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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Kesh" data-source="post: 1455630" data-attributes="member: 1308">You pull the heavy door open to find another small room. There's no light at all in the room, only the flickering of your torch to illuminate it. It appears to be made of the same grey stone as the rest of the building. The air is much more stale in here, however... this room must not have been opened in a very long time. A lingering scent of moisture, mold and decay flow out the opened door into the hall with you.To the right is a rotting wooden bench, perhaps six feet long and two wide. The tattered remains of a drab brown cloth hang askew from it, almost totally rotted away where it touches the damp stone floor.The left wall is flush with the door hinge, and bare. In the left corner is what appears to be the remains of a wooden bucket. Very little of the wood is left, just some ragged sticks with some rusted metal rings that have fallen onto the floor.The far right corner is currently occupied... or used to be. Curled up in a fetal position is the skeletal remains of a humanoid. There's virtually nothing left but bones and just enough tendon to hold the whole thing together. It appears to have been an adult, but it's hard to tell what race or gender the person was now... they appear to have simply curled up in the corner, crossed their arms over their chest and died.-- Spot (DC 15) or automatic if anyone examines the corpseA glint of light catches your eye. Something grasped in the corpse's left hand is reflecting the light of your torch.* You pry open the dead body's fingers, one of which snaps off in the process. The bones are quite brittle and cool to the touch... and there, in the palm of its hand, is a small silver disc the size of a large coin. Covered in grime and nearly black with age, only a small corner that must have been covered by a finger is still somewhat shiny. Upon close examination, you can make out indentations that form symbols of writing around the outer edges... and in the middle is the unmistakable symbol of Pelor.----- Knowledge (Religon) check (DC 14)These small discs (called "Luminaries") were often handed out to low-level clergy in the church of Pelor as a reward for their service. Though not a true holy symbol, as clerics use, it was a mark of accomplishment for those who tended the everyday needs of the church to receive this reward. Very rarely did it find its way into the hands of average worshippers or merchants.----- Appraise (DC 12)Unfortunately, this particular Luminary is not what it should be. Apparently, the church had either become money-poor or greedy when it was made, as it is really made of copper with a silver coating over top. It's worth little more than two or three copper coins, since it would be difficult to separate the two materials now and sell them.-- Search (DC 18)It doesn't take terribly long to examine the room. There's very little else to see, besides the grimy mix of dust and moisture covering everything. Several times, you've had to stop and sneeze because of the musty smell, as well as wipe the slick grime off your fingers. However, one of the bricks in the floor is raised just slightly above the others.* A little prying with your fingers, and it comes up easily to reveal a tiny hole beneath. Inside the hole are: a small stick of what appears to be charcoal, a tiny leather book, and an impression in the soft ground about the size of a large coin.* Though the charcoal stick is easily retrieved, the leather book cracks and flakes as you grasp it. Age and moisture have not been kind to this pocket tome... When the cover is pulled open, there's a crackling sound and the first page attempts to stick to it. Once separated, it quickly becomes clear that you won't be able to make much use of this. The text was smeared when the cover was pulled away from the page, and the rest of the paper seems permanantly bound together. As best you can make out, the first page was written in Common, and seems to be a plea for the story of this person to reach their family. However, the name is totally illegible, the same as most of the passage on this page.-- speak with the deadThis was Samuel Tellen, a minor clergyman in the church of Pelor in [insert city here]. He was sent to deliver a message to a family in the forest outside his city when he was waylaid and taken prisoner. It was never made fully clear, but he believes he was mistaken for a more prominent member of the church, who his abductors intended to ransom back to the church. When his identity was discovered, he was simply locked away in this cell. Fearing for his life and stripped of his belongings, Samuel had no way to escape. However, for reasons his captors did not reveal, he was kept alive and imprisoned. After several weeks, he became acquainted with one of the guards, and managed to convince them to let him have a small book and writing instrument, so that he would at least have something to do. In addition, he was given his Luminary (once it was determined that he could do nothing magical with it, and that it was of little real value). However, not all the guards were as considerate, so he was forced to hide them lest they be taken away again.About a week before his death, there was a battle. He doesn't know who attacked. Once the fighting was over, no one came for him. No matter how loudly he shouted, no one heard him. He was left to starve, praying for Pelor to save him from his fate, to no avail.(Any attempt to resurrect Samuel fail. He has found his way to the arms of Pelor, where he is free to spend his afterlife in peace.)</blockquote>

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