Chapter 4: The Golr'aar

[Linwelin]

Quietly, Uthaal comes out of his meditation, having maintained the Reverie for as long as necessary. That and he knew they were pressed for time. That tense feeling was probably why his Reverie felt strange; however, upon awakening, he found himself strangely calm, and could tell that Din felt it as well.

This calm did not dissuade the overall pressure of the situation, nor his train of thought. His arm made doubly sure of that.

I should make sure that the room is clear outside the alcove before we get moving. He signals to Din to peak outside to make sure it was "safe". Din slithers carefully out along the wall's edge so as not to be seen well in case of passers-by.

[blockquote]Din's Spot Check:  1d20+5 : 7 + 5, total 12[/blockquote]

[Throndir]

Uthaal
You watch as Din slithers away carefully, hugging close the walls edge, and moving delibreately and slowly, keeping its eyes out for any movement or anything alive. It soon came back however, with nothing else to report. It had not seen anything of consequence in the room just beyond the alcove, except of course, the once-dangerous shifting glowing red lines.

[Hasabushi]

[spoiler]

Tebastion is now 32/41 after level up
Each party member within 10'  is now being influenced by Aura of Courage (+4 save versus fear effects) (Automatic)
Lay on Hands (Possible of 20 points Healing)
Divine Grace (+5 On all Saving Throws)
Divine Health (cannot be diseased)

[/spoiler]

Tebastion watched the druid stir as his pet snake slithered around the corner. He smiled briefly and checked his body for any scars, but amazingly he found himself in better shape then he expected. He felt empowred The One had vistied him in his dreams and given him two gifts one was the gift of courage to be free from fear, the other a gift of divine healing where no disease could affect his body, the Paladin thanked his god for the gifts that had been bestowed.

Looking at the rest of his party, there was calmness that vibrated around this entire area, divine in nature, he also thanked his god for this blessing as well.

[Linwelin]

Uthaal felt that Din saw nothing urgently important, relaxing a little. With this news, he began checking over the group to make sure of everyone's well-being, only now noticing that Teb was awake, looking surprisingly well rested. Uthaal nods to the centaur, "We need to get ready to press on, is there anything that needs doing before then?"

[Manzokushi]

The young elf stretched feeling the last breaths of stiffness fade from his body. He had never been so exhausted before he woke; it was an experience like walking through a thick fog. Haru stood surveying his companions and briefly looking over their surroundings. He took special note of the statues, taking a few moments to study them his gaze drifted elsewhere. He nodded towards Uthaal, in a hushed tone he spoke, ?It was indeed a good choice to rest no matter how badly we felt the need to press on. Thank you friends for watching over those of us who were not able, I am ready to proceed whenever the party has made ready.?

[spoiler]

Knowledge Religion Check: Who and or what do the statues represent? 
[1d20+3] 17 = 17 + 3 = 20

[/spoiler]

[Throndir]

Haru
Examining the statues in closer detail, you recognize them as gods and goddesses. The center statue was Valtean, the goddess of virtue, flanked by the twin gods, Zortabiat, the god of speed and travel, to Valtean's left, and Zortybiate, the goddess of messengers, to Valtean's right. You knew the twin gods to be held in high regard within the Order of the Sword and Swallow though they were relatively minor gods. Valtean on the other hand was a major god, and you found yourself wondering why these statues were placed underground.

You could tell that each statue would have held some sort of object in their hands, judging by their pose. You realize that these must be the objects that are often associated with them. Valtean with her sword, and the twins with a matching pair of winged helmets. Those items however were not present.

You felt the strange calmness over the entire party must be somehow related to the statues, as you can feel the tickling sensation of a divine aura in the vicinity.

[Hasabushi]

"We need to get ready to press on, is there anything that needs doing before then?"

Tebastion turned his gaze toward Uthaal as the druids words broke the paladin free of his thoughts, he craned his neck for a moment to see Haru arise, he had to hand it to the monk he was certainly tough. The centaur, being careful not to wake the others took a few small steps toward Uthaal.

"I think, what we need my friend is a plan, and a good one at that. I fear if we continue on the reckless path we are taking, with our rations running low and most of us still injured, perhaps we need to think this through more thoroughly or there may be none left to rescue anyone..."  Tebastion said forebodingly.

[Linwelin]

Though menacing, Uthaal knew Teb's words rung true. "What do you propose? From where I'm standing, we need to get past this trap, but I'm unsure how. And on a thought that is possibly related, Why do you think this alcove is here? Who are these statues depicting? Something seems odd to me. The most I can gather is that this place is divine in some way..." Uthaal shifts his stance a little, the end of his sentence trailing off into thought.

Perhaps this is the only place uncorrupted? Does this mean this cavern is actually a remnant holy site, like my home? If so, how can we bring the favor of whatever protected this place back?Or is the corruption taking advantage of it?...

He continues to ask query after query, hypothesizing introspectively, now completely lost in thought.

[Manzokushi]

He took a few moments to process what the old masters had taught him of these statues and who they represented. Haru whispered once more, ?If you are in wonder as to the divinity of this place, its well founded. Those three statures represent Valtean, the goddess of virtue, flanked by the twin gods, Zortabiat, the god of speed and travel, to Valtean's left, and Zortybiate, the goddess of messengers, to Valtean's right.The twins are held in high honors with the Order of the Sword and Swallow. The twin gods are considered to be minor gods, however Valtean is held in respect to the higher pantheon.?

The monk paused for a moment waiting for the information to take hold before he continued. ?Lastly, I believe each statue once held an item probably long since pilfered Valtean?s sword, and the twins with a matching pair of winged helmets.? The monk settled down into a seated position renouncing the floor. He looked from Teb to Uthaal, ?I agree a plan is indeed in order, though without knowledge of the lay of the land, we will be hard pressed to devise more than things from moment to moment.?

[Linwelin]

Uthaal freezes, That's it! "Those items missing! That's what bugged me! How important are they? Do you think they have an influence on whatever the shrine is here for?" He stares at Haru, brimming with curiosity, hoping he's at least figured something out about this place.

[Hasabushi]

Tebastion turned his focus to the three statues as the Monk and Druid had pointed out, indeed it was clear something was missing, something important and possibly something that the silver arms or some other group more insidious would want to get their arms on.  "I think our course is clear, those artifacts must be recovered we must return this place back to its divine roots.". The paladin turned toward Uthaal, "What has your companion discovered, any preparation for whats ahead is a most dire necessity."

[Linwelin]

"From what Din saw, it's clear out there." Uthaal responds. Still preoccupied, he turns back to Haru, "So they are missing a sword relic, and two winged helmets? Do you think these items would release a similar aura to this place? Because we have a better chance of locating them by detecting such an aura."

[Manzokushi]

The monk listened to his companions in regards to their thoughts on the statues. He listens carefully and responds in kind, ?I do not feel that the disrepair of this shrine has any direct effect on our current surrounds. It?s more likely this place was looted sometime ago, though with the power of these gods, they were able to keep this place safe through their divine influence. If we should stumble onto the relics then by all means we should return them.? He nods sagely at his words of wisdom, though secretly he wondered if that was the correct answer.

The move through a quick series of stretches preparing his body for the upcoming rigors of their journey. Haru splits his legs, descending down into a deep stretch. ?I was trained to not only be quiet but use the shadows as an asset. We often travel alone into the outside world. So if you would prefer I take up the front of the group to scout I will do so.? He finishes his stretches and prepares to travel.

[Hasabushi]

The Paladin thought through what Haru had said, he nodded in approval, "Very well, what you speak of Master Haru, is indeed the safest path, the more encounters we can avoid the quicker we will be able to accomplish our mission, and leave this god forsaken place.", turning to Uthaal,"And do you have such capabilities of detecting the auras you mentioned? Though this is not a primary goal, it is one that if we can accomplish, we should."

[spoiler]We have a bunch of NPC's that are just lying here perhaps Throndir you should RP one of them watching over the rest while they sleep?[/spoiler]

[Linwelin]

Uthaal nods, though a little hesitantly, "I believe we will be able to tell when they are nearby, meaning Ardeth and I, as we are familiar with magical auras. Once we sense it is close, we can do a detailed search as a party. I assume you can figure out what they look like, Haru? You seem to be the one here who's most familiar with these gods."

Uthaal then look out toward the room. "Either way, we should start moving, I'm worried about the others..." You can see him gripping his arm, on which a couple spots of blood are showing through.

[spoiler]Will that kind of detection work Throndir?[/spoiler]