"If you think it best with me, sure. By the way, are you alright?"
"The bite is nothing to worry about, but these foul beasts carry disease, so I'm a little concerned about that. I feel fine right now, but we'll see how I feel later. Thanks for asking."
"No problem." Talon then realizes he is acting way too noble. "It's just I wouldn't want anything to happen to one as pretty as you." He smirks.
"I'm fine too. Thank you so much for your concern."
"Oh sorry Han. Didn't notice you there. Glad you're okay too."
Hanethes smiles and laughs a little.
"Someone's a little distracted by the fairer gender? It's to be expected, I guess."
"You know, once we're out of here, if the soul we're looking for isn't nearby, we might see if any other adventurers are in the area. They could have silver weapons."
Rohini gives Talon an ambiguous nod expressing neither approval nor annoyance and turns to the half-elf, "If you'd like Hanethes, I can heal us both now, or I can do it in the midst of the next battle, when others are injured as well."
"Maybe.."
"Looking for silver weapons would be a good idea there are any here."
"We'll find them in something's gullet, most likely," says Kanthuun, chuckling at the non-Euclidean love triangle and flashing an eyebrow at the suddenly spared Petrova.
"As to finding a romantic tryst, I think we're on the wrong plane for that. I don't think they--" and he makes a gesture with two hands as to what he doesn't think daemons do.
Oh, they do. You just don't want to see it, or even worse, be involved. Drovya shakes his head in amusement. I will admit though, I take some comfort in knowing that no matter how dire our circumstances, there is always time for philandering. Anyway, if we ever get back to the Inner Sea, and decide to make a trip to the outer planes, I'll be sure to remind you all to arm yourselves appropriately.
"I, at least, can state that I was never planning on coming here at all..."
"I try not to plan. It usually ends up getting in the way."
Hanethes steps toward the statue, examining it carefully for traps or hidden mechanisms.
(+2 to spot traps)
The party was able to hear a clicking when the gem was inserted into one of two eye sockets, and with the inclusion of the gem, everyone could hear a gentle humming, but nothing registered with magical detection as of yet.
Hanethes could tell from his investigation that there was a mechanism within the statue of an alien nature (indeed, without the keystone, it had seemed antiquated, but unremarkable); something pulsed under his touch when he carefully prodded the inside of the other eye socket with one of hid thieve's tools. Whatever would come of this, there was another key that needed to be inserted. Perhaps it was lying around in another room? Maybe a daemon had it?
Petrova is quite happy to let Rohini field some if the adolescent attentions for awhile. "Have we found anything else in here that seemed innocuous at the time, but might work in our statue here?"
"Hmmm... looks like we need another eye (or keystone)." He ponders for a moment. "Hate to think what we have to kill for that one."
Rohini will take a look through the two archways. She has darkvision.
One archway led to a corner of a tunnel-entering would be the only way to truly gauge what it contained. The other contained another large room with carved alcoves properly sized for the containment of books and other such oddments, and indeed, there were a few texts still intact (which would immediately cause one to suspect magic to be involved after all this time). Another large pillar stood in the center of the chamber, but attached to it was a huge clay statue with much more definition than the ones in the current room.
It stood at nearly twenty feet in height, its head only ten feet shorter than the vaulted, cracking ceiling. It carried a glaive that eclipsed itself sideways with four arms, each shining with wicked metal spikes and tipped in inhuman claws with defines knuckles. Its face was a hideous, mawed affair without eyes, and its belly rotund and covered in spirals. Its legs looked like those of a large, humanoid jackal, and it had two iron wings that fanned out like jagged palm leaves.
On the below it was a single, sprawled corpse that had decayed to bones, its skull smashed in. Arasmes peered in its general direction after stepping next to Rohini, eyes still aglow with magic detection.
"I sense four auras in the next room of the abjuration variety. Most likely, they are warding or shielding spells."
Drovya poked his head into the doorway next to Rohini and Arasmes. Hmmm, he muses. Abjuration magics, ancient tomes, possibly filled with eldritch secrets and forgotten lore, and a truly hideous statue.
He pursed his lips then turned to Talon. I'd wager a platinum that thing tries to hack you to bits or bash in your skull if you get too close. Care to take the bet?
"On a bright sunny day, I'd take the bet. Of course, I'm usually the judge of such matters, so that might be cheating a little."
Hanethes tries to get a feel for the room with the alcoves and the statue without entering it, looking out for traps, magical and mundane, on the way to the statue.
Rohini will let the others cover the initial investigations, but she'll give everyone a touch of guidance. ("This spell imbues the subject with a touch of divine guidance. The creature gets a +1 competence bonus on a single attack roll, saving throw, or skill check. It must choose to use the bonus before making the roll to which it applies.")
"Anybody have any idea what that ugly statue represents? And I agree with Drovya that it may not be a statue at all."
"Sure, I'll go get its attention. What's the worst that could happen?" Talon walks up to the statue, weapon in hand.
"Hmmm. Do you really want an answer to that question?"
"If you got one, sure."
"Ha. I have several. But my imagination is probably more fertile than the reality we are facing. So, carry on, friend. Carry on."
Talon just nods his head and smiles.
"Talon, don't you think you should let Hanethes finish looking for traps before approaching the statue? It may be he can find something to disable, although if the traps are magical I don't know if we'll be able to do anything about them."
Rohini casts detect magic and studies the room, attempting to further pinpoint the sources of the four magical auras.
"Sure thing."
Talon will wait until Hanethes has searched for traps.
Hanethes is unable to detect any traps, and both Arasmes and Rohini pinpoint the auras as coming from three books and one phial on some of the carved shelves.
The instant the fighter came within fifteen feet of the statue, it whirred to life, the mawed face spinning counterclockwise. Its glaive came down in a swift arc whilst the creature disengaged from the pillar with a loud CRACK, dust flying everywhere.
The weapon connected with the fighter's midsection,slicing through armor and drawing a decent amount of blood before pulling back. It was a testimony to the fighter's core strength and stability that he didn't flinch.
Judging by how the thing had not registered in detect magic or as a trap, the creature must be some sort of golem, or magical construct with an elemental or soul-driven core. Usually mindless on their own, golems carry out a specific order or set of orders timelessly and loyally, Likely, the thing is immune to death effects, disease, mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects), necromancy effects, paralysis, poison, sleep, stun, and any effect that requires a Fortitude save (unless the effect also works on objects, or is harmless). Constructs are not subject to nonlethal damage, ability damage, ability drain, fatigue, exhaustion, or energy drain.
This appears to be a variation of a clay golem, though its strange anatomy and size all but assures some surprises. It is immune to magic , though move earth, disintegrate, and earthquake effect the creature, and aciddamageheals it. It deals damage that is very difficult to heal, and has a chance of going berserk in combat, forgetting its directives and destroying anything in sight. It has a damage reduction against weapons that are not made of adamantine or deal bludgeoning damage.
Looking at the wings, however, you doubt they are functional. You have no idea as to the function of the maws, however.
The rotating maws are strange; they must have some purpose that jamming the movement of would interrupt. A large enough object blocking even one should mess with the apparatus.
Int check:
"Clay golem! We'll have to cuff it with cudgels or adamant! I'll draw up a pit for this fellow."
He slides a neatly tied scroll from his quiver and unrolls it, uttering strange words and gesturing as he scans the scroll.
Int:
Talon just looks down at his bleeding midsection with shock. So much shock that he can't come up with a quip to use against this creature. He weakly grips his weapon hoping to stand long enough for his allies to kill it. His hands twitch as he subconsciously wants to put a hand on his giant gaping wound.
Hanethes's eyes widen in shock as the clay golem comes to life and Kanthuun shouts various important information. Unwilling to attract the golem's attention now that it was distracted by Talon, he slides into a shadowy recess where he hopefully is not noticed.
Hang back! If Kanthuun can put it in a pit, maybe we can get out of here before it chops Talon to mincemeat!
"We'll still need to drive it in somehow...does anyone have a herd of cattle handy?" Kanthuun says through gritted teeth while focusing on the scroll.
"If Talon moves back and you put it right in front of us, wouldn't the golem walk right in? They aren't very bright, right?"
Can't you just make the pit underneath it?
In the meantime, Drovya has a bright idea to try to keep Talon from being injured again and casts grease on the floor underneath the golem, hoping that it is as clumsy as it looks.
The golem was indeed as clumsy as it appeared, and the greased ground below caused its legs to buckle awkwardly and slide out from underneath itself and collapse sideways, making the entire chamber shake with its weight. A few loose stones fell from the ceiling, along with another shower of dust (though only small bits, and not enough to damage anyone).
However, the automaton seemed to possess the knowledge of how to get back up, and was far enough away from Talon that the fighter couldn't take advantage of the situation.
Maws still whirring, the golem took aim at the fighter once more, though the hit this time was not as grievous due to Talon using his weapon in an attempted parry to deflect some of the force before the glaive's end glanced off and slashed at his shoulder.
[ooc] Yep. Nada.
The inquisitor, who had never put his weapon away, looked from Kanthuun's concentration back to Talon.
"Talon will not last much longer like this-That he has not made some joke about the creature speaks volumes. Do you think you will be ready to cast the spell before the golem moves again, Kanthuun?" the inquisitor asked gently.
"As soon as I read this..." Kanthuun dare not look up from the scroll, despite the sounds of Talon being battered.
Petrova delays until she can see what happens with the pit.
Assuming everyone injured is within 30 feet of Rohini, she will channel positive energy:
She will then move back into the room where the party fought the daemons.
Talon and his 26 hit points will withdraw back to the party. "You know, in the future. I wouldn't be offended if someone came to help me." With one hand, he starts holding his stomach, blood dripping down through his fingertips. He starts to blink as he looks a little dizzy. He looks over to see his shoulder wound. He finds a wall to lean against.