people (this was common when you were last through here due to the high heat of the day), but the captain is happy to see you gone.  He'll be in port for a week at most if you need return fare (no one was certain how to get back since the trip was only paid one way), but says there's enough boats around to secure passage even if he isn't there and available.
DeTess
 "I suppose we should look for the chieftain or a representative of the clan now."  Elva looked around as she disembarked the ship.  "Josiah, did your letter say anything about what we should do after arriving here?" 
Tyg3rW01f
" No, at least I do not think it does. " Josiah double-checked his letter. " No, it simply says to contact the [i]Wave Rider[/] to secure passage into the lands of the Bronze Dunes Clan. 
DeTess
 "Well, we're also a day early."  Elva considered the situation for a moment.  "Let's find an inn for tonight, and check the docks tomorrow to see if anyone has come to pick us up. If not, we can arrange our own transport." 
sarlon
you don't find to many people wandering about this time of day, and you both quickly start to feel the hot dry air taxing you.  You dip into the bar you found last time and after pleasantries (they remember you guys since you're not from around here you were quiet and respectful of the locals-only bar).

They rent you a couple of rooms for the night, and you sleep well, the cooler night air bringing out more "action" with singing, story telling, a couple of comedians that at points have you clutching your sides from laughing so hard. Overall it's a pleasant evening of relaxing.

Come the morning (hangover or not), at breakfast, you see a familiar halfling (I can't find his name but he led you out into the desert the last time), he seems not to spot you as he walks up to the bar and orders some food and drink.
DeTess
Elva waited till the halfling had finished making his order, then addressed him.  "Hey there! You wouldn't happen to have been sent here to pick me and Josiah up, would you? 
Tyg3rW01f
Josiah, instead of consuming FAR TOO MUCH like last time at the bar, maintains his sobriety by asking only for a single local brew --  Short Cup, Please!  -- and being far quieter than the locals remember. The next morning, he lets Elva do all the talking.
sarlon
the halfking (Lo'it, I found his name) looks around confused for a moment spotting both of you, grins widely mutters something to the person who took his order before hopping off the stool and walks over a broad grin cracking his bronzed skin.

"I wasn't expecting you guys till later today, hope you don't mind me having a quick bite to eat before we head out do you?"

he sips his drink, an odd smelling brew that is EXTREMELY strong smelling, and not very pleasant to smell, but he seems to enjoy it.  once his food arrives he rearranges himself around the table to be closer to the two of you and lowers his voice.

"first of all thank you for coming so quickly.  Second, no one is blaming you...directly....for the problems.  No one knew what was going on till we traced it back to the carvis osasis stop when your group spent a few hours there last moon cycle."  He pauses to take a long swallow of his drink, wipes his mouth, and continues.  "Weird things have been appearing in the desert at night under the moon, and scouts entered what appears to be an old set of ruins under that dune you fell down Lady Elva.  we've not had a lot of luck getting to far into it without a lot of.....er...mishaps, and after talking with the adventurers guild we found your name coming up as a high recommendation for these types of....inconveniences.  Brother Josiah since you were here too we felt that you'd like a chance to right this mishap.  We don't know exactly whats under there, but it IS dangerous.  We can scrape together 1000 gold in total for this clearing to make sure its safe enough for future explorations."
Tyg3rW01f
Josiah considered. " Lo'it, I won't speak for Elva. As we have been summoned to right a wrong, I would be willing to do this for 250 gold and as much written information on the animals of the dunes as the Clan is willing to share. 
sarlon
He looks thought full for a few minutes as he sips his drink, "well we don't much harken to the written word, hard to carry bunch of books around....as for whats out in the dunes....lets see...."  he ticks them off on his fingers...
s
"Well there's the usual, scorpions, snakes, lizards, vultures....then you got the sand snails, sand rats, probably some cousins of mine, mummies and daddies, walking sand dunes, there's the walking stone pillar of course, shadows, raptors, skeletons, sand fleas big as horses, camels, salamanders, rhinos, horse people, rocks, howlers, hyenas...funny looking ones too, worms, tigers, lions, no bears though....not recently any way...hmmm what else?"
Tyg3rW01f
Josiah smiled, " Lo'it, I thank you for the listing, but I meant from the Clan's lorekeepers themselves. "
The young monk didn't know exactly which parts of the list he didn't believe, but he was pretty sure the halfling was pulling his leg.
DeTess
 "We can discuss my payment once we've checked out the place."  Elva suggested.  "If it turned out I somehow triggered this I'll waive my share of the payment, as it's only fair. If it was just a coincidence I'll take my part in coin, of course. 
sarlon
Lo'it finishes eating and paitently waits for you guys to be ready.  He leads you outside the city gates where 3 camels are patiently waiting again.  Guards around the city seem on high alert though they give you little trouble.

The trip out seems harder then last time, Lo'it is chatty but its filled with nervous energy, and he is actually carrying a weapon on his hip (a long sword).  You stop for a rest at mid day at a shady small osasis with a well filled with cold clean water, welcome after the searing sun and dry winds.  he encourages you to drink up, while he refills his water skins.

Just before it starts to get dark, you see the dim glow of campfires over the ridge and the camels seem to hurry up of their own accord, going at almost a gallop.  the camp of halfings has grown, you see tents in many different sizes and shapes.  Guards roam the perimeter (humans mostly), and stop your group as you approach.  A quick word from lo'it has you passing through with little threat (they seem more worried about something else then a couple of people riding up on camels).

Your welcome is cool and barely hospitable, and you're quickly lead to the largest of the tents set in the middle of the camp.

inside this large cool tent you see almost a dozen halfings (men and women) in various colored shirts all talking loudly and angrily, infact their arguments are so loud they don't notice your entrance and there are serval guards (humans and halflings) scattered around the edges of the tent.

".....I don't even think they'll show up....stupid humans!  always causing messes out here then leaving as if they don't care!  I'll bet 2 of my burden beasts that they won't show up and will just send their false words of apology about not their fault!!!"  This seems to be the tail end of a longer argument, it comes from an OLD halfing, his white hair sparse upon his sunbrowned scalp.  2 younger halfings crouch on either side of him but aren't saying anything.

Roars of both agreement and disagreement are heard around the tent, before Lo'it clears his throat and speaks in a well refined voice, "Good lords of the dunes, your humble servent will gladly take those two burden beasts Kari'zal, since I must insist you eat your words.  May I present to you Brother Josiah, master in training of the brotherhood of the open palm, student of Master Fornari, master of the hidden ways." he bows and gestures to Josiah, then continues, "May I also present Lady Elva, daughter of the brotherhood of Itani, student of Seeker Kolita, master of the hidden word."
Tyg3rW01f
Josiah, once introduced, offered the world-recognized martial arts salute of right fist in the open left palm with a slight bow from the waist. He then awaited his turn to speak.

 
 Spoiler: Diplomacy (and Respect) 

and since it is a STRAIGHT CHARISMA Check...
 (1d20+1)[ 17 ] 
 
Tyg3rW01f
Josiah lowered himself into a cross-legged position of the floor, his elbows out, palms on his thighs. He then spoke calmly, treating this as an Assembly of the Brotherhood -- a solemn situation every Apprentice faced.
" Most potent, grave, and reverend Elders, my very noble and approved good masters, to say the circumstances which have befallen these dunes -- your Home -- are not our fault in any way would be not only a disservice, but a convenient lie of the blackest sort. My companion and I were unaware of the circumstances which have befallen your home, this is Truth; to say it is our fault is the only argument. In its reply, I say simply that we have come to ascertain the Truth in this matter.
If, in our investigation, Miss Elva and I find we truly are at fault, in accordance with her word to the same, we will waive reward to show our remorse and regrets are heartfelt.
No matter the result, which are as yet unknown, we have come as requested of us, and would hear from this Council of the troubles and glean more detail with which to more accurately fight on your behalf. "
DeTess
Elva let Josiah do the talking. Though a bit overly verbose for her tastes, his words covered her own feelings on the matter as well. If she had somehow directly caused... whatever it was that was happening... she'd take responsibility, but the way these people where ready to blame it all on her did not sit well with it. As far as she knew, the worst thing she'd done was discover some ancient ruins. If the mere act of finding the entrance had triggered issues, then she did not consider herself responsible, as anyone present here could have done the same. She kept her piece on that observation until she knew more about the situation, however.
sarlon
The old halfling who was speaking when you entered stands up shakily shrugging off the hands of the two younger ones beside him.  He points a long gnarled finger at the two of you and speaks in a surprisingly clear voice for someone of such an age. "The dunes have awakened with the spirits of the long dead!  things we teach our children as bedtime stories and were told to me by my parents and their parents before them have begun awakening!  This wouldn't have happened if you TALL PEOPLE hadn't come into the dunes!!! We The Lords of the Dunes have condemned you to go into the Dunes themselves and either stop this madness or perish...."

He stops to take a shakey breath and quivers for a moment, the lights in the tent seem to darken for a moment and a nervous energy is felt around the tent.  Even the two of you feel uneasy, though you can't place your finger on what the issue is.

"We can't even close the gate that your bumbling has opened, and search parties who have gone in haven't returned.  Figure this out or perish in the attempt.  Lo'it will go with you to make sure that you speak the truth."

Lo'it emits a small voice of protest, but bows his head, mumbling his acceptance. The old halfling prods one of the younger halfings beside him with his cane who squeaks but stumbles towards the 3 of you, handing one of you a small wrapped package. "early exploration teams found this stone in some rubble, we haven't found a use for it.  but it seems to be made of the same stone as the walls.....You have 1 hour to make ready before guards will escort you to the entrance!"  He flops down again and low voices speak in quiet conversations around the tent.
Tyg3rW01f
" As you say -- so let it be, " Josiah answered as he politely accepted the stone and rose. He handed it to Elva.
" Classic return of Josiah Lead-tongue, Hundredth-Dan Master of the Way of the Bumbler. "
DeTess
Elva, however, was not done talking yet. She had a strong sense of justice, and this old man dumping all this on her did not sit well with her at all.

 "I reject your accusation and your verdict."  Elva spoke back in a clear voice.  "You call yourself a lord of the dunes, yet you remained ignorant of a threat to your people right underneath your camp, a threat that could apparently be triggered by a simple walk around in the desert. And now that it has, inevitably, been awakened, you bring in adventurers under false pretences and dare threaten them into doing what should be your duty as lord?" 

She paused for a moment to calm down, then proceeded, her voice now ice cold.  "I will go to the ruins and deal with this threat for the good of the people of my own will. But don't you dare pin the fruits of your own complacency and incompetence on me." 

She turned around and headed for the exit.  "Come on, we have a job to do." 
sarlon
Lo'it meets you both outside looking sheepish, "I apoligze for him, he's the eldest of the dune lords....and the others tend to follow his lead.  He is scared, we all are...."
DeTess
 "Then he should have used his years alive to reduce the number of threats his people face."  Elva spat out the words, before taking a deep breath to calm herself.

 "I really can't stand people with authority blaming others for problems they should have prepared for or taken care of themselves. It's laziness and cowardice from those that should be the best of us."  she explained herself.  "Come on, you can tell us what you know about what's happening on the way there." 
sarlon
Lo'it looks at Elva, "do you know what the lords of the dunes actually are?"
"I presumed they rule over your people, like the lords in other places." Elva replied.
"I was told by my own parents many years ago, that when the first people came to this world these lands were infested with creatures from other planes....the locals didn't dare venture into the dunes themselves.  One of the First Heros, according to legend, went deep into the dunes and found....a gem of some sort.  he and a handful of halflings and my ancestor, used ancient magic to make the stone as another type of lock, and hid it deep beneath the dunes.  the original hero is said to have died in the process, and the remaining halfings became the first lords of the dunes, a group meant to keep that safe.  over time it kind of devolved into petty fighting and power struggles, and amounts to this...."
"They've really failed their duty then. Elva sighed. "Though I wonder if the issue with the ruins is somehow related."
"Its said that the entrance to the chambers where the gem was kept is hidden among the dunes, but to keep it safe people "forgot" where it was hidden"
"Well, only one way to find out then." elva replies.

Lo'it takes you over to refill water bags, before checking all your gear and making sure the two of you are ready.  He himself excuses himself and reappears 5 minutes later wearing simple leather armor, a sword at his hip, a small bag over his shoulder, and a small crossbow hanging from his belt which also has various pouches, some obviously empty, others looking like they're bulging with unknown items.

He again checks you guys are ready before a guard of the camp begins leading your party out into the sands.
sarlon
the walk out into the dunes while tense passes with almost no hassle. The sun high overhead beats down on your heads almost mercilessly, and you understand why Lo'it kept insisting on full waterbags every time.  Almost an hour later your group slides down another sand dune and to your surprise your feet hit something a lot more solid than more sand.  Elva this place looks vaguely familiar as the stairs still stand open but marked with large stones colored brightly (these are recent additions since they were not here last time).

Two guards come out of a nearby tent shouting at you to stop, but after a quick word with Lo'it they apologize for their abrupt manner, they mention its been quiet since last night.  They head back into the tent and Lo'it taking the lead heads down the stairs, where the cool air actually feels freezing after the heat of the sun.

You go down a long set of stairs for several yards, and while steep are manageable.  eventually you come to a stone door already standing open, Lo'it barely hesitates before walking through, "Watch your step, after this opened there were traps that we mostly found just beyond."  just past the door stands a brightly lit hall wall, lit from an unknown source. it stretches far in the distance while several doors stand open and shut on either side of the hall way.

"We were checking doors and almost all of them were dangerous, so we haven't been past this hallway yet..."
DeTess
 "Neither of you are able to fly or easily walk on the ceiling, right?"  Elva checked before setting out. Had she been on her own she could have bypassed the traps by taking a simple walk on the walls or ceiling, but with two companions that would expend more of her magical reserves than she felt comfortable with right now.

 "I'll take the lead here, but please keep your eyes open for traps as well. Three pairs of eyes see more than one."  Elva stepped ahead of the group, carefully scanning the ground as she did so she could identify and disarm any traps before she stumbled across them.

 
 Spoiler: perception 

perception:  (1d20+11)[ 25 ] 
(normally you'd roll search for finding traps, which is an INT based roll. If I can roll perception on int instead it has a +13 instead of +11)
 
Tyg3rW01f
Josiah nodded to Elva, " Be my guest. "

 
 Spoiler 
PERCEPTION
 (1d20+12)[ 24 ] 
 
sarlon
it takes the three of you at least an hour to find and disarm all the traps, some are VERY narrow misses, but this hall way can now be properly said as cleared. 8 doors in total line both sides of the hall way (4 to a side), and each room was empty, but looks like at one time they might have been used in the past.  At the end of the hallway, stands a very strange door...  you know its a door even though there's no handle or hinges.

There is strange writing on the door in Orcish.
DeTess
Orcish was not a language Elva was familiar with, but that wasn't something a little magic couldn't fix. She raised up her right arm and snapped her fingers. Magic wend its way down her raised arm and around her head before settling as a slight flow on her eyes and ears. She then reached out and touched the writing to let the magic do its thing.

 
 Spoiler: magic 

I cast comprehend languages.
 
sarlon
the writing on the door says "speak aloud the name of the Father"
DeTess
 "It's asking for a password of sorts."  Elva announced after taking a step back.  "It's asking for someone to speak the name of the 'father'. Do either of you know who that may be?" 
Tyg3rW01f
" Is 'father' capitalized? I ask because I once read of a door to a dwarven mine that was passcoded with the elvish word for 'Friend'. Took the characters nearly an hour to figure it out. "

 
 Spoiler: Knowledge: Religion 

 (1d20+10)[ 11 ] 
 
Tyg3rW01f
Josiah thought a moment longer.
 
 Spoiler: Knowledge: Arcane 

 (1d20+7)[ 24 ] 
 
DeTess
 "It is capitalized, but also prefaced by 'the' so I don't think that's the trick."  Elva answered.
sarlon
Josiah:

A chill of almost fear slithers down your spine as you think on it and come up with the name, you're fairly certain the word the door is looking for is "Aspeterunia".

As soon as the word is uttered, the door begins dissolving almost like it was made of sand.  Within a few seconds the passage is opened and Lo'it looks a little confused and a little scared.  "Thats a name not many people know....where did you hear that name?"
Tyg3rW01f
Josiah swallowed back his dread, " My training is not simply of the martial arts, but also of many differing schools of knowledge. Including the Ancients. "
sarlon
Lo'it frowns in thought then shakes his head, "Try not to repeat it too many times, and defiantly not around the capitol.....you don't want to see a Goddess angry.  Remember that hurricane last year?  Almira got some bad news..."

Lo'it looks into the now open doorway, you both see another long hallway that branches to the left and right after about 30 feet, about midway down there are 2 doors directly across from each other.  This hallway is actually just as brightly lit as the hall behind you. (The hallway here is single file, only 5 feet wide).

Lo'it turns to Elva, bows slightly, "after you?"
DeTess
 "Here we go again."  Elva slowly advanced down the hallway, scanning every inch for traps.

 
 Spoiler: perception 

Perception:  (1d20+11)[ 16 ] 
 
sarlon
this hallway is surprisingly clear of traps.  The two doors face each other across the hall and seem to be in good sound condition.  These look like normal wooden doors with visible hinges and a handle with a keyhole obvious.  the door on the left has a small sign on it that simply reads "Fire", the door on the right reads "Water".
DeTess
Elva stopped at the door marked 'Water' and tried to open it.  "These are locked. Well, give me a minute then."  She took a toolset out of one of her pouches and set to work.

  "Seems like a fairly standard cylinder lock, but might be a little rusty and hard to work."   She mumbled quietly to her self as she wedged a turning tool into the keyway and got out a slender mythril hook for manipulating the lock's internals.   "Let's see here... Nothing on one, two, three... is binding, nothing on four, no five, so back to one..."   she kept up a stream of whispered commentary to keep herself focused as she worked on the lock.   "False set on four, back to one, bit of counter-rotation and...   with a slight clunk the turning tool complete a revolution and the door unlocked.

 "It's open!"  Elva announced, a note of triumph in her voice. She put away her tools and with a flourish opened the door.
Tyg3rW01f
Josiah was suitably impressed. " Where did you learn to pick locks, " he asked.
sarlon
(sorry for the delay folks been sick as a dog after my last convention)

The Water door swings into the room beyond...

A cool light breeze sweeps over your face, a light mist of water touches your skin and the sound of running water is heard from within the room.  heavy accents of blue fill this small room.  (I'll describe more if you enter)
DeTess
Elva carefully stepped into the room, keeping an eye out for further traps.
sarlon
the room, while abandoned, is beautiful.  Water flows down the walls, in a never ending stream, while the floor looks like its a shallow pool of water.  steping into it does nothing though, an obvious illusion.  The room is cool and refreshing after the heat of the desert.  in the center of the room stands a podium with a bowl atop it and a small sign beside it written in several different languages, including common (orc, halfling, dwarven, draconic, elvish, and one none of you recognize, but they all say the same thing)  "give an offering, and drink freely from the font of wisdom and see the world in a new way!"
DeTess
 "Interesting."  Elva noted as she looked over the chalice.  "But maybe not the safest thing to try out right now."  she looked at her companions.  "Unless either of you want to give it a go?" 
Tyg3rW01f
Josiah shrugged and placed five gold on the dais beside the bowl and braved a drink.
Tyg3rW01f
Josiah lifted the bowl to his lips and was mildly surprised. The water was clean, pure, and LIGHTLY sweet with a FAINT tinge of sour as if a lemon wedge had been squeezed into it mere moments before. He shook his head after a brief moment of light-headed vertigo. Opening his eyes again, Josiah looked about then lifted an eyebrow.
" Was the floor glowing faintly, with the light pulsing out the door, when we came in here? "

 
 Spoiler: Temporary Skill Increase 

+2 to wisdom for 4 hours
 
DeTess
 "No?"  Elva replied, looking around. "I don't see anything like that. Could it be an effect from drinking from the bowl?" 
DeTess
 "Josiah, do you see anything that gives us a clue of what's going on, or where we're supposed to go?"  Elva gestured back out through the door.
Tyg3rW01f
Josiah nods, " Apparently, I am. While faded with the sand, the floor is glowing blue, and... "
He followed the light and looked thoughtful as he stood at the intersection. " I think we are supposed to go left. "
DeTess
 "Alright, let's go."  Elva once again took the lead, keeping an eye out for traps.  "Let me know if you notice anything else." 
sarlon
you follow the left hand corridor for a distance.  until you come up on 3 doors, left, right, and straight ahead. Josiah, the floor has stopped glowing for now, not offering any assistance on which door to choose.

Left door has a sign: Yes

Right door has a sign: No

straight ahead door: Maybe

all 3 doors are identical, visible handle, hinges, and keyhole.
DeTess
Elva looked around the hallway carefully, hoping to find some clue to the riddle they were currently facing.
Tyg3rW01f
Josiah pondered a moment. It was definitely a riddle, but what was the question?

 
 Spoiler: Wisdom check 

 (1d20+5)[ 14 ] 
(wisdom is 16 (+3) before the temporary +2 from the water.
 
Tyg3rW01f
" Well, it  seems  to state we turn left again, but doing that leads to an issue with Euclidean geometrics as we can go left only so many times. However, if the question is traps, then we could go to the right with out issue. "
DeTess
 "I've found something here."  Elva brushed aside the dust covering a plaque. It read 'do you want wealth? wonder? and travel?'

 "If we take the plaque at face value it is probably the leftmost door. But given the traps we've seen that's probably a trap."  Elva sighed.  "Lo'it, do you know anything about who this place might have belonged to? If it was a religion or cult their beliefs might help crack this." 
sarlon
Lo'it thinks for a time, "Legends say the early halflings built this place as a place to hide....something. the questions are separated.....maybe each answer for each door?"

he shrugs.
DeTess
 "Hmmm, maybe?"  Elva looked at the doors while trying to remember what she could about halflings back in the day.  "Then it would be 'yes' now, and if we encounter another set like that it would be no on wonder, and then maybe on travel? Do either of you have another suggestion?" 
Tyg3rW01f
Joisah thought another moment. " Well, we haven't found anything to suggest the traps are meant to keep anything in, so the legends may very well be true. As for all the horrors escaping this place, I'm wondering if they were not adventurers or even corrupt Guardians who failed in these tests. If we pick "Yes" for "wealth" or even "wonder", we'll likely fall prey to what has created the things terrorizing Lo'it's people. If we choose "no" for any option, we prove ourselves liars, and the same fate is likely. "
After a long moment, the young monk pointed at both the "Yes" and "No" doors, and said, " Damned if we do. "
He then pointed at the door marked "Maybe", and sighed, " ...Damned if we don't. "
DeTess
 "I'm not certain I agree with that logic."  Elva shook her head.  "I don't think the answer would be to be unsure. I think it's based on the way of thinking of the people then. Way back when the halflings had a period where they put gathering wealth above most other concerns as a way of being taken seriously, so if those same halflings made this place then a test like this would be meant to confirm whether the visitor is one of then or not. And they would pick 'yes' for the wealth question." 
Tyg3rW01f
" As I said, 'Damned if we do; damned if we don't.' I've got your back. "
DeTess
 "Well, let's roll the dice."  Elva headed towards the door marked 'yes.'
sarlon
((sorry guys, had a long week))

The door opens with only a little effort, pushing into the room beyond.

This room is dimly lit (compared to the hall way you'd been traveling.  The floor immediately in front of the door quickly explains why you had a little trouble pushing open the door,  a dead halfing body.  hard to tell how long ago it died, but the cause of death is VERY obvious.  A massive battle axe is sticking out of its back, it all but cut it in half.

Roll me 2 perception checks, technically a spot and listen if this matters.
Tyg3rW01f
Josiah quickly began looking and listening.

 
 Spoiler: Perception 1 
 (1d20+12)[ 13 ] 
 

 
 Spoiler: Perception 2 
 (1d20+12)[ 23 ] 
 
DeTess
 "Oh, poor fellow."  Elva kept an eye on the environment, wary of any traps.

 
 Spoiler: perception 

roll 1:  (1d20+11)[ 25 ] 
roll 2:  (1d20+11)[ 17 ] 
 
sarlon
Josiah:  You are ABSOLUTELY fascinated with the wall and its intricate masonry and the way it was all put together.  You're ears though pick up something from inside the room beyond the open door.


Elva:  the flickering lights inside the room beyond may be playing tricks with your eyes, but you think you see another door at the far end of the room.  you look to the left (further into the room, to the right is solid wall leading to what you think you see is another door.....60 feet away.)  There is a BIG chair sitting along the wall to the left, there is a skeleton sitting atop the chair, a sword in one hand and a set of scales in the other hand.  something in the eye sockets glitter in the flickering light.  The skeleton (from this distance), appears to be a large human (not a giant, just a very tall skeleton)
DeTess
 "Ehm, Josiah?"  Elva nodded with her head in the direction of the skeleton.  "I'm getting a bad feeling from that setup..." 
Tyg3rW01f
Josiah jerked away from his inspection of the intricacies of the stonework and its jointing. "Hm?! What setup?!"
DeTess
 "That skeleton, if it really is just a skeleton, on that big chair there."  Elva pointed out the macabre sight to her companions.
Tyg3rW01f
Josiah looked over at the skeleton. "Oh. Hmm."

 
 Spoiler: Wisdom 
 (1d20+2)[ 14 ] 
 

 
 Spoiler: Perception 
 (1d20+12)[ 23 ] 
 
Tyg3rW01f
" Def-def-definitely a trap. Definitely. "

((If you have never watched the Dennis Hoffman film RAINMAN, you won't get the reference.))
sarlon
Both of you see no movement in the room.  The torches flickering on the wall make something glitter in the eye sockets (gems maybe, you won't see anything from your distance without getting closer, and I'm assuming you are poking your heads in through the door and haven't entered fully yet).  The skeleton is sitting upright and formal, and is in surprisingly good shape (no missing bones, no chipping, nothing like moss or anything growing on the bones.)

The floor around the chair is surprisingly clean (the floors you've been walking on have been covered in either sand or dirt/dust), the door also across the hall is closed.
Tyg3rW01f
Josiah took another look at the cleanliness of everything and nodded, " Yup!  Definitely  a trap! "
DeTess
Elva focussed, trying to discern any traces of magic in the room.
DeTess
 "It's not an undead."  After a moment's consideration Elva entered the room and started to cross towards the far door.  "If it is a trap, I can't find the trigger. And standing around won't fix our problems." 
sarlon
Elva:

A voice rumbles out as you make it about halfway across the room, "Seeker of knowledge and wealth, answer my questions and proceed, or turn back and find your path another way."
DeTess
Elva froze, then turned towards the voice. As expected, it came from the skeleton's direction. It wasn't much of a suprise, as she had noted some magic on the skull.

 "Very well, ask your question."  she stated, feigning more confidence than she felt.
sarlon
First:

"I'm not a blanket, yet I cover the ground; a crystal from heaven that doesn't make a sound. What am I?"

Second:

"I am easy to lift, but hard to throw. What am I?"

Third:

"What goes up, but never comes down?"

The voice pauses after each question, before moving on to the next one, then falls silent.
DeTess
 The first one would be snow, while third one is one's age."  Elva stated with certainty. The second one however stumped her. She could think of a lot of things that were easy to lift but impossible to throw, but nothing that as merely hard. She shot a glance on Josiah's direction, hoping that he would have an idea.
Tyg3rW01f
Josiah considered a moment, then said, " One's voice. Easy enough to increase in volume, but incredibly difficult to throw, as if in a different place. "
sarlon
With Elva's First answer you hear a very audible Click, you get a very uneasy feeling when you hear a loud CLUNK, then another click.

Josiah:

The doorway in which you stand begins to slam shut, in a heartbeat of an instant you jump back crashing into lo'it knocking you both to the floor.

Elva:
You hear the door slam shut behind you, but the door in front of you opens smoothly.  2 large gems roll out of the skeleton's eye sockets and stop at your feet, the rest of the skeleton crumbles to dust along with the sword and scales.
DeTess
 "Hey, that seemed like it did the trick, guys!"  Elva quickly snatched up the two large gems, before turning to her companions.  "Let's get goi... Oh."  She was faced with a very closed door leading back the way they came, and no sign of her companions.

She quickly hurried over to the door and tried to open it, but it was locked tight. She remembered that the skeleton had said that there was another way to move on though.  "There should be another way to get deeper in! I'll move on for now, but wait for you if I find this alternative route!"  She informed her companions, then headed for the open door.
sarlon
elva:

The door has no traps, and walking through has no adverse affects...

the hallway in front of you goes two ways, to your left is a pile of rubble stretching to the ceiling, a collapsed portion, to the right it narrows for a bit before opening wider and you can see more flickering lights along that way.
DeTess
 "Well, only one way to go."  Elva set off, down the unblocked portion of the hallway, still keeping an eye out for traps.
sarlon
this room is beautiful, lush carpets, comfy looking chairs, food and various types of beverages laying out invitingly on tables (all in good condition, no spoilage).


the lighting in here is soft and warm, and you swear you hear faint strains of music playing.  The walls are covered in art and tapestries, all tasteful.  The door behind you snaps shut and disappears in a pile of dust.  there is an arch way off to your left (half covered in curtains so not easy to see whats beyond it), and a door directly in front of you across the room.

the entire room is 40 feet by 40 feet.

after a few seconds of you standing in the room a woman's voice is heard through the covered arch way, "oh a visitor....please...make yourself comfortable I'll be out in just a moment."
DeTess
  'Right, this is not suspicious at all...'   Elva thought to herself, before quietly crossing the room to try the door at the other side.
sarlon
An absolutely stunning human female walks out from behind the drapes.  She's clothed in a loose silk robe and smiles warmly, though you still feel like a rat trapped in a corner with a large cat looming over you.

"Don't be in such a rush....its rude.  PLease....sit...partake of the food and drink, rest your weary bones traveler."

She gracefully seats herself on a couch, and pours herself a cup of wine, and takes a delicate sip.  her hand gesture points to any of the comfortable chairs or couches around the room, she takes up the entire couch shes sitting upon due to the way shes sprawled over it.

The door on the other side is locked.
DeTess
Elva did not like the situation at all, but she also didn't feel like she had many options. Whatever this person was, angering her would most likely be even more dangerous than playing along.

 "Thank you for the hospitality."  She sat down one a couch some distance form the woman and tried the food, though she only took the smallest of bites.
sarlon
a cat like smile that looks a little to wide crosses the woman's face, "it has been to long since I have had visitors, tell me....where do you wish to go?"

The food you sample is some of the best you've ever eaten, the taste is perfect.
DeTess
 "Well, lots of different places, but right now I need to find the depths of this place."  Elva answered, sincerely.  "Is there anything you can tell me about that?" 
sarlon
she waves a hand lazily, and the door on the far side opens with an audible click, "so many paths to take young hero...remember this up isn't always up and backwards is sometimes where you must go to go forwards...and please....take this..."

She holds out her hand and upon it sits a blue gem roughly the size of the 2 others you found.
DeTess
r "Thank you."  Elva gave the woman an elegant bow as she accepted the gem.  "I'll be on my way now. Thank you for the food as well, it was most delicieus."  With that, she got up from her chair and headed for the exit.
sarlon
Elva:

you walk through the door and notice you're in another long hallway, you take a moment to look around before everything around you begins shaking like another earthquake.  in the 2 heartbeats of your brain registering that there is a long hallway to your left, and a door to your right (and solid wall directly in front of you 10 feet away), the door to your right opens and a figure comes flying out, landing on top of you.

Josiah:

((welcome back))
Tyg3rW01f
Josiah yelped as he was shoved through a door, Lo'it and pouring sand on his heels. He landed roughly on something firm and soft. Looking around, he thought he was seeing Elva. " Uhm, hi...? Sorry about that. "
DeTess
 "Oof.... hey Josiah...."  Elva waited for her companion to get off of her, then got up herself.  "Well, this place is a bit weird. But at least we've reunited."  She pointed down the hallway leading to the left.  "I think that's the way we're supposed to go." 
sarlon
both doors behind you disolve into sand again.  The long hallway (once you get a little closer), actually has a statue of a humanoid holding a long spear in one hand and a shield resting on its point in the other hand (bottom is resting on the floor).  While the eyes are closed you have an eerie feeling about it.

Elva:

since its likely....yes you're picking up magic faintly around the closed eyes of the statue.  nothing else is showing magic, although there is magic coming from beyond the door (definitely not the door itself though)
DeTess
 "That statue might be another test, but..."  both the previous tests had involved conversation in some way, but with this statue the magic was only on the eyes.

 "Try to stay outside its line of sight. And yes, I know its eyes are closed, just pretend it is looking straight ahead."  she warned as she moved closer, sticking close to one wall and intending to move around behind the statue, or duck below its line of sight to pass it if she couldn't go behind it.
Tyg3rW01f
" Hmm... "

 
 Spoiler: Wisdom 
 (1d20+2)[ 22 ] 
 

 
 Spoiler: Perception 
 (1d20+12)[ 30 ] 
 
sarlon
Josiah:

(with the best rolls I think I've ever seen you roll in your life :P)

careful VISUAL examination of the statue, the wall, and the door beyond, you step forward reaching out a hand and wave it vaguely in front of the eyes of the statue.  a loud click is heard, and the door springs open, the shield and sword clang loudly to the floor and the statue crumbles to dust.

both of you:

even before you enter the room, just viewing it from the hall way, you see a room that makes your inner greedy self sing.....the entire room beyond seems to be made of solid gold...at least the small bit in front of you that's easily visible.
Tyg3rW01f
Josiah mouthed "wow" silently then asked, "Elva, would you happen to know a spell that could make an object glow brightly? I ask because if this room is made of solid gold, it will reflect."
DeTess
 "Nothing that makes an object glow, but plenty spells and other tricks that make light."  Elva answered.  "What did you have in mind?" 
Tyg3rW01f
" Well, if memory serves, gold is highly reflective. If we could have a light source in the center of that room, we could see well enough to maneuver about. "
DeTess
Elva raised up the amulet she had been wearing around her neck. It appeared a simple affair of a gold coin on a sturdy leather cord, but the coin itself gave light, similar to a torch.  "Will this do?" 
sarlon
with a light underhanded toss, the coin bounces into the room which very quickly becomes brightly lit.

glacing into the room (I'll assume you don't just charge in) you see a very long room (going more off to the left), and everything in this room is covered in gold, the floor, the ceiling, the columns holding up the 50 foot tall ceiling which you can't see very great detail but could probably safely assume is also made of gold.  a grand door stands at the far end of the room, made for things much larger then humans or halfings.

the room is otherwise empty.
DeTess
 "Seems empty enough."  After looking over the room Elva walked in and retrieved her amulet, keeping an eye out for any traps or movement as she went.
Tyg3rW01f
Josiah followed cautiously, then saw a chip in the floor. " Hnh. I guess those two dwarves weren't a fever-dream. "
At Lo'it's confused look, Josiah explained, " I was on a bender in a pub and two dwarves were discussing something about a room made of gold and one tried to pry up a tile. I was on a bender, and thought I was dreaming it all. I guess this is that room. "
DeTess
 "If they got out fine, this room is probably fairly safe."  Elva started to make her way towards the large door.  "Let's see what's over there!" 
sarlon
this MASSIVE door stands over 15 feet tall, its a double door and the handle is surprisingly at humanoid level (maybe a little high for a halfling, but for a human its about the average height).  Several gems are studded throughout the door in no discernable pattern.  (wisdom check AND perception check).

While the handle is obvious, the door is locked with no visible keyhole.
Tyg3rW01f
Josiah held his hand between Elva and the door's handle. "Wait a moment."
 
 Spoiler: Wisdom 
 (1d20+3)[ 22 ] 
 

 
 Spoiler: Perception 
 (1d20+12)[ 30 ] 
 
sarlon
((Wow sorry guys, its been a weird month...))

Josiah:

while looking at the door, you think you know how to open it....

with a bit of fiddling around moving gems (that are actually just glass beads in various colors, completely worthless value wise), you both hear a loud BOOM as the final bead fits into place.  the door shudders as it first pushes out towards you then begins to slowly open, the massive doors are loud and obviously haven't been opened in a long while, they take almost 5 minutes to get open wide enough for one of you to shimmy through sideways. (it you want to wait for it to open more its going to take at least 20 minutes to get them to open wide enough to peek in before entering so I'll let you make that choice.)

Dim torchlight is seen beyond this door.  a long dusty hallway extends for quite a distance, but patches of shadow at sections down the hall indicate maybe a side hallway, or an alcove, its hard to tell till you get closer.  The air in here smells stale like its not been accessed in a long long time, and nothing has disturbed the dust laying thick on the ground.  The light from the room from which you are coming from doesn't enter into this area.
DeTess
 "That's quite the intricate mechanism!"  Elva took the lead, the light from her enchanted amulet lighting the way as she carefully made her way down the hallway.
Tyg3rW01f
" Ack! Check for traps! " Josiah yelped.
sarlon
As the three of you walk down the hallway (elva, Lo'it, Josiah walking order?).  Theres a soft thud behind you, josiah, you notice the massive door you just went through, closing with a soft click, then its a long corridor behind you much the same as the one ahead of you, though you do see a sharp turn to the left that passes out of sight.

(all of you heard the noise of the door closing, just the person in the back would have seen the door shut first)

Lo'it lets out a soft breath murmuring a word and making a waving motion of his hands with his head bowed for a moment before following behind Elva (the waving hands, think a religious person making the sign of the cross).

you guys all pass by several alcoves, each filled with neatly stacked/stored coffins.  some are massive collections and all seem to have the same last name. others are much grander and sit alone.  While some of the coffins being made of wood are rotting and falling apart the bodies inside are little more than a few bones meaning they've been dead a long time.

you travel unimpeded for quite a while, there are a few branches going off from this hall way but all deadend at varying lengths.  Almost all the coffins are "child sized" leading you to think this might be more of a burial ground/cemetary for halflings or similar.

20 minutes of walking you come to a large stone door. rope and wax once held the door handles closed, but now someone has broken through and the door stands ajar.  You vaguely hear a voice inside talking.
DeTess
Elva waved for the others to stay back, then quietly approached the door so she could listen in on the conversation.

 
 Spoiler: ooc 

Move silent:  (1d20+12)[ 27 ] 
Perception:  (1d20+11)[ 31 ] 
 
Tyg3rW01f
Josiah crouched so he would be more difficult to see and waited silently. He even tried to breathe quietly.
 
 Spoiler: Move Silently 

 (1d20+10)[ 12 ] 
 
sarlon
Elva:

your footsteps are muffled nicely by the dust thick on the ground as you creep towards the door, inside you hear a low growling sound and a male voice talking soothingly towards it, "rest now pet, for when the moon hits the right....." you hear the voice stop....as behind you....

Josiah:

man there's a lot of dust down here, though your companions are trying their best to move carefully, the dust and gods only know what else, is getting stirred up, and you begin to feel a tickle on your nose.....and you can't help yourself....and let out a sneeze that though you tried to muffle it, it still sounds like a small explosion in the quiet still air.
DeTess
Elva glared back at Josiah, then leapt into action. She gestured with her right hand, and a silvery screen came into being just in front of Josiah and Lo'it, covering the entire width and height of the hallway. The with another gesture colour bled across the screen, and an image of the empty hallway appeared, with the exact right perspective so that it would look perfect from the doorway Elva was still kneeling at. Elva then hurried back to hide behind the illusion, stowing her glowing amulet and drawing her bow as she did so.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Cast Silent silent image (why do illusions have verbal components normally!?) using a 2nd level slot. The illusion is essentially a screen placed just before Josiah and Lo'it, covering the entire width and height of the hallway, with an image of the empty hallway, hoping to fool anyone that comes check.
 
sarlon
in VERY heavily accented common (definately speaks another language common is not their first language), the voice calls from beyond the door, "enter freely whomever is beyond my door, it has been to long since any have entered my domain, I promise safe entry so long as you mean no harm....."

the door opens wider of its own accord as a whisper of magic dances along each of your senses....(will save please)
Tyg3rW01f
 
 Spoiler: Will Save 

 (1d20+9)[ 11 ] 
((OoC: (Before the post is made...) I have every reason to believe this will no end well.))
 
Tyg3rW01f
" Eh, guy sounds pretty reasonable. "
DeTess
 "Reasonable guys don't need magic to get you to come out."  Elva grabbed Josiah by his tunic, though she was unsure if she could actually stop him from going if he really wanted to.
Tyg3rW01f
 
 Spoiler: Possible responses... 

Sarlon picks which one is the one she wants, I'm just now getting to this as I just got a new job, and today was my first day off between work and family medical stuff.

STR  (1d20+3)[ 13 ] 
DEX  (1d20+4)[ 19 ] 
GRAPPLE  (1d20+6)[ 18 ] 
REFLEX (1d20+10)[ 12 ] 
 
sarlon
((wow....life keeps kicking us &gt;&lt;))

Elva:

You BARELY grab josiah by the collar/sleeve before he steps out of the range of your spell.

You both see a large hulking shadow creep closer to the door that slowly becomes smaller as it comes into view....a nearly pure white feline of some sort (to big for a house cat, to small for like a lion).  It rubs up against the door for a brief moment before sitting squarely in the middle of the mostly open doorway, and sits staring with an almost look of disdain almost as if it sees you.  (there's no chance its a ghost, you can see its solid form)
DeTess
Elva kept hold of Josiah, but otherwise kept very still. Sure, the creature looked like a cat now, but something way bigger had been there moments before. And however much it claimed to be friendly, a truly friendly being wouldn't need to acompany the 'offer' to meet it with enchantment magic.
Tyg3rW01f
" What the-?! What's a Blofeldt doing down here?! "

 
 Spoiler 
Out Of Character link:
 Blofeld's Cat 
 