Joined: Sep 11, 2014 Posts: 979 Location: Right behind you!
Sai says, "There's got to be a way through. A trigger for a door or a pressure plate or something."
He walks to the staircase and listens for pursuit, then goes to the statue and examines it carefully for seams that might indicate a moving part or a hidden switch. He then goes and taps gently on the decorated portion of the wall, listening for a hollow report to indicate a passage beyond.
Rolls
Perception at the stairs: (1d20)-6 Investigation at the room: (1d20+1)-13
Liu Xin approaches the carving in the wall. It is a string of flowers, five-pointed like a twisting star, about a foot in length. Next to the flowers are two lines of characters:
The moonflower blooms in borrowed light, a beautiful revelation in the darkness.
This carving must be the key to a hidden passage, but what could the secret be? The flowers in the carving are closed, so perhaps somehow causing them to bloom will work? The 'borrowed light' must be moonlight, reflected from the sun. How can they get moonlight in this underground tomb though?
Sai Yun Perception
Sai Yun hears nothing.
Sai Yun Investigation
Sai Yun approaches the carving in the wall. It is a string of flowers, five-pointed like a twisting star, about a foot in length. Next to the flowers are two lines of characters:
The moonflower blooms in borrowed light, a beautiful revelation in the darkness.
This carving must be the key to a hidden passage, but what could the secret be? The flowers in the carving are closed, so perhaps somehow causing them to bloom will work? But they're carvings, how can a stone image of a flower bloom?
Joined: Oct 17, 2013 Posts: 3486
Preferred Pronoun Set: He
Liu Xin takes a quick look at the ceiling for an obvious skylights, before returning to the center of the room where Chen Yu stands, "The blasted thing is a riddle. Apparently we need to shine 'borrowed light' on those flowers over there. Instead of standing around and complaining, I would suggest working out what exactly it means by borrowed light.".
Liu Xin then approaches the statue of the emporer, and addresses Wu Hon Yin, "Have you found any clues on this thing?"
Liu Xin begins to investigate the Statue himself, beginning with the obviously placed Jade tablet.
Anyone may make an Intelligence (Religion) check or an Intelligence (Arcana) check.
Liu Xin Perception
Liu Xin begins to examine the statue of the First Emperor closely. The Jade Tablet is the typical marbled pale green, the carved writing filled in with gold paint. It looks well-maintained over time, without any chipping or wearing, but it has started to collect a little bit of dust.
The rest of the statue is gold, higher in value than the pedestrian statue of the First Emperor found in smaller towns or villages, and it is highly detailed. The raised hands of the First Emperor are unusual, they don't look like mudra, hand symbols, so they should be holding icons of the god. Raising himself up, Liu Xin sees that the raised hand on the left has a few drops of candle wax on it, while the one on the right is clear.
"Hmm. A few old faces mostly. Nothing that would be important."Hon Yin pauses for a moment before looking at Liu Xin quizzically. "You said a riddle? I consider myself quite skilled at unraveling riddles. What did it say exactly?" He catches a glance towards the floral relief Liu Xin was previously studying.
Actions
Perception Check on Wall: 20
Also Religion check while I'm here: 13
_________________
Welcome! I'm Garren and I'll be your designated villain for the evening.
Joined: Sep 11, 2014 Posts: 979 Location: Right behind you!
Sai says, "I did. I'm going to try something."
Sai goes and gets a candle out of his pack and lights it off of the lantern. He drips a few drops of wax to give the candle a base, then sets the lit taper into the Emperor's left palm. He then steps back and whispers a silent prayer, hoping that he's figured it out.
Yes, I forgot I only gave that info to Wu specifically.
The First Emperor's jade tablet proclaim the honor and virtue of the Yi ancestors held in these tombs, a reflection of the radiance of the Yi Emperor's rule, as sanctioned by the Heavens.
Sai Yun Arcana
Sai Yun knows that the moon appears as a disc in the sky, a light that waxes and wanes as it crosses the night. Moonlight is said to have mystic qualities, which can heal or curse.
Sai Yun Religion
The great rabbit goddess, Tsusaki, sits on the lunar throne as queen of the starry gods. Her visage may be seen as a shadow upon the moon, which casts the light of her love upon the earth.
Wu Hon Yin Perception
If [b][u]Hon Yin examines the wall, he will finda carving of a string of flowers, five-pointed like a twisting star, about a foot in length. Next to the flowers are two lines of characters:
The moonflower blooms in borrowed light, a beautiful revelation in the darkness.
As he examines the wall more, he notices an almost imperceptible line in the stone, forming a large rectangle about the size of a human person, around the flower design.
Wu Hon Yin Religion
At the mention of 'borrowed light', Hon Yin realizes that something is missing from the statue of the First Emperor. When his arms are raised like that, it is his depiction as the sovereign of the Heavens, who holds the sun and the moon in his hands. As such, there would normally be some icons of the sun in whichever hand is to the west and of the moon in the other hand. The former would usually be an orb of gold or crystal, sometimes enchanted to shed light, or a small lit brazier, while the latter would be an orb or disc of silver.
Liu Xin Religion
The First Emperor is a really important god or something. He's often found in association with the imperial government.
Liu Xin Arcana
'Borrowed light' reminds Liu Xin of the theories he has read about the nature of the moon. While the eladrin posit that it is a throne for their rabbit god, little has been substantiated behind it. Some theories hold the moon as an orb of light like the sun or the stars, but much weaker, but most assert that the moon actually reflects light from the sun, perhaps because it is a disc of silvery metal or a pool of water in the sky. The reflection theory is used to explain the orbits of the celestial bodies and the phenomena of eclipses. Some hold that the moon is a world like Saigai itself, a terrestrial place that one can stand on.
Joined: Oct 17, 2013 Posts: 3486
Preferred Pronoun Set: He
Liu Xin reads the table aloud to his comrades as he ponders it possible meanings, before turning to his on musings.
"Reflections, reflections.... I have heard that the moon borrows the suns light by reflecting it back to our world, and now this tablet speaks of ancestors reflecting the emperor's light. Perhaps it is these paintings are more important than you thought..."
Liu Xin quickly looks around the room for any reflective surfaces (he particularly looks to see if the Jade tablet casts a noticeable glare), before he starts investigating the portraits of the ancestors for any moon symbolism.
Some of the stone tablets are polished enough to be reflective, including the First Emperor's jade tablet, though they may need to be dusted a little. Little mirrors hang on a few of the tablets.
Liu Xin Investigation
Liu Xin looks closely at the paintings of various Yi family members, examining them for moon-related images. One shows a warrior of some sort, in armor over his robes, and he holds a guandao with a crescent blade. Another shows a young man with a night sky as a backdrop, showing a beautiful moon. A third has an older woman in a dress with a large crescent moon brooch.
Joined: Oct 17, 2013 Posts: 3486
Preferred Pronoun Set: He
Liu Xin begins to fiddle with the mirrors of the ancestral portraits he believes may have some relation to the moon, attempting to get them to cast their reflection on the flower on the wall.
Joined: Oct 30, 2013 Posts: 7305 Location: England
Hon Yin watches as Liu Xin and Sai as they fiddle with the statue before stepping up and speaking. "You both have the right idea but you're missing a step. The First Emperor is incomplete; in his upturned hands he holds the sun and the moon. Or in this case a candle and a mirror to reflect it's light. If I may?" Stepping forward he lifts the candle from the statues lower hand and places it in the raised right hand. He then moves to one of the little tablets and carefully removes a mirror, places it in the raised left hand and adjusts it so the reflected light of the candle lands upon the floral relief.
_________________
Welcome! I'm Garren and I'll be your designated villain for the evening.
Against the back wall is a large statue with four arms. In one arm is a jade tablet, which has text about how the Yi family is virtuous and demonstrates why the Yi emperor deserves the throne. In the raised hands are a candle and a mirror. Around the feet of the statue are paintings of men and women. These are oil paintings on canvas.
The left and right sides of the room are occupied by rows of stone tablets, like headstones but not marking graves. These also have text, naming the dead and their honors. Some of these have mirrors on them, hung by red string. The tablets are represented by the dashed lines on the map. It costs double movement (10 feet instead of 5) to cross over one of these lines.
Along the edges of the stone tablets, in the center aisle are mats with incense holders and bowls for offerings. These spaces are difficult terrain, marked on the map.
Chen Wu Arcana
Chen Wu knows that the moon appears as a disc in the sky, but what is it? We just don't know. At least this researcher does not. It has little bearing on his own alchemy.
Chen Wu Religion
The gods and the icons and superstitions of the common people have nothing to do with his work.
Chen Wu Arcana
Necromancy has the power to awaken the bodies of the dead, though restoring the true person requires magic that is beyond even most arcane spellcasters. The goengsi is a common result of this mystic work.
Chen Wu Investigation
Although goengsi may spontaneously awaken, there have been no indication of any broken tombs here that Chen Wu has seen, and there probably would not be any unattended corpses in a temple to the dead. Where did this vampire come from and what is it doing here?
Chen Wu Perception
As Chen Wu looks closely at the goengsi, a bit of the mold on its skin flakes off and gets into his eye. He falls back and rubs his eye clear.
Chen Wu History
This goengsi's dress is a little outdated, going back at least a decade, but it appears stately. This person was socially important or at least wanted to appear so in life.
As Hon Yin finishes his adjustments, the image of the candle appears in the mirror set into the First Emperor's hand, but there is nothing else happens in that brightly lit room.
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