Feb 22, 2021 4:59 pm
"Thank you", Jarik says to the warrior, whom he then falls behind and attempts to follow the footsteps of, in concentrated silence.
The Lost City
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Feb 22, 2021 8:13 pm
OOC:
This is kind of a half-assed attempt to just see if it's possible. Rolls
Daunting (D3) Insight - (2d20)
(1710) = 27
Feb 24, 2021 5:16 pm
Roderigo will try to work out where the paths are going
Rolls
Insight roll - (2D20)
(710) = 17
Feb 28, 2021 12:37 pm
Passing through the keep’s sturdy and well-guarded bronze Door of the Elephant, you enter the Ebony Keep of the Xhotatse. A small crowd of young and old Xhotatse gather around you, nervous but curious. The returning patrol proclaims you new allies from beyond the walls of Zukundu.
"See the mighty outsiders, come to aid us!"
The Ebony Keep is much too large for the small crowd that has gathered there.
You could make an Average (D1) Insight test to learn something about the Xhotatse.
Zyanya, a member of the patrol, lets the queen know of the outsiders’ arrival, leaving you and the rest of the patrol to wait briefly in a wide, shady chamber overshadowed by a variety of thick, looping vines.
A large ornamental pond stretches completely across one side of the shady chamber. A small dark archway, the only entrance to the Xhotatse treasure hoard, stands in the wall beyond the pond. The pond is not deep, and attractive lily pads float on the surface. It looks quite beautiful and peaceful, but is, in fact, home to a shoal of pretty, yet voracious, saber fish, which the Xhotatse keep as decorative pets, as well as a means of stripping bodies of dead enemies down to skeletons in seconds.
A group of small Xhotatse children race into the shady chamber, chasing a small monkey. They shout that they have "caught the Feathered Ape!" The monkey scampers up a vine and skitters over the pond but quickly falls from a slippery vine and, with a squeak, falls into the water. In seconds the pond froths with unseen fury as the saber fish swarm around the hapless monkey and strip it down to a tiny skeleton before your eyes. The children shriek with distress at the creature’s horrific fate.
You could making a Daunting (D3) Observation test or Challenging (D2) Survival test to learn something about the vines.
"See the mighty outsiders, come to aid us!"
The Ebony Keep is much too large for the small crowd that has gathered there.
You could make an Average (D1) Insight test to learn something about the Xhotatse.
Qralloq sent a note to Qralloq,Qralloq
A large ornamental pond stretches completely across one side of the shady chamber. A small dark archway, the only entrance to the Xhotatse treasure hoard, stands in the wall beyond the pond. The pond is not deep, and attractive lily pads float on the surface. It looks quite beautiful and peaceful, but is, in fact, home to a shoal of pretty, yet voracious, saber fish, which the Xhotatse keep as decorative pets, as well as a means of stripping bodies of dead enemies down to skeletons in seconds.
A group of small Xhotatse children race into the shady chamber, chasing a small monkey. They shout that they have "caught the Feathered Ape!" The monkey scampers up a vine and skitters over the pond but quickly falls from a slippery vine and, with a squeak, falls into the water. In seconds the pond froths with unseen fury as the saber fish swarm around the hapless monkey and strip it down to a tiny skeleton before your eyes. The children shriek with distress at the creature’s horrific fate.
You could making a Daunting (D3) Observation test or Challenging (D2) Survival test to learn something about the vines.
Qralloq sent a note to Qralloq,Qralloq
Feb 28, 2021 8:56 pm
Roederigo looks about him trying to remember if he has heard of any similar folk to these people and if he can learn anything about his surroundings .
Rolls
D1 insight test - (2D20)
(159) = 24
Mar 4, 2021 3:25 pm
OOC:
Another tough roll. Moving on."Queen Chitaka welcomes you to the Ebony Keep, honored visitors. Lifetimes have passed since outsiders have come to great Zukundu."
Inokwu relates a little of the layout, wildlife, and ecology of Zukundu.
[ +- ] background
The strange folk who built Zukundu did so more than a century ago. The labyrinthine construction of interconnecting chambers and galleries, the use of semi-precious stones and metals in the building work and, more ominously, the madness and death that seem to permeate its very foundations are all reminiscent of other storied ruins hidden across the continent. Large open squares, once exposed to the sky, suggest gardens and arboretums where the people of Zukundu would lounge or dream among the heady blossom of exotic flowers.
Formerly a sprawling, luxurious pleasure palace, Zukundu is now overgrown by a century or so of rampant, untended plant life. The city-palace is verdant, moist and dark, lit only by bunches of phosphorescent green "star-fruit" that grow in clumps throughout the structure. No glimpse of open sky penetrates ground level. Former open spaces are now hidden from all but the most tenacious light. The lofty towers and minarets are choked with plant life and dangerously unsteady.
In this perpetual gloom, night and day are forgotten concepts, with the inhabitants resting and waking as they choose. No rain reaches the ground, but pools, fountains, and springs serve to provide water for the inhabitants. Various fruits provide food. As one moves through Zukundu, sound is muted — absorbed by the vegetation. There are few animals loose here, save for birds, insects, and the odd small monkey and snake.
Anyone moving through Zukundu without a local guide risks getting lost, turned around, or simply taking far too long to reach their destination. In addition, there are traps and natural obstacles which could prove deadly to unwary newcomers: concealed pits, hidden vine snares, darts triggered by trip wires, small venomous snakes, slippery slopes, and crumbling masonry.
Formerly a sprawling, luxurious pleasure palace, Zukundu is now overgrown by a century or so of rampant, untended plant life. The city-palace is verdant, moist and dark, lit only by bunches of phosphorescent green "star-fruit" that grow in clumps throughout the structure. No glimpse of open sky penetrates ground level. Former open spaces are now hidden from all but the most tenacious light. The lofty towers and minarets are choked with plant life and dangerously unsteady.
In this perpetual gloom, night and day are forgotten concepts, with the inhabitants resting and waking as they choose. No rain reaches the ground, but pools, fountains, and springs serve to provide water for the inhabitants. Various fruits provide food. As one moves through Zukundu, sound is muted — absorbed by the vegetation. There are few animals loose here, save for birds, insects, and the odd small monkey and snake.
Anyone moving through Zukundu without a local guide risks getting lost, turned around, or simply taking far too long to reach their destination. In addition, there are traps and natural obstacles which could prove deadly to unwary newcomers: concealed pits, hidden vine snares, darts triggered by trip wires, small venomous snakes, slippery slopes, and crumbling masonry.
Mar 6, 2021 2:17 am
Cur waits, subtly keeping an eye on everyone else in the room trying to figure out what decorum is in this situation.
Mar 10, 2021 4:52 pm
OOC:
A lot of talky bits skipped here, but we'll just move on."Our queen bids you hunt this beast. Find it and slay it. And bring back its corpse that we may stack its monstrous bones atop the walls of the Ebony Keep for all to see!"
Zyanya and the other Xhotatse in the throne room stamp their feet and cry out at this with glee, the fires of vengeance flickering in their eyes. The queen herself begins to clap daintily with girlish excitement before Inokwu motions for her to maintain her composure.
Mar 10, 2021 9:14 pm
Jarik looks around his companions. Brought together by one man, no longer here. Headless, voiceless. At last, he overcomes his retience and addresses the Queen
"your majesty, we are honoured to serve you. But majesty, pray tell, what bounty shall be ours if we do as you bid?"
"your majesty, we are honoured to serve you. But majesty, pray tell, what bounty shall be ours if we do as you bid?"
Mar 10, 2021 9:35 pm
Inokwu offers you payment for your trouble. He instructs a Xhotatse tribesman to "Fetch some trinkets from across the pond". The tribesman duly races off to the treasure hoard and returns minutes later with a few small items of precious gold and ivory jewelry about his neck, which Inokwu casually but sincerely offers to the player characters.
"Please take these. There is more if you do this service for the Xhotatse."
"Please take these. There is more if you do this service for the Xhotatse."
Mar 11, 2021 3:45 am
"That promises to be quite a bounty," Cur says "but we'd like to discuss a bit before we agree." He calls the others over, and whispers, "an entire village is fearful of this thing. What are we going to do about it? Can we actually accept this?"
Mar 11, 2021 11:47 am
"What is our alternative, Cur? We came here looking for treasure, whatever treasure means to each of you, and we lost our treasure guide. But we didn’t turn back, we carried on. Why? Because we still want that treasure. The thing about this village, is that they have built this ‘feathered ape’ into some kind of mythological beast that has defeated them in their heads and hearts before they have laid eyes upon it. We are not so denuded, are we? Let’s kill this thing and take the treasure."
Jarik’s eyes fall upon the Queen once more and he adds, idly, "there is treasure and there is treasure"
Jarik’s eyes fall upon the Queen once more and he adds, idly, "there is treasure and there is treasure"
Mar 12, 2021 3:27 am
"Yes, you're correct, but I also feel like we're being roped into something here that is more about dealing with that ape than it is about us getting paid," says Cur. "I guess you're right. We survived a flood, a single feathered ape should be comparable, I hope."
Mar 12, 2021 9:27 am
Roderigo nods "I agree with Jarik, It is an ape with feathers, we kill it and get the treasure, and gain the good will of these people and their queen!"
Mar 21, 2021 3:19 am
Speaking for the queen, Inokwu insists that you are accompanied by Xhotatse guides. The guides will be able to show you how to get to any part of the city-palace without falling prey to traps or natural obstacles. If you want another warrior, Tenbo can go with you, too.
Mar 21, 2021 11:45 am
Roderigo bows to the queen and takes his hat off with a flourish "Your Majesty, consider this ape dead as of now, we shall undertake this deed and return for our rewards!"
Mar 21, 2021 1:55 pm
Searching outside the Ebony Keep and the green corridors of Zukundu, it is hard at first to find any tracks of the Feathered Ape, but a smart thought leads to one of you asking their guides to lead them to scenes of earlier attacks.
There, with a Challenging (D2) Observation test, you might find tracks.
There, with a Challenging (D2) Observation test, you might find tracks.
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