Dungeon Master S |
The party disengages and opts to move into the ruins. Auri takes the lead going through the door (which has been smashed open.)
Just beyond, to your immediate left is an alcove. This large alcove is filled with a stone fountain beneath a carving of a cyclops breaking free of clutching tentacles. The fountain’s basin is full of clear water. Ahead is a hall with some doors, but to the right is a crack in the wall from which illumination spills forth...
Auriferous |
Auri looks at the room and continues to detect magic. Dipping her hand in the fountain she assesses how cold the water would be (and how refreshing after the heat outside).
Amiri, Angry Barbarian |
Amiri tries in vain to stop Auri. What are you doing?!? That water could be deadly poison! The barbarian watches the half-elf closely to see if she dies on the spot.
August Dupine |
"Do we have any protections against mind control or charm effects? Sounds like that may be something to watch out for. Still, no one here seems hostile..."
Auriferous |
"I'm sure if it were poisonous Julila would have mentioned that already." has Auri, although the thought had not actually crossed her mind until Amri put it in there.
"I confess to being concerned about Julia as well, she didn't seem quite as I remembered her. She said to keep an eye out for discs that would help decyper the secrets of this place."
Dungeon Master S |
Auri detects an aura of strong Abjuration when she examines the water. It is indeed cool and refreshing.
Merisiel, Elf Rogue |
"Arletta said too that she started to be suspicious after touching the sphere. Maybe there's some kind of magical connection to it and the monolith that'll give us insight? I recall that Kyra looked through it's eyes last time, so maybe we'll see something. Worth investigation, at least.
August Dupine |
August carefully walks down the hall to see what is around the corner.
Stealth: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (19) + 7 = 26
Perception, traps: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (9) + 15 = 24
Auriferous |
"There is protective magics on this fountain." notes Auri, who is more than happy to take a cool drink in the hot weather.
"Let us press onward. Should one of us - perhaps Kyra again? try to use the Sphere as we did last time before doing so though?"
Piper Azine |
False Life before entering.
False Life: 1d10 + 7 ⇒ (5) + 7 = 12
Piper Detects Magic and examines the pool.
Spellcraft: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (20) + 15 = 35
Arcana: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (18) + 15 = 33
Dungeon Master S |
You creep along the hall to look down the other. The sound of pounding gets MUCH louder down this hall, but otherwise you see naught more than a door at the end, and a smashed door along the left.
Piper turns her learned attention to the pool. While she too deciphers a strong abjuration aura, the effect itself seems to be unique, and not one she can identify.
Auri and Merisiel drink.
What now Pathfinders?
August Dupine |
"Shall we go peek in on this thing that smashed in the door, or look around further before risking an encounter with it?"
Amiri, Angry Barbarian |
Seeing neither Auri or Merisiel not die, Amiri sighs and takes a drink herself. Wiping her mouth with her sleeve, she sees ligth streaming out of the crack i the wall. What's that? she asks, pointing to it.
Piper Azine |
"I'm not sure what this enchantment is on the water, but it's an abjuration, and if it doesn't protect the water from us, it likely is meant to protect the drinker. Bottoms up, I suppose."
Piper drinks.
Auriferous |
Auri inspects the light coming from the crack in the wall. First with mundane vision, then calling on her draconic heritage.
Detect magic
Dungeon Master S |
Looking only at the light, Auri doesn't detect anything magical about it (she can't see the source form there.)
Auriferous |
Curious now, as only a dragon can be, Auri tries to see where the light is coming from.
Although if the sound is from the same place she may hang back to discuss with the others
Dungeon Master S |
There is an increased amount of pounding coming through the crack, so it's up to you guys.
August Dupine |
"One of us should take a look."
With that, August Dupine looks through the crack.
Dungeon Master S |
The crack is large here, but it's smaller on the inside edge, only an inch or so wide. The light is bright, like a spell of Daylight, but what you see inside is like nothing you've ever seen. There is a creature, easily the size of a house. This towering, three-tailed, six-eyed beast seems like three rune-backed serpents partially melded together into one body. It looks at you and speaks into your mind, "“slip another magical stone disc through the crack to me.”. I need a will save, DC 20."[/b]
August Dupine |
Will Save: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (12) + 8 = 20 Additional +2 if enchantment (still mind)
Whew! Can I look away and tell the others?
August Dupine |
Dupine throws himself back from the crack, holding his hands to his temples. He grumbles, "Stay...out...of..my...head!"
Looking shaken, but not damaged, he motions to everyone to stay back away from the crack.
"Something is in there, something strange. It looked like a set of 3 snakes, merged together, with runes covering it. It tried to compel me to push some of these stone disks through the crack. I don't know why, but I expect it might be bad if we did."
"Whatcha wanna bet Julia's mind has been attacked?"
Amiri, Angry Barbarian |
Amiri thinks about looking inside the crack, but for once common sense overcomes her lack of impulse control. That makes more sense than a "benevolent" Starwatcher Spirit.
Amiri, Angry Barbarian |
Amiri looks at Merisiel in surprise. More discs? she asks,since she wasn't around when they got the first one. You mean we have one?
Auriferous |
Auriferous ponders the situation.
Were there other discs already in the crack? Could we remove them do you think?"
She shakes her head. "I don't like the sound of a creature than tries to control our minds. Let us search further and see if there are clues as to what it is, and how it was imprisoned. It might yet be a celestial creature lured and chained here.."
Dungeon Master S |
August could see that there were two discs on the other side, one giving off that powerful daylight level effect, and another faint purple glowing effect.
Where to Pathfinders?
August Dupine |
August goes back to talk with Juliet.
"Hey Juliet, have you found any of those disks yet?"
Dungeon Master S |
Going back to Juliet, who is back to work, "Oh! Hello there again! Why yes, we've found a couple. Research shows that if we do find more, we need to give them to the Starwatcher spirit. I'd show you what they look like, but we already give the spirit the two we had."
August Dupine |
As I expected.
"Ok, thank you. We will keep an eye out."
August returns to the others, and says "I think they are all under the influence of this thing, with the intent to find these disks and push them through the cracks. I am not convinced that this thing is good."
Sense Motive?: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (8) + 15 = 23
"Finding the disks first, though, seems to be our best move. Shall we go explore down these hallways?"
Dungeon Master S |
August knows there's something.... wrong... here, but can't put his finger on it.
Auriferous |
"How heavy are they?" asks Auri.
Wondering if a mage-hand could pull the two that are already through the crack back to us
Merisiel, Elf Rogue |
Merisiel surreptitiously pulls out the one she has, showing Auri and the group. "Not terribly heavy."
I'm pretty confident they're magical, which'll nix a mage hand. Confirmation, Mr. GM?
Auriferous |
I've never noticed that before about mage hand. How far in are they? Reaching distance?
Dungeon Master S |
Yeah MAge Hand doesn't work on magic stone unfortunately.
The stones, unfortunately, are beyond reach (the crack is small in a thick wall, you'd have to go up to your shoulder and then some.
August Dupine |
Dupine motions the others to join him as he heads down the far hallway to verify that the open door leads into that space, and see what's beyond the double doors.
Dungeon Master S |
Since the map shows only Dupine down there...
The walls of this large, vaulted room are carved with stylized astronomical symbols. The south wall contains a pair of immense doors made of stone. Smaller doors on the east wall have been battered inward. The north wall contains four large panels, each eight feet above the ground with a central gap about seven inches wide and an inch deep. Above the four panels are blocky letters, and below them, mosaics featuring sway-backed cyclopes. The chamber’s floor displays a stylized depiction of Golarion and its moon traveling around the sun. Inside you can see the golem smashing on a door within that leads to the center of the Starwatcher. It's definitely making progress. It'll get through in less than an hour certainly...
August Dupine |
Content to let the golem bash at the door for now, Dupine examines the panels and blocky letters.
Linguistics: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (18) + 9 = 27
Dungeon Master S |
Written in Cyclops, the phrase above the panels reads"
“The MOON set within the VOID reflects the SUN but does not obscure the STARS."
Auriferous |
Auri also joins them in the hall. "That golem wants in on the snake creature. That certainly makes me think the snake is not a friend."
She listens to August. "Could this be some type of clue? Moon, void, sun, starts. It sounds very celestial."
Turning to Merisiel she asks "Does that glowing disk have any writing on it? All apart from the void surely glow like the disks."
Dungeon Master S |
There is no writing on the disc.
Amiri, Angry Barbarian |
Amiri follows along behind, mumbling quietly to Merisiel. So two discs, plus the one you have...
Then, after counting the four large panels: We're missing one, I think.