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Message: <blockquote data-quote="SHARK" data-source="post: 175450" data-attributes="member: 1131">Greetings!Well, Max, unless they have access to some kind of unusual magic that allows them to make a clay or parchment "copy" of everything that is written on the walls, then there is no real way for the party to escape with such in hand. It then requires an extensive archeological operation to recover such ancient lore. Now, that alternative sounds fine I suppose, but the fly in the ointment is the deadly enemies that will shortly be breathing down the party's neck!<img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />Now, the party could choose to leave without the ancient knowledge, whicha may or may not be satisfying for *you*--It won't be terribly joyful for the party, but hey, sometimes the party loses, right?<img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />The other likely outcome is that the party remains and fights. Being ruthless and realistic, they fight heroically, but in the end, they are slaughtered by the forces of Darkness, and killed, utterly defeated. Time to roll up new characters!<img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />This option of course wouldn't be too fun for the party at all, and may in fact, certainly at this point in the campaign, with the party not having done anything especially obnoxious or stupid, not be terribly satisfying for you, either.Thus, I might suggest that you have some allies--perhaps a ship full of elves makes landfall, or a cave-tunnel bursts through with a tribe of friendly, dark blue Lizardmen? Allow the new friends to be allied with the party, and depend on friendships made, and careful diplomatic sessions with the players. This time here can be an important non-combat scenario for players to succeed in something other than combat. If they succeed, they gain allies who can fight with them against their enemies, struggling for the ancient caves. If they fail, and make idiots of themselves, then you have more justification to let the soon-to-arrive forces of Darkness crush them!<img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />The party might also be needed to help organize the friends in a carefully orchestrated defense of the area, you know? This could even develop once the forces of Darkness arrive into a series of scenarios that you develop over several sessions, with each side lurking in the forest or the jungle, having desperate struggles for dominance of the island, and for the wizard's cave-complex! Once the forces of Darkness are defeated--*IF*--then the party must still consider helping their newfound friends; They must organize an archeological expedition to recover the cave inscriptions, and retrieve it back to the empire. This can be as long a process as you desire, but depending on travel, should be a project of at leats three-six months, with more dangers potentially threatening the party. Still, when it is all successfully completed, the party can not only be proud of their success in battle, and the retrieval of the ancient knowledge, but the party can also present to their patron Senator, and for the glory of the empire, a new island, and a new race or tribe that is allied to the glorious empire. This island might then be safe for the empire to trade with, or travel by without worries of pirates. Either way, the empire should be quite pleased with this important diplomatic, military, and potentially economic, accomplishment!Does this help?<img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />Semper Fidelis,SHARK</blockquote>

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