Several loose gemstones glitter on the floor of the cave. When Arma stoops to pick one up, though, two creatures suddenly rush through the southeast cave wall as if it wasn't really there! They resemble animated clusters of translucent crystals shaped disturbingly like gemstone scorpions. They wave their jagged tails menacingly, and one speaks strange words in a ringing voice.
"Crysmals! Oh, I've heard about these. They're made of gemstones, and collect them to create more." she furrows her brow, [b]"Is that Terran that they're speaking? Yeah, that's definitely Terran. I've been working on the language, but I can't understand them. Uh.... I don't think they're malicious, and we may be able to come to some kind of agreement. I'd put the crystal down, though, Arma."[b]
Tessa very carefully sets her crossbow down, stepping away from it and spreading her hands apart in an effort to convey that they didn't want to fight.
The crysmals warily watch you, waiting to see what you will do. Assuming Arma puts the gemstone down, one of them speaks again and clacks its claws.
Arma drops the crystal at Tessa's instruction and carefully lifts her hands to show they're empty. She keeps an eye on those dangerous-looking tails and shuffles back. "Okay, that's definitely different."
Relia stops moving, and looks at the creatures. She has no idea what they want, but doesn't make any hostile moves. "Let's just back away. I don't feel like fighting them."
The crysmals move to stand over the scattered gemstones, as if prepared to defend them. You hold up your hands and back away, which seems to be enough to keep them from attacking, but they watch you warily as you depart.
The only other way to go is a tunnel to the north. Light shines at the end of it, and you emerge out of a small opening on the side of a low hill. You're only a short walk away from Talmandor's Bounty.
"I'm with you. Should we wait for the rock people to leave first?" Relia responds to Abigail.
A few tracks indicate that the chokers would often go to and from this tunnel entrance, likely to hunt in the nearby forest. However, the freshest tracks are a few days old--it's unlikely that any other chokers are out in the wilds now.
You head back into the cavern for another thorough sweep, giving the crystalline scorpions a wide berth. You do not discover any other creatures. You feel confident that the entire choker nest has been exterminated.
"I like that plan. It's always good to have an extra exit if needed. I suggest we don't mention the earth creatures or the gems. I'd hate to have someone try to take the gems, and end up hurt or killed by the creatures." Relia climbs out of the well. "We've cleared the choker nest. Hopefully we'll be safe from them.
You make your way back up the well and into Talmandor's Bounty to report your success. Ramona is grateful to you for dealing with the chokers. The colony will no longer have to worry about creatures skulking around in the night.
As you reflect on the challenges of the past couple of weeks, you feel stronger and more confident in your abilities.
Relia will gather everyone who is injured together once a day at the end of the day and channel energy to heal people. She does a short service at the edge of the water to Gozreh.
She checks on her patients every morning, and then she spends the rest of her week in her still room crafting potions. She makes enough healing potions for two of the Ladies of Adventure to have a potion of moderate healing.
With some trepidation that she hides behind her best bedside manner, Arma spends her time doing the more mundane kind of healing. Her lessons were based around intuition, but as she works she finds that pure intellect is just as, if not more effective.
As grim as it sounds, pulling things apart isn't too different from putting them back together, and as her experiences inform her doctoring, so does her doctoring make her skills all the sharper.
A relatively quiet week passes in the colony as you work and train, discovering new abilities that you wouldn't have thought possible before.
Early one afternoon, Lyra Heatherly comes up to the four of you with an excited look on her face. "Hey, guys! I was out exploring earlier when I came across a field of broken marble columns with a strange dais in the center. Looks like it might be the remnants of some old Azlanti building. I didn't get too close, but I thought you might want to go check it out!"
Relia happy to have a break from brewing potions, and letting patients know they aren't going to be in labor for a few more weeks is excited to get out of the village. "That sounds interesting. Which way do we head? Did you see anything or anyone around it?"
"It's north of here. I didn't see any creatures nearby, but I didn't get too close. I figured I should get some back up just in case," Lyra says with a grin.
"Of course! I'd be happy to accompany you fine ladies," Lyra says with a smile.
Once you're ready, Lyra leads you north from Talmandor's Bounty, bearing northeast a bit as you travel towards the island's interior. You pass through some thick forest and climb in elevation a bit, but the journey is uneventful, and after a short afternoon shower blows through, you reach your destination.
The trees thin out around this field of shattered stones and fragments. Toppled marble columns jut haphazardly from the ground and are partially covered with moss. These rocks are the only evidence that buildings once stood here, but the passage of thousands of years has left little but their broken stone skeletons. One remnant remains incongruous with the ruins: a circular marble dais carved from a distinctly lustrous pinkish stone, perfectly preserved but surrounded by a crumbled stone rotunda that has not weathered the ages nearly as well.
"Here it is," Lyra says, resting her hands on her hips. "What do you think?"
Tessa looks around the ruins, trying to get information on it.
Tessa is unable to surmise much from the ruins. What remains of the architecture bears some evidence that these were once Azlanti buildings, though it's impossible to tell what purpose they might have served. As she approaches within 15 feet of the dais, though, the image of a humanoid figure flickers into existence on the dais and begins to address a nonexistent audience. The figure wears black robes befitting an academic or a spellcaster, and wears a peculiar metal helm that obscures all the wearer's features except the mouth. The front of the helmet is decorated by three upward-pointing tines, like a fork or a trident. The figure's words are clearly audible, but are spoken in Azlanti, and it gestures with its hands, as if to calm or reassure.
"Loyal citizens of the empire—fear not. The blot in the heavens is but a ruse by veiled foes to keep us distracted in this time of mounting chaos. Tend to your regular duties, and trust in the Ioun Imperative and your emperor to keep you safe. Do not fail us, and we shall not fail you."
"Earthfall... This enchantment is ancient. I wonder what else is around here. Was this maybe a town square or something?"
She looks around, scanning the entire area for magic.
Arma's eyes light up in wonder. "Oh. Oh, this is a good find, Lyra, this is a very good find. Stars, how old is that? How has the dais held...together..." She trails off as she starts thinking about it. "You know, should probably be careful about touching the dais, eh?"
The dais radiates a faint aura of transmutation and a moderate aura of illusion. There aren't any other auras in the area, and Tessa doesn't see anything else of interest nearby.
"You know, Carver is a big history buff. I'll bet he'll want to see this as well!" Lyra says.
This is fascinating. What a find. Let's look around to make sure the area is fairly safe, and we can bring several people back to study this. We could have a field trip." Relia begins to look around the area outside the ruins for interesting things or obvious dangers.
Tessa shakes her head, "Not really, no. Clearly, it's meant as some sort of public announcement, but if it's really Azlanti- and it looks that way- it means the enchantment predates Earthfall, making it over ten thousand years old. I'm not sure what it's referring to, but I imagine it has something to do with Earthfall- otherwise they would have dispelled it once the 'blot in the heavens' went away. But I'm out of my depth here, both magically and in terms of knowledge. It is interesting to see what Azlanti officials wore, though. Let's see if I can't trigger that illusion again."
"Oh, sorry. Earthfall is an ancient cataclysmic event- it's when the Starstone fell to Golarion and destroyed most ancient civilizations, plunging the entire world into a millennia of darkness. It caused the fall of the Azlanti, Ghol-Gan, and Thassilonian empires, drove the Dwarves and Orcs to the surface, and encouraged my people to retreat to Sovyrian. I can recommend a few books for you if you want to learn more."
Every few minutes, the illusion seems to reset and repeat the same message. Also, it disappears as long as nobody is within 15 feet of it, reappearing and starting from the beginning when somebody gets close again. It never says anything different, though.
"Huh. Well, is there anything else around here? Or should we just go back to town and get Carver?"
There doesn't seem to be anything else of interest in this area.
"Let's look around some more." Relia follows Abigail in her search of the area.
You sweep around the forest near the ruins, searching for anything of interest, but you don't find a whole lot.
As you walk near a river north of the dais, though, you see ripples in the water before a trio of creatures emerge. These hunchbacked, green-skinned humanoids have wide, frog-like heads but mouths more akin to that of a toothy fish. They brandish their tridents and gurgle a challenge as they move towards you!
Before you can react, the creatures rush up to Abigail, stabbing at her with their weapons. Two score good hits, driving the tines of their tridents deep into the ranger's sides!
"Honestly. My trident is nicer. Take a look." She stabs at one of the creatures.
Tessa, without missing a beat, quickly loads, aims and fires her crossbow, and it sails off into the distance harmlessly.
Arma takes her strength mutagen and moves into a flanking position as she draws her daggers.
Relia stabs at one of the skum with her trident, but it parries with its own weapon. Tessa fires a crossbow bolt that goes wide, while Arma drinks her mutagen and moves to flank the creatures. Abigail swings her axe in a low arc, completely severing one of the skum's legs! It screams and falls to the ground, blood spurting from the impromptu amputation.
"Hey, back off, fish-face!" Lyra shouts. She loads a sling bullet and hurls it at one of the remaining skum, bashing it across its brow!
The other two snarl in anger. One assaults the ranger with trident, teeth, and claw, while the other turns to attack Arma. Abigail takes a deep claw slice to her gut, while Arma's opponent takes a bite out of her shoulder!
Tessa reloads and shoots again, aiming for the skum attacking Abigail, "Abigail! Are you all right?"