You arrive in Laketown, a town on a large lake near the mountains that form the barrier between your nation (Golden Realm) and Molthue.  Asking around you learn that Diridon the Dashing has left, and the consensus is that only Julian, a cleric of Soralyon (Good demigod of Guardians, magic and monuments), might know where he went.  However, Julian left a few days ago to investigate a strange incident of flames in the hills reported by some fishermen.  He probably went to a small unnamed fishing village. (ooc:DIPLOMACY OR KNOWLEDGE LOCAL) The people from that village decend from a mostly a nomadic and warrior people who lived in the area long before other human groups. Many of them feel that long hair is a dangerous liability in battle and thus shave their heads. They also have tattoos over much of their bodies.  They are distrustful of outsiders, though it appears Julian was acquainted with them.
OOC: Please list anything you want to buy here as the small unnamed fishing village has a limited marketplace.
  The sound of crashing waves and birds mixes with the smell and cool spray of water at the entrance of a wide, low lake cave. A bustling community is hard at work in the dim morning light: tall, tattooed men and women clean and fillet fish, while others toss crustaceans into pots; a group of older children sit in a circle on the sand near the water’s edge and repair nets and harpoons; nearby, several women are busily patching holes in a small boat.  You convince the locals that you are looking for Juian.
   “This is not a sight very many outsiders ever see, outsiders,” says a tall, muscular woman. Her head is shaved and tattoos line her shoulders, arms, and neck. “But we are pleased you have come. Kel-grish! Welcome! Let us walk.  I am Tide Watcher, the jothka of this tribe,” she says, as she leads the way onto a small path heading up the hill above the cave. “As you probably know, We do not often call upon outsiders for help. But this is a special circumstance.” She stops atop the hill and takes a deep breath of the wind blowing off the water before turning to the hills and mountains to the north. “Two weeks ago I stood watch on this spot, minding both the water and the land. Suddenly a plume of flame rose into the air in the hills there.” She points slightly northwest. “I took a group of warriors to investigate. When traveling down familiar caverns, we soon found a place where the floor had recently collapsed into another series of tunnels that had smooth, worked walls. Then we found the stone door. It flickered with flame and was deeply carved with the runes we know to be the language of the Ancients.” She pauses, a sour look on her face. “It is forbidden to explore places marked with these runes, so I thought it best to simply try to collapse the cave entrance and be done. But then I saw the door was open. Something had either gotten in or gone out. I sent word to our friend Julian because he has made fair dealings with the us.  A few days ago, Julian arrived and claimed he could seal the door. He worships a good god of monuments, he said, and was confident he could succeed. I have not seen him since, however, so I do not know what has happened.” Tide Watcher turns to the group. “Outsiders, I want you to learn the nature of this place beyond the door and determine if it is a threat to my tribe. If it is within your ability to eliminate it, do so. If not, we will discuss closing off the cave entrance permanently. Do you have any questions?”
OOC: Please list anything you want to buy and that a small fishing village might have.

KNOWLEDGE (ARCANA) OR KNOWLEDGE (HISTORY) The Ancients was an empire that ended some 10,000 years ago in this area. The seven-pointed star, called the Sihedron, is a commonly seen motif in Ancients art. There were seven realms in the Ancients empire, each controlled by a powerful practitioner of magic called a runelord. Each treated his or her own realm as a kingdom onto itself. This area was likely in the kingdom known as Bakrakhan, domain of wrath, ruled by Runelord Alaznist.  Each Runelord was associated with a sin and tied to a school of magic: envy to abjuration, gluttony to necromancy, greed to transmutation, lust to enchantment, pride to illusion, sloth to conjuration, and wrath to evocation. The Ancients empire came to an end in the great cataclysm known as Earthfall, but it is suspected the Runelords all had preparations in place that would allow them to survive, perhaps even until the present day.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:55, Sat 18 Apr 2020.

Bobble will try to buy some extra silk rope if possible. If not then hemp rope for Conan to carry.

In reply to Bobble (msg # 2):

Conan has 50' of silk rope he haws around on Dorsey or on himself.

Bobble also has 50' of silk rope. He will buy some more chalk to mark walls as they go.

OK, we need to explore this cave system. I don't know about the fire, or how we are going to get past it. It might be an illusion, I will check when we get to it. We need chalk too. I have a week of rations, and you need the same. Who knows how long we may be down there. I will travel in front, so I can scout for traps. Conan, how about you bring up the rear? I'm ready to go.

In reply to Bobble (msg # 4):

Conan too has chalk but will buy more, with the twenty additional arrows, I now have forty normal arrows half of which are on Dorsey.   He won't carry his flail into the caves with him.   He will purchase another week's worth of trail rations, which should give Conan nine days worth.    Then he will be ready to go as well.



"Yes, Conan will take the rear position"

OOC: Silkrope is available in Laketown.
Chalk and rations are available in the fishing village.

Where is Conan leaving his donkey, fishing village or camp by the cave?

  After you have bought chalk and food, Tide Watcher simply starts to walk away, saying “It is time we headed to the ruins.” After a half-mile hike north guided by Tide Watcher, you arrive at a makeshift camp outside a cave entrance guarded by several warriors. The scouts here have not been inside recently, nor have they seen the priest since he entered. They have been ordered to remain outside to keep any enemies from emerging.
  This winding, complex system of caves forms a network of connected passages throughout the region. Tide Watcher knows the path to follow to find the Ancients door and provides you with a map leading there. Conan (DC 14 Survival check) can follow a newer set of tracks, he assumes is the priest’s (Julian), from the cave entrance to the Ancients door. The caves are unlit except, and are narrow, winding, and generally cramped. Passages are typically no wider than 5 feet, and ceilings range between 3 and 8 feet.
   After several hundred feet of twisting, turning, and often cramped passageways, the caverns here begin to widen somewhat. Broken arrows and short, makeshift swords litter the ground, and a rotting corpse lies slumped in a corner. Blood, now dried, is splattered on many of the rocks nearby. The passage continues to the east.  Conan uncovers tracks of several dozen goblins in this part of the tunnels, as well as the signs of a battle. He determines that there were two groups of goblins, and the larger group fled back to the west while the rest continued east. The corpse is a slain goblin from the and he died roughly 2 weeks ago to a combination of stab wounds and burns.  The same time as Tide Watcher saw the plume of flames.
   Small goblin tribes are a problem in the hills.  They tend to be dangerous and will kill anyone, especially other goblins.  You conclude this was probably a fight between 2 goblin tribes.
   About 100 feet beyond the battle site, you easily locate the place where a boulder broke through into the tunnels below. The collapse formed a ramp that is easy to navigate.  The passageway twists sharply to the left after another 100 feet, opening into a wider room.
   Dim, flickering light illuminates a natural chamber roughly 30 feet by 10 feet. Stalactites cling to the ceiling and a few stalagmites rise from the floor. The air is damp and clammy. At the eastern end of the room stands a 10-foot-wide double door set into the wall. Flames flicker about the columns and lintel, casting the spiky, spidery runes covering the surfaces into sharp relief. The doors are partially open.  There is a human male slumped against 1 wall near the door, eyes closed.  He wears a breastplate with an obvious holy symbol (Soralyon) around his neck, next to him is a staff and unloaded light crossbow.  Oddly, the staff seems to be leaning on air.  He does not seem to hear your arrival.
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:41, Sun 19 Apr 2020.

Conan will follow the new trail until it leads to the Human male and the slightly ajar double doors.   "Julian, I presume?" exclaims Conan upon seeing the clearly exhausted holy man.   Conan's no cleric but he can tell whether the man is close to death or not.


OOC: Conan will leave Dorsey at the camp.    06:29, Today: Conan rolled 20 using 1d20+6. tracking/ survival check (straight roll, no mods added.)
06:42, Today: Conan rolled 21 using 1d20+5. Heal check, clearly the man is exhausted but is he wounded enough to death. (Conan can possible do some non magical healing or make his passing at least a little more comfortable)

The man has no visible wounds and appears to be breathing.  If he is dying it is from some esoteric/magical/poison cause, but you are fairly sure he isn't dying.  He certainly looks like your description of Julian.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:59, Sun 19 Apr 2020.

Bobble will search the area around the priest, looking for traps or illusions.

Bobble quietly moves forward and looks around, you notice his breathing is that of a lightly napping person.  Just about the time you come to the conclusion that there are nothing there (that you can detect), the staff falls to the ground and the man wakes up.  His eyes open and he is staring straight at Bobble, eyes confused with sleep.  What does Bobble do?  What is Conans reaction to the dropping staff?
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:36, Sun 19 Apr 2020.