Dawson leads Eight and Rou further into the temple depths. What will they find as they delve deeper?
The group follows the stairs to a room where a floating gem resides. Eight summons an ally, whom they call “Trap Friend” to trigger potential traps before they press on. Once the passageway is considered safe, they move into the next area which houses a set of passages. One passageway has been flooded with murky water and the other is decorated from floor to ceiling with bones.
As they continue further into the underground temple, they discover hints as to the existence of the once worshiped elemental called Brinde. When they stumble upon a gold coffin, Dawson relies on experience and superstition to safely lead the others through.
Follow Dax @GM_Dax, Kappa @TheKappaChris, Wren @ThornyDryad, and Graeme @graemecrackerz1
Transcript by Wren
Upbeat piano intro music ends [00:27]
Tense string music fades in [00:28]
Kappa (as Rou): Hello, this is Rou and you're listening to Roads Uncharted. Last time, we entered the temple of Brinde. Dawson, Eight and myself have gone in like adventurers to scope out and discover what happened to Dawson's former party. After some time, we approached the chamber where Dawson had made it furthest. And so, we were beset upon by a rock monster. Not sure what it was, but it did put up quite the fight. Eight had to summon a giant version of Eight Junior, this large chicken carried us to victory! And so, we pressed onward. Mystery unfolds.
Dax: As the group of you head down this hallway, these stairs that lead from the doorway of that room where you fought this monstrous rock creature...Rou, are you continuing to extinguish the sconces that are lit on the one side of the wall?
Kappa: Yes. I'm extinguishing the left side.
Dax: Left side, okay. The stairs lead a good...almost two flights down into the deep recesses of the underground. And it ends in a circular stone room lit from above by a glowing gem that appears to be floating in midair. Across the room opposite the wall is a wooden door with an iron handle.
Graeme (as Dawson): Now, the first thing that we should probably do is look for traps and the like.
Kappa (as Rou): Okay, um...how do we do that?
Graeme (as Dawson): Well, um, usually looking for, like, pressure plates on the floor. They jut out a few centimeters above the rest of the tiles but you got, you know, to look at the walls. Look for any - if there are tripwire hooks or thin lines like ankle high. You know? Your feet are gonna brush up and then you get shot with like, seven crossbows. That kind of stuff or ominous… glowing…gems.
Kappa (as Rou): So, very much like that one, right there? That could be a trap?
Graeme (as Dawson): Yeah, yeah, that could be a trap. Or it could be a priceless artifact. I ain't sure.
Wren (as Eight): Oh! Can a priceless artifact also be a trap?
Wren: I will ask, gesturing broadly toward the glowing gem up in the sky.
Graeme (as Dawson): Absolutely. Absolutely. There is no doubt in my mind that that is very factual. Very possible.
Wren (as Eight): So, when we find a trap, what do we do? Do we trigger it? That is what a trap is for, after all?
Graeme (as Dawson): Well, um, depends. If you can, you know, locate what the trap triggers, then you can make that decision. If it's a pressure plate, you don't know if the floor is going to go slamming up into the ceiling. You don't know, you know, if a pitfall trap is going to appear. Sometimes it's better to just avoid that trap. But if you see six crossbows loaded and a wire tied to the trigger? If you're out of the way, you can kind of pull that wire, then sure.
Kappa: I am nodding this whole time.
Kappa (as Rou): Mhmm. Mhmm. Okay, okay. So, I am not very interested in triggering any traps. That would kill us! Maybe if the trap would, you know, give us a massage. Sure. Why not. But, from what I'm hearing, that over there...
Kappa: I'm motioning towards the glowing, ominous thing.
Kappa (as Rou): We should just maintain our distance. The door is right over there.
Kappa: I'm going to start walking towards the door.
Graeme: I take a look out for traps, because I'm also Ready for Adventure. So, if you would be so kind, could I have one S.P. from the GM pool added to the player pool?
Dax: Sure. There are now four story points in the player pool and none in the GM pool.
Wren: I have a perfect solution for this trap problem! Rou knows that we've already experienced one helpful friend in the name of "Cake Friend".
Kappa: Yes.
Wren: Why can't we have a friend named "Trap Friend"?
Kappa: [laughing] Yes!
Wren: So, if I can summon a tiny little dust particle monster to trigger traps and get crushed for us, this is what Trap Friend is for! Right? So, can I summon a tiny little golem to look for traps and/or be the guinea pig for them?
Dax: Go ahead and summon your Trap Friend.
Wren: Aw yeah, Trap Friend!
Dax: Take your Strain and I think Summon is Average?
Wren: Summon is Easy, but since I want it to be an ally and obey me, I need to make it Medium, so. [Whispers] Trap Friend! [Dice rolls] [in normal voice] Oh, probably would help if I rolled purple. Okay, I have two Success left over.
Dax: So, what does Trap Friend look like?
Wren: Okay, so...I reach into my bag and I pull out a tiny little notepad. And I am going to rip off a page of the paper and crumple it up a little bit. And then I take out my stick – my magical implement – and I will kind of trace the tip of the stick along the creases of the paper. And I will say,
Wren (as Eight): Once before we had you to serve cake to a desiccated skull! Now, this time we are in need of your expertise with finding and triggering traps! Rise and be useful, Trap Friend!
Wren: And I will point the stick at the paper which will kind of float up for a moment and dust and other particulates waft up from the floor below, swirling around it and forming a little head and little noodle arms and little noodle legs like soot. With the body of this paper being the central mass of this tiny little golem. And it will land on the ground with a little "pfft pfft" and suddenly it just starts running around in a circle. It's legs going a million miles a minute as it outpaces as fast as its legs can go.
Dax: As it is running around, the group of you hear,
Dax (as Trap Friend): [high-pitched] Eeeeeeeeh!
Wren (as Eight): Behold, Trap Friend!
Wren: And I will stoop down on one knee and put out a hand in front of Trap Friend and, like, bonk it so that it stops and I will just say,
Wren (as Eight): Trap Friend, there is the potential that we are in a place that has dangerous traps that might kill us! We are in need of your expertise of triggering traps and being harmed by them in our place. Is this something you can do for us?
Dax: Trap Friend starts against the wall on your left and circles the room and slowly winds in towards the center, takes them a good fifteen minutes because of how small they are, to make it around this room that is basically one range band in diameter. Um, at the end of fifteen minutes, it stands up in the center and looks up at the glowing gem and you watch as this, like, bits of their smoky essence and dusty essence go up towards this glowing gem and it circles it for a little bit and then comes back down. And there stands Cake Friend in the center of the room.
Dax (as Trap Friend): Eeeeeeeeeeh!
Wren: Trap Friend.
Dax: What did I say? Cake Friend?
Wren: You did.
Dax: Oh. [chuckles]
Kappa: You did say "Cake Friend".
Dax: Sorry. [laughing] Trap Friend stands there and goes,
Dax (as Trap Friend): Eeeeeeeeeeh!
Dax: But nothing happens.
Graeme (as Dawson): Well, does that mean it's clear, I mean?
Wren (as Eight): As far as I know. It appears that Trap Friend has not located anything that would harm us.
Graeme (as Dawson): Yeah.
Wren (as Eight): Though, I am not entirely certain what they think of the giant, floating gem. Other than it is fairly conspicuous. Um, perhaps… perhaps we should… should we remove it? Or should we ignore it?
Dax: All I was going to say is that this gem is floating, like, almost two range bands up in the air, so we're looking at, roughly, forty feet.
Kappa: Oh. I was going to reach out and grab it. But never mind.
Dax: Touch it with your bare hands, Rou?
Kappa: Yeah. I was going to remove my gloves.
Graeme: To reveal forty-feet-long hands? [laughs]
[Kappa laughs]
Kappa (as Rou): So, if there is nothing around here, I say that we press on. It doesn't look like that thing is going to do much. I guess we'll find out, right?
Graeme (as Dawson): Yeah.
Graeme: Does anyone look hurt from our previous encounter?
Kappa: No? No. I look fine.
Graeme: Okay. I was about to say I think that Eight Junior took the beating.
Wren: [Sadly] Eight Junior is gone.
Kappa: Growing. [laughs]
Wren: So, no. [laughs] Somehow.
[Graeme chuckles]
Graeme (as Dawson): Yeah, uh, I'll go in first I suppose. After all, I dragged you two in on this.
Kappa (as Rou): Er, okay. Sure?
Wren (as Eight): Are you sure you would not like to sacrifice Trap Friend first?
Graeme (as Dawson): I mean, if no traps have been triggered so far, I think we're alright.
Wren (as Eight): You're the adventurer.
Wren: And I'll shrug my shoulders.
Graeme: I'm going to walk in and go straight to the door.
Dax: Nothing happens.
Graeme: And I will open the door.
Dax: Okay. The door is unlocked.
Graeme: I open the door.
Dax: I love it, as a GM, when the players take twenty minutes to try and scope out a room.
Kappa: I don't!
[everyone laughs]
Graeme: Hey, it's a dangerous profession! You gotta be careful.
Dax: Alright, so you open the door and you see that it is a dark tunnel ahead. The walls look to be relatively smooth. You can tell it's definitely a man-made tunnel. Not anything natural. Do you enter?
Graeme: I am going to light one of my torches.
Dax: Okay.
Graeme: And kind of hold it out above the threshold of the door or to the limits of what I can see.
Dax: It's just a dark tunnel as far as you can see.
Graeme: Are there any sconces on either side of the tunnel?
Dax: No.
Graeme (as Dawson): Alright, it's a little dark. So, be ready for anything. Everybody here got a torch?
Wren: I hold up the lantern that I still have from last time.
Wren (as Eight): Yes!
Kappa (as Rou): I believe I do. Yes, yes! Yes, I do.
Graeme (as Dawson): Well, that's wonderful. Alright.
Graeme: And I'll start heading down the tunnel.
Kappa: I will follow.
Dax: So, I guess that means that Eight is bringing up the rear.
Wren: Yes. And as everyone gets moving, I will get down on one knee again and look at Trap Friend and I will whisper,
Wren (as Eight): Now is your time to shine. Quickly, advance! And be the forefront of our expedition.
Dax: Rou and Dawson, you gear from behind,
Dax (as Trap Friend): Eeeeeeeeeh!
Dax: And it slowly gets louder, kind of like that doppler effect and then all of a sudden it starts to get quieter as you watch this little paper and smoke form of Trap Friend goes flying ahead of you. You head through this tunnel, which lasts a couple of minutes. When you get to the other end of it, you find that you are in what appears to be a foyer. Trap Friend stands in the middle of the foyer, standing betwixt two doors. Each of them is made of a dark wood. One looking a little worse for wear compared to the other. The one that looks a little worse for the wear is to the left. Upon seeing you, Trap Friend goes,
Dax (as Trap Friend): Eeeeeeeeeeh!
Wren (as Eight): A pair of doors!
Graeme: Are there any other objects, items, or furniture of note within the foyer?
Dax: There is one of those small, wooden benches off to the lefthand side. But, I mean, it is covered in cobwebs and dust. It does look a little, slightly crumpled, like any gentle touch could dissolve it. Other than that, it is pretty sparse, or bare, I should say.
Graeme (as Dawson): Common sense tells me that the door that is looking mighty fine and not worn and torn is probably not the door that we need. The one that has got the most use out of it is probably the one that most people went through.
Kappa (as Rou): Yeah, that totally absolutely makes sense.
Kappa: I am going to approach the doors, the weathered door and press my ear against it to see if I can hear anything on the other side.
Dax: Give me a Perception check and give it to me at Hard difficulty, please, so three purple.
Kappa: Yes, yes, yes. Perception
Dax: And don't forget your Boost because of Eight. Well, two Boosts because you're right up next to them. Right?
Wren: I may be overcrowding.
[Dax and Kappa laugh]
Kappa: Okay, Perception. That's a lot of dice. [Dice rolls] That's two Failures right there, two Successes...one Success. That's one Success and three Threat. Two Threat.
Dax: You press your ear against this wood and the minute your cheek touches it, you can feel, like, the wood is slightly moist. Not enough where you feel a residue, but you can feel it as that cool dampness that wood gets when it's around water for too long.
Kappa: Okay.
Dax: You listen really closely and it's hard to hear, but you can just make out the sound of water gently lapping against stone.
Kappa: Okay. Hmm. I'll look over at Dawson.
Kappa (as Rou): Are there any bodies of water – this entire temple – the temple of Brinde, could possibly connect to? Or flood into the temple? There's water on the other side of this.
Graeme: Do I know of any bodies of water on - above ground - nearby?
Dax: There's a lake. Kind of nearby? But, based on how you have been wandering through this temple so far, to your knowledge, it doesn't make sense that anything above ground would be affecting the temple.
Graeme (as Dawson): Alright, in my experience, in my decades of scouting around and reading maps, there's a lake, but it is way too far to connect to this place. My second thought is that maybe it's like an underground lake or body of water. That's, that's possible.
Kappa (as Rou): Okay, okay. So, there's possibly, it would make sense, perhaps, 50/50, that there is a water feature on the other side of this door. Given the evidence. So, that's door number one. Let me see if I can get a read on door number two.
Kappa: And I'd like to do the same thing to door number two.
Dax: Sure. Same difficulty.
Graeme: Is there a gap between the doors?
Dax: Yeah, it's one to two feet kind of gap.
Graeme: Oh, okay.
[Dice rolls]
Kappa: Two Failures and an Advantage.
Dax: Okay. How would you like to use your Advantage? Do you wanna – do you have any Strain that you gotta recover?
Kappa: I do! I would like to get rid of that Strain.
Dax: Okay. Press your ear up to this one and this one doesn't feel wet, but you also don't hear anything on the other side.
Kappa: Okay.
Kappa (as Rou): Seems pretty normal on the other side of this door. So, if you are not keen on getting wet, I suggest this one. But you also said that it's more likely that door number one, despite being all mildewy and used and what not, is the door to go through.
Graeme: So, I think Dawson would take a pause and close his eyes and think back to his former adventuring party. And I think he's trying to get a read on what door they would have chosen if he hadn't been there.
Dax: Uh, you know what? Just for funsies, why don't you give me an Adventuring check. Give it to me at Medium difficulty, so two purple, please.
Kappa: I like this.
[dice rolls]
Graeme: Alright, I have one Success, four Advantages and one Threat.
Dax: Okay, so you have three Advantages because the Threat would cancel out that fourth Advantage.
Graeme: Yep.
Dax: Okay, let's deal with your Advantages first. What would you like to use them for? You can recover Strain, you can spend two to notice a thing in the room.
Graeme: I'd like to notice something in the room.
Dax: Is there anything in particular you're thinking of, like a generic, or just whatever pops into my head?
Graeme: With the knowledge that there is water beyond the door and now that it has been pointed out, I would like to look around the room to see if there are any, like, subtle either bored holes or grates that have been hidden. In which, you know, when we open this door if water floods in and is going to drown whoever is in this room, if there's a way for that water to exit.
Dax: I will say that there are no grates or anything or holes that you notice as you're looking around the room. But you do notice that, at the base of the door, a trace of, like, this green, looks like slime from the distance. Like, right at the base of the door.
Graeme (as Dawson): Um, that, that doesn't look like water. I mean, depending on what town you're in, I suppose it might! But, that looks more like slime to me.
Kappa (as Rou): It looks like some sort of algae.
Kappa: Would I know what algae is? [pauses] Okay.
Kappa (as Rou): Do you think your party would have gone this direction? We haven't seen a source of water and I know that water is very important.
Graeme (as Dawson): That's fair.
Kappa (as Rou): Did they have the means to create water on their own, via magic? Can you do that with magic, Eight?
Wren (as Eight): It is possible for you to create water with magic. Volume would depend largely on how strong the currents of magic are. In this instance, I don't think there is anyone channeling magic to create water.
Kappa (as Rou): I think we should go. I think we should go through this one. It was your gut instinct and to think that, was it you that told us to follow our guts? To follow our instinct is usually correct.
Graeme (as Dawson): That is true. Alternatively, we can open both doors at the same time.
Kappa (as Rou): Oh, that seems fun! Let's do that!
Graeme (as Dawson): And depending on what we see in the next room, that depends on which room we're going to run into next.
Kappa (as Rou): I like this. This was sarcasm at first, but I kind of want to do this.
Graeme (as Dawson): I'll go take that door, then, and...
Kappa: Which door? Number one or number two?
Graeme: Door two.
Kappa: Okay, I'll take one.
Dax: You both open your doors, neither of which are locked. Dawson, you have a torch. You notice when you open your door that you can see the reflection of torchlight on water. You see that there are about three steps that lead downwards from the door and then you see nothing but this black water in the tunnel ahead. How far do you look down?
Graeme: That's a great question. I assume I would look down as far as my vision can make it without going past the threshold of the door.
Dax: Okay. So, I will say that if you lean in a little bit, putting maybe one foot on the top step, you can see that the water comes almost up to the top of what would be the roof of the tunnel, or the stairway going downward. But there is a gap. So, while you can't see into the water, you can see that there is something beyond down the stairway. Rou, you open your door and you are immediately met with the sight of a tunnel made entirely of skulls and bones.
Kappa (as Rou): Oh, um. Behind this door was a room of death! There's skulls and bones and remains of sorts.
Kappa: Do they all look very similar? Or, or, you know - what can I tell about these bones? How many, is it to the brim? Is it like extended Return of the King?
Dax: Picture more like the catacombs under Paris where the wall itself is lined with bones that have been crissed and crossed. You can see that along one side is a set of skulls and they are laid out very evenly, very neatly, and very intentionally.
Kappa: Okay.
Kappa (as Rou): Room of death and it appears that there is some sort of – to be some sort of mass grave site. It doesn't seem...it does not seem that people died here. It seems that they died and were brought here.
Graeme (as Dawson): Uh, can you see any adjoining rooms or anything like that?
Kappa: I'm going to take a couple of steps forward through the threshold and, like, look around.
Dax: Rou, remind me, do you have a torch? I know Eight has a lantern - okay.
Kappa: I do!
Dax: As you take a couple of steps in and you lift your torch to see what you can find, you don't notice, from as far as the torchlight can go, you don't notice any turns or twists in the hallway. But you do see the torchlight sparkling on something within the skulls' eyes. And if you were to look a little closer, you notice there are gems and shiny rocks that are embedded where eyes should be.
Kappa: Mmm. Mhmm, mhmm. Okay, I'll call out,
Kappa (as Rou): No! No! It's just one long room or tunnel, if you will. But it's very interesting. There's something more about these skulls. There's precious...
Kappa: And I'm leaning in.
Kappa (as Rou): There's precious stones laid within them…
Kappa: I'm going to tap one.
Dax: You hear the [tapping noise] echo back to you. But nothing happens.
Kappa (as Rou): It's quite eerie. But, you know, we're adventurers, so I'm not scared. You're scared.
Wren: I will walk into the doorway, basically as Rou is recounting this and I will just hold the lantern up. Seeing all of the skulls, I will exclaim,
Wren (as Eight): Oh! Friend Rou, do you suppose that any of these skulls will start talking to us? Perhaps our next Arcterus is in here?
Kappa (as Rou): Oh! Sure! Yeah. Hello? Hello? Are there any – are any of you talkative?
Dax: Other than the slight reverberation of your voice, there's no response.
Wren: Say there is dead silence.
Dax: There is dead silence.
Wren: Thank you.
Kappa: I'll go back towards the.. towards the foyer and go,
Kappa (as Rou): Dawson, it seems pretty safe over here. What did you find?
Graeme (as Dawson): I'm glad you asked. It's mostly water. I think if we take this side, we're going to have to go swimming.
Kappa (as Rou): I don't like that. The torches will be extinguished and we'll be blind.
Graeme (as Dawson): That is my fear, as well. I've only got fifty feet of rope, so if we are going to go swimming or diving, you know, we need a tether a line from up top, so when you can't see something you can grab onto the rope and, you know, if you follow it it can lead you back up safe.
Kappa (as Rou): Okay, okay. That sounds like a very useful tactic for when we don't have an option.
Graeme (as Dawson): Yeah, I think the skull room is probably the better bet.
Kappa (as Rou): I do warn you, it is quite scary. But I'm not scared.
Graeme (as Dawson): I have no doubt in your ability to be an adventurer and your confidence in yourself. A healthy dose of fear is what keeps you alive. That's following your gut. When you get scared, you know, maybe I shouldn't be -
Kappa (as Rou): Okay. Okay.
Graeme (as Dawson): Or maybe I should be extra cautious.
Kappa (as Rou): Oh, okay. So maybe we should be extra cautious in that hallway.
Kappa: Is Trap Friend still around?
Wren: While you both are talking, I would have knelt down to Trap Friend again and I would have whispered,
Wren (as Eight): Trap Friend, this hall of skulls. It requires examination for traps and hidden dangers. I am entrusting this task to you. If you see anything, please trigger it. Or tell us. Either way.
Dax (as Trap Friend): Eeeeeeeeeh!
Wren: And I will just kind of take one finger and pat it on the back, or what would approximately be the back as a "you got this, little dude" and send Trap Friend out on their way.
Dax: Trap friend goes into the hallway and disappears down into the darkness. It is gone for another good ten minutes before you hear the sound of that shifting paper coming closer to you. It stands at the entryway to the door and goes,
Dax (as Trap Friend): Eeeeeeeeh!
Wren (as Eight): Friends, it appears Trap Friend has examined the hallway and returned to us unmolested!
Graeme (as Dawson): That's wonderful news. I suppose we should head down there. I mean, real, real, quick. Not that I'm doubting our little friend, Trap Friend, but does Trap Friend know what to look for? What constitutes a trap?
Wren (as Eight): I made Trap Friend with the explicit purpose of locating and triggering traps. So, I am going to assume "yes".
Graeme (as Dawson): That's all I needed to know. I know nothing about magic. I just swing a hammer real well.
Wren: Player aside: No. Trap Friend does not.
Graeme: [laughing] That's what I thought.
[Kappa laughs]
Graeme: Sending this little golem in just screaming and running its little heart out.
Kappa (as Rou): And so we press on!
Graeme: What type of gems?
Dax: So, most of the gems are semi-precious. The more expensive gems, like rubies, you see a couple of diamonds, those are only in certain skulls and those are usually not layered with the rest of the line. So, like, they might be above every so often. Many of the other gemstones, like I had said, tend to be not as valuable. You might be able to get some gold for them if you are really intent on prying them out of there.
But you go down this hallway and every so often you see what appears to be, like, a plaque with a brass plating on it and it's got some words that are covered. Everything is covered in a layer of dust and a thin layer of cobwebs in certain sections. Eventually you come to a large door, a stone door, that has been carved with a bunch of figures all sectioned off into different areas of the door. You can tell without really looking at it too much, that it obviously tells a story of some sort. And it also has an iron handle.
Kappa: I would like to try to interpret that story.
Dax: Sure. Give me a Lore check. Make that at, eh, Medium difficulty is fine.
Kappa: Okay.
[Dice rolls]
Kappa: Ooh, that is good. That is one Success flat.
Dax: You take a look over this door and, at first, it takes you a minute to piece together exactly what is going on here because, being from Baukora, you're not 100% familiar with all of the lore that is related to Eulela. However, knowing that it is a temple to Brinde, you can kind of piece together that this is the story of how Brinde arose to godhood and their subsequent fall. About how a young child was chosen from among the ranks of humankind. Someone who worked with stone.
You can see that there's evidence of a quarry in the story. At the time, man was not really familiar with everything that was going on in nature. You can see that there are pictures of people worshipping fire, worshipping the rain and rivers. And it goes on to talk about how Brinde came to be ascended to godhood and it basically implies that as the other deities came into Rejiev, that the elementals were kind of forgotten and you watch as this story tells of people worshipping en masse to three or four people worshipping this god and then there's nobody around.
Kappa (as Rou): It’s quite interesting how, even here, where magic and deities and stuff exist that there's evidence of mysticism. There's still.. there are still ebbs and flows to people's beliefs. It's not all that different from Baukora. Our technology can become obsolete. Very interesting.
Graeme (as Dawson): You know, I mean, in my experience, that's how the wheel rolls, ain't it? You progress until you can't go further and then you start from the beginning. So, I don't know what lies deeper, as I said, but...
Graeme: I'll kind of take a look around. Do all of the skulls look around the same age? Not age, like like, age of the person, but that they were put here at a specific time and none of them look fresh or recently placed in the past decade or two?
Kappa: Yeah, do we have a stale skull?
[Graeme and Dax laugh]
Dax: Give me a Medicine check. Give it to me at Hard difficulty, or three purple, please.
[Dice rolls]
Graeme: Three Successes, one Triumph, two Threats.
Dax: Okay. I'm going to say to take Strain for the Threats. One for each that you rolled. My justification being that as you get close to examining these skulls, something moves when you go to breathe and dust comes up from this skull and gets lodged in your nose and makes you sneeze a lot and it actually, like, makes it hard to breathe. That's a little stressful. You, being an adventurer, you don't know what the hell you just breathed in.
Graeme: Yeah, I could have picked up a disease.
Dax: Exactly. As far as the Success goes, you don't notice anything fresh, I will say, quote-unquote. You can definitely tell that these skulls are, for all intents and purposes, centuries old. They all have the same kind of coloration to them. They all have the same layer of dust and debris that is left on them. It's not like anyone is down here maintaining it for tourists. As far as the Triumph goes, a triumph usually means that you can, you know, give yourself a significant boon. What would you like to use your Triumph for?
Graeme: Just digging for additional information, are all of the skulls the same species?
Dax: They all are human, yes. I will also say, just because you wouldn't need a Triumph to know that, in the whole thread of giving additional information, I will say that you also happen to notice that the floor itself is the only thing not made of bone.
Graeme: Okay.
Dax: And that there appear to be notches and little rivulets in the floor.
Graeme: Okay, that's, that's concerning. I will point out the rivulets and the notches.
Graeme (as Dawson): Now, there wouldn't be much of a need for these unless something, I mean, maybe it's just, you know, rainwater from above comes down and it just wants to not let the skulls get moldy, so it drains. But I am concerned that there may be something unpleasant. This is a callback to the green, slimy stuff we saw outside of the door. That maybe something like that – I mean, green could be all sorts of stuff. It could be, like, acid, or what have you.
Kappa (as Rou): So, what I am hearing is that we should get out of here as soon as possible?
Wren (as Eight): Are you suggesting that there might be a trap?
Kappa (as Rou): Or something to fight?
Graeme (as Dawson): Either or, really.
Wren (as Eight): Well, I would not be afraid of there being a trap. Trap Friend has already combed this hallway!
Kappa (as Rou): This is true!
Graeme (as Dawson): That's entirely fair. And there is a door, right?
Kappa (as Rou): Yeah. So, I appreciate your concern. We should, we should move on. We should get out of here before those notches turn into something very sinister.
Graeme (as Dawson): Yeah, that's my, that's my worry. I mean, if we do need to get out of here quick, we have the other door. We also have the way back.
Graeme: One last question, Dax, sorry. Did any of the gems look like they had been pried out of the skulls? Are there.. were any that were missing gems? Because I would bet that some of my party would have taken some of the gems if they had gone through here.
Dax: There is one skull without gems in its eyes and it is the one that is set upon the door similar to a door knocker, like where a door knocker would be on the door plate.
Graeme (as Dawson): Well, carry on.
Kappa: I am going to open the door.
Dax: The door opens. It is very heavy, given that it is a stone door, but you are able to get it open. You hear the sound of stone scraping against stone as you do so. The room within is a decently sized rectangular room. You can see that the walls continue to be covered with bones and skeletal remains. In the dead center is a stone platform and on the platform is a coffin. Which, even in a layer of dust and cobwebs, you can see is made of solid gold. Beyond the coffin at the other end of the room is a door.
Kappa (as Rou): Okay. This.. this is... this is quite ominous, to say the least, right? Yes? I really hope that if there is anything in that coffin, it's just an actual dead person. Being dead. Not doing anything other than that.
Kappa: As I carefully and gingerly step into the room, announcing to the room, what I wish.
Graeme (as Dawson): I mean, I suppose as long as we're respectful, I mean, maybe it won't bother with us.
Kappa (as Rou): Okay, okay.
Kappa: Just a hand on a torch and a hand on the sword.
Dax: That's fair. That's very fair. Eight, what about you? You've been a little quiet.
Wren: I will come in and see this stone platform with the golden coffin and my eyes will glimmer a little bit in the light and I will say,
Wren (as Eight): Oh, a coffin! And, Rou, I can't say I've ever seen a coffin that is entirely made out of gold. Why would anyone ever want to bury something that is made out of so much wealth?
Kappa (as Rou): You know, I'm not entirely sure. In Baukora, coffins are usually made out of wood.
Wren (as Eight): I do believe most coffins tend to be made out of wood here, as well. Perhaps there is some sort of greater significance to the composition of this coffin?
Wren: GM, are there gemstones or anything on the sides of the coffin?
Dax: If you get a little closer, you can see that there do appear to be some bumps and what not. Some definition along the edges of this coffin. Peering really close, you can see that they are different colors. So, it's a good assumption that there are gemstones in this coffin, as well.
Graeme: With some of the older gods now dead, with no worship, have people ever found a body of them buried? Or like, an exarch?
Kappa: I love that word: Exarch.
Graeme: Or a material remnant? The reason why I ask that is because this temple was clearly made after Brinde died, because they have the whittling of -
Kappa: The record.
Graeme: ...her follower.
Kappa: Dax is trying to decide on the politest way to say "no". Was that right?
Graeme: We've solved your problem – we've solved the riddle?
Dax: No, it's more Dax trying to remember "did I actually tell them what the pronouns were for this deity?" No, I did not. Uh, "he". He, yeah. Okay. That's why when you said "she", I was like...[laughing]
Graeme: It's he/him.
Dax: Okay.
Kappa: We – I was like "little girl", okay that makes sense. Brenda is a little girl.
Dax: I said "child".
Kappa: Child?
Dax: Yeah.
Kappa: I filled that in with Brenda.
Dax: That's fine. Um, so to answer your question, Dawson, you know that as far as the major deities are concerned, there are rumors that they still interfere with the lives of mortals. They just no longer reside on this plane of existence, I guess you can call it. As far as the elementals are concerned, to your knowledge, Brinde was made of rock. So the carving you saw on the door was something relatively new to you.
Graeme: Oh, what size is the coffin?
Dax: It's an adult. Yeah, it's an adult-sized coffin.
Graeme: Okay. Okay!
Graeme (as Dawson): Well, um, maybe there's some sort of writing on this sarcophagus or something. That might tell us who it is or was?
Wren (as Eight): It's possible. Or we can simply press on as adventurers do! Yes?
Graeme (as Dawson): That's also a good idea.
Kappa (as Rou): Okay. We move on.
Kappa: I'm going to look for evidence of a party coming through here. I realize that we've gone through since the rock room without doing that.
Dax: I am just trying to think of whether Survival or Perception would be best. What kind of evidence are you looking for? How's that?
Kappa: Footprints, um, maybe some abandoned armor? A pair of clothing or torches or anything that doesn't fit the architecture or decor?
Dax: Go ahead and make it Perception. The vast majority of that is not really Survival. So, give me a Perception and give you a broader range. Give it to me at Medium difficulty is fine.
Kappa: Okay.
[Dice rolls]
Kappa: Three Success, one Advantage.
Dax: You search the room. You find some old storage compartments that have been hidden in the walls, filled with jars. And you find rotting foodstuffs and things like that. It isn't until you get close to the door on the other side where you happen to notice where there seem to be claw marks on the edge, as if somebody was trying to keep their hand on the door and were ripped away.
Kappa: Like animal claws? Like beast claws? Or like -
Dax: Fingernails.
Kappa (as Rou): Looks like there was some sort of -
Kappa: I'm brushing my hand on it.
Kappa (as Rou): Dawson, it looks like there was some sort of altercation here where somebody was finagling with this door and not in a normal way.
Graeme (as Dawson): Oh, let me take a look.
Graeme: Do we know which direction the drag was going away from the box?
Dax: From the center of the – well, not really the center, but, like, going towards the edge.
Kappa (as Rou): I mean, you don't really do that to doors, do you?
Graeme (as Dawson): No. No, my guess is that whoever got dragged was either trying to get through the door and somebody pulled them away or they got pulled under.
Graeme: How tall is the room we’re in?
Dax: Hmm, we're talking one range band? So roughly thirty feet high ceiling.
Graeme: Okay. So, I think Dawson instinctually like, looks up at the ceiling to see if there's anything we haven't seen up there, outside of our periphery.
Dax: As far as that is concerned, you see a couple of old chandeliers. You can see some waxy candles that are unlit, covered in cobwebs and dust as is most everything else in this room.
Graeme: Within the room itself, this sarcophagus, does it look like there are any offerings or goods that have been placed definitely after whatever was buried here?
Dax: There are no offerings that you notice outside of the hidden compartments that Rou was able to find, where there are jars and boxes and stuff like that. But there's nothing, like, being laid at the coffin like we would lay flowers or anything like that.
Graeme: I think that I will pull out a gold coin, or maybe two gold coins. Am I familiar with any of the funeral rites of any of the older deities?
Dax: So, funny thing, prior to the goddess Baradesh coming onto the scene, there really is no lore, at least that you're aware of, of there being such a thing as funeral rites. So, as far as anything prior to what you would consider "modern religion", it's not like we can turn to the ancient Greeks and say that this is what the ancient Greeks used to do for funerals and that kind of stuff. There's nothing that is on record for that.
Graeme: Alright. So, I guess I will have two coins in my hand and I am going to walk up to the coffin and just, at a distance of, like, maybe ten feet, and see if there are any inscriptions on it. But also, I'd like to get a clearer look and see if anything has been dragged into the coffin. And if there are any drag marks or any marring on the gold, since gold is kind of a soft metal.
Dax: I will say that I'm not going to make you roll for this because there do not appear to be any disturbances on the coffin. Everything is covered in a fine layer of dust; however, the dust is not so thick that you can't see – you can see that there is writing on top of it, yes. It's a little hard to make out what it is. But you can see that there is writing. There do not appear to be any disturbances or mars or drag marks or anything of that sort.
Graeme (as Dawson): Alright, well, it doesn't look like anything was dragged into the coffin, which is a good sign. We can either turn around and try the waterway or we can try this door. The ominous door, I'll call it.
Kappa (as Rou): I mean, we've come this far already. I mean…[exhales heavily, wearily].
Graeme (as Dawson): I mean, we've what? It's been three rooms that nothing bad has happened?
Kappa (as Rou): I think so.
Graeme (as Dawson): By the rule of three, we should assume something bad is going to happen.
Wren (as Eight): I'm sorry, the "rule of three"?
Wren: And I ask that with air quotes.
Graeme (as Dawson): Whenever three good consecutive good things happen to you, you should assume a bad thing is about to happen.
Wren (as Eight): Well, that's an awfully negative way to approach life, now isn't it?
Graeme (as Dawson): I like to think it is a.. a general way of existing is the, you know, the balance of good and bad in one’s life is about a little bit more good than bad. My concern, is that we haven't seen any footsteps in the dust coming this way. And, knowing my adventuring party, they probably would have looted some of the gems in the skulls in that first room.
Kappa (as Rou): So, they're not in this direction, is what you're saying?
Graeme (as Dawson): But, we did discover the finger marks. So, maybe something happened? They could have been being chased. We don't have all of the evidence. So, we might as well continue.
Kappa (as Rou): We also don't know how far that tunnel goes. I'm not sure how long I can hold my breath.
Graeme (as Dawson): I mean, could.. can Trap Friend swim?
Wren (as Eight): Oh no. Trap Friend cannot swim. Neither can I.
Graeme (as Dawson): Oh boy. Um, I mean I can hold my breath for a little bit. So, if I'm holding the rope and dive in, I can keep going and hopefully get to the other side.
Wren (as Eight): And I can walk along the bottom with you!
Graeme (as Dawson): Look, there's modern problems with modern solutions.
Wren (as Eight): But, I still think we should press forward with this "scratch-marked door".
Graeme (as Dawson): I.. I agree.
Kappa (as Rou): Okay. I think we should do that.
Kappa: And I'm looking back at the coffin.
Kappa (as Rou): Okay, so -
Graeme (as Dawson): I'll keep my eyes on the coffin and you two focus on the door. How about that?
Kappa (as Rou): Okay. Okay.
Graeme (as Dawson): That way, we've got all angles.
Graeme: I'm going to snuff my torch and put two hands on my war hammer and ignite that.
Kappa: Start opening the door.
Wren: I will assist.
Dax: You open the door to another set of stairs that lead downward. And that is where we are going to end the session.
Music fades out [51:13]
Dax: Thanks for listening! We hope you’ll join us next time but in the interim, follow us on Twitter @RoadsUncharted.
The “Roads Uncharted” podcast is GMed and produced by Dax, who you can find on Twitter @GM_Dax. We use the Genesys RPG system published by Fantasy Flight Games, and music licensed by Epidemic Sound.
Eight is played by Wren, who also composed the music for our opening theme. Follow them on Twitter @ThornyDryad.
Rou is played by Kappa, and you can follow him on Twitter @TheKappaChris.
Arthas, Champion of Offam, is played by Neil.
Dawson is played by our guest, Graeme. You can follow him on Twitter @graemecrackerz1 and Twitch at twitch.tv/graemecrackerz.