[Let's Play] The Legends of Skyfall: Monsters of the Marsh

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to investigate the dark area of the cavern.

[deaddmwalking]

Shove ourselves into all of the dark orifices, yes.

[Beroli]

As you move away from the water into the depths of the cave, your torch gradually illuminates more of your surroundings.

The cave extends some sixty feet from the pool and stream in this direction, and shows signs of having been used by intelligent creatures. Against the wall is what seems to be a rude altar, formed by a large rock slab laid upon two smaller upended ones. On either side the rocky wall has been carved away to leave outcrops, fashioned in the rough shape of humanoid hands, perhaps three or four times life-size. On the wall immediately above the altar has been carved an enormous face, with staring pupil-less eyes and jagged teeth.

Screenshot 2026-05-16 151501.png (190.78 KiB) Viewed 587 times

Venturing closer, you see that the hands are shaped as if to hold torches, and the wall above them is soot-blacked. The altar bears all-too-familiar stains.

Behind the carved mouth of the gigantic face, with its irregular stone fangs, there seems to be a cleft leading back into the rock.

Examine the revolting-looking altar?
Investigate the carved hands by touch? (They are too high up to examine more than what you can see in the picture by sight.)
Investigate the mouth of the stone face? (This will necessitate climbing onto the altar.)
Leave this horrific place as quickly as you can?

Name: Andrew Bond
Sex: Male
Expertise: 13
Vitality: 17/20
Fortune: 14
Equipment: Sword, dagger, fifty feet of rope, some torches, flint, steel, tinderbox, 2 doses Potion of Healing (+8 Vitality), Ring of Fortune (double all Fortune gains), Centaur Amulet, 3 Tablets of Strength (+1 Expertise and +2 Damage for one combat each).
Provisions: 8 days, Centaur Leaves in effect until the end of day 19 (real food needs to be eaten when day becomes 20)
Travel time so far: 12 days, 5.5 hours
Deaths: Captured as a slave and worked to death, stabbed with a poisoned dagger, drowned when a dam collapsed, captured as a slave and sacrificed

[deaddmwalking]

I like climbing into the face (continuing to thrust ourselves into dark orifices).

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to examine the altar, as that seems to be the safest choice.

[Thaluikhain]

Altar first seems safer, yeah.

[Beroli]

The altar stone is roughly nine feet long and four feet wide. There are holes near the four corners and in two of them are remains of leather thongs, obviously used to tether the wrists and ankles of the unfortunate victims.

The surface of the stone is slightly concave, with a shallow runnel leading towards the wall at the rear, and looking underneath you can see a rough earthenware bowl which you assume was used to catch the victims' blood.

Reach under the altar for the bowl?
Climb onto the altar to examine the stone face more closely?

Name: Andrew Bond
Sex: Male
Expertise: 13
Vitality: 17/20
Fortune: 14
Equipment: Sword, dagger, fifty feet of rope, some torches, flint, steel, tinderbox, 2 doses Potion of Healing (+8 Vitality), Ring of Fortune (double all Fortune gains), Centaur Amulet, 3 Tablets of Strength (+1 Expertise and +2 Damage for one combat each).
Provisions: 8 days, Centaur Leaves in effect until the end of day 19 (real food needs to be eaten when day becomes 20)
Travel time so far: 12 days, 5.5 hours
Deaths: Captured as a slave and worked to death, stabbed with a poisoned dagger, drowned when a dam collapsed, captured as a slave and sacrificed

[Thaluikhain]

Hmm, both sound dangerous...half vote for reach under.

[deaddmwalking]

I would like to check out the face. Guess I'll give it a full vote to avoid a tie.

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to reach under for the bowl.

[Beroli]

You pull the bowl out from beneath the altar stone. It is about six inches in diameter and four inches deep, and there is a dry, brown flaky substance in the bottom which looks very much like the stains on the altar.

You have heard of evil cults practicing horrific sacrificial rites in order to gain occult powers.

Pour some water into the bowl and drink it?
Fling the bowl away with a grimace of loathing?

(No, you have no in-between options.)

Name: Andrew Bond
Sex: Male
Expertise: 13
Vitality: 17/20
Fortune: 14
Equipment: Sword, dagger, fifty feet of rope, some torches, flint, steel, tinderbox, 2 doses Potion of Healing (+8 Vitality), Ring of Fortune (double all Fortune gains), Centaur Amulet, 3 Tablets of Strength (+1 Expertise and +2 Damage for one combat each).
Provisions: 8 days, Centaur Leaves in effect until the end of day 19 (real food needs to be eaten when day becomes 20)
Travel time so far: 12 days, 5.5 hours
Deaths: Captured as a slave and worked to death, stabbed with a poisoned dagger, drowned when a dam collapsed, captured as a slave and sacrificed

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to fling the bowl away.

[deaddmwalking]

Even if drinking from the bowl gives us awesome powers, it doesn't seem right, you know? So I also vote for flinging the bowl away like it was a spider on our arm. I'll abstain from voting whether to scream like a little girl at the same time.