Chapter 03 - The Vaults of Altaerein

[pringerbeam]

     Riven's barrage of attacks seems ineffectual at first as he fails to knock the bird out of the air but he manages to land a bite with a loud wet crunch though the bird's wing. The trauma of the wound is enough to kill the bird which falls to the floor unmoving. 

Riven slays Emperor Bird 2

Encounter over. Everyone gains 80 xp.

     Alak puts his hand to his head and blinks away the aftereffects of the bird's flash before speaking. "Emperor birds... and two of them? I've seen one or two in Korvosa but only as very expensive pets for sale or on the decks of ships from the far south. They're supposed to be from Garundi. What could they be doing underground out here in Isger?"

[Asta]

"Someone's pet?" Spira suggested. "Someone that shouldn't be here's pet."

She nudged one of the dead birds with the toe of her boot. "Or not. Anyone you can think of that might also be looking for your ring?"

[pringerbeam]

     "According to my parents the ring wasn't anything special but I'm starting to wonder myself if that's true. This cult the goblins mentioned must be very wealthy to afford such exotic creatures...  Come to think of it, that giant lizard up in the courtyard wasn't like anything I've seen before." Replied Alak as he looked further into the hallway. The hallway has many branches, three to the north, three to the south, and three doors directly east at the opposite end of the hallway. A set of stairs stairs branches off near the doors and Alak stops to take a look at them. "These must be the stairs up to the courtyard that had collapsed... odd..." He says as he waves his torch over the rubble and touches the stairwells walls. "Looks like the stairs keep going down past this level. No one back in Varisia mentioned there being another level beneath the vaults."

[Asta]

"Perhaps we take the stairs after searching the rest of the rooms on this floor? Unless we would rather go straight for 'deeper' mysteries."

[pringerbeam]

     Alak have a tentative kick at the rubble blocking the stairs.  "Maybe, not sure how much of the stairs may be collapsed. Could take a while to clear the way. Anyone know much about this stuff?"

Anyone may make a Lore check related to engineering, mining, dungeons, or other related topics to assess the collapsed stairs.

[Asta]

"Can't say that I do. Maybe its best left alone for now."

[pringerbeam]

     "You're probably right. Something tells me if these cultists are down there they would have come through by now if was open all the way through... Though... None of them have come out here yet either. It's not like those birds went down quietly. That screech they made could have been heard back outside for all we know."  Said Alak as he turned to look back around at the hallway. "So which way do we want to go? There's plenty of options it looks like. Doors to the north, south, and east."

[Asta]

"Such tantalizing options..." Spira said sarcastically then pulled a bolt from her quiver and tossed it into the air, letting random chance decide her suggested direction.

Rolling a d3 to pick a direction. 1 = North, 2 = South, 3 = East

Rolled 1d3 : 2, total 2

[Asta]

Spira glanced at the fallen bolt before picking it back up. "South then?"

[pringerbeam]

     At Spira's suggestion, Alak turned and looked to the south side of the hall and its offshoot passages.  "Looks like we have three more options to choose from..."  He said as he held his torch overhead and peered down the passages. "Nevermind, just two options I guess... This easternmost passage looks like a dead end."

[Asta]

"That central passage seems fine to me" Spira said.

[pringerbeam]

     Nodding, Alak steps up the the door before pushing it open with the head of his mace. The room beyond is large with several adjoining halls. The floor is stone as the rest of the vaults so far but rather than the smooth stone of the hall behind you it appears to be covered in carvings and writing. In the gloom to the right there appear to be several large sarcophagi and a narrower entrance to another just south and west. More notable though is the continuation of the room as a large eastern passage and the small crowd of skeletons shambling about. They notice your party almost immediately and to your surprise one of the skeletons, one clad in black full-plate armor, cries out. "Ah ha! Foul servants of the necromancer have returned to the scene of the crime! Have at thee foul knaves!" Shouts the skeleton as it raises an ancient halberd menacingly towards you. The other skeletons turn and raise their weapons all completely in synch with another.

Roll initiative (Perception)

[Throndir]

Initiative

Perception 1d20+8 : 12 + 8, total 20

[Oath]

initiative

Rolled 1d20+9 : 20 + 9, total 29

[Asta]

Initiative:

Rolled 1d20+4 : 5 + 4, total 9