There were a number of former rooms or buildings around them. As well as some taller walls and  archways.







[OOC: Unfortunately the new image is from the wrong direction. You see the walls from the other side, but I didn't have any photos from that side. And I had to crop this image more than I wanted to and use GIF-format to get the size of the image down to less than 1MB so that I could use it here.

For reference, the previous photo was taken from the balcony up those stairs.]

Tavion spoke in a measured tone. "Whoever was here had roughly twice as many horses as we have. It appears they halted here; someone dismounted, walked through that doorway in the ruins and returned to their horse. They then continued on, heading towards the gateway on the right." He points to a gateway that is in the general direction of the fallen tree, although the tree is quite some distance beyond it.

Kora says "perhaps one of us should look through yon door to see what inspired the dismount. Those steps, though aged, should hold my weight." Kora moves to dismount and climb the stairs.

Moonflute follows close behind, keeping her keen eyes peeled for anything of interest.

Kora and Moonflute went down the short distance to the doorway and inside the small dark room made of stone. The only light inside came from the doorway. There was some water on the floor and more slowly dripping from the ceiling. There was no furniture in the room.

Following the others of the group inside, Caitlin stopped briefly and pulled the magical torch from her backpack. Installing it in a couple of loops on the backpack's side, the sorceress looked around, wondering what this room had been used for.

Once the others had shown a stronger willingness to lead into danger, Keliantharas had followed.  The mage paused long enough to gingerly draw a stream of flames from his sleeve, then wrap and bind it to the head of his staff.  It might denote him a target, but determined his companions might appreciate the light when dusk approached.  He nodded approvingly to the sorceress who seemed to have a similar idea.

He followed the others, his posture more relaxed now that the others were more alert.  His spare hand periodically drifted to the crystal dagger at his hip.  He glanced up at the ceiling, staff raised high to illuminate, and tried to determine the source and nature of the rip.  All too many conceivable monsters hung from dank ceilings and drooled.

They illuminated the room, but there didn't seem to be any more to see.

Talrand's form blurred down into his foxkin, who proceeded to tap the walls and floor for sounds, to see if anything sounded less solid.

He then returned outside, resuming his true form, and examining the size outside versus internal.

"If thou art going to be here for time in examination, perhaps I shall take myself an examination of the path and the fallen tree.  I can follow by ground much swifter than normal horses can travel... or through the skies if the terrain wouldst express preference of path.  A large group of such gathering cannot be difficult to maintain within sight.

"Have aught of the company find themselves graced with great quickness, or the freedom of flight?  Or perhaps to share words with the wind - one of mine companions old couldst such do - most convenient in reporting."

GM passing a message.

Talrand's head poked back around the corner, reporting on his assessments.  "The outside appeareth proximate to the internal, so if there are secreted passages or compartments, then the floor perhaps?

"If something was removed from here - art thou able to determine any disturbance of dust upon the floor, or auras of magic?

"If not, we might continue on with swiftness to catch up the gatherers, or examine from afar with magics if thou hast, or above?"  The centaur appeared perfectly content with either plans, but from how his front hooves unconsciously dug at the ground, it appeared a characteristic of being swift into action might not be unwarranted an appelation.

At Talrand's words, Kora looks to see if any pattern to the construction looks disconnected somehow, which might suggest a hidden doorway or portal. His sharp senses sweep through and he uses his Scent ability to determine if someone or aomething else passed this way recently.



06:27, Today: Kora rolled 13 using 1d20+6.  Knowledge Architecture and Engineering.

06:27, Today: Kora rolled 35 using 1d20+18.  Perception.

GM passing a message.

Caitlin left the room, unsure what to make of it. Tavion had mentioned one of the riders had gone inside then out again. Was this someone asking the gods for their blessing? "Could this have been a holy site before it was abandoned?" she asked the more educated of the team.

Hearing a slight noise she looked up to find Athena perched on a crumbling wall. "Ah, you're back." she said, sending the emotion of happiness through their bond. The sorceress noticed the tail of some small rodent hanging from the owl's beak, which the nocturnal hunter swallowed quickly. The mercenary chuckled "I see you found yourself a snack, good for you." she told her familiar. "We need your help find a group of twice as many people as us, on horses. Can you go look?" the Caitlin asked hopefully.

Athena hooted a few times, something that only the sorceress seemed to understand, and without further ado the night-time bird of prey took off...

ooc: Sending Athena to find the people who came before us.

Caitlin sent her owl Athena to look for whomever had made the tracks. She sent it in the direction Tavion had told them the riders had gone. Not long thereafter, all of them could see her circling in the sky just a little distance ahead.

The sorceress turned towards her traveling companions "I believe Athena found the people who passed by before. Let's go and find out who they are." Caitlin said enthusiastically. Quickly she was back in the saddle and moving on, whether or not anyone was following her.

"I will follow - ah, a quick bit of distance only.  Mine wings shall convey to keep -Athena, did I hear thee call her earlier?- the good owl in company."

The centaur charged ahead with great swiftness, leaping skyward to clear a stone wall.  His large size blurred, collapsing unnaturally smoothly.  His bulk became delicate and graceful as his dark hair thinned and dulled grey into feathers that disappeared against the sky.  He still stood a fair bit taller than the rest of the humanfolk, and his head and torso remained humanesque in similarity to his centaur shape, but his very thin frame now extended from black-grey feathers to strong taloned feet, wings flaring to soar him into the sky.

---

Shapechange to Kyrie, discretely move to join Athena, reporting back to party if opportunity permits

Kora returns to his horse and carefully climbs back into the saddle.

Tavion jumped into his saddle and followed the others.

Talrand took to the skies in the third shape the others had seen him in. And the others followed on horseback. He flew towards where Athena was circling.

Talrand's shapeshifting peaked the elf's interest as much as any other unbridled show of magical talent.  However, Kelitantharas was beginning to wonder if perhaps the centaur's 'talent' was his own magic or some enchanted device.  He casually turned his attention back to the ruins, flaming staff illuminated the ancient stones and highlighting their cut.

OOC
Keliantharas Warden rolled 28 using 1d20+12.  Architecture.
Keliantharas Warden rolled 17 using 1d20+12.  History.
Keliantharas Warden rolled 19 using 1d20+8.  Religion.
(

GM passing a message.

Talrand's feathered form circled away from Athena's monitoring spot, so as to not alert any sharp-eyed spotters by giving a path back to the party, but quickly enough was banking alongside the party.  The winged hawkman blurred back into Talrand's bulky equine form as the centaur comfortably paced the party's riding horses.

"Numbers are a touch uncertain, for those ahead were moving about in great activity," he updated in his deep rumble.  "But numbers of potential combatants are closer to ours - the majority of their mounts are clad with pack saddles, not riding.  They may have scouts hidden, but the rest of their number were focused on impatiently removing another slab of stone to presumably loot another place of import.  I did not wish to move myself closer for detail lest our presence be given away.

"What beith the play or plan of the group?"

"Adventurers like us? What matter if they have something to seek among these ruins? We are no different."

They continued on horseback towards the other riders beyond the taller ruined walls. Making more noise as horseshoes stepped on stone then when they stepped on grass. And as they came up to the very tall archway ahead of them, they could see smaller archways to the left. And more grass beyond the archway ahead of them.

[The photo in Group 1 shows the “road” you are riding as you move towards the camera. It connects to the photo in the main map behind the pillar in the center of the photo.

The others are still some distance behind the camera.]