The secret door ends up heading beneath to a crawlspace [ooc]party can fit, but will be squeezing through.
Faeros first checks out southern door, finding a long hallway that continues east and has another door to the north before bending around a corner to the south.
The crawlspace goes up to a grate; it doesn't look secured, but it is somewhat heavy.
Not wanting to try and enter a room prone, the party decides to venture the other route. There is a door to the north, bulging slightly at the center.
Around the corner, this short passage leads to a closed door. The walkway is littered with piles of stone bowls, skulls, crudely carved idols, and large chunks of quartzite, hematite, and other semi-precious minerals. A yellowish light leaks from the crack at the bottom of the door. The end of the hallway stops at a large amount of debris from the ceiling above, the rubble preventing passage further. Another passageway opens to the east, with pale green light illuminating from that direction.
Nilfyr moves around the corner, Faeros right behind, spying a door at the end of the short corridor. Faeros does a quick spot check, finding no traps, but the door itself is locked, perhaps by some magical force.
Faeros, with some arcane guidance from Artemus, undoes the magical lock!
Coal-filled braziers illuminate this room with a dull yellow light. Its walls are lined with great iron cages. Some are empty, while others hold the skeletal or desiccated remains of a fantastic array of supernatural beings. The corpses hang from rusty manacles and have great iron skewers piercing their bodies.
A table near the rear holds a collection of small clay bowls filled with red liquid and chunks of material, including bones and dried organs.
All of the bodies in the cages are deceased... except one that Faeros spies near the back. The large frame of a formerly statueque human that is perhaps 10 or 11 feet tall barely turns its head to the party, too weak to do much more.
This is a nephilim, the off spring of a demigod and a human. They often share traits of whichever deific being spawned them, although this one has been horrifically tortured and in need of medical treatment. Their mighty frames, when in good shape, can cause staggeringly powerful critical blows while magic and exceptional magical ability are required to bypass their natural defenses.
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"That is a nephilim, the off spring of a demigod and a human. They often share traits of whichever deific being spawned them, although this one has been horrifically tortured and in need of medical treatment. Their mighty frames, when in good shape, can cause staggeringly powerful critical blows while magic and exceptional magical ability are required to bypass their natural defenses."
Thunderstealer uses his wand to try and ease some of the pain.
The large man almost shies away when Thunderstealer approaches, especially with the wand.
"Save me, please. Do not let me die in such a pitiful state.", he weakly begs.
The man's head rises as he is healed. "More please. Return me to full strength so I can seek vengeance against the fiend that did this to me!", more strength in his voice.
Faeros finds that the man has only a faint aura of good on him, but it seems almost divine in nature, not from his own moral compass. He does not register on any other alignments after scanning for them.
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Lyr will also detect evil and scan the large man before scanning the room. Art offers What was done to you is wrong and we want to help you, but we cannot free you to rampage ahead of us. If we heal and then free you do you agree to work with us to seek your vengeance?
If he agrees Art will use 4 charges from his infermal healing wand to return 4o hp to him, assuming the spell works on his kind.
"Mmm... yes, I feel better; I would prefer to be at best shape though. I would like to seek vengeance against the devil that did this to me."
Although cramped in his cage, the large man tries to bow. "I am Jhaele, son of Ragathiel."
With a click, Faeros frees the large man who steps out, standing a solid 10 feet tall, his large muscles showing signs of loss as he almost stumbles as he stands. "Huzzah!", Jhaele cheers, even as he adjusts to moving for the first time in some unreasonable amount of time. Looking around, he takes the table and smashes it, now having a crude makeshift club. "This will have to do...", he murmurs.
As Faeros looks around, he notices something else strange; one of the cages has what at first appears to be a morlock with the skeleton removed... but finds it is instead a horrifically made suit of hide armor made out of several morlock skins!
Artemus quickly determines it is a magical suit of morlock hide armor
"Hurrah!", Jhaele shouts loudly as he flexes his muscles that now seem to bristle with power. "Yes, this will be sweet, vengeance!", the man wanting nothing more than to pummel the one who tortured him so.
As Thunderstealer puts on his new 'skin', Jhaele chimes in. "Best you wear that; that is nothing more than an ugly loincloth for me!"
At Faeros's question, Jhaele shakes his head. "I do not know; I have been stuck within this cage for two weeks now, but I assume she is nearby." He looks at the door to the south. "She does not go in there."
-Posted with Wayfinder
This chamber has been extensively excavated into a giant, amorphously shaped cavern.
The Emerald Spire runs through the center of this chamber. Numerous holes scar its surface, spiraling about the entire column. The damage appears superficial—no more than an inch or two deep in the surface—but a stronger glow from within the pillar leaks through the holes and cracks, casting emerald-colored beams about the room. Several of the holes appear to
have been recently patched with brighter chips of emerald crystal.
A woman of darkened skin with numerous barbs and spikes protruding from her frame. She closes a journal she was reading and tucks it in as Thunderstealer approaches the entrance. "Ah, this is an interesting development! Few humans manage to find their way to this place. You must be heroes to reckon with! Well, I certainly have no quarrel with you. In fact, I hope we might help each other."
Jhaele's booming voice echoes from the back. "You can only be helped with your demise, foul beast!" The woman sighs and shakes her head. "I see you have freed my research subject. My offer of exchange still stands if you can control him."
This is a barbed devil; armed with sharp claws and spikes, those striking her without reach are painfully pierced by her quill-like defenses. Like other devils of such power, only the post powerful casters can bypass their natural resistances.
Also knows as hamatulas, the claws of the barbed devils literally strike fear into their targets and can try to grab them, causing further damage from being impaled by the devil's spikes. Only good weapons can fully harm them and using fire and poison are ineffective, while cold and acid are resisted.
While it doesn't seem aware of your presence (so normal flat-footedness and all), it does seem to be somewhat aware of the lack of presence as it scans over the party.
"My research is of no consequence to you. But I am aware of you adventuring types, going into ruins think have no claim and slay everything in your path to what you consider to be riches and wealth. I would prefer to circumvent that process here and continue my work in peace.", the barbed devil replies to Artemus's claim as Jhaele seethes in rage behind him. "The fact that he would not give me the information I sought has only given me fodder for some alternate research. ", she continues, looking towards the nephilim behind the party. "I thought you were humans of honor. Are we not to slay this foul fiend?", Jhaele questions, not thoroughly moved by Artemus' words alone.
To Thunderstealer, she asks, "You would simply deny my request without even hearing it? It is a minor thing to you all, I assure you."
[ooc]Will be rolling Inits by tomorrow morning; got PACG and Mass Effect Andromeda today :P