The Reliquary of Ahazi, part 3
Log Info
- Title: The Reliquary of Ahazi Part 3
- Emitter: Whirlpool
- Characters: Dax, Aryia, Paenitia, Venom, Seyardu, Ravendar, Lyme
- Place: Farmlands of Alexandros
- Time: Wednesday, June 23, 2021, 9:33 PM
- Summary: The adventurers have uncovered part of a mosaic in the farmer's goat field. The ones sorting out the local issues have returned, and gotten down to digging also. Except Paenitia, who Patrols on Ramirez. Seyardu also doesn't, she prepares camp and puts together dinner. A dinner unaffected by her colour blindness, all the peppers, hot and sweet are chopped and mixed up. Eater beware! Ravendar puts his muscles to work, his mental muscles, and ponders the significance as more and more of the scene is uncovered. It appears to show the cult of Ahazi, getting magic gifted to them by Animus. It also warns how mages will rise one day and try to sieze all magic for their own. It's almost seasonal, if you will. Digging continues. There's more digging. Dax suggests smashing everything would be faster. Davienne has the luck and keen eyes to notice a trap door, which is opened into a tiny, dark hole. There are jokes about everyone going down, but the party decides on dinner and a think.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Appearing sooner or later =-=-=-=-= Davienne 5'1" 101 Lb Half-Elf Female A ranger with a cat. Dax 5'0" 110 Lb Human Female A 5' tall red haired human with piercings and tats. Aryia 4'8" 110 Lb Shadow Elf Female A heavily scarred mul with a curious look about her. Paenitia 3'0" 34 Lb Halfling Female A Lucht knight, dark skinned in bold feathery finery. Venom 5'6" 130 Lb Human Female A woman(?) about 5'6" in a ragged black veil and poncho. Seyardu 5'6" 150 Lb Sith-Makar Female A friendly silver sith-makar with a perpetual squint. Ravendar 3'1" 40 Lb Halfling Male A red-haired Lucht Siuil man. Lyme 7'2" 435 Lb Orc Butch Black-skinned oruch of suitable stature. =-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--= -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= As the GM =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Whirlpool Otyugh I am stinky! =-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=
The story so far
The adventurers are at a farm. They are at this farm, because the farm's neighbour asked them to resolve a problem. The farm's neighbour asked them to resolve a problem before she would let them on her land to search for the Reliquary of Ahazi. The search for the Reliquary of Ahazi was a job posted at the Explorer's Guild for an Alexandrian Mages council. The Mages council were posting the job because of a tip from Lady Akoniril Belvade. Lady Akoniril Belvade game them the tip out of the goodness of her heart or as part of some machinations of Taara, Goddess of lies. Who knows that Taara wants, but Kempas, the farmer they are dealing with, wants them to go to another farm and get them to move their well. Dax, who has been with the party the whole time don't anyone say nuthin' about that, has had it with iterative requests and suggests the party return to the farm and search for the thing they're supposed to find. Farmers can't stop her, and farmers will be dealt with after. Paenitia agrees, Dax can go dig dirt, and she will speak to the farmers. The party splits up, with Dax, Aryia, Venom and Lyme sneaking back and excavating landscape, while the two Luchts and their Sith'Makar friend go round the farms. Paenitia and Seyardu handle the negotiations, while Ravendar plays soothing music. The talkers talk until the farmers are tired and the cows come home.
The diggers dig out a larger section of flooring with some sort of glyph on it, an artistic representation of Animus, the fallen god of magic standing before worshippers who kneel before him, hands in the air. The Great Sage bears with him the Sea of Mana, depicted as a great ephemeral mist that rises into the sky behind him in a pillar. His hand is stretched out towards them with a scroll case, simple and white, held in it.
Elaborate and floral design encircles it.
Large sections are missing, cracked, scorched and defaced. This is all of the image you can make out. No doubt this is merely one stage of several depicted across the entirety of the story it wants to tell.
And Now
Venom continues alternating rounds of clearing away soil and taking notes in her particular blend of Trade and Kulthian. She takes the time, and a fresh sheet of paper from her pad, to try and make a rubbing of one of the more prominent symbols.
here's a look to the half-orcs as they continue as they would, then to Aryia, signs, "Do any of these marks mean anything to you?" <handspeech>
Paenitia, aware that she and Ramirez can make an impression and might have attracted some attention, is sitting high in the saddle with her mount on a hillock and looking in case the owners, or curious goats, are headed their way.
Aryia digs. And digs. And digs and digs. Her wiping free her brow of sweat and grime, she looks over at Venom with a raised brow. She gets up, walks over, and puts her hands on her hips while looking at the symbols. To Venom's notepad, the symbols, notepad.
Mhmm. Mhmm. Yep.
She still can't read.
"I have abosolutely no clue," she finishes with a shake of her head, making a hand go over her head coupled with a 'woosh' noise. <Handspeech>
"This 'ere shoddy workmanship be fallin' apart." Dax mentions, as if that's not obvious as she looks over the section, of whatever this is, that she's working to uncover. She does continue to dig though and wipes her brow with a dirty arm, before she continues, "Ohhhh, an' 'ere ya swab the decks of yore... say-ooo-say-ooo, an' 'ere ya die if ya be sore, say-ooo-say-ooo." She heaves and hoes as she's singing some song as she goes, "Ups the daisies a dream ta be, say-ooo-say-ooo." She takes in a breathe, and is squinting, trying to figure out if she remembers more of the song.
Then she looks around, "This be some kind of crypt fer the gods then? Are we meant ta be taken this whole thing back wit' us?" Ravendar sees the others digging and he puts his fiddle away in it's case before he puts on some gloves and moves to start to help with the digging, "wow you guys uncovered quite a lot. Any clues yet?" He asks as he starts to scoop up the dirt and toss it out.
"You hear the joke about sneaking up on sheep?" The Red Knight asks, maintaining her vigilance. Somewhat. She will gaze in the direction of the farmhouse, then examine all the weapons attached to her saddle, check boh her lances. After which she twists around, watches people dig some more, ponders the meaning of Animus' outstretched hand, before checking once more to ensure, no, nothing is coming.
"We seek the small box, that is somewhere in this place. The hatch to the basement is a hope. The filled in stairs, we shall be here a long time."
Venom looks to Aryia for her response, giving that a moment, then nods before rocking back to her heels and standing to her full height. Her split boots wiggle at the toes some, returning blood flow, maybe, and she walks over toward the other diggers, scribbling on a new page.
On the inquiry from the musician, she waves her hand so-so, then gives a shrug. There's another moment of thought, and she shows him the note:
'Religious tableau, maybe part of a set. It's damaged, but we haven't found any traps or concealed elements, yet.'
Aryia continues digging, her grunts of effort trying to drown out the singing nearby for herself
Seyardu found the dig site too filled with people for someone who could not even understand exactly what they were looking at to be much use for the moment. So instead, she began taking out tarps and tents, setting them up before heading to look for firewood. Nothing still on a tree, to avoid angering any of the farmers that were so possessive of their property.
Standing up to stretch some, Dax groans, "This be hard work, fer sure." She offers and then goes back at a few more dig points, then moves to the side, she sips at a flask she still has on her. "So, yer tellin' me, that wit' all yer wiggle fingerin' none of ya 'ave some kind of witch diggin' monstrosity ya can summon from the depths of the sand itself?" She looks around, particularly at the elf and sith-makar. Presumptive much?
Ravendar continues with the digging and eventually has to stop to catch his breath and check over the progress that he's made. It's not a lot, but it's something. He starts to look around at what others have done and pauses for a moment to see if he can't piece together what's happening. He's studied some history so maybe he's heard some ancient tale about it.
Davienne has been around. Helping with animals here and there, but otherwise staying quiet and sticking to the back. In sharp contrast with her earlier gregariousness with the farmers. But at least she has goat cheese. Which she is currently snacking on, the soft cheese smeared across a slice of bread she brought with her. "So...anyone recognize who or what the fresco's supposed to be?" She asks around her mouthful.
"No." Paenitia says, guiding Ramirez around the excavation site and looking for other optimal places. An unusual depression, or mound, something distinctive. "I never see the man before."
This is likely true.
"Maybe we draw out the buildings, the whole abbey makes sense, we know if we start in the right place or not."
GAME: Venom rolls perception: (12)+10: 22
The veiled woman folds her arms for a few moments, sparing what is probably a look toward Dax, before she crouches down and starts to sort of crabwalk around the edges of the revealed mosaic, her fingers working along the stonework in little curving sweeps.
Wax on.
Wax off.
With the team gathering, including one who understands the sign, Venom pivots where she squats and starts to gesture a message to Davienne, "The image itself is as it appears, but there is likely more still buried, we need to expand our boundaries and dig to find any potential entrances below." <handspeech>
GAME: Ravendar rolls knowledge/history: (14)+7: 21
Ravendar moves carefully around the parts that have been exposed as he starts to study the image carefully. He gets an idea and he moves to scramble up to get a better look at it from a bit higher up. He takes it all in as he starts to connect the pieces, "I think I know a little bit about what's going on, I've heard of a tale similar to this. It takes place after the sundering, when magic was scarce, groups would band together, like Genrivia. I've not heard of the Ahazi in particular but it looks like they were a similar type of group. If anything this means that we are on the right track."
All the jibber jabbering gets Dax to sip more from her flask. She scritches at the side of her head, and it just shakes her head as Ravendar start yammering, the other one wiggles her fingers, and ... what's this? "Yer eaten, an' ya don't even offer none ta the rest of us?" A bit grumbly sounding, muted of course, as she's sipping down more liquid calories. Then she puts that away, "We're on the right track, great, but we can't jus' keep diggin' forever. I think we need'ta be findin' something hard. Bash it against the ground, see what gives first."
"Do you want the warhammer or the Lucern Hammer?" The Red Knight asks.
"A lucern hammer sure sounds better'n just some kind of warhammer." Dax offers but shrugs, "To be honest I ain't none too sure which would be better and where we should be hittin'. If someone wants ta point, I'll smash a section." It's an offer, and Dax is willing to do it with nothing more than two kinds of hammers offered and a bit of a shrug from her shoulders, "Beats diggin' fer days."
Ravendar hmms as he rubs his chin and smears it with dirt as he forgot to take off his gloves. He gives a bit of a shrug, "Unfortunately that's as much as I know. It contains a lot of Animus related iconography." He looks around to the group, "Has anyone here have any knowledge about Animus?" He asks. "I don't think just smashing at it is the best way to go. This is part of history and others will want to study it, perhaps even fully excavate it and bring it back. It's a pretty big find which means the less damage we do to it the more money we'll get for it."
Dax quirks her mouth at the mention of money though, and then sits back down despite having just got up to go for a hammer.
GAME: Dax rolls fortitude: (16)+7: 23 GAME: Aryia rolls fortitude: (15)+6: 21 GAME: Davienne rolls fortitude: (16)+6: 22 GAME: Ravendar rolls fort: (16)+3: 19 GAME: Venom rolls fortitude: (10)+5: 15 GAME: Paenitia rolls fortitude+1: (14)+7+1: 22 GAME: Seyardu rolls fortitude: (8)+6: 14 GAME: Lyme rolls fort: (14)+5: 19
Davienne watches Venom's hands and nods. "There's more buried. And very possibly a door or entrance," She says, having swallowed her mouthful. Giving Dax a sideways look at her comment and then very pointedly looking at the flask. "I don't see you sharing much either. But here, cut yourself a slice," And with her free hand reaches into the hip bag she carries and pulls out the wrapped bread. Tossing it at the other woman. She then takes the last bite of her own and looks down at the fresco, frowning thoughtfully.
Lyme takes up his shovel once more. "Well," he says, "if there's more digging, then we dig more." He doesn't fuss too much over the dead god. After all, it's dead right?
Paenitia opts to keep watch. She's not interested in seeing how little dirt she can move compared to the others. Her armour is heavy and hot, and working in it would be ludicrous. Removing it, equally so. It's not something to hop in and out of. She's not too concerned about the property owner. Her issues was eventually resolved, she thought.
There was the possibility of other groups showing up. Akoniril may have been setting them up. So, keeping that in mind she patrols around the excavation site, riding on Ramirez and looking around.
Venom nods affirmingly as Davienne gets the message, then shoots another look(probably) at Dax at the notion of bashing their way in, clucks her tongue and shakes her head.
Because that never ends badly.
Instead, she goes back to circling the mosaic, trying to reason out which side they should focus on clearing to get the most out of what light remains while the others discuss rationing or take watch.
The food is caught, and Dax just starts biting into it... before tossing it back, as she looks over to Lyme and then back to the rest of the group. "I've got the same question, dig more or less?" Mouth still chewing as she is watching and waiting for the smarter folks to think this one out. "If'n were 'spose ta go down, shouldn't we be explodin' or smashin'? Oh, no, right right, cause of the money." She smiles and points in the direction of Rav as she swallows, then pulls her flasks and slurps some more down. To Davi, "I'd offer a sip, but it's all gone."
Seyardu was not one of those digging at the moment, but she returns with several handfuls of firewood. a few rocks from the excavation made a small fire pit, and though there was no monster summoning, she was able to use some magic to set the fire alight, taking some of the chill out of the air.
The good news is that you're able to spend a considerable amount more time and effort on this now that you're all together. Circling out from the fresco, you're able to outline the foundations if a building whose walls have long since collapsed, marking around the exterior of this one. Thanks to the flying oversight you have, this is made far more easy than it would otherwise have been. Aerial views helping to out line the fact that there are several buildings buried in the earth here. That this is a mere goat farm is probably one of the reasons that they've laid dormant for so many generations.
Finally, you've got more of the floor exposed. There's more frescoes, different stages of the same figure bequeathing magic to others, it would seem, if you have to guess. More Animus, really. Things offered and exchanged. The Gift, The Hunt for Knowledge, the Offering of it, the signed pact, and finally, retribution for failure. Each stage shows the same figure engaged in each act. The final one is destruction of the wicked who attempt to usurp magic for their own purposes. It seems to state it as an inevitability -- that this woiuld always happen.
Given the state of the building you're admist, perhaps they weren't wrong.
As the night began to set in, Aryia finished her digging for now, thoroughly exhausted from the constant labor. She looks over the frescoes, eyes darting from event to event. She scratches her head, completely not understanding any of it. The lore of the realm, the bedtime stories, the commonalities, she had none of that. So to her, it just looks like a fancy painting.
She looks bored. But at least boring was good for a guild job, unlike some of her other runs.
Ravendar gets back in and helps with the digging to uncover more frescoes. He starts to softly hum to himself as he's trying to compose a song about what's going on in the fresco. He hmms, "I wonder if we have to maybe follow the steps outlined here. Perhaps that's what we need to do, complete the ritual and that will show us what to do next or perhaps get us what we came here to get."
Lyme keeps up the digging, working up quiet a sweat doing it. "This is a highly optimistic view of divine interaction, isn't it?"
It was just a couple centuries after the Sundering.
Paenitia has been observing the various scenes as they are uncovered, and providing the Aerial perspective when needed. It's useful to run Ramirez once in a while and have him gallop off things. Helps him stay calm later. "These pictures, they are like the seasons of magic. The spring, the summer, the winter and fall. With a few more, and the harder fall."
"I think it mean, that magic, she is fickle."
Reaching up, once again to scritch at her head, Dax questions, "Ritual? I ain't see nothin' but a few old pictures wearin' away inta some kind of..." She's pointing and waving her hand a bit, "Looks like... killin' or murder, one of the two." And she goes back to working though, to help clear the space. To Lyme, "I ain't sure, never interacted wit' the divine meself."
As talk turns towards the divines, Aryia uncouthly spits on the ground and gets back to work.
"Well obviously we can't go around killing someone for a ritual, but perhaps we can play act it out. It's just a suggestion. I mean did anyone find any hidden switches or levers or anything that looks like it might be a secret passage to go down lower?" Ravendar asks.
Davienne works with the others, pulling out a spade and putting work in. At some point her companion, the large mountain lion, comes over and begins to dig beside her. Though it quickly grows bored and decides rolling in the dirt piles is much more fun. "Scrabble, stop that," She tells the cat at least half a dozen times. Only two of which the big cat listens too. Before it slinks off. Hopefully the goats are put away...
Venom is pretty tired after all this digging. Now sitting for the moment to get her strength back. Elbows resting on her knees as she considers the excavation thus far, the veiled woman starts to make some more of her notes, including a page set aside for Ravendar's information. Another for a rough map according to Paenitia's aerial surveys.
Scribble-scratch-scribble-scribble-skritch....
Lyme just keeps a-digging. Move the earth. Move it, move it. (He doesn't dance)
Paenitia circles Ramirez near Seyardu. "Friend Dragon, do you need help with cooking the meal?" It's getting dark, she's flown as much as she can, has counted buildings. Patrolled.
Davienne considers Ravendar's words and purses her lips. "It might work. But I'm not priest or mage to say for sure. I know some things...but this I am not familiar with," She says with another slow glance along the frescos. Then she begins to walk, trailing her hands carefully along the walls. Looking for any secret nook or door.
GAME: Dax rolls perception: (11)+0: 11 GAME: Aryia rolls perception: (2)+12: 14 GAME: Paenitia rolls perception: (16)+4: 20 GAME: Paenitia rolls 1d20+5: (11)+5: 16 (Ramirez Perception) GAME: Lyme rolls perception: (3)+4: 7 GAME: Venom rolls perception: (8)+10: 18 GAME: Davienne rolls perception: (15)+10: 25 GAME: Ravendar rolls perception: (20)+9: 29
Looking down, looking up, Dax just continues to dig, "Ya thinkin' if we dig long enough we end up on the moon? I mean, where does it go durin' the day. Right smack inta the center of the world? Maybe it's got some giant tunnels or somethin', deep under the ocean floor." She speculates on cosmology as she shrugs and goes back to work digging, clearly seeing little to nothing beyond what is in front of her.
The silverscale waved the lucht over. She was mixing something in a large bowl, a powdery flour and a small bit of water.
"Peace on your nest, Paenitia. I am making that from the other day at the tavern. The wraps with fried beef, vegetables and onions. I do not know how much help, perhaps making the flatbread?" She suggests.
Venom sighs a slow breath that flutters her veil before pushing back up to her feet. She pulls out a small, ornate torch from under her poncho and taptaps it to trigger the slightly uncanny looking flames to ignite, before laying it on the edge of their work to provide more work light as the sun is likely not going to last too much longer. That done, she sinks back into the excavation, herself.
Lyme wipes his brow, leaving a smear of dirt on his forehead. He nods to Venom. "Good thinking." He then turns back to digging. It takes some time, but eventually, you've finished exposing the rest of the floor, and wouldn't you know it, but there in a groove in the ground, between several frescoes, there appears to be a ring set in the earth. Pulling on it allows one to lift up a slender piece of stone work to reveal a hole down into a darkened basement of some kind.
Great.
It's very dark down there.
Darkness, it is getting darker, Dax has something for this and she pulls from a pouch a little stone. Gives it a few good taps and lets it start swirling around her. Light, great, now her human eyes will only be less terrible at seeing things. "A hole!" She shouts out just in case the others - and the neighbors - weren't aware, looking to the others, and pointing at the slightly less darkened area that goes down below.
"Ramirez! I dismount!" The Dark Lucht says, sliding down the wing of her peacock-andalusian and moving over to the silverscale sith'makar. "Okay. I make the bread."
Off come her gauntlets, which are stowed. She keeps everything else on, mising up some flour and water.
The bread-making is interrupted by the discovery. Paenitia stands, which doesn't add much to her height, and looks over. She laughs loudly, "See Ramirez? We go to the great outdoors, it is still another hole you cannot fit in."
After the hole is revealed, Aryia gives a slight, tired grin. A dark place. Aryia was good in dark places. She rolls her shoulders, putting down her digging implements and starts does some small stretches to limber up and get ready for whatever is going down there. The small lights that people popped thankfully weren't too bad. Yet.
"FFffff-" Aryia hisses."
Lyme looks down the hole, and wipes his hands on his armoured skirt. Then, he takes up his falchion and gets ready to head on downwards.
Ravendar is able to help point out the grooves that lead to the ring. He moves aside and goes to get his fiddle so that he can be ready when they decide to go down into it. He holds off on casting dancing lights as it appears that that there are many light sources all ready.
GAME: Davienne used a Sunrod.
Davienne's eyes widen when the cellar stairs are revealed. Pulling her bag around she pulls out a sunrod, but holds it low and drapes a cloth across the top so it mostly just shines down onto the ground. Allowing those with more sensitive eyes to use them. Or not be blinded. "Sorry," She says absently to Aryia. Then she pulls out her scimitar, ready to descend down.
The food was set aside for the moment, and pulled off the fire As Seyardu stood up and joined the group at the stairs.
"So there is something down here possibly. How should we go about this then? Do we head down now? I would not wish for food to go to waste."
Venom is somewhat mollified now that the labors of the day have borne more substantive fruit. She turns to the crew and signs, "How are we on resources? We can probably eat and get our strength back before we go inside. The place has been sealed for decades." <handspeech>
It's been a long day, food sounds good.
Dax heads over to the food that's been made and if able, she will start to eat. She has been digging, and now there's a hole, but holes usually have more tiresome things to deal with.
Lyme puts up his sword, looking around at the gesturing and the food. He takes the hint, and sits down for a drink. Thirsty work, digging.
"Eating and taking a small rest isn't a bad idea. Though I suggest closing the trap door back up and we all keep an eye on it," Davienne says as she pulls out more cheese and bread and a bit of sausage that is also floating around in her bag. Her cat comes back a little bit later with half a rabbit. Dumping the grisly bottom half into Davienne's lap. "Augh...uh...thanks...Scrabble," She says with a sigh and goes about prepping it for actual eating.
"I'm still fine. Will eat though after all of that," the shadow elf signs back before rubbing her eyes. She sits next to Venom and Paenitia, casting a look to the half eaten game before shaking her head and getting ready for a delve. Though, she does nod at the idea of closing it for the time being while eating. <Handspeech>
Paenitia sits happily on the ground, not much shorter than she is standing. Ramirez is a huge white mountain of feathers behind her. Seated near enough to Venom and Aryia, she can watch their handsigns, although it seems she doesn't understand them. Still, enough questions have been asked.
"Closing it for the meal is a good idea. Do you think we all should go down?"
"Everybody should go down, Red Knight." Lyme's delivery is deadpan. There's a beat. "But if everyone ready?"
Venom nods in agreement, giving Lyme a thumbs-up carefully closing the door before she ventures forth to the chow. There is a light pat-pat to the silverscale, a signed, "Thank you for seeing to this." <handspeech>
She gathers her allotment of nutrition and settles in nearby where she can keep an eye on the trapdoor, laying her elegantly macabre dragonspitter across her lap should something untoward pop out.
The little Knight's query is a prudent one, and not one she has a solid answer on. She considers the group, and the large animals in particular. There is a shrug, and she sets her meal aside to sign in reply, trusting a translation to be forthcoming, "There may be pitfalls or narrow corridors within. The bird horse and cat may have trouble down there. How much rope do we have?" <handspeech>
Seyardu returned to the fire with a nod, setting some of the vegetables and meat to cook in a large pan she tended over the fire. Another pan cooked the flattened dough.
"If it is all mixed together already, I do not need to worry about the color of the peppers." They note with a chuckle. "A bit of rest should make dealing with what is to come easier. Though the question is still if we camp for the night, or go down today."
Ravendar nods, "Sounds like a good idea." He says as he moves to get out of the dig site and up to the camp. "Thank you for making this." He says as he goes to pull out his own rations to share with the rest of the group. He sits with the others and continues to hum to himself as he's trying to find the melody to go with his song.
A quick rest, kept company by the noise of so many goats. In fact, by the time you're done, the goats have rolled back around to greet you and your exposed foundation. The ginger lucht is staring at all of you. "So this shit is what you've been digging up my land for? A bunch of people getting smooshed by their phony gods?" She squints down at the fresco. "No, wait. Not phony. Just dead. Least you won't have to worry about Animus doing any squishing, right?"
"Or zotting, I guess. This looks like a zot."
The Mosaic is somewhat like this in completeness and cultural relevance
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/jonah-tower-babel-huqoq-ancient-synagogue-mosaic
https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/wp-content/uploads/nat-geo-huqoq.jpg
