The panel reopens. "Our order does not concern itself with news from the outside world," the monk replies.

"Ah, very well. We were led to believe the Delvers and Watchers were of interest to this monastery," Asano says loudly, turning from the door. "But if that isn't the case, we shall find our own shelter." He begins to walk back the way the party came.

The panel slides shut again behind Asano as he turns away. Despite the deepening shadows of evening, the windows on the front side of the monastery remain dark.

"That went well," she muttered sarcastically as they were turned away. She started to follow Asano away, then sighed heavily in frustration and returned to the door banging loudly on it.

"Here's some news from the outside world you may be interested in! I was sent here to kill Qarbo." She paused a little to let that absorb. "Don't worry, I'm not going to try. But if you want to know who sent us, you'll need to let us in."

After a pause, both double doors open slowly, revealing two monks dressed in golden masks and dun colored robes. Through the dim light of evening the austere hall beyond them is mostly cloaked in shadow, though it seems to be comprised of some type of dark stone.

"Who sent you?" the monk asks from behind her mask.

---

Map updated.

While the silver tongues talk, Morg looks over the monastery's stonework to see if it looks dwarvish.

---

00:32, Today: Morg Danforge rolled 17 using 1d20+4 with rolls of 13. Stonecunning check regarding origin of stonework of the Sacred Stone monastery.

Examining the stone work of the monastery, it appears to be old but not dwarf-built. In fact, looking closer, it seems to be built more like a castle than a proper house of worship.

Given its apparent age it's unsurprising that the stone is beginning to crumble in places. Here and there patches of crumbling masonry or poorly fitted fieldstone are also visible, leaving a pitted appearance with many stones jutting out from its surface. The wall is periodically interrupted by narrow, tall windows with a sill roughly ten feet above the ground. The roof of the monastery looks to be more or less flat, about twenty-five feet up.

Another door is visible above some steps near the eastern end of the structure. A faint path continues around the castle in both directions, extending around the sides of the walls out of view.

"I'm afraid I can only tell that to Qarbo," she replied, hoping one of the more eloquent speakers would jump onto her plan. She was far angrier with the knights than the monks, at least at this point.

The monks look at each other for a moment, then turn back to Zora. "If you were sent here to kill Qarbo," the woman begins, "you can hardly expect us to bring you in front of him without surrendering all of your earthly belongings."

---

Zora (and anyone else, really), feel free to roll persuasion, deception, insight, etc. as you see fit as you interact with the monks. Or initiative, of course =).

Jak glanced at their newest 'companion' as she stated flat-out the reason they had been sent to the monastery, though not necessarily their reason for actually showing up. But it got the doors open, apparently! He looked over the two monks and then gave them a small bow.

And once again, unlike his normal street-alley slang-filled speech patterns, his voice is smooth, baritone, and well-spoken. "No, no, that's understandably cautious of you. We would prefer to speak to someone in charge, though as my companion started we are not actually intended to harm the brother. We merely wish to see if we can find out why someone might be targeting him and if we can possibly turn things around. Could we speak with the..abbess, did you say? I will agree to leave my weapons in your care during the conversation if that will help ease your minds."


OOC: Hahaha! I leave for the holidays and come back to a natural 20. Oh man.
16:03, Today: Secret Roll: Jakrynn Redgate rolled 26 using 1d20+6 with rolls of 20.  Persuasion, Deception, really just sides of the same coin.

The two monks look at each other wordlessly. “We will escort you to Qarbo, if you all leave all of your weapons in the entrance hall here.” The monk indicates the room behind her.

---

Is everyone willing to leave all their weapons behind?

Morg furrows his brow at the thought of leaving even more of his equipment with cultists, but follows Jak's lead.

Keeping an eye out for any chairs, brooms, or other makeshift weapons; he starts taking off his backpack and removing his favorite warhammer from his belt - which also holds his handaxes, whip, and goblin dirk. He doesn't remove Dweeble's dagger tho, neither hiding it nor declaring it.

Mayon grimaces, a bit uncertain of the circumstances they'd found themselves in again so soon after the first time. With his patron's vision lingering in his mind, he quietly sets down his quarterstaff and dagger, uncertain if his component pouch counted as a weapon to be left.

The austere entrance hall is finished in irregular blocks of dark basalt that form natural columns along the walls. The doors of the monastery’s front entrance face south, while interior doors lead east and west. An interior courtyard lies just to the north of this room, visible through a pair of narrow windows letting in dim light from the setting sun.

The masked guards leave the party's belongings in a pile in the corner of the entrance hall, then open a door on the left leading into a dim hallway.

---

Map updated.

I'll assume everyone left their main/large/visible weapons behind, unless you want to try to sneak something in. Small things like Morg's dagger are fine with the guards - Jak really charmed them =).

As everyone starts getting back engaged after the holidays I'll plan to post a bit more (almost) every day as the guards lead you through the monastery to an audience with Qarbo. If you have a chance to post and/or want to do something other than simply be led to Qarbo go ahead and post that.

Asano leaves his dagger and crossbow with the rest of the equipment. He makes no motion the deposit either of the wands secure in his pouch.

Grumbling, Zora relinquished her warhammer, and followed the monks in.

The guards lead the party through the narrow hallway. Several wooden doors are visible along the walls as they walk, but they open a pair of double doors around a corner to the right.

The doors lead into a long, narrow court paved in red sandstone. To the north stands the main temple or shrine of the monastery, its copper-sheathed doors emblazoned with a triangular symbol. Another set of double doors sit at the east end of the court, and several narrow windows pierce the south wall, where the entrance hall is visible.

Gargoyle statues guard the door, each facing the court with a ferocious leer.

---

Map updated.

The triangular symbol on the door is a familiar symbol to many of the group, the same on the armor of the Bringers of Woe: Symbol
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:43, Wed 03 Jan 2018.

Zora followed obediently, eyes searching to take in what she could.

---

Rolled perception for the walk in, but rolled an 8, so didn't notice much!

Also, I don't think I'm familiar with the bringers of woe, am I?

Leading the way, the guards open the metal doors into a very large antechamber. The silence of the apparent shrine seems to permeate the very stone.

Four large columns of natural rock dominate this shrine. A wide set of steps descends into darkness in the center of the room, in front of a slab-like stone altar. Large, copper-sheathed doors stand in the middle of the south wall, and smaller doors exit to the east and west.

Two narrow windows in the north wall admit thin fingers of deepening twilight from outside. Above the altar, a familiar triangular symbol has been chiseled into the heavy stone blocks of the wall.

Two more guards near the north east corner of the room stand at attention at the entrance of visitors, each garbed in heavy armor that absorbs the little light in the room. Small rock-like protrusions sprout from their heavy armor, almost as if it were made from stone. Thick limbs support their heavy armor and helmet almost effortlessly, and a rock-like cudgel sits easily in their gauntleted fists.

Between the guards, a more slender figure looks curiously at the new arrivals, his splint mail belying his slender frame. One of the monk guards from the entrance strides smoothly toward the figure, plainly intending to inform him of the guests' purposes here.

---

Map updated.

Zora didn't see anything out of the ordinary in the hall outside, other than the symbol on the doors and the ugly statues.

Zora isn't directly familiar with the Bringers of Woe, but the rest of the group encountered them earlier in the adventure. We can assume she was brought up to speed on them during the trip to the monastery or not, as you prefer.

The bottom line is, they were thugs allied to a ringleader named Larrakh who had some sort of relationship with some unsavory leaders in Red Larch. Before our heros killed him that is =). More details in thread "Day 5 - Early Risers".

This message was last edited by the GM at 01:16, Fri 05 Jan 2018.

Morg looks the 2 guards over, and then peers down the stairs.

---

15:24, Today: Morg Danforge rolled 12 using 1d20 with rolls of 12.  History check: monk features (very high DC for mountain dwarves?) e.g. unarmored defense +slow fall.
15:24, Today: Morg Danforge rolled 12 using 1d20 with rolls of 12.  History check on what the 2 rocky guards could be.
15:24, Today: Morg Danforge rolled 7 using 1d20+3 with rolls of 4.  Perception check looking down steps descending into darkness.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:26, Fri 05 Jan 2018.

Mayon is quiet and tense walking through the halls, the symbol, the masks, and Marlos swirling in his head. But if this was their best option for survival, they didn't have much choice.

He studies the figure in splint mail quietly, noting this must be the man they were looking for, or at least higher in rank than the others.

Jak raised one eyebrow as the guards begrudgingly acquiesced to his request. He looked back at his allies and smiled slightly. Then he turned back and followed the masked guards inside towards their destination. He did spy the Bringers of Woe symbol and a frown creased his face, his brow furrowing a bit.

That was a bit...disconcerting, maybe even worrisome. He didn't trust or like the Feathergale Knights after the way they treated him and his friends....but he certainly had no love for the Bringers of Woe either. He shot a knowing and worried look at Morg when he saw that.

He followed along and in to the large antechamber once the guards opened those doors. The symbol again. Jak repressed a sigh and tried to keep his face smooth. He looked around then focused his gaze on the person in splint mail as one of the monks moved towards that person. Jak decided to wait and see what the monk said before saying something himself. Sometimes, occasionally, patience was rewarded, or at least prudent.

The monk walks around one of the columns to speak briefly with the apparent leader, then turns to watch the party.

"I am Qarbo," the man says, a sly grin spreading across his features. "You have come to assassinate me I hear. Tell me, which of you will deal the killing blow?"

---

Map updated, with relative positions of everyone in the room (in case that becomes relevant).

Morg has heard tell of the general abilities of monks and their unarmed combat capabilities, though he can't be sure these are actually the kind of monks that have those kinds of abilities. He does know that, generally, monks are unarmored, which would make Qarbo and his guards an anomaly.

The guards seem to be simple humans clad in unusual rock-like armor. It seems to cover the body roughly the same way as plate mail would.

The stairwell is as dim as the corners of the shrine Morg stands in, but the floor down there seems to be just natural earth, with a reddish tinge.

"That depends entirely on why you believe someone may desire your death," Asano speaks up, watching the man's reaction. "We were faced with a choice: take your life or lose ours. Why would another apparently elemental-based organization desire your death?"


OOC:
Persuasion- 23
Insight- 6

Qarbo considers for a moment, then smirks. "So it was the air cultists who sent you," he says disdainfully. "Or was it the fire? No matter. Whichever cult it was, they probably sent you here to get rid of you, expecting me to annihilate you for them. The air cultists are too disconnected from reality to do their own dirty work, and the fire cult is... unpredictable."

Narrowing his eyes, he leans forward. "Well, now you're in quite a pickle aren't you? I'm not dead yet, and you've lost the element of surprise. But, you can't go back to your betters with hands empty." A mocking smile spreads across his face. "Have you come to join our cause then, to seek our protection?"

---